Tapestry of Dreams

I was looking through all my posts and realized

2012-02-07T00:02:00.001Z

I know technically it's only been a day (well for another three minutes anyway) since my last entry.

But I had the most wonderful comment left on my other blog from a blind wannabe quilter. I thought I had put an entry on here as to how I thread my needles without any bother. So I looked through all of my entries and found I hadn't. I can't right now because I need to take photos of my doing it. But on looking through all of my stitching I decided I really miss doing it and see no reason why I can't stitch and quilt at the same time so that's what I'm going to do.

Tomorrow I shall put an entry on here as to how I thread my needles and take out one of my UFO's (that's UnFinished Objects to those that don't know) and get stitching again. So this blog will be live and well and won't have much more quilting on it but mainly stitching so watch this space and I'm glad to be back and hope you guys are happy to see me back.

Tomorrow:

1. Tutorial on how I thread my needles
2. A photo of my UFO and where I have got to on it.

So until next time ...
Lots of Love
Patti xxx
American by birth and MOUTH but
British in every other way

Blimey it's been over a month AGAIN

2012-02-05T17:11:00.002Z

I didn't realise at all that it's been so long AGAIN!!!

Do you like my Britishness of saying Blimey? It's one of my favorite words but NOT my very favorite which is B*llocks which covers everything and I'm very fond of saying as all my friends know so I figured you should know this too. The best thing about b*llocks is the Yanks have absolutely no idea what it means. See I told you I was more British than American now!

So what's been happening over the past month you ask. Well nothing much to be honest. Drugs are dreadful still so a couple of weeks ago I stopped it. I have lost almost a year of my life thanks to those darn drugs. Look I've had MS for a very very long time without any drugs. I was told I could chose the one I wanted and woud you believe I chose the one I always swore I would never go on. What made me decide on that one? I only had to inject once weekly with it. How dumb was I!!! The side effects were too much to bear so I stopped it. The my neurologist put me on the same drug but this time it was injectable 3 times a week in much lower doses. I went on this one in July and now in February guess what? Same side effects but worse because as well as all the other ones I had hot flushes as well. Look I had a total hysterectomy 20 years ago and already went through the change with hot flushes and didn't need or want them again. So I've been off it for two weeks and everything is normal (for me anyway) again.

Now if him who mustn't been obeyed (known affectionately as DH) would clear his crap (otherwise known as washing (of the clean variety) and other stuff) out of my sewing room which is now a junk room I could sew again. And I so want to finally sew again. I was meant to be out all day tomorrow but as I have a virus that's going round and I feel a bit better today tomorrow is going to be the day we clear out my sewing room and get it ready for me to stitch in again. I really really miss sewing. So watch this space.

Until next time ...
Lots of Love
Patti xxx
American by birth and MOUTH but British in every other way

No Photos But ...

2012-01-03T22:50:00.000Z

Hi,

Well it's been a really really long time. But I think I'm finally back to you all. I have missed blogging and stitching and quilting and every other thing I did to keep myself out of mischief. And I'm not exactly telling the truth about no photos because here I am going to introduce the newest member of our family and her name is Chloe Rachael. Chloe was born on November 8, 2011 weighing in at 5lbs 15ozs and is the lovely daughter of our son James and his very lovely wife Danielle and a little sister for Oliver who is almost 2 1/2.

James, Danielle, Oli +

Chloe in Mummy's Tummy at

Peppa Pig World

(forget the girl at the front - no idea who she is -

well maybe she's Illana - Danielle's best bud? Of course it's

Illana - I'm just nuts so please don't forget her because she's lovely

AND Illana is now pregnant with Nos. 2 and 3 - TWINS)

Chloe was crying so Oliver said,"maybe croey

(Chloe) wants car" well it seemed to have worked cause she stopped crying

The next day he gave her a plastic plant pot with a fake flower in it.

He is just too cute for words

Oli at Winter Wonderland here in London

last week.

If you say to him 'You are gorgeous' his reply is always

'No I Oli, I NOT gorgeous!'

But alas I had a Multiple Sclerosis attack like I haven't had in years and years and it just went on and on on driving me to distraction and not allowing me to do anything but become a couch potato. So much time and so much television. Hands didn't work and arms weren't much good - see I'm not clumsy I have bloody MS! Legs don't work that well at the best of times and my eyes were pretty cr*p too!

Life didn't stop completely. Because of my wonderful husband who can cook by instruction (I sit in the Living Room telling him exactly what to do) so we had people round for dinner here quite often - well at the weekends anyway and we had Christmas lunch here too as well as Boxing Day Dinner.

Our eldest made the chicken soup which was really really good to start with and then my DH did the made the Turkey and even made my usual stuffing plus different (non-onion) stuffing for my DD#2 and our DDIL who both have Crohns disease. So quite a bit of stuffing went into the bird and the non-onion one went into tin foil like a roll thingy. We had Roasted Vegetables with our main course which was courtesy of Marks & Spencer as well as the Deserts none of which are shown here because they were especially made for Christmas. If you live in the U.K. you know that you will get the best fruit and vegetables from Marks & Spencer and Waitrose. I got the yummiest Christmas Pudding I have ever tasted and it was a veggie one too as everything has to be Kosher here but boy was it good. I also got this chocolate and cherry cake thing (I don't like Chocolate anymore - go figure) and finally we had loads of yummy fresh fruit on the table. It was lovely, perfect in fact except I announced that next year we are going out for lunch!!!

Boxing Day Larry (DH) made chicken pieces - via instructions and we had Chopped Liver and Egg & Onion to start, followed by Roast Chicken, Roast Potatoes and Veg with i can't remember what for desert and New Year's Eve we went out for dinner to a Chinese Restaurant which was lovely. So all in all a good Christmas and New Year was had by all.

Next week I will hopefully be well enough to start cutting and sewing again so there will be photos of stuff that you might (not me) like better than these photos. My very best thing is being a Grandma - I just Love it to pieces.

So until next time ...
Lots of Love Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

The EXCITEMENT grows and grows

2011-08-29T18:13:00.002+01:00

Boy is my excitement mounting. I just can't begin to explain how much. And now Ladies and Gentlemen for the promised first, sort of, tutorial on how to get going with your Go! Baby.

I think of lot of making anything is in the preparation. And here is where it starts. The first thing you have to do is unpack it, whether you have bought, won or otherwise procured a Go! Baby or a Go! wonderful machine.

Now it's time for Part 1 of How to Mark Your Dies with Ebony Love of Love Bug Studios - she is just THE BEST.

Now you can watch Part 2 of How to Mark Your Dies if they are Geometric or Multiples again by Ebony Love:

Here is Part 3 of the series by Ebony Love and this time it's for Appliques:

Before you start cutting anything you really must watch this video by Ebony Love (yes I am A HUGE fan of her's) on how to get straight cuts for your new Accuquilt G! Baby or Go! There are actually two videos here and please watch them in order:

So the first thing I did was go and try and buy myself a couple of silver sharpies. Could I get them? NO WAY!!! Nobody in this darn country I have adopted had any so I looked at them all and decided to buy these because they would give me the widest choice of colors. I have marked my first die board and here are some pictures to show you:

These are the Sharpies I bought yesterday and as you can see

I have a choice of four colors to use

This is the die before I marked it

And this is it after. As you can see

I chose Green first but that didn't work too well

so, I decided to use the pink which worked way better.

I still would have preferred Silver!!!

Until tomorrow when I, hopefully, will have enough energy to iron some fabric and actually use my new Go! Baby!!! I have discovered ironing sitting down since I can't stand and do it. And I am sure that this new toy of mine will make my quilting come alive as it won't matter at all how much I am shaking when I use the GO! Baby!! Such is life with Multiple Sclerosis!!! Each day brings something else exciting and new! Okay so I'm being sarcastic but it sure beats being self pitying that's for sure. PMA all the way! That's for the uninitiated Positive Mental Attitude - well it's gotten me through the past 20 years and will continue to get me past the next 20 at least and quilting all the way.

Lots of Love
Patti xxx
American by birth and MOUTH but British in every other way

Accuquilt Baby Go

2011-08-28T14:40:00.000+01:00

Hi All,

I have the best news to share with you and that new is that I got a .... wait for it ...

Accuquilt Baby Go with three dies. The link HERE will take you to the purchase an Accuquilt Baby Go page and if you click on the link above, it will take you the that page but even better is there are two tabs on the left hand side of that page and if you click on the Video tab it will take you to a video telling you all about this amazing machine. Also right now if you buy a Baby Go Accuquilt are giving away totally free (not that I got them but this is now and that was then) the Alex Anderson Die Set worth $139.97 so in fact you would only be paying for the Dies and not the Baby Go at all. Now how exciting is that!!!

I spent ages choosing my dies but I did it in the end and I chose these three dies

Go! Triangles in a Square-3" Finished

Please click HERE to see the accompanying video of that these dies can do

Go! Drunkards Path-3 1/2"

Please click HERE to see the link to the videos for this die

and finally I chose this set

Go! Value Die Set

Please click HERE to go and see what this lot can do

Okay I have the machine and the dies so what next you ask? Well me being me I need to know all the ins and outs of how to use this machine without destroying anything. So I headed to You Tube and found the most amazing videos and tomorrow please come back because I am going to share them all with you.

And before the end of this week I am going to be making a Tutorial on how I did with it and what I managed to make. I am just so excited I can't tell you. So please keep on coming back because before too long I'm going to be having an even bigger surprise for everyone.

So until tomorrow ...

Lots of Love
Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

This is the MOST gorgeous X stitch

2011-08-07T17:24:00.001+01:00

For some reason the links aren't showing up on my computer screen. I hope they are on your screens but if they aren't almost all the names (except where I have said here) contain links to go further and explore.

In the U.K. we have had this really great TV program starring Kirstie Allsop and it's called Kirstie's Homemade Home. I loved every single episode and watched some twice and three times with the help of my MacBook. She does all kinds of things from showing us from Kirstie Creates: Restored Chairs to How to Make a Cushion Cover and beyond. She has had three series so far and each one has been breathtakingly good. The main link to Kirstie's Handmade Home can be found here and it is so worth seeing.

In one of the episodes, requested by viewers of previous shows of hers Cross Stitch was widely requested. Well did she pick a good one for this. She picked Emily Peacock who creates the most gorgeous pillows and sells the kits for the stitching. You have to provide any embellishments you want and also the fabric and stretching letting you make a pillow. I just have to buy at least one of these beauties they are just super gorgeous:

They come in two sizes. Large and Small. The large one is large enough to two people to sit it on and the small one is, well, smaller like for one person.

The large kit is worked with Appleton Brothers tapestry wools in counted cross stitch on Zweigart 7 h.p.i. canvas. The small kit is worked with 2 strands of Appleton Brothers crewel wool in counted cross stitch on Zweigart 10 h.p.i. canvas. The design is worked from the easy-to-follow colour chart provided.

Working with tapestry wools on the larger 7 h.p.i. canvas (large size) gives a beautiful chunky, hand-made finish. The crewel wools worked on the 10 h.p.i. (small size) give an elegant, smoother finish.

To be honest I am going for the Smaller kit size as I don't particularly like chunky and also the pillow will be too big for what I want it for, and I so prefer elegant to anything else. It will be a Christmas Gift this coming year so I'd better get my skates on and buy and start it.

I will keep you appraised of my progress weekly whilst I do everything else I love to do too.

So until next time ...

Lots of Love
Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

A giveaway to make you smile so much your face will hurt

2011-08-04T22:51:00.001+01:00

No pictures but here I am. Alive and well and off the drug that made me feel so horrid. Back to normal whatever that is. And back on this blog to share this amazing giveaway with you all.

So what have I been doing? Absolutely nothing craft wise. Not even stitching or cutting or sewing on my sewing machine, but I have been looking a lot on the computer and drooling and have found some truly wonderful things for you all and here is NUMBER ONE!

Madame Samm (this is Samm's original blog and what a treat to read it is) is having the most unbelievable giveaways. The links to her two blogs are on the right hand side of my other blog but I have put a link underneath the picture here for you.

Now here is what you have to do:

Now go here and what you have to do is:

First go to the link
Then on the right hand side of Madame Samm's giveaway blog (which is the one linked above) click on any of the people that have donated giveaways and there are so many to choose from but one has to Sponsor you
Go to the Sponsors website and email them asking them to sponsor you
Wait for his/her reply saying they will sponsor you - because he or she will trust me because whatever you win she wins too!!
Then on Monday, Wednesday & Friday the giveaway is for a Want To Be Quilter - THAT'S ME
On Tuesday and Thursdays it is open to quilters who can actually quilt - THAT'S NOT ME

So much fun and so much is being given away it just isn't true. And you don't have to be a quilter yet in fact most of the giveaways are for people who are wannabees - THAT'S ME!!! In fact the giveaways are happening from August 1, 2011 (that was last Monday and I missed it because birdbrain here didn't understand the directions but you will) until October 29, 2011 so go on TREAT yourself because Madame Samm really is as gorgeous as she is lovely.

Until next time ...

Lots of Love

Patti xxx

American by birth and MOUTH but British in every other way

I have finally decided ...

2011-07-09T15:29:00.001+01:00

to stop this blog once and for all. I have thought about this long and hard over quite a few nights and rather than give you an inferior blog, which this has clearly become, I would so rather concentrate on my other blog.

As you all are aware, I think, I have been really poorly for so much of this year that I have done very little of anything. But I have done some stuff and here we are 7 months into the 'new' year, which very little of anything of mine to show. It's not been a good year one way and another. I really don't want to whinge about it so I'm not going to but it will get better of this I am sure.

