Home made Christmas

Aren't these crochet table mats wonderful?  My lovely daughter who is obsessed with wool, cotton and anything to do with crochet, made them for me for Christmas! No wonder Faye hasn't had much on her blog recently she has been beavering away making these for me and another set for her MiL!

Along with this lovely wreath.

 And the presents were topped off with these decorations (now on the Christmas tree)

My lovely son and his girlfriend made me Rosemary and Thyme assorted nuts and Laurie some BBQ rub (no salt as you can see!)

Home made presents are really special!

 The top picture are the 12 balls of 100% cotton that DH got me (excited to get started on them - just not sure what to make yet) and below are some more yarns that Faye got me. 
Aren't I lucky?

Merry christmas

Merry Christmas! I hope you have a happy and healthy day!

Indian Elephant

Work progresses on little elephant! Rather than having to hunt for a square frame to put him in when I finish I think an A4 frame will be much easier so I am extending the top with circles of stitching.  I'm rather enjoying this part because there are no decisions to be made it's just simple running stitch with all the hard work completed. I will try and do some slow Sunday stitching tomorrow, although that's looking less and less likely but I will still link up with Kathy's wonderful blog  tomorrow!  And as you can see below I finished Chris Moose!

Slow Sunday Stitching

How quickly the week has passed, but I do feel as if I've achieved one or two things!  DH and I bought our Christmas tree in the week and Friday we decorated it. And what a beauty it is, tall and very bushy. It's in its usual place between the window and the French doors and laden with every decoration we own.  Each decoration has a memory, whether it be our first Christmas together (those baubles are a bit tarnished now but I wouldn't dream of not having them on the tree), to the ones the children made many years ago, and the tiny wooden ones that came out of an advent calendar given to them by the Grandparents. And we always buy a new one every year, with this years coming from Cologne on our recent visit! (Gosh was it only two weeks ago!)

I've finished the red work heart and just have to sew it together and fill it with toy stuffing. On Monday I had my textile class and instead of starting a new project I carried on with my little Indian Elephant. This is the second month I've gone solo and not done the class project so next month I really must try harder to get everything I need ready instead of waking up the Sunday before and realising I needed to buy supplies!!  Having said that I am pleased I now have all the shisha mirrors in place and feel as if I'm nearly there. So this afternoon I will carry on with this project and watch a Christmas film (The Bishops Wife is nice and Christmassy and has the added bonus of staring Cary Grant)  I am linking up with Kathy's BLOG so you can see what everyone else is working on today.

Two finishes!

 Yay!! A finish for December (and I've sewn in all the loose threads).  I love crocheting blankets! I had wanted to add another row and I might have had just enough wool to do the granny squares but I used all my joining grey/lavender wool - with believe it or not 12 inches of wool to spare! So square it will stay.

 My next project will be socks!  I found a great blog Winwick Mum where she has started a sockalong earlier in the year (I am always late joining in these things). Christine uses this wool which just happens to be German so I popped into a department store while I was visiting Faye and the Christmas markets and purchased this rather wonderful wool.  I also bought the circular knitting needles but realised I only had hand luggage with me and rather than have them confiscated at the airport I hope Faye will bring them with her when she comes home for Christmas.

 At the Christmas markets I also bought my new niece a little wooden fairy on a spring to hang from the ceiling and thought it would be nice to make a patchwork Christmas bag for it!  So that's two finishes so far!!!!!

Germany and slow Sunday sewing

I managed to do some red work while I was in Germany visiting Faye and the Christmas markets last week.  I love red work and want to complete one of these little hearts every Christmas.  Faye had the brilliant idea of putting the date on so I've squeezed it into the heart on Chris Moose's rump! I have linked up with Kathy's blog for slow Sunday stitching which you can find Here

We had such a good time in Germany. Unfortunately Faye and her husband were working during the day so we amused ourselves by visiting the Christmas markets - Dusseldorf (a bit wet and miserable that day) and Duisburg, then Cologne the following day, where we got to four of the seven markets.  Each one is themed - Angels, Gnomes, St Nicholas etc and apart from the shopping its all about the food and drink. With gluwein or hot chocolate being the order of the day, drunk out of mugs that match the theme of that particular market.

The photographs really don't do it justice but all I can say if you ever get the chance to visit Germany go at Christmas!

Santa sacks

Its a busy day today with no chance to sit down and do any slow Sunday stitching!  Although I have been hand sewing the hem of a girlfriends evening dress.  It needed to be shortened by several inches (she is petite and she bought an ordinary size frock)  It was challenging to say the least as it is covered in sequins. I tried to do it last night while I had her here but after several glasses of wine I wasn't doing very well so sent her home and worked on it today....hopefully it will be ok!  To de-stress (I'm not a dress maker!) I finished off these little Santa sacks for DH and Faye's husband to hang on the Christmas tree! They are about 5 1/2 x 4 1/2" and will probably have chocolate coins in them!  Now off the pack for Germany tomorrow.  So looking forward to seeing Faye!!!!!!!

