In which Madame Muriel unchains herself from the bookshelf and looks forward to Advent

Another exciting week (and a bit) here in sunny Suffolk.  I went to a protest afternoon last week.  Actually it was entitled "An Afternoon of Tea and Cakes to Support our Library" so the chains were uncalled for.  The libraries in this country are all under threats due to the cost cutting exercises going on and my hostess's local branch in particular as it is small and situated in a lovely old building which needs maintenance.  The powers-that-be would much rather sell the land and make all the old ladies and young children travel miles into town to get their books.


Unfortunately for the powers-that-be the local community are rather vocal and have raised their voices (and their tea-cups) to say "No ifs, no buts, no public service cuts".  The National organisation The Women's Institute are right behind the library service with their Love You Library campaign so my hostess and her good friend Pauline arranged this afternoon of support to spread the word - Your Library Needs You.  It's such a fun campaign to join, all you need to do is join your local library and borrow books - simples (as that annoying meerkat says!).  No chains are necessary!


Here is a picture of the rather lovely building:

Isn't it wonderful?  It was such a thrill for me to meet some national treasures in the form of the WI ladies.  They are well-known for cake baking, crafts and naked calendars.  I'm not so sure about the last one but my hostess assures me it is true.  There is a musical too apparently.


We are fast approaching December and today my hostess climbed into the loft to retrieve the advent calendar.  Here I am with it:

Each day has a little book with a different story or poems on the Christmas theme.  If you click and squint you will see there are excerpts from Little Women and Wind in the Willows plus many more classic stories.

There is also this second Advent Calendar, countdown to consumerism!  This is a Lego Star Wars calendar with a Lego figure or item each day until Christmas Eve.  The larger boy does like his Lego.

He has another calendar at his Grandparents, usually on a traditional Nativity theme.  The child is "cherished" apparently.  Not "spoiled" because he is charming and not ruined at all.  But "cherished".  This is according to his doting grandparents.  Hah!  In my day you got an orange and ha-porth of nuts in your stocking.  Which was a stocking off your legs, not a felt and embroidered extravaganza with your name on it.  Hah again.

My hostess has been busy mailing out cards and prizes this week, single handedly keeping the Postal Service going.  She was delighted to hear they have started arriving and seeing her stitched cards popping up on other people's blogs is making her squeal with excitement.  Here is the card she stitched for Rachael for winning the Doll's House 100 Followers' Giveaway:

 The motif is from World of Cross Stitching magazine and is stitched on 40 count Newcastle over 1.  The coin is a 2p piece and shows the stitched area is only an inch wide.  As the Giveaway prize was the Doll's House chart my hostess wanted something small scale to send but baulked at the 48 count silk gauze this year.  Maybe next year...

And here is the card sent to Shannon, this one was stitched on 36 count over 2:

Finally my hostess asks me to remind you all that Advent starts tomorrow and her online Advent Calendar post will be visible dated 24th December so it stays on top of the blog.  There are some places left, just send my hostess an email and she will send you a date.  All you have to do is post a stitched picture of something festive on your date and maybe a Christmas custom special to your country or your family.

Giveaways Galore

Firstly, the Crafty Lil Witch is having a Brooke's Books giveaway this week.

Next, the winner of my mini-competition was drawn at random by the large boy from a pile of scraps of paper.  The person who will receive a Christmas card stitched with the skyline of her choice is.......

Kaisievic aka Kaye

Kaye's comment on Coventry was very long!  She gave a complete history lesson on Lady Godiva (from memory).  I googled the story to check her facts and apart from being one century out she was spot on!  If you are interested in learning more about Coventry, here is a very interesting website: Historic Coventry.  HAED do a gorgeous Lady Godiva design too.

I seem to be on a winning streak myself, as well as Cucki's TP and Madame Muriel the Travelling Granny I have also won Sarah's PIF (aka The Crafty Moo).  I love all these mini-giveaways.  Someone somewhere was complaining about "Competitive Giveawaying" where people try to have huge expensive giveaways to outgive other people's.  I'd much rather have a small pattern or a little stitched something with a fun competition than all the razzamatazz.

