A new year catch up and many wishes

It's been 2 months, but I've been very very busy.

I had 2 Christmas markets, and they went ok, even if people seem to want to buy food and not much else. So I'm thinking about making some of my family acclaimed biscuits as a test next year...

I modified my stand this year, so look at the pictures :

I also made presents, a crochet cosy for my dad's ipad, and a blue snood, originally for me, but my mom wanted it, so.... It was my first time working on such big needles 10mm.

And I also want to try and sew a bit more, so here is a Christmas tree in fabric

At the moment I'm knitting a vest for me, in almond green, it should look good.

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Ca fait deux mois, durant lesquels j'ai été très occupée. D'abord avec 2 marchés de noel, qui se sont bien passés malgré le fait que les gens n'achètent quasiment que de la nourriture. Je crois que je vais essayer de faire mes fameux biscuits l'an prochain.

J'ai aussi fait des cadeaux, une pochette à mini ipad, un snood, et j'ai fait un peu de couture, avec ce sapin en tissu de noel.

Pour l'instant je tricote une veste vert amande pour moi, j'es^ère que ce sera super !

First fabric bunny

I love to make soft toys, especially bunnies. I tried crochet, knitting, felt, and here is a sewed bunny out of regular fabric. My little bunny turned out ok, but I had difficulties with the ears. It's obviously hand sewn, as it's only about 15cm tall. I added plastic pellets for stability in its behind.

I think I will make a tatted collar or a bib, it looks a bit naked ;)

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J'adore faire des petits animaux,  surtout les lapins. J'ai déjà essayé en crochet, tricot, feutrine, et voici un lapin cousu dans du tissu. Il est ok, mais j'ai eu du mal avec les oreilles. C'est forcément cousu main, vu qu'il n'a que 15cm. Et j'ai ajouté des billes de plastique dans son derrière pour plus de stabilité.


Je pense que je vais lui faire une collerette en frivolité,ou un bavoir, car il a l'air un peu nu ;)

TIAS finished, doily and felted animals

We only had one day of snow, but now it's still very cold ! Half the time I feel like curling up in bed, and half the time I want to go out in the freezing sun !

The TIAS is finished : it's a goat. If I had to choose a pattern, I would have never tatted a goat, but I really like it. It's cute, and it feels like Easter time. I really enjoyed the TIAS experience : the expectation of the next piece to tat, wondering what the finished piece will be, and the challenge of having to use new tatting techniques.... And of course the fun of being part of a group of people tatting the same thing at the same time.

Now I only tat the doily. Here is a picture of the progress. There is a problem with this pattern : the number of ds is not indicated for the trefoils !!! So I had to strain my eyes on the picture of the finished piece, and guess. This isn't serious work from the book people.

I also sewed a bit. I made a felt bunny, and a felt owl. I'm in the middle of a fabric bunny at the moment. Somehow I always love to make soft toys ;)

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On n'a eu qu'un jour de neige, et maintenant on a très froid. La moitié du temps j'ai envie de rester sous la couette, et l'autre moitié j'ai envie d'aller me balader au soleil.


Le TIAS est fini, et c'est devenu une chèvre. Jamais je n'aurais fait une chèvre si j'avais du choisir un modèle, mais maintenant qu'elle est là, je la trouve super mignonne ! J'ai adoré toute l'expérience du TIAS, les rendez-vous tous les 3 jours avec un nouveau morceau du modèle, devoir utiliser des nouvelles techniques de frivolité, et bien sûr le fait de participer à quelque chose avec d'autres gens à travers le monde.


Maintenant je continue seulement mon napperon, et je suis tombée sur un os : il manque des numéros sur le modèle pour les trèfles !!! C'est pas très sérieux tout ça, j'ai du essayer de deviner d'après la photo finale.


J'ai aussi fait un peu de couture, voyez mon lapin et mon hibou en feutrine. Et je suis entrain de faire un lapin, mais en tissu cette fois-ci.... Je ne sais pas pourquoi, j'adore faire des animaux en peluche ;)

Christmas faire D-3

It feels like snowflakes are just appearing from my fingers.... So on one hand I don't take time to post, and on the other hand posts are packed with pictures. I've been a bit unwell, neck and head pains, the kind that leave you unable to even think. I just hope that I will feel ok next week end, because it's finally Craft fair time !!!

I read in many places that a craft apron is better than a cash box. I usually wear skirts with no pockets, so I thought this was a neat idea to keep my stuff close. First I tried to buy a regular apron. But, believe it or not, I couldn't find any in shops !!! I'm sure that in a week time I will see many and will think "finally !!!!", but it will be too late !!!

