A Lot to Share!

For a change I have a lot to share! Firstly, here is one of my new starts: It is Feather Fairy by Nora Corbett. I know - it looks really weird with the leg sticking out like that, but I always start at the bottom and the foot was the best starting point for me. (Had I known she would look so dismembered and unbalanced I would have started with the skirt!)
I just love Mirabilia designs - actually I have a little, OK a big problem! I have started a few Mirabilia's before, but I have never finished one! Here is an example:

It is The Kiss and is absolutely gorgeous! I started this about 10 years ago, but never managed to make good progress on it - I hope I will do better with Feather Fairy!

Here is a close up of some of the metallic on The Kiss:

My other start is a Hardanger SAL by Mamen. The end product will be a beautiful bag.

Here is my start on it - I am making two, the Ecru one is for myself and the blue/grey one is for my mom. The pieces for the SAL only come out every second week, so there is enough time to work on other projects.

Since I have two new starts, I decided to make up for my wicked ways by also working on one of my WIPs. This is Book of Ink Circles by Tracey Horner from Ink Circles.

The plan is to finish one block/section each month. My goal is to finish the piece by the end of the year. For this month I have already completed the top, middle block - I still need to fill in the green knot design.

Last, but certainly not least - I received this lovely postcard from Edit. It is detail from the Lion Courtyard at the Alhambra - she sent it to me because I stitched Girl from Alhambra by The Solaria Gallery recently.

Thank you Edit - it is a beautiful postcard and interesting!

Well, that is enough from me for one post. Enjoy the rest of the week and Happy Stitching!

A Finish and a Few Fobs

Hi from a still sweltering Cape Town! Yes, I am still complaining about the heat - it is over 40 degrees Celsius today and has been like that the entire weekend - hopefully it will 'break' soon - there is a massive thunderstorm predicted for this evening.

Here is a small finish I had recently - it is a Primitive Emery by Nicoletta Farruato of Niky's Creations and was featured in the February edition of The Gift of Stitching Magazine. I stitched it on self-dyed 28ct evenweave in the recommended DMC thread. The leaves are made from patchwork fabric and attached with blanket stitch. The blanket stitch is worked 'unevenly' to give a more rustic look. I just love this little piece!
I have been looking for a scissors fob, but there is not much available locally and I couldn't find the colours or combinations of beads that I was looking for online, so what to do? Of course I made some of my own! Here is the first one I made - I love the Jade/Blue tones.

I also made a few other combinations. The round beads on the Rose colour fobs are exquisite hand crafted glass beads with a foil effect and embossed pattern - they are so gorgeous - they each have a unique pattern!

If you are interested in any of these fobs please pop over to my sales blog - there is also a link in the right-hand panel of this blog or send me an email.

I also have a new start, actually two :) I will post about them soon - in my defense - the one is a SAL that only comes out every second week. Enjoy the rest of the week and Happy Stitching!

A Beautiful Gift from Brazil!

I have been so lucky lately - I have received another wonderful stitching gift! Lee Albrecht from Flores no Jardim sent me a package containing two of her beautiful kits. Lee has an embroidery school in Brazil and specializes in Hardanger embroidery and also combines cross stitching with some of her Hardanger designs.

I regularly visit her blog to admire the lovely work of her and her students (wishing I had more time to do some Hardanger embroidery again!) - this year she decided to send a kit to a different country every month and I was chosen for February!
This is the kit I selected, it combines cross stitch and Hardanger to create a stunning rose accented pillow. The kit contains chart, fabric and all the threads.

She also included this Hardanger kit - it is her basic course in Hardanger and contains a full set of instructions, fabric and threads.

You can have a look on her blog for more of her beautiful designs. Thanks again Lee - I will definitely enjoy stitching these lovely pieces!

Furthermore, it is still sweltering here - temperatures of over 30 degrees Celsius predicted for the next two weeks and they are already saying it will probably persist for the next month! To top it all off, I woke up with a sore throat today!

Enjoy the rest of the week - I have a small finish that I will share soon :)

Happy Stitching!

A Big Finish!

