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!

On To Something New

I've put aside Angel In Your Heart for now and am working on my SAL with Melissa. It's With Thy Needle & Thread's - Be Kind & Be True (BK&BT). Here it is all kitted...

With Thy Needle & Thread - Be Kind & Be True

It uses all DMC threads and the fabric I've chosen is WDW 35ct Linen. This is the same as what I've been working on Angel In Your Heart with. It will be interesting to see the same fabric with a different thread palette. I'm stitching 1 over 2.

Please make sure you drop by Melissa's blog to watch her progress on it too!

Unfortunately I wasn't able to finish up Angel but I will continue with her along the way. She's so cute and this is where I left her...

Angel In Your Heart - 19 February 2010

I'm off to stitch more on BK&BT and will post some progress photos soon!

Plan B

Well, I'm still waiting for my latest stash order which has the next project I was going to do in it. I think I'll have to leave that one to another time now. So I'm having to resort to 'plan b'. I loved this chart when I got it so I may as well make a start on it. It's called Miss Snow Fairy by With Thy Needle & Thread.

By coincidence, Tina from Shepherd's Bush mentioned on their blog that she's going to stitch this one as well. So in my own mind I'm doing a SAL with her. How cool is that? I don't even care that she doesn't know about it. As long as I know, that's the main thing. :)

I'm just deciding whether to substitute the white thread with a more toned down version. I know it's supposed to be snow but it's quite bright. Here we go again - decisions, decisions!

Many thanks to all for your kind words on my Bug Ball finish. Thanks again to Loraine for joining me in a SAL. It really was fun to do. I also love finding various decorating items I have at home to place in the photos I take of my finishes too. It's like a mini challenge to pick something that goes with the stitched item I've just done. All part of the fun.

I'm also glad that you like my new Christmas theme blog. I did something similar last year, and it's nice to get you into the Christmas spirit. Since it's the start of December I thought I would change my music to some Chrissy songs too. Hope you enjoy them.

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!

Trick or Treat?

This one's a treat! It's Jenny Bean's Halloween Sampler by Shakespeare's Peddler. Part of my new stash I received from Needlecraft Corner.

I decided to get the fabric the chart calls for which is 40ct Vintage Pearled Barley by Lakeside Linens.

I also went for the limited edition threadpack which has the most ghastly names. Don't you just love it! Nightmare, Swamp Water, Zombie Flesh, Sarcophagus, Burial Ground, Dried Blood, Parched Bones, Witches Hat, and Coffin Lid. Just right for Halloween!

I'm wanting to continue with Baby Bug Ball, so this one will have to wait for another time.

I hope those of you who celebrate Halloween will have a ghoulish time. Happy trick or treating!

BBD kitted charts

I have some new stash to show. I placed an order with Handcrafts Online recently, and some of the items I ordered have arrived.

Here's a couple of BBD charts I got kitted.

BBD - Summer Iris

THREADS (from bottom to top) - WDW Dove, Cappuccino, GAS Grecian Gold, WDW Rum Raisin, and Fawn.

The fabric is WDW 30ct Baby's Breath which is a soft peach colour.

The other chart is from their Loose Feathers club which is a new release.

BBD - Summer Basket

Threads included are (in no particular order) - GAS Grape Arbor, Cornhusk, Conch, Old Hickory, Grecian Gold, Highland Heather, Avocado, Clover, Brandy, Caramel Corn, WDW Peach Fuzz, and Dove. These are all threads needed to make the main chart and My Home threadkeep.

Fabric again is 30ct WDW Baby's Breath.

I love both kits and all the thread colours. They'll really look gorgeous on the fabric. I'll just add them to my list of needlework to do in the future. :)

I'll do this one next

I was looking through my stash today to try to find my next project. A difficult task it was since I have too many things to choose from. :) I could have picked half a dozen things, but I either didn't have fabric ready for it or threads not on hand. Since I didn't want to waste too much more time in selecting something, I have chosen to do another LHN All Dolled Up series called Strawberry House. I had the fabric ready, Crescent Colours threads there, and all I needed to do was to pick out the DMC threads from my stash.

LHN - Strawberry House kitted

I'm going with their selection of fabric which is a 30ct Creek Bed Brown. It's a natural colour with some warmth to it. I have stitched with this fabric before and quite like the colour. All threads are what's called for except one. The DMC 3823 which is supposed to be a light yellow, I have substituted for 712 being a pale cream. I didn't have the 3823 on hand and the picture on the chart looks more like a cream than a yellow, so I went for that look. It picks up the colour of the rosebud button on the house, so I thought it would balance it out.

It's Fathers Day here tomorrow, so I'll be visiting my beloved Dad. He's such a wonderful man, very loving, and would help me whenever I needed it. Growing up, I've felt very protected by him. It's nice to say thanks to him in a formal way for being my father.

Since I'll be out for most of tomorrow, I'm not sure when I'll start this next project. Hopefully in the next few days anyway. I'll be sure to let you know when I do. :)

I also wanted to show you the new leaves on my Maple tree that's in my front garden. It's Spring here now (though the weather can sometimes still be a little chilly) and the plants are starting to put on new growth. It's lovely to see things come alive again after the Winter and seeing a little more sun during the day. Our days are starting to get longer and daylight savings will be around again by the end of next month. I love it! More light at night time means I feel more in the mood for stitching. Bring it on!!

Too easy

I guess that was an easy preview for all those LHN fans out there, to guess what my next project was. Congratulations to those of you who picked it was their Queen Bee chart.

I thought I would do something easy and small next. Since we're heading towards Spring here in Australia, this one is just right.

LHN - Queen Bee chart kitted

The fabric I've chosen is a Weeks Dye Works one called Straw. It's a 35ct and has a warm, honey colour to it. I thought it would be ideal for this little bee design.

I'm going with the threads called for (DMC and Crescent Colours), but the only one I'm substituting is the purple DMC. I didn't have 3835 in my stash, so I've chosen a similar one being 3740. I think the colour will blend in with the others.

Now all that's left to do is to cut the fabric to size and get stitching!

I've changed my mind

I was going to work on the Stacy Nash Group piece next, but now I'm looking at doing LHN The Rain Fell. Since it's Winter here I thought it would tie in well with the season. I've been itching to do a LHN or CCN design for a while now, and I think I need to satisfy that desire. I've got everything kitted and ready to go.

LHN - The Rain Fell kitted

I already had the fabric for it (Americana Blend), the Crescent Colours threads I'd bought another time, and the DMC threads I had in my stash. The only difference is the Peach DMC thread (754) I've substituted for 3774. I thought the 754 was a bit strong as it's meant to be a skin tone. The 3774 is a paler shade.

Now all I need is a bit of spare time to get started on it!

My next project

I don't have any new stitching to show you but I thought I would share with you what my next new project will be. It's a Blackbird Designs chart called Moonlit Garden. It was released in 2006 and is from their Loose Feathers Club designs. I have gone with the called for fabric and threads and hope to start it this weekend.

BBD - Moonlit Garden kitted

Showing fabric and threads - 30ct R & R Broomstick Brown and Weeks Dye Works threads

I'm glad you liked my finished result of Autumn Blessings framed. After having it as a UFO for a couple of years and now seeing it as it is, I feel I have done it justice and am very pleased with it. Thanks for all your gorgeous comments and thoughts!