Crafts – Needlework – Page 9

UFO sighting and action

13 February, 20116 April, 2014 Anne S

As I mentioned earlier today, I went to my first Guild stitching group today. It was a pleasant experience, and I love the fact that many of them do cross stitch or don’t actually FROWN on cross stitch! I wasn’t entirely sure what to take with me today, but I figured I was soooo close to finishing Sapphire Star that I really should just pull my finger out and finish it off … and sure enough I managed to finish it while I was at my Guild meeting. Unfortunately it’s very overcast here tonight, and the photo is taken directly under the bright daylight lamp, so the photo is far from the best (I’ll try to remember and take better ones next weekend) … but nevertheless it’s a finish, and I’m totally in love with it! 😀

“Sapphire Star” by Laura J Perin
using recommended threads, except substituted Pearl Cotton for
the pale blue Hi-Lights thread used in one of the borders
(I soooo have to take a better photo of this one!!!)

Alas, this wasn’t on the list of my Crazy January Challenge, so I can’t cross off another one of those projects, but it feels wonderful to get this piece finished finally after all this time. And of course the Shepherd’s Bush needleroll from last night was on the list, so I’m sitting relatively comfortably at 3 out of 15 finishes for the year … and 2 out of 24 Christmas ornaments …

And on that note I need to go clear the mountain of rubbish that’s currently sitting on top of my bed so I can actually get in there tonight … then I just may put a few more stitches into Bittersweet Season, as that is the other ‘WIP/UFO’ that I was working on at the Guild today – a few more nights stitching and I think this one will be finished too 😀

ABC Wednesday, Canvaswork, pincushions, Travel - Egypt

ABC Wednesday – C

2 February, 201125 February, 2012 Anne S

Here is my choice for this week’s “ABC Wednesday” – brought to you by the Letter “C” … Cairo city as viewed from the Citadel grounds:

And this week’s “one I prepared earlier, stitchy/crafty content” is a Canvaswork pincushion (from an Inspirations magazine issue):

Christmas Ornaments, Cross Stitch, Works in Progress

A bit of Sapphire Star

28 January, 201125 February, 2012 Anne S

… the ornie, that is, not my canvaswork that has been languishing way too long as a UFO!!! I managed to get a bit of stitching done yesterday, and hoped to actually get this one finished as it’s a relatively quick stitch … but alas, in fine form I find that yet again I’m missing one of the main components of the stitching – no bugle beads! I’m starting to think that *I* am missing one of the key components of my brain, as I’m doing this way too often just lately!!! Or perhaps there’s some hidden side of me that just loves to have a million unfinished pieces sitting around the bedroom while waiting for that ‘one little item’ … !!

Anyway, this is how it currently stands until I can pick up some white bugle beads … and now I’m just going to have to grab another ornie out of my ‘to-do pile’ and kit it up so I can meet my self-imposed deadline of two ornies each month (with luck). I have a whole heap of photocopied working copies from when my stitching stash was in storage, along with the fabrics cut up ready, and I just have to add threads and beads, so it shouldn’t be too much of a hardship 🙂

Blogging Memes, Cross Stitch, Home & Family TO BE FIXED, Shepherd's Bush, Works in Progress

Free day Thursday

27 January, 201125 February, 2012 Anne S

I decided to have an extra loooong weekend, and have taken today and tomorrow off work … next week starts our next round of project testing which normally means really long hours and a lot of grey hair at work, so I figured I’d take it easy for a couple of days beforehand before the mental onslaught begins. It also means I’ll by heading out of town in a week’s time to do project testing in our Queensland call centre – our fingers are crossed that the flooding stays contained to ensure we can get through the workload that we are planning to get through! It’s really sad to see so much devastation and personal loss on the news each day in Queensland, and I know a few people that work for my employers have lost everything … it really makes you appreciate everything that you have, that’s for sure!

Anyway, I thought I’d take some time out to complete the ABC’s of me that seems to be doing the blog rounds … mainly because it’s just too bloody hot to stitch at the moment, even with sitting smack bang in front of the electric fan – it just makes you have no energy to do anything at all. Today is apparently 30C with 72% humidity … thankfully it isn’t quite as hot as it was yesterday, but quite frankly it’s hot enough for me, in fact too hot! I could quite easily migrate to Siberia during Sydney’s summer months, I absolutely hate it here in summer … give me the moderate temperatures of winter any day!!! 😉

