It's hot!

It's so hot that stitching a lot is not possible.
I started stitching the last Santa of Old World Santas by Prairie Schooler. I've not decided the next series to use but the Santas will be bigger than these ones.

Here is the only progress I can share.

In the morning we went to Arezzo with two friends. Every month there is a big antiques' show in the streets and square of this Tuscan city. Our friends wanted to buy something and we decided to go with them. Unfortunately they didn't find anything but it was colder than in Florence so we spent a nice morning.

Now we're at home and it's so hot!

Some pictures of Arezzo's squares and streets.

UFO

My HoHRH is back. I had decided to start stitching this design as a SAL with Carol. I worked on it only at the begininnig of the SAL, then I was busy with other projects and I have not been stitching it for many weeks. As I saw the good progresses of Danielle some days ago I decided to pull out it again. I stitched only a bit, just the words and the border with flowers. I also started the roof of the first house. It's not a good progress but it's a progress. My new goal is working on this pattern every month. I'm trying to reduce my UFOs.

Small finish

During the past week-end we were busy, as always. Last Saturday we went to the church for the wedding of two friends, in the evening my best friend invited us for dinner and on Sunday we went to eat pizza with other friends.
So I didn't stitch as I hoped.
I could finish only my monthly Flip-It. The picture is not good. I'm having some problems to take pictures of the Flip-Its and I can't understand why this happens. I think it depends on the red colours.

I've also a progress on The bookshelf by LHN. It's a very small progress: I stitched only the words "The bookshelf".

By the way, on the 15th of July I'll start a new LHN SAL. We decided to stitch Daisy Lane Cottage and if you like joining us you can partecipate or take a look at the LHN group.

I'm also in a different SAL. I read about it on Karen's blog and I had to join it. It sounds great and we'll stitch Quacker Garden by Blackbird Designs. I've already put my order and I hope it'll arrive soon!

Yesterday I decided to create an album where we can see my future pojects. I started uploading some pictures and they'll grow quickly, I'm sure about it. I've been wanting to create one since I saw Carol's ones.

Busy days

I've not been writing for a long time because the past days were very busy, I couldn't stitch a lot and I didn't feel motivated to write a post.

Last week I finished The Tea Room by Country Cottage Needlework. It was a joy to stitch this pattern. I loved the colours and the design, I also love tea, so this pattern became one of my recent favorite patterns.

Stitched on 32ct Lugana, Sand, by Silkweaver.

I also finished my monthly Christmas ornament. There is only a Santa left on the leaflet. I'm going to stitch this one during July, then I'll have to choose a new series of Santas but I'll stitch the new series during September, I suppose.

I'm a bit late with the monthly Flip-It. I only stitched the block on the left and I've quite finished the background of the block on the right. I love that colour (Aztec Red by WDW).

During the past week-end I was pretty busy and I couldn't stitch a lot.
On Saturday we went to a party and I didn't stitch during the day because I had to prepare something to eat.
On Sunday we decided to put in some vases the plants we had bought in the morning. We want to try to grow chili pepper plants. We like chili pepper but we have never planted it yet.

I worked on my Christmas ornament and I've quite finished his dress.

I'm posting my progress on The bookshelf. I feel really motivated stitching it because Diane Williams, the designer of LHN, joined our LHN group and she talks with us. It's a joy to read her posts!

Some pictures

I've not been writing for some days so I have many pictures to share.

First of all last 1st of June we started The Bookshelf by LHN as a SAL.
I decided to stitch it on a 32ct Lugana, Hazelnut by Silkweaver.
Here is my progress:

As a new month arrived I started stitching both the monthly designs I have in my goals' list: June's Flip-Its and a new Christmas ornament.

I worked on the first block of the Flip-Its and I've quite finished. I like it!

The Christmas ornament is the seventh one. In the Old World Santas leaflet there're 8 Santas so I'm choosing the next series of Santa to stitch in the next months.

Finally I've had good news about my envelopes. At the beginning of April I had sent my first envelope for a mail art exchange on the EMS Italian forum. It seemed to be lost but my parter wrote me some days ago and she told me that both the envelopes arrived! In fact I had stitched a second one because I wanted my partner to receive at least an envelope.

The first one has an Easter theme. I stitched an egg and a kitchen I found in two different patterns by Tralala! (French designer). I used a red over-dyed floss, Needle Necessities 1531. The words mean "Happy Easter".
I stitched both the envelopes on a piece of Aida that I dyed with tea. I òiked how the fabric turned out.

