Last stitches

We're ready. Lore cooked the meat (roast-beef) and I prepared the cheesecake. We're going and having dinner with other 11 friends. I decided to change my hairstyle and I had my hair set. I'm waiting for looesening my hair and I hope to have not done anything wrong otherwise I'll be the clown of the night. Lol!

I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year. 2005 was wonderful, I really enjoyed with all the blogger stitchers and I hope our 2006 will be as this past year.
I look forward to starting the new year with my old projects and new ones.
I've a lot of projects in mind and I'd like to realize at least some of those.

I have the last stitches to share. Yesterday I worked a bit on the Carriage House Sampling design I chose to stitch with the Vikki's silks.
I stitched Celtic Summer by Lavender&Lace too but I've not an interesting progress to post.



Have a great night!

Snow in Florence

Yesterday I worked on Lavender Hill by LHN again. I'm really enjoying myself with it and I should finish it soon. To tell the truth I have to stitch the stocking for Lore but I'm sure I'll not be able to have it ready at Epiphany. I'll fill with sweets and candies the old stockings I made for him in the past years.



Yesterday I was stitching Lavender Hill when Lore called me and said to me "Look at the window!". It was snowing but I have never seen snowing in Florence as yesterday it was snowing. I was so busy with the stitches that I didn't notice it...I stopped and stared at the snow.

snow during the night: snow in the morning:

My usual stitches

I decided to start stitching my first Carriage House Samplings design, Be my love. I have been wanted to try Victoria Clayton's silks for a long time. They're gorgeous.
Here is the first picture of the pattern.



And I worked for a bit on the Lavender Hill by Little House Needleworks. Those designs are lovely. I like almost all of them and I saw the new one by Country Cottage Needlework. I fell in love with it and I have to have it soon. It's a beautiful pillow! You can see it here.
About my Lavender Hill the progress is good even if I didn't stitch it for a long time. The pattern is simple and little, but lovely and funny. During these days I need some little projects to have more happy dances.

Christmas gifts

Yesterday we spent a really happy Christmas. We had lunch at my grandmother's home. We were 17: there were my uncles and aunts, my cousins, my father and my grandparents. We really enjoyed because my grandfather dressed up as Santa and he distributed the gifts. The gifts were in a big sacking. After lunch we talked and played, then we went and visited Lore's family. We had dinner with his parents, his brother, his sister and his nephews.

I'm near the big table

My grandparents dressed up as Santa


Naturally I counldn't stitch yesterday but I can share the pictures of my Christmas gifts.

These are the needlecases I stitched and sewed for my friends and cousins. The right side:

and the back side:

This is a stockings case for two of my friends. I sewed two of these. I stitched the words "Le calze". That means "stockings".

I sewed two identical potholders for my father. The design is by an Italian magazine. The fabric is a Debbie Mumm fabric (Le Petite Provence).

And I sewed six of these potholders. Two are for my kitchen, the others are for my two cousins. The fabrics are by Teresa Kogut (Wintertime Friends).

Today I can come back my usual stitching. I'm organizing my stash and my future projects. I kitted up one of my 2006 designs. I'm going to stitch my first Carriage House Samplings design. It's "Be my love" and I'll use a Cashel Linen from Zweigart Taupe 28ct. The threads are by Victoria Clayton.

I'd like to talk more about my future projects but I'll do so in another post. Later we'll visit our friends because we have to decide our dinner menu for the 31th of December. Now I want to stitch a bit!

Before Christmas

I've not been stitching for some days but I didn't feel motivate. I had not pictures to share about my progresses. I'm working on Christmas gifts and I prefer to post these pictures after Christmas when all the gifts are opened.
Tonight I'm going to finish off some potholders for my cousins and my father. I have to sew a gift for a friend too. I think I should be ready tomorrow.
This morning I received my most recent order on SB&B. They're a lot of beautiful threads I need for some future projects. There are threads for some Little House Needleworks charts and threads for some Lizzie Kate flip-it. With an Italian friend I'll start stitching 12 Flip-it charts by Lizzie Kate. We'll stitch a chart every month and we'll start next January. Naturally we'll stitch the January flip-it. It's a kind of SAL and if anyone wants to join us, we'd be happy.
It's 10.20 pm here and I have to go and stitch. Christmas is really coming...

sewing...

