Lil' Honey Collection

ChurpChurp | Social Share » The Celcom Everyone Sale is back! (Preview)

2010-12-15T11:56:00.000+08:00

ChurpChurp | Social Share » The Celcom Everyone Sale is back! (Preview)

Current favourites

2008-11-10T09:05:00.004+08:00

Cuurently, addicted to bag/purse making and yarn-dye fabric & japanese cotton stashing.

tengah menggila buat beg dan mengumpul kain 'yarn-dye' & kain cotton jepun.

What I've been doing - part 3

2008-11-07T18:06:00.004+08:00

Back to crafting & sewing. Some of my projects including bareback dress and Happy Teacher's day banner.

What I've been doing - part 2

2008-11-07T17:38:00.004+08:00

gardening... including agapanthus & french beans

What I've been doing - part

2008-11-07T15:40:00.003+08:00

what i've been doing this year? Hmmm , well during the 1st quarter of the year, I didn't have time for crafting or blogging. My hands were full as we took care for my sick father since november 2007. He was bedridden and suffered from aching joints because of his old age. Eventually we lost him in March. I didn't realised that I was deeply affected by the loss. I cried silent tears of deep sorrow and didn't have a heart even to lift a needle or 'playing' with my brand new Bernina I bought a couple of months before my father fall sick.

In June, I gathered myself together. Thank to my dear hubby, kids adn friends who never stop giving me support & motivation. Life goes on. Slowly back to crafting and stashing, meeting new friends. As at todate, I feel lively & motivated and looking forward for a new begining in the 'Land of Hornbill' in the next few days. Yes, we will back there - I used to call it 'a familiar foreign soil'. Well, it is not so foreign to me anymore. From now on , I will call it 'a not-so-foreign soil'. Back in Sarawak but different city. Here I come...

(part 2 - will uploads pictures only)

apa yang aku buat tahun ni? Sebenarnya dalam suku pertama, tiada ruang masa yang boleh aku luangkan untuk aktiviti kraf mahupun 'blogging'. Sejak November tahun lepas, aku sibuk menjaga abah yang sakit kuat, terlantar di katil, menanggung derita penyakit sendi yang sering terjadi pada golongan lanjut usia (usia emas).
akhirnya, Tuhan lebih tahu dan menyayanginya, dia pergi meninggalkan kami pada bulan Mac. Aku tak sedar, rupa-rupanya pemergiannya meninggalkan kesan yang hebat pada diriku. Aku menangis dalam diam dengan penuh rasa duka nestapa.
langsung aku tidak sentuh jarum jahitku yang sekian lama terbiar, begitu juga dengan mesin jahitku , Bernina, yang baru saja aku beli 2 bulan sebelum abah jatuh sakit teruk.

Jun, aku bangkit kembali. Aku bersyukur, punya suami, anak-anak dan kawan-kawan yang begitu memahami, sentiasa memberi semangat dan dorongan. terima kasih. Sekarang aku rasa penuh bersemangat dan bertenaga untuk meneruskan hidup di Bumi Kenyalang tak lama lagi. Ya, kami kembali ke sana, ke negeri yang pernah aku panggil 'tempat asing tapi biasa' (biasa dengar, biasa tengok dalam tv, biasa bergaul dengan kawan-kawan dari sana, pernah melawat sarawak).
sekarang bolehlah aku panggil 'tempat yang tak begitu asing' hehehe.
kali ni kami ke bandar lain. Seghawak, tok kamik datang....

(part 2 - gambar-gambar shj)

Another visit to the hospital

2008-07-25T10:54:00.002+08:00

Antoher visit will be this evening. Scheduled for tonsillectomy tomorrow morning. This procedure is highly recommended by the ENT, I have all the criterias. Wish me well. To my needlecraft friends in the viccinity, if you need a spot where you could stitch and bitch, just holler hehehehe

Lagi lawatan ke hospital. Kena buang tonsil esok pagi. ENT yang aku jumpa sangat-sangat rekomen buat ni sebab aku ada semua kriteria yg membolehkan prosedur ni. Doakan aku sihat walafiat. Kepada kawan-kawanku yang suka jahit-menjahit dekat-dekat sini, kalau nak cari 'pot' lepak, telefon laaa yea hehehehe

Something small in the making - part 3

2008-07-24T12:49:00.003+08:00

As at today 12.45pm. Will start quilting later.

Setakat tengahari ni pukul 12.45, akan mula quilting kejap lagi

Something small in the making - part 2

2008-07-21T11:13:00.001+08:00

As at today 11.00am

Setakat pagi ni pukul 11

Something small in the making

2008-07-20T22:45:00.001+08:00

I started to stitch the applique' flower and embroider the stem & leaves today. The background is a simple patchwork I made on Friday night for a Free- motion Quilting learning session on Saturday. But I've decided to practise on scraps a little bit more.

This small project in the making, is a quilt for the tray. Original pattern is from Patchwork Club magazine No. 61 last year. I modified it a little bit here and there.

Since it involves needle turn technique* for those tiny appliques and I don't really have a lot of time to spend on stitching/sewing every day, this project will gonna last more than a week I suppose.

Hari ni, mula jahit applique (sulam tampal) dan buat sulaman untuk daun & batang. Kain dasar tu sebenarnya dah dibuat pada Jumaat malam lagi , sebenarnya untuk kelas Free-motion Quilting pada hari Sabtu. Tapi aku tukar fikiran sebab aku rasa masih perlu berlatih guna kain perca.

Projek ni adalah projek alas dulang. Paten asal dari majalah Patchwork Club keluaran 61 tahun lepas. Aku ubah sikit sini sana.

Untuk projek ni, aku guna teknik needle turn* untuk applique yang kecil molek tu, aku pun bukan ada masa sangat 'menghadap' projek ni hari-hari, aku rasa memang akan ambil masa lebih dari seminggu nak siapkan.

