The Sampler Book

I found such a lovely book today in a charity shop at the bargain price of just £1.00. It's full of photographs of beautiful old cross-stitch samplers; and not only that, but it also contains the charts for the patterns too should you wish to have a go at reproducing one yourself, although you have to choose your own threads. I’ll let the following photographs speak for themselves …………….

Beautiful eh!!

I'm still here!!

Doesn’t time fly when you’re enjoying yourself? It’s been a while to say the least, but hey!

A couple of weeks or so from work following a bit of minor surgery have caused enforced long spells at home, and consequently some sewing time – the silver lining!

I’ve completed a small Valentine theme cross-stitch pillow from a design by ‘The Primitive Hare’ - a bit late, I know! This was a nice easy finish done in just a day, but all being in the one colour helped a lot

And secondly, now don’t laugh at me too much, I’ve finaaallly resumed work on my ‘Heart and Home’ quilt, which I actually started …… wait for it, nearly 6 (yes 6) years ago – I’ve just shame facedly looked back on the blog …. July 2009 was when I started it (check the link for proof)!! I made the quilt top up quite quickly at the time and then it sat, and sat, and sat for about the next 5 years, until last year when I added a further 'Piano keys' border to make it bigger, and then had it ‘sandwiched’ ready for quilting: then finally on Friday last week I made a start on the quilting. Truth to tell; I’ve been putting it off really having decided to hand-quilt it (mad I know!!), but I just luuurrrvve the rustic, country look of hand-quilting – I just hope it’s not going to take another 6 years to finish! Nooooooo!!

It’s probably difficult to see, but this is a close-up of part of the bit I’ve done so far – can you see, around the red heart? You won’t believe how excited I was when I did this …… little things etc. etc LOL

And, from a distance …….

I'll be back soon (I hope!!) to show it finished