State of the nation

Last night I started one of the initials in the M Designs project....the letters seem to be a really quick stitch because there's so much more 'space' and less stitches! I should knock over the "T" today. I will need to order the other initial this week I guess so I have it here when I need it!

As an aside - if you happen to have the "W in your stash and you've used it already and you want to trade it - let me know :)

EDIT: Oh I just ordered it from DragonflyDreams so not to worry!

I've had a few health issues lately so am having a week off. Going to sit on my butt in my stitching chair for the entire week I think (that's my plan - but we all know that it is highly unlikely as I need to have medical appts etc....!). Might visit a bead shop or two, visit some blogs I've neglected and generally bum around. Might even just stay in my jammies today...we all need days like that sometime!

Ta da!

Well here it is - le biscornu magnifique! (is a biscornu feminine or masculine? I'm going with masculine for now!) Crikey! I just realised I don't even know for sure that 'biscornu' is actually FRENCH....someone please feel free to correct me!

I am not sure I've stuffed it enough and I have yet to find a button for it - but none the less I am happy with how it turned out. Carol WAS right - they are pretty easy to make!

I'm sending this on to someone as a surprise. This person always does lovely things for other people all the time so I thought I might do something nice for this person too :)

I hope they're surprised when they open the package :)

The design is a Judy Dixon one and for the life of me I can't find the page withthe name on! I will hunt it down and edit this post when I do find it!

I'm going to be making a few more of these :) I've not been into needlerolls or smalls in general, but the shape of these has taken my fancy :)

I also feel good about a finish - no matter how small!

A biscornu.....almost!

Well I achieved an almost done biscornu this weekend. It's three-quarters stitched, but I realised too late that I dont have any stuffing so I have to wait until after work tomorrow to stuff it and sew up the last side.

I ended up using a Judy Dixon design, blue lugana and Caron watercolours in Charcoal and a complimentary DMC....I must say it looks ok and I am pretty pleased with how it's finishing up!

Picture tomorrow!

A brand new finishing blog and some interesting facts about mine!

If you're a finishing numpty (like me), wander over to a wonderful new blog set up by Anne and Karen "Focus on Finishing". Here, generous stitchers are giving up their time to bring it all together for those of us with limited skills in that area!!!

Today I am going try making a Biscornu from a free chart so graciously provided by Aurelle. I'll post a picture when done - I'm not sure which of the 14 freebies I will choose but they all look small and easy to complete...wish me luck! A Bisornu is a little pincushion-y thing.

I've also been taking a look at my stats to see where my vistors have been coming from, what you have been searching for on Google that led you to me and taking a look at where you all live :)

It seems Nigella's Ham Recipe has been very popular around the world, because I've had vistors from the UK, India, Switzerland and all over the US looking for that - I hope the story was useful for you! It really was a great feast!

Stitchers have been searching for:

• Sew To Be Seen Designs -I've completed just one - Maiden's Walk, but I own nearly all of Judy's Sew To Be Seen designs;
• M-Designs Celtic Heart (I've stitched this several times!);
• Bargello Fantasy -I'm lucky enough to own this very hard to find chart, but I've not stitched it yet;
• Bargello - a lovely technique and I'm very partial to how Victoria Sampler uses this one in some of their sampler designs;
• Genny Morrow's Nova - again I own it but it's not started

As for visitors, you've visted me from:

• In Australia, Victoria, The ACT, South Australia, Western Australia, Queensland (where are the Tasmanians and Northern Territorians????)
• The UK
• The Netherlands
• United Arab Emirates (hi Mel!)
• In the US, North Carolina, California, Massachusetts, Atlanta, New York, Virgina, Arizona, Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio, New Jersey( I think I should aim for all states to have visted me before the end of the year!)
• Cyprus
• India
• Korea
• Turkey
• Canada
• New Zealand
• Japan
• Greece
• China
• Afghanistan
• Brazil

Edited to add

• Italy
• Singapore
• Mexico

I also note that some of you have visted my other blogs too! I've been a bit slack on the wine blog - not that I haven't been partaking, but I've been very lax in writing about my wine lately - a shortness of time mostly. My music blog will become busier too and if you have a question about Aussie music feel free to ask me there!

