Well, another year gone by, and this time my own dear daughter is a mum herself. Although it's not a really good picture of her, I had to include this one we took when they visited us last. I nicknamed it my paparazzi picture! Next is a slightly better one of Erika with Jessica.
I've started to make up a scrapbook for Jessica, which I'll give to her mum and dad on her first birthday. One of my favourite pages is this one -
It reminds me just how fragile she was when born at 4lbs 10ozs. Even smaller than Erika who was 5lbs 2 ozs. And look how she's grown up now! The one thing I never dared to imagine for my daughter was that she'd be a mum herself! She was always the tomboy - she joined Army Cadets because the Guides were boring. Although she played netball, she preferred playing football and indeed spent some time playing with Colchester United ladies team - until some other girl took her out with a really dodgy tackle and she suffered cruciate ligament damage. But since she maried Tony and is now a mum herself I can see so much of me in her! All the good things I hope I passed on. The best compliment she gave me was when she went out on her Hen Afternoon with her friends before she got married - she insisted that her Mum went too "as you're my best friend".
I've been doing a fair amount of stitching over the last couple of weeks too. I started out by gardening a bit in the mornings when the sun was round the front of our house. After a day I realised that I shouldn't have neglected that last winter tidy-up before Christmas! (Before the snow hit us that is!) The weeds had taken over our small area, and so after a couple of hours on my hands and knees, my back was complaining - so I gave up and sewed instead!
My Egyptian piece has come to the end of its 2 week rotation and I am now over halfway up the mask in the centre. Maybe another 2 weeks would see that part finished, but I have to move on! (Sorry about the frame marks, but I haven't had time to flatten it out since I took it out of the frame!)
I realised that this year was flying by, so I decided that I had to do a bit on some other projects - something that I wasn't going to do when I started this blog, but I didn't realise how quickly time was going to fly past me! I've made a bit more progress on the Somebunny birth sampler.
I'm still a bit worried about it looking too blue - but I'll just have to keep going for now. I have a Disney kit packed away, so if it looks wrong when I get a bit more of the sleep suit done, then I'll start that instead. Although if I finish it, and she does have a boy - I'll be laughing!
I also started and finished a small project which will make the front of a card for a 6 year old - I'm going to try and make it like a tunnel card with the embroidery at the back of a stage. If it works I'll post a pic next time. (That's my second 2011 finish!)
While I was working on my scrapbook I thought that I ought to make a start on the Beatrix Potter kit which Erika's mother-in-law bought for her. I hope it will be finished for Jessica's birthday, then I can give it back to the mother-in-law, and suggest that she frames it! I don't mind doing the sewing, but I'm not up for subbing her framing costs! So far all I've done is the alphabet in the middle -
I thought that I might be able to take this with me when we go off on our travels in May. (I'll post more in another day about that!) It should be fairly easy as all the colours are already on thread sorter cards and as they are individual motifs I need only take a small hoop to do each one. I never go away without some form of sewing with me!
And last - but definitely NOT least - I've started another new project! I told you my new year resolutions went completely out of the window!
You may remember a while back I mentioned the flower fairy quilt that I'd started for Jessica? Well, looking at the number of panels (25) I realised that in the attic window layout I was going to have a "spare" space at the end! So I hunted round and found the Rose fairy. (She's not in the printed panels and Jessica's middle name is Rose, so it just seemed right that she should be included). But in order to fit the pattern into the same size piece I've had to do it on 22ct over 1 thread! You can see from the photo that I decided to grid it 10 x 10; and as I stitch it, I'm just going to do the fairy and the main rose flower stem. I've just made a start on the very edge of the fairy wing right on the far right of the picture. Then (hopefully) I should have enough to put some kind of wording in the corner saying who made it, the recipient and the date etc.
Well, I'd better sign off, and make a start on some dinner - roast chicken tonight!
Until next time
Sandie
