A Little Finish!

I have a finish at last!  It's only a little something, but it was a really enjoyable stitch, which I have finished as a scissor fob.  All the stitches are specialty stitches, and although it's only a small design, it took a little longer to do then expected because of the specialty stitches.

The design is a complimentary one from Keepsake Stitches, which you can find here.  I substituted two of the Gentle Art Sampler Threads, as they didn't show up enough on the 32ct Putty Belfast linen that I chose to stitch it on.  For the beehive I used Crescent Colours Finley Gold, and for the date on the back I used GAST Harvest Moon.  I've made a little change too.  Instead of stitching the bee on the chart I've attached a tiny brass bee charm.  Both sides are joined together using the four-sided square stitch.  This is the first time I've joined two pieces together using the four-sided square stitch, and I wasn't too sure at first if I was going to like it as much as when I've whipstitched back stitches together, but I actually think now that it looks really nice!  

We are off on our travels again soon, so I won't be stitching for a while (and just when I had found my mojo again)!  We have to return home to the UK for a couple of weeks to finish emptying our home for letting, a job we didn't quite get finished when we were there at Christmas.  We are thrilled that our first tenants will be my brother and sister-in-law.  They have recently sold their own home, and have asked if they could rent ours for a period of time, which is great for us, as we know it will be well looked after.  I'm excited to see what postie has delivered for me too, as I have placed a few orders to be sent home while I've been here, so that I can pick them up to bring back with me.  It will be like Christmas all over again...lol!

I know I don't post very often these days, but thank you for popping by I really do appreciate it!

Sew & Sew

I've been going through my finishing box again, and this time I've pulled out one which I stitched in 2011.  It's a complimentary design called Sew & Sew from Mary Garry's Sewing Cabin.  I love anything Mary Garry, and can't tell you how excited I was when I received this several years ago with an order I placed from Needlecraft Corner.

I've seen it's finished as a needlebook before, and have always thought it would be the perfect finish for it.  For mine I rotated the top half of the design by 180 degrees, so that when the needlebook was closed the alphabet would be the right way round.  And, as I often like to add another little accessory I've also made a scissor fob and pincushion to go with it. 

I've stitched it one over two on 40ct Creme Brulee Linen from R & R Reproductions, using the listed Gentle Art Sampler Threads.  The fabric for lining the needlebook, the pincushion and backing for the scissor fob is Madeira from Blackbird Designs.  I've used silk ribbon for the needlebook and a piece of Weeks Dye Works wool felt for the needles.  The pincushion is finished with a little chenille trim.

I'm so thrilled that at long last it's finished!

Needlecraft Haven Monthly Challenge

Sunday was reveal day for the monthly challenge at Needlcraft Haven.  Each month a complimentary design that can be found online is chosen to stitch, using fabric, floss and making up into a finish of our own choice.  It's been a long time since I've taken part, but when I saw that the design for March was Souvenir de France by Blackbird Designs I just had to join along as it's one I've wanted to stitch for a long time. 

My choice of finish is a needlebook, so I've stitched the design one over one using Crescent Colours Milady's Teal on 28ct cream Cashel linen.  The fabric for the cover and the needle page is from French General's La Petite Ecole.  The little piece of lace was purchased from France, which I've used before and love so wanted to use it again to pretty up the front, and the shell button came from a pair of old pyjamas that I had thrown away - so glad I saved them, as this one was perfect!  The closure is a little twisted cord made from DMC 712 pearl no. 12.

I also made the beaded scissor fob.  I bought the sterling silver Eiffel Tower charm some time ago to make a beaded fob for when I eventually got around to stitching Souvenir de France or Jardin Prive's Eiffel Quaker, which ever came first.  The beads are sterling silver, Swarovski crystal, pearl and Mill Hill seed beads.  It's really pretty and sparkly in real life!

