Quartet Exchange

Margaret W, June, Lillie and I entered into a needlewomen's agreement ;) in March this year. I dubbed it the Quartet Exchange since there's the 4 of us ... such linguistic creativity :p Without a doubt I am certain dear friends, you know first hand how 'busy' we stitchers can be :p Hence the exchange had a time frame of 1 year!

I therefore completed the exchange in a leisurely and constant manner. And towards the end found myself eager to finish them to be sent for my friends' enjoyment :)

Warning picture heavy :) So first up is June.

Design: Moonlight Serenade (freebie)
Designer: Papillon Creations
Fabric: Lt. Blue 32ct Belfast
Threads: DMC Variations & DMC Gold

For Margaret W.

Design: My Pink House
Designer: Blackbird Designs (With Needle and Thread book)
Fabric: Vintage Cream 32ct Belfast
Threads: Carries Creations & DMC Variegated

For Lillie.

Design: Selected motifs

Designer: Brenda Keyes (Traditional Samplers book)
Fabric: Cream 32ct Belfast
Threads: DMC

Bluebird's Message framed

I did the lacing on this piece myself. It was a challenge though. I think I better try gluing for the next piece instead :)

Little gift for Mary

I bought some fabric from Mary Kathryn's webshop a couple of months back and one of the packages got lost. Mary so kindly offered to replace the order. I don't know how many INS owners would go that extra mile but Mary sure did. And as a thank you gesture I stitched Time for Tea with Max and finished it into a small draw string bag. She says she likes it as she's collecting all things tea! :)

Time for Tea with Max (freebie)
Fabric: 32ct Belfast Angel Blush
Threads: Victorian Motto (Nancy) - Plum

WIP updates

Completed Band 5 & 6 (out of 14 and Band 7 is huge :p) of Hester's Needle's The Sara Hathorne Sampler.


I'm picking up The Drawn Thread's Sampler Gameboard again. I'm going with some mini goals of 2 squares every two weeks. This is at Mid-June.

This is Early-July. Am adding a little bit of the borders as I go along.

Some WIPs & Gifts

The Token

Sara Hathorne

Small Birthday Gift for June

Small Birthday Gift for Janet

A gift for Jess
Design from Novalee02 (freebie)

Stitched on Antique White 32ct Belfast Linen with Anchor 47

A small stitchery piece. Intend to finish it as a needlebook. A freebie from Cinderberry.

And the winner is ...

Congratulations KarenV!! I will be sending you an email right after this :)

Thank you all for playing. I've had such a wonderful response :)

Mid-Year Blog Giveaway

I've been tinkering about doing a blog giveaway like what I've seen so many of you dear readers do. I am offering a little draw-string pouch, nothing too fancy. It's smallish and fully lined . Great for your trinkets and this and that ... :) A strip of embroidered ribbon is sewn across. I thought it gave a nice touch :)

Designer: Les Grilles De Maryse (freebie)
Fabric: 32ct Belfast Angel Blush
Threads: DMC

Anyone can partake in this giveaway. You may be anywhere in this Big Blue Marble (anyone remember the TV series?). No matter if you 'know' me or commented on my blog before. All you have to do is just comment on this post along with your name. I'll use a random name generator and if your name comes up top, I'll get the pouch to you! Easy! :)

I'll make the draw the first thing I get online in the morning of 30th June 2008 (Malaysian Time GMT +8.00)

Thank you all in advance for playing!

An old WIP completed

Dear readers, if you were with me from the start of my blog, you will remember this piece that I have only now completed. It was meant for my sis's wedding sampler but I've had a change of heart and stitched for her another since. So I decided to finish that one last band. It was actually charted with a to z in backstich but I thought I'd stitch a phrase instead. An old phrase ...