The front:

The back:

For the second envelope I decided to use a part of Lavender Hill pattern by LHN. I know my partner likes LHN patterns. I stitched the sheeps and some lavender. On the back side I attached two buttons that I made by myself.

The front:

The back:

Inside:

New finish, goals and UFO

During the past days I forgot to post the May's Flip-It. I finished it and I like this one very much.

I also finished another Christmas ornament, the sixth one. I'm so happy because I'll not be able to stitch one during August. I'll have twelve ornaments at the end of the year all the same.

Here is my most recent progress on The Tea Room. It's a lovely pattern and it's a joy to stitch it. It has soft colours and it shouldn't take a long time.

Now I have to review my May's goals. They were:

- stitch the May's Flip-it by Lizzie Kate
yes

- finish the fifth Christmas ornament by Prairie Schooler
yes, I finished the fifth and I started stitching another that I have already finished

- work on Celtic Summer or Once upon a time
no :(

- finish the rings pillow for my friend
yes

- work on some UFOs
yes!! I pulled out the Terre de France at the beginning of the month and I also worked on The Stitcher by Homespun Elegance

- stitch an envelope for the second mail art exchange
I prepared everything but I had to stitch a second envelope for my first partner because we thought that the first one was lost

I think that I could stick to my goals' schedule. The secret is choosing quick and easy goals...so my June's goals are:

- stitch the envelope for the second mail art exchange
- work on some UFOs
- stitch the June's Flip-it by Lizzie Kate
- finish another Christmas ornament by Prairie Schooler
- work on Celtic Summer or Once upon a time
- work on The bookshelf and The Tea Room

About my UFOs I'm happy because during this month I worked on some of them a bit. I'm still motivated reading Danielle's blog. She pulled out all her UFOs and she wants to work on them, so I decided to make a list of my UFOs/WIPs too. I could be ispired by this list during June.

1. Little kate by Margaret Sherry - I want to stitch all the ten patterns to sew a quilt with these
2. Cookin' up magic, a kit by Mill Hill
3. Enchanted Alphabet by Lavender&Lace
4. Once upon a time by Passione Ricamo
5. Terre de France by Annick Abriail
6. The Stitcher by Homespun Elegance (SAL with Veronica)
7. Celtic Summer by Lavender&Lace
8. Christian's Stocking by Shepherd's Bush
9. Elf Christmas fairy by Mirabilia
10. Archie by Margaret Sherry - I'm stitching it on a towel that I would have liked to give as a gift to a friend but I've not finished it yet
11. The Houses of Hawk Run Hollow by Carriage House Samplings
12. 12 Flip-Its by Lizzie Kate (SAL with other Italian friends)
13. 12 Christmas ornaments by Prairie Schooler (one for month)
14. The Tea Room by Country Cottage Needleworks
15. The bookshelf by Little House Needleworks (started SAL yesterday)

The list is long enough.

Today is a National holiday in Italy so we've a long weekend. I hope to change the poll on the right and add some new links.

By the way, here are the poll's results:

The bookshelf 29
Season of rest 8
Starlight Sampler 7
City Stitcher*Country Stitcher 7
Peace and plenty 6

Happy stitching, ladies!

New finish, new start...

During the week-end I worked on the Christmas ornaments.
I finished the monthly one and I went on stitching the sixth. The sixth ornament should be the ornament of August. During that month we'll be off, I hope, and I will not be able to stitch a lot.

The finished one:



A good progress for the next one:



I'm happy because my Christmas goals are going on and during every month I could stitch at least one ornament but I'd like to stitch more and more to have a wonderful tree next December.

I also worked on The Stitcher by Homespun Elegance. I tried two different Needle Necessities to stitch the alphabet but I'm not sure about the result. They're the only good green colours that I have so I'll have to choose one of these even if I think that they're not right for my fabric.



Finally I started stitching my first pattern by Country Cottage Needleworks. I love these designs and I like The Tea Room very much. I started it last week and this is a good progress:



If you love CCN and LHN patterns you can join this group. My friend Veronica opened it for the stitchers loving this kind of designs and we'll start a SAL on the first of June. We're waiting for you!
(I'll take part in the SAL with The bookshelf that is the winner of my poll)

Week-end's pictures

Last Saturday my best friend got married. She didn't get married in a church so we went to the town hall because she wanted to get married at the registry office. The town hall in Florence is Palazzo Vecchio, near the Uffizi.

