What's news?

I spent the first Tuesday of this month at the Embroiderer's Guild as usual, in my volunteer role as 'Front Desk Hostess' which means I sit in the library (which doubles as a reception area) and answer the phone, greet anyone who walks in the front door, and catch up on EGV gossip. Not that there is any gossip as such, but another member is there in her role of Librarian, and we chat to each other as well as the members that drop in during the day.
The Display committee were busy setting up the new display for the month (it is changed once a month). This month's work is from members of the country branches of the Guild, and I was blown away by the quality of their work. All the work done by the experienced stitchers in the Guild is stunning, and this was no exception. A few projects used Australia's ongoing drought as a theme for their work - bush huts in arid land, on fire, being rained on...and so forth. There was stumpwork, blackwork, Jacobean work, Hardanger, quilting, patchwork, cross stitch, you name it. For anyone in Melbourne reading this, if you can spare the time to drop into the Guild (170 Wattletree Road, Malvern) this display is well worth a visit.
The July display is going to be "Doilies" and members have been asked to submit their favourites for display. I asked the co-ordinator how many she needed and she said "How many do you have?" "Probably about a thousand" I replied and she said at once "Oh gosh no, not that many! Just pick half a dozen favourites". Gulp...I love them all....Another Group leader has asked me to do a talk on my apron collection at the Guild in June, which I have agreed to do in spite of it being a working day for me. I don't get these opportunities very often, and I don't like to knock them back, so I'll have to ask my boss to cover my shift for that day.
One of the many nice things about my day at the Guild is being able to sit and stitch in between phone calls etc. I put quite a lot of work into the anniversary sampler I'm doing, so in another week I hope to be able to show it to you here. In the meantime I haven't got anything else to show - sorry!

Happy recipients of my cards!

The two 60th birthday cards I made for friends this month (see previous posts) have arrived safely and been acknowledged. My friend in country Victoria already has a 25th wedding anniversary sampler that I stitched for her, and she was equally delighted to receive my card.
The other card was for a lovely lady in Germany, who emailed me immediately it arrived. She said she'd never seen anything like it, and was delighted to have one made just for her. She also said her elderly mother was very impressed, and commented that you rarely see young girls like me sewing any more. Young girls like me? Thank you for the compliment, Astrid's Mum!
So what is in the pipeline at the moment? I haven't quite finished the EGV Leaf Challenge, but as it isn't due until September, I'm not too worried about that yet. I am flat out on another wedding anniversary sampler for a dear friend who might read this blog occasionally, so I can't show the progress, but it should be finished by the end of next month. I have a fairly large project on my tapestry frame, just started, but not due for completion until December, so again, I'm not stressing over that....yet. If I don't watch myself it will be November, then I'll have to go like a cut snake and finish it!
In the meantime, when I'm at the nursing home with my client for three hours, I always have a couple of vintage doilies to work on to while away the time when she is having a snooze, or not feeling like communicating with me. I find my stitching has a calming effect on her; no talking, just the gentle rhythmic movements of the needle in and out of the linen, and she seems happy to watch my hands working for some time before she gets anxious again. Then I put it away and find something else to occupy her.

Yet another unique blog for craft lovers!

My friend Barbara in the USA has a thing about mens' ties. Actually, she is interested in lots of things, all of which make her blog a constant source of delight to read. But she has been blogging about ties on and off for a couple of years, so last year I sent her a parcel of ties to play with, in return for a parcel of goodies she sent me. I don't know if she has used my ties yet, but she has created a blog showing what other people have done with ties - do have a look! Here is the link: Artful Ties It is full of fantastic photos of clothes, bags, and quilts, all made out of ties!

Another fascinating blog to take a look at!

I'd just finished the post below about Robyn's craft blog, when I remembered the other new blog on my list - Crazy Haberdasher. Marian collects vintage needlecraft accessories such as needlebooks, patterns, and other interesting paraphernalia. Like me with my linens, she has enough to fill a museum; in fact she tells me that she and her husband plan to do that one day. Marian also lives in Victoria, but a long way from me, so at this point in time, we are not able to visit and admire each other's collections, but when her museum is up and running, she has suggested that I display some of my collection which would complement hers. What fun to anticipate this!

New addition to Other Blogs That I Read.

As most of you know (the people who read this blog regularly), most of my linen has been found on eBay and I have about twenty favourite Sellers who often see me bidding on their auctions. Some of them have been inspired by my blog to create their own, and Robyn is one such person. She sells all kinds of craft stuff on eBay, but has created a blog so people can see everything she has for sale, without going into eBay. Not only does she have vintage linen, but many laces, buttons, fabrics, and other interesting stuff, so I've added her blog WattleInspireYou to my list. (The link is here to save you searching.)

Perfectly stitched vintage linen.

This little sachet to hold hankies is so beautifully worked, there is no way I would put anything soiled in there! It came via eBay from a lady who has collected only the best quality linens and is now downsizing her collection...while I upsize mine ;-)

The other 60th birthday card.

I didn't get to finish this card before our holiday, but worked furiously all weekend to do it so I can post it tomorrow! My friend's birthday is the day after mine, so it should get to her by Wednesday, as she lives in a country town in Victoria. The other card I had finished is for a friend in Germany, so to get there by the 20th, it will also have to be mailed tomorrow. When Ken saw me working on this one he said "Are you stitching yourself a birthday card?" Funneeeeee....

My OWN stitching...

...by that, I mean what I've been doing, not what I've been collecting! I have two 60th birthdays coming up in April (actually three including mine, but I'm not going to stitch myself a card, LOL!). Here is the first of the two cards I'm doing for my friends, neither of whom do embroidery, but I know they'll love these cards. I'm hoping to start the second one tomorrow...I'll have to finish it by Thursday as we are leaving for a six day holiday on Friday, and by the time we get back both cards will need to be finished and in the mail.
This is stitched on white 14ct Aida which has silver lurex thread running through it. This is the best I could get with the scanner, but it doesn't show up as pretty as the actual card. I would have preferred to use another card but this silver-grey one was all I had that would accomodate the design.
By the way, for those who are interested, there are some new peacocks here.

Three new doilies.

LeeAnn presented me with these three beautiful doilies on Good Friday when she and her BetterHalf visited us. I consider myself very fortunate to have friends like LeeAnn who think of me when they find vintage linens in their travels.
I just love these old English Cottage designs! And have a look at the close up pic below - the stitching is simply perfect. It must have been done with a single strand of cotton, and a very fine needle. Sweet Butterfly doiley. There must have been a fad for these back in the mid 20th century, as I've seen many along the same lines, but this one has the added extra of a hand crocheted edge. My collection of this Assisi style of stitched linens is growing rapidly! But I can't help myself adding to it, there are so many variations.