* needle turn - handstitching technique for applique involves invisible stitches and gives emboss effect
teknik ni guna jahitan susup supaya tak kelihatan and bila siap ada kesan timbul yang cantik pada applique

oh daisy !

2008-07-17T14:00:00.001+08:00

Pattern from Quilts & More spring 2008. Fun project, a bit tricky to stitch the base (final step) and tad boring to stuff the fiberfill into it since the size is huge , approx. 6"X6"X3". I's gigantic yet practical. I simply love sticking the pins on the yellow swirly spot and weave my needles in the petals.

Paten ambil dari majalah Quilts & More keluaran Spring 2008. Seronok buat pincushion ni cuma leceh sikit semasa langkah terakhir i.e. jahit tapak kat bahagian bawah dan agak membosankan bila nak sumbat fiberfill sampai padat sebab saiznya yang besar tu. Walaupun bagak tapi praktikal. Aku suka sangat cucuk semua pin kat bahagian tengah yang warna kuning tu dan susupkan jarum-jarum kat kelopak.

Irises in my garden

2008-07-11T15:40:00.003+08:00

Sew exciting

2008-07-11T10:47:00.004+08:00

Back to sewing, at last. To keep my sanity and being creative at the same time. That's all for now, will be back for more. Will write a little about things that happened for the past few months.

¤ Akhirnya aku kembali ke aktiviti jahit-menjahit, untuk menenangkan fikiran dan dalam pada yang sama mengasah kreativiti mindaku. Sampai sini dulu. Nanti nak kongsi sedikit cerita yang berlaku sepanjang beberapa bulan lepas ¤

Quilt for lil' princess Shasha

2007-10-01T12:32:00.000+08:00

Finally a quilt specially for Shasha. I didn't make one for her when she was a baby coz I had made 2 very simple quilts when Hanie was born a year before. All this while, Shasha was using Hanie's 2nd quilt.

I bought the pattern from a local quilt shop. It's their very own pattern And it was baby Alya who picked the pattern from the display rack. By the way, Alya technically is no longer a baby, she now is an active toddler who loves to run & climb and gives mommy a headache.

I finished quilting on Saturday evening. Teddie bears - machine applique'd. I did 'stitch in the ditch' quilting to give the teddies a puffy look. I also quilted some star shapes on the squares.

Since Alya is the one who loves this pattern dearly, I definitely have to make one for her and of course Hanie wouldn't sit still if she were the only one who didn't get a new blankie. In short, two more quilts to finish......

Flossbook for Joanne

2007-09-26T11:57:00.000+08:00

The Stitching Accessories themed Mail Art has safely reached Joanne ! I picked this Mary Garry Sewing Cabin complimentary chart from my collection, I didn't even know its existence until the day that I wanted to start stitching the MA. Stitched using DMC flosses as per charted and did slight changes to pattern. I was pretty skeptical with the colourway intially (it is not the usual colourway I use), but changed my mind completely after I've done stitching.

I made an attempt to make another 2-in-1 mail art. The 1st one is MA cum draw string pouch that I did for Zarina (for Primitive style Mail Art Exchange).

This time is a flossbook for Joanne. The picture quality is not as good as I wanted. Will try to get some pics from Joanne later.

Mail Art for Niza

2007-09-25T11:42:00.000+08:00

Niza had received it! I picked this pattern from UK Cross Stitcher magazine and actually a greetings card pattern. I omit a bit from the original pattern to give some space for recipient's address.
Closure - white butterfly button and lilac tying ribbon. Err... is there such white butterfly out there or should I just write it as 'moth' hehehehe. I also put a 'Velcro dot' for more practical closure. I lined the mail art with flutters and bugsies print fabric.

My 1st Foundation Pieced !

2007-09-24T11:18:00.000+08:00

I went to ' Foundation Piecing/Paper Piecing' lesson on Saturday. I chose to bring own patterns for the class. i downloaded this 'Golf' pattern from one of the websites. I forgot which site, will update on the name/link later.

Block size - 8" X 8". It took me 3 hours to piece them up. Phewww! I'm glad that I made a decision to go to the class instead of self-taught. If you might noticed, the golf club is a bit dented. Nooo, the pattern is perfecto!!! it was me who didn't press the pieces well enough before sewing them up.

Straight after the class, I sat down and finished the block into a cushion cover as per requested by my darling hubby. I personalized it by hand-stitching his blog's name. I did stitch in the ditch quilting on the outline of golf ball & club and stipple quilting on the background , unfortunately you couldn't see it clearly in the picture.

There are 4 remaining lessons to complete. For the upcoming lesson, I have chose the 'Ladybug' pattern.

Another mini quilt

2007-09-17T11:08:00.000+08:00

It is rather an experimental. Playing with prints, shapes and colour combination. The front - I used a fabric with colourful squares print. Binding - matching checkered fabric. The backing - pink floral print to match the binding.

Mail Art from Niza

2007-09-12T10:26:00.000+08:00

I received a mail art from Niza! She said that it would be her final piece since she will no longer stitching mail arts due to some reasons. She already had a huge collection of them anyway *wink*

She stitched a chart from Mary Garry's Sewing Cabin. This designer is no longer making new designs. I'm really glad to have a stitched piece with a Mary Garry design on it.

Mail arts by Niza have a distinctive feature - she always used batik prints to line them. And I simply love the batik print that she picked for me. Thank you Niza.

A week of ....

2007-09-10T10:34:00.000+08:00

.... patchwork & quilting. Last week was definitely a Patchwork & Quilting week for me.

On Monday, Zarina, my dear stitching friend in Penang was sharing her excitement. She began to fall in love with patchwork & quilting and started off a table runner project. I was so inspired by her story.

