Exchange-tastic (Photo Intensive)

I have a raft of finishes for exchanges to catch you up on, so beware: this post is going to be fairly photo-filled. Before I left for Canada, I had 2 exchanges and 1 gift to send, and on my return in September, I had 5 more exchanges to send, so here’s the update with what I’ve been madly stitching (in fact, looking back I can see that the last time I put a single stitch in anything destined for myself was…early August!!).

First – Joke kindly sent me this gorgeous Shepherd’s Bush needleroll for a Crazy Exchange, so according to the Exchange rules I had 30 days to send something back to her. Knowing that Joke likes Bent Creek designs, I elected to stitch this door knocker which had recently caught my eye:




Design: Hospitality Door Knocker by Bent Creek
Materials: GAST and Weeks as charted on Country Stitch 32ct 'Haystack'
Finished as: Door knocker

Second – back in May, my partner in the SBEBB Garden Exchange was Mylene, and by careless accident I stitched Mylene Peony by Crescent Colours and finished it as a pinkeep. I was mortified to find out that not only had someone else stitched her this design for an exchange, but that they too had finished it as a pinkeep! Imagine, getting the same thing twice? So I vowed (A) to be more thorough in future when selecting designs to stitch for exchange partners and (B) to stitch Mylene a replacement so that she had a proper surprise for this wonderful exchange. This is what I came up with:




Don't you just love The Sampler Girl designs? I do :) Here is the full design before it was finished, for a better appreciation of the whole thing:



Design: In the Garden with Jane Austen by The Sampler Girl
Materials: GAST, Weeks, Crescent Colours and DMC as charted (with one substitution) on 28ct Stitches ‘n’ Spice 'Wintered Marble'
Finished as: Treat bag

Third – It was the lovely Leena’s birthday in early September, just as I was getting back from holidays, so being the occasionally organised person I strive to be, I did manage to stitch, finish and send her a birthday gift before I left in mid-August. I don’t know how she did it, but she actually managed to hang on until her birthday before opening it – I know I wouldn’t have :) Leena and I stitch Christmas ornaments together in a little SAL, so of course I thought it would be perfect to send her a Christmas ornament.



Design: Joy by Prairie Moon
Materials: Crescent Colours Belle Soie Silk as charted on 28ct Permin/Wichelt ‘Blush’
Finished as: Christmas ornament

Yes, there’s more – I love Fair and Square exchanges, not least because there’s no finishing involved (so I can’t panic about it not turning out!) and also because you know who your partner is, and you get to have a bit of a chat with them and find new friends, which is kind of cool. So for Round #9, I was paired with Clare who also lives in the UK – I love meeting/finding other UK-based stitchers, as sometimes I feel a bit alone here with no LNS and no friends IRL who stitch. So it’s always nice to meet lovely people like Clare who live nearby (ish) and also love to stitch! Clare loves quaker designs, and is working on Papillon Creations’ Simple Little Quaker, so I stitched this small companion piece for her:


Design: Tiny Little Quaker by Papillon Creations
Materials: Dinky Dyes ‘Gum Leaves’ on 32ct Cashel 'Cream' (I think?)

Next, Joke was, in addition to sending me a Crazy Exchange and being the recipient of the door knocker above, also by coincidence my partner for the HOE Prairie Schooler exchange! So this is what I made for her:



Design: Sewing Ladies, from The Needle’s Eye leaflet, Prairie Schooler
Materials: DMC as charted on Sugar Maple Fabric 40ct ‘Nostalgia’
Finished as: Mattress pinkeep

And – still more! – Fair Squares! Jen R was my partner for the Hallowe’en Round, and I stitched her a motif from ‘Sleepy Hollow’ by Cross-Eyed Cricket – one day I’ll stitch the whole thing, but not this day :)



Design: Headless Horseman from ‘Sleepy Hollow’, Cross-Eyed Cricket
Materials: DMC as charted on a 32ct Country Stitch Lugana fabric which I can't now remember the colour name of!

