THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVOURITE THINGS..........

I decide to do a valentine’s posting of some of the hearts I have stitched since I started blogging I have however there is , a problem as the photos wont stay were I want them, so I invite you to enjoy them as they are.

This blackwork heart has a pocket on the back to hold a pair of scissors, a favourite design i have stitched several times in different colours, some of the others are further down!!!!!! ( and wont come up as much as I try!)

The pulled thread heart on the needle book was stitched then added to the cross stitch background.  The little scissor fob hearts on the right are on hand died linen using raspberry tea bags. Different variations of these have been stitched over the years some with bullion stitch roses like the ones below below. 

This one is a Reticello stitched rose on a hardanger heart.

and here are the rebels that wont sit and stay were I want them , background stitching is black work

I have enjoyed stitching different blackwork designs over the years, it all started with a blackwork Owl way back in 1982 and today I am stitching Peppermint purple's blackwork SAL with Caitlin on Sunday afternoons. here is the first week completed.

Hope your week is going well with lots of stitching time.

REPORTING BACK

Where have I been and what have I been stitching ? first up I did achieve some planned  stitching for IHSW, as shown here-

I like the way it is coming along although I do not enjoy stitching on such coarse linen however  I will hopefully not have to wait to long till I can enjoy stitching with no sight problems. I have a date all going well for Cataract surgery later in September. The blackwork pattern here will form the background with more stitching on top. will share the progress of this as I get on.

 Following Hermits weekend I worked on a hussif for Caitlin's birthday, her choice of colour would always be purple and I found the lovely rich cotton I used for the outside on my trip to Napier earlier in the year, The lining is a soft mauve silk, almost a grey mauve Annette had sent this to me and there was just enough, some help from Maree who did the quilting and then a very enjoyable time stitching lots of bullion stitch roses. Pink Roses and gold butterflies was the theme. look closely and you will see lots of tiny gold butterfly charms, Ann found these for me at the Trader's mall at conference.

The bottom pocket has an extra small pocket on the front to hold a small ruler and inside that pocket I out the pin keep and the covered tape measure.  the middle pocket has the scissor case and needle book on the outside of it. and the top one is a flap  that open with the thread holders there.

It was here birthday on Friday, how the years have gone by she is now 17 and the hussif was delivered to her in person so I could see her reaction when she opened her parcel  

A new month starts tomorrow and first up will be finished some more Gold butterflies to send away, the blackwork Heart and Stitcher's challenge this time is a needleroll ( the type that looks like a cracker) I have found a chart I like now to sort out fabric and threads so I can get started.

 Thank you for visiting I will try and not leave it so long before I post again. 

PS for new followers of my blog below is the hussif made about 3 years ago for Rachel the oldest of my granddaughters. The theme for this one was  Roses for Rachel

BLACKWORK BOOKMARKS

I took part in a recently in another  EMS Cross Stitch Forum exchange.
The subject this time was a bookmark to be stitched in purple blackwork,
Black work is one technique I have enjoyed stitching over the years.
I taped Ivy leaves to paper then scanned them to make my design.
My bookmark was sent out to an embroiderer in Singapore. Stitching the exchanges is fun as they are always small pieces and I enjoy the challenge of designing something new for each one.

Today I received a lovely packet in the mail from Romania which included two bookmarks in it so I have been quite spoilt. I think the bookmark with the tulip on it is my favourite, the design is quite elegant. It appears to be stitched on fine linen about 40 count. The little flower is an aida band ( and wont sit where I want it on this posting at present!!!!!!! will try and move it around again later)
These came from the same embroiderer I had sent my red pendibulle to a few months earlier.
Through the exchanges one makes friends all round the world.