WIP with Strictly

Every year at Needlecraft Haven we have a SAL coinciding with Strictly Come Dancing. It has to be a WIP or UFO and we stitch along each weekend with the show and results show and if possible during It Takes Two in the week.

Whilst Tess, Claudia and Zoe are hosting on our tv screens this section of Needlecraft Haven is hosted by Julie. Our Strictly stitching is also welcome in The Parlour each week with Barb - it is so lovely having the different activities on Needlecraft Haven hosting our members.

A few years ago I started Jardin Prive's Sampler Bouquet but I only stitched as far as the border - this is how it looked when I got it out again.

Sampler Bouquet - I hadn't done much 

I've been stitching most times Strictly is on and am really pleased with how much I have managed to finish.

Week 2

Week 3

I have also finished a few more bits for my church tree - time is running out so I must focus on this for a while. We're decorating the trees at the end of November which will soon be here.

Four more baubles

Just a small one 

Autumn is coming, I love the colours of this season but I'm not so keen on the cold weather coming. Our next exchange is a little different......  more of that next time !

Birthday thank you

I haven't blogged since mid August - partly because we've been in France. If you want to keep up with our travels you can read about our adventures on Aimetu's

We came home Saturday 9th in time to help a good friend celebrate her 50th birthday. Julie stitched me a lovely saying for my 50th, she kindly gave me the chart which was from a magazine  and I stiched it for my friend - she loved it, thanks Julie.

The next day, Sunday, was my birthday. Our daughter came home for the weekend, our son booked the day off work so we were able to go out for a family meal; a rare occasion these days. Our daughter's boyfriend joined us and later in the day our sons best mate called by so quite a house full.

I had a lovely day, meal out, afternoon at home with my family watching the rugby followed by an evening of monopoly. Time spent together doing simple things often make the best memories.

I had some lovely gifts, thank you to everyone. My Hubby has unfortunately always told me I cannot have my dream car - a 2CV - and if I did it would be divorce. However whilst on holiday we found my dream car and he did buy it for me .... but no divorce as he will not be riding in it, it has a different passenger !

2CV with a bottle of my favourite wine 

Lovely handmade cards from
Gill and Angi

My lovely gifts - thank you everyone

Project bag from Christine - one side

Project bag from Christine - other side

My mobility is improving and the day after my birthday my daughter drove me to my physio appointment. To be honest I was a little disappointed as I wasn't given much more advice, just do exercise a couple of times a week. Being involved in elite sport my daughter thought it very poor, even allowing for me not being in the sport world.

I now have an exercise plan (3 different sets per day; morning, lunch and evening) and after just one week there is so much improvement - I just need to perk myself up now after being in the house for 6 months. 

The next big step is to drive again - however my feet are less swollen and I did manage to get my heeled shoes on - only sitting on the bed but they were on my feet - a huge boost. One day I'll be walking in them again. 

Footwear progression over 6 months 

Whilst we were away the Holiday Exchange gallery opened at Needlecraft Haven - it is so much easier to upload photos now the forum is on tapatalk. Anyway this exchange was to choose an online free chart, print it off and send it to your partner with fabric and threads to do the project. 

Once your parcel arrived we had to stitch the project and finish it in any way we wanted. I received a lovely chart - Snowman in the Window by Homespun Collectibles with 28ct Mountain Blue fabric and the relevant DMC thread. My parcel was from Mary - thank you he's lovely.  

Snowman in the Window 

I sent to Deb and chose Coeur de Noel by Passione Ricama with 28ct evenweave fabric and DMC threads. Deb stitched it into a beautiful heart shaped ornament. 

Coeur de Noel

It's been a busy September and looks like being a busy October as I have my 'Winter Wonderland' stitching to get finished for my church tree - Christmas will soon be here !!

August Gifted Gorgeousness

I haven't posted for GG for a while but this is a very special Gifted Gorgeousness. This is a chance to blog about gifting, the giving or receiving of something special. It is hosted by Jo from Serendipitous Stitching.

Gifted Gorgeousness blogs are posted on 15th of every month - today (the 15th) my Postie delivered a lovely surprise .... from Jo !!




My theme for my church tree this year is Winter Wonderland and Jo's gift is perfect - thank you so much Jo for your friendship and kindness, I was very touched to receive this today.

Two more for church

I've been doing a bit of sample stitching for something later in the year. It's turned out well, just needs a finishing touch. It 's under wraps for a while but I'll show you as soon as I can.

What I can share are my latest two for my Winter Wonderland tree for our church Christmas Tree festival. I've stitched 8 now, need at least 12 ornaments and 12 of the blue and white stitched baubles - my needle needs to get a move on.

I adapted both as to do all the snow takes so long and I'd never get them all stitched. Thete's one more in the CCN collection that Justine gave me that I'll do but then I'm going back to using the Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornament magazines for ideas.

I'll be taking the blue bauble stitching on holiday as it's quick and easy, the charts are online and I just need two colours and perforated paper.

We really need this holiday (2 weeks to go) as it's been a tough time for me and DH. I am now walking around the house on crutches and short distances (about 200m) outside. I don't have full movement in my left ankle yet and both feet still swell so still plenty of sofa time.

Yesterday was a BIG day as our bed moved back upstairs into the newly decorated bedroom that was finished in April! It's been used as DH's dressing room and laundry drying room. I can go up and down stairs safely on my own now and the bedrooms are upstairs in the hotels on holiday so I do need the practice.

To celebrate DH and I had a Chinese meal and opened the bottle of champagne our wine friends gave us when I was in hospital - it was a lovely evening which I certainly needed to see that life will get back to normal.

