collection....

so far....my collection and it continues to grow...there's more, much more. I promise I will show you when I can. Meantime get yourselves over here and see how amazingly talented some people are!

binding and buttons....

I'm back!! One year older and having consumed more cake that I thought was humanly possible. Can you tell just by looking at me...do I have more wrinkles? No...oh that's good then, phew!! I have had such a wonderful three days....tea party was amazing, so many people, lots of fantastic food, thanks mum! A trip to the cinema in VIP seats no less! A meal out last night and so many presents...books, a gorgeous watch from my hubby, earrings, money, chocolates,  huge hamper of Thorntons chocolate, a beautiful bracelet off my little boy and a delivery courtesy of my little girl of delicious handmade cup cakes! See, too many cakes!! Thanks so much to all of you too, for the messages on here and on facebook, it's official, I'm a spoilt brat.

Consequently there hasn't been much embroidery going on. I have finished binding the edges on two of my collection pieces and I also managed to make some more buttons for you, yes you, my one reader. I have moved from white as you can see. I had a pink moment.... as usual just leave a comment, simple as. Last weeks winner.....under a topaz sky. Sorry you can't all win honestly I am but if I keep giving buttons away every week until I am a hundred then I'm sure you will all win eventually! All you need to do is hang in there with me, we can grow old together!

Well now that party time is over I have a list, a long list. Top of the list? Responding to the 40 odd messages I have...yikes!! That's a full day then. Next on the list....coming up with a new product for the shop. It is so dead over there that I would starve were I not a kept woman. I think it's time to try and get the ball rolling....

speechless......

I have known this was coming for what seems like years, my postman has known it's been coming for what seems like years, you have known it's been coming for what seems like years....so why am I almost speechless? as excited as a two year old at christmas? Well who cares.....I don't think I have EVER been this excited! I shall be sleeping with this under my pillow, I've already read it about ten times....and incase you missed it, this is Uppercase, Issue 9 and that is me, double page spread, proper interview and everything! Autographs available by request!! 

Unfortunately my scanner doesn't work....boo I hear you cry, I know. I am hoping that if you click the images they will enlarge enough for you to read it. If not, I will borrow my mums scanner next week and get it all uploaded then...for now you will have to take it from me that it is marvellous....but doesn't make mention of my modesty!

In other news....embroidery news.....oh who cares about embroidery today? Well number three is finished and damp stretched. I ordered silk bias binding yesterday for the edges of all my pieces and as soon as that comes it will be painstakingly added to the three finished pieces. Number four, the white piece with the cutwork and applique is still ''in progress''. I have had an idea that I hope will make it less boring to me and intend to make progress with that later today. For now though, I am off to read my magazine again!

pure white....

Just three images for you today. I hope you won't mind when I explain that it's because there is a bit of a ''button fest'' going on. Yes, I have decided to give you some more buttons...not today, later in the week when I will pick the winner of last weeks.

The work here is number four. I started number four before number three is finished, The reason? my poor fingers. It is quite hard to get the needle through the pleated silk and the ground fabric and I had an unfortunate accident involving my thumb and the eye of the needle on friday so I'm giving it a rest for a few days. Instead I am working on ''gentle and soft'' pure white.

It has been very quiet here this weekend. I have mostly been alone but you will be pleased to hear that I have managed to keep out of mischief and have enjoyed the company of my work, it's been lovely.

additions...

Progress has been made with the white on white piece. I finished the ruching of the second long silk strip and added french knots to both edges. Next came more lace, Liberty lace, with one edge buttonhole stitched and the other given an edge of french knots. Ruched silk is also being applied across this but as yet isn't complete so I'm afraid you will notice some crude tacking stitches here and there.



This leaves me with a strip of blank off white cotton on the right side of the piece which will need to be embellished. I haven't decided what I will put there yet but once I do decide and then actually do it the third piece will be finished. All of these pieces will have to be presented with bound edges. Well I say they will have to be, not sure if it's compulsory or whether it's my OCD but they WILL be presented with bound edges. I have been considering this for ages and have decided to try and find some silk binding. I would rather have that ''as soon as'' because it is going to be much better to do them as I go along rather than be faced with thirty to do at once.

