September update - giveaway winner announced

I cannot believe it's the end of September and we are just three months away from 2020!

I was very slow this month stitching my Temperature Quilts as we were away but I have now completed them both to 28th. The hot weather in France is very clear on my day quilt and a warm evening on my night quilt.

Temperature Quilt - day

Temperature Quilt - night 

I have been doing some more hardanger for my church tree but not ornaments. I've found an old chart in my stash for making a hardanger angel so I decided to make one for the top of my tree.

The chart is not the easiest to follow. It's a good job hardanger is something I know how to do as I don't think it would suit a beginner. It's looking ok so far and hopefully will turn out ok.

My angel 

In my September Gifted Gorgeousness post I offered the seasonal hearts chart by The Needle and I that I had previously won on Rosie's blog.

The winner is ........ Jocodine

Please email me aimetu.clare@hotmail.com so I can post it to you - congratulations.

Next month is Halloween so my focus for a while is doing my exchange stitching for Needlecraft Haven's Halloween Exchange - always an exciting exchange, this time we have to also include a trick and a treat !

Gifted Gorgeousness - September

It's that time of month when we share gifts we have sent or received. It's hosted each month by the lovely Jo at Serendipitous Stitching.

At the moment I am in France enjoying a birthday (it was 10th) trip. We spent my birthday in Sancerre which is my favourite wine region. You can read about it in my latest blog post on Aimetu's- wine, food and travel.

I was stunned by the beautiful Sancerre bottle my friend Sarah decorated for me, it really is a work of art.

As we were going way I opened my gifts on Sunday - thank you Julie for the lavender cream, mats and zipper pouch, all so very useful. Thank you Christine for my Michael Powell book, there are some great designs in it. 

My gifts from Julie

My book from Christine

A while back I won one of Rosey's giveaways - Seasonal Hearts. I have finally stitched them, I did change the summer design as the original was very American.

Stitched on 11count plastic canvas using half stitches.

I'm offering the chart as a giveaway to anyone else who would like to stitch these hearts - I'm happy to post anywhere. I'm sorry I do not have a photo of the chart but it is on my GG February post.  Please let me know in the comments if you would like to be entered into this giveaway.

Finally here are two coasters I stitched for our friend's daughter and husband who have just moved into their first bought home. 

Thank you for calling by, I hope you've had a good GG September- au revoir from France!

As September begins ...

We've a busy month this month, it's my birthday month and we're going to France for 12 days. My Temperature Quilt has certainly had some changes in colour due to our holidays so far. I've stitched to August 31st but September stitching maybe a little late. Here's how they look now.

Temperature Quilt  - day time 

Temperature Quilt  - night time

The latest hot days and nights are from our few days in London. This trip was my treat to put the last two years behind us. We had a super time including Afternoon Tea at The Waldorf Hotel and a evening at the theatre to see Les Mis in concert.

I've blogged about our few days in the capital on my wine, good and travel blog - Aimetu's. Here's the link to each blog post:

Afternoon Tea at the Waldorf

My London treat 

I have been working on a seasonal chart that I received as a gift from Rosey in one of her giveaways. I have one piece to do and hope to have it finished in time for GG September although I'll have to take it on holiday to finish it.

I'm also hoping to get a few more hardanger ornaments stitched for my tree, which reminds me I need to order some more perle cotton.

I love cooking for dinner parties, especially if a themed evening. Last month we held a Turkish evening for our friends who are coming to Turkey with us in October. They have not been before.

I wanted a table runner but the one I found was very expensive. By chance Hubby and I popped into a charity shop where I picked up the perfect solution .... a silk scarf, it looked amazing.

Our Turkish dinner

Turkish nibbles

Baklava, Turkish Delight 

It was a great evening, I loved making the food. We did buy bread, baklava and the Turkish Delight from a Continental store that sells food from all around the world. I'll be cooking this again as two of our friends could not make the evening and having seen the photos have asked if we'll do it for them.

To end my not very stitchy post I have some photos to share. Our daughter and her partner have just returned from a holiday in Malta. Hubby and I have said it's somewhere we would like to visit too. They had a super time, staying in three separate locations so managed to explore all the island and Gozo.

One reason for choosing this Mediterranean island was my Dad was stationed there at the end of WWII. Her partner's grandfather was also there for a short while although we are not sure where exactly.

We do know where my Dad was from his photographs. He served in the Royal Navy in the R. N. Hospital in Bighi which is on the cliffs at Valetta. We managed to find the building on Google maps, amazingly it is still there so whilst on holiday they were hoping to visit.

Not only did they find the building but our daughter managed to stand in exactly the same spot as my Dad had stood in his photo.

Dad in his Navy whites aged 19 - 1946

Philippa - 73 years later !

Dad's photo of the hospital at night

Philippa with the hospital in the background - I love this photo

I was moved to tears when I saw the photos, tears of happiness and tears of sadness. I so wish I could show him but I'm sure he was looking down with pride.

I hope your September brings flying needles, peace and tranquillity as we move into the autumnal time of year.

Temperature Quilt - no red this week

A quick update on my Temperature Quilt. It's been much cooler here so no red on my day chart this week. It's been quite a wet week too and very windy!

