All Stop!

Well, it looks like am all moved! True, half of it is sitting in Marks parents garage waiting for me to do a Car Boot Sale (CBS = UK version of a Yard Sale) and for the other guy who lives here to move out so I can fit the rest of it in!It also looks like we may need to turn our bedroom into the living room and the living room into our bedroom/office space. Mark's even going through his stuff and sorting out some of it to get rid off at the CBS. Been going to them, and doing stalls at them since I was tiny. Unfortunatly any money I raise has to go on new Spectacles - as, due to stitching to much and reading to much and working on the computer to much without my spectacles on it means I desperatly need new glasses I can't afford out of my ordinary budget.I'm having to wear the ones that no longer work very well all the time at the moment, apart from those times when I like the world to be a bit blurry. I'll be taking some of my jewellery stock that doesn't sell too, see if I can sell some of that. Ebay is going well at the moment. I might even make enough to have some spare for some fabricy bits :)

Been working on an oriental themed evening bag, not for my oriental swap but for me. Its white, black and silver satin, with red, black, white and pale pink stitching and the embellishments will be following a similar theme with a design theme of cherry blossom and some oriental designs. Photos to follow soon.

Yes, I am oriental obsessed!(I am also victorian obsessed) I'll be organising the oriental swap pairing today.Had a good sign up, 18 people including me. Not bad for my first swap. I'll also be starting on my swap bag soon too. Mark had a nifty idea that people put something from where they are from in the bags they are swapping. As its a straight swap they only do it for one person.

Currently I have the Oriental Swap, the Insect motif swap and I've just signed up to the birthday baggie swap. I've also just joined Chain of Hearts and am also supposed to be making a gypsy purse as the handembroidery project - unfortunatly at the moment, trying to get this place straight has been cutting into stitching time again....but soon,my pretties, soon :)

Oh and I've found a place that is seriously going to damage my budget. Its called Duttons for Buttons and its a PROPER button shop. These are an incredible rariety in the UK these days. Though between that and the local Japanese shop my birthday presents are pretty much sorted. Those on the second group of the birthday swap, will be getting buttons from here in there baggies!



For those of you who have wondered what I look like, this is me, in all my going out with the girls regalia:

And this handsome chap with me is my lovely fella Mark.
Both were taken at the big alternative music club night in the next city which I manage to get to every few months.

Anyway, I should get back to work, and you all should get back to stitching....

and the beat goes on.....

Been a busy bee, moving things and unpacking them. we've organised part of the living into an office/work space for me. Will get back to blogging properly, hopefully next week.

hello there, readers! Shall get back to blogging properly in a week or so, one the big move is all done. At the moment my mother (and business partner) is on holiday so doing that singlehandedly,so doing that, keeping house and just finding time to stitch is taking up all my spare time...and I have my first aquafit class tonight, anyway, back to the grindstone.

Today I am mostly.....

feeling very english as I sit and sip Earl Grey Tea with Lemon out of one of my pair of fine bone china teacups. This feels completly and utterly decadent and I love it!

My garden is progressing well. My garden is actually the roof terrace type thing you have to walk across to get to the front door. I've got several pots and windowboxes out there and we are trying to train a currently very small clematis to climb across some of the wire mesh railing, partly so we can have a bit of privacy up there, and partly just to make it look nice!I've got deep blue and purple lobelias all over the place, a rosemary and a varigated and plain ivy in a window box outside the kitchen window. M. - my fella - has a harebell, and some big purple daisies. We've also got some sort of wild daisy thats seeded itself, some garlic shooting nicely in a pot and plans for a herb pot and a couple of window boxes/troughs of herbs and vegetables like tomatoes.

Am running my first swap on CQForNewbies. This is kinda daunting but have had a good response so far.Its for an Orientally inspired Tote bag. Am really looking forward to it!Have had several people sign up almost instantly which gave me a bit of a boost!
I'm yoyoing between a personal project and designing/making motifs for the insect swap on CQForNewbies.

Recovery Update. Almost there, I can walk to the shop and back without the stick though getting tired easily, and still have to use a wheelchair at the supermarket. M. can't believe how fast I can wheel myself, or how well I can steer it...I used to occasionally play on the local sports centre as the team needed a team of people to play against.Just glad that the flat is in the community shopping street, so I have some ability to get out and about.

Diet Update. Well, am getting on for half a week on it and feeling the benifits already. I may even have lost a few ounces. Loving the idea of Syns as they make me feel wicked and naughty though managed to have a day where i didn't have any at all yesterday!