I know I have way more followers on here but I can hardly keep up with one blog never mind two. So if you still want to keep up with my forays into stitching and quilting and any other craft I decide I HAVE to try plus everything else I do and don't get up to please come over to my other blog and give it a go.

My other blog is called P.S. I Want To Quilt Too and please come on over because I will really miss you guys and your great comments and you too. You have all made my life so much richer with your encouragement and support and the wonderful things on your blogs as well that have so inspired me over the years and for this I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I wouldn't have been without a single one of you and I really have loved you all.

Lots of Love Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

I Know this is turning out to be more of a quilting blog but ...

2011-06-30T16:22:00.002+01:00

Anyway it's been a week and a half since I last blogged. I haven't done anything at all because I have had an abscess on one of my teeth for the last four weeks and have been in such pain it honestly has been worse than childbirth and I've had three of them - children that is.

What a pain in the you know where! I am now on my fourth lot of antibiotics which is the most I have ever had in my entire life. I don't take them generally but save them for when I really need them because I am allergic to so many. So I've had two lots of one that I am not allergic to and am about to start on the 2nd lot of the second one that so far I am not allergic to. The allergy had always turned up the second time I take an antibiotic but as there won't be any gap in taking the 2nd lot of this one maybe it won't happen. The last time I took any antibiotic was 5 years ago and that was the first lot I took that had absolutely no effect whatsoever. Before that it wasn't on my records at all and I have been with the same doctor for the past 30 years so you can see how rarely I take them.

I have found out (because somebody told me) that it seems to subside when I am sitting up but when I am in bed and laying down it is just awful so last night I sat up all night and haven't slept at all and my tooth isn't killing me today - yet but tonight I am definitely going to bed.

So what did I do all night. Well I redid my quilting blog and I really love it because it is much simpler than I usually go for and it has loads of great links on both sides. And now I am going to show you what I have been up to before a month ago.

All images are clickable to enlarge them.

This is the front of the Pin Cushion I made and

sent at the end of April if memory serves me right

but I don't think it ever arrived at it's

destination. I offered to redo another one

but haven't heard which is just as well

really as I have been in pain - okay

so I am a pain.

And this was the back. I really loved

making this and would happily make it

something like it again.

This is the first of a lot of blocks I am making

for my elder daughter's birthday. But I'm afraid she

shall have to wait and it will be really late as I

have to make some other stuff first - but I'm

sure she will be find with waiting. I really loved making

this too as it is a quilt as you go and was a lot of fun

and can't wait to make some more of them.

This is the first block I chose to make of

Ryan & Charlie of

Patchwork Squared QAL

I think I like it but

I should have stuck with some of

the colorways they chose.

The other things that have changed in that blog is there are lots more icons on both sides of the blog that lead to really really interesting places and I hope you like seeing them as much as I do. So please click on them because they all take you somewhere really special.

I promise as soon as I've done some stitching I will be posting that too and I know I owe Catherine a Blackbird Design piece of stitching.

So that's about it from me for today except to say I will be back a lot sooner than I have been posting and I have really missed you all.

Lots of Love

Patti xxx

American by birth and MOUTH

But British in EVERY other way

The Competition Winner

2011-06-19T23:37:00.000+01:00

Who says that the first person never wins in a competition. Well this time you have because according to Random Generator the winner of this competition is:

Number 1 who is Hazel and her blog is Quietly Stitching. I have emailed Hazel for her snail mail name and address so I can mail the magazine to her.

Thanks to everyone who entered.

So until next time ...
Lots of Love Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

2011-06-09T15:44:00.000+01:00

I know another post. HOW EXTRAORDINARY for me. But I just had to bring you news about this giveaway too. Don't forget about my magazine giveaway which you can find here (quilting blog) or here (this blog) to enter.

Now there is another giveaway. My friend Shawna, who is THE nicest and most generous person on earth, is having a MEGA giveaway and she wants YOU to enter it. I don't but what the heck she does so I'm doing it. I mean if you all enter then I won't stand any chance of winning at all and I WANT TO WIN this, but then again I ALWAYS want to win. This one has some really good stuff, not just a measly GREAT magazine like my giveaway.

All you have to do to enter is click HERE

Good luck to everyone who enters. Especially ME!!!

Lots of Love
Patti xxx
American by birth and MOUTH

I didn't realise

2011-06-08T18:12:00.002+01:00

It's been two whole months since I last wrote on this blog. I never don't write but unfortunately the MS has really had quite a long ride recently and I have been too tired to do anything much. No sewing, no quilting, no writing and no quilting and worst of all no blogging. Whether I'm walking or not has never really bothered me because I have always but always walked slowly. It's the tiredness I can't control that drives me nuts and is the worst of it insofar as I am concerned and self pity has NEVER been high on my list.

So I started Avonex 5 weeks ago and the side effects were supposed to be not nice. I didn't get any of them at all until this week when the side effects struck with force. Two hours after I gave myself the injection I started to shiver and feel hot and cold and just like flu. So do I blame it on the Avonex. No not really. I blame it on my HUGE mouth. I was so busy bragging how I didn't get the side effects and that's why I blame my mouth.

Anyway enough about that. I will take some photos of lots of things soon but in the meantime I have a competition for you all. I bought one too many of the new magazine here so I am offering it to one of you. All you have to do is leave a comment here - I hate it when you have to jump through hoops to win something. Doesn't matter where you are but if you would like to put a comment on your blog about this giveaway I would be really grateful but you don't have to.

Without further ado is a photo of the front cover of this magazine which I have to say is the best thing to come out of England in a very long time in the quilting/crafting world as usually I really don't like English magazines.

This competition ends on 17th of June.

So until next time

Lots of Love

Patti xxx

American by birth and MOUTH

P.S. I live in the U.K. but will mail this to anywhere in the world.

I haven't been posting anywhere and this is why

2011-04-02T15:05:00.001+01:00

Well firstly I had a major MS attack, but I usually just learn to live with whatever it throws one way or another.

But that was by far not the worst of it. You see my new Neurologist put me on new pills. I was to take 2 daily, one in the morning and one in the evening the first week leading up to 8 daily by the 4th week - 2 morning and 2 evening.

I really started to feel strange, really strange for me. Everywhere was itchy and I thought it was the Diabetes, I was terribly tired and again I thought okay it's either the MS or the Diabetes (which I control with pills - no big deal), but I began to feel really depressed and couldn't for the life of me leave the house even if I wanted to. I didn't want to do anything, go anywhere, see anyone, or even talk to anybody on the phone.

Then last week - 7 weeks after the start of the wonder pills that were going to cure the pain the MS caused, I was really ready to commit suicide. All my daughters kept on saying was you must go to the doctor and get something and I kept on refusing until last Tuesday (the 22nd I think) it was so bad that I phoned (lucky for us we have NHS and I have brilliant doctor) and she couldn't see me that day but saw me the day after but all I kept on thinking was just to end it all. I know this sounds really dramatic. So what I finally did was read the leaflet that came with the pills the Neurologist had put me.

I never read the leaflets of what the side effects might be because I don't want to imagine I have one of them when I don't so I always figure the best way is just not to read them. Well last Tuesday night (the 22nd of March) I decided to read it and one of the effects was extreme tiredness, another was itchiness, I had even changed my shampoo thinking I had dandruff all of a sudden, and one of the last ones was severe depression leading to suicide.

So at last I knew what had caused it so even though I was meant to take 4 pills that Tuesday night I only took one figuring if you had to taper off the medication I should at least take one of them. Well Wednesday (23rd) when I saw my lovely doctor she took me off them immediately and made me another appointment to see her in a weeks time. Well I saw her yesterday and she said in all the years she had known me she had never seen me in such a state - not even when my younger brother was diagnosed with stage 4 stomach cancer a couple of years ago and I was in a state then, and if I hadn't been better this week I was going to be hospitalized because if it wasn't the medication causing this really bad depression I was in the middle of a nervous breakdown and couldn't be left at home.

But the difference between last week and this week it totally amazing. Joanna (doctor) couldn't get over it. She told me she had never seen me in such pieces before and had prescribed this medication before, not a load of times but a few, and had never seen an effect that I had on them and was really ready to put me in a Psych ward. But, I was back to my normal happy smiling self. Maybe next time I'll read the leaflet that comes with the medication.

So I'm writing this really as a warning to everybody. When you get new medication read the leaflet that comes with it and if you show any of the side effects it warns you about go back to your doctor immediately. I will never be so cavalier about leaflets that come with medication and thinking reading the down side of what the medication MIGHT cause will mean it will happen to me.

And this is the reason you haven't heard from me in so long. I haven't been anywhere, done anything, or gone anywhere and for the first time in my life I had a pity party and felt really sorry for myself which is unusual all by itself. I generally have no sympathy for others, nor myself, unless of course they are really sick.

So until next time ...
Lots of Love Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

P.S. The drug I was put on was called Topiramate. The first drug the Neurologist wanted me to go on was called Gabapentine but my doctor thought it was a bad idea and so I never took it. The Neurologist then said to take Topiramate and after talking to my doctor I felt I had to take at least one of the medications he recommended or he might have felt what was the point of seeing me if I didn't listen to what he had to say.

ABC New has this to say about both drugs "Patorno said clear differences appeared between the drugs -- gabapentin had 40 percent higher suicide risk compared with topiramate, for example -- but that the overall risk for suicide was low enough that doctors might not pick up on it in their practice." This is only one very small snipped out of the whole article which can be read at the link above.

Okay so I lied + I have loads to share

2011-01-25T19:20:00.000Z

I'm not going to give up stitching totally because I need to do something in the evenings (well sometimes anyway) when it's too dark to quilt and I can only stand cutting for just a very limited period of time because of the standing problem. I won't be posting as often but I will be posting irregularly when I have something to show you. And boy do I have some things to show you.

Firstly I have some things I got back from the wondrous Finisher Deb and here they are:

This is a Needle/Scissor/Thread Case.

I stitched the outside of ages ago and have just got back.

It came out a it larger than I thought it would be I love it anyway.

This is now Threadkeep. I stupidly pulled out

some threads - don't know why, but it was the only

thing Deb could make it into and I LOVE IT and shall be using it.

This is a Christmas Ornament and is destined

to be given away. But I did enjoy stitching it

over one and I love the way Deb has finished it for me.

Umm what next. Oh yes. I got some wonderful gifts from Karyn just for being the leader of the Blackbird Designs Exchange. I don't deserve them really as the last exchange was not as I would have liked as so many people didn't follow through with their commitments. So this next exchange is going to be a bit different insofar as I will know that each and every person doing it will follow through. But these gifts were so wonderful and I thank you immensely for them and you are oh so generous. THANK YOU and hugs hugs.

As you can see they are all Blackbird themed

except for Flowers which is by Niky

A diary which I shall never write in but treasure

that goes for the Threadkeep too

A little kit the Tokens of Friendship Book

which I have never owned but loved always

And sort of finally I got this GORGEOUS stitched and finished wooden box from Catherine who had stitched it at a Blackbirds Design Retreat and given it as her exchange in BBE 6 and all I did was admire it and look what I got. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.

So Catherine didn't just stitch and finish this gorgeous box

once but she did it twice.

So you ladies - Karyn and Catherine who have stitched and finished and bought me things just for keeping the BBE alive and kicking I thank you from the bottom of my hear but you really didn't have to do anything at all but I really, I MEAN REALLY appreciate everything.

And to top it all off THE nicest thing happened to me this week. You know my Mac has been seriously misbehaving itself and that I really love it, well I took it into the Mac Shop in Brent Cross (local shopping mall - in fact I was there the week it opened almost 35 years ago 9 months pregnant as I so missed Essex Green (a mall in N.J.) and I had to make an appointment so I did and went along and the guy looked at my machine, did loads of tests on it and I was right there is only one USB port working (come on I have a degree in Computer Science) and for that I would need a new motherboard but he said to just go into John Lewis and buy a powered USB thingy, The CD Rom drive he fixed in a second and then said to me that the case was cracked a bit and he replaced it for nothing - no money - free. Gosh I was excited. I got a new battery from eBay for £29.00 instead of the £100.00 Mac wanted. So all in all I have a fully functioning Mac again.

Finally I won a Giveaway from Mikki and if you want to see it you will have to go to my quilting blog.

So until next time ...

Lots of Love Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt
My Quilting Blog

Last post for a while

2011-01-12T20:25:00.000Z

Hi All

I have decided to stop writing on this blog for a while anyway because I am engrossed in my new hobby which is quilting. I do have another blog if you would like to keep following me and its here. I just haven't enjoyed stitching for quite a while now, at least hand stitching as such and so much prefer working on my machine and learning new things. I have always loved learning and this is a huge opportunity for me to teach myself.

I tried a quilting class last year but I couldn't remember enough, or see enough from one month to the next so I just quit. But there is so much information and lessons on the internet it just isn't true and the best of it is you can watch them over and over again until you get it.

So I'm going to be selling a load of my stash including two of the classes I signed up for last year with Jackie du Plessis of It's Finally Finished. One is Thistlewood and the other is Treasures of Comfort (just the little thing in the middle and on the right). Both projects are on her blog and are near the bottom of the page. I have the scrims to go with both of them too. Make me an offer if you like but I will be putting them on eBay sooner or later I just have to get around to photographing everything I have.

But I would like to thank you all from the bottom my heart for being so loyal and coming to see my blog whenever I have written. You can still see my quirky writing if you want to. So bye for now and thank you so much for all your comments over the years they have been truly wonderful and your blogs have been awe inspiring.

