Belated happy dancing

I finished stitching the bell pull about a week after my last post - so that's about 5 weeks ago - but it took me another fortnight to block it. My scroll bars had stretched it out of shape and made all of the blocks rectangular. It's not quite measurement perfect, but I'm much happier with it now:

Fruit Bellpull, (c) Theresa Wentzler. Stitched on antique white Quaker cloth in DMC. The first photo was taken with the flash - the focus is better but the colours are bleached out a bit...

Taken without the flash. It's a bit yellow because of the artificial light, but I think the colours are closer to this one. Basically I'm not a great photographer and I should have taken these in the day time, on a sunny day, but hey, this is what I have! I LOVE how it has turned out.

Having finished this piece I felt I wanted to do a bit of WIP-busting, so next I pulled out Eeyore's problem. And finished it about a week ago - pic to follow. This weekend I've been finishing off the green cardy I started ages ago (the one with the uneven fronts) and working on gaelic banner. It would be lovely to finish GB before the end of the year, but we'll see!

Hope everyone found some quality crafting time this weekend - I did! Happy stitching folks x

Getting ever closer...

As promised, another photo of fruit bellpull. I'm sooooo close now - I predict a happy dance this weekend!

The leaves are done!!

I'm getting so close with fruit bellpull - I've completed the border and the leaves of the final block - peaches -  I took this photo on Friday, before a lovely weekend away. I've started the peaches now, and will post a photo once I have better light!

And the winner is...

Thank you to everyone who commented on my blog this week - its always fun seeing who comments on a giveaway post! I decided to have two winners for my giveaway, as so many took the time to comment. I took the list of names to our stitch and bitch at Sonia's on Wednesday, and Louise and Pam did the honours...

The winners were Monique and Ana Christina - please could you both email me with your addresses, and I'll pop something in the post!

I've been working on fruit bellpull all week, this is the last photo I took on my iPhone, at the start of the week:

I'm a bit further on now, but the more recent piccies are on my proper camera, and I can't be bothered to boot up my laptop! Having a VERY lazy Sunday....

Happy stitching folks xx

A week in stitches

Last week I was off work - we had plenty of holiday to take, and so we decided it would be lovely to spend some time pottering at home. We did spend lots of time in the garden, and took the opportunity to catch up with good friends, but it also meant I could focus on my stitching. I had 4 things that I wanted to do in my head: finish a quilt top that I'd started the previous weekend, start the quilt top made from the other half of the jelly roll (two quilts from one jelly roll - brilliant idea for a book!), finish the BBD Summer / Autumn / Winter and pull out fruit bellpull again - I think I managed 3.5 out of 4!!

This is the quilt top: 'Strip the Willow' made using half a jelly roll of French General's 'Papillion'. I have planned the colours and cutting for the other quilt (clues are in my last TUSAL post), but I didn't start cutting or stitching yet.

I finished BBD's Summer / Autumn / Winter, the Loose Feathers pattern from 2011. I had some 'fun' re-charting it to say 2013, and then somehow managed to screw up the placement of my initials and the date and motifs, despite lots of counting, charting and double checking. I moved the motif between the Z and the J twice - the second time only by 1 square, but it does look better where it ended up!!

I pulled out TW's fruit bellpull on Sunday afternoon, this is a before photo of the grapes block - I've stitched a bit more green since then.

And finally, a progress so far photo. I'd love to get this finished before I start teaching again in late September. Always the optimist ;)

Don't forget to comment on my last blog post if you'd like to be entered into my 300th post giveaway. Now, where did I leave that needle...

Happy stitching folks x

Greetings from Knoxville!

Well I made it across the pond on Saturday, and spent yesterday acclimatising to the lovely warm weather and pootling around town - KX is a lovely city, it felt really relaxed and family friendly, lots of street cafes and parks etc.

Before I felt I managed to finish the quilt I started and I did most of the large leaves on the grapes block of Fruit Bellpull:

I also took a pic of my ORT jar for the TUSAL today:

Trying to work out if I can get to a lovely-looking cross stitch shop today, before my conference starts. It's 7 miles out of town and I don't have a car.... So tempted to take a taxi ;)

Happy stitching folks x

Cherries!

I finally finished the cherries last night. What can I say - my last 3 days in work before Easter were exhausting, it really impacted my stitching time. Not that that's a problem - I'm now off work until the 6th, when I fly to Knoxville for a conference - yeah!!!

Anyway, here's a pic of the cherries block:

And of the bellpull so far... grapes next :)

My stitching plans for this holiday and typically vague. I might start a new quilt, I might try and fix that b****y green cardigan I knitted, I might work on my lace, I might do something else entirely. But for now the bellpull has my attention...

Happy stitching folks x

Snowed in (ish)!

