Steady progress

Good morning everyone

Well I'm making steady progress and getting a couple of hours done each day as you can see my Aida is ready for a wash lol I've had it on the frame to long which tends to leave marks on the cloth but I've had little choice about this.

Off on the hunt for book shops today we have been told by some of the locals their are some in the new town area so we are off to explore and see what we can lay our hands on you never know what you may find.


Have a great day Dean;-)xxxx

On the hunt!!!!

Good morning everyone

I managed to get some of my blackwork done yesterday during siesta time sat out on the balcony it was lovely

Not managed to find any good book stores yet that stock any kind of embroidery books but will be having a good look over the next few days in the hope I can pick something a little bit different up in fact I've not seen any kind of shop that sells anything like that at all well maybe if I win the lotto that could be a business venture for me lol

Have a great day all

Dean;-)xxxx

Spain

Good morning everyone

Well myself Chris and the blackwork all arrived in Spain


This is the view from our apartment if this doesn't inspire me there really is no hope lol it's early morning so not a great deal happening yet I will be able to start my blackwork this afternoon when siesta kicks in lol as everything closes down here in the old town between two and five

Didn't get time yesterday at all as we were meet or very dear friends that are lucky enough to live here hope you all have a great day

Dean :-) xxxx

Packing

Morning everyone

Busy day ahead today got my suit case to pack when I get home from work this evening and sort out my hand luggage have checked the government website and I'm allowed to pack my needles in my hand luggage along with the blackwork the embroidery frame and my scissors will go in my suitcase.

We have a very early start car coming for us at 3.30am as we fly at 7.15am my dad arrived yesterday to take care of my babies the 2 cats Georgia and sox and my little man George my lhasa apso dog and my 2 rats Molly and biscuit or going to stay with my friend Christine as dad is scared of them lol don't know why they are the most gentle loving little creatures.

So my next blog and pictures will be from Spain and hopefully in the sunshine can't wait to escape the British weather for a while have a great day

Dean;-)xxx

Needles

Morning everyone

Received my gold plated needles I ordered yesterday from soandsew 2 lots of size 26 and one lot of size 28 ready to take away with me


Like I've said before I couldn't be without them now for my sewing love using them really do make a difference but other than the Internet difficult to bet hold of here the nine needles cost me just under £10.00 which is not bad value really that covered posting to

Have a great Day

Dean;-)xx

Morning everyone

Managed to get a little more done last night but stuck to the hour I had allowed myself lol tonight on the other hand may be more difficult as I have the house to myself and that's when as a rule I really tend to knuckle down with my embroidery

I'm sure it will see me over my holiday but I'm just playing it safe lol I'm sat here looking at it now as I like to do a little each morning before I go to work think I will have to give in and do half an hour.
Dean;-)

Last minute bits

Morning everyone things are all go here at the moment with the holiday been just around the corner now only 4 more days and we will be heading off to Spain for 10 days so last minute things to do.

It was difficult last night not to do any of my blackwork but I don't want to get to far ahead with it so it will see me over the holiday and I don't really want to be starting anything new while I'm over there as it would mean taking a library of books with me lol and I don't travel light as it is may do a little work on it tonight though


Dean ;) xx

Continuing

Good morning everyone

Well with work on the main pattern complete I am able to start on the three lines underneath that before starting on some more intricate patterns that will make up the sampler.

I didn't realise the sampler was quite as large as it is lol but it's keeping me busy and I will have time to work on it when I'm away I'm not sure if to put it in my suitcase or in my hand luggage for the trip I'm thinking it will be saver in my hand luggage having seen how baggage handlers work first hand lol.

But as you can see from the photo it's now starting to take shape nicely well have a great day everyone.

Dean;-)xxx

I have managed to complete this part of the sampler before my holiday so I can now begin work on the next section.

I'm very pleased with the way this has turned out it looks stunning which is why I enjoy my blackwork so much the effects never seem to amaze me.

Going to get on with some more today as this is a large piece and there is is plenty of work to be done on it before it's complete

Blackwork bungle

Hi everyone well I have been spoilt again Lynn has sent me a blackwork bungle full of goodies which is fantastic so much stuff in here that I would never have thought of doing thank you Lynn your a star !!!!

Nearly at the end

Looks like I will at last be able to get this piece of the sampler done as planned for the weekend it's seemed never-ending lol and then I've got until Thursday evening to work on the new pieces until I have to pack the sampler in my suitcase for it's journey to Spain.

Of course my friends think I'm mad taking it on holiday but the idea of getting away is to relax and my embroidery helps me do that so where I go that goes to lol and where better to do blackwork than in Spain it will make the piece more authentic lol that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!!!

Dean;-)xxxxxx

Well as things are going I'm hoping to be moving on to another piece of the sampler by the weekend I will post pictures now once it's all completed and of course some from Spain only 8 days before we go now.

Very excited about been able to look round and hopefully lay my hands on some new books or even better a piece of antique blackwork which would be a dream come true lol.

I have my next project lined up I'm going to do some cross stitch from the all our yesterday's book I brought to be displayed at the day centre where I work so it will have a good home once it's completed

Dean:-)xxxx

On track

Well I managed a good few solid hours sewing yesterday evening without any interruptions so I'm back on track for been able to finish this part of the sampler to be honest I didn't expect it to take as long as it has.

