WIPocolypse - 2019 and a couple of finishes!!

Hello dear friends!

Oh dear, since my last WIPocolpse post I keep missing the link up date. And I've been dying to show you a few things I've been making. I haven't finished much from the list this year and I'll have to try harder next year!

WIPocolpse is an easygoing SAL to help us with some of those projects we want to finish before the end of the world (see my list at the end of the post), for more info about WIPocolpse go HERE.

This is the main cross stitch project I’m trying to finish, and this was where I was up to last time:

since then I've worked on .....

..... worked on the header band, adding more turquoise

and stitched lots of little motif's in the borders

I have taken my cross stitch along to my handicraft group a couple of times but somehow something always stops me actually stitching it! Like last time I forgot to take the threads along!!!! I found some thread in the cupboards there but when I got home I found the colour I'd used wasn't the same as the one I'd intended using, so I'll have to frog it!

I finally made some shoes for my doll Izzy (shoe pattern from Ann Woods)

Izzy says she would like a bag next! Funnily enough I've been wanting to make one for ages! (She'll have to wait a little though, but don't tell Izzy, tee hee!)

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One more reason why I haven't kept up with my cross stitch is that I keep finding books I just can't put down!!!!

First of all I'd just finished reading "Tombstone" by C J Sansom (I just love his books, they whisk you back in time and tell you all about an era you never knew about, well, I didn't anyway! ..... this one is set in 1549) and then I was at a loss as to what to read! 

I'd ordered my next book by Anne Perry from the library but I had to wait almost two months before the book became available!!!! In the meantime I was scouring the donated books at my local train station (books which have been donated for charity). We buy them for a £1 or two and the money goes to a cancer charity.

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First was: "A Noise Downstairs" by Linwood Barclay ..... I thought it would be good as I'd read other books by him, and I wasn't disappointed! It kept me guessing to the end.

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Then, after reading the flyleaf, I couldn't resist reading this book either:

A Stranger in the House by Shari Lapena 

"Why would you run scared from a happy home?

You're waiting for your beloved husband to get home from work.

You're making dinner, looking forward to hearing about his day.

That's the last thing you remember.

You wake up in hospital, with no idea how you got there.

They tell you that you were in an accident; you 

lost control of your car whilst driving in a dangerous

part of town.

The police suspect you were up to no good. But your

husband refuses to believe it. Your best friend is not

so sure. And even you don't know what to believe ...."

One of the reviews said "hard to put down" and I think this must be the first book I've ever read in two days! It wasn't my usual choice of book but I found I really wanted to find out whatever had happened!!!

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I ordered the next book on line as I'd already been introduced to this character by Vickie of  "A Stitcher's Story". This is the first of a series of books about Maisie.

"Maisie Dobbs" by Jacqueline Winspear

Which was introduced as:

 "The "British counterpart" to "Alexander McCall Smith's 

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" by The Associated Press.

The story starts in England in 1929 as Maisie 

has just opened her own detective agency.

but I don't want to spoil the story, so you'll have to get the book to read more, tee hee!

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I've been working on some new projects too. Last year I bought wool to make a hat, but I couldn't find a pattern I liked. I eventually found one and here is my "finished" hat.

This was my main reason for posting btw!

(might make a bobble for it) ..... for details of the pattern visit me on Ravely as "Knittybarbo".

This is how the bobble from the pattern looks, but I'm not sure it's what I want! I might make an  ordinary style bobble ..... what do you think?  But then, what size do I make it?

I've just finished making a door stop. Pattern from Mollie Makes. There were a couple of little niggles with the instructions - the measurement for the handle wasn't long enough and I had to add fabric at either end. The zip too really needs a little fabric at either end before attaching to bag to "sit" nicely when finished, but even so it looks quite nice.

Doorstop -
Tee hee, it doesn't live on the window sill!

Oooh, I'm a little bit excited ...... I've joined Instagram this week! I know, I said I never would, but have you noticed they are more or less forcing you to if you want to actually look around over there?!! So, I've taken the plunge and slipped in, tee hee! You'll find me as "Flashinscissors". I haven't a clue  how it works yet, so don't be surprised nothing is happening so far!! No photos yet! But I'll be trying to find all my friends there!

I aim to be back very soon with some more Christmas things, but you know how it is, it's so busy this time of year!

Hugs,

Barbara xxx

Anyhow, this is the list of projects I really, really want to finish, but each one is waiting for it's own reasons!

Updated WIP list:

Progress - blue ink
Other projects rediscovered since original list - orange
Finished - purple

Cross Stitch:

1. Camper Van - started last year -  finished 2019.
2. Bee needle case - started last year - still needs FFO.
3. Etoilé thread sampler - framing.
4. Easter cross stitch piece - framing.
5. Polka Dot Lady quilt - finishing.
6. "Stitches" - unfinished.
7. Night time - finishing.
8. Tatty Teddy - back stitching and framing.