The forecast is for warmer days next week, we're in London for a few days and it's usually warmer there than here in the Midlands.

Temperature Quilt  - day

Temperature Quilt  - night

It's great fun doing these quilts however I am still undecided on how to finish them.

Gifted Gorgeousness - August

It's Gifted Gorgeousness time - on the 15th of each month we share our latest gifts. Any gift given or received and any item made using fabric, threads, buttons, ribbon, chart, backing fabric that has been gifted is also allowed in our GG posts. 

This great idea is hosted each month by the lovely Jo at Serendipitous Stitching,  if you visit her blog you'll find the links to everyone's Gifted Gorgeousness posts. 

I have a few things this month to share, the first items are very special. Our super daughter and her boyfriend have moved into a new flat, no more sharing, this is just for them. 

As a new home gift I stitched them a zodiac coaster each and we bought them matching mugs. They were delighted with them. The designs were in an old magazine and matched the mugs perfectly. 

Zodiac coasters 

Coasters and matching mugs.

 Our lovely Philippa and her boyfriend Michael

As I was stitching for them I also made our son a coaster. This one I designed myself. He organises and runs game nights for his friends, they play Dungeons and Dragons. He's the Dungeon Master!

He loved his D & D coaster 

A while ago I stitched this for Hubby's sister who will be 60 in October. She lives in Michigan so we gave her her card and gifts when she visited the UK in June. She couldn't resist opening them which is why I can share the photo now.

Gift for my sister-in-law 

My final gift this month is a rose I bought for my Mum to say thank you for all her help whilst I recovered from my fall. It's a pink patio rose called 'thank you and I found the perfect colour matching pot at the garden centre.

Thank you patio rose

It's great to at last be able to show the gifts I made, there are a couple more but they will have to wait until next GG as I haven't given them yet.

Summer Postcard Blog Hop

I've received a beautiful postcard from Katie as part of Jo's Summer Postcard Blog Hop. It's a lovely design, beautiful stitching too.

Here's Katie's postcard and message.

Hello Friend. 

Great Smoky Mountains is a beautiful place to visit in the United State of America. One city in particular is Gatlinburg, Tennessee. 

My husband and I was celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary in 2011 and we rented a cabin in the mountains. It was a wonderful vacation. 

There is a stitching store in Pigeon Forge a very nearby town and I bought this pattern to remember the trip. 

Katie from Ft Wayne, Indiana

Thanks Katie for your lovely postcard.

You can hop around everyone's blog to see the othet postcard that have been received.

Jump over to Katie's at http://dragonsluver.blogspot.com

and don't forget to visit Jo's blog too http://www.serendipitousstitching.blogspot.co.uk

Happy Summer Postcard Hopping!

Summer Exchange with Needlecraft Haven

Yesterday was Opening Day for Needlecraft  Haven's Summer Exchange.  Those members who signed up had to choose between a dog or cat theme - I chose dog. 

We had to then stitch a pin cushion for our partner, and send it with a card signed 'love from everyone at Needlecraft Haven' as it was a secret exchange. That said with just four of us signing up I think we all knew who was sending to who, obviously I did as I organised the exchange hee hee

I was sending to Mary who chose a dog theme and Mary was sending to me ... I also wanted a dog themed pin cushion. I decided to stitch Lizzie Kate's 'dog leave paw prints' chart and made a pin cushion using an old Pandora charm box. I loved the design and planned to stitch it for myself when I get a chance.

I was absolutely delighted when I opened my parcel yesterday morning .... Mary had stitched me the same design. I absolutely love it. She has made a box finish pin cushion which will be perfect when I'm using the sewing machine ... I have quite a bit of machine sewing to do soon too. 

My gorgeous pin cushion from Mary

As well as the pin cushion Mary also sent three doggy charms, some beautiful fabric and a wheel of pins. Thank you Mary for a super exchange parcel.

My Summer Exchange from Mary

As I said I stitched the same design but I stitched it over one so it would fit on top of the small box. I couldn't find a charm small enough for the bone so had to stitch one instead. Inside I lined the box with some dog fabric and made a soft cushion for pins using felt and wadding. I have not made one of these before, it turned out really well and I might make one for myself (using a different design) for when I'm hand sewing as I use less pins than when machine sewing. 

I found a small dog cross stitch kit in my stash so added it to Mary's Exchange parcel and luckily I found a dog card in my card box. I've really enjoyed taking part in this year's Needlecraft Haven Summer Exchange. 

The top of the box pin cushion I made for Mary

Mary's pin cushion box from the side

Inside the box

The Summer Exchange Parcel I sent to Mary

For Gifted Gorgeousness July I had nothing to share so offered two charts as gifts - my lovely Hubby has picked the winners ....... drum roll ......

Shepherd's Bush Be Warm was won by Ariadne 

Lizzie Kate's One Hundred Years was won by Rachel 

I'll be emailing you both and popping the charts in the post soon - congratulations.

This month I will have a few gifts to share, two special ones as yesterday our daughter and her boyfriend moved into a new flat .... no more sharing with others .... and I have stitched them a little something sssshhhhh!