They're here!!

Woohooo I am so spoilt! Three parcels in three days!

My ebay purchase was a modern reproduction of "The Praise of the Needle" which was written by John Taylor in 1631.

And my parcels from Dragonflydreams and Colours Downunder arrived as well so all in all I'm a happy little stitcher!

I just love Sampler and Antique Needlework Quarterly! I only get it for the pictures you know.... :)

Australia Post Service...or Not!

I got cards for two parcels today...nothing unusual about that...was expecting them.

However...one card directed me to the local post office which incidentally is just across the road from my house...but it closes early...it NEVER stays open until the times it says on the door - never!
The other card directs me to the Area Post office about ten minutes away from my house. So I wander across there hoping that the Dragonflydreams parcel is the one I can pick up tonight. I am really looking forward to catching up on SANQ!

No such luck...it's my ebay purchase.

So, now I have to telephone the local PO (across the road from my house) tomorrow, ask them to send my parcel to the area PO so I can pick it up after I finish work. This means it will be another two days before I get it!

Now I am also expecting a parcel from Colours Downunder, so I bet what will happen with that one, I will have the DFD parcel redirected to the area PO and on the same day I will get a card saying my CDU parcel is at the local PO and I will have to go through it all again!

Waaaah I am being stalled in all directions!

An Open Heart 29 May 2006

I did some more on An Open Heart tonight...it's been cathartic - this is a lovely piece to start stitching again after so long.

I might start something new tomorrow, SAPAW says I can. I am not sure what - perhaps one of the Long Dog's waiting for me at the post office.....perhaps something little that I can finish fast....will post my decision tomorrow!

More stash.....

I am so bad...last night I made an order for three samplers - it was very late, I am sleep deprived - I didn't know what I was doing. I've been a bit naughty with stash this week, first a nice order on it's way from Dragonflydreams, and some stash from Alison of course, and now some lovely charts from Colours Down Under.

I ordered:

• With My Needle - Adorn Thy Heart
• The Sampler House - Band of Many Colours
• The Needle's Prayse - The Garnet Sampler

I've wanted the first two for a very long time....and the third, well I had to make the postage worthwhile didn't I?

Now I am VERY impatient for the postman!

Very Victorian - Shamrock Sampler

This is a really old finish. I did this for a girlfriend's birthday a couple of years ago but have never posted a picture of it on my blog, so here you go. It's "Very Victorian - Shamrock Sampler" by Eileen Bennet and it uses some over one, some pulled thread stitches and ribbon weaving too :) I really enjoyed stitching this one from memory - it was an 'easy' but interesting project.

Stashy Mail

How exciting - my first stash mail in what seems like forever.

I got from Alison C. Drawn Threads "Generosity" chart (which is really cute) and Victoria Sampler's Pansy Sampler and Accessory Pack...lovely! I had only seen the VS one on the web and the chart photo is lovely...I ove the box top, my bedroom is lavender and green and white so that might make a nice pillow for my bed :)

I must admit though I have been off work with the flu for two days and I've been rather impatiently waiting for a parcel from Dragonflydreams with 3 issues of Sampler and Antique needlework Quarterly....I was so hoping it would be here before the weekend! Just to make it all worthwhile posting, I also ordered two long dog charts too!

Anyway much to my disgust of Australia Post - it hasn't arrived and it's making me stash-cranky!

TW Intermediate Ornament

Finally I can post a picture of the ornament that I stitched for Mel as it arrived for her today. I'm glad you like it Mel. I used Needle Necessities overdye floss in I can't recall which colour (the tag came off) and I think but am not entirely certain that the fabbie is white (or antique white) linen....I may be wrong about that! The ornament is lined in burgundy felt that shows through the cutwork areas. It's not a really good picture. I've been seeing a lot of those nifty eight-sided pincushions (biscornu?) on blogs all over the place and I think I might try and give one of those a go :)

I'm not the only one...

It would seem that even space heros have laundry dramas...stumbled across this on Jean-Luc Picard's blog on blogspot.com....I've never been a Star Trek fan - but the blog is funny.

Progress on "1663"

Here is the progress on my Permin 1663 Sampler.

The bands at the side are half of what is on the chart and the amount shown in the picture is around 25-30 cms so you can see just how big the sampler is....it's around 80cms wide I think....BIG!

I've done quite a bit more across the top than what shows in this picture - it's a very large sampler. I am using a combination of Madeira Silk and Needlepoint Inc silks for this one... sorry about the photo, the colours are just gorgeous, really much more vibrant than what shows here. I do enjoy stitching this. I had forgotten how much.

An Open Heart - 21 May 2006

Here is An Open Heart taken on Sunday. I stitched on it on Monday evening too so have done a little more - will post another picture soon.

Bad luck in threes? I have proof!

This week has been a nightmare as far as appliances go!

My washing machine, my dryer AND my vacuum cleaner all needed 'repairs'. Well I manged to get my dryer and vacuum fixed ($160 later) but my poor washing machine has died (R.I.P Hoov...) So out I went yesterday and bought a new one. I got a nice Fisher and Paykel 7.5 kilo beauty ($900) ! My old one was only 5 kg so this one should be better...and I am hoping it wont sound like a 747 taking off in my laundry when it spins also!

It's a factory second which means it had a little dent in the side (so what??) and the retailer can't sell it as 'new' any more because of the little dent and the fact it doesn't have a box....again I say....so what? You don't do the laundry in the box....do you?

So today, while LIam and I are both off wiht the flu, I am going to do laundry as my new machine should be here very soon! I do feel a bit sick though.....really....sick of the sight of dirty clothes!

Besides, I can't go to work....I've got nothing clean to wear! (The bonus being I can stay home and wait fo rmy DFD parcel to arrive!)

Day 1 of the 'next ten days' down....9 to go.

I did a good two hours on DT's An Open Heart this evening...I am now down to the the area below the dividing bands after the first line of the verse....not very far I know but further than I was yesterday...

I also have some new things coming in the mail, the past three issues of SANQ and 2 Long Dog's Rosemarkie and St George from Dragonflydreams (the best INS on the web) - I think I will do those at work in my lunch breaks...the one colour stitching will help alleviate stress I think. I also am waiting on a book from ebay, a Victoria Sampler chart and accessory pack and DT's Generosity Sampler chart from Alison C . I have assisted her in de-stashing by taking these unwanted items off her hands. How helpful of me. : )

After stitching a while, it is funny how much more relaxed and open to my economics textbook I was....still doesn't make any sense but at least I am doing it!

Goal for the rest of May

Now I've been in a bit of a stitching slump, so slowly, slowly I need to get myself back into the swing of things... For the remaining 10 or so days in May, I have decided that my goal will be to stitch for at least an hour each evening....on any project....EVEN a new start if that is what I so desire.

In a week or so I will post goals for June (which will probably encompass some of those old ones I didn't achive last year!)

Wish me luck!

Eek I had no idea

I really had no idea it had been so long since I had posted.

Oops....perhaps it is because I haven't done any stitching in ages...my stitching mojo has been gone...gone...gone.!!!

Anyhow my last post had been that I started Drawn Thread's An Open Heart, well I am sorry to say I hadn't actually done that much more on it since then... but today I picked it up for a few hours and I will post a picture next week.

I have found in the past if I post regularly I seem to get more done, so on that note I will endeavour to post my progress on all things (stitching, study, work etc) to see if I can make some good progress in those areas. I will also post some goals and maybe that will assist in me achieving them.

43 things might get a look in too!

Happy 2006 and a half.......to get myself going i stitched TW's Intermediate Whitework Ornament as an ornament for an exchange - will post a picture of that too - when the recipient gets it.