IT's finished!

With the aid of my super-magnifier, I was able to race on and finish dear husband's anniversary present.  I know it was a few days late, you don't have to tell me too, but I think it was worth the wait!

IT Crowd cross-stitch!!  I know!!  I bought the pattern from wee little stitches ages ago, but unfortunately it got a little sidelined during September. 

If you haven't visited this Etsy shop, you really should take a look, there's something there for every geek in your life! 

What to get next?  All the Doctors?  The Breakfast Club?  Or maybe I should go with my contemporaries, The Golden Girls!!

Busy, behind the scenes...

Having finished my Spring Carnival, I fortuitously already have 2 EPP projects to work on, neither of which I am at liberty to really show you until mid-November, sorry.  I know you will all sleep easy now knowing that I won't be aimlessly twiddling my thumbs whilst twinkle-toes and dolphin-boy do their thing.

I have an appliqué project that I am completely excited about, and if it comes off as anticipated, you won't hear the last of that for a long time, so make the most of my secrecy for now.

I also have a cross-stitch on the go; it was meant to be an anniversary pressie for dear hubby, but my tired eyes have not been 14ct-friendly this week, but I am hoping to get that finished as soon as possible.

I have plans to make a little something for the Tula Pink Sewalong over at Sara's, as I had a lightbulb moment earlier today, and I am hoping Mr John Lewis will be able to help with that tomorrow.

Today I also took the bull by the horns and cracked on with my Stitch Tease mega-block for Di - it will be finished over the weekend, but again, I won't be able to show you until next year!

And...oh yes, there's an 'and', I have a couple more of Aneela's Little Stitches embroideries already completed and waiting on being made into gifts which I can't show either just yet.

I mustn't forget to mention my Mouthy Stitches tote though - that's all cut and ready to piece - OK, I'll show you a sneaky peak tomorrow, otherwise this blog could get awful boring!

Retreat Treats...

Well nothing that exciting happened yesterday; I finished all the background cutting for My Precious Retro Flowers QAL, and if you have done the same, you will know that cutting all those concave curves takes a long time, especially with an 18mm rotary cutter!

So I am good to go on that, and good to get on with my FQ Retreat swap gifts...

I am going to be making some small pouches from the Zakka Style book...

I have cut all my linen, lining and interfacing, gathered lots of little embellishments, but still need to sort out what exactly I am doing for the main fabric panels on the front...

I am envisaging a cool little collage on each one; we'll have to wait and see if I can get the ideas from my head actually onto fabric successfully!

I tried to do some small cross-stitch last night to add into the mix, but my eyes just weren't up to the job - I really think I need one of those big old-lady light-up magnifiers...

I am pleased to report though, that as part of the 'more organized me' regime, I have started using some plastic trays to store individual WiPs in, and unlike the scrap colour sorting, they are working well!

Zip Zip Huzzah!!

Last night I decided it was time to finish a lurking UFO, (OK Rhonda, the UFO) that had languished in the bottom of my sewing bin since before many of you were born!

I finished this cross stitch during the pre-Christmas snow, but wanting a small purse to hold my 'going out 'n' about' hexies (more on those tomorrow), I set to conquering my zipper fear!

Armed with this...

...this...

... and this...

I managed this...

... having stolen a small child's ruler; to this...

... followed by...

... small panic having sewn it all together with it fully zipped, but soon resolved!!

Hey presto...

... can you spot the difference?

Zip phobia gone!

I'm meant to be on holiday...

...but I have been working very hard!

Firstly I finished Stanley...

Then, as I had sorted out all my scraps on Sunday, in a timely fashion Aneela Hoey, oh lovely lady of the Sherbet Pips, posted about starting a crazy scrappy quiltalong - so I obviously had to sign up!

There's a linky somewhere on the left if you are interested.  The idea is to make 11" squares, but I am going to work with 6" ones, as many of my scraps are too teensy, and I am too eagar to to make lots of blocks, see...

Then I noticed that Prints to Polka Dots are doing a pre-order on Sherbet Pips, so I had to order some yardage to go with my charm packs; be quick people, the pre-order option is only open until Wednesday.

Then Lynne at Lily's Quilts posted the start of a tutorial for her Big Little George.

This is Lynne's 'example' so goodness know what sort of paper-pieced mess I am going to get into!

But up for a challenge, I got cutting and piecing and stitching and swearing and unpicking and re-stitching and eventually ended up with this...

OK, so the children were lucky to be fed, and dearest hubby feels like a total sewing-widow, but sometimes you have to go with the urge!

As if I haven't got enough to sew already...

I bought my first cross-stitch magasine for the first time in a few months today. 

There are a couple of really cute projects in there, as well as the freebie pin cushion kit, which I am going to put in my handbag along with a couple of needles so that I am never caught out!

