Baby Bug Ball ~ Finished

I have finally finished my Baby Bug Ball! There wasn't a lot to go when I left it last and I was able to finish it all off yesterday afternoon. What a happy looking trio of bugs they are.

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This one I stitched along with Loraine from Sew Be It. She was able to finish hers last week and sounds as though she had as much fun as I had with it. She'd started this design a while back and didn't continue with it. When she saw I had decided to stitch it, she asked if she could stitch along so she could be inspired to pick it up again. Thank you for joining me on this journey, Loraine. It was so fun and we'll have to pick something else one day to do together. I know there's a few things we both have the patterns for so it shouldn't be too difficult to decide. Anyway, here's my finished Bug Ball.

SAL with Loraine from Sew Be It

DESIGNER ~ Shepherd's Bush

PATTERN ~ Baby Bug Ball kit

FABRIC ~ 32ct Light Sand Belfast Linen

THREADS ~ Threadgatherer Silk, Soie D'Alger Silk, Gloriana Silk (1 over 2)

EMBELLISHMENTS ~ Petite Glass Beads (black, gold, and ivory), JABC Buttons

STARTED ~ 17 October 2009

FINISHED ~ 28 November 2009

This next picture's for Loraine to show her my crow button is all intact. You see, she had a problem with hers. It broke in half! Fortunately for her though, she doesn't live very far from Shepherd's Bush actual shop, and was able to duck in one day and pick up another. How delightful that sounds to someone who lives so far from them. :)

My favourite bug was the lady bug on the right, which was Loraine's favourite too. She is so pretty looking, with the lace at the bottom of her dress and the flower sticking out of her hat.

The other bugs are gorgeous too of course.

There's so many eye catching things in this design. From the sun, the flowers, the bees, the buttons, and the little flower sticking out of the girl's hat.

I hope you've had fun keeping up to date with my progress on this one. It took me longer than I thought it would but I'm so delighted with the outcome. Such a cute one.

Now to the next project!

Just the fun bits to go

Sorry I haven't posted until now. Things have been fairly busy lately and I haven't had the proper time. Bet you've all been wondering where I've got to with BBB? Well, I still have some more to do but I'm down to the decorating, shall I say, with it. The bugs need antennae, a few bees flying around, and some beading and buttons are still to be added.

I've had a hard time trying to get good colouring when taking photos of this one, so for this post I have resorted back to my scanner for the picture. I was able to work on it last Friday and Saturday nights and have managed to get all the bugs completed (apart from a few little extra bits).

Baby Bug Ball - 21 November 2009

My stitching friend who worked with me on this, Loraine, has managed to do so well with hers and has finished it. It was such a pleasure to share this project with you Loraine, and maybe we can do another some day. Please drop by her blog to see her finished piece of Bug Ball, along with another Shepherd's Bush winter sampler which is so cute. Both are beautifully stitched pieces. Well done, Loraine! (You know I secretly envy her because she lives so close to my favourite designers, Shepherd's Bush, and can drop by their enchanting shop at a whim. What a dream that must be, I can only imagine.)

Well, enough dreaming for now. I have a stash order that should arrive any day, which will have my next project in it. Sometimes you know exactly what to do next and other times you don't get the inspiration so easily.

Looks like I'll be waiting til the weekend to finish BBB so please watch out for my finished photos. Don't you love that sense of accomplishment that comes from another finish?

Happy stitching everyone!

The Best Til Last

This is going to be my favourite Bug, I can tell. I'm onto the last one and I'm loving her outfit already. Some beads will go along the bottom of her dress which will create a little more interest and make it look lacy. I'm only getting about one stitching session in a week lately so this project is taking shape at a slow pace. Anyway, here's were I'm at...

Baby Bug Ball - 15 November 2009

I can be a bit spasmodic with my stitching at times. There's occasions where I get a lot done in a short space of time, then other times I seem to go at a snails pace. Needless to say, I'm a snail at the moment. :)

Something a little different

This is another of my mother's finishes for this year. It's by The Nostalgic Needle and is a chart called The Queen's Sweet Bag. She's had this chart for years and has only recently decided to stitch it up.

