Little House Needleworks Christmas ornament...

Stitching on LHN "Bring Home the Tree" ornament has been my main focus this week.  This ornament reminds me of the cute phrase "baby it is cold outside". Well it sure has been cold outside in Tasmania this past week so it is apt that I am stitching snow.

I think the ornament will stitch up fairly quickly from here as I have nearly finished the snow then can quickly add the smaller elements; roof tops, the girl, the sleigh carrying the tree, the dog, and finally the border.

What are you stitching on this weekend?  Are you stitching any smalls projects like this ornament?

Thanks for wandering through my garden...

                                                              Jan x

Bothy Thread's Cut Thru' Castle and IHSW

Happy stitching Tuesday everyone!

The other day I posted that I had bought two Bothy Thread's Cut Thru' kits. I left you in suspense until my last post when I revealed one is Gypsy Wagon.  Well the other is the Castle!  Gypsy Wagon is for me as I adore homes on wheels.  The other is for Toddler Tom's bedroom wall. I am sure he will love it. I am joining Linda's Bothy Thread's Cut Thru' Monday SAL with the Castle.

This kit makes it so easy to pick up a thread and stitch as the threads are pre-cut. Love that! I have started stitching the centre picture which is a king knighting a brave soldier.

The weekend past was IHSW (International Hermit and Stitch Weekend). Despite a crazy busy Saturday I managed to find stitching time on Sunday evening and here is the progress...

The lighthouse is almost finished on Block 1 of Shores of HRH.

I stitched a tree on the Dimensions Noah's Arks sampler. Next on this is to stitch the berries on the tree.

 

Enjoy your day...

                             Jan x

 

Little House Needleworks Christmas cross stitch ornament...

Happy Weekend everyone! Thanks for reading.

Since I updated last I have added more snow to the LHN "Bringing Home the Tree" Christmas ornie. The hand dyed thread is called "oatmeal" and I love how the colour is slightly "dirty" in places (hand dyed that way) just like real snow.

 

 

I have loved the quaint "cut through" drawings by Amanda Loverseed since I first came across her pictures on greeting cards five years ago. Delighted I was when I discovered these pictures have been converted to cross stitch kits by Bothy Threads.  Linda from convinced me that I had to join her Cut Thru' SAL on Mondays. In order to join this SAL I had to buy a kit (or two as it happens). This is the first - Gypsy Wagon. The kit is very well put together with beautifully organised threads and easy to read instructions/pattern.  I can't wait to make a start. It is stitched on light blue 14count Aida.

 

I hope you have found creative time for yourself over the weekend.

                                                                                                         Jan x

I love to cross stitch...

...and I wish there was more time to spend on it! Now I have that off my chest I will share what progress I have made over the last few days. Not nearly enough let me tell you.

I wish more could have been added to Shores of HRH. Since the last update here, the lighthouse is taller and I have completed adding the lemon thread behind the L.

I have backstitched cats (well I think they are cats) on the Noah's Ark sampler which are standing near the half stitched tree on the right. I will now work on finishing that tree.  My last post is here so you can see the progress

Lovely of you to stroll through my garden...
                                                              Jan x

Stitching on my London sampler...

Tonight I stitched the London Underground symbol onto my cross stitch sampler. It looks fabulous above the Beefeaters. If you missed my last post on this sampler click here.  I love cross stitch designs that are made up on small pictures. They are so satisfying to embroider.

I found the most delightful vintage London tray at a market on the weekend.  I wasn't passing it up for a cheap $7!

Have you done any stitching today?

This post has been linked with Handmade Harbour. Join other crafty souls for Handmade Monday.

Thanks for wandering through my garden...


                                                             Jan x

Noah's Ark cross stitching fun...

Hello everyone.  Hope you enjoy your time reading my stitchy blog.

I have had an evening or two in the last week stitching on Noah's Ark.  Cheeky monkeys are now playing on the ark roof.  The shutters have been backstitched and the tree on the right is growing (boom, boom). You can see my previous post here about Noah and his ark.

I have been playing with punches and my new sewing machine.  I punched these butterflies using paper from the Crate Paper's most delightful 6x6 paper range called Pretty Party. My Janome stitched through the two punch beautifully. I linked the butterflies as I sewed. They will make a pretty addition to a card or a scrapbook page. I am off to make more.

 

Linda from Stitchin with my Furbabies thought it was a good idea if I joined her Bothy Threads Cut-Thru SAL. So of course I dutifully obeyed (it wasn't hard to talk me into it) and I bought not one but two Cut-Thrus.  And I also threw in the Bothy Threads Kings and Queens kit which I think is fabulous as if I am paying for postage for one kit, then why not make the postage cover three kits! They are coming from the UK so may take a few weeks.   Now which Cut-Thrus did I get?  Guesses please.

Hope you get some stitchy time today...
                                                          Jan x

Little House Needleworks Christmas ornament...

Yesterday I had stitching time during the day. That is a rarity. The reason was not so pleasant as Master Jack (12) had teeth extracted under a general anaesthetic. So while I was waiting for him to return from theatre and then recover in the hospital I stitched.

