Next card complete and first quilt started

<- Here's the latest addition to the card collection.

And here ->

are the squares all cut out for the baby cot/crib quilt. The smaller, turquoise ones at the front will be made into 2 regular sized squares. The scrap of fabric I had in that colour (which I really wanted to use) wasn't wide enough, so I'm having 2 squares that are different from the rest. If it looks naff, I'll sub in two other coloured ones. This will be my first stab at quilting, but it doesn't look like a difficult pattern. I'll need to get some nice fabirc for the backing of it soon as it's to be done by next Saturday ready for handover on the Sunday. After that, I can relax and finish the dog. The next 'due bys' aren't needed until July, then September.

Cards-ville

I finished the engagement card in good time (ie actually had it completed and mounted the night before I needed to hand it over - WOW!) and was pleased with the response.=) Here it is for everyone to see:

I'm already on with the next one, which is for another couple's 10th wedding coming up a week on Saturday. I just need to get another pack of beads before I can finish it off properly. No pic yet, I'll post that once I get it all done and mounted. It's basically the same design as my profile photo, (the yellow heart with ribbon work above), but in pink. Nice and quick to do, but effective. Look out for the that one on Weds or Thurs, I think.

Got a new viola the other day too and here's a pic of her:

She sounds SOOOO much nicer than my old one and I feel really quite motivated to practice with such a beauty to work on.=) The concert in 3 weeks and 5 days helps a lot too.....

Busy, busy, busy!

Finished the designing and transfering of the pattern for the engagement card last night, (used the glass in the front door as a light box as there's a light just outside!!! Much cheaper and easier to store than a real light box!!), and here it is thus far complete with threads and the card blank I'll be using. With the enormous colletion of threads I own, it takes almost as long to select the type of colour of threads to use as it does to design etc!! I suppose it's actually part of the design process. The heart itself will be done in this lovely pale gold colour, with bullion knot and rosette stitch flowers and fly stitched leaves. It's great to be able to use some of these lucious threads as many of the things I make need to be washable, (cushions and other practical things), and these over-dyed threads are not colourfast.

Anniversary card completed

Here's a card I just mounted for our friends' 5th anniversary which is on Friday. It's (yet) another Mary Hickmott design and can be found under 'Dainty Florals' in issue #88 of 'New Stitches'.

Got a package through from Sewandso the other day too - 2 lots of Quaker cloth in white and cream, 6 skeins of Marlitt, 2 of DMC Color Variations, 2 of DMC Light Effects and another pair of 3" gold bell pull ends, which will probably do for 2 bell pulls. Put everything away before I remembered to get a blog photo!!!

I treated myself to three new Victorian novels this afternoon: Charles Dickens' Bleak House, Ellen Wood's East Lynne and Mary Braddon's Lady Audley's Secret. Have started the longest, the Dickens, already, so don't expect too much stitching progress!

Stumpwork wire!

Finally managed to source stumpwork wire on-line! I got it from Surbiton Art and Sugarcraft, which does cake decorating stuff. It's florist's and cake wire actually, but that's what's normally used. They stock a wide range of guages in 4 colours (as seen in the photo) and ship worldwide. The UK P&P was £2.95, so make sure you get all you need in one go, if you're going to buy from them! There are 50 pieces of wire per pack, so I don't think I'll run out in a hurry!! Once you enter their store proper, you'll find the wire near the bottom of the main contents lists under 'wires and tape'. This section also does flower stamens for those interested in the realistic sort of look for large stumpwork flowers like in Helan Pearce's 'Dimensional Embroidery'.

No, of course I haven't done any of the dog recently! Actually, what with the gum/tooth bug etc then catching up afterwards (which I'm not sure I've really done yet!!), I've done next to no stitching this month.=(

A card, but not a stitched one today

Here's a papercraft card I made for my friend, Caleb, who's been ill :

Only simple, but these work well, I think. You just put the kimono sticker on some nice paper, cut around the whole thing, then stick it onto the card blank. A lot less impressive than it looks, but I really like them.

DSL Parcel!

This is my self-selected Secret Sister package for April:

I got a $25 Gift Voucher/Certificate to chose my own stash, so I picked these 2 Patricia Ann Designs charts (Buy British, yeah! But it's ridiculous that it was cheaper for me to get them from the States, huh?) plus 7 boxes of Mill Hill beads, including 4 of Petite Seed Beads. Yum!

Not getting very far with the dog, but then I don't really enjoy it that much. I will be glad when it's over and done with.....

Woof woof!

Thanks SOOOO much for all the nice comments on the Cataflute.=) So glad you all liked him and his new 'mum' seemed pleased with him too. I'm just waiting for a photo of my friends with their gifts, then I can share it with you too.

So, I got the dog back into commision and here he is to date:

Last night I finished the nose end, (which had been started back in late November), and hope to get the rest of the nose done this week and an ear each week after that with an estimated finish date of the end of the month. That, along with all the cards that need doing (my own designs that I also want to try and interest a UK stitching mag in using.....), would be GREAT!

He's done!

Here he is in all his glory! Hope you like him and, more importantly, hope his new owner will like him when I give him (and the bellpull) to her this afternoon. Such a shame when friends leave and I realised yesterday that Jacquie is the person in our congregation who I've known for the longest!

We sat up watching one of the new Jane Austen productions last night, it was a 2-hour-ish version of 'Northanger Abbey' and was very enjoyable! Love JA, she's fab!

Nearly through with Cataflute

Here's how he
looks right now ->

Not far to go, just the est of the top-stitching to put in. I decided, in the interests of time saving, that I would drop the music stand, thus its non-appearance (for those who are familiar with the design). I've come to the conclusion that I like Margaret Sherry's designs, but they're really quite dull and a bit of a nuisance to stitch. The amount of fractionals - including vertically and horizontally splitting stitches - that are in this is just a pain in the neck, so I've removed her from my wish list and doubt I'll ever do Catafiddle for myself!! If I run out of things to stitch and get desperate, then perhaps I will, but I can't see that, can you??!! Should be able to post the finished Cataflute tomorrow evening. It'll be finished in the nick of time, methinks!

Still recovering slowly, and it is slowly. I obviously still have an infection, but I have reason to beliave that it's been bubbling away in my system at the very least for 3 months before this crescendo (brought on by all the dental work of late). It's possible that, given about 10 mysterious 'viral' epiosodes I've had since August 2005, it's all been the same thing and has been an issue under the surface (most of the time) for well over 18 months already! I suspect I'll need more Penicillin, but I've had to quite the mouthwash as my stomach was becoming upset and I felt sick at the thought of using the wash. Sometimes you just have to trust your intuition - the body knows best what it likes and dislikes!! So, I'm just using the anti-bacterial type of Listerine instead and will see what the Doc says. Will almost certainly need to be seen on Tuesday, but if it brings this 19-20 months of roller coaster health to a better level, then I don't mind one bit.