This weekend I've been stitching the Sewing Tools Sampler from Gift of Stitching magazine and also this cute little Spooky SAL from San Man Originals Message Board:

I've actually stitched the central ghostie now and am waiting for Part 3.  The fabric is the same 28count Jazlyn I stitched Lisa Roswell's By the Light of the Moon on earlier this year.  I have loads of it left so all my Hallowe'en designs will be stitched on it!

Finally, in response to my carpet pic, Kathy has posted a pic of her similarly patterned carpet.  Could this be a new trend?  Forget cute cats and delicious cookery, show us your carpet!



Famous Cities mini competition and a new SAL

This month's World of Cross Stitching magazine came with a little Christmas booklet of designs by Maria Diaz and some Madeira metallics to stitch them.  There is a lovely range of 10 city skylines each with Santa's sleigh and some reindeer above them.  9 of the cities are London, Edinburgh, Sydney, Barcelona, Hong Kong, Rome, Liverpool, Glasgow and Paris.  Can you guess what the 10th one is?  No prize for this bit, it's just for fun; the answer and the competition are at the bottom of this post.

Here is my progress on Joan Elliott's Green Goddess.  You can really see the curve of the design starting to show.  There are two gaps where the dragonflies will go, they are partly stitched in metallics so I'll leave them until later.

The new SAL is from the fantastic Gift of Stitching online magazine.  I found this magazine a while back via various blogs.  They were offering 3 issues for $3 which was too good to resist so I signed up.  The magazine pops into your email box at the beginning of each month full of tempting designs.  They are very keen on part works (encourages people to keep buying each issue!) which is great because it makes the larger designs easier to stitch.

I saw a post on Kathy's Blog A Stitcher's Heirlooms about her indecision regarding which project to start next.  I said I wanted to start My Lovely Sewing Tools myself and we went from there.  If you'd like to join us pop over to Kathy's Blog and let her know.  We're also posting our progress on FB if you're a member.  Just search for Gift of Stitching and their page comes up.

I decided to use the DMC conversion as I don't have any Valdani threads.  They are £2.29 each from SewandSo which isn't the most expensive thread but I am supposed to be on a stash diet until Christmas!  I used my Willow Fabrics' voucher to treat myself to some 40count Newcastle linen.  The service was great, I had a glitch on the computer so phoned up the old-fashioned way, had a nice chat with the lady about the project and my fabric duly arrived, nicely packaged and labelled.  It was £13something for a FQ plus P&P so not the cheapest but not bad, and the service was good.

Here is my progress after one evening.  I've started in the middle as I always do.  This is actually Part 3c of the chart.  The charts start at the top left of the piece but I like to start in the middle.  I've used an anonymous variegated thread for the darkest red.  The label is long gone but it came from my now closed LNS.  One strand is about the same as 2 strands of DMC so where the chart calls for one strand I will use the DMC 315 they recommend.

The finished design will be a sampler with various sewing tools (as the name suggests!), the alphabet sprinkled across the sampler and some buttons and charms added.  I'm enjoying stitching on the 40 count, it doesn't feel small at all.  In fact I had to measure it to check it really was 40 as it seemed bigger.  There is some over 1 stitching which looks amazing and is quite tiny.  I'm quite accustomed to 28 over 1 but that's the smallest I've tried.

Back to the competition.  The 10th city is .......Coventry.  Yes, Coventry.  Not New York or Dubai or San Francisco or Rio de Janeiro or even Cardiff (2 from Scotland but nothing from Wales or Ireland?  I detect some favouritism, Maria!).

So the mini competition question is:

1. For my overseas followers: Have you even heard of Coventry?  If yes, then tell me a fact about the city.  If No, then say No and make something up!

2. For my UK followers: Have you even been to Coventry, or been sent there?  If yes, then tell me why, why on earth?!!  If No, then tell me something you do know about the city.

3. For anyone who lives in Coventry: please don't be offended, I'm only teasing, please tell me something wonderful about your city.  If you can't think of anything then tell me why you haven't moved!

The small prize will be a stitched City Skyline of your choice from the booklet (you don't have to have Coventry).  The winner will be plucked at random from all the commenters who mention Coventry before Saturday 22nd October.

Giveaway Results

Finally!  I get round to choosing and posting the winners of my very first Giveaway!

I'm glad everyone enjoyed the little competition, it was certainly fun reading the answers.  Most people got at least one right, well having a Z made it slightly easier!

The correct answers were:

Me - Mary
Hubby - Mark
Large boy - James
Small boy - Zack (full point for Zac, Zach or Zak and half a point for Zachary, Zachery or Zacharias)

Fizzy Moon bear will now show the winners:

I drew Rachael xxx from the people with the highest scores then the large boy drew Bec's name from the pot!

Rachael's Blog

Bec's Blog

Please could Rachael and Bec let me know their addresses so I can (eventually) mail your winnings.  There will be a little stitched something in there so please allow time for me to actually stitch it!!  You will definitely get your prize before Christmas, I promise! 

Also, Sarah-Beth came up with the most amazing Z name - Zeddakia, I would love to know where this name comes from as I have never heard it before.  Sarah-Beth, let me know your address too and there will be a (very) little something coming your way for the most different suggestion!

I had a lovely Birthday yesterday, lots of stash, some still on the way, some framing on the way and lots of Birthday messages on FB.  I also won a chart from Nicola the Obsessive Cross Stitcher due to my scaring off the oppostition hahaha evil laughter!  Anyway my guilt at this compels me to PIF when I have stitched it.  So watch out for that.  Birthday photos will follow when the camera has recharged it's batteries and can chat to the computer again.

Another big thank you to everyone who entered my very first Giveaway, hope you enjoyed it and will be entering the next one.

Giveaway!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yay!  Over 100 followers!  Although in true Blogger style they seem to think I have 102 followers but there are actually only 101.  So Hello Pam Grouette who is number 100.  And how fitting that number 101 is Giovanna who has been a reader of the blog since the very beginning and was actually the very first person to comment and now is an official follower.

As promised there is going to be a Giveaway.  But you have to put your thinking caps on for this one.  Remember the Victorian Doll's House I stitched?  There were four sets of initials (in the path, Joysze!) which represented hubby, myself, the large boy and the small boy.  So what I want to know is:

What are our middle names?

Here is a picture of the house to remind you:

Hubby's initial and mine are both "M"

Large boy's is "J" and

Small boy's is "Z"

All our names are normal English names, the boys do not have Jumper or Zebra as middle names!

There will be 3 different prizes. 

The first option is the Doll's House chart, one small caveat, the key just lists colours not numbers so you will have to choose your own colours.  The cover picture is very clear and will make it easy.

The second option is "The Cute Collection" as shown below.  Over the years I have collected several cute charts which are not really my thing, so here they are altogether.  There is a Somebunny calendar, Tatty Teddy, Forever Friends, Newton, Fizzy Moon, 2 Margeret Sherrys and a button booklet.

The third option is the "Mystery Option", basically if you aren't likely to stitch either of the above then I'll try choose something you will like.

As well as the charts there will be a random selection of things, such as fabric, trimmings, embellishments, something stitched, a postcard, anything I think "oooo, she'll like that".

So, to enter:

You must be a follower

Leave a comment with your 4 guessed names

Let me know which prize you would like.

I have enabled "blog owner approval" on all comments so no-one can copy the girl in front!  All comments will be displayed when the Giveaway finishes which will be next Wednesday 14th September noon BST (British Summer Time).  The first winner will be randomly chosen from the people who get the most names right.  The second winner will be chosen at random from all the people who chose different prize options to the winner.  (for exampler - If the first winner chooses the Cute collection, I draw the second winner from the Doll's House and Mystery people).  So even if you don't get any names right you're still in with a chance of a prize.  Fair to everyone? 

If you are an overseas person and do not understand what middle names are, then please email and I'll explain!

WIPocalypse and Giveaways

Measi of Measi's Musings is worried the World is ending in 2012 so has decided to try get some of her WIPS finished before then.  Because, of course, unfinished needlework will see St. Peter turn you away at the Pearly Gates to be doomed to spend eternity in the perfect LNS with no needles.

