Stitch Stash

First and long post of 2012!

2012-01-06T18:55:00.002Z

I'm not one for making resolutions as I don't normally keep them, but I'm really going to try this year to post more often and also to comment. I thought it wasn't going to happen though, I took some pictures and then went to download them on the computer only to find that the camera lead had broken. Thankfully my dear husband fix it for me, so I good to go.
I thought I might start today's post with some pictures of my children as I've never shown any before. These were taken last September when we went on holiday with my parents. First up is Bryn, he is the eldest and will be 9 in March (I can't believe how quick he's growing) and then there is Niamh and she's 5.

The next picture is of my cheeky chappies the twins, Evan (in the orange top) and Noah (in the blue top).
They are currently 2 and a half.

And last but not least is Harriet who turned 1 in December, she really is a happy content child. She's sat on my mum's knee eating chocolate ice cream.

On a stitching note I finished 'Rosey' by LHN at the beginning of last year. I knew at once that it would be perfect for Harriet as her middle name is Rose and they have matching dark hair.

As I mentioned in my previous post that Ineke was kind enough to lend me her copy of 'Autumn Leaves' by Prairie Schooler. I loved stitching this, although you can't really tell from the picture I did it on Lakeside Linens Vintage Buttercream, it really does give it a rich feeling and complements the DMC colors perfectly.

Finally if your still reading this rather long post (thank you) this is my progress on Lizzie Kate's '6 Fat Men', again I'm using the recommended fabric and threads.

I hope everyone is taking care of themselves and that the weather is being kind to you, and I hope to see you all again soon.

Into a New Year

2011-12-31T13:57:00.001Z

I thought I would just pop in to say hello and wish everyone a Happy New Year. As usual my posts have been far and few between. I am still here and do read everyone's blogs daily, but life with the children keep me busy!
I've been stitching away and have recently just finished 'Autumn Leaves' by Prairie Schooler. Ineke was very kind to lend this pattern to me and I've just got to finish the small ornament. I'm also stitching 6 Fat Men by Lizzie Kate, which is a really fun design to do. I would post pictures but Blogger does not seem to want to play.
As for my plans in the new year, like a lot of people I'm mainly stitching from my stash. There is one exception to this, I've been itching to do the 'Word Play' series and have ordered January and February with the fabric as a small treat.
Once again I hope that everyone has a Happy New Year, and that it will be filled with joy and peace and everything that you wish. Take care of yourselves and your loved ones.

Melanie.

Plea for help!!!

2011-08-20T09:54:00.000+01:00

I was hoping that somebody might be able to help me. I'm wanting to stitch Prairie Schooler #132 'Autumn Leaves'. This chart is OOP and I have tried to no avail to buy one from the bay of evil for a reasonable price. Does anyone have this that they would be willing to let me borrow? I promise to take extremely good care of it, stitch it quickly, return it in the same condition it arrived and to cover the cost of postage etc. PLEASE (insert puppy dog eyes)!
I hope everyone has a nice weekend, I hope to post next week what I've been stitching on.

Take care, Melanie.

PIF's and Exchanges

2011-08-15T23:08:00.000+01:00

Warning - picture heavy

I'm finally getting round to showing you pictures of the lovely PIF's and exchanges that I have received lately.

First off is a PIF that I received from Carol. I can't believe that I didn't post a picture before, I thought I had but when I've come to write this post I discovered that I hadn't. So Carol I hope you accept my humble apologies ( I did thank Carol by e-mail and on the blog). It's a lovely and beautifully finished Just Nan piece, it has pride of place in my room and I always stop and look as I pass by.

The next PIF that I received was from Sally. Sally was kind enough to add me on to her list of 6 PIF's as I had wrote a comment that I would love to take part but before I could post it I had to answer the front door. It's a small and perfect pincushion with my initial stitched on from a BBD.

I took part in a BBD exchange that Michelle organised. My partner was Kate and she sent me a beautiful mattress pincushion from the Honeysuckle Manor book, stitched in a gorgeous purple silk.

And last but not least I joined Stitched With Love Exchanges, it was a Tea Party/Picnic themed exchange. Heather made me a cute pillow with a Lizzie Kate design on it, it's really fun and bright.

I wish to thank everyone again that sent me such wonderful gifts that you had obviously put a lot of time and attention into. I'll post what I sent out later on as there is already a lot of pics in this, I also have been doing some of my own stitching and have a small finish to show.
Well I'm off to bed now as it's gone 11 and no doubt the children will be up bright and early. Take care and goodnight.