Hope you all enjoyed your Easter weekend.  Hope to be back soon.  :o)

Magick Spells

Another Halloween finish!  It's been on my to do list for quite some time, and before that on my wish list for a while too, then one day I received a lovely surprise in my inbox from Maria of The Stitcherhood.  Maria had noticed two of her designs, Magick Spells and Stitcher's Samplers (still to be stitched) on my wish list, and very generously sent them both to me.  As you can see from the date on the scissor fob I stitched Magick Spells last year, but have only just made it up into a pinkeep.  I stitched the little scissor fob using a few of the elements from the design and added a little matching border.  I think it turned out really cute, just measuring a little over one and a half inches across.  I've stitched them both one over one, and although you probably wouldn't have noticed a difference I substituted the listed DMC threads for GAST Onyx and WDW Carrot.  The fabric is 28ct Jobelan Hot Potatoes from Polstitches, which I've had in my stash for several years.

The fabric for backing the pinkeep has a tiny pumpkin print and is from Seasonal Little Gatherings by Primitive Gatherings - I just love their fabrics with these tiny little prints!

Thank you for popping by.  :o)

Bee Hive Scissor Companion

Another finish which I stitched last year and have been meaning to make up for a while. It feels so good to be getting a few of my pieces finally completed!

This is Bee Hive Scissor Companion by Ewe & Eye & Friends. The fabric I've used is 40ct cream Newcastle linen. I've stitched it one over two with the recommended DMC threads and for the cord trim I used DMC Ecru.

I think it's really sweet, and as you can see from it pictured here with my Elizabeth I miniature scissors by Kelmscott Designs, it's just a little fob too! :o)

Look What My Mum Made Me!

It's been a while since I've had a finish to show, although I do have quite a few small pieces still waiting to be made up, so I really must crack on with them sometime soon! I even have a little Christmas stitching from last year that still needs putting together! I've only done a little stitching recently as Colin has been home on his time off and I never get a lot done then as we make the most of enjoying our time together doing other things. My sister Debra has also been over from South Africa and staying close by, so of course I've wanted to enjoy time with her when I could too! Anyway, as I have no stitchy pics I thought I would show you this gorgeous beaded scissors fob that my Mum made for me. She has actually made four of these, one for both of my sisters Debra and Sarah, and of course one for herself! The beads are all swarovski crystal and silver and the lobster claw and fairy charm are silver too. Thank you for making this for me Mum, I absolutely love it!


Thank you so much to those who commented on my previous post, for help choosing a new sewing machine. Still undecided but I did find it really interesting and enjoyed reading what you all had to say, so thank you again! Once I have my new sewing machine I will post a picture so that you can see which one I eventually decided on!

I'm looking forward to an exciting day out tomorrow with my Mum and sister Sarah. We are off to the Creative Stitches & Hobbycrafts Show at Westpoint, Exeter. It's only about an hours drive for us and we go every year. We've been looking forward to it for a long time - I can't wait to go and will hopefully get to spend lots of pennies there too! :o)

Happy Dancing!

I've actually finished another of the many pieces I have stitched that are waiting to be made up. This is 'I Love Stitching' pinkeep by Maryse Dupont, from The Gift of Stitching, issue 30, July 2008. I stitched this last year so it's been hanging around for a while. The wording on the chart was different to the picture of the finished pinkeep but I have stitched mine like the picture as I liked it that way.



I've used 32ct Country French Chantilly linen with the listed Gentle Art Sampler Threads and have added a little pleated pocket to the back for stitchy bits and bobs. This is the first time I have added a pocket to a pinkeep and was really pleased with how it turned out, especially with the pleats. I have wanted to do one for ages and saw a pocket finished this way with the pleats, for a sewing case in an older issue I have of SANQ. After finishing the pinkeep I decided it needed a little matching scissors fob too!

A Mon Ami Pierre Pinkeep and Fob

This week I decided it was about time I put together this pinkeep. I finished stitching it last summer and made a little scissor fob to go with it too using the centre motif of the design. I have also added my initials to the back.



The design is an A Mon Ami Pierre Quaker freebie which was given to me by a dear friend. I've stitched it 1 over 1 on 32ct Belfast Antique White Linen, using DMC 3750.

Thank you to everyone for all your well wishes. I'm still feeling so much better most days and I can't tell you how wonderful that is! :o)

Halloween Finish!!

I know that Halloween has been and gone, but I still wanted to share what I had stitched now that I've managed to get it finished, and especially as I really wanted to do this one last year! I did also make a start on the The Prairie Schooler's Night Owl, and I really, really wanted to do Smell My Feet from La-D-Da, both from the Halloween issue of Just Cross Stitch. Never mind, I shall look forward to getting them both done next year.



