S is for Soccer and Stitching

Aside from Judo, the other sport to start getting part of our life is soccer.
Ben played last year and this year they are both playing!
So after the Easter holidays are over we need to sort out the following gear for them both:

• Socer boots
• Red or black socks
• Black shorts
• Shin guards

Although my sport for the winter is starting to stitch again.
I have been a cross stitcher since I was Ben's age. I have tried embroidery and quilting but I always seem to come back to stitching.
To see some of my first ever pieces from when I was little go check out my quilting page.
I am starting slow this winter as it has been many years since I last stitched anything due to growing my boys, although now I don't have that as an excuse as 1 of the boys has decided that stitching looks like fun and is currently taking an active role in my fun too.

Yes Alex has started stitching too.

Grandma taught him how to sew and even drew him a spider web on some material. he has eagerly finished this and is now onto a new project.
Which leads me onto my little tip for you.
If you need to put a design on fabric and don't have a light box then just use what is readily available to us all.....Natural Light!

Take one window, several pieces of tape, the picture and the fabric. Took me 5 minutes to trace the design Alex wanted and I don't have any fancy dangled light box to use but you would never have known!

Oh the last thing before you go....apparently, occording to all the books I have read, I stitch backwards, well on cross stitch anyway!
Yep, all the books show you stitching from bottom left to top right and then bottom right to top left.
Muggins here goes top left to bottom right and then top right to bottom left!

At the end of the day as long as all my stitches go the same way who cares!

P is for People & PhD's

Well more like people watching.
Is this a sport that everyone plays or is it just me?
I love people watching. I have never quite gone so far as creating stories for the people I see but I do wonder what they are up to?

For a long time I always wondered why you saw children out of school during the week? But now that so many people home school I realised that they were probably out doing a lesson on something.
And once I started working shift work I realised what fun it was to people watch in the middle of the week when you are on a day off and wonder what everyone else is doing?

You definitely see some weird and wonderful stuff sitting quietly off to one side watching the world and the people go by.

I have watched 2 people meet in front of a restaurant before, it was obvious that they were on a blind date. It was so funny watching their reactions to each other, sadly I am not sure it was going to work out! But it definitely gave us entertainment for a while one evening.
The same goes for new blogs I come across, I love going all the way back to the beginning and getting to know them, what they were doing, why they started their blog and where they are now. Helps me get to know them and their style of writing better. Do you do the same?

PhD's

Do you have one of these?
Have you worked hard enough to gain one?
Have you ever considered getting one?

I have and I have been successful. I have sweated lots, swore lots, yelled lots and still I have a PhD.
In fact I can honestly say that I have several PhD's

And for those of you who are now totally confused...a PhD....is a Project Half Done!
Yep every stitcher, crafter, quilter etc will totally understand me and will confess to having a PhD somewhere in their house!

I love the colours in this

this is how far I have got!

I started this in 1999! I have 2 rows of hand quilting and the binding to complete!

This is so cute

these are some of the pieces for it, only been on the go for 7 years now!

I am proud of my PhD's I have at least 10...didn't I do well.

Let's Get Stitched

A wonderful group of people over here at Designs by Fee decided to hold a Stitching Get Together in Tassie.
They have been planning it for the last year and it all came together this last weekend.
Apparently, from what I can read and see they had an awesome time.

So much so they are doing it all again next year in 2013.....in Adelaide.

I would love to go to Adelaide, I have seen and heard so much about it. It is one of those places I just want to visit.
Sadly I know it won't happen, next year is going to be a busy year if I go and do my teacher training. I won't be able to take 4-5 days out, in fact make that a week, to travel over there and really enjoy myself. So as much as I would love to be involved I know realistical it just will not be happening.

But on the bright side.....2014 is being held in NEW ZEALAND
Miche'le from By Hoki Quilts is taking that honour
And that one I know I can make, no worries about too much travelling time, it will be here right on my door step, because lets face it, New Zealand is small, nowhere is really that too far away, might have to drive a little because it may be the only way of getting to some places but who cares, I can drive. In fact I know that Michele lives in the South Island, so maybe a little plane ride and then a big drive!

So 2014 here I come, I will be joining in the Stitching Together Weekend

Look What Arrived

I took part in the Initial Heart Swap that Cheryll organised and my swap parcel arrived the other day.
I was a very lucky girl and received some gorgeous items from Shiree

some lovely material that will back some ornaments when I make them

Just wish I had a bath to soak in with these bath salts!

a cute little brooch

3 gorgeous little hearts, think I will call them 'Tattered Hearts'

The all smell of Lavender, so my room is going to smell sweet

This is my favorite one

Gorgeous

Thank you so much Shiree for my lovely gifts.
P.S. hope you enjoyed dinner with my mum when she dropped by your house this last weekend. What a funny coincidence her meeting you and you being my swap partner.

