Threads with Cathair

First part 7 corner

2012-02-04T22:49:00.003+01:00

I couldn't resist stitching a corner of Herbularius part 7 before finishing part 5, just to see how it would look like.

Herbularius part 6

2012-01-30T10:44:00.031+01:00

As you can see part 6 of Herbularius is finished now. For some reason I had to frog a lot of the golden scrollwork of this part. I started stitching part 5 yesterday afternoon, but it will be impossible to catch up, because part 7 will be released on Wednesday. Perhaps next month...

DD got good marks for all her preliminary exams of the first semester on university! This means she got a three week holiday during the period of the re-tentaminations.
Last week we went to the ice-sculptures show in the city. This year's theme was 'sea' and there were many beautiful images, like this big fish.

And a pirate with a wooden leg, a parrot and a treasure chest.

The hole in the terrace is fixed. The plumber replaced a part of the pipe and DH filled the hole with twelve pails of sand and replaced the tiles. Thanks for your comments and your concerns. And welcome to all my new followers.

Hermitting

2012-01-23T10:17:00.003+01:00

I had a very productive hermit weekend and stitched a lot of Herbularius part 6. These are the arches on the left side, but I rotated the picture.

While I was stitching Casper decided it was time to do some proper cleaning.

The hole in the terrace is caused by a leakage in the underground part of the rain water pipe. Loads of sand have been flushed under the house and the hole turned out to be much bigger, something like four tiles. DH did some digging and decided he'd better call a plumber to resolve the problem. Thank you very much for your concern. It was a scary experience and I realize I could have been hurt badly!

IHSW January

2012-01-21T09:48:00.004+01:00

This weekend is the first IHSWeekend of 2012. And already 156 hermitters did sign up!! For the list of participants (and to visit their blogs) you have to go to Joyce's blog 'Random Ramblings'. You still can subscribe there too.

This is what happened yesterday morning when I stepped outside to feed the birds in the backyard! Fortunately I didn't bruise or break anything. But it was a weird experience!

Now I am going to start my IHSW with a cup of coffee and Herbularius. My goal is to stitch a lot of part 6 this weekend.
Thanks for all your lovely commends. Have a wonderfull weekend!

Herbularius part 4

2012-01-15T12:55:00.004+01:00

Today I added the beads to Chatelaine's Herbularius part 4. Part 5 and part 6 of this beauty are already waiting to be stitched. These parts are the arches and plants of the bottom and the left sides. The one on the picture is on the right side.

I also finished all part 10 blocks of the Civil War Chronicles quilt. Now I can start to assemble the whole centre part. After that I'll 'only' have to add a six inch (I guess) border of 32 blocks with a lot of triangles. The finished size of finished quilt will be 108" x 108"!

Huge!

2012-01-06T11:18:00.006+01:00

One of the advantages of vacation is the opportunity to spread out all the parts of the Civil War Chronicles quilt on the floor of my practice room for some days. It is huge!! On the picture you can see the centre part and most of the blocks of the corner triangles.

Here is a close up of a corner. At the moment I am sewing all these parts together.

Thank you for your good wishes and kind comments on my first 2012 finish. And purrs from Cleo.

First 2012 finish

2012-01-03T10:53:00.003+01:00

Yesterday evening I finished the last part of the BBD 'Anniversaries of the Heart' series, the bonus sampler. Now I have still to join the last four parts to a row and attach this row to the top part.

It is long since I showed a picture of Cleo. So here she is, enjoying life on DD's bed.

Happy New Year

2011-12-31T22:48:00.006+01:00

Wishing all my blog friends a happy and healthy New Year.

AotH Bonus Sampler

2011-12-29T10:59:00.004+01:00

This is the last part of BBD 'Anniversaries of the Heart' series. My goal is to finish the stitching of this bonus sampler in December and assemble all the parts in January.

I also made tree blocks of the Civil War Chronicles quilt month 10. As you can see there are five more blocks waiting as stacks of patches.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T11:02:00.002+01:00

IHSW December

2011-12-20T07:45:00.006+01:00

During the last IHSWeekend of this year I finished part 10 of the BBD 'Anniversaries of the Heart' series. CV is my mother's grandmother. Their both first names are Carolina.
I also started the next and last part of the series, the bonus sampler. And knitted some more Christmas balls.
I forgot to mention that S de J of AotH 12 is the lady on the photograph of the old house of one of the previous posts.
Thank you very much for your visits and your lovely comments. They mean very much to me.

Boring?

2011-12-16T11:59:00.010+01:00

I added some more Christmas balls to the collection.

And finished part 11 of the BBD Anniversaries of the Heart series. So this post is a kind of reprise of the previous posts. This weekend is another IHSWeekend, the last of this year already! I am not sure whether I'll continue stitching the Anniversaries of the Heart series or switch to one of the Chatelaine projects.

Anniversaries of the Heart again

2011-12-08T12:03:00.004+01:00

This is part 12 of Blackbird Designs 'Anniversaries of the Heart' series. Because the initials and year of birth I used are much smaller than those on the pattern, I added two more flowers.

I also assembled the finished parts. My plan is to finish the whole piece with an open stitch which also makes a seam. I don't know the correct English word for this stitch. At the moment I am stitching part 11. Part 10 and the second bonus pattern, which has the size of two parts, remain still to do.

@ Anne Marieke: S de J is one of my great grandmothers (oerbeppes), the mother of my dad's father to be precise.

Another one done

2011-12-02T07:40:00.005+01:00

Pattern 6 of the BBD Anniversaries of the Heart series is finished too. On this one I added both my parent's initials and the year of their marriage. The proverb suits my mother. And also their marriage, though mom is a widow for seventeen years now.

The second Christmas ball is hanging in the 'tree'. I am not planning to knit ALL of them Dee, just a couple.

Thank you for your visit and for your lovely comments.

'Moonlight Visitor'

2011-11-29T12:03:00.002+01:00

This is pattern 9 of the Blackbird Designs 'Anniversaries of the Heart' series. WS are the initials of one of my great grandmothers and 1868 is her year of birth. I am substituting all the initials and dates by the ones of my female ancestors, mother, sister and daughter. Pattern 6 will be an exeption, because on this one I am stitching the year in which my parents married and both their initials.

More knitting

2011-11-24T11:09:00.004+01:00

Yesterday I knitted the first Christmas ball. The pattern is from the book 'Julekuler' (55 Christmas Balls to Knit) written by Arne and Carlos, famous all over the world by now.

Joris de Draak is finished and sitting on an old trunk I got from mom's attic. The travel baskets I found there too.

Thank you very much for all your lovely comments.

Loose Feathers 2011 'Autumn'

2011-11-21T08:14:00.005+01:00

During this IHSWeekend I finished part 2 'Autumn' of the 2011 Loose Feathers series. I hope the Blackbird Designs ladies will release part 3 in November as is written on the chart. Part 3 is called 'Winter' and I am really looking forward to it.
These BBD projects are quite easy to stitch, compared with the Chatelaine designs. So I decided to start part 9 of the Anniversaries of the Heart series for a change.

