Something a little different

This is another of my mother's finishes for this year. It's by The Nostalgic Needle and is a chart called The Queen's Sweet Bag. She's had this chart for years and has only recently decided to stitch it up.

The Nostalgic Needle - The Queen's Sweet Bag (stitched by my mother)

It's a little different and one that I'm not sure I would do myself, but I love it all the same. I really like the specialty stitching throughout it with the grapes, strawberry, and the centres of the flowers. It raises them higher than the rest of the design and emphasises their appearance.

The chart shows it finished off as a sweet bag and Mum may still complete it this way, but she won't dress it up as much. She has left off the small gold discs sewn throughout it and I'm not sure whether she will add the tassels. She has also changed some thread colours to the chart. Mainly with the blues. These were a little bright for her liking and she's toned it down with some bluey/grey variegated threads. I'm not sure what colour substitutions she's used as she grabs whatever's in her stash at the time. She always ends up with great combinations by using her own choice of threads.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy viewing this finish of hers. She was thrilled with your responses over her other two finishes (Snow Treat Bag and It's Berry Time), and she wanted me to thank you all for your kind words. She is now stitching Victoria Sampler's Tea Party Sampler and she's going to finish this one as a tea cosy. I'm sure I'll show you photos of her completed work when it's done.

Thanks for stopping by!

Two Down, One Bug To Go

I'm moving along with BBB, albeit at a slow pace. I've now stitched the second Bug with its wandering flower so it makes me about two thirds of the way through.

Baby Bug Ball - 8 November 2009

This progress was from Sunday. I'm leaving all the beading and buttons until I've finished with the stitching part.

I'm hoping my stitching friend who's working on this also, Loraine, has made more progress than I have now. How are you going with yours, Loraine? What a fun piece it is to do and I'm loving each flower that pops up.


The weather here is still so hot. This is quite rare for November in Victoria. We may get the odd hot day here and there but never a stretch like this. It made it very hard to get some decent sleep last night. The worst thing though, is now the authorities are worried that the bush fire season looks like it's going to be early. After the terrible fires in February, we don't want to see a repeat of those extreme temperatures like we did then. We just need some more of that rain we had early on this Spring.

A Feast For The Eyes ~ New Stash!

Yes, a little more stash has come my way. A couple were limited edition so I decided to get them now instead of being disappointed when they were no longer available.

(from bottom left) Shepherd's Bush - Scaredy Sheep Scissor Fob kit, Here We Go A Haunting kit, and La D Da A - Bird In Hand kit

Firstly I'm going to show you the SB limited edition folk art box which has inside their kit for Here We Go A Haunting.

It's a wooden box painted black outside, and has on the top of the lid a picture of the stitched piece.

Inside has the kit which includes chart, fabric, threads, and a button.


The kit comes with the limited edition box for a short time only for no extra cost than the kit itself, but beware, some shops have already sold their supplies of it. I got mine from Stitching Bits and Bobs.


Next is also a SB kit called Scaredy Sheep. This is a scissor fob and is a companion to Here We Go A Haunting. The witchy scissors don't come with the kit but you can order them separately from the Shepherd's Bush girls or other needlework shops may have them too. These I will definitely have to get in the future.


Lastly is a new release from La D Da called A Bird In Hand. Again, they have brought it out in a limited edition kit including 35ct WDW Straw fabric, Needlepoint Inc. silk threads, and hand-made cord to turn it into a cushion, along with finishing instructions. The fabric and threads have lovely warm tones and I've tried to take pictures to show the real colour of them. I think I've achieved that.


I'm really pleased with all of these. The only down side to them is that they increase the chances of choosing my next project that much more harder. :) Not sure whether I'll do another Halloween one this time of the year though.

I went to see The Time Traveler's Wife last night and thought it was really good. I usually see romantic comedies, so this one was a change to that, although there was still the romance to it. Loved Eric Bana's part and Rachel McAdams did a wonderful job too (I liked her in Wedding Crashers). You had to keep on your toes with it because of the time travel but the linkage was done well and you knew what was happening.

Well, the weather here is going crazy. It's decided it wants to be summer and we're in a mini heat wave (low 30s) compared to what we've had lately. There's been limited spring weather, so we're not really prepared for this heat. Melbourne is renowned for it's unpredictable weather though so it's not surprising. The best part is that we've had some really good Spring rain and the gardens are growing like mad. It's been a while since this has happened. Our poor gardens have just been trying to survive, let alone thriving.

Just having a quiet day today. The pussy cats are taking it easy too. They've been flaked out on the floor because of the weather. I don't blame them really.

I'll try to get some more stitched on BBB. Nothing more since my last progress on it. I better get cracking though, otherwise it will be Christmas already and I'll still be working on Halloween!

Take care all and happy stitching. ~x~x~x

Mum's finish of It's Berry Time

It was my mother's birthday in September and for a present I gave her BBD It's Berry Time chart kitted up. Since a few of you wanted to see the end result once she'd stitched it, here are some photos of her work for you.

BBD - It's Berry Time (stitched by Mum) with recommended fabric and threads.

This stitched part will become a berry emery.

She thinks she will turn the main piece into a cushion, though like me she enjoys the stitching of a design the most, and takes a while to finish it off as something.