Slow Sunday Stitching

After enjoying a really mild November, it's suddenly got very, very cold!  So after walking the dog it seemed like the perfect afternoon for doing some slow Sunday stitching (and watching a Cary Grant film of course..... Father Goose this time).

It doesn't look as if I have made much progress on my little Indian elephant, but I have outlined all the chain stitch in a turquoise thread, filled in the swirl at the top, added more lazy daisy stitches and attached another shisha mirror!  So I am happy!

It was a tough call as to whether I should carry on with elly or start the little Christmas red work pattern I received in the post yesterday!!! I absolutely love Mandy Shaw's designs, but I may save Chris Moose for when I go to Germany in eight days time.  If I cut the threads to the right length (no need for scissors then) I could start him at the airport.

In the mean time hop over to Kathy's BLOG HERE to see what others are stitching this Sunday.

xx

Bags for Life

The weather has been dire the last couple of days (and today it's still blowing a gale outside!) But it gave me a chance to make three Christmas presents for my best girlfriends.  I made them so they fold up into themselves and hopefully they will like them!

I've also been busy making Christmas cards!

Crochet blankets, bags and dogs!

I thought I would drape my latest crochet project over the stool to photograph progress!  And who couldn't resist getting in on the act? Lola!  What you can't see of course is her tail thumping furiously backwards and forwards!  The trouble is we adore her so much she gets away with lots and lots!

Since my last photo of the blanket I have added another five rows (seven in total)  I've spent a couple of evenings this week sewing in the ends....I was so good initially, every round I did I sewed in the ends, but lately......you know the story!

The pattern by the way comes from Attic24 which you can see HERE





Back in the summer Sheila at sew cook and travel made a bag which I loved and stored it away thinking when I get time I'll make that.  No I didn't have the time but yes I did make it!  The pattern is a free one and came from HERE.  Rachael Gander's tutorial was really easy to follow and the whole process took an afternoon.

Isn't this fabric gorgeous.  I was given it for my birthday a couple of years ago and decided it would be perfect for this project.

It should have a zip pocket in it and I made the strap a lot longer - I like a bag I can put across me, but at the end of November I am off to Germany to visit Faye and her husband and do some of the Christmas markets and it will be perfect!

Indian Elephant

I know!!!  I said I wouldn't start anything new and here I am showing a small embroidery I started at textile class last Monday!  He's very cute and who could resist him.  I took him away with me for a couple of nights in the motor home and today I've been getting my fix of a Sunday afternoon DVD (Goodnight Mr Tom - always makes me cry but a good film to watch today as it is Remembrance Sunday) and adding a bit more chain stitch and lazy daisy stitch.  So in fact I have more to show than this but the battery has just given up on my camera so the update will have to wait until I've recharged it!  I'm linking up with Kathy's blog HERE where you can see what others have been sewing today.

New project and murmurations of starlings

DH and I took the opportunity this week to take the motor home to Somerset for a couple of nights. We often go to Glastonbury as it's only a couple of hours drive and the campsite we stay on is an adult only 5* site and it's a wonderful treat for us!  We really wanted to witness the murmurations of the starlings that occur in the winter over the Somerset levels.  It's a spectacular sight of swirling groups of starlings just before they roost at dusk in the reed beds.  The first we noticed was the noise of them flying over head in a huge mass (it's hard to tell how many... hundreds/thousands, I've no idea) and then they fly along the top of the reeds before settling for the night.  If you have ever watched Autumn watch they do amazing acrobatic movements in the sky.  Well it wasn't quite like that, the weather wasn't so good so they landed and settled fairly quickly but the noise of them chatting was deafening!  I'm really glad we made the effort to watch the show!

On another note I've been putting together some fabric for Milly's Garden quilt.  It's amazing how long this job took (a full afternoon drawing the shapes onto the bondaweb and then another afternoon to do the fabric).  I've now got to do the leaves and the flower stems!

New fabric.....new project!

I haven't done a lot of patchwork and quilting over the summer, my enthusiasm for it has been replaced by hand sewing and of course crochet!  But there is nothing like the birth of a baby to make me want to create something very special.  Baby Milly was born to my brother and his partner on Monday and I knew as soon as they had a little girl that I would do a 'Don't Look Now!' pattern.

I made this quilt for DHs grand daughter when she was born several years ago and am more than happy to do it again (after all it will be different fabrics!)

Today in town was a sale of fabrics in the local school, so despite having enough fabric to open a small shop I couldn't resist popping in....after all I have a new quilt to make!

I ended up buying only the flower fabric on the right hand side for Milly's quilt and the cream and red fabric to back it with.  Truthfully I do have plenty of delicious scraps that will make wonderful flowers and I already had a two metre piece that I got in another sale I went to at the beginning of the summer!  The red fabric it to back an advent Christmas stocking garland and the rest will be for fold away bags for my friends for Christmas presents. I'm very pleased with my purchases!

Granny squares

I've started to join my granny squares together.  I can do them while watching TV fortunately. I have 81 squares to join and ideally I should have completed a line and then made some more squares (I think this bit might end up being a bit boring) but as I am using up left over wool I didn't want to end up with the dreary colours at the end....not that you could call any of these colours dreary! 18 squares done....63 to go!

