The final photos for today are an urn of flowers (can't remember the name of the chart offhand) by Ewe and Eye and Friends and Daisy Cottage from Little House Needleworks. I subscribed to all the cottages in the cottage Garden series last year, but this is the first one which I have stitched up. I decided to leave off the border and the wording. I think this may also become a little pinkeep........... The LHN design uses all Crescent Colour thread, which is very nice to use.

These designs are also by Indigo Rose and are freebies. I just love the hearts design and these two will become miniature strawberris to use as scissor fobs. I've used this design quite a few times and never get tired of stitching it (so far, at least, LOL). The ladybirds design will probably become a pin keep. The backstitch on this is done with WDW 'Ladybug'.

Thank you very much to all those who took the time to leave a comment about the SB etui, I really appreciate it! Thanks also to all those, on the boards that I frequent, who told me that they liked it. I have been looking in my stitching basket and realised that I had several small pieces which were either finished or almost finished. I am in the mood to 'clear the decks' a bit, so here are a few of the things which I am hoping to have made up by the end of this week. I hope you like them!

The first lot of photos are of Marys Pin Pillow by Indigo Rose. The colours on this are just gorgeous, particularly the overdyed silk which is called 'rainforest'............

There we are then - lots of photos of the finished etui. I took loads of photos but these show everything there is to see, I think. The colours in the photos are pretty true to life and all photos are clickable if you want to see larger images - I'd love to hear what you think...... :-)

Jackie x

My friend Carol and I have finished the Shepherds Bush etuis and here are a selction of photos of the work 'in progress'. Blogger does not seem to be showing the photos in the order that I uploaded them, but not to worry........ All motifs for this etui were taken from a Shepherds Bush leaflet called 'Wandering Vine'. Here is the SB website, (in the unlikely event that you don't already know them): www.shepherdsbush.net/

The design was stitched on flax linen, using recommended DMC thread. We lined the etuis with silk in an eau de nil colour and used gloriana silk ribbon in Bluegrass. I think that covers everything. I will be back with more photos of the finished item shortly. We are thrilled with the end result and we hope you like them too!

Spring has well and truly arrived in our little corner of England this week and my apple trees look so pretty when they are in blossom. It has been a Bank Holiday weekend here and my husband and I spent a lovely Sunday afternoon at a Tudor National Trust Property, sitting in the sunshine watching the Staffordshire Morris Men dancing to celebrate the height of Spring - it was a very "English" afternoon! :-)

Jackie x

Here is a little detail from the same piece..........

Hello All,

I have been off from work for a few weeks now following a minor op and so have little bits of stitching to show for my time. I can stitch a bit, but the wound gets sore if I try and stitch for very long - how frustrating! LOL Carol and I stitched these two pieces back in 2007 but it has taken all this time to get around to the finishing. In the end, the finishing was very easy as the instructions that came with the kit were just wonderful! The piece is alphabet needlcase by Hillside Samplings.