The reappearance of Santa

This is what I have been re- stitching as a present for my mum as she liked mine so much I have also done the snowman but that has been posted off before I remembered to take a photo
Had to wait for mum mum to email me the picture before I could blog about it. I have not been well again so I am sticking with that excuse as why I keep forgetting things

Fantastic review and giveaway time again( sorry)

I can not believe it is December already!

Stitching has been non existent lately  its been work, parents evenings, careers evenings, this evening, that evening etc it goes on and on, so last night with the WHOLE night to myself i sat on watched White Christmas, didnt pick up a needle just sat and vegged out.

On the stitching front i did a tiny amount on mermaid, but nothing to shout about. i love the frame but it took some getting used to with the size of it.


I have also had a review done by Gizzimomo AKA Thea HERE and it better than I thought it would be.

And since its December i am have 25% off everything on the website HERE, and have two fantastic artists that are joining us in the new year that you will love.

And finally having another giveaway, This time you receive a chart just for entering, these are just simple charts, which you can choose from. then the winner will win 3 charts of their choosing from the site as well, so its a win win situation, To enter just comment and mention in your blog, or go the the Facebook page HERE, Dont forget if you want the free chart that is only available to the people that enter  let me know your email address  either on the comment or email myself at lovethythread@sky.com  and let me know the chart you would like Christmas Cupcake,Under The Mistletoe or Snowflake. Competition ends on 24th December.

Mrs Billy No Mates

There's nothing much to post really. Well on the stitching front I have nearly finished with 'merry' yes I know I said I would have had it done by now but I have been in agony with a abscess that made my eye shut completely, making me look like I had been in a boxing ring and having several visits to the hospital.
So stitching was the last thing on my mind.

I have however completely reworked the website which took me longer to do than I thought from making banners that looked professional to templates etc, anyway I have a few more charts to upload then it will be completely finished, I asked my husband if he had any comments good or bad as I like to know where I have to improve on , and do you know what he said .... " have you changed it?" Honestly !
So any feedback good or bad would be GREATLY appreciated ( www.lovethythread.com )

And finally I have ignored my husbands sulking and I am going to the stitch Nd knit show in Harrogate on Saturday. I can not wait, I am praying they have a millennium frame and it's not too expensive and I am going to see about some hand dyed fabric too so I am going to be there when the doors open to make sure I don't miss out, if your going you will recognise me as the one on my own as no one wants to come with me. So iPhone charged up music on and shopping can't wait!

Half Of An M and one more day left of giveaway

Started the Christmas banner today, I only had some 28ct Jazlyn left so its not going to be a banner as such but just over 11 inch long. Just part of the letters M and E showing at the moment but I am hoping to have the word MERRY done by end of next week also a quick reminder that there is just tomorrow left to enter the giveaway for more details see the post below

The 'C' Word is Coming!

Yes its November so that means GUILT FREE STITCHING!!!
Dark nights = more stitching + Birthday + Christmas, yes I can finally stitch for Christmas without anyone going, its JUNE!!
Wether I just stick with the while christmas theme all way though remains to be seen, since i have the patience of a fish it is highly unlikely, but last night i started doodling in photoshop and this is how it turned out this morning.

I wasn't really sure which way to do it, so MERRY had a different colour red in each letter, Christmas had 5 different colours in each letter.

I thought the green looked so much better, anyway i posted the picture on the Facebook page and this is what the end result looks like now

Yes the feedback was that the green looked better, so i have found a scrap bit of white 28ct so will start stitching this today, I asked hubby for a kindle Fire HD for my birthday but i think some fabric would also be in order ( whats betting i dont get either lol)

Halloween Giveaway,12 Charts!

First of all Happy Halloween, Cant believe its been ages since i was online, Family life has got in the way and i had to have time away from the internet.
But I am back now, the website is now all cleaned up and looking a lot better and i am holding aHalloween giveaway!

The Winner will win 12 charts, one to be picked every month for a year from the website!
I am also going to give a second and third prize if i get over 100 entries.
All you have to do is either go to the Love Thy Thread Facebook page and like and share the competition post or post a comment on this post and share on your blog, and thats it!

