Birds of a Feather

Finally the supplies for "Birds of a Feather" together with part one of this mystery sampler arrived last Friday  and I could make a start while watching the French Open. Tennis is one of the few things that keep me glued to the tv.   I'm so glad I started this Mystery sampler.  I really do like everything of it.  Love the chart - love the fabric - love the colors.  It's stitched with 2 strands on 35ct Weeks Dye linen (Confederate Grey) with Weeks Dye floss.  WDW linen becomes fast my favorite linen. It just feels gorgeous soft.

 Designer: With Thy Needle and Thread

Another ornament:

 Peppermint Twist

Designer: Little House Needlworks

Fabric: 32ct Belfast Summer Khaki

Fibers: DMC, Weeks Dye and Crescent Colours

And see those scissors in the picture above? Aren't those gorgeous?I found them and just had to have them. I do have a liking to the unusual. And those are unusual enough that I felt the need to add them to my collection. Plus I like the look of them of course.

Then there is an update on Amsterdam, where the green is driving me nuts....

My plans to start "Where my Heart Blooms" are on hold until the fabric arrives. The fabric I had in mind for it just didn't work and so I went ahead and ordered the recommended fabric. Which will take a bit to arrive here in Australia.

And I JUST got a surprise from Cindy. She sent me a lovely chart and some gorgeous fabrics. How nice is that? Thank you so very much Cindy. Loving it all. :)

Wishing everybody a fantastic week :)

My heart is going to bloom :)

Yes, indeed – and I’m most excited about it too. My heart is really going to bloom and it’s bouncing in anticipation. “Where my Heart Blooms”  is the name of the chart that arrived yesterday on my doorstep. One of the 2 charts that I so badly want to stitch but couldn’t get my hands on. And amazingly a fellow stitcher and new friend sent me a message that she will borrow me the chart.  That is SO generous.  Even more if you consider that Carol doesn’t even know me, and still trusts me enough to send me this darling OOP chart.  I’m still in awe about that. And so very thankful.

 

While Carol is visiting Europe, her chart is on vacation with me in Australia.  I’m babysitting it so to speak. We will have some quality fun time here – that’s a sure thing!  All threads are already ordered and lots of different fabrics fondled to find the right one.

Does anyone can give me an indication about what DMC color is close to  “Korty’s Special Blend” from R&R Reproductions ? 

Also…getting a bit bored by what I’m stitching lately, I subscribed to a Mystery Sampler. It’s called Bird of a Feather from “With thy Needle”. I saw the border of part one and was sold. Plus… I LOVE LOVE LOVE birds, which means it really can’t go wrong. It's a no brainer.  Right now I’m stalking the postman daily awaiting the chart and materials. 

Except running up and down here like a chicken without head I did manage to put some stitches in. First of all there are 3 ornaments… (I’m having a thing with ornaments at the moment…lol)

Quaker Fragments (one of the March stockings)

Designer: Blackbird Designs

Fabric: 30ct R&R Reproduction Linen (Apple Brown Bindi)

Fibers : Gentle Art (I used 2 Special Edition colors)

Stitched for Cindy  as Quaker ornament for an exchange at Hooked on Exchanging

Winter Sheep

Designer:  Little House Needleworks

Fabric: 30 ct Weeks  “Straw”

Fibers : DMC.  Although I did change 2 colours and used DMC 3852 and 814 instead the recommended colors. Added couple of beads too.

The  Merry Skater

Designer: Little House Needleworks

Fabric: 32ct Belfast – Summer Khaki

Fibers: DMC (used white instead of cream and 3852)

Obligatory update on Amsterdam….

Ohhhh….and I’m knitting a scarf for my youngest daughter

Anyway, thanks for reading it all to the end…and I’m going to stalk the post man a bit because awaiting several packets from over sea!!! (Insert here the picture of a desperate woman clinging to the poor posties legs  while he tries just as desperate to get away….) Thank god I’m not impatient!!!

Have a seat...

Come in and grab a seat....in my new Stitching Chair!!! While I do the happy dance in front of you. I'll serve a cup of coffee or tea to calm your nerves after enduring that sight....lol....I promise.

