Crafting with dogs

Recent Finishes

2011-05-09T16:52:00.013+01:00

I haven't been near my computer for a couple of weeks as it has been playing me up and running very slow so I just hope I can update my recent finishes without any problems, fingers crossed.

I finished the sweater I promised John for next winter. I put off starting this as it had 141 stitches on each row but using two circular needles and a simple stitch pattern it worked up very quickly. The picture below is from the pattern book which I purchased for just 20p in a charity shop. He is very pleased with it but it will be a while before he can wear it as the weather is still so hot here.

This vase of daisies is my only recent cross stitch. It was a cover kit from a back issue of Needlecraft magazine and I made it up into a card.

After buying a new card making book I was inspired to try some tea bag folding and this card was the outcome. Great for using up all those small bits of paper I hate to throw away.

Whilst tidying up my craft room recently I found a lot of art deco style Christmas papers and thought I would try some out. Well, in the end I made about 12 Chrstmas cards, here are a few of them. It seems funny to be making these whilst the weather is so hot but at least I will be ready well in advance this Christmas.

Had a lovely surprise in the post today, all these fab craft goodies from Crafts Beautiful magazine for being their member of the month. I can't wait to start some new projects with them.

A Monthly Make: Summer Dress

2011-04-27T13:43:00.013+01:00

Decided to make something different this month with the warmer weather inspiring me to try this loose, floaty sundress. The pattern was free with the January 2011 issue of Prima magazine and the fabric I already had in my stash.

The holiday weekend gave me more time for crafting and I finished off this flower fairies kit which came with the current issue of The World of Cross Stitching magazine - I have made it into a card.

I have spent the last couple of weeks gradually sorting out and spring cleaning my craft room. It was starting to look like an episode of Hoarders! Now I have everything a lot more organised and can see what I have, I made these two oriental iris folded cards over the bank holiday. I still have some work to do in there but at least I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I can't remember an Easter where the weather has been so glorious for years and on Easter sunday we took "the boys" to the beach.

After a few hours in the sun and a lot of walking we all came home to enjoy our Easter eggs. Here are "the boys" enjoying theirs:-

Archie

Higgins

Wilberforce

Hope everyone had a lovely Easter holiday and is enjoying the glorious weather. I just hope it stays nice for the royal wedding on Friday, another 4 day holiday, yipee.

This and that

2011-04-18T17:58:00.014+01:00

I seem to have a lot of projects on the go right now - knitting, sewing, cross stitch and crochet but nothing actually finished so here is one, as they say, that I prepared earlier. This Barn Owl is called Night Stalker and is by Karen Couchman stitched on twilight linen.

I have wanted to learn Hairpin crochet for a while so when I found this frame in a second hand shop I snapped it up. I paid 80p for it but when I peeled off the label it said 14 shilling underneath and as decimalisation was in the early 1970s it is pretty old and still in its original packaging. Below is my first attempt, I have made a few more pieces with different decorative spines and found it quite easy to do and very relaxing.

As part of my crochet course I have had to learn and produce samples of Tunisian crochet and broomstick crochet. I am not so keen on the broomstick but the Tunisian, worked on a long crochet hook, produces a knitted effect but at a much faster speed so I would probably use this more whereas the broomstick I could only envisage using for scarves or shawls but it is nice to have learnt them both.

I have mentioned before what a bad cook I am but in an attempt to improve my cooking skills I made Coronation Chicken after seeing an updated recipe in a magazine. It is one of those foods that has gone out of fashion but I love it and I only know one restaurant that serves it now. I made it exactly as the updated recipe but used sultanas instead of grapes, as per the original version. It turned out ok although I have to admit that John helped me by grated the lemon and chopping the spring onions or I probably wouldn't have bothered!

Whilst out shopping today I popped into a second hand shop where I bought these three bags of linens, some printed with embroidery and some plain. I especially like the art deco tea cosy cover in the second picture. Each bag was just 99p so I got the lot for 2.98 pounds, a real bargain.

Finally, as this blog is Crafting with Dogs, I just had to include this cute picture of Higgins sleeping under this furry throw the other day. For a working dog he sure likes his sleep.

Till next time,

Shirley

Everythings Coming Up Roses

2011-04-07T18:05:00.013+01:00

Not just roses, everything else is coming into flower too. I love this time of year with the expectation of warmer days and longer evenings. Yesterday was so hot, we came back from shopping via the beach and there were lots of people laying on the sands and the ice cream van was doing a brisk trade. I don't know if it will last, you have to make the most of it when you can here and whisk those shorts and sandals out while the goings good, LOL.I've never considered myself a flowery person but I seem to have completed quite a lot of floral projects. The knitted roses were made with a vintage pattern from my collection and the daffodils below are my one and only attempt at glass painting. I have all the equipment but cannot seem to find the time to do more. It's simply a case of too many crafts, not enough time.

I have planted three types of tomatoes from seed this year and they are already shooting up. I just hope they grow as big as this crochet tomato pincushion I made with a pattern from Annies Attic.

I am not much of a gardener and don't have much success with flowers so I tend to stick to the papercrafting variety below. The last two cards were made with papers from Anna Griffin, one of my favourite designers. Enjoy the sunshine all.

A Monthly Make: Stanley Kidson

2011-03-30T17:05:00.007+01:00

Just scraping in by the end of the month, here is my monthly make - Stanley with a pattern from Cath Kidston. This is the fourth Stanley I have made (I have given two away) and this time I decided to use non traditional colours after seeing some of the snazzy coloured ones other have made.

Below is Stanley resting on my current read, The Secret Lives of Dresses by Erin McKean. This is the lady who writes the dress-a-day blog and her book is set in a vintage clothes shop and the stories of the dresses they sell and who they once belonged to. A lovely read for anyone who loves gorgeous shops selling beautiful things very similar to A Vintage Affair by Isabel Wolff except the first is set in the US and the second in the UK.

Oriental Influences

2011-03-21T18:04:00.020Z

I have recently been taking some photographs of my craft work and only just realised how many Oriental/Asian themed projects I have completed. These two designs are both from PINN, the first is called "Fish of Fortune". The second is a good luck symbol supposed to bring wealth. All I can say is it hasn't worked so far, LOL!

Here are some cross stitch cards I made from charts in Lets Get Crafting: Cross Stitch, Stitch and Craft and other cross stitch magazines.

