A Quaker needle case.

Sometimes it is just a quirk of fate that brings you a new friend. Sometimes at the very moment you need them.

So it was with my friend Margaret. We actually had a mutual friend, Val who became, accidentally, the connecting thread. Those are all our initials on the back of the needle case.

Val lived originally in England, where in 1963, we became friends, then in Canada where she became friends with Margaret. She eventually moved to North Carolina when her husband's job demanded it and then they retired to Florida. Through all of this, and even when I lived for a while in South Africa, we stayed friends and communicated often.

Then one fateful day I got an e-mail headed ' a drama, but maybe not a crisis'.

Val had discovered a lump in her breast, but at that time the prognosis was excellent. So still only a drama. Then it became clear that this was actually a secondary cancer. Val had major surgery, was even then on the mend when she caught a hospital infection, which meant the remaining cancer was able to spread untreated and she died aged only 62 years. So in June 2007, the drama finally became a crisis.

I can't begin to tell you how much I miss her.

At some point during all this, an e-mail was forwarded to me by mistake and it was from Margaret in Canada. It was full of the anxiety and concern and worried questions that I was expressing myself, so I wrote to her. We sustained each other through the following weeks and have stayed in contact. If you would like to hear a little more of Val's story and meet Margaret, a very special friend, visit her blog http://allthingsmaggieo.blogspot.com

So as a tribute to Val, I made the needle case again for Margaret. It is stitched over one with Kaalund thread, is backed with silk, edged with tiny beads and tied with a matching silk ribbon.

I wish I could have made one for Val too.

Man - she would be so cross to think we were wallowing in this gloom! Sorry Val.

Love Irene xxx

PS Sorry the photos did not load in my last post. Apparently my server did not know where to look for them. I mean - what else has it got to do all day???

A happy happenstance

Most Saturdays my family (sister and Mum and me) go out for the day.
We meet up, choose whose car we will use, pile in and speed off for our weekly adventure.
We might go to an antique fair or to a local small town or village and have a mooch around, eat lunch, examine and ooh aah over our purchases and set off for home again.

So this Saturday was much the same and we chose to go to Helmsley, a small market town in North Yorkshire, only about an hour away, that has some interesting shops and good places to eat.
The journey there involves a drive through beautiful countryside, all hills and dales and exceedingly pretty.
And it was here that our happy little happenstance began.

Because... I found a dog. Well I didn't actually find it, but it was running loose along the side of the lane, and was heading for a motoring catastrophe at any second. We saw it and drove past before realising what it was. So...obviously I made my sister who was driving, stop, do a perilous turn on the bendy road and go back for it. It was friendly and tail-waggy, and although it looked like a Labrador puppy from the car, it was actually a Labrador/ terrier cross of, maybe, a year old and it was covered in mud and a little smelly. Happily, I don't mind wet doggy smells, or mud really, so we tied a scarf through his collar and took him back to the car where he sat happily on my knee looking out of the window. We were in the middle of the countryside and although we tried to call the number on Smudge's collar (she was called Smudge - aw!)we had no signal. We drove on until we came to a farm track, and turned in hoping the dog might live there.

My sister went up to the farmhouse ( we always send my sister, just in case there is danger) and the farmer's wife made a land line call to the number and we waited for the owner to turn up. Mum and I and Smudge in the car, my sister braving possible perils outside the car. Then her and an older man wandered past and into the large stone building on our right. They were missing for ages and Mum and I speculated on how he might be murdering her whilst we sat idly by speculating on the manner of her death.
Mum felt safe because she was in the back of the 2-door car and we have to shoe horn her in and out anyway, so she thought she would just wedge herself further in if danger threatened. My sister, looking remarkably relaxed, and the strange man came out and walked past us again to the back of the building.

We felt a little relieved, and continued to speculate on what was going in. As we did so, the owner of Smudge turned up in a new sparkling white Mercedes car and claimed the little dog back. I sort of felt that she didn't deserve such a characterful dog if she was letting it roam around with impunity, but that may have been a little jealousy, as both the car and the dog were very nice.
Away she went, leaving me only with the muddy footprint remains of my encounter and an all pervading smell of dog in the car.