So until next time ...

Lots of Love Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

These past few days have been ....

2010-12-20T22:00:00.003Z

... manic. I have received so many lovely things in the mail and I just had to share them with you. Also I have a new addiction which I shall share with you at the end of this post.

Okay number one I received a few weeks ago a Threadkeeper from a Threadkeeper Exchange organised by BeckyB and here it is, and isn't it just lovely

Unfortunately I can't find the email I wrote to the

wonderful woman who stitched and finished this for me

but I really love it

Then there is this:

I was in an Exchange organised by Mayte

which was a Christmas Ornament Exchange and

this came all the way from Mexico and was made by

Oli and it is just gorgeous and this is the package as it arrived and

below is the front and then the back

This is the front of the ornament and ...

This is the back and it was

finished beautifully.

Then there is:

This is the back of the Quaker Quarterly Exchange XXI

from the Legacy Board that I received from Linda

and this is the front. Isn't it gorgeous. The stitching and

finishing are just superb. I LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT!

and finally insofar as exchanges are concerned I received:

This is the Blackbird Design exchange I

received from Jennifer M

And this is a side view of it showing that

it is made into a stand-up

FINALLY I am ready to let you into my newest addiction. I am trying to teach myself how to quilt. I love the idea of quilting and I love so many of the quilts I have seen and I really want to be able to quilt properly. My only problem is the standing one and the cutting, but they have another way of quilting in America called paper-piecing, and I am going to give that a try first, if that doesn't work successfully then I am going to try using templates and in the meantime I shall save up for the thing I want most in the world right now which would solve all my problems and that is this:

This is called an Accuquilt GO! And It would enable me to cut quilts without any problems.

So in the meantime before I can get one of these I am going to be using:

for my first foray into quilting. I shall be making a cushion

out of this Charm Pack and backing fabric

which is from the same range.

AND I have a brand spanking NEW Blog and it is called P.S. I Want To Quilt Too. So come on over sometime and have a look because I promise I shall be making some goodies there too.

So until next time ...

Lots of Love Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

Just for a change I've been sick ...

2010-12-01T23:01:00.000Z

... and I haven't put needle and thread to cloth in over a week. Now I had a flu shot this year supposedly to stop it but it didn't work and wasn't worth the sore arm that's for sure. Plus I haven't been to Weight-watchers for the past 2 Wednesday but hopefully being ill will have a plus side and I'll have lost HUGE amounts of weight. Okay anything over 2lbs will be a HUGE bonus. AND to make matters worse as well as the flu I have had tonsillitis even though I had them out on my sixth birthday. Well guess that didn't work too well either as one of them has grown fully back!!!

On the upside I sent two exchanges out on time and both have been received so I can share them with you and tomorrow I will, hopefully, be stitching again if I can stay awake.

TADA for the exchanges:

This is the front of the Christmas Ornament

I made and sent to Pilar in Spain

And this is the back of it

(once again all photos are clickable)

This is the Quaker XXI Exchange

via the Legacy Board that I sent

to Mayte

I really enjoyed stitching both of them and hope they are enjoyed as much as I enjoyed stitching them.

So until next time ...
Lots of Love Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt
American by BIRTH and MOUTH

Photos of Israel and some exchanges sent and received

2010-11-22T23:30:00.002Z

I am going to start with the exchanges sent and received because I am not sure you will want to see them afterwards. All the images are clickable and you can make them bigger.

This is the exchange I received from Michele W for

Blackbird Designs Exchange 5.

Michele stitched it and Karen finished it and I REALLY love it.

Just because I admired Olga's

Shoe Pincushion she sent me one of those and also one of her

Little Mice (so cute and fun)

This was my exchange for

Blackbird Designs Exchange 5

It was sent to Laura and I really hope she liked it

This was my exchange to Roberta

for a Thread Keeper and unfortunately the

first one was lost in the mail so this was the

re-done one.

I returned from Israel weeks ago and still haven't shared any photos with you. Well I didn't take that many because for some reason, I know now why, the camera decided to take photos in very high definition and I could only get like 25 on my 1gb card. Anyway we stayed with my oldest friend from England, Dizzy and her husband Tony who made us very welcome indeed. We rented a car but because of the heat didn't go to that many places.

This photo and the one underneath are view

from Dizzy & Tony's balcony- Just stunning.

Shame it was so hot all the time because my

MS certainly didn't like the heat.

The first one is of Dizzy - she is half of the couple we stayed with. She is standing next to Keith who is married to Avril. We have known Keith for a very long time - he used to live next door to Dizzy when she lived in Woodside Park in Finchley.

Avril who is married to Keith is the in the next photo holding the camera

and she made a lovely Bar-B-Q for us on the Monday night.

the last one is of Dizzy and Avril. Unfortunately the only photo I got of Tony (Dizzy's husband) was of him sleeping and I decided it wasn't a good idea to put it on here. Avril and Keith live about a half hour away from Dizzy & Tony and made dinner for us on the first Monday we were there and it was very lovely and they also took us to Yad Vashem, but more about that later.

On the Monday during the day we went to Malka who is Dizzy & Tony's elder daughter. She lives in a place called Bet Shemesh which is about an hour and a half away from Dizzy & Tony. Malka and Gil (her husband) have 5 really lovely children, 4 boys and one girl. Ages range from 10 to 5months.

On the Tuesday during the day we went to Utopia Orchid Park which is actually a Kibbutz which makes it's money from the sale of plants and the orchids in the Park and various other regions outside of the park itself but still within the complex.

As you walk in (or in my case w/chair it in) this is what

greets you and it is truly stunning

Some of the smaller orchids

This tree had some kind of fruit growing from it

that looked like bananas

This was the most unusual tree I have ever seen in my whole life. It was shaped as a triangle and made up of a three sided triangle and was gorgeous.

This was a photo of Jerusalem taken from

Yad Vashem

As you go into Yad Vashem you are greeted with

movies of Poland and Germany taken between 1938 and 1942

and it was extremely moving

I took this also inside Yad Vashem - you weren't supposed to

but I did and these were all I took because you aren't supposed to

and if you click on the link you will be taken there

and see what I saw. It was extremely moving to say the least.

PLEASE CLICK ON THE LINKS TO IT

because you will be able to see for yourself

Dizzy & Tony live in the old part of

Netanya and these figures were in the center

of Netanya but it was terribly hot

whilst we were there even though it wasn't supposed to be.

But we went here on Sunday before we left on Monday.

So until next time ...
Lots of Love Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

Short and Sweet (hopefully)

2010-11-19T19:51:00.001Z

I will post again soon and not leave it so long but I just had to share with you what my granddaughter has been saying of late.

I had both of our grandchildren (well two out of the three) this week because Sara (their mother and our elder daughter) was ill and Lily (7) said to me: "Grandma do you know that everybody has a special talent?" And I replied yes I did know and what was my special talent? I expected her to say that mine was sewing or reading or being a grandma but she replied "Grandma your special talent is loving!" Boy did my heart well up. I just thought it was the sweetest thing to say.

Last week she whispered to me - 'You know Grandma you don't look old at all but don't tell Grandpa because he does"!

Out of the mouths of babes!

So until next time ...
Lots of Love Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt
American by birth and MOUTH but British in every other way

A day late but NOT a penny short. And the WINNER is:

2010-10-28T18:42:00.003+01:00

Sorry about not posting this yesterday. We got in so late on Monday night/Tuesday morning that I have been totally zonked and didn't even go on the computer which is usually velcroed to my lap.

Without further ado I am announcing the winner of my 4th year blogaversary and this is:

PEGGY LEE

There were 96 items in your list. Here they are in random order:

Peggy Lee
Emese
Hillery
CalamityJr
Lisa
Becky in Wa
Edige
too_busy_to_stitch
Lisa V
averyclaire.org

There are 96 instead of 102 because there were some duplicate entries.

So if Peggy Lee would email me with her choice of online store I will be pleased to get her a gift certificate there.

So until next time ...

Lots of Love Patti xxx
American by birth and MOUTH but British in every other way
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

We are in ISRAEL

2010-10-15T12:21:00.001+01:00

I can't believe it. I was so excited and the day has finally arrived. We arrived in Israel last night and now I'm sitting in glorious sunshine. It is just gorgeous. The drivers are NUTS that's for sure. Nobody indicates - guess all their indicators (blinkers) are broken or something. I can see the sea from here and it is heavenly. We are staying with my best and oldest (she is 3 years younger than me) friend and we have been friends since I was 16 so that's a really long time ago.

I will take some photos on Sunday and write again when I have time and let you see some. My camera is in my handbag (pocketbook) and that's were it's staying right now because Dizzy (friend) is preparing meals for Shabbos (the Sabbath) which is from sundown on Friday night until an hour after sundown on Saturday night. I think I would like to be more religious and do this because it means that even though Friday is a lot of work nothing but nothing is done from sundown Friday night until an hour after sundown on Saturday night. HOW LOVELY. You can read and eat and go to Synagogue (if you want) and walk but NO WORK AT ALL - not even the computer!! This I could get used to I promise you and the weather is just glorious. London was cold and horrible when we left yesterday and we arrived here in the dark - it gets dark here really early but it was so warm. I was so excited to come and I was so right to be excited.

I'll tell you more and show you photos next week.

So until next time ...
Lots of Love Patti xxx
American by birth and MOUTH
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

You will NEVER Guess what today is??

2010-09-27T21:57:00.003+01:00

I didn't either until I looked at my blog. It is my
4 Year BLOGAVERSARY!!!

Who would have thought. Certainly not me.

I started this blog 4 years ago today and never thought I would still be writing it 4 months later never mind 4 years later and had so many of you reading it and even some really important (well I think they are really important) stitchers.

Okay no jumping through hoops or becoming a follower - I HATE following because I hardly ever look at that part of my blog but I do read my Bloglist most days and see who has updated their blog and read it. You don't have to put a link from your blog linking it to this blog, you can if you want but you don't have to. But if you decide to put a link in your blog telling about this giveaway you can use the picture at the top of this post to make it easy for you BUT YOU DO NOT HAVE TO! You don't even have a blog but if you don't have a blog could you please make sure that you leave me your email address. So NO RULES. NO HOOPS. NO NOTHING!

I have totally lost faith in the British Post Office after they (and it's them I'm blaming) losing various things that I have mailed so I'm not going to mail anything.

What is the prize you ask? I a gift certificate to your favorite store will be it. The reason I have not nominated a store is because your favorite store might be in America, Canada, the U.K., Ireland or wherever in the world but it will be worth £25.00 converted into your currency whatever that might be.

When does this end you ask? I think it should end on October 27, 2010 because we are going away until the October 25th and I want to give everyone a chance to enter this competition who wants to.

All you have to do to enter into this giveaway is to leave an answer on this post ONLY but I would like it if you told me what you would spend the money on, be it cross stitching or quilting or sewing or whatever. I don't care --- I'm just nosey is all.

So until next time ...

Lots of Love Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt
American by Birth and MOUTH

P.S. I make it the 25th of October because I am going away until then - well from the 14th anyway. So hope you all understand.

I have my 6

2010-09-25T16:12:00.000+01:00

YAY I have my SIX. I was hoping I would get three people to take part but I got SIX!!! Admittedly I asked Sally to join in and hope that doesn't count.

So if anyone else wants to be part of this great big PIF then please click on the names under the PIF on the right hand sidebar and ask to join their PIF.

Have FUN because it's going to be. Don't forget it doesn't have to be cross stitch - it can be anything hand made WITH LOVE from you to your PIF'ers.

So until next time ...

Lots of Love Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt
American by Birth and MOUTH but not by residence

Tapestry of Dreams...Pay It Forward

2010-09-24T15:32:00.003+01:00

Here's the plan...

The idea is that 3 of you join my Pay It Forward and then

I will send a hand made gift (made with love!!!) to each one of my THREE

within the next 365 days!

Then, those 3 people must also host a PIF on their blogs

and ask for 3 people to join their PIF - To pay it forward!

So this is me, asking for 3 people to join my PIF -

just leave a comment to this post !

That's it...no Catches!

NOW...

I only need THREE...

who wants to be my THREE????

This is what Lana wrote and I thought it was soooo well written that I just copied it. So please come and join me and be one of my THREE because I would really love to make something special for you. It doesn't have to be cross stitch, and in fact Lana has a quilting blog so whatever you want to make for your PIF will be PERFECT!!

So until next time ...
Lots of Love Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt
American by birth and mouth

I LOVE Sinatra

2010-09-22T17:44:00.002+01:00

I know still no pictures of stitching. I had two exchanges to send and like the sort of good girl (ok so I'm an old(ish) woman) that I am I mailed them both together on the 1st of September. But, I have given you more Frank so DON'T COMPLAIN. You'll get stitching photos soon I promise. I saw a bit of this one on Edgar's blog but it only had the second verse and I remembered the first verse. Here is the whole thing - it's called High Hopes and here Frank (I can call him that cause he knew - okay met - my dad) is singing it with some children who, I guess, are about the same age as me cause this looks like it was taken in the 50's.

So here is my sorry tale. Short but definitely not sweet.

So I had these two exchanges that I had oh so carefully stitched and finished, but stupidly not photographed, mailed at the same time (that's together) and neither one has reached their destination. One went to the US and the other to Italy - so I can't blame the US Postal Service nor the Italian one so I'M BLAMING THE BRITISH ONE as is my want in life.