Ok, off to make some lunch - got smoked salmon scraps at the supermarket so going to have a smoked salmon salad. Oh dear deities, That and the earl grey....am becoming a old fashioned english lady....at least they aren't cucumber sandwiches!Then I shall do some sewing I think :)

Today, I don't think I'll get to do any hobby stuff.I may have time this evening. I spent yesterday afternoon doing some sketches and jotting down ideas for the insect motif swap I am doing on the CQForNewbies Group and hope to start some of them later.

This is due to two reasons.

a) I have physio this afternoon. Horrid dreaded physio. Though hopefully it means just one last session of traction and some more exercises and not having to go back again.

b) I joined slimming world yesterday, so I have to spend today going through it all to check off all the stuff I can actually have. So far its going well. It seems I haven't been eating enough if anything! I HAVE to lose some weight or I am going to end up with the family heart and blood pressure problems, plus I'd just like to be able to keep up with my fella!

Anyway, shall report back later.

This is the results of todays treat – a trip to the local charity shop a few buildings down from our flat – I have a wonderful partner who send me of with a scrimped £5 and orders to spend it on things I don’t need. I have a terrible habit of being incredibly practical and find it hard to justify buying things I want often….not that I need to but I feel I need a reason to…

Anyway, Here are photos of my haul from the charity shop – The photo is taken on our little roof terrace.

Firstly we have:This black scarf with large batik style stylised flower and leaf motifs. I’m considering this as the base fabric for my hussif. Total amount 75p

Secondly we have these three oriental style boxes for some of my stash to go in!Also 75p = total so far £1.50

These buttons cost me 50p! She’s got some more she needs to sort out but will let me have first dibs! Total so far £2!

Next we have this wool. I’ve got two balls of Loopy Green wool in two different shades that are dying to be catapillars and seaweed!

I also have two balls of blue wool with colours running through them! £1.50 bringing total to £3.50

I got this piece of net for FREE! as they’d had it for ages and I go in there a lot. I plan to do motifs on it somehow…maybe using some canvas stitches.

And last but not least we have around 3 mtrs of this printed semi sheer fabric which I will happily share with others AS THERE IS NO WAY I WILL USE IT ALL! It has lots of cameos with a Victorian? Woman in them on a green background with blue rose in sort of negative.£1.50

Bringing the grand total too : £5 exactly!!!!

Yay me!

And so, I return, semi triumphant.....

Finally!The Swap Needlecase is finished.

Haven't posted for a while as have either been feeling terrible, its been too warm or i was busy sewing. Factor into this the replanting or new planting of many of the pots on our own little roof terrace (The only means of access to the front door involved the roof of the downstairs shops extension) and haven't really had a chance for the turning on of my little computer!

Anyway, I have finished my swap needlecase and its is hopefully starting its transatlantic journey by now, securely snuggled in bubble wrap.

I have to say a big thankyou to Judyth, without whom this needlecase may not have happened. I am incredibly pleased with it though did have a few concerns half way through that were nothing more than my brain going doolally. I had a sudden 'What if it isn't good enough' which was quelled by my beau ooohing and ahhhing over it. I don't think i did too badly, as its only my second 'proper' project.

Judyth had sent me a baggie with a piece of raw silk(matka) to use as the backing. I am now horribly addicted to using this and its rather pricey... Have resorted to relabeling my change jar to The Matka Fund.

Anyway, on to the needlecase:
This is it in its entireity. I decided on a greens and purples with insects theme. I had some nice fabric with leaves on it which I used as two focal point panels. I outlined some of the more visual of the leaves. I used mainly buttonhole, zigzag and chevron stitches for my seam treatments and they are the ones I felt most comfortable with.


This is of the right end of it. It has a lace flower that i cut out, embellished with light green and purple seed beads.

This shows the butterfly done in satin stitch and seedbeads again.


This third shows the button flowers made from two layered buttons with embroideried stems. Its supposed to be chainstitch but its mutated....Above them is my lovely furry purple catapillar.He's off to munch on some leaves!



This shows my tiny French Jet Bead Spider with straight stitch legs and a tiny straight stitch web. I love this little motif and will be doing lots more.. In fact my halloween CQ may be covered in them.


This is my couched snail made from lovely loopy purple wool, with embroidered antennae.

The interior is purple wool sewn to the exterior using a basic whipping binding stitch in deep purple. I then embellished the interior with a simple but visually effective (can you tell i went to art school?) contrasting green blanket stitch, just to pull it all together. I also included a deep plum ribbon into each end for the closure.

Hope you all like it! TTFN!