New Year - back again

Back again. I had a bit of a funk about writing this blog! I really couldn't see the point of sitting here, writing down what I'd been up to ... but thinking about it I'm going to continue. I shall write about what I've been creating, and where we've been.
Mind you - saying that - I should say that I won't post everything I've finished since my last post! That would take too long! I have to say I finished a few bits at the end of last year, maybe I will get round to posting them at some point - but let's start afresh and go from now.

I am currently working on a Heritage Crafts kit of Neuschwanstein Castle. I'd forgotten how they work those partial stitches they use, but luckily I'd bought the kit with evenweave fabric, so it was not too much of a pain. I'm about two thirds of the way complete, but the camera is tucked away, so I'll post a photo next time. Hopefully that will be a finish (or nearly one anyway).

Remember that Hummel piece I stitched last year?

I finally bought some fabric to finish this as a flat-fold. It will be my first attempt to finish in this way - so watch this space!

My dear friend celebrated her 80th birthday in November so I had to stitch her a special card. I loved the meerkats, but was disappointed that the glue I used showed through the fabric - luckily it almost made a pattern! But I was still upset with the finish.

This was a Joan Elliott pattern which I stitched and added to a christmas card for Jessica this year. My intention is to make another similar each year for her to hang on her tree. Now that they have moved house, they have space to put up a tree, so hopefully I can start this as a tradition for her.

I also finished this for Jess this year. I backed it with a red Christmas print and finally found a small enough hanging rod from Sew and So. (Most of them were too big). Although she is still slow in speaking, there is nothing wrong with her intelligence. And she does not yet write her name legibly. But this year she sat with her mum's Tesco Christmas catalogue and had ripped out the pages where she wanted the toys! So she could slip the pictures into the pocket at the bottom. I also printed out some A4 letter headed sheets which purported to come from Santa's desk, so that her parents could write a reply for her and put it into the pocket as a reply from Santa. 

This year we had Christmas at home alone - merely going to a friend's for a Boxing Day meal. And our New Year was quiet too - we sat at home watching Jools Holland on the television. 

The weather here has been very cold, but so far we have not seen any snow this far south and east. I hope we don't get any either! Tomorrow I have to go for a mammogram and have already decided to go to town on a bus so even with a heavy frost I should be okay for that. Then I have to start looking around for some summer wear - my t-shirts are looking a bit sad! We are off to celebrate our 40th Wedding Anniversary in February in Egypt. We are going with a friend to a hotel in Hurghada and a Nile cruise tagged onto it. At least it should be a fair bit warmer than here!

Right - enough of the computer - time to get the bins ready for collection tomorrow - then make dinner and settle down for a night in front of the television with some knitting. I'm making a tunic style jumper in an Aran weight yarn, so it keeps me warm while I'm making it! The front is almost finished, so I hope to cast on for the back tonight.

Take care

Sandie

Tigermum's WIPocalypse update for May - a bit late!

Hi everyone - it's been a while I know, but I finally got my stitchy mojo under control in the last couple of days. Previously I've had a few weeks where I could see these bright coloured floss skeins peeking out at me - but could I be bothered to pick them up? No way!
So my stitchy progress has been less than I would have hoped. :((

Egypt has had a few more stitches put into it. I am REALLY bored with this at the moment, so it hasn't had the loving care and attention put into it that I would have liked. Anyway - here is my progress - almost 2/3rds done I suppose...

My Mandala/motif is also 3/4 done - only this time I've run out of the required thread. As I haven't been to town in the last couple of weeks I haven't been able to get more, so here's the progress...

As you can see I also forgot to release the hoop when I put it away, so hopefully when I refresh it with a quick wash afterwards it should all look better! Still like the design, but think that when I make the next one I'll turn the motif 180 degrees so that the wider end is in the centre. It will just make the second one a bit different. I've got some of the pale blue fabric left that I used to make Jess's Christmas stocking, so I think that I'll use that to make this into a cushion when it's finished.

My BIG finish is my quilt. Not only is it all put together, but I've done all the quilting. I've even washed it all and made a matching pillowcase! I put the wadding on and the back (I used an old duvet cover to make sure it was soft), then decided that the quilt needed another colour to edge it before I turned the cream from the back over to make the binding. So I took DH on a trip to a local Craft Centre and bought another piece of brown fabric which I used. (DH wasn't too upset to accompany me as there is a guitar shop in the same centre!) So finally - HERE IS THE FINISHED QUILT!!

Full quilt

Top half

Bottom half

Last two panels with my cross stitched Rose Fairy

For the first time in years I have had a series of doctor's appointments to attend. I went for a "Health Check" when invited, only to discover that I'm not as healthy as I thought! I have both High Cholesterol and High Blood Pressure, and have been sent for blood tests for Glucose levels too. Unfortunately when I went on Friday, my GP hadn't told me that I should have fasted for 10 hours before having them done, so I had to go home, and will have to go again on Monday to get it done. As both cholesterol and blood pressure are only marginally high, with a bit of diet change I should be able to get it under control... we'll just have to wait and see.

Hope everyone had a good Mother's Day on the other side of the pond? I'm going to sit in front of the TV in  half an hour to watch Hawaii Five-O and dream of being back in Hawaii instead of cold Britain!

