My Red Christmas Tree

I thought you might like to see my tree this year.

Above are my twigs which stay up all year but are decorated for the festive season with this years hand made baubles, felt birds and beaded stars

Citron

Here are some pictures of a Citron Scarf I've knitted for myself.

It's really warm when wrapped around the neck and tucked into my coat.

More snow

Well the snow has caught up with us in the NE - with a vengence! The snow is still falling.
                                               The Street

                                              My Garden

New Snow

Well we had just got rid of the last lot of snow and today we had some more. It didn't last long but the forcast says there is going to be more. There may just be snow for Christmas! This afternoon the sun came out but the house is really cold. 
I hope you are all having a good time and that Christmas is going to be a good time for you all.

Prague in the snow

So sorry I have been away for such a long time, nothing much to say I'm afraid.
Just come back from Prague to see the Christmas markets. We nearly got stuck because of the snow but all went well and  got home safe and sound. Photos can be seen on my webshot album.  
Click on the picture

by gandalfstitcher

Garden

Thought you might like to see pictures of my veggy patch

Lots of potatoes here with some peas

This is my small patch shared with the washing line

Brocoli, potato, sweet corn, onion, peas, beans and brussels all in this small plot.

Updated boxes

Ok there is a new post editor and here is the smallest box I made from some oiled napkins.

This is a box with pictures of my mum, gran and great gran.

The last one shows my flower box. The box at the top of my posts shows my rose box.

More boxes

Well I thought I'd add some pictures but Blogger seems to be stopping me from adding pictures. Not sure why.

2010 TUSAL

Well I've started a new TUSAL and the bits from last years have made this piece of fabric with the addition of a piece of metalic net.

I had to give in this morning and go and see the doctor. My cold has continued and left me with very swollen glands on my neck. Since comming back I've felt even worse as my head has been splitting. My car is in having it's MOT so had to walk up to the docs and I don't think it did me any good. DH is just about to go and pick the car up.

Finished Panel

Yes it is now dry and I've burnished some areas with Goldfingering. I couldn't get the whole piece under the scanner and taking photographs in this weather didn't come out too well. It really does look like a landscape even though I worked vertically.

panel progress

The stitching on my panel is now complete. Here it is.

You are going to be horrified when I tell you what I've done to it today - I assure you it was the plan all along - I painted it with Iron metalic paint and a rust activator. I've got to say that dipping my paint brush into the paint and making that first stroke did give me butterflies - but I have made one before although not quite as big and I used a Baroque metalic paint for this, it really is quite beautiful so I'm hoping my new panel will look good as well. I won't know how it turns out untill it is fully dry. This is the book cover I made with the other one, it looks much better in reality than on the scan.

Crochet bag

I got my last copy of Let's Knit last week and tried do make a small bag to use up the bamboo handles. My first choice was the cable wave pattern but couldn't get the pattern to work so started on a crochet bag instead. I showed you the start, this is the completed item.
I had to adapt the pattern because of the yarn I used made a much wider piece, so I turned the crochet on it's side and made a much bigger flower on the front. I had to scan the bag because when I took a photo it just didn't show up the flower on the front. I also had to play with the handle fastening as the first one wasn't wide enough so it all came out and made wider. I haven't forgotten my panel, the last section is well on it's way to completion, I'll probably work on that today.

Positive Thinking

Thanks to Bagpuss for her positive thinking. Due to that I woke up this morning and the snow has started to melt and my cold seems to be shifting - a bit. However I feel more positive myself and hope it continues. So to everyone out there who are feeling fed up just think - there is always someone worse of that yourself. This is what Bagpuss's blog made me realise and after being told off by my DS last night for not going to the Doctors I realise I only have myself to blame for feeling so rotten over the last week. So back to thinking about my next piece of coursework.

Talking of disasters, which I wasn't really but also heard through my Blog reading that my friend Helen (Cowans) in Wooler has had a disaster with her studio - the snow was so heavy that the roof caved in. Big positive vibes going out to her at this time and to everyone else who has been effected by the snow.

