Faith

I have not quite finished the 'small' I have been doing this week as not a lot of stitching time. So, here is something I finished and framed back in 2009 that I never got round to showing on my blog.  It was an enjoyable little chart to do and I am always partial to anything with a ship/boat nautical theme.  I finished it with some lace and braid as the colours went so nicely together with the bronze matt finished frame. 

Designer: Shakespear Peddler

40 ct Linen 1/2

Threads: My own choice

Incase you have not seen these, below are two pictures of incredible cross stitching that I would like to share with you.

Above here is this amazing cross-stitched chair I saw on google images. Incredible isn't it !!

The other amazing image find on google images is this cross-stitched shoe.  I would love to own both of these :-)

Then last but not least is a hello from Marsha who was looking particularly cute posing in the rare winter sun for a picture.

Hopefully I will get the finishing done on my current project and be able to put it on here soon. Until then happy stitching and thanks for looking and passing by.

What I've been doing...

This week I have been making myself this little pretty ! 

She is from a lovely Christmas design named 'The Magic' by the talented French stitcher,  now designer,  Nataliejo - L'Atelier Perdu. The chart was one of my few purchases whilst I was not stitching and I have been longing to find time to do it. Having missed stitching it ready for Christmas, I have just used part of the design and re-jigged it about a little bit as I wanted to mostly stitch the girl,  who I have called Miss Mimi :-) I have given her a face as she did not have one, she needed her red lipstick on for when she meets up with her boyfriend. I also made her shoes into ice skates to go with my small winter display.
She is very tiny, smaller than these pictures,  so I wanted to do a tiny finish to suit her.  Hence the floss tag or whatever it could be called ? It is pretty anyway :-) I used silk ribbon to cover the little curtain ring and an antique crystal bead. It looks nice on this and sparkles like a frosty icicle.

For the back  ( picture above) I used the two cute rabbits sitting in the snow.  I was very good stitching a reverse side seen as I (or rather my eyes) had had enough doing the front. It was worth it though as I love the result. Being VERY out of stitching practice,  I found this a total challenge to use the 2 very pale colours 1/1 in artificial winter lighting as my eyes had ?  perhaps got out of the way of zooming in as well as they did! It must be that as I do not need glasses and have 20 - 20 vision. It could be I have changed my light fittings recently which now only have tiny fairy light looking bulbs, not 'proper' lightbulbs as my old ones had? Anyway whatever the reason I struggled with those 2 very pale shades.   The white was the most difficult!  I abandoned the listed white,  the stitches seemed to look thin and spindly and seemed to blend away to nothing on my linen as I was trying to find the stitch before.   I used WDW Icicle instead which was a 'little' better to use for me and my naked eye.  

Before I go,   I wanted to show you the lovely buttons my Mum 100% hand made and put on the card,  she did them for me as one of my surprise Christmas gifts. I just love the little label she used :-)

Here she 'Miss Mimi'  is again as I am proud of myself for sticking with it, I love 1/1, it looks so delicate.  I still may stitch the whole design sometime as it is so cute with the little presents and the tiny finish for it will be adorable.  Hopefully now I have got over the first hurdle I may be cracking away at my 1/1 and get a sampler I started years ago 1/1 on 40ct finished?  Then again I may leave that until the summer and light days :-)) 

Designer: L'Atelier Perdu

Design: The Magic 

 One over One 32 ct Lambswool linen 

Threads as listed apart from WDW Icicle and GAST Cranberry as I didn't have WDW Holly Berry.

 Link to designers blog to the left on my blog list 'Nataliejo' 

Thank-you for visiting, have a good week ! 

Boxes, Vanity and Happy Snowman

I really like boxes. 
Pretty boxes and cases. 
Love them!
I have a vintage Vanity Case which had been unused and decided it would make a pretty container for some of my ribbon collection. I prettied up the outside with some silk ribbons.

Here is a view of the inside

Previously I had them in here

Would you like a peek into another drawer?

I don't have lots of over dyed threads but they do live nicely in my shaker boxes :-)

The 'utensil' tool drawer 

This drawer WIP and charts / kits I really want to do

That though is how it was! I had decided with not stitching to have a change of furniture and sold my lovely big chest of drawers. I have now got new homes for everything……..well, everything that I have sorted through up to now. I still have lots to box up and put away - organised and prettily how I like it.  But,  at the moment it is stashed neatly in bags awaiting me having the time to make a mess again in order to be tidy!  I did VERY nearly decide to not have my stitching things anymore as I do not have much room to store things for my hobby, especially a hobby that was abandoned! However, my Mum made me see sense (thank goodness) and advised me not to be hasty as 'one day'... I would wish I hadn't and I would feel like stitching again. I hoped to find 'that' day.  Over the last four years I have bought myself the odd chart I have really fancied,  hoping that one of them would be the one to kick-start me.

Alas, mostly through lack of time etc, nothing quite did beyond me admiring it. THEN just the other night,  I was looking through my blog links and visited the Shepherd's Bush Blog to check if it was updated. I am pleased I did as the ladies have put a link to a complimentary chart to wish us Happy New Year. I loved the little snowman instantly.  I know I like stitching SB designs, I knew he wouldn't take me long and I knew I had some nice pins to use :-)) 

So here is my ' Happy Snowman' living in a nice pink world with a,  ahem , shall we say not my best ever finish (to my minds eye) as I had no cardboard to use. Instead I have used my thickest vilene (interfacing) between the layers to try to stiffen it a bit. I should perhaps have been more patient to get the said mount board but I was not :-) He would have only ended up in a box!  Despite that I think my finish has turned out OK all in all.  He is nice and neat even if his corners are not quite perfect but he is a snowman and not as fussy as me :-) I think moreover I  just gave myself a difficult job without the board.  I hand stitch all my finishes and do not use glue so there was nothing to tug against whilst lacing the back and it kept moving. Pins you say ? Ah well, WORKING pins,  they are tucked away in a yet to be sorted bag. I couldn't possibly use the 'posh' pins!

Anyway,  for a bit of a practice run,  for a very out of practice me,  I am quite delighted with him and even more delighted I have had so much fun stitching and finishing the whole thing.  Thank-you Shepherd's Bush ladies Tina and Teri :-))

HAPPY SNOWMAN 

WITH HIS LACY SNOW CLOUDS

THE REVERSE

Design By : Shepherd's Bush

Fabric: Silkweaver Still Waters Iced Pink 32ct

Threads I used: GAST S/S Brethren Blue, GAST S/S Parchment, GAST S/S Briar Rose, GAST Pink Azelea, Crescent Colours: Desert Mesquite, Rain Shower, WDW: Onyx, DMC: 839

Buttons : Snowflakes and Tiny heart JANBC

Backing Fabric: 'Snow Wonderland' in Grey by Whimsicals for Red Rooster fabrics.

 Bush Blog link to the top left on my Blogs To Visit list. 

Until next time, happy stitching and thank-you for visiting

Hello 2014

To you xx