Needlework Projects

I need to craft and being creative is part of my every day life.  I have recently rediscovered cross-stitch after a break of many years and in that time it seems to have developed into a more sophisticated craft.  I'm sure that the internet has a lot to do with it, availability and knowledge is now worldwide and I have fallen down a deep rabbit hole! :)

Hands on Design Berries in Bloom

Merry and Minty by Brenda Gervais

I have started Winter Rose Manor by Brenda Gervais

I then decided to hand-dye my own linen.  I have previously used natural dyes to dye fabric and wool, but this was my first time dyeing linen and I loved it!

These 3 pillows are by Hands On Design and are freebies on her blog.

I have used some of my homegrown, organic lavender in my pillows.

This design is by La-D-Da, also a freebie.  I have adapted it to highlight my husband's and my initials and have added the date we met.  I also discovered a love of stitching alphabets.

I have joined some SALs. This first one is by Victoria Sampler and is on their Facebook chat page.

I choose a rainbow of floss for the entire design and hand-dyed some linen.  All the threads are from stash and are ancient Anchor and slightly newer DMC.

The designs are issued in weekly parts and I decided to adapt the January block to include a birdhouse and I changed my snowman slightly.

I had fun making some floss drops and thread minders.

Next up was February.  I have adapted the people to resemble my husband and myself.  I have never been ice-skating, but I often tell my husband he is on thin ice! ;)

For March, there was a house in the design which I decided to change to look like our home.  Of course I had to include Maurice.

Another SAL I am taking part in is Lakeside Needlecrafts's Blackwork in Blue.  This is week one which I have stitched from deep stash, using colours my younger self bought and a DMC metallic bronze.  The metallic is not nice to use, I think I will regret choosing it!

I dyed the 14 count Aida a mottled purple, which isn't showing too well in this photo, the one above is more accurate.

I also plan to start another SAL run by my lovely friend Nicola of Bumble Stitches, starting 1st April  #pocketfullofposies Of course I have hand-dyed some linen for the project, this time I will be trying 40 count for the first time and will be stitching Feed Your Soul by Stitches Through the Years.

Photo by Stitches Through The Years on Etsy

Another of my cross-stitch projects is Spring Freebie by Whilst Iris Naps Designs on 36 count linen dyed a spring green by me.

I have been hand-dyeing some linen for my Etsy Shop Eva Faith and have totally sold out.  I was overwhelmed by the positive response to my linen, a big thank you to all who supported my small business.  I plan to have another shop update at the end of April.

I have an ongoing crochet project, my Advent Wreath by Little Box of Crochet.  I'm hoping to have this completed by Christmas this year! :)

Finally I have some knitting to share.  I have finished my Iced Sugar Cookie Socks by my lovely friend Dani of Little Bobbins.  These are knit in yarn by Dusty Dimples.

My plan in April is to finish my Stillness Shawl by Helen Stewart, another lovely friend.  This is knit in yarn by The Wool Barn and A Homespun House (pink), all in a cashmere base fingering-weight.

If you wish to see more of my crafts in detail, I have a YouTube channel, The Snail Garden Please subscribe to receive notification of future vlogs.

If you are interested in purchasing hand-dyed linen from my Etsy shop Eva Faith please favourite my shop and Etsy will notify you when I add new products.  I also sell floss minders for cross-stitch/embroidery and stitch markers, progress keepers, needle minders for knitting and project bags and lavender sachets, the latter filled with my homegrown, organic lavender.

Also please follow me on Instagram as I will post in my stories when I am going to update my shop.

Playing Catch Up ... Again!

It maybe spring with a high temperature of 23'C yesterday, but I'm starting my post with a snowy day at the end of January!  I've neglected my blog recently, so today I'm having a quick catch up, starting with a round up of the lovely walks we have been on in our locality.  We are still in lockdown and our walks and once a week trips to the supermarket have been our only outings.

End of January Snow Day

February Walks

A rather special encounter with 3 deer in the woods.

Out and About in March

We saw 6 kestrels together.

The pond is full of tadpoles!

We discovered the most beautiful nest.

A long-tailed tit was busy building it.