Cross Stitch and Craft Cafe 2022

whizzywoo

Hello everyone, 
I have been admiring all your different needlework. 

I do miniature stitching in 1/12th scale for my dolls' house.

This is what I am working on at the moment.   It is in basketweave stitch (similar to half cross stitch) and is on 40 count silk gauze, using 2 strands of DMC threads.  It's a charted pattern by Nicola Mascall Miniatures.  

Nearly finished, just the narrow border to complete.   It will measure 10 inch square when finished and I've yet to decide which dolls' house to put it in. 

It will be another couple of months before I can get back to it as I am recovering from shoulder surgery at the moment. 

Coxy11

Hi everyone and welcome to @whizzywoo. I'm totally in awe of that design and that they are for your dolls house - wow, just beautiful. 

No stitching done Saturday or Sunday as we went to see a friend of DH's on Saturday and then BIL had a bbq yesterday and we watched the football. Great result.

We are in the process of decorating our hallway, stairs and landing so will be continuing with that after work this week. Don't think I'll have much time for stitching unless I do some at lunchtime - we shall see.

Hope you've all had a good weekend,
Coxy xx 

nmm

Hi ladies, well done on all your fantastic progress and great CS haul coxy, whizzywoo that is absolutely stunning, so much detail. I finished my mums card and doing the odd crochet project to pass the time, we went for another sailing lesson on sunday, it was sunny after a slow start we hit 6.8knots, can't wait to take our boat out, i just have to find a home for everything, haha. 

Take care and enjoy the sunshine

Charly27

Welcome whizzywoo. In agreement with Coxy and Nmm, stunning work. I love miniature anything but I doubt I’d have the fine motor skills, patience or the eyes to stitch anything so fine. 

Weather continued muggy in Norfolk. Good crop of blackberries just waiting to be picked, my autumn fruiting raspberries are ready now, and I should have a bumper crop of apples, pears and plums from the allotment. Picked lots of flowers today and deadheaded the rest. Everything just wants to finish its lifecycle NOW. Will be lovely when you get to sail the boat, Nmm very exciting. Lovely card for mum.

Coxy11

Ta-dah moment… PL Italy is finished Yay! I finished on Sunday night but due to work going crazy I haven’t managed to upload the photo. Needed to buy a skein of 783 to finish it - -£1.40 in Hobbycraft!! 

Back later with news of new project plans!! Xx

Coxy11

Right, now on my laptop so I can type properly!

Hello everyone, how are you all doing??

We have a hosepipe ban coming into force today here in Kent. Most of the garden has now gone over, although we still have some bedding in pots which is holding on. The lettuce that I grew and was eating daily has now bolted, so back to buying bags of leaves! The cherry plum tomato plant (singular as only I eat them) is fruiting well - so sweet and delicious.

So PL Italy is finished - I started this one in late December. Previous PL designs have only taken me a couple of months, so just goes to show how much busier I am now with work etc. We have been decorating the hallway and landing and finished painting all the woodwork at the weekend. Need to paint walls and wallpaper the main drop, but have moved onto the lounge and rubbed down wood and scraped out ceiling cracks last night. We are having new flooring throughout the ground floor so need to multi-decorate iyswim? New carpets are on order for upstairs too. Still need to decorate our bedroom and the tiny spare, but those can wait for now.

I was nominated for a 'special project' at work, so now having to go into London 2-3 days each week. Next week I'll be in every day bar BH Monday. It's interesting work but I'm dog-tired with all the commuting and many many daily update meetings, plus decorating after work. Was told yesterday by a lass young enough to be my daughter, that I 'seemed bright' so no doubt could be nominated for other 'special projects'. I think she meant it as a compliment but oh to be young and ambitious - I am neither!! Project due to finish on 9 September - feels like an age away! Something new and different to add to my CV though, so all good.

Next cross stitch project will probably be the Durene Jones Haberdashery Shop which was in one of the stitching mags. I need to check threads but hoping I won't have to buy too many as they have shot up in price (like everything else).

More JoGLE walking planned for 22-30 September with DSis. This time Glasgow to Gretna Green following the Sustrans route. We are hopefully going to put a foot over the border into England but depends how far we can walk on the final day. I need to be back for 1 Oct as it's DD's 21st bday. DS2 got his A level results and is off to Kent to study Computer Science. He's accepted the place and got his first choice of accommodation which is costing £8,120 for the year. He only gets a minimum maintenance loan of £4,500 so we need to find the rest, plus make sure he can eat! Lots to buy for him in terms of kit including a laptop. Bit of a shame him and DD overlap a year as he could've had her stuff, although probably would have baulked at the pink crockery! 

Sorry for the ramble!! Hope you are all doing well and please do update on news and projects.
Coxy xx

Drawingaline

Uni accommodation is so expensive. My daughter is going to London, her accommodation is £8450 which was the cheapest the unibjad (and luckily the closest to her campus) but she gets a loan of £8000, so a little less for us to find this year. Next year she will get the basic £6k (London has increased minimums) due to hubby's recent payrise, so we are going to have to be creative in order to help her out.

I picked up my stitching again yesterday, first time in a while, I can't do it if I am too hot, and am getting super bored with it tbh. It will look lovely once I have finished, but need a smaller one to do once it is finally finished to give me a quick win. Will get sound to posting a pic at some point.

Charly27

Lovely to have TaDa’s & updates, Coxy and Drawingaline. I was only thinking the other day that everyone must be either enjoying or suffering the heat in silence. 

I’m glad that neither of my two went to University if that’s how much the accommodation alone  costs. I’m pretty sure my halls of residence cost £395/term, included breakfast and evening meal in 1982. But then I got a full grant.
The ‘special project’ sounds a bit intense Coxy, luckily you’re bright enough to manage 
I’m on two weeks annual leave from work but back on Tuesday. We had a few days away in York, just DH and me, whilst the two dogs went to their ‘holiday home’ in the local kennels. 

We’ve been busy working on the front and side garden. We’ve been cutting back the majority of the shrubs for the last three weeks, filling our brown bin and taking the rest to the recycling centre bit by bit. Since Monday, came the serious groundwork’s. DH hired a digger, we hired a skip (first time ever) & we’ve cleared and flattened an area 3.5 x 7 metres. Weed matting tomorrow then gravel grids with gravel arriving Friday. We know how to enjoy ourselves on our WA! The aim will be to park at least one of our cars off road. We’ve kept one tree and in the autumn I’ll plant out some more shrubs when I’ve given it some thought. 

So stitching wise I’ve got half a ladybird, a snail and a bird box then the SAL is finished. I want to start a quick project for one of my lovely colleagues who’s moving to work for the UEA on 19th September. I needed half a dozen colours but had the Aida. Hands too blistered, prickled and achy to do much stitching though! Will post an update before BH. Happy evening everyone.

Drawingaline

Finally reading this thread next to my stitching bag. Excuse the state of it! Am hoping to get it completed by the end of september. We shall see!

Coxy11

Oh it's lovely @Drawingaline - not much to do now but agree with you that I have to be in the mood and not too hot (or tired!).

You'll have the SAL finished in no time @Charly27. Your garden makeover sounds like hard work, but will be worth it I'm sure. I've just finished crawling around the lounge perimeter painting the skirting boards whilst DH filled the ceiling cracks whilst balancing on the (covered) furniture. Still so hot at this time of night - I was sweating like a P I G.

That 'smart' comment made me chuckle - lucky I have a thick skin!!