And on Tuesday, I made a mini quilt, size 10"X10". This is actually my 2nd mini quilt. I've done one last year for our darling Shasha who loves miniature thingies. She claimed that this time is also meant for her. Hmmmm... let me think first *LOL*
I chose autumn colours fabrics. Size of each small square is 2"X2". And sashing is 2" width. Not including seam allowance. Hand quilted. I'm thinking of doing more mini quilts since they are quick to finish. You could make one to three pieces a day depends on your quality of sewing machine and your sewing skill.

On Wednesday, went the nearest needlecraft shop - having a sale until the month end. Bought some fabric stash and inquired on their 'Foundation Piecing' classes. I'm really interested and thinking to start a lesson soon.

Thursday - spent the day flipping through all Patchwork & Quilting magazines and books in my collection. And daydreaming...*LOL*

Friday - went to Bernina 75th Anniversary Exhibition with my quilting friend. Baby Alya tagged along. Her very first bus and LRT ride and my first visit to such exhibition. She looked amazed and I was in awe. Martha (my friend) went stashing crazy at the exhibition. Too bad, I could NOT purchase much since I've done some stashing earlier this week (and in August as well). Met Josephine & Roz from the MYS Yahoo Group and new quilting friends there.

Saturday & Sunday - scrummaging for the UFO. Truly inspired to get back to my patchwork & quilting sessions after seeing those beautifully quilted bedspreads and wall hangings. I even had a dream that night - seeing quilts everywhere I go *LOL*

What a lovely week I had .....

Tea Bag delivery

2007-09-02T14:44:00.000+08:00

I tried my luck participating in Mail Art competition organized by Daisy Stitches. Due to loads of stitching obligations as well as personal commitments, I didn't have much time to think of a theme. I simply decided on teatime theme b'coz I've just finished a Teatime Mail Art exchange in early July. As the closing date was on the August 15th, I needed to mail it out by end of July to ensure that it would reach its destination (across the globe) in time. Finishing style - and as usual, I love to try new style for every MA I made. A 'tea bag' MA suddenly came into my mind.

I like stitching an excerpt from any Little House Needleworks patterns for the Mail Arts I made. This is 5th MA I stitched an excerpt from LHN pattern (I've made 10 Mail Arts so far). This time I took an excerpt from 'Spot of Tea' - special rendition for tea lovers included in LHN's original 'Spot of Coffee' pattern.

I jumped in joy to know that I won the 3rd prize. You could see the Grand Prize winning Mail Art and other winners & runner ups Mail Arts here.

Thank you Daisy Stitches and sponsors for organizing this competition.

itching for crafting!

2007-08-24T14:26:00.000+08:00

Caring for a broken arm Hanie and down with fever & bad stomach Alya, I didn't get a chance to cross stitch. But my fingers kept on 'fidgeting'. I settled on 2 small crochet projects. Mini crochet doily stitched using no. 10 Anchor thread. And a crocheted pincushion, stitched using rayon floss. My 1st encounter of crocheting using rayon floss. It was rather tricky but I would like to use the floss for crocheted edging project in my crafts-to-do list.

not Claire Bennet

2007-08-18T14:25:00.000+08:00

Hanie broke her left arm. Was in the shower when I heard her cry. I went into panic to see her sitting on the couch with a broken arm. Hanie is one tough little honey. She sat still and stopped crying after seeing me panicking. She asked me "Are we going to the hospital?"

After coming back from the hospital, I asked her "Why did you jump?". She replied calmly "I did not. I fell down." Apparently, she was climbing up the double decker. She slipped and fell onto the floor. When we moved into the house, the owner provided us some furnitures including the double decker. The top bed is never been used for sleeping actually and we also had the ladder removed. But somehow it didn't deter our little Hanie from testing her motor skill - climbing up.

The cast would be removed in one month period. Now, when she sees her sisters trying to climb up the couch, table etc, Hanie would say "You better not! It is dangerous. You will break your arm and have to go to the hospital!"

She is just our little honey, not 'Claire Bennet'.

The best fish tank I ever had

2007-08-16T09:18:00.000+08:00

CAUTION : THIS POSTING IS DEDICATED TO FISH LOVERS

A group of tropical fishes had been added to the family since last year - as our little princesses' very own 1st pet. The kids really enjoying watching the fishes swimming around the sunken 'ship' and water plants. My hubby and I also loves having a tank of tropical fishes in the house. Apart from the nice underwater view, it also helps cooling down the temperature during the hot & dry spell. Works wonder as the night lamp (we usually switch off the fish tank's light before we to bed though). Also a focal point in the living room.

Personally, this is the 3rd fish tank I ever had (not to count the tanks that my father has had during my childhood days). My 1st tank was actually a golden fish bowl (many many years ago). Anyway, I didn't have golden fish in it. I put a pair of tropical fishes that didn't need aerated water to live in. They were tough cookie species of tropical fishes. Usually found in the ponds, muddy freshwater and paddy fields. Low and easy maintenance, it just that their looks do not have much for you to adore if you love ornamental fishes.

2nd tank was the plastic ones (medium size). Tiger barbs & dwarf gouramis lived in there not long before we bought the current glass tank complete with the water filter, aerator & light.

Small tropical fishes like tiger barbs & dwarf gouramis do not have higher chances and longer lifespan like other fishes. We at least had 3 batches of tropical fishes since the 1st batch we purchased. The only fish that survives throughout the year is pleco, the tank cleaner or better known locally as 'ikan bandaraya'. You can see Pleco creeping up the wall in the 2nd pic (the black & grey spotted fish). Currently we have tiger barbs, Shanghai carps, cherry barb, koi & 'black skirtings' as well as pleco.

MYS Neighbourhood RR 2007 - round 4

2007-08-16T08:53:00.000+08:00

Round 4 - I have to stitch on Zarina's RR piece. Unlike the rest of us, she has specifically decided on neighbourhood gardens for her RR theme. The participants have to stitch the 'gardens of their own'.

