Happy St David's Day

Welcome to March, the month that brings signs of warmer days, more daylight and new life as it is the first month of spring. Today is also St David's Day, the patron saint of Wales.

Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus - Happy St David's Day

It's also the day I traditionally get out my grandmother's vase and have daffodils in our home from now until after Easter.

Spring daffodils in my
Grandmother's vase 

This year I have baked a bara brith as our Welsh celebration, we're not having lamb for dinner but I may have a small glass of Welsh whisky.

Here's a few things I was working on at the end of February, I'm saving full finishes for my FFG post in March.

I finished another cover kit, this was Margaret Sherry's Relax with Archie. I have four of these but he was quite tricky to do from the picture and it needed two kits worth of thread so I could only do one more if I can be bothered.

Fingers crossed he will fit on his armchair.

Archie 

Margaret Sherry's cover kit

Will he fit?

I also stitched two more cover kit. Piglet was a small one to do, every loves Disney and he does look very happy. My other kit was an RSPCA dog, I'd take him home, he's adorable.

Piglet

RSPCA dog

This year I am doing Stitching the Night Away SAL with the ladies at Needlecraft Haven. It is actually a 2019 SAL so we have the full year's charts already but we are stitching one block per month. February's block was blackwork but I chose a pink variegated thread.

Block 2

My two blocks - I will be finishing them individually
but wanted to stitch them all together

My orts jar is filling up, I can see the threads from my February projects. I have quite a few already planned for March so there should be quite a few more this month too.

Two month's of orts

Finally a huge THANK YOU to everyone who has pledged to stitch a flower for my 'bouquet', thank you too for sharing my request on your own blogs.

Can you help me make a bouquet? - is my previous post about my church tree for this year. If you would like to help please leave a comment on that post or on this one and I will pass on my postal details.

These are the two flowers I have already stitched ... I have sorted the threads for the next ones which I'm hoping to do later in March.

Pansy

Lilly

Thank you for all your well wishes, they really do help especially the days after my chemotherapy treatment. This last time I didn't go out for nine days, five of which I was sofa bound, just about shuffling to the bathroom. But now it's passed I am feeling like myself and managing to walk round town shopping.

It is so so hard to hold on to why the doctors give such an aggressive treatment that makes you feel so ill, especially as there will be eight cycles of it stretching into the summer ..... however last week we had some fantastic news .... my latest scan shows the chemotherapy is working!

My next treatment is the 9th, being honest I do not want to go, more needles and horrid side effects but this time I know it is the right thing to do and things are getting better 🌻

Could you help me make a bouquet?

As you may know I take part in my family's church Tree Festival every Christmas where there are 60 real trees all decorated in various themes. My tree is always full of stitched ornaments, if you haven't seen them before here's the links to a few.

The White Tree

Christmas Trio

Joy to the World

Family Tree

This year I would like to do a floral tree - A Bouquet of Flowers. 

Since my diagnosis I have received so many beautiful flowers which have certainly brought a smile to my face and lifted my spirits. This year I'd like to fill my Christmas tree with flowers ....... and I'm hoping you will help.

Each of my ornaments will be a mini hanging pillow with a flower head for each design, here's two I have stitched but not yet made up.

I have used 28ct but the flowers can be on any fabric with a design size of a maximum 3" x 3".

There is no need to make up the mini pillow, if you stitch on a piece of fabric 6" x 6" and send it to me I will make up all the mini pillows using a variety of backing fabrics and ribbons for hanging making a colourful display.

By sending just the stitched piece it should not be too much postal costs.... I live in the UK so some post will be overseas.

It would be absolutely superb if you would help me make my 'bouquet' - please leave a comment if you would like to help and I will reply with my postal address.

Huge thank you 🌹

Gifted Gorgeousness - February

Gifted Gorgeousness is hosted by Jo at Serendipitous Stitching - on the 15th of every month we post about any item we have either gifted or had gifted or have used that was once gifted. Our posts are linked to Jo's blog so we can see each other's Gifted Gorgeousnesses.

Every year Christine (The Alchymyst's Study) hosts a competition to guess how many finishes she will have, how many books she will read and how many pairs of shoes she will buy during the year.

For 2019 I guessed 74 finishes, 47 books and 11 pairs of shoes. To my amazement I was closest as Christine had 73 finishes, read 41 books and bought 12 pairs of shoes. I had no idea I had won until this beautiful parcel arrived - thank you Christine.

I love this mini pillow 

It's our daughter's birthday on 17th but as that is my next chemotherapy treatment we visited her in Cardiff last weekend. You can read about our time away on my Aimetu's - wine, food and travel blog. 

