Life in abundance comes only through great love.

Hardanger Mat - Cols Creations

As the lighter evenings are here there has not been so much sewing. I have had a small hardanger finish, this is a dressing table mat by Cols Creations.

Hardanger Mat - Cols Creations

I made a few alterations (as always) to the pattern as I went along and also added some small gold beads.

The back of the Hardanger Mat - Cols Creations

This is the back. As I have never seen anyone else's hardanger work I am not sure how this compares but I have tried to be as neat as possible. If anyone has some good tips I would be grateful. Books never seem to cover the back of the work.

The Lace Garden - Cols Creation

The Lace Garden is back from the framers and I have hung it in one of the guest bathrooms.

I deliberately chose the lavender mount to compliment the room which is a very feminine bathroom and has a boudoir feel.

I started Victoria Sampler's Alphabet series on April 12th and I am enchanted by the beauty of this piece. 

Victoria Samplers Alphabet Series

Each letter of the alphabet is a stand alone design but they can be combined to make one large piece.
Mine will consist of six columns and four rows, X,Y & Z form one piece thus making 24 individual sets.

The working area will be 498 threads wide by 1422 threads high stitched on 28 count = 17.75" x 50.75".

Victoria Samplers Alphabet Series

Each set is made up of stitches and motifs starting with the set letter. For example in  "A" the stitches include algerian eyelet lace, arrowhead stitch, assissi stitch, aglerian plaited stitch and alamance bargello. The motifs are azaleas, an ant, anemone buds, an arrow, an armadillo, alyssum buds, acorns, an axe, an arbtus branch and an apple. I am in awe of Thea's imagination and creativity. Some of my most precious projects are her designs.

Victoria Samplers Alphabet Series

 There are plenty of charms and beads.

Victoria Samplers Alphabet Series

And I have added a few more along the way.

Victoria Samplers Alphabet Series

I love the use of Krenick braids.

Victoria Samplers Alphabet Series

Victoria Samplers Alphabet Series

Victoria Samplers Alphabet Series

Victoria Samplers Alphabet Series

I didn't have time before the wedding to hang Ann Medd.

Ann Medd - The Scarlett Letter

So I popped her on the wall of our TV Room (a framed piece is always safer hung than lent against a wall) and I have got used to her in this position just behind my sewing armchair. I think that I may leave her here

Have you spotted my new frame and stand?

I really like using my Lowery stand (which I consider one of my best ever buys) and Q-snaps but because of the beads, charms, buttons and surface embroidery on VS Alphabet Series I couldn't use the Q-snaps. Over the years I have bought every sort of roll frame but can never get the tension right on the sides of the fabric. I like the fabric to be drum tight.

Last year I read Mary Corbett's review of the Millenium Frame and was taken with the whole concept.  Check out the video.

I am bowled over by how easy it is to assemble, two or three minutes maximum and it is DRUM tight. I have six feet of fabric rolled on the frame for VS Alphabet series. I quickly ordered the stand as well and some different sized side bars.

I would rate the frame as excellent and highly recommend it.

Thistle Threads' course - Cabinet of Curiosities has started and I am so very pleased that I signed up for it.

Here are some images I have taken off the internet of embroidered caskets.




I hope at the end of the eighteen month course to stitch a double casket similar to these that will become an heirloom for my family.

Chris and Kate are back from their honeymoon on Sunday, three weeks have gone by  so quickly. We had hoped to meet them at the station but unfortunately we cannot as we have to go back to Wales this weekend.

They have kept in daily contact via the "Whats App" application on smart phones. (If you haven't heard of it, it is a fantastic app to have, it costs just 62 English pennies ((under a dollar)) to download and that is the only cost involved. You can then send messages, photos, videos and voice recordings instantaneously to each other from around the world at no cost).

They have had a wonderful honeymoon and look rested and tanned.

No bird photographs (as such today) but I am very pleased to announce that we have a family of Great Tits nesting in the bird box with the infrared camera and microphone. This is linked to our TV. Our other small box is also occupied by a family of Blue Tits.

They started to build their nest nearly two weeks ago and on Sunday laid the first egg.

We now have seven eggs and she is still laying !!!. Apparently they can have up to eighteen eggs.

