Strawberries at Easter??

Easter weekend - a time of reflection, holiday from work, stitching and generally relaxing.   Despite the dire weather forecast, today was bright and sunny but I was only briefly outdoors.  Top of my list was sewing and I cut out and sewed (about two thirds anyway) a dress in black merino fabric.   Once completed I will have the local "logo shop" embroider our company logo on the left hand side of the bodice and my take on our company uniform will be complete.   The General Manager doesn't seem to feel the cold and all our uniform pieces are cotton and polyester =  Margaret freezes in the winter!   With all those merino sheep running around the green pastures of New Zealand why should I freeze in an imported cotton uniform so this year merino it is and I shall be warm.  And on a more colourful note I completed the Mary Stewart Hussif.  

Yes!!   Ever since I first saw one of these I have wanted to make one  - this is stitched on 32 count pink linen, in DMC floss.  The cords are finger weaving and the small toggles are an adaptation of those in Gay Eaton's Wessex Stitchery book.  For the lining I was unable to find fabric with strawberries on it so small roses it had to be.

The needle book is merino flannel.  Eight years ago on a visit to Adelaide (Australia) I bought two metres of this and have been using it gradually every since.   What an economical decision that was!

A few weeks ago I completed my "copy" of Riona's bookcase bookmark and at that time Shiela and Ann both asked how I had finished the back.  I decided to stitch another one and this time to take photographs of the process rather than try and convey it all in prose.   So today I stitched the bookcase and hopefully tomorrow will fill the shelves with books and will then take photos of the construction process.   Sorry to keep you waiting so long for a reply Shiela and Ann, but I should be able to answer fully within a day or two.

Mother has her nose in "The Winds of Heaven" (Monica Dickens) and I am engrossed in "Faith"(Peter James) so when we are not stitching there is total quietness at our house!  

On the morning of  May 12th I will spend  "An Hour With Peter James" at the Auckland Readers and Writers Festival and then in the evening  "An Hour with Stella Rimington".   Written that way it sounds like a personal encounter -  if only!   No, I am attending a couple of sessions of this

Stella Rimington I have already 'met' in a couple of books but my first encounter with Peter James was only this week in "Perfect People" which I found raised both questions and goose bumps.  "Faith" is similarly riveting in concept and scary to read and I am looking forward to seeing just what sort of person writes those sort of books.   Neither books have an author mug shot on the back and as I want him to have the rugged handsome looks of say, Nigel Havers, I am resisting a google search so as not to spoil the surprise. 

Have a wonderfully joyous Easter.