Bower Birds

Have now framed Bower Birds. I was going to paint the frame, but I decided not to - I think it looks nice in its original colour. This is a design by Liz Mathews. 

 

Two Cross Stitch Finishes

Not the best photos ...

Two cross stitch finishes. The first one is Bower Birds, designed by Liz Mathews. It's stitched with one strand of DMC 3024, over 2 threads. I bought a frame from The Store, but have been too busy stitching the next design to frame it! 

And this is Needleworker, from Little House Needleworks. Again, with one strand (of Classic Colorworks overdyed cotton threads), over 2 threads. 

Now to decide what to stitch next 😊

 

More Project Bags!

So, more bags! Another 6.  I originally cut all 6 14" x 11" ... but had to trim the one on the front a little, because the vinyl was a tiny bit too short at the left, and it came undone after I'd sewn on the binding! How annoying ...

 

May Flowers Tree

This is May Flowers Tree, from Hello from Liz Mathews. I actually stitched the design, and made the tree, in January, but couldn't decide what to use as a base. I went through lots of different containers, but finally decided on the plainest, smallest old candle pot! There's a piece of foam, cut into shape, and a couple of layers of wadding, inside the tree, and moss peeking out of the bottom of the tree. I glued the moss to the base of the triangle, as per Liz Mathews' instructions. I mixed tacky glue and chopped up moss to fill the candle pot, and stuck the tree trunk in the middle and left it to dry overnight. I finally finished it today! It's stitched on 18 count Aida. The colour is very similar to the linen Liz used for hers, but I had this Aida and thought it would work, and I think it looks really nice with the off white thread. The thread is DMC 3865.

 

Fake Patchwork Mat

This is a very fake photo ... The set-up is fake, because I only put the plant and lantern on the mat so it would make a nice Instagram pic! The patchwork is also fake - it's a printed fabric - but I did do the quilting along all the lines. I made it a while back, before I started making the project bags, and I was even considering using it to make another bag, but I needed something to put on top of the stove heater, to protect it from scratches. Last night I cut out a looooong piece of fabric for the binding, and attached it, and then started hand sewing the back of the binding. I have the basket full of project bags (and projects ...) on top of it, so that you can hardly see it, but it serves its intended purpose!

 

Three more ...

Three more project bags. I made these last week, but had to finish off the binding, and I did that (late) last night and then started to hand stitch the backs of the bindings, and finished them all today. These are the smaller size - 10" x just under 8", because I managed to cut the vinyl the wrong size! These should be a good size for the smaller projects, or at least for projects where the patterns/charts are smaller. I still want to make a few more of the larger size, but will have to wait until I get the vinyl tablecloth I ordered, and then see if it's the right thickness! Otherwise I will have to wait until I can get some more of the 150 micron vinyl I originally bought.

UPDATE - I found 150 micron vinyl on Amazon and have ordered some!! (same day as above ...)

Folklore Hoop

As soon as I finished Yonder I started on this one! This is Folklore Hoop, designed by Jacob de Graaf of Modern Folk Embroidery. It took me three days to stitch. Finished it this morning, and I've framed it in a flexi hoop. I want to add a felt circle to neaten the back, but I can't find the felt. 

I used Ruby Slipper wool thread, from The Gentle Art Simply Wool and 32 ct Zweigart Belfast.

The design is centred in the hoop, it's just that I couldn't quite get a straight-on image when I took the photo!