I am so very angry with DMC - I have been stitching Mirabila's Sabrina MD106  for a few months, and decided that the project looked a little grubby, - this does happen in my house have 6 cats and they occasionally like to sit on my work! I took it off the frame, and washed it, but it still looked grey in places were it SHOULD have been white! I gently washed it again, but still the same, so I then looked at the skeins of DMC white floss - and there was my culprit although all the same batch number the colours were different, ranging from off white to white to grey  over 12 different skeins I was livid I have now removed all the white stitches from the project which has taken me an age and as soon as the new skeins (ordered in especially) arrive I will start to replace the unpicked stitches, the only advantage is that all the missing blocks of colour on the left of the picture are white so I won't have to do any counting!

Well I have finally decided to try my hand at a HAE design, nothing small for me I have started Mask of Colors, She is only 10 inches by 21 inches! The chart suggested using 25 count but I am stitching it on 18 count ivory aida - I have a frame in mind and stitched on this count then it will fit perfectly.

I have been stitching this since 15th March a couple of hours each evening whilst listening to my audio books ( I love historical mysteries)  what do you listen too whilst stitching?
It doesn't look like I have done much does it but 18 count is hard on the eyes as you get older!!!

I have a really old table frame that belonged to my great grandmothers that I  use, (probably made in the late 1800's) I adore old sewing items and have collected many, but they don't live in a display case they are all used every single day, I believe that things were made to be used and even if they do get worn it shows that they have been appreciated and loved.

I cannot really believe that it is so long since I was last here 4 years! and the weather well it is STILL RAINING!!!

I will try to make this a weekly blog I owe it to myself to sit down and recall what has happened, I have done a lot of stitching since my last blog and would love to show you all what I have achieved away from the pc - quite a lot really considering I only stitch large pieces and my eyesight is definitely not what it used to be, no one ever told me that getting old was such a drag!!  I might have more time to do things, but they take more time to achieve!

We also have 2 new additions to the family a White (deaf) boxer called Tukker and a Chocolate Sprocker (Springer x Cocker) called Rupert, they are just adorable but do take up a lot of time with walks in the woods which are lovely whatever the weather. On the plus side they  get me up a 6.00am for their breakfast so I have a time to sit and have breakfast looking out onto my lovely garden (another passion in my life).

OK I am going to ease myself gently into the rhythm of blogging again so will come back tomorrow and post pictures of my sewing, not sure how many I have completed - I do know that I have 3 WIP's 
1. L&L Celtic Spring
2. L&L Sabrina
3. Serenity's Garden
which are weighing heavily on me I hate to have things unfinished so they are on my list to get on with this year too, although I really really want to stitch HAED Mask of Colors by Linda Ravenscroft, she is all kitted up and for the first time in my life I have gridded my fabric, the chart looks too complicated to just 'go for it' as I would normally.

I will show you how I am getting on with it, I haven't seen this stitched yet, everyone seems to love HAED charts but I wonder how many are stitched rather than 'collected'???  Please let me know if you have completed any and post a link so share your work.