Happy Christmas

Well it's almost here only a few hours to go. I hope everyone who reads this has a fantastic time over the holidays.

Are you all looking forward to opening the presents? - I am.

Just been for a walk round the streets where my DD lives. DS will be arriving in about two and a half hours and we are all sitting with computers buzzing. The cats are asleep and we just have the food to prepare for tomorrow. What a lazy time.

Stitching hugs to you all.

Sheila

Whow 2 weeks to go

I can't believe we just have over two weeks to go 'till Christmas Day. Where does the time go? It's cold enough for snow again and we are due some nasty weather tomorrow (Saturday). It's our Embroiderers' Guild Christmas Exhibition and I just hope it doesn't stop people coming out.

Back from Gran Canaria

Well we're finally home. Got into Newcastle at 4am this morning. So we didn't get home 'till 5am. It was 0 degrees Brrrrrrrr. The heating is full on and we both put on our warmest winter clothes.

We had a lovely relaxing two weeks. Swimming was the most energetic thing we did two or three times a day. I did a lot of reading, not as much stitching as I'd planned. One I left the piece I was going to do by the pool at home. Two I ran out of thread on one of the other pieces I had taken. Three the frog came to the frame I was making for another piece, I was one thread out and had to frog quite a lot of the frame. Oh well never mind I kept busy.

Of on my hols

As of tomorrow tea time we are off to Gran Canaria for two weeks. Good excuse not to make a blog entry for a while. Will let you know when we get back. I have two more Biscournus and some other sewing with me so I won't sit and do nothing for a fortnight. Looking forward to getting some sun.

Jacky's a Diamond HD

Well managed to finish my biscournu. I do love these, they look so elegant.

Jacky's A Diamond

Finished stitching a biscournu. Above shows the top detail and bottom shows front and back. I have to stitch the two together now

Sad News

Last Wednesday my last cat Thorin was found dead in a neighbours garden. He had been missing since Sunday. He was 16 years old and obviously just curled up and slipped away. I was so sad as we have had a cat all the time we have been married.

October

October the 5th already. This year is disappearing fast. I've been finishing off work. Hollyberry which is pictured in my last post now has it's snowflake stitched in place.

Here is a new Biscournu WIP, 'Jacky's A Diamond' which I started on Wednesday. I'm pleased with how it is going as it's on 32ct and I need good daylight to work on it. Only the beads and some backstitch embellishment to go on the front.

September

Well can't believe it's 28th September already, where does the time go?
DH and I have just come back from The Yorkshire Dales. He did the middle section of his Coast to Coast walk. The weather was very kind to us.
I spent a lot of time sitting up on the moors stitching.



Finally finished Mistletoe but don't have a snowflake charm to go in the middle.

Olympics

Well the Olympics are nearly finished and I must say I've enjoyed it and got quite a bit of stitching done at the same time. The poor weather has helped although it's dry today.
Well done Team GB.

Eternal Flame 3

I'm well on the way with EF3. I'll post a picture when it's complete.

Wooler

We are off to Wooler next Wednesday. It's an Embroiderers' Guild Summer school. So looking forward to a few days of stitching. Will tell you more after the event. I've put together all the things I need. The only hint I'll give you is that we will be using denham as a background to the piece we produce.

Oriental Dragon HD

Well he didn't take long to finish. All the goldwork is now complete and he just has to be framed. Sorry he's a bit dark, poor lighting this week due to the rain!

Oriental Dragon

I started this piece last summer and it was put aside and I've just come back to it. I still have all the gold to put in yet but the red is finished now.

Summer

Well I've been very remiss again. Hadn't realised it has been so long since I entered something in my Blog.





Here's my Woodland Fairy book done at an Embroiderers' Guild Summer School in Yorkshire.










This is Eternal Flame 1 started at a day workshop with Jayne from Jayne's Attic
















And finally this is Eternal Flame 2 I'm planning EF 3 and have just got the thread for it.

Busy day

The weather was so much better today we went for a walk this morning and then on to have my eyebrows and lashes tinted. I can't wear mascara as my eyes are too sensitive so I admit now to colouring them.

Then on to the pool for aqua aerobics, I'm suffering now, my knees aren't used to all this punishment.

Tonight I've been working on a piece for an exchange, got it finished so I'm pleased. I can't let you see it yet until it gets to it's owner. All in all a busy day.

Crewel Work finished

At last I've finished this piece. Guess where I ran out of wool.

Metro Centre 2

Just got back from our little meet up. Had a lovely day. met up in a coffee shop, sat and had a natter then moved on for an Italian meal. I had tagliatelli with Salmon. Lovely and a rather sweet sorbet.

We exchanged pressies in a bran tub, I got a lovely pair of purple scissors and a Bothy Thread 'Snaps' saying Friends. Thanks to my partner. We also had a show and tell and saw some lovely work done by our group.