The pink kimono card was made with papers from Paper Nation.

Finally, keeping to the same theme (sort of) are two scrap book pages made with photos from my holiday in Thailand some years back. The papers and embellishments are all from Anna Griffin whose papers and fabrics I love.

By the way, the bottom photo above of me with the show "girls" are actually lady men. We went to a cabaret and afterwards the "girls" posed for photos with the audience!

The Birthday Boy & Airedale Stitching

2011-03-14T17:04:00.012Z

It was Archie's birthday on Saturday, he was nine years old, so we had a little party for him. Here he is helping himself to a French Fancy. He didn't realise you are not supposed to eat the paper case too!

He hasn't changed very much over the years and can still behave like a puppy when the mood takes him. I love this photo of him dressed as Jekyll and Hyde for a fun day. I made the costume myself and he was lucky enough to win first prize.

This photo is from a previous birthday, a couple of candles less, which I made into a card for his grandmother's birthday.

I always keep stitching magazines that have Airdale charts in them and I have made these several times for gifts and for myself. For this sachet I charted the heart and alphabet myself and filled it with lavender I grew in my garden last year.

John has been asking for a hand knitted sweater for some time but I've been putting it off (all those stitches) but decided last week to make a start. I am actually quite enjoying it, the stitch pattern and colour changes make it interest even if I am having to use two circular needles to hold all those stitches!

Stash Busting and Bargain Shopping

2011-03-07T16:30:00.014Z

What a lovely day today, the sun is shining, the weather is mild and we have had the back door open so the boys can run in and out. Perhaps spring is finally on the way.

It took me a while to get to the needlework shop to buy the thread for my sunflowers so in the meantime I worked some small kits that have been in my stash for years. The Easter bunnies and the flowers I have made into cards. The flower basket, a kit from Needlecraft magazine, is the first embroidery I have done this year. I don't know what I will do with it yet.

I have also made two bookmarks. The sampler style one I will keep for myself and the redwork one I am going to pop into a birthday card as a gift.

The book it is resting on is my latest read, The Snowman by Jo Nesbo - a thriller set during a snowy Norwegian winter. A read page turner with two twists in the tail.

Here are my sunflowers, finally finished:

Couldn't resist this bargain from Craft Superstore this week. A cabinet and craft goodies with a retail value of 100 GB pounds for just 25 GB pounds. Too good a bargain to pass up. I have already started using the cabinet to hold some of my fabric stash of which I have loads.

Here are a couple of cards I have made from my papercrafts stash. A card for a pony mad niece and a personalised card for John's brother in Australia.

Stylish Blogger Award & A Monthly Make

2011-02-26T16:46:00.025Z

Yippee, the dogs and I are celebrating, we have just won the Stylish Blogger Award all the way from Pam in Chile. Thank you Pam, you can find her blog here

With this award I should share seven random things about myself, so here goes:

1. I always wear heels - I do not feel right wearing flats. I own one pair of flats (walking boots) bought for walking the dogs but I can count on one hand the number of times I have worn them.

2. I have over 7,000 books in my house - We are both obsessed with books: buying, selling, reading and collecting them. They are slowly taking over the house!

3. I am a Londoner - Although I live in the middle of the Norfolk countryside now, I was born and grew up in Greater London. I always wanted to move to the countryside and now I have, I would never go back.

4. I am very indecisive - I take ages to make up my mind about absolutely everything from where to go on holiday to which clothes to buy and then still wonder if I should have taken the other option, LOL.

5. I have always been untidy - I just can't help making a mess wherever I go. John is just as untidy as me so when visitors are due we go into a mad frenzy of cleaning, tidying and vacuuming.

6. I am a rubbish cook - I will sometimes see a recipe in a magazine and it will turn out o.k. but on a day to day basis I just can't be bothered. I once put two Quorn fillets in the microwave and they came out like shoe leather. Even the dogs would not touch them.

7. I am obsessed with crafts - I have tried almost every craft going and those I haven't, I have probably got the equipment for, waiting to be used sometime in the future. I wish I could stick to just one craft but find it is impossible.

I should nominate other bloggers to receive this award but I just cannot choose any particular blogs, well I did say I was indecisive, so I am giving it to every one of my followers who have supported and given me encouragement since I started my blog. You all deserve an award.

****

Now for my monthly make. Just this afternoon I have put the finishing touches to this heart cushion.

I drew a heart shape onto a piece of linen, reinforced the shape on the back where the buttons would be with iron on interfacing and spent an evening stitching them all on.
I already had piping cord which I covered with toning fabric and some backing fabric into which I inserted a lapped zip, instead of the button closings I usually use, then sewed the whole thing together. The only thing I had to buy was a bag of Woodware buttons from ebay as I didn't have enough red ones in my stash.

Thank you The Felt Fairy for hosting A Monthly Make as I don't think I would have finished this by the end of the month otherwise.

Work in Progress and Vintage Knits

2011-02-14T17:06:00.013Z

My sunflower design has ground to a halt as I have run out of thread. It is my own fault because I changed the stitch to one that I thought covered the canvas better. It is the first time I have used stranded cotton on canvas and worked with 6 strands, each skein does not go far. I won't be able to get to the shop until Friday so in the meantime I am working some small kits in my stash.

This Snatch the Dog design came with an issue of Cross Stitcher ages ago and I have made it up into a card.

I got an email advertising this knitting book, Vintage Modern Knits the other day and remembered that I had knitted a similar sweater to the cover design a while back. After rummaging around on top of the wardrobes last night I found it, tried it on and it fits and looks o.k. I cannot remember if I have ever worn it and if so, only once or twice, so I may start to wear it now while the weather is still chilly.

Before you think I knitted that lovely fair isle yoke, I have to fess up - it came from a vintage knitting "instant fair isle" kit. I think it is from the 50's or 60's and still in it's original packaging when I bought it for 3.00 GB pounds at a car boot sale. It just goes to show, if you keep things long enough they will come back in style, LOL.

I don't make many cards these days unless they are stitched ones but made an effort for my other half today. The image was a free download from the Create: website and I found an appropriate verse online too:

Roses are red, violets are blue

I made this card just for you

It's not the neatest, it wouldn't pass a test

But it's made with love - that makes it best.

Happy Valentines Day all,

Shirley

And the winner is........