Traditional Sampler (from a book)

Stitched on 28ct Jubilee with DMC threads

Quaker Pillow and Charity Sewing

This is the pillow for the Quaker 2008 I finished a couple of weeks ago. It's 18" x 18". I did a little patchwork on the corners. Not my best effort though :(

Here's a little sewing this morning for these two pouches. It took a good two plus hours :( This will be the first two pouches for the charity drive at Monfort Boy's Town next May. I might as well get a head start and work on these as and when time permits. The beautiful tatted snowflakes are the hand work of Faizon. She's given me a bunch of these lovelies for the charity project. So you can say it's a joint effort! :) The pouch is fully lined with white cotton. I employed this wonderful pouch tutorial I found at Emily's via Harmien's blog :)

Back from the framers

These were pieces stitched last year.

A Stitcher's Prayer by Little House Needleworks
Stitched on 28ct Cashel Flax with DMC threads

Home of a Needleworker by Little House Needleworks
Stitched on 28ct Cashel Flax with DMC threads

Tote Bag & Fob

I received a lovely belated birthday gift from Nik 2 days ago. The tote bag is really very professionally made, it even had a kind of embroidered product label in the inner pocket :) It's lined, quite sturdy and an overall perfect fit. Nik says I should use it for my stashing trips ;)

And of course there's the hand made card. Pretty and down right creative! Thanks so much Nik.

On the same day, I received the threads that Lillie bought for me from Malacca. But she did not stop at that, she made me a cute lil' (pun intended) fob too. Must be really tedious sewing up this little fellow. Many thanks Lillie.


Thanks to Lillie I am good to continue with The Spanish Sampler by Periphaeria Designs

Our Souls Entwine - Framed

I like the frame. Might use the frame again for BBD's Bluebird's Message :)

A small Quaker Finish

Inspired by the Quaker 2008 Freebie that Staci completed, here's mine :) It took some time for me to complete it even if it is a smallish design. I've omitted the initials and will finish it as a cushion cover.

Design: Quaker 2008 (freebie)
Thread: DMC 934
Fabric: 25ct Floba
Stitched: 2 over 2

When Hazel mentioned that she got a copy of The Beatrix Potter Quaker Sampler from Jacqueline's eBay shop, I quickly ensured I got myself a copy ;) Can you tell I am on a Quaker kick? :D So here's the plan ... I've got plenty of that at least :)

I've ordered some really beautiful pumpkin floss (among others ;) ) from Nancy's eBay shop last night. She's such a wonderful lady! And I've got some sand linen in my stash. I'll marry them up and we'll see how that goes.

EMS Rose Sampler - Part 5

Here's Part 5. Rather quick as their all letters.

Hmmm ... let me see what shall I start on next? ;)

EMS Rose Sampler - Part 4

Finished this in the wee hours of the morning. I will continue to complete Part 5, hopefully before Part 6 is published on 1/6.

If there was only one shade of red a stitcher could have I'll choose Anchor 47 in a wink!

The Spanish Sampler SAL

I finally took the plunge to start on The Spanish Sampler Mystery SAL going on at Periphaeria Designs.

I've always liked the look of Marc Davis's version of Tracy Horner's Cirque des Cercles. I might stitch CdC one day but perhaps in a different colourway.

I had to stop for now as I am waiting for Lillie to rescue me with supplies of DMC 111! :D So I am back to stitching the EMS Rose Sampler Part 4 and hopefully Part 5 too :)

Design: Spanish Sampler Mystery SAL
Designer: Periphaeria Designs
Fabric: 32ct Black Lugana
Threads: DMC 111

Little Pillow Gifts

These small pillows or large pincushions :) are for my sis Jennifer and her god mother Cecilia. The lovely fabric that I cut this from was Jess's gift to me. It's true what they say, what comes around goes around. In this case it's all things good :)

Our Souls Entwine

A 30th anniversary gift for my friend Cecilia and Anthony. I've got in mind the perfect frame for it. Will be sent to the framers tomorrow.

Design: Our Souls Entwine by Brightneedle

Fabric: Cream Belfast
Threads: Carrie's Creations

More Birthday Goodness

I had a great mail day today ... three times over! :D

Thank you Rose for the lovely tuck pillow. I've never received a tuck pillow before and now I know how it really looks like. It was perfectly finished too. And the batik sarong fabric with all the lovely little little goodies. The note pad is already on my fridge door! Thank you so much Rose.


