2018 - a year of gifts

It's been a year full of gifts as many of my friends had significant birthdays; last year I sent my stitchy friends a book for their birthdays so this year I stitched them a bookmark; our friends' daughter got married and our daughter moved home.

My stitching always has to have a purpose before I stitch it, I like to know what it will be or where is it going. All my stitching this year has been either gifts or exchanges with one exception .... finishing my Sampler Bouquet. 

My beautiful Sampler Bouquet

I've enjoyed stitching all these pieces and have fond memories of stitching them on our various holidays - the felt stockings were all cut out in France, the bookmarks stitched on various weekends away and the wedding sampler was stitched in Portugal.

Philippa's sewing box for her birthday 

Bookmarks for all my stitching friends here and overseas

Bookmark for Niki

Wine labels for Dave's 60th birthday 

A gift for Philippa in her new home 

Wedding gift for a super couple 

60th birthday gift for my friend in Norway

60th wine cloth for my friend Kay 

Coasters for my friends

I made 17 stockings which now hang on Christmas Trees
 all over the world - these photos are from some of my friends

Thank you everyone who has visited Aimetu's Stitching in 2018, your comments are very much appreciated, thank you.

Wishing you all a Happy New Year and many stitching happy dances in 2019.

Christmas Thank You

It's been a lovely Christmas with our daughter here for a week; she has gone back home to Cardiff today. We also had our son home instead of serving others at the hotel; lovely but bittersweet as it was due to him having a motorbike accident on 19th December and badly breaking his wrist. He needed an operation and a plate but his check up at the hospital today shows everything is in place and should heal well.

Christmas dinner was for eight at our house: the four of us, my mum and step-dad, Hubby's mum and her partner. Traditional Turkey dinner with all the trimmings and a flaming Christmas pudding, lovely.

Thank you to my family for some very special gifts including a new stitching lamp from my Hubby.

My super new lamp

Thank you to my friends for their gifts, I really appreciate your thoughtfulness.

Thank you Gill, Christine, Dusty and Denise

Thank you Niki and Sue

Thank you Louise

Thank you Julie

Thank you Mary

Thank you Deb 

Even with the best intentions I have not been able to pick up a needle for over a week; son's accident, Christmas preparing, Christmas enjoying and Christmas resting ..... but today I am starting a new project for me.

Jardin Prive - La Pensée Positive

🥂 Happy New Year 🥂

🥂 wishing everyone a good time in 2019 🥂

Christmas Trees at our family church

Our family church holds a Christmas Tree festival every year with over 60 real trees. Each tree is sponsored and decorated by individuals, charity groups or businesses.

It's amazing each year how clever everyone is with their decorating ideas.

My tree this year was 'Christmas Trio' as I used some felt ornaments to I had made for our children over 25 years ago. They used to hang around our lounge but for many years have stayed in the attic. My Christmas Trio are Santa, Snowman and Tree, I added some gift tags and baubles too.

Christmas Trio tree

Santa, Snowmen and Trees

Christmas Poinsetta - Chris Reynolds

Looking towards the alter

Angel made of honesty petals

Ringing Remembers - Ansley Ringrts
Childhood Memory Tree - Mareen W

Stained glass window - Emmanuel

Christmas Quackers - Karen M

Gingerbread - Kelsey 'n Claire

Piggy Mellor's Tree - Steve Mellor and daughter

West side of the church 

Remembrance Tree - you can add
a star in memory of a loved one.

Stars for our dads

Poppy tree - Margaret K

Knitted Nativity

Enjoy this festive time with your loved ones, wishing you a very

 🎄 Merry Christmas 🎄

A special 60th birthday - GG December

It's the final Gifted Gorgeousness of 2018, huge thanks to Jo for organising our monthly gifted postings. It's lovely to see the gifts given and received. All the links to GG December are on Jo's blog Serendipitous Stitching. 

My final Gifted Gorgeousness is all about our friend's 60th birthday. Her and her husband came to ours for dinner a few days before her birthday. They had quite a surprise when Hubby and I opened the door dressed from 1950s era.

Mr and Mrs 1950

I had themed the whole evening around food of the 50s, starting with Babycham martini (using Bolney Wine Estate Rosso) in original glasses. Hubby found a bottles of Mann's beer which the chaps had in half pint glasses.

Babycham Mar

Accompanied by music of the time our meal began with prawn vol-a-vents. I had laid our table with my grandmother's tablecloth and used her vase for the carnations. The knives and forks were from my Dad as was the cruet set. Our friends were quite surprised when they saw the table laid.

1950s table

 Main course was chicken kiev, the new idea back then, served with a layered salad and new potatoes which I had scrubbed (today we cook them with skins on).

Chicken Kiev 

Layered salad 

I had great fun making the pud, a cake I haven't made for a while but will be making again as it was delicious. The whole meal was superb, a wonderful evening that we all enjoyed.

Pineapple Upsidedown Cake

As our friend loves Nicolas Feuillatte when visiting the champagne house in France in August we bought back an ice bucket for her.

I stitched a funny saying birthday chart on a wine cloth (originally stitched for my 50th by Julie) using waste canvas. Together with re-usable ice cubes and of course a bottle of bubbly it made a great gift .... she was delighted with it.

Nicolas Feuillatte gift

Women are like wine
they mature with age

It was a pleasure to plan, cook and stitch this celebration - I love special times and a 60th birthday is certainly one to celebrate !

Hubby with his pipe,
wearing his Dad's RAF tie

With the birthday girl 

A fabulous night !

Christmas Ornament Exchange

At this festive time of year Needlecraft Haven has it's biggest exchange. It's pure pleasure to be the host of such a warm forum, small in number but huge in friendship.

Christine organised our Christmas Exchange and linked everyone to a partner for whom we had to stitch a festive ornament.

Our Opening Day was 1st December and as this was a secret exchange we didn't sign our cards. It's always down to Postie when sending our exchanges, especially overseas, and this time one parcel took an extra week to reach it's destination.  We opened our parcels last Saturday but we only found out who had sent them on the 7th once the final parcel had safely arrived.

My parcel ready to send to my partner

The Chtistmasy parcel I received

My parcel was from Angi who has not been stitching much lately due to her health. It was so lovely to receive a piece of her work and to know she had picked up a needle again. I love my Snowman and he'll be hung on our tree when we put it up later in the month. As well as a card Angi also included a bar of Christmas chocolate - yummy, thanks Angi.

My super exchange from Angi

I love my Snowman

My partner was Justine. I decided to stitch a stocking design that is in my Donna Kooler book.  I stitched it on perforated paper and included some miniature snowmen and santas for Justine's two boys (I forgot to take a photo of them, oops)

The stocking I stitched for Justine

Every bit of this exchange has been great fun:

• finding out who I was stitching for
• choosing the chart, fabric and threads
• stitching
• sending the parcel with a card and extra treats
• receiving my parcel
• waiting for Opening Day
• opening my parcel and discovering the beautiful stitching
• finding out who had sent to me
• seeing and hoping my partner liked her gift
• discovering who had sent to who
• sharing photos to see everyone's beautiful work

Exchanges are far more than just stitching and sending an ornament, I love all the exchanges we do at Needlecraft Haven throughout the year - thank you Christine for organising another great Christams Exchange.