Bourse stitching finished

To start with I want to thank all those lovely readers that left a comment on my blog, or replied at groupmails! You have been so helpful. Tam, a special thank you for you, since you brought up the idea of adding a greenish colour to put the greens together. I followed your suggestion and look how it turned out. Perfectly, if you ask me!

Besides that, I found the perfect backing fabric, that is supposed the outside of the bourse.You can see it on top of the picture, that is a bit overexposed (the purple colour is darker), but somehow I can't get it right on pictures. Anyhow, I love it, and that is all that matters LOL Now I have to decide about a small design for my tin class. Yes, I thought it would be nice to sign up for that too, and I am on schedual, so....

I also must tell I have won two charts on eBay, the first time I did a bid. I am a bit worried about the trustworthy of the seller (no reason in particular, but it is the first time for me), but who doesn't dare, doesn't win. All that can happen is that I loose a few dollars, and in that case I'm cured for good LOL
This is what I won, a chart of Shepherd's Bush, Buttoned Yule and Hillside Samplings, Letter Snow. Of course I don't know when to stitch them, but I love them :)

Look at this!!

Coming home this friday afternoon, there was a package waiting for me :) Stephanie M sent me a HoE PS Exchange. It is such a lovely package, with a wonderful stitched design, The Needle's Eye. Stitched on Sugar Maple Fabric 'Nostalgia (40 ct) so she let me know.
She finished it as a pin mattrass (my first!!) and she did this perfectly.

On the back side she stitched our initials and month and year. It personalizes the gift (again) perfectly!

Interested in the whole package? Well, here it is : a piece of adorable backing fabric, with pinks and little flowers, a hart of CCN, Rose cottage (was on my wishinglist!). She added Crescent Colours needed to stitch this, a package of needles, a tin with strong mints (just my taste, how did she know??), a round of pins and double satin ribbon in a lovely purple.
Isn't that a great exchange? I certainly love every piece of it!

Thanks to all of you!

Thank you all sooooo much! Tam, your suggestion is perfect, I'll add 3847 between the stem and the flower and show the result soon. And I found today the perfect fabric to finish the bourse, I am delighted with it. Pictures are coming soon :)

Advice needed

This afternoon I learned Gwen received the PS Exchange I did for her, so I can show a picture now. It was the first time for me doing a banner, and I'm glad she likes it, at least, that is what she told me ;) The whole exchange is shown on the HoE-board, I forgot to take a picture (again).

Another thing to show is the progress on my bourse stitching. And please give me some advice about this, because I am so badly in doubt. Should I go on stitching in green and dark green, or would it be nicer to keep the whole design in purples? Please comment on my blog, and let me know what you think!

Bourse Class and exchanges

Last week I have been able to finish my Autumn exchange for the Crazy Exchange Group. It is scheduled to sent on Oct. 1st, so I am quite satisfied with the time I needed. Besides that, I am proud of myself, and oh my, I wanted to be able to show some pictures of it, because I love the way I did this LOL. I am sure Im going to do another one for ME too!

I've been stitching on my bourse class project too. At least I can show a picture, although it isn't that good. I took the picture outside, but the fabric (a light purple) seems to absorb the colour of the even lighter purple thread I was stitching with. In real life, you can see the colours quite clearly. Here is the result until now.

The design is from My Aunt's Attic, and in every corner is a flower. I planned the stem and leaves of the flower to be licht green, and the bud a dark, almost blue-ish, green. I use threads of Needlepaint, and I'm quite satisfied with how it looks so far.

I need volunteers to PIF

A few blogs ago I announced I signed in on a PIF and did the offer to stitch for the first three people that signed in, leaving a comment. But it seems only one person takes part in my PIF. What do I do now? Just receive it, and leave it that way? I'll give it a try again, announcing this PIF. Come on, girls I need two volunteers LOL

Here are the rules once more :

I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don't know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week... but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog (or - in your life - if you happen to be blog-less).

Last weeks all I stitched is meant for exchanges, I finished and sent off the PS Exchange for HoE and I am nearly done with the Autumn Exchange of the Crazy Exchange Group. I also stitched a little something for a person on the ILCS, that did something very nice for me. So nothing to show this time. Except for a little progress on my Periwinkle Needlebook, I love Letters. The fabric looks blue, but in fact it is white, and I took the picture in daylight, don't understand how the colors became so mixed up.

And this is the start of the stitching I am going to do for the 'Bourse class', on the ILCS. It is a lovely light purple fabric, looks darker on this picture. I am stitching with threads from Needlepaint, created by Marilyn Leavitt-Imblum (Lavender & Lace). I bought them this summer in Czech Republic, Prague and have never seen them before (and since).

Frogging :(

Stupid woman I am, not reading the instructions, before beginning to stitch .... I'm stitching something special for an exchange, and I use Gloriana, as indicated in the chart. Also indicated is to use one strand, but used as I am to using two strands, I just started last week that way.

Today I was up to the special stitches, and started to read the instructions, and there it was: "always use one strand of floss". For a moment I thought 'what the heck' but then I decided to give it a try. Guess what? It turns out far more beautiful with one strand ....
Okay, stupid, I know, and I hear a little voice in my head, tlking to herpupils at school and saying something like "Reading is the most important part of your study, you always do the reading first, and than the action". Aarrgh!

Outside it is kind of dark, so perfect weather to get some finishes done. I'll get my sewing machine ready to finish something for the PS Exchange on the HoE and catch up to you soon.

I got a *Piece of Art*

This friday afternoon I came home from work. Tired, as it was a busy day. And there it was in the mail, a small Santa Exchange, coming from Anna. She warned me already, to look forward to a small one, but I never expected it to be this small! And I was speechless (happens to me very few) looking at it. It is so small, stitched over one, a beautiful design.

It is a Scandinavian Santa, and around she added small red beads. On top of it a lovely ring of beads also, with a bicone (is this the right expression) red one in the middle. I think I have never seen such a gorgeous Santa! Oh, forgot to tell: there's a small blue bird (a pigeon I suppose) on his hand and two reindeers on his robe. I couldn't stop taking pictures LOL

SBBC and PIF

Wow, am I heading up to a busy winter! I signed up for several things, all new and exciting to me! First of all there are the exchanges I'm in. Besides that I signed up for a finishing class at the ILCS and I committed myself to do a MM&IRR. The first design is on my blog already, and I see houses everywhere, even when I sleep. I search the www to get ideas for what I can add to my own neighbourhood and I am buying patterns already and looking through my stuff.

I also signed up for the SBBC, you can find it at Edgar's blog. I was involved in a birthday exchange before, and I loved it, preparing a surprise on someone's birthday.

AND I just signed up for a PIF! I was already looking out for a way to join this and today Viv left a nice comment on my blog. If I can find the time I always pay a visit at the people who comment so I went to Viv's blog, and there it was, THE opportunity to get involved in a PIF. I signed up right away, so here is my promise:

I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don't know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week... but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.

I guess I'm going to quit my job, what else can I do???

Small Santa Exchange

Mylene let me know she received the SSE from the Yahoogroup Prairie Schoolerfans I sent her, so I can show her pictures (I closed the envelop without thinking of taking pictures).

This is what I stitched for her.

The back is done with a cotton fabric with christmas design, as you can see.