So it was sewing time ! With my sewing machine still at grandma's, I did it all by hand. I ended up with sore fingers (it's quite thick fabrics), but I think I didn't take much more time to make it. It made me think of seamstresses from a long time ago, who had to sew shirts and clothes all by hand....

Anyway, DBF doesn't understand why I made such a colourful apron (hu? blue and grey????) but I like how it turned out.

I received my order from Be Stitched. I used the Black friday discount, it paid the postage ! Only one week from the US to France, that's good service !

So I now have Clover shuttles, and I was glad to have the green and orange ones, not the pink and blue. I also had Lizbeth thread (everybody says this is the best, I had to try) and tatting books.

I finally made the Christmas tree earings, with seed beads. It's hard to get 2 the same ! And I made flakes.... They will end up as pendants. Like real snowflakes, they are all slightly different !

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J'ai un peu l'impression que les flocons apparaissent de mes doigts !!! Du coup, je ne prends pas le temps de poster, et forcément, les posts ont plein de photos !!!


Le marché de Noel approche, et j'ai lu sur pas mal de site qu'il est préférable d'avoir un tablier qu'une boite à sous. Du coup, j'ai cherché dans le commerce, mais étonnamment, je n'en ai vu nulle part ! Evidemment, ça veut dire que dans une semaine j'en verrai partout, mais en attendant, j'ai décidé d'en coudre un. Avec ma machine à coudre toujours chez ma grand mère, j'ai du utiliser mes petits doigts. Ca n'a pas pris plus longtemps je pense, et j'ai juste eu un peu mal aux doigts à cause de l'épaisseur du tissu.


Même si DBF pense que c'est bariolé, je ne trouve pas. Pour moi qui porte des jupes sans poche, c'est un tablier pratique !


J'ai reçu ma commande de Be Stitched, et donc j'ai enfin mes navettes Clover. J'ai profité de la promo de Black friday, et une semaine seulement pour arriver des USA, c'est top je trouve.


J'ai enfin fait mes petits arbres pour boucles d'oreille, mais c'est dur d'avoir 2 éléments les mêmes ! Et puis bien sur les flocons, qui eux sont tous différents, comme la vraie neige !

Still alive?

We are entering week 3 of sore throat... and sticky eye. My immune system has a hard time getting rid of whatever is inside of me...

I finished the secret stitch, just got o my website to check it out. And request the password if you don't have it.

Here you can see I'm finished with the Curly Q Ewe bag !!!

It's quite big, a bit more than A4 size, with a zipped pocket inside on one side, and three pockets on the other side.

I don't feel like blogging at the moment, as I'm facing problems at work.

But you could argue that stitching is therapeutic and might help with depression and such...

All this to say my production will probably decrease, and be less creative for a while. And posts will be less light hearted ;)

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ma sante a du mal a se repprendre: 3e semaine de mal de gorge, et oeil toujours un peu collant...

J'ai fini ma broderie secrete, et pour la voir il faudra aller sur mon site et utiliser le mot de passe (suffit de le demander !)

Voici enfin le sac Curly fini, qui est assez grand (environ format A4). L'interieur a une pochette zippee,e t de l'autre cote 3 pochettes ouvertes.

je n'ai pas vraiment envie de blogger en ce moment vu que je dois faire face a des problemes au boulot. En cette periode deprimante, vous me direz que la broderie serait therapeutique, mais ma production risque d'etre moins creative que d'habitude. Et mes posts risquent d'etre moins gais aussi ;)

Is this post too long?

Ah, here you are ;)
Is the weather fantastic and you want to be outside? Here, England being England, the weather changes from hour to hour... Fun fun fun !

Still have problems with my neck, but now it's just a bit blocked, and the headache is under control. So... youhou !
Can you believe I lasted 2 days without stitching??? I can't. I hope to catch up tonight though...

I spent a week talking about Curly Q Ewe's progress without showing anything... so here it is !!!! If you check Pink canary and Passionnee versions, you will see our stitching plans are quite different, that's the fun of a SAL !

Not the weird colour of the flowers: they are in 211 instead of the colour of the jumper. How did that happen? I had prepared the DMC 211 and I think I wanted to stitch something in that colour, then I went to do something else for 24h, and when I came back... I stitched the flowers !!!

And here is also a picture of the flower I made with Tara's tutorial, using a water bottle cap.

About the lost threads: I did receive the CC threads on Valentine's day or the day before, and drooled over them as they were so lovely.... They got into the mess of my stitching table, but then... gone ! So I can only hope it's somewhere in the house... But where?

Chiloe asked about my house and stuff... Let's contemplate this a minute. My house is great. The neigborhood seems calm, but it's winter, so we will see... So far so good on the kids front.

