Sewing, new starts and books

Hi friends, 

More Lori Holt bags were finished this past weekend after a few hours at my sewing machine, I still have a few more to go from the two fabric panels. 

I love the colours in these ones. 

I started two new projects around my birthday earlier in the month - first up, A Daily Reminder by Brenda Gervais. I'd purchased this chart last year and then bought the fabric from Helen at That Crafty Kiwi, so it's been kitted for awhile.  The 36 count Arboreal fabric by Cedar River linen is a lot greener than this photo is showing.   

Another new start this month is Peace on Earth by Shakespeare's Peddler, I'm stitching this on 36 count Dust Bunny by Fox & Rabbit with the recommended threads. 

Two night's stitching:

This week I've finished the third ornament in the current series from the Hands on Designs, Plaid Tidings.  There'll be another design coming out sometime after the 1st May.

It’s been a little while since I talked about what I’m planning to read, but I’ve added a few new titles to my stack, all of which I’m really looking forward to.

That's it for today’s update — now to decide which book to open first, and which of the above stitching projects to work on later.

See you soon x

All sorts

It's been a few weeks since my last post - the weeks seem to be rolling on by so quickly, and it's now only a week until the end of October, crazy! I thought I'd do a little round up of what has been happening around here, including some more finishing and a new start.

Hannah and I have both been unwell over the past fortnight, nasty viral infections, and both of us ended up with ear infections too, I've never had one before, not very pleasant. Spent a small fortune on doctor appointments and medications lately!

Remember how we lost half of one of our big trees in the high winds a few weeks back? Well, this led to all the trees along this fence line being chopped down.  Glenn decided to redo the fence, his brother Paul gave him a hand to replace all the iron and the fence posts.  Last weekend we replaced all the topsoil, and then replanted this garden with new hedging plants, Grisilinia geckos, which will eventually grow to about to about the height of the fence. Lots of work but hopefully from now it will be easy maintenance of this garden.

I'm slowly getting through the finishing pile, all of these designs were stitched earlier this year.

Cottontail and Company by Scattered Seeds Samplers:

Peace & Goodwill by Brenda Gervais:

Spring Fling by Brenda Gervias:

All is Calm by October House Fibre Arts:

Next up is a bunch of little kits from the Ribbon Rose in Auckland that arrived recently, which to stitch first? I also got some thread snips, they are so handy to have by the sewing machine.

A friend gave me this beaded fob she made for me, so cute!

I couldn't resist purchasing Lori Holt's new chart last week, Garden of Quilts, and I have made small start.

This is the lovely stitching folio my friend Clare gave me last year for my birthday. 

Pretty threads, all Classic Colourworks

The fabric I'm using is Weeks Dye Works 36 count Rhyolite linen.

I'm looking forward the 2025 Jingle Ball in early December, and this year I have purchased two of the classes, yay, PDF charts, as kits are not available to overseas stitchers. The good thing is if your class pieces are not stitched in time for the finishing classes over the weekend, you have 30 days to view the class, and each class also comes with instructions. I still haven't finished my 2024 classes yet, lol. 

This coming weekend we get a four day break thanks to two public holidays, Hawkes Bay anniversary tomorrow, and then Labour Day on Monday. We're heading out in the campervan for our first trip of the season to Porangahau Beach.  Friends will also be there with their campervans so it should be a fun weekend catching up with everyone, fishing and lots of walks along the beach with Diesel.  The forecast for later today and this evening isn't very good, but hopefully from tomorrow on the sun will be out.

See you soon x

Catching up

Hello friends, well, it's been some time since my last post - the winter bugs caught me and I have had a few weeks of feeling not very well, the usual goings on at work, extra after school things on for Hannah, and also, my father in law's house has now been sold, which meant lots of time sorting out household items, the tools and machinery from his workshop, property maintenance and cleaning too. 

This week is the last week of the school term for Hannah, then the holidays start. We are getting excited as our family holiday is almost here - we are heading to the Gold Coast, Australia. It's been five and half years since our last trip to Australia (we had a fab holiday to Melbourne just before the pandemic), so we are all looking forward to some sunshine and some chill out time together.  Of course there might be shopping involved, ha ha.  It's almost ten years since we took Hannah on her first overseas holiday, which was to the Gold Coast, and I was looking back on the photos and things we did on that trip recently, just seems like yesterday! 

But first, we have an exciting event coming up this weekend, Hannah has her very first ball to go to. The dress and shoes are ready, appointments for nails and hair have been booked, on Saturday it will be all go!  I can't wait to see our beautiful girl all dressed up on Saturday evening. 

I was taking some photos the other day of my stitching finishes to get ready for this post and there's a little pile waiting for me to get to my sewing machine for some finishing time. I haven't done any sewing all year, haven't really felt like it, but over the coming winter months I hope to get back into the swing of things.  I'm going really well with my destash in my craft supplies and it would have been completely done if I hadn't been sick for a few weeks.  I'll be back into it after my holiday.  

So here we go, all my stitching finishes from the past few months. 

Cottontail and Company by Scattered Seeds Samplers, stitched on 36 count light mocha linen.

Spring Fling by Brenda Gervais, stitched on 32 count opalescent pink fabric by Silkweavers

Peace & Goodwill by Brenda Gervais, With thy Needle and Thread, stitched on Picture this Plus, 36 count Legacy linen. 