Binding and slow Sunday stitching

I've just finished sewing the binding on this little Christmas mug rug so thought I would add it to Kathys Slow Sunday Stitching blog where lots of hand sewing has been going on today!

I've had a busy week going up to my folks place to help out my step mum who has a nasty fracture of her shoulder.  Wednesday morning I got up to let my dog and their dog out into the garden when my cocker spaniel decided to go walk about (she escaped under the garden gate). DH and I spent nearly an hour and a half searching for her - of course it was pouring with rain (isn't it always when a crisis occurs?) She had been rescued by a lady up the road who also has cocker spaniels and she posted a photo of Lola on line and sent it to dog walkers in the area.  It just so happened that it was seen by step mums dog walker who said it might be ours as we were staying over at the moment!!!!!  And Lola was driven up the road to us (next stop was the vets to see if she was micro chipped) to be reunited! It was a scary, horrible hour but we were so lucky she was taken in by a kind person who returned her to us!

I've also managed to get some sewing done during the week and as you can see I decided I really couldn't live with the navy blue border and it has been replaced by a rather bright blue.  I'm much happier with it now.  I'm undecided whether to change the navy in the centre - that should all be the same colour.  I'll live with it again and then decide!

Canvas embroidery

It's been another busy week, but today after a lovely walk in the forest with Lola, DH and I vegged in front of the TV and watched a Cary Grant film (our favourite 'Operation Petticoat').  I've watched the film so many times I can easily work on something else at the same time! And here are the fruits of my labour! I was particularly pleased to discover that I've counted correctly and the fourth square is in fact in the right place - YAY!

I have linked up with Kathy for Slow Sunday Stitching where you can see what others are sewing today!

Canvas work embroidery

I've managed to add a bit more to my embroidery this week, although the week has been fraught!  My DH has had a nasty chest infection, and my poor, poor step mum fell in the park and has broken her shoulder, so all in all not a good week!

The tricky bit of this embroidery has been getting the next square in the right place.  The pattern says complete each corner but I think I'm going to work up one side just to check its right!

I'm still not happy with the dark blue outlining the centre and rather than ripping it out I'm living with it (and then I will probably rip it out!!)  To be fair the photo doesn't do any of the colours justice, they are lovely and vibrant in the 'flesh'.  I'm off to do a bit more and I will link up with Kathy's blog HERE tomorrow so you can see what other people are sewing at the moment.

Crochet update

We have been home from our travels for a week now and this is the first opportunity I've had to post a photo and make an entry, what with getting on top of all the inevitable washing from a four week holiday, food shopping, my nephews 18th birthday party and of course taming the garden (the grass was jungle like - I'll say no more!!!)

But here are some more granny squares - it doesn't look like many, but I have been beavering away at them and I think I should probably start crocheting them together (they might look more substantial then).  I am following Attic 24s pattern which you can see on her blog HERE.  I love her colour combinations and she writes a great blog so hop over if you can.  Until next time. xx

Europe

Here are a few photos of the first two weeks of our trip.  Hope you enjoy the highlights!

 Bacharach - is a youth hostel now (what a great place to stay)

 The view from Loreley - an outcrop of rock where a maiden lurd sailors to their deaths in the currents along this stretch of the river - it is at this point the narrowest stretch of the Rhine. 

Marksburg Castle at Braubach.  We camped at the base of this castle right on the edge of the river.  Such an interesting place.  The river is constantly in use from pleasure boats, river cruises and lots and lots of barges carrying containers and coal.

 We spent a couple of days in Bruges in Belgium, which was a wonderful city.  I loved the canals and the shops (especially the Christmas shop where I could have spent a fortune!) and of course the Belgium chocolate shops - you can sample the chocolate before you buy!

Progress

We have had a great time meandering around Europe!  In the mean time I thought I would share a photo of progress on my embroidery.  Im not to sure about the purple and dark blue boarder at the moment and I had to substitute the cream thread for another I found in Germany.  But so far so good!

New crochet project!

 I've started a new crochet blanket!  Its always exciting to start a new project.  I'm using up the left overs from my last blanket and I've bought a few more balls of wool to add into the mix because I don't think I would of had enough.  The pattern comes from Attic 24 which you can see HERE.  Her instructions are always so clear to follow with picture guides as well as written instructions!  Take a look you will be inspired by her use of colour and energy!

I'm really enjoying my holiday and when I have good Internet access I will post some photos because the scenery here is absolutely stunning!  But until then Happy Sewing! xx

New Embroidery

I am away on my holidays, travelling around part of Europe! We have visited Belgium and Holland and are now in Germany staying with Faye before going off along the Rhine.  Internet access has been non existent until we got to Faye's on Friday, so I haven't been able to do any updates until now.

This is my latest project.  Ive left the needle in so you can see that it is actually not very big, but I'm really loving it so far.  Using the silk is a real pleasure.  Although I haven't done this today I have been working on it during the week, so I am still going to join up with Kathy's blog HERE.  Pop over to see what everyone else is sewing today!  I just also want to say thank you to everyone who left a comment last week - apologies for not emailing individually but no wifi!  Have a good week.