Slate Frames & Sisterhood

I am so blessed to be a part of the stitching sisterhood. The group of women who enjoy the gentle art of creating with a needle and thread.The worldwide community of women who just 'get' you and your passion. I have made some lovely friends over the past three or so years since I have been blogging and have been able to indulge my passion full time. Many of those friends are online and I have never met them in person, others I have met but the miles do not seem to make one jot of difference to how close you can become and to feel like you know them and have known them for an age and just 'get' them too.

My life took an unfortunate turn of events in March this year when my husband and partner of twenty years was killed in a work accident ~ it's taken a while for my daughters and I to adjust but through that time my needlework sustained me as did the kindness and caring of those 'like minded' friends, many of whom sent such kind thoughts and gave with such generosity ~ I am so lucky to have such a fabulous passion and to be a part of such a great community and I do so appreciate you one and all. 

As I headed back to the workforce this week, for the first time in three years to my vocation as an accountant, the girls and I are  adjusting to our 'new normal'. Things are busy and there will not be anywhere as much time now to indulge my passion ~ the evenings will be my only stitching time ~ but no matter how small the snatching's of time, the satisfaction of such a great past time will endure.

This week when I came home from work one day a parcel was waiting for me on the step ~ it must be karma ~ this parcel had been trying to get to me but customs had interfered and slowed the process ~ but that meant that this fabulous meaningful parcel was to arrive as the pace of my life shifted and to remind me of the personal joy in life received from the hands, time and generosity of others ~ I commissioned Rachael of Ladies Repository Museum to make and decorate a slate frame for me to fit the size of the fancy mirror from Thistle Threads I will one day embroider. It's not so easy to find a frame this size and so I was delighted when Rachael started offering them and with the added bonus of being decorated in your style of choice by her elegant and mega talented hands. My request to Rachael when asked what design was ~ and I quote ~ 

Here's where my head is at the moment....I love the floral twirling style vine around you twin been skep palette and was thinking maybe something like that (or berry vine) all around and maybe threaded into two needles coming towards each and on either side of my 'fancy pants' name....or it could be two little birdies holding the needles in their beaks with the vine threaded. Also like the idea of ribbon's and bows, swags or tassels intertwined with the vine. Lots of bees all around and of course a skep would be a treat and maybe a butterfly or two and I adore owls.....and I love squirrels too....told you I couldn't stop...

Please interpret at your leisure and it will be interesting to see how you de code my head...

~ blah ~ blah ~ blah ~ it was all a bit much of a request to be fair to fit on a not overly large area and I just left it up to Rachael and her talent really ~ but no matter what ~ when I received that frame back from Rachael I just knew I would love it whatever she did ~ AND I DO ~ Rachael has put so many personal touches into the frame for me, the girls and Craig and I just love that the flowers she chose were Tiger Lily's and Jasmine ~ for my girls Tiger Lily and Jazmin ~ Fabulous ~ Fabulous ~  Fabulous ~ thank you so much for your talent Rachael and for being my friend and for the sisterhood across the miles ~ I feel like I know you so well and yet we have never met ~ one day maybe ~~~~

Here's some eye candy for those others in the sisterhood who A) know just what a slate frame is and b)appreciate awesome talent when they see it ~ isn't it fab ~ but do please excuse the orientation and the sneaky foot ~

~ Not easy to get these very long pieces in the frame ~

~ Bee skeps, bees, roses,  tassels and bows ~
~ Yummy ~

~ Needles and ribbons, Tigerlilys and Jasmine AND
butterflys ~ & a mermaid ~ Gorgeous ~

~ If you look closely the bees are busy away from
the hive too with those roses ~

~ I feel blessed to have made such neat friends with
so much amazing talent ~ The glass is always
half full no matter what life throws at you ~

As for what I have been up to with my stitching  it's all Sue Spargo BOM and I'm not allowed to talk about that until she releases it as a pattern next year and so lucky  for me Rachael's not so precious so my blog can dust off the cobwebs and have something to talk about ~ have a happy weekend ~

~ May Your Days Be Filled With Salubrious Stitching ~

Fun ~ Fun ~ Fun

It's supposed to be Spring BUT the days are not getting warmer or dryer or the skies less grey. The days might be getting longer and the daffodils and magnolias might be opening their pretty heads but it has not felt the least like Spring here in Auckland since it was supposed to have sprung on September 1st ~ still ~ it does mean that stitching of a cosy inside evening with wool and threads is still warm and fun, fun, fun ~

Sue Spargo's vases are starting to fill up with blooms and this project is just ever so much fun, fun, fun ~

Here's a peek at what my stitching fingers have been up to in the last little while ~

~ Two finished ~

~ Top row nearly done ~

I am doing my best to stick to a palette of blues, greens and golds ~ doing well so far ~ the trick has been to isolate my threads into their colour groups and put all the others in the spectrum out of site and out of mind ~ far too tempting to digress otherwise ~

~ Wool, velvet & cotton ~ makes you feel
like diving right on in to that stash ~

~ Blues, blews and more bloos ~

~ Fibre classification & seperation ~

I do hope that wherever you are in the world you are having fun, fun, fun  with your stitching too ~

~ May Your Days Be Filled With Salubrious Stitching ~