I'm back!

Although I didn't go anywhere in the first place but a few good and not so good reasons kept me away...this is going to be quite long and photo heavy - just a little warning ;-)

Where do I start??? well after my last post I did some finishing for my friends ruby wedding anniversary present.

Then another idiot male driver decided not to stop when I did at a roundabout and not only rear-ended me but also gave me mild whiplash which has been giving me headaches and neck and shoulder pain for the last three weeks - so said car will be visiting the body shop again in about 10days!

Meantime said car went in for servicing and air condition was re-gassed etc only for said gas to be all leaked out in a couple days and garage needing to give me this Tin Can while they sorted it ...

On the stitchy front, I got me a lovely little PIF from Sally

Then I went for a job interview - well you know, one must challenge oneself sometimes... I think it went well even though I think they ambushed the three applicants...I got an email saying three people on panel...there were 5, count that FIVE when I turned up. Plus the fact that they all had time to go through my presentation and prepare questions since they insisted no USB, must email presentation before interview date! After all this...10 days later and they still haven't bothered to say yea or nay - not that I'm desperate, I already have a job but the principle!!!

I had some physio on wed and felt able to do some stitching yesterday...so the best news of all is my FINISH.....TA DA I used Isle Green 3207 for the words and letters and Meadow for the rest of the chart.

Started 21 Feb 2009 - Finished 19 Aug 2011. The pic isn't great since the sun keeps going into hiding, I won't be framing this till next summer 'cause I have plans to send it to Vikki's exhibition next June and framed will not be possible due to cost. Now I need to do some cutting and zigzagging for my next BAP start...not like I don't already have a few of those on the go...

This is my floss toss, if there is enough fabric, I have to go measure to be sure ;-)

I did do some stitching on the Red Pots but I don't have a pic and since I will stitch on it over the next few nights at work I will do an up to date pic next week, I hope not to be gone so long again...but I keep saying things like this don't I? Oh well that's life.
For now I'm off to have some wine with my sis, so no stitching today. Don't want the frogs to visit.
Ciao x

Gone Reading!?

Yep...well, and working too...lol
I meant to post this last week but work got in the way...now here we are. I had arrived at this point on QV - now only 1 1/2 pages to go :-)

Then while I was working I finished off the border on the Red Pots.

So I  decided that on my days off - only two mind you! I would start reading this (pic courtesy of Amazon)

Since I hadn't read for quite a while, luckily I was off for two days...cos once I started it I couldnt put it down and did a marathon read in less than 24 hrs. Needless to say the book is really good, otherwise I would quite happily have put it down to go to sleep! Having finished at 5am i then needed a sleep,so had a nice long nap <grin> Cant wait to get number 2 & 3 from the library.
I have to do some finishes this w/e so no stitching on QV till next week at the earliest I think, but I will show the finishes! Mwah, thanks for reading me!

WOW...

I didn't realise it had been three weeks since my last post...oh well life takes over doesn't it??
Well since I was last here I have stitched my little heart out!!! There has been a finish...

And there has been a birthday...! Don't you just love that cake...Mmmm

And some other stitching going on too..a little progress on Red Pots - excuse the not ironed state :-)

and a whole heap of progress on QV......Only 3 pages to go....I best get cracking...

No stitching done yesterday since I spent most of the day surfing and generally faffing about on the computer, and blogger wouldn't let me upload pics so I couldn't post this. So now off I go to put a dent in those three pages for the rest of the afternoon. See you all soon :-)

Update...and a giveaway!

Well I can't think of anything catchy to say and I'm more interested in playing with my new toy at the moment...LOL. Yep gots me a shiny new iphone and learning how to use it is such fun :-)

So I have three new WIP pics for you  first up will be QV and I am officially past the halfway point I am sure of that, 6/12 pages complete (plus a bit more of course).

Next up is a finish...all I have to do is add 2011 at the top notch of the heart and make it up. Will show a pic in a few weeks when it's all done ;-) And this is the GIVEAWAY chart. I offer it to the first person to post a comment on the condition that you pass it on when you have finished with it...DEAL??

Third is the Red Pots Sampler which is of course in PINK <big grin> and about a 1/4 of the border is done now

Finally, I leave you with a pic of Batman...he doesn't stand still long enough for me to take proper pics (I guess he doesn't want his identity blown) even though his cape proclaims him a FROG!!!

Ciao mes amis xx

Naughty, oh so naughty!

I have been REALLY naughty with not one but two starts...eeek. Oh well, at least I am having fun, right?
See the first time I did it was when I couldn't sleep last week, and instead of stressing about how I had to go to work the next morning and winding myself up the fabric was staring me in the face across the room along with threads...so I cut a piece and VOILA....

