Country Stitches Stash

Not much happening here so I thought I'd post some pictures of some stash I got from Country Stitches at their Valentines Sale in February.

First up are some patterns by Brenda of Country Stitches and her design name of With Thy Needle & Thread.

Sewing Bird Pinkeep, Miss Lapin, and Mary's Best Handework

Then a couple of sampler patterns.

Pineberry Lane - A Faithful Friend Sampler

Heartstring Primitives - Grapevines At The Old Homestead

A bit of Stacy Nash.

Letters Scissor Pouch Pattern, and Basket Of Flowers Pinkeep

A lot more of Stacy Nash! A few of her booklets all freshly sealed in plastic.

From Hollyhock Farm, Merry Hallowe'en, and Goode Tidings

I got some prim accessories also, keys and rusty old pins. I also wanted to get a piece of Platinum Belfast to see what the colour was like. Brenda uses it in so many of her patterns and I was curious. It is a little like Weeks Dye Works Linen in comparison.

There was a chart that was out of stock but was arriving in a week or so of my order, so Brenda kindly held back on sending my other items so they could be shipped together. When she told me she had sent my package after this slight delay, she mentioned I'd be busy. I had forgotten most of what I'd bought so by the time I received the parcel in the mail, I can understand what she meant! Perhaps I went a bit overboard but what a delight to receive all these goodies in the mail.

Now, I have a little cat story to tell. On the weekend I was out in my front yard, pottering around in the garden. I allow my two cats out for a romp whenever I go out the front (as they're normally indoor cats) and they love it. This day I was keeping an eye on them and noticed they were hovering around the front gate. The gate has a gap at the bottom, big enough for them to fit through. My youngest, Charlotte, thought she'd pop under and have a look at what's on the other side of the gate. I saw this and quickly called her back in, and she immediately came back. Then I got into some weeding and forgot about them for a few minutes. When I looked around to see where they both were, I could see Sophie but Charlotte was nowhere to be seen. I walked around the front yard, nothing, then went around the back yard, nothing, had another look round the front, called out her name and gave a whistle or two, but still nothing. Then I gave it one more try with calling her name and then I heard this little meow. Have a guess where she was... in the next door neighbour's yard! I went to the front, opened the gate and started walking to the neighbour's, then all of a sudden out she comes scurrying like she couldn't wait to get back to familiar surroundings. What a cheeky thing she was. This is the first (and hopefully the last) time she's been out of my property. Birmans are an indoor breed so you have to be careful if you let them outside. My girls usually love to wander in the front yard for a short time, but I guess Charlotte was feeling a bit more adventurous on this day.

My cheeky Charlotte - 3 year old Birman cat

Not Getting Very Far

I haven't had the time nor the energy to make a dent into this one. Ah, 'Tis Spring is coming along slowly and I don't have a lot to show you. Here is where I'm up to...

Ah, 'Tis Spring - 26 March 2010

I decided to do the carrot tops in WDW Guacamole which is the same colour as the top section of the grass. The actual grass in my pictures is some cat grass I'm growing for my girls (cats not humans). Being indoor cats, they don't normally have access to grass. Sometimes I let them outside while I'm there and they like to potter around and will eat some grass then. It's good for their digestive system.

I've been given another award recently from Theresa and Marylin. Thank you ladies for thinking of me when passing on this award.

I am supposed to now pass it on to 12 others. Please forgive me, but I have recently been given an award and am finding it hard to come up with 12 more people to pass this one onto. I do get a bit overwhelmed by these awards and sometimes I try to pass them on but other times I find it difficult. I do appreciate the time and thought to give it to me in the first place though.

After a busy weekend I've had, I'm looking forward to working a four day week next week instead of five. Over the Easter break I plan to put some plants in the garden that I've bought recently. It will be nice to get that extra time to enjoy a bit of gardening.

A New Pincushion

I dropped into my favourite local gift ware shop recently to ask about the price of a quilted throw that had caught my eye. Well, the price of the throw was far more than I would have paid but they had a matching cushion that was more reasonably priced. It was white and soft pink which would look lovely in my bedroom that has a slight shabby chic look to it. So I purchased the cushion but not the throw ( I may show you it another time).

Anyway, I deviate a little because as I initially walked through the doorway of this shop I noticed a pincushion I had seen there before, that was on sale. When I originally saw it a while back, the price of it was too expensive. I thought to myself if they reduce it in price later on then I'd love to get it. Then I completely forgot about it after that. This time when I saw it again, it had been reduced by 50%! I didn't even need to think about it. I picked it straight up in my hot little hands.

It's so pretty with its gorgeous lace, velvet, and ribbon roses. I'd like to say that I made it myself but it's made by Miss Rose Sister Violet which is a wholesaler company in Australia. You'll find exquisite gift ware items from them in shops occasionally but they also sell vintage accessories to create your own treasures.

