THE FINISHING LINE . . .

I've been confined to virtually one room most of this past week as the decorators are here again working on the hall, stairs and landing and there are dust sheets, ladders, artex and pots of paint everywhere.
Artex, now that's a horrible word and any of you that have ever experienced it will know about the pungent smell that comes with it and remains until it has completely dried and been painted!  The decorator's tell me that the nearest comparison to the smell is cat pee but not ever having had a cat I wouldn't know but feet and cheese seem more appropriate to me!  Thankfully the weather has been lovely and hot so all windows and doors have been permanently open and fresh air reigns.

So confined to one room what should I do?  I know open that draw that contains all those finished stitches that I occasionally hear saying 'Finish Me, Please!'.

First up ~ Happy Bunny Bunny Day which I stitched a few weeks back but had no suitable fabric for finishing.  An unplanned stop at a Patchwork Fabric Shop found me debating over two fabrics which I thought might match, not sure I bought both and still not sure when making a pillow finish yesterday I used both!  The polka dot fabric is the backing and I found some matching buttons to put on the front :

Next, Heart in Hand 'Summer Bird' which DH bought a new frame for.  HIH added a bee button on their design but I couldn't find one so I stitched a trailing leaf from his mouth (as shown on their other seasonal birds) and added a small flower embellishment at the bottom of it :

Frame hunting at the local Charity/Thrift Shops found a finish for the next one.  This Wildlife Sampler was stitched so long ago I don't even remember doing it but as the hare reminds me of Buttons I have always wanted to frame it and this washed-wood effect frame matches perfectly and now hangs proud in the Dining Room :

 

Last post I had just started a Lizzie*Kate, this was a really quick and easy stitch and again has a pillow finish with backing fabric shown on the heart pegs and matching ribbon:

Lizzie*Kate 'Stitching forever' stitched on 28count white evenweave with my choice of DMC colours

Are you still there?  I've been confined to that room for a long time so digging deep to the bottom of the forgotten draw found this one and again it's another pillow finish :

HIH kit 'Rise and Shine' stitched on 28count Platinum Linen with threads provided (I think!!!)

So, lots of finishing and the sewing machine has been busy BUT I still squeezed in new stitching as well.  I've looked at 'Man's Best Friend' so many times since my last post but I just can't find the enthusiasm for it at the moment.  Hidden at the bottom of the stash box were some little Mouseloft Stitchlet kits which DH bought for me some time ago, they are too small for individually framing so I have decided to make them into a patchwork cushion and have completed 4 of them just using fabric scraps in linen, I shall make up the remaining patchwork squares in some rustic burgundy colours :

and finally a start on 'Washing Day', a Forever Friends design which will eventually hang in the Utility Room and match my own white wicker laundry basket (with so much time devoted to stitching recently my laundry pile is as big as this one!) :

Celebrations tomorrow as someone small, furry and adorable reaches the grand age of 10.  Buttons continues to do well after his tumor and tomorrow will celebrate his birthday with his favs ~ carrots, watercress and green beans (not much of a feast for the rest of us but he'll love it!!!)

HAPPY STITCHING . . .

TWO HAPPY DANCES & A TOUR . . . .

Two Happy Dances to report . . . .

Firstly 'Stitcher in Residence' by Lizzie*Kate now hanging on the Study door as I do my best to convince my DH that this room will soon be my domain only and completely out of bounds to him (I'll be ruling the world next!!!)

'Stitcher in Residence' by Lizzie*Kate

stitched on 28ct white Monaco with my choice of Gentle Art threads

Sitting in my pile of fabric odds and ends was a piece of Moda fabric with a design called 'Bird in the Bowers' by Kathy Schmitz, I love the colours in this so used it as the backing and added a small silk ribbon at the top.

Secondly is 'Happy Bunny Bunny Day' by The Trilogy.  I changed everything colourwise with this design as the bunny had to be the same colours as Buttons, after much debate this was agreed to be GAST Cidermill Brown with GAST Walnut for his patches and tail.  I'm not sure what to do with the finished piece, I do not have any fabric that matches the colours and it is not a standard size for framing so it may have to hop to the 'I'm Waiting To Be Finished' pile and wait patiently!

'Happy Bunny Bunny Day' by the Trilogy

stitched on 28ct cream Monaco with Gentle Art threads and pink heart embellishments

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Despite a little rain on Saturday the weather has been so good that the Barbecue made its first appearance of the year on Sunday and along with some gardening 'al~fresco' was the deal of the weekend.  Our garden is just coming to life again and always looks so good in Spring so here's a quick Tour . . . .

Our house is raised up from the garden so we step out onto a verandah the full width of the house which has two sets of steps going down to the first level of garden which then slopes to a second level. These are views from the verandah . . .

This centre piece of the garden has an archway with more steps from the first level down to the second. These flower beds will be a mass of colour over the next few months and very hard work to keep on top of the dreaded weeds . . . .

Looking from the bottom of the garden to the top this is an excellent slope for keep-fit running and has a shaded tunnel at the top created by the holly tree and the buddleja bush joining forces. On the right hand side we have a fire basket which is lovely in the Autumn and ideal for toasting marshmallows and sausages . . .

This is our 'woodland' area of the garden where we have apple trees, bluebells, ferns, bamboos and the gate leading to the compost heap and the stream beyond.  The squirrels love this area and chase each other up the trees and along the fence panels (great fun to watch) . . . .

We have so many visitors to the garden including wood pigeons, woodpeckers, robins, a very noisy owl, squirrels, frogs from the stream and one unwanted visitor ~ a fox (not a close friend of Buttons).  The robin follows us around when we are digging and grabs anything that wiggles and our friendly blackbird is called Beaky and comes right up to the back door for his daily bread.  I have just planted up my verandah boxes with viola which the squirrels will do their best to upturn and bury they winter supplies underneath - ha ha! I have a cunning plan ~ pebbles between each plant means they cannot dig up the earth without getting sore paws/claws!!!

Well, you know who my last picture will be of and here he is doing what he loves best . . . . snoozing and sunbathing!

HAPPY STITCHING . . . . .