Knowing that Zarina fancies oriental gardens, I flipped lots of magazines to find oriental sceneries patterns. I couldn't find much but I was really glad to see 'Fujiyama pattern' in one of the magazines. Since the pattern is way too big for the RR, I merely stitched a portion from the whole pattern that includes the coral pink shrubs, stream and pagoda garden lamp/lantern. And stitched a bridge from another pattern, a complement to the oriental landscape. Thought of oriental gardens, that we could always find willow trees next to the bridges or streams, I charted on my own a simple willow tree pattern to 'complete' the garden.

I really enjoyed stitching the oriental garden. I used DMC flosses with some colour changes and adjustments to the patterns for this oriental scenery.

The'show-off' must go on...(part 2)

2007-05-18T10:27:00.000+08:00

MYS Quaker Pinkeep Exchange - I received a lovely Quaker Pinkeep from Margaret!

She stitched a pattern from Ackworth Quaker book. How lovely! Stitched on lugana using muted colour Dip&Twist floss and it gives a vintage look.

On the back, she stitched another pattern from the same book and personalized it with out initials , M and Z. I really like it! This exchange was really exciting coz I got learn to stitch & sew a stitching accessory that I never try before.

The'show-off' must go on...(part 1)

2007-05-17T14:47:00.000+08:00

4th May was the dateline for MYS Quaker Pinkeep Exchange.

I had never stitch & sew a pinkeep before, and this is the very first pinkeep I ever made. The pattern from The Workbasket (strawberry quaker), stitched on 28ct jobelan using Dip&Twist overdyed.

I love the colour of the overdyed floss (bright pink) , it had made me thinking of strawberries and finally made up mind to stitch the strawberry quaker pattern. Though I must admit that after finished stitching, I found that it looks more like beetroots. I think it is b'coz of floss colour.

I put rickrack around the pinkeep and strawberry print cotton at the back.

And, this is another Quaker pattern I stitched in April. It's designed by Barb Adams & Alma Allen of Blackbird Designs. Stitched on 32ct linen using the same overdyed colour that I used for Quaker Pinkeep that I made for the Exchange. I took this pattern from Just Cross Stitch magazine (Ornaments issue) and will be finished into a Strawberry (shaped) Pinkeep.

I'm back....!

2007-05-17T14:42:00.000+08:00

I feel much better and got back to my stitchings today. Thank you for the well wishes. I just need to see the doctor again tomorrow.

Well, lots of thing to blog & stitch and the 'show-off' must go on....

Thank you for your concern

2007-05-15T10:22:00.000+08:00

For those who emailed or left comments on my blog asking me about my health condition, thank you very much. I hope that you had a nice time on Mother's Day on Sunday.

Thing didn't get better for me. I had developed an ear infection due to bad flu. The pain peaked on Sunday, I didn't really enjoy the Mother's Day celebration except for nice lunch treat and some magazines & gifties from my hubby who was just coming back from down under.

The pain subsided yesterday, but I was still uncomfortable b'coz the feeling of fullness and temporary hearing loss in left ear.

Acute otitis media - middle ear infection that produces fluid, pus and inflammation with the middle ear and usually associated with a buildup of fluid in the space behind the ear drum. In my case, due to mucusal nasal congestion or sinus infection during a bad flu. The pain is severe but not worrying, however it could cost you more than ear pain if not treated earlier.

Today, I feel slightly better, no more feeling of fullness and temporary hearing loss in the ear though I could still feel the pain.

I miss my stitchings! I haven't pick a needle since last week. Well, for now I just need get some rest after quite tiring days last week - caring of Hanie who caught a fever and coughing a lot and myself caught the bad flu. The medicines causes drowsiness too!

Thank you again for your concern.

Not feeling very well

2007-05-09T16:53:00.000+08:00

I actually have things to update as well as photos to upload but I'm not feeling very well since Monday. I caught a flu ... sneezing, stuffy nose , coughing and strep throat make me dizzy.

Thank you for dropping by and leaving some comments.

Hoping that I will feel better tomorrow coz I need to mail out some envelopes and to stitch and to blog and to stitch ;)

Neighbourhood RR - round 2

2007-05-04T01:24:00.000+08:00

Here is my stitching on Margaret's Round Robin piece. The pattern is actually a combo of 3 Little House Needleworks (LHN) patterns, mostly from LHN's 'City Stitcher, Country Stitcher'. I did some colour changes.

I personalised the piece with a letter box (my name is 'written' on it),

I also added a garden bench and a swing,

Do you notice the lamps? If you were happened to be a LHN fan, I'm very sure that you will know which chart I 'snagged' them from.

Prickly Little

2007-04-24T15:39:00.000+08:00

One-nighty quick project done on Sunday. Saw it on Urban Debris last year. This hedgehog pincushion is fun to make. Just have the materials ready : felt, embroidery flosses, some stuffing/filler & pins; you could start it right away. And voila ... your very own stitching corner's pet.

I did it with some slight differences - seed beads for the eyes and lined the ears with cotton print.

* hedgehog is not a porcupine - click here to learn more.

Around the World Mail Art for Naomi

2007-04-24T11:30:00.000+08:00

The mail art has finally reached its destination - Naomi in United Kingdom. I stitched a traditional motif on 28ct jobelan using Anchor multicolour floss. The pattern is an adaptation from one of 'songket' motifs.

Songket - a handwoven cloth made from gold/silver and silk/cotton threads, usually worn to certain ceremonial functions. This fabric is also popular for the Malay traditional wedding attire (bride & groom). It is a bit uncertain of the origin of 'songket' but it has been a treasured textile throughout the Malay archipelago since many centuries ago. Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia are 'sharing' this Malay heritage & art of weaving and have been producing 'songket' with distinctive motifs ever since.

The postage stamps are from 'Visit Malaysia Year 2007' commemorative stamp series.