On the stitching front I have been stitching the Halloween freebie that I did unfortunately I didn't take a photo of it before I posted it to a relative and I have been working in a Christmas freebie too, and here is a small progress I made on mini Sundae Delight.

It's my birthday next week so I am hoping I can get a millennium frame so I can stitch better as I am not liking the tension I get with Q snaps.

Forgot to mention its a short giveaway and the winners will be drawn out on the 6th November, good luck!

Update three

Well this is a giveaway to what it is now I should have started in a different place in the pattern.

Second clue - competitoon

I really do not know where the weekend has gone I have done very little in the way of stitching so not really much more for you to see.I can see it more now, but then again I have the chart in front of me :)
Don't forget to look at my previous post for what you have to do.
Good luck!

Up for a little fun competition?

Ok so I am back at work now after six weeks and it's fair to say that it has been a shock to the system so very little( you can see what I mean by little) stitching has been done.

So for a bit of fun i have decided to have a little competition.

This is a chart from my website but can you guess which it is?

I will keep posting small updates to see if you can figure which one it is.

All you have to do it comment when you think you know which one it is, simple!


The first person who can tell me which one it is can choose any chart that they like from my site. You can have it sent as a PDF or through the mail.

A clue and I don't think it will help at all is it is DMC 934

Also I have been having problems with Facebook, on the love thy thread page which it seems Facebook will only show a small minority the post, and my personnel account in which my family and friends are bored with the stitchy stuff, so i have now combined the two hence my new profile.

Yes i know its not the same as a page but just send me a friend request where the only thing on my profile will be stitchy related 

Happy Stitching x

Hello Again... I think, and ideas of a giveaway

hello?... is there anyone out there?...


hmmmm maybe not...

Am I talking to myself?  Well if I am I should be used to it,

Yes after over a year away from blogger when i moved over to the other side ( wordpress)

it seems that it has locked me out, wont let me renew my domain name ( well it would for a stupid price and i would have to restart the blog again)

so i am going to see if i can get this working, and see if there is anyone still out there that remembers me lol

OK the short version is, my stitchy bug buggered off for quite a while, then i started designing my own charts, sold a few on Etsy bought better software that Bothy Threads use, and started getting a few artists involved, now i have four already on the site, three more that i am working on their artwork at the moment, and five that are in various stages of talks with.

I have learnt so much,  but there is also a lot more to learn, I started stitching again, and I was asked by  a magazine IF they could use my pumpkin in a where to buy section, wether they use it or not i don't know, but in case they did i stitched it myself and this is what it turned out like.

I like how it turned out but i HATE stitching on black, took me a week to stitch but would have been a lot quicker on white.

I am contemplating what to do next, do i continue on my HAED, Snowman by Ruth Sanderson...

or do i start another one of mine, i do like this by Katie White...

 

and there are quite a few others that i love too, which i cant show at the moment.

At the moment i am thinking of a quick stitch and with it nearly being Halloween I am thinking of doing another seasonal chart.

I have also had a idea of doing giveaways on Facebook that i set up and newsletters, i wont bore you with the details but  you can find more out here on my other blog, and my website is here

If i am stitching something of mine then i will show it but otherwise i wont drone on about my site as i use my other blog for that.

I would be grateful though if i could get some feedback on the giveaways that i am going to do and the site, as i have done it myself as i couldn't afford to have it done for me and when i ask hubby he says its ok, he says everything is ok really so i need a honest opinion.

Well i hope someone is  still out there i am going to do a bit of blog hopping now since everyone is watching paranormal activity and i will cry if i watch it.

Happy Stitching

X

WELL THAT'S ALL FOLKS

well for blogger that is anyway.
I may be making a mistake moving, but life is for making mistakes so I am jumping to the other side.

My new blog address is www.weestitchy.com  yes i have my own domain, so yes im sorry you will have to update your blogroll, which if blogger is playing up, is a pain but i am holding a giveaway to celebrate my new space on the net...come on what are you waiting for?!?!?