I will keep you posted on how many she eventually lays. We have had so much pleasure already watching her at work. She filled the box during the day and then in the evenings she went to work weaving the nest with her beak. It was so cute when she used her body to make the centre of the nest. A huge amount of work goes into the nest.

We have had a green spotted woodpecker visit the garden so I have now put up a woodpecker box to try and attract it to settle here. We have also been hearing owls hooting and found owl droppings so I have put up an owl nesting box as well.

Before I sign off I want to say many, many big "thanks yous" to all of you for your supportive comments. They mean a great deal to me.


Warm Wishes from Stitching By A Cornish Sea Shore Nicola xxx

A Post Man Bearing Gifts

Hooray the post man has been with purchases I made with some money from my parents for Christmas. Still waiting for my wooden stand and frame though.

I have been fancying this stand for sometime. The assembly instructions were well written and it was very easy to put together.

Within a few minutes it was up.

You put the base under the leg of the chair that you are working at. It's very well constructed and I am very pleased. It swings out when you want to get up and you can turn your frame around to work on the back of your fabric. I can highly recommend it.

Also in the post were

and

I first saw "And They Sinned" on Shiobhan beautiful blog. I failed to source it in the UK and this came from the States. The Blackwork Sampler I spotted when sourcing ATS. It will be an interesting piece to work with all the different of stitches.

I am looking forward to stitching both of them.

Thank you Mum and Dad xxx

I made good progress on The Lace Garden yesterday.

The Lace Garden - Cols Creations

It is a little warmer in Cornwall today. When I went out with Poppy and Blue yesterday it was freezing. The wind was so cold and we got caught in a rain storm. We were all glad to get home and dry off.

We had Poldhu Cove all to ourselves

When I was walking yesterday I had lots of inspiration from the patterns around me

Ripples on a puddle

Dune grass being blown horizontal by strong winds



Surf at Poldhu Cove

  
I am pleased to say that we have some winter sunshine today so we are now off for our walk.




Warm Wishes from Stitching By A Cornish Sea Shore
Nicola xxx

Vintage Valentines

The post has arrived and but no new frame and stand so no start on VS Alphabet series today. However, some floss bags did arrive.

I saw these on Sew and So's web site and thought I would give them a try. I usually use the thread holders built in to my Daylight Floor Lamp but for the VS project there are not enough holders for the numbers of different threads I shall be using.

Besides embroidery I like to sew and quilt but for some strange reason not in the winter months. I think that there is nothing better than to settle down on cold days in front of the fire and pass the hours stitching and listening to a good book.

I have a quilt project started but I stopped working on it in October, I will start again after my son's wedding in April.

Before I pack it away I thought that I would show you my progress so far

Vintage Valentine by Verna Mosquera

Vintage Valentine by Verna Mosquera

Vintage Valentine by Verna Mosquera

Vintage Valentine by Verna Mosquera

Vintage Valentine by Verna Mosquera

The pattern is Vintage Valentines by Verna Mosquera. When I have finished all the blocks I intend to move away from the pattern and do quite a bit of embroidery on the bocks and add embellishments. I have some lovely beads, lace and threads ready to use. I will also make some fabric flowers to place over the applique flowers, that's why they look a little flat at the moment.

The stitches I learn in TAST 2012 will come in useful for this.

The Lace Garden is progressing well and I have nearly finished the kloster blocks

The Lace Garden - Cols Creations

I have been busy this morning cooking for the freezer, I have made some lasagnes which are a favourite of mine.

It's another cold, grey day in Cornwall but I am sending you warm and cheerful wishes from Stitching By A Cornish Sea Shore

Nicola xxx

Rain, Rain, Go Away

I made good progress yesterday on The Lace Garden even though I had to rip out a section. I'm afraid that I was distracted whilst watching Strictly Come Dancing (the UK version of Dancing With The Stars). I don't watch television too much but I do enjoy both SCD and DWTS. J R Martinez was a worthy winner of DWTS this year.

The Lace Garden by Cols Creations

I usually listen to audio books whilst I stitch. We are very lucky in Cornwall that we can download audio books free of charge from the public library.

I finished listening to John Grisham's "The Litigators" last night so I will have to choose another book this afternoon.

