WIPs - Quilted Purse / Pastel Dye Sticks and The Splendid Sampler

Hello Dear Friends,

If you have visited me before you will probably realise by now that I love to stitch when I am traveling, and, for me, every train journey is the perfect excuse for stitching!

For my latest train journey I prep'd my fabric, and wadding, backed with muslin and searched out a wavy lined stencil I'd made some years ago. I've recently bought some long pins with beads on their ends and found it was possible, with these long pins, to keep the stencils in place on my fabric while I stitched.

This WIP is a tiny purse, from a tutorial by Svetlana, who said "don't use polyester wadding", but I  love the puffy finish polyester wadding gives!

Back home again, I selected some monochrome heart patterned fabric I'd found when I last visited my local quilt shop, which, of course, I couldn't help but buy for my lining, and then I couldn't resist colouring in the hearts with my Pastel Dye Crayons. (In case anyone is wondering, the selvedge said "Hearty 2 You + Me 15.02 by www.Stof.dk). My scrap was approximately 1/4 yard .... so you may well see this one again! This pretty fabric was in a "Scrap Pack", so, haha, I had to buy the whole pack .... consisting of another 4 different scraps! No I won't show you the rest now ... I'll save that for another day!

Lining cut ready for boxing the corners.

Another of my WIPs is the Splendid Sampler block .... "Sewing Machine" by Pat Sloan. 

I know I'm rather late mentioning it (oops, sorry Lara), but I was very lucky to win a signed copy of Lara Buccella's book - "Crafted Appliqué .... New Possibilities" by commenting on her blog hop .....

 and here is the first block I've made using her appliqué method... Sewing in progress.

Is it just me, or do you  find it hard to take pictures of small blocks too?

And what Summer post would be complete without at least a couple of  photos from the garden!

These lovlies must be at least 8' high

Our neighbours have been admiring our Hollyhocks and asking for seeds

And today I am linking to Esther's WOW WIP blog party. Do pop over and see what wonderful creations others are stitching!

As always, thank you for visiting me.

I hope you find time for stitching this week!

Have a great week!

Barbara xx

Summer Stitching Link Up

Hello Dear Readers,

Today I'm joining in with Jo's  "Tenuous Shoehorn blog party"! A week long party, starting Monday 8th August, where the theme is, .... My Summer Holiday ... and, guess what.... we link our Summer stitching posts! For more detail visit Jo's blog.

Many years ago DH and I went away with lovely couple of friends to a really old traditional country  cottage.  It was a beautiful place with a real old-fashioned English Country Garden!  I don't recall any photos in the album of this holiday, so I was delighted when I realised there was a picture in Mary Hickmott's "New Stitches" magazine (issue 1) which was the spitting image of that holiday home, and I just had to stitch it!  The magazine called the picture "Bridge Cottages" but the place we stayed in was Walkmill Cottage, hence I labelled it so:

To date this is the only picture I've ever had framed (although I have a couple of others, finished before this one, that I really must frame soon) its also my one and only Summer Cross Stitch picture!

Do pop over and see who else is joining in with Jo's Summer link up!

Hope you are all enjoying your Summer!

See you soon.....

Barbara xxx

Finishes and WIPs

Hello Dear Reader,

I hope you've had a great week! I have! I finished three little projects from some of my fabric mountain! That's got to be good, hasn't it? Then I found some inspiration from Amanda Jean's one-a-day pin-cushion challenge - here, and despite not needing one, I think I'm going to be making a skinny, long, pin-cushion like Amanda Jean's No 156!

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I made a peg-bag to replace my tatty old one, using Benta's pattern, which you will find here, using Benta's measurements, although she didn't stipulate how much of a scoop to make on the front sections, so I made mine approximately one inch deep, which has luckily turned out just right! I wasn't sure exactly where to place the straps ... so I placed them adjacent to the seams.

When the strap is around the neck the sides hang inwards, making a good sized opening for a hand to pick up pegs.

The bag hangs very nicely round one's neck, and gapes open sufficiently to remove the pegs easily ..... and I've already used it in the rain, pulling the washing off the line fast! It does the job, just right.

Thanks for the tutorial, Benta!

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Earlier this year I had made one of our neighbour's a Tissue Cover, and recently she asked if I would make one for her DIL. Once I started I couldn't stop, so I made one for her DIL, and one for one of my friends.

DIL's 

Friend's

I couldn't remember how I'd made the previous Tissue Cover, but good old Pinterest came to the rescue! I used the tutorial by WhimWham. and added a little handle, to make it easier to find and grab, in my bag.

And just so I don't forget again, the measurements were: 

Strap : 1" x 10", 

Outer  : 6" x 7",

Inner : 6" x 8"

Next time I will place one centre edge over the other for a tighter opening, but otherwise I was very happy with the finish. 

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The Splendid Sampler ..... another finish!

2 WIPS:

Firstly, I have another Splendid Sampler sampler block in progress. I thought it would be quick, but not so ... I cannot decide what fabrics to use!

And, secondly, in a few quiet minutes, with a new magnifying glass, I've added some stitches to my Cocoa Sampler.

I've been meaning to join in with Kaye and her friends at Kitten Stitching and the Friday Frolics, maybe I will  get the chance this week now my needle has had some practice once more!

Thank you for visiting. I do hope you found something to interest you, and if you leave a comment or become a friend of my blog, I will be able to visit you too!

I love discovering new friends to visit, it's one of the main reasons for blogging, right? Isn't it?

Hugs,

Barbara xx

Linking to: Esther Aliu's WIPW
and           Amanda Jean's - Finish it up Friday