So I am busy stitching and putting them together again and will mail them out on Monday. Okay I won't this time but Larry, otherwise known as 'him upstairs', Melvin (don't ask - okay if you must, we know this guy called Melvin and we don't like him), DH (very occasionally), The Nagger (a LOT - because he is) and The Old Man cause he's that too.

Until next week,

Lots of Love

Patti xxx

American by birth and mouth

P.S. I don't know how, I really don't, but this week has just gotten worse. I went to Weight Watchers tonight and managed to put back two of the pounds I lost last week. Sometimes I really HATE being me!

Some photos but no stitching ... sorry

2010-09-05T21:20:00.000+01:00

Sorry but everything I have stitched or sent have all been exchanges so until they are received I cannot show them. But I have taken photos of it all so you will see what I have mailed as soon as humanly (or postal services) allowable.

Well in the meantime I have some family photos and do hope that you enjoy looking at them as much as I have enjoyed taking them and picking them to share with you.

Photo number one is of Oliver pre his first haircut. With his long curly hair and pretty face everybody thought he was a little girl so cut it had to be. Well I had the same problem with his dad 33 years ago. My late mother had him at Brent Cross (then the only shopping center we had in this adopted country of mine) and James was dressed from head to foot in blue. In those days girls were in pink and boys in blue and never the twain should meet. But my mother got so fed up correcting people who came up to her and said 'isn't she pretty' that finally she just said yes!

Oliver with his Chocolate Birthday Cake on his face

Oliver after his haircut with his daddy James

Oliver with Sammy yesterday (after haircut)

Oliver with Lily yesterday. Sorry about his constant thumb but there you go.

Ok now to change the subject of the photos. Almost 14 years ago we got a new little Yorkshire Terrier. My cousin Allan was at our house with his then wife Debra. We were trying (ok I was trying) to think up a name for her. She was just so gutsy and climbing in and out of our coffee table legs that I thought. She has to be called Gracie, after Gracie Allan - you remember if you are a certain age George Burns and Gracie Allan. And o funny as well. So Gracie she became. Then Debra said 'You can't just give her one name or she won't get into the best private schools.' And, me being as nutty as she is started to think again and out of the blue I said 'I know we will call her Gracie Amelia Lessell' the Amelia after Amelia Aerhart because she was really brave. Now Allan and Debra had a King Charles Spaniel who was just gorgeous at that time and his name was Douglas Alvin Messing. I asked Debra why and she replied 'because I can say where's that DAM dog with anybody considering it swearing'. So Gracie was GAL, not nearly as good as DAM but she sure has lived up to her name after all these years. She is gutsy and nutty as a fruit cake but we really love her and can't imagine life without her. So without further ado here is GAL

And last by my no means last I have this photo of my late father. He passed away on December 3, 1961 and will be dead as long as he was alive this December and it's so sad. But when he was alive he did loads and loads of things. He studied to be a dentist for 7 years, it takes 8 years and then decided he didn't want to be a dentist. But during the war amongst other things he organised shows for the troups when this photo as taken. I would imagine it was taken around 1941 or so.

My dad is on the left, Frank Sinatra is on his right

and Phil Silvers is sticking his head through.

Apparently Frank wanted a photo with my dad and Phil Silver said 'Hey forget it you aren't leaving me out'. Both my Dad (and me too for that matter) and Frank came from New Jersey and it was nice to be all those miles away and meet somebody who comes from where you do.

So this is it from me for a bit except to thank you all for reading my blog and leaving me great comments which always make me smile no matter how rotten I am feeling.

So until next time ...

Lots of Love Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt
American by birth and MOUTH

Short but Sweet (hopefully)

2010-08-26T00:05:00.003+01:00

Hi one and all

Sorry I've been absent for a while - no excuses just pure laziness and looking after her upstairs, plus the computer was out of action because the lead was broken and I had to wait for a new one and I couldn't find my camera either but I have both now. Sometimes I can't believe where I put some stuff to be 'safe'. Right now we are searching for the charger for my 'going on vacation scooter' which we can't find anywhere but have agreed it must be here somewhere.

Anyway what's been happening in my life? Well you all know how much I love my daughter-in-law Danielle well her mother is just the nicest person and it was one of her big birthdays and I know Roberta & Jeff are not crazy present givers like me, who always goes over the top where presents are concerned, and, as she always admired my stitching so much I decided to stitch and finish something for her. This was a good few months ago I must add but here are the photos. Oh yeah I gave her the scissors too ...

... as we share this one gorgeous Grandson I thought it was appropriate and Roberta really loved it (at least she told me she did).

And here is the birthday boy himself:

Ollie Thinking

"Aha!!! This is what I've been missing all this time... CHOCOLATE!"

Two cookies in hand. One obviously wasn't enough. He grabbed the packet from a table (how is that for talented) and took two out.

And although I didn't exactly win Okenka's giveaway she liked what I said so much that she stitched and finished these gorgeous things for me anyway. I like not wining but wining if you know what I mean and I LOVE them both to pieces. Thank you so very very much Olga for being so generous of heart.

Beautifully stitched and finished and some lovely things inside which I shall show you next time now that I have my computer up and working again and I found my camera.

I received the one nearest to you and it is so gorgeous it just isn't true.

Well that's all from me for now except to say I'm really glad I'm back and hope you all enjoy this post and thank you so very much for all the very lovely (how's that for British) comments you always leave.

So until next time ...
Lots of Love Patti (American by birth and mouth) xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

Stacy is heaps better thanks

2010-08-09T15:32:00.000+01:00

But I have no computer. I have posted this via my phone. I will post again as soon as I can.
So until next time ... Lots of Love Patti xxx Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

Life has been a real B*tch in the Lessell Household

2010-07-26T21:22:00.000+01:00

I hate moaning and whinging, I really do. But life has been far from fair lately in this home that's for sure.

I haven't put needle to cloth in weeks and weeks and am going deeper and deeper into myself and just turning into a couch potato and sitting here watching tv in between going to the hospital and seeing my son and daughter-in-law and grandchildren.

Stacy (our younger daughter) went into hospital last Wednesday for a day surgery and should have been out the same evening. Well that didn't go to plan did it!!! Stacy has Chrones and was diagnosed around 15 years ago. Since that time she has been on steroids on and off, a lot of the time on them to counteract the Chron's, which can be a nasty stomach complaint and, unfortunately in Stacy's case it has been. Well through this nasty disease and the taking of steroids (they never bloody tell you what steroids can do on the con side that's for sure) she has developed something called Avascular Necrosis and went to a hospital 20miles from where we live for this day surgery. Well the Surgeon start with a keyhole to do something or other minor. However that didn't happen. What transpired was it was much more damage than the surgeon had thought so they ended up cutting her open on both hips about 4" and drilling 6 holes into each hip. Until today she has been in Hillingdon Hospital which is 20 miles each way. Today she was moved to Mount Vernon Hospital which is only around 5 miles each way. Much better for us and for her too. But she has been in the most awful pain and I haven't slept much because I've been so worried. Hence the couch potato.

Then our Daughter-in-Law's grandmother passed away an they are on their way to Glasgow as I am typing this. All very sad. She was quite old, I guess, but she had been such a fit woman an never ill and everyone expected her to live to at least another 10 or 15 years. As we are Jewish, although she only passed away at 1.00 a.m. this morning, the funeral will be tomorrow, so James, Danielle an Oliver are on their way and will probably get there around Midnight tonight. I can't go to the funeral because I won't leave Stacy on her own but I did phone Danielle's mother (it was her mother that passed away) and had a chat with her and explained about Stacy and why Larry and I couldn't go but that our thoughts would be with them all tomorrow.

So once again I apologise to my winners because I still haven't mailed anything off to them but I will, I promise. I just can't get my brain together right now. Wonder if I still have one? Not sure about that.

So until next time ...
Lots of Love Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

I have to apologise

2010-07-22T23:58:00.000+01:00

This is to my winners. I am so very sorry but life has happened and I have not yet mailed your wins to you. But I promise to get them mailed by Monday at the absolute latest.

No comments please because this should have been done over a week ago and still I have not done it. You guys know about life ... sometimes it just sucks and this has happened over the past week or so.

I just want to thank you for being so patient with me.

So until next time ...
Lots of Love Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

Coming Second

2010-07-16T15:45:00.003+01:00

You guys are really awesome with your comments for which I thank you most sincerely folks. Now, if you come from England and are as old as I am, you will remember Hughie Green saying this, I looked for a clip of him saying this but couldn't find one. Never mind. But I just can't get over how generous with your good wishes you all are - it really is a joy to behold.

I was laying in bed last night unable to sleep when I started thinking. I know unusual for me, the thinking bit, but there you go sometimes it happens. What did I think about? I thought about coming second and you see your name there and it means you almost won. You almost came first but just didn't make it. So I have decided that coming second will count and therefore there will be two more surprises.

One for CarolR who said:
My biggest wish would be my own stitching studio filled with an enormous amount of linen, threads and finishing goodies. When I dream I dream big!

Congratulations on your followers!

And one to Ellen who said:
Congrats!

What a fun giveaway! I have a big wish for 36ct linen in cream and natural colors. The smallest count I can get in Singapore is 32ct Belfast.

Hugs,

So to you both I will send a surprise. What you ask? Hey I don't know but I will by Monday night so I can mail them on Tuesday. I will take photos of all that I send out and when you receive them please let me know so that I can post photos on here of exactly what you got.

Silly moo that I am! I forgot to ask you both to please email me your full names and addresses please so that I can send your surprises to you.

See! Coming second now counts!

So until next time ...
Lots of Love Patricia xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

AND THE WINNERS ARE .....

2010-07-15T15:52:00.004+01:00

I used Random.Org - the list randomizer. I copied all your names into it meticulously hopefully. Some of your were good enough to enter your names twice and then some of you didn't but that was okay because I got to read all your wishes and dreams again and it was really lovely. I don't usually get good ideas but this time I really did and I loved it. I really really loved reading all your wishes and dreams. Some easier than others I have to admit but hey who am I to tell you what to wish and dream about.

Okay so I guess you want to know who the winners are? Well I can only do them one at a time and here is number 1:

Well these out of a total of 97 names entered, with some twice:

Elaine
Carol R
Lisa P
Christina
Jeanie
Sheilah
Unikat
Omashee
Susan
Jules

What Elaine said was;

Congratulations on all those followers Patti.
I have to say that my dream would be to meet all the wonderful kind hearted, generous sweet women out there in our stitching blogland. I;m sure like myself you have made friends and are still meeting people from all over the world who apart from sharing our love of stitching, make you laugh and sometimes even cry as they share their ups and downs of daily life. I feel so privileged to have the chance to peek into their world and them into mine. How amazing would it be to actually meet them all in person, now that would be a dream come true.
Thank you for such a lovely give-away, I have so enjoyed reading everyones dream. I will post about the give-away on my blog. Hugs!

Well now I suppose you want to know who is the second winner. Well here she is:

Unikat

Ellen

Justflo

Meeyeehere

Cath

Karen

Jules

Valie

Mainly Stitching

Terri

What did Unikat say I hear you ask?

Very creative, great idea for the game!
That's me, if you have a manual job I'll stay that long and you varrhassak as long and as far as I'm feeling. No yarn, pattern, or dream on canvas, but what is beautiful and delicately elaborated, it is like to own, be it a pair of scissors, a lace, a button.
Congratulations to the round numbers, and I intend to continue to breed! A surprise gift and I am very curious

What are they going to get you ask.

Well as I can't exactly give Elaine her dream what she is going to get is The Snow Fob kit (including the scissors) from Shepherds Bush Needlework and here is a photo it

And what Unikat is going to get I am not showing you because I really want it to be a surprise but she will be getting exactly what she asked for. A combination of Lace, Silk Ribbon, A pair of Scissors and some gorgeous buttons.

So could you please email me your names and snail mail addresses please so I can mail your winnings to you. I know I shall not be able to do this until next Monday so watch the mail for your winnings after then please.

Watch out for another giveaway in the next couple of weeks because it is my Grandson's first birthday on August 4, 2010 and I surely have to celebrate that one big time. By the time I started blogging my other two grandchildren were way older than that. But next year I shall be celebrating both their birthdays this way as they have already had them.

So until next time ...
Lots of Love Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

Oh My Goodness

2010-07-07T15:29:00.001+01:00

Not only have my followers reached 200 when I announced the giveaway I now see that my blog has been visited more than 25,000 times! So to celebrate both these things if you have not yet left a comment on my original post which can be found here I will now be giving away at least two surprises. Okay so I still don't know what they are but I will soon. So please leave a comment on my original post and not on this one and to be entered twice all you have to do is put a photo that I posted on the original posting which is this one:

somewhere on your blog linking it back to my original post. This is the url that you need for the link:

http://tapestry-of-dreams.blogspot.com/2010/06/secret-giveaway.html

Good luck to everyone that enters and don't forget it ends a week today.

So until next time ...
Lots of Love Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

P.S. Nobody has to have a blog or become a follower of my blog to enter. If you do not have a blog then just look on the 15th to see if you have won and email me please with your name and address so you can get your surprise and no I still don't know what they are. I am really bad at making up my mind.

I am just so lucky

2010-07-05T14:45:00.005+01:00

I have the most wonderful friends. Last week I received from Marilyn a little parcel and it contained the most wonderful things and here they are:

I had admired these little houses that Marilyn had stitched before as RAKs on Marilyn's blog and what did she do? She made me one and not only that ...

Marilyn included the following things with this keyring. But, I shall not use it as a keyring because it could get all dirty in my bag or something so I have decided it is going to join my favorite things on my shelf so it can be admired by all that come here.