My sister gestured to us to get out of the car and we discovered what she and mystery man had been looking at. Inside the stone building was an 12 century water mill and it was glorious. Lots of wooden wheels and cogs with wooden teeth and enormous oak beams carrying the actual wheel.

The mill steam was thundering through underneath. The man who looked 60 (honestly) but was actually 81, was so enthusiastic and talked so knowledgeably but simply about how it all worked that it was a pleasure to listen to him. We walked to the back of the building to see the wheel and paddles and he opened a sluice gate so that we could more fully experience the force of the water emptying back into the stream that fed the mill race. He said that they had documentary proof of the mill working in the 14th century - just imagine that - but believed that it was operated by monks in the 1100's. They had had carbon dating done on some of the wood, but evidentially that only proved that the wood was there in the 12 century, not that the mill was.

So finding the little dog led to us seeing that water mill inside a building that we have driven past a million times without ever knowing it's secret. Good eh? A happy happenstance.

The pictures are of Helmsley, our destination on Saturday. We visit here often and forget just how pretty and very English it is. Hope you enjoy them. Sadly none of us had a camera with us on Saturday so no photos of the mill, but perhaps another time.

Thank you for visiting, a rare post without stitching this time, but things are progressing.

Irene xxx

Hearts and Flowers

So, the little emergency alphabet hanger I made for my nephew's girlfriend was apparently very well received. She loved it and could only bemoan the fact that she didn't have a house grand enough to display it properly! She is so sweet.

It is lovely isn't it, when something is so appreciated. So, obviously, the only thing to do was to make her another one. And this is it. A little branch with hanging hearts. It is the first time I have stitched anything from this Italian designer, but the design is so - well - clean cut - with beautiful true colours that it certainly won't be the last. The design is called Amore Amour by the Italian designer Renato Parolin.

I began to stitch with the recommended DMC colours and then decided to kit it again with variegated silks, but - you know - it just didn't need it. The variegation just fussied up the design so I carried on with DMC over one on 30 count linen and I really like the result. It is backed with red silk and finished with beads and a little ribbon bow hanger.

As it happens, it is my nephew's birthday on Valentine's Day, so I will give him this early to give to Victoria as extra surprise.

If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?

This is quote from a poem by Shelley which I have just checked out. It has something like 25 verses and this is the only bit I know, the last two lines.

Anyway, you didn't come here for a Literacy lesson, but perhaps it serves as a gentle reminder that in spite of the harsh and unremitting bad weather some people have experienced this year, nature is already girding its loins to blossom forth in a few short months.

To prove that, here are a few sprigs of Pussy Willow collected yesterday when walking with Meghan. They are in a little silver topped antique vase my mum bought me for Christmas, standing on the shelf in front of the range oven, lovingly black-leaded. also by my mum. It is part of a cooking range in my dining room and has an open fire in the middle and a large water boiler to the right. I do light the fire occasionally in the winter when we have a family celebration, but the oven is too unpredictable to use for cooking. Nice to have though!

Well that's all for today folks, thank you so much for taking the time to read this.

Love
Irene xxx

Two ornaments finished - finally

I started both of these ornaments well before Christmas and saw myself presenting them with a flourish (of course) to grateful friends.
Well, yesterday I finished them.

It is in fact so long since I stitched this first little bird heart, that I can't even remember where the chart came from, which is very remiss of me. I will search it out - eventually - and give due credit to the designer because I think it is rather sweet. It is stitched with Vikki Clayton's threads, over one, I think on maybe a 30 count cream even weave linen, so it is quite small, and I finished it using bronze beads, as an edging, little tassels and a hanger.

This second one I can give credit for but there is a tale. I stitched it as far down as the last border and then misplaced the chart - for weeks. I knew it was a freebie, but couldn't remember who by ( is there a theme developing here?). Happily Anne (she who gives wonderful presents) found it as she searched through her own stack of freebies.
So happy thanks go to http://123citrouille.canalblog.com/. She has quite a few sweet little charts like this and a lovely blog, so go visit her. Again this is over one with a Vikki Clayton premium floss on a 32 linen. I used a double silk ribbon held by larger red beads.

