Merry Christmas

Not sure where the time has gone over the past few weeks.  I have been so busy shopping and wrapping presents, buying all the food and preparing the house for Christmas there has been little time for crafting.

In between fixing a leak in the roof!! and installing a new wall light in my hallway, I just managed to make a felt reindeer and crochet a snowflake for my tree.

I managed to grab a photo of the boys sharing a sofa which I turned into Christmas cards using readymade photo cards.  This was quite a rare occurance as they each have their own sofas and never the twain shall meet usually.  It hasn't happened since.

Before returning to trim my tree I would like to wish everyone in blogland a very merry Christmas and a happy, healthy and peaceful new year.
love,
Shirley and the gang
xxx

Back in Business

Don't know where the last few weeks have gone but at least the summer seems to have finally arrived.  I now have a new camera, my old one which had been chewed, dropped and generally abused finally gave up the ghost.  The old one was about 10 years old and although I hate learning to use new gadgets I must admit my photos are much improved as you can see by these two examples, above and below.

My sewing room (above) is the fourth design I have worked from my Veronique Enginger book. I am taking a break from this book now and want to work a few things a little bit different.

This cross stitch Atelier sign is for the door of my sewing/craft room.  I tried out some fabric oddments, ribbons and other craft bits and bobs from my stash before deciding how to finish it.

Here is the finished sign...... 

I just need to fix it onto the door now.

 

I fell in love with a Sue Hawkins meadow flowers biscornu design with stumpwork poppy in a copy of Stitch magazine last year.

I bought the materials pack direct from Sue which uses Oliver Twists spun silk.

 

I haven't done any embroidery for a long time so I really enjoyed making this.  The poppy and leaf is in stumpwork which I have only done once before. 

Here is the finished biscornu......

My sewing machine has not been idle and I run up this little linen bolero jacket from Simplicity pattern no 1984.

Amongst my current projects is a piece of filet thread crochet worked on a size 1.50mm crochet hook!  It looks like an old rag at the moment but am hoping once it is finished and blocked it will look o.k., fingers crossed.

 

If you want to get ahead.....

get a hat (groan), couldn't resist that.    Hats are essential wear in this part of the world.  If you are not wearing one when the wind whips off the North Sea your hair ends up looking like a haystack in a high wind.  I have just finished these two.  The top one is crocheted with a knitted band.  The pattern is available to buy as a download from Interweave's website.

This one is crocheted Bruges lace, the pattern is in Interweave's crochet accessories book I got for Christmas.  Wilberforce does not look very impressed with it.

It was John's birthday last week and I bought him a sweatshirt and then needlefelted it with this fish motif.  He had seen it in one of my craft books previously and said he would like it.  The black labrador card is 3D decoupage although you can't tell from this photo.

 I have managed to do a bit of sewing recently - this credit/loyalty card pattern was free online from warehousefabrics inc.  and for the lining I used some pink fabric leftover from yet another hat I made. 

I have stitched another fashion sketch from "Fashions of Yesterday and Today" but my camera went doolally yesterday so I haven't been able to take a picture.  I did finish this black labrador kit from Heritage Crafts which has been on the frame for a while.  It really reminds me of our darling Sidney, so lifelike.

More Decorations and a free chart

I have just managed to finish stitching a few more Christmas ornaments.  The template above was from one of Cath Kidsons books, based on her dog Stanley.

These two stitched hearts came in a kit with the current issue of The World of Cross Stitching.  I just added some coloured felt to the white felt hearts provided. 

A cute reindeer card from a Cross Stitcher kit included with issue 259. 

I made this Christmas Airedale Terrier snow globe a while ago but have just got around to photographing it.  I am including the chart in case anyone else would like to make one.

Wilberforce is all ready for Christmas, although he isn't sure about these antlers.  Whatever you are doing, I hope you have a happy, healthy and peaceful Christmas.

love Shirley

 

Summer of Sewing

Thank you to all who contacted me asking where I had been for a while.  The fact is my computer has been out of order for so long that I gave up on it.  I have also had a few health problems which meant I have had more hospital and doctor's appointments and we have also been redecorating our house so I have been painting, wallpapering and have refurbished a few pieces of furniture too.

My computer is much improved but I still have text bunching up or sometimes freezing when I view blogs/websites.  Very wierd!  I need to remove more of the hundreds of photos and files I have on it to see if that helps.

Throughout it all I have been crafting more than ever and my sewing machine has been working overtime recently.

One of the items I made this summer is this handbag organiser.  Now I can change my handbags over quickly and easily without have to tip everything out.  The pattern is called The Encore Purse Insert and is from Studio Kat designs.

 

Using some of the leftover fabric scraps I made this coupon holder.  The pattern is free from Joann.com website.  My coupons were always running out before I got around to using them so now I use this every time I go shopping and it has definitely helped me save money.

The weather has been so hot recently that I ran John up a pair of loose cotton lounging trousers.  The pattern is Butterick B553.  He has had then on ever since.  I bought extra wide sheeting so I have enough left over to make another pair.

I always have a cross stitch project or three, on the go, to work whilst watching t.v..  At the moment this is "Hard Frost" from the Heritage Circles range.  This is the third in this series I have worked and it shows horses in the snow.

Thanks for stopping by and again for your good wishes.

 

All the best,  Shirley xx

 

A Monthly Make: Summer Dress

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.

A Monthly Make: Stanley Kidson

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.