It really is going to be a lovely piece when it's finished I'm getting some good feedback and I'm very pleased with it so far have had a couple of people ask if I will do the same one for them once this one is completed

But I'm reluctant to do the same piece again right away while anyone that reads my blog knows I truly love my Blackwork I think I would be a little bored if I was to replicate the same pattern again as with any piece given the amount if time we spend working on it and if my hearts not in what I'm working on there seems little point in doing it.

Dean:-)xxx

Monday

Good morning

Well as you can see I didn't manage to achieve my goal of getting the main pattern of my sampler finished.

On reflection it was a pretty unrealistic task lol despite the number of hours I spent over the weekend working on it but I'm slowly getting there.

Had a very lazy day yesterday just working on it as I once again had the house to myself most of the day, just me the pets and the sewing lol I should now I have got to over half way manage to have this part finished within the next couple of days doing a few hours each evening after work well that's the plan lol

Have a wonderful day whatever you are up to!!

Dean;-)xxx

Half way

Well as you can see I'm about half way now with this piece of the sampler and it's starting to take shape nicely it has taken a good few hours just to get to this point as the work is so delicate.

But like I always say it's worth in when you have the finished piece once this part of the pattern is done the rest should be a lot more straight forward I hope their is always one piece that takes the most amount of work but it's normally at the end of the pics not the beginning lol

Dean;-)xxxx

Received my book

There was a parcel waiting for me yesterday when I got home my books from Lynn had arrived blackwork by Lesley Barnett and the world of embroidery both of which look very interesting and a lovely little piece of blackwork which was a lovely thought.

so I have plenty of reading material and some new ideas for forthcoming projects finding good books on blackwork is becoming very difficult at the moment as I have now managed to get a good collection together but I'm always on the lookout for more to add they are a great resource when your stuck for ideas.

My partner is working late this evening so I will be able hopefully to settle down and get some serious work done on my current project which has been a little neglected the last few days only been able to get the odd hour here and there to work on it so the plan this weekend is to get my jobs out of the way nice and early so I can concentrate on my blackwork and make some headway

Hope you all have a fantastic day
Dean;-)xxxxxx

Morning everyone

I have to confess to been a little bit naughty this morning lol I have ordered myself a new book from amazon which I'm sure some of you may have already got, I couldn't resist All our yesterday's there looks to be some really nice patterns in it that would make lovely little ideas for some of my ladies at the day centre were I work.

As we have started doing our Sewing group again and many of the things in the book would be relevant and appeal to their taste it's all cross stitch so a little easier for them to follow I'm very lucky to have a job where I can indulge in my hobby lol as the centre works around therapeutic groups that stimulates the mind and encourages activity and exercise I am one of the few people that can honestly say I love my job.

My current blackwork is coming along well and I will be getting plenty done this weekend hopefully been able to finish the main pattern of the sampler and been able to move onto the next piece

Hope you all have a wonderful day

Dean;-) xxxxx

Kind thought

What a lovely way to start the morning I received an email this morning from one of my friends on the hand embroidery network who is very kindly sending me a book to add to my collection on blackwork one her friends was having a clear out and she thought I would like the book so a big thank you Lynn

Not sure if you all know about the hand embroidery network it's a great site where you can discuss your work In the forums, ask questions or leave information others may find interesting or useful you can post pictures of your work on the activity page to.

It's a great resource for meeting people that are interested in all kinds of embroidery and quilting and getting to know what's going on and where, I've found it a great resource it's free to join and has members from around the world all of whom I've found to be very friendly.

I've learnt a great deal from this site so look it up on the net and join up it's really great to see all the different work people are doing with their embroidery and meet other likeminded people that have a love of this great hobby.
Have a great day everyone
Dean;-) xxxx

Still working

I'm still going on the blackwork seems never ending lol but I will get there in the end and be able to move onto another piece it will be worth it when it's finished it will look stunning

Sadly what with work I've not had as much time to sew as I'd have liked but I have the weekends to catch up and my up coming holiday which will allow me plenty of time to get on with it

When we return from Spain we will be booking next years trip lol I was hoping to go to the US so I could visit the many fantastic craft shops in the states but it looks like it's going to be Mexico we went a couple of years ago and completely full in love with the people and the country not sure if I will have any luck finding craft shops but I will be giving it a go lol


Dean ;)xxx

Getting there slowly!!

Good morning well I'm still working away on the main piece of my blackwork didn't get as much done as I would have liked yesterday as friends from Manchester visited which left little time for been able to sew.

Still plenty to do on this bit before I can move onto another piece here's a picture of how I'm getting on


Dean ;)

Rainy weekend

Weather here at the moment is awful so its a great day to stay in with my sewing love days like this very cosy

The blackwork is coming on well and should have another panel finished today all been well didn't think the piece was this big but it's great fun working it


Dean ;)

Weekend

Well home at last and I have the weekend to work on my blackwork will do some this evening then tomorrow once I have my little jobs done I have the day to sit and relax and really get stuck in

I will have the house to myself tomorrow as my other half is working so I can sit surrounded by the pets and sew away without anyone talking me to death that's my ideal weekend been able to relax with my animals and my sewing really enjoying this piece so want to spend what spare time I have working on it


Dean ;)