Wow - that makes me feel sensational to think that people from all over the world have taken a minute to vist me :) Thanks! I hope you enjoyed your visit and please leave a comment and let me know if you have a blog I can visit too!

Have a great Saturday!

A Mini Finish!

Tonight I finished the second of four squares on the M Designs piece. I wont post a picture until it's completely done now so I don't bore you :)

Some progress pictures...

This is the progress on "Dad's Sampler". It is from the "Australian Embroidery and Cross Stitch" magazine and if anyone really wants to know which issue just ask...I will look (I do think I've posted that info before.)

I've completed all the dividing bands (after much frogging and restitching) and all the lettering is over one - I think the fabric is 32 count Dublin linen but it's been so long since I started this one - I forget!

It uses DMC threads, and horrible DMC shiny stuff - can't recall what that is called (edited to add RAYON! ) and while the effect is nice, the stitching is painful! Lots of lovely Thread Heaven put to use for that stitching!

I will endeavour to finish 'off ragged mountain ranges' during February.....

EDIT: The magazine is Australian Cross Stitch and Embroidery, Vol 7 No 2. You can often pick these up on Australian e-Bay.

Next is Drawn Threads' 'An Open Heart'. I've really been enjoying stitching this again. I've completed the drawn thread areas (5 and 7) as well and the instructions in the leaflet made that a much easier task than how I would have tackled it. My process would have been to withdraw every second thread and re-weave every second but because the border is stitched over the top of the cut threads, there was really no need to go to all that trouble. I love Drawn Thread charts - the instructions are always pretty clear.

The colours in this one are lovely too and so much nicer in real life. I'm using lovely Heritage linen for this one in Cafe Au Lait.

I'm aiming to finish all the 'sampler' during my holidays ('til Feb 13) and then work on the border during February and March.

My M Designs piece in red is coming along nicely too now I have found and fixed the mistake in counting that I made many months ago! I am aiming to finish this square, tomorrow :)

The Celtic Heart design is one I've stitched a few times now as gifts, it is quick and easy to stitch, but so effective depending on the thread and fabric you use :) As I have discussed before there are initials going in the two opposing squares but I'm just not sure whose yet. I'm leaning towards keeping this one myself.

Found the mistake!

Last night, after many months of having the M Designs piece screwed up in the bottom of my stitching bag, I sat, and counted, and recounted, and counted again, then frogged, stitched, and re-frogged till now it is right - because I had made an error somewhere and I couldn't find it!

Yay - I am excited about stitching this one now I have found where I boo-booed and fixed it! The mistake was such that I HAD to find it to continue - it wasn't one that I could just 'personalise' and move on!

It should move really quickly now - as long as I dont make any more errors!

There's nothing like knowing you've made a mistake and not being able to find it, that steals all your motivation away from a piece is there?

Progress...There is some....

I have been stitching with renewed fervour on An Open Heart....in fact I have progressed past my June 2006 goal (ha! ha! ha!) and completed down to the end of the drawn thread work in area 7! It wan't too difficult and is beginning to look pretty good if you ask me!

My new goal for this piece is to complete the stitching while I am on holidays (not including hte whitework and blackwork borders). That takes me up to Valentines day! If I accomplish that - I might treat myself to a new start!

Would post a photo but my dial-up connect is tooooooo slow! You will have to wait!

Somebody stop me!!!

I did it.....went ahead and ordered the book...

In case you're wondering....this book!

I can't wait till it arrives :)

Yesterday I stitched...

...for two whole hours on "An Open Heart".

No pictures yet but once I move house I will update all my piccies of works in progress.

Promise.

Now about moving house....I've stipulated that all my framed needlework (especially Desiderata) is coming in the car with me.....am I being a bit precious? I mean if I pack it nicely will it survive in the truck?