After a long period of neglect I got Abi Gurden's 'Tree of Stitches' on the frame again. Only two parts of leaves were left to do and Horace the Rabbit and Lester the Owl.

And I am sorry: no Herbularius during this IHSW, not a single stitch.

Civil War Chronicles quilt

2011-11-16T12:53:00.007+01:00

I made four of these blocks for month 8.

And four of these for month 9.
This are all the partsI made till thus far. The whole thing is going to be HUGE!

On Thursday we (my sister, two of the brothers and I) cleared out mom's old house. It was a lot of work, but we also shared much laughs and loads of memories. Now the house is empty exept for the curtains at the front side, the carpet and some of the lamps. We hope we can sell it quickly.

Next weekend is another IHSW! How time flies! For more information just click on the button on the side bar. My plans are to stitch some more of Herbularius part 4 and BBD Loose Feathers 'Autumn'.

Finally...

2011-11-08T12:10:00.005+01:00

...Part 3 of Chatelaine's Herbularius is finished.

Thanks for all your lovely comments: they are much appreciated.

Herbularius: 'chelidonium'

2011-11-01T13:39:00.003+01:00

As you can see I finally finished the chelidonium herb and also stitched some of the Rhodes stitches stones in the arches. Part 4 with the right side arches and herbs is printed and waiting already. In a queue with Autumn Knotgarden, Spring Knotgarden, the three remaining blocks of month 8 and the new fabrics of month 9 of the Civil War Chronicles quilt and a dragon's hind leg.

On Friday and Saturday my sister, mom and I sorted out a lot of things in mom's old house. We made huge piles 'second-hand stuff' and 'rubbish'. And had a lot of fun. Mom and my sister went today to sort out the last things. Next week Thursday two of our brothers will come and help to carry bags and boxes into the van of the second-hand shop and bring the remaining things to the dump. After that it will take about a day to clean the whole house. We hope we can sell it within a couple of months.
I found an old photograph of the house. My great-grandparents (oerpake en oerbeppe) are standing in front of it. They have built it for their daughter's wedding. My dad and his elder brother are born in this house. Some years later their family moved out to a house on the other side of the village and my widowed great-grandmother moved into this house.

Herbularius: 'carduus'

2011-10-27T12:32:00.003+02:00

Finally I finished the first of the herbs, 'carduus'. This project really is very time-consuming, but so well worth the effort.

The knitted dragon is still missing one of his hind legs. I will try to knit this later today, stuff it and give it eyes.

I also cut another block of the Civil War Chronicles quilt. But I made a mistake in measuring the size of some patches, so I had to substitute them by new ones. And this morning I discovered I turned some parts upside down when I assembled the block. The third attempt seems to be succesful till so far. Still three more month 8 blocks to go.

On Friday and Saturday my sister and I will sort out a lot of stuff from mom's old house. Two weeks from now the second hand shop will come to collect a load of stuff, at least we hope they will take a lot of things.

Knitting

2011-10-19T16:22:00.013+02:00

Yesterday DD and I discovered a lovely little shop in the city with loads of gorgeous yarn. There was an irresistible cute dragon displayed on the counter, so I bought pattern, yarn and needles and started knitting. I have finished the head already. More information about Joris de Draak and his friends you can find on this Dutch site.

These wooden cases are used to store knitting needles. Top down they did belong to beppe (my Frisian grandmother), mother-in-law, mom and mom's mother. They are still filled with bended and rusty needles. Especially mom's neeldes are bended, because my little brothers used to shove them in the carpet to make nice hooks. Winner was the one with the most acute angle. You can imagine how mom's reaction was!

I didn't forget Herbs: I only started a rotation ;o)

IHSW: beads and bicones

2011-10-18T09:13:00.006+02:00

Welcome to my new followers! And thanks for all the lovely comments!

On Saturday we have cleaned out more cupboards in mom's old house. I still have to bring a car load of old clothes to the second-hand shop later today. We found lots of interesting stuff this visit. Among others my old braids that are cut off when I was nine years old! The curls and the colour are the same as DD's braids when she had the same age. I stored my braids in a drawer again.
Two of my brothers came to help and we had a lot of fun.

So only Sunday was left to do some hermitting and stitching. I attached all the beads and bicones on part 1 of Herbularius or 'Herbs'. As you can see I started stitching part 3 now. I will attach the beads and bicones of part 2 later.

Herbularius update

2011-10-14T10:24:00.003+02:00

The lenghts of Eterna threads from Joyce and Abi arrived last week, so I could finish the cross stitches of Herbularius part 2. Having enough thread was very motivating!
This weekend is IHSW again! You can click on the button on the sidebar for more information. Because I will go to mom on Saturday to clean out more cupboards, for me only Sunday will be a hermit-and-stitch day. I wonder what we will find on this part of memory lane.
My eldest brother and I got a load of stuff from the attic during one of the visits to the old house. Because nobody has been there for several years it was a spider paradise. Spider cobs hanging from the roof just like a creepy film or a Halloween scene! And of course I was the one who had to go through the acces hatch by climbing an unstable stepladder. We found boxes with primary school drawings and stuffed animals. And loads of old junk and dirt.

Loose Feathers 2011

2011-10-10T12:03:00.002+02:00

No Herbularius update but a finish. This is part #1 of the 2011 Blackbird Designs Loose Feathers Club. Part #2 should have been released in September, but will be shipped out in October Alma wrote on her blog.

On Saturday mom and I have been to the old house again to clear cupboards. There are many cupboards in the old house, all loaded with 'stuff'! Many boxes with very old photographs, so mom told many stories about her childhood in Indonesia. She lived there at the time it still was a Dutch colony. Next Saturday we are going to clear more cupboards.

Thank you for visiting and for all your lovely comments.

Herbularius problem solved!

2011-10-06T11:23:00.007+02:00

Abi and Joyce will send parts of their Eterna 4220 skeins, so we can finish Herbularius part 2 without frogging and searching for a substitute. Thank you so much for your great help, Joyce and Abi! And also thanks for the supporting and encouraging comments. I am very pleased we could solve this problem in this way.

Because the postman brought me the package with month 8 of the Civil War Chronicles BOM, I decided is was time to finish the month 7 blocks. I made four of these blocks.

And of course my hairy helper kept an eye on what I was doing.

Then I found a box with fabric and threads of the Blackbird Designs Loose Feathers Club 2011 and started stitching. I hope the next part of three will be shipped this month.

Herbularius problem

2011-10-02T16:47:00.010+02:00

And the problem is I shared the skein of Eterna Silks mini twist 4220 I got in my kit from ECC with my friend Anne Marieke, so we could both use this thread in part 1 and 2. Anne Marieke ordered another skein from ECC with the plan to share this one with me. A stitching friends plan with no problems we assumed, and we happily used the half skein of Eterna we both had. We thought Cindy would ship within some weeks because it is on backorder. But Cindy told us last week there are severe problems with the Eterna backorders: 'We might not ever get the Eterna'. Anne Marieke also ordered a skein from Thread Express, who hasn't shipped or acknowledged her order, and hasn't answered to an email she sent to enquire about the Eterna.

