Big thank you and finished gift tags

Hello my friends, I hope you are all well. The sun is shining and the sky is blue and it looks like it's going to be a gorgeous day. 

I've been doing lots of little bits of stitching lately. I finished off my flamingo design, quickly stitched up a card for a colleague who was leaving and I also spent a couple of evenings working on these cute gift tag designs.They're from the latest issue of CrossStitcher, but I actually had some of the card tags leftover from a previous cover gift at Christmas time. I really enjoyed picking my own thread colours from my tin of leftovers to create these.

I just have to say a huge thank you to Cath from The Stitchin' Chicken who sent me a lovely surprise parcel. Cath was gifted recently with a collection of DMC threads, and was kind enough to share the love and pass some on to me! There was also two huge pieces of aida in the package. I feel so lucky when people are so generous and think of me. I know I will make good use of the threads and the fabric, so thank you so much Cath!

I'm definitely on the look out for my next big project, but I'm quite enjoying the small pieces at the moment. I find there is certain satisfaction in taking a scrap of fabric and a few old threads and making a brand new card or gift tag with them. I think stitching and craft in general can be quite thrifty if you want it to be, although I love spending money on stash!

I hope you're all enjoying a lovely weekend. 

Best wishes,

Bekca

xxx

April finish and yet another cover kit!

Hello all, I hope this post finds you well. I seem to have got into a real groove with my stitching again and it's nice. I have one evening a week where I spend a good three to four hours with my latest project, and then I sometimes sneak an extra hour or two at the weekend, depending on what we're doing. 

Now that I've got into a good stitching routine, Autumn Bird came together very quickly. Here is a picture of my latest finish:

I'm really pleased with this one, I just love the colours in it. I look forward to stitching more pieces from Satsuma Street Designs. 

I haven't picked up Highland Walkies in awhile. It's a chart that's spread over a couple of pages, so requires a fair amount of concentration to make sure the matching is correct. Sometimes I don't fancy it in the evenings, but I should hopefully pick it up again soon. 

I really like receiving my copy of CrossStitcher through the door every month. It keeps me connected to my hobby and I've been enjoying the cover kits they've released this year. I didn't think much of the phone cover idea in this issue, so I've stashed the fabric and found a piece of linen in my stash to use instead. I love the bright colours in the flamingo design, it's so fun! Here's where I'm up to so far:

I think I'll get this one finished this week and then comes the fun bit - stash diving for my next project! I think I'm in the mood for ornament making, but you never know what take my fancy when I actually go looking. 

I hope you've enjoyed a lovely weekend. I went to the cinema with friends to see Avengers: Infinity War and thought it was absolutely fantastic.

Best wishes,

Bekca

xxx

Happy Easter 2018!

I've had a lovely long weekend thanks to the Easter Holidays. I left on Thursday night to visit a friend in Southampton, and then we both travelled onwards to London the next day. We met up with another friend and watched her perform in a show. A great night was had by all, especially because it ended with pizza :) 

I visited my family on Easter Sunday and we had lunch and went on a refreshing walk afterwards. It's unusual for me not to have picked up my needle much during the break, but I do have a couple of things to share.

This is my new start. It's Autumn Bird by Satsuma Street Designs, featured in Issue 193 of Cross Stitch Crazy magazine. I fell in love with the colours, so purchased the DMC threads needed to complete this design. It's a mainly block stitching, so an ideal project for after work in the evenings.

Speaking of work, I'm still really enjoying my new role. It's not quite as new anymore, I've been there for a month already. I can't believe how the time has flown by. The latest free gift with Cross Stitcher came in handy though. It was a key ring design and I stitched it up in one evening and it now guards my work key! 

I hope you've all had a fantastic Easter break and had plenty of time for craft and stitching. Thank you all so much on your kind comments on my last post. They truly brighten my day.

