Friendship - the family you choose

My favourite place on earth is home to all manner of creatures in a garden so filled with happiness and love, you can hear, smell, taste and feel it.

At one end of the garden is a beautiful railwayman's cottage.

At the other is a cabin filled to the brim with fabrics, yarns, threads, and so many beautifully created craft items both made by the owner and all the people whose lives she has touched.

I consider myself one of these lucky people to have her part of our family as our adopted mum/granny for around the last 10 years

She never complains about me plaguing her to overlock my fabric.  She has taught me to do hardanger and speciality stitches, the basics of quilting and how to make a patchwork bag, how to crotchet and introduced me to the delights of Yankee Candles.  She is always there if I have a problem or if I just fancy mooch round the garden centre!

There are little bits of her all around us, from granny's bonnets in the garden to cushions and quilts and bags she has made me as gifts. I have even immortalised her garden in cross stitch.

This lady also happens to be none other than the designer of Cols Creations! 

Fabric all secured, I did manage half a dozen or so stitches today. However I'm always so relaxed at their's that I was simply happy sitting, chatting and watching the birds.

Butterfly Heart update

A few more stitches have gone in so I thought it was time for an update. I'm averaging about an hour a week split up into small stitching sessions.

It looks a bit like a bunny!

Butterfly Heart

In the pink!

I am well known for not being overly fond of pink. However, as soon as I saw this design by X Squared Cross Stitch I just had to have it!

Now I am getting stronger, I am hoping that stitching isn't going to cause too much pain in my shoulder, but I'll not push my luck so it's likely to be stitched up over a longer period than usual.

This evening, hubby measured and cut the fabric (evenweave, 28ct Brittany). He then very kindly helped me sort all the threads out into my small bobbin box.

And the first stitches went in....and then promptly frogged because I didn't read the correct number!  Second attempt was more successful.

Off we go!

2016

As the year began I tried to make as much progress as possible on Efteling before my surgery.

By the day before I went under the knife, this was as far as I'd reached.

I wrongly figured that during the planned 6 weeks sick leave post surgery would see me complete Efteling. Unfortunately shoulder surgery and stitching are not good bed fellows. I ended up having 10 weeks off work and it wasn't until week 8 that I was able to stitch for longer than around 20 minutes at a time.

Eventually, some 16 weeks after my shoulder operation I have finished Efteling!

It needs pressing of course and framing.  I'm very chuffed with it.

My work colleague is a very special lady. Nothing is too much trouble.  For her birthday I made a couple of items for her desk.