It's been unseasonable cold this March, and once again we'd had snowy weather. It snowed steadily all day Friday, and we've had about a foot of snow - hard to tell as it's very powdery and has drifted quite a bit. It's actually not too bad around us - all the main roads are clear and our street is passable, but we decided to hunker down and not bother digging the car out! The garden looks really pretty:

I'm still working on the Cherries block of Fruit Bellpull - On Friday night I finished all of the green. I took this yesterday morning, but never turned the laptop on to share it. I've done about 1/3 of the cherries so far, and I'd like to finish the xs today, and the bs in the next couple of days. So I'm snuggled up on the sofa under my lap quilt in my stitching nest. Poor Eddy, there's never room for him to sit down as I've spread the floss and other essential supplies all over the other sofa seat!

Happy stitching folks xx

Green leaves

This is where I've got to with the cherries block... Hope to put some more in tonight

Plums!

I finished the plum block on TWs Fruit bellpull.That puts me at the half way point (well, just past it now, as I've completed the border of the cherries block since taking the photo). I've really got into this piece lately, and it's really showing in terms of progress.

I've also been spending a fair amount of time on my lace project (although not much this week). Mostly it's a mess of pins, threads and bobbins, but one of the big leaves is now visible, so here's a snap.

I also missed the TUSAL earlier this week, so here is a photo of my ORT jar. All of the greens with the layer of purple on top are from the plum block.

This week and weekend I've had a cough and cold - I've not felt too ill, just very snuffly, but it's left me quite tired, so my stitching mojo was a little off over the weekend, and I didn't feel up to the drive to Sheffield lace makers.Which I'm annoyed at, because I really wanted to go. Such is life. But I did get more xs done and movies watched than I had hoped :)

More greenery!

Sorry my blog is being neglected again. As usual I've been busy in work, so I'd rather send the spare time I have stitching than on the Internet. I've made great progress on the plums block of Fruit Bellpull, I've just it in the last bit of green - bring on the purple!

Happy stitching folks x

Pears!

Yesterday I finished the BS on the pears block of Fruit Bellpull:

I've started the border of the plums block, which is my third block of 6.

It's also TUSAL time again - well, really it was on Friday - but here are my ORTS as of about 10 mins ago! If you are new to the concept of the Totally Useless Stitch Along, you need to pop by Sharon's blog and read more (and admire her lovely stitching while you do!).

I've been a bit listless this weekend, and couldn't settle to anything, which means I've not made much progress. Maybe this coming week will be more productive!

Happy stitching folks

Photo catch up...

My lack of blogging last year meant I never posted photos of some projects, so here is a random mix of things I forgot to photograph and post about...

This is how far I got with the pears block on fruit bellpull... actually not too much to go to finish this block, at which point I'll have done 1/3 of the bellpull. It's weeks since I've stitched on this.

Fruit Bellpull (c) Teresa Wentzler

I started this on Christmas day - it's a birth sampler for one of my best friends niece's. The backstitching around the edges of the bear is horrific, and the chart is really dreadful - the lines are so think I have to guess where some should go. But it's looking fine, no indication some bits were fudged...

Tatty Teddy 'A New Baby', Anchor kit

I started this little BBD piece during the Olympics. I probably finished it then too... I actually have no idea (and I'd forgotten I'd stitched it until I saw the half done photograph when I was looking through them yesterday. So it's a very late happy dance! It's dark here now, and the camera has darkened the corners of the photo - but you get the general idea!

Summer Iris, (c) Blackbird Designs

Finally, here is my final ORT report for 2012... All of the orts I've created since the new year have been gathering on the arm of my sofa! The greys on top are from Tatty Teddy. There are lots of green in here - not surprising given this year I've focussed on Gaelic Banner and Fruit Bellpull!

And all ready for the new orts for 2013...

I started a new piece today (very small), which I want to finish finish before I post a picture, I never seem to finish anything properly. I should have made that a goal. Anyway, backing fabric has been chosen, so it's time to dig out the sewing machine.

Happy Stitching

Pears!

This is where I have got to in the pear block. I took a different approach this time. Rather than stitching a leaf at a time I stitched all of one colour across the block, starting with the single colours and moving on to blends. It seemed to be much faster, think I'll take that approach again. Next week I'll start on the actual fruit - I'm away this weekend, and have a new start in my bag as a travelling piece!

Oh, and as a Halloween treat, check this cake out. One of my students made it for our weekly 'bone cafe' (they study skeletons, hence the name). Isn't it amazing??? One was chocolate and the other vanilla, and they were both fabulous!

Autumnal Apples

Well it's definitely apple season! We've been eating plenty of apple crumbles from our apple trees. Luckily it seems the apples on 'bountiful' are ripening before 'granny smith', which will hopefully extend the season.

It seems appropriate that this week I finished the apples block on fruit bell pull. I've now made a start on the border of the pears block. I've also taken a (late) picture of my ORT jar for the TUSAL. Most of this months orts are from the green apple leaves.

This weekends stitching plans (and all plans) have been hampered by a 3 day migraine. Joy. Thankfully I seem to be past sensitivity to bright lights and loud noises, and my eyes are functioning properly again. So as of early afternoon I've been stitching in front of the TV. Not on a TW, but progressing well with the simple, one colour background of Two Grey Hills. I'm getting ever closer to a happy dance :)

Relaxing weekend

I've just had a lovely relaxing weekend in Nottingham. Saturday we pottered around the town centre and I picked up a couple of bargains in the mid season sales.