My favourite book of 2011 is "The Help". Listening to the audio book and the southern accents really brought the characters to life. I hope that Kathryn Stockett publishes another book soon.

I also enjoy listening to the BBC IPlayer whilst stitching. Radio 4 and 4 Extra have some wonderful dramatisations of book and plays. As  I had finished my audio book I checked out the IPlayer and they had Nancy Mitford's "Love In  A Cold Climate" (one of my favourite writers), that was it, I had to listen to it all so it was very late when I went to bed. That explains my good progress with The Lace Garden yesterday.

Earlier this year I worked another Hardanger piece - Victoria Sampler's Ring Bearer's Pillow.

Ring Bearer's Pillow by Victoria Sampler



The Back of the Ring Bearer's Pillow by Victoria Sampler



Ring Bearer's Pillow by Victoria Sampler

I was very pleased how it turned out. I made a cushion from some Champagne shantung silk and machine embroidered "Kate & Chris, Two Hearts, One Soul, 21st April 2012" set in a circle of  flowers and attached the piece to the front. Chris is my son and this will be used at his wedding next year to Kate.

After the wedding I intend to detached the Hardanger from the pillow and have it framed. It will be nice for Chris and Kate to be able to display this as a keepsake of their special day.

I don't know yet how I will attach this to a backing fabric for the framing. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

We have put up some outdoor Christmas lights on this tree which my kitchen and TV room look out on. It is heavily ladden with red berries this time of year which is so festive.

I hang bird feeders from this tree and we enjoy watching the birds feeding.

The weather remains unsettled with grey skies and lots of rain. We were lucky to get back from our walk yesterday before heavy rain came down.

Here are some pictures from yesterday's walk.

Dollar Cove

Church Cove

Church Cove

We walked to the coves through the golf course. Because of the weather there were very few golfers out. We found six balls in the hedge rows, a sign of the strong winds that we have had this week (blowing balls off course). DH was pleased as these balls will top up his own supply. We never seem to find the balls we loose ourselves!

No walk today, Blue and Poppy are curled up on the settee (!!) snoring away.

Warm wishes from Stitching By A Cornish Sea Shore

Nicola xxx

Stitching Progress, More Christmas Decorations, Walks and Garden

I made a start yesterday on VS Alphabet series but after assessing the size of the piece I decided to stitch this on a roller frame rather than a hoop. I have a new floor stand and frame being made so I will wait for it to arrive. Fingers crossed it should be here early next week. All I did on this piece was to cut the fabric, and prepare the edging. I like to do this by running the fabric through my sewing machine with an overcast stitch.

I made a good start on The Lace Garden

The Lace Garden by Cols Creations


The colour of the fabric in the photograph is misleading as it is actually white not cream. I find Hardanger stitches very therapeutic to sew but the cutting is nerve racking. I am looking forward to working on this again later today.

Here is a photograph of my sewing etui which I like to use in December as it  is also a Christmas decoration

Gingerbread House by Victoria Sampler

It is so sweet and I had such fun stitching it, although the chimney pot was very fiddly to attach to the roof.

Inside I can store needles, pins, scissors, ruler and the matching biscorno.

Gingerbread House and Biscornu by Victoria Sampler

I have been busy this morning decorating the holiday cottages for Christmas. Blue came and helped me.

Blue Standing Guard outside The Chocolate Box

I always enjoy decorating the cottages and putting out mince pies on the welcome tray for our visitors. What traditional cakes and biscuits do you have in your country?

The sun has come out today and after a few days of rain and strong winds it has been lovely to open the windows and enjoy the fresh air.

I had a wander around the garden today and spotted some orange toadstools

We made  two wood piles in the garden this summer so that  we could create some homes for insects and small wildlife. These are providing  food, warmth and shelter.  I am hoping that the pond wood pile will provide a snug place for frogs and toads to hibernate.

We get great pleasure from feeding and watching the birds in our garden and the insects will provide them with food.

We walked to Church Cove yesterday and had the beach to ourselves. Poppy and Blue had great fun playing in the sand and sea.

Poppy and Blue at Church Cove

We are now off for today's walk, it will be good to be out in the winter sunshine.

Best wishes from Stitching By A Cornish Sea Shore

Nicola xxx