2011-02-04T18:56:00.007Z

We have now drawn the winners of the blogiversary giveaways. Everyone's name was put onto equal sized pieces on papers and entered into the draws they specified. Some people entered one and others both and then John drew the winners out of the boxes for me. The stitching prize was drawn first and that went to... VINTAGE SEA MUSE.

Then the doggy prize was drawn and that one goes to ...KATHY.

Congratulations, if the winners will please email me their addresses via my profile page I will put your prizes in the post.

I wish I could send a prize to everyone but even if you didn't win (or if you did) Kttycat is having a great Valentines giveaway on her blog here. Why not hop over and check it out.

Have a great weekend,

Shirley

A Monthly Make: Cath Kidston Purse

2011-01-29T16:28:00.013Z

I am taking part in The Felt Fairy's Monthly Make and this purse from Cath Kidston is my January make. The kit is from CK's book 'Stitch' which I got for Christmas. I have her other two Books, 'Make' and 'Sew' and it took me 18 and 6 months respectively to make those projects so joining has given me the incentive to get on with this one.

I have made a start on the bargain needlepoint kit that I found in a charity/thrift shop for just 2.69 GB pounds. I am working on it on week night evenings whilst watching t.v. I watch two episodes of the US programme 'Unsolved Mysteries' followed by an Australian show called 'Crimescene Forensics'. Nothing like curling up with a good crime show and some stitching on a cold winter evening, LOL.

Had a nice surprise in the post this morning when all these stitching goodies turned up. There was a note saying they were a competition prize but I don't remember the competition or even entering but as most stitchers would agree, you can never had enough stash.

Last week I made this White Chocolate and Cranberry fudge. I am not much of a cook but this was so quick and easy that even I couldn't mess it up. Anyone with a Tesco Clubcard would have seen the recipe with their last statement but I have included it below. Everyone agreed that it was delicious.

There is still time to enter my giveaways which closes midnight on Monday, 31st January. Just add your name to the post below.

Happy crafting

Shirley

1st Blogiversary Giveaway

2011-01-23T17:58:00.012Z

I can't believe I have been blogging for 1 year. Where has that time gone? I have had great fun and met lots of lovely people from all over the world so I've decided I would have two giveaways to commemorate my blogiversary.

The first giveaway is for stitchers and comprises:

2 pieces x 32 count linen, 15" X 18" each in oyster and twilight blue

Needlecraft back issue with mini cottage kit

Cross Stitch Magic

Pot Pourri Sachet Kit

Christmas One Nighters chart book

Mothers day card cross stitch kit

Clotted cream fudge

The second giveaway is for dogs comprising:

Dog's Christmas Stocking

Dog treats

Rope toy

'Woof" collar (medium/large size)

and Clotted cream fudge

The giveaways are open to anyone who wants to enter. All you have to do is become a follower (or if you are one already) and leave a comment after this post stating if you would like to enter the stitching, dog or both giveaways.

It will close on Monday, 31st January and I am happy to post to anywhere in the world.

Good luck,

Shirley

The Lavender House

2011-01-15T15:38:00.012Z

Rather than start any new projects, I am trying to finish off some of those I started last year. One of those is The Lavender House, finished at last and filled with dried lavender harvested from the plants I introduced to my garden last spring.

I cut a few bunches of lavender (leaving some for the bees) tied them up with twine and left them to dry hanging upside down in our boiler room, which is very warm. You can see the jar below filled with the dried lavender and also the book the pattern was taken from - 3D Cross Stitch. I used 22 count hardanger and it was very fiddley to put together so I would not make another one in a hurry!

Cross Stitcher magazine published my Jan Constantine Britannia cushion project in the current issue and sent me these lovely silk threads and a plane friendly thread cutter pendant and needle threader.

I enroled on a crochet course at the end of last year which is keeping me very busy but I am still keeping up with all my other crafts in between. Here is a teddy bear I crocheted a while ago using a pattern from Annies Attic. I am hoping to improve my skills and work some more advanced designs with the help of the course.

Better Late than Never

2011-01-05T15:44:00.010Z

Hope everyone had a lovely Christmas holiday, I did and even managed to finish off these two heart decorations over the break and hang them on my tree. At least I will have more decorations for next year and as I said in the title, better late than never!

"The boys" all enjoyed their Christmas and had so many presents in their stockings we had to ration them to one or two a day. The pics below show Higgins playing with a squeaky cracker, opening some of his presents, Archie with a rawhide candy cane and Wilberforce doing what he enjoys most - nothing!

Happy new year to all and I hope you have a peaceful, prosperous and healthy 2011.

Father Christmas

2010-12-23T18:46:00.008Z

I submitted this page to Scrapbook Magazine ages ago and they have just published it in the current issue. They wanted 6" x 6" which I don't usually like but I did use it as practice for the 12" x 12" page below which is for my vintage photos family album.

I did not manage to catch up with my Christmas crafting apart from this Meery Christmas card design which I backed with red felt and used red felt letters to make into a card. As for the other projects, well there is always next year!

S0 the big day is almost here and I'd just like to wish anyone passing this way a very happy Christmas and a peaceful and prosperous new year. And in the words of Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol: "God bless us, every one".

Meery Christmas

2010-12-16T16:01:00.011Z

No, I didn't make a spelling mistake. With the trend for all things meerkat continuing I started to make a Christmas card for my mother-in-law, who loves them, using a kit from Mouseloft. I also made a second one on evenweave which I hoped to turn into a decoration for our tree.

My Christmas crafting has come to a bit of a halt as just over three weeks ago I found myself back in hospital for a week. It was a side effect of the operation I had earlier this year and I have spent two weeks at home recovering and have only gone out for the first time this week so I am hoping to try and finish everything off in time for Christmas.

Luckily I made all my stitched cards throughout the year and they have now all gone out - below are some I made previously.

I also managed to finish off this felt dog, the third one I have made and it is now on its way to a fellow Airedale owner who fell in love with the one I made for our club's raffle.

Wilberforce has just had his 15 minutes of fame when this Vetvits brochure landed on my door mat. I sent them a picture for their new gallery and received a dog book then forgot all about it until they used him on this recent mail shot. I just hope he doesn't start acting like a star and demanding steak dinners, feather beds and a chauffeur driven car! Hold on, he gets those already!!