Melanie.

Pay It Forward!

2011-01-14T16:06:00.000Z

I was lucky enough to be picked by Sally and also Carol for their PIF last year, and I'm finally getting round to posting mine, better late than never.
I'm looking for 6 people (it's normally 3) who would be willing to recieve something stitched and finished by myself within the next year. The only rule is that if you are picked that you then offer it on your blog.
If this is something you would be interested in all you have to do is leave me a comment and make sure that I can reach you by e-mail.
The first 6 people to comment on this post only will be picked. Good luck.

Melanie.

I've been busy!

2011-01-04T15:51:00.000Z

For once I have a legitimate reason for being bad at blogging.

This is Harriet Rose, my fifth child. She was born 10th December 2010 at 5:39pm weighing in at a very healthy 9lbs 12oz. The end of my pregnancy was quite difficult, with various health problems for us both, but we are doing great now. She's a very calm and easy baby (just trying to adjust to sleep deprivation) and the rest of the family love her to bits.
The older 2 children have gone back to school today and my husband is back at work tomorrow, so I will be able to update with some stitching in the next week.

Take care,
Melanie.

Returning to normal.

2010-09-16T14:10:00.000+01:00

Well we've now been in the new house for 3 weeks, there's still some more boxes to unpack, but I'm just about finished. I'm really glad were settled in really quickly.

I've finished some stitching for an exchange. I'd packed it safely away for the move but when it came to finding it I couldn't. I did finally find it thankfully and was able to post it albeit a little bit late. I'm just waiting to confirm that my partner has received my parcel and then I'll be able tell you what I made.

With all the talk of Autumn I went looking through my pile of stash and dug out 'Autumn Arbour' by Drawn Thread. I had actually started this a few months ago but put it to one side as my stitching mojo had disappeared, I'm glad to say though I'm really enjoying stitching it and it shouldn't be too long before I'm finished.

I've also joined Becky's Pumpkin Challenge 2010, so this piece will count. The idea is to stitch things that have pumpkins in them. So far I plan on doing Just Nan's "Autumn Humbug", LHN "October" and a Lizzie Kate piece, but I've yet to decide which one.

On a last but lovely note I received a thread holder from Lynn as part of Exchanging with BeckySC. I just love the little bunny!

I'm off now to go and do some ironing and then pick the eldest up from school. Until next time take care.

Melanie.

Moving house!

2010-08-15T14:25:00.000+01:00

What an eventful few weeks I've had. Our current landlord phoned to let me know that he was selling the house we rent off him, and since we are not in a position to buy it ourselves we've had to find somewhere else pretty quick.
We have been very fortunate though and found an old Victorian town hose to rent for only a little bit extra. It has four bedrooms (which we need), 2 reception rooms downstairs and a kitchen/diner. The best thing about it though is that there are loads of walls which need filling with lots of sewing....
We move next Saturday (21st) and I'm not sure how long we'll be without an internet connection, but I'll be back as soon as I can.
On a sewing note, I have been doing some for me personally and also for an exchange. I can't show any pictures as our computer broke and it's in the process of being fixed and I'm having to rely on an old computer that's incredibly slow and can't handle uploading pics unless you have a couple of hours to spare.
Finally thank you for all your kind words and congratulations on my news. The baby is due 1/1/11 (how cool is that date) but I will have to have a c/s probably the week before Christmas. I don't know the sex yet, I should find out on the 26th but I'll be sure to tell you all.

Take care, Melanie.

Still here...

2010-07-18T18:14:00.000+01:00

Firstly I must apologise for my long and unexplained disappearance. I hadn't meant to leave it this long but as we all know life gets in the way.
I completely lost my stitching mojo in a big way and it's only just starting to return now. It didn't help that the twins are now completely mobile and I need eyes in the back of my head, I also found out I was expecting again which was a complete surprise and has took a little time to get used to the idea. So with all of that going on and going to work, I've needed to sleep at every chance.
I'm feeling a lot better know so hopefully the updates will be more frequent, and I'll also be able to comment more on other people's blogs.

Now on to things stitching related. I participated in Exchanging with Beckysc. This was my first exchange in blog land and it was for a scissor keep. I don't know if everyone is the same as me but I got so anxious about what I was going to stitch and whether or not they would like it. I'd never made a scissor keep before and the finishing on it was quite ambitious for me and my humble skills.
I choose "Cottage Garden Scissor Case" from The Drawn Thread and my partner was Lynn.

