A finish and a UFO

Well, it finally happened - I finished Jack's sampler! :D *happy dance* So here it is before the backstitch....



And after the backstitch...



I finished it last month, after taking a humungous 11 months to stitch it. Considering Megan's took me only a month, I am pretty disappointed with that length of time. However, I am pleased with the end result. I'm very glad that I took out the border that would have been of a different colour as it would have spoilt the whole thing. I would've posted pictures earlier but I've been having issues with blogger :(

Anyway, I have now resumed stitching on a long forgotten UFO. My aim is to work through my UFO's one at a time until they are eliminated and then never have any ever again LOL

The piece I have picked up is called Birds of a Feather and is a design by Dimensions. Once finished it will look like this:



This is the last progress shot I have taken, but there has been more stitching since then ;-)



It is a design I am stitching for my dad, and he'll be visiting with my mum in February so I'm hoping to have it done or at least mostly done by the time they get here. Thankfully he doesn't know anything about it yet, as it was one Mum originally bought for him and was unable to stitch it herself. It's done on 18 count Aida and Mum's eyes weren't up to it (this was in the early days of her stitching, before she got her magnifier light. I agreed to stitch it in her place but I started it 8 years ago! It's just been one of those projects that has been put to one side to get other things done first and then I completely forgot about it... Oh well, it's back now and I'm quite enjoying working on it. The cream part of the border is only half stitch so it's coming along quite easily. I did get a little bored by the border though so I have started working on the central design. Gotta vary it up a little :-D This design is also one that I am timing. I am using a stopwatch, but I am not seeing how fast I can stitch (evidently, as it's been 8 years!). Some designs I just like to see how much actual stitching time goes into it. I have a tendency to sometimes have the tv on whilst I am stitching and pay more attention to the tv so a possible 2 hour stitching session might only have about 30 minutes of actual stitching in it. I am simply starting the clock when I begin stitching and stopping it for loo breaks or when I make a cuppa, and then keeping a log of it. I don't do this for every design, mind you as it would completely take the enjoyment out of it. I'll let you know what the final tally is - I think it'll shock me more than anything :-P

In other news, I have changed jobs and moved to a childcare centre a little closer to home. I'm really enjoying it, and an added bonus is that I now get an hour for my lunch break instead of half an hour. It makes it a longer day but it also gives me the opportunity to do somethign with that time. I was contemplating taking some stitching with me but instead I decided to use the time to read and leave my stitching until the evenings when I am at home. I have begun re-reading the Elm Creek novels by Jennifer Chiaverini. They are an easy read, and I just pretend that I am reading about a group of cross-stitchers rather than a group of quilters. I do the same thing with Kate Jacobs' knitting books. I seem to get such a sense of belonging within their groups that I almost feel like I am part of the book. It also makes me feel even more lucky to have the group of stitchy friends that I do.

Anyway, better wrap it up for one night, Little Miss has gone off for the first time ever (at home with me, at least) without her dummy so I'm going to make the most of it. Before I go though, I'd like to welcome my newest followers - I'm now up to the dizzy heights of 20! I hope I haven't bored any of you too much and thanks for reading my little blog. I'll try to keep it a little more updated so you actually have something to follow :D

Happy stitching!

The drought is almost over

It seems my bug may have begun to creep back - yay! It's been a long while since I've even wanted to stitch, and I was beginning to wonder if I was ever going to get back into it. "What am I going to do with all that stash?" was one of the things going through my mind... I think part of me stopping was that I had had a long run of stitching all the time, which tends to happen - I'll stitch heaps and then nothing at all. But this time I think it was also partly triggered by a mistake with the stitching. I was sooo frustrated that I just couldn't bring myself to pick it up and look at it again. The mistake wasn't my fault either, so that made it even more frustrating. I found that when I changed to the second skein of blue for the border, there was a change in the colour. I had bought all the thread at my LNS, but a few months apart and I went back there to get some more, hoping that it would match what I had already done. Unfortunately it seemed I had bought a rogue thread the first time so there was no getting around the fact that I had to rip out an entire skein's worth of border :( That meant I went from this:



to this:



(The stitching along the bottom is in the new thread)

Last week, I asked hubby if there was anything he wanted me to do on my day off (we each have a day where Little Miss is at day care and we have time at home whilst the other is at work. I usually give hubby a list of jobs to keep him busy as I do housework on my day). He told me that I should do nothing and have a break for a change. Who am I to resist that? It was the day before my birthday (when I would be working) and I'd just had a week at home with Little Miss due to the extra long weeknd with public holidays everywhere... I love her to bits, but I just needed some time out :) So, what was I to do with my free time? I spent part of it on the computer (paying bills then getting distracted) and part of it watching tv, and then a thought crossed my mind - maybe I should get some stitching out! So that's what I did and got a few lines accomplished. :D That evening, hubby suggested I could do some more if I wished. I got him to move my daylight lamp from the lounge into the sitting area in the dining room and away I went for a little bit. The light is able to be closer to me there so it makes for better stitching, and that might give me more incentive to keep going with it. :)

So now here we are, and a week later I am still doing odd bits on my stitching and it is adding up to some visible progress! I think I might also be in danger of enjoying it again :P This picture was taken under my daylight lamp at night so the colours may appear different to the other pictures.