Scotty Dog Patchwork Cushion

2010-11-15T17:17:00.009Z

This is my latest finish. I took part in the embroidery challenge (redwork) on stitchers showcase and decided to make it into a cushion. The pattern in free to downlown at the Bustle and Sew blog here who also have other lovely patterns both free and to purchase.

I found a piece of cream fabric in my stash and pinning the pattern underneath, traced the design onto my fabric, with a water soluble pen, using a lightbox. I only have a small lightbox, originally bought for paper crafting, but it did the job.

I used DMC 498 stranded cotton to work the design in stem stitch and after washing to remove the pen marks, trimmed it to the required size with a rotary cutter.

I have a lot of small fabric scraps leftover from other projects so after working out the size to fit around the front panel, making sure they lined up at the edges, made patchwork strips and sewed them to all four sides.

After that I made some matching binding, a back panel with three buttonholes and put the whole lot together. This was my first time trying redwork and I am glad I took part in the challenge as I have something very different from my usual makes and have extended my stitching repertoire at the same time.

Happy stitching,

Shirley

Airedales on the March

2010-11-04T14:33:00.008Z

Sunday was the autumn walk of the East Anglian Airedale Terrier Club. Here we are gathering in the car park before setting off on our walk through Thorndon Woods Country Park in Suffolk. Normally there are also other breeds, owners second dogs, but this time there was only Higgins who really stood out and a tiny Welsh Terrier (fourth from right), who is really just like an Airedale in a convenient, easy to use size!

The walk was longer than we have done before (about four miles) so we were all tired on the way back and the boys fell asleep on the car ride home.

The pictures look a little dull but it was actually quite a warm day for the time of year. Don't suppose that will last for long though and I have knitted two lace stitch scarves for when it turns a little chillier. The pink one is from a free pattern on the Knitting Daily website. The flower has a brooch pin on the back so it can be worn separarely.

The other is a vintage pattern from my collection and I have used a variegated mohair yarn.

Airedales in Stitches

2010-10-27T18:01:00.007+01:00

I mean, of course, embroidery stitches. Just came across these three pics I made ages ago. The photographs are not good - they are actually worked on mint green fabric! Heaven knows why I picked that colour, I certainly wouldn't now but here they are photographed and shown here for posterity. The charts are all from Stitch Pics.

More Airedales in stitches but not made by me this time. I thought I would show my fab new sweater I just bought from Cath Kidston. It is 100% Merino wool and nicely big and baggy - I can never resist anything sporting Airedales and will probably wear this to my Airedale Club's Christmas party.

Hair Today - Gone Tomorrow

2010-10-19T17:46:00.008+01:00

I have always wanted to use this title on a scrapbook page but for now it will have to be a blog post until I get round to it. I recently started driving again and finally took Archie and Wilberforce to be clipped yesterday. They had so much hair removed, they look like different dogs.

After the ordeal of losing their lovely thick coats and as a reward for being so well behaved, we stopped off on the way home so "The Boys" could cool off with a McFlurry each.

Haven't had much time for stitching this week, just a small crown taken from a 2002 issue of Cross Stitcher magazine.

Stitching and shopping

2010-10-13T16:42:00.014+01:00

I seem to have recovered my stitching mojo this week and have made this birdhouse hanger from Rico, it was very quick to stitch taking just a few evenings. We have been out quite a lot visiting different towns recently and of course, you have to have a peek in their crafts shops, don't you? There are so many lovely new things in the winter ranges that I couldn't resist stocking up.

The first rubber stanps I have bought for ages were these Festive Frolics range from Docrafts, gorgeous mirrored butterflies, glitters, some Tim Holtz products and lots of lovely craft magazines.

Promarkers which are just the best for colouring stamped images. Below are some Border Collie card making kits which look like Higgins and I had to get the Court Street Bobbies papers as they include an Airedale Terrier wearing a police helmet!

I bought two of the Rico birdhouse kits which can be seen at the bottom of the picture above, either side of the Martha Stewart birds punch.

I have been having a play with the rubber stamps I bought. I had seen a lot of easel cards on card blogs that fold flat for posting so after a bit of experimentation I managed to make this one above and another Christmas card below. I have made so many Christmas cards this year that I think we already have enough to send even if I don't make any more!

Also have a few finishes: An armchair pincushion, my first time using plastic canvas - the pattern was free from Annie's Attic. An intarsia knitted cushion, the pattern for which was in Woman's Weekly a few weeks ago and the blue willow cross stitch (a kit from Sew and Sos) which I just made up into a card.

I got a nice surprise through my letter box this morning for winning the crossword competition in Cross Stitcher Magazine: A spring hoop, Madeira shade card, Madeira threads and holder and gold plated scissors. I have been using Madeira threads more and more recently so it is great to add to my collection. Happy stitching.

Christmas Stitching

2010-10-08T14:37:00.012+01:00

Thank you very much for your comments on my last post, your kindness is appreciated. We still miss Sidney very much and he will always be in our hearts. All the upset meant I lost my enthusiasm for crafting for a little while but when Cross Stitcher magazine came through my letterbox I though the free kit would help me back into it again. The Christmas cards were very quick and easy, my favourite is the Robin, and I found them very therapeutic to stitch.

A Horrible Time

2010-09-28T18:46:00.016+01:00

The last few weeks have been horrible. Our darling Sidney passed away very suddenly at just 6 years old. We are devastated and miss him so much. Here are some of my favourite pictures. He has left a big hole in our hearts.

"You think dogs will not be in heaven? I tell you, they will be there long before any of us."

Robert Louis Stevenson

The Needlewoman, Some Cards and a Bargain

2010-09-06T17:02:00.009+01:00

Finished "The Needlewoman" - this was a very quick stitch. Although the chart was quite poor quality, I love the design from Holbein Embroideries and I substituted the Aida for 28 count Zweigart Jazzlyn in dusky pink which I think suits the dark brown and metallic thread very well.

Also a few cards which I stitch between larger projects, so I always have something ready to send when a birthday crops up.

While out shopping today I went into a charity/thrift shop and found this lovely Candamar Sunflower kit for just 2.69 GB pounds so I just had to buy it. Don't you just love to find a bargain.?

Pets Calender

2010-08-24T17:16:00.024+01:00

My mother-in-law loves "The Boys", refers to them as her grandsons and never forgets their birthdays and Christmas presents/cards as well as treats when she visits, so I decided to make her this calendar with their photographs. I made all the outfits and bandanas they are wearing in the pictures and the papers came from Papercrafts Inspirations magazine.