Next door seems to be a few young men renting, probably students, having friends over sometimes. So... rap music blasting through the walls during the day sometimes. Nothing a bit of metal rock can't fix ;) The location of the house is great, close to everything, work, pool (where they start to know me), supermarket... If only work could catch up, I wouldn't have much problem at all. Well, despite the non-paying tenants from my old house and the electricals breaking down of course ! ;)

Lili, I doubt DBF has my threads, but please please pretty please send DS of DH or yourself to DBF to retrieve the precious enveloppe I left him for you. You really need it, so go go go !!!!

Ali, nice to see you around, I do think I will go to Olympia in a quick in and out notion, that's how I do it when I go to expos alone... Still have to get my ticket though. Are you going?

Nela, I don't like tea, but your tea pots are amazing !!!

Ginny, it's really the week of lost threads indeed, I hope you will find yours ! Don't give up hope.... (Glad to discover your blog btw, lovely wallpaper for your bathroom, and I love "Garden Pleasures....)

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Je suis contente de voir qu'il y a encore quelques personnes, et que tout le monde n'es tpas parti jouer dehors. En Angleterre, le temps change toutes les heures, c'est donc un challenge en soi...
J'ai toujours des problemes avec mon cou, maintenant il est un peu bloque, mais je n'ai plus mal a la tete, donc c'est une amelioration. Ca fait deux jours que je ne brode pas, j'espere me rattrapper ce soir !!!

Apres avoir parle une semaine entiere de mon progres sur Curly sans montrer de photo.... tadaaaa ! Comme vous pouvez le constater, Pink Canary, Passionnee et moi avons une approche tres differente du projet, c'est ca le fun du SAL !!!

Les fleurs sont en 211 a la place de la couleur du pull, et ca fait un peu alien je trouve. Mais bon, j'aime cette couleur...

Et voila aussi une photo de la fleur pique aiguille d'apres le tuto de Tara. Moi j'ai utilise un bouchon de bouteille d'eau.

A propos des fils perdus: Je les ai recus la veille de la St Valentin, j'ai bave dessus car ils sont tres beaux, je les ai mis sur ma table a broder et puis... je sais plus !!! J'espere toujours les revoir...

Chiloe me demandait comment etait ma maison et tout ca... pour l'instant, c'est super. Le quartier est calme, a part la maison d'a cote qui est occupee par des jeunes hommes en colocation, et qui recoivent des amis souvent, mais rien qu'un peu de metal rock ne puisse sauver.... Pour l'instant, pas d'enfants, mais il faut attendre l'ete pour etre sur... La maison est aussi idealement placee pour le boulot, la piscine (ou on commence a me connaitre !), le supermarche... Donc en fait, si le boulot allait bien et que j'avais pas de problemes d'appareils electriques qui tombent en panne ou de locataires non payeurs, ca irait super !

Lili, je doute que DBF aie pris mes fils, mais par contre tu devrais envoyer DS, DH ou meme toi-meme pour recuperer l'enveloppe que je lui ai confiee pour toi. Tu en en as beaucoup tres beaucoup besoin, crois-moi.... Donc... go go go !!!

Ali, je compte aller a Olympia, ne fut-ce que pour me balader dans la broderie. Un truc assez rapide quand meme...

Nela, je n'aime pas le the, mais tes theieres sont fantastiques !!!

Ginny, c'est vraiment la semaine des fils perdus, j'espere que tu retrouveras les tiens, moi je ne perds pas espoir...

Christmas? What Christmas?

Shops are preparing for Christmas, Nature feels like winter, but I really don't feel in a Christmas mood. 4 weeks before the holidays and 2 weeks of French stitchy madness.

I need a break, and it's frustrating that it doesn't come sooner. oh well ! So I'm not really in the mood to stitch strictly Christmas stuff, although I will stitch winter stuff.

The advantage would be that they will decorate my home until Spring at least ;)

I'm nearly finished gift/secret stitching, so I might be able to show you some stuff soon.

In the meantime, I spent all tomorrow making this "panier de brodeuse" (needlecraft basket). I discovered the tutorial here and nearly a hundred people already made that bag !!!

Originally I thought it wasn't for me. But then I thought about the holidays, and the fact that it would be perfect to get all my stuff in one place at DBF's. Here I just have stitching stuff all over the house with noone to complain about it, so.... it's not so much an issue.

But it might come handy when I switch from "cross stitch lounge" to "sewing craftroom". So far it's an original "naked" version. I think I will decorate it a little bit further...

The pockets are made in "japanese" fabric. Note the same motif but slightly different colour for the small pockets. Lili will recognize the fabric from the big pockets...

And the rest of the bag is made out of a huge piece of fabric I got ages ago. I found the purple "croquet" in a local LNS, and I had the buttons since ages as well.

I think it's the fancier piece of sewing I've done so far, with biases and a round form, not to mention the pockets !!!