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.