I have just started some new stitching after finishing The Village. It is a blackwork design that has been in my stash for years. When I unpacked it the needle had rusted into the Aida and snapped off. That is how old it is. I saw Jazzlyn fabric in dusky pink used on a recent blackwork design in The World of Cross Stitching magazine so decided to stitch it on that. It doesn't look much at the moment but it is easy to guess what it is.

I was having a clear up in one of the outbuildings the other day, dragging things out to take to the local tip, when I found a bag containing cross stitch pictures. I think these were some of the first cross stitch I ever made and I had completely forgotten about them. They are not really to my taste these days and the frames are not very nice but in the interest of recording all my craft work I have taken snaps of them and am including them here for posterity!

Wallace and Grommit

2010-08-18T15:33:00.010+01:00

I have mentioned before that I love Wallace and Gromit and have all their adventures on video and dvd. So it is not surprising that they occasionally crop up in my craft projects. After I won a Wallace toy on one of those fairground crane games I decided to knit Grommit to keep him company. The pattern was in a back issue of Woman's Weekly magazine.

I have already shown my DS case which I knitted earlier this year. The pattern was in the January 2010 issue of Simply Knitting magazine and I knitted him with oddments from my stash and lined it with a scrap of pink check cotton.

All the Wallace and Grommit cross stitch pictures I made some years ago but as I am trying to photograph and record all my work over the years, here they are.

Party Animals

2010-08-09T13:36:00.006+01:00

There is nothing "The Boys" like more than a birthday party and I have commemorated some of them by scrapbooking the photos. The first two page layout shows Higgins' 1st birthday party. I love the picture where he is looking worried as Sid takes a crafty bite of his cake. I always send the rescue centre an update and photos at Christmas so this one was an obvious choice to send.

I also scrapped Archie's fourth birthday photos. He often sleeps with his paws over his eyes so I am glad I managed to capture a picture of him like that. This photo always makes me smile.

On the cross stitch front I have managed to finish Village Lane by Heritage. I consider myself quite a fast stitcher but all those greens really slowed me down. I think it took about a month altogether although I have done some smaller projects in between.

Christmas Crazy

2010-08-02T15:06:00.014+01:00

I don't know why I love Christmas so much as I am a sun lover and hate the snow and cold weather. Perhaps I should move to Australia where Christmas comes in the summertime. Anyway, I love Christmas craft projects and here are just a few of the hundreds I seem to have completed. The village scene is a Dimensions kit and I have been destashing by making up some of the cross stitch kits that come free with stitching magazines.

I have also been busying papercrafting, my latest finish is the Card of Wilberforce in the snow which is ready to go to his grandparents at Christmas and finally the musical instrument ornie which was a free kit with Cross Stitch Collection.

Christmas in July

2010-07-26T13:56:00.014+01:00

Christmas is such a special time of year that I love to make Christmas craft items all year round. At Christmas there is too little time so I prefer to make them at my leisure throughout the year. My latest finish is this gingerbread man ornie from Isabelle Haccourt-Vautier's gorgeous book. With 70 beautiful charts it is difficult to decide what to work next.

Here are some Cross stitch Christmas cards I have stitched, I like to make enough cards each year without having to buy any and finally a mini book/Christmas card containing my favourite photos of "the boys". I made two of these - one for ourselves and one for my mother-in-law.

Another Cath Kidston Bag

2010-07-19T17:04:00.009+01:00

Here is my latest finish, a bag that came with Cath Kidson's Book "Sew". I got this book a couple of Christmases ago so that is another item crossed off my to do list. The dog template, along with many others, is included in the book and I made it in felt and attached a silver heart charm to the collar. CK has a new book coming out on 1st October, "Stitch" containing cross stitch and needlework patterns together with a kit to make a cross stitch purse. I have already added that to my Amazon wish list.

I made this large tote bag with some Airedale Terrier fabric I bought on ebay. I put a few pockets in the lining so it carries a lot which is useful to me as I always seem to carry half my house around with me! I cut out some of the dog heads and appliqued them onto a t-shirt and on to the bandana Sid is modelling below. He entered the honorary Airdale class at our dog club but when I took this picture yesterday he just wanted me to leave him alone so he could get back to sleep. Sid certainly loves his sleep.

Here are some cross stitch cards I have made in the last few months. The last one, the Tottenham Hotspur football club badge is for my brother-in-law's birthday which is today. I hope he likes it.

Cath Kidston Bag and other sewing

2010-07-12T15:20:00.014+01:00

I have had my sewing machine out this week to make this Cath Kidston bag. The kit came with her book, Sew, which I got for Christmas so thought it was time I got on with it. It did not include lining but I didn't fancy a bag without one so used a pale blue cotton blend.

I also made up my Jan Constantine stitching into a cushion:-

As the plastic cover that came with my sewing machine was torn and shabby I ran up this cover from a remnant of pink gingham that was given to me. I made the felt flower brooch a while ago and have pinned it to the front so I know which way round the cover goes.

I am still working on my de-stashing project, 'Country Lane' by Heritage which is coming along slowly but surely:-

The weather was glorious over the weekend so we finally unpacked this remote controlled metal detector car that I bought John for Christmas a few years ago. We didn't find any hidden treasure but "the boys" enjoyed barking at it, chasing it and trying to pick it up.

Archie Barker

2010-07-05T18:32:00.005+01:00

Many of my craft projects are inspired by my dogs. This is my favourite photograph of Archie and I have used it to make a scrapbook page. Yes, he is a boy but lilac is one of my favourite colours and I just loved these flowers and the scrap of lace so had to use them.

To decorate a t-shirt I also printed the same photo on to transfer paper, ironed it onto white cotton and used fabric scraps, paw print rubber stamp and embellishments to decorate. The tiny picture of the Airedales I found online and printed it straight onto a scrap of fabric. I attached the whole panel to my t-shirt with velcro so that I can take it off for laundering. I have worn it a few times to doggy events and many people have asked me where it came from.

On the cross stitch front I have just started this circles design from Heritage. As it was bought for me for my birthday about 15 years ago and I am making 2010 my destashing year, I thought I should make a start!