I must say I am pretty pleased with my progress now - the sides of the border definitely grow faster than the top/bottom. And now I'll try and get some more stitching done before I get too distracted on the computer!

I noticed that I have a couple of new followers too - I'd like to say welcome and thanks for popping by. Thanks also to everyone else for reading, even though it's been a while between posts. I'll try and get around to catching up with your postings soon :)

Happy stitching!

A big week

It seems to have been all go around here just lately - so much so that the stitching hasn't had much of a look in! The main reason for that is Little Miss. She's been unwell since last Sunday, cutting a bottom molar and having a horrible cough. The cough is persistent and still here a week later so we're off to the doctors with her tonight. It's waking her up bith during her daytime nap and her big sleep at night so no-one is getting much rest. I just hope they can give her something for it with her only being a little one...

The other major piece of news regarding Little Miss is that she started walking yesterday! :D We're on cloud nine at the moment as she is 17 months so seems to be at the later end of starting to walk. She took her first steps on the 21st October and now walked properly on the 31st. I guess it's watch out world from now on!

Hubby has started a new job today, which I think will benefit us all. It's still baking, but that's ALL he'll be doing - no more paperwork to bring home! We will get more time with him, especially as his earliest start will now be 4am instead of midnight so we'll have time together in the evenings. YAY! He's also started up his own blog and will hopefully put the first post on today (he's under "The ramblings of a grumpy old man" in my blog list. :D

As for me, I've been for an interview and trial day at a childcare centre and it looks like I'm going to be doing 4 days a week soon! I also got a call from a closer childcare centre so it seems I'm in demand at the moment ;)

I have done a little bit on Jack's sampler but it's not moving so fast as Megan's did. Purely because of the lack of time I've had to spend on it. I'm enjoying doing this one, so hopefully once we get Little Miss sorted out I will be able to make some headway with it.

Getting there...

I have now almost completed the backstitch on the main part of the picture, and just looking at it, it has come alive. I am so happy with it. I can feel the fact that the end is in sight - all I have to do next is stitch the flowers in the border, backstitch them and put in the birth details. Looks like I'll be on to the blue one for Jack pretty soon!



I haven't been able to get too much stitching done of late, which is a little disappointing but that's just the way life goes, especially with a 16 month old! Poor Little Miss is having a right old time of it at the moment. She's cutting bottom molars so is finding it difficult to get to sleep (hence no stitch time for me) and is grumpy during the day, making her even more clingy than normal. By the end of the day we're all exhausted. I do hope those teeth come through soon!

The past couple of days have been wonderful, weather-wise. I've even been wearing shorts - shock, horror! I think my lily-white legs must have blinded a few people LOL.It's amazing how much better you can feel about life when the weather is warm and the sun stays up longer. And it's great for the washing too!

Before I finish up, I'd just like to say how wonderful it feels to read your comments. Sometimes I might not get chance to respond to them but I love reading them, and I can hardly believe I have 9 followers now! I know it's not many compared to some, but I value each and every one of you. I didn't think anyone would be interested much in reading my ramblings so I'm glad that you all are. Thanks for making my day special :D

Pink is done!

This weekend I finshed the pink on the border - woohoo! :D I counted that once the border is completely stitched, there will be nearly 3500 stitches in it... That just blows my mind - it's such a small design for that number of stitches....



After all my grumblings of how much the pink was annoying me (probably due to the boredom of straight lines all the time) I am very pleased with how it is looking. I am even becoming a little partial to this tone of pink, but Shhhhh! Don't tell anyone! :P

It feels like I am on the home stretch now - just a bit more filling in, and then on to the backstitch I go! I think I am going to finish the main part of the design before stitching the flowers in the border. I think it'll be hard to say goodbye to this one when the other one is also stitched...