So all ready for my tree then - in 11 months time???

I have also stitched a gift for someone which is pretty, but I'll show you that when it reaches its destination.

Thank you for calling by, I love your comments and always pop over to read your blog too.

Love
Irene xxx

BBD Snow Garden

Oooh - this was so nice to stitch. It is, of course, Blackbird Designs Snow Garden, stitched on a 28 count linen called Mushroom with the recommended threads. I needed to buy in most of the threads for this one and as soon as they arrived - I thought 'yummy'. They are such subtle variegated colours.

Alright - I know already - I desperately need lessons in photography. I took several pictures of this, is different places, trying to catch a bit of light, but it is so gloomy here in England at the moment that none of them gave a true representation of the colours.

This is a gift for my sister. It was originally meant for her for Christmas, but I just didn't find the time. When she visited recently she saw Mocking Bird and really liked it, so I gave her the choice of that one or this - as you can see from the initials KHH - she chose this one!

There is a tiny, tiny variation from the original - have you spotted it?

I stitched an upstairs window with a yellow thread, so that a light could be on and the house would look occupied - I'm in that room stitching away! I was amazed at the difference - nine little stitches and suddenly a welcome light shining through the snow.

Well, that's all for today. I have to take my car in for a service. It's really not very well - apparently you have to put oil and water in them now and then. Who ever heard of such a thing???

Thanks for stopping by

Irene xxx

GoD And DoG by Wendy J Francisco

I found this lovely simple song on another blog, so I have posted it here for dog lovers everywhere.

I bet you watch it more than once- it has something very special about it.

Enjoy

Irene xxx

The perfect gift

You must know by now that Anne and I spend a very pleasant evening together every Thursday. We sew, we chat, we gossip, we drink tea and we eat biscuits. Not necessarily in that order.

I have also mentioned before that Anne is a much more adventurous stitcher than me, she will try different techniques and different finishes much more readily than boring old me. This time she made this amazing drawstring pocket - but - she gave it to me!!! Yay!!!

Anne designed this herself and so it is very personal to me. The three little cats are Poppy, Sasha and in the middle, black cat Dicken. And the dog - why - Meghan of course. Isn't that sweet?

The back has our names on it and it is lined inside with a cream fabric on which are printed tiny white fronds and leaves.

I made a real photographic effort to show you a bit of the amazing and careful detailing. Look at the tiny stitched bars which hold the cream satin ribbon. Pretty special eh? Really pretty and really special.

And not only but also - inside - this lovely matching strawberry. It has green felt leaves and a sisal hanger. Anne has made these before and I have envied them and promised myself one, but she remembered and made me one and hid it inside the bag.

Like I said - the Perfect Gift.

Thank you so much Anne.

I love it.

Thank you for your comments they are very much appreciated. Any admiring ones for this beauty will be passed on to Anne.

Irene xxx

PS I have just viewed this post and see that the first picture is on its side. Now why is that? And can I mend it? Mmm not clever enough. Sorry.

La - D - dah

Is that the correct spelling? Anyway - you know who I mean!

This is a freebie by the above aforesaid aforementioned which I completed just - JUST - before Christmas.

So - you're toddling along, doing the last minute things, making a list, checking it twice and then leaving it at home, when you get a text message from your much loved nephew.

He explains how he would really, really like a piece of sewing for his girlfriend, but don't worry about anything too elaborate, just something like his mum and I have hanging from door handles everywhere.

Oh bother!!!

I didn't want to let him down so the wrapping of gifts, the buying of food, the cleaning of house is abandoned whilst I search through hundreds of charts to find something appropriate and more crucially, do-able, in the time.

His girlfriend, is, like him, a journalist - haha - a wordsmith I thought. Letters = words = sentences = news features = Victoria.
I'll choose an alphabet.

Yeah.