So now we do hope some of our fellow Herbularius stitchers will be so kind to send a little part of their skein to us so we can both finish part 2 with the Eterna. I dare to ask because Martina writes 'approximate usage 0.55 skein' and therefore there will be plenty left over from a whole skein. We would be very happy with some 25 centimeter lenghts. And do hope some kind stitchers will help us. We are, of course, very willing to refund the postage via PayPal.

Herbularius part 1

2011-09-23T15:58:00.004+02:00

Still without beads and crystals, but I hope I can add some of them later today.
This weekend there won't be much stitching time, because DD has her birthday party on Saturday. Wednesday was her 20th birthday. When I look at her I realize how time flies!

September IHSW

2011-09-19T15:08:00.003+02:00

And of course I've stitched more of Herbularius part 1 during this month's International Hermit and Stitch Weekend.

A new start

2011-09-15T09:09:00.003+02:00

And of course it is Chatelaine's Herbularius, the Medevial Cloister Herb Garden! The new kit was irresistible, as most of the ECC kits are. I wonder why my Hummingbird kit is still untouched... Like most of my Chatelaines I am stitching Herbularius on antique white 32 count linen.

Because she was feeling queer after a change in her heart medication, mom and I went to her GP last Tuesday. After a check up the GP told us not to worry because everything is alright. Mom just has to get used to the new medication and all the changes in her life. He'd like to see us again in November. Now mom is trying to stuff as much things as possible out of the old house into her new place. I've moved several loads of boxes already! So much memories... We'll have to store some boxes in our attic too I guess.
In spring DD decided being a teacher isn't what she wants to be in future. Last week she started to study Pedagogical Sciences in Groningen, because she does have a strong affinity with children and the way they develop. Groningen is an hour by train, but in future she'll go searching for a room and move out.
I've also started working again after a long summer break. This means less stitching time and less blogging time I'm afraid. But this weekend I am going to enjoy another IHSW! Joyce provided a very cute button as you can see in my sidebar. You will get all the information you need when you click it. Of course I will be stitching Herbularius this weekend!

Upper left corner

2011-09-10T14:44:00.006+02:00

This is the upper left corner of Chatelaine's Spring Knotgarden. The other corners have different coloured flowers, just like the flowers in part 2. But these will have to wait for some time because yesterday my Herbularius kit arrived. I can't wait to get started!

Welcome to all my new followers. Thank you for your lovely comments.

Autumn Knotgarden part 2

2011-09-07T15:16:00.008+02:00

Part 2 of Chatelaine's Autumn Knotgarden is finished! Only two colours are used for the cross stitches and loads of grey beads. About 160 beads in each scroll! The next part will be uploaded on the first day of November, so this project will be covered up in a dish towel and go to sleep for two months. Unfortunately I got a bad skein of Silk'n Colours 'gingersnap', one with zebra pattern and not dyed through and through. But lucky me found some leftovers of it from MM1 'Amber & Aquamarine' and Anne Marieke was so kind to send me the other half of this shared skein. Thank you very much, Anne Marieke! This will be sufficient to complete Autumn Knotgarden.
Now Spring Knotgarden is calling.
And my kit for Herbularius is on the way!

Happy Dance!

2011-09-03T17:59:00.006+02:00

After two days of sewing the floral print borders are attached to the top and the Thimbleberries 3's Company quilt is finished! Now the whole thing has to be basted and quilted some time in future. For now it will become a part of the huge pile. I wonder if any of my Dutch readers have experiences with long arm quilting machines doing this part of the process. I am seriously considering to give it a try and put out this part of the job.

Borders and fabrics

2011-08-28T10:16:00.012+02:00

Finishing the top of the Thimbleberries 3's Company quilt, the 2009 Block of the Month, is one of my summer vacation goals. Casper thought he needed some more attention than the quilt and decided this would be a succesful way to get what he wants.

The centre part of the top was already finished last year. I 'only' had to add a lot of borders: a light one around the centre, a dark one, another light one and than a pieced border. And at the end a large one with a floral print. At the moment just the pieced borders on the left side and the floral one are left to do.

Yesterday the postman brought the month 7 package of the Civil War Chronicles quilt with more beautiful fabrics.

This is one of the CWC month 6 blocks. I have to make four of them; two are finished already.

Thanks for visiting and for all your lovely comments.

OOPS!!!

2011-08-24T19:06:00.008+02:00

Yesterday I discovered I've completely missed the second page of the 'online 61 flowers complete' file!! So I could have stitched the jessica flowers without any problem and without making all the fuss. Thank you very much for the support in your comments. The flowers are finished now and I also added the beads and crystals. This afternoon I put the Fairy Garden back on the frame again.

When I refilled the container Casper discovered the land of milk and honey for cats.

IHSWeekend

2011-08-22T11:33:00.008+02:00

First I completed part 3 of Spring Knotgarden. After that I got stuck in the jessica stitch flowers of part 2, because the provided diagram is for flowers in a space of 20 threads and there are only 12 threads in the design. Despite several attempts, guided by photo's of finished flowers (thanks Joyce and Ana), I didn't succeed in making a satisfying flower. So I mailed Martina for a diagram that fits.

After that I continued stitching Watergarden and got a nice part done.

I also added another border to the Thimbleberries quilt, but that isn't very interesting on a photo. I'll take a picture of it when the top is finished. Still tree borders left to add and because I stitch the whole quilt by hand it is a bit boring work.

Now I am going to visit blogs of my fellow hermits to see a lot of beautiful and inspiring crafts.

International Hermit and Stitch Weekend

2011-08-19T17:20:00.006+02:00

This weekend is the International Hermit and Stitch Weekend again, organized by Joyce. An amazing amount of stitchers from all over the world joined this time! I am looking forward to visiting all those blogs om Monday to see the results of a busy weekend.

At first I am going to finish part 3 of Chatelaine's Spring Knotgarden. After that I'm not sure about the Fairy Garden or Watergarden. Or perhaps the other blocks of the Civil War Chronicles quilt month 6.

Autumn Knotgarden part 1

2011-08-16T18:47:00.004+02:00

Autumn Knotgarden again! The beads and smaller crystals are attached already, but the big round crystals are just laying on top. I am afraid they will catch threads while I am stitching the other parts. And I still have to figure out how to attach these big ones as invisible as possible.

Thank you for the amazing amount of lovely comments on my previous posts!

Next picture

2011-08-15T20:18:00.008+02:00

Today I finished all the special stitches of Autumn Knotgarden. There are still a few hours untill bedtime, so I'll make another pot of tea and start beading.

@Andrea, I also got the Watergarden chart in four pdf pieces. Just making my own parts.

Watergarden and a new start

2011-08-14T19:49:00.007+02:00

Thank you very much for all your lovely birthday wishes!

After completing all the plants between the triangle shaped ponds I have laid aside Watergarden for a while. I could no longer resist the temptation of the Autumn Knotgarden materials. All cross stitches of part 1 are finished by now and I am looking forward to add the back stitched blue flowers and the other special stitches. When this is posted I'll make a nice pot of tea and start stitching them.

