A new year

It's been a few months since I've been on here, November to be exact. Happy new year to all my readers.

As you know I am still around and cross stitching of course, my love for our hobby will never leave and I try to find as much time as I can to stitch and do my other hobby scrapbooking which I also love.

My baby girl turned one in January, so that was a big milestone for us and a very exciting one for my family and I, can't quite believe a year has gone by already. I hope everyone has had a lovely start to the new year.

I've been meaning to get onto blogger since December last year to blog about me finishing my nephew's birth samplers. I had so much fun stitching the patterns that I chose that I'd actually be happy to do them again if needed be.

The first one to show you is a tatty ted design called 'baby powder'. Stitched on 29 count evenweave over two threads with anchor standard thread. This one really took me no time at all, and the backstitch wasn't painful which was good as there wasn't much on it.

The second one is a country companions piece by DMC called 'baby boy'. It is stitched on 28 count evenweave with DMC thread. I loved watching this one come together, especially the little hedgehog with his little bottom up in the air. :-)

Even though I finished them both last year, I haven't had the time to wash or iron them yet which I intend to do in the next week so I can take them to the framers. And they will then be in the hands of my sisters.

My current project is the anniversary present I am stitching for my husband that I took a photo of in my previous post. It's a waxing moon design called 'love you to the moon'. I am loving the thread colour changes, they are so pretty but stitching on the dark cashel linen is tricky at times especially at night time. I am getting the hang of it now, but at the start I was going up through the wrong holes at times. I can't take a photo of it though incase he sees it. Now that I am getting the hang of it, I am enjoying stitching on it. I need to get it completed by the 7th of March which I don't think will be a problem.

That's all for now, until next time happy stitching xx

country companions progress

This is my progress of my country companions birth sampler piece I am stitching for my nephew. I started it three weeks ago and I can't believe how much I've completed already. I've been stitching alot of a night, and at the same time watching a new tv series my Mum gave me called 'downton abbey' which I've really been enjoying. This is how much I've done.

It's coming along really nicely, and it's an easy stitch. I also made a trip down to spotlight (our local crafty superstore) the day after I got the kit in the mail and challenged myself by buying 32 count belfast linen to stitch it on instead of using the 16 count aida which was in the kit. I was a little apprehensive because I'd never stitched on linen before, only evenweave and I knew it was going to be a little harder than evenweave with all the uneven slubs. But as soon as I started stitching on it, I loved it. It feels just like I am stitching on evenweave, you just can't pull the fabric as tight. It's more delicate, I love the old vintage look linen has.

If I keep up with the progress I am making, I might have it done before Christmas! I am sure I will have it done before then. Then I can start on Adrian's wedding anniversary present with the yummy threads. :-)

I am also hosting the next stitchy meet at my house, I think the last time I did that I was heavily pregnant, and it was in December last year. I am looking forward to it. It is going to be Saturday the 12th of Nov, hopefully Tabitha allows me some stitching time. :-)

Until next time,

happy stitching xx

Thank you postman.

This morning the postman arrived with my parcel! What a lovely suprise on a Friday morning. Here are the cross stitch kits I ordered.

I took a close up photo of the waxing moon kit as I am so excited about it!! Look at the pretty fabric and threads! The fabric is crystal mystic cashel linen (28 count) I love the names of the threads too, pixie dust, snips and snails, crushed pineapple and hydranger. I love how the thread colours melt into one another, it's so pretty. And I love the little moon button. I've never worked on such dark fabric before, but I am up for the challenge. I am itching to get started on these beautiful kits. Tomorrow I might make a trip to my local needlework shop to buy some 32 count evenweave for the birth sampler so I can make a start. And Adrian's suprise will have to be stitched when he's at work. Shh, don't tell. I might even start this today. :-) How exciting!

Happy Stitching xx

Baby powder.

It's taken me a good few months, more than a few actually, but last night I finished stitching my nephews birth sampler. Yay!! :-) It feels so great to have completed another design. I really enjoyed stitching this pattern. I think you are either a lover or a hater of Tatty designs, but I love them. I'm not afraid of the backstitch because I work on evenweave which makes it soooo much easier with all his scraggly hair. It would be a different story on aida. So, without further ado, here is the little bear.

I took a close up photo too as I think he is so cute! He is very cheeky puffing out the baby powder like that.

I stitched this design on 28 count evenweave, with the kitted up anchor thread. All that has to be done now, is washing and ironing the piece and having it framed. I hope Baxter likes it. I've decided I am going to wait to frame it as I want to complete my other newphew's birth sampler first and then have them framed together.

For my nephew Lennox, I picked out a gorgeous country companions piece which is just adorable. I jumped online and made an order on 123 stitch the other night. Along with that, I also ordered a waxing moon design I mentioned in my last post called 'love you to the moon and back'. I am going to stitch it for Adrian for our wedding anniversary which is in March next year. Hopefully I get it done in time!! The piece isn't that big which is good. I am very excited about stitching with cresent colour thread as I've never worked with them before. They look so pretty! Who knows how long each piece will take me to stitch, but I can always juggle them. Lennox's sampler doesn't have a deadline like my anniversary piece, but I don't want to hold off too long on his either. I would like to have it stitched by the end of the year, or at least January so both the boys can have them hung up on their walls.