Best wishes,

Bekca

xxx

A finish and a new hobby

Hi there everyone! I hope this post finds you well. I have started my new job working as an admin in a foster care agency and I'm truly enjoying it so far. It can be busy, and there's a lot to read and learn about, but the people are so friendly and it's nice being in a job where I feel useful and like I'm making a difference. Sadly, I didn't get to go to Southampton last weekend - the snow meant my train was cancelled. I made the most of my time at home though, and seeing as it was wintry conditions, I felt inspired to work on my Christmas sampler. And it's finished! 

I've tucked it away for now, but I'm looking forward to getting it out again around November time and make it into a wall hanging to be displayed over the festive season. I'm quite proud of this piece, because I only used threads that I had in my stash. The only thing I had to buy for this project was the fabric. Everything else came from threads I had squirreled away after finishing kits, or odd Anchor threads that my sister had given me when she finished with cross stitching. It was a nice, cheap project, which is good to have every now and then to keep costs down!

I have started a new design that I did buy some new threads for, but only because I loved the colours used so much, I wanted an exact match. I've got a fair few stitches in, but haven't had a chance to take a pic yet. I'll be sure to get one up next week.

I've had a lovely weekend so far. We had Lawrence's mum come for a visit and yesterday afternoon, we went to a needle felting beginners class. I always enjoy craft, but I haven't tried very many of them, so it was nice to try a new skill. The class was in a gorgeous craft shop/work shop/tea room and was taught by a patient and kind teacher. There was only four of us learning, so we had time to each receive personal instruction as to where we were going wrong. We had a cup of tea half way through and it was a lovely way to spend an afternoon. I definitely felt I had a thorough understanding of the basics of needle felting by the time we finished. 

This is another cheap hobby to enjoy, because it only needs a little bit of equipment and you can find free designs on line. In the class, we each made a teddy bear. Mine is a bit wonky, but I'm very fond of him! 

Apart from cross stitching, what other crafts do you enjoy? I would love to hear all about them, it might give me an idea for the next class I could sign up to. I've got some chores to do now, but I can't wait to settle down with my stitching this evening.

Best wishes,

Bekca

xxx

A glimmer of Spring

I'm sitting in my living room to type this post and the sunlight is streaming in through the bay window. I have a beautiful bouquet in a duck egg-coloured vase that was gifted to me by a lovely friend. It could almost be Spring, if only it was't so cold outside! Still, that means plenty of time inside and stitching :)

I finally picked up my Christmas sampler for the first time in awhile. I only managed to add a couple of motifs, but I'm glad I spent some time on it. I think I'm just going to pick it up as and when I feel like throughout the year and definitely get it finished by November. There's not really much to do, but I can't find the perfect colour for the house in the centre of the design. I think I need to go to a craft store and take it with me and see if I can find a colour I love. Here it is at the moment:

The designer of this piece, Faye from Little Dove Designs, has just done another sampler in the latest issue of CrossStitcher - Spring Sampler. It's the first in a four part series and I love the look of them. I don't know whether to wait and collect all four designs, or kit it up right away. What would you do?

Speaking of CrossStitcher, they had a fab cover kit on this issue. It was a wooden pendant where you could select one of three designs to stitch on it. I normally tuck my cover kits away for another time, but I couldn't resist starting this one straight away and I finished it in one evening! I'm not sure what I would actually wear it with, but I do love the look of it.

It's been a good week for stitching, because I even had time to put some stitches in on Highland Walkies too. I love the colours in this piece, they're so cheerful. I think I'm going to pull this one out right after this post and spend the rest of Sunday working on it :)

I only have three more days working with District Nurses, then I'll be off on a long weekend to Southampton to visit friends, which I'm so looking forward to. It will be the perfect way to relax before starting my new job. 

I hope you're all enjoying a lovely weekend, and thank you so much for your kind comments on my last post. It's so important we look after ourselves, especially when times are tough.

