Volume 19 No.2

My design 'Herald Angel has been published in Embroidery and Cross Stitch (Vol19, No.2)
Here are the magazine photos. It looks great, but my scan doesn't really show the quite vivid colours of the design.

I think I may take a photo of it myself tomorrow to try and show you those bright pinks and peaches in the stained glass background.

Progress 35 hours

OK, so this is what I've got after 35 hours of stitching, It's going to be about 120 hours I think. I like the way it's turning out.

3 hours today

I'm going to post a progress picture of 'sun' tomorrow. I'm thinking I may not send it to a magazine, but keep it for my online store (selling patterns through etsy). And that means I can post the finished item.

Stay posted.

Article Published

My article for Hawkesbury Agricultural Show was published in the latest edition of Embroidery and Cross Stitch (which is actually a stump work special). The magazine arrived in my letter box today.
I had hoped that the magazine would also publish my blog address. No such luck this time, but hopefully with my next design.

Tomorrow is my last day teaching for the term. it will be a long one. The performance ends at 8pm.
Thursday I'm not teaching but I still need to attend the night time performance, so I'll travel down in the afternoon.

Then I have two weeks off. What a relief. Though in those two weeks I do my planning for the next term. But I will also have time to stitch. I aim to finish 'sun' in those two weeks. Wish me luck!

Thanks for your comments on my marathon stitching session on Saturday. I couldn't repeat it on Sunday as I went to watch my son achieve his black belt in Taekwondo. It's probably just as well - my wrists are still a little sore. :)

I couldn't stop

When I get going, I really go for it.
Today I stitched for 7 hours on 'Sun'.
I could have stitched another hour if my hands hadn't started to ache.

I mapped out the back of his mask and hair and down the front of his shirt.
Unfortunately I've discovered something isn't meeting up properly and the line of stitching for the cape seems to end too high. but I think I'll be able to fudge it without unpicking, because honestly I don't really know where I made the mistake. That's the trouble with putting it down for so long I guess.

On My Way

Welcome to my new follower, wow, 16!!! LOL

I finished the quilt today. it looks so lovely, I can't wait to do another one.

BUT!!!

I also did number two on my little list (that tiny bit of backstitch on Shhh) and got to work on 'Sun' again. I managed an hour before this darn cold dragged me down again. Three weeks now this bloomin thing has lingered. I went to the doctor today to get some antibiotics to knock it on the head. She was STILL rectant to give me any as I didn't have a fever.

Well, tomorrow is another day and now I have done those jobs I wanted to get out of the way first. And I enjoyed the hour I did today which will spur me on tomorrow. It'll be finished before I know it.

This week I received notification that nother of my designs (Angel Moon) will be in ECS issue 19.3 which is due out in November. The priece arrived home in the post on Thursday. It's nice to have it back. It's a book cover so I'll be putting the note book to good use.

List of Projects and photos

Firstly; thankyou again for commenting. I'm STILL having issues replying. Mangogirl I may have to email you.

I'm nearly finished the applique quilt I was working on (one more 9 patch border to go). And then I have a list of things I need to work on.

1. I found a tiny bit of backstitch I missed on the fairy design for WOXS
2. Sun
3. Sampler for ECS mag, featuring a rose and a psotive saying

It's nice to kknow that my list of 'to do' is so pleasureable.

A few weeks ago I took my daughter to a small quilt show and we had some lovely mum and daughter time. I totally forgot to share the photos with you.

A height chart cross stitch, finished as a quilt.

 Some lovely picture applique

 This was Anna's favourite quilt. She does like bright colours!

 We'd been talking about log cabin blocks and I took this one to illustrate how different colours in different places produce different effects. There was also one that had same tones around the outside and a bright red (as the central hearth in the log cabin). But my stupid camera chewed up the batteries again.

Thoughts

I was reading my lovely friend Cucki's blog (she's my new penpal from South Africa - Hi Cucki if you're reading). She shared her thoughts on simple things in the day like what she was doing and hoping. It was lovely.

So here are my thoughts.

I'm thinking about the September surprise stitched card I need to post off (and another letter to Cucki and Laura in the UK).

I'm remembering the beautiful day we had outside yesterday on Father's day. The sun was shining, the company was good, the food was delicious ... such a relaxing day.

I'm hoping tomorrow will go somoothly at school. Today went well - very busy but fairly trouble free.

I'm still looking forward with GREAT anticipation to next year when I can be a designer full time.

Spring is here. The flowers are out, and all the vitamin D I got from being outside yesterday has made me very happy.

September Progress

It's Spring!!!!
I bought some violas and potted them in a lovely glazed pot I have, plus a hanging basket that has been sitting sadly empty for at least 8 months. They look lovely and inspired me to weed the garden, water the lawn and check on the worm farm. I just love Spring and the blooms are really inspiring to me.

The little violas with their sweet, colourful faces are bound to inspire a cross stitch card or two.

Speaking of cross stitch cards, there is a local lady who goes to the market in my home town and sells bookmarks and cards that she has cross stitched. She has been doing it for years. In fact I once comissioned her to do a green dragon card for my son's first birthday and he is now 15. I am going to ask her to stitch some of my designs for the magazines as I just don't have time to stitch all the ideas I have. I'll still choose some of my favourites to stitch.

I haven't touched 'Sun' in a week. Instead I've been working on needle turn applique mini quilts. I'm hoping the Patchwork magazine will pick them up.

This afternoon I posted off some projects to Express Publications; 'Moonlight Fairy', 'Moonlight' (the beaded box) and a fairy done in needle turn applique that I've called 'Sparkle'. Fingers crossed, they will go in three different magazines. Eventually I hope to be submitting successfully to four different Australian magazines and three overseas magazines. If all goes well, that should keep the cheques coming in enough to call myself a professional designer.

I'll keep you updated here of course.