Gifts

2011-08-10T10:23:00.013+02:00

Yesterday was my birthday, so I got spoiled with a lot of lovely presents. Books, chocolate and the Autumn Knotgarden materials from ECC with a perfect timing by Cindy. I also got a generous gift certificate from Anne Marieke to use for the Herbularius kit.

DD surprised me with this beautiful Swarovski crystal hedgehog!

Mom came in the afternoon with one of my brothers. After dinner DD and I have brought her home again. She is doing fine and has a lot of her spirit back; she is a naughty old lady again.

Last week I also stitched another part of the Watergarden.

And I patched one month 6 block of the Civil War Chronicles quilt. I'll take a photo of this project when all four blocks are finished.

Fairy Garden

2011-08-04T11:57:00.009+02:00

While DD was on vacation with a friend, my car and the photo camera (and a lot of other stuff girls need to take with them) I had plenty of time to stitch. Now DD is back home again I can show some updates.

The first picture is the Fairy Garden, of which I have finished the complete top part.

For a change I got one of my old Chatelaine projects on the frame again: the first Watergarden mandala. When I started neglecting it for about three years ago only the pond with the fish was finished. Last week I've stitched the plants around it and the brownish things. Compared to the newer Chatelaine designs this one is very easy to stitch, but it still is a beautiful design.

I have ordered a new set of 30 inch scroll bars, so there is no need to finish the Fairy Garden before I can start Herbularius. I have ordered the full kit fom ECC. It is expensive, but so beautiful! At Anne Marieke's blog you can see the threads and beads already.

Thank you all for your very kind comments. Mom has selttled in very well in the home. When my sibblings are back from their vacations we'll have to make a plan about what to do with the old house.

Beads and crystals

2011-07-25T13:58:00.002+02:00

Yesterday I have added all the beads and crystals to the centre part of the Fairy Flower Garden. Loads of beads and crystals! Now only the ribbon on the right side has to be finished to complete this part of the design. After that I will finish the flower border on the top and the doilies in the left corner. The lowest part is stil empty fabric, so there is still a lot of stitching to accomplish.

Mom has settled in her new appartment with her own furniture and other stuff. It is small, but it feels more like home now. The swelling on mom's leg reduces and she is walking quite fast again (with her walker). And she enjoys her new social life and goes to the coffee-room almost every morning. Now we'll have to decide what to do with the old house. Strange idea to clear and sell the house where my siblings and I were born and where mom has lived for so many years. This will be very hard for her.

Scrolls and bell flowers

2011-07-22T20:00:00.004+02:00

The parts with loads of backstitches and longstitches are not my favorite parts to stitch, but the result is beautiful. Now I am going to add all the beads and crystals to the centre part of Chatelaine's Fairy Flower Garden.
Thank you very much for all the lovely comments on my previous post and the new layout.

Hermit and Stitch

2011-07-18T11:19:00.005+02:00

This weekend was the International Hermit and Stitch Weekend, organized by Joyce. And because I did't have to help moving mom I had a lot of unexpected time to stitch on the Fairy Flower Garden. I have done the beading of the dragonflies on the right side and stitched a lot of the scrolls around the centre part.

Welcome to the new followers of my blog. And thank you all for visiting and posting comments. They are very much appreciated.
As you can see I have changed the layout of the blog. It was bit scary because of Blogger's strange surprises. I was afraid to loose all the old posts, but everything worked out very well.

Finally caught up!

2011-07-15T10:54:00.006+02:00

Finally I have finished the last triangles of month 5 and assembled the centre part of the Civil War Chronicles quilt. Next months I'll have to make four big blocks each month. These will be joined together with some smaller blocks to make big triangles on each side of this part. After that it is time for a border with loads of triangles again!

This weekend I'll have the Chatelaine Fairy Garden on my stitching frame again. I joined Joyce's 'International Hermit and Stitch Weekend' and hope I'll have enough time to sew the beads on another couple of dragonflies and stitch some plants of the top border.
But we'll also have to move Mom to her new appartment this weekend. Today the floor covering and the curtains will arrive, so we can move in the furniture tomorrow. And there is a queue for the temporary room; they'd like to have it available as soon as possible.

More CWC quilt

2011-07-10T10:12:00.008+02:00

As you can see I've got a big hairy assistant while I am working on the blocks of the Cicil War Chronicles quilt.
After his hypo Casper doesn't need insulin anymore and his bloodsugar levels are staying very low. I even have to give him some suger through his tinned food from time to time. There is no explanation for this, except for the fact some cats start producing insulin by themselves again after some time. Cats are mysterious creatures!

The blocks of the centre part are assembled now. And I also joined one of the corner parts already.

Mom is going to move again: last week she got another room in the old people's home. This is a room in which she can stay permanently. Actually it is a small apartment with a livingroom with kitchenette, a bedroom and a bathroom. She is contented and glad she doesn't have to stay another winter in the old and cold and lonely big house. So next week we'll have to get some furniture and other things from the old house and get mom settled in her new home. She is already very busy with a new social life and racing on the corridors with her walker.

CWC: an overview

2011-07-03T13:29:00.003+02:00

One big triangle of month 4 and month 5 blocks of the Civil War Chronicles quilt is finished now. I put all the blocks on the floor of the practice room to get an overview of the whole centre. Now I am piecing another of the month 3 blocks to fill one of the empty spaces.

Tree of Stitches part 12

2011-07-01T11:47:00.007+02:00

Thank you very very much for all the lovely comments on my last post. They gave us a lot of comfort. We still miss Julius terribly and realized he was the most active and noisy cat of the bunch. It is so quiet in the house now....

On Monday Mom moved to the old peoples' home where she got a temporary room for six weeks. We hope there will be another room after this period so she can stay. We all know this is the best thing to do, but it is hard to be forced to leave the old house after so many years. Mom says she has started a new chapter in the book of her life now. She is very positive and making the best of it. But I really don't know what her feelings are when we have left.

I finished part 12 of Abi Gurden's Tree of Stitches.

And DD stitched a lot of her tree too. It is the first time she does these specialty stitches and she is doing quite well in my opinion.

I also made a lot of blocks of the Civil War Chronicles quilt while I was staying with Mom in the old house for some days. Month 5 is finished by now, there are three blocks left to do of month 3 and yesterday the postman brought the package with pattern and fabrics of month 5. A lot of lovely fabrics again!

Julius

2011-06-28T13:17:00.004+02:00

Julius tumor grew very fast during the last weeks and yesterday it started to bleed. And because of the growth he couldn't use his right hind-leg properly, as if it was painful when he moved it. So we gave him a lot of cuddles, catmilk and other treats and brought him to the vet's this morning. Now he is burried in the backgarden on one of his favorite spots between the plants. We will miss him very much, but this was the last loving thing we could do for him.

Update Civil War Chronicles quilt

2011-06-17T11:57:00.017+02:00

Month 1 and month 2 are finished as you can see. Also two blocks of month 4, they are placed above. I have cut the patches for one month 3 block and I am sewing loads of triangles to squares at the moment.