The fabric that it's laid on is what I used for the lining. I was really pleased how it turned out.
I was fortunate to recieve a wonderful exchange from Sadie. It's a Prairie Schooler design and I just love it in every way.

Well I think I've gone on long enough and thank you if you made it to the end of the post. I have bought some stash lately which I will share another time with you.
(For some reason blogger wouldn't allow me to write underneath this pic)

Take care,

Melanie.

.....

2010-03-20T17:13:00.000Z

Well I forgot to post my TUSAL, so here it is for all to see.....

A mad idea!

2010-03-20T17:09:00.000Z

First of all go and visit Terrie's blog she's having a fantastic and generous giveaway, which of course I would love to win.

I've finally managed to finish February by LHN, it's taken me what seems like forever to finish, but it's now all done and is looking good if I do say so myself. I've also made good progress on March, I just love the little sheep it's so cute.

I've been busying buying some more stash. I bought CCN Part 1 of the "Summer Seascape" series and Blue Ribbon Designs "Schoolgirl Samplings", I'm still waiting for the fabric to arrive for this though. What do people think, do I just do the sampler or do I make the whole box and smalls? (Sorry about the picture quality)

I've also joined my first BOTM from Leanne's House "Down in the Garden". You can see picture's of it on the side bar. I'm sure you'll agree that the fabrics and threads for the first block are lovely, but there's a problem - I've never actually made a quilt before, (and that's the mad idea) I'm sure that I will eventually figure it out or if anyone has any helpful suggestions it would be greatly appreciated, but don't hold your breath for regular updates.

Well I think that's all for now, I need to go and feed the boys their tea. Take care of yourselves and I'll see you all soon.

Hi again!

2010-03-04T16:53:00.000Z

I can't believe that it's been so long since I last posted. I guess life gets busy and things get in the way, I've kept saying to myself that I'll post but then I get distracted. I've gone back to work after maternity leave and because I'm so tired I've not done that much stitching.
First of all here is my TUSAL about 3 weeks late, you can compare it with the picture in the post below.

I've finished the main part of the 'Traveling Stitcher' but I've still have to finish the small design. I've read that the Impie, Hattie & Bea project keeper may be released again later in the year so I'm not going to finish it off quite yet as I'd like to buy the original.

I'm going to try and give myself some small goals to complete this month.

Finish the February ornament by LHN
Stitch and finish the March ornament by LHN
Stitch and finsish parts 2 & 3 of Spring Social by CCN
Anything else will be a bonus.

I think these are doable and hopefully I'll feel like I accomplished something. Next time I'll have some pictures of stash that I've bought. Happy stitching.

TU SAL

2010-01-17T10:45:00.000Z

Since I'm still new to blogging I only just discovered the TU SAL at the end of last year. I loved looking at all of the different containers people had used and what they had put in them. I signed up for this years
TU SAL and started my jar on January 1st 2010.
This is my progress as of the 16th January, so far it contains NPI silks, Cresent Colours and DMC threads.

I've also joined the LHN Travelling Stitcher SAL, it started on the 2nd January but due to different things I was only able to make a start on mine last night, this is my progress so far- not really that much to see.

I hope everyone is well and is enjoying their weekend.

A finish, a WIP, stash and a cat.

2010-01-15T09:10:00.000Z

This is my first finish for 2010. It's part of the monthly from LittleHouse Needleworks. I actually finished it at the very beginning of January. I haven't decided how I'm going to finish them yet, I'm toying with the idea of doing them as flat folds and then displaying them on the mantle piece. It was really quick and fun to stitch up.

       LittleHouse Needleworks - "Sampler Months" - January
                                 32ct Raw Cashel Linen
                                      Cresent Colours

I've finally got my charts that I ordered the middle of December, I have no idea what the postal service was doing with the for a month, I was beginning to think that they had got lost.

Little House Needleworks - The Library

Country Cottage Needleworks - Springtime Couple

My WIP is "4 Wishes" from Just Nan. I fancied doing something different and I've not stitched a Just Nan pattern for some years.

                                     Just Nan - 4 Wishes
                                 28 ct Raw Cashel Linen
                                       DMC Threads

While I was taking the photo my cat Koko just couldn't resist trying to eat the threads from the edge of the fabric. He really is a naughty cat, you cannot leave any socks lying around as he loves to pinch them,I'm forever looking for odd socks now. He has a brother Wilbur but he's extremely shy and refused to have his pic taken.