Take care
Sandie

Thanks for your best wishes

Thanks everyone for your thoughts and prayers for my daughter's op.

She came through it fine - they removed a piece of bone which was "floating" in her knee, but they have said that the ligament is lax and so will need a re-reconstruction in the near future. Once this work has healed, she has to see the consultant again on Sept 1st, to discuss the next steps.

Also may I welcome the new followers I've recently acquired. It makes me feel quite humble that people across the world are interested in my ramblings!

In the meantime I've been busy with part of Jessica's birthday present - we bought her a tabby cat from the "Build-a-bear" shop in town - only I know it's a cat!

We bought an Arsenal football kit for it as both my daughter and my husband are football fans and they both support Arsenal (Erika was a ballgirl once for a Premier League match!) Boots were available, but I made her a pair of boots out of felt!
But to make it into a girl cat I also made a fairy dress for Rosie (what we named the cat!).

Let me also share what I made for her actual birthday for Jessica to wear.

I ironed some interfacing onto a piece of fabric and cut out the pieces with my Slice Die Cutting Machine - it's actually a papercrafting tool, but it seems to work just as well with stiffened fabric! Then I appliqued them to the front of a cheap onesie - job done!
Finally let me share the party invites I made for the party - if you're around next weekend you're more than welcome to drop in for a piece of cake!

Until next time - take care

Sandie :))

Stocking start

Hi :)) 

I've made quite a good start on the second side of my stocking.
I changed my mind quite a bit about this before I started to stitch it out luckily!
Remember? This is what it's supposed to be -

I was going to use a pale blue lurex thread aida - but that was too scratchy.
I was going to leave the white background for the snow, but I think the holes in the fabric detract from the pattern, so I'll stitch it all! It's only time after all!
So because of that choice to stitch ALL that white, I came up with another idea.

For the white in the sky - which I take to be the light of the moon and some snow flakes - I'm using Light effects thread in 5200 - it's now all in place even if it doesn't show in the picture.
For the snow on the ground, I'm using plain old white.
For the snowmen I'm using the Rayon thread - S5200.

With those changes it should add a bit of texture to it, in spite of there being so much white. I'll let you know if I change my mind again!

Jessica's birthday is coming on fast, so I made the party bags for her little friends to take home - at one year old they won't be expecting much I hope as they're only small bags I've made! (Thanks to SheryK Designs here. )

I've also made an Elmo bag for the boys and put small tags on each with the character, so that my daughter can write their name on it. On the back of the bags I "wrote" 'thank you for coming to my party'. They're just about big enough for a packet of raisins, a small pack of organic baby rusks and a cupcake (which I can see the mums eating!). I had to make a few extra - not in case of extra mouths to feed, but so that Jessica can have one of each to put in her memory box!

Apart from that we've not been up to much these last couple of weeks. My daughter was due to have an arthroscopy on her knee at the beginning of the month, but they cancelled the op the day before it was due. All being well it's re-scheduled for tomorrow morning, so she'll be on crutches for a few weeks I imagine, depending on what they do. Her consultant had told her that she really needs a replacement op, but she's far too young for that. He's not quite sure what he'll do during the op tomorrow, but hopefully whatever he does will at least bring some relief from pain. She's going in as a day patient at 7am, so hopefully all will be well by the end of the day. Her husband is taking some time off work, so that he can look after both her and the baby for a few days until she is more mobile again. It's worrying when your children are going to hospital, even when they're old enough to have children of their own - so please, if you pray, include Erika in your thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery.

Until next time, when I'll post a pic of the birthday girl - her party is on the 27th - the Saturday following her birthday, so pray for good weather too - a BBQ is planned!
Sandie :))

I don't want another week like this!

Evening everyone.
Hope your week has been better than mine?

My daughter rang on Tuesday to say that our grand daughter wasn't well, and the GP had suggested she took her to the paediatrician. That was at lunchtime - she sat around in A & E until 8pm (with a screaming baby) when they admitted her to a ward. Finally at 1am they decided she had a urinary infection, so set up a drip with antibiotics. Two days later (after no more antibiotics & severe diarrhoea) they decided it was an e-coli infection. She was given more antibiotics last night and seems a little better today, but a prem baby does not need those days without extra fluids! Luckily my DD is an ex health care worker, so she knows the right questions to ask! We have just heard that the Consultant wants her on iv antibiotics for another 48 hours so it will be at least Monday before she''s home.

As a result I couldn't settle to much stitching this week, but I did get some more of my stocking done.

Progress!

You can see that I've managed to get most of the previously blank area filled in with the Light Effect thread, so now I'm able to stitch it as I go.

Also this week I've been battling to get an answer about a possible repair to my Slice diecutting machine. It uses SD cards with designs on, and suddenly it has stopped recognising cards one day, and the same card put in 10 minutes later - it sees it! I bought it via QVC UK in May 2009, so it's out of warranty - hence the aggravation. QVC can't get me a reply from their supplier about what to do, so today I contacted the parent company - Making Memories in US. They have at least responded to me - but the bad news is I have to send it to US for them to take a look, repair if required and I have to pay postage both ways as well as the cost of the repair! They have NO UK or European dealers who are authorised to repair them!

Still enough of a rant - I think an early night is called for! Along with a G & T (the tonic purely for cramp eh?)
Keep smiling
Sandie