Thank you very much for the good wishes and healing thoughts you have sent to my mom. She was doing much better after a few days, but was rushed to the hospital on Wednesday evening with a TIA. Fortunately my brother was still with her. After a brain scan, which didn't show any damage, they were sent home by ambulance at half past eleven in the night! Now my sister is there too and they are organizing a room in an old peoples' home. Temporary at first, but we think it is best for mom if she moves from the big old house she lives in now. Mom had her name put on a list already some years ago.

Casper had a hypo on Tuesday evening (scary!!), but he recovered quickly when I gave him sugarwater and food. Because bloodsugar levels stayed low while I didn't give any insulin and he kept behaving a bit weirdly, I took him to the vet's yesterday afternoon. They kept him for observation. The vet thinks he is producing insulin by himself again. Cats can do this! So I can take him home later today. No more insulin and observe what happens. If he starts to drink a lot or behave oddly I have to check his sugars and call the vet. I really do hope next week will be a bit more quiet.

@ Lissanne: My sewing machine and I have the same problem. I sew all my quilts by hand, except for the binding.

Tree of Stitches part 11

2011-06-14T12:51:00.003+02:00

Part 11 is finished too. I wonder what will be the next stitch to add.

Thank you for all the lovely comments on the framed pieces.
And also for the good wishes for my mom. She is feeling better now, although her leg still hurts and she can't use it very much. It is purple from halfway her thighbone to her toes! This is also caused by the medicines she uses, so the GP advised to stop them for some time. My brother is still staying with her and taking care of her. Because he lives in the Dominican Republic and is in The Netherlands for a long visit they are both very content with this arrangement.

Summer Knotgarden framed

2011-06-11T10:15:00.008+02:00

On Thursday I went to the framer's to collect these pieces:

Chatelaine's Summer Knotgarden,

Chatelaine's Autumn Watergarden

and Bent Creek's Red Thread which is stitched by DD.

My plan was to post these photo's yesterday, but after a phonecall I had to hurry to my mother. She has fallen over while she was working in the garden and has a gigantic bruise on her leg. Because she couldn't walk on it there had to be someone in the house to take care. The GP came in the afternoon and fortunately it is only a bruise and there is nothing broken. One of my brothers also came and will take care of her for a couple of days. Poor mom: we even had to cancel her birthday party on Sunday. Friday was her 85th birthday, not quite as she had in mind. But we'll organize a big party for her when she feels better later this summer!

Tree of Stitches again

2011-06-09T08:55:00.011+02:00

Part 10 of Abi Gurden's Tree of Stitches is finished and I have added Delica beads too. I love the way the Gloriana silk for the leaves works out.
Now I am going to the framer's to collect Summer Knotgarden, Autumn Watergarden and DD's Red Thread!

Tree of Stitches

2011-06-07T11:37:00.002+02:00

Some days ago I have started a very addictive new project. This is the Tree of Stitches, designed by Abi Gurden and run as a SAL on The Stitch Specialists Yahoo Group. Every part is stitched in another specialty stitch. Some of these I know already from the Chatelaine projects, but some are completely new to me. I am using Thread Gatherer Silk'n Colours 'camouflage' for the trunk and 'grapefruit kisses' for the leaves. And the fabric is antique white 32 count linen.

Mini Mystery 02

2011-06-05T16:19:00.004+02:00

Another finish: Chatelaine's Mini Mystery 02.
And I have finished one of the Civil War Chronicles month 2 blocks. I'll post a photo of this block in the next blog. Thank you for all your lovely comments on the patches.

I'd like to show another of DD's photo's of dragonflies in the garden. I have never seen a dragonfly with such gorgeous colours before! Look at the lace in it's wings and the coloured parts close to it's body: wonderful!

Patches

2011-06-02T21:23:00.004+02:00

This are the patches of the Civil War Chronicles quilt to make all the blocks of month 2 and month 4! I have made a pile of patches for each block so I can assemble it more easy.

Civil War Chronicles quilt

2011-06-01T14:05:00.005+02:00

Yesterday the postman brought me another package with the pattern and beautiful fabrics of the Civil War Chronicles quilt. Because I couldn't continue stitching Mini Mystery 02 I decided to make a block of month 4. I have to make eight of these 12 inch blocks.

And still have to make the four 16 inch blocks of month 3...

And another four 16 inch blocks of month 2...

All the fabrics are laying on the table now. I'll make a big pot of tea, take it with me to the practice room and start cutting a lot of pieces.

MM 02 part 1 and part 2

2011-05-31T09:19:00.002+02:00

Part 1 of Chatelaine's Mini Mystery 02 is also done. Now I'll have to wait till part 3 will be released tomorrow! My plan is to finish this piece during the weekend. Because of Ascention Day I don't have to work on Thursday and Friday, so there should be some extra stitching time. Great!!

Part 2 finished!

2011-05-28T22:45:00.010+02:00

Late in the evening an update of Chatelaine's Mini Mystery 02. Part 2 is finished now and tomorrow I'll start stitching part 1.

A new start

2011-05-28T10:41:00.013+02:00

After having finished part 2 of Spring Knotgarden I couldn't resist a new Chatelaine project calling from my stash: Mini Mystery 02. I am stitching part 2 first because this way it was more easy to start in the centre of the fabric. When this is finished I will stitch part 1 around it.
You can see Mini Mystery 02 on black fabric here, when you scroll down a bit.

Thank you very much for all your lovely comments on Spring Knotgarden and the photo's of the beetles!

Blogger Problems have also infected my blog. I can't see my followers, nor the ones on a lot of other blogs. And posting comments sometimes gives no problems, sometimes is only possible when I use the Firefox browser and sometimes doesn't work at all. I do hope Blogger will fix it soon, like many of you I've read on a lot of blogs.

OOOOO

Got my followers back when I posted this blog!!! So nice to see you again ;o) I hope they have fixed the other problems too.

Spring Knotgarden part 2

2011-05-26T13:40:00.008+02:00

Part 2 of Spring Knotgarden is done. I used all the recommended DMC threads now and I am very pleased with the result. Now I'll have to wait till July, when part 3 will be released.

The starlings are gone and it is very quiet now. They were very loud indeed! I am glad we only have a nest of sparrows in the roof. They have started their second bunch of chicks recently. Sometimes there are a lot of starlings sitting on the neighbour's roof. Perhaps they visit their old nest. But all starlings look the same from a distance, although the young ones still are a bit clumsy.

Last week DD took some photographs of beetles in the garden.

The red one is about half a centimeter in reality! Look at the amazing claws it has!

Spring Knotgarden

2011-05-20T19:09:00.007+02:00

I have started stitching the top section of part 2 with a NPI conversion, but I didn't like it. So I've started the right side section with the recommended DMC threads. And I am very glad I did!

This was the view from the window of my attic room yesterday evening. Today all the little starlings did fly out.

Part 1...

2011-05-17T21:02:00.004+02:00

... of my Spring Knotgarden is finished. I still have to find out how to attach the big crystal in the centre, but this can wait till the last part is done.
Now I am going to start stitching part 2. The photo on Geke's blog is very inspiring!

AotH #8

2011-05-16T12:01:00.009+02:00

Part #8 of the Blackbird Designs 'Anniversaries of the Heart' is finished. Because the name of my dear sister didn't fit I stitched it over one and added some more grey motifs to fill the empty spaces.

