Christmas Stockings

I thought that you might like to see my collection of Christmas Stockings. Each one of my sons has one. They are all from a magazine that I used to buy many years ago and I bought it for a long time. It was called Cross Stitch and Country Craft. I haven't seen it in my local newsagents for many years so I don't know if it is still published. I have actually done four stockings but I gave one away. It had a musical theme and also had gold and silver threads worked into it. Its a pity that I never took a photo of it.

This one has a bedroom theme. There are certain things in each room that I love. I love the clown doll on the bed. His hair is all French knots, along with the strings of cranberries, popcorn and cinnamon sticks .
On this one I love the rug on the floor which looks like a proper braided rug, the shaker boxes near the fire and the teddy bear. This one is the lounge room.
Now this one looks like either the library or the office. Santa has just come back from a hard nights work and is exhausted. The things I like in this one are the goose, the train set, car and the night sky.
All three stockings that I have are stockings that you really have to stop and examine. They all have things in them that are interesting and have things that make an interesting room. I love hanging them on my fire place at Christmas.

My Current WIP and Views From Where I Live

This is my current WIP. I am doing "The Token" by Long Dog Samplers for my friend Karen's beautiful shop called "Dragonfly Dreams". She wants it for a "shop model". I am working it on 40ct. These two photos are near to where I live. The first one is the famous "Three Sisters". They are in a World Heritage Area and tourist come from all over the world to see them and the other photo. These photos were taken at 6.45 a.m. this morning at Echo Point Lookout. There was a little bit of mist in the Jamieson Valley below. Unfortunately they weren't looking so blue at the time just eerie . The reason they are called the Blue Mountains is because there are millions of eucalyptus trees down there. The trees emit a haze from the eucalyptus oil and when you look into the distance the mountains appear to be blue. It is also called the Blue Mountains National Park and it is quite large.

This photo is just to the right of The Three Sisters. In the distance you can see on top of the first mountain an old ruin. On top of the mountain if you click onto the photo you can see what looks like a ruin. It is called "The Ruin Castle" and I think it used to me a coal mine. All around the Blue Mountains there are lots of coal mines. Some of which are very old. I think this one is a deserted one and is used today by walkers who love to explore the many bush tracks down below in the Valley. I will try on another day to take a photo so you can see the blue mountains. Down below are nearly every type of animal that you associate Australia for e.g. kangaroos, wallabies, wombats and the most beautiful collection birds, e.g. parrots lyre birds etc.. When you stand up on the lookout on the top you can hear the most beautiful bird songs down below. Sometimes on weekends when there are a lot of tourists around there is an Aboriginal man who comes and plays his didgeridoo . It is pure magic.

Another Golden Oldie

This picture is another one that reminds me of one of my sons. He was about at this age when I stitched this. I love the duck It is also from an old Cross Stitch and Country Crafts magazine from around 1989-90. It is worked on 45ct linen over 2 with 1 strand of DMC thread.
This is an old Permin Sampler that I worked in 1983. I don't know if you can still get it as I haven't seen it around for a long time. My sister originally bought it but she never finished hers.
I worked mine on 32ct antique white linen with the required DMC threads.
And this is the companion piece to the one on the previous post. It is also by Shepherds Bush and I just love both of them. It worked with a mixture of DMC threads, Pearl Cotton, Mill House Beads and Mother of Pearl Buttons, the same as the other one. I also thought that I'd show you my beautiful angel that my husband bought for me last Christmas her name is "Grace" and also a little bit of my Rose of Shannon Quilt that I made yonks ago.

Thank for your lovely comments. Its nice to be appreciated. I hope for all have a lovely weekend.

Another Golden Oldie

This is a Shepherds Bush sampler that I did a long time ago. I love all the different stitches in it. I have another one which is similar that I will post in the next few days. I have both of these samplers in my bedroom and I love lying in bed and look at them.

Some of My Favourite Pictures

I thought that I would show you another one of my favorite pictures. I did this one in 1988. It is from a 1988 Cross Stitch and Crafts magazine that I used to buy. The little boy always reminds me of my eldest son who is now nearly 23. My how the time flies. I have actually done this one 3 times for various people over the years. They are all done on a very fine weave linen. I think it could be 45ct with one thread of DMC.

Just Cross Stitch Sampler

This is for Joanie, I'm still having trouble posting comments with my password. I found the Just Cross Stitch Mag that you are after. It is the April 1997 issue. The sampler is called True Virtue. If you can't find it let me know. I hope this helps.

Its a right pain in the butt no being able to leave comments. I can get into everything where I need a password except for when it comes to leaving comments. If anyone knows another way of doing it with out the password could they let me know.

Just Cross Stitch Sampler

For Joanie. I'm having trouble leaving comments on other peoples blogs at the moment. For some reason they won't accept my password.

I have had a quick look amongst my copies of JCS mags. and for some reason I can't find that particular copy. I will look over the weekend in another couple of places I have put magazines that I have done and will let you know next week the issue that you want. Every now and then I out smart myself and can't find what I'm looking for.

