Monday 31 October 2016

Hallowe'en Trick or Treat Blog Hop 2016

Welcome to my stop in the 2016 Halloween hop courtesy of Joe @ Serendipitous Stitching.

So the first part of the arrangement is to share a piece of work on a spooky theme.

Here is mine.


The original pattern is a free blackwork pattern from kreinik entitled Blackwork pumpkin. My thanks to the Facebook Group Our love for blackwork celtic knots and free patterns  for the original link to this. I have only completed the central design and I have used various threads from my stash not the make, colours or specialty threads as specified in the pattern. 

As I have mentioned before, whilst I am not overly fond of backstitch despite the amazing way it can transform a design , I find blackwork strangely soothing.

On to the next part of the hop, the letter for the competition,


Add this letter to the others you have collected along the way and see if you have the phrase to win the prize back at Jo's via this link if you like serendipitousstitching.

Hold on a moment I'm not the end of the hop so click on this link to the next blog and grab yourself another letter.



Have fun.

Sunday 30 October 2016

A new sunday stitch begins

This time I am going to stitch whatever bit takes my fancy, not going to do one colour at a time. So four colours used and this is what it looks like so far


Not too inspiring yet is it.

I wonder if there are enough Sundays before Christmas to get it finished?

Sunday 23 October 2016

Surprise Sunday stitch

As previously noted I had not anticipated any Sunday Stitching this week as I would be at a special stake conference with the Presiding Bishop speaking. So not sitting in the Relief Society room avoiding the lights and listening to the talks whilst stitching.

However, we were asked / advised to arrive early, very early. So I realised I would have an hour between arriving and the meeting starting...sewing time. 

The result? A finish.

Before backstitching

After back stitching

Here are the close ups of the ladies.



I think I will stay with the female Christmas figures for my next Sunday Stitching.


Saturday 22 October 2016

Communal Quilting

I have not worked on any of my own quilts in what I would consider to be unusual places however, here is a picture of me and others quilting at Henry's Lake campsite at a family reunion.  Not my family, the family of some friends we were visiting with.  The quilt had been coming to the annual family get togethers for some years, the children sat underneath it and played in the shade and wiped sticky fingers.  It rather needed a wash but that would have removed the design. A design representing the family with a flower in the middle, the grandparents names in the centre, their children's in the petals.  Then new flowers spreading out from there, the child's name and spouse in the middle and the grandchildren's names in the petals. Buds for the children much wanted and loved but who never drew breath.  Some years later I visited again and the quilt was at last finished and proudly displayed on the grandparents bed. The grandmother smiled at me and said she could still tell which section I had sewn, in amongst her own and those of daughters, daughter-in-laws and latterly granddaughters, calling it the English bit ( I had made my stitches a tad bit smaller than the rest, ohps!) and that sometimes she wished that some of those sticky finger marks had not washed all the way out.



I also had the privilege one Autumn, or perhaps considering where I was at the time I should say Fall of being in Salt Lake City at Conference time. Walking in the ZCMI mall on Ladies Day, to see several quilting frames spread out.  The quilts were to be donated to charity and were waiting to be tied.



Anyone was welcome to give it a go.

Some knew just what they were doing sat down and got started, others had a little tying tutorial and were away.  I had been shown the method at a Relief Society homemaking only a few nights before and was  delighted to try out my new skill.


Stay for as much or as little as you liked as one quilt was finished another was added. There was a steadily growing stack of quilts that were going to be bound in the various Relief Society meetings that would follow. Person after person (yes mainly women) sat sewed moved on and were replaced by another.

That's me with my back to the camera at the bottom of the picture on the left.

I do not know for sure but I presume this was a regular feature as most just accepted it was there.

I have no idea where the quilts I worked on were headed, but I hope they were of use and warmed both body and heart of the recipient.




I know I was warmed by the experience.

I wonder if it would work at the Metro Centre in Gateshead?



Sunday 16 October 2016

Four more colours Sunday stitch

As anticipated this project is moving along at pace. 
Four more colours both started and finished.


Two colours and the backstitching to go, they are starting to rake shape.  There will be no work on my Sunday Stitching project next week as not a normal Sunday service.  Special Stake conference, so this project will be a fortnight before I get back to it.



Sunday 9 October 2016

Sunday stitching a double start a triple finish?

As I finished the cat and hedgehog last week I needed a new project for this week.  Cover kits still appealed, not feeling like starting a big project for Sundays just yet.  Three kits to chose from all with Christmas themes.  Working two designs together was fun last time around so I have gone with another duo of images hence a double start.   



Working one colour at a time across both designs I finished three colours, two shades of yellow and peach, so that would be the triple finish.  I have the feeling these kits are not going to last me that many Sundays so I will be moving on to one of the others quite quickly. 



Sunday 2 October 2016

Sunday stitching, .

all finished....

Cat and Hedgehog

they came with cards to mount them in.

Cat card

although I guess I can swap them over if required.

Hedgehog Card

However that is not the end of the Sunday stitching for today as it being General Conference there was more stitching time and as watching it via the Internet and being at home there was also a comfy seat.  So a little bit of progress on a project that has been languishing even though it was supposed to get at least a monthly outing as part of the IHSW, I have been remiss in my participation in that group.


It is however, not a project for normal Sunday stitching, the pattern is too busy and complicated for travel to and from church.  I do hope that this little resurgence of interest in this pattern will continue.