25th Jan

Lovely to see I have 4 comments already from my earlier post saying "I am back" nice to know I was missed !

Since my last posting in May '12 things have changed a lot here as both daughters are now settled and happy away at university. Although it did seem odd at first I have got used to them being away and enjoy my free evenings to stitch. Luckily we chat everyday thanks to the internet and they come home every 3 to 4 weeks, or we go and visit them.

 

At Christmas I looked back at my stitching for the year and it was very poor show ! So I decided to work harder in 2013 and work on one larger piece a week in a rota like I used to.

 

So here are my 4 pieces in my rota -

This one is Pension Day, I am actually working on this at the moment so this is how it started on Monday. I will update again after Sunday's final stitch.

 

This is Poppy Pixie, a Nora Corbett design.
This one hasn't got much to show yet!



 


This one is Rome Lady. I mentioned this last year and was aiming to do it for Laura. But she went to Pompeii instead of Rome so I am saving this for when she does go to Rome !














This one is my new start, from.the christmas World of Cross Stitch.magazine. 1920s Christmas scene. I am loving this!




Hope these show ok on my blog because it has been a pain putting the photos on and adding the text, this part has changed since I blogged last year !

Happy Stitching
Ginnie xxx

I am coming back to blogland

I miss blogging and miss having somewhere to post my progress on my stitching.
So I will return and post some WIP photos at the weekend !
I have gone back to my 4 pieces rota, one a week and I think I work better like that.
This weekend will end my first set of 4 weeks so need to show progress !!

Ginnie xx

Little ballerinas

I have very nearly finished the little ballerinas picture for Becki's dance teacher. In fact since I took this photo at the weekend I now have just the last bit of the curtain left to do. We are going to finish it on a nice ornate hanging, just need to buy that. I think Becki will wait until July when she leaves dancing to give it to Rachel. I have enjoyed doing this and fancy doing the Nutcracker one in the same series.

Here is the card I made for my dad's 75th birthday last week. We didn't do much for the occasion just a take away and a bottle of wine. It was very nice.

Since my last post it has been the girl's 18th birthday too. (see new photo at side) we had a lovely big party and all had a great time. Laura has now finished college and just has to go in for exams and Becki has just 2 more days to go. She is now looking for a part time job for the summer.... not easy though when you have no experience!

I have also taken up a new hobby. Well actually gone back to a hobby I loved before - dress making.

I have dusted the sewing machine out and bought a fancy dress costume pattern. When the girls go to university they tend to have a lot of fancy dress parties, especially in the first week - Fresher's week. So I thought I would get back into machine sewing with costumes first then move onto other stuff for me and the girls. I am doing the cavegirl outfit for Becki first, then the toga one for Laura. So far so good !!!

Lastly I have started a new piece of stitching (yes I know I have many others to finish... but oh well!) This is for Laura. It is from an old World of Cross Stitching magazine that I have fancied stitching for ages. Well now is the time as hopefully when Laura is at Nottingham University she will get the chance to go to Rome in November. So I want to get this done for then. I will just write the year 2012 smaller below the word Rome.

Happy Stitching

Ginnie xxxx



A few smalls

Finally back with a few small finishes, otherwise I haven't got much to show!

Firstly I made yet another Forever Friends card for a friend of Becki's. I seem to have stitched loads of these teds recently.... I think I have had enough now! He is pretty cute though !

I have also been working on the pieces for the girl's 18th Birthday cards. Having just had some time off for Easter I got Becki's done in just a couple of days.

This one is for Laura, for her love of history. I am going to back it on some Egyptian symbols paper on the card and put a Happy Birthday in hieroglyphics. Mind you the darker orange colour of the skin was supposed to be more gold but I mis read the symbol..... by the time I noticed it was too late. Oh well I think it looks good still.

Then here is Becki's - dance related of course. The original chart had a pink ballerina and roses but Becki prefers purple, so I had to do some changing around. I like the way it has turned out.

Since my last post Becki had her audition at Bedford University and it was successful. She loved the place and the course and is now happy to be going here and feels it is the right place for her. It won't be as intensive as a dance school but you get the same degree at the end of it. I also think it will be better for Becki as she has struggled with keeping weight on since dancing at college and has lost over 1 stone since she was 16 and I would have worried more if she was dancing 9 - 6 at a dance school. Now at the uni she will do more theory as well which will open up other options. I am glad she is happy and sorted.

