Mabel's Hardanger -- now closed, see new thread

[Nachstenliebe]

What do I love more? The box or the threads Sprinkles looks very cute!
Faith

[Mrs Milkybar Kid]

The colours in this are absolutely gorgeous - and it has butterflies!! I *must* start that beginner's hardanger course in Gift of Stitching Magazine!!!

[BizzieLizzie]

Mabel, I take my hat off to you. Your designs are absolutely stunning!! Resurrection is my favourite but they're all beautiful

[karen4bells]

That really has turned out great!! I know I've been itching to start this one myself--and after seeing it come to life, well, I must get myself going and make an attempt!! Very pretty!!!

[rcperryls]

speechless (imagine me speechless!)
Carole

[LadyS]

Ahhhh Mabel, your work is impecable!!!!

[XandraS]

Sprinkles is gorgeous. Love th eway you did the butterflies

[Lenne]

Mabel, you are awesome. That's all I need to say

[Midge]

Mabel. they are fantastic. Sprinkles is great.
Are we going to be seeing you at needlecraft shows next year? On a stand I mean?

[Mabel Figworthy]

Not since I spoke to the lady from Out of Africa (where I getmy houseof Embroidery threads) -- I asked her if she was goingto be at Ally Pally, and she said it was far too expensive, "over £2000 just for the space!!!"
She is at Harrogate, and she was at the Festival of Quilts, so presumably not all shows are that expensive, but it is stil WAY out of my league .

I should be doing the bookkeeping at the moment, and the church newsletter, but I am doing what I have never done before, stitch at the computer. There is a reason for this. Remember the anniversary card for DH? I didn't quite get it finished last night, and as we work from home it is very difficult to stitch anything secretly unless he actually goes out -- which he isn't going to do before tomorrow. So I sit at my computer, looking all dutiful, sneaking in secret stitches and ready to push the stitching under the desk should he come in

Trying to think of a not-too-compliated card, I thought I'd use the number 6 as it is our 6th anniversary, then I thought of Winnie-the-Pooh and the other A A Milne books, which DH loves, and the second book of poems for Christopher Robin is called Now We Are 6, so it's a Hardanger 6 with Now We Are in cross stitch over one at the top, and some leaves and flowers around it. I managed to do all the surface stitching and cutting last night, poked in all the cut ends this morning as I was making tea, and am now doing the woven bars. I'm glad I decided not to do filling stitches .

pictures later today!

[Mabel Figworthy]

Well, that went quicker than I thought, although it was a bit tricky making up the card without him noticing -- he was working in the garage mostly but twice he came into the house unexpectedly; no further than the kitchen, fortunately *phew*

So here it Now We Are 6, plain and as a card:





Will probably chart a whole set of numbers ... they might work rather well for birthday cards with the border from Sprinkles

[rcperryls]

wonderful

Carole

[Raine]

I simply love it.

[tiffstitch]

Great card! And very well done to get it finished while he was around!

[karen4bells]

Love it! What a very original design! Happy 6th anniversary early!!

[XandraS]

It's a beautiful card Mabel and so quickly stitched up. Happy anniversary to the both of you.

[Mabel Figworthy]

Thank you -- we had our anniversary "outing" last Saturday, I got him, well us, tickets for a performance at the Gilbert & Sullivan Festival in Buxton. Tomorrow we'll visit Althorpe (a stately home) as friends of ours went there last month and got "re-entry tickets", to be used before the end of August, and they gave them to us, so we'll use that as his birthday celebration .

That 6, which was very easy to chart and quick to stitch, rather inspired me and so I charted a set of numbers plus an alphabet the same size (60 stitches high, varying width). Next week I'll think of a border to put round it; it should fit even the widest letter so that if you get the pack, you can make cards for any name or age. I may use leaf stitch as I did here, and possibly spiderweb rose which is sone like a ribbon rose rather than the ones I used here I'll keep you all informed !

[Mabel Figworthy]

I made use of the Bank Holiday, when we're not quite so busy, to finish my Lviv book cover. I'll post pictures in another thread showing how it was made, but here is the finished result, fitted around our wedding Bible:

Front:



Back:



The whole process would have been a lot easier if I hadn't tried to make it from two pieces of needlework , and the spine looks a bit harlequin being half off-white and half ice blue, but I wanted to keep the two together.

Not a bad metaphor for marriage actually, making one beautiful whole out of two different parts, hopefully so closely connected that it'll last a life-time

[rcperryls]

for the stitching for the bookcover and for the metaphor.

Carole

[Mrs Milkybar Kid]

I just saw this on the Stitch Specialists - it is really breath taking!