Initial Heart Swap

Over here at Gone Stitchin Cheryll hosted a lovely little Valentines Day Swap.
Like all normal swaps, you signed up and then received your swap partners details.

For this swap we had to create a heart inspired things for our swap person with their initial on it.
I was lucky enough to receive Cat from Catalina's Cottage as my recipient.

So I got my stitching mojo on and created a lovely little ornament for her with the letter 'C' on it.

 I backed it in some cute little chocolate inspired material that I brought, I thought it was all very valentines inspired.

I also wrapped up a nice little box of Hersheys Mint Kisses and sent them all off to her.

Luckily for me they all arrived on Valentine's Day, not sure I could get it to arrive on the day again if I tried!

In fact I got so inspired whilst making the one for Cat that I even managed to get a 2nd one stitched for a friend who requested one for his wife as a surprise.

So after 2 little stitchin projects I now need to find another one to complete?
Sure it won't take me too long...!

Unfortunately at the time of writing this post, I still haven't received my swap gift yet, but I am sure it is on its way.

Sneaky Peek

Here it is, a quick little sneaky peek at my Valentine Swap project.

Cross stitching all complete just need to now make it up.

Really excited that I have got things completed with lots of time to spare.

Enthusiasm

This is a word that seems to be affecting my life at the moment.
Don't worry it is all positive enthusiasm, getting my sewing mojo back, being positive about a piece of work at work, having happy meetings at work.

It is amazing how enthusiasm rubs off from one to another.
How one person can bring you down but then the next can lift you up higher than you were before.
Yesterday I got paid a huge compliment and it made my day, it gave me enthusiasm to keep going as it made me feel good. Someone told me I looked "scrumptious" it made my day and I walked around with my head held high, smiling to all and everyone.
Today I have had several meetings, 1 was hard work and deflated me a little but the next suddenly renewed me and got me thinking again, all about the same subject. Funny how one person brings you down and the other lifts you up.

In my mind we need more people around us who lift us up, it is more productive, more positive and leads to more creativity.

Blogs are the same, I think we follow certain blogs as they show us creativity and enthuse us. We see a picture of something someone has made, completed or that we just like and suddenly creative juices are flowing and we want to partake of said activity.
Life runs on enthusiasm, people like to be excited, delighted and inspired.

So the next time you get inspired by something, let us know, you just never know who will read it and get enthusiasm from you.

Stitching Bug

So the stitching bug has finally caught up with me.

This pattern is one I have had for more than 15 yrs and I think I have had it on the go for that long as well.

It is all set on my nice wooden frame that conveniently sits on my floor standing frame. So it is already to be completed.

Now I just have to remember where the floor frame is and decide which corner of the house is going to be mine to stitch in....!

Swap Time

One of the big things I see a lot of on the blogging network is 'swapping'.
Sign up, do some work, send it off and see what wonders you receive back.
Everyone always has some lovely things to show that they are sending and then even more lovely things to show when a bundle arrived at their door.

I have participated in one or 2 swaps up till now, ok not for over a year I must admit, a bag swap a few years ago, a secret santa swap 2 years ago.
So when I saw this swap over at Gone Stitchin' I decided that seeing as I had my stitchin mojo back then I would particpate.

I left my comment on the post, answered an email when it arrived and hey presto I have my swap details.

I have been shopping and found some very cute material to use for it, although found 3 different ones, so in good true stitchin mode, I brought all 3 and will keep the ones I don't use this time for something else.

I have sorted what I am going to stitch, I have finished designing it on the computer programme I have and now I just have to sit down and start it now.
Maybe a sneaky peek will arrive on here in a few days time....watch this space

Friday Night Sew In

Now I know that many of you are fans of this because I have seen your posts popping up telling me about your latest achievement on a Friday night.
Because I have not been sewing etc then I have never felt the urge to participate or show any interest, but with my stitching mojo returning, and the fact that I am planning on doing some stitching tonight, then I decided that for once I would join in the fun and maybe have some results to show you all afterwards.

However at this stage I am sure my evening will be filled with planning rather than actually sewing, but hey, we all know that you can't stitch anything unless you have some planning.

It may also be filled with coming to grips with the new computer programme I have just purchased PCStitch which is a cross stitch design programme for the computer.
I use to have one, many moons ago, and last month I decided to get it out and think about loading it onto the computer to be used again, however what I didn't count on was the fact it had been so many years since I had last looked at it that I had forgottten that it was all on hard disks rather than the usual round CD disks of today.
I have quite a little chuckle to myself at the time wondering where I was going to load these 6 black disks, also realising just how much we have moved forward in the last 10 years with the computer etc

So happy stitching for tonight, lots hope you get some stitches stitched on something.