Laura has now been offered her accommodation at Nottingham for the first year and will be living in Willoughby Hall... sounds good and seems ok although we didn't look at this Hall when we visited, so aiming to go again after exams.

I have no idea what I will do with out them..... more stitching I suppose !!!

Happy Stitching

Ginnie xx

Little Ballerinas

Oh I let 2 weeks pass by.... whoops. Problem is I load photos onto our old PC..... and it is very old and slow. So I avoid going on it unless I have time to hang around and wait for it to load etc. Instead I borrow Stuart's work laptop on week evenings to catch up on my Facebooking !

Since my last posting I have had another birthday... didn't do much, booked the afternoon off work and did some stitching.

Then on Wednesday Laura and I went to visit Nottingham University again, she loves it here and has now firmly accepted the place and booked her accomodation. Just needs to get ABB grades in her A levels.

Becki has her audition at Bedford University on the 14th, so if that goes well they will both be sorted.

So here is my update of the Christmas Window, the man in the window is coming along well now.

I have put this away again now for a while.... others to work on.....

I also started Little Ballerinas, this is the one I am doing for Becki's dance teacher for when she leaves in July. Not a lot to show yet.... lots of whites and pinks...

I am still working on this so will update again next time.

I need to start a few small pieces for cards again, another forever friends teddy for one of Becki's friends and then something for the girls for their 18th. I have also spotted a new one in the latest Cross Stitch magazine which is of a Roman Goddess.This is stitched on black fabric but I am keen to give it a go!

Happy stitching

Ginnie xx

Good enough to eat

I finished my Liquorice Allsorts jar for Becki, don't they look lovely? It makes me feel like eating some when I see it. Becki has a tin in her room that we have to keep topping up with allsorts ! I now need to stitch it onto her blanket.

I also dug out one of my WIPs this week - the Christmas Window one. I have been working on this 2 years now and think I ought to try to get it finished for this Christmas. Once I picked it up again I enjoyed stitching on it and aim to work on it all week. I have done more though as I have had 2 days off work, but now I go back tomorrow and therefore will have less stitching time. This is how it looked last week -

Lastly here is my Valentine's card for Stuart. I normally stitch one but didn't have time this year with all the 18th birthday cards I had to make. So I made a decoupage one instead. I was pleased with the end result.

Laura had her interview at Reading University last week and has been offered a place there too. She thinks though that Nottingham is still her favourite but will pick Reading as her "insurance" place as they require lower grades. We visit Nottingham again in a couple of weeks. Becki too has now heard from one of her Universities and has an audition at Bedford in March. This is her favourite one so let's hope the end result of this audition is more positive than the Dance School ones.

Today we have had a family portrait photo session. We will get one free family print and then will buy one of just the girls. So looking forward to seeing how they turn out.

Happy stitching

Ginnie xxx

This famous blog

While flicking through the latest issue of World of Cross Stitching I was surprised to see an article on "websites we love" that mentioned my blog. What an honour, especially as I have only just got back into blogging! I feel famous !!!

Since my last post I have just a couple of small pieces to show you. Firstly this Buzz Lightyear square is for a charity quilt. We are trying to do a Toy Story/Super heroes one for a very sick little boy. I am working on Woody now.

I am also stitching a liquorice allsorts jar for Becki who is just mad about them!! For Christmas I bought both the girls a fleece blanket and they want me to sew small cross stitch pictures on them so they can take it to University. I will show a photo of the whole blankets at some point but they barely part with them!! I should have this finished by next post. The chart is from WOCS magazine.

Lastly here is the card I have now completed that the girls gave to their friend for her 18th birthday. I believe she really liked it.

Becki has now applied for University Dance courses after getting a "no" from the Dance Schools she auditioned at. It has been a very stressful time as she has been very upset about it all but is now coming to terms with it and moving on. Least she can still pursue her love of dancing just not at such a high standard.

Laura has an interview at Reading University next week, although Nottingham is still her favourite.

Happy stitching
Ginnie xxx