Merry Christmas one and all

I've not really had much time or energy for stitching this month. The boys constantly keep getting colds and bugs (it's the season for it everyone says - doesn't help us get any sleep lol Also this being Santa lark is really hard work especially when you have little ones to sort, things out of stock, in laws asking for help purchasing hi- tech presents with a week to go and the postman leaving a card for a parcel to say he'd left it at the sorting office to collect which was a two hour hike in driving rain. All this gave me the serious case of the hum bugs yesterday which was doubly upsetting as I love Christmas.

Anyway I have pretty much ticked off my to do list and have only the presents to put under the tree tomorrow and the mince pie to eat!

I haven't done much sorting of my presents but thinking I'll take stock and enjoy the sales. I know I'd like a new pair of scissors.

But one thing is certain this year I have fallen far short of my crazy 15 etc. I think this year I'll be mostly working on WIPs and hoping for a stash blitz.

I'm off to find a Christmas mini kit and put a festive movie on a settle down and keep my festive cheer in check.

I wish you all a very merry stress free Christmas and a wonderful stitchy New year

What a week!

I've been having a bit of a one this week. My tandem buggy broke...while I was out with the boys by myself. Was so stressful and had to wheel barrow the thing home. I then got a new inner tube for the big pram I have cos that has a toddler seat only to have the new inner tube blow out on me again while out.

Anyway I have managed to finish my littlest man's Christmas bauble. I needed something to destress with lol

So pleased it's done ready to put up with the decorations. I'm so excited for Christmas especially with my eldest being that bit older. He already went round the shopping centre looking up at the decorations cooing, so cute. He's not so sure about the creepy man in the red suit though lol

keep stitching...

Starry eyed

I'm seeing stars at the moment I've continued with the border on the baby afghan. I had ran out of the blue but continued with thought of going back round after.

I remembered last time I was out and picked up some of the blue, but you can never just buy one thread!

So I came home with some trim for the bauble I need to finish and some lovely wired Christmas ribbon that was so cheap it begged to come home!

I've only got 3 more squares to do once the stars are finished.

I have to say I have been missing my rotation so I'm going to get back onto that once the blanket is finished. I think it's been all those stars have given me a craving for variety. I'll have to dig out something festive. Hoping to pick up a bit of pace again now baby Henry is 3months old now, doesn't time fly and is starting to settle better on an evening, so watch this space.

Safe to say however I will be nowhere near completing my crazy Jan projects but it was fun and gave me the push to try rotating projects which has been well worth it. Can't believe this time last year I was a one at a timer!

Keep stitching...

On the door mat

 

Hearing a thud on the door mat always gives me a thrill as it usually heralds the arrival of one of my cross stitch magazine subs.

 

 

 

I can't wait to thumb through cooing I'm gonna stitch that and that and that!! I have a huge stack of back issues all with things just waiting to be rediscovered - oh yes I was going to stitch that wasn't I.

 

I think the best thing about them arriving is not the new additions to my to do list but the renewed vigour that it gives me for getting on with some serious stitching. I think its the thought of more to do that makes me think right best get cracking on.

 

I do tend to go through them whenever I get the 'I must stitch a card or something for X' bug or like my current project I knew I wanted to do an afghan and just going through the pile of magazines found the perfect designs for it.

 

 I know I'll always be daydreaming and stash increasing through reading them but I really wouldn't change having them thump through the door only to end up in the pile with the rest of them next month.

 

I haven't any progress to show its not very impressive - more like 10 stitches than 10 hours. Seems when one cherub is sleeping the other is fussing lol

 

I did find a little time to do my yearly pumpkin carving with a bit of hubby help so he's my vehicle pumpkins for my two boys!!! Just gotta find time to make the pies now.

 

Happy Halloween!

 

Keep stitching



Twinkle Twinkle

I'm still pluuging away at getting stitches in when I can.

I have finished another square albeit a small one....