I tried a new style of decorating for her birthday cake. Inside it is a Victoria Sponge, on top fresh blueberries and raspberries, and round the sides melted sweets (boiled fruit sweets on baking paper in a medium oven for ten minutes). It was yummy and made a refreshing change from chocolate! 

I always stitch something for her, carrying on the cake theme I found a Tatty Ted baking design. I attached it to a tin and added some cake decorating tools inside.

Friday was opening day for Needlecraft Haven's Valentine Exchange which this year has been hosted by Mary. 

This was a non-stitchy exchange which is always fun to do. Our exchange parcels needed to include a pair of socks with the design of hearts or flowers and be pink or red. The parcel also needed to include two skeins of thread to match the socks and a signed card. 

After a false start .... I bought blue socks with butterflies on .... I finally sent Christine this exchange parcel, I did also include some heart shaped napkins and a chocolate heart for stirring in hot milk.

Valentine's Exchange for Christine 

My parcel was from Dusty; it was wrapped in beautiful fabric and ribbon. Inside were two lovely pairs of socks, chocolate and sweets. The card really made me laugh, thank you Dusty.

My parcel and super card

Valentine's Exchange from Dusty

Another lovely month for Gifted Gorgeousness, I wonder what March will bring. 

Secret Stitching Sweetheart Blog Hop

The lovely Jo has again organised another Blog Hop for us all for Valentine's, thank you Jo.

Secret Stitching Sweetheart is exactly that .... a secret. I have been sent this beautiful heart design, the stitches are gorgeous.

Thank you Secret Stitching Sweetheart

I hope the stitcher of this beautiful design will pop by and reveal herself ..... I will be hopping around everyone's blogs to find who has my design. You can find all the Secret Stitching Sweetheart blogs on Jo's blog page at Serendipitous Stitching  ....... here's the link 💕

Fully Finished Gallery - February

I have been stitching old cover kits to make cards to sell at our Scout Group events. I've had these kits for many years and I no longer have the charts so I'm stitching from the picture haha.

I'm going to get some stickers saying 'Best Wishes' 'Happy Birthday' 'Just for You' and put them in the card packs so whoever buys them can choose which they put on.

I have also made up the penguin card from the kit Justine sent me and I used for this month's Let the People Choose post.

The Fully Finished Gallery is hosted by Rachel at Ten Hour Stitcher and encourages usto finish our projects instead of them sitting in a box.

Thank you Rachel for hosting this, I'm new to these postings but it's great fun to not only put up my finishes but to see everyone else's work, and I know these cards for have been stitched and put to one side before.

Penguins - Let the People Choose

This month is penguins .... I have nothing to do with penguins ..... until Justine sent me some charts from her stash, you can see them in my GG for January.

This year I am stitching up old cover kits I have had for ages. I'm making them into cards to be sold at our Scout Group's fundraising events. One of the charts Justine sent is a penguin card .... perfect for this post and another one for scouts, thank you Justine.

My card kit from Justine

I have just finished this tonight so the photo is pre-ironing. I'll mount it in the card next week. I didn't realise it was fully stitched so it took a while.

My finished penguin

I am late posting my 'Let the People Choose' for two reasons; one I have just finished stitching it, and two, I didn't realise it was a first Saturday of the month post and I got caught out!

I'll know next month, hopefully I'll be ready with my 'coffee' items.

In to February we go ...

The 2nd of February, well well here we are. I cannot believe a month has passed since Philippa and I started Dry January. There were many days when a glass of something would have been lovely.

Thank you to everyone for your support and kindness. We've raised just over £1500 which will help my hospital's Breast Care Unit and Cancer Research UK, superb, thank you!

Philippa was home this weekend to celebrate. I haven't felt good after last week's treatment so it was lovely to have her here, there is a lot of healing in a hug.

As I hadn't been out since Tuesday, and the sun was peeking through, we had lunch in the garden to celebrate with a glass of champagne .... well wrapped up as it was nippy.

Thank you everyone for supporting
Clare and Philippa - Drop the Gin 

Our garden picnic with plenty of layers

It seems a very long road but the journey has begun. We'll be making the most of my good times with little trips away and more family times ..... each day is a step closer.

This year at Needlecraft Haven we are doing Stitching the Night Away's 2019 SAL. The chart is downloadable here - those of us taking part are stitching a block a month. Our finishes are personal choices, I'm making mine into coasters but maybe when they are all done.

Block 1

My orts collection is off to a good start with my January stitching, it's lovely to see colours from specific projects in the mix.

January orts

Happy February stitching everyone, I'm hoping to get on with a few things this month.