another square half done

Heart of the cabin
another sqaure is done and block 6 is half done. I have completed the fourth log this week and with easter on the horizon am hoping to complete the block and also block 3 this weekend.



here is the half of block 6. the rust colours look really great so I am pleased and we are using threads as we go as do not have all the recommended threads. Some are difficult to get here so we are substituting mostly for silks etc.



I went to our regional embroidery retreat last weekend and this was a piece of completed work that caught my eye. i love the free ness of it and also the colours. perhaps i can complete it in beads. the big circle in the centre is a covered marmite lid so about 2 1/2 inchies across. quite a large piece

these are the cards we made at the weekend. Mine is not that flash but this one i really loved for its simplicity.

another square completed

This week has been a very busy week with my goddaughters 21st birthday last weekend and a public holiday. On tuesday we had the announcement of our new principal, http://www.shsinfo-centa.blogspot.com/ so that was very exciting and took up a lot of my time.

I have completed another square on heart of the cabin. That makes three complete and two started. only 13 to go. I am really pleased with this one as it has been a real struggle to get the right kind of threads - we have made lots of substitutions but that is okay we are still getting the colour values right. Mum has completed nearly four squares so she is ahead of me.

I have half done the first month for BJP and will take a picture to post later. It looks good but very simple.

Life has been really busy with most of this weekend I was at WOMAD and it was great fun, i have 3 great cd's of music to listen to now - jazz, irish and arabic. wonderful mix of things although I only went to two of the three days as I have too much to do at home.
diane

concert was great - bjp started.

The concert on Saturday was great and we had really excellent seats - 6 rows from the front.


I spent sunday afternoon with Maree getting the BJP underway and the first two months are started. Bead selection for January is going on at the moment and I think it will be a very mono bead palette I only have a couple in the right colour.
Night class last night we made our beaded dream catchers and they look spectacular except I could not find the bangles for them to go on. Still we have stitched the start of them and we will be able to complete another one at our next meeting.
I have nearly finished block 3 of heart of the cabin so I will post a picture this weekend I hope.
Diane

Biscornu done and posted and no photo

i have posted my biscornu to Doreen in Canada today and forgot to photograph it so I am hoping she will send me a photo when she gets it.
I have finished another beaded christmas cracker and also a chicken humbug but no BJP stitching yet as I am trying to get Heart of a Cabin done.
busy week this week with a meeting on every night until friday and then saturday night we are going to see Sir Cliff Richard at the Bowl of Brooklands - most awesome outdoor concert venue in the World.
Sunday I was teaching a beaded dream catcher class but not enough have signed up so it will be cancelled and my night class members will do it on monday nights. that is great as sunday i can spend the day getting the kits made up.

Biscornu nearly done!

On swap-bot this month I signed up for a swap with a red biscornu. I stitched a lovely little one using aida and a varigated thread then had an accident with dye so I space dyed the fabric and restitched part of it. I have sewn it up now so it needs its corner decorations and then to be posted. yeah for me getting it done before the deadline of 27 feb. I will post a photo after that as I am pleased with it.
Watching the winter olympics has been a popular pasttime over the weekend so the stitching did not get done but nearly finished another log on block 5 of heart of the cabin.

On a more exciting note mum and I have chosen our classes for Colombus and in two weeks we will be able to book them and hopefully get our choices. I had three classes that I wanted to do on a more teachers side of things but two of them were on the same two days. I have decided to do a four day class with mum and then we are both having a day off and a two day class - different for each of us. It will be exciting to do this.

BJP is very slow and this week is the starting week I think so get a move on is my instruction to self. Hoping to have finished January by the weekend.

February starts with excitment

Excitement this month.

Karen getting ready to ride off from Stratford on the next leg of the cycle race.

The last weekend of January saw mum, dad and I meeting Karen and Phil as they were doing the round the mountain cycle race. I then went up to New Plymouth to have dinner and drinks with them. Managed to see more cousins, Graeme and also Mike Sandle (who had come to pick up Graeme). It was a really nice evening and got sprung by the Assistant Principal, drinking in the main street.

Sunday then saw mum and I off with Gemma and Denise to the final of the provincial 20/20 cricket match. We met Karen and Phil there so it was a battle of the provinces - Central District Stags (our team) vs. the Auckland Aces (boo). It was a very exciting first half with a good score posted by our boys and a number of sixes into the terraces at Pukekura Park. The weather was not the best but at least I think we have converted Gemma to cricket.


Susan and I in the Kitchen.

Sunday night I had visitors from Florida for two nights. Susan and Art Rochlin are visiting NZ and she found me on the beaded journal project. It was really exciting to meet someone who beads in a creative way. Susan and I spent Sunday night looking at all her pictures and then going through my room looking at my beaded pages, goddess dolls and various pieces of embroidery that I have around. It was loads of fun.
Monday night Susan cooked a wonderful meal for us and we invited my mum and dad as well. Dad and Art talked the night away and it was difficult to get them separated. The only unfortunate thing was that the mountain did not appear at all and the weather was not a treat for visitors. This week it has been much better.

The school week has been busy and lots of things happening and it looks as if our roll could be increased. The weekend has been busy – I have finished two books and done my design page for creative stitchers next weekend. Have to paint the backgrounds for the BJP then I can start.

activities this week.

This week has been a bit difficult as I got to school on Monday to be told that a member of my night class had died. She had just over 12 months with cancer but finally went to peace on Sunday 17 Jan. her funeral on Thursday was very emotional affair with her family and a huge turnout.

Our embroidery this month is bargello and the workshop at my place was attended by a small but dedicated group. I completed the decoration below which uses the pine tree pattern. I have used a rainbow gallery rayon thread and carefully chosen the variation to give the illusion of the trees. Was most impresses and Mary showed me a new method of finishing which makes a nice decoration.

Heart of a cabin is coming along and I have found that some of the threads are too thick on the 22 count canvas so altering the threads to use #8 perle and less strands. Also because getting the anchor threads is sometimes difficult I have been substituting them slightly. Mum is further ahead with being on the 3rd block. I am hoping to finish block two this week and even get onto block three.

My embellished canvas piece is coming along but I have not really stitched any since I returned from Auckland. Having an internal debate about the colours so will see what happens to this. May remove some of the plain thread and use the variegated that I have self dyed some years ago.

School starts in earnest this week with two days of power cuts so that will be fun with all the reenrolments happening. Alice and David did okay but Alice was not pleased with her results overall. Used my slow cooker for the first time and it was okay. Was concerned all day about it being on but will get used to it I am sure.