Oh how I have missed canvaswork

Hi everyone,

This week I finally picked up a canvaswork piece. This has been in the to-do basket for some time but because it required construction it languished at the bottom of the heap. It is a design published in "Stitch" magazine, the English Embroiderers' Guild publication and is designed by Sue Hawkins. Lots of Sue's designs are stitched in clear bright colours and just make you smile like a dose of sunshine. The finished cube is only 22mm square (less than 1 inch) so its a good size for hanging from your scissors or as a christmas ornament.

Brilliant Bookmark by Sue Hawkins
from Stitch Magazine

To construct the cube you use long arm cross stitch between the six little squares folding in the seam allowance. Sue has lots of pretty designs, take a peek at her website and please don't blame me if you just can't live without at least one of the cute pieces. 

My box of 100 small pieces has grown again so much so that it will have to be moved to a bigger container for storage until later in the year for the market day. I have managed to sell a few of them to friends and restitched them to complete the stock. This leaves me free time to stitch a few from my wishlist. So I am off to the stash cave (my spare room) to choose what takes my fancy.

Happy stitching, bye for now, Carol

Stitching humbugs, what is a humbug you say?

Hi everyone,

Phew I am glad the weather has improved here. It has been very kind to us by cooling down for the Embroiderers' Guild Exhibition. Friends and I have been busy demonstrating and answering visitors questions about some wonderful stitched pieces on show. I am only sorry that no photography is allowed. As part of the display we have a gift stall selling handmade items. So this year our group got together and made humbugs. We started off with a rectangle of  backstitches 60 x 30 over 2 fabric threads on whatever linen count we preferred and then added whatever design we liked into the centre space.
Then a couple of weeks ago we got together and had a small workshop constructing them and here is the end result.

EGSA humbug collection

They can be used as scissor keepers,key keepers, christmas tree ornaments, a hanger for your stitching tote, in fact lots of things. I think everyone was pleased with what they created and I can see more being made for friends and relations in the future. The Guild will sell them at a reasonable price which benefits all the members and we all learned something new. May I thank all of the girls that participated it was very much appreciated by the gift shop committee.

On the canvaswork/needlepoint front, I had a lovely note from Jane and Chilly Hollow and I am glad to let you know she has added a tab on her blog for people looking for counted charted needlepoint designs. As you know it is sometimes hard to find new designs and this is a truly helpful addition to your search for new work. Thank you Jane.

After many months of working on linen I am feeling the need to do some canvas stitching. In the stitching basket is Kathy Ree's "Rio" half completed and in the post this week arrived its companion "Carnivale" both stitched with Threadworx Vineyard silks overdyes in luscious bright clear colours. My friend Anne has finished the first piece and has already started on the new chart piece so that has got my head into canvaswork space. Thanks Anne.

This week friends returned from a Needlework Cruise from Sydney to New Zealand so I will be catching up with them soon to see what goodies they found on their travels and to see lots of happy snaps of the cruise. Looking forward to the get together I hear everyone had a good time and the seas were nice and calm which is needed for serious stitching.

Have a happy week, bye for now, Carol.

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 

Christmas ornament exchange

Hi everyone,
Wow where does the time go? Today it is New Years eve in Australia but before 2014 starts I thought I would like to share with you all some of the Christmas celebrations of the past week.

Each year we stitch ornaments and gifts for our Guild friends and for friends at The Common Stitch in Surrey, England. 
Here is a group photo of some of the stitchers who sent ornaments in our UK exchange.

EGSA members with their Christmas exchange
ornaments 2013

And a close up of some of those ornaments we received from the UK.

Christmas ornaments from members of
The Common Stitch, England

Each year there  is a wonderful surprise in each package and every piece becomes a treasured possession. This year there are a few missing from the picture as some of our members couldn't make it on Christmas party night in all we exchanged 21 ornaments. I hope to catch up with them at our next meeting on the 2nd of January and snap a few more photos.

As the Guild rooms are closed for the holidays, we were very kindly invited to meet at a guild member's home for dinner and to stitch. The trusty camera went with me to catch the night and Anne's wonderful Christmas tree with all the handmade ornaments from previous exchanges.

"The Tree" and a very proud owner 2013

Here are a few close ups of the ornaments on the tree.

Lots of goodies

but wait there's more

More goodies

And lastly a quick snap of the gift exchange of the Guild Thursday night group.

Gift exchange EGSA guild members Australia

On the stitching front I still haven't been able to stitch for very long so not much to show at the moment. I will have some exciting news about a sampler which is being sold through the Embroiderers' Guild in 2014 in the next post. I promise it won't be so long a wait this time.

Have a wonderful and safe New Year, all the best for 2014

bye for now, Carol

Stitching at last

Hi everyone,

It has taken a while but the thumb has improved enough for me to stitch. Yipppeeee............

On Saturday 30th November and Sunday 1st December 2013 is the Greek Glendi Festival with lots of good food, dancing and embroidery. This year a few friends and I will be having a stall at the Festival to promote the Embroiderers' Guild to demonstrate stitching and for me to sell some of my designs.

These are the two pieces I designed for Glendi with a Greek flavour.

Glendi Humbug
Carol J Young Designs

and

Glendi Pincushion
Carol J Young Designs

We are hoping for weather below 30degC but at this time of year it may be a vain hope as usually temperatures are above this. Keep your fingers crossed as we will be under a tent.

If you are in Adelaide drop by and say hello.

Bye for now, happy stitching, Carol

Royal show needlepoint

Hi everyone,
I still haven't been able to stitch much yet. The thumb is very slowly getting better but this will obviously not be a quick fix thing.

Last week was the South Australian Royal Show (similar to a State Fair in the USA) and after many years of not submitting entries into the Craft displays I finally had something framed and finished at the right time of the year. I put in 2 entries, 1 in the canvas section and another in the cross stitch area. To my surprise both pieces won ribbons.

Dowigiac by Jean Hilton

and

Me petite ambres by Keslyns Designs

The photos are a little on the little side but they both now have glass added so taking the photos without shadows was a bit of a challenge. Unfortunately taking photos at the show venue is not allowed so sorry no photos of other lovely pieces there but with over 300 entries. I am so very happy about receiving 2 ribbons considering the standard of work on display this year.

Happy stitching, bye for now, Carol

Stitching along nicely then bam.................

Hi everyone,

Murphy's Law: When you don't want something to hold up your stitching projects along comes Murphy and plants his big foot so you trip and fall face first into a heap. I was happily catching up and designing new pieces and wham, my right thumb decided not to work properly. All my own fault I might add. It was natures way of saying "Aye slow down chump and smell the roses".  It is called trigger thumb and is a tendonitis problem. So lots of stretching and massaging and swearing for being so stupid it is improving very slowly. So at this point may I say a few words of warning to all my friends. You, must take breaks, yes you, you know who I am talking to. Or dire consequences may be the end result. Enough said.

A little while ago I asked my friend Karen if she would be interested in helping finish some of my long term works in progress and because she is a very generous person and I might add has a wicked sense of humour (she paid me out big time for the bits I had stitched) she agreed.

Here is the first finish, 1 third me 2 thirds Karen's work.

Rosewood Manor - Quaker Diamonds
32count mottled linen and Valdani threads

and

Lower section

and finally the whole piece

The finished design

I haven't managed to stitch much in the last 2 weeks just to give the thumb a rest but I am having to sit on my hands to keep my fingers out of my stitching box. At least I can enjoy all of your lovely work. Take care friends.

Bye for now, Carol

PS: Hello to my Spanish speaking friends. Thank you for your kind words.