Finishes and New Beginnings

First up a few finishes from the beginning of the week and my final stitch journal page is complete!

I have really enjoyed working on these pages over the year and look forward to putting them all into book form later this year.

I also completed another Field Journal embroidery - this was the one with bullion knots which actually turned out OK I am pleased to say!

And now for the new year. I have started on my stitch journal roll which I shall be working on every day this year (and posting daily to Instagram, link in sidebar). This is how it looks three days in.

A flower to brighten a few chilly days, but at least the sun was shining. Grey again today and possible snow later.

Another new start for this year is this Hatched and Patched tree skirt that I fell in love with last year.

I plan to embroider one of the little roundels each month and then put it all together in October. Here is the first embroidery complete and waiting to be trimmed and turned ready for appliqueing later.

Since the New Year another Field Journal embroidery was completed.

I wonder why that corner is missing!! This is my last FJ block for now as Wings and Pretty things will be coming out again soon.

I think I mentioned before that I had started some crochet but had no pictures. Well the crochet has progressed over the Christmas period and this is how it is looking now.

I bought a skein of this gorgeous handspun yarn in a local craft shop while searching for Christmas presents and just had to have it. I love those smoky sunset colours. I had no idea how far it would go so started out with the premise that it would at least make a cowl but that I would carry on with it as far as it would go. So I am pleased that I am going to have a reasonable length scarf. Just a little more to go but I do love how this pattern is working up - just simple chain and little picots which are easy and quick to work. I got the pattern from this delightful book which is full of lots of simple craft ideas.

So far I have not got around to my No 6 from the Chookshed Challenge which is to make something/s with the swap hexie flowers I have received over the last few years. I shall be getting them out for a play this week.

Well I think that is all from me for now, I hope you have a great week and I shall be back again next Saturday.
 

Your lucky day!

 Yes! two posts in one day from me, what ever is going on!

So this one is just a catch up post with what I have been up to this week.

Christmas was quiet but pleasant and we are now in that twixmas period. I have been enjoying a little hand sewing this week along with a few Christmas specials on TV although some of the repeats are getting very tired now. And no, we did not watch Gavin and Stacy!

I have of course kept up with with my Stitch Journal - and look - just three days to go! and that includes today which I shall work on as soon as I have finished this post.

Not a brilliant photo but the next one will be all pressed and looking lovely.

I have also finished a couple of Field Journal embroideries

These were straightforward - the one I am working on now involves bullion knots and I am slowly working up to them!

My next post will be in 2025. My thanks to everyone who has followed me over the last year and for all your lovely comments, so very much appreciated.

Happy Stitchy 2025.

FNSI December

 

First of all many thanks to Wendy for organising our Friday Night Sew In's again this year.

As usual I started the afternoon with my Stitch Journal and Fridays star was the middle one of the bottom three.

Sorry for poor photograph - another grey damp day here.

I then walked to our nearest coffee shop with a neighbour and spent an enjoyable couple of hours catching up. However, when we left it was tipping down and we both arrived home looking like drowned rats!

I have completed the quilting on the first outer border of Wings and Pretty things.

Sooo good to have reached the edge. One down, three to go but I have now folded it away until after Christmas as space is at even more of a premium at the moment!

So yesterday evening I pulled out my Field Journal folder where fortunately the next few are already drawn up. This sweet little plant was very quick and easy to stitch up and I am looking forward to working on another one this evening.

I have started on some crochet this week - sorry no pictures but oh is it gorgeous! Some beautiful handspun yarn in a lovely colour combo. Pictures next time.

Meanwhile, I wish you all a very Happy Christmas and I hope you have time for some quiet sewing in amongst all the busy festivities!

Mid December already!

 And what a grey and dismal week it has been! The storm last Saturday was as bad as forecast with lots of damage in the county and West of the country. Fortunately we survived damage free, we are in a dip and do not catch the worst of the wind. However, I did enjoy sitting indoors and watching all the leaves from the trees to the front of our house skip away across the surface of the park! Hardly any left on the trees now. Since then we have had grey weather and yesterday was particularly damp and dismal but today is a bright sunny day with lots of blue sky.

As usual I have been enjoying my stitch journal.

I have been thinking for the last month or so about how I can continue on with this but in my own way. I have all these nice solar dyed threads and fabrics left from my boro flower panel - see header picture -

and thought that it would be nice to make use of them. So I have decided to use them to make a daily stitch roll using this lovely old mill spool that I picked up recently in a charity shop.

So I am all ready now to start stitching on January 1st.

And to keep myself on track I have decided a daily post on Instagram will make sure I am up to date.