A – Age: 44 (about to add another year very very soon)
B – Bed size: Queen
C – Chore you hate: Pretty much all of ’em, isn’t that why they’re called “chores”?? If I had to choose one I guess it would be ironing … but then there’s the dusting … and … and … 😉
D – Dog’s name: Don’t have one, but I sure do WANT one! 😀
E – Essential start of the day item: Coffee (especially Mon-Fri!!) – and preferably a skinny cappuccino (yum)
F – Favorite color: Blue
G – Gold or Silver: Definitely gold – don’t “do” silver much at all
H – Height: 5’4″ (165cm)
I – Instruments you play: Used to the play the recorder, and the viola at High School very very badly – probably couldn’t read sheet music now!
J – Job: Business Analyst for an international airline
K – Kids: None
L – Living arrangements: Renting with a female friend/work colleague
M – Music you love: I have very eclectic tastes … ranging from AC/DC to Baroque classical, REM to the Beatles
N – Nicknames: Annie, Shacks, Shakatak … and my nickname from Mum growing up was “Butch”, until we moved to New Zealand and my Mum had it explained what “Butch” meant in slang terms … I’m no longer called Butch! Although another term of endearment from Mum was “Pesty” … I’m pretty sure she DOES love me, but one would wonder with those nicknames! 😛
O – Overnight hospital: Tonsillectomy in my early 30’s and Gall bladder removal in my late 30’s/early 40’s (the date escapes me)
P – Pet Peeve: Impatient drivers and disrespectful people … plus add lying into the mix as well
Q – Quote from a movie: “No harm ever came from reading a book!” (The Mummy)
R – Right handed or left: Right
S – Siblings: None
T – Time you wake up: About 30 minutes after my eyes open (I’m NOT a morning person)
U – Underwear: Sensible (too old and buxom for anything else)
V – Vegetable you dislike: Boiled cabbage and okra – otherwise everything is fair game
W – Workout Style: Tae Bo when I’m fit enough to get back into it again
X – X-rays you’ve had: Dental, back, legs, head, spine
Y – Yummy food you make: Onion Dip (Kiwi style – mix a can of reduced cream with Kiwi onion dip mix and a tablespoon of lemon juice/vinegar … the Aussies at work go crazy for it, which makes it easy for shared morning teas!)
Z – The best place to visit: OK, this is a tough one … Paris and Greece are at the top of my list so far, but so many other places have also left wonderful impressions too … but yeah, I guess Paris and Greece are outstanding in that regard

The only stitching update I can give you is from a couple of nights ago – whoopee to the progress is all I can say haha … and now I’m going to attempt to thread a needle and pop a few stitches into a Christmas ornie and see how long I last in this heat … don’t expect miracles, is all I can say 😛

Although I guess there is a bit of progress in this one since the “before” picture from the Crazy January challenge:

Cross Stitch, Gifts TO BE FIXED, Stash, Works in Progress

More Baby Bug Ball and squishy mail

21 January, 201125 February, 2012 Anne S

I don’t know where the hold-ups have been, but Christmas mail this year has been absolutely shocking – this week I received an Air Mail Christmas card from the UK that was posted 18 December (!) … just crazy! Yesterday’s mail, though, brought lots of lovely squishy mail – my final outstanding order from SB&B, which left in early December – and a couple of wonderful fabrics from Sandra. The fabrics were totally unexpected, and I absolutely adore them! I can’t wait to find the perfect project to use these on! Thanks so much Sandra for really making my day yesterday! 😀

The expected mail contents were as follows – and this was in many ways a treat for me too, as I couldn’t remember what I’d ordered (I threw in some things in their sale bin that weren’t on my wishlist). It’s hard to see the contents in the photo, so I’ve broken it down underneath:

32ct Thunderstorm Belfast linen (for Prairie Moon’s Christmas chart for Katie)
~ Halloween and Christmas buttons from JABC
~ Kreinik metallic threads mainly for canvaswork designs
~ Mill Hill beads so I can finish Bittersweet Season (yippee!!) + a packet of Treasures
~ A couple of WDW and GAST threads
~ 4 x Lizzie*Kate embellishment packs mainly for Christmas ornies
~ Whimzi frame for Just Nan’s Pretty Wicked (I stitched mine from a gifted used chart)
~ Ghosts and Goblins by Dinky-Dyes Designs
~ Heart In Hand wee birdies ~ Summer, Autumn, Spring, St Patrick, Halloween, Easter
and the final splurge that I just couldn’t resist……
~ Just Nan’s Spooky Spirits of Tombstone Hill

And lucky last, here’s the latest update piccie of the final pudgy bug in Baby Bug Ball – not much stitching left to go on this one now – not entirely sure I’ll get it finished this weekend, though, as it’s a busy one … thanks to Alison and Amanda for offering up their stash to help me out with the silk thread, that’s a fantastic help, thank you!!!

And now it’s time to get back to the grindstone and get off to work …

ABC Wednesday, Freebies, tin topper

ABC Wednesday – A

19 January, 201125 February, 2012 Anne S

I’ve been meaning to do this photo meme for the last 3 rounds, and seeing as round 8 started today, I thought I’d make an effort and start doing it for this round … once again, I’ll try to include a stitching photo at the same time, although I can’t guarantee that’ll work for every single letter 😉

And seeing as I don’t have a great deal of progress to show on Baby Bug Ball, this fills the photographic gap (I don’t think a shoulder, hand, face and feet really warrant a new piccie just yet … perhaps once the hat is completed, which I hope to complete tonight).