The design is from a Mary Garry's Sewing Cabin OOP leaflet. I've used one of my favourite fabrics again - 40ct Newcastle Flax Linen, 1 over 2 with the listed DMC threads. The fabric I've used for backing the pinkeep is a Thimbleberries print that I have had for a few years. I've also used the same fabric to make the cute pincushion. I've wanted to make one of these pincushions since seeing Mary Kathryn's on her blog. I think it's so cute made from the little bee print fabric she has used. I have the exact same fabric, and will have to make one just like Mary Kathryn's one day!

Edited to add link to pincushion instructions here.

Halloween Fobs

Phew!!! Only just got these finished in time for Halloween. I thought I was doing so well when I had finished stitching them last week but time caught up on me and I only got round to making them up into fobs yesterday! They are Jinx and Jasper from the Just Nan chart Moon Riders. Stitched on 32ct Flax Belfast Linen using DMC threads. I found the little Halloween charms online from Jewellery Enchantments. They are just so cute that I had to add one to each fob.

This is Jasper with the little ghost charm




and this is Jinx with the little pumpkin charm.




This week I have also managed to find a little time to start putting together a web page with photos of our self-build at Spire Hill. I'm hoping to update weekly so if you would like to pop by from time to time to see how we are progressing I have added a link to the side bar which links directly to the page. The weather here has been very kind to us with the build so far and I'm really excited to actually be able to see where the rooms downstairs are going to be.

Another pinkeep and scissors fob!

The little fob has been finished for ages but I didn't want to post a picture until I had got around to making up the pinkeep so that I could show them together!

Both are from Brightneedle. The scissors fob is 'Bunny Hop' the complimentary companion piece to 'Tall Trees' which I have finished as an oval shaped pinkeep. I wanted it to look like the model finished on the chart, which has been mounted into a Sudberry House oval shaker pincushion. Stitched 1 over 2 on the listed 40ct Light Espresso R & R linen, also using the listed Olde Willow Stitchery and DMC threads. This was the first time I had stitched 1 over 2 on 40ct and have to say I really enjoyed stitching on such a small count. The fabric in the background is what I have used to cover the back of the pinkeep.

A little surprise for my Mum!

She's not seen it yet so I wonder if she'll spot her little surprise here first, before I next pop round with it for her!




The little stitching cherub is a Casa Mia complimentary design which you can find here. I've seen it finished as a scissors fob a couple of times now and knew I had to make one for my Mum who loves cherubs and angels. I've used DMC 115 on 36ct Antique White Edinburgh Linen, stitched 2 over 2. I usually stitch 1 over 2 on 36ct but wasn't at all happy with the coverage of the red on the light fabric but was a lot happier with the results of my second attempt. Bet Mum will recognise the ribbon. I didn't have the right shade of red (it's not quite so bright IRL as it is in the picture) and knew I wouldn't find any locally before finishing, so while I was visiting Mum last week I scrounged some she had which I thought would be a better match. Of course I didn't let on what it was for...lol!

Two new finishes...

...just for me!!! :o)


I love anything from the designer Mary Garry, so as my old faithful scissor fob that I stitched some time ago was beginning to look a bit worn, this little design 'Sit & Sew' was the perfect replacement. It's been a while since I've finished a fob and I'm so excited about this one - I love it!


I'm so pleased with how my first mattress pincushion turned out too. I couldn't believe my luck in finding two designs by Mary Garry's Sewing Cabin in an older Just Cross Stitch magazine. It was only a couple of days after spotting it listed on a website I hadn't visited for a long time that it came up on Ebay for 'Buy It Now'. The seller kindly agreed to mail to the UK and it arrived just a week later. I didn't have a clue what the designs were like either, just that they were called Spring Duo. Can you imagine how excited I was when I saw 'Raining Pins & Needles' (the smaller of the two). I couldn't wait to stitch it!


Both were stitched on 32ct Belfast Flax using the listed DMC and Gentle Art Sampler Threads for 'Raining Pins & Needles', but changing the DMC 926 listed for the fob to the Blueberry GAST so that they would be the same.