I had a good find though. I have been looking for JCS Christmas Ornaments Issue for 1997 for a couple of months and I just found it while looking for the other. I had got caught in between another book. I was beginning to think that I had put it into the recycling bin.

Hardanger Piece

Thank you for all the lovely comments regarding my work. Joanie asked where the pattern for the Hardanger piece on the marble table is from. It is from an old Nordic Needle Book called "Award Winning Designs in Hardanger Embroidery 1995". It was a First Place Design and was designed by Rosabel Snethen, In the book the design is alot larger as it is rectangular. Mine is square and is done on 32ct linen. I like working on 32ct linen as I like the feel of it and the outcome of the work. The only thing I don't like with Hardanger is the first row when you do a large piece. When I get that done and it all works out correctly its like Yay for the Day. One of my other pieces took me a week to get it right and I think I used a ball of Pearl cotton to get there. I have since worked out ways to make sure that I work it out right and so far they are working.

I have another 2 large pieces that I have done and will post them soon. The other lot that I have done, I think about 5 or 6 pieces I have given to either my mother or sister. I forgot to take photos of the others when I was down there on the weekend

The above piece is another CrossNPatch design. I made it as a bell pull.

More Photos

Hopefully this will be the last post. You can tell I'm not used to doing this. Thank you Louie for helping me.

The next one is a sampler that was in a very old Just Cross Stitch magazine from many moons ago. The other photo is of my other love Hardanger. I have made and given my mum quite a few hardanger pieces. This one is currently in her lounge room. She also collects Ladro and has a few pieces. In fact quite a few.

This will do for today. I have a few more photos but will keep them for another day. You can tell the difference with the photo's that my son posted and the ones I did. Mine has the stuff on the bottom. Oh well I'm learning. The last photo is for Karen and anyone who is reading Don Quixote. All I can say about him is that he is a large piece of Ladro and is very Beautiful.

More Photos from My Mums

I'm taking advantage of my youngest son who helps me with my blogging being home today from school to upload more photos from my parent's place. These 2 photo's are of one of my favorite samplers. It is a sister to the Spanish Sampler from the previous post. It is the American sampler. I also have the graph for the Dutch Sampler but as yet I haven't had a chance to do it. The other photo is again from Sampler and Antique Needlework Book. I changed it into a sampler instead of doing it as a box.

Photo's that I have done that my Mother has

I went to visit my parents yesterday. While I was there I took some photo's of some of the samplers that I have done and given to my mother. I will post some every few days. I'm sorry if they are at an angle or have reflections showing on the glass. My Mum has lung cancer from breast cancer and yesterday she wasn't well. Today she is feeling a lot better. Anyway I couldn't remove them off the walls the take the photo's properly. A lot of these are in her bedroom. A couple of these I have changed the names to family members. By the way my mums walls are not this colour. They are apricot. My youngest got abit artistic. You can see the proper colour on the next photo.

The first one is one I call Lois Kember it is from Sampler & Antique Needlework Book Volume I. It is called Frances Jewkes Sampler. Lois Kember is my Great Great Grandmother. I thought it and the next one would be special to my mum. The second one is a Goode Huswife one and I have called her Jane Stevenson. She is my Great Grandmother, daughter of Lois. My mum has these samplers where she can see them in her room on days when she is not well.

The third one is also from Sampler & Antique Needlework Book and is called Dorothy Preston Sampler.

This one is a Emmie Biship Sampler that I did a few years ago and gave Mum for her birthday.
This one is from a Cross Stitch Treasures from a quite a few years ago. It is the Spanish sampler. I changed the name to Adelaide de la Thoreza. She was my Great Great Great Great Grandmother on my fathers side. She was born in Madrid and she had a very interesting life in Australia. My parents have this one in their hallway (they have a very large house).

My Other Hobbie

I thought I'd show you a photo of my other hobby. I enjoy making jewelery for myself and family. I made this necklace for my future DIL's 21st birthday. It is made with freshwater pearls, freshwater coin pearls and crystal hearts with a silver clasp and wires. It turned quite well, and I am very happy with it. I had a very good teacher, who taught me everything I know regarding making jewelery. That was Karen's husband Brendan. He makes the most beautiful things. Some of the jewelery that he makes he sells in their shop Dragonfly Dreams.

Seven Sailors Sampler Finished

I have finished the Goode Housewif's Seven Sailors Sampler. It was a joy to stitch and my friend Karen was pleased with the result as she wanted it for a store model. I am currently working on another store model for her. It is Long Dog's The Token. I love Quaker samplers and I am enjoying working on it. I am doing it on 40c

we have gone back to the cold weather in the mountains over the last few days. Some days have been quite misty and raining. Although I can't complain about the rain as that is one thing we need in Australia desperately.

I received a copy of "le marquoir de Marie Menanteau 1861 this morning. It is a beautiful sampler and I plan to do it soon. If I had a wish list of samplers to collect one would be "The marquoir de Justine". I find the sad story of Justine quite interesting and it is such a beautiful sampler. Don't know where I would get it here in Australia.