I'm going to the pictures again tomorrow night. This time to see The Time Travelers Wife. I'm looking forward to seeing this one. Eric Bana (from Australia) is in it, and it's a different type of movie for him. He actually started out here as a comedian originally, for those of you who didn't know. Anyway, I'm sure I'll enjoy this movie.

More next time...

Another Bug

Well, I'm slowly working my way through BBB and I've been able to get most of the middle bug completed.

Baby Bug Ball - 3 November 2009

I'm leaving the beads and buttons until last, which is what I usually do because I work with a hoop. So if you see any parts missing, it's due to this reason.

Please drop by Loraine's blog and see where she's up to on hers. She's stitching along with me on this one and it looks like we're going at the same pace, which is good. I thought I would fall behind because I don't get a lot of stitching sessions in over a week. So I'm pleasantly surprised to be on par with her. It's such a thrill to be stitching with you Loraine, and I'm so looking forward to your next progress pictures.

I'm feeling pretty tired tonight so I won't make this a lengthy post. We had a very busy day at work today, so my energy levels are low and I'm in need of a good night's sleep.

Before I go, can I just say a big thank you for your lovely comments on Mum's Snow Treat Bag. I will let her know how much you liked her work - she'll be thrilled. I do love how we both share an interest in needlework. Even more so that we both love Shepherd's Bush so much too! :)

Thanks for passing by my blog. *~*

A Treat from Mum

I've taken some photos of a few of Mum's latest finishes. Here's one of them from Shepherd's Bush (yes, she likes them too!) called Snow Treat Bag. It comes as a kit with everything needed to finish it off as you see in these photos.

SB Snow Treat Bag - finished by my mother

I managed to get a bit of housework done yesterday, then later in the afternoon I sat down to work on BBB. I have most of the second bug finished but haven't taken any photos yet, so I will show you my progress next time.

I also wanted to thank you for your comments and enthusiasm for my blog and stitching. You don't know how much it means to me. :)

More Stash

These are the rest of the things I got from Needlecraft Corner recently.

A selection of threads.

GAST: Limited Edition - Waters Edge, Simply Shaker - Rose Garden

GAST: Limited Edition - Driftwood, Simply Shaker - Raspberry Frost

This Belle Soie silk thread by Crescent Colours I'd seen on Nina's blog and thought it looked a lovely colour to use in something. I'm sure I won't have a problem finding a design to work it on. :)

A couple of charts.

The Goode Huswife - Ida Rae Crow, and Homespun Elegance - The Stitching Lady

Miss Snow Fairy all kitted up.

With Thy Needle & Thread - Miss Snow Fairy

The threads are all DMC and the fabric I've chosen for it is WDW Parchment in 35ct.

I'm not at work today because it's a public holiday in Melbourne. I'm trying to do a little housework (never ending) then I hope to stitch some more on BBB. Til next time... happy stitching!

A Flower for Thee

I have a little more progress to show you on Baby Bug Ball.

The Bug has something to hold on to now, instead of just standing there with its arm out for nothing. :)

I love it when you add something to a piece and you can see it come alive. The poor Bug was looking a bit boring there on its own.

I went to see Mum and Dad today and I've been able to bring home a few of Mum's finishes. I'll take some pictures and show you in future posts. Included in them is the BBD It's Berry Time.

Well, that's all for now. Here's hoping those of you who celebrated Halloween have had a ghastly time of it!

Trick or Treat?

This one's a treat! It's Jenny Bean's Halloween Sampler by Shakespeare's Peddler. Part of my new stash I received from Needlecraft Corner.

I decided to get the fabric the chart calls for which is 40ct Vintage Pearled Barley by Lakeside Linens.

I also went for the limited edition threadpack which has the most ghastly names. Don't you just love it! Nightmare, Swamp Water, Zombie Flesh, Sarcophagus, Burial Ground, Dried Blood, Parched Bones, Witches Hat, and Coffin Lid. Just right for Halloween!

I'm wanting to continue with Baby Bug Ball, so this one will have to wait for another time.

I hope those of you who celebrate Halloween will have a ghoulish time. Happy trick or treating!

A Baby Bug

I managed to complete one of the Bugs the other night on BBB. This one's on the left side.

Baby Bug Ball - 28 October 2009

I've tried to interpret what the instructions say, and have done her wings using a half cross. This will also be done with the middle boy bug. The bug on the right will have her wings in full crosses. I have seen a number of people's finishes of this one with variations of either full or half cross (mainly full though). It wouldn't matter which way you did the wings really. Both styles would look just as nice.

Wings done in half cross

I have a stitching/blogging friend Loraine (from Utah, USA), who's also working on this design with me. We're trying to encourage each other with our progress. I haven't stitched anything with someone else before, so I'm quite looking forward to see how it goes. With each others support, we will complete this gorgeous design together. Thanks Loraine for joining in with me and I hope we have some fun on this one! Please drop by her wonderful blog called Sew Be It! and help her with her journey on Baby Bug Ball.

Before I go, I just wanted to mention that I received my order of new stash from Needlecraft Corner today! A few charts, fabric and threads. Just what the doctor ordered for my stitching obsession! I'll take some pictures tomorrow and show you what I got.