Yesterday I spent my free time sewing some Christmas gifts. I'm really happy because I have some finishes. To tell the truth I have to finish off the four needlecases for my friends but they will take me few minutes (I hope so...).
I've not finished my gifts yet but they're going on and this makes me optimistic.

I stitched a bit too, but just a tiny gift. It's for my grandmother and I'll join it to the present for her. We will spend our Christmas lunch with her, my grandfather, my father, my four cousins, my aunts and my uncles. I thought it would be nice to give her something stitched by me. I stitched a little pattern that I found on an Italian magazine.



Then I have two finishes I sewed for me. I prepared a little pillow with the Felicity Wishes design that I finished to stitch some days ago. I used a Mary Engelbreit fabric. I think it turned out cute.


















And this is the PR free chart, Winter Topiary that I decided to sew as a wall hanging: I'm going to use it out of my door.

Stash and little progresses

I'm working on my Christmas gifts but I have not any picture to share. I'm stitching other two needlecases and I hope to finish all of them tonight or tomorrow.

But I have two little progresses, one for the Christmas Elf Fairy by Mirabilia, one for the Christian's Stocking by Shepherd's Bush.





The stocking is for Lore but I'm sure I'll not be able to have it ready for Christmas. I think I could finish it for the 6th of January. In Italy it's the right day for the stockings. Kids beleive that a kind old woman brings children their presents and sweets and cookies in the stockings at the Epiphany. I don't know if it is only an Italian custom.

During these days I received two orders. One of my orders on Silkweaver is lost but I finally received the one I had made during their sale.
I purchased some fabrics I hope to use for some LHN projects.





















Then my first Carriage House Sampling pattern is arrived. I think the leaflet is beautiful. It looks vintage and elegant, working with it will be funny. I had ordered it because I wanted to try the Victoria Clayton fibers and I chose this pattern because she made a very good conversion for it. I'm impatient to try her silks.





















I've not been answering a SBQ for two weeks because my Internet connection was down. I'm answering this week's question. It's really interesting.




Take a minute to reflect on your blog reading habits and preferences. What do you prefer to read in stitching blogs? (Progress, tips, family life, experiences, etc.) How much do you think you are influenced by other stitching bloggers?

When I read blogs I love reading about stitching progresses and stash. It wonderful to see all the ladies' patterns and I take part in their delight when they have an happy dance or they receive something new. It's really funny. But I also like reading about the stitchers' life, their journeys or recipes (I love travelling and cooking!). I think it's very interesting to read about customs of so many countries because we're all over the world.

I'm completely influenced by the other stitchers' blogs. Every day I find something interesting in some blogs: ideas, new patterns, news, beautiful finishes. I must say thanks to everyone.
But...I have a problem. If I notice that somebody is stitching or has in her stash an interesting design and I like it too, I have to have it as well. The most recent example about it is my Mill Hill kit. I had seen it on Danielle's blog and I fell in love with it. I immediately purchased it! So my patterns list grows every day...

Pictures

First of all, thank you for your posts. I missed you and your blogs. And I missed everyone during the past days again even if I was in Austria to ski.

I have some pictures to share. Here is my progress for the elf.



I didn't stitch much during my skiing days but I stitched.
I finished these Italian words and I'll use them to sew two gifts for my friends.















I stitched a bit the needlecases I have to prepare as gifts for other friend. I finished the first and I started stitching the second one.






















Now I'm sharing some pictures of Solden.



I'm skiing.













Bea and the snow.












Solden by night.

I'm back...

Finally I'm here. I was again without telephone and internet access for a week. So I couldn't post anything, I couldn't read your blogs and I couldn't answer any email. And I have to view all the web news: new patterns, new sales...

During these days I sewed the charity doll for Unicef, "Pigotta". Every year during December in Italy they sell dolls called Pigotta, an Italian name for a doll. Here is mine.





I decided to sew a witch to change kind of doll. I hope somebody will buy it. I will not present when they sell them because I'm going to Solden tomorrow.

I stitched the Christmas Elf Fairy. Here is my progress.



To tell the truth this is not my real progress, I stitched more but I have to take a good picture to share. I hope to upload it tomorrow in the morning. I stitched a needle case for a Christmas gift too. So I have another picture to share.
But I couldn't wait for post the pictures I had, so here is my daily post.