Saturday, January 20, 2007

My wedding dress!!!

I had my final fitting for my wedding dress and although this isn't the finished effect I got a photo on the day. I wanted to share....


Oh it's getting closer and closer now...only
69 days to go! I'm so glad I got so much organised in advance or I'd be really stressing out now!

Friday, January 19, 2007

A good stitchy week :)

I've had fun this week! I did a bit of stitching on two UFOs - Moonlight Bay and Feathers & Friends. Here's some pics:

I decided Tuesday I wanted to make a bookmark for a young girl in the book study group I go to and it's been fun! I designed and put it all together myself and I'm dead chuffed with it. I stitched it on 28ct Jobelan with some floss from my floss exchange. It was Caron Watercolours 'Potpourri' and I did the Bible verse on the back with DMC 326. Then I stitched the seam on my sewing machine. (Getting it right the 3rd time.)


This is my first finish of 2007 and 5th in my Project Challenge! Though I now have to make a confession and hang my head in shame... I broke my no stash rule.

In all fairness it's really Meari's fault as she kindly enabled the group by posting about her stash for sale blog. ;) So naturally I had a look, one thing led to another and now I have 103 skeins of DMC winging their way across the pond to me!! And I saved myself £50 odd, in the process! And the very best bit...I only need 21 more DMC to finish my entire set!! Craig was also quite the enabler when assuring me it's ok because you'll need them for all your projects...well, I don't need 103 colours for anything and not for anything I'm working on now but if he says it's ok...who am I to argue??

I've also started another stitchy/sewy project. There's gonna be about half dozen children at our wedding all under 4 years old so for favours we've decided to give them something to keep them occupied during the speeches and other boring bits. So, I'm making drawstring bags with their names cross stitched on them. I've made one bag so far but want to get some more of the Caron Watercolours floss to do the names. It will be my first attempt at using waste canvas so it should be fun!

I think that's it. Now I'm looking forward to getting all that floss to wind on bobbins! :(

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Monday, January 08, 2007

All set and ready to go!

I didn't get much stitching done this weekend but I did get some major organising done. I went through all my cross stitch stuff in its various places and sorted it all out. I started two note books, one with all my projects listed, the other with inventories of all my fabric, Mill Hill beads and speciality threads. In my project one I've written where they are, what stage of progress and if I need anything plus any other details. I think I might put in photos too when I've finished. Either that or buy a decent album to put them in. I'm glad I've spent the time doing it cos now I know where everything is properly and what exactly I've got.

Saturday, January 06, 2007

Nearly back to normality...

Well, the holidays are over once again. I'm so glad! I haven't had the chance to post in a while so there's a lot to update.

We've finally got most of the house maintenance out of the way. After the terrible job the guys did we got the contracting manager out to see the state they made. They ruined the carpets and have got plaster or something all down the front of our washing machine (which is only 4 month old) which won't come off. Since then they've replaced the kitchen carpet (by gluing down new carpet over the old one I might add). Still haven't done nothing about our washing machine (which we want replaced). And decorated the kitchen, under stairs and stairwell/landing. If you call it decorating. I'm not even exaggerating here's some pics of what they did. Needless to say we spent another week afterwards re-painting the kitchen properly. We haven't done the stairs/landing yet cos we need more paint.




Anyway, now all the Christmas stuff is gone I've finally got the downstairs of the house clean, tidy, organised and back to normal. Now I'm working on the upstairs of the house. And still the ironing. Ugh! It was my end of year goal to get it all done but now it's end of January!

I still hate my job but haven't had the time to look for anything new. Though I am looking at signing up for a book keeping course to 'upskill' as they put it. Not that I need to upskill, I've enough qualifications to sink a battleship. How I can't manage to find a decent job I'll never know!

Anyway I think that's most of the main things updated for now...


50 Project Challenge Update

Well I'd thought I'd update my progress. Now I've been a little confused about what finishes have counted and which haven't but I think I've sussed it now. Originally I thought I couldn't count things I had stitched as gifts but on re-reading the rules I gather that the exemptions are exemptions on acquiring stash not finishes. Anyone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong! So... I have actually completed 4 projects. Lottie & Lulu Dolly, 2 RAKS and my SS gift. Goodness, if I had to exempt every project I stitched for others I'd never finish 10!! Now I want to try and get some of my UFO's done. I'm a little bored of the stocking so I might pick up a UFO this week and work on that instead. I haven't decided yet so watch this space....

Thursday, January 04, 2007

Stitching goodies!

This week I got two parcels in the post. The first was from my Secret Stitcher who is Nancy 'Cricket Tucket'! I was so spoilt! THANK YOU very much Nancy!! She sent me loads of stuff. Here's some pics:


I got a large piece of khaki coloured 28ct evenweave, a set of DMC Light Effects threads in the prettiest of colours, a Dimensions Gold Collection kit 'Teatime Welcome' which is also really pretty! (I want to start it already!) I also got two hand towels that I can stitch on, some DMC and Six Strand Sweet threads, a chart for a poppy wreath and coasters which I love and a little hanging ornie and card. The ornie says 'I'd rather be in my garden' which would be quite true if I had a garden.


I'm so spoilt and I love it all! I also got RAKed by Terri Ann with this kit 'Honey-Do List' Thank you! It's the first RAK I've received.

New Year Update

Well it's a new year. Last year was pretty good stitching wise, well, for me. Not that I stitched much for me. I finished 7 projects in all.

1. No Smoking - for my mum
2. Poppy Coaster - one of a set for a friend
3. Coaster - for Deborah for my group coaster exchange
4. Humphrey's Corner 'Lottie & Lulu Dolly' - for ME!
5. Heartstrings - RAK for a friend
6.Stitched block - secret RAK
7. Pincushion - gift for my Secret Stitcher

Nothing huge but I'm hoping to get some larger projects done this year. I also accumulated a LOT of stash especially DMC threads. This year I've decided I need to work on:

1. Completing my DMC threads set
2. Finishing some of my larger projects
3. Supporting my local LNS more
4. Making a floss cupboard.

One of my ideas is to buy one skein of DMC from my LNS each week. Then I am doing two goals at once.

I'm currently working on my Teddy Bear Stocking and my Special Commission. (Cos I got bored of the stocking last night and fancied doing something else!) Here's some pics:




I've done more on my stocking since this pic so I'll have to get a more recent one. The special commission only really needs touching up in places and one or two big areas but that's it. I did the top bird and have nearly done the branches so far. The stocking is getting on my nerves cos it's so bitty but I will keep going with it. If I keep swapping projects I'll never complete anything!