Here's the link to join in with the WIPocalypse: WIPocalypse.  The rules are great, very open to your individual interpretation, the important one is to post every New Moon with a picture of of WIP in order to be entered into the end of year draw (if we're all still here, otherwise you'll get your prize in the afterlife).

On this gloomy subject, I do wonder what will happen to my stash when I'm no longer here.  The finished items are no problem, there are loads of people who would want them but only a fellow needleworker would appreciate all the unstarted stuff.  I think I'll put a bit in my will to say you guys get first dibs on my stash when I go!  An enormous stitch-in wake would be good too...

On a happier note, Violarium is having a September magazine giveaway here.  Violarium is where I ordered the Nimue charts from, they were very speedy with their delivery and included half a dozen freebie charts from various designers which was a nice surprise.

I haven't got any new pictures, the cover kit from Cross Stitcher is stitched but not framed because of the rubbish cards included, I've emailed to ask for some replacements.  The Margaret Sherry from WOCS is nearly finished, just the bs.  I've stitched "K is for Kelpie" and will show-and-tell when I've stitched "L".

So here's a random picture from the archives:

Stitched from Needlework magazine in 1999.  Cute isn't it? 

Although I need to move that bee's bottom to the left!

Finally, I have found a nice online Ebay store which sells Tibetan silver charms ideal for my growing Just Nan collection.  Some are available in mixed bags (Hallowe'en) but others come in packs of 10 the same.  But at 99p for 10 I can't complain.  So if I buy 10 the same I'll be passing the spares onto you guys.  My Giveaway thoughts are progressing.  I have a main prize, and some ideas for bits to go with it, only 3 more followers or 17 days and we'll be there! 

For I must be travelling on, now....

For I must be travelling on, now,
'Cause there's too many places I've got to see....

Yes, it is time for the Travelling Pattern to be travelling on (bonus points for first person to identify song lyrics).

This TP was started off by Daffycat (aka Sharon) who is having a giveaway at the moment, she is nearly upto 800 followers (WOW!) so pop along, see the home of the Travelling Pattern, enter her giveaway and follow her if you don't already (cannot believe that there are people who don't already follow her, she's like the matriach of stitching blogs!).

The TP is by Shakespeare's Peddlar and is called "Count Your Blessings".  I stitched it on the weird fabric I talked about before using random threads from my scraps bag.  The red brick for the house is the same red used on my Doll's House project (which is nice).  I added a fanlight to the door and a beak to the bird.  I also removed a row from the house so all the windows are the same height and changed the vine so the bird came down by two rows.  This was to stop the design falling off the edge of the fabric which I cut thinking it was 32 count not 26!

The rules of the TP are as follows:

1. Comment on this post, saying you would like to be part of the Stitcherhood.

2. By leaving this comment, you agree (if you are chosen) to stitch the design and send it along to the next person in a timely manner. If this means dropping everything in your rotation to concentrate on this project...so be it. If you can't bring yourself to do this ~ don't sign up.

3. You must have an active blog to participate. If you have a blog but never post to it ~ you won't be chosen to be the next stitcher.

4. This is a giveaway-type Traveling Pattern. That means you must follow it from blogger to blogger to enter each time it is ready to send along. Commenting on this post doesn't make you a guaranteed part of the Stitcherhood.

The Traveling Pattern has been stitched by:

1. Sharon of It's Daffycat, Oklahoma, USA

2. Karen of Karen's Handiwork, South Carolina, USA

3. Patty of Hanging On By A Thread, Florida, USA

4. Terri of Chocolates for Breakfast, Stitching for Lunch, USA
5. Lynda of A Cozy Little Place for Stitching, Oregon, USA
6. Nataly of Nataly's Needle Creations, Massachusetts, USA
7. Erin of Fairy Tales & French Knots, NY, USA
8. Jo of Serendipititous Stitching, Suffolk, UK

The links above are all for the posts where the TP appears in all it's glory so you don't have to rummage through the blogs to find them.  Aren't I good to you?