I'm putting these all around the edge it has added fairly quickly so is nice to feel like I'm making more progress.

 

As requested by joysze here's the full afghan as I'm upto now

 

 



 

Starting to look good. I think I'm going to do a few more of the stars before moving onto more of the pictures.

 

 

Hubby also found me another item for my stash from the charity shop

 

 

 

Its another one untouched and a lovely geisha which is always a nice stitch.

 

 

Keep stitching....







Over the moon

Hi all

I know it's been a while...things are still bit hectic here but I'm getting there.

While things are getting easier with managing my 2 beautiful little boys, this bout of man flu has been a huge challenge. A newborn with a cold and a cough is no fun at all despite the doctor's reassurance. The poor fella has had a cold longer than not now in his 5 weeks. So when things should be settling into a pattern we aren't seeing the benefit due to fussing from his cold.

I am however through sheer determination and overtired eyes managing to get a few stitches in at a time. And slowly but surely here's the next square on the baby afghan....

I'm over the moon to have got this done mainly for my own sanity, it's the one thing I would say I wish I could have a little bit more me time for. I really don't mind spending most my time singing nursery rhymes and going to playgroups if only I can squeeze some stitching in.

Although I have to say I'm getting quite into playing with the wooden train set at the moment.

I'm not sure what me and the hubby are going to do when the boys are capable of putting the tracks together themselves ha ha!!!!

Here's to find a few more stitches....

Keep stitching

stash finds

 

 

I have been managing to get the odd stitch in which is nice. We're still getting to grips with being a family of four and juggling 2 small children but its great fun. Although the last couple of days we have had an outbreak of man flu - unfortunately having a house full of men it has hit us hard lol.

 

 

A few days ago we had a walk out and my hubby went into a few of the charity shops (as he does all the time to find trash ~ urm I mean treasure) He then came out to say I should go in and look as there was 'some cross stitch stuff' So this time it really was treasure I found a Lavender and Lace Santa chart unopened for £3

 

 

 And a Heritage Classics Lancaster bomber. I wasn't sure if it had been opened as I could see some masking tape but it looked like the threads and everything was in the pack so again for £3.50 it was worth the risk.

 When I got it home it only has masking round the edges and the centre marked with tacking stitches.

So is a complete kit. pretty good little haul huh?

Keep stitching.....

New arrival!!!!

I know its been a while since I've last updated........

Biggest news is the birth of my second son. Henry George was born on 3rd September weighing 7 pound 8. All doing well and just settling into our new life as a foursome. Vincent is doing well adjusting so far.

Before the birth I had managed to do a little bit more on the afghan.

Not sure when I will get more done but I'm hoping I can fit some stitching time in and catching up on blogs at least!!!

Catch you all soon.

Keep stitching...

slowing down

I haven't done much at the moment I'm pretty much slowing right down...I have managed to do some on the next square on the baby's afghan

I haven't really been able to keep track on the time I've spent on this but don't think Ive done the  hours. I think though I might be doing quite a bit on this project rather than the rotation just till things get settled down with the late stages of pregnancy and beyond.

Keep stitching...

Brilliant Bargains and Fustrating Freebies

Well where do I start.... I've had another busy week with the tot and feeling rather slow and heavy now. I can't believe that I'm now classed as full term and that baby is due to make an appearance soon - 29th August I'm due. It's gone super fast. My best friend also adopted this week and has a beautiful 9 month old baby girl - I'm smitten already!!

Firstly Motherly Devotion is recovering well from its coffee staining. I need to give another soaking and look at the threads but I think it's getting there

Before:                                                        After:

I have since been out to get some new boxes for my stitching to protect it from these kind of mishaps and to my good luck found a load of boxes in my local cheap department shop on sale.

These are going to be my current box which previously was a bag behind the sofa. The only thing is the snap frame doesn't fit but I think I'll just take the fabric off the frame when I'm not stitching for piece of mind. The big one was only a pound and the little box which will stop my bits and bobs heading to the bottom was 20p!!!! Bargain of the century!