This is on 18ct aida...and is being stitched with some of the stash I got from Jean not too long ago. Colours will be Anchor 842 and 844 and the chart is that Red Pots Sampler from a few posts ago!
There has also been progress on my T&E mandala and I am now just over half way through as you can see

The heart is also at half way and moving towards a finish soon

But the Piece de Resistance is the start of Catherine Archer (hereafter only to be referred to as Catherine), I started this today after church and noticed a little boo-boo half way through letter B...I was stitching 1 x 1 and I had gridded my fabric for 1 x 2. So I finished my length of thread and did a little test in the margin of  1 over and 2 over and decided I preferred the 1 over anyway so I kept going and this is where I left off for the day

Sizewise if you're interested after all this is I think 34ct - according to my counting and this is how big they look at the mo

This was my floss toss, although the fabric looks quite pink in this light which it definitely isn't...a WHOLE hank of Vikki's Rubbed Red is what I am using...with tons left over now since I am on 1 x 1.

This hank came to me after I paid the ransom of the customs officers, along with some other beautiful red spools

And since you have stayed with me this long, I present to you my Precious...returned to me after his stay at the spa where he got a good massage, and is all shiny and refreshed ;-)

I'm in LOVE!!!!!

Yep...with this nifty thing...can't call it small, but I Lurve it

Some madwife(midwife in other words) couldn't control her car better and backed into mine in the car park at work a few weeks ago. Now her insurance is fixing mine and I got to keep this for the bank holiday w/e, will get mine back tomorrow and have to return this :-( I know it's not really practical since I'm mostly alone and the old ladies in church wouldn't be able to get in if I had to give them a lift, but boy am I smitten...DON'T want to give it back.... stamps feet!
Didn't get to watch much of the wedding on Friday as I was working but did stop long enough to see the dress and it was just GORGEOUS. The simplicity of the dress and veil just made it so much more elegant IMHO and wasn't Catherine radiant. I wish them all the happiness in the world as they embark on this journey.
On the stitching front, I haven't stitched on T&E but I have done some serious work on QV I think. I guess the picture will tell the tale...and now I'm off to see if I can do the butterfly in the corner just above the F (there are actually 2 but I aim for just one tonight ) before I go to bed, gotta cook lunch at church in the morning...it's my turn this week!

For Connie - the last  pic shown in the last post is by this company and it can be found on the pot sampler page, called Red Pots Sampler ;-).
 Catch you later

Procrastination...

is my middle name, or so I thought. I found out differently on Monday when I had two days off and had planned to finish THE essay so I was done and could have a nice Easter w/e. Here was I all primed to go when I find that I needed to have the 2...count that TWO assessments done before I could write...and they were still pending as I hadn't managed to pin my mentor down to do them. WHEN is this work due in I hear you ask? the 26th...yes next Tuesday!!! Well to cut a long story, assessments done, essay just finished an hour ago....hope you all had a nice Good Friday too.

On a good note I have lots of pics for you. My Thread and Eye mandala is growing slowly but surely

I have been putting in the time on QV....hence the name of this post...and I have hit the opposite corner at the Q the diagonal starts going upwards....yay. IT does grow pretty quickly when I sit for a couple of hours here and there.

I have startitis very badly at the moment and am looking to justify all new starts as I pull fabric or floss from their storage and drool...I have one new start and the justification for that is I have just been invited to a 40th wedding anniversary party and a store bought gift just wont be appreciated as much as a little stitched something...and since I had the perfect chart and thread it is all stash and no new purchases. It stitches up quite quickly and will finish in no time - just as well since said party is in July. Enough of the teasing right, this is how much I stitched in one sitting

I think its a 28ct natural evenweave and I'm using HDF of course, one of a few mystery spools I have. This is what the finished piece will look like and I hope to add initials on either side at the bottom and either this year or wedding year at the top of the heart.

The other chart I pulled out when I started this one....and it sits there taunting me every night...I can see it now!! is this one

I have pulled the thread I plan to use for it...Anchor...oh my...and aida fabric...what in heavens name!!! Well I have a ton of said fabric and saw the opportunity to use up some of that 30yr old stash that I just acquired so when I give in to the urge to pull out the sewing machine, cut and zigzag some fabric etc you might just see a few new starts.
Why do I say a few you ask me....well remember that post not so long ago where I had found my RED sampler...well I had fabric...now floss has arrived and the only thing that stopped me from starting was THAT ESSAY...which is now done...oh how I will be stitching up a storm. My stitchy bug has been nipping at my toes for weeks now while the guilt has prevented me from doing too much.
Well spring has definitely sprung in this corner of Berkshire along with the rest of the UK and as soon as I mow that foot and half high grassy area out back that purports to be my backyard I shall be sitting in the swing all day when not at work and J*** next door will not have to wonder if I am ailing as the sun is out but I appear not to be!!! Yes, she was about to knock on my door to check up on me when I appeared out the back door on Monday, oh to be predictable.
I hope to be back in less than a month with a nice short post...instead of an essay. And I sincerely hope that you have not been bored if you managed to get down here xx