Moving sides and details of upcoming Giveaway

After 4 years, 178 posts and tons of comments ( thank you i never knew i had that many), I am moving over to Wordpress, Blogger has lost my post and made me swear at the computer for the last time.
Will give details tomorrow of new blog  as i am waiting to finalise my web address, yes I am going Dot Com :) and i cant set google friends up till i have my web address done,
And to celebrate i will be having a giveaway. Where the winner can choose there prize, between, a HAED chart,   a £15 gift voucher to spend at sewandso, or a donation to their favourite charity ( we know how a caring lot us stitcher's are -for us, that have so much stash we will never live to see the day when we are able to stitch it all), plus a copy of new Magazine Mollie Makes.

Just don't tell the hubby :D

Is Wordpress Any Good?

Blogger is really peeing me off lately, not uploading pictures, not saving ( which it is currently saying error occcured as i type again!) the list goes on so i am thinking about switching to wordpress, but not sure of the interface, could really do with some help here since i have been on here for 4 years, not sure really if wordpress or any others are good, so come on peeps spill the beans and let me now pleaseeeee.
.... oh i could show my stitching but pfft i got 20 stitches in total this week, damn work, damn my boss for deciding to moniter me this week, and damn me for not putting the lottery numbers on last night as i would have been a few more notes better off today. pah, i think i need to start this week again. If only we had a rewind button.

Attention of a Fish

Yes that is me, i get distracted easily, bored quick and would change the house around every week if i could. Yes i know i said i wanted to stick to my blog style for a whole year, but i did six months, instead of six days, so hey i am getting better.
Anyway on to the stitchyness.
This week on the HAED BB it is Freebie SAL week, so i got out Fragile Heart and i have done a bit on her, but now my mind is a wandering to another piece, it seems I do 4 days then want to change.
Yes i know i will never finish anything but as a wise woman said on the HAED BB stitching is supposed to be fun and not  a chore SO i am actually listenening to those wise words and putting her away till next SAL, or when she screams at me again, Yes i know 4 days of stitching a month wont finish her this year and i will fail  my yearly goals i set myself but sod it, i made 'em i can break 'em!  ( besides im going to fail on most of them anyway)

Well at least you can see what i did this time :)

Finally does anyone know where i can get the basics on where to learnt to crochet, I bought  the new magazine Mollie Makes and have subscribed for the next 3 issues.

so far its a huge thumbs up, and i would love to have a dabble at learning to crochet, but i dont know one end of a pointy thingy from the other (edited to add learnt it is called a hook, see I'm learning!)
 I was even going to buy a mag on crochet, but thought better of it. i mean i could buy tools to get started and still have change for the price it was!

I am also hoping that i will get a chance of making the cover kit on the next issue, as my youngest decided that she would have this issues and is in the process of making her phone cover, charming i know, honestly my kids will take anything of mine!

Crap photo but i am falling out with blogger tonight so it can stop, honestly i really need to stop shouting at my laptop

TUSAL and 4 Days On Corsair

Yes i have finally managed to actually get my TUSAL in on time, not much going on with it, but i am so tight with my threads but it is growing slowly.

Here is four days stitching on Corsair, she is growing but i didnt put a stitch in her today, as i was making the most out of no internet connection and getting the kids to help me outside. I don't really want to put it down but i need to spend a few extra days on Fragile Heart as i am falling way behind, if i want to actually finish a HAED this year.

This is what she looks like now...

                                       and this is what she looked like before the May SAL...

 i know what your thinking, wow she can stitch fast lol hoping i can redeem myself, but i am looking after my niece tomorrow so hoping this weekend will be better, will try and post a mid week update.

On my previous post, WENDY asked me what the red lines are on my fabric. I dont like gridding much as i am slow and always have to double and triple check the lines so i thought i would give Magic Guide by DMC a go. Now its no where near as nice to stitch on as Jazlyn but it saves me time but i had not seen any that some one had used it and washed the red lines out, so i cut some off my fabric and  followed the instructions on DMC's web site, which to be honest were not very good, wash at 40. That was it.