2 skeins of french hand-dyed thread which I love and the most gorgeous little button which I shall, one day, put to good use. Thank you very very much Marilyn because I love everything you sent and you really didn't have to but I really appreciate it all.

I entered Ellen's giveaway and I won again and this time I had absolutely no difficulty in telling her exactly what I wanted and it was these two charts which I loved and hankered over.

With My Heart Sewing Case and

Mrs. Waddelow's Huswif and what's more...

my finisher Deb has saved the correct finishing supplies for me. Thank you so much Deb I really love you.

Next the HOE exchange which was an ABC exchange. You had to stitch something that had a complete alphabet. So I stitched this for Nicole ...

This was stitched from a free chart from CarolR

and is called Sew Red

CarolR now designs and sells charts from her blog which you can get to from here or there is a link straight to Carol's charts here. My stitching is really good, even if I do say so myself, but my finishing leaves a lot to be desired that's for sure. And no I am not looking for compliments. I am just not a good finisher and am well aware of it.

This is ...

...the front of the ABC that I received from LisaS and I really love it and thank you.

It is so beautifully stitched and finished.

And this is the back of it. It is really something and has joined Marilyn's key-ring on my shelf of my favorite stitching things.

Now this is what I stitched for my friend Janice (no blog) for her birthday. And yes it was very late and I am now stitching Pokua's which is also very late and I am so sorry Pokua.

A very small Scissor Fob which

I copied from the one that Angela (no blog)

gave to me when Oliver was born almost a year ago

Janice and David had a Grandson last December and his name is Tzvi which is a Hebrew name because both their daughter and son-in-law are very religious and wanted his name to reflect this.

This is the back of it showing his date of birth

And this was Janice receiving it. When she first saw it unfinished

she cried with pleasure. It was so sweet.

Finally to the person who left this comment on my blog:

My dream for the give away would be silk thread and explain to me how to use it!!
I have not figured out if you use one or 2 threads - or how they are separated.
I don't have LNS, so there is no one to ask.
Does this make me sound pitiful enough??!!

here are your answers:

1. How many strands of silk do I use? Well it depends on the fabric count. If I am stitching over 2 threads then I am invariably using 32count fabric and above and I always use one strand of silk. Except on 32 count Vikki Clayton's silk is too fine so I would have to use 2 strands but with any other brand of silk I only use one strand.

2. If I am stitching over one on 28count and above I again I use only one strand, except for Vikki Claytons silk where on 28count I would use 2 strands probably

3. You separate them just as you separate DMC or any other thread. You just pull one strand out at a time.

I use every brand of silk that is available and I am definitely a silk snob. I, personally, love Vikki's silks and you can find a link to her website here. They are much more affordable than other silks and her prices are just unbeatable. The colors are all really scrummy and well I just love them. But I do use all the other makes of silk as well. So, if you have any other questions please do not hesitate to ask and just email me. My email address is located in my profile.

Oh yes before I forget, please do not forget to enter my secret giveaway. It is a secret even from me! That's really SECRET if you want my honest opinion. There is a link to the correct post you should leave your comment on here and also on the left hand side of this post there is a quaker heart and if you click on that photo you will be taken straight to it. Good luck to everyone who enters.

So until next time ...

Lots of Love Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

A Secret Giveaway

2010-06-27T19:28:00.005+01:00

No pictures but because my followers have now reached 200 and this has excited me so much I just can't tell you. So, I have decided to have a secret giveaway. Why have I called it 'A Secret Giveaway'? Because right now it's a secret, even from me, because I haven't decided what it will be yet but it will be lovely. Not something I have stitched and finished badly but something for one of you to stitch.

All you have to do to be entered into this giveaway is tell me on my comments what you would wish for the most if you could have anything stitching related be it a chart or a kit or whatever. Just what your dream prize would be. My dream prize would be a really really good lamp with like 10 times magnification so I could stitch on 55count linen. I have a piece of this wonderful linen but can't see it well enough to stitch on it. So that would be my dream win and I want to know what yours would be.

If you want to be entered twice please just put on your blog this photo with the date the giveaway ends and ...

... that what is photographed above is NOT the giveaway. The giveaway is a secret even from me!

This giveaway is open until July 14, 2010.

So until next time ...

Lots of Love Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

P.S. Nobody has to have a blog or become a follower of my blog to enter. If you do not have a blog then just look on the 15th to see if you have won and email me please with your name and address so you can get your surprise and no I still don't know what they are. I am really bad at making up my mind.

An Exchange, A Birthday Present and the Jackie duPlessis Friday Class

2010-06-10T16:10:00.006+01:00

I know it's been a while which is unusual for me but I have been really unwell. Much better now and wanting to share.

I had a private exchange with Brigitte and this is what she sent me. How I kept my hands off of those chocolates is just amazing. But I managed it until last night. The stitching and finishing on the little sweetie bag is just amazing. And I love the fabrics she sent me because white and light brown are my favorite colors to stitch on. Yes I know I'm boring but there you go.

How I kept my hands off of the Toffifee is anybody's guess

I love love love the fabrics - although one looks pink it actually is white

The Milka chocolate is still intact but probably not for much longer

The Chart is really lovely too

This is a closeup of the gorgeous bag and fabrics which I really love.

Thank you so much Brigitte I am really grateful and love it all

Now this is what I sent Brigitte. A Quaker pinkeep and a couple of pieces of Silkweaver Fabric which is really lovely to stitch on. As well as a pair of scissors and a tape measure which can be kept in the pinkeep and finally a Clover cutter.

This shows the fabric and the back of the pinkeep

showing the scissors and tape measure in it

This is the front of the Pinkeep I sent to Brigitte

and hope she likes it as much as I love what she sent me.

Now for the Birthday present that Pokua sent to me. Thank you so much Pokua as usual I love it all and am so late in sending Pokua her birthday present it just isn't true. But I shall finish stitching it this weekend and send it to Deb to be finished and get it to you as soon as possible and I promise it will be something special as I am so late.

Finally here are some pictures from the Jackie duPlessis Class that I attended on the Friday. I have never been so sorry to miss anything in my life before but I really was ill and had to go home on the Saturday morning missing both the Saturday class and the Sunday class. I didn't take very many photos because I expected to be there Saturday and Sunday and would be able to take loads more photos.

Both photos show everybody hard at work finishing their pre-stitching into something fabulous. When I have finished mine I will be putting it on here so don't worry. You shall see it all.

Finally I just had to share this basket and one of the things that was made for the basket. Some 6 or 7 years ago I attended a C.A. Wells Class and saw this basket for the first time and it was love at first sight. A group of ladies who live in and around Deal in Kent (about 9 miles from Dover - thanks Carol) meet regularly and they all made this as a SAL. Lynn designed the Basket and loads of lovelies to go in it. They are known as the Stitch and Bitch Group and I wish I lived close enough to join them but I don't. It is just so incredible that I had to take photos.

This is Caroline (and thanks CarolR again for this information) and she is part of the Group. She is one of the ladies that did this basket and this is a pinkeep that she made for it.

So until next time ...

Lots of Love Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

This isn't a real post

2010-05-28T16:09:00.001+01:00

Well not really because I am showing a photo I have shown before. But there is a reason behind my posting and that is (you have to look at the photo first)

This was a FREE chart from

The Workbasket

So if anybody would like a copy of it please just leave a comment on this post only and if you do not have an email address on your blog or you do not have a blog then make sure you leave me one so I can send it to you. It really was a total pleasure to work on and I shall, not doubt, do it again soon for myself.

So until next time ...

Lots of Love

Patti xxx Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

The Photo Stealer does it again ..

2010-05-22T22:37:00.005+01:00

To answer your first question no I'm not better and it's boring so no more talk about it. This spacing thing is driving me nuttier that's for sure. I just can't get it right. Look! I'm a trained secretary and I know that you press the enter key once at the end of a paragraph to ensure that the reader can tell that the next one is a new paragraph, and that's what I've been doing and this is what I've been getting. LOADS OF SPACE - no no no not money SPACES!

The photo stealer (that's me) has been at it again. I want to show you what I received but I haven't had the energy to take any photos so I have pinched (aka stolen) them from other people's blogs.

Firstly here is the wonderful exchange I got from Irene for the Quaker Quarterly Exchange 20 from the Legacy Board. It is just so gorgeous and I love it to bits. I wish she would have put a photo of the back of it on her blog so I could have 'borrowed' that too. When I am up to it I will take more photos and put them up on here I promise.

and then there was the birthday present Irene also stitched for me which is unbelievable. Both things Irene stitched have been stitched over one and were wonderfully wrapped in lilac voile with lilac ribbon. The one she stitched for my birthday I honestly wasn't sure before I opened it, when I was looked at it through the voile, whether it was stitched or whether it was printed fabric. Amazing doesn't even come into it. She also included really old silks which are gorgeous and some tins as well and every tin had something else in it.

Amazing doesn't even come into it. Irene calls it Birds in a Tree so I'll stick with that too. It has been stitched over one and then Irene has couched some silk ribbon around it and finally finished it with beads all around the pin cushion. I am on very very lucky lady to have such a very talented friend. Thank you so very very much Irene I really really loved everything you sent me.

Okay ladies and gents here is the exchange I received from Ela for the Blackbird Designs Exchange Number 4. Now I am showing you one photo that Ela sent me and the collage I made (this is the first time I have ever tried to make a collage - so give me a break okay). I really love the words on this and the stitching and finishing were great too. Thank you so much Ela because you did one amazing job that's for sure.

This is a collage of all the photos Ela sent me

so for once I didn't 'borrow' them

and if you would like to enter into the

Blackbird Designs Exchange there is a new one starting soon

just follow the link above

Finally it was my friend Carol's (no blog sorry) birthday a couple of months ago - see I can be really late too but this time I can blame the unpronounceably named Volcano for this one because I sent it to Deb to be finished and back here in time and the things I sent for her to finish took weeks an weeks and weeks to get back here again. So here it is with Deb's collage and photos (with her permission - see I didn't borrow these either).

So until next time ...

Lots of Love
Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

I'm ill ...

2010-05-18T23:54:00.002+01:00

I was supposed to stay at the wonderful Jackie duPlessis weekend from Thursday afternoon until late Sunday afternoon but unfortunately I become ill on Friday evening and by Saturday morning felt just awful - coughing and spluttering all over the place so I came home and missed two whole days. It wasn't a cold it was quite a bad chest infection (and so said the doctor my dh called) and I am on antibiotics (which I take so rarely it just isn't true because I am allergic to so many) and flu to boot!

I will report on the one day I did attend but rather than showing you nothing I thought I would share with you the Blackbird Design Exchange piece I sent to Barbara via Deb, of course, who did the finishing for this finishing challenged person.

So without further ado here it is and that's all from me for today but I will share loads more with you over the next few days.

Blackbird Design

"A Stitchers Companion"

from

Honeysuckle Manor

There were supposed to be two large rings hanging from the bottom of this and they would hold your threads for a piece you were stitching. I do hope that Barbara enjoys using this as much as I enjoying stitching it.

So until next time ...
Lots of Love
Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

A Real Quickie

2010-05-05T12:40:00.002+01:00

I'm still plodding away at this stitching for the upcoming classes and I will definitely NOT be d one with anything I don't think. I can hope but hey it is just over a week away and this is not going to happen.

So, I just thought I would come on and show you what I stitched and Deb finished for my QQE XX (that's Quaker Quarterly Exchange 20) on The Legacy Board and if you love Quakers as much as I do please join us for our next exchange which will be in July/August time. If you are not a member of The Legacy Board it is really easy to join and such a very lovely board.

An Old Free French Chart

Stitched on 36ct Zweigart Linen

Stitched by Moi

Finished by Deb

I will take photos of what I received for my birthday and post them next week.

So until next time ...

Lots of Love Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

P.S. If you would like a copy of the chart just leave a comment on here and make sure it includes your email address and I will get it to you - after the weekend of the 16th.

So I lied ...

2010-04-29T12:33:00.000+01:00

But it's only a little one. I said I wouldn't post again but I just couldn't resist. Susan sent me this gorgeous pincushion ...

... with a note inside that said:
"Dear Patti,
Just a little something to let you know how much I value your friendship.
Hugs
Susan"

I don't think it is a birthday present, but I could be wrong and if I am Susan please correct me, but it just means so much to me. Thank you dear friend.

So until next time ...

Lots of Love Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

An Announcement

2010-04-19T22:18:00.000+01:00

Sorry no pictures because everything I have been stitching lately has been for exchanges, that have yet to be received.

I have decided that I really do not like finishing things and much prefer the stitching part so in my infinite wisdom I have been sending everything to Deb in the States to be finished. I am waiting for two things to come back (they are in the mail right now) and I have sent her one more to finish which she will mail directly to my partner who also lives in the States.

Like Deb (Lavender Rose Deb this time) I shall not be posting on this blog for at least a month. Sorry about that but I have three pieces to stitch for the Jackie duPlesis classes that I am taking in the middle of May and they all have to be completely stitched by then so all of my attention is going to go on them.

Please forgive me if I don't read or post comments on your blogs because I really have to get these three things finished and also a birthday exchange for Pokua which I am going to be late sending because of my class pieces.

So until next time ...