Quilting:

1. Polka Dot lady
2. Dormouse
3. Laundry day
4. Name badge - finished 2019
5. Plus two others - block painting

Other Miscellaneous Projects:

1. Goldwork picture
2. Stitch sampler bag
3. Crewel Work - needs framing
4. Luna 
5. Izzy (doll) - who wants a bag and maybe a hat !!?!!

Gifted Gorgeousness and Christmassy things

Hello my friends,



It's lovely to have you visiting me today!


This cold damp day it's nice to be indoors thinking about Christmassy things!


Again this year I'm going to join Jo of Serendipitous Stitching and some cross stitch friends for Jo's Advent Calendar post. This is one where we all write posts about our Christmas stitching and then share them via Jo's blog on a date that she allots. Pop over to Jo's to see exactly how the Advent Calendar Blog Post worked last year! (This is my post! HERE)



Anyhow, I'm getting ahead of myself, it's been a while since I joined in with Gifted Gorgeousness (GG) because I haven't had any cross stitch to share ..... but all that has changed now, and I have some new kits I'm threading up ready to start !



I'm joining GG today with these surprise gifts I received. Some lovely fat quarters and, in the background Osnaburg - one of my favourite fabrics. Osnaburg is not a long-lasting fabric but it's really nice for embroidery,

and the lovely magnetic needle keeper is from my friend, Grace.

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Because this post would be soo short otherwise I'd like to mention a couple of other things while I am here ..... do you remember my lace, tee hee, HERE, how could you forget? Well, here are a few photos of my latest piece in progress ..... or should I say "when I had just finished and was about to pull all the pins out"!

I had finished before the bobbins
gathered together like this, tee hee!

I'm really excited how great this lace looks!
AND I MADE IT!!

It was such fun pulling all those pins out!!

So, I've made two leaves and the red piece
will eventually be a flower.

(Oh, and since starting this post I was gifted a "new" lace making cushion which needed a cover before I could make more lace, so I made one yesterday, but that's a tale for next time.)

And here are my latest cross stitch purchases:

Three Christmassy kits ..... second hand, and a bargain!

I had to enlarge patterns and wash the folded fabric ready to use.

I have made a start, but no more pictures as yet!

Actually I started one of them a couple of days ago, and now its almost finished - this was meant to be my travel stitching ..... but it just took me over!!!!

Do pop over to Jo's blog to read more about Gifted Gorgeousness and to see what everyone else has stitched!

Keeping with the Christmas theme ..... I've just seen that Selma of Eclectic Home Life is returning to blogging once again this year with her latest Norwegian Christmas countdown!

HERE is a link to one of Selma's fabulous recipe posts - there are lots!!

Hugs and smiles,

Barbara xxx

Thank you for visiting, I love to hear from you!

WIP - Lace making

I’ve only blogged once before about my lace HERE, around the time I first started blogging, and every so often I’ve been thinking that I must get back to lace making!

This Sunday I spent a little time winding bobbins, then during the week I took the kit along to my handicraft group. Luckily there are a few ladies there who are very experienced lace makers, and purely by chance, two of them were sitting at the same table as me, so I was able to ask for a little assistance.

My latest piece is teeeny tiny! I thought small would be more encouraging you see! Unfortunately my instructions had said 12” of cotton per bobbin which I read literally, but bobbins are wound in pairs ..... so I spent a little while rewinding the bobbins I’d prepared on Sunday evening with 24” pieces of cotton between each pair!

Pinterest knows everything doesn’t it, and it somehow knew I was working on lace and fortuitously sent me a pin to this lovely lady’s blog where she clearly shows how to wind a bobbin.

Needless to say, I am now one of her faithful followers, although I can only dream of aspiring to making lace like hers.

Thanks to Pinterest I also found a tutorial showing how to start lacing HERE.

It took rather a long time to make this tiny leaf, and I’m sure it isn’t perfect by any means, but I’m so happy to have made it this far!

I spent approximately 2 hours to make half a leaf, and then most of the evening to finish ..... plus the time it took to unravel almost half the leaf to rectify the mistake I spotted a half way down!

I don’t mind really, especially as now I will be able to work another leaf at home, on my own, from start to finish. I’m so glad I had a go, and now I’m thinking of continuing while the method is fresh in my mind. The leaf was one pattern of about nine in the lace kit, but some look a bit too complicated for a mere beginner like me!

Will any of you admit to having lace projects hiding in your deepest cupboards ..... just waiting for you to dig them out and finish them?????

Thank you so much for visiting, and, as always, I really look forward to reading your comments!


Hugs,
Barbara xxx