I finished Girl from Alhambra by the Solaria Gallery this weekend! I really enjoyed stitching this piece - it is so well charted and the colours are so beautiful.
Now, what to do next? I know I should take out one of my WIPs, but I don't think I'll be able to resist a new start! There are so many things in my stash that want attention :)

It has been absolutely sweltering here over the past week - temperatures are over 30 degrees Celsius, actually closer to 40 degrees Celsius some days (it was 42 degrees Celsius/ 108 Fahrenheit on Saturday afternoon)! The night temperatures also stay well in the twenties, so guess who is hardly sleeping at the moment! Autumn (and Winter) can't come soon enough for me.

Enjoy the rest of the week and Happy Stitching!

A Prize Arrives!

Yes, I actually won something! I was lucky enough to be a winner in one of Jolene's lucky draws. The prize was one of ten grab bags, containing ten charts each. This is my first win and the prize arrived yesterday :)

Here is the entire content of the package:
Here are some of the charts that you can't see in the other pic...

And a few more that you can't see in the first pic...

Jolene was also generous enough to include a chocolate and a card - that card is so beautiful, it looks good enough to eat! Thanks Jolene!

I hope to have a progress pic for "Girl from Alhambra" soon. My progress on her has not been as fast as I had hoped, but she is getting there - I should have a big finish in the not too distant future!

Enjoy the rest of the week!

Valentine Finish

I stitched this Valentine Freebie by Primitivebettys this week and finished it into a pincushion. I first saw this design on Mylene's blog and thought - "now there's a must stitch".

It is stitched in DMC 777 and 3799 on self-dyed fabric.
The red border around the design is worked in chain stitch - I wanted some more red around it to "frame" the design. I am so happy with the way it turned out :)

Now it is back to Girl from Alhambra - I can't wait for that big finish!

Enjoy the rest of the week and Happy Stitching!

Girl from Alhambra Update

Oh my! Can you believe it - two weeks since my last post! In between work and the computer being upgraded and reinstalled and all that 'stuff' I haven't had a lot of stitching and blogging time. Hopefully I will be getting more done in the future :)

Here is an update pic of my Girl from Alhambra by the Solaria Gallery:
She has all her 'features' now - she looked really strange when she had only one eye ;) I am still loving this project and hope to finish it within the next few weeks.

Have a great week with lots of stitching!

Girl from Alhambra and some Fabric!

Here we are in the second week of January and here is my progress on Girl from Alhambra! She now has a mouth and you can see her nose forming - it is really so exciting to see a face emerging as you work!

I am enjoying this piece so much, I haven't even thought of what I am going to stitch next - I suppose it should be one of my WIPs and I should try to finish it (lol).
I coloured some fabric during my holiday - I don't have a specific use for it yet, but you never know!

I love the blue and the darker natural - maybe I'll find something to stitch on it soon.

I have just heard that it is going to be 36 degrees Celsius tomorrow! Our summer is really here now! (Please wish me luck - I don't like the heat.)

Have a great week and Happy Stitching!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year Everyone - I hope it will be a healthy and prosperous year filled with lots of stitching!

I had a new start over the holidays - it is 'Girl from Alhambra' by Stoyanka Ivanova of the Solaria Gallery. I absolutely love this piece and it is really fun now that I have started work on her face!
Here is what the end product should look like - isn't she beautiful?

I still have this week off before I go back to work - lucky me!

Have a great week and Happy Stitching!

Merry Christmas and another Beautiful Finish

It's almost Christmas! I hope everyone is enjoying the Festive Season and that your preparations are going well! Here are a few pics of our Christmas Tree, featuring some handmade ornaments:
Here it is with the lights on:

I had another wonderful email this week of Vinniey's finish of my Merry Christmas Freebie! She finished it as a cute mini pillow - I absolutely love it! I think it's a finish I should try in the future :) It is stitched one over one on a 32ct Platinum Belfast Linen in Anchor threads, similar to the recommended DMC shades. Thank you for the photo Vinniey!

A very Merry Christmas to everyone! I hope it is a time of peace and joy, spent with family!

Ornament Freebie and a Finish

Can you believe it's only a few days until Christmas? Here is a little heart with candles that I designed for a last minute Christmas stitch.
Click on the image below for the free chart:

I also have a finish just in time for Christmas! I finished Winter Winds by the Prairie Schooler a few days ago. It is not going to be framed/finished in time for Christmas, but at least the stitching is done!

I really enjoyed this piece and the subtle colours used.

I will post about my new start soon - I know I should have picked up a WIP, but I just could not resist :)

Enjoy the run up to Christmas!

Beautiful finishes by Joan and Brigitte!

