What's next and Awards

Ok, so I've been having a bit of a break from stitching this week. I've sort of known what I was going to do next, but have had a few nights relaxing after work to get my needle hand back into gear and ready for my next project.

I'm probably like a cracked record but I've picked another Shepherd's Bush winter themed kit. This one's called Wooly Winter and it's a long, narrow sampler but not a very big one.

SHEPHERD'S BUSH - Wooly Winter

The linen is a 32ct Twilight Blue, with Au Ver A Soie silk threads (no variegated one this time).


I was tossing up whether to do this or Snow Patch for my last start, and Snow Patch ended up winning. So instead of looking at what else I could do, I decided to pick Wooly Winter as the next project.


I've also received a few Awards lately from some lovely ladies. It's so kind of them to send them my way.

The first is from Hilda ~


Another from Natalie ~


Then a third from Lucy ~


You're all very sweet to send these my way. I don't seek any accolades when doing my blog, only enjoyment for myself and others who want to drop by to see what I'm doing. It's also a way to share information on my favourite hobby, needlework. I love that people are inspired by my works, and that I too, am with theirs. Please drop by these ladies blogs to see what delights they may inspire us with. I am not passing on these awards as I do find this a difficult task, but believe me when I say that I am honoured to have received them. :)

Happy stitching!

My finished Snow Patch

Here it is, my finished Snow Patch!

DESIGNER ~ Shepherd's Bush

PATTERN ~ Snow Patch

LINEN ~ 32ct Summer Khaki

THREADS ~ Au Ver A Soie, and Thread Gatherer silk

EMBELLISHMENTS ~ Purple button, assorted beads, and bird charm

STARTED ~ 19 July 2009

FINISHED ~ 1 August 2009

I absolutely loved doing this one. The colours are gorgeous, the design is cute with all those various patches, and who wouldn't love that well dressed Snowman at the top? Such fun to do!

I began my final stages on it yesterday afternoon, and continued working through the evening to get all the embellishments attached. I was not going to let another day pass to finish it off. :) I'm so pleased with the end result. It's patterns like these that make me realise why SB are my favourite designers. I can't get enough of them!

Can I also say a big thank you to everyone that's dropped by my blog for a look, and those who have commented. It's inspiring to me to have that support and encouragement. Hugs!

Almost done

My Snowman is stitched with his scarf and mittens, now all that's left is the missing variegated thread, beading and embellishments.

Snow Patch - 31 July 2009

I must admit, the mittens were a bit fiddly to do. Needless to say this wasn't my favourite part of the design. Though I still think he's looking pretty cute!

I'll let you in on a little secret - I have actually finished it all off today. So I'll take some photos tomorrow and show you the finished result.

A number of you commented on the scissors I had in my photos on a previous post. They are a Gingher brand from 2005 (actually released in 2004 and now retired) called Olivia. I purchased them direct from Shepherd's Bush along with their 2005 Fob kit. They are engraved with Shepherd's Bush on one side of the blade, and 2005 on the other. Each year for the last few years or so Shepherd's Bush have designed a fob to go with the latest release of Gingher's Designer Series scissors. They have them engraved, but you need to buy them directly from SB themselves. Since they're my favourite designers, I just think it's a great collectors item.

Don't forget, my finished photos of Snow Patch I'll post tomorrow. :)

My thread arrived

The missing thread for my Snow Patch kit arrived from Shepherd's Bush on Wednesday. Though I haven't filled in any of the gaps with it yet.

Threadgatherer - Southwest Sands

I've been making progress on Snow Patch. Didn't stitch any early on in the week, but have picked it up again last night. I think last Saturday I finished the patches and started work on the snowman. Then last night I worked a little more on him.

Snow Patch - 30 July 2009

I'll post again tomorrow, since I have more progress to show after tonight. It's getting late and I'm feeling sleepy, so I'll say bye for now. Thanks for all your comments - they make me happy just reading them! :)

~*~* Cast Your Spells ~*~*

I received my third Stacy Nash 2009 Group kit last week, and as I promised to show you, here's a few pictures of it.

Third 2009 Stacy Nash Group kit - Cast Your Spells

I guess you could say it's got a Halloween/Witchy theme to it with its title being Cast Your Spells. Stacy's made the pattern into a pincushion with a striped backing fabric in black and tan. There's also a piece of black wool to place a heart shape on the back of the pincushion.


The linen that the design is stitched on is a flax colour and also included with the kit are three DMC threads.

At first I wasn't sure whether I liked it that much, but once stitched and finished, I think it will look good.

My plan was to stitch each kit as I received them and finish it off before I received the next one. With only one finished so far, two to do, and one left to receive, that theory's gone out the window. I'll do them when the whim takes me. I like to go with the mood I'm in when deciding what project to do next. If I change my mind, that doesn't bother me. It is a hobby after all and is meant to be enjoyed. No use doing something because you feel you 'need' to. You need to 'want' to do it instead.