Lots of Love

Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt by

This was going to be a really lovely post

2010-04-09T20:58:00.001+01:00

Well it was. Most of it still is. I received a really wonderful exchange from Lisa in Australia. The exchange was entitled HOE Winter House exchange. We had to stitch a 'Winter House', well gee, and she got my name and this is what she stitched for me (sorry Lisa I 'stole' your photo):

Lizzie Kate - Snow Day

Stitched on dove blue/grey 28ct linen

Using DMC

Finished as a scissor pocket

Embellised with a white snowflake and two silver stars on the top ribbon lining

It is really a gorgeous exchange and I really really love it and thank you so much.

I got Edgar to stitch and finish for and I stitched a Pin Cushion for him. Well I stitched it and Deb finished it for me because I have decided that even if I can finish stuff I do not enjoy it and would much rather be stitching so I am going to give Deb the majority of my finishing to do (if you are wondering why the two links to Deb it is because one is to her Picasa Web Albums and the other to her Blog). So without further ado here they are (some given by Deb and one stolen from Edgar's Blog)

This is the box that Deb put it in and I think it is just gorgeous

This is the Pin Cushion that I stitched but please don't ask me where it was

from because I honestly don't remember sorry but I did love stitching it

I remember what it's called. Okay I didn't really Mary (Pumpkin)

did and it is by Bent Creek and called

'WINTER SNAPPERLAND'

and this is Edgar's photo of it once he opened the box

The thing that makes this post not lovely is that my brother's cancer has returned two months after he had surgery and this time it is in his liver and so the saga goes on. Please say a prayer for him as he is only 58 and that is no age at all. Our dad passed away when he was 49 and my brother always said he would die young.

So until next time ...

Lots of Love

Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

Everything Is Coming in Twos!!

2010-03-26T16:48:00.002Z

Just as well I'm not pregnant isn't it! But then again I always did want twins.

Sorry I've been absent but I caught a bug from Oliver! I thought, mistakenly so, that I could babysit for him last Sunday afternoon for about an hour and I wouldn't catch anything as he was at the tail end of it. But I was sooooooo wrong and I caught it. Now the good part is I have lost 7 pounds I put on through stress. Yes guys I am a BIG stress eater and a couple more to boot and I'm still not hungry. But I am drinking loads of water which I usually hate.

Now to start the twos!

Well for this lot of twos I have received two awards. The first one is:

The Sunshine Award

And the rules for this award are:

1. Put the logo on your blog or within a post
2. Pass the award to 12 Bloggers
3. Link the nominees within your post
4. Let them know they receive this award by communicating on their blog
5. Share the love and link to the person from whom you received the award

Thank you so much Andrea for giving me this really lovely award. I saw other people get this and I thought 'boy would I love this award' and lo and behold you gave it to me. I love getting awards, but then so does everyone (ok mostly everyone) else. They are so fun.

Here are my twelve:
1. Lisa
2. Susan
3. Deb
4. Sharon
5. Mary
6. Marilyn
7. Vivi
8. Karin
9. Cindy
10. Olga
11. Alice
12. Su

The other Award is the one underneath which I received recently from Lisa a couple of weeks ago but I'm sure I can come up with some more uninteresting little known facts about me and this time I received it from Theresa whom I thank so very much.

With this award I have to write 7 things about me and give it to 7 people so here goes (AGAIN):

1. I am absolutely anal about my linen. It has to be overlocked before I even put one stitch in it.
2. I am really funny about using bathrooms and I hate public ones with a vengeance because in England they don't have toilet seat covers (not even to buy) and the doors open inwards so you always have to touch the handle of the door and you never know who has and who has not washed their hands.
3. I HATE cotton (cotton wool) with a vengeance. I hate the feel of it and the sound of it.
4. Because of the above hate I never ever used that stuff on my children when they were little and we didn't have wipes in those days either. Nightmare it was a total nightmare.
5. I am a terrible spendthrift. That does not mean I'm thrifty - in fact just the opposite. Money just goes through my hands like water.
6. I am the gadget Queen. I love gadgets of all price and it is £140.00 so guess this is one gadget I will not be getting. No room for it anyway. But I still want a Kindle - part of the same gadget obsession.
7. I have spent nearly my whole entire life dieting. My mother started me on my first diet when I was around 11 and I haven't stopped since. Such a bad circle to get into it just isn't true so I never ever tell my children they look anything else but wonderful.

Okay that's over and done and dusted with now so as instructed I am giving this award to 7 people who so deserve it. And on that note here goes:

1. Mayte
2. Elisa
3. Chris
4. Melissa
5. Cathey (aka Pumpkin)
6. Lynn
7. Berit

So until next time ...

Lots of Love

Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

P.S. I can't stand the way Blogger now makes extra lines when you don't want them and I'm not going to take them out sorry.

The 2 Great Bits of News + Presents Received and Sent

2010-03-17T14:47:00.000Z

The very first thing I want to do is thank everybody from the bottom of my heart for their comments and emails as they really did mean a whole lot to me. They were all so full of encouragement and feel good stories when we both were feeling so low and hopeless.

So, onto my news! My first bit of great news is we went to the specialist yesterday and Larry does not have Cancer of any description. They could have saved us almost 3 weeks of sleep deprived nights and worry if they had only written in that darn letter that scared us witless that this was a standard letter sent out to all patients after having a biopsy taken and does not mean anything because they don't know anything yet so please do not worry unnecessarily! But they didn't - instead they worried us sick and all for no reason. Okay there is something wrong with his waterworks but nothing that can't be fixed with a simple pill! So this is my first bit of great news. He does have to go for a PSA test ever three months but heck that is only a blood test and after being diabetic for so long he's really used to them.

My second bit of great news is our elder daughter called on Monday and asked if she could come over and we said (okay Larry, for once, answered the phone) and said yes of course and we spent a couple of hours talking and all is okay for now. We saw the children yesterday and I was so happy yesterday nothing could have spoiled it but seeing the children again was amazing.

I bought a painted wood ornament from Prim Originals and she is called "Joy". When the parcel came yesterday, of all days, not only was Joy there but these were too ..

There was another painted wood ornament called Hope as well as two small paintings which can be hung around your neck on a chain (might be a good idea because Smoliver really loves the heart that I wear around my neck) but I don't want the chain broken either so I guess I shall have to see. One will definitely go on my keyring though to remind me of Lisa - I mean Liz! Private joke - what happened was when I left Liz's feedback on Etsy I called her Lisa and I know full well that her name is Liz because I have purchased a lot from her because I love love love her things and so does everyone else that I give them to. But these things are going nowhere and will stay firmly in our home. I really really LOVE them and I just can't thank you enough Liz - you are one very special person that's for sure.

Now for the present I gave Angela (no blog but a picture album you can see on my Pictures list) for her birthday which was last month and I wasn't even that late in giving them to her. Surprise surprise with everything that had been going on at the time:

loved the keyfob Angela made for me when Smoliver was born last year that I decided I wanted to make her one too. All right so it didn't turn out quite like hers did but I did try. And no I'm not very trying.

I know Angela loves pink anything so I gave here these things too:

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for all your comments and encouragement as they really meant the world to both of us - even him upstairs who knows nothing about my blog or computers because I told him how many comments were left and read each and every one out to him.

So finally, the crying machine has officially LEFT THE BUILDING YAYYYYY!!!

So until next time ...

Lots of Love

Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

I just can't think straight

2010-03-12T23:47:00.000Z

I have turned into a crying machine. I just can't think straight at all. It isn't all about me at all. I have to stop crying because I am upsetting him upstairs big time.

I figured I really need to share this with somebody and who better than you guys who are always so supportive.

Firstly our elder daughter hasn't spoken to us for around a month. We are the worst parents on earth and I am definitely the wicked witch of the west and we haven't seen our two older grandchildren for over a month now. Well that's upsetting enough and would make me shed a few tears but nothing like this.

A couple of months ago one of my oldest friend's partners Mike (they are getting married at the end of May) had a PSA Test done. I had never heard of this before but it is a test to see if a man has something wrong with his Prostate gland, not necessarily cancer but to see if everything is not okay. It turned out Mike (friend's partner) has Prostate Cancer, and not the good kind - if there is such a thing. It was so far gone that there was no point in taking out his Prostate because the cancer had already spread.

So we went to the doctor and Larry had a PSA Test done, which is only a blood test so it's no big deal. And so the merry-go-round started about four or five weeks ago. The first thing that happened was the doctor called us about a week or two after the test and arranged for Larry to go and have his bladder checked to make sure that there was no blockage there. There wasn't - everything there was clear. Then we got an appointment for two weeks after that for him to go and have biopsies taken from his Prostrate. I wasn't allowed in with him when they were doing it but I saw him straight after and he was as white as a sheet and was obviously having a Hypo. Larry has Diabetes and takes insulin for it and even though he had certainly eaten enough that day the 10 biopsies they took had an adverse effect on him. I asked when we could expect to hear anything and the nurse said about two to three weeks and knowing the NHS we expected a 3 week wait. This was the Wednesday and they posted a letter to him on the Thursday which we received on the Saturday morning giving him an appointment to see a surgeon next Tuesday. The letter was really fast and our Doctor said that they wouldn't even have had all the results in by then. I stupidly went on the internet and saw that the level of the PSA test means very little and as Larry's level was much less than Mike's level I thought it was okay. I am usually the glass is half full person in this house and Larry is generally the glass is half empty person here but it has turned 180degrees around.

I am so scared it just isn't true. He is my very best friend and has been my total rock for the past 45 years but especially the past 20 since I was diagnosed with MS (which is really no big deal in the scheme of things). Then today we were in M&S and they have this campaign on at the moment informing all and sundry about Prostate Cancer and how it takes lives without warning or symptoms. So we won't know anything for sure until Tuesday but I just wanted you too to know that if your husband/partner/brother/father is over 50 he has to get a PSA Test done immediately an one at least once a year forever. If only we had known .....

So until next time ...

Lots of Love

Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

The Four Girls

2010-03-09T16:43:00.003Z

I wish they were mine but alas they are not. My friend Frances (a very out-of-date blog) finished these and I asked her if she would mind if I put them on my blog as I thought they were so gorgeous. So without further ado here they are in all their glory:

They, of course, are from Carriage House Samplings and are from left to right (click on the photo and it gets way bigger):

Molly,
Elizabeth,
Suzanna,
and Mary Margaret

and aren't they all just gorgeous in every sense of the word. I can say this because I didn't stitch them or frame them which, Fran did. She is also half-way through finishing 'Spot' by CHS because she felt the girls needed a guy. I think he will be just perfect for them.

Also in one of Fran's very brave moments she dyed a piece of white 'cheap' (well Fran called it cheap and I'm only repeating what she said) fabric with red wine. Well I have an opened bottle of red wine sitting on my kitchen worktop and guess what's going to happen to it?

Here is Fran's dyed piece of linen:

Which I think came out absolutely perfectly! So here I go - well soon. Because right now I am stitching.

So until next time ...

Lots of Love

Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

An Exchange to Israel received and I got another Award

2010-03-02T23:14:00.001Z

Hi,

It's me again. Amazing isn't it and after only a day or so. I told him upstairs after he asked me to go and look for a new Palm PDA for him that if I got on this darn machine I would still be on it 10 hours later. Okay so I exaggerated a bit but here I am 5 hours later still here! I knew it.

I sent my exchange to Vivi last Friday and you will never ever guess but she got it this morning. Hey it beats mailing from within England to England. She said she would have received it yesterday except the Post Office in Jerusalem was closed yesterday because they celebrate Purim a day later than everywhere else because it is a walled city and I never knew that. So here is what I sent to Vivi (her photos are better than mine by heaps but I took the so I'll share them)

I stitched and made the Pincushion for her

but the Doll and little wooden Picture were made by Primoriginals

Here is a close-up of the Pincushion

This is Vivi's photograph of what I sent

I had my DH buy a very large bar of Cadburys Chocolate and put

it in the package to Vivi

The little picture is by Primoriginals as well. Liz is just THE nicest person alive and her things are just amazing and my photo really doesn't do them justice. Please use the link and go and see what she makes.

I am just so lucky, even though lately I haven't felt it much. But let's not dwell anymore and let me tell you why I feel lucky now. I received an email from Lisa whose blog is called Lydia's Treasures emailed me and asked me if I would accept an award from her. I have accepted quite a few blog awards in the past happily an couldn't understand, until I read her Blog, why she was emailing me and asking me. It was because Lisa wrote to 7 people and so far three have refused. I am the only person she has given this award to that has accepted it out of the 7 people. Well now for the award (DRUM ROLL Puuuuuleeeze)

I have to tell you seven interesting things about myself and pass the award onto seven people, but I'm not going to do that. I have decided to give this award to one person only and make them feel really special.

Here are the seven (this is going to be hard) interesting things about me...

1. I was born and brought up in New Jersey but only lived there until I was 15 yet still have a N.J. accent!

2. I adore my grandchildren even more than my stitching - and I love stitching a lot.

3. The new love in my life (besides Smoliver) is quilting and I love that almost as much as stitching.

4. I have only been stitching for around 12 years.

5. I started stitching because I wanted to give one of my sister's something very special for her big birthday and so I decide that in order to give somebody who has everything something special I would have to make it.

6. I graduated from University with an Honors Degree in Computer Science when I was quite old(ish)

7. I own a little Yorkshire Terrier (or she owns me) named Gracie (after Gracie Alan) Amelia (after Amelia Earhart) who is now 14 years old and she has two names because my cousin's ex-wife (he was married to her at the time) was here when we got Gracie, said she wouldn't get into the best private schools with only one name. Gracie is as funny and zany as Gracie Alan ever was and as brave as Amelia Earhart, so I guess I named her right.

Silly Moo that I am, I forgot to give this award to my one person. After much thought I decided that Terri would get this award. I know loads of you that really deserve it but as I said at the beginning I am only giving this award to one person and she's it. So Congratulations Terri.

Well this post is longer than I thought it would be and I really want some blueberries now ...

So until next time ...

Lots of Love

Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

An exchange received and a B/day present sent

2010-02-28T19:32:00.000Z

I was just so lucky it is totally unreal! Vivi and I arranged an exchange to happen last Chanukkah but one way and another it never kinda happened. So I wrote to her and suggested we turn it into a birthday exchange instead. And she said no - how about a Purim exchange? I said sure and then realized we only had until sort of the 20th of February to mail her mine because Purim is actually today - well from sundown yesterday until sundown today (Saturday 27/02 to Sundown 28/02).

Fortunately for me Vivi posted her part of the exchange last Monday whilst I was kind of having a nervous breakdown and crying a lot and couldn't see straight because of all the tears, and I never cry, but between last Sunday and Wednesday night I managed to cry a whole 60 years worth of tears so I didn't manage to finish what I was sending to her until Thursday instead when I could finally see straight. I'm not saying what all that was about because it was very personal and anyway I don't know the outcome of any of it yet.

So without further ado this is what I received in a huge box (and I mean HUGE) from Vivi who lives in Israel:

What you are seeing is a postcard from Jerusalem, a packet of Fruit tea and almost, but not quite, best of all was the very heavy box of Hamentaschen which I LOVE, so it has to be really fattening and you know what? For once in my life I don't care! They are truly delicous. But the very very best thing Vivi sent was:

The Front of the Threadkeeper

The back of the Thread-keeper. Read what it says, the verse is amazing.

The Thread-keeper being used by moi immediately because I LOVE IT SO MUCH and thank you so very much Vivi you are a true star. The stitching and finishing are just totally awesome and I will do an exchange with you any day of the week.

Now as to the Birthday present. It was Irene's birthday on Saturday and to celebrate it I sent her:

This is the front of the Indigo Rose Needlebook that I made and sent to her

This is the back of the Needlebook.

I really enjoyed both the stitching of this and the making up of it (believe it or not). It just came out much smaller than I thought it would but it was sweet, I think.

I also sent her:

The Dresser Drawer Kit by Shepherds Bush and I hope she liked it because it will be a lot of fun for her I think, okay I hope. We have been procrastinating over stitching Briar Rose that we have to stitch. I hope you had a great birthday Irene.

Well that's it for now peeps so until next time ...

Lots of Love
Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

My UFOs + a GORGEOUS Bag

2010-02-18T17:28:00.004Z

Hi,

It's me again. I know two postings in 2 days. Well if you have read my PS you will know how my mouth got me into trouble yet again, so I won't dwell on that one.

I have decided to show you my UFOs because Chris emailed me, we have been emailing for about a year now, and asked me how many UFOs I had and I said a few and she then emailed back again and asked me how many a few were and I was going to say two or three and then I really looked for them and counted them up and there were SIX!!! Yes you heard me right 6! Well 6 is my lucky number but it's also part of 666 which refers to the devil so I have to decide what to do with them and here goes with number 1 of 6!

Patience by Just Nan

I'm sure I started this when it came out 11 years ago when I was really into Just Nan. I have done maybe half of it and I am thinking of selling it on eBay because I just know deep down that I will never ever finish it. It has been languishing upstairs for at least 10 years if not more. So the camera is coming out and eBay here I come!

Cynthia's Sampler by Just Nan

Now this one I think I started around 7 or 8 years ago or so after I had made if for our elder Daughter Sara-Jane for Chanicmas (a combination of Hanukkah & Christmas) and loved stitching it so much that I started it again. This one I will definitely finish one of these day so it's staying where it is.

This, I am sorry to say, I stole off of somebody's Picturetrail (sorry can't remember who but then again what else is new??) This is 20 Flowers by Just Nan and was designed for The Silver Needle for their 20th Anniversary so I think it must be around 5 years old. I have about 20 stitched to put in this but you know me I procrastinate. I used to not be able to make up my mind but now I just procrastinate all the time. I will do it before I send my next lot to be finished by Deb I promise.

Catherine Agnes by Indigo Rose

Now this one I know I started around 3 years ago. I don't have much left to do on this one either. G-d knows why I didn't finish it. Oh I remember why. It was because I couldn't, and still can't, for the life of me remember how to do the Doves' Eyes that are required for the hardanger. But I will learn and finish it. So nothing is happening to this one either.

Love Letters by Shepherds Bush

SB is definitely one of my very favorite designers. Why didn't I finish this? I think I started this around 3 years ago and I think I ran out of the white that was needed and I quit stitching it. But I shall get some white AVAS and get going on this again as soon as I can, which will be after I have stitched 3 more Exchanges and my 3 pre-stitch pieces for the Jackie duPlesis classes I am attending at the end of May.

And last but buy no means least there is:

The Threadkeeper by Hillside Sampler

This I think I started around 2 years ago (I stole the picture from Debs' finishing album I am warning you that once you get on this Album it will be a LONG time before you leave it) and it is sitting having nothing done on it in this gorgeous bag that my friend Sandra made for me (see below for the bag because it just dawned on me that I never ever thanked Sandra publically for so here goes:

This first photo is of the whole bag and the second one is of the middle part of the bag that Sandra appliqued and stitched adding buttons as well. It is truly beautiful and I really thank you from the bottom of my heart Sandra and so sorry I haven't done this before.

So until next time ...

Lots of Love

Patti xxx

Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

Some people are just so disappointing

2010-02-17T18:43:00.002Z

I was still entered into into two specific exchanges. One was the Lizzie Kate exchange and the other one was the Blackbird Design exchange. Well I am sorry to have to say that neither partner has had the courtesy to tell me that they had received my exchange and they were both mailed over 2 weeks ago so I have decided, in my infinite wisdom, that I am going to post the photos of them that I took before I mailed them.

This is the Lizzie Kate exchange that I sent. It is called February Stamp (or something close to that) and I really enjoyed stitching it once I got to grips with it. If I stitched the outline of that heart once I stitched it 5 or 6 times. So what I did in the end was stitch the inside of the heart and then the outside and gosh did that work better.

I did receive a pinkeep in exchange but have yet to take a photo of it. Sorry I just keep on forgetting but I will remember soon and it's dark now so it wouldn't work properly as the photo in a previous post proves.

And this is the Blackbird Design that I stitched and finished. I know it was supposed to finished as a heart but I really didn't have enough confidence to finish it that way. I did use the same linen on the back of it though and pulled a thread from the linen to finish the stitching by hand to finish it off. I thought it was fussy enough that it didn't need any bows or anything and really loved stitching and finishing this.

Joanie is the woman that hosts the Blackbird Exchange and she told me that three people, including me and her, didn't receive their exchange pieces. She has written to the people concerned that were supposed to send them but so far has not had a reply. Such a shame really as it puts such a sour note into an otherwise lovely experience.

So until next time ...

Lots of Love

Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

P.S. The reason I haven't heard from Heather whom I both received my exchange from and sent the exchange is because she hasn't received it yet! And more importantly she never received the thank you note I sent to her either - talk about the pot calling the kettle black! I did write a thank you note to her but I guess it got lost in the ether so maybe I shouldn't have been so judgmental and just should have shown you what I had stitched and not said anything else and kept my big mouth shut!

Not only have the FROGS moved in BUT ....

2010-02-10T19:01:00.003Z

I am such a crap friend it is impossible to believe. Angela made me THE most gorgeous scissor fob to celebrate the birth of Oliver last year. You remember Smoliver - he's my latest grandson and is the gorgeous one (and NO I do not think I'm prejudiced at all - NOT MUCH) in the posting below. Well this scissor fob is equally gorgeous and here it is both front and back and I really love it - I mean REALLY love it. It has been stitched and finished beautifully to say the least.

and that isn't all the work Angela put into it because besides cross stitching an outline she also back-stitched round both the front and back so that the finish would be whipstitched. It really is gorgeous and Angela I am really really sorry I didn't put photos of this on before now because I honestly thought I had.

Now for the FROGS which have invaded my house bigtime. I have been prestitching the first of the four class pieces for our upcoming Jackie duPlesis classes we are having here in the U.K. and to say I am excited is putting it so mildly it just isn't true!

Here is the photo of it before I frogged:

Sorry about the darkness of the photo but I took it last night when it was dark before I started frogging it. It is over one and Jackie says it is on 32count fabric but I have the funniest feeling that it is on 36. So what have I frogged.

Well to begin with I decided to start from the middle which I never normally do but this time I wanted it to be perfect so I did. So what did I do wrong? Well I counted fifteen threads to the right but forgot to count fifteen threads up or down so it wouldn't have been in the middle at all but slightly down. Okay so I had only done half of the stitches of the middle box and I frogged the whole thing and then started again.

Error No. 2! I didn't read the chart correctly now did I? Nosireebobsky I didn't! The box and the middle are supposed to be stitched in a light cream color and what did I stitch them in you ask? GREEN!!! Different symbol. Didn't look at it right. So now I am frogging again and when Angela came around today, after is had snowed like a blizzard for around 15 minutes and then hailed - lot of fun now and then the sun came out so first she was coming and then she wasn't, she lives around an hour away from me further north and had had this weather first so could predict exactly what was going to happen, and you know what? It happened exactly like she said it would! So much snow came down in 15 minutes there was a total blanket of it.

Okay back to the frogging. She is sitting here thinking I am such a wimp for taking so long in frogging such a little bit but then she started to frog some for me and apologised and said she didn't think it was 32 count either. So I have decided that tonight I am going to stitch something else and give myself a little frogging break.

I have to frog the middle box and the two lines either side. I HATE FROGGING.

Finally here is what it WILL look like when it's finished:

Update on the above piece: I decided to finish frogging tonight and I'm sure Angela doesn't know but when she was frogging this afternoon she inadvertently cut a thread so I have to start the piece again. I'm really not that bothered to be honest because I had frogged on that piece so much that the fabric was beginning to look weird to say the least! I have written to Jackie to ask her what make, color and count it was so I can replace it. No biggie honest it isn't,though to hear me earlier you would have thought something dreadful had happened! And at the same time Stacy (dd 2) was cutting the dog's nails and I was having 10,000 conniptions over this too! And she cut one too short and my poor little dog was bleeding!

So until next time ...

Lots of Love

Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

A Quilt for Smoliver

2010-02-07T23:46:00.001Z

Who or what is Smoliver I hear you ask. Well Smoliver is a combination of Oliver's Hebrew name and English name and my son James, Smoliver's Daddy, has started calling him that and it has just stuck. Would you like to see an up-to-date photo of him? Well here is one just in case you need to see it:

And here is his quilt. Now I was going to hand quilt this and then changed my mind because although the front would have looked awesome (at least I think it would have) the back would have looked dreadful and you will see why when you look at the back. Because what I was going to do was hand stitch the outline of the words, vines, trees, moon, stars and the animals but somehow I don't think it would have worked:

The Front of it with Grandpa holding it for me

The back of it

Here are some close-up photos of it:

The Top of the Front

The bottom of the Front

Some of the back

(this was taken with the quilt laying on my couch)

Can you see what I mean by the back looking awful? Well in my humble opinion it would have. So instead of my hand-stitching it all I had it quilted by a professional who knew what she was doing. I used a lady called Ferret (it is a nickname and I never asked her why) and I would highly recommend her if you want your quilt to be as beautifully quilted as Oliver's was. She is truly amazing and if you enlarge the photos by clicking on them Ferret used thread that changed color and the swirls are just gorgeous and Ferret is one amazing quilter!

I started to hand-stitch the edging which was the only thing she left for me to do but unless I am using linen which has holes in it I have decided that my hand-stitching sucks so I frogged it and used my sewing machine and only hand-stitched the corners.

This was a panel which is cot (crib) size and I purchased everything she needed except for the cotton (thread) to stitch it with. Danielle and James were delighted when I took it to them this evening and to be honest the only thing I did was the edging. Bad bad Grandma! Maybe I should stitch him a Birth Sampler when I get some time.

Until next time then...

Lots of Love

Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

I was so excited this morning I just could have ...

2010-02-04T00:14:00.000Z

SPIT!!! No not really but my excitement level was really high, and I mean HIGH! I don't know if you remember but some time back I won a box and purse from Susan. Well this very large box arrived this morning and to say I couldn't open it fast enough was way beyond how excited I was. So open it I did and out of it popped (okay it didn't pop I took it out of the large box)......

all of this. Okay it wasn't all together in one place because some of it was in a great zip bag. I am going to show you it all separately so you can see it up close and personal and I loved it all so much and Susan was overly generous. She said she felt bad because I had waited so long for it all but I really really would have been more than satisfied with what she had promised in the first place - in fact I would have been really happy with just ....

... this which is the box and the Garden Pleasures is stitched on top and Susan stained the box and at the bottom of it she put the most gorgeous paper on it. I has pride of place on my window cill.

Next is the purse which is just gorgeous both inside and out and here it is:

This is the front of it and here is the inside

which has been stitched and made by Susan who is a wonderful finisher. But I have not finished .... not by a long shot I haven't .... next

Susan stitched this in black as yet another giveaway and had this one on her website at the same time and emailed me and said that she hoped I liked pink. Like pink you say! I LOVE pink with a vengeance. In fact my living room has been pinked out! And this is not all she says. Yes there is more and here it is ....