Miss Rose Sister Violet Pincushion

This is the underneath which is almost as pretty.

Ribbon Rosettes.

Vintage style lace.

It makes a gorgeous companion for my needlework.

I love those special things you discover on sale. Thanks for dropping by to look.

Bunny Shoes

How's this for a cute shoe? I've began stitching the bunny and simply love those shoes she's wearing.

It's going to be a sweet design but I'm wondering how much of her dress I'll do before I'm over it. This forms the majority of the pattern and there's going to be lots of stitching to get it finished. It's being worked with Weeks Dye Works Dove thread which I just love, so I have that going for it. I'll just be positive and enjoy the whole experience.

Ah, 'Tis Spring - 21 March 2010

I haven't finished the carrots because the thread that's suggested for the leaves (if that's what you call them) is the same one used at the bottom section of the grass. It's not going to stand out enough so I'm going to have to change it. I may do the same as what's used for the top section instead.

Anyway, I'm loving the delicateness of using the one thread for this pattern. I think I've worked out what the proper colour of the fabric is that I'm using too. I'm pretty sure it's 35ct Sand. The shop I purchased it from (locally) didn't put a very good description on it.

This pattern's really making me feel like Easter's just around the corner.

A New Start ~ Ah, 'Tis Spring

You can tell I'm back at work now - less blogging and stitching time. I'm happy to say though that I've started on Ah, 'Tis Spring and have chosen to do it on a 35ct Linen (322). This is a rich, butter yellow. I had the choice of 28ct Alabaster also but I was drawn to the warm tone of the butter colour. Unfortunately the photos don't show its true colour very well.

So I made a start on Wednesday but after getting everything sorted out first (cutting fabric, bagging threads, counting to starting position), I didn't get very far with my stitching. Only a couple of rows at the bottom.

Ah, 'Tis Spring - started 17 March 2010

Then I got a little more progress done last night. Some more of the grass and there's some carrots popping up throughout. I'm stitching this using 1 over 2 threads. The threads are a variety of brands and it's a conversion from the DMC listed in the chart (not my conversion though).

19 March 2010

And lastly is a few charts I received in the mail yesterday. They're by Stone & Thread and the main one I was wanting was Garden Flowers but saw the other two and liked them.

Stone & Thread - Live Humbly, Hoppity, and Garden Flowers

I did receive some more stash from Country Stitches recently when they had a Valentines sale. I may show that another time though.

The weather here has been lovely lately. Autumn can be the most settled time of the year, with warm temperatures without being too hot here. Though last year we didn't get much Autumn weather sadly. Anyway, today I've been busy out in the garden, doing some minor pruning and tidying up. I'm finally getting my garden into some sort of order and it's a nice feeling. I've planted a few more plants recently, I have some more to be planted, and I've purchased a couple of rose bushes to put in the garden. Roses are what I'm wanting to get more of. I love their hardiness, the blooms, and I'd like to be able to cut their flowers to bring inside. Wonderfully scented varieties I like, and I just adore David Austin roses with their multiple petals. I'm always drawn to the pink ones too. It's funny, I love pink these days, but I never used to be fussed about it when I was growing up. Our tastes do change over the years.

So many thanks for dropping by my corner of the world and many happy stitches!

An Award

I've been lucky enough to receive an award from two of my stitching friends! A big thanks goes to Melissa and Su for honouring me in such a way.

Now I'm going to combine the two together but they're both slightly different. One is seven things about yourself that people may not know and pass the award onto seven, the other is the same except it's ten. So I'll tell you ten things about me and will hand it on to seven, if that's OK.

1. I have only owned 3 cars in my 25 years of driving - first two were manuals, and my current one is an automatic.


2. I hate catching public transport and will rarely use it.


3. My first overseas trip was on my own. I went to England when I was 23 to meet up with my penpal (male) but we didn't get along as well as I had hoped. He had a strange sense of humour, an annoying laugh, and I had to spend two weeks with him on a bus trip around Europe!


4. I have only been to two other states in Australia, apart from Victoria where I live - New South Wales and Queensland.


5. I have blue eyes.


6. Sometimes I buy more stash than what I show on my blog! Naughty, aren't I?


7. I'm more reserved/quiet when I first meet people, until I get to know them a bit better.


8. I love Colonial/American and primitive type furniture. Anything that looks old and worn and has character.


9. I've only had three jobs in all my life. My current one I've been employed with the same company for 22 years.


10. My favourite cut flower are gerberas (especially pink!). I love how colourful a bunch of mixed coloured gerberas look - so happy and cheerful.

I never find it easy to pass these awards on because I think everyone deserves them. Here's seven lovely blogs in no particular order.

1. Tammy


2. Bea


3. Isabelle


4. Nina


5. Yuko


6. Anna


7. Theresa

Please, if any of you have already received this award, I apologise for doubling up.