So this is the one I chose. It is stitched over one using HDF Be-grimed for the black and a WDW for the bronze.
It is finished as a hanger (as requested!). It has tiny black beads as an edging and a plain black fabric as backing. The ribbon, which you can't see in this really very poor photo, is a narrow black and bronze stripe.

Toby later explained how they had decided to spend only a small amount of money on each other this year, but were allowed to call in favours from others.

Mmmm - might try that myself next year!!!

I also completed and had framed the Red Cardinal 'Tis the Season' from the BBD Joyeux Noel booklet for my mother. I missed out the words to make it more displayable all year and added some extra snowflakes to fill in the gap. I loved it. My mother - not so much!!! I tried to take a picture, but the glass reflected back and it was too poor to show here.

Can fingers have Tourette's Syndrome? I think mine have. This would gave been totally unreadable had I not made a real effort to correct it. ( ir cirect if!!)

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and we can now look forward to what I hope will be a healthy and happy New Year.

Love
Irene xxx

Blackbird Design Exchange Round 6

When you received your JCS magazine Ornament edition this year, did you seek out a particular designer, or did you browse all the pages?

Well - I always look for Blackbird Design's contribution and this year it was this lovely thing. Is the flower a poinsettia do you think?

Anyway - this was my choice to stitch for the Blackbird Design Exchange Round 6. It is Christmassy with it's colours, but would work throughout the year too, I think. I mostly used the recommended threads and chose to stitch it one over one.

I made it up into a little needle case for Barbara (I always put too many 'a's into her name!) at Mainely Stitching.

I stitched a little herringbone line for the spine and finished the edge with ruby red beads. There is a cream border and date on the front too and a couple of motifs but they have almost disappeared in this photo.

Inside I lined it with a small red check print and chose a green wool needle page. The whole thing is only a couple of inches square. The needle case ties with a red silk ribbon with a couple of beads to make it a bit more weighty.

OK. And fancy too!

I really liked this project when it was finished and I'm glad to say that Barbara seems to like it too.

Phew!!

Thanks for visiting,
Irene xxx

Some stitching at last!

This is a small ornament I completed recently - it was actually the one I was searching for when I found the prayer in my previous posting. It is a freebie by Drawn Thread called 'Home for the Holidays' It is stitched over one on a 28 count linen from some I had already. I used the threads as listed which were mostly Weeks Dye Works. It is finished in twinkly iridescent beads which are really not doing their twinkly stuff here!

The beads around the border of the house (not in the edging) are stitched around with a Broad Diagonal Stitch which was charted. I did it, although I didn't think it would show much, but actually it does and I like it.

I stitched a second one like this but finished by doing the Broad Diagonal Stitch in red - mmmm not so good! I tried to frog it but the whole piece is so tiny that I couldn't get the red staining out, so in the end I just re-stitched in red. I think it takes the sparkle from the beads somehow.

Both ornaments are backed with motifs from a large piece of fabric I bought when I was in Fobbles in Cumbria in the Autumn. I am pretty sure it is a BBD fabric and has lots of different snowmen and winter trees and little crows which I thought would be really useful for backing ornaments. And so it has proved to be!

It is about now that the panic sets in for me! I have in previous years finished an ornament for special friends and would like to continue with this - but hey - when am I going to do them all? Do you, like me, wish you really had completed an ornament every month as you said you would, so that now your only problem would be which to send to who?

I have just about finished the piece I am stitching for my mum from the Joyeaux Noel (BBD) booklet called 'Tis the season'. This is GOOD thing, because I need to have it framed yet!

And then maybe I can do a couple of ornies.

Or I could do Snow Garden for my sister which is kitted and ready to go but is a sizeable project at this time of year?

Or I could write my Christmas cards?

Or find a tree?

Or find the decorations?

Or have another cup of coffee?

The latter I think!

Have a good day,

Irene xxx

Edit - I have just heard that Barbara received my gift in the Blackbird Design Round 6 so I will show pictures later this week. If you would like a preview - pop over to her blog http://mainelystitching.wordpress.com