Thank you sweet friends for all your lovely emails and comments over my recent bout of illness. I'm much better today, almost back to my old self again, but I am taking your advice and will be slowing down a bit from now on - I went through a bit of a silly season for a few months, and it was all for a good reason, but it's not the way to live all the time.
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On Friday I received the parcel from my Stitchers Angel partner! It came all the way from Portugal and contained some extra surprises - a box of cappuccino mixes (all gone now!), Belgian chocolates (all gone too!), and lovely pyramid tea bags that Blossom and I are saving for our special afternoon teas.
Guarding my parcel of presents was this beautiful angel ornament!
My lovely Angel was
Noemia, and you can see more of her work on her blog!
Inside the parcels were lovely handmade gifts ....
Thank you so much Noemia!! She has been reading my blog and knew how much I loved tea parties, cappuccinos, and Belgian chocolates so she spoiled me with a sweet tea cosy, and a tea pot mat, as well as the other goodies.
I love them all! :-)
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I have been busy with some secret things things this week - more swap presents, and a special gift for a dear friend, but I've also begun a new set of designs. I did a lot of sketching early in November and now that I am almost caught up with the 'have-to' projects I can make time for my 'want-to' projects! This means all my lovely sketches can come to life in needle and thread at last.
As I was stitching this morning it occured to me that this is an opportunity to answer a question I receive regularly in emails and comments. We have chatted before about backstitch and the importance to take your time and not be afraid to unpick and re-do - the most recent
blog post on this topic is HERE if you would like to read it - but today I thought it would be good to discuss satin stitch.
I love satin stitch, and for exactly the reason the stitch is so named - the satiny sheen it displays when done well.
Like a simple backstitch, satin stitch should be undertaken slowly and gracefully, too.
Rushing through your stitcheries will always give the project a less than pleasing appearance - and many of you have told me that is how you feel when you look at your finished work.
I talked about the gentle rhythm of stitching a good backstitch, taking time, not pulling the threads tightly but allowing the thread to always feel relaxed in your hands in the fabric - the same applies with satin stitch. Never 'pull' the thread, but guide it through the fabric and allow it to stop of it's own accord rather than tugging it at the end (which will cause puckering).
Make sure that every stitch is sitting right next to the one before - remember, don't do spaced stitches just to finish faster. If the stitches are all nestled together they take on that lovely satin sheen. It is better to take your time and do a lovely piece of work than to finish twice as many projects poorly. Stop after each stitch and look at it. If it does not look even or smooth, pull it out and do it again.
Just as there are no gaps between a good set of backstitches, there should be no gaps between your set of satin stitches.
I hope I have encouraged you to slow down as you stitch. It is so worth it at the end.
I am not the best hand-stitcher in the world, but my goal with every project is to improve my skills. It's a good goal to have. :-)
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My Advent Swap parcels are now winging their way to my partner,
Jeanette, and hers are on their way to me. We chose to post our parcels a week later as we both live in the same state and looking at a parcel of surprises for almost a month before we could open them would have been torturous!
I didn't number her parcels, but wanted her to choose them as a daily lucky dip - and there is an extra one in there in case she has a rough day in December and needs an extra special surprise.
The main present is wrapped in Christmas fabric...you can never have enough Christmas fabric, can you!?
I'd better get back to my stitching. Blossom is sitting nearby studying for her end of year science exam tomorrow, so perhaps I'll make her a bowl of freshly sliced nectarines and some cheese squares before I sew...
Have a beautiful Sunday, and may God bless the work of your hands!
Hugs
Jenny
xxx