Thank you for calling by and reading my news. I'm sorry I haven't been blogging or blog reading much but although I have been home recovering I have not felt like using social media much. I feel like I've been in a black hole for most of these 17 weeks and at times it's been an effort to keep Needlecraft Haven and my wine forum going. However the last few weeks I have felt a little brighter in myself and I'm sure our french holiday will help.

Scissor keep and another Winter Wonderland

I really enjoyed making the scissor keep for Gill for the Needlecraft Haven Meet Up Exchange. I hadn't made one before in this style, but found it quite easy to stitch. It is the same idea as stitching a biscornu or coaster, a symmetrical square.

stitched square

I used an online chart to stitch my square, Gill had written that blue was her favourite colour so I used DMC Satin S931 and piece of blue evenweave from my stash (although I cannot remember now if it was 32ct or 28ct). I stitched it over one and followed the chart on my tablet as opposed to printing it off.

I chose a pale blue for the lining and cut both pieces to the same size, then attached then front side together. Turning was a little tricky, especially to get the corners out. Joining two edges together to make the pocket gave a neat line which I attached a button to make a fastener. All in all a lovely piece to stitch and finish.

stitching and backing fabric

stitched with button

finished piece

complete with scissors

I have been working on my next Winter Wonderland piece - Bluebird Cabin by Country Cottage Needleworks and have today finished it. There was quite a lot of snow which took a while, I do like it but I'm not sure I'll do the snow on the others that Justine gave me as it takes so long and I need quick pieces for my tree.

Bluebird Cabin

My next stitching is ...... well I'm not sure really. I have my autumn piece for the Four Season SAL on Needlecraft Haven, I have more pieces for Winter Wonderland, I have a few test pieces to have a go at and I have a gift to do ..... so after writing this I'll be spending an hour looking at those projects and choosing which comes first.

Two exchanges

A quiet month spent at home slowly recovering. We did have a few days away in Kent and Calais which you can read about at Aimetu's, it certainly did us good as we both needed a bit of away time. 

Hubby and I on Herne Bay Pier

It's been exchange time at Needlecraft Haven - Holiday Exchange and Meet Up Exchange.

The Holiday Exchange is in two parts: the first part we needed to choose and print a free online chart on a Christmas theme. This needed to be parceled up with suitable fabric and the relevant skeins of thread and sent to our partner for Opening Day on 1st July.

We had to include a card or note and although with or without your name, as there were only a few of us and we are spread around the world it would have been easy to see who your parcel was from anyway.

I received a lovely snowman chart which I'll add to my Winter Wonderland collection for church. The design was Snowman in my Window by Homespun Collectibles The fabric in my parcel was 28ct Mountain Blue evenweave with DMC 434, 501, 720, 822 and 844 as well as a skein of white and black.

My Holiday Exchange parcel 

The second part of this exchange is to now stitch the design and finish it how ever you choose ready to include a photo in the Holiday Exchange Gallery when it opens on 1st September. That's when we find out officially who sent our exchange parcel.

The other exchange, Meet Up Exchange, is the one we set up at each meet up. We write our details in a card along with a few extra details relevant to the exchange theme. This time the item to be stitched was either a scissor fob or scissor holder and should be in the colour stated in the card.

We picked cards at random making sure we didn't choose our own. The meet up was 22nd April and opening day was today.

I've received a lovely fob stitched by Angi in my favourite colour lilac. The flowers are beautiful and such a clever idea to stitch on both sides - thank you Angi.

I'll share photos of the scissor fob/holder I stitched in my next blog as my partner has not yet posted about it. 

I have also stitched a gift piece but I can't share that just yet. At the moment I'm working Country Cottage Needleworks 'Bluebird Cabin' which was gifted to me by Justine. It will be another ornament for my Winter Wonderland tree at church, it's coming along nicely.

Bluebird Cabin 

Thanks for calling by to read my news - happy stitching 

Little by little

I haven't blogged for a while, on here or my travel blog Aimetu's. I'm still not mobile and find many things too much just now; reading, stitching, watching tv, so there hasn't been much to blog.

However this last week I have finished a few things and started a new project so hopefully I'll feel like doing a bit more each day.

Little by little - it will all get better. 

So stitching, first of all I have finished the little design Vickie from A Stitcher's Story sent me - it's not made up as I'll be doing all the finishing of my church ornaments in one go. I love it - thank you Vickie it will be perfect on my tree.

Festive Greetings 

My second piece is my Summer stitching for Needlecraft Haven's Four Season's SAL. I loved doing the bright colours. The Gallery is open on NH so I can share it there too and next month we start our Autumn projects, where is the year going?

Summer - Four Season's SAL

My other piece is rather special - I had started it just before I had my fall and it needed to be completed for mid May. It was a struggle as I found it so hard to concentrate on the chart. I was very very nervous about finishing it so I did a bit at a time and I was very pleased with it.

It's a wedding sampler for our niece and her new husband who got married in Mexico on May 27th. Natalie is the first of our children's generation in the family to get married, a beautiful setting too.

Natalie & Kevin's beautiful wedding

Their colour scheme was blush and gold 

Wedding Sampler 

Corded edging and 'congratulations' ribbon

Blush backing 

I had a little surprise gift myself the other day. My stitching friend Mary, whose blog is Le Coeur Celtique and lives in France, made and sent me the most gorgeous project bag. The fabric is absolutely me - thank you Mary.

My gorgeous project bag from Mary 

The project I am working on is for the Needlecraft Haven Meet Up Exchange - this was organised at our Get Together on 22nd April - you can read about it in my previous blog here. We're making scissor keeps this time, I'm half way through the stitching then the exciting bit begins........the finishing!

Thank you for calling by, hopefully I'll be blogging again soon.