So tomorrow I'm back to work - yuk! Back to getting up early of a morning, feeling tired when I get home of a night. I have to earn some more money though to buy more stash! lol

I haven't started Ah, 'Tis Spring yet. Once I do though, I'll let you know. Thanks for stopping by!

Another Finish ~ Angel In Your Heart

I finished Angel In Your Heart today and have been a bit creative with my completed piece. See what you think.

After placing French Knots throughout the Angel's dress, it began to look like she had chicken pox! So I had a thought and came up with the idea of adding some Lazy Daisy stitches to some of the French Knots to make flowers. I may pull out some of the French Knots as I still think it looks a bit busy.

I also put a Seed Bead in the centre of the flower at the top of her dress. This was left blank on the chart so you could do whichever you wanted.

Then I stitched the year and my initials down the bottom right of the design. There was a bit of a blank area which made room for this. In the same area I added a Mother of Pearl button in the shape of a heart.

So with these changes and different threads I used, I've made a few modifications compared to the original design. I've still tried to keep with the original colour tones though.

DESIGNER ~ Ewe & Eye & Friends (Twisted Threads)

PATTERN ~ Angel In Your Heart

FABRIC ~ 35ct Weeks Dye Works Linen

THREADS ~

Gentle Art - Cidermill Brown, Avocado

Crescent Colours - Prickly Pear, Little Pink Peony

Weeks Dye Works - Snowflake, Whitewash

DMC - 677, 3348

EMBELLISHMENTS ~ Mill Hill white seed bead, and Mother Of Pearl button

STARTED ~ 26 January 2010

FINISHED ~ 13 March 2010 (SAL with Melissa on BK&BT in between)

The only original thread I kept was Avocado for the border. The rest I substituted mainly because I looked at what was in my stash rather than buying the called for threads. The Cidermill Brown was for the words and eyes, Prickly Pear was the darker pink, Little Pink Peony was the lighter pink, Snowflake was for the Angel's wings, Whitewash was for her face, 677 was for the stars, and 3348 was for the French Knots.

My favourite part of the design has to be the Angel's wings. They're done in Smyrna Crosses and give a great effect.

I've loved stitching this piece and I hope you've enjoyed my progress on it just as much.

My next project will be Ah, 'Tis Spring. Although it's Autumn where I am, I love the bunny on it and with Easter coming up, it's a perfect time to stitch it.

Three finishes for the year so far, so I'm on track for a finish a month. Not that I'm aiming at that, I just like to stitch at an unregulated pace most of the time. Enjoyment is the key.

Thanks for stopping by and looking at my latest finish!

Remember This?

This is what I was working on before I did the SAL with Melissa on Be Kind And Be True. So I've picked it up again and will continue with it until I finish. I just did a little last night.

Angel In Your Heart - 10 March 2010

Thank you so much for those who commented on my finish of BK&BT. It was wonderful to have many who followed Melissa and I on our SAL. We may do another later in the year but maybe not as big.

Just a quick update to show you what I'm working on now.

Happy stitching!

Be Kind & Be True ~ Finished!

I've now come to the end of my SAL with Melissa. We worked together on this project with much delight and both enjoyed it immensely. A lovely design, great company, and a wonderful ending. Thanks Melissa, for joining me on this journey and encouraging me to work on it quicker than I would have on my own. Here's the final result...

DESIGNER ~ With Thy Needle & Thread (Country Stitches)

PATTERN ~ Be Kind & Be True

FABRIC ~ WDW 35ct Linen

THREADS ~ recommended DMC (1 over 2)

STARTED ~ 20 February 2010

FINISHED ~ 8 March 2010

SAL ~ with Melissa of Words And Blooms

Linen choices and thread thickness were the main decisions for me at the start. I decided on WDW 35ct Linen because I had it in my stash, and it looked similar to what was used on the original design. Being 35ct I normally use one thread so I went with this theory on BK&BT. Looking back I think two threads would have been suitable for this design, but I'm still happy with the result that's been achieved. I stayed with the recommended DMC threads because I liked the colours of them, which was part of the appeal of this pattern.

My least favourite part (if there is one) were the leaves. I just didn't enjoy stitching them as much as other things. Maybe it was the quantity - you know, novelty wore off after a few. My favourite was the woman with her pantaloons. They're only peeking out from under her dress but I love the look of them! Simple but effective.

Can't forget the man with his big pants.

Now to how I'll finish this stitched project. I'm still tempted to stain it with Walnut Crystals and if I do I will show you the end result. I will also get this one framed in the future. I've been buying too much stash lately to get anything framed just now though.

Thanks for coming up with a great design, Brenda. I love your patterns and will stitch many of them in the future. Thanks also to those who have followed Melissa and I on our SAL. We've enjoyed your company.