And, finally, Cathy B was my partner for the HOE Hallowe’en Exchange. I kind of made up the finishing as I went along, so the final article didn’t quite match the picture in my head, and I was a bit worried that it would arrive with Cathy in one intact piece, but Royal Mail seems to have done a careful job, as she assures me she likes it and it did indeed arrive safely.




Design: Ghastly Ghostly Ghouls, Just Nan
Materials: DMC as charted on Country Stitch 32ct 'Cappuccino'
Finished as: Needlebook

Phew! Now just one more exchange in the post – my Fair Square Autumn squares to Jill F – and I’ll update you about those when they arrive at their destination.

October is looking much more relaxed stitching-deadline-wise – and I’m going to try and keep it this way as I’m a bit of a stress junkie, but these past 8 weeks have been a bit crazy altogether. Of course, now I can start stitching all those things I’ve promised myself that I will be giving away as Christmas gifts. The fun never ends :)

Happy stitching!

More Beautiful Squares!

Yesterday, I had a lovely package arrive from Jen R – my Hallowee’en squares from the Fair & Square Hallowe’en Round! She stitched a pair of beauties for me – using Jeannette Douglas’ Hallowe’en Pumpkin Ornament design from the recent JCS Hallowe’en issue. I’m so glad that Jen stitched them, because as soon as I got the magazine I admired Jeannette’s design, but thought that I probably wouldn’t stitch it myself because although I love the look of the fiddly stitches, I sometimes can’t be bothered to stitch them for myself. So I am thrilled that Jen bothered for me!


These squares are definitely getting finished off as a hanging ornament (eventually!)

Thanks a million Jen, I so love them!

Happy stitching!

Fair Squares

Two days, two sets of Fair Squares! First, the Round #9 squares arrived from Clare. She stitched me these beautiful squares from a Prairie Schooler freebie – I just love them. Check out the really cool signature square as well. I’m thinking of finishing it into a floss holder a la Staci here, once of course I work out how she does it ;)


And then, the lovely Jill sent me my squares for the Fair and Square Autumn Round. I’m a Brightneedle fan, so these are great – also in my stash and not yet stitched so saves me the effort ;)


Isn’t the over 1 stitching on the signature squares amazing? These I’m thinking of making into a floss tag.

I didn’t explicitly set any September goals, and you’ll know from my previous posts that I’ve been quite busy doing exchange stitching these last several weeks, so I didn’t achieve anything goal-wise beyond meeting my exchange commitments. Hopefully October will see a bit more variety in my stitching.

- stitch and send Fair and Square Autumn Squares to Jill
- Snowbird SAL: stitch Paradigm Lost on Thursdays
- Christmas ornament SAL with Leena: stitch one ornament
- Finish 5 Christmas ornaments this month
- Start stitching secret stitching (my ref Munro banner)
- Start stitching baby gift (my ref Sailing Home)
- Carry on stitching AMAP pinkeep
- Carry on stitching Spanish Wine
- Finish at least one non-Christmas thing from my finishing drawer
- Quilting: spend at least one day quilting this month

Happy stitching!

Spooky Time!

Yay, I just love Hallowe'en, and I tell you, these Brits don't really go for it in a big way, so I struggle. I've lived here for 10 years and not once, NOT ONCE, has my bell ever been rung or my door rapped on Hallowe'en to reveal little trick-or-treaters. Can you believe it?? So, when the opportunity came to join a couple of Hallowe'end exchanges, of course I signed up straight away (no no, not regretting it, but truth be told both of them have yet to be posted *grimace*).

But guess what, my HOE Hallowe'en Exchange has arrived! My partner ended up being Paula, and it turns out we've had some eerie pseudo-coincidental happenings in our lives - I live the UK, but I'm not British. Paula has lived in the UK too, and she's not British either! I lived in East Anglia for while - so did Paula (East Anglia - just FYI it's the eastern part of England, just under halfway up). Paula now lives in Washington State - and I'm from British Columbia, only a stone's throw away! Spooky, eh? Okay, admittedly not that spooky, but work with me here I'm trying to get into the Hallowe'en swing of things :)

Paula made up a very cool package for me, and the crowning glory was the pinkeep she stitched for me - she used a Bent Creek freebie called 'Owl on an Egg' which I absoultely love - just check out this masked owl!