Today we went for a lovely walk at Attenborough nature reserve, then sat in front of the Tv and watched the Grand Prix followed by a movie. I picked up 'Night', my Nottingham project, and made great progress. I drove home at 6, and I'm now getting ready for another stitch fest on front of Downton Abbey. I'll be working on TW's Fruit Bellpull, which I picked up again last week.

I hope everyone else had a lovely weekend too.

Birds and Fruit

So for the last few days I've been stitching on Barbara Thompson's Peacock Firescreen - it's ages since I last picked it up. I'm really enjoying the bright colours and big blocks of this at the moment:



It's the perfect piece to alternate with Fruit Bellpull - If I'm fed up of confetti it's time for the Peacock. If I'm bored of big blocks of colour, pick up the bellpull. Hmmm, I might be on to something here...



And if I want a change from stitching, there is always the knitting - which I hope to have an update for in the near future!

Thanks for popping by my little corner of the net x

Productive days off work...

I am enjoying the most fantastically relaxing and productive break from work! Since we got back from Margaret's we've slept late, read, gardened, watched TV and had friends over for food. I have also had time to do lots of cross stitch, knitting and even some quilting! The gardening is pretty dull at present - lots of clearing and digging, but nothing pretty (yet!). But the crafting is most definitely pretty!

First I should share a progress picture of Fruit Bellpull which I took this afternoon - although I haven't actually done any stitching on it since we were in Birmingham:



I actually remembered to take the photos outside in the sunshine today, so the colours look really lovely! I used my newly constructed garden bench as a back drop:



I bought the bench at Coughton Court last summer. We popped it in the loft over the winter and I finally unpacked it and put it together a few days ago. Turns out I only had to tighten 9 nuts, the easiest flat packed furniture I've ever put together!! Next to Fruit Bellpull is the scarf I've been knitting. It's about half done now - it would be much longer, but I had to pull out about 6 inches last night, as I realised I'm managed to reverse the pattern part way up. Grrrr! I love the middle cable:



I also pulled out a really old WIP - Eeyore's Problem by Designer Stitches. I last worked on it in September 2009. My taste in cross stitch has changed considerably over the years and I don't think I'd pick something this bright (or on aida) anymore, but I still love this design:



I've also started ANOTHER quilting project. For which I am blaming Joy - her lovely recent posts have been very inspiring! (I now have three quilts on the go, worrying as I've never, ever finished a quilting project bigger than my four hearts cushion... oh well, I do enjoy having lots of WIPs on the go). Yesterday I spent HOURS cutting it out. Not that it was complicated, it's just the first time I've used Moda fabric (Rural Jardin by French General), and I was petrified I'd cut it out wrong.... It's for a simple (and allegedly quick) pattern that I bought at Quilting Chicks in Cortez when we were on holiday in the US last year, called 'The Teacher's Pet'. Apparently the quilt top can be cut out and sewn together in five hours, but not at the speed I cut it out!!! I've done 2 of the 4 seams on each of the blocks so far - and I can certainly say that it is going together very quickly. This is how it looks so far:



It seems it's another month for Blogoversaries - Edgar is celebrating the fourth blogoversary of Blacksheep's Bit of the Web with a giveaway - do go and have a look at his blog, his stitching is truly inspiring!

I think that's it for now. Only two more days of my extended break to go... I really need to fit in some more quilting, gardening, cross stitch, do a couple of jobs around the house and finally get some lace out. I may be a little busy...

Happy stitching x

It's spring, so clearly time for... PUMPKINS???

So my stitching never seems to follow the seasons. Christmas ornaments in August. Sunflowers in November. And pumpkins in the hottest April I've ever enjoyed!! A few weeks ago, when we went to my Mum and Dad's ruby wedding celebrations I wanted to take a small travelling project with me. Ed had bought me BBD's Harvest Time for Christmas, and I had a lovely bit of left over hand dyed linen that was just the right size. I'd bought the floss when I needed some threads for Hedgerow Birds, as I knew that it wouldn't be long before I HAD to start it.

After a major frogging incident this afternoon (I'd missed 6 rows out of the middle pumpkin. How??? Possibly because I stitched that bit in the garden while chatting to Mum and Dad!!), but after a couple of hours in front of the snooker this afternoon/evening I'm probably approaching the half way point:


Time for Harvest, (c) Blackbird Designs
Stitched in GAST Dark Chocolate, on Stitches and Spice Tundra

I also started TWs Fruit Bellpull (also with an autumnal theme) at the weekend. I've now completed the border around the apples square. I'm planning on stitching this one block at a time, to include the borders and BS. I sometimes find the final push of borders and BS is a TW a little, well, time consuming - so near yet so far, if you know what I mean! Anyway, here's a snap of that:


Teresa Wentzler's Fruit Bellpull
Stitched in DMC on Antique white Quaker cloth

Embarrassingly on such a sunny day I took these photos at dusk, so they are a little dark!

This weekend we are off to see Margaret in Birmingham. I've not decided which piece to take with my yet... maybe both of these - after all, we have the car!!

Have a lovely Easter, and hope everyone finds some stitching time x