The Nostalgic Needle - The Queen's Sweet Bag (stitched by my mother)

It's a little different and one that I'm not sure I would do myself, but I love it all the same. I really like the specialty stitching throughout it with the grapes, strawberry, and the centres of the flowers. It raises them higher than the rest of the design and emphasises their appearance.

The chart shows it finished off as a sweet bag and Mum may still complete it this way, but she won't dress it up as much. She has left off the small gold discs sewn throughout it and I'm not sure whether she will add the tassels. She has also changed some thread colours to the chart. Mainly with the blues. These were a little bright for her liking and she's toned it down with some bluey/grey variegated threads. I'm not sure what colour substitutions she's used as she grabs whatever's in her stash at the time. She always ends up with great combinations by using her own choice of threads.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy viewing this finish of hers. She was thrilled with your responses over her other two finishes (Snow Treat Bag and It's Berry Time), and she wanted me to thank you all for your kind words. She is now stitching Victoria Sampler's Tea Party Sampler and she's going to finish this one as a tea cosy. I'm sure I'll show you photos of her completed work when it's done.

Thanks for stopping by!

Two Down, One Bug To Go

I'm moving along with BBB, albeit at a slow pace. I've now stitched the second Bug with its wandering flower so it makes me about two thirds of the way through.

Baby Bug Ball - 8 November 2009

This progress was from Sunday. I'm leaving all the beading and buttons until I've finished with the stitching part.

I'm hoping my stitching friend who's working on this also, Loraine, has made more progress than I have now. How are you going with yours, Loraine? What a fun piece it is to do and I'm loving each flower that pops up.


The weather here is still so hot. This is quite rare for November in Victoria. We may get the odd hot day here and there but never a stretch like this. It made it very hard to get some decent sleep last night. The worst thing though, is now the authorities are worried that the bush fire season looks like it's going to be early. After the terrible fires in February, we don't want to see a repeat of those extreme temperatures like we did then. We just need some more of that rain we had early on this Spring.

A Feast For The Eyes ~ New Stash!

Yes, a little more stash has come my way. A couple were limited edition so I decided to get them now instead of being disappointed when they were no longer available.

(from bottom left) Shepherd's Bush - Scaredy Sheep Scissor Fob kit, Here We Go A Haunting kit, and La D Da A - Bird In Hand kit

Firstly I'm going to show you the SB limited edition folk art box which has inside their kit for Here We Go A Haunting.

It's a wooden box painted black outside, and has on the top of the lid a picture of the stitched piece.

Inside has the kit which includes chart, fabric, threads, and a button.


The kit comes with the limited edition box for a short time only for no extra cost than the kit itself, but beware, some shops have already sold their supplies of it. I got mine from Stitching Bits and Bobs.


Next is also a SB kit called Scaredy Sheep. This is a scissor fob and is a companion to Here We Go A Haunting. The witchy scissors don't come with the kit but you can order them separately from the Shepherd's Bush girls or other needlework shops may have them too. These I will definitely have to get in the future.


Lastly is a new release from La D Da called A Bird In Hand. Again, they have brought it out in a limited edition kit including 35ct WDW Straw fabric, Needlepoint Inc. silk threads, and hand-made cord to turn it into a cushion, along with finishing instructions. The fabric and threads have lovely warm tones and I've tried to take pictures to show the real colour of them. I think I've achieved that.


I'm really pleased with all of these. The only down side to them is that they increase the chances of choosing my next project that much more harder. :) Not sure whether I'll do another Halloween one this time of the year though.

I went to see The Time Traveler's Wife last night and thought it was really good. I usually see romantic comedies, so this one was a change to that, although there was still the romance to it. Loved Eric Bana's part and Rachel McAdams did a wonderful job too (I liked her in Wedding Crashers). You had to keep on your toes with it because of the time travel but the linkage was done well and you knew what was happening.

Well, the weather here is going crazy. It's decided it wants to be summer and we're in a mini heat wave (low 30s) compared to what we've had lately. There's been limited spring weather, so we're not really prepared for this heat. Melbourne is renowned for it's unpredictable weather though so it's not surprising. The best part is that we've had some really good Spring rain and the gardens are growing like mad. It's been a while since this has happened. Our poor gardens have just been trying to survive, let alone thriving.