M Designs in glorious red!

This is the M Designs piece I mentioned earlier. I have completed one heart and started another in the diaonally opposite corner. (sorry for the skewed piccie). I'm using Needle Necessities 510 on white linen. The other two corners will have initials but I'm not sure whose yet :)

One down...one more to go.

I sat one of my two exams today...I think I did ok, but you never can tell, can you? One thing I have found with post graduate study is...it's bloody hard work and takes up a lot of valuable time I could be doing the things I love more, like stitching and singing! Oh well only another 4 semesters to go although I might stretch it out a little and have a semester off somewhere in the middle...

Liam is with his dad at the moment (in Sydney) so I had a quick trip to Canberra to meet his dad who drove down from Sydney. Consequently it made me very tired for my exam today. I guess sitting up until midnight last night doing last minute study didn't help!

Tomorrow night I am taking mum and dad to see my friend Andy sing with the swing band - absolutely my favourite place to be on a Tuesday night. I have tomorrow off to study for my economics exam on Wednesday afternoon, so the disruption of some great music will be welcome.

Tonight I am resting and I will try and finish my June goal on An Open Heart and perhaps stitch a little on the M Designs piece :)

There has been progress!

Finally! Here is the latest progress pic of An Open Heart. This is one project for which the colours look so much nicer in 'real life' than on the chart picture....

*eek* time...need more of it!

I haven't stitched hardly at all this week, although I must admit I was STRESSED when I got home from work the other day so I did a little to calm down....AOH got some of area 3 stitched so I'm on target for that June goal :)

I have exams in just over a week, Economics (26th), and Management Science (28th) so I probably wont post much, but will try and read al ittle in my forced study breaks. I've been finding study very hard - it's been a long time since I studied anything and its been a real challenge. Hopefully I will do ok! I think next semester I will just do one unit rather than two.

It's also school holidays, my parents arrive tomorrow for a three week visit and I have to go to Canberra next weekend (the weekend BEFORE my exams) to take LHM to see his dad!

There's always something! Why does it all seem to come at once!

Move along...nothing to see here...

It has been a long weekend here in Melbourne and although I had nights out on Friday and Sunday, I've spent all the days studying...so no stitching.

However, I am all studied out right now, so today I am going to relax with some chocolate, chick flicks and some stitching. I'm not sure what I will stitch on - perhaps the M Designs piece that I have started...it's four sections, two Celtic Heart designs in each corner and will be two initials. I had first thought this would be for a friend, but she has gone and changed her colour scheme, so the beautiful Needle Necessities variegated red just wont do for her now...might keep this one myself...I will try and post a picture later.

I might also get the never-ending "Dad's Sampler" out of the WIP roll and do one or two letters to appease my guilt over not finishing it yet (started in 2000 while I was in hospital and my parents were here looking after me and Liam). These over one letters will be the death of me! I really must finish this....it's beautiful but the over one stitching is really hard on my eyes. I will try and post a progress picture of this one too.

An Open Heart will definitely get a look in as it is out and ready to be tackled!

All in all should be a good day...now to choose movies!

My Exciting Saturday Night!

Last night my dad was visiting from Tasmania!

"Why don't you go out dear?" he said, "I'll look after Liam."

After getting through to about W on my mobile phone with no takers, I decided to stay home and stitch!

I worked on An Open Heart and am now down to the dividing band under the second row of text and I started the area underneath that....all in all a good night AND I got to have a good gasbagging session with my dad! Love him to bits!

Sometimes those nights are just the best!

June Goals

During June (and remembering that I have exams on the 28/29th June, I would like to accomplish the following:

• Finish something.....anything.....ornament, fob, bookmark.....anything at all!
• Stitch down to at least dividing band 6 on An Open Heart.

And for two goals not stitching related:

• Complete the two economics assignments I am behind in.
• Complete the 1 Management Science assignment that is late!

Faring well in my exams is a goal I really don't need to list here ....is it?

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!

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.

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 :)