More leaves

<- Here's the current status on the bluetit picture. There are some advatages to being ill after all! It may not look like much progress from the day before, but, as most cross stitchers will know, these outlines can take time. Also, it's worked in one strand of regular DMC and one of stranded metallic. I think this one is meant to be the wintry one of the suite. The chaffinches was distinctly late spring/early summery with it's lovely pink blossoms.

Met my new viola teacher this morning and she's great! You can tell she was a young person in the sixties as there's something quite 'of that era' about her, but I liked her a lot and I know I can really work with her. She'd already prepared so much material for her teaching, esp. for violin. Why do I find that impressive? Well, she's a violist herself and has put that extra time into the more unfamiliar instrument and clef unlike my last teacher who didn't even sit down and look through my book properly. First proper lesson is next Tuesday (hurrah!) and she's given me some bow hand exercises to correct some slight problems there to be getting started with. We played a short piece together from one of the tutor books. I was only doing open strings, but it was great. SO much fun to play even something so simple with someone else.=)

Good progress on the birdies

As I've been ill either in bed or on the sofa since last Weds night, I've been able to really get on with my latest birds design.=) Here they are ->

The Stitchologist asked where the dog would end up hanging. Well, not at our place, sadly! He was meant to be for my Aunt and Uncle's ruby wedding gift, but I hang my head in shame to say, that was back on March '04! Still, better late than never and promises must be kept, so he'll soon get a new home on my dog loving aunt's wall. I'm sure she'll love him and I will quite miss him myself, although I cursed myself 40 times over for ever having started him. I characteristically bit off more than I could chew at that early stage in my embroidery career!!!

Can't wait to meet my new music teacher tomorrow, hurrah! We're having a new carpet put down in the hall at the same time, so that will be great too. Home is almost finished!=)

Started a new cross stitch

Made a start on the second birds picture for our bedroom back wall, which is totally blank - even the bed has no head!! Have just got a leaf done so far, but it promises to be an interesting/fiddly (!!) stitch with so many of the shades being blended. Also, this leaf is mostly stitching in 1 strand to give it that delicate look that many autumnal leaves have. The outer row is one strand of white and one of silver! So, this will go with the Chaffinches and Blossom design I completed way back in September, then I'll do the Goldfinches and Thistles to complete the trio. Will get a start on the wedding gifts once I have the bedding needed for one and the confirmation that, yes, they would like a ring cushion from the other! The bedding I'll buy on Tues, but the other I think I shall have to chase up as time is ticking away.

I also just took a shot of the framed dog portrait, which I collected on Tuesday. It's not the best photo, but it's hard to take pix of framed work unless it's small enough to go on the scanner. This one certainly isn't! I'll see if DH can get a better shot for me when he has time, but that's a rarity for him, poor man!=(

I'm meeting a new viola teacher on Monday - someone who is a viola specialist instead of a violinist who will teach viola on the side. The last one moved away and I don't think she'll be sorry to be shut of me!! This new one has LRAM in viola teaching and knows all the relevant repertoire. She also has a definite idea of what she wants to teach and using which books. Last time I had to pick my own and, well, I'd never expect my students to go and select their own Chinese learning materials! I prepare long and hard before my classes and I expect my teachers to do the same! So, I'm really looking forward to meeting this friendly Scots lady and getting re-started within the next couple of weeks, given that we're off to Happy Hamburg on Thursday.

Working HARD

Ugh, I'm pooped! I set myself 5 tasks, big ones, to accomplish within a week (last Weds-the coming Tues) and have done the 3 biggest already:

1) Mucking out the bedroom.

2) Getting all the typing up work done for my post-grad Chinese classes.

3)Finishing 'Child of Spring' in terms of the stitching. I'm not sure if I will make it up into a little cushion or just let her get it framed/made up herself. Depends on time, but I'm really ready to be totally through with this one as it was a deceptively fiddly and time-consuming design!

Left to do are:

4) The design for my young friend to stitch up. This needs fully and neatly charting as well as the fabric cutting and some contrasting thread guidelines putting in so that she can see where to put the various elements. I plan to get this done this afternoon/evening. And:

5) Mucking out the kitchen.

Have updated my Webshots 'Sale or Trade' album with recently finished kits and designs in case anyone's interested.=)

Some photos to share=)

<- Here's the latest on the VS piece:

Still don't feel like I'm getting much done on it. In fact, everything feels rather behind. Might have something to do with the fact that it is behind, huh??

