A Little Bit of Everything.

Well, it's been a while since my last post but I finally have a few new things to blog about.
I've finished a couple of pinkeeps - the first one is a Brightneedle freebie design Humble Daisys.
I went out on location for the photo shoot LOL. Roaming around the weeds and nettles on a piece of waste ground near to where I live. Anyone passing would have probably thought I was nuts but I had to find a daisy!
Please click on the picture as it looks so pretty when seen close up.

I couldn't decide which picture I like best so you get to see both of them :)

I have no idea what the purple flowers are but they are so pretty. I snapped this picture on my way down to the beach.

The second pinkeep is one of the JBW French Country series using the recommended threads and linen.




Still with the cross stitch I stitched a Stacy Nash Primitives design which was supposed to be a sampler pinkeep drum. Here's how it should have looked



I had so much trouble with it as nothing I did even remotely resembled a drum so here's what I ended up with

I turned the stitched piece into a zippered pouch from a tutorial I found here
I thought the zippered pouch would make a great project bag so I made a matching needlecase. Here's a view of the back of the needlecase

Moving on to stitchery now I just love to visit Nadine's blog and on my last visit I saw the most gorgeous little heart shaped stitchery piece. This reminded me that I had started a heart shaped stitchery from the Bronwen Hayes Flower Bed Quilt book.
I quickly finished the heart and turned it into a little door hanger.

Now I want to show you the newest addition to my mermaid collection :)
I received a lovely surprise in the mail from Roberta who sent me a belated birthday gift. It seems like my birthday went on forever this year but hey, I'm not complaining!
Here is the little glass mermaid. Isn't she just gorgeous? By the way, she's lying on some fancy fabrics I have saved for the day when I do an ocean themed crazy quilt block but I'm not sure when I'll ever get round to that! The little mermaid looks like she is swimming in a sparkling sea doesn't she?

Roberta also sent a tin of Key Lime Coolers - delicious bite sized cookies in the most gorgeous tin that has a view of the ocean and a pretty Marjolein Bastin card. Thank you so much Roberta.

Another friend did something really special for me. Domy is from France and when I told her I loved the cross stitch designs by French designer Isabelle Vautier she told me she would soon be going to a stitching show where Isa V. would be one of the vendors. Domy offered to shop on my behalf by getting me Isa V's book and she was also kind enough to send me a French stitching magazine as well.

Here's the inscription Isa V. did for me in both French and English

and here's a page with some of the many lovely projects

Still on th subject of books and reading matter here is my latest book purchase.


I enjoyed the recent BBC dramatisation of Cranford so much that I wanted to read more of Elizabeth Gaskell.
OK, I'm almost done but I just wanted to show you the prize I won on Nancy's blog


This was for guessing the date and birth weight of her new grand daughter. I guessed the correct date and was within a couple of pounds of the weight. Now why can't I correctly phrophesy the lottery numbers???
Oh, and I'm happy to tell you that one of the three apron swaps came good in the end :)
Maria lives in PA and made me this apron on her treadle sewing machine.

She told me she chose the blue fabric to remind me of the ocean which I love.

Next time I will be showing off two bags. One is made be my friend Char and the other by me.

Exchanges and gifts!

No, you're not seeing double! I really did stitch this pinkeep and scissor fob set twice. The first set went to Hazel in UK who was my exchange partner in a Valentine's Day exchange. The second set went to my friend Angela, also in UK, whose birthday is today. Happy birthday Angela!
The pinkeep design is from the series A Year in Stitches by Shepherds Bush. The little fob is A Rosey Year also by Shepherds Bush. The picture will show at its best if you click on it for a better view.


I didn't have enough of the lavender linen to back both fobs so one is backed in cream silk to match the backing fabric I used on both pinkeeps.

Next I want to share some pictures of what I received from Hazel in the Valentine's exchange.
The first picture shows a beautiful heart shaped pinkeep stitched on palest green linen. It has a little ceramic button in the shape of a flower pot and the edge is trimmed with pink ric rak braid.
Once again be sure to click on the picture for a better view.

Here's a picture of the back of the pinkeep. Hazel stitched our names and the date - such a nice touch.


Also in the package was a pretty little coaster stitched in shades of pink, a gorgeous handmade card with a beaded heart, chocolate hearts, white ribbon with red hearts on it and some heart shaped buttons.


Do you see the little heart shaped ornament hanging from one of the flowers in the vase? Hazel made that as well from sequins and beads - so pretty!

