“statement flowers”

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Happy New Year everyone!  Has anyone made any New Year’s resolutions?  I haven’t bothered, because I never keep them more than a few weeks/months.  I am just going to try and do as I did last year – have fun crafting, and many happy dances along the way.

It is a cross stitching tradition to begin a new project on the 1st of a new year . . . I haven’t strictly respected that, because I picked up the following, while there were still a few days of the old year yet to go.  

statement flowers

It’s a kit I bought back in the summer, I think, and was immediately attracted to it because of the bright bold colours.  “Statement Flowers” by DMC.  I did start off with some yellow thread, then I decided it would be more fun/practical to do all the black outlines first.  That way it’ll be like a colouring in project for my evening stitching. 

Stay tuned to see this one grow.  And I hope 2017 gets off to a good start for you all.

best layer of the month #December and best layer of 2016

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Some people (namely a few family members) think I’ve got a screw loose where my hens are concerned.  Who’d have thought, a few years ago, that I would be getting so much joy out of hen-keeping? 

hens 25 01

We bought our 3 gals in May 2015, as 20 week old “on the point of lay” hens, which makes them just over 2 years old today.  They’re just your ordinary laying hens.  Miranda is a Red hen; Miss Marple a Black & Tan; Miss Moneypenny a hybrid Marans-Cuckoo.  I had read that a hen can be a prolific layer for the first year, with up to 300 eggs, and that production then dwindles.  This is part of the reason I keep tabs on who lays what.  I’m interested to know who is laying, and it’s become a daily routine to collect eggs, clean the coop, chat to the gals, and comment on their beautiful eggs.

Anyway . . . today being 31st, it was time to tot up eggs for December.  The best layer this month is Miranda with 25 eggs, while Miss Marple & Miss Moneypenny are in joint second with 23 each.  That’s  71 eggs which have come in very useful this month for pavlova, chocolate mousse, chocolate GF cake (twice) and soft-boiled eggs for breakfast, amongst other things.

While totting up figures, I was curious to see how my hens did over the full year.  Which is where my previous articles come in handy (quick scroll back in archives and some maths) . . . then drum roll . . .

In 2016, therefore 366 days, since it was a Leap Year . . . Miss Moneypenny (on right in first photo) laid 202 eggs.  Miranda (our red hen) laid 310 eggs . . . and (drum still rolling) . . . Miss Marple laid 320 eggs.

IMGP1981

(photos taken during better weather)

That, my friends, is a lot of eggs, and sounds even more impressive when I realise that between the 3 of them, they laid 832 eggs during the year. 

spoiled for Christmas

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I hope you had a lovely Christmas, for those who celebrate, or just a lovely quiet family weekend for those who don’t.

Our Christmas was very low key this year. Just two of our adult children to visit. Daughter having flown over from England to spend a fortnight with the old folks and eldest son only able to visit for 3 nights (because of professional obligations).

I received some lovely surprises . . .

new dummy

The “big” pressie was a brand new tailor’s dummy.  I have put on weight over the past months, with all the inactivity due to back trouble and Doris (my old antique dummy) cannot be adjusted.  So, a brand new dummy has come to my sewing room.  I need help from my daughter to get her adjusted to my measurements, but very soon, I hope to get back to some clothes making.  And Ivy (every dummy needs a name) will be there to assist.

for dummy

Two stretchy dummy covers: one for Doris who will remain in my sewing room for sentimental reasons, and one for Ivy.

Other gifts

xmas pressies

5 Christmas themed fabrics and some glittery embellishments from my daughter;  a purple bracelet from my sister; and a Terry’s chocolate orange and Wrendale Designs bone china mug from Avis.  A lovely haul.

And . . . more thank yous to blogging friends . . .

from Lilubelle

Thank you to Lilubelle for this gorgeous seed bead bird broach and feather pendant.

from Ghsilaine

Thank you Ghislaine for this handmade card & tree decoration.

from Yvonne

Thank you Yvonne for this gorgeous crochet tree decoration and card.

And . . . in case you were wondering about the meat fowl

before butchers

Yes, their lives were ended shortly before Christmas.  My husband and daughter did the deed.  We had one guinea fowl for roast dinner on 25th, and it was delicious.  Guinea fowl were a lot bigger than we expected, weighing in at just over 2 kilos each so one was plenty for a dinner for four. The second guinea fowl and Naked Neck chicken (who weighed 2.2 kilos) have gone in the freezer.

another cushion

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2016 seems to have been the year of lots of cushion cover making.  I buy 16” inserts, therefore making a cushion cover is a lovely, quick, sewing project, and I think they make great gifts.

Here is the latest

for Sean 01

I made this for eldest son’s Christmas and the idea is . . . it will coordinate with the quilt I made him last Christmas. Photo of cushion is taken indoors – quilt photos outdoors but fabric is really purple not blue.

 

X and O fini 03

X and O fini 04

Not the same block pattern for cushion but I’ve used the same marbled black and the purple leaves fabric which features on the back of the quilt.

Bagpuss dear Bagpuss, old fat furry catpuss

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Another freebie kit stitched.  Bagpuss, from the August 2002 edition of CrossStitcher magazine.  And finished off as a 16” cushion cover for my daughter, for Christmas.

bagpuss02

bagpuss01

I used the embroidery option on my machine, just to date this little project

bagpuss03

With a bright pink cotton back, and pretty buttons, so the cover can be taken off and easily machine washed.

bagpuss 04

keeping the postie busy

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Postal workers all over the world are very busy at this time of year, including our lovely postlady who has been stopping by every day with more seasonal mail.

from Agnès

A cute winter cross stitch from Agnès.

from Debbierose

A fun card and two wooden kokeshi doll buttons from Debbierose.

from Fred

from Fred2

A card and a little “book” with some tiny star shaped buttons from Fred.

from jeanna

A lovely embroidered Christmas tree from Jeanna

from Joce

A massive stash of bookmarks and a very pretty appliqué card from Joce.

from Lynn

A card and a Christmas themed dog bandana for Gibbs, from Lynn.  I’ll post a photo of Gibbs modelling this at a later date, I promise.

from mamoures

And a lovely selection of bookmarks, a little calendar and card from mamoures.

It’s definitely starting to feel a lot like Christmas in this house!  Thank you all so much ladies.