Love Tree and more

I have been a bit tardy on the blog front, which I hope to get sorted this time. I actually have plenty to show, which is pretty cool considering that the munchkins haven't been well so I haven't had much time really.

 

Firstly here is the new addition to the rotations. Love Tree by Bothy Threads.

 

I was dying to stitch this and it isn't disappointing so far.

I have to say I really love the way that Bothy Threads organise the cottons.

 

It makes life so much easier and not having to cross reference a key makes a bit better use of stitching time.

 

And so here is my first ten hours progress:

 

I think its going to be one to show more when the backstitch is done. But the colours are nice and it is a nice stitch so far apart from the DMC light effects for the tree branches. grrrrrrr....

I finished the last of the patchwork cards.

 

So that's all four in the set finished. I feel like I am doing well chalking up the finishes this year. It is really exciting to feel this productive.

 

I also finished off this bird: 

 

 It was a UFO but I have finished it off chalking it up as another finish!!!

 

 

Thimble Fairy found her place on the wall and I am really enjoying seeing her every day. I think she is one of my favourite finishes in a while.

 

I also had the most proudest mama moment. When my eldest (just coming up 3) Jumped on my lap one evening, stole my stitching and carried on.

So cute I could cry!!! Ok he didn't have it right but he had the technique. And here is our finished collaboration of the flower brooches.

 

He also announced that he wanted a Lion. So I had a rummage for him in my stash and found and stitched a lion for him. He is over the moon. Really touching to have someone that excited for a finished piece, he was literally hopping round the room squealing Vinnie's Lion!!!!

 

The pic on left shows however the perils of stitching on the bathroom floor while the munchkins splash in the bath. But hey any minute is any minute right!

 

I have had a go with the construction on the first of the gingerbread houses.

 

I really like it but boy was the putting together tricky and it looks a lot shabbier and wonky in real life than it does in the pics. I am tempted to take it apart and try again. Although as my grandma always said (and a good friend reminded me) its flaws give it character. So I'm going to let it sit while I stitch the other one up and see if I get any better techniques going I might have an adjust on this one and maybe some distance will give me a better feeling for it.

 

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

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...

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.

slow and steady wins the race

After last weeks lack of stitching I have made up for it this week. As you know I gave in and ordered the afghan to stitch for when baby 2 arrives. I couldn't wait to get it into rotation and I have been working on it. So here's where I got to:

I thought Margaret Sherry designs were perfect baby motifs for the blanket. I have stitched the tortoise from her alphabet series in Cross stitcher magazine as Tortoise is what this bumps nickname is.

It is complete apart from the top - I ran out of 666 sigh. I have then had a bit of a run around trying to get some. I normally go to my local arts store when its just for one skein seems pointless paying the same postage for just one as you would for a handful. It mostly has framing stuff and card making but does have a DMC stand but it was totally out of 666. Shocking considering there are 2 pegs for this colour - surely a sign that its a common colour and needs keeping stock in.

Apart from that there isn't anywhere nearby that a non driver like me can get to so I'm eagerly awaiting delivery of my skein of 666 and a couple of charts I snook into my basket to make the postage worthwhile lol.

But while I wait I've moved on to my next rotation - another free Xmas tag kit from my crazy Jan pile.

Keep stitching....

A finish as promised

WOOOO HOOO......

I have my first finish of the year about time too. Glad a got myself pulled round a bit and got to some stitching.

Margaret Sherry's Little Fairy and she's turned out rather nice. And look at those beautiful french knots. I couldn't do them a handful of years back and then they just clicked.

Seen as it's half term we've been on a film binge on an evening so plenty of relax and stitch time. Off to see Star Wars in 3D tomorrow and now let's see what's next...

May the Force be with you....

Keep stitching...