The background fabric in the above picture is a 'sampin songket' from my dear hubby's personal collection. 'Sampin songket' is an additional sarong-like cloth to Malay men's traditional attire.

The inside envelope is fully-lined with 'batik' fabric and I also 'showed off' the same fabric on the back of the envelope. I stitched my address on a small piece of jobelan before attaching it onto the flap of the envelope. I used a black velcro strip for the closure and embellished with 'vintage looking' buttons.

* Around the World Mail Art Exchange - we were required to stitch something about the place where are we from or where we live

Mr. Posto knocked on the door...

2007-04-23T13:45:00.000+08:00

On Saturday morning, Mr. Posto knocked on the door to deliver this:

Yippe! I had been eyeing this special issue for quite some time and asked my hubby to look for it when he was in Paris, unfortunately his numerous visits to the bookstores and magazines kiosks were fruitless. Thanks a lot to a dear stitching friend, Aw, who kindly brought in some French cross stitch magazines (hors serie - special issues) for us.

Mains et Merveilles L'art Postal - special issue on cross stitched Mail Arts. It is a worth purchase for art mailers like me. 17 charts from various designers including Isabelle Vautier.

To cross stitch art mailers/mail artists or anyone who is interested, you could also read an article on mail arts in Quick & Easy magazine issue October 2006 and this month issue of Gift of Stitching online magazine.

Needlecrafter RR 2007 - another progress

2007-04-23T11:04:00.000+08:00

Just to show a picture of mes croix on my own Round Robin (RR) piece. DMC Sunshine Flowers is a big chart and for this Round Robin each person is required to stitch merely the maximum stitchcount of 60X60 on 14ct aida (approx. 4.25" X 4.25") which is equals to 3600 stitches. I determined to use the pattern as my RR pattern b'coz I really like it, furthermore I've never stitch a big ones. It made me actually stitched one third of pattern and the rest is equally divided into 5 portions. Other participants have to stitch approximately 3600 stitches ea.

However, I couldn't finish stitching my portion before sending it out to the next participant, there is another 20% to complete. I have to resume stitching and finish it off soon after the RR piece comes back to me - which is I'm really looking forward to.

* Needlecrafter RR 2007 - 6 participants Round Robin

Mail Art from Penang

2007-04-22T01:48:00.000+08:00

I received a mail art from Penang nearly two weeks ago. Initially I was puzzled to receive a mail art (MA) from Zarina coz we hadn't arranged any personal swaps for the month of April. We actually had done 2 personal swaps before.

Finally it came to my senses that the MA is meant for Around the World Exchange. A note in the envelope had confirmed it. I called Zarina up and we giggled over it. She really knows how to keep it a secret!
For this exchange, we were required to stitch something about the place where are we from or where we live. Zarina stitched a butterfly and a pair of cute flutterby buttons on the front of the envelope. Penang Butterfly Farm is one of many attractions in Penang.
And she stitched a row of starfishes on the back of the envelope. What do you think about when you see a picture of starfish? ....You are right! It reminds us of beaches and sea. A strip of beaches is simply another Penang attraction. Batu Ferringhi is one of the famous beaches - look closely at the postcard in the picture.

Thank you Zarina for the Mail Art and giftie. To receive a mail art from you had made this exchange is more like a 'surprise me' themed exchange to me... hehehehehe

Currently Stitching...

2007-04-20T09:15:00.000+08:00

Apart from working on the two stitching obligations which are going to be sent out by end of this month, I have another four stitching projects on my rotation - one is a stitching obligation to finish by May deadline and the rest are stitching smalls for me to keep.

Here are some progress pictures of stitching smalls, I took earlier this week.

I love Ladybug - SanMan Originals

petite envelope : De Fil en Aiguille

Quaker teaser

2007-04-19T09:06:00.000+08:00

Take a peak at the Quaker motif I've finished stitching on Monday. Yet to start on the finishing part. It is going to be mailed out by end of this month as the Quaker Pinkeep Exchange which is organized by Mona in Malaysian Stitchers Group.

LHN/CCN International Mail Art

2007-04-18T13:29:00.000+08:00

This mail art exchange organized by Rachel in Pennsylvania is one of Little House Needleworks/Country Cottage Needleworks Yahoo Group's 2007 activities. We were partnered with stitching friends abroad and required to stitch any LHN or CCN patterns on the mail art.

I stitched LHN's "Star Light, Star Bright" on 32ct lugana for Rachel. Lined the mail art with 'golden stars on navy' cotton print. I used the black velcro strip for the closure and embellished with some little star buttons on the flap.

I put a sticker (on the lower part on the back of mail art)- picture of traditional dancers and people in traditional costumes. The sticker is actually part of 'Visit Malaysia Year 2007' miniature stamp sheet. You could see the stamp on the front part of mail art - the one with a picture of Petronas Twin Towers and building in Putrajaya .

close up on Star Light, Star Bright

I've been away...

2007-04-17T14:52:00.000+08:00

I've been away from the internet & blogging since my father has fallen sick last Thursday. He is admitted and will be discharged in a day or two. I really hope that he will be getting better as soon as possible as he, himself, couldn't wait to get home. Nothing compares to your own home sweet home, right?

I was in the middle of a rare occasion - smoking needle, when my sister-in-law told me that my brother is sending my father to the hospital. Being a slow stitcher, there are certain times you could stitch much faster than usual due to nearing deadlines and long list of stitching obligations. I hardly pick up a needle since Thursday. Anyway, I've got back to stitching on Sunday evening and have downloaded pictures from the camera. I will blog about them in the next few postings.

Meanwhile, I would like to share a picture of recently acquired Dip&Twist overdyed flosses.

p/s : to Ann Lee, I still 'owe' you something. I'm so sorry and please bear with my procrastination. I hope to finish it by middle of May.

