A day with Brigitte

Yesterday I was fortunate enough to spend a day with Sydney based designer & teacher Brigitte Giblin at Southern Cross Needlework. I had had my name on the waiting list for some time and sadly (for them!) someone had to pull out. It was a great day, Brigitte was generous with her time & inspirations...sharing patterns & offering guidance. Most ladies have been working on her designs for a while...

loads of lovely 1/2" hexies...

a new design...

amazing fussy cutting...

reproduction inspirations...

and more!

I have started playing with a 30's palette...having fun at present!

Cardygirl xx

Christmas cheer!

It was pretty exciting to hear that the recipient of my SSCS has received her parcel in far off Norway!It only took a week to arrive...funny to think that it is over in the snow now, far away from the humidity, heat and our noisy bug zapper! I really don't enjoy this heat and wish I was with my parcel!

 There is so much secretive sewing going on...I know that some of my friends "lurk" on my blog... I need to be careful what I show! Might throw a few sneaky peeks soon.

This doorstop..."Christmas Tree Cheer" by Anni Downs is almost done...it just needs a few extra plastic pellets & a star on top....but I need to drive to Maitland to get some more! It is super cute & will be a welcome addition to our Christmas decorating. Isn't the fabric great?

Patchwork has permeated every nook & cranny of our home...even the dog blankets have that touch of "wagga" or perhaps a smattering of influence from Gee's Bend???? It was such a great washing day that I thought they deserved a freshen up. Don't they look fun?

Cardygirl xx

Sampler parade Pt 2

It has been great to visit everyone's sites for the cross stitch tour. Chookyblue is listing what blogs are participating today....go here to find out.

First of all, here is the basket where my cross stitch lives...it has an embroidered lid...it was made in a class with my local embroidery group in 1998...I added little touches to make it my own...

I love the inside of the lid...some of the tools were gifts...pretty special!

My children both have samplers...they were not made until they were older so they are a little more adult.

DD's is a modified Shepherds Bush...

 DS' is a Cross Eyed cricket pattern I think.  He still likes it in his room. Sometimes he can be a nut.

This Shepherds Bush design was completed 31.12.1999...some furious stitching right at the end to complete it before the New Year rolled in!The whitework bands do not photograph well.

Someone commented that there was no stitching in their toilet....LOL...this hangs in the loo off the laundry! It had a previous life in my kitchen, but has been demoted.

This garden sampler was fun to make...the borders went on last as you would expect...only to find that on the final stretch I was one thread out!!!!!! A little creative tweaking & I find the imperfection hard to find!

And just so I don't seem like a goody two shoes who finishes everything...here is my walk of shame!

I commenced this sampler with obviously good intentions in 2002...it appears very briefly every year or so and has a few more stitches done, undone & then done properly! I love it but it is stronger than me & keeps me making mistakes...I will not give up...LOL!

This must be completed by years end...Blackbird Designs...but I am easily distracted by borders.

Liz sent me this lovely linen...you have seen this stocking in progress...I am enjoying the "bigness" of it all and the overdyed Perle5...like sewing rope on hessian. Have a look at Liz for some stunning X stitch!

Don't be fooled...if I peered further into the dim dark recesses of my cupboards there would be more WIP's! Hmmm...Prairie Schooler Santas...dragonfly...stop looking now!

Obviously patchwork has taken more of my time over the past few years, but I still find such calm when I stitch...time to sit quietly & think. Hope you have enjoyed it!

Cardygirl xx

Stitch or bind...hmmmm?

So much secret stitching happening at present...it will be so exciting when we can all see what each other has been doing. My SSCS swap present is finished....just needs wrapping....send a pic to Chookyblue...and post off to.....! Can't spoil the surprise now!!!!!

This tempting pile of Christmas prettiness is grabbing my attention at the moment...it is a newish design from the oh so clever Anni Downs...Christmas Tree Cheer...itching to get at it.

Or should I be good and bind this....made with all my 30's scraps...Puss in a corner blocks...the size was dictated by the amount of background I was able to find. The yardage is a soft green with a white pindot. It is a sweet quilt and I love seeing the scraps come to life again. Probably not the best pic...

 I really enjoyed the cross stitch hop over the weekend...thanks for all your lovely comments...Part 2 will appear next weekend.

Cardygirl xx

Sampler parade Pt 1

Inspired by Jean's recent post, a group of bloggers have decided to "parade" some of the cross stitch that we have done over the years! Head to Chookyblue for some links.

I still love the tranquiliity of cross stitch and always have something on my frame...tastes change, but I enjoy making samplers, decorating objects & I adore overdyed threads & linens. I may not remember the pattern names but I still love seeing these on my walls. They are all behind glass so excuse pics please! I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed making them!

This is probably my favourite.

 It is 4cm x 5.5 cm, stitched on silk gauze with silk threads. It is so perfectly TINY! It was a goal to do a miniature before old age set in...I couldn't do it now. It is all done in one strand of silk, petit point, and the background is all stitched as well in white. aargh!
Next....

I love playing with stitches, and this was fun with the Hardanger hearts.The colours are very soft... it says "A dream is a wish your heart makes". Pretty.

This sampler was called "A Walk in the Woods"...from 1993.

These two samplers were from patterns my DH bought for me while away with work. Again I am sampling stitches and some beading. I love the dragonflies on this one...

...and the grasshoppers on this. Can you see them?

More to come...

Cardygirl xx

Just a taste...

...of what is to come! Inspired by Linen and Raspberry's beautiful cross stitch post recently, the super organised Chookyblue thought a cross stitch display would be in order...nice to share our treasures! A few hardy bloggers are joining in...why not share your creations too. So keep an eye out this weekend!

Cardygirl xx