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