I took my new small project by Little House Needleworks "Bringing Home the Tree" to the hospital.  As you can see I am using some hand-dyed threads. I had no luck getting the recommended threads locally so did a colour match with ones I could access. As this is only a small project I justified the purchase of some specialty threads as I only needed four skeins. I now have to find some remaining DMC threads from my stash to finish the stitchery. I will post my colour changes on my blog when I have finished this.

I wish there was more stitching time during the day but I know I am not the only one wishing for that. Back to chasing Toddler Tom as he wreaks havoc on my clean house.

Thanks for meandering in my bit of the garden...
                                                                         Jan x

Similar linen can be purchased here.
 

Cross stitch delights...

It was fab some of you shared your weekend projects.  I wasn't stitching "alone" which made stitching even more delightful and motivating. So how did your weekend projects go?

This is my weekend wrap which just happened to be a long weekend to celebrate the Queen's Birthday. Yay, even more time to stitch - well sort of! The rhinos came in two by two...yes they are now backstitched on the Noah's Ark cross stitch sampler by Dimensions. The next part of this sampler I will tackle is to outline the shuttered windows. You can compare my progress with the previous post here.

Block 1 of Shores of Hawk Run Hollow had more stitching time. I finished the word "Light". I am using the DMC version which is as luscious, but cheaper option than the hand dyed threads. I hope I won't regret that decision!

Finally I have started my first Christmas ORNIE!! What have I been waiting for?  Basically to get organised.  I have had the pattern and a couple of threads lying around but never started it.  It is "Bringing Home the Tree" by Little House Needleworks.  I read on a blog somewhere about a mother stitching an ornament for each child. I think this is a great idea as I know my children will totally love that idea. I have stitched a Shepherd's Bush Christmas stocking for them each (which you can see here) but they were made quite a while ago so I am ready for new Christmas stitching.

 

Today I am sharing my post in a linky party at Handmade Harbour.

 

Thanks for wandering through my garden...

 

                                                                 Jan x

An Evening with Noah's Ark and Shores of HRH stitcheries...

What a fab time I have had working on Noah's Ark tonight snuggled on my sofa with my 12yo son, a glass of port and a new TV show to watch. I have started viewing the first series of a boxed DVD set, Once Upon A Time- loving it by the way.You will be pleased to know my kangaroos now have been backstitched  and are ready to jump off the page! The rhinos are next in line for backstitching.

 

 

 

I have also spent more time on Block 1 of the Shores of Hawk Run Hollow.  Shores is such an easy pattern to follow especially in front of the TV. It is a simpler pattern to read than Noah's Ark which is full of mixing colours, half cross stitch and back stitch. But they will both be so worth it!

 





 

 

What are you working on this weekend?  I would love to hear your stitchy plans.

 

I am sending a big wave and welcome to my new followers!!!I hope you enjoy sharing my crafting journey.

 

Enjoy a stitchy weekend..

                                     Jan x

Shores of Hawk Run Hollow is started...

After two years of owning the pattern, I have finally found the time to start Shores of HRH!!! This is block 1. I am so thrilled to be stitching my very first lighthouse also.  It is so pretty in the berry and white.

I am stitching Shores on 32ct antique ivory Belfast linen.

Thanks for wandering through my garden (with kangaroos and all)...

                                                                                                      Jan x

P.S. I borrowed toddler Tom's cute Thomas the Tank Wooden Railway lighthouse to use as a prop.

Noah's Ark cross stitch coming along...

Noah's ark has reached new heights! I have very nearly finished the roof and outlined some darling little birds.  Can you spot the clouds as well? They are new too. If you want to see progress from my last post you can find it here. 

Such a fun stitch.  It's lovely to watch Noah's paired animals come to life.

Next up is to outline the kangaroos which have been in plague proportions in my garden over the last week.  Poor them, as I have fixed my electric gates and they can now only look into my garden from the outside. My plants are happy for the reprieve from their munching teeth.

Tonight I have linked my post to Handmade Monday at the crafty blog Handmade Harbour.

Thanks for visiting my garden. I hope you found stitching time recently like me...

                                                                                                                     Jan x

Similar products used in this project: 18 count beige aide fabric; DMC thread

Yarn Along...

Today, I am joining in with Yarn Along where I am sharing a knitting project with a book.

I am knitting a scarf for my 14yo daughter who will wear it to a dancing competition.  Her dancing school colours are black and yellow. The neon yellow Manos Maxima fair trade merino yarn is a perfect addition to her dancing uniform. She will wear it as she cheers on her dancing friends from the audience when she herself is not dancing on stage. The dancing event goes for 10 days so it is a big event on her calendar.

The stitch I am using is called "stocking heel". Row 1 is *knit 1, slip 1* K1. Row 2 is purl.  It produces this lovely rib structure. It is so easy and eliminates having to constantly switch the yarn around the needle like true rib.

I am a huge fan of the Diana Gabaldon Outlander series.  A Scottish setting, stone circles, time travel and romance sucked me right in. I couldn't put the series down.  In Australia (and I think the UK) the first book in the series is titled, believe it or not, Cross Stitch.  How could I resist reading this book when I love stitching so much? In the US, the first book is titled Outlander but I think this name is less appealing.  A friend recently gave me one of Diana's more recent books, Trail of Fire which is a book of four short stories that are side-shoot stories from the main series.  I am enjoying it very much.

Thanks for stopping by my garden...
                                                    Jan x