SAL Start and HAL Progress!

Hello stitching friends!  Oh my, it has been so hot over the past few weeks, I can't wait for the first signs of Autumn, even though I know how hot February and March can be!  Last week there were a few evenings that were too hot to do anything, even stitch, followed by nights that were too hot to sleep, leaving everyone feeling absolutely drained.  On to more pleasant things - stitching!

Tuesday night was the start of the private SAL Michelle and I are having.  Every Tuesday night we will be stitching on the Isabella Donald sampler featured in the Spring 2012 issue of the SANQ magazine.  Here is my start: 

The design is actually charted in grey and soft purples, but that does not suit my decor, so I changed it completely!  It is not a reproduction sampler, but compiled from different samplers from the same era. Some of the inspirational samplers are shown in the magazine and I really liked the colours of the 1825 Kildare School Sampler.  I was fortunate enough to have some Madeira silks in the deep red, gold and blue and soft green shades.  I am stitching it on a natural 28 count evenweave and I'm very satisfied with the way the silks look on the fabric.

I also managed to do quite a bit on the Bambu HAL (hardanger-a-long) by Mamen and I'm actually a bit ahead of the steps set out for the group!  Here is my progress:

Here is a slightly closer view - I love the combination of soft pinks and ecru!

 At least the hot weather is good for one thing - my roses just keep on flourishing!  Here is a picture of a beautiful soft pink rose - it also has a lovely delicate fragrance!

That's it for now!  It's almost Friday - have a good weekend and Happy Stitching!

Michelle

Last Christmas Stitches for 2013 and a Sampler Start!

Hello stitching and blogging friends - I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!  Here are my last Christmas stitches for 2013, these beautiful postcard style pieces were featured in a World of Cross Stitching Magazine.  I did not manage to do the finishing in time for Christmas as they turned out to be very time consuming to stitch, with lots of quarter stitches and back stitching.

They are stitched on 28ct antique white Jubilee in DMC stranded cotton.

Look at the lovely detail on these cards - I certainly have to do the finishing so that they can be proudly displayed next Christmas :)

I also have (another) new start - I decided not to wait for the new year to start this piece!  It is called Celebration Sampler and is featured in the Just Cross Stitch Magazine as part of their 30th anniversary this year - it is a six part sampler and runs over a few issues.  I'm stitching it on antique white 27ct Linda in DMC threads.

It does not look like much now, but it will be a beautiful band sampler with some specialty stitches.  I am really enjoying this project so far, even if I still have to chart my name into the blank space between the bands - my name and surname just won't fit into the allotted space - the sampler is quite narrow!

  

We have been 'enjoying' a typical hot, sunny South African summer, which means my roses are in full bloom.  I would like to end my last post of 2013 with some photos of one of my favourite roses from my garden.  It is called 'Blue Bayou' and has the most beautiful silver lilac flowers.

Sometimes the beauty of a single bloom is simply amazing :)

Well, that's it for 2013!  Wishing everyone a wonderful New Year!

Happy Stitching!

Michelle

A Lovely Gift Received!

Hello dear blogging friends! Oh my, has it really been that long since my previous post?  I trust you are all keeping well!  I am slowly winding down from a very, very busy year and I'm so happy to be blogging again.

Last month I received such a wonderful surprise from my dear friend Michelle over at Michelle's Stitchcraft Place - she sent me a lovely gift for my birthday!  Look at the pretty birthday card:

She sent me a Tralala Collection chart, a piece of 32ct linen and the sweetest little notebook:

Here is a close up of the chart - it is so cute and definitely on my 'to do' list for next year!  Thank you so much Michelle, I absolutely love the gift!

Since my last blog post the seasons have been changing!  We had a very long, cold, wet winter this year, but Spring has finally arrived (despite some heavy rainfall this past weekend and more rain predicted for this week!) and the garden is coming to life.  Here is a picture of one of the first roses to bloom - in the background you can see the first sweet peas of the season:

Here is a close up of some of the sweet peas - the scent is just heavenly!

I have not been able to stitch as much as I would have liked to over the past few months, but did manage a few small finishes (and perhaps a large start!), as well as a few other projects.  I will share some pics soon!

Enjoy the rest of the week and Happy Stitching!

Michelle

Needle Painting, a Pincushion and a Cottage of Lace!

Hello dear stitching friends and a warm welcome to my new followers!  I have a variety of finishes to share this week.  I have been wanting to try some needle painting for a while now and stitched this little Victorian Pansy by Trish Burr as my first piece.  

It is stitched in DMC stranded cotton on white linen.  I'm not sure what I'll finish it as yet - maybe the cover of a needlebook or just a little pinkeep?

This Cathedral Window pincushion really drew my attention on a few web pages and I just had to try my hand at it!  It turned out very pretty in pink fabrics from my stash, but I don't think I'll be using it as a pincushion - it is already on display in a basket with some other ornaments :)

I stitched this 'Maison Dentelle' from gazette94 a while ago.  It is stitched in DMC B5200 on dark pink Aida - even though I don't like stitching on Aida I love how it turned out.  

I think this little cottage will look good in a frame, so I'll be on the hunt for one :)

This has been a very 'pink' post, so I will end it with a photo of some pink roses from my garden - I wish you could smell these - they are a delight!

Enjoy the rest of the week and Happy Stitching!

Michelle