And look at the fabric Paula used for the reverse - see, he's in a tree!


I love the ribbon she used to surround the pinkeep - I've tried to take this next shot to make the ribbon more obvious - it's so beautifully vibrant.


But do you think she stopped there, with this wonderfully stitched and expertly finished pinkeep?? No, she did not, she continued to spoil me rotten (it's like a state of grace for me, I never say no to rotten spoilage!)

LOOOOK: 2 charts, a skein of seasonal floss, some Hallowe'en stickers, 3 fat quarters of seasonal fabric, some Hallowe'en treats (hidden away from husband's greedy fingers straight away), and the Hallowe'en issue of JCS (which is difficult to find here, so doubly appreciated!). Thank you so much Paula, I absolutely love it all and I am delighted that you were my partner for this exchange!

Now, in order to avoid the guilt, I must head off and finish these 2 Hallowe'en exchanges that are very soon due - including the HOE one. I will be back in a couple of days to update you on all the secret stitching that I have done in August and September - not a single stitch in anything for myself since the end of July! So lots to share, but time is of the essence - get cracking Stephanie!

Happy stitching!

A Beauty!

Lucky me, Friday brought an excellent treat for me - I discovered that Rowyn was stitching for me and she sent me a great little pillow, which I adore :) She used the F is for Friendship chart from the PS alphabet series (how appropriate!) and told me this was her first finish using her sewing machine - hopefully the first of many because she's done a stellar job.

Rowyn was kind enough to also add in 2 charts from my wishlist - of course, one was a Prairie Schooler chart! - and also included a beautiful leather bookmark from New Zealand and a beautifully handmade card - she definitely has talent :)


Thank you so much Rowyn, it's a beautiful exchange and I am thorougly delighted :)

Hopefully more news from me tomorrow as I have to update you on a couple of exchanges and gifts that I sent before my holiday and haven't had a chance to post about, and also it looks like my HOE Hallowe'en Exchange has arrived, so I'm going to open that one tonight.

Happy stitching!

Return to Blog-land

Well, I’ve been away for quite a while. It’s fair to say I’ve been busy, but it’s also fair to say that I’ve been trying to keep from thinking about blogging because every time I start to think about it, a sense of mild dread sets in because there is so much to update you on! But it can’t be that difficult, so I’ll start from the start, and see where we get to.

I suppose the real beginning was on 24 August 1968, the date my parents got married. But that seems a bit far back to go, so let’s start with something a bit more contemporary, say this Spring?

So early this Spring, my sister and I decided that as it was going to be my parents’ 40th anniversary this summer, we couldn’t really let the occasion pass by without marking it in some way. We decided that the only thing for it was to throw a surprise party for them, and for me and H to secretly travel back to BC to co-host the party with my sister and her boyfriend. Thus began the planning stages – they went on an awfully long time, so I’ll spare you the gory details, but eventually we found a venue, a theme, made some invites, started to track down long-lost friends and relatives (with varying degrees of success) and it all started to take shape.

Along with the party preparations, I decided that it would be a nice idea to commemorate Mum and Dad’s big day with a special anniversary sampler – well, of course I would! I mulled over the choices, and eventually settled on Marriage of Minds by The Drawn Thread, not least because coincidentally Mum had chosen this off my wishlist as a Christmas present for me just a few months earlier. I had to keep my stitching very secret, because both my parents are avid readers of my blog (isn’t that sweet??) and I didn’t want to give the game away. So I stitched diligently and determinedly, and eventually it got done – and even in enough time to get it framed.

Above - unframed, and below - framed and hanging on Mum & Dad's wall

Finally it came time for me and H to get on the plane back to Canada – I was so, so excited! We stayed the first day with my sister and her boyfriend in Vancouver, and then headed over to Vancouver Island to surprise Mum and Dad – we were all giddy and giggly on the ferry over with the excitement of it. And, when we finally got there, their faces! Oh, it was priceless! My sister and her boyfriend were expected, so we waited until they had been welcomed and then rapped at the door – I shocked Mum speechless for the first time in a good number of years :)

And the party? It was a blast – my sister and I spent a whole afternoon blowing up balloons, making table centrepieces, hanging decorations, cutting out photographs, picking up the cake and organising music (yes, and gently panicking that no one would turn up on the night!). And it was all worth it because Mum and Dad had a wonderful time.