Here are the Uffizi and Palazzo Vecchio:

Here I'm in front of Palazzo Vecchio:

The ceremony was in a beautiful hall, called "the red hall". In fact the room was furnished with red velvet. It was the bedroom of Cosimo I dei Medici. Medici was an important family of Florence.



And this is the rings pillow I stitched and sewed for the wedding:



I decided to try silk ribbon and I used Victoria Clayton's silks. It's my first experiment and I'm quite happy how it turned out. She didn't want a cross stitch pillow and this is the idea I had for the pillow. I hope she liked it!

Sunday I could stitch and I decided to pull out an UFO. It's The Stitcher, a pattern by Homespun Elegance that I started stitching last year as SAL with Veronica, an Italian friend. We decided to change the original colours and threads of the pattern to try new and different fibers.
For example I decided to use some colours I had received by PawPrint when I was subscribed to the Fiber Fenzy Club.

Here is my progress:



I worked on the Flip-It too. I realized that I had used a wrong colour for the carrot's background, so I unstitched and I stitched it again.



I also decided to start stitching the sixth Christmas ornament of the year. June has not arrived yet but I think that I'll not be able to stitch the August ornament so I could stitch the August one during these months.

A very small progress:

A lot of cross stitch pictures

First of all I'm late. I should have reviewed my April's goals and listed the May's ones but I've not done so yet.

My April's goals were:

- stitch the April's Flip-it by Lizzie Kate yes

- finish the third Christmas ornament and stitch the fourth yes

- stitch two small things for Emma, the baby of my cousin yes, I stitched a bib and I finished the nappies case. By the way I'm posting the picture now because I forgot it during the past weeks.

- start stitching a French kit that I bought some months ago no

- continue a big project like Celtic Summer or Once upon a time yes, I worked on Celtic Summer

- finish the first house in the pattern of Carriage House Samplings no

I didn't start the French kit and I didn't work on the CHS Houses but I stitched a pattern for charity (the French heart) and I started working on a rings pillow for my best friend. She'll get married next Saturday and she asked me for a rings pillow.

My May's goals are:

- stitch the May's Flip-it by Lizzie Kate

- finish the fifth Christmas ornament by Prairie Schooler

- work on Celtic Summer or Once upon a time

- finish the rings pillow for my friend

- work on some UFOs

- stitch an envelope for a mail art exchange


Now I'm posting the pictures.
This is the nappies case I stitched and sewed for Emma, my new little cousin.
I'm really happy how the nappies case turned out. The pattern is so cute!



About the mail art exchange I received the second envelope. I love it! An Italian friend sent it and she made a great work!

The front side:



The back side:



Inside:



During the past days I pulled Terre de France out. Finally I worked on it a bit and I finished a new block.



And these are my progresses on the Christmas ornament and the Flip-It.

I'm back...

Finally I can write a new post. I was busy during the past days and I couldn't find the right moment to write something.

I came back home last Tuesday. We had another long weekend (the last one!). The first of May is a holiday here in Italy so we decided to spend some days in a beautiful island of the Tuscan. The island is Isola del Giglio and it's not so far from Florence. I went to this island eight years ago and I fell in love with it. I had been wanting to come back here since I saw it. Finally we came back and I loved it again. There were a lot of flowers, the sea was wonderful and I really enjoyed myself. We walked a lot and we visited the little towns of the island.
I'm posting some pictures but I'd like to show all the pictures I took.














About cross stitch I can post some pictures. There're progresses and finishes.

Before going to the sea I finished a pattern for charity. I had never posted its progresses because I thought to finish it in few hours but it took me more time.
It's a pattern by Passion Broderie for Savoir Faire Vailly. It's my first heart by Passion Broderie and I think that it turned out lovely. I'd like to stitch one for me too.

I also want to share the April progress on my Celtic Summer. During the past month I worked on the skirt with the blue colours.

During the past week-end I didn't stitch a lot but I've some pictures to share.

I started stitching the monthly Flip-It by Lizzie Kate. It's the May's one and I'm stitching the carrot.

I'm also stitching the monthly Christmas ornament. I changed the kind of fabric. I'll stitch the next four ornaments on linen. The fabric is a 28ct Cashel Linen, Purely Primitive by Silkweaver.

Finally I finished a little work for my kitchen.
I found the design on an Italian magazine. I've already used those designs for an apron that I had stitched last year.

The apron I had stitched last year: