The new sampler TA Da.............

Hi everyone,

Finally I can reveal what has taken a lot of my stitching time in the past few months. My friend Christine and I decided to produce a sampler of mixed stitches to be offered for sale by the Embroiderers' Guild of South Australia as a fundraiser. Like all groups times are getting tougher so it was great to be able to pay back in some small way the great times and friendships gained through the Guild over the years.

The sampler is available to everyone and can be ordered from the Guild website, just click the grey word and it will take you straight there.

On the home front it has been a mixed bag. The thumb is good the back is not. Urggh.....but at least this doesn't stop me stitching. Currently I am working on a whole stack of small items that will be for sale at Beating Around the Bush convention, held by Country Bumpkin the owners of Inspirations Magazine later in the year. I figured if I started now and got side tracked I might still make my target of 100 items. (Yeah I know, never did get the hang of thinking small).

Number stitched so far is 96, yeah....

Thanks for hanging in there and waiting for my post. I have had some lovely comments about the santa's village smalls. So I thought I might share how I put them together. Admittedly stitching one over one on 35 count is purely at personal thing so feel free to stitch the design on your choice of linen count. Then allow at least 4 fabric threads from the edge of the design and stitch a row of 4 sided stitches all around. Then on a second piece of linen stitch a matching square or rectangle (depending on the shape of design). Fold in edges and with right side facing whip stitch through the outer edge of the 4 sided stitch on the front and back to attach together. On the final side (top) fill with hobbyfill and add a twisted cord or ribbon hanger before closing this edge.

Welcome to 2014, this is going to be a good year. Bye for now, Carol