French Knots

Finally Finished...my long running Sampler

Well after nearly 20 years my sampler is finally finished, goodness knows why I squirreled it away for so long! It only took a few weeks to complete once I fished it out again and as you can see it was finished off on Christmas Eve.

I love the muted colours and I found a 99p frame in the chrity shop which was just the right size - hurrah! I carefully laced the stitchery round some thick card so it was nice and taught then I backed it with some brown paper which ties the embroidery colours and the frame together.

Love It!

A rather dark picture of it adorning my wall in the cosy corner where I love to sit and crochet and stitch.Roll on spring please, these damp grey days are so draining or even a crisp sunny bright spell would hit the spot! 

 

 

 

My first love......embroidery

Thank you so much for your good wishes, I need to learn how to manage my life and expectations better so I don't make my condition worse - still very much a work in progress as I'm used to dashing about doing 101 things at once!

 

When tidying up some of my (many!) boxes and suitcases full of treasures I found this sampler that I started about 20 years ago, I've not done any cross stitch for years but I thought it was a shame for it to continue languishing so near to completion, so over the Christmas holidays I got stitching.

It's a really pleasing combination of muted green, ochre, stone and blue shades and I'm enjoying the feeling of completing another of my UFOs. I'm gong to keep an eye out for a suitable frame so I can finally hang it up - only 20 years and 2 weeks to finish it!

This sweet little garden embroidery is for a class I am running next month in the studio, 

 

a few little fench knot flowers, a lazy daisy or two and a sprinkle of back stitched birds. I rather liked it and got a bit carried away stitching little scenes

I made the little stitcheries up into brooches which a lovely local cafe has offered to sell for me, so I have the perfect excuse to indulge in embroidering more little pictures.

Which of your pastimes gladdens your heart?

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Pretty Stitching

Embroidery was the first creative past time that I fell in love with and it is still dear to my heart.

This is a lovely design that I bought from the amazing Charlotte Lyons of house wren studio, it has accompanied me to The Baby Brother's swimming lessons and I've stitched away while chatting with the other Mums and watching my youngest develop a love of swimming.

Sorry about the dreadful pictures, such a damp,grey day here today.

Yesterday was chilly so it was time for the first fire of the autumn, cosy and snug finishing off my stitching.

I found a frame that was the perfect size in the 50p box at my local charity shop and once it was sprayed with some matt white it made the perfect foil for my new picture. I always lace an embroidery tightly around a piece of stiff card so that it is nice and taught and I didn't bother with the glass which shows off the texture of the stitches so well.

Now for a bit more work on my Granny Stripe blanket, I'm under the weather with Bronchitis so snuggling under a jolly blanket as it grows is just what the Doctor ordered....well I'm sure he would if he was a crochet fan! 

First Love

While crochet is my current favourite, embroidery is definitely my first love. I remember choosing a pattern to stitch for my needlework o'level. My teacher was horrified at the size and complexity of the winter scene I had chosen, naturally being a know-it-all 15 year old I wouldn't be dissuaded! I so enjoyed stitching each of the little skiers, skaters and snow covered houses, it's upstairs somewhere I think. I really should find it, so many hours of work from over half a life time ago.

Anyway when I saw Charlotte Lyons  inspiring design in Mollie Makes I knew it was the perfect project for a special someones birthday. I had an old linen serviette that would be perfect as the basis for the design.

 
 
I enjoy the whole process, rummaging through my collection of embroidery threads some were my Mum's(many discontinued colours) some from jumble sales and car boots and some I have collected over the years.Choosing a colour palette that appeals and brings the pattern to life for me. Then choosing stitches for texture and form, sitting for a few snatched moments here and there adding stitches to the growing picture. Remembering how much I love it, embroidery, my first love. Often neglected for newer pashes but always there waiting for me to rediscover it.