Take a look at this caravan - absolutely superb, it comes with a Beetle, Campervan, Mini and bike!  I know I must finish the 'HUG' first, as I still only have a 'HU', but I think I will tackle a couple of quick projects before I go in for the 'KISS'! 

When the clocks go forward on Sunday, it'll mean an immediate hour of good sewing machine/quilting time after the kiddies have gone to bed and before the good light in the conservatory goes and I settle in front of the TV, needle in hand.

The postie also left me a note that he took a couple of big parcels back to the depot this morning - so hopefully tomorrow I will be picking up my Tufted Tweets and freezer paper...  that will be a brilliant start to the weekend!

New toys...

Today I treated myself to a well-earned upgrade to my poor old camera in the Sales, (we popped to Curry's for a tumble-dryer vent hose, and well, came out with a Samsung ST61!).

To test it out, what better way than to show you my best Christmas presents!

Super-duper Father Christmas read my blog, and even got Emily Peacock to send me a personal note!

I did get loads of other wonderful things, and my dad gave us each a stained-glass leaf; I will definitely photograph them to show you once they have been given pride of place in the new conservatory.

This time next week we will still be surrounded by boxes, but in the NEW HOUSE!!!

I cannot believe that tomorrow is New Year's Eve - 2010 was pretty good, and a real turning point for us, but I cannot wait for 2011!

All wrapped up...

I spent about 4 hours cleaning and moving the packing boxes around today, so that the house now resembles more of a home that the backside of Tesco!  I managed to cram in a couple of Christmas movies with the kids, and then once they were tucked up in bed, I got wrapping!

I didn't take any pictures of the finished piles, as to be honest, I don't want any photographic evidence of just how spoilt our kids are going to be!

But I did nip out to late-night Boots to get purses and lip balm for the girls, mid-wrap, as today's insistence that all they wanted from Santa was a 'Make-up bag'(!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), and 'why?' I asked...'For our make up' (obviously!!!!!).  So how could I ignore that!

I also succumbed to a copy of Cross Stitch Card Shop magazine, with a free Snowman kit.  Oh when will I learn!?

Cath Kidston has sent me to the Dark Side!

Ok, I love my Stitch! and think I want to make absolutely everything in the New Year, but today's magazine fix included The World of Cross Stitching... and I am beginning to doubt my sanity!

It included a free kit to make a 'cute' Christmas card, that will be destined for my Grandma, and a pattern for a pair of Charlie and Lola cards that the girls will love, but man, there are some hideous creations nestled amongst the cool stuff!

If I start showing you any stitchery that purports to show lifelike faces or elephants grazing in the Savannah, in more shades of beige than you knew existed, please please please contact my husband and ask him to hide the needles immediately!

Good Intentions...

I had all good intentions of making and photographing sock owls in progress this evening, but no.  I have been sorting through old bank statements and other thrilling papers that are now all destined for the shredder! 

It's taking ages, but I am clearing out so much - I can't believe I have kept practically every piece of post I have ever received by the looks of things!  Dear husband took a couple of bags of books and toys to the local Marie Curie shop today, and another few bags to the tip, and we haven't even looked in the loft or garage yet. 

We took advantage of the dry morning and took the trampoline apart, cleaned off all the sandpit toys and rescued Buddha from the bindweed!

Last night I finished the cross-stitch, now I have to wash the soluble mesh off and sew the purse together.

So this week I promise to complete the purse, try and produce a tutorial for the sock owls and get a bit more of the Christmas quilts ready for binding... if I don't, I expect you to point it out to me in no uncertain terms!

A little bit more...

Today, more chucking out and re-cycling of old magazines and papers that I have been hoarding for too long, which means a clearer home and a clearer head; I am on a roll!

This evening I stitched a few spots onto dear son's jeans for Children In Need tomorrow, and got on with a little more of the cross-stitch.  I really am loving it.

I also had a really good chat with our buyer, and I am feeling at ease about all that...long may it last!

Blonde moment of the day though, dropping my mobile phone in the sink (full of water!).  Thought I had dried it, but it kept making crank calls, so it will be spending tonight in a bowl of rice to dry it out! Doh!

Another birthday and other good stuff!

Dear son is now 6, and as the girls were 4 last week, I better update my 'profile'!

Lots of presents and a very happy boy, the house is now bursting with Lego, Toy Story and Star Wars, thank goodness for the little space I cleared yesterday!

This afternoon I cleared out the old linen and toiletries that had been festering in the back of the airing cupboard for a good few years.  Too many lotions and potions I would never dream of washing my hair in or washing my face with, without worrying of some very unpleasant side effects!  Again a couple of bin bags full and a lot less to transport when we 'move'!

So after a successful day, and following on from last night's blog, I pulled out the Cath Kidston Stitch purse and began the cross-stitch.  I ended up doing quite a bit of unpicking, but it's looking quite sweet, considering I probably haven't done any embroidery since I was in primary school, a long long time ago!