So i did that i put it into a bowl  at 40 and what happened.... nothing, i left it for a bit longer, still nothing. Panic was now starting to rise and hubby tried to rub it together. By this time i was on the edge of hysterical, all that work for nothing. I then put some washing powder in and it started to disappear. Hysteria abated i left if for another few minutes and this is the end, but very tatty product( lesson learnt not to let hubby had hold of my fabric again.)

you can faintly see the lines when you hold the fabric up to the light, maybe more soaking would eradicate it completely and i wouldnt use it if you could see the fabric but for HAED its perfect.
Now onto a mid week update on Corsair Daemira. I started stitching her on Saturday morning while having a marathon DVD session and by Sunday night I had got this far...

and that was stitching most of Saturday and Sunday, I wish I could stitch faster. I finally finished all the blue and by Monday night i had got this far...

I may even get half a page finished before the end of this week as niext week is the HAED SAL so i will be working on Fragile Heart, and i am not enjoying stitching on 18ct no more it feels too big, if that makes sense.
Hope everyone is having a productive week
.

Finally Finished ( page one that is)

Yes i did it, not like there were many stitches to put in, but there were a few colour changes, in there.

Dont know wether to continue with this page or make a start on Corsair Daemira, ( which will have to be renamed as i always have to look up the correct spelling- suggestions welcome, as i cant think  of any)

Quick Update

Did very Little stitching this week, on DOTF life seems to get in the way. But i AM going to finish this bleeding page this week, i am!!

Now must get back to planning this menu out for school, hubby back soon and i said i wouldnt touch the computer  and my stitching, will be glad when its next week and i get 5 days off work!

Yummy Johnny

WOO HOOO!! Got tickets to see Pirates of the Caribbean: On stranger tides, tomorrow, yummy Johnny Depp, looks disher as a pirate than in real life, so to celebrate i bought...... another head yes i know i said i wanted a quick stitch, but i got a soft spot for pirates and mermaids, and i couldn't resist.
CORSAIR DAEMIRA, by Nene Thomas

I have also been looking for something quick to stitch so i could stitch when i am out, so looking for a mermaid or pirate theme to stitch.

Now just to tell the kids, as i have only got two tickets, that wont go down well!

Restless

No picture Im afraid as HAED's are so slow to stitch up, what i need is a really fun stitch thats not too...trying to find the right words but all i can come up with is concentrating to stitch?, A Quick Stitch?,  does that sound right? hmm well i know what i mean but hubby has banned me from buying any more, pah bloody men!
I  could stitch my LK Christmas Rules, but its summer and well i don't do christmas charts till at least September/October, so no idea maybe i should start my mirabilia.. does anyone else ever get like this?
Think i will look for some freebies, i may find something there.

I may be just on one of them moods lol

So how many would you say is too much to have on the go at once, how many do you have?  and how many charts/kits do you have in your collection? I think sometimes i should stop wanting to start and actually finish what i have!

Fragile Heart

Crap photo I know!

Page 3 was emailed to us this week so i really need to pull my socks out as i really want to finish a HAED this year. It is the SAL tomorrow so this I took a photo to show where I am at the moment, I should at least finish this page this week.  Looking forward to seeing her eye come alive.

May TUSAL

Bugger, i knew i would forget to post my TUSAL, well better late than never. I even got rid of the jam jar too!!

On the stitching front i havent done any as i have been preparing for my new job, pah work who needs it!

Black, Black and more Black

MY STITCHY BUG IS BACK!!!, Sorry i had to shout about it as i thought it had buggered off never to be seen again, i have got back into my mermaid again, and took it with me camping, I only took two colours with me 3371 and 301 ( dark brown and black), i did all of these two colours on page 5 and i have started page 6 which most of it is just black.

I really wanted to put it down and finish page one of DOTF but i am going to try and get all the black done before i swap, well as much as i can before Friday as its the Freebie SAL on the HAED BB this week.

The trouble with HAEDS are it doesn't look much but it takes me ages to stitch, so I'm happy with the progress, i am hoping you can see a difference at the end of the week

REALLY NEED TO GET STITCHING

I took the baby sampler to my sisters yesterday after i went and bought a frame for it from IKEA, and it looked really good, although i nearly killed my husband when all i asked him to do was to put the wire on the back of the frame, and what did he do, he only went and bloody broke the glass!

I wasn’t best pleased and threw a massive strop at him, I mean it was Good Friday at 5.30pm, where would be open at that time? Well it happened there was a place local to us and in the end i was really pleased i went as i have seen the most gorgeous frame that was just what i was looking for!

