My First Quilt!

Here it is, the baby cot/crib quilt. The prospective parents, (baby due in about 3 weeks), seemed very pleased with it, so I was glad that I managed to get it done in time to give them in person today.=) Besides, I have enough things that I either behind with, or just feel behind with, so I was glad not to have to add another 'catch-up' project to the list!

I SewandSo-ed

Stash, stash, lovely stash! Got a great haul in from SewandSo this morning:


This is the most recent release in their lovely British Birds collection. I've already done the Chaffinches and bought the Bluetits and Seedheads one a while back too. They're to be done in co-ordinating frames and hung in the bedroom along that big, blank back wall. I also got 9 skeins of Marlitt rayon thread, (only a few left to collect now...), 2 of Lamé, a bright white stranded cotton, which I ran out of after Cataflute and a ball of #8 pearl cotton in cream for use on 28ct cream quaker cloth sampler type thingies.

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!