Merry Christmas Everyone

Hi everyone, I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and I hope you all have a lovely New Year. I hope everyone has a lovely day tomorrow and are able to spend time with their families. I also hope Santa will be kind to us all. Or as the Butcher told me yesterday, "Be Kind to Santa" LOL.

Well as you can see I am now in the home straight with Lois. I just have to finish the rose in the right hand corner. Do another butterfly over one next to it, finish the border and then work my Mum's name down the bottom. I decided to put my Mums full maiden name, where she was born in Sydney and also her date of birth. This is nearly all done over one. I have to do all the over ones during the day as I can see it better (must be getting old LOL).

So hopefully when I next post I will be finished as I will also be able to show your some work on Elizabeth Cox. Elizabeth is I think going to keep me occupied for a little while as there is a lot of speciality stitches in it. I also have to do some more work on Beatrix Potter seeing how I have joined the SAL for her. I have worked out if I do one large motif or 2 small motifs I will be on track with everybody else. Mine is half done.

Well again, have a Merry Christmas and I hope you all get to do some more stitching.

I took 2 photos of Elizabeth Welfare that I framed the other day. She is hanging in my Dining Room which comes off the Kitchen. I have a small wall that is covered in cork for some reason that I have never figured out and Elizabeth is hanging there. I was having trouble with the curtains letting in light and reflections so I have posted both photos. She does look lovely hanging there. Don't know how much longer the cork will be there.

I decided to take a break from blogging for a while. I seemed to be always on the computer and I was having trouble with my eyes so I restricted my self to just reading my emails occasionally.

Lois Minshall is coming along nicely. In fact I don't have that my much to do. I hopefullyt should finish her by the end of the month. I have to sit down and work out my mothers maiden name and DOB to put on her.

I decided to do the border which I always find a right pain. It is such a relief when it all joins up the right way.

This is my next project. It is called Elizabeth Cox from The Scarlet Letter. I first saw this one a few years ago when it was in the antique stage. When I saw the name I knew that if I could find it I would buy it as my Grandmother was a Cox. Also my Mum's middle name is Elizabeth. How knows, there could be a connection.

When I found that my second favourite needlework shop had imported to Australia, well what can I say. She is now MINE. This one though is going to be a right challenge. Not only does it have cross stitch, over one and two, but wait for it, it also has long and short stitch, satin stitch, French knots and stem stitch used as a filling stitch. I think this one will be a right challenge.

On the domestic front my son passed his driving test on the first go. He was also offered a job in Sydney which he has taken and now spends the week living with my Dad and Sister. He comes home on weekends.

My Beautiful Roses

Aren't these beautiful. This is one of my favourite roses called Monsieur Tillier and it is a Tea Rose. I love old fashion roses and have quite a few in my garden (or my jungle as my DH calls it LOL). I have always loved this rose as it changes all the time. Currently it is this colour but as the season progresses it will be a darker pink. At the moment it looks as if it has been dipped into tea. Absolutely glorious.

The beautiful doily on my table was made by my dear Mother-in-Law. She was a very talented lady with a crochet hook. She passed away in 2000 and she made me some beautiful doilies that I cherish.

I have all these beautiful roses coming out at the moment. Last weekend was the 1st Anniversary of our Mum leaving us. I think all these roses are her way of saying that she is ok and happy. I know that she used to love this particular rose and my bush which is quite large is full of them at the moment.

Last weekend I picked a beautiful posy of all the beautiful spring flowers that I had in my garden. My Mum used to do the most beautiful floral work and used to enter in a lot of shows etc. with her arrangements. She taught me how to make posies a long time ago and I enjoy making them on special occasions. As Mum doesn't have a grave for us to visit, this is our way to letting her know that we are thinking of her. In fact I think of her every day. Sometimes I have some interesting conversations with her. One way of course LOL. If I ever got a reply though I think I would freak out.

Well, as you can see I haven't done that much on Lois. I have been busy doing some secret stitching with my friend Karen and also driving. One of my sons is going for his drivers licence in a few weeks. They have to have a certain number of hours recorded in a log book that they give them before they can go for their licence. My son has done the required number of hours and has booked his test. We are still going on little practice trips, so sometimes I am away for 2 hours at a time. Eats into my stitching time. God I hope he passes then I won't have to drop every thing every day to go and pick him up. So please cross your fingers for him.