Here it is in working order it nicely nestles on the back of the sofa next to me for easy access while stitching!

 I also got these draw boxes for the bedroom and these have my projects currently in rotation in. And guess what they were only a pound each too!! I did get quite few of those little 20p boxes too as for that price it was rude not too. I'm sure I can find things that need organising into them.

So all in all a successful mission and I'm one organised and happy bunny.

I did make a start on the free Christmas baubles from my crazy Jan pile. However I'm thinking that this might be an abandoned project.

Here's where it was in Jan:

However the piece of fabric supplied is very tight and this one goes too close to the edge and there is more rows beyond the red on the bottom side. When I picked this up again I started a different one as there are 3 in the kit.

This one also goes far too close to the edges. Normally you get a bit of breathing room with pre cut fabric and considering this is then supposed to get stitched into a felt round it's just not working out at all.

So I have abandoned it. After all it's only a free kit from the magazine. I do wonder if they have cut the fabric wrong.

I have made a start on my next rotation so watch this space. I'm hoping to snatch a few more minutes in front of the Olympics!!

Keep stitching....

May Day! May Day! Disaster help

 Well it's a roller coaster of an update - rotation finish and a horror of a stitching nightmare.

I'll start with the rotation finish I've done my 10 hours on the Sarah Kay kit from my crazy January. Here's where I was up to at the end of its day in Jan:

And now:

Looking good. Its stitching up nicely and the chart is lovely and bright easy to follow which is making it an easy stitch.

Then it all went horribly wrong.....

I went to switch my projects to do next rotation. I lifted out the next project and spied this mess....

 I peered in with sheer horror and realisation that this is my motherly devotion bag. And it's covered in coffee and not just that mouldy coffee!!!!

I could have been sick right there.


~SOB~SOB~SOB~

I remembered that weeks ago hubby was with my tot in the bedroom where my sewing box is out of the way - or so I thought. I came through to find the little one with a cup of coffee splooshing about. I never even noticed he wasn't near the box at the time. So hadn't thought anything of it until my terrible discovery this evening.

I have given it a bit of a steeping with washing up liquid and it seems to be coming up slowly. luckily the stitching seems to have escaped the worst. Not so sure about the threads but we'll have to see. It's DMC so usually comes up but think this is my worse case ever. Even more so for the length of time it must have sat...would have come up sooner but I had no idea it had been covered.

So any tips you all have on stain removal would be greatly received.

Think I'll be shopping tomorrow for a new sewing basket.....preferably a waterproof, bullet proof one with a lid the works lol

Keep stitching...

Twas the night before...

After having a slow few weeks recently on the stitching front things are looking up. I have completed the X stitch panels for a Christmas bauble for my new arrival. And I haven’t even took the 10 hours to do it from start to finish.

Ok so they are mostly back stitch verse which whizzes up, but I am very pleased none the less and really feel like I’ve got my stitchy vibes back. I initially was going to just do one of the verse but after looking it was only half the line in the first round so I decided to go with the full quote over the 2 sides. The night before Christmas has to be one of my favourites I love to read it every year and even more so to read it to my son this Christmas gone.

I love the candle stick as well I think it fits with the verse very nicely. I just need to make the bauble up and stitch baby’s name and 2012 onto the fourth circle but I’m not going to do that until a bit closer to Christmas to get myself in the Christmas spirit, and means I can just hang it straight up!! I can’t wait to see the 2 baubles together. The other thing is that I am in the zone with making x’s so I don’t want to break that by getting on with different crafting.

I have already made a little start on the next project in rotation so I’m hoping that this continues and I can get a bit more back on track.

Such a happy bunny to feel like I’m making progress on stuff, even if it wasn’t to tick anything off my Crazy January list that is still haunting me lol.