Hubby has also made a little progress on his stitching:



Gotta convince him to get his own blog so he can give more details about it, but I think he is doing well. :)

This weekend has been a bit hit and miss... Hubby organised to take Little Miss to his mum and dad's for a couple of nights to give them some quality time with her and for me to get a break. It was great in theory and the first few hours were pretty good. I had a couple of the girls over for a stitchy meet, so we got a chance to stitch and chat as long as we wanted - especially with the clocks having gone forward on Saturday night, it seemed like the daylight was going to last fgorever! We had a great time - it almost seems like old times, pre Little Miss. It was once everyone left that it seemed weird. The house was soooo quiet! I ended up staying up til about midnight watching a bit if TV and eventually doing some more stitching. I thought it would be lovely to have a lie in the next morning, but apparently my body clock thought otherwise and I was awake at 7am! I fought with it and took ages to go back to sleep and finally got up around 9.45am. The whole of yesterday was very bizarre. Not having to clean up the lounge room every five minutes, having lunch and dinner by myself - I even cooked Stroganoff for myself as hubby doesn't like mushrooms. By the time dinner had ended I couldn't be in the house by myself any more so I went out to visit my friend, Bek. It was good to get out of the house and have some good company and do some more stitching! I came home around 10.30pm and again stayed up late - it was after 1am when I turned out the light. Thankfully I slept until 9.30am this morning so that was good. Hubby and Little Miss arrived back late morning and it was so good to see them. As soon as Little Miss was in my arms she was waving to hubby as if to say "I have Mummy now, I don't need Daddy any more". It's lovely but I feel bad for him when she does that.

They both had a great time away, and I am sure it will be something that will be done more regularly. Maybe next time I will feel better about it too :)

Over the border

OK, so I am now offically fed up with stitching the border on this design. I admit that it is looking lovely, but it is doing my head in! LOL I am so very nearly there with it though, so I am going to finish stitching the border before I get back on to the main design or else I feel that the border will stay unfinished for a very long time...

I will probably end up having a bit of a break from it tonight anyway as I have our 6 year old niece staying with us for a sleepover. Since it is school holidays she is allowed to stay up a bit later so we'll probably end up watching a movie before bed, once Little Miss is settled. She's teething at the moment so has been waking up early (4.20am the other day!) so I think I'll be taking the opportunity for an early night too :)



Hope you are all doing well with yur various stitching projects. Happy stitching!

I am amazed at how well the border seems to be coming along - it seems to be taking an age when I am stitching it, but when I look at the end of a stitching session I can definitely see the progress. I would like to get some of the left hand side of the border done before doing any more on the main part of the design. This will probably be the next couple of days worth of stitching as I am working tomorrow so no stitching time during Little Miss's nap time!

Good stitchy day

I ended up getting quite a bit of stitching time yesterday, so I made a good amount of progress. After lunch, I stitched whilst Little Miss slept and then I needed to borrow SIL's dryer so headed down to her place for a while with my stitching in my bag too. I left hubby in charge of Little Miss so he had some nice time to spend with her without me around. It was good sitting in the quiet with just the sound of the dryer going round. Maybe I should do it more often! Then last night once Little Miss had gone to bed, out came the stitching once more! I had the tv on in the background this time though and it was a struggle to decide what I wanted to concentrate on more! I ended up giving up when I realised it was closing in on 11pm.... Definitely a late night for me :S

I'm pleased with how well this one is going, although I am pretty sure I will have finished the central design before I even get close with the border!



I actually tried to post this earlier but it wouldn't let me upload the photo... I then had a little visit from the frogs during my lunchtime stitching session but thankfully it wasn't too bad - I've managed to recify it tonight so tomorrow I can continue like nothing happened at all!

Stitch and slim

I have decided recently that enough is enough, and I need to lose some weight. So, in true stitchaholic style, I am going to use my stitching to help me out! I figure that if I aim to be stitching every night, I will be much less likely to snack my way through the evening (who wants stains on their stitching?). I made a bit of a start on Thursday by swapping the sugar I was putting in my cups of tea for sweetner. I also swapped the Coco Pops at breakfast for Weetbix with banana. I tend to find that bread is one of my trigger foods, so I am aiming to cut back on that almost completely. I have re-discovered Cruskits with flavoured tuna for lunch too - yum!

A friend and I are going to be trying to do this weight loss thing at the same time, so hopefully we'll be support for each other - I find it so hard trying to be good by myself, and I think once the first few weeks are out of the way, it should get easier.

Hubby and I also took Caitlyn and our dog, Buster out for a walk this afternoon. Hopefully that'll start doing me good, and it'll certainly wear the dog out - we were out for 45 minutes today and he was so tired when we got home that he was trying not to fall asleep whilst he was sitting up! It was very cute. :D