Just having a quiet day today. The pussy cats are taking it easy too. They've been flaked out on the floor because of the weather. I don't blame them really.

I'll try to get some more stitched on BBB. Nothing more since my last progress on it. I better get cracking though, otherwise it will be Christmas already and I'll still be working on Halloween!

Take care all and happy stitching. ~x~x~x

Mum's finish of It's Berry Time

It was my mother's birthday in September and for a present I gave her BBD It's Berry Time chart kitted up. Since a few of you wanted to see the end result once she'd stitched it, here are some photos of her work for you.

BBD - It's Berry Time (stitched by Mum) with recommended fabric and threads.

This stitched part will become a berry emery.

She thinks she will turn the main piece into a cushion, though like me she enjoys the stitching of a design the most, and takes a while to finish it off as something.

I'm going to the pictures again tomorrow night. This time to see The Time Travelers Wife. I'm looking forward to seeing this one. Eric Bana (from Australia) is in it, and it's a different type of movie for him. He actually started out here as a comedian originally, for those of you who didn't know. Anyway, I'm sure I'll enjoy this movie.

More next time...

Another Bug

Well, I'm slowly working my way through BBB and I've been able to get most of the middle bug completed.

Baby Bug Ball - 3 November 2009

I'm leaving the beads and buttons until last, which is what I usually do because I work with a hoop. So if you see any parts missing, it's due to this reason.

Please drop by Loraine's blog and see where she's up to on hers. She's stitching along with me on this one and it looks like we're going at the same pace, which is good. I thought I would fall behind because I don't get a lot of stitching sessions in over a week. So I'm pleasantly surprised to be on par with her. It's such a thrill to be stitching with you Loraine, and I'm so looking forward to your next progress pictures.

I'm feeling pretty tired tonight so I won't make this a lengthy post. We had a very busy day at work today, so my energy levels are low and I'm in need of a good night's sleep.

Before I go, can I just say a big thank you for your lovely comments on Mum's Snow Treat Bag. I will let her know how much you liked her work - she'll be thrilled. I do love how we both share an interest in needlework. Even more so that we both love Shepherd's Bush so much too! :)

Thanks for passing by my blog. *~*

A Treat from Mum

I've taken some photos of a few of Mum's latest finishes. Here's one of them from Shepherd's Bush (yes, she likes them too!) called Snow Treat Bag. It comes as a kit with everything needed to finish it off as you see in these photos.

SB Snow Treat Bag - finished by my mother

I managed to get a bit of housework done yesterday, then later in the afternoon I sat down to work on BBB. I have most of the second bug finished but haven't taken any photos yet, so I will show you my progress next time.

I also wanted to thank you for your comments and enthusiasm for my blog and stitching. You don't know how much it means to me. :)

More Stash

These are the rest of the things I got from Needlecraft Corner recently.

A selection of threads.

GAST: Limited Edition - Waters Edge, Simply Shaker - Rose Garden

GAST: Limited Edition - Driftwood, Simply Shaker - Raspberry Frost

This Belle Soie silk thread by Crescent Colours I'd seen on Nina's blog and thought it looked a lovely colour to use in something. I'm sure I won't have a problem finding a design to work it on. :)

A couple of charts.

The Goode Huswife - Ida Rae Crow, and Homespun Elegance - The Stitching Lady

Miss Snow Fairy all kitted up.

With Thy Needle & Thread - Miss Snow Fairy

The threads are all DMC and the fabric I've chosen for it is WDW Parchment in 35ct.

I'm not at work today because it's a public holiday in Melbourne. I'm trying to do a little housework (never ending) then I hope to stitch some more on BBB. Til next time... happy stitching!

A Flower for Thee

I have a little more progress to show you on Baby Bug Ball.

The Bug has something to hold on to now, instead of just standing there with its arm out for nothing. :)

I love it when you add something to a piece and you can see it come alive. The poor Bug was looking a bit boring there on its own.

I went to see Mum and Dad today and I've been able to bring home a few of Mum's finishes. I'll take some pictures and show you in future posts. Included in them is the BBD It's Berry Time.

Well, that's all for now. Here's hoping those of you who celebrated Halloween have had a ghastly time of it!