Places where I want to go

2007-04-10T18:23:00.000+08:00

Adam tagged me with another meme - places where I want to go

Proposition : Where do you want to go Next, OUTSIDE OF YOUR COUNTRY, for tourism, work, study, whatever.

Requirements: Find some info about the place, itenary etc, pics if possible so you get MORE Traffic coming in, and maybe some people can find somewhere to go to. Excludes your NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOUR, i.e., a country that borders yours.

I could think about 4 places that I really want to visit - New Zealand, Amsterdam, Dubai and Paris.

New Zealand - I've always heard the nice stories from people who have visited this beautiful country. Their historic & cultural heritage, nice weather & natural environment, unique Paua shell and Mount Cook are among the attractions. I need to get myself down to NZ just want to experience a 'Kiwi' holiday!

paua close-up : photo by Peter & Lynda Harper

I would love to revisit these 2 cities - Amsterdam and Dubai.

Amsterdam needlecraft shop : photo from personal archive

Amsterdam - is more than just Amstel River and canals. I love the centuries old houses and mansions. Being the best planned city of the northern Europe, their public transportation system works smoothly - I'm looking forward to seeing something like this in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. Flea markets, tulips in April, canal boat rides, museums and riding a bicycle are among not-to-be-missed Dutch experiences. I wish for some trips to the needlecraft shops if I got the chance to revisit the city.

buildings along the Sheik Zayed Road : photo from gtjeddah webshots

My reason to revisit Dubai is purely an architectural & engineering interest. This city dubbed as 'Asia shopping haven' by some people. East meets West. And some said it is an artificial city. I've seen lots of Dubai city recent photos - many tall buildings, large shopping malls and hotels with distinctive architectural features. I simply want to see through my own eyes , these rapid changes made over the years in the most recognized Middle-East city.

Paris - I would love to visit this city one day, not only because of the famous tower and romance. The ultimate reason relates to my great passion for needlecraft. Trips to the needlecraft shops are simply irresistible. And I wish to meet a fellow stitching blogger, Isabelle in Paris.

Eiffel Tower : photo from personal archive

Needlecrafter RR 2007(round 1) - WIP (ii)

2007-04-10T18:15:00.000+08:00

Another picture of my Needlecrafter Round Robin taken on Sunday morning. I've stitched quite a big area later that day.

Stitching Blogger's Questions

2007-04-10T17:54:00.000+08:00

Do you have a system for organizing freebie charts in your stash? If so, what is it? Do you print out copies of all of the freebies that you find on the web (that you think you might actually stitch) or do you maintain electronic copies of them until you are ready to stitch them?

I usually will save the internet freebies in the hard drive and will print them out when I am ready to stitch. And will delete the freebies from hard drive once after I've print them out. I regularly 'weeding out' the I-don't-fancy-it-anymore patterns as I could find lots and lots of internet freebies every month.

How do you decide which stitching blogs are worth repeat and/or regular viewings? Are there certain things you look for in particular? Are there things you wish there were more of? Less of? Is your blog a good example of what you like to read?

I prefer stitching blogs with mostly craft stories. I also keep a list of my needlecraft buddies from Yahoo Groups I joined on the sidebar. I always wish for more crafting stories, tips, magazines & books reviews, beautiful pictures and regular updates of course. My blog is far from a good example of what I like to read as I do not update regularly and never do any magazines/books reviews (so far).

Needlecrafter RR 2007 - WIP (ii)

2007-03-23T11:42:00.000+08:00

Another progress picture of my stitching for Needlecrafter RR 2007 (1st round). You can see now the shading on the pots.

Another Mail Art in progress

2007-03-23T11:30:00.000+08:00

Take a peek ! I'm working on another mail art to be sent out by end of this month.

Hint: traditional motif

Stitching Bloggers' Questions

2007-03-22T16:17:00.000+08:00

Do you use your needle, a seam ripper, or something else when you have
to frog stitches? Why do you use the method that you do?

I usually use a needle to frog stitches coz it rips the stitches a lot easier than the seam ripper especially on smaller count fabrics. At times, the seam ripper does come handy though.

If you had $500 to spend on stitching-related items, what would you buy?

I would buy everything on my wish list - the charts & books, fabrics, complete set of the overdyed flosses, embellishments and etc. Or else I would've purchase the storage system for my flosses & fabrics, a magnifier lamp( I could stitch over one thread with ease) and a recliner for me to sit and stitch. However, If I had the money few days ago, I would tag along my hubby to Paris and spend the money on French needlecraft magazines, linens and French designers charts. DH will take care of the air ticket

Take a peek !

2007-03-13T11:01:00.000+08:00

I've just finished sewing a Mail Art on Sunday and couldn't wait to share a pic with you. Take a peek! Will post some more pics & detail after the MA is safely in the hand of the recipient.

I have another Mail Art WIP, better get back to my stitching

Have a nice day everyone!

LHC Anniversary

2007-03-12T15:20:00.000+08:00

My first posting in this blog was 2 years ago, rambling about needlecraft. Back then I wasn't so sure of what to write. Simply wanted to share my passion for needlecraft with needlecraft enthusiasts around the world and as well as my family and friends.

I started blogging using other domains some time early 2005, and later found that Blogspot allows me to be creative. Though I'm not an IT expert, I like 'playing' with the codes and HTML lingo. During the 1st of blogging, I've done quite a lot of code changes to get more personalized blog appearance (at times, thought of moving to another domain... me fickle-minded hehehehe ). Slowly I stop playing with codes as I need more time stitching. Still, I enjoy blogging as well as blog hopping. There are lots of fun and interesting blogs that I frequently visit.

Needlecrafter Round Robin 2007 - WIP

2007-03-12T00:49:00.000+08:00

Just to share a progress picture of my Needlecrafter Round Robin piece. 1st round mail-out will be at the end of this month. This is one of my current stitching obligations. I have to send out at least 3 items by end of this month...

Another enabling story

2007-03-08T16:51:00.000+08:00

I was enabling my friend, Amy, with some quick to stitch patterns recently. And yesterday, we went out to a LNS in the city. She bought some flosses & stuff for her 1st project after several years of stitching hibernation. She used to stitch big projects - up to 30" X 30" stitched area. Due to her busy schedule, she couldn't afford to spend her spare time for stitching anymore. Somehow, since several months ago her busy life has changed to slower pace days. She frequently visiting me and seeing my WIPs , framed pieces on the wall and small finishes in the display cabinet has made her, itches for stitching again. This time, she said she wanted to stitch something small on the smaller count aida (years ago, she big projects stitched on 11ct & 9ct). She also bought a cross stitch magazine yesterday! The most exciting part - she has started a project not long after we were back from the LNS. Bravo, Amy!

Some time in January, My brother and his family came to our house. Guess what? I found my sis-in-law looked at the framed pieces on the wall without blinking her eyes. She was so excited to see to my needlecraft projects especially the cross stitch pieces. Actually, my sis-in-law is the one who initiated me to start cross stitching back in 2002 (towards the year end). Before that, I was more into patchwork quilting, smocking and free-style embroidery. I actively stitching since early 2004, on the contrary my sis-in-law had slowly losing interest in cross stitch and tossed away her stitching stuff in the closet. After the visit (to our place), she was inspired to stitch again and resumed working on her UFO - DMC Roses. And revisited a craft shop to stock on some flosses. Way to go, Umi !

Well, some of you might remember that my sister, Sabrina began stitching last year. I'm afraid that she wouldn't be able to start any cross stitch projects in near future as she is now in a different world - world of romance ...heads over heels I suppose hehehehe . I wish you love, I wish you happiness, my darling sis!

Neighbourhood RR - 1st round

2007-03-02T16:56:00.000+08:00

I'm participating in Malaysian Stitchers Neighbourhood Round Robin 2007. It is a 6-person RR with 6 mail-out dates. The 1st mail-out was 28th February.

As for the 1st round - we were required to stitch our own piece of RR . I stitched Beekeeper's Cottage designed by Elizabeth's Designs on 28ct linen. I omitted the trees, 2 bee skeps and bushes and added a signboard pattern.

2nd round - My RR is sent to Roz and I 've just received Margaret's RR.

This is going to be a whole year project. Each participant will get to see their own RR only after 31st December.

Love Hearts

2007-02-22T16:43:00.000+08:00

I stitched Love Hearts by Loopylou Designs with different colour way. In the website, the pattern is in purple theme. I've done hardanger before but I found this pattern is rather tricky. Been through some froggings before I could proudly show it to my hubby.

Tea for Two

2007-02-19T16:35:00.000+08:00

I stitched a freebie from Six Strand Sweets website - Tea for Two. Stitched on 28ct linen using SSS Southern Sweet Tea and Mulberry Vine as per charted. I embellished with 2 silver charms.

**bdb

Paid my dues - part II

2007-02-15T16:08:00.000+08:00

I sent 2 ornaments to Adam in England - my 3rd Pay-it-Forward recipient. The extra goes to his significant other who is currently pursuing her PhD.

The 1st ornament - I stitched a chinese character for happiness. I chose the plum blossom print as the finishing fabric. Plum blossom is the symbol for courage and hope.

The 2nd ornament - I stitched Heart in Hand's Study Hard on 18ct navy aida. I actually backstitched 'Business' & 'E-commerce' for the books titles.

**bdb

Paid my dues - part I

2007-02-15T15:45:00.000+08:00

On Friday, I sent out the stitched gifties to my Pay-it-Forward recipients. They are all residing in Europe - Outi in Finland, Anja in Germany and Adam in England. To my surprise, it actually took less than a week for a mail from Malaysia to arrive in Europe countries.

I made a stitched sachet for Outi in Finland. stitched Elizabeth's Designs' For a Dear Friend on aida band.

As for Anja in Germany, I made a stitched sachet - the pattern is an excerpt from Lady of the Castle designed by Ruth Ann Russell of C Street Samplerworks. I saw this pattern in Just Cross Stitch magazine June2006.

**bdb

Surprise Me Mail Art Exchange 2007 (ii)

2007-02-13T11:54:00.000+08:00

I've received Surprise Me Mail Art from Martha in San Antonio, Texas. She stitched Bent Creek pattern on 18ct aida. She knew that Bent Creek is one of my fav designers. Thank you Martha for the MA and bookmark kit!
**bdb

Surprise Me Mail Art Exchange 2007

2007-02-07T11:44:00.000+08:00

I stitched an excerpt from Little House Needleworks's M'Lady Strawberries on 18ct grey aida. I came to know that Martha is another LHN fan just like me.
I also weaved a satin ribbon through the white lace as the flap and closure. For additional feature, I used strawberries print fabby to line the Mail Art.

**bdb

Mail Art - personal swap (ii)

2007-02-07T11:36:00.000+08:00

I received a lovely Mail Art with hardanger from Zarina in Penang ! I must say that her hardanger work is really really neat. I love the cutie bee card as well!

**bdb

Mail Art - personal swap

2007-02-07T11:27:00.000+08:00

Personal swap Surprise Me Mail Art with Zarina. I stitched Lizzie*Kate's How Does Your Garden Grows? on 28ct jobelan. Zarina loves gardening. I weaved a satin ribbon through the strip of white lace as the flap and closure.

*bdb

4-patchpincushion from Yasmin !

2007-01-31T10:41:00.000+08:00

Yay! I've received the 4-patch pincushie from Yasmin in Perlis. The stitched piece finished into a button in the middle - that's very creative of her ! Thank you, Min.

**bdb

Lacy Affair

2007-01-31T10:31:00.000+08:00

A stitched postcard for addressed to Postmistress & Staff of nearby Post Office. I've become a familiar face to them since the Mail Art incident last year. They are very co-operative ever since.

