A finish - and Amy's Tour Part 8

Good evening all.
I have had a busy busy week but last night I managed to finish my Strawberry Fields Stitching Bag.   Just needs a good press with the iron.  I do think the accessories look out of proportion but they are exactly to the chart and as I won't be using them it isn't going to matter too much.   The colour isn't really really true to life -  in reality it is as beautiful as the name "Crushed Strawberry"

This afternoon I had coffee and cake with my friend Tomoko.   Mr Jones The Grocer has an amazing selection of tempting cakes.   Tomoko chose New York Brownie and I had lemon shortcake. Yummy!!

I am back to working on Kelly's Growth Chart.   What animal am I working on now?   Three shades of grey, black and white -  is that enough of  a clue for you to guess Zebra?   This is the third animal; only a lion to go and then a couple of added extras and I am done.   Please excuse the wrinkles.

And some more items from my basket

This little Quaker Pocket holds a six inch brass ruler.  

My small collection of biscornu.   These can be quite addictive can't they?

A Quaker Pin Cube -  this was a freebie but I can't remember where from.

I stitched this according to instructions but it only reinforced my "I hate Aida" disease.

I made this some years ago and found the chart really hard to follow so was delighted to actually complete it.   The two friends with whom I did the SAL didn't get theirs complete.   Having a little more experience now I sometimes think I'd like to try it again and see if I could make a better job of it.  I do like the M on the back

Now on to some other items -  this Darning Pocket was a delight to stitch but I never managed to find a darning "mushroom" to keep in it.   I remember my Great-grandmother had one but it was missing from her sewing box when I went looking.  So the pocket is empty!

(By the way I have never seen a darning egg -  we always had darning mushrooms.   I had to look to Dr. Google to find these.   The mushroom looks easier to hold don't you think)

This Drawn Thread Bell Pull has never been hung up.   My Aunt gave me the kit and I did enjoy it but there is really no place in my house to hang this as all the walls are pale colour.

That's about all my news for the week that was.   Tomorrow Little Brother is coming to stay for a couple of nights so I am off now to spend the evening in the kitchen preparing the meals for that.

Have a good evening everyone.

Almost there ... and Amy's Tour Part 7

What a difference a day makes.
I took this photo on the way home from work one day and

then this one is the following afternoon.  

It isn't always true that red at night is shepherds delight.We can have a searing red sunset one day and rain the next here!

Last night I finished the stitching on the Strawberry Fields Bag.
I have thoroughly enjoyed this stitching and especially the lovely little flowers.

The top photo is closest to the actual colour.   Today has been a really busy day at work so I will leave the construction until the weekend when I can concentrate better.   There are a few accessories so I'll go ahead and tack up the linen for those.
Now on the third shelf of my cabinet is a basket containing all sorts of odds and ends.

Some date from early in my stitching days (and are kept for pure nostalgia) and others are small but precious.
Here's a couple (I promise to show you more later on)

My LNS had this as a class and as it was in my favourite blue colour and because I like bee hives this was an instant sign-up!   It is stitched on wool blanketing and at present houses my circular needles -  they need the protection of this thick woollen needle case.

This little Indigo Rose Folding Cross Needle Book is sooo cute.   It is done in reversible blackwork (well actually navy blue). The base is a slightly padded cushion and the pages fold over and button down - each page labelled with a needle size.   I love this one so much I have never used it!!   Another story associated with this one... I bought the totally suitable bead at a shop near my sister's place in Wellington.  Almost next door to the bead shop was a store selling Dutch Salted Licorice.  Believe me I spent more on licorice that day than on beads!

Well that's enough for today.   Have a good evening.

Woe is me .... and Amy's Tour Part 6

Yes!   Woe is me.   I seem to have caught yet another cold and must again make maximum effort to ensure I don't pass it on to the HDHBEM.   Today I was to have gone out to lunch with my friend Tomoko and instead have been indoors feeling sorry for myself :-(   The place where I work is a large factory and although my office is cosy the rest of the building is unheated and draughty  - an ideal place for the acquiring of any circulating virus. Monday is wages day and they will all expect me back at work then so I must spend my weekend trying to get better quickly!

There has been quite a gap since the last episode of Amy's Tour -  I hope you are not bored with this yet.

Shepherds Bush Kit  - stitched in 2000 while on holiday.   I remember I exhausted all the projects I took with me and bought this at an LNS while away.

This box by Beardie Designs was stitched in silks and I enjoyed every moment of this.   I was pleased too with the way it all came together -  even though it isn't my normal colour palette.

This Barbara Jackson design was in my stash for many many years before I finally got to stitching it.   I recommend this one to any other stitcher -  it was such fun to do.

I can't really recall which magazine this was from but it was definitely last century that I stitched this!  Inside the coral stitch medallions there were supposed to be wreaths of ribbon work flowers.   As I have a pet aversion to ribbon work these cross stitch roses were an excellent compromise.

Again, this piece is from last century!   The wooden box is made from NZ Kauri wood and sadly the man who made these is no longer with us.  The hardanger design was from a magazine picked up at random from the trading table at Embroiderer's Guild.

This bear was done at a class held by an Embroiderer's Guild in the neighbouring region.   My friend's mother made the bear out of an old coat and I merely provided his floral accessories!  Wool embroidery has not become a great favourite but I love my bear. 

This "Repair Bear Kit" was from Inspirations Magazine and was really interesting with all the various pieces to applique.  

Some years ago our Embroiderer's Guild had classes in Japanese Kogin - my first introduction to this technique.   I was hooked and have since made placemats, coasters and bags - all of which have been given away as gifts.   So last year I stitched this needlebook which proudly sits in my cabinet.

Third shelf of the cupboard -  the Garden Ball is a recent finish.   The Quaker Chicken was done about four years ago.   I love her and every year promise myself to add the Christmas Quaker Chicken but somehow....time runs out.  

This was stitched ages and ages ago - I loved the idea of a circular hussif but it had never been used although once it did get an outing to display at our Guild Exhibition. 

Back in the old days when I stitched on Aida !

Currently I am stitching on Hillside Samplings Strawberry Fields Stitching Bag and Accessories.  Hopefully tonight I will get the alphabet started.   

One side has the alphabet under the strawberry band and the other side has "wrought by..."  There is a scissor fob, scabbard, needlebook and a ruler cover but as I don't have the matching scrimshaw ruler I am going to do a small biscornu pincushion instead.   This is a really enjoyable stitch. I am planning to line the bag with dupion silk.

Have a  good evening everyone.