Best wishes,

Bekca

xxx

All change for February

Hello my friends, I hope this post finds you well. I've been having a busy time of late, as always! We've merged two district nursing teams as part of a cost cutting exercise, but sadly, the result has been that many staff have left. That means more work divided by less people and it's been a bit of a strain to say the least. However, I'm coming to the end of my contract with the District Nurses, so I only have to do my best for the next two weeks. I have another job lined up to start in March, I'm going to be a placement administrator for a foster care company. It looks like a difficult, challenging job, but I'm ready for it. It looks like it could be truly rewarding too.

When life gets a bit much, I always like to concentrate on looking after myself. That way, I can fire on all cylinders and get as much done as I can. For me, that involves sleeping plenty, eating right and always making time for cross stitching. I've made some good progress on Highland Walkies. It's a lot of block stitching, which makes it a good project for the evenings. Lawrie bought me a clip on lamp for Christmas too, so I use that a lot for good sight. Here's where I'm up to on my latest project:

I'm only working on one piece at the moment, which is unusual for me, I normally have at least two on the go! My Christmas chart hasn't seen the light of day since January, I still can't decide if I want to power through and finish it, or wait until November when I start to feel the festive spirit again. What would you do? 

I hope you've had a marvellous weekend and you should never feel bad about taking a little time out for yourself :)

Best wishes,

Bekca

xxx

Organisation and a new kit

I've had quite a busy week, with no much time for stitching unfortunately. But I did have a lovely time last Sunday with all of my DMC threads. I finally got round to getting them all out and putting them away again in numerical order. I'm lucky to have quite the collection of DMC, but it was making it more difficult to find the ones I needed! I'm glad they're all organised now for easy access. They list the threads required in Cross Stitcher magazine in numerical order, so it should make kitting up projects a lot easier.

I have just started on my new kit that I bought with my Christmas voucher for SewandSo.com. It's called Highland Walkies from Bothy Threads. It was on my wish list for a long time so I was so pleased I got to purchase it. However, I was a little disappointed when I opened it because the threads were just draped over the thread holder, not secured, so the threads were in danger of mixing up. I spent most of the time when I opened the kit sorting the threads and only got a few stitches in. I'm sure I'll have a progress picture for next time. 

I've still got my Christmas sampler on the go. I thought about packing it away until next December, but I don't like leaving a project unfinished. Besides, if I finish it soon, it will definitely be ready to display next Christmas. I've got a couple of new projects on the bench, but I'm going to finish some before I make another new start.

I hope you're staying warm. It's been very bitterly cold in Bristol lately, I'm very glad for tea and stitching!

Best wishes,

Bekca

xxx

A Fresh New Year

Hello friends and Happy New Year to you all! Thank you for being so patient with me during my little break from blogging over the holiday season. 

I'm glad to report that my surgery was successful. The surgeon found endometriosis, but it was mild and they were able to remove it through key hole surgery. I have three little scars that I'm sure will be almost invisible in the not too distant future. I got to come home the same day as the operation, which I was really grateful for, it's much more comfortable being in your own bed. I was very slow and a bit weak in the days following, but my recovery has gone well, and I went back to work at the beginning of January. During my recovery time, I got to do plenty of stitching, which was a wonderful distraction to my swollen tummy. 

I've been really enjoying editing the magazine projects to suit my own tastes. I've been working on two pieces lately, one wintery and one Christmas themed. The first one is adapted from card designs by Durene Jones in Issue 326 of CrossStitcher. I liked the modern designs, but not the orange pallette, so I whipped out my thread boxes and started making my own combinations! This one just needs a little more backstitching and it will be complete. Do you think it's too big to be an ornament? The characters remind me of us, so it would be nice to have it up on the tree.

My other project is definitely too big for an ornament! This is Christmas is Coming from Little Dove Designs that was in Issue 324 of CrossStitcher. This was my big project I was working on during recovery, as it was an easy stitch on 14ct ice blue aida and block colours, with very little backstitching. I'm choosing my own colours again for this one, which has meant I could add little bits of metallic here and there for extra Christmas glitz. I've still got quite a few components left to add to this piece, and then I've got to make my mind up about adding the border or not.