Susan stitched me this totally gorgeous scissor fob which I really love to pieces. It is beautifully stitched and finished and okay it isn't pink but it is RED and I love that too - no not for my living room silly but for stitching! And she finished it just like a C.A. Wells piece and although I went to two of her classes I have no idea how to finish like she taught. And that is not all because along with the Scissor Fob she sent these too ....

Yes you are seeing correct. Susan mailed me another pair of my favorite scissors and I have never owned a Swan pair before and I love the fact that they are in a silver color because I am not that keen on gold to be honest - anything gold I call Jewish Renaissance (I can say this because I'm Jewish and I HATE gold colored things) AND two skeins of Waterlilles which were just my colors and tape measure and some mints.

and this is the rest:

This shows the back of the scissor fob that I love and a Clover Cutting thing which I didn't have until now. Talk about spoiled! Boy oh boy did Susan ever spoil me. Just wait until I get my own back on you girl. I can't thank you enough is was just too too much but I did love it all enormously! THANK YOU SO MUCH SUSAN!
So until next time ...

Lots of Love

Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

As promised - picture heavy

2010-01-27T14:10:00.004Z

Well I have been stitching and have received loads more so I have tons to show you. First thing I want to share with you is this semi-gorgeous Pin Cushion (I am referring to mine and not Lynn's which was totally gorgeous). Now Lynn had done this and I loved it so much and asked her eventually where she had gotten the pattern from after trawling the internet first. She told me that the reason I couldn't find it was because she had designed it herself and asked for my address (snail mail) and then this came in the mail:

A total kit including everything I needed. What a treasure she is. Now if you look at Lynn's blog you will see how this really should have been made but mine came out like this:

What is next is a surprise present from Liz who is Primoriginals on Etsy and I love buying presents for other people from her. Well this came just before Christmas and I thought to myself when the familiar envelope arrived 'I don't remember ordering anything from Liz' and I didn't! Liz sent these cute magnets to me as a present from her to me so we shall have to see what next Christmas brings to Liz.

So next there is:

this gorgeous pincushion from my friend Carol B who will not have a blog. Well she does have a full time job and two children and her husband is currently in the Middle East with the Navy so least said about that the better but she is, therefore, a single mum right now and I love her to pieces and she truly does not have time to write a blog so I forgive her. It was her Christmas present to me. I didn't make anything but bought a needlebook from Etsy and a little doll from Liz.

This is the front of the Needlebook I got from Mayte in the Legacy XIX Quaker Exchange. The Back is following and then the left side and then the right side. Thank you so much Mayte it is really gorgeous and I really really LOVE it to pieces.

Finally for things I received and forgot to tell you about. This was the exchange I received in the final Prairie Schooler Year Long Exchange last year:

Now on to things I made and gave as gifts. Not a lot I have to say - I received more than I got I think. But here we go:

I made this for Sandra's birthday which was in December but I didn't see her until last week so she really had to wait.

I made this for my QQE XIX exchange partner, who shall remain nameless but I do not believe she reads my blog so I think I'm safe but really she should have received it by now.

The front of the little Pin Cushion I made for CarolR in exchange for the one I finished really badly that I had promised her. and below is the back of it. I loved stitching this I have to say.

So until next time ...

Lots of Love

Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

P.S. I'm sorry about the spacing but no matter what I do it comes out like this :-(

Good Golly ...

2010-01-22T23:07:00.000Z

I have just realized that is has been almost 3 weeks since my last post. I've been busy here and there and my MS has been playing up something rotten - no excuse just a fact of life and no matter how much I try and ignore it sometimes it just will not let me. You know most people think that it's the walking that is the big deal. I promise you whether I am walking or not has NOTHING to do with anything. Heck I used to be a really slow walker and now I have this power wheelchair and I wear everybody else out because I can go faster than just about anyone - unless they are running of course. It is the tiredness like nobody knows and I hope never ever finds out. It wipes me out completely and yesterday I met with 3 other MS (Multiple Sclerosis) women and although this disease is very personal to each person we all said exactly the same thing. So guess it isn't as personal as I thought. It was a really good meeting - almost as good as stitching with friends, but not quite.

Anyway enough moaning. I have been doing exchanges and more exchanges. I promise to upload new photos tomorrow (it's quite late here now) but in the meantime I have decided to call a halt to my bi-monthly give-aways mainly because I can only remember who two of the PIF's were with. One was with Wendy and the other with Carin and I promised to have 5 and this has been done now. Don't worry though there will be more giveaways because I love doing them. If I promised you that I would do PIFs in exchange for one from you please email me (address in my blog profile) and let me know and I will do more.

And in the meantime here are the ones that have been received. Carol still has not received her PIF because it is sitting in front of me finished and waiting for him who must not be obeyed to take it to the Post Office before 12:00 tomorrow.

Here is what has been won in all their glory. I have to tell you that the 1st Mary Little (can't you just tell I love stitching Mary Little) is half the size of the second one and the second one is small.

So until next time ...

Lots of Love

Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

New Years Resolutions and me

2010-01-02T22:36:00.001Z

As far as New Years Resolutions go I have already broken (well sort of) one of mine insofar as I didn't start on either ATS or HOHRH as I figured if I did then maybe I wouldn't get my commitments done so I started on an exchange piece instead and will get the three of them out of the way first.

Sorry I can't show you anything brand spanking new because the people these are meant for may read my blog. But I can show you some stuff and all photos are clickable to make them larger if you must!

This was my Prairie School Floss Tag and Pinkeep which I stitched and finished (too large if you wany my honest opnion) for Lynn and I also included a hand-made scissor fob for her as I was a tad late in sending her pincushion/threadkeeper. I stitched is free PS design over one on 40ct Permin Antique White Linen with silks that I chose myself that I already had.

I am delighted to be able to tell you that this arrived at Daphnee's after all. Gosh I was so worried that it would be lost in the mail like the previous one that I stitched for her.

Finally I don't know if you remember but I won (yes you heard me right I WON) Lisa's Giveaway and not only did she include the chart for this rather lovely design but the cherries and leaves as well. I shall make at least well in time for next Christmas. Thank you so very very much Lisa I was so excited to have won this I just can't tell you as quiltiing and sewing on my almost new (well I bought it in 2008 but didn't even take it out of the box until well into 2009) Sewing Machine.

I can't figure out the line spacing for Blogger right now as I am a fully trained typist and I know how to layout things and each time I do what I should more and more spaces appear where they shouldn't. Even though this is not my doing I apologise for this as it annoys me profusely.

Well that's all for today but I do have some more photos on my camera and as soon as I can find the lead to connect it to my computer or anything else that will allow me to put more photos on here I shall do so.

Say Goodnite Gracie! Good Nite Gracie.

So until next time ...

Lots of Love

Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

I WISH YOU A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

2009-12-31T19:34:00.004Z

From me and mine to you and yours I want to wish everybody that comes to blog a very very Happy, Healthy & Prosperous New Year. May 2010 be YOUR year because it sure is going to be mine. I deem this next year (and Deb says I'm the Queen so what I say must hold some weight somewhere) will be CRAP FREE for everybody!

Thank you so much for all the comments your left me during 2009 and the well wishes on the birth of our new Grandson Oliver who is just adorable as are our other two grandchildren Sammy and Lily of course.

So until next time ...

Lots of Love

Patti xxx

P.S. My New Year's resolution last year was to post on here once a week. Well I have bettered that because I have posted on here 77 times this year.

My New Year's resolution for 2010 is to post on here as regularly and not to sign up for so many exchanges and to finish at least half of ATS and half of HOHRH so what I am going to do is be stricter and have a schedule - yeah like that would work NOT!

And the Winner is ....

2009-12-18T22:50:00.001Z

Firstly there are so many nice things you guys said on my little blog that I would like to thank you all profusely, and at the same time welcome everyone is new. I have looked at practically everyone's blog and if I haven't yet I will.

HOWEVER without further ado the WINNER of Mary Little is .....

DRUM ROLL PLEASE::::TA DA::::

JULIA

Julia
Catherine
Irina
Pipilotta
Sherri
Miss 376
Lisa
Edit
Enza
Pam1228

These were how the first ten names came out but there were 62 entered because Deb didn't want to be entered as she had just made Mary Little for herself and one person forgot to send me an extra commet, but it all came out in the wash just fine. I always use Random.Org which is a great list randomizer and all you have to do is type in the names and it does the rest for you and that is what I like - easy!

Say goodnite Grace! Goodnite Gracie.

So for now it's goodbye from me and goodbye from him (in the words of the Two Ronnies from the U.K.)

Lots of Love

Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

My Giveaway to you guys

2009-12-11T21:28:00.001Z

Thank you all so very much for looking at my blog and commenting on things I make and things I show that others make.

So here is the present giveaway. You can see it right here. I know I have stitched and given this away before but this time I have made it as it was meant to be made and I hope you love it as much as I do. So without further ado here she is:

As you can see it is Mary Little again but this time she has been stitched n 40ct Linen over two with mostly the called for colours. She is so little and lovely and the linen she has been stitched on is just gorgeous. It is French and was a pleasure to work on.

Here is the back of the little pinkeep

You can, of course, click on the images above to see everything much more closely.

This giveaway will be open until the 18th of December 2009. Now all you have to do to enter for this giveaway is:

1. Leave a comment on this blog for one entry
2. For 2 entries please copy and paste one of the photos above and either leave details of this giveaway on the side of your blog or as an entry in your blog with the details of this giveaway and a link back to this post.
3. If you do post on your blog that I am having this giveaway then please leave me another comment on this blog so I know you have done so.
4. You do not have to have a blog to enter but if you do not have a blog please leave me an email addres so that if you do win I can let you know.

Good luck to everyone.

So until next time ..

Lots of Love

Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

The Diet + A Scrumptious Photo fron Françoise

2009-12-05T16:04:00.003Z

Hi again it's meeeeeeeeee

Right do you all remember before when I posted gorgoeus photos of stitching from my friend Francoise who, unfortunately, does not have a blog. Well guess what??? I have another one.

Francoise it just THE most amazing stitcher and finisher.    These are from the Joyeux Noel book which was prouded by Blackbird Designs and Niky Farrauto. Now as you know from the past Francoise's stitiching and finishins is always to die for, okay not literally but you know what I mean, and these are no different. So come on Francoise don't make me beg for your photos please. If you send me some when you have stitched and finished whatever you are working on I will always put them on my blog for you.

Next on the agenda of this post is about THE diet. The diet is called The Cambridge Diet and if you have read my blog over the past three years you will see that I have done it before, unsuccessfully.

But I am determined NOT this time. Why not this time? Because this time I decided to eat food with it too. Nothing fattening you understand because it is a VLCD (Very Low Calorie Diet) but it is also a very low carbohydrate diet. So I went out and bought myself a little Carb Counter Book and a Low Carb CookBook too.

What you are supposed to do is have three packs, bars or pre-made drinks (ideally one of each) total food replacement packs a day and drink between 2 and 4 litres of water a day.

What I have been doing is have two TFR's a day plus a meal. That's not what they recommend but hey if I'm eating food then I do not need three TRS's a day I reckon.

Weight Watchers and Slimming World just don't work for me because on these diets you really have to exercise as well to lose the weight. And exercise is just something I cannot do (remember I have MS), even though I have tried. I have also tried these diets on numerous occasions and I am lucky to lose a half a pound a week and that's not good enough because I need to lose it now and not over two or three years.

So I will keep you all posted as to my progress. From doing this in the past I can tell you that it slows down considerably and the last time I did this the second week, and subsequent weeks, I think I lost around 3lbs a week which, for me, is incredible.

Say Goodnite Gracie. Goodnite Gracie!!!

So until next time ...

Lots of Love

Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

No photos but just a post

2009-12-04T21:25:00.001Z

I had forgotten how much I love movies. I participated in a Market Research this week and the company I was doing it for turned out to be Robert Murdoch's BSkyB. Now we have belonged to Sky since it first started I guess in 1989 or thereabouts but trying to cut back and save money I cancelled the movie channels about a year ago.

Well this week there were three movies I wanted to see so I thought to heck with it I'm going to join again. So today I watched The Women which turned out to be a real feel good movie and I loved it. Even DH sat down and watched it with me. It was a remark of the 1933 movie (don't ask me which one) and starred Meg Ryan and even had a guest appearance by Bette Midler which I loved because I love her. This movie was about a group of 4 girlfriends and I thought it was going to be a non-musical rehash of 'The First Wives Club' but it wasn't. It was just a real feel good factor movie so if you haven't seen it yet get it somehow because it is so worth it.

The movie before also starred Bette Midler and her being in it was the only reason I taped it (not really taped cause we don't have a VCR anymore I saved it on the Sky+ box which has a hard drive) and it was called 'Then She Found Me' and was nothing I thought I would be and I LOVED it. Really LOVED it. It also starred, and was directed by, Helen Hunt and was a great movie, but more so if you are Jewish, because it is a very Jewish movie and I didn't even know this until it started and I heard the music and thought hey - I know this music. Okay I know loads of music but this music I really knew. But if you are a Bette Midler fan it is a great movie despite the Jewish bit.

The third movie is being recorded as I type and is called 'Body of Lies' which I haven't seen yet but really wanted to. So I have had a film fest today and tomorrow, well tomorrow I shall just watch this movie.

Also I spoke to my sister-in-law in the States and my brother isn't doing well. He won't eat and is sleeping a lot. All his bloodwork came back just fine. So we don't know what's up. Hopefully, please g-d, nothing.

Oh yeah and I almost forgot. I am on a diet which is really working and I lost 9lbs this week! Yeah me who doesn't move a lot!

So until next time ...

Lots of Love

Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt