Temperature SAL and May Round Up

It's been a busy month with plans slightly changed due to the exciting news of our daughter's engagement. I have stitched more than last month but I could have stitched more time allowing. 

I haven't stitched many of my own letters but I have finished all I have including the lovely letters from Faith and Lynne. I'll be including them in June's Fully Finished Objects post. 

My Temperature SAL is growing, my summer band now has 8 flowers and you can see the warmer colours appearing. 

We are on holiday next month in Germany, I wonder how that will appear on the band. 

I have been working on my tablecloth, the hardanger edging is taking much longer than I thought. I'm hoping to take it away and at least get to complete it all round. 

My time this month has also been taken up sorting and cleaning my late Dad's scouting pennants. It was a tradition in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s to collect a pennant from any camps, either for the event or the place. The pennants have been left in a bag for many years and as there are a few coronation ones I decided it was time to sort, wash and  mend them. 

I will be mending the coronation ones tomorrow and restringing them to hang over the weekend although I will not be leaving the out the front as they are too precious to me. The photos show how they were, them sorted and then hanging to dry on the line. 

I guess it has been a busy month but just not stitching wise, I wonder how much I will get done in June with all the Jubilee festivities and our holiday. 

May Smalls

 

Mary at Mary's Thread is the lovely host of the Smalls SAL. On the last Friday of the month we share our small stitching items that we have completed but not necessarily fully finished. As today is Saturday you can see I'm a day late in posting ... oops.

I have not stitched as much this month, I'm not sure why but I have been working on my tablecloth and finishing some more lovely letters se t in the post. I have also been stitching for the Needlecraft Haven Jubilee Exchange so although I only have two Smalls to show I think I have actually been busy.

My letters are L for my grandmother Lilian and a second E for Ernest the na e of both my grandfathers.

Ha ha I've just remembered I also stitched an autumn ornament for the Topsy Turvy SAL this month. 

It's been a busy two weeks too: the secret week build up, the exciting weekend celebrating and the rest when back home. What am I talking about? Our daughter's engagement! 

There's more photos on my previous blog post Engagement but here's the happy couple. 

Mary has a link up post on her blog so we can pop over to see everyone's work, it's super to see all the lovely stitching. Thank you Mary for hosting this great SAL. 

Engagement 🥂

On Friday our daughter and her super boyfriend got engaged. We've had a super weekend in Cardiff celebrating.

On the way we called a White Castle vineyard so we could celebrate with a glass of Welsh sparkling wine 

We're delighted, they are a super couple. Exciting times ahead 🥂

TTSAL May - Autumn

 

It's been all about autumn, a strange stitch with the garden coming into bloom but that's the ethos of Topsy Turvy stitching. 

The autumn theme is the theme for June too which is good for me as I haven't stitched anything on my tablecloth. This will hopefully be remedied in June as I'm taking it away with us as my holiday stitching. 

I have been looking at a Durene Jones design for a while and have finally stitched her autumn piece in the series.

I'll certainly be stitching the other designs, in the relevant Topsy Turvy SAL of course. 

Gifted Gorgeousness in May

Gifted Gorgeousness is hosted each month by the lovely Jo at Serendipitous Stitching. GG, on the 15th of each month, is when we share our latest gifts. These can be gifts given or received, or any item made using fabric, threads, buttons, ribbon, chart, backing fabric that has been gifted. If you visit Jo's blog you'll find the links to everyone's Gifted Gorgeousness posts.

My first gift is the beautiful egg card I received from Mary as part of the Needlecraft Haven Easter Exchange. I'll be making it into an ornament to hang on my Easter Tree next year.

I've shown this before but it is a gift so I've included it again. This is the Easter card I sent to Mary for the same exchange, aren't those bunnies just the cutest ! 

Yet again the generosity and kindness of my fe,low stitchers and bloggers has been amazing for this year's church tree. I have received so many  beautiful letters, Faith sent these four. They are her family's initials, all different, all so lovely, thank you Faith. 

And Lynne sent these beautiful letters, such great designs and stitch variations, thank you Lynne. 

Stitching is such a generous hobby in many ways, not just the physical stitched gifts we make with love but the very special gift of friendship we have. 

Fully Finished Objects in May

 

Rachel, Ten Hour Stitcher, hosts Fully Finished Objects, a super chance for us to show and tell about the crafty items we have completely finished. Thanks Rachel, your FFO prompt each month really helps me finish my projects, especially my letters for this year church tree.

My first FFO was the Easter card I made for Mary as part of the Needlecraft Haven Easter Exchange. Mary sent me a lovely card that I am hoping to turn into an ornament but I didn't have time for this month's check in. 

I have received so many beautiful letters for the Alphabet Tree. I'm loving finishing them as they arrive, my box is full of super ornaments. I received the A and M from Gill, she has already sent her own initials but has stitched these for one of the Needlecraft Haven ladies who is unwell and cannot stitch her own. You are so kind Gill, thank you. 

Can you guess who sent these two letters? Thank you DJ they are so so pretty, you are very kind. 

I have stitched finished six letters; some are the DMC pattern and two the Assisi. The letters are: 

I - Iris, my maternal grandmother 

E - Ernest, my maternal grandfather 

K - Keith, my stepdad

J - John, my mother-in-law's partner

R - Ronald, my father-in-law 

And a special letter, the only one in white, for Sybil, my mother-in-law who passed earlier this year. Yellow roses were her favourite. 

I haven't made anything else up this month although I do have some stitching that needs finishing. Hopefully I can have a making up day sometime soon. 

Topsy Turvy SAL - Autumn

The tulips are in bloom and the trees are looking green but the Topsy Turvy SAL this month is autumn... this actually is the theme for June too. 

I am hoping to do more on my hardanger tablecloth and a design I have been looking at for a while. 

Here's a few ideas for autumn: 

 Prive has a super design with her season trees - link

Durene Jones has a huge collection of free charts on her Facebook page 

The design choice for autumn has so many options but save any spooky stitching for July.

You could stitch pumpkins, leaves, trees, fruit, almost any design could be used. 

This is the beautiful project keeper that Mary stitched for me a few years ago. The design is a free chart from Tiny Modernist 

An Album will be open on 20th in the Facebook Group and at Needlecraft  Haven. Please share your stitching on your blog on or after the 20th too.

Happy stitching!