It has been such a treat to open my inbox this week! I have had photos from both Joan and Brigitte of their Merry Christmas ornaments!

Joan stitched it on a 36ct fabric and used 1 thread DMC. She added beads to the Christmas tree and the Holly. I just love the red braid she finished it with :) Thank you so much Joan - it looks great!

Here is Brigitte's cute pillow finish. I love the styling on the patchwork star with the snowy village in the background. Thank you Brigitte - it is lovely!

I hope everyone is enjoying their preparations for Christmas and getting a few stitches in along the way! Until next time, Happy Stitching!

My Christmas Stitching

With Christmas rapidly approaching I thought it would be a good time to show you all my handmade Christmas ornaments. Some are very recent and some have been around for years. I absolutely LOVE Christmas stitching, I have been making ornaments for years and I still have so many Christmas pieces that I want to stitch!

Here is my 'collection':
All the ornaments are displayed on a Christmas Tree Skirt that my mom stitched a few years ago. It is a Dimensions chart by Barbara Mock, called 'Old Tyme Holiday'. I just love the snowy Christmas village - it has such a lovely atmosphere to it! (As you can see, it has not been finished into a tree skirt yet - can you imagine putting that on the floor to actually use it as a tree skirt! I don't know what we are going to do with it yet, but hopefully it will be out on display in coming years!)

Here is a break down of the ornaments:

These ornaments are mostly very recent, but a few of them have been around for a few years.

I made these emeries last year - they are so much fun to stitch and finish and look beautiful on the tree. They are all from Anita's Little Stitches. I hope to make a few more next year.

This little Hardanger angel is designed by Emie Bishop. I stitched it a few years ago on 32 ct cream Belfast linen and 'dressed' this little porcelain doll to turn her into a Christmas Angel. (I won't mention that a have the charts and fabric for a few more, but guess what - I can't find matching porcelain dolls anywhere!)

These are Mill Hill kits. I absolutely loved stitching them and I love Mill Hill kits - they are such a treat - I love unpacking all the little treasures that come with each kit, like the little Teddy button on the bell pull :)

For the past few years I have stitched a plastic canvas ornament each year. The finishing is so easy - just cut them out and add a tag! The designs are taken from various cross stitching magazines.

I stitched this 'Joy' Christmas sampler when I was sixteen. It is an Emie Bishop design (guess who likes her Christmas designs!) and has cross stitching and Hardanger bands. This is one of my favourite pieces of all time and is on display in our home year round!

Here are a few 'non-stitched' hand made Christmas ornaments. The little beaded stars look great on the tree!

That's it for now! I will post a picture of the decorated Christmas tree and a few other Christmassy things soon.

My little free "Merry Christmas" chart is still available - Please remember to leave me your email address in a comment if you want it! (Barbara C - I would like your email address please - I would love to get the chart to you as soon as possible)

Until next time, Happy Stitching!

A Beautiful Finish by Mylene!

I had a lovely surprise waiting for me in my inbox this weekend! Mylene stitched my free Christmas design and was kind enough to let me have a pic to show you. It is so beautifully stitched and finished - I think that red ribbon finishes it off perfectly :)

For more photos of this ornament and her other ornament finishes for the year visit Mylene's blog!
This design is still available for free, all you have to do is leave me a comment here or on the original post or send me an email - my email address is on my profile. (If you leave a comment - please remember to leave your email address if it is not on your profile, so that I can get the chart to you as soon as possible!)

Have a great week with lots of stitching!

Team Effort Christmas Ornament Finish

I have been up to some Christmas stitching and finishing since my last post. My mom and I both wanted to stitch Carol R's Sew Noel, so I stitched it in green and she stitched it in red!
It is stitched in DMC stranded cotton, 1 over 1 on a white 22 count Oslo Hardanger fabric.

It is finished as a "double sided" flatfold, so that, when appropriately displayed, both sides can be appreciated. Here I tried to "capture" both sides in one photo:

We also added charms to finish it off - a star charm on the green one and a snowflake charm on the red one.

I stitched Spot of Winter by The Drawn Thread earlier this year and it is now finished as a little pillow and ready to be displayed for Christmas.

I hope to have some more Christmas ornament finishes to show you soon. We will be putting our Christmas tree up this weekend - it is something I always look forward to - I absolutely love Christmas!

Enjoy the rest of the week and Happy Stitching!