Oh how I have missed canvaswork

Hi everyone,

This week I finally picked up a canvaswork piece. This has been in the to-do basket for some time but because it required construction it languished at the bottom of the heap. It is a design published in "Stitch" magazine, the English Embroiderers' Guild publication and is designed by Sue Hawkins. Lots of Sue's designs are stitched in clear bright colours and just make you smile like a dose of sunshine. The finished cube is only 22mm square (less than 1 inch) so its a good size for hanging from your scissors or as a christmas ornament.

Brilliant Bookmark by Sue Hawkins
from Stitch Magazine

To construct the cube you use long arm cross stitch between the six little squares folding in the seam allowance. Sue has lots of pretty designs, take a peek at her website and please don't blame me if you just can't live without at least one of the cute pieces. 

My box of 100 small pieces has grown again so much so that it will have to be moved to a bigger container for storage until later in the year for the market day. I have managed to sell a few of them to friends and restitched them to complete the stock. This leaves me free time to stitch a few from my wishlist. So I am off to the stash cave (my spare room) to choose what takes my fancy.

Happy stitching, bye for now, Carol

Stitching humbugs, what is a humbug you say?

Hi everyone,

Phew I am glad the weather has improved here. It has been very kind to us by cooling down for the Embroiderers' Guild Exhibition. Friends and I have been busy demonstrating and answering visitors questions about some wonderful stitched pieces on show. I am only sorry that no photography is allowed. As part of the display we have a gift stall selling handmade items. So this year our group got together and made humbugs. We started off with a rectangle of  backstitches 60 x 30 over 2 fabric threads on whatever linen count we preferred and then added whatever design we liked into the centre space.
Then a couple of weeks ago we got together and had a small workshop constructing them and here is the end result.

EGSA humbug collection

They can be used as scissor keepers,key keepers, christmas tree ornaments, a hanger for your stitching tote, in fact lots of things. I think everyone was pleased with what they created and I can see more being made for friends and relations in the future. The Guild will sell them at a reasonable price which benefits all the members and we all learned something new. May I thank all of the girls that participated it was very much appreciated by the gift shop committee.

On the canvaswork/needlepoint front, I had a lovely note from Jane and Chilly Hollow and I am glad to let you know she has added a tab on her blog for people looking for counted charted needlepoint designs. As you know it is sometimes hard to find new designs and this is a truly helpful addition to your search for new work. Thank you Jane.

After many months of working on linen I am feeling the need to do some canvas stitching. In the stitching basket is Kathy Ree's "Rio" half completed and in the post this week arrived its companion "Carnivale" both stitched with Threadworx Vineyard silks overdyes in luscious bright clear colours. My friend Anne has finished the first piece and has already started on the new chart piece so that has got my head into canvaswork space. Thanks Anne.

This week friends returned from a Needlework Cruise from Sydney to New Zealand so I will be catching up with them soon to see what goodies they found on their travels and to see lots of happy snaps of the cruise. Looking forward to the get together I hear everyone had a good time and the seas were nice and calm which is needed for serious stitching.

Have a happy week, bye for now, Carol.