It's very windy in the mountains today. There is a total fire ban up here and in Sydney. I believe it is going to get up to 38 degrees later in the day. I have to go to Penrith this afternoon so I'm sure the heat will get me. Anyway, tomorrow it is supposed to be raining so hopefully it will cool down.

Well I hope you all have a lovely week end and if you celebrate Halloween, I hope you have a lovely time.

Updates

I'm sorry that I have had a big gap in blogging, but as usual life gets in the way. Since my last post I really haven't done that much on Lois, but I am starting to get into the swing of her.

One of the reasons I couldn't post is because my youngest son ended up in hospital for 3 days with Pneumonia. Unfortunately for him it was the start of the school holidays so he hasn't missed any school LOL. He is going ok. He has been on 2 courses of anti biotics and has to have another chest X-Ray in another 2 weeks to see if it has cleared up.

So this is my current progress on Lois. I still think she is beautiful. There have been a lot of over ones. Some of you have asked if I have trouble doing it and also if I do cross stitch or tent stitch when I do it. I actually do cross stitch. I also find I can do it easier during the day. I do have a magnifier, but usually during the day all I need is my glasses. I must admit though that doing over 1 is much easier on 32ct than on 40 ct.

I have also made a couple of necklaces while I have been absent without leave LOL. Jewellery wise there are 2 things that I really love. That is pearls and cameos. (I have already posted a photo of 2 cameo pearl necklaces that I love last year).

The first one is a string of Lapis Lupis that my parents gave me as a birthday present a long time ago. The same with the cameo. One day I was sitting looking at them, thinking now that would work if I put them together. Anyway I think it works ok and everytime that I wear it I always get admiring comments.

The third one is a Wedgewood pendant that I bought on my first trip to England when I was young, rich and single. (Now I am married and poor LOL). It was originally on a silver chain and I never wore it so it is now on pearls and I also wear it quite alot.


Now the middle one is very special. On one of my trips to the Medici Chapel in Florence there was an old lady who was supposed to be 80 years old. She was a minaturist and was painting a small portion of the figures that were on the ceiling on a small piece of ivory, which was quite amazing. She was also selling minature portraits. They are also painted on ivory and can be worn as a brooch or as a pendant. I fell in love with them and bought this one. I used to wear it as a brooch for a long time, but I decided to turn it into a necklace. This is the result.

I was told that the original was supposed to be painted by Michelangelo. She is supposed to be one of his girlfriends, but I think they were pulling my leg LOL. Anyway I don't care who painted the original as I have always loved wearing her.

If you love reading Jane Austen and the Bronte Sisters, can I recommend Elizabeth Gaskell to you. What a writer. She is brilliant. Some of these books I have had for a lot of years and they were on my "to read" list. I started reading Cranford which is a collection of stories that the BBC have made into one of their brilliant series.

The second book I started reading was Ruth. What a brilliant book. I started reading it while my son was in hospital and couldn't put it down. (Luckily he was sleeping a lot at the time LOL). I am now reading Mary Barton. Both Mary and Ruth help you understand life in the early 19th century.

Elizabeth Gaskell was the wife and also daughter of a Minister (funny how Jane Austen and also the Bronte's fathers were all ministers). After a great tragedy in her life with the loss of her baby son she started writing. She started writing about things she knew a lot about re life in Manchester and also the unfairness of the way women were treated.

She became friends with Charles Dickens and wrote stories for his magazine and she also became really good friends with Charlotte Bronte. She was asked by the Bronte family to write Charlotte's biography.

If you would like to read any of her books and have trouble finding some of them trying looking in second hand book shops. That is where I found some of my harder to find books.

Quick Update on Lois

This is just a quick update on Lois. Isn't she beautiful. I'm stitching her on 40ct and as you can see there is a lot of over one in it. I find that its better for me if I do this during the day.

I love the colour scheme of this sampler. Besides the verse in this photo the rose bud is also worked over one.

It's amazing when you are tired and work on a sampler (which is something I really mustn't do). When I started working on the wave pattern above the verse I had either the pattern or the colour upside down and you guessed it. I misread one of the symbols. Anyway to cut a long story short. The wave pattern should be blue with the same symbol facing the other way and it ended up being worked in grey. I decided that I quite liked the grey so I kept it there (or in other words, I couldn't be bothered undoing it LOL Shhhh).