I was lucky enough to receive a Sew and So voucher for Christmas and I stocked up on some lovely stash, I'll have to post the picture next time. I got a couple of kits too, one of which I think will be my next project. It will be a lovely introduction to Spring :)

I hope you've all had a wonderful start to the year and had plenty of stitching time this weekend. 

Best wishes,

Bekca

xxx

Projects aplenty

Hi all, I hope you're well. I've been having a strong week this week. I'm enjoying work again and really feel like I'm making a difference. It's the best feeling to feel so content. I've been really into my stitching lately, even browsing the Sew and So website in my lunch break to seek out new projects! I had a lovely time going through my stash earlier this week and surprise surprise, I've got a lot more fabric than I thought I did :)

I've got a finish to share with you first. I'm lucky enough to have a subscription to CrossStitcher magazine and I'm trying to complete each of the cover kits in the same month as the magazine. So here is the card cover kit, Driving Home for Christmas, from the November issue all finished up . . .

This was a nice quick stitch actually, but I really like the effect, especially with the card board button. I've got some one in mind to send it too, alongside a festive parcel of goodies. I found another kit that I had misplaced in my stash for a pin cushion design. I think I'm going to get this one finished before the end of the year too, so I'm all up to date with my cover kits. 

I'm afraid I've made no progress on Cook's Notes lately. The back stitched letters are charted in such a way that I keep having to split aida blocks and really concentrate on it, so it's not one I can just pick up to do a few stitches in to unwind after work. I think it might become my weekend project, and during the week I will work on my latest new start, Love Cats by Brittercup Designs . . .

As I said, I went stash diving this week and unearthed so many lovely threads and fabrics that I haven't had a chance to use. I think I'm definitely to be able to stitch from stash for most of 2018! I'm using a mixture of beautiful variegated threads for this design and I think the finished look will be excellent. It's just whole stitches and a bit of back stitch, so I don't think it will take me that long to get it finished up. Then it will be on to the next project!

Are you doing much festive stitching? I'm thinking of whipping up a few cards with some of my scrappy pieces and odd and ends of threads. It's amazing what you can create with off cuts. Do you save your leftover threads from kits to make cards? It's a habit I got into when I didn't have much of a budget for stitching :)

I hope you're all enjoying a wonderful weekend. We had friends over for dinner last night and today we're off out with Lawrence's family to enjoy a Sunday lunch. I'm sure there will be stitching time this evening, after the baking and the laundry first!

Best wishes,

Bekca

xxx

First finish for awhile

I'm determined to be more consistent with my stitchy posts, even if it's just for me as a way to document my progress with all my projects. I've certainly made good progress recently, as I've got a finish to share! Yes, Sewing Machine is all finished up . . .

I did originally start this piece in mind of keeping it for me and using it to decorate my stitching corner, but I think it would actually be better suited to my mum. She loves quilting and purple is her favourite colour, which really pops in the little flowers. I keep sending my finished pieces to my mum and now she's got quite the collection on the wall - I hope she's not sick of them yet!!

I did get a new cover kit with the latest issue of CrossStitcher and I've made an excellent start on that. It's an ouch weekend for me at the moment, which means painkillers, hot water bottle and plenty of stitching time. I actually think I'll get this one finished in the next couple of days and I've already got someone in mind to send it off to. 

I've started having thoughts about my stitching plans for next year. I think I'm going to do one big stash shop at the start of the year (hopefully with vouchers that I've asked for for Christmas) and then try to use what I've got for the rest of the year. We're currently trying to save up for a house and a big holiday, so I need to save all the pennies I can.

Lastly, in health news, I've finally got a date and I will be having surgery this year. I'm nervous, of course, but I know it's for the best and will hopefully provide some relief from my endo pains. Recovery time means stitching time, so I'm going to kit up some projects whilst I'm feeling well so I can pick them up after surgery. 