Having said that I have just had a tot up and I have 5 completed and 3 are moved into current rotation so maybe not as bad as I think? What do you all think? I’m pretty sure I’ll not be doing similar this January though no no no lesson learnt ha ha.

Keep stitching....

Ribbit - of the good variety!

Stitching wise since my last post things have been flying along and the Margaret Sherry frog is finished YAY!!!!!!

I can't tell you how happy I am to have got this finished its taken a little over the 10 hours but seen as I was so close it was a shame to put it away rather than finish.

Here's the blanket so far:

Still a way to go but its a start - going to look great when it's complete!

After my calamity of a week last week I said I had the wardrobes for my boys room coming one for my son and one for the new baby. Well that turned out to be a right carry on. Waited in for them only to get a knock on the door and told the boxes were a little water damaged with all the rain. Hubby went to investigate and a little was an understatement and the driver told him that the vans leak in!! So with all the wet weather we've been having these boxes were soaked and busted open. Safe to say these got sent back to Argos and when we rang about them there was no rush what so ever to redeliver the items for us or compensate us for the inconvenience. The worst thing was we had demolished the old furniture and nigh on cleared the room out. But we got new ones delivered today so can start putting the house back together.


Anyway I'll be starting the next thing on my rotation list so I'm excited for that and I've only got a week left of work!!!

Keep stitching...

More stitching time please!!!

Well I've had a right week of it hence the tardy update.

To sum it up,

• I've had a bad cold,
• Problems with noisy neighbours,
• A burst heating pipe - which resulted in a day of men lifting floorboards and messing up my house to find where the leak was, which was made all the more stressful by a toddler who wanted to get in the thick of it and had missed his nap due to everything going on, thank god in laws were free to take him out for a bit 
• OFSTED inspection at work,
• My son falling and bashing his face/ eye on a wooden toy resulting in trip to A&E to get checked (he's fine just bruised a bit) 
• Feeling a bit sidelined at work - but guess that's due to me not going to be there soon.
• Starting to feel my size - and all this muggy heat is not kind to me and my fat belly lol
• My son fussing due to teething but we still have no new teeth to show for it - he's 16 months and still only has 4 teeth. I think they must be growing from his toes lol
• Getting side tracked with some reading

Most of which all adding up to make me feel rather miserable and not much stitching time which is probably adding to the melancholy.

I have since my last update managed a measly 7 hours and have made this progress on the baby afghan blanket.

Its the Margaret Sherry Frog from a cross stitcher magazine. The colours are substituted to fit with the DMC colours I had in but its coming along ok. I'm happy with the progress for the time, just not that its took nearly 2 weeks to get the time normally I manage 10 hours in one week.

I'm hopeing to find some more time and put the week behind me and I'll update you when I get the rest of this rotation done. Having said that I've got the new furniture for the boys room coming tomorrow which means a big shuffle round but means I'll be able to get organised for baby number 2 which is super exciting.

At least I've only got 2 more weeks of work then its the summer holidays so that's one less thing to have to deal with and then I'll be on maternity leave. Can't believe how fast this is come around!!!

Anyway hope everyone else is well I've been catching up on blogs as well.

Swords, Sorting and stitching

I have to confess that this week has been a hugely stitchless week. Largely due to this offending article

I haven't been able put it down since I started it last week. I will probably have it finished tonight as well. It has had so many twists and turns I'm in a spin.

The other reasons for not stitching so much are mostly pregnancy moans and that I needed a good sort of my stash as I needed to add new things into rotation.

I have had renewed purpose today and have a good sort

In searching for the threads I needed I have also tidied my boxes up so don't they look pretty

All organised.......all of 5 minutes and my toddler decided to evade daddy and set off to find where mammy had gone to....

and trampled the organised boxes.......sigh.......at least I took the picture before hand lol

So they have kinda got stuffed back into the box as I didn't have the time to spend reorganising I did however get my bits in order for next pieces to add to the rotation.

