moving on....

I think I am moving this piece on in a good way, a positive even innovative way. What do you think? It is the same yet different if you know what I mean. It is fascinating how the addition of only a single element can change something so drastically. The stitches are the same, the cloth the same, the colour the same, the inspiration the same, yet adding the fold, pockets and hooks and eyes has changed even this tiny section dramatically. These are only tacked at the moment so please ignore any loose or straggling threads,

I am going to continue with the hook and eye strip. I am going to lay it next to each section that is already finished. I am going to doodle and play wirth arrangement and then if all goes to plan I will have a jigsaw puzzle of pieces which will hopefully fit into a collection of cushions. Yes, a collection, four to be exact, again different yet the same, linked by colour and stitch.
Now I've noticed a blogging variation going on have you? Some people are shut down already for christmas. Some hardy, dedicated souls are doing blog advents, every day commitments, I take my hat off to you, well done. Then there are people like me, no plan, no schedule , just waffling on as the need takes them. Truth be told I am scared to take a break, my stats will drop like a stone and I am SOOOO stat obsessed that I need some kind of medication. Don't be fooled and start thinking ''oh Karen must be all ready for christmas, she is so organised she can do yuletide and continue to stitch and waffle''. Well oh no she can't. I am so behind with my festivity preparations that I am getting palpitations. I will be last minute shopping christmas eve the way I'm going. I was going to sign off for the holidays today, the thought crept into my subconscious as I worried over how much I still have to do for the holidays but hey....if you take it down to the bare bones, the actual hours and minutes needed to accomplish everything then it doesn't  feel too daunting. Then subtract sleeping and eating and you have even more time....so you will have to put up with me just a little longer before I put my santa hat on!!

two down, three to go...

Yes....two days in a row, please don't faint! Thing is I am so time pressured this week, well actually I always seem to be time pressured. (do I? or am I imagining it?) Maybe I need a time management course or maybe I just need to go and live in a cave somewhere with no distractions. Anyway, I beavered away yesterday and finished two of the three and now have to finish the third and start the fourth and fifth. Get it? I hope so. These are now in the shop as instructed by newsletter, feature and e-mail. Bombarded with those too, must answer some today.

I particularly love the white one, it is so ''refined''?'' classy''? or ''hideous''? you decide...not that I don't like the other one it's just that white is my thing, like you didn't know that already!!
Tomorrow my niece arrives from Sweden, I am going to collect her, she will stay with me tomorrow night, (now let's see, how good is she at embroidery I wonder, I could put her to work) and then I will take her to grandmas on thursday, hence my upside down week. Friday I am off to the Knitting and Stitching show so don't pop round without ringing first because I don't know when I will be in!! I do hope though that number three is finished by thursday and that number four and five have started!!

take a deep breath......

Lots of pictures in todays post, most likely quite a bit of waffle and definitely a little ranting so if you are of a nervous disposition then please switch off now! My internet connection died on monday morning, I rang my ISP and was, much to my disgust, informed that they could not get anyone out to have a look at it until wednesday, a whole 48 hours away. I bit my tongue, a very difficult thing to do when you want to rip someones head off and swallowed the fact that wednesday morning between 8am and midday it would have to be. Don't get me wrong, I am well aware that the individuals who answer the phone are but minor players in the service we do or don't receive from these huge companies, merely folowing a script and most likely subject to verbal abuse on a daily basis, not from me though, I always rise above it, I always maintain an air of ''I know it's not your fault'' when speaking to them and am 100% polite, the way I was brought up to be and the way I would expect my own children to behave. How frustrating is it though that the people who are really at fault are always innaccesible? Anyway, this morning arrived, excitement chez moi, internet back before midday.......don't you believe it. Midday came and went, 1pm came and went. I get back on the telephone, ''oh he's been held up'' was the response. Now I'm not stupid, anyone can have a glitch, a delaying factor in their daily routine, my daily routine has been up the swanny for 2 days so I think I have insight...but... and it is a very important but...the small print!! In the small print it clearly states that if I, yes me, fail to keep this appointment for any reason then I will be charged some ridiculous excessive amount. Right I thought (and by this point I had steam coming out of my ears although the person on the other end of the phone must have thought I was sainted as so polite and calm was I)  this is it. I calmy, no beautifully and  serenely actually, said, ''I understand that if I had failed to keep this appointment I would have been charged x amount of pounds. Well may I suggest that as the failure is yours my account be credited with the same amount'' not a question, more of a beautifully delivered order...and if they could have seen me I was also giving my telephone the ''stare of death''! Do you know what? It worked. So there's a lesson there, the little man (or in this case, embroiderer) can sometimes win.

Moving on, because of my lack of access to cyber space I have done a LOT of work. It has been a hardship though I can tell you. I feel as if I have spent the last 2 days doing cold turkey complete with blindfold and ear pliugs, horrible!! Here we have more white and gingham, these are panels that will eventually become cushions. I have 4 tacked together and 1 fully embroidered

and than we have 3 more pin pillows, gifts for people who shall remain namelss. I am just waiting for some new labels for these and then I can get them finished and sent off to Santa.

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It's the wedding on saturday, yes THE wedding. I now have something to wear, big sigh of relief. I won't be doing favours for the wedding which was announced yesterday, they couldn't afford me and I'm afraid I will have to decline my invitation too, can't go through the outfit hunt again. I have tons of people to visit and e-mail, it's amazing how your inbox fills up after only 2 days, I will get to you honest just give me a little time. I will definitely be getting back to you Mary Anne, I'm intrigued!!

wedding favours....

Only four pictures for you today but never fear because I can assure you that you will be sick of these before I've finished! Wedding favours that started out as a request for 36 then jumped up to 41 and now stands at 50. They're for my cousin who is getting married on November 20th. When I was asked yesterday to increase the amount to 50 I said yes of course, swiftly followed by ''and I'm not answering the phone to you again before November 19th''.! In all seriousness though I really don't mind, family, don't you just love them.

As for the colour choice, I am reliably informed that it matches the bridesmaids dresses. I received a beatiful, if tiny, Pantone colour swatch all the way from New York if you please!! Very posh indeed! These will eventually become tiny cushions, silk dupion, hand embroidered in this colour matched silk thread with hand made labels showing the name of bride and groom along with the wedding date. I will of course show you when they are finished but as yet the labels are not ready so it will definitely be when I come back from my holidays. Two of the fifty will also be unique. They are for two special guests who must remain nameless but I have started those and may be able to show you some of that tomorrow.
In the meantime I am racking my brains trying to think of what I can make alongside these and then you won't have to look at the same thing every day for the next month!! Wish me luck....