Tiny tombstones

I'm getting ever closer with my pair of tiny tombstones - The Curse of the Raven by Carriage House Samplings and The Raven's Roost by the Goode Huswife - I really can't wait to finish these. They have been great fun to stitch, and I love the echo fabric which is an off cut I bought (moderately) cheaply. If all goes well I'll have a happy dance before the weekend!

Happy stitching folks x

Some old exchanges...

 

I've been meaning to post these for ages. Initially I needed to wait for them to arrive to their destinations around the world, but then I just kept forgetting. And just now I've had to look on three devices to find the photos that I took... Back in February!

Anyway, absolutely ages ago (in March 2011, eeeek!) Lindsay of Caring Stitcher (http://purplepds.blogspot.co.uk) won a giveaway on my blog. I stitched the piece up really quickly and then just never got round to finishing and posting it.  Mostly because I couldn't settle on backing fabric. It's Bluebirds Song by Blackbird Designs, finished into a cushion using the fabric it's sitting on.

For my more recent giveaway to celebrate my 300th post back in August last year, I stitched two versions of the same TW design, Greetings. The blue version went to Ana Christina (http://anacristinap.blogspot.co.uk) in Brazil. The multicolour version went to Monique of Cross Stitch Ramblings (http://crossstitchramblings.blogspot.co.uk) in South Africa. It was fun sending the parcels out to two different continents :) the backing fabric is a remnant of fabulous Liberty fabric that I picked up cheap ages ago.

I'm beginning to get the hang of the blogger app on my iPad. I've FINALLY managed to set the picture size so they don't overlap with the menus on the side. But I can't remember how to code adding in a URL, and there isn't a quick button (that I can see). I'll get there eventually...

This weekend I'm feeling a bit under the weather, so am spending the days sat on the some doing very little. But a small amount of simple xs. I just can't not pick my current projects up!

Birds in the garden, birds in the house

It seems appropriate that I've finished Backbird Designs' Spring Song while all the birds have been scoffing seeds and fat balls (they are especially greedy this year!) at our feeding station and as the coal tits nesting next door and the many house sparrows in the area started to fledge. I really enjoyed this design, and the photo really doesn't do it justice. My only alteration was to add two extra rows of the blue 'training fabric' threads. I'm delighted with the result.

My latest new start is The Curse of the Raven by Carriage House Samplings. I'm stitching it in the suggested floss, but instead of the called for 40 count camofudge I'm using a piece of 28ct echo that I picked up in a sale. My plan is to stitch The Raven's Roost by the Goode Huswife on the same piece of fabric. Annoyingly only half my order of floss came in. And I placed the order in late April. After a quick call to the company I found out it was a delay from a US supplier when sending to the UK. I've just reordered with a different company, I hope the have the right colours in stock.

So this makes me wonder, where do people buy their stash from? I try to use UK sellers(avoiding the dangers of import tax and associated fees), but find many only have partial listings in their web sites, so it's hard to know if you've looked at all of the charts by certain designers. I used to use sewandso all the time, but find their range of charts don't really match my current tastes, and their over dyed floss is expensive. I've used Wye needlecraft, often in person if I'm in Bakewell, but less often by post (no idea why, and I always get the JCS ornies issue from them). I've been using Thread Bear recently, but have had a few supply issues (did I mention my entire Christmas present from Eddy, which he placed in November, didn't come in until the end of Jan - no presents under the tree for me, I was not impressed). So this time I'm trying The Patchwork Rabbit, where I have often browsed but rarely bought. I'd love to hear where other people shop!

I'm off work this week, so have been busy in the garden and just generally chillaxing. Today's rain has designated it a crafting day. So far I've browse the internet a lot, but at least I finally posted my happy dance. Time for lunch, then a good stash dive I think. Or maybe some finishing. Or...

Happy stitching folks x