Island Retreat

2010-06-29T15:04:00.013+01:00

Here is my latest finish, Island Retreat (top). It is the companion piece to Greek Island I worked a while ago. Both designs are by Heritage but have now been discontinued. I bought the first in a sale at my local craft shop and managed to track the other down on ebay.

We are in the middle of a heatwave here so don't have to retreat to any other island. "The boys" have been enjoying the sun and playing with their toys. Well, Sid and Higgins have been playing with their toys while the Aredales tend to sit and watch.

Felt Dogs and Finishes

2010-06-22T13:36:00.010+01:00

When I saw the pattern for Stanley in an old Cath Kidston catalogue I just had to make one for my collection of doggy memorabilia. I was so pleased with him that I made another for the raffle at our dog club. I changed him a little to make him more like an Airdale Terrier as I think Stanley is a Lakeland which looks the same but smaller. The pattern was available free to download on CK's website the last time I looked if anyone is interested in making their own.

I have also finished my Jan Constantine Love Britannia design this week and will probably make it up into a cushion. We saw a range of her cushions in a department store yesterday and this design was 75 GB pounds! so I have saved quite a lot of money by doing-it-myself.

Here are two more finishes. The first is Stitcher's Showcase 2010 Stitch Along, Bouquet for Cheryl which I stitched in Caron Wildflowers 'Night Sky' variegated thread on blue linen and Stitcher's Showcase Spring Exchange, 'Spring Daffodils' which is now with its new owner in the U.S.

Lavender Sachets

2010-06-17T15:32:00.011+01:00

I have already shown quite a few of my lavender sachets here as I have them all over my house - hanging from door handles and shelves and tucked into cupboards. Here are a few more:-

The Scotties and Westies design is by Textile Heritage, a Scottish company who have some fabulous traditional cross stitch kits for sale, as well as more modern designs in the last few years.

The second heart I made using a scrap of vintage fabric and lace and the third by sewing the sides of a vintage doily, filling with wadding and lavender flowers and adding a ribbon hanger and ribbon roses.

I usually buy locally grown (Norfolk) lavender to fill my sachets but this year I planted my own in two stone planters I have outside my back door. Since I took this photograph in April they have grown quite a lot so hopefully I will soon have my own supply of lavender flowers to use.

More Doggy Projects

2010-06-11T13:19:00.014+01:00

Heres another crop of dog-themed makes, I never realised I had so many! I made the scrapbook page for an on-line challenge. I had to stick to a sketch which wasn't my normal style but I was pleased with the different result and got another page for my dogs album.

I have already shown my Pirate Dog scrapbook page and here is the costume from it that I made for Wilberforce. He wore it for the fancy dress competition at a doggy fun day we attended. You can't see it in the photograph but he is also wearing the pirate bandana below which I knitted from a book called Knits for Dogs and Cats.

Below is a doggy bookmark I made for myself using my Airedale and other dog rubber stamps and stickers. The fibres have tiny dog charms added to them. Next a selection of items made for our Airdale Terrier Club to raise funds for The East Anglia Air Ambulance and Wood Green Animals Shelters. I designed the Airedale in Christmas hat cross stitch chart to make the cards.

Finally, I made this dog with bone card yesterday with a template from Papercraft Inspirations magazine. They have lots of templates and papers to download free of charge on their website and are worth checking out.

Dog-themed Projects

2010-06-07T11:29:00.014+01:00

As I am so crazy about dogs much of my craft work incorporates them and here is just a small selection of my projects. The cross stitch terrier chart was in a back issue of The World of Cross Stitching magazine and reminded me of Archie, which meant I had to stitch it.

Also a selection of dog-themed cards including two incorporating photographs of Sidney (looking through garden fence) and Wilberforce, which includes a cross stitch bone.

Budgerigars

2010-06-02T11:48:00.004+01:00

I have neglected my blog recently as I have been in hospital for an operation but am now starting to feel better and have picked up my needle again after a two week break. I was definitely getting withdrawal symptoms! I even managed to finish my Jan Constantine design last night but haven't photographed it yet.

I am still trying to photograph and record all my previous work and here are two budgerigars designs. I went through a phase of budgerigar stitching a while back when we used to have a small aviary in the dining room of our old house. I still love the designs and budgerigars, they are such cute, colourful birds, with lots of personality.

The budgerigars in a row design is from a booklet by Cross My Heart and the two budgies are from a special issue (Pets) of New Stitches magazine.

Sewing Accessories

2010-05-15T14:33:00.004+01:00

These are my latest makes. Well, I actually did the cross stitch ages ago but only got around to making them up this week. The design is called Berlin Rose and was published in a back issue of The World of Cross Stitching.

Simply Sid

2010-05-11T12:03:00.006+01:00

This is a scrapbook page dedicated to Sidney, one of our resuce dogs. He is a Labrador/Great Dane X and pretty big but that means there is even more to cuddle. He had been badly treated before we adopted him and distrusted people but with love and patience he is now a great big, lovable softie we can do anything with. The back of the photo tags tells his story. This is the first time I have tried machine stitching on a page and I also made him the two bandanas he is sporting in the photographs.

Ain't Nodoby here......

2010-05-07T12:31:00.005+01:00

.......but us chickens! When I first received this Anchor kit I wasn't sure if I liked it because it was so different from my usual style. But, as I started working on it and the chickens came to life, it really grew on me. I do like the bright colours and it is a perfect match for my terracotta and blue dining room, which is where it now hangs.

The people we bought our house from used to keep chickens and sell the eggs and although the idea appeals to me, with four crazy dogs who chase anything that moves, it would probably be a recipe for disaster!

Jan Constantine Designs

2010-05-03T17:15:00.007+01:00

I am a big fan of Jan Constantine's soft furnishings so was pleased when she launched her range of embroidery kits. My work in progress is in the current issue of Cross Stitcher. A previous design of hers I made (a union jack cushion) already won me first prize in a sewing competition and has now won me another prize in the current issue of Cross Stitcher magazine. Here is the design and also the prize - an Oriental lady kit, oriental papers, card making kit and DMC threads.

King of the Terriers

2010-04-26T16:49:00.003+01:00

As the Airedale is the largest of the terriers group they are known as The King of the Terriers. So last year, at a doggy fun day, I made a King outfit for Archie to enter the fancy dress competition. I bought some crushed velvet from my local fabric shop to make his cape and raided my card making supplies for the crown. He was lucky enough to win first prize.