And then I decided it was time for a new start: Spring Knotgarden. I am stitching this beauty on antique white linen, using most of the recommended threads. The DMC threads are converted to NPI silks, except for DMC 519 which has no NPI match.

Thank you for all your lovely comments on the framed Frosty Knotgarden and the big toad. A lot of comments have disappeared while Blogger was restoring, so I hope I've read them all before the crash.
Tracy: it is mirogard museum glass on Frosty Knotgarden. This is almost invisible.

Visitor

2011-05-12T15:27:00.000+02:00

I really do hope this visitor will stay in the backyard and keep a lot of distance from my stitching!

This morning I got Frosty Knotgarden back from the framer. He did a wonderful job!

Next project

2011-05-10T09:40:00.004+02:00

First of all I'd like to thank you for the overwhelming amount of lovely comments on Summer Knotgarden.
I didn't start Spring Knotgarden, but decided to continue the Blackbird Design 'Anniversaries of the Heart' series. This is the bonus sampler of part #7.

And here is an overview of all the parts. Most of them are only empty fabric as you can see. Once finished I am going to sew all parts together. Siobhan and Katrina have finished the project on a large piece of fabric. This would have been much more easy after all, but I like the variety in colours of my fabrics.

AotH part #8 is on the frame now.

Summer Knotgarden: finished

2011-05-06T14:22:00.003+02:00

The last beads and the heart in the centre are attached this afternoon and now it is time for a happy dance.

Thinking about the next project... I could continue stitching the Fairy Garden... or start Spring Knotgarden... or Mini Mystery 02... Winter Watergarden perhaps...

But I also have basted Lynette Anderson's 'My Garden' quilt. And I've got another part of the Civil War Chronicles quilt waiting.

More butterflies

2011-05-03T13:49:00.004+02:00

The upper half of Summer Knotgarden is finished now. The other part will probably take some more days to stitch.

The framer phoned yesterday to tell there will be some delay in framing Frosty Knotgarden and Autumn Watergarden. One of the frames I choose is no longer available and the other arrived with damages and a lot of difference in colours compared with the sample in the showroom. So the framer returned it and ordered a new one.
Now I'll have plenty of time to finish Summer Knotgarden and take it along on my next trip to the framer's shop.

Butterflies

2011-04-30T20:10:00.004+02:00

Yesterday the last part of Chatelaine's Summer Knotgarden has been released. Because I'd like to take this piece to the framer when I am going to collect Frosty Knotgarden and Autumn Watergarden, I've started stitching almost immediately. The dragonflies (Fairy Flower Garden) will have to wait for a while.

This beauty we found in our garage, waiting on the ceiling for someone to open the door. Of course we did let it out after the photo session.

Thank you very much for all the hugs and cuddles for Julius. He still is enjoying the pleasures of a cat's life, like eating and sunbathing and his walks in the garden. Casper is doing well on his new dose of insulin and has started being naughty again.

Fairy Garden again

2011-04-22T12:57:00.008+02:00

There is still a lot of stitching left to be done as you can see. I'd like to finish the top part, which is most plants and the doilies in the left corner. But the scrolls in the centre stitch up very easy for a change. And when the big plant and the doilies and dragonflies on the right side are stitched I've done another major part of this design. Perhaps I could do a bit of every part.....

A picture of the blue plants around the scrolls in the centre.

Unfortunately the growth on Julius side is back and growing fast. Because he doesn't like it when it is touched I've started to give him a pain reliever every morning. There is nothing else we can do after several surgeries. Nothing but keeping him comfortable and love and cuddle him as much as we can.

Casper is doing well and much more active after we increased the amount of insulin again. He probably will need a higher quantity, because he still drinks more then he should do. Within two weeks he'll have another bloodtest.

It looks like poor Cleo is neglected, but she gets her daily portion of quality time with DD because she prefers to lay om DD's bed or desk within reach area.

Thank you for visiting and for your lovely comments on the dragonflies and other posts.

Beaded dragonflies

2011-04-19T19:42:00.002+02:00

All the beads and crystals are attached on the part between the two large plants. And I also finished a part of the yellow ribbon in the centre.

Chatelaine is going to start a new series of designs: Cloister Gardens. The first one will start in August and the theme is medieval herbs and healing plants. Irresistible!!
A picture and more information about this Herbularius you can find here.

Dragonflies and doilies

2011-04-17T08:15:00.031+02:00

As promished an update of the Fairy Flower Garden. I still have to add the beads to this part as you can see. Because my lamp-with-magnifier literally collapsed yesterday afternoon I couldn't continue the beading. Fortunately DH found a way to repair the lamp by reinforcing the part in the bace with a metal cillinder so the stand with the hinges will not fall over anymore. At least I do hope it won't; I am going to test it later today.

DD did have a wonderful week in Sweden. She came home with loads of enthousiastic stories about Swedish schools and nature. And of course about all the adventures the group did encounter.

On Thursday I have brought Frosty Knotgarden and Autumn Watergarden to the framer! It took al long time to select a frame and a passe-partout for the Watergarden, while almost the first choice we selected was perfect for the Frosty Knotgarden. Now I will have to wait for about two weeks till I can collect them.

Thank you for your lovely comments, I do appreciate them very much.
Amurina you can enlarge the fairies faces on the photo's in my Webshots album.

More plants

2011-04-10T16:40:00.008+02:00

This is the part of the outer border between the large pink plants. The empty space has to be filled with dragonflies and doilies. I am going to start with this part later today.

No updates next week, because DD is on a trip to Sweden with about 25 schoolmates. They are going to visit some schools and do some hiking. And of course she will take the camera!

Thank you very much for your lovely comments on my previous Fairy Garden post. I hope to have loads of extra stitching time next week while DD isn't at home and post another update during the weekend.

Fairy Flower Garden

2011-04-09T10:40:00.006+02:00

After a very long time I got the Fairy Flower Garden on the frame again. Last week I stitched both big pink plants on the left side. Now my plan is to stitch the flowers of the left side border between these plants.

My Garden top

2011-04-05T09:49:00.013+02:00

Thanks to Anne Marieke, who was so kind to send me some more of the green fabric to complete the outer border, I could finish the top of this lovely quilt. And again I did forget to place the buttons before I took a photo!! The creases in the outer border will be gone when the quilt is stretched. Now I am going to search in my stash for batting and a piece of fabric for the backing. This one is going to be a hanging quilt. But I do use quilts on beds and on the couch when it is cold.

Because of the beautiful spring weather I felt like stitching flowers instead of the Winter Watergarden trees. So I got the Fairy Garden Mandala on the frame after a long time! It is very nice to work with all those lovely colours again.

It looks like Casper is doing better on the new quantity of insulin. Next week we'll do another bloodtest to see if we will have to adjust once more.

My Garden center part

2011-04-02T18:55:00.009+02:00

The nine blocks of Lynette Anderson's 'My Garden' BOM are finished and joined together. Instead of the recommended rectangles I am going to add a small 1 inch border and a 3 inch border. And now I see I have forgotten to place the cute buttons on the blocks before I did make the photo. I will show them when the borders are finished.

