Gifted Gorgeousness April

I am really enjoying taking part in Jo's Gifted Gorgeousness SAL - it's surprising how many items are stitched as gifts or are a result of a gift to me. I think I've begun to look for more gifts to do since joining the SAL :)

I stitch on a rotation which I find helps me stitch far more than doing one project at a time, and importantly I seem to get things done for easier deadlines too. At the moment my main stitching is my Drawn Thread December - this is the final one in the series and I'm stitching on this at the weekends. Is it a Gift? Well yes I guess so, it is a gift to the house as the finished pieces are displayed for their month on our mantle, and it will be a gift to me to be finally finished :-) Here's my progress so far:

The Drawn Thread - December

Earth's Sampler from The Primitive Needle is my Tuesday piece and it's growing well. I was so lucky to win Gillie's Gift - it's a lovely piece which I'm stitching on 32ct Jobelan in ivory. I'm not sure why the photo looks pinky, must be the shadowing.

Earth's Sampler - The Primitive Needle

I have a few secret gifts to stitch for later this year - I cannot say much about them as both are for people who read my blog however I will show the start of my first piece. I'm not going to share the design name but I'm sure you'll see it's a Lizzie Kate design. It will stay hidden now until complete and has been given :)

A secret gift 

That's all my stitching for GG15 for April - but I must just share a few gifts of nature. The birds are becoming so tame they visit the garden even when we're sitting outside or pottering round doing the flowers and weeding. Can you see the robin? He comes really close and looks straight at me :)

Can you see him?

He's under the bird table - but popped out just after the photo
was taken and came right over to  eat from the little pot

 I also had a blackbird call by whilst I was having a coffee break - he kept hiding behind the pots but always had a beady eye on me.

Espresso coffee enjoyed in my favourite cup

Blackbird caught calling by

We're off to France tomorrow for the weekend. We're going with two other couples, all meeting at the services on the A2 and travelling together from there. It will be a wine, beer, food shopping weekend along with visits to a Montreuil sur Mer which is a ramparted town and the inspiration for Victor Hugo's Les Miserables. Not surprisingly one of my favourite places.

It will be a bit of a celebration too as one couple's wedding anniversary is Friday, the other on Saturday - what a co-incidence. We'll also be raising a glass to my Dad on Saturday - I cannot believe three years has gone by, I miss him so much every day. Because we're away I visited the church yesterday, it's so peaceful there and a chance meeting of the warden has seen me enrolled again to do the piano corner for the Flower Festival in August, seems that piano now has my name on it :)

For Dad xx 

And on the theme of church I have a little Gift request - every year the church also holds a Christmas Tree Festival. The building is filled with 60 real trees, each one sponsored by groups or individuals and decorated on a theme. Last year I did Miss-Tree with girlie themed ornaments; shoes, handbags, perfume, clothes. I have some angel lights too which looked very effective.

2014 Tree Festival - Miss Tree

This year my theme is 'Joy to the World' and my gift request is to ask if anyone would like to stitch a small ornament on the theme of joy to be added to my tree. It would be amazing if some of the joy ornaments came from around the world - a true 'Joy to the World'

If you'd like to make and send an ornament please email me aimetu.clare@googlemail.com for details - thank you :)