A note about my button give away now, whoever wins will get both buttons. It won't be two winners and a button each. Thanks so much to everyone who has commented and mailed me. With the best will in the world I won't be able to reply to all of you personally but rest assured that all your names will go in the hat along with a couple of others who have mailed saying they were unable to leave a comment. Anna is having a weekly give away of her gorgeous tape and that has led me to think I may do the same....with buttons. I haven't decided for definite yet, that will depend on how much time I have this weekend. I am thinking that maybe if I can get six buttons made by sunday I will have three weeks worth, we shall see. As for the rest of today...I have a long list, a humungous list so I had better get off the p.c. and start ticking things off.....

the third one...white on white

The third piece, white on white. Not yet finished, this one is about a third complete but was damp stretched last night to give me a sense of the overall embellishment. I must first point out though that the white lace at the top of the work is not my creation. That is lace I bought from Liberty. The ruched silk with french knots however is mine, applied to ''quiten'' down the lace and to add something of me to that section. After all, I can't claim to be an aspiring designer if all I do is sew bits of other peoples cloth together can I?

I have attached the lace to a piece of vintage cotton with buttonhole stitch, three rows, to create a delicate lacy edge. I have done the same to attach the vintage cotton to another piece of ''found'' cloth. The small circular embellishments are all my own work. I don't have a name for them, they will now become ''thingys''. Lovely little ''thingys'' they are too, in real life a little like tiny cups...I am going to have to be extra careful with this one...don't want to squash them!

In other news...I haven't done any sorting out or organising yet...I am waiting for the kids to go back to school. O.K. I know I don't have any kids in that sense but still, they are noisy outside whilst they are playing and it's distracting....that's my excuse anyway. A major breakthrough was made in the London pictures saga...I found my disc!! You know.... I live in the smallest house you have ever seen...why then can I never find anything??? Anyway, find it I did and those pictures are now here so go have a look. There is a treat for you with pictures of one particular shop that will make you drool...promise. The magazine I hear you cry......I HAVEN'T GOT IT YET!!!! My postman will be taking out a restraining order against me any time now...stalked he is poor man.

spoilt....

I'm late today, sorry about that. I have been out, yes actually outside in a car and everything. Shopping for my little girls birthday was the plan. Focused? you bet, knew exactly what I wanted and everything...ha!! Skirtgate all over again...nothing, zero, zilch is precisely what I have so plans for another day are afoot, like I've got time to shop till I drop!! Ignore the fact that I would rather have my toenails removed than go shopping! Friday it is then....I  toyed with the idea of online for a second but we have so many bank holidays coming up it was never going to happen...oh well, these things are sent to try us!! Good job she is worth it..

Now, embroidery, blue and white, the first piece of my new ''collection'', I'm posh, I'm getting a collection!! It isn't even half finished yet and bearing in mind that I need thirty, yes thirty pieces in total it's going to be a long haul my friends. I am enjoying this blue and white so much though, you may be seeing a lot of it. I am in the process of making a gift of blue and white buttons and I am also working on an order for a blue and white piece alongside the work on here so it's blue and white for a few days yet. No complaints from me.....

Now for the spoilt bit, the title of this post...I have received so many parcels and gifts in the post recently that I am totally spoilt rotten, a brat infact. I have received packages of cloth, lace, tatted flowers, hooks and eyes and even beautiful vintage baby clothes all of them unsolicited, all of them purely because people are wonderful and generous and kind. So I want a big drum roll and I want to give a huge  thankyou to Gina, Mary Anne, Jane and Betsy...you are all amazing and I am more grateful than you will ever know, thankyou.

I have had a few e-mails asking about THE MAGAZINE....which one it is, well it is this one, Issue 9, out imminently. I haven't got mine yet and as there is so much interest from all of you I am now starting to worry, racking my brains to remember what I said in my ''interview'' and praying that I haven't embarrassed myself, Yikes!!