HALLOWEEN FINISHES

A big HELLO to anyone who might still be following me after rather a long absence!  I am sorry for disappearing but without going into long dreary details I have continued to battle with my health, felt very sorry for myself and at one time decided to give up my blog BUT brighter days have returned, I have been in hospital again and received positive news and after my lovely children nagging at me to return to blogging ... here I am!

So down to business, well blogging business anyway!  I have been treated to a new long-awaited friend and that is .... a new sewing machine!

This is the Janome MC5900 Quilters Companion and apart from making my cups of coffee it literally does everything!  I had resisted for so long but DH, so desperate I think to bring a smile back to my face, has treated me to an early birthday present and I'm absolutely loving it!  There are so many things to try on it but my main aim is to start quilting, starting from the basics and hopefully leading to free-motion quilting and also some design work.

I have kept my cross-stitching going too and have a couple of Happy Dances but will share those next time as I see, looking at the calendar, that tomorrow is Halloween and I have 2 finishes for this occasion to share . . .

Firstly, using my new machine I decided to make a Witch's Stocking . . .

Great fun to make and a good way of using all your scraps of fabric and embellishments, I think most of these fabrics you will have seen over the years in other finishes.  I used the stitch and flip method using some wadding as my base to give it a lovely soft finish and rather than a rounded Christmas stocking shape I made it thinner and more pointed in the foot.

Ric-rac, black ribbon, square & blackbird buttons, decorative machine stitching and pom pom trim

Pumpkin charm and hand-beaded 'BOO'

another charm, more ric-rac and one last button!

Fully lined with ribbon hanging loop

And there we are ~ all ready to be filled with treats (not too keen on the tricks) for any spooky callers tomorrow night!

And secondly some cross stitching  . . .

Ghoul Tidings by Plum Street Samplers

Those of you that know this design from this year's Just Cross Stitch Halloween edition will notice that I've not completed the whole design, main reason being I bought the magazine just as it was released when we were out in Florida in July, made a photocopy to work from and stitched most of it whilst out there, to return to England missing both the magazine and photocopy!  But Hey! I like it as it is, not too much black without the missing top part of the design and, of course, I turned it into a pillow, used what was left of my black pom pom trim and used ribbon and buttons for hanging!

I have so much more to share with you and that is a good reason to stick with my blogging and catch up with you all again.  I hope you are all well and have a wonderful Halloween xxx

Thanks for stopping by

HAPPY STITCHING

A SPECIAL PUMPKIN

I'm so very sad to hear Fridays news about our special pumpkin Cathey and just wanted to share my feelings in written words.

I became blogging buddies with Cathey virtually from my start of joining blogland back in 2010 not only through our mutual love of needle and thread but our love too of bunnies ~ she was of great support to me when I lost Buttons that year after only losing her 11 year old Pickles shortly before and we've shared many stories about our following bunnies ~ her Popcorn and my Tilly and Oscar.

Since then we have remained 'stalkers' to each other and I feel privileged to have been able to share her life with her ~ her beautiful needlework, her wonderful skill of photography, supporting her Pumpkin & Patch Breast Fund silent auctions, sharing her joy of the birth of a precious Son and reading her honest and truthful words about her fight to beat this horrible and cruel condition a second time.

I don't feel Cathey was beaten by Cancer, I feel she won her battle, she kicked its butt well and truly 10 years ago and had led a fulfilled and rewarding life since ~ it was just time for Cathey to escape the pain and struggle and now rest peacefully and sleep.

I send my thoughts and prayers to her loving husband, her beautiful Son and her extended family.

Pumpkin season will always mean something special to us bloggers now but also every time we pick our needles and threads up Cathey will be in our memories too.

xxxx