Santa Claus Is Coming To Town ~

Well, hopefully he'll be coming to town in 2016 ~ if I can pull finger and needle and thread ~ otherwise ~ he might not make it, if I don't make him, until 2017 and that would be a shame cos he 's a swell looking dude of a Santa that's for sure. Getting into the festive spirit with Tilda's beautiful Santa ~ 

~ His form is completed and awaiting costuming ~

~ His Cossie is underway! ~

~ The expected end result, however I am using a textured fabric and will
not be quilting or it would be 2018 before he saw
the light of Xmas! ~

I also spent a little time this weekend printing off and sizing the templates Tricia from Thistle Threads has produced for us for all the casket forms. I'm deciding which casket to do and how I will do it...I probably should start with the short flat one (on the right) and not the double (on the left)!! I want to design my own but I think I will never even get off of the ground, as I have three casket forms, if I am forever stuck in the designing phase and so might just utilise the templates and move forward. Might save the last flat top casket (at the back behind the stool) for my own design after these 'practice' ones!! haha ~ ~ we will see what eventuates ~ it's a daunting task !

Of course what is a craftee studio without a craftee helper ~ thanks Louis ~ 

~ May Your Days Be Filled With Salubrious Stitching ~

~ Beads, Beading & Beaded ~

I did it ~ I managed to put some beads in this weekend! Being so very far away from the world's vintage supply of micro seed beads and factoring in how costly freighting even small packets around gets and with the exchange rate and all ~ I am utilising what I have managed to gather ~ now it's not always my perfectly desired effect but I am LOVING my efforts all the same ~ the castle now has a plum tree in the grounds ~ yum yum yummy! ~ 

~ The leaves would have looked a little different in
more translucent beads but you get the
picture ~ 

~ She's coming along nicely ~ just some grass to
bead under that ole plum tree now ~

~ Happy beading wherever you are and with whatever you are working on ~

~ May Your Days Be Filled With Salubrious Stitching ~

Now What Shall I Do This Wet Weekend

It just never seems to stop raining or just being grey and yucky. Darn, I'll have to stay inside again ~ now what shall I do? 

Sleep?!? ~ no way ~ that's Louis' choice and he was getting right into it as you can clearly see! Some helper he was fast asleep on the possum skin rug!!

I decided instead to tackle a little prep ~ that first up task that just seems to take an absolute age ~ especially when you prep a trio ~ so long and short was I got two patterns drawn up on the trusty old freezer paper & one kit nearly sorted ~

~ First up a Tilda Santa ~ this christmas or next?! ~

~ Next up a little bit of a 2016 BOM ~
 that I am not able to give much away on!! ~

~ Then there's sorting out the kit for the 'Foxley Village'
2016 BOM in the Homespun magazine ~ 

~ It's soooo adorable and a fair bit of work to boot ~

Just when I was starting to run out of weekend at the tail end and just 30 minutes before I had to go prep dinner I decided to stitch some beads ~ just a few so I could say I had ~ of course this frame is setup ready to go and I walk past it all the time between studio and the rest of the house ~ and look i've progressed ~ 3/4 of a tree!! ~ woo hoo!

~ Very happy I managed to squeeze this in
as the beads are FUN ~

~ Just look at that tree grow ~

Hope you guys have a great week. I resigned last week from my boring and tediously repetitive job and am on the way to no longer working with the awful new boss of a month or so ~ roll on the 26th October ~ I wonder what I will do next!!! 

~ May Your Days Be Filled With Salubrious Stitching ~

~ Deliciousness Abounds ~

A little while ago I had a birthday and I decided to treat myself to some more of Rachael Kinnison's beautiful creations. I ordered two more slate frames and a thread palette set and asked her to decorate  in her own original black work style. I had seen her do this for another client and I was hooked. It so reminds me of the black line drawings on the canvas of the 16th century embroidery style. Well, when they arrived today on a grey and rainy Saturday morning I could not have been happier. They are everything I could have dreamed of and more ~ I LOVE THEM ~ take a look and you will see why ~ what's not to motivate me to pick up my needle and thread now ~ thank you Rachael you are truly a beautiful and creative being and your talent brings me great pleasure ~ 

~ Jaw Droppingly Gorgeous Collection ~

~ Everywhere you look there are things to see ~ 

~ That Leopard I LOVE him ~

~ The flowers, the berries, the caterpillar, the butterfly ~

~ And that Lion and that Squirrel ~

~ There's even some Tiger Lily's there, thx Rachael ~

~ Love the snails too and that sweet Monkey ~

~ Beautiful Things ~

I couldn't be happier ~ now where did I put my needle! ~

~ May Your Days Be Filled With Salubrious Stitching ~

- An inkling of life again in these stitching fingers -

Last weekend, Sunday in fact,  I managed to sneek in a little bit of time to do some day time stitching. It's been a long time since I have been able to hang out in my studio space. I emptied it out in February this year so the builders could commence the renovation and it has dragged on for six very long wintery months as it is a building boom due to housing shortage here in Auckland and it is very difficult to get a builder to come focus on a renovation project when there is so much new build demand. But finally they are finished in my studio area and I have been unpacking all my goodies and arranging my stitching treasures around me once again.

One of the goodies I uncovered was my beaded mirror project. I got all excited and decided to break out my beads and make a tiny tiny inroad. What a pleasure it was to once again be spending some time on what it is I really love to do through the pleasure of spending a little time with my needle and thread.

~ My castle is finished ~ I carried on where I had left off &
added the grass ~ It's SO sweet isn't it!! ~ even if it is
my first attempt at beading and it's somewhat 'rustic' ~

~ The oak tree was already done but I finished the wee bit of
grass missing under that too ~

Now ~ what shall I do next ?

~ Can't help soaking up the cuteness each time I walk past that
adorable little castle ~

~ May Your Days Be Filled With Salubrious Stitching ~

Finally A Finish ~

The past year has passed in a blur. Yes, it's been nearly that long since I last posted. There's reasons for that of course ~

~ the loss of my husband in March 2015

~ returning to full time work in September 2015

~ a shortage of time and motivation to work on my needlework due to work and life

~ the only project I have worked on all year is a Sue Spargo BoM and you are banned from talking about it or posting progress pics until she publishes it as a pattern the following year. Yes it is controlling but you risk removal if you do not adhere so adhere I did

~ BUT ~

~ that year is over and I have finished the project so now I can sing like a bird about my achievement ~ FOLK TAILS is complete and hanging on a wall in my home and I LOVE IT! ~ wool and embroidered embellishment rocks and it is so easy to pick up and put down with many daily distractions coming at you ~ 

~ FOLK TAILS 2015~
~ Animals for Africa ~ 

Whilst there have been many trials this year there are positives too. Along with the love of my two beautiful daughters I have met a special someone through a mutual friend. It is so nice to be living and loving life again with a very kind and caring man. Recently I celebrated another wee milestone and I was totally spoilt and the gift he found and gave me was ~ well you'd never have guessed but how totally appropriate for a rural countryside residing stitching ladye such as me ~

~ Isn't it just so fabulous ~

Though I did make Maisie and her friend Meredith Mouse a Jill Maas design quite sometime ago never knowing she would be eventually driving a 'Singer tractor', the sewing machine was re-purposed by a clearly very talented and creative New Zealander ~ it's fantastic thank you Spence xoxoxo

~ May Your Days Be Filled With Salubrious Stitching ~