a free eastery embroidery pattern

Here is as promised, if a little late a completely free eastery embroidery pattern as a big thank you for all the helpful comments on my giveaway post and just for popping in to see me here.  I think it would look sweet on a little bag for collecting tiny eggs (such as the cadbury mini eggs which I think are the prettiest in the world!).

I haven't had time to stitch her up yet but I will stitch her this week and pop some pics on here.

You can access her in two ways.  Firstly, if you are on flickr you can go onto my page and right click the image of the pattern to download her.

Alternatively you can click here and download her from google drive.

I'm not sure what size she will come up as on flickr but if you print her on A4 paper she should be just right for a 6" embroidery hoop.

If you are new to embroidery there is a simple backstitch tutorial over here and I will be showing how to applique the bunting later in the week.

If the downloading fails please email me at lili_popo@rocketmail.com and I will email the pattern to you

x

running behind and minor irritations

Oh I know I promised to have a lovely free embroidery pattern here today but I think it was a little rash of me!  I am running behind, I really am running to catch up with myself so the pattern will be here hopefully on Sunday...

And the other minor irritation is that I am having trouble replying to your lovely comments here on my blog!!  My apologies if I seem to be ignoring you, I promise that I am not but I have not got a clue how to sort the problem out.  I am hoping that my computer literate son will have some time soon to mend my blog for me!  Until then, thank you for all the lovely comments 

x

and the winners are...

thank you for all the wonderful and useful comments about kits.  I have found them all so helpful and I think I will offer a range of kits.

My glamorous helper has used the random number generator and written out a long list of names...

the winners of the kits are

number 25 Elizabeth W.

and 

number 4 Pineneedles.co.uk (a facebook message)

If you could email me at lili_popo@rocketmail.co.uk or message me on fb with your addresses I will pop the kits in the post on Friday.

I will also pop a free pattern on here on Friday evening as a thank you for all the helpful comments

x

 

on my work table

my favourite flowers just blooming from mother's day

some thistles (a little fuzzy) for drawing (please excuse the 'still not stripped and painted ugly table')

the start of a larger stitched and sketched picture with some of those lovely liberty tana lawns

and finally a few lavender girls, testing out the kits

Wordless Wednesday

 

just a quick break from my break...

I am just popping in to say I have added my first preprinted design to my etsy shop today.  Included are a preprinted design on calico, a quick colour guide and a quick stitch guide.  No hoop, threads or needles.

I will be adding more of these later in the week

x

fabric heaven (or liberty as it is sometimes known)

I can't believe the wonderful response I am getting for my giveaway and you're all so very very helpful.  All your answers have made it easy for me to make clear plans for patterns, kits and printed fabrics.  Thank you so much for all the lovely comments about my designs too :)  There's another week before the giveaway is over so still time to comment over here if you would like to enter.

As for me I have been keeping my head down working before I take a break to do child related stuff but I was tempted by this gorgeous folksy shop Very Berry fabrics

I ordered two mini scrap bags of liberty fabric, perfect for little girls' dresses, bunting, fairy dresses and who knows what else

little mother's day surprises

it was like receiving a surprise parcel of goodness!  I can't wait to start on some lovely things with all this choice of tiny scraps

Very Berry Fabrics does also stock fat eighths and mini singles of fabrics and you can create your own bundles too.

The reason I am so excited by this is that I love to use liberty fabrics but clearly they are quite expensive so I normally have to limit myself to two or three prints and hope I've chosen the right ones (not always the case!)  But this way I get to try out lots of different colours and prints.  Sometimes prints I thought I wouldn't like work beautifully and vice versa.

And now I am going to take my mini internet break and do a bit of home education/child care while hopefully having a bit of time for a little bit of sketching and stitching in the sunshine!

x

 

A giveaway and a question (Now Closed)

I have popped a couple of embroidery kits into my etsy shop but I would like to know more about the kind of kits you would like so I am having a GIVEAWAY of two kits to make two of these...

Yes! there will be two winners!  Each kit makes two lavender girls

but I would like to ask for a little information about what kind of kits you would like to see in my shop

I am intending to pop some preprinted designs on fabric into my shop without threads. So you would just buy a piece of cotton with the design printed on it that you could then either frame or use as the centre of a cushion...  would a stitch guide be helpful for these?

what I'd really like to know is...

Which designs would you like to see as kits?

Would you like to be able to frame them in the hoop afterwards?

are you happy to end up with a piece of fabric with an embroidery on it that you then need to either frame or sew into another item such as a cushion or bag?

Do you want a hoop and needles in your kit or would you like kits that just have printed fabric, threads and instructions?

You don't have to answer all my questions but some would be helpful.  I am making you work for the giveaway so I will also pop a free pattern on for those who don't win the giveaway.

I am having a little internet break next week as I will be busy with children so you have two weeks to enter.  I will pop all the names in a hat on the 19th March and get my glamorous assistant to pick out the winners.

I am happy to post outside the UK

To enter simply comment below.  If you have trouble commenting (Karen Ruane in particular) then feel free to email me at lili_popo@rocketmail.com and I will add you to the list

 

unaccustomed to busyness

there has been very little time for standing and staring this week.  I am not naturally a busy person, I like to take my time over things.  I could be seen as either laid back or possibly a little bit lazy??!

but this week I was forced into busyness!  

I made kits 

and lavender girls 

for a real bricks and mortar (well more wood actually) shop that Cornishbirdinthesticks is opening up this weekend.  It's at Carnon Downs near Truro for anyone in the area who would like to check out some lovely crafts, she has some wonderful stock.

and I've been drawing and stitching on paper.  Now if I'm honest this is lovely calm work not really busy busy work but I think busy means occupied and I was occupied with this

I do love getting the paints out and zoning out from the children!  

it wasn't all relaxing busy though because I had to visit the dentist!!  (this may have more meaning to other dental phobes!)  My dentist is not at all like Steve Martin, he is gentle and very nice but I am still terrified to the point of shaking and barely breathing whenever I have to go to see him.  Even though I don't need any work doing!  I'll never understand it!

and so I came back to more soothing stitching

and sketching...

x