Some of us went on to Hobbycraft and did a bit of retail therapy then on for another drink and natter at Borders.

Thank-you to everyone for a lovely afternoon. Oh yes and thank-you to Carol T for our lovely chart.

Metro Centre

Of this morning for a S&S meet up at The Metro Centre. Looking forward to this. It's always good to meet up with my internet friends. Will post later to let you know how it went.

More threads

I received two more packets of threads from my exchange friends this morning, i have a great rainbow of colours on my desk.

Today DH and I went for a walk up the old waggonway and got almost to Blyth and then came back down the coast to Seaton Sluice for lunch. I chickened out of walking any further and took the bus back home. I had been walking for two and a half hours! It was lovely to get out after the wet weather we've been having recently.

Friday

Another week has flown by and I don't know where it has gone.

Tuesday I had a stitch in with my EG friends at the library.

Wednesday was Yoga day and I started a piece of crazy patchwork. There is still a bit of stitching to do on it yet, but I love velvets, despite being a pain to stitch.

Thursday I went to Durham Cathedral to see the work done by The Broderers. Absolutely fantastic, despite the wet weather we had a morning going round the shops and the work they have done in the cathedral is fabulous. If you ever get to Durham it's worth a look see.

Today the rain is coming down even harder at the moment. I had hoped to get out for a walk this afternoon but don't think it will happen unless it cheers up a bit.

I have had two lovely days of parcels coming from my S&S friends. I am in a Speciality Thread Exchange and I was January's recipient. The colours look so lovely all together. Thank-you so much to Jayne H, Wendy, Angie, Jayne N and Elaine. I feel so special when these envelopes come through the door.

Monday

Well it's grey and dreary looking here today. I sat and started another stem and bud on my crewel work this morning but must go get ready for swimming now.

More Crewel work

Well I seem to be in the swing again and have sat all afternoon to finish the carnation and one of the buds.

Saturday already

Don't know where the days have gone to. Yesterday we went out for an 8 mile walk up the railway track, through an ancient wood and back down the coast after stopping for a Fish and Chip lunch, that was a mistake as it lay very heavy on the walk back.

Today has been EG day and we had a great talk from a lady about The Bayeux Tapestry. While I had done my own research about it there was information and pictures I had not seen before and what impressed me even more was that she did it without a crib sheet, very impressive.

This is a very poor photo of my Crewelwork as of three days ago, I have done some of the central petals since then, I must get back to it again.

Good financial day

We were really pleased with ourselves today, Pete saved me over £160 on my car insurance just by searching around on the net. He also listens to the money guy on the radio and gets his tips sent by email.

My first auction on E-Bay finished today. Hopefully I've sold my old Bernina sewing machine for twice the price I could get as a part ex. So providing it goes through OK I'm very pleased I took the plunge, although I was a bit nervous. I've bought on E-Bay quite a bit so don't know why I was more nervous about selling.

Back to my Yoga after a Christmas break and must admit I feel a bit sore tonight, it must have been a good workout!

So much for my New Year resolution

Yes I did promise myself to do a blog entry a day and I've broken it already. Don't know where the weekend went to.

I finished my blackwork leaves last week and have done a small sample to see if I could do some embellishment but I should have embellished the felt first and then done the stitching as the embellishing seems to distort and fuzz the blackwork and the pattern is very unclear, so I'm not going to do it on the leaves.

I've also picked up my crewel work again which got sidelined. I'll take a picture later and show it to you.

Back to writing my design and history projects now that Christmas and New Year is over. These are both illustrated studies but the history one also involves written work, I've finished the Tudor times and am now researching the Stuart period.

Snow

It's been a cold and wet day here today and by the sounds of it it's still snowing out there tonight.

Blackwork Leaves

As part of my C&G course I am doing a study of the History of English Embroidery. I am up to the Elizabethan period and had to design a piece of blackwork. I used leaves as my inspiration and wanted the piece to be on white felt so pinned a piece of linen over the top to act as a guide.





I removed the linen when it was complete.

Back home

Thorin was so pleased to see us, he's trying to walk over my keyboard as I type.

Unpacked the dirty washing and had a bath to warm me up, it's definitely getting colder, there was an ice alert as we came north.

Happy 2006

My New Year resolution is to try and make a blog entry every day. I know I won't make it but I'll try.

Christmas was great as we had DD and partner and DS there, it was lovely to be a big family again. The two cats got on quite well really, I worried unduly.










New Year was spent with DH's family in Leicester

We go back home today and I intend to have a quiet few days catching up and perhaps even doing some sewing. I'm nearly at the end of a blackwork piece. I designed this myself, it's stitched on a piece of linen over white felt, when complete I'm going to try and withdraw the linen so that the design is left on the felt - well that's the theory, not sure if it will work in practice.