As the rules state, to be the next member you just need to comment on THIS POST only.  Just for fun I'd like to know "who is your stitching blessing?"  OK not a very grammatical question!  We all have much the same blessings in life - our partners, our kids, our grandkids, our furbabies, our health and the fact that we live in countries where we can indulge ourselves with this amazing hobby rather than spending 8 hours a day looking for clean water: SO - who do you count as your biggest stitching blessing?  For me it'd be Erin who passed the TP on to me!  If your stitching blessing has a blog please include a link.  I need to follow more blogs (hahaha).

Here's my progress on Periphaeria's Star SAL, I have nearly done all of Parts 1 and 2 and most of the middle so I'm quite pleased.  The fabric is 28 count Purpleberry Spludge from Sparklies who will be having a sale on the Bank Holiday Weekend.

Other news - it is one month exactly to my Sapphire Birthday and I currently have 88 followers.  I will be doing my first giveaway at either 100 followers or on my Birthday.  I need half a follower per day to reach 100 before the big day, so if you are half a follower please sign up and bring the giveaway forward!

Edited to say:
I will be choosing the next person on Monday 22nd August, so make sure you post by midnight Sunday.  And don't forget to tell me who your stitching blessing is.

Sarah's Giveaway and the Travelling Pattern

The lovely Sarah at CraftyMoo is having a giveaway.  I love Sarah because she appears to be wearing a pink feather boa in her profile pic which always makes me smile.

This is my progress on the Travelling Pattern after 2 days of stitching:

I chose a piece of rustic fabric I bought when my LNS was closing earlier this year.  It appeared to be 32 count.  But I discovered it is only 32 count horizontally, vertically it is 26 count.  How random is that?  So the design is coming out much taller than expected!

The red and blue threads are DMC variegated but there doesn't seem to be much varience apart from the paler blue at the beginning.  The brown fence is a tweeded pair from my scraps bag.  I do like a bit of tweeding!

It seems from the comments on my last post that I am the only stitcher in touch with her inner-6-year old who marks her chart nicely with lots of pretty colours.  Next post I will show you my scraps bag and see if I'm a minority of one in that too!

Edited to add - a friend wants to learn how to make cushions, small decorative pillows and ornaments, things that involve sewing.  Does anyone have a tutorial page on their blog or can recommend a good one?  Thanks!

Blogger Award Part 2 and a Giveaway

Gabi aka the Lady of the Floss is having an amazing giveaway to celebrate her Blogaversary.   The prize is $100 to spend at Anita's Little Stitches, an online shop.  And guess what?  This is the very shop that sells the amazing scissors I love.  So if you enter and if you win then you have to buy me scissors, OK, deal?

Part 2 of the Stylish Blogger Award - choose 15 blogs to pass the award on to.  It seems like we all follow alot of the same blogs which is great as it feels like a real community with everyone knowing everyone else.  I thought I'd pass my Award on to some of the less well-known blogs.  I went through my list and chose people who really deserve a wider audience.

Here they are:

Already Forgotten by Valentina, stitches Mirabilias and crochets, she loves cats.
Confessions of a Fabric Floozy - by Amanda, she did the Crazy 15 in January and has been stitching smalls
Cross Stitched by Astrid - she loves dragons and has the cutest little boy in a dragon costume
Delphyne in Stitches - a fellow hermitter and new to blogging
Home is Where the Heart is by Lesley, a Rogers Waters fan, she is crocheting and needs her stitching mojo back
Stitching in the City by Hannah, the city being London.  Hannah is new to blogging, follow her ambition to stitch her first Chatelaine this year!
Stitchy Stitcher - by Eyani, Mirabilia, Joan Elliott, Dark Side of the Moon, what more need I say?
The Inspired Stitcher - another new blogger with a great piece about "inspiration" this week

This takes ages!!  Finding all the blogs and links.

Part 3 to follow.  If you like any of these blogs then tell them I've given them an award, save me a job hahaha

Giveaways Galore

Here are this week's Giveaways:

Blu is celebrating 200 followers and is offering to stitch a cute little Hallowe'en design for you

Sarah-beth is just giving for the joy of giving and has a book and 4 mags.  She wants you to share your first stitch memory with her.