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. 

A little craft work

Since my fall I have struggled to concentrate on sewing and reading but since last week things have improved. A have a check up Thursday at the hospital so fingers crossed it's good news.

So sewing wise - I have finished stitching a gift which needs final assembly tomorrow before it travels to its new home.

I also assembled my new stitch box. You can read about my old box and the stitching of my new top in my Upcycling post. Here's my new box with its new lid.

My new stitch box 

I also managed to finish April's Challenge on Needlecraft Haven. I made mine into an ornament for my church tree which will be in blue and white with a Winter Wonderland theme.

April Challenge

Vickie, whose blog is A Stitcher's Story, sent me a couple of pages from a magazine (Just Cross Stitch I think) with a lovely design for my tree. I've already started stitching, although I'm not doing the wording, thanks Vickie.

Great design from Vickie

My start

I couldn't finish posting without sharing a photo of these gorgeous hand made notelets - Gill made them and they were part of my goody bag at the Needlecraft Haven Meet Up - they are beautiful, thanks Gill

Gill's gorgeous notelets 

Thanks for calling by; I'll be back at the weekend with hospital news.

Nuneaton Spring Meet Up

Yesterday was Meet Up Day for members of Needlecraft Haven, I had arranged for us to meet at our scout HQ but due to my accident I decided it best to meet here at our house. I could then keep resting my legs,

Before I post about our day I'd like to say a HUGE thank you to Angi, Gill, Julie, Justine and my Mum who all helped with various parts of the day:

taxi from and back to the station

tea/coffee making

exchange organising

cake cutting

Thank you too to my stepdad for the delicious carrot cake and of course to my Hubby who is as always amazing !

As I said I was resting my legs so stayed propped up on my bed, everyone sat around in our 'bedroom' conservatory - it was cost but such a great day full of laughter. 

Gill, Justine, my Mum, Angi and Julie - oh and my toes !!

I love the Goody Bag exchange - every time the bags are so different although based on a theme. Our Goody Bag theme this year was 'My Favourite Place'

Goody Bag exchange 

I had intended to do France for mine but after recent events my favourite place is certainly my home and garden. Mum was my shopper and helped me put together the gifts. Unfortunately Jardin Privé are away so the pdf chart I have order will be sent later. I put a voucher in the bag and once the chart is her I'll post it on to Justine who was the winner of my bag. 

Home and Garden - my Favourite Place

I was the lucky winner of Gill's bag - she had also picked home as her favourite place, My bag was full of lovely items: a mug with tea and coffee, notelets, framed saying, a book, wine, seeds and a beautiful stitched coaster - thank you Gill

My gorgeous good bag from Gill 

At all the Meet Ups we have a book exchange, everyone wraps up a book which can be new, charity shop, previously enjoyed, in fact from anywhere. The books are raffled making sure no-one ends up with the one they put in. 

Our book exchange

My book was from Justine - The Muse by Jesse Burton, who wrote the Miniaturist (which I have read and did enjoy) Since my fall I haven't done much stitching or reading, I cannot seem to focus but I have already started this book (5am this morning as I couldn't sleep) so fingers crossed my reading will return, I did do quite a bit of stitching yesterday too so that may be improving too.

My book from Justine 

 At each Meet Up we always organise a stitching exchange - an item to be stitched and posted to a secret partner. We each complete a notelet with details of our name, address, the item to be stitched, date for receiving and any relevant notes to help choose designs/colours. The notelets are put in envelopes and we each pick one making sure we don't have our own. We don't open the notelets until we are back home so it's a real secret as to who stitches for who until the items have been stitched, sent and opened. 

This time we are stitching a scissor fob, either to hold scissors or to hang from the handles, the only restriction is it must be in the colour written in the notelet by our partner - exciting!

Last meet up we had to stitch a needlecase - have a look at my Needlecase post to read about it and my tutorial post on how I made my needlecase for Gill.  

Everyone had brought their needlecase with them. It was lovely to see all the beautiful items in person, such lovely stitching and finishing. 

The front side of our beautiful needlecases

The reverse side of our beautiful needlecases

It's always a lovely day when we get together and yesterday was the perfect boost for me - thank you again to my Needlecraft Haven friends, and my Mum. 

I have been extremely spoilt since my fall, so many beautiful flowers and gifts includng these lovely ones from Angi, Gill, Justine and Julie yesterday - a surprise bouquet from Brittany Ferries - and another surprise from our scout group. 

Thank You Justine

Thank You Julie

Thank you Angi & Gill

Thank you Brittany Ferries

Thank you Nuneaton North Scout Group

Update on my legs: I have had the stitches out of my left leg and it's now in a solid cast for 4 more weeks. My right leg is still in a boot and as my foot mends I am increasing the amount of weight so by the time my left foot comes out of plaster into a boot I'll be able to walk on my right foot.

Thank you for all the kind messages - they are very much appreciated