Nearly there

Well only one more section to complete on my panel. Today I finished another starry piece using ermine stitch. However I've just looked again at the instructions for this stitch and I think a lot of mine are just straight stars not coming in enough at the bottom. if you are interested in this stitch have a look at Hand Embroidery network
I've also started a crochet bag using Colinette cotton and wool yarn, colour Jamboree. I'm using an old bone crochet hook equivalent to a 6 1/2 mm hook.

As you might have guessed, I've had another day cooped up inside, there was more snow last night and another shower this afternoon with more forecast. Will it never end?

Progress and Question

The next section in my panel is now done in Fly Stitch, suggested by Christine, many thanks. It was a nice relaxing stitch to complete. two more sections and then I can go onto the next part of this project.


Do you have any thoughts about what I did with my box of scraps? They are the bits I cut up from my 2009TUSAL. well actually about half of the scraps from my TUSAL. There are still some more to cut up. A clue is that I used sticky dissolvable and that glitzy red net.

More and more SNOW

Welcome to another day of snow that fell overnight. Not as much as the night before but definitely a covering. Above you can see my waterbut that has it's own snow hat and below is a plantpot looking just like a snowman.
Here is yesterday's work on my panel, thanks Christine for the suggestion of eyelet stitches. I've deliberately made them different sizes and slightly offset, they remind me of stars twinkling in the sky. OK folks I'm waiting for some more stitches and I might just break up those three big sections, I'm not sure yet, it depends on how I feel as I go along.


I am still feeling very yuck although I slept better with only one break during the night and didn't wake until DH got up at 8.30, this is almost unheard of for me as I'm usually an early riser. I did clear the next section of my wardrobe once I finaly got dressed. I had already made a start the other day and now have two black bags of clothes to be recycled,I still have my make-up cupboard to sort but couldn't face any more this morning, just going downstairs to open the door for the meter reader was an effort and made me break out in a hot sweat. I think I may stay upstairs today as it's warmer than downstairs.

Another night of snow

This is the picture of my garden with only cat pawmarks disturbing the new snow that fell overnight. It's a beautiful sunny morning but there is more snow forcast.

I had a very bad nights sleep and seem to now have a chest infection and feel very hot and sweaty - oh joys! As a result I've been sitting stitching and have finished the next part of my panel. I started off thinking waves of satin stitch and ended up with waves of long and short stitch with lines of couched boucle wool in between. I do like the feathery effect of the long and short stitch. My head is hurting now, it must be time to take some more meds.

Winter is really here

Apart from a quick walk to the shops I've been in all day and it's snowing yet again. I replenished the bird feeders and have been sitting doing French knots all afternoon. This section reminds me of our friend Jayne's Bedlington terriers. Here it is. I have to admit to making the area a little smaller as I thought I would run out of the tapestry wool. As it happens I did but finished the piece with a slightly lighter beige. It won't matter about the slight change in colour as you will find out later. Now off to see how I can use Julie's suggestion of putting satin stitch into the piece, I'm thinking wavy lines at the moment, but it might just change as I stitch.

Another section of my panel complete

Well this section has been done with Sorbello stitch and an interweaving stitch to help fill in the section. I've also started the next section in French knots. Thanks Christine for the suggestion. As it's quite a big area I'm using two strands of tapestry wool to make nice big knots.

New panel

Hi folks, I need your help. I started the new free-form embroidered panel that I showed you yesterday. Today I finished the first section using detached chain stitch. I'd like some suggestions from you as to stitches I could use in the other sections. I'll be using different threads so that each section will have a different texture.
I can't show you the whole piece as it is stitched onto my roller frame but here it is and I'll keep you up to date as to how I am doing.Thank you in advance for any suggestions you might make.

New year Poem

New Year Poem prompted by a blog I was reading, some of you may have had it sent to you already. This is for the rest of you. I have a very, very slow connection here in Leicester as it is a shared one with SiL next door. So I apologise to those of you who I've read your blog and been unable to comment because I was thrown out due to the connection. I just hope that this gets through.

As one year end
A new one starts
I hope you get
What's in your heart.