Thank you once again for stopping by, and I really appreciate all of your comments.

I'm back!

2010-01-04T16:22:00.000Z

With the holidays and DH and the children been at home I've not been able to get on the computer to update. I hope everyone has had a wonderful time with family and friends, we've mainly stayed inside, ate too much chocolate and watched too much TV.
I've done a little stitching and have started to knit my very first pair of socks. Lets just say that getting to grips with four needles at once has been fun, I've lost count of how many times I pulled them out and started again till I've finally got the hang of it. I'll post pictures later this week.
I'd already posted a list of what I'd like to accomplish in 2010 stitching wise, that list has already grown as I signed up for the Just Nan seasonal humbugs, if the rest are as lovely as this I'll be one happy little bunny. I also signed up for the Littlehouse Needleworks Sampler Months and have very nearly finished January.
I'd better go now and feed the kids :)

Illness and stuff.

2009-12-01T14:50:00.000Z

Well it's been an eventful couple of weeks, I haven't been online much and there's not a lot of sewing to show either. The reason for this - "swine" flu. My daughter came down with it first the Thursday before I was due to go to the show, so I wasn't able to go in the end which made me quite diappointed. Over the course of the next few days we all came down with it, although my daughter and my youngest son were really poorly, I had the doctor out to see them twice! I'm glad to say that were all making a good recovery now.

I did manage to finish something even though Mr Frog paid a couple of visits.
It's the first part of "Spring Social" by Country Cottage Needleworks. It's going to be really pretty when it's finished, just need to be patient waiting for the next part.

"Birdhouse Garden"

Part 1 - Spring Social

Country Cottage Needleworks

Fabric - 32ct Lambswool Linen

Threads - Belle Sole

I must also say a thank you to those who have left me lovely comments and have also decided to follow my ramblings, I really appreciate it.

Firsts...

2009-11-18T11:25:00.000Z

Well I finished my first Little House Needleworks design last night, it's took me a week to complete. I've absolutely loved stitching this, even my DH was impressed, I know I'll be stitching another design very soon, I just need to make my mind up as their all so lovely. I'm hoping to make this into a pinkeep which will be another first for me, I'll keep you posted on my progress.

I've taken part in an exchange on a forum that I belong to and I received my goodies this week.

Thank you Sarah. I'm just trying to decided how I'm going to use them. My LHN piece is going to be part of my exchange along with some other things that I've bought, I just hope that she likes them as this is my first participation in an exchange.

Finally I'm going to a stiching and quilting fair on Saturday which I'm really excited about. Thankfully I get paid on Friday and were also due a bonus, so happy stash shopping for me. I'll be sure to post pics when I get back.

A small update and some stash.

2009-11-05T16:08:00.000Z

I've been busy working on my Rose Garden on a night and have made some progress, I'm really enjoying this and are working on it exclusively at the moment. I don't have as much time to stitch as I would like as my youngest 2 children are 5 month old twin boys and therefore keep me very busy, they are the cutest things on earth though!
Here's a pic of where I'm up to (the missing bits are where the beads will go).

I was also browsing the internet today and quite mysteriously Strawberry House by Little House Needleworks with the supplies to stitch it as well as Bee Keepers Cottage by Shepherds Bush fell into my cart and bought themselves! Don't know how that happened. LOL.

Stitching for 2010

2009-11-01T11:12:00.000Z

So I've been thinking about what I'd like to stitch next year and so I've added a list. These designs have really caught my eye. The list however is not set in stone and I know that I will probably change my mind about some of them and as new designs come out I will probably add to it as well.
I've been working some more on Rose Garden and would post an update pic but it's raining really hard today so the light isn't good enough, maybe tomorrow if the weather improves.

Here goes.....

2009-10-28T13:53:00.000Z

I've decided that it's time to write a blog about my stitching and occasionally family life. I will apologise in advance as I'm new to all this and are still learning!
I guess the best way to start is to show you a few of my recent finishes and what I'm currently working on:-

This is Celtic Quilts - Frienship Star by Ink Circles stitched with the reccomended threads.

Tigerlilly Pixie by Nora Corbet (stitched on 18ct Aida as that's all I had to hand)

Letter N by Nora Corbet (this is for my daughter)

...and finally what I'm working on currently. It's Roamntic Rose Garden Mandala by Martina Weber of Chatelaine. I got it from the September issue of Gift of Stitching. The progress is after 2 nights.

Sorry about the photo quality but my camera isn't very good and I find that the scanner washes the coulour out.