Getting ready

headed to Festival of Quilts Thursday. These shoes are comfortable, but the Velcro was never long enough on the strap to connect to the other part if I wanted them snug. And after a couple years, the two parts were not staying together well at all.

So, now, with new Velcro on the strap, they stay tight and will work fo all the walking of the show!

Bead on - 24,000 21-27July

Day 208- 16,640 people noted.
I am doing something different on the corners. The first one wasn’t as I wished, but not a problem as I do the others.
This work acknowledges 24,000 individuals - Indian Christians who were physically attacked in one year because of their faith.

I am stitching 80 beads each day for 300 days - 10 beads in each small square eight times.

Something on Saturday

Treasure 24
Another watering can.

From my Mom because I like cherries 🍒.
Even though cherries have pits or whatever.

Lovely day!

Though it was extremely hot 🥵 yesterday, it was a lovely day for a birthday because I didn’t have to go out, and I didn’t have to cook!
But mostly because friends and family are very precious.

New keyboard and mouse, little pots of herbs to grow, posh needle cases, colours that can be made permanent on fabric and a poignant book about the fabrics poor people wore-discovered through research of the identity tokens left with babies at the foundling hospital.

And a bit of swag. Meant to be for my stitching, but I am sure some will actually be worn for a while.

Look at these special gifts! And at least one more in the post. 😁
Thank you!

Sister Artists

The last few weeks I have been making progress with the Sister Artists embroidery from Mali.

 I wanted to give some texture, so I decided that kantha stitch would work if I did it in white. I used pearle cotton to fill the people and the birds

And I used scraps from one of the Tanzanian fabrics I used in another project in order to build up the ground for the garden. I want to tell the story of a husband and wife. She’s digging the garden and he is protecting it from the birds.
I have been filling the background with kantha, but this time using white sewing thread. Some from Sulky I had left from another project. It has just a bit difference than normal sewing thread because it is a long staple cotton.

Stitch on it - 35

Pekinese Stitch or Chinese Stitch

When I got around to doing this, I forgot that the base stitch was back stitch. So I started doing running stitch. When I realised I did the centre with the right stitch. Interesting to see the difference between them when it comes to the looping part using contrast thread.

Bead on - 24,000 14-20 July

Day 201 - 16,080 people noted.
I am I am stitching 80 beads each day for 300 days - 10 beads in each small square eight times. doing something different on the corners. The first one wasn’t as I wished, but not a problem as I do the others.
This work acknowledges 24,000 individuals - Indian Christians who were physically attacked in one year because of their faith.

I am stitching 80 beads each day for 300 days - 10 beads in each small square eight times.

Something on Saturday

back to the Treasures I was posting every Saturday.
( I think I had set myself so many different rules/ deadlines that I got to the place where I couldn’t keep up. So, hopefully I am back in control and things like this can go back to being fun or at least not a chore. )
Treasure 23

 I have a little collection of watering cans. Some work and some don’. I like this one because my Mother-in-law gave it to me.

Stitch on it-34

During the past weeks I also worked on my stitch on paper project. But I don’t get photos til today.

Cast on Stitch

At first I thought I didn’t know this stitch. But when I started doing it, I realised I is one of the stitches used in dressmaking. For instance for making a loop for a small button closing for a slit back neckline opening.

So colourful

My friend Pat gave me this plant - in the begonia family I think. It flowers and flowers and flowers! The colour is wonderful. Even the bits left when the spent flowers have fallen off have an decorative look, so I leave them on til they dry up.

It has lived on the other crowded windowsill while I waited for the amaryllis leaves to dry up. They didn’t, so I have moved them outside. The instructions I found suggest that you can trim the dry leaves in August. You need the leaves to feed the bulbs til then. And after, let them become dormant till you are ready to wake them for winter.
Anyway! With the amaryllis leaves gone, the windowsill needed a new arrangement. Because the begonia was getting bigger and bigger, it was just the thing. And wow! It looks quite amazing there. It might need a different dish to sit in, because it is a bit unsteady in that one. We don’t need it falling in the dog dish and adding even more fear to her anxiety levels.

Bead on - 24,000 7-13 July

Day 194 - 15,520 people noted.
I am doing something different on the corners. But not necessarily the same thing!

This work acknowledges 24,000 individuals - Indian Christians who were physically attacked in one year because of their faith.

I am stitching 80 beads each day for 300 days - 10 beads in each small square eight times.

The second photo was taken earlier in the week. My friend saw this as I was working on it. She said she hadn’t realised it was as big when she saw it on the computer. So, I took a photo with the 6” (approx. 15 cm) ruler to show the scale.

Whilst on holiday

We were staying a little bit south of Canterbury when we were on holiday the other week. One of the days we headed to the Cathedral to explore. Here’s an amazing sculpture outside of the Cathedral.

Canterbury War Horse. :
To commemorate the centenary of the end of The First World War, created by students and staff from Canterbury School of Visual Arts at Canterbury College.

And then just a photo of the horse in the field next to our cottage.

Stitch on it-33

Right. I left you staring at the ‘not-Algerian Eye stitch’, but I did actually do a real one not long afterwards.

Stitch on it-33

Algerian Eye stitch

Service resumes

I have kind of gone off the radar. A few things like just not feeling 100%. Going away on holiday. And new investigation about my eyes initiated by the hospital.
So, I haven’t spent much time on the computer.

Now catching up, instead of progress photos over the past weeks, this is where I am now.
I tried to do something different on the corners, making a pattern. But it didn’t really work, so I am trying to morph it into something else!

Day 187- 14,960 people noted.

This work acknowledges 24,000 individuals - Indian Christians who were physically attacked in one year because of their faith.

I am stitching 80 beads each day for 300 days - 10 beads in each small square eight times.