My Mermaid that is screaming so loud at me now ( busy working and loads of paper work to get sorted before i move kitchens at work) would look perfect in the frame, all really old fashioned and heavy like the ones that were used in the days when Tall Ships roamed the seas, so yes i was annoyed at hubby but i wouldn’t have seen the frame, so i am now all packed for 4 days camping with no kids and my stitching is in the car ready for tomorrow, so hopefully we will get plenty of sun, stitching and relaxation in, and i will have an update to show when i get back.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter and don’t eat all your kids Easter Eggs!

Happy Dance Time - Finally

Yes, i have been stitching, but not much as it seems since i have moved all i do is work get home tidy house go to bed early and i am up at 4 for work again, stitching seemed to have stopped.

But one reason is this little thing, I have finally finished it, well all I am doing anyway.

I didn't enjoy stitching this, and i was determined not to stitch anything else till i did, yes i know its stupid, but if i had put it aside I would have never finished it, so I am going to find a frame for it and get it to my sisters as soon as possible as I am sick of seeing it!

Mermmie has been screaming out to me every time i saw her, so tonight after my 8 hours stuck in a meeting. she will have some stitches put in her!

Well my goals are some what unrealistic but i have done at least one.

Updates

I  have made little progress of anything since i moved, as you will see, but I MUST finish the baby sampler, as last weekend was the Christening, and Charlottes first Birthday was today, so I really need to get it done.

As for my others well, I am still on page one of Fragile Heart, even though the second page has been mailed out to us.

I did make a start on Marilyn, but alas you cant tell which part it is yet, i think its near her face.

I am still on page one of DOTF, i think my goals are going to fail miserably this year!

Here is my start of Daffodil Springs, another Hannah Lynn which was my treat for moving, yes like i need ANOTHER new start.

And finally here is a piccie of the cupcakes i made for my nieces christening/birthday, not happy with some of them as my hubby was complaining saying i was getting the buttercream was too near the edge, but i prefer them that way, but i have got to make some more, for a child's birthday that was at the christening, so i will do it my way this time!

Am i missing much?

I am still here, but no internet fingers crossed it won't be long, i hate been internetless, how did we survive before

just dont hold your breath for loads of updates my  stitching bug is asleep

Before and After

Well we have finished taking out all the new units and replacing the doors, we were told to leave our new kitchen in, that we had paid for. I don't think so was a watered down version of what i said.
I mean what's the point as they are knocking the houses down, Hubby said they would take things out what they could sell, well we have left them a kitchen in. Just not our new one.

When i look at the photo now it reminds me how much hard work we put into the house and now we have a leave it all behind.

My mum did says that at least i am leaving that dreadful colour on my kitchen wall behind!
Honestly her house is painted in magnolia in every room, I hate magnolia with a passion. So guess what colour my new house is. Yes thats right Magnolia from floor to ceiling in every room!

I am Moving!!

I am still here, but i am not stitching at the moment as it has been a mad rush. To find a house that the rooms are bigger than a box has been hard, they were either far too small and expensive to rent, only for 6 months, or just right but way off our budget. So after months of looking and stressing  i can finally say we have got one!!
10 more days and were moving so now is the dubious task of packing. We have only been here 2 1/2 years and to say we had nothing after the house fire, how the hell did we manage to accumulate so much crap!!

So i have made a start on throwing out all the things that the kids have kept and not thrown out and trying to decide what we actually need and what i can make a start on packing. Next Saturday can not come soon enough, the days are dragging and i wish we could move this week!

I will have no internet for about 3 weeks when we move too so how we will cope we don't know, but hopefully my stitching mojo will have returned and i will have lots of updates to show. Now i am off to wade through all the things the kids have decided to keep and throw out, and what's betting that i will make a few changes there!

Here's Looking At You Kid

Here she is, and i have really enjoyed stitching her, so much that i am this week going to stitch another Hannah Lynn, Dreaming On The Farm, (  aka DOTF)  this week, I even remembered to fray check this piece.