Before I go, I thought I would mention that I did get to see The Proposal at the cinema yesterday. I loved it! I'm not usually a big fan of Sandra Bullock, but she played a great part in this one. It had a well chosen cast, and Ryan Reynolds was a bit of eye candy for us girls. Lots of funny moments to have a chuckle at too. If you're a fan of romantic comedies (as I am) then get yourself to this one if you haven't already. You won't regret it!

Waiting on that thread

There's a few missing parts in this piece, but until I receive the variegated thread not included with my kit, I'll just continue on my merry way.

Snow Patch - 24 July 2009

I really get so much enjoyment from stitching SB patterns. They feel so familiar to me. I guess that's why I gravitate towards them so much when choosing what to do next.

Laura wanted to know if when I use my hoop to stitch, whether it flattens the stitches. To tell you the truth I don't look at my stitching in that much detail. I also iron my fabric before I take any pictures of my progress but try not to iron too much over my needlework. So I'm sure it does get flattened a little along the way. Things done by hand don't have that perfect 'machine made' look, so this situation doesn't bother me. I've just always stitched with a hoop and am used to working this way. It's an interesting question though. I wonder whether anyone's found another way to stitch apart from in hand or using a hoop? I know there's scroll frames and the like, but is there another method that is a little less unknown? Please feel free to comment on what way works for you.

Until next time... thanks for dropping by!

A pleasure to stitch

I'm so enjoying working on this one, as I thought I would. This is where I got to after last night.

Snow Patch - 23 July 2009

I've been stitching again tonight which is why I'm posting so late. You'll notice some gaps in my work. The spaces in between the rows and any other areas missing are left for the Threadgatherer thread which SB is posting to me, and the other spots in the middle of the patches are waiting for the beads to be placed there. Since I use a hoop for my work I always leave the beading until last, along with any charms or buttons that need to be added.

This one is quite a simple design and even the different needlework techniques in between the cross stitch, is really easy to do. If anyone's a bit nervous doing decorative needlework, this pattern would be a great one to try out. Nothing too difficult. If there's a row you don't like doing you don't have to persevere for too long because it only runs for about two inches in width. I just love the colours as well - so pretty!

I also received my next Stacy Nash Group kit today. It's a pincushion with a Halloween theme. I'll get some photos of it soon and show you. Stacy has a picture of it on her home page at the moment for those who want a peek.

Friday night and the weekend's ahead. I'm hoping to go to the movies on Sunday. If I do I'll be going to see The Proposal. People have said it's quite funny so I hope I get to see it.

Have a fun weekend everyone, and I'll show you more needlework photos next time.

Snow Patch started

I've made a start on this little beauty. I was able to begin working on it Sunday after ironing the fabric, sorting out the threads, and counting out where to begin the design. While doing that I realised I was missing the variegated thread that is supposed to be in the kit, but decided to continue because I knew I could contact SB direct and they would send it out to me. Which of course they are doing. They're so good like that, if anything's missing from their kits. (Thanks to Alison also for being ready to let me know their contact details if I needed it - that's so kind)

Snow Patch - 20 July 2009

So I've started at the bottom, which is usually what I do with their long samplers. Their instructions read from top to bottom but I find it easier to work my way up than down. I stitched a little last night as well, but not for long, so I haven't gotten very far with it. I think the start is always the slowest.

I can tell I'm going to enjoy this one. It's a design I bought a number of years ago and loved it as soon as I saw it. I'm surprised I haven't started it before now. Better late than never, they say!

Another Shepherd's Bush

Here's my next project. It's a SB kit called Snow Patch which was released in 1997. The fabric is Summer Khaki and threads are mostly Au Ver a Soie Silk.

Shepherd's Bush - Snow Patch

With it still being Winter here in Australia, I thought I'd work another in this theme. Though this one has brighter and happier colours, so I'm hoping it will pull me out of the 'winter blues'. I'm really over this cold weather and am envious of you all in the northern hemisphere going through Summer. :)

One thing I came across with my kit, is that there's no Thread Gatherer silk included. There's supposed to be one called Southwest Sands, so I'm going to contact SB and let them know. They should be able to send me some in the mail. They're usually good like this if anything is missing in their kits.

Well, back to work tomorrow. Another full weekend which went far too quick!

A part of France in a jar

I've succumbed to temptation and bought myself another Glasshouse candle. The last one I got was Strasbourg which has an apple and cinnamon fragrance. This time I just had to get Bordeaux. It's filled with the smell of vanilla cream, hazelnut, and dark chocolate! How divine, and it smells good enough to eat!!

Glasshouse - Bordeaux candle

Also in the range is a hand and body creme which I got as well. It smells just as good as the candle and doesn't leave your skin with that greasy feeling.

So indulgent, but a girl's gotta be every now and then. :)

On my needlework - I haven't started anything new, but have something in mind to do next. I'll let you know about it in my next post. Thank you also for all your kind comments on The Rain Fell. I'm glad you liked the extra touches I added to it. :)

Have a wonderful weekend with needle in hand!