Yesterday, I decided to have what I call a "bliss" day, where I would sit and watch the second part of a DVD that I had been enjoying and that I would also sit and stitch. I watched my second DVD of "Wives and Daughters" and happily stitched the bell flower over one. It was 3 hours of pure heaven. I didn't have to go and pick anybody up and take them anywhere.

Well I better go and do some of the dreaded housework. My eldest son and Daughter-in-Law are coming to spend the night so I had better get on and do some work. I hope you all have a lovely weekend. Looks like we are here. Spring is here. I have forget-me-nots everywhere and my blue bells are starting to open. Heaven.

Happy Dance Time

I finished Elizabeth last week, but wanted to wait till I had visited my Dad for Father's Day to take a few photo's of "The GG Grandmothers". I had the photo's on the computer but lost them when our computer crashed. Silly me also deleted the photos off the camera. Darn.

Elizabeth is my GGG Grandmother on my Mum's side of the family. Her daughter was Lois Kimber below. I decided to do this series of samplers with family names on them for my Mum. She was quite ill at the time and unfortunately spent most of her time sitting in her beautiful bedroom. Mum had a few of my samplers around the walls of her bedroom and they were all greatly admired by one and all. Lois was above her bed.

Lois's daughter was Jane Stevenson and she was my beloved Great Grandmother. Unfortunately for me her daughter my Grandmother passed away a few months before I was born on my Mum's birthday from Breast Cancer. So my G Grandmother was a huge influence in my life. I think I got my love of England and all things English from her. I remember I used to spend a lot of time with her as my Mum was quite ill when I was young. My G Grandmother taught me to knit and I think I also got my love of needlework from her.

Unfortunately, the sampler is only a small one as I wanted to give it to my Mum for Mother's Day and I didn't have time to do a large one befitting someone so important in my live. Anyway, my Mum loved both of them appreciated all the work that went into them.

I just have to find a beautiful sampler now to dedicate to my Grandmother Annie.

With Beatrix I have finished another 2 motifs and started a third. I think this will be a sampler that comes out every now and then.

I have started working on Lois Minshall which is really beautiful. I wanted to start this as I want to dedicate it to my Mum and as the 1st anniversary of her passing is coming up next month the time to do it is now.

The say on Lois is -

A Mother's Love, how dear the name,
What bliss unfolds it sacred power
Then ever may its fairest flame,
Illume my evry given hour.

To all my friends that I have made in the US I just want to say that you are all in my thoughts on the anniversary of this terrible day. I remember waking up the next morning and hearing about this tragedy. We hastily turned the TV on and the whole household sat in shocked disbelief at what was happening.

The End is Near

Well, as you can see Elizabeth is nearly finished. I just need to do one more motif and then it is "happy dance time". The motif that I have to do is the same as the one on the other side. I scrolled down my blog to find out when I started this sampler. Looks like I started it in the middle of June, so it has taken me around two and a half months to complete. Not bad.

I thought that I had better finish Beatrix Potter before I start on another sampler. I am around half way with it. I had better get back into the swing of stitching over one again. I don't mind doing that as I find the samplers are much finer and there's always the hanging room factor LOL.

I had a great time in book shops recently. I love classic novels and I found these ones that I have been after. I used to have The Three Musketeers by Alexander Dumas, but my eldest son loved his books. When he moved out before he got married they all went with him and I am trying to get my youngest son to read them. I also found one of Alexander Dumas's books that I didn't know about. It is called "The Last Cavalier" and is a lost book that was found in the National Library in Paris around 2005.

The other two books are by Elizabeth Gaskell. I have always loved "Wife's and Daughters" and have been looking out for North and South and Cranford for quite awhile. My local book shop which is a really good independent book shop had them on my weekend visit, so I bought them. Now I just have to find time to sit down and enjoy them. What with samplers, blogging and the dreaded housework, it will take me awhile to get through them all. Oh and I still have a lot of Charles Dickens books to read as well. What is a girl to do.

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After a couple of lovely Spring days it has turned cold and it is also raining. We need the rain but I could do without the cold.

I hope that everyone has a lovely week and weekend. Next time I post Elizabeth should be finished.