Called in at Hobbycraft on Friday evening whilst DH was getting some more envelopes from Staples (next door). They seem to be discontinuing Kreiniks, so I got all these at 99p each as clearance price! There are 2 blending filaments, (the 2 'on top') and 5 cords. Some of the thicker guages are £2.99, but I managed to get a few here that I think will be useful, even though some look a bit bright. I've noticed that in Helen M Stevens' latest 2 books she uses multicoloured blending filament (or other fine thread of that type) to portray the iridescent look of insect wings, so I thought the vibrant looking varigated one in the middle might do the same trick. Might call back in there soon to see if there are any more of any interest as I was pushed for time as Sir was in a hurry.

A bit more done and a thread parcel

Got a little bit more on the COS done - just put in the missing beads on a row I thought I'd completed and did this ladder stitched row as well. I ended up having to make that longer than intended (8 rows instead of 6) as I accidentally cut threads 1-5, then 7!!! I couldn't hide it, so had to do 2 more whole rows. Looks OK though, I think.

Got my secret sister package through for June. I got a £10 SewandSo voucher and spent it on completing my Marlitt collection. Paid for the other 4 threads myself.

Latest Set of Photos etc

So, I took the dog in to be framed today - almost £60, if you please! Ouch! I didn't put the whiskers in in the end, as it would have been so great a contrast to the fabric that it would have looked tacky and I was in no mood to spoil 3½ years' of work!!! Will post a shot when the framed item is done. I've picked a light cream, circular mount with a light copper frame.

I've also made a start on the VS design. Haven't done much as yet, but here's the story so far, complete with the design and the rest of the colours etc that I'll be using. The recipient loves red, so I've redded it up for her.=)

<-This little load came in the post yesterday as part of my anniversary pressie from dh! Aren't they great? Can't wait to be able to start on some of the projects, but, as always, that'll be stuck in a line behind stitching for other people's events!!!

And finally, here's the picture of Bolton Castle as it really is, (see previous post for my sketch, ha-ha-ha!!)

Home again - with a surprise!

Hi there! Thanks a lot for all the lovely comments on my stumpwork card.=) Sir loved it as well and it is now proudly displayed in our living room.

We got back from our holidays/vacation/break/whatever you wanna call it yesterday lunchtime. Had a nice time, although the weather was rotten for half the week. In fact, they say a month's worth of rain fell in about a day all over the country and there was widespread flooding. Both where we are at home and also the place we stayed on holiday are on high ground, so we had no problems.

I take it all back when I said to American friends that England isn't full of castles as it seems that the north (north of where we are even) is chocka block with them! We went to Bolton Castle last Monday and here's my (rotten) sketch of one of the towers. I'll add in the photo DH took when I can get it, (he's put the holiday snaps on his laptop or external hard-drive and I can't yet get at them), so you can see Bolton Castle as it really is too!

Now for the surprise. Well, it was a surprise to me! When I took the dog with me, I said that I would be happy if I just closed up one of the gaps. I never ever expected to get into it again and close them all up! Here he is:

He's not actually finished yet as I need to do some softening of the darker lines on the cheeks and then put in the whiskers, but he's 99% there. I honestly thought I'd do one ear at a push and get 'Child of Spring' done, but realised when said ear came on well and quickly that it was better just to press on with that and get it done as I seem more able to get on with it whilst away from home. I'll finish him completely over the next day or so. WOW!

Then it's on with 'Child of Spring', then the Brazilian piece, then..... Also have a LOT of lesson planning and course prep to do before September as well as more work around the home - getting things cleared up and helping to clean up during and after the decorating (DH hopes to get the hallway done over the next month or so, the last room - HUZZAH!) and then another great big, hard project to get back to. So, far from being restful, it's going to be a gruelling summer, but at least Mr Bow-wow is pretty much done! YEAH!

Stumpwork complete!

I think this side view is the most effective, but there's also a full frontal below.=) I wish that they'd given us a more white piece of fabric as this one doesn't go too brilliantly with my choice of card, but all in, not a bad finish. I'm quite pleased with it. I hope Sir will be!

We're away for a week now, so there'll be no updates until next Friday or Saturday at the very earliest, but I'll be taking the eternal dog portrait with me, (if I just close up one of the gaps - an ear, say - then I'll be happy with progress on that one), and Victoria Sampler's Child of Spring. Here's a photo (pinched from Sewandso) of the design, but I'll be doing it in reds and red mixes with gold rather than the pastel mix and silver that you see here. It'll be a cushion/pillow eventually for babiest sister's new bedroom.

First Concert!

So, yesterday my debut as a violist broke forth onto an astonished world! No sound files available, but here's a close-up of me playing:

<- Here's me with my duet partner, Catherine



And again at the back right hand side of the orchestra:
Can you see me??=)

And here's the ribbonwork

'framed' into a nice card ->