I also stitched this King of the Terriers picture from a chart by Stephanie Seabrook Hedgepath. My other half and I attended a framing course a while back and I took this piece and framed it during the course.

Coastal Inspired Posters

2010-04-23T17:39:00.005+01:00

These coastal inspired posters are free to download from the Ideal Home magazine website here. They have framed them in cheap A4 frames painted white (I have seen similar frames in Poundland), dont they look fab? I also thought they would work well printed onto fabric sheets and made into bags for the beach or shopping.

Shaun the Sheep DS Case

2010-04-19T16:48:00.004+01:00

I have always loved Wallace, Gromit and Shaun the Sheep and have all of their adventures on video and dvd. So, when I saw this DS case pattern on the front cover of the January 2010 issue of Simply Knitting, I had to buy a copy. I took a break from my cross stitch over the weekend and knitted it up in two nights using oddments from my stash. I lined it with some pink check fabric and it is now ready to go.

Victorian Sewing Room

2010-04-16T13:48:00.003+01:00

Although I finished this a while ago, it was sitting in a cupboard with various UFOs so last week I gave it a wash and press and took it to the framers. It is a Paula Vaughan design from her book, The Best of, which is full of other lovely designs I would like to try in future.

Time for Tea (destash)

2010-04-12T15:15:00.003+01:00

One of my simple pleasures is a nice pot of tea. I like to buy small containers of different flavour loose teas to try, wherever I visit. So, in order to keep my pot and its contents nice and warm I rustled up this crochet cosy. It only took two evening to make and the free pattern can be found here. As I used oddments of double knitting wool I already had it is an ideal de-stash project too.

Union Jack Pincushion

2010-04-09T17:53:00.010+01:00

I wanted a Union Jack pincushion but didn't have a chart so I decided to make my own - here is the result. I first stitched it on 14 count Aida using Designs for the Needle Thread and for the pincushion I used 10 count canvas with some Anchor tapisserie wool from my stash. I am very pleased with the result and thought I would share the chart.

I have reproduced it quite large here so if you right click and then on Save Picture as, you should be able to save a copy to your own computer. Happy stitching.

Victorian and Edwardian

2010-04-06T15:37:00.005+01:00

I am in the process of photographing and creating a record of all my finished work so, although I made this Victorian sampler a while ago, it is still one of my favourite projects. I ordered it as a kit from The Royal School of Needlework and the frame came from a company in Kent (can't remember the name) that advertised in the stitching magazines.

I also have a large collection of family photographs, some over 100 years old, that I am slowly (very slowly) scrapbooking. This photograph, from the Edwardian era, was torn and had one corner missing so after repairing it in photoshop, I created this page. I have journalled what I know about this photo inside the envelope but have left space to add more facts if and when I find out.

Easter Bunny

2010-04-02T13:19:00.005+01:00

Here is one of my Airedale Terriers, Wilberforce, wearing the Easter Bunny outfit I made for him. I am not in the habit of dressing my dogs up regularly but this was for the fancy dress competition at a doggy fun day we attended. Below is the scrapbook page I made to commemorate the occasion. Happy Easter.

Bird Table Designs

2010-03-29T17:18:00.005+01:00

I love birds so that is probably why they are a recurring theme in my cross stitch and embroidery designs.

This first design, one of my favourites, is from a Jayne Netley-Mayhew book - the bird's tails are silk ribbons. The other two designs are card kits from back issues of stitching magazines so I have finished another two de-stash projects.

The bird patterned paper I have used above is a free download from Papercraft Inspirations magazine website. I printed it on the draft setting so the colours did not overpower the stitching. It is now on it's way to its new home.

St. Basil's Cathedral

2010-03-23T16:07:00.002Z

My other half and I holidayed in Russia a while back and visited St Basil's Cathedral. So, when I saw this Heritage Crafts cross stitch kit, I just had to put it on my Christmas list.

I loved working this as it reminded me of our trip. I found Russia a very interesting place to visit. Even though it was quite late in the year, the weather was very mild and I was impressed by all the stunning architecture, especially the art deco underground stations.

Souvenir de France 1889

2010-03-18T17:10:00.003Z

My latest make in this Souvenir de France lavender sachet. The chart is a freebie from Black Bird Designs and I used Caron Wildflowers thread on 32 count evenweave that I dyed myself.

The fabric started out cream and I used pink Dylon, randomly, to create an aged effect. The Wildflowers thread is Rainforest, no. 168 and I think it is my favourite from their palette as there are a lot of short changes in pretty muted colours.

Beaded Biscornu

2010-03-12T16:42:00.003Z

After the success of my first biscornu I decided to try another. Here is the result:-

The chart is a freebie called Winter Forest from matryoska biscornue here. I decided to stitch it using Anchor variegated thread no. 1207 and the Craft Factory Rocailes beads on 32 count Belfast linen. I am very pleased with the outcome.

Modern Quilt Wrap (Destash)

2010-03-06T16:25:00.003Z

Here is a wrap I made using a lot of the odd balls of mohair in my stash. I ran out of the pink and blue so dyed a couple of the white/cream balls to match. The pattern is a freebie from Knitting Daily and the model is my Airedale Terrier, Archie.

Cross stitch wise, here is my current progress on the Stitchers Showcase SAL 2010:-

French-style Stitching

2010-03-02T16:38:00.002Z

I love French style stitching, it is so pretty and stylish. Even when there is an English translation, I prefer to stitch the words in French, as in the first lavender sachet which is a free chart on the blog of Lea here.

The second lavender sachet is made with a chart by French designer, Isabelle Haccourt-Vautier

and the third design of 1950's French ladies was published in The World of Cross Stitching Magazine.

Biscornu and Booties

2010-02-25T17:36:00.002Z

This is my very first biscornu although making one has been on my to-do list for a while. The chart is available free at Lenkas designs here. I love the way it has turned out and am sure it won't be my last.

Also a pair of baby booties I recently crocheted for a competition. I was lucky enough to win first prize. The pattern was in Let's Get Crafting: Crochet Special 2009 and I added some vintage buttons and spotted ribbons.

Stitcher's Showcase Spring Exchange

2010-02-21T16:08:00.004Z

Here are the goodies I received in the post yesterday from Elisa as part of the Stitcher's Showcase Spring Exchange. I love the design, it is so cute. Thank you so much Elisa and for enclosing the fabric and scissors too.

