I’m back home

 After a wonderful trip to Japan for five weeks I am back home and delighted to reunite with my own bed and live life above floor level and with less stairs!

I did brave Shinjuku Station to visit Odakaya (a store of seven floors dedicated to handwork) and also travelled to Ginza twice to scour Echizenya (a store of of two floors of embroidery supplies) and was surprisingly not tempted too much.   A couple of pairs of scissors found their way into my suitcase and some supplies to finish an as yet secret project.     The object of this trip was to catch up with as many of my friends as possible so stitching and stitching supplies were low on the list.   Far lower than delicious sushi, anyways🤣

But I managed to do some stitching during my ‘holiday’ despite the lack of good light.   

This hardanger is holding my interest and once the housework and tiredness are dealt with I shall be back to my needle and fabric.

After Tokyo temperatures I’m finding New Zealand cold!   But East West Home’s Best🙂

A couple of finishes, some progress and a ‘possible UFO’

 Some grim determination, several cold and stormy days and a desire to start a new project all resolved into

A). One finished hardanger cloth. 

It needs a good ironing but I am quite pleased with the finished product although I doubt I will actually use it.   Currently it lives here.  

The My Love rating is around 98%.

B). One finished blackwork box. 

The current bead fastening is not satisfactory and is merely holding a space for the perfect bead, when I find it.  The My Love rating is around 99%

C).   New projects.   On holiday with a friend earlier this year I bought the ‘recipe and ingredients’ for these adorable little wool appliqué pencil cases.   

The outer of two are now completed and they’re awaiting construction; their bindings and zippers.   So far I 100% love these

D). A couple of weekends ago I went with another Guild member to a one day class which was ambitiously aiming to teach Dorset Feather Stitchery.   

Naturally I chose the blue coloured kit of materials but unfortunately there was a slight check effect on the fabric.  Warp was blue and weft was cream.   So of course my brain began to count and feather stitch does not cooperate well with counting.  

Frustration levels have risen and this is now in Time Out while I wait for the affection and enthusiasm to return.

Yet another “friend finish

 Well, the title of this post is a little misleading.   I enjoy finishing off these projects for my friend -  some of them have languished for many years

I will be visiting said friend this weekend and hope to take it to her so am determined to finish the hemstitch edge and iron it.   (And today, at least that item got crossed off the to do list) And then only two, or is it three, projects left in the bag.

Meanwhile I am progressing on my hardanger table cloth.   Once again the picots defeated me and I opted for plain old Doves Eye filling.  But I am so pleased with this. And the colour combination.   Once the outer corners are complete I will need to decide on how to do the central square,   This is a fun long term project.

The blackwork box is all stitched and I need to get the pieces of card cut and construct the box.   It was to have been a present for my aunt, but it is unlikely to be fully complete by the time I visit her at Easter so this may yet end up in my own display cabinet.

Living in The Antipodes and being far away from wars and rumours of wars has its advantages but the inevitable cost increases are astronomical.   Our petrol (gasoline) prices have risen more than 20 cents in two days!!

I am thankful I’ve already booked and paid for my Easter holiday and my overseas holiday later this year.  

Another “Friend Finish”

 Last night I finished this very pink sampler for my friend.   The date on the chart is 1995.   I think I told you all before that this friend has some very old UFO’s!

Anyway it looks good and distracted me from the storm outside.   Our region was put under a Red Weather Warning and it was a restless night listening to the rain and wind.   I worried that the roof would blow off.   But no major damage except to my garden.   And this afternoon it is dry and blue sky but still a ferocious wind.

And I’m back working on my Blackwork Box.   I had already stitched this but came to a disastrous halt with the construction so decided to start again and follow my own common sense in the construction method.   Just as well I had plenty of the linen (32 count French Lace) and the floss (Silk n Colors -Finnegan’s Fog).  I’m rather enjoying this as stitching with so silk is so satisfying.

Meanwhile I’m dreaming as to what I will do next.   There are still four more Friend Finishes in the cupboard, and decisions to be made about colours for my Hardanger Table Cloth.