So now joining Motherly Devotion I have Felt Christmas Baubles and world of Sarah Kay from my crazy Jan list and the bits out to do the next square on the baby's afghan and I have decided to do the baby a bauble for Christmas like I did for Vincent. I picked up the only large polystyrene ball Hobbycraft had which was a 12cm one but I was sure that was the size Vinnie's was anyway but having got home I have another one already marked and scored up for covering and its a smaller one

Oh well Number 2 will have to have a larger one.

What order they are getting rotated in I have yet to determine but here's to making a start tomorrow.


Keep stitching.....

Let the Games begin

Hi all for some reason it feels like an eternity since I've posted and caught up on all your blogs but its only been 10 days.

The most exciting thing that I have been up to has been seeing the Olympic Torch pass through our city, this is just 10 mins from my house.

I couldn't miss the chance to see it and take the tot not something you can say you've seen everyday. Just a shame about the drizzly weather there was a big celebration on at one of the parks but we gave it a miss due to the weather. Vinnie wasn't sure at first a bit overwhelmed by the noisy floats giving out freebie bits but he got into it by the time that torch passed and was mega cute waving his flag. I'm looking forward to the Olympics I'm not really that into my sport but there is just something about the occasion that I can't get enough when its on. And of course it's something good to stitch to.

I have completed my 10 hours on Motherly Devotion not in my usual time which accounts for the tardiness in updating.

So here is where I was up to:

And now:

Its still a lovely stitch and I'm loving every minute I spend on it the 10 hours seem to fly by.

I am having a bit of an issue with the chart though. Cross stitch Collection magazine has published this one as a giant pull out chart. Which sounds a good idea at first with the no page turns etc. But with being folded round my magnetic board and in and out of my basket with the rotations it has got rather dog eared.

Just look at it! Sigh! It looks worse folded out as well. So I'm not sure for this size project that the giant chart is such a great idea but what can you do.

I have just been looking at my current rotations and I have Motherly Devotion, then the baby afghan that I have done one square on and then I finished the others so I need to add 2 more projects to the list but first I'll be starting a new square on the afghan but I'm feeling too lazy for stash driving tonight so I think I'll do a sneaky bit extra on Motherly Devotion.

So watch this space for some fresh things in rotation but I should will be picking them from my crazy January list.

Damn it my coffee's gone cold - don't you just hate it when that happens lol

Keep stitching.....

Jubilee Heart Finish

I've had a productive week even if I have gone off track but I couldn't resist doing a Jubilee related stitch while watching some of the coverage on the telly. Vinnie was so cute as he enjoyed waving back at the Queen. Shame we got typical British bank holiday weather for it all but great excuse to be curled up with the stitching. We did have some sun on the Monday which was good for a kids Jubilee party we had invites to and the kiddies got to run around the field outside!

So here is the free Jubilee Heart kit from the latest Crossstitcher magazine issue 253.

It's the first time I've had a go with the soluble canvas. It was easy to stitch with once it was fixed in place as its a bit slippy at first. I have somehow muddled slightly and stitched the crown a touch too high I'm sure I centred it properly but I mustn't have as the little cross jewel at the top didn't fit but it doesn't distract from the finished piece. I was going to add the dates and initials on the back but seen as I had a little extra room at the bottom has worked out just great to add them underneath.

I was a bit nervous about soaking it to dissolve the canvas as I was always lead to believe that felt shouldn't get wet.

The canvas dissolved fairly easily in the warm water took a while and I did give it a bit of a rub as it turns into a sticky residue and I changed the water a couple of times.

It took a few days to dry out and unfortunately did go a bit stiff and cardboardy so guess I was right about felt not washing well.

It has gone together fine though maybe lost a little shape in stuffing with the front being a little stiff but otherwise I'm happy with it.

I have made a start back on the rotations with Motherly Devotion while I was waiting for this to dry so watch this space for an update on that next.

Keep stitching....