The postman brought some new stash yesterday: Civil War Chronicles BOM month 2. I have to make four blocks with these beautiful fabrics .

Thank you for all your lovely comments on Summer Knotgarden.

Summer Knotgarden: another part done

2011-03-29T13:53:00.020+02:00

The NPI thread came by post on Saturday, so I could finish all the flowers of part 5 of the Summer Knotgarden. I love the tiny pink jessica's on the corners. Here is a photo of the top row of flowers. Both pictures are a bit dark because the flash light didn't work for some reason I don't know.

I have to give Casper more insulin, because the blood test showed not enough improvement on the dose he got the first two weeks. We'll do another test when he has had this new amount for three weeks. He has some more energy now and likes to play with his favorite ribbon again.

The red bridge will stay this red. And the walk on the dike is to the right when I leave our house. The city centre is ten minutes by bike in the opposite direction. We do live on a beautiful location!

Bumblebee and walking

2011-03-24T09:05:00.007+01:00

Yesterday DD made this beautiful photo of a bumblebee. She wanted to take a picture of the Helleborus flower and got the bumblebee by coincidence!

No stitching pictures in this blog. I did make a lot of progress on Summer Knotgarden, but ran out of one of the NPI's. As always the frustrating 30 centimeters. I ordered a new skein and hope it will arrive soon. While waiting on this I made another stitchery block of the Lynette Anderson's 'My Garden' project.

Instead of stitching I'll show you some pictures of my favorite walking trip. It is a tour of about 50 minutes and part of it is on the dike of the river IJssel.

On the next photo you can see the new railroad bridge. I think it is very red and doesn't fit in the landscape! As always there are many very different opinions about this item.

Mostly there are some hares playing and running in the grasslands here. And there are lots of different birds now. During the winter there are many geese.

A road with old poplars. There was a stork's nest in one of them, but they have moved house.

At the end of this road is the city again. I turn to the left there and continue my walk on a cycle path. With some luck I can see roe deer in the shrubs on the left. There also are roe deer in the grasslands close to the dike. Probably it is the same herd.

Casper had a check up at the vet's yesterday. She was very content about how he is doing. Tomorrow afternoon I'll get the results of the bloodtest and depending on this we'll see how much insulin he'll need.

I noticed I have 100 followers now!! I was very suprised to see so many of you find my blog interesting enough to follow. Thank you very much! And also thanks for all your lovely comments.

Summer Knotgarden part 4

2011-03-17T21:38:00.003+01:00

Another part of this Chatelaine mandala done. The lamplight and the shade of my hand caused the colour difference on the left side. The fabric is antique white linen. I am going to continue working on this project, because I'd like to see how the flowers of part 5 look like when they are stitched.

Casper is doing much better now and gives you a lot of purrs to thank you.

Mini Mystery 01

2011-03-12T11:49:00.009+01:00

Another Chatelaine finish! Mini Mystery 01 'Amber & Aquamarine'. It is the first one of a series of four. I hope the second one will be released in April, but untill now I haven't seen it mentioned on the Chatelaine Message board. Anne Marieke signed me up for this pattern. Thanks again: I really enjoyed stitching it!

And here is the first row of Henrietta Wiskers blocks.

Casper is doing fine right now and behaves almost normal. After two days of piercing his ears the vet had enough information to stabilize his insulin amount for the next two weeks. We both are very happy with this decision! I only have to check his sugar level when he is behaving very weird (hoping this won't be necessary!). And he isn't angry at me any more!! He is purring and asking for attention and sleeping on my desk again. Thank you very much for your support!

Henrietta

2011-03-10T22:03:00.003+01:00

The third block of the Henrietta Wiskers BOM is finished too.

I am giving insulin injections to Casper for two days now. He is drinking considerably less than before, so the stuff is working. Now we have to find out how much insulin he needs to keep in balance. So I have to check his blood several times during the day. I really hate to pierce his little ears! But I know I'll have to do this for some time for his good. To leave him at the vet's in a cage for some days is also possible, though I dislike this as well. I hope he won't stay angry at me.

Thank you for your lovely and comforting comments.

Sofie

2011-03-08T13:52:00.006+01:00

This is Sofie, the cute crow on the second block of the Bunny Hill Designs 'Henrietta Wiskers' BOM project. Block three has been released last weekend and I have assembled the block already. I still have to add all the appliqué pieces: Henrietta herself again as on the first block.

Today I have brought Casper to the vets for an examination. He was not feeling well during the weekend and loosing weight. The vet discovered he has a fever and a lot of noise in his lungs. So they are going to examine a bloodsample and take X-rays of his chest. I can take him home and get the results later this afternoon. I really do hope it is not very disturbing!

-------

Casper has diabetes!

Tomorrow I'll get instructions how to give him insulin twice a day. And also the kind of behaviour I have to watch carefully and instructions how to act when there is a problem.

I hope we can get him tuned(?) soon: he'll feel much better then!

Poor cat!

First block

2011-03-06T16:31:00.005+01:00

Of the Civil War Chronicles quilt BOM finished.

I love the fabrics and realized I'd probably never would have chosen them myself to use in a quilt. This makes BOM projects so special. It is a real challenge to work with these prints, because I'd like the pattern to go in the same way through all the patches in the whole block.
Thanks for all your lovely and inspiring comments. Anne Marieke, I hope this was enough 'hurry' ;o)
The other Winter Watergarden trees will have to wait some more time, because I've cut all the parts of two more blocks of the Henrietta Wiskers BOM. I have to assemble the blocks today, because tomorrow I need the big table in the practice for working again.

Winter trees

2011-03-04T09:57:00.006+01:00

I have finished the first corner of winter trees of Winter Watergarden. The branches are made of long stitches and needed some more concentration, but the other part was easy to stitch. Aren't they lovely?!

Yesterday the postman brought me some more new stash: the first package of the Civil War Chronicles quilt BOM. The fabrics are beautiful!

Winter Watergarden part 2

2011-03-02T16:02:00.004+01:00

Today I have finished part 2 of Winter Watergarden. Part 3 with a lot of trees is waiting; I hope I can start this part in the evening. You can find lots of pictures and links to where to buy the charts on here, Babs.
Next parts of Mini Mystery 01 and Summer Knotgarden are printed and waiting too. And also part 1 of Spring Knotgarden is printed, but I'll have to wait fot my supplies before I can start that beauty.
Thank you for your lovely and encouraging comments.

Update Chatelaines

2011-02-25T12:36:00.003+01:00

Summer Knotgarden has got another corner and another part of the border. The blue back ground of the corner is satin stitch, Charlie. And I bead as I go, Ingrid. I am using a frame too. When I have to scroll I cover the stitched and beaded parts with some leftovers of batting from the quilts. But I don't know if you could bead as you go when you use another kind of frame.

Winter Watergarden part 1 is done as well. I am stitching this project on my favorite antique white 32 count linen and use all the recommended threads. I see I forgot to place the snowflake in the center. Now it looks very empty.

Thank you for all your visits and lovely comments.

