more Christmas balls on the way

I have been making more christmas balls. Currently I am doing a pattern from the Stitch magazine (2004) which is a petite ball and I call it a Christmas Orb as it reminds me of the Queen's Orb as part of the crown jewels.
Also over the next holiday break I will hopefully be writing some instructions for a netted and sequined ball so my ladies can make one for christmas. Currently i have made about five but i need to make it fit a bigger ball and use #11 seed beads so that is the next challenge. I make a ball and the next one I alter but for the class that cannot happen.

Also at the beginning of October I am going to be taking a canvas class for another guild and we will be making a book cover or needlebook. I have to dye some lace and do some pattern instructions plus I want to make up a kit of threads that they will be able to couch down etc.

This weekend I am off with a friend and her daughter to the Chocolate Buffet in Wellington. A whole night of chocolate and desserts, plus chocolate to drink and crepes as well as truffles. yummy.
Diane

more work done

I have been a busy beaver and completed a tiny kit from School of Beadwork - Double Delish - onsie. It is lime and blue and very cute. I am attaching it to a key ring to give away as a christmas gift on my travels in December.
Maree and I went to St Mary's Cathedral in New Plymouth last night for the unveiling of the completed Peace Altar Frontal. We went one night to stitch as guild members so it was nice to be at the end to put another stitch in. Now the construction phase begins and in two months they will have the dedication ceremony. It was a nice service with reminders about Parihaka, Sept 11 2001 and the way of peace in the world.
Also made the new decoration in Bead and Button and now have put the magazine away carefully so cannot make another one. oh well I will find it.
Nearly completed the next month for my BJP so going to watch some tv and stitch some more on it.

A very busy time

It has been nearly a month since I last wrote and things have been really busy.



My Soduku - very halloween ish.

I have finished Sudoku and here are the finished pieces from my Monday night ladies. This has been one of our most successful projects for a couple of years with five of us completing it within the same year we started. It is doing projects like this that I miss Liz and how much she would have enjoyed doing this work.

Judy's piece - same colours as Sue

Jills piece used the colours as stated in the pattern.

Mum used a monotone palete which looks great.

Sue used the same colours as judy but quite different results

Mum and I went to Dunedin to visit Alice and while there I completed a mill Hill Christmas kit plus finished the Mill Hill Scissor case 9without the long neck cord) as well as completed the outside row for my Lativan work. I have also started the May piece for BJP 4 and am back onto walk on the wild side with canvas #1 finished and number 2 underway. Mum has finished one and two so she is racing ahead of me.
My Colourific piece has been received and the exhibition opens at the end of this month in Arrowtown so it will interesting to see if Skadi comes home afterwards.

Sudoku Finished

Yeah I have finished stitching Sudoku. Mum finished hers and the rest of the class have also finished this piece. I loved doing it. it is from the ANG magazine Needlepointers and designed by a lady we met last year at Columbus "Marilyn Owen". A great project. now to finish stitching on colorific and then onto walk on the wild side.

I will also have time to make up my book cover that I stitched very quickly using cornpad embroidery. I will also endeavour to get another ATC card done so I can send one off to Karen who I am sure is waiting for one to swap.
It is supposed to snow again this weekend although I don't think we will get any but you never know - weather forecast is snow to low levels on the eastern shores of new zealand and we are in the west but not much land between us and the Antarctic.
Diane

Colourific piece coming along

Just a quick catch up note. My colourific piece is coming along. I have added an extra bottom to make it more stable and then it should display better. I have stitched, stiffened and beaded more pieces and started sewing them onto the body. the face is attached and needs the icicle fringe now.
Still to decide on a final name but "Skadi" is looking like it at the moment.

Snow Day

The most amazing morning today. the whole country is in the grip of the weather and this is what has happened overnight in Stratford. I can only remember about half this amount when I was about 14 years old. Marilyn (2kms away) has no power and about half as much snow as this. Alice in Dunedin evidently has had quite a lot and it was -6 degrees Celsius today in Dunedin. Our temperature is about 6 - 7 deg Celsius.
Oh what fun and I am pleased no school today.
Diane
No longer the "land of the long white cloud" - now "the land of the long white snow" - New Zealand.

The front garden - note my cute sculpture that I have.

Down the street. Most amazing

The view when I opened the curtains this morning.

Towards the mountain which is only 10 Km away

Across the road from my house.

Embroidery / Holiday plan notes:
Lots of inspiration in the winter snow for July BJP.
Colourific is being assembled with the face applied now and only a bit of painting to be done.
Cornpad notebook cover is being snail trail stitched all over and it certainly makes it come together.
Tarte Tartin was made yesterday and I was mildly pleased. Will have to try again to make it better. The caramelizing did not happen well.
Diane

Holiday catch ups

Adding the beaded face.

It is time for the end of the school term and holiday time. I have six days off this time and busy completing my entry into the national exhibition. I am busy getting all the elements stitched and added onto the base goddess. Hopefully I will be completed by next thursday when I go back to work. Soduku has been getting a couple of squares stitched each day so I have finished 5 sets and onto the 6th set of nine stitches.

Also I have been completing a few other jobs over the past weeks. I made 4 baby bibs (with one to complete) so that is a job of the list. I have my notebook to make for our trip away - we have tickets to the ice hockey in New York but no trip up to the crown of the Statue of Liberty.
I have my cake mixer fixed (not doing to badly for something that is 30 years old) and purchased a pizza stone so that is the next cooking element. This afternoon I am going to try out the Tarte Tartin recipe from Masterchef as I have a suitable dish now.

On the book front I have been listening to the new audio books from the public library. They come on a little MP3 player and really great to use. Have another which is on CD's so that will take a couple of days to listen to but makes the beading and hand stitching go faster.

The bike riding has started and I am off this afternoon for a 20 minute ride around town while I get my confidence back. Hopefully I will be able to keep it up. Certainly I am more confident in changing gears and using the hand brakes. The weather is not very conducive to riding bikes but it will improve as we move nearer to spring and summer.