A Merry Christmas to you

To all my readers Happy and Merry Christmas and 

a good and inspired New Year.

It is our South American crib which we bought over 40 years ago

in Ayacucho (Peru)

I will show you two new angels on our tree:

made by patchwork friend Waltraud and ...

the white angel created by patchwork friend Angelika

Outside it is looking like snow, but it isn't. No white Christmas

again this year as so many years before.

No sewing but knitting these days - it will be a vest without sleeves

and I will treat the family with a hotchpotch tomorrow - Christmas Eve

There are many other ingredients like onion, carrots, beans, leek, chickpeas.

They have a long drive, hopefully no traffic jam - everybody is driving

to their parents.

We had so many hokkaidos. I brought parts of them to my neighbour

I like the design of this slice:

There is still stuff for many soups.

My pocket

A pocket which I started when Karens Ruane's class "swathed in stitch"

was still running - and then a long interval of no sewing.

But I finished it at last.

The piece of white machine-made lace

- broderie anglaise - was part of the christening robe

of our daughter - when she was a three months old sweet baby.

It was hanging long from the arm of her goduncle who carried her to

the altar in church nearly exactly 49 years ago.

I stitched yellow and green embellishments on it. There is a strip of

yellowish-greenish fabric fixed with French knots and buttonhole stitches.

Fly stitches into the holes.

I made bumps which I learned from Karen. And points of

fine handkerchiefs, cutting them apart mercilessly.

 

It is hanging at the shutter of our farmhouse.

We are awaiting new neighbours for coffee and cake

 

 

They came and we had a lovely talk.

Then we made a walk - oh my, how lovely this tree is with its moss.

We are looking on a neighbour's farm - about 900 m high.

 

Farmers can't have more than 25 cows - there is not enough

pastureland. They sell the milk and are producing cheese -

Münsterkäse. They are very much supported by the state

as no family can live of only 25 cows, not in France and nowhere else

in Europe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tree on Hill - and cross stitch battle

After two days of rain and many more before without sun we made a walk in

the hills not far from home

We loved to see this lonely tree. ---

And all afternoon I did cross stitches - letters - over waste canvas

The method is good to get regular stitches - but to pull out the threads is

troublesome.

Letter "C" is in process of being freed - the "T" will be next.

I damp stretched it - and also it looks like the red thread bleeded it didn't.

It must be the shade or what ever. Damp stretching is fantastic and thanks

to Karen Ruane I know about this method of not ironing the embroidery but

stretch it with pins and moisten it and wait over night.

This was my first try - home-dyed pinkish-red thread.

It destroyed my letters T and S - So I started a new piece.

Tast Stitch 101 - spring and a future lego quilt

Take a Stitch Tuesday 101 Triangular buttonhole stitch and 102 Beaded Triangular buttonhole stitch

Nice little triangles - the buttonhole stitch variation

To find out how to sew this just click here....

My first row is stitched with a fine variegated cotton perle.

Then I used perle 5 for the middle row and

made a few yellow French knots to make it look joyous.

and then my version with beads.

But friends - this stitch works only when you count the gaps and threads.

I will do a wild version of this - without counting - I promise.

And here comes spring - it is the snowless winter

in our region. And this is February 25th.

We biked a little and saw this wonderful tree

and the sky in the meadow -

I never saw daffodils as early as that - they need still a little sun -

the crocusses -

And here my new work - cutting strips 4 cm wide and joining them

into long strips - to creat a lego quilt.

The first layout

To make a blanket I need 35 pieces. How long will that take.......?
Today I spent cutting the next strips. If you suppose that I am using up
scraps you are right. But they lasted only for 5 such squares. I started
to cut from fabric of my stash. Stash reducing!