My Garden

2011-02-20T18:37:00.003+01:00

Last week I have finished block #2 of the neglected My Garden quilt designed by Lynette Anderson. The fabrics are from the Evening Mist series by Moda.

Because yesterday a week of vacation started I thought it would be wise to continue this project while I have some more time for stitching. So here is block #3, finished today.

The second corner of Summer Knotgarden is finished. And I have started part one of Winter Watergarden this afternoon!! When I could keep up this speed during the whole week the results will be amazing! But I presume some other things will need some of my attention too.

Summer Knotgarden

2011-02-17T09:09:00.004+01:00

I have finished the first corner of Summer Knotgarden part 4.

There will be less time for stitching and quilting for some time, because the number of clients in my practice suddenly has increased with about 35% last week! But because most of them are coming to my practice in the afternoon when schools are over, there will be some time in the mornings during a coffee break I hope and in the evenings. I am looking forward to all the new challenges to support these children.

And a SAL it is!

2011-02-13T10:42:00.006+01:00

About a week ago Anne Marieke suggested a SAL to make some progress on our long neglected Leanne' House projects. Despite of my new Chatelaine stash I have finished block #1.
So you are not alone, Anne Marieke ;o)

But now I'll going to stitch part 4 of the Summer Knotgarden. Although the new Winter Watergarden kit is screaming for attention.
Thank you for visiting and for your kind comments.

Frosty Knotgarden

2011-02-09T12:08:00.005+01:00

I have enjoyed stitching this beautiful garden mandala very much. I think it is always a bit sad having finished such a great project. Something like saying goodbye to a dear friend. But we'll meet again when it is framed and hanging on the wall of my practice room.

Mini Mystery 01

2011-02-08T15:19:00.002+01:00

No Frosty finish yet, because I ran out of one colour of beads. Very frustrating! But my friend Anne Marieke was so kind to send me the missing beads from her stash. Thank you very much, Anne Marieke. They have arrived already and I am going to sew these beads on Frosty Knotgarden this evening.
Meanwhile I have finished part two of Mini Mystery 01.

More stash!

2011-02-03T16:35:00.008+01:00

As you can see both my kits for Winter Watergarden and Hummingbird Sparkly Garden arrived! So many beautiful threads to fondle! And the beads and crystals are lovely too! Cindy of European Crosstitch Company always makes great packages of the kits; it is a real pleasure to open the parcel.

I am going to start Winter Watergarden as soon as possible, trying to keep up with the releases of new parts of the chart every month. My plan was to use the scrollbars of the almost finished Frosty Knotgarden for this new start, but they are not long enough! On the longer scrollbars I've attached Peacock Garden and Fairy Flower Garden and they are not close to a finish at all. So I just ordered a new set of 30 inch and I am hoping they will arrive soon.

Part #5 of Frosty Knotgarden is finished. All the missing threads arrived last week, so there is nothing to keep me from finishing the last part.

My Garden #1

2011-01-30T11:25:00.003+01:00

Instead of stitching the Frosty Knotgarden I got sidetracked by Lynette Anderson's 'My Garden' BOM. This is the first of nine blocks. There are already eight of them waiting to be stitched in a box, but for some reason I have been neglecting them for a long time. I am using the recommended Moda 'Evening Mist' fabrics.

Yesterday evening DD fell asleep on the couch, so I covered her with a quilt. Very soon Cleo and Julius shared this comfortable place to take a nap too.

Spring basket

2011-01-29T12:13:00.005+01:00

This lovely basket filled with different kinds of flower bulbs DD gave me yesterday! I was very surprised by this beautiful gift!

And an update of Frosty Knotgarden. Two of the missing threads did arrive last week, so I can stitch everything now except for the darkest colour of the flowers on the corners.

'Hermit and Stitch Day'

2011-01-24T10:14:00.006+01:00

It turned out to be impossible to have a 'Hermit and Stitch Day' with DD and DH at home. But I did have a lot of 'Hermit and Stitch Hours' scattered over the weekend and I managed to stitch a lot of Frosty Knotgarden during this hours. I couldn't finish the right corner because I ran out of several threads. I do hope the package of Needlecraft Corner will arrive today or tomorrow. This package includes Blackbird Designs 'Anniversaries of the Heart' #10, the missing threads and some Piecemakers tapestry 28 size needles. These are my absolute favorite needles, but at the moment I only have two of them left.

Now I am going to visit the other Hermit's blogs to see what they have done during their stitching days. Thank you for organizing the 'Hermit Day', Joyce.
Thank you for all your lovely comments; I appreciate them very much.

One Frosty corner

2011-01-20T12:36:00.012+01:00

I still have to finish the flowers in the corner. I ran out of the darkest colour :o(
Andie, it isn't my wishlist you can see in the side bar, but all the Chatelaines I am stitching at the moment. I did subscribe to the beautiful Spring Knotgarden too! And I ordered the kit of the Hummingbird Garden. Well, confession time...

Stitching:

Peacock Garden
Fairy Flower Garden
Frosty Knotgarden
Summer Knotgarden
Watergarden
Mini Mystery 01

Charts and kits waiting:

Winter Watergarden
True Mystery 2
Hummingbird Sparkly Garden
Knotgarden
Spring Knotgarden
Indian Summer Reflection

Finished:

Secret Victorian Garden
Celtic Maze
Tuscany Town
Autumn Watergarden
Mini Mandala 5
Mini Mandala 6
Romantic Rose Garden
Flower Medallions
Elizabethan Sweete bag

OOPS! It is quite a long list! A very long list indeed!

Mini Mystery 01

2011-01-12T12:56:00.007+01:00

This is part one of the Chatelaine Mini Mystery 01 'Amber and Aquamarine'. It is a small design and easy to stitch and I really love the combination of colours. I still have to add some crystals, which will soon arrive together with the Hummingbird kit from ECC I hope. This is going to be a series of four small designs with a gemstone theme. I am wondering which gemstones will be choosen for the other designs.

This was not exactly what I had in mind feeding birds in the backyard!

The sparrow hawk (sperwer in Dutch) caught one of the blackbirds and left nothing but a bunch of feathers. I could make a photograph through the window glass while he was eating.

Henrietta Wiskers #1

2011-01-09T13:46:00.000+01:00

LHN ornaments series 2010

2011-01-09T10:15:00.011+01:00

This cute snowman is the last LHN ornament of the 2010 series I had to finish.
And here is a picture of the whole series of last years ornaments.

I hope you are wearing sun-glasses, because the result of the free mini mystery Bobbin did add to last autumn's series of mini mysteries, is rather purple! This is only the top ; it still has to be turned into a cuddly pillow.

Thank you very much for all the support for Julius! The vet was very content when he removed the stitches on Friday. And we did talk a lot with the outcome we don't have to decide anything untill Julius has a small growth back again. Depending on the speed it will return and Julius' condition at that time we still can decide what we'll do then. So we all hope it will stay away for a long time!

In my last post I did write about my plans to use the Thimbleberries fabrics leftovers again to make the Bunny Hill free BOM quilt 'Henrietta Wiskers'. But I have changed my mind completely when I found a huge pile of stash of this quilt.

Block one is almost finished. I will make a new post later today when it is completed.