So now, I am waiting for my postman to arrive with my parcel. I am very excited, I love starting a new cross stitch. After both of these pieces are completed, I can stitch whatever takes my fancy next. At this stage I am thinking either halloween fairy by mirabillia or another design I have in my stash. I can't remember what it is called though.

I will make sure to take a photo of my kits when they arrive, and my progress on both of them too. Now that I've made myself a cup of tea, I am going to catch up on my blog reading.

Until next time, happy stitching xx

I'm still here, anyone miss me? :-)

Hi everyone,

that's if I have any followers left? probably not since I last posted in April this year. Where has 5 months gone? I can't believe it's been that long.

Well, I can believe it's been that long since I last posted, I've had my hands full the last 5 months. I've been spending all that time with the love of my life, my beautiful daughter Tabitha. She is 7 months old now and growing every day. She's so much fun and I am loving being a Mum and able to spend time with her to see her grow and learn new things every day. Time really does fly when you're a Mum (as I'm sure it does when you're not a Mum either, haha) but it really does!

I've been floating around on blogger and checking up on all your beautiful stitching, haven't had much time to post but I have been stitching a little here and there. I made it to the last stitchy meet my friends held, hadn't been to one in quite a few months, so that was fun and I did some stitching. Currently I am stitching my nephew a birth sampler, it's a tatty teddy one called powder baby, he is sweet. I am close to almost finishing the cross stitching so will soon start on the backstitching. After this sampler I will start on my other nephew's birth sampler, who was born in June. I have yet to pick one.

I gave my parents 'Achoo' all stitched and framed and they loved him! He is now sitting proud as punch on their lounge room wall. The framing I chose, compliments their lounge room really well too, so I picked well. I'm glad I found a nice home for him.

My plan for my stitching is, after I have stitched the two birth samplers I want to stitch my husband a wedding anniversary gift. Our 2nd year anniversary will be coming up in March next year and the traditional present is to give each other a gift symbolising cotton. So I wanted to stitch him a gorgeous pattern I've had my eye on for ages called 'to the moon and back' by Waxing moon designs. It's not too big, so I think I can handle it. We will see. :-)

Amongst all my stitching I am scrapbooking an album for Tabitha which I am also loving. There is not enough hours in the day for hobbies, and as much as I would love to stitch all night, sleep wins hands down. :-) Haha.

I will get myself moving onto taking some recent pictures to show you, but at this stage I just wanted to let you know I'm still here and stitching slowly. It's always nice to see what you have all been stitching too, will post again soon.

For now, happy stitching.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter to everyone that celebrates. :-)

We are having a busy next two days with family. Today we are having a lunch at my in laws and tomorrow we are having lunch with my family. It is Tabitha's first Easter which is very exciting for us, I think the Easter bunny has brought her a special egg. Tabitha is exactly 3 months old today! Three months has flown.

I am happy to say I finished stitching a message on achoo for Mum and Dad and finished off Tabitha's birth sampler finishing in her details. They both look really good and I am going to wash them next week and hopefully take them to the framers sometime soon. I also ordered a baby sampler to stitch for my nephew Baxter. I ordered a tatty teddy design called 'powder baby' from 123 stitch which is very sweet. Now I am just waiting for it to arrive as it will be my next project.

I hope you all have a lovely long weekend and happy stitching. x

Finished!

Last night I finished Achoo! I am so happy he is all done, I wanted to post about it last night but it was getting late and I really needed to get to bed.

He is so cute, and I would love to keep him but he is for Mum and Dad and I can't wait to give him to them, I am excited about it. All I need to do now is date it and I want to write a little message in the corner.

Here he is here in all his glory.

I started achoo on the 10th of November 2010 and finished him on the 13th of April 2011. I think 5 months is pretty good, well good for me anyway. I am not the fastest stitcher there is out there. I found achoo a very easy stitch and I enjoyed it. Once all the cross stitches were done, the half stitch stitched up quickly and the backstitch took no time at all, so if anyone was wanting to stitch achoo at all one day, I recommend it.

He is stitched on 29 count jubilee evenweave and the brand is dimensions with their own dyed thread.

Here is a close up of achoo.

Isn't he cute? :-)

I think the backstitch really brought achoo to life so I've taken a photo of the backstitch to show you, even though you probably won't get a great view of it.

Now that he is done, I want to finish the details on Tabitha's birth sampler so I can then get the birth sampler and achoo washed, ironed and taken to the framers. I then want to start on my nephews birth sampler which I am going to have to order in the next few days.

Thank you for all your comments on my last post, you helped motivate me to finish achoo, and I am glad you all loved the photo of Tabitha. She is a cheeky girl, and that is one of my favourite photos of her.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend, and get some stitching done. I am off to a day spa on Saturday as Adrian bought me a day spa voucher for our first wedding anniversary back in March and I am going out for a few hours by myself to spoil myself, I am so excited!! :-) It's nice that he will be spending time with Tabitha on his own too.

happy stitching everyone. xx