I've also spent time stitching some of my sampler wips too but don't have any progress pics to share of them.

Next up are all the ornaments I've stitched so far this year:

JBW Designs French Country Santa

Christmas Fawn by Satsuma Street

Love & Joy by Heartstring Samplery

Birds that Sing by MommalovesyouGB

Hands on Designs free chart 2024

Hands on Designs free chart 2024

Several months ago I was browsing the Spotlight store website when I spotted this fab little storage tool box. At the time it was out of stock but recently, they were back on the site and better still, on sale, so I purchased one for my craft room.  

It now sits on my sewing desk and contains all my extra scissors, thread drops, thread rings, DMC bobbins and number labels, needle packets and a whole lot more.  

I have been working on a sewing job for a friend, she recently completed 15 little red work embroideries and I offered to finish them for her as they are going to be donated for a fundraising craft event later in the year.  So cute.

Last week I was able to spend a bit of time with some family visiting from Australia, three of my younger cousins. It was so good catching up with them as it had been a few years.  

Out walking with Diesel on a sunny winter afternoon is great way to forget about things for awhile, he just loves his walks on the river tracks. 

Talking of Diesel, we are so going to miss him while we're on our trip but he will be having the time of his life as our friends Bruce and Alison are going to be looking after him, and he will get to hang out with their black lab Meg.  

I'll be back in a few weeks time, middle of July, wow, how the months have been whizzing by this year.  

See you soon x

Red work, Stitching & Books

Inspired by our friend Clare's wonderful Merry Christmas banner, some of the ladies from my stitching group and I have started a stitch along on the Rosalie Dekker pattern.  I'm using the pre printed linen that came with the pattern and my thread choice is DMC 321, one of my favourites.  It's been quite some time since I did any red work stitching but so far I'm really enjoying getting back into it. 

I did finish the Tiny Modernist Christmas Cuckoo House last week, photos to come once I've ironed it, ha ha.  Now I'm focusing on Peace and Goodwill by Brenda Gervais, a lovely design, and I enjoyed a bit of stitching time on it at the beach last weekend. 

I ordered some of the new Lori Holt happy charms recently, and a panel of her bags to make up too. I'd been wanting to get one of these panels for absolutely ages so was so thrilled to see them in stock at Rainbow Stash.  I need to buy some of the zippers next.  

As usual, I've been reading a lot lately, this was my pile I picked up from the library just before Christmas.  I'm still carrying on my 2024 goal of reading during my lunchbreak, otherwise I'd have my lunch and go straight back to work.  Funny story, twice now in the past twelve months I've reserved Kate Morton's Homecoming and each time I've ran out of time to read it before it needs to go back for the next reader. Third time lucky in a few months perhaps.

Newly purchased Onyx Storm to add to the pile of books to be read.

I finished Inheritance by Nora Roberts over the weekend, a good romance and ghost story. I picked up the next in the series, the Mirror, yesterday so will start that after my current read, We Solve Murders by Richard Osman, the first in a new series. 

We have a long weekend coming up, a public holiday on Thursday for Waitangi Day, and having taken Friday off work, we're off to Poranghau Beach with our friends for a few days. The weather is looking good, Glenn has bought a new fishing rod, so will he be lucky with his fishing? Lots of walks along the beach, catching up with our friends, it will be a fun weekend.

See you soon x

Several finishes, catching up and twenty years of blogging!

Hi friends, lots of stitching happening here lately and I'm so pleased to have finished two samplers during Sampler September.

First up, is the Light of Winter by Brenda Gervais, I started this in late November 2023, using Fox & Rabbit's Ballet Slippers 36 count linen, and all the recommended threads. 

                                       

Next up is Winter Rose Manor by Brenda Gervais, stitched on 36 count Wren by Picture this Plus, using the recommended colours. This was started way back in January 2021.

                                         

A couple more ornaments finished for this year - both designs are by Stitching with the Housewives.

We've been out in the evenings walking Diesel along the lime stone tracks we have beside the river. Diesel just loves getting out, especially when he can have a dip in the cold river!

Hannah and I went along to a local production recently, When you wish upon a star.  Several of the younger girls from Hannah's dance school were in the cast so it was wonderful to see them perform. The show had lots of great songs, we really enjoyed it.

So proud of Miss H, she recently received her results from her dancing exams, Distinction Stars all round again, well done to Hannah!

We also had a trip over to Palmerston North last weekend to watch one of Hannah's friends in a nation wide dance competition. It was held at the Regent on Broadway, a beautiful old theatre, which I hadn't been to in many years.

The girls also had some time for shopping at the mall and a late lunch of sushi before the drive back to CHB. 

This coming weekend we get a four day break thanks to two public holidays, Hawkes Bay anniversary on Friday, and then Labour Day on Monday. The weather is looking pretty good so we've decided to head out in the campervan for our first trip of the season to Pourere Beach.  Friends will also be there with their campervans and caravans so it should be a fun weekend catching up with everyone, fishing and lots of walks along the beach with Diesel. 

Can it really be twenty years ago that I started this blog? I don't believe it!  Just seems like yesterday.

You can read my first introduction post here. 

See you soon xx