And then, the relaxing part of the holiday started! We spent about 10 days altogether in BC, golfing, shopping, eating out, playing bocce, visiting friends and family, spending a day at the PNE and chilling out. It was magic. I’ve posted some photos below for those of you interested (they're small, but clickable).

And then, refreshed and relaxed, we arrived back home. And the best part? We’re heading back for Christmas in just three short months!

I think that’s enough for today, so over the next few days I’ll update you on some other goings on, including a couple of exchanges and gifts that I sent before I left, and bring you up to date with life as it stands. Actually, that wasn’t so bad, I should have blogged days ago :)

Happy stitching!

The signing table at the 40th anniversary party

These centrepieces took T and I several hours to make (all 8 of them)


Happy families! Sister's boyfriend A, Mum, H, sister T, Dad, me

The 'boys' Venture and Pepper


Mum and T walking the boys

Bocce!

Taking a break from bocce to have an impromtu picnic. L-R: A, Mum, H, N, T, J


Dad teeing off at the 10th


Elk Falls in Campbell River, about 3 hours north of Duncan


A tearful goodbye to Mum & Dad on the deck

My favourite ride at the PNE - the Coaster! Me and T in the second row, with her boyfriend A and his brother L practising their pose for the photo which is taken on the second big 'down'

me and T on the midway, the Coaster in the background

T, H, L and A - whose stupid idea was it to go on the log flume????

H and L queued for 15 minutes to ride the bumper cars amidst a score of 10-year olds. Who had the most fun??

T, showing off her fairground prize

More Christmas Stitching

First, a big thank you to Marne, Erica and Jen who all nominated me for blogging awards. I hardly feel I deserve your kudos seeing as I have been largely absent from the old keyboard recently, but thank you all. I won’t nominate any blogs, but do check out my blogroll on my Wishlist page – there are tons and tons of really good blogs in there!

This weekend was the Christmas ornie SAL weekend with Leena. I started this ornament last month, but didn’t get around to finishing stitching it, so that was my job for this month, and here it is:

Design: ‘Santa’ by Knotted Tree Needleart from JCS 2007
Linen: 32ct ‘Natural’ by Permin/Wichelt
Floss: DMC, GAST, Carrie’s Creations, WDW – mainly as charted, some substitutions

Now, I’m busily finishing off a couple of exchanges, so I haven’t got much else to show you. I think that my busy Olympic-viewing schedule has also contributed to my lack of progress on many fronts, I just LOVE the Olympics, and although it’s quite a challenge to try to see our Canadian medals being won here on the British coverage; I’ve managed to see one or two, and shouted my head off during each race/fight. Hopefully more to come :)

In the meantime, happy stitching!

Hazel Has Spoiled Me!

Oh my word! Saturday was spent at the spa at Hanbury Manor (*more on that below) and finally I arrived home, tired, pampered and hungry with the prospect of opening the wonderfully large box which Hazel had sent containing the PIF gift she stitched for me. I am truly amazed and delighted and really touched at the effort Hazel went to – not only did she send me an enormous and totally over the top package full of lots and lots of goodies, just look what she stitched for me!!

It’s a lavender-filled heart-shaped beauty, a Tournicoton design called ‘Le Temps d’un Thé’, and it is just fabulous – Hazel has stitched it so beautifully, and the finishing, well, you can see for yourself what an amazing job she did. I feel so very honoured to have some of Hazel’s stitching to hang up! I haven’t yet decided where I’m going to hang it – somewhere it can be admired (both to look at and to smell), but not somewhere in a high traffic zone where it will get knocked or bumped…thinking cap on! The reverse is, by the way, an excerpt from a poem by Théodore de Banville (isn’t Google amazing…).