I have been quilting this week too - no pictures - and have also finished these Kingfisher socks.

So Christmas knitting all done and dusted. Christmas decorations have gone up this week and I had a present wrapping session one afternoon. Just a few more to do. We shall be entertaining twice over Christmas so now I need to plan my menus!

Have a good week everyone and happy stitching.

Friday Night with Friends December

 

Friday was a grey and windy day so after a trip to the supermarket we were happy to spend the day indoors. So straight after lunch I got on with my stitch journal - a new page now for December and we are all starry!

These are quick and fun to work.

I have been busy the last few weeks quilting the wide border of Wings and this week I came to the end of all the cross hatching. Just so happy with how it is looking.

Now to work on the outer borders. I spent some time yesterday marking up the feathers along one edge and in the evening made a start on the quilting.

We are in the middle of storm Darragh today. We had a red weather warning this morning expiring at 11.00am but I am pretty sure the winds have been stronger since we moved down to an amber warning! Strong enough to blow over my cast iron garden chairs anyway. Evidently we are to expect another 24 hours of strong winds so plenty of time to play in the kitchen - mince pies need to be made as we have finished the first batch - and with my sewing.

Have a good weekend every one.

The End of November

 What a strange month it has been with dank, grey, damp days followed by bright crisp mornings with frost and the odd sleet shower and then howling wind, rain and floods. Now we are having a very mild couple of days before the temperature dips again. 

Tomorrow is officially the fist day of winter and being the first day of December I shall be making my first batch of mince pies of the season. The mincemeat has been maturing for the last couple of weeks and I am looking forward to my first taste. And of course my Advent calendar is hanging up and ready to go.

Since my last post I have completed the first Kingfisher sock and no 2 is well under way - pictures next time. I have also been busy quilting Wings and am almost at the end of the wide border - again, pictures next time.

But what I do have pictures of is my completed November Stitch Journal page which looks like this.

My photographs make it look like all the stitching was done in white but there are some cream threads in there too and the odd bit of sparkle here and there!

The table runner is completed and ready to wrap and gift. Sorry about the slightly skewy photos!

The big news of the week is that this came home with us from the charity shop yesterday!

It is a lovely Victorian writing slope which we could not leave behind. I have always wanted one of these.

It is in very good condition (and has a key for the working lock) and I have given it a good clean and polish. It smells delicious!

I love the ink stains and it has three secret drawers too. So looking forward to filling this with lots of stuff!

Well that is all from me for now - I am off to draw up my Stitch Journal page for December and sort some threads. Hope you have a great week and that I shall se you at Cheryll's on Friday for Friday Night with Friends.

FNSI November

 And we are half way through the month already so fifteen of these squares have now been filled with random stitches and patterns.

We spent part of our Friday at a Christmas market - far too early for such things but I suppose we have to start somewhere. It was a beautiful clear blue sky day after a foggy start. We are getting proper November weather at the moment and are promised even colder next week - and the return of rain which will probably mean snow in the north of the country. Anyway, back to the market which was packed with people and stalls full of nice things. Lots of drinks to sample and chocolate to taste - always welcome. We came away with a few Christmas presents and full tummies after lunch in the restaurant. The market was held at Hestercombe House which has beautiful gardens - sorry no pics but we decided we were ready for home after all that shopping! We did drive home via Lydeard Hill though as it was such a nice day. The trees are all looking beautiful at the moment and the misty view from the car park in the sunshine was beautiful.

Anyway I have been busy quilting away on Wings in the evenings this week so for a change I got out my knitting Friday evening and cracked on with this sock - nearly to the toe now.

Last week I visited a quilt show with some friends at my LQS Come to Quilt. Come to Quilt is home to Dragon Quilters who meet once a fortnight there. There was a lot of work on display and I will share a few of my favourites with you.

This little quilt greeted us at the entrance and was drawing gasps!

This quilt was stunning.

And this wall hanging next to it was also gorgeous. There is a Four Seasons class held regularly at Come to Quilt and this work was made following the class.

Another class that has been held at the shop was a Three Hares quilt and there were several of these on display - some finished some not. This was my favourite as I loved the way it had been personalised with the addition of Green Men in the corners of the 4th border in and hounds chasing the hares in the outer border.

This one was also complete. Not the best lighting though in this room.

And a few more that caught my eye.

This one with all it's bee and honey connections.

And this one because red and white always looks amazing.

Well now, I think I am going to turn the heating on, wrap Wings around my legs and spend some time quilting while I watch the leaves falling from the trees outside.

Have a lovely weekend everyone. Hopefully you can click on the image and read the details below.