Giveaway!

Paulette is having a great ‘Giveaway’ over at her blog ‘Sweet P Quilting and Creations’. The giveaway is for a new Canadian magazine, together with fabric to make a lovely ‘Partridge in a Pear Tree wall hanging’ that appears in the magazine. Go check it out!

Harvest Home

I’m doing this late at night and am rather tired, so please excuse any smelling mispakes!!

I can’t believe that having just had two weeks off work that I’ve achieved so little sewing. I thought I’d do loads! However, I’ve only managed a couple of little things, this being one of them.




And this is a re-work of an earlier project. I was experimenting with the pinwheel pattern using the ‘Harvest Home’ range of fabrics, which I absolutely lurrrrrve, but wasn’t happy with the result, so I took it apart and tried again ..... it’s marginally better I think. It’s only a small piece and fits nicely over the back of the settee and also blends very nicely with the colour of the settee, which was lucky. Not terribly inspiring though!

....... back to work on Monday (big GROAN):0(

Haworth & The Brontes'

Well, I’ve had a very agreeable few days away with my lovely cousin, Pauline. We went to Haworth in Yorkshire – home of the Brontë sisters. I’ve been before, but Pauline hadn’t. However, it never fails to amaze me just how quaint and charming the village of Haworth is with its old, cobbled (and very steep!) main street, and many of the original buildings – wouldn’t like to walk down the road in the winter when it’s icy though!! It’s mainly there for the tourists these days and the buildings are, therefore, very in keeping with the Brontë period. My favourite shop is the Apothecary, which is where Branwell Brontë (Charlotte’s brother) bought his Opium! Now it sells all sorts of gorgeous bath goodies and old vintage style nik naks – really lovely! This is it here:-



And this is the very steep main street (one from near the top and one from the bottom):-




We visited the Brontë Parsonage Museum, which was home to the Brontë family from 1820 to 1861. And just down the lane is the church which the Brontë sisters’ father (Patrick Brontë) presided over.




My cousin thoroughly enjoyed her visit to Haworth ....... and here is a photograph of Pauline looking very interested in ........ umm, I can’t remember what now!!! I don’t think she'll mind her photograph being on my blog – she said she wouldn’t mind so long as she didn’t look daft in the picture - and she couldn't possibly look daft as she's so lovely - that enough creeping darling Pauline??!!!




This is a cobbled passage near the church taking you down to the main street (so full of old-world charm)



And this is the view from our hotel, which had spectacular views like this all the way around:-



I told myself that I wasn’t going to post a picture of me, but, what the heck – here I am – notice I’ve cut the hips and thighs off – I’m not so stupid you know!!!!



I managed to stick to my diet for the first few days away, but slipped towards the end of my stay and unfortunately, that’s rolled into today as well – I just couldn’t resist a cream cake whilst I was out and about – naughty, but nice!!!

I need to get back to my stitching me thinks ...... take my mind off food!!!

More Cross-stitch!

............ a pincushion this time. Nice and easy to do too – it didn’t take long to complete. The pattern came to me courtesy of Pat – thank you Pat. I have deviated slightly from the pattern, as the pattern title is called ‘My Pins’ and the original has the word ‘My’ at the top whereas I’ve simply repeated the word ‘Pins’ instead. I’ve also used what floss and linen I had to hand ...... trying to use some of my stash you see – aren’t I good??!!! I was quite impressed with myself actually, as the only linen I had was an antique white, which is lovely, but not what this pattern called for, so I tea-dyed it – first time I’ve done it – and it worked. Why do I sound so amazed with myself I ask!! So, I’m really hooked on cross-stitch again now, although I have just started on a small patchwork project – well, truth to tell, I’m re-working an earlier patchwork project that I didn’t feel worked out very well ...... may be able to show you that next time!

But right now (well, in about half an hour) I'm going away for few days! I’m off to see my lovely cousin Pauline in Macclesfield and her equally lovely other-half, Jonathan. Then Pauline and I are off to Haworth (Bronte country) in Yorkshire for a couple of days – can’t wait! I’ve been before, but Pauline hasn’t.

See ya later!

Blackbird Design Finish!

..... and two whole weeks off work – boy am I happy today!
Well now, I’ve finished my Blackbird Designs ‘Buttons & Pins’ cross-stitch and then I ummm’d & ahhh’d – "shall I make it up into a pincushion as in the pattern picture (see last post) or frame it. As you can see, I decided on the frame. The frame (a 50p bargain from a recent car boot sale!!) is exactly the right size and I think the black compliments the colours of the design ......... anyone disagree strongly? I could still make it up into a pincushion, but my next little project is going to be a pincushion, which is what swayed me with the frame.

Any comments gratefully received!