Here is a very busy photo of all the wonderful extras that Hazel included - thank you so much Hazel, your generosity is so much appreciated!!

It was the lovely Carol’s birthday last week, and she sent me a very kind email to let me know that she likes birthday gift I sent to her ages ago (I didn’t think it was going to arrive that quickly – but how did she let it sit there wrapped up for so long?!? I wouldn’t have been able to!). I know that Carol has been on a Brightneedle kick recently, so I elected to stitch her a sort of hanging pinkeep sort of, um, thing. Anyway! She tells me she likes it so that is the important thing :)

Marne has kindly nominated me the Kreativ Blogger Award – I’m a terrible one for sticking to rules, but I feel Jen would be disappointed if I didn’t include some links to blogs I read, so, in no particular order, have a look at these wonderful blogs if you don’t read them already:

Claudia
Rachael
Marie
Simone
Linda

*For those of you interested in the spa weekend update, 5 of us went to Hanbury Manor in Hertfordshire – it’s a beautiful manor house with lovely grounds and set in the middle of a golf course. Very picturesque! We each booked ourselves in for treatments – I had a super deluxe amazing wonderful manicure, and a pedicure. I’m just hoping my nails don’t chip before the wedding on Thursday. Hmmm, it looks like that means no washing dishes for this beauty queen (imagine me sobbing in disappointment – oh, no, wait that’s H sobbing because he has to do them instead). We then had a fairly pleasant dinner which was so late in arriving that we didn’t pay for it (actually, that might have been the best part about it, but the hotel was in the middle of catering for 2 separate weddings so I think they were fairly flat out). We were out on the terrace enjoying the beautiful views over the lake and one of the golf holes, so we didn’t really mind about the delay. A few drinks were had, a few stories were told, and all in all we had a great weekend catching up. A nice break before the rest of my busy August!

The girls! L-R in back: Louise, Emer, Helen, front: Desiree and me

The main hotel building
The view from the terrace

Happy stitching!

Updates and Goals

I managed to squeeze in a (short) night’s stitching on Spanish Wine – it’s very slowly progressing, but hopefully now that I’ve finished off a couple of larger projects this should start to proceed more quickly.



And of course Thursday was the Snowbird SAL and Paradigm Lost, here is this week’s progress:

Right, so, the monthly goal review:

July’s goals:
Stitch, finish and send a birthday gift – yes, Carol received this
The other gift – finish and send – yes, Marne received this PIF gift
Thursdays – Snowbird SAL – keep stitching Paradigm Lost – yes
Christmas ornament mini-SAL with Leena – yes, I stitched 2
Keep stitching Awake the Dawning Day – yes, and I finished it!
Keep stitching Spanish Wine – yes
Finish the secret stitching – yes, and I finished it!
Start the other exchange piece – yes, and it’s nearly complete
Finish one item from the ‘to be finished’ drawer – yes
Quilt – carry on with Vintage Holiday quilt – no
Quilt – carry on with patchwork bag – no
Quilt – start Xbox quilt – no

I also stitched and finished a gift. You can see I wasn’t too motivated with the quilting in July :)

August’s goals:
Send a birthday gift
Stitch, finish and send the other exchange piece
Stitch, finish and send the Crazy Exchange return exchange to Joke
Start stitching the HOE Prairie Schooler exchange
Start stitching F/S Holiday Round Squares
Start stitching HOE Hallowe’en exchange
Thursdays – Snowbird SAL – keep stitching Paradigm Lost
Christmas ornament mini-SAL with Leena – stitch one ornament
Keep stitching Spanish Wine
Resurrect the AMAP pinkeep from my UFO pile
Start stitching the baby gift
Quilting – carry on with Vintage Holiday quilt, carry on with patchwork bag, start Xbox quilt

That should keep me busy at any rate!

I’ve just gotten back from a lovely weekend with the girls being pampered at Hanbury Manor and I’ll post some photos and tell you a bit about it tomorrow – I am too knackered just now :) Also, Hazel’s long-awaited PIF arrived on Saturday, so I’m going to go open that - which I'm totally looking forward to! - I’ll update you on that tomorrow too.

Happy stitching!