Didn't Manage to Get As Much Done

Yay, i finally finished all the black on Fragile Heart, but boy did the last 1/4 of black take some doing. I have been playing taxi service with the kids and only have managed to stitch here and there but i will have to wait till next month to fill the bits in, i have seen a page stitched already on the HAED BB and the pinks just pop.
Will post a piccie tomorrow. Grumpy git (AKA the husband) has gone to bed and the camera is upstairs and its just peaceful with him asleep. should really go to bed since i am at work in 6 hours but I am drooling over Johnny Depp, yummy lol

TUSAL and monotone stitching

Well what can i say, black, black and more black and i am still only 3/4 of the page through, i am hoping to finish with all the black tomorrow as i am wanting to 'colour' in before i put it away on Friday.

And here is my TUSAL, on time too, woop woop ( lets see how long it lasts) most of my things are packed up so my orts are in a Baileys glass until i move and unpack and find something better to put them in. Can you see what's left of the candle - hubby didn't think to move it away from the fire, the dope!

New Start for the New Year

Well first of all, a Happy New Year to everybody! I hope everyone had good christmas, I am debating wether to take down the christmazs decorations today or not, i know my mum says it is bad luck but hell, im going to be homeless soon so im buggered anyway lol

I have decided to not do stupid resolutions that wont last( well not many of them anyway)
but i Do want to do the following:
try and read as many blogs as possible and keep up to date with them
reply to mail asap - as i tend to forget to reply
not change my avatars all the time, i am going to see if i can keep little miss mermaid for a whole year and not change my blog ( well after i have choosen a theme that i like)
NOT buy any more stitching patterns (this one may be hard when HAED keep releasing patterns to die for)

also i am wanting to take things as they ome and make the best of what i have got, there are people worse off than me
and be happy so any moaning posts you can offically kick my but!!

Now for the updates, been stitching Fragile Heart for the HAED SAL and have managed to do half a page of all the black, might do a bit more of her, would really like to get all the black out of the way.

She is stitched on 18ct 2 x1 and i really need to fray check the sides as there is not much room around the edges.
next I started a bit of Mermaid again, but i think i went into stitching overdrive and got fed up of stitching so went looking for a house to live, found nothing and went to bed depressed, i think i should have just carried on stitching.

Now i have to tidy the house up before i can do any mores stitching. i may be a while...

Goal Reached Just In Time

Well I Did it!! i reached my goal of completing four pages of my Mermaid this year, yes it is close and i would not have done it if i had not stitched all day during the Christmas holidays but i can now kit up for the HAED BB SAL that starts on Saturday, don't know what i am going to stitch until then, but i know my husband id relieved as i would not put the stitching down, and he was having to make his own cups of tea, aww poor thing lol.

Hope everyone had a good Christmas!

It's Beginning To Look A Bit Like Christmas

My news years resolution should be do finish something i start. As blogging everyday didn't go to plan. But thats Christmas for you.
Anyway i am showing the very little progress i have done on Mermaid, can you see them 20 stitches? No, well honestly they are there!

Took the photo on my new christmas present, well to be honest hubby bought a camera and said it was a joint present for both of us to each other. Now i know i shouldn't be ungrateful but he wanted a camera so got it i didn't want it, yes its better than our old camera but it wasn't high on my list of 'must get', so will i get to unwrap a handbag, purse even some glovers or slippers on christmas day, No as i have it now, yes i am feeling in a very selfish mood tonight, bloody men well it could have been worse, it could have been some tool or kitchen appliance i got.

Grumpy Bev has now left the building, so back to normal service...
The 2011 Weekly Stitch-A-Long Blog is now up and people can join in and i have put on to carry on with mermaid, but i bought this chart from Celtic Rose Needlecraft,


some of you will know that i have stitched Marilyn before in the 2009 SAL blog. So i am not bot sure which to put forward for the blog.

There is also another SAL i am doing on the HAED BB. From the 5 charts i chose Hannah Lynn Fragile Heart, I have got the floss list emailed through to me so i know have to get my fabby sorted out and make sure i have all the floss, as this also starts on the 1st Jan 2011.

Will i finish a design next year, who knows i managed to finish 2 UFO's this year, i am hoping to finish at least one next year, and as for reaching my yearly goal on the HAED BB of finishing 4 pages of Mermaid, well that is looking less likely all the time