Working together

I was not thrilled at the idea of our stitching group working together on a piece. It might have been because I was away when the discussion took place and I felt a bit distant from it.  I did a bit of stitching on it when I got back but it did not excite me.

 

 I was stitching it one day when someone offered a suggestion and before long four of us were working on it. That ignited my interest and from then on there were always a few people working on it. We are all very pleased with the end result of our common threads piece.  

 

 

I love Learning

I booked myself into a workshop to learn new stitching techniques. I really enjoyed learning how to machine embroider. There were lots of other tips too like using (emulsion!) paint to fill in fiddly bits.

 

The end result looks ok but my lettering still needs lots of practice. I should have stopped at the end of the letter h and not tried to go backwards. I will also be using the pen that irons out as I am not ready for freestyle yet.

 

 

Threads from Canada

 

 

I came across someone in Spain using these threads and thought they were lucious. I ordered these and can't wait now to use them. They came from colourcomplements.com and one of my stitchings gets a mention on her blog. Search for freeform embroidery and you will find it.

Keeping Ryan and Tania warm

My winter crochet project is finished. I will take it out for lots of picnics this summer and then it will be full of sunshine when I hand it over to the little ones. Tania choose the colours to go with her decor.   

 

It is 10 squares long by 8 squares wide with five colours in each square. It took 9 balls of Stylecraft DK and I used a random calculator to sort the colours. I used just under 3 balls in lavender grey to join the squares. 4 colours were used in the border along with two stripes of the lavender and then it was finished with a V crochet edging.

 

 

Littorell

This is the theme of our exhibition this year. I have completed two pieces and hope to do a night sea scene. I found the flat sparkly pebbles in Spain and I think they are great for the foreshore. They are not easy to sew on!

 

 

Sea Stitchings

Spending so much time on the coast has made me want to do more sea stitchings. Here are two backgrounds that I have recently completed. I need to do some stitching in the sea and lots of work on the tideline. These are for our summer exhibition. I think I will do one more moonlit one and that will be me done.

 

 

 

When the Stars go Blue

When the Stars go Blue has been my favourite song at choir this winter. I thought of it again recently when my Uncle died. He was the last of ten siblings so it was a big loss for everyone. I needed to go into my cave, away from people, afterwards and I stitched this little piece.

 

It is the old house where they were all born and where I spent many joyous times. There are eighteen stars because I believe that stars are a gap in the sky where our loved ones who have gone before us can shine a light down to tell us they are happy. The biggest stars are for Uncle Jim and my Dad. My Mum's star is there too along with my Dad's other siblings and their partners. I couldn't leave out my grandparents as they too lived in that house and my great grandparents who built the house. It is a ruin now but the times spent there are stitched into my heart.

 

I have to do it again because I am not quite happy with the shape of the house, it needs to be longer and lower. For now though it adds to my winter sparkle. I think I might do a winter hare one too!