It's officially called a Garden chair, but that's not going to happen. Even the chair comes with a little umbrella, we're staying in the lounge with our cuppas, as they call it here in Australia. Is it called a cuppa too at your place or is it something Australian? No clue actually.

The Garden Chair
Designer: The Cat's Whiskers
Fabric: 32ct Belfast "Mint Green"
Fibers: Recommended Dinky Dyes Silk

The stitching was finished since quite a while but it took me until yesterday to finally put it all together. Officially the little chair has a draw at the front, but after finishing it, I decided that I like it better without a draw and changed it.

Funny detail: It was a Mothers Day gift from my husband in 2009, and got finished on Mothers Day 2011. And I didn't even realize that until it was finished.

And now a confession. I feel very ashamed.....Last week I was looking around in my lounge and a beautiful little pillow that Joke made for me caught my eye. At once I felt my heart sinking in my shoes....did I ever post about that on my blog???? No I didn't. Which is terrible rude of mine. I sent already an email to Joke with my apologies and do it here again. I'm SO very sorry. Joke must have thought I didn't like it. But I ADORE it. It has a place of honor in our lounge in full view. So here is a picture of the lovely Reindeer Ornament Pillow that Joke made for me:

It's lovely isn't it?

There is an update on Amsterdam as well:




And I knitted another pair of socks:

Diagonal Lace Socks
from the book: Socks from the Toe Up" by Wendy D. Johnson
Wool: Malabrigo Sock "Ochre"

That's all from this part of the world. I'm going back now to my stitching chair...with a cuppa!!!

Stash-a-holics Anonymous unite!!

Ok, let me bite the bullet here. My name is Gabi and I'm an addict.  My drug of choice is called stash,
I do collect scissors, fabrics, embellishments, and charts of several designers. Just for the fun of it.
But what I have to stop is collecting OOP charts! That is becoming ridiculous.

What about you? Are you a stash-a-holic too? Do you collect things? Or do you buy just what you need only?  If you're a collector too....what do you collect?
If you're like me, we should set up a group together for Stash-a-holics Anonymous and have a meeting to support each other at the nearest LNS. That's the right place to be for us isn't it??? Must be right...sounds so wonderfully right to me.


What brought me to this admission of guilt? I sat down in front of my filing cabinet where I have stored my charts. I needed to stitch a PS design for an exchange and had a look through  at my almost complete collection of PS charts  and realizing  what a shockingly enormous amount of money and time I spent on purchasing OOP charts that I then simply filed away. I told my husband that there wouldn't be any loss, because I could stitch it and then sell it for the same price as I bought it for. Right. THAT is never going to happen....lol. I'm not selling any of them!!! Thankfully it's my own pocket money I spent, otherwise I would have a problem at the home front.


My newest resolution is:  No OOP charts anymore!!! I will not spend that much money any more on charts. To pay for a chart couple of times more what the original value was just because it's out of print is ridiculous. Certainly if you consider that there are so much wonderful designers bringing out fantastic new designs each year.  Sigh. Unless of course I find "Where my heart blooms"....or "Ellen Birdseye" ..  ...I'm an addict after all.

And after I was finished with these thoughts I did some stitching as well: 

First of all I  did indeed stitch a Prairie Schooler design after all but cannot show it yet. It's for an exchange and will get send off next month. Need to give it a finishing touch first anyway.


An update on Amsterdam....

And 2 ornaments:

Snowy Pines

Designer: Little House Needleworks

Fabric: 32ct Belfast Natural

Fibers: Crescent Colors, Gentle Art and DMC

 

I made couple of changes and used CC Tartan,Plaid, CC Sassy Brass,  GA Dark Chocolate and a limited edition green (Gecko) from GA instead of the recommended DMC.

He's a Flake

Designer: Little House Needleworks

Fabric: 30 ct Weeks Dye "Dove"

 Fibers: Crescent Colors and DMC

The only changes I made here were to use DMC 814 instead of the read copper. I also swapped the colors around on the pot and made it golden with a red bow instead of the other way around.