in progress.....

More work for the shop, when I finally get round to it that is! These will eventually become pin cushions, honest they will as soon as I can be bothered to get the sewing machine out to back them. I have been a bit distracted today, explanation coming up but it has been a busy 24 hours. I have finished another white fragment, that's for next time, started another white fragment and been searching online for plain bindings for my new and exciting venture.

Now , my busy 24 hours.....It is my little boy's birthday today!! Now he is all grown up I would say he is even more adorable but I know that's hard to believe! We went out for a meal last night and this morning has been gifts, cards, balloons and cake. Now he has gone to the football with his dad and straight from there he is going away for a birthday celebration with his friends. My mothering is done for the day, I don't mind, I am happy because he is happy, so happy birthday James. We love you more than we could ever express.

So I am on my lonesome, not a bad thing, I can make a mess, cut up cloth, spread threads through the house. I can have fun making, playing and planning....and very exciting news...I have it on good authority that I am getting a FULL TWO PAGE SPREAD in the magazine...all my birthdays have just come at once!!!

cold turkey....

Yes I know it was only one day and I know it was self inflicted but boy did I miss this little home of ramblings yesterday!! It wasn't the same as missing four or five days because I was away, I wasn't away. I was here, walking past the computer at regualr intervals. I could hear it calling me, whispering and wondering if I didn't love it anymore. On the positive side, I am getting more embroidery done....

For the next week or so I will be making little bits and maybe some bigger bits for a re stock next week...why? Well remember a while back I told you I had some exciting news that I wasn't ready to share? Well I can tell you now. I am being ''featured''  ''published'' ''talked about'' in this wonderful publication in the next couple of weeks. Now I'm not sure how big the article will be, a whole page would be amazing but I would be happy with two lines to be honest as it's such an honour. I did answer numerous questions for the article and supply copious amounts of images so fingers crossed for a good spread.

Todays pieces are for the shop, maybe next week as I said. More puffs, pink gingham this time and another fragment. Now to explain more about the work I plan to do next, my new direction. I really didn't explain myself properly on monday...sorry!! The work will be essentially the same. I have the way I work and the way I embroider and I have my preferred cloth and my preferred stitches and I don't think I could change any of that no matter how hard I tried. I am me and my embroidery, I hope, is recognisably mine. No, what I will be doing is making for a different market, a more commercial market where the pieces will need to be square, precise, with bound edges and labels on the back with serial numbers on them. I will of course share with you, maybe not the full thing but glimpses that will give you a pretty good idea of what's going on. After all, If I didn't I wouldn't have anything to blog about and then I would be going cold turkey all over again. But that is for next week or maybe the week after and I am finding it hard to contain my excitement....

the beginning....

Another fragment is taking shape. I started this one last night whilst my third hook and eye piece was damp stretching. It's not even half way finished yet, more work definitely needed. A few more cutwork areas and lots more french knots. Tonight though I have one more muslin bag to make. The back of the third piece also needs to be done. Hook and eye fastenings, fourteen inch long opening....that's my evening sorted then

I have been out this morning looking for a cool blouse/shirt/top. Anything really so long as it's cool. As you know I am off to London on friday and for me London in summer, winter, anytime means only one thing and that's hot, hot, hot. I managed to get a long white short sleeved cotton thing which will suffice, as long as I'm cool I'm happy! You may be thinking, ''going away for the weekend with only one top??'' does she never wash? Well I actually have other things too, this is just a little back up, the reserve team so to speak.

fiddling

This is how I have spent the last few days, fiddling and going nowhere in particular. I was hoping that merely stitching without a real purpose would fire the brain up, ha, no such luck! I made small things mainly because nothing seems to be moving from here so I kind of thought, ''what's the point?'' Making the puffs was a pleasure though, they are so cheerful, brighten stuff up which we need as it's so dark and dreary here. I swear it hasn't stopped raining for weeks. I don't even like summer but even I am sick of the rain now. The other tiny piece is a small, precious fragment to do as you wish with. I think it would be a great and delicate addition to one of my ''little books of embroidery'' alternatively you could use it to wash the floor! It would have to be a little floor though. Anyhow these are now listed and I'm not holding my breath!!Now I am wondering what to do next. I think when the neighbours snuck in with their washing in the middle of the night they left with my imagination. it's as if my brain has dried up, my batteries have run out. I will spend most of this weekend alone due to numerous factors, number one being the return of the football. Everytime I mention my team on here we get beat but I am going to risk it.....come on you blues!! I am actually very excited, I love football but I digress. A mostly solitary weekend means time and space for a project. Normally I would have it planned by now, be extremely focused with a plan of action. Nope, nothing. Let's hope it appears in the next hour or so. Any suggestions would be very gratefully received, who knows it might kick start something. Perhaps I could start a new line of designer floorcloths. What do you think?
p.s. sorry for the poor photographs, it really is very dark here, I kid you not.