The Greek Islands

2010-02-19T17:09:00.007Z

My favourite holiday destination is the Greek Islands and to remind me of my visits I have stitched these designs.

The two postcard designs were published in a back issue of The World of Cross Stitching magazine and the larger was a kit from Heritage Stitchcraft.

I also have friends who live in Crete and I made this scrapbook page of their gorgeous dogs for my dogs album. Now, when it is cold and snowy here I can look at these and imagine I am back there.

Stitcher's Showcase SAL 2010

2010-02-16T16:38:00.003Z

I have been making good progress on my 2010 SAL on Stitcher's Showcase. I couldn't decide which colours to use, had thought perhaps burgundy on pink but as I am dedicating 2010 to destashing, eventually opted for Wildflowers thread in Night Sky on 32 count pale blue linen which I already had in my stash.

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T17:04:00.003Z

With all my crafty hobbies I hardly ever have time for rubber stamping even though I enjoy it. When one of my local shops were selling all their rubber stamps for 99p I couldn't help picking up a few. This is the card I made using two of them, they are both from the docrafts range.

Goldwork Box

2010-02-09T14:01:00.003Z

As part of the year long embroidery course I attended, one assignment was to design a goldwork piece and make up into a box. This is my finished project. The course was held at a local college near my home and covered lots of embroidery techniques including stumpwork, blackwork, hardanger, dying fabric and threads and designing your own projects. It was great fun and I learnt a lot.

Pirate Dog

2010-02-05T17:17:00.001Z

With all my crafty hobbies I hardly ever have time for scrapbooking, I really must do more this year. This is the last scrapbook page I created and it shows one of my Airdale Terriers, Wilberforce, at a doggy fun day last summer. I made the pirate outfit he is wearing for the fancy dress competition. He came second which was o.k. as my other dog, Archie, came first.

Crochet Projects

2010-02-03T17:13:00.000Z

I have always loved crochet and learnt when I was about 10 years old - I didn't learn to knit until I was 18. Here are two of my recent projects. The bag pattern is from the book Vintage Crochet by Susan Cropper who owns the wonderful Loop Woolshop in London.

The second project, Beehive Pincushion is from the Crochet Pattern a Day Calendar 2009. I have had the calendars as Christmas presents for the last few years but this is the first time I have ever made anything from them. These can also count as destashing projects as all the materials, including the bag lining and handles, came from my stash.

The Lion and the Unicorn

2010-02-01T17:08:00.003Z

Finished my Lion and Unicorn design I started in January. The kit was from Wessex Designs and while it was quick and easy to stitch they were very mean with the threads. I run out of one colour before the end and had to find a substitute which wasn't a perfect match and there was very little of the other colours left when I finished. I had this kit in my stash for a long time (over 10 years) and while I like it a lot I would be reluctant to purchase another of their kits because I'd worry about running out of threads again.
Think I will probably make this into a cushion but as I have some other designs I want to make into cushions it may take me a while to get around to it.

Kokeshi Doll & Vintage Find

2010-01-28T19:48:00.001Z

I have just finished the Kokeshi Doll kit that came with the current issue of Cross Stitcher Magazine. It was very quick and easy to work and I thought I might use it for a birthday card or possibly made up into a gift, I haven't decided yet. I recently found this copy of Needlewoman and Needlecraft magazine from 1959 in a thrift shop for just 50p. It is in good condition and still has the original embroidery transfer inside. Some of the projects would still look good today such as the bird in a cage peg bag below.

Bee Happy and Organised

2010-01-25T15:09:00.001Z

One of my resolutions this year is to work some of the kits I have had for ages including some of the small cover kits that come with stitching magazines. I have managed to do a couple so far including this one which was free with a back issue of Cross Stitcher magazine.

I like to keep a box of handmade greeting cards for last minute occasions and this will be added to the box. I made my card storage box from an old toiletries container my husband put in the bin. It was a good sturdy box with a magnetic closing lid so I rescued it and gave it a make-over.

After

Before
Another resolution is to get my stitching supplies organised. My threads are usually kept in an assortments of bags and boxes spread all over the house so I bought 4 storage boxes with adjustable compartments for 2.99 GBP from QD and organised all my threads onto bobbins and sorted them in the boxes by number and brand. It is brilliant to have everything so organised now, the boxes hold about 50% more than large thread boxes and I won't keep buying doubles, which I seem to have done rather a lot. The picture shows my Airedale Terrier, Archie, admiring my handiwork.

Union Jack Cushions

2010-01-19T17:04:00.001Z

As far as I am concerned, I can never have enough cushions and here are two I recently made. The pattern for the knitted one came from Debbie Bliss Knitting Magazine, Fall/Winter o9. The cross stitch chart for the second was designed by Jan Constantine and published in a back issue of Cross Stitcher Magazine.
With four dogs constantly reclining on them though, I am not sure how long they will last. Still it gives me an excuse to make more!

My Dogs

2010-01-15T16:34:00.001Z

As my dogs are such a big part of my life I thought I would introduce them, in order of seniority. Archie (bottom right) is a 7 year old Airedaire Terrier. Sidney (top left) is one of our rescue dogs, a Labrador/Great Dane X and 5 years old. Next is Wilberforce (top right) a 3 year old Airedale Terrier and finally the baby of the family, our other rescue dog Higgins (bottom left), a 2 1/2 year old border collie.
My scrapbook page was published in the Christmas issue of Scrapbook Inspirations.

New Beginnings

2010-01-12T16:19:00.004Z

After reading other blogs for years and inspired by Blogging for Bliss by Tara Frey, which I received for Christmas, I have decided to take the plunge and start my own.

I have been cross stitching for many years and have accumulated a huge amount of kits, charts and materials so this year I have decided to reduce my stash of cross stitch kits and am currently working on a lion and unicorn design I purchased some years ago.

I also love stitching Christmas ornaments and here are three I made last month.

Cute as a button design - Cross Stitcher no 220

Christmas Shimmer - Cross Stitcher No. 220

Hardanger: Cross Stitch & Needlework - Nov 07

The weather is very cold here with snow still on the ground so I am looking forward to spending some time in front of the fire, with my dogs, stitching this evening.

I am not so good with computers so hope I have done this o.k. Time to take the plunge and press publish. Wow, this is scary!