My last finish
can now be shown as it was a hanging for my sister.
My New Start
A free-form embroidery stitched on tea dyed calico and will be a bit of a sampler showing lots of different stitches. It will be made into a cover for a sketchbook.

HNY

Happy New Year to everyone. I hope 2010 is a good year for you all.

My resolutions have to be - once again - to blog more often.
Complete my C&G course
Keep my new workroom a little tidier - not much hope of keeping that one!
Try to loose a little weight
and finally do more experimental work in my embroidery and journals

Christmas Day

Have a fantastic Day today and I hope you all get some lovely pressies.

Winter Solstice

I've just found this picture of winter trees and had to share it with you. As you may know trees speak to me and I just love these ones. They look so beautiful with their coats of snow. Enjoy.

Merry Christmas One and All

Well Christmas is almost upon us. It's lovely to look out of my workroom window and see the snow down below in the garden. I was watching the birds feeding on the remains of the apples that I put on the table.

I have finished a project for my course but it must be kept under wraps for now. The house is almost tidy and work in my study has come to a stop until after the holidays. I had to tidy up and put things away so the place looked relatively tidy. DH still has one cupboard to put the facing wood onto, door nobs and staining of wood will happen in the new year along with wall paper and paint which are chosen and bought. I haven't finalised what I want on the floor either.

I haven't put my sewing machine away as I want to do some machine embroidery over the holidays. DH raised his eyebrows when I blu-tacked some work onto the bare walls where I want a big pinboard. I did assure him I could take it down very easily.

My family arrive on Wednesday so this is the peace before the storm. I made the second lot of mince pies this morning, the first load went into the freezer yesterday. Now what else do I have to do? Not much except the presents to wrap and a trip into Mark & Spencers on Monday morning.

I have been playing with some Zentangles after seeing them in a magazine. They are great if you want to switch off. Below is a picture of the journal I made to hold my zentangles. The front is my first play with some stamped images with rusting powders.

Here is another Zentangle that I almost copied from the magazine.

Some new 'fabric'

A new 'fabric' for you to see. This has a backing of fine scrim and two layers of crumpled white tissue which I then painted with acrylic paints and gold Fingering and then stitched into the piece with a machine stitch. I crumpled the 'fabric' even more when it was dry and it is now quite soft and manipulable. You might gather that I'm having fun creating these fabrics, I just love the beautiful texture of this piece.

Scraps into fabric

The other day I told you that I was going to make some fabric from some of my TUSAL scraps. Well I actually made two! The first is very soft and drappes beautifully. The second is a much more substantial fabric.

Then I changed a 'lovely' dog printed fleece fabric by adding some silk fibers and chiffon, I love it.

Finally - for now -I've free machined a piece of rescued cotton trouser fabric by free machining all over it. Unfortunately my camera has refused to talk to my failing old machine with this picture. I'll try and post a picture of it later.

All these pieces are going into a hanging I am making. More about that later.

TUSAL and Swine Flu

No I don't have IT. I've just had my jab and my left arm is feeling a bit swollen.

Here are some photos of my new wardrobes in my workroom. If you want to see the progress reports then pop over to my webshot album You can see what my workroom and study looked like before we started changing them. There is still a lot to do and I still have some things to sort in the little bedroom (The new bedroom we made out of my old study).

Next is a picture of my TUSAL. You may notice that it's actually a bit smaller than last month because today I had to delve into it to get the right colours for a new project. I'm creating a new fabric using Bondaweb and fabric and thread scraps for a fabric I will be using in a wall hanging I'm making. It took me 3/4 hour to cut up all the scraps you can see in the last picture. I'll post later when I have the fabric created.

Back home

Well I'm safely home and I had a great time in Italy. Here is a picture of the Massaria where we were staying.

If you are interested I've put a few more of my photos here. Just click and you will be taken to my webshot album.

We worked very hard sketching and painting, designing and then transfering our observations into stitch. I have three pieces finished one - a 3D 'stone' I haven't taken a photo of yet. There are also three other pieces that I'm working on. They are all samples and quite small. My sketchbook is full of my sketches not all very good I'm afraid. Have you ever tried to sketch and paint a stone - trust me it's difficult!