Then it was a delightful felt pocket from Janet. Very very folksy. And if you look closely isn't that just lovely embroidery?! Thanks so much Janet


Last and definitely not least was a package from dear Margaret W. A very lovely kitted sampler a smallish embroidery kit (very unique, never seen anything like it before) and a cutesy magnet.
Thank you Margaret, thank you for everything!

Birthday Gifts from Jess

Jess sent a lovely redwork print cotton fabric all the way from Melbourne, Australia. I've got some ideas on what I want to sew from those cutesy vintage motifs. Never fail to put a smile on my face. And that tea towel is soooo practical! It's got an aida band insert for some stitching. Jess suggested 'Barbara's Kitchen'! :) Might just stitch that ;)

Thank you for your gifts and your wishes, Jess. I appreciate them so much.

Also today a package full of hand dyed floss came from Nancy. She's a really nice lady. And the floss is lovely. I've got Staci to thank for mentioning Nancy's hand dyed floss business on eBay. The colours aren't very exciting but their destined for great finishes. The grays on the left are for Long Dog's Paradigm Lost for sure and the others? I am still thinking :)

How Does Your Garden Grow - Part 3 & 4 Completed

I am going to work on 2 parts at a go from now on. That goes for the EMS Rose Sampler too. Well that's the plan anyway :)

28 ct Flax Cashel with Carrie's Creations

I'll be adding the beads only at the end of the SAL. I believe I made a small boo boo at the bottom leave in satin stitch of Part 3. I'll get to it when I attach the beads.

Happy Birthday dearest Jess!!

Jess's birthday is not till 3 days more but I had to ensure the package went out early to avoid any postal nastiness. It arrived in Down Under in fairly good time I must say :)

Jess sent me a wonderful thank you email. Too generous with her kind words. It was just a humble smallish package really. A little cross stitch, a little sewing and a little stash :) Jess added 'A whole lotta RED" :D

How could I ignore the not too subtle cries of endearment every time reds were presented to her? How could I ignore her constant references to French/Red blogs? How could I ignore her burgeoning stash of everything red and white? Not any longer :)

Happy Birthday Jess!

Bluebird's Message - Completed

It's not been too long a WIP, honestly :p I used DMC equivalent that was provided in the chart and the colours are so spring like.

Design: Blackbird's Design - Bluebird's Message

Fabric: 32ct Cream Belfast
Threads: DMC

For those hawk eyed stitchers out there, you will notice that the bottom border is not quite right. In actual fact there are more disjointed diamonds but mine has only two. The reason for this is that I made a boo-boo somewhere above the large heart where I cannot find or rather am not bothered to find. I was quite nervous about the borders meeting up especially the bottom half, but I think it worked out okay and it did not steer too much away from the original design. In fact it might be a blessing :)

I am torn between picking up other older WIPs or work on some new projects ... decisions, decisions :)

C is for Cecilia

I made this little needlebook for my dear friend Cecilia. She has stitched before but they were all given away to friends before returning to Kuala Lumpur. She's returning to cross stitch with a vengeance :)

I followed Meari's needlebook tutorial on Focus of Finishing and it turned out great. I made some changes to the fastening method. Instead of ribbons I used hemp and a wooden button instead. The alphabets are from Sajou 361 which can be found here.

Stitched on 32ct Platinum Belfast with DMC 115

Corsage from Janet C

Janet sent me a lovely crocheted corsage some days ago. I've emailed to thank her but it took only now to get some time to blog about it. It's rather Victorian in my opinion :) The colours are so sweet.

And this is Butterfly Vignette to date. It's gonna take some time, then again what's new :) I'm going to be pretty busy this coming weeks so any time spent stitching will be a treasure.

Butterfly Vignette
Dimensions Petite Kit
Stitching on 27ct Linda