I hope you're enjoying a lovely weekend. I'm off out for coffee with a friend in a bit, then Lawrence and I will be cooking a Sunday Roast for dinner tonight - can't wait!

Best wishes to all,

Bekca

xxx

November already!

Goodness me! Where does the time go? I've been meaning to take stitchy progress photos for the last couple of weeks and never quite getting round to it until today. As always, there has been a fair amount going on.

I didn't take to my new job well at all. The office was slow, poorly managed and the work was not as rewarding as I hoped. I was going into work each day feeling useless and out of place and it was really starting to get me down. Luckily, I was able to organise a transfer back to my District Nurses team, so I can safely return to my old job on Monday! I'm so pleased I've managed to erase my mistake by stepping back into my old role. It's only a temporary solution, but I'm far happier already.

Still no surgery date, so it's the same old story with my endo flare ups, my good days and my bad days. I now have two water bottles - one for home and one for work, both are extremely necessary! 

I haven't been the best with blogging, but I have been getting my stitches in. I was very kindly gifted with a subscription to CrossStitcher magazine for my birthday and as soon as the first one arrived through the door, I got started on the free kit. I've just got to add the french knot eyes to Scandi Santa and then onto the finishing.

I think it's a neat little decoration idea. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to keep him for my tree or give him another home. I guess it depends on how neat my finishing is!!

I've also been working on my two WIPs, which are coming along nicely. I think I will get Sewing Machine finished this month, as soon as I get my hands on the last thread I need. I thought I ordered everything I needed to complete it, but I seem to be one thread colour missing. A quick trip to my LNS will soon sort that out. So here is Sewing Machine . . .

And here is Cook's Measurements . . .

The next CrossStitcher mag is due in the next week or so, so I'll have another cute kit to work on, I'm sure. I don't think I'll be doing much festive stitching this year, maybe a card or two. I better get cracking!

Best wishes,

Bekca

xxx

Walking the Long Path

Hello all, I'm back again with all kinds of updates to share. There's been so much going on lately, it's hard to judge where to start!

I finished with the District Nurses on Friday, where I was gifted with an enormous bunch of flowers and a lovely card. I was sad to leave the team, but they're actually all being disbanded in a huge company reshuffle, so it wouldn't have been the same anyways. I started with the Community Discharge team today, and I think my first day went well. They seem like a very nice group of people and the work is slightly more challenging (which is a good thing!) and it's close to Lawrence's work, so some days, we can walk to and from work together :) I think I'm going to be perfectly happy with my new team.

I had my consultant appointment at the hospital last week and I will be having surgery for my endometriosis. I thought this was likely, and I'm glad in a way, because although operations are scary (and this will be my first), it should reduce my overall pain. I'm still waiting on a phone call to confirm dates, but fingers crossed it will be in the next couple of months. I know I'm at the start of a very long path, but I'm not walking it alone. The surgery I'm penciled in for has a two week recovery time, so if my upper body is up to it, that's plenty of uninterrupted stitching time! 

Talking of stitching, I've made progress on one of my projects, and not put a stitch in the other since my last post. I think I'll have to change that soon. Anyways, here's where I'm up to on Sewing Machine:

I absolutely love the colours in this design and I'm really enjoying every stitch. I love Cook's Measurements too, so I really should be showing it some love! Here's a picture just for the sake of it :)

My 123stitch order arrived last week, so I've got all of the threads now to finish both of these pieces. There's no stopping my needle now! 

I hope you're all well and keeping safe from the horrendous hurricanes. My thoughts are with you all, I can't imagine how scary it must be. 

Best wishes,

Bekca

xxx

One Finish, Two Starts

I've been having a bit of a tough time of late with endo, but the silver lining is it means more stitching time! I had a mammoth session last week and managed to finish Cocktails:

I'm going to tuck this away with the companion piece, Teacups, and keep an eye out for suitable frames in the charity shops. Then when we move, I can get them both framed up and on display in my kitchen. 