So, here goes for the letter A … first up is a line-up of Armstrong-Siddeley cars. I was originally thinking this could be useful for “V” as a vintage car, but seeing as they are actually post-war vintage cars that’d be a load of twaddle, so instead you get them for “A”. I think I’ve actually used this photo before for something, but what the heck, you get to see it again haha. Our car used to be the 2nd one in from the left – alas I was never allowed to drive it (and truth be told it was so heavy I don’t know if I would ever have been confident to do so), but we were heavily involved with the Armstrong-Siddeley Car Club in Auckland for many years and met some wonderful people with whom Mum and Dad still keep in contact with … ah, those were the days (and I was the Secretary of the Club for a while).

Then for the stitching/crafting contribution, we have an “Amitie” freebie that was then turned into my first ever tin-topper.

Crazy January 2011 Challenge, Cross Stitch, Shepherd's Bush, Works in Progress

More Baby Bug Ball

18 January, 201125 February, 2012 Anne S

Sorry, but this is probably all you’ll be seeing until it’s finished … although I’m very worried about one thread, as I have only one and a bit strands left, and I still have an entire wing done with a full XS in that thread (all the others are done with 1/2 XS), so I’m pretty positive I’m going to run out … ah, yes, I do so detest kits … but even that still can’t remove the positive feeling I feel about this piece – I’m still in love with it! 😀 (apologies for the handshake this morning – was obviously in a hurry to quickly take a happy snap before getting dressed for work – for which I’m now running late … oops)

Crazy January 2011 Challenge, Cross Stitch, Shepherd's Bush, Works in Progress

Baby Bug Ball progress

16 January, 201125 February, 2012 Anne S

Not quite as intended, I spent the entire day today stitching … oops, so much for the housework I had intended completing haha. I haven’t moved far from the front of the electric fan other than getting food and water throughout the day (more so the water than the food). I must say I didn’t want to put this one down today – I think if I didn’t have to go to work tomorrow I’d have been tempted to continue further into the night stitching (as it is I’ve already stitched a bit of the 3rd bug since taking this photo!). Hopefully I’ll get chance to finish this off this week some time, or if not this week, then next weekend 🙂

Crazy January 2011 Challenge, Cross Stitch, Works in Progress

Final Challenge days

15 January, 201125 February, 2012 Anne S

I haven’t managed much stitching at all today as it’s been too stinking hot in the flat – I truly hate Sydney in summer, the humidity kills me, and it’s really not conducive to stitching (especially as we don’t have air-con). Oh well, even with sweat dripping off the brow, I still managed to put enough stitches into the final three pieces over the last couple of days to qualify as a “start”:

Shepherd’s Bush – Happy Pumpkin roll

Moss Creek Designs – Schwalmwork Pinkeep
(one round of broad chain stitch and one round of coral stitch completed)

Forget-Me-Nots in Stitches – Raphael’s Raspberries
(a handful of queen stitches completed and lots of basting)

As much as I’ve loved starting all the new projects, I’m definitely champing at the bit to go back to some of the earlier starts and spend some more quality time on each piece. I think the first one to be stitched will be Baby Bug Ball, followed by my canvaswork piece, then Autumn Harvest as that should be a relatively quick finish … plus I have one more Christmas ornie I want to complete by the end of the month.

Then next weekend I’ll be spending some time with the ‘old ducks’ downstairs (my elderly neighbours) – I spent some time today setting up Norma’s old sewing machine for her (it took me a while to work out where the heck the bobbin was hiding the machine is that old), then got suckered into potentially sewing Barbara a quilted toaster cover … I really should learn to keep my mouth shut and not discuss crafts down there haha.

And now it’s time to get back in front of the fan for another 1/2 hour or so watching the end of CSI 🙂

Crazy January 2011 Challenge, Cross Stitch, Home & Family TO BE FIXED, Works in Progress

January Challenge – Days 11 & 12

13 January, 201125 February, 2012 Anne S

I had a huge post underway as a vent about work due to some very hurtful things that were said to me today, but I have decided to leave it sitting in draft and just use it as an unpublished venting platform. I am, however, in the process of removing pretty much all of my work colleagues from my FB friends list, with one particularly vindictive, childish, manipulative, power-hungry cow being the first one to be removed tonight … um, perhaps I should go back to the venting post, as there obviously appears to be more in here to unleash …

Anyway, after chatting to my flatmate and best mate here about everything for 4 hours, and mulling over how to handle the FB issue, I remembered that I was supposed to be stitching … so at 10.45pm I pulled one whole strand of thread out and put a few stitches into Bent Creek’s Winter Snapperland while K watched the final few overs of the cricket.