It's That Time of the Year Again---

 Yes it is holiday time and we are off on another two week cruise again.
We are heading off around New Zealand again but we are going in a different direction this time.
We decided to do this cruise again even though we did it two years ago after all it is all about the cruise isn't it.
No cooking and cleaning--just resting and relaxing and we will do tours at the ports that we didn't do last time.
I am meeting up with Carole Brungar  (of Madness and Mess)in Wellington for a day of fun---there goes her diet down the drain. :-(((
I have been so busy over the last month and I just can't wait to get going---bring it on.
Only one more sleep  :-)))

Our little girl is growing up--------

-------too fast.
Ebony was here last night and I took a photo of her as she was leaving to go back home.
I am amazed each week when I see her how much she has grown in the last week--and she loves all the nice clothes and fashionable stuff.
Thank goodness her Aunty Susan goes shopping with her because I would still have her in frilly pink dresses and white socks.

A little bit more------

I have added to a few more squares on the canvas and I am addicted.
I can't put it down---well I can but it keeps calling me back.
I have decided to take it out of the wooden frame which it was in as I found it to heavy for me to handle.
My little fat hands were aching from trying to hold it up
 We had marked the canvas out into 4 squares which meant that I was able to cut the squares out and sew each one into a piece of calico and then hoop them up into a lighter round frame.
I have added to three more squares--the top right corner is done in Raised Chain Band and I used a hand dyed silk ribbon--the second row left side is a metal "thing" to which I have added fat Bullion knots and some French Knots and the third row on the left side is a variation on Cashmere stitch worked in two different threads.

I have added a bit more to this row mainly in Wheatsheaf Stitch and various threads.

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I hope you enjoy looking at these and I am sorry that you can't enlarge them but I don't know how to fix the problem.

Two days of Wonderful Stitching

The weekend workshop is over and I am exhausted but it was well worth it.

 I have learned so much in these 2 days and I don't have a lot to show for it-but what I do have I am really pleased with.

This pile of colourful little grub like things are Raised Chain Bands-the thread is called gimp and it is quite thick.

 

The top square is called Cross Hound's Tooth and was worked over diagonal stitches again worked in the Gimp thread.
The bottom square is several rows of Blanket Stitch  and the bottom 2 rows have been wrapped with Chenille thread.                       

Today we worked on a different section and did Wheatsheaf stitch and  Cushion Stitch.
I have used Silk thread-Perle 3and 5 cotton and a hand dyed Cotton a Broder thread.

Here you can see where I have added a Wheatsheaf stitch between the two rows of Raised Chain Band-
Added beads over the Chenille thread on the bottom left.
The next section across is stitched in Running Stitch in Gimp then it was laced with gold thread which is hard to see in the photo.

In the right hand corner there are giant Bullion Knots (24 wraps with 6 strands of cotton) and two rectangle Mother of Pearl buttons which have French Knots in the holes. 

 

Now all I have to do is fill in all the other squares with lots of interesting stitches.

We leave on another cruise on the 20th for 14 days so guess what I will be taking with me :-}}

And here is a photo of Effie with little old me getting a bit of special attention.

Getting Ready for a Workshop

Last Sunday I spent the afternoon doing the homework in preparation for a workshop I am taking with Effie Mitrofanis from the NSW Embroiderers Guild.
The class is on Creative Canvaswork which I have wanted to do for ages but it has terrified me because I struggle with any embroidery that I have to work in squares.
Now-- I can count to four as well as the next person but put a needle and thread in my hand and give me some fabric that needs to be worked in lots of four and my fingers take on a mind of their own.
I don't know what it is but I spend more time reverse stitching than I do going forward.
Anyway I am going to do this class if it kills me.
I have done a class with Effie before back in 2005 and I found her to be a very good teacher so I reckon if anyone can help me conquer this problem it will be her.
We will be working on a piece of 30cm square 14 count canvas which we had to paint gold and also paint two smaller pieces 12cm square that we had to stitch onto calico to use as our doodle cloths (Effies words).
Here I have stitched and laced the painted canvas onto the frame.

I have chosen a colour theme from some fabric- ribbons and threads that I dyed several years ago in a jar using Procion dyes.
It is strange when you see the difference in the colour between the silks and the cottons seeing as they all came out of the same dye bath so I am going to use them on the canvas together.
I have added other threads to the collection to give it a lift (I hope).
This is a piece of silk fabric---

And here are the other items.
I still have to get together the beads and other bits to go with it.
I think this should look very nice when it is finished.

The class is on the weekend of the 10th and 11th on November---bring it on.