I couldn't wait to start another project, so much so that I ended up starting two! These pieces are both from the same magazine, CrossStitcher Issue 321. The first one is this gorgeous Sewing Machine project, but I'm just stitching the main top half. Here's where I'm up to so far:

And the other piece further along in the mag is called Cook's Notes. I'm going to have a kitchen covered in cross stitch by the time I'm finished! Here's my progress on that one:

I'm quite enjoying having a couple of projects on the go, I haven't done that in so long. I'm thinking I would like to start another large design again, maybe something like Farmhouse, but I haven't seen one yet that I'd be willing to spend months and months stitching on! 

I haven't got all the thread colours for my two latest starts, but my 123stitch order should be arriving this week. I'm so excited! I've got heaps of stickers coming my way for my latest scrap book idea, as well as plenty of threads and maybe a sneaky chart or two that jumped in the basket as well. 

It's my last full week with the District Nurses this week, then I start my new job on Monday. September is a busy month for me, I hope you've all got wonderful plans for the start of Autumn too.

Best wishes,

Bekca

xxx

At last, some stitching!

Thank you for bearing with me as I caught up with my own time line in the last couple of posts. It looks like I'll be writing a bit more about my travelling adventures, thank you so much for your kind comments about it.

But now I've finally got the post you (and I!) have been waiting for - a stitching update! I haven't got much I'm afraid, because I've only recently got back into stitching. But I do have a finish and a WIP to share.

First up is "A Nice Cup of Tea" which was featured in Issue 275 of CrossStitcher. I had just started it on this previous blog post, but I was finding the fabric frustrating, so when I picked it up again, I restarted the design on aida and sailed through it. I really loved completing each section, I think that's a trait of many of the designs I choose to stitch. I'm hoping to get this one framed soon.

When I was browsing through my collection of magazines, I found a companion piece to "A Nice Cup of Tea" and couldn't wait to stitch it. This is "Cocktail Hour", my current WIP, which is so close to being finished. 

Only two more drinks to stitch, and the second header piece and it will be done. I think it would be great to get matching frames for these two and then have them hanging side by side in my kitchen. 

I've so enjoyed catching up with my blog reading. I must admit, I haven't read every single post since I've been away, but I have read a couple of months back. I've found a couple of new blogs to follow, but I'm always on the look out for more, so feel free to leave your blog link in the comments and I'll be sure to check it out :)

I hope the next time I post, I'll be able to share a finish of "Cocktail Hour" and maybe a preview of what I'm hoping to stitch up next. 

Best wishes,

Bekca

xxx

Tea and Stitching

Hello friends, how are you all? This is my second day off in a row from work, so I got all the boring jobs and chores done yesterday. Now I have time to blog read to my heart's content, as well as settle down to some stitching time with a film later :)

I recently went charity shop shopping with a good friend from University. We browsed the book sections but weren't having much luck. Just as we were leaving our final stop, I spotted a box filled with crafting magazines. Lo and behold, there were cross stitching ones! They were from 2014 and 2015 - who could ever donate new magazines?! There was no price tag but the assistant told us she would sell them 3 for £1. Can't argue with that!

I came home with six practically brand new magazines for £2. They were minus the free gifts that normally accompanying them, but I still think it was extremely good value. I browsed them all for hours before finally choosing a new design to start.

My mornings don't really start until I've had a cup of tea, so this piece really spoke to me. I'm stitching over one, which is quite hard going. I rushed into getting started, and to be honest, should have spent more time considering my fabric choice, but oh hum, I've started so I'll finish. If I'm able to, I'm going to make a Sew and So order soon to buy the correct threads. I'm sure a few other things will sneak into my basket too! 

I've got several pieces that are so close to be finish, but just need tricky backstitching on them. I will get round to it, but it's not as appealing as a fresh start. I'm sure you know the feeling :)

Wishing you all a lovely weekend,

 

PS The next post will be my 250th! I think it's high time I did something special. I think I better start rustling up a giveaway prize . . .