Still on the subject of gifts here's a pinkeep I stitched for Heidi's birthday

As the design was French I used a pretty red toile fabric for the backing

Finally, I received a wonderful surprise from Bren who sent me the most gorgeous vintage half apron I have ever seen. Made from pink ginham fabric and fully lined with organza fabric it's all hand embroidered in a technique known as "chicken scratch"

If you want to learn more about the technique go here
Bren told me this apron would not have been worn to do housework. The sheer organza panel would have shown off the dress the hostess would have been wearing underneath.
I'm absolutely thrilled to have this apron. Thank you so much Bren :)

A Redwork Apron

Here are a few pictures of my latest apron finish.
I used Judie Rothermel fabric from the Classic Black Collection 1870-1890 and stitched a cute redwork design on both pockets. I used DMC 498 for the stitchery and a pattern taken from one of the Aussie quilting and stitchery magazines that I love so much.

Here is a close up of the stitchery I did on both pockets and then trimmed with ric rak braid.



I had a few scraps leftover so did a matching potholder.

This is a close up of the label I stitched for the inside.


The apron was supposed to be for yet another exchange (the third) that has gone wrong. Thankfully I found out before I sent it so now it will go instead to a friend whose husband has been critically ill. She loves aprons and has been through a very rough time for the past few months.
It's such a beautiful day here today that I took the camera out with me while walking.
This picture was taken on my way down to the beach

and two more taken while walking at the waters edge.


Finally I just want to thank everyone who visits my blog for the nice comments that are always such fun to read.
I hope you are all having a beautiful day no matter where you are!

My first quilty finish!

I have to admit I'm not a quilter by any stretch of the imagination but we all have to start somewhere and this table runner is the first thing I've actually completely finished.
I finished the top at least a year ago and finally got round to putting on the binding a couple of weeks ago.
The fabrics are Thimbleberries and the pattern I used was one of the free ones from the Fat Quarter Shop.
I thought that finishing this table runner would be good practice for when I tackle the quilt top that is next up for finishing.
I'm cringing a little bit to think that there will be some expert quilters viewing this but I know how kind and supportive you all are :)

Christine does it again..........

A few posts ago I showed a fabric postcard of a beautiful mermaid that I received from Christine
Now I didn't think anything could top that mermaid but just look at the two I received in a belated birthday package earlier this week!
The first one is finished as a flat fold ornament. Stitched on gorgeous Silkweaver hand dyed fabric this is a very voluptuous mermaid taken from a design in one of the older Jill Oxton Australian cross stitch magazines.
The mermaid is adorned with gold thread and beads about her person and on her arm is a bracelet of pearl beads. Just to look at her face makes me smile :)
Christine has finished the piece so beautifully with ribbon all entwined with a pearl bead trim. Be sure to click on the picture to enlarge it for a close up of the detail.

The second mermaid is in miniature! This little treasure is so tiny that it almost got thrown away with the wrapping paper! I don't think Christine would ever have forgiven me if that had happened as she tells me this little mermaid was three years in the making - hardly surprising given the size of it and how hard it must have been on the eyes.
It is just the cutest thing ever, finished into a tiny stocking with a little hanger that has two fishie beads hanging from it.

Along with these lovely mermaids came treasure! Three pieces of Laurel Burch mermaid themed fabric and three pieces of Thimbleberries fabric.
A gorgeous Crabapple Hill snowman stitchery pattern pack all kitted out with fabric, ric rak and the cutest red bobble trim. If all that were not more than enough there was also a Sublime Stitching transfer pack with ocean/mermaid theme and tone on tone fabric with a shell design.


Christine, I'll never be able to thank you enough for your kindness and the thought that you put into these gifts. I'm truly blessed to have such a special friend.

Little Things Mean a Lot

I love to stitch little things these days and have quite a few pictures that I haven't shown yet of the things I stitched/received before Christmas .
Some of them you may have seen on the blogs of the people that received them but hopefully they are worth a second look.
First up is Just Nan's Lady Scarlett's Christmas finished as a pinkeep


Next is Country Cottage Needleworks Peace from one of the JCS Christmas ornament special issue. I finished this as a pinkeep as well


Next up are two small finishes from Au Fil des Reves finished into yet more pinkeeps and one from Mary Garry's Sewing Cabin finished as a small fob

Next another little fob - this one taken from The Prairie Schooler's Garden Alphabet leaflet.

Here is my first attempt at finishing a biscornu. The design is the Spring Flowers freebie from Debbie Draper Designs. I stitched it on antique white linen with Vikki Clayton's Garnet silk thread.


This is the front and back views of Shepherd's Bush Love fob.


This little heart shaped pinkeep was stitched for me by my friend Brigitte in Germany isn't it pretty?


and another lovely gift is this pretty biscornu stitched for me by Rebecca

Stitched by me this is a little LHN design from one of the JCS ornament specials finished as a pinkeep.


Here's a close-up of the stitchery I did on the pincushion part of a bit bag for Angela. The design is taken from Bronwyn Hayes Flowerbed Quilt book

A quilted bag I made from a stithery pattern by Hatched and Patched

I hope you enjoyed the picture show!