I stitched a pattern from a magazine of which I couldn't recall the name/issue at the moment. I put laces & checks fabby to add some features to the postcard.

**bdb

Dress for Cutie

2007-01-22T11:54:00.000+08:00

As promised, a picture of a dress for 3" height cutie bear. I saw the pattern in Molly Chicken blog.

**bdb

4-patch Pincushion Exchange (Monogram )2007

2007-01-22T11:32:00.000+08:00

My stitching friend, Roz, has received it safe and sound! At first, I was hesitated to mail it out to her coz I thought it was way too big for a pincushion. Since I didn't have much time to make another one, I called Roz up and told her that she was going to receive a gigantic pincushion from me *LOL* .
I stitched the monogram and flower motif over one on 32ct linen using overdyeds. Monogram R is from Sajou alphabet patterns and the flower motif is an excerpt from Le Quaker a' 6 Mains chart. I embellished with white rick rack and creme & gold button to give a vintage look to the 4-patch pincushion.

Scissors Fob Exchange 2007

2007-01-18T18:11:00.000+08:00

Some of us in Needlecrafter Yahoo Group decided to welcome 2007 with a new exchange. Stitching something small is preferred and everyone is agreed to stitch a scissors fob.

Last month, when I met my stitching friend, Zarina, she gave a pendibulle (Thank you dear). I really like it and decided to stitch a mini pendibulle for Scissors Fob Exchange 2007.
I stitched roses on both side - one is a smaller adaptation of crochet fillet pattern (I had stitched it before, I simply love this pattern very much) and the other is an extract from a freebie pattern on a German website. Stitched on a 32ct linen using SSS overdyed (colour Snow Cone).

It was my 1st pendibulle actually and was quite apprehensive with the pattern size, fabric cut, correct length of the twisted cord etc. My dear recipient, Kak Ji, had SMSed (texted) me saying that she likes it, phewwww !!!

** the picture quality is not very good

Stitching Bloggers' Question

2007-01-18T17:54:00.000+08:00

Have you had a happy dance yet this year? If so, tell us about it! (Or just point to the entry that talks about it.) If not, when do you predict it will be?

Oh yes! Just had my 1st happy dance of 2007 last weekend.

Hardanger House

2007-01-17T11:28:00.000+08:00

I have lots of finishings to do from last month's stitchings and started to feel bored and slowly been dragged into a stitching slump. I needed sort of motivation before it was too late or else my WIPs would be UFOs. A 'quick-to finish' project was just what I had to do. Hardanger house was on top of the list.

I started stitching this hardanger piece last week and finished it over the weekend. Pattern is from Classic Stitches magazine and available online as well (as a freebie). Stitched on 32ct lambswool linen.

Now, I've been back on my track - finishings for December's stitchings. I finished 2 (already on their way to the recipients) and another 7 to go.

5 Mini Challenge 2006 - part 2

2007-01-16T16:49:00.000+08:00

As promised here are few more pictures of the finishes.Mini tuck pillow - the cat & snail pattern is stitched on 28ct red evenweave over one thread using Eterna silk floss. The pattern is a freebie on a French blog ~~but I lost the link due to upgrade on my Firefox browser last month.~~ - Echevette

Simple pincushion with slight variation. Stitched on 28ct linen using SSS floss (colour Southern Sweet Tea). This geometric pattern is a freebie on another French blog and sorry again I couldn't give you the URL as I couldn't locate it in my 'bookmark' list.

Last but not least, a Margaret Sherry cat scissors fob. Stitched on 18ct pale blue aida. MS is one of my favourite designers. I simply love her cats, hedgehogs and Archie bear.

There is actually one more mini thingy I've done for this challenge - simple sewing project. Will share the picture later.

6 Weird Things about Me (tagged by Adam)

2007-01-16T10:26:00.000+08:00

The rules: Each player of this game starts with the ‘6 weird things about you.’ People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says ‘you are tagged’ in their comments and tell them to read your blog.

Well....am I weird? Maybe a little extraordinary lady with rebellious heart.

1. used to have a driving licence but I was reluctant to renew simply b'coz my mom broke her promise to buy me a car after my graduation. She paid the driving lessons and promised a car. I'm kind of independent child who hardly ask anything from parents but just don't promise me anything coz I'll always remember and demand for it. Sound stupid? Nahhh...don't care

2. I was good in Science (Biology & Chemistry) but I didn't want to be a doctor simply b'coz I didn't want to be 'on call' during my holiday. SOOO selfish of me ( I always have the soft spot for needy people though. Don't you? *wink*)

3. I hate hothead bosses but my dear hubby is a bit hot-tempered himself *LOL* (I love you Ayang XOXO)

4. I hated needlecraft classes in school (girls in our school were 'forced' to learn Home Science when we were in Lower Secondary) but look now I have a blog dedicated for needlecraft enthusiasts & friends.

5. I'm not that high but high-jump was one of my favourite events in school. Even the teachers were surprised with my ability. I got springs under my feet and invisible wings on my shoulders *LOL*

6. I look and act snobbish but once I know you better.... you can't stop me talking *LOL*

I could list more but 6 is enough for you to know me better hehehehehe

OK now it's time to tag people. I want to know you better , ladies! : Azie, Linda, Ee Koon, Zohrah, Lillie and Nik

5 Mini Challenge 2006 - part 1

2007-01-13T17:22:00.000+08:00

I signed up for this challenge last November and was supposed to share pictures of finishes on 1st January 2007. But I was just too lazy to download the photos from the camera and to do edit the photos.

5 Mini Challenge 2006 participants were required to do 5 (or more) items not larger than 5 X 5 inches. We could stitch or sew or quilt or crochet or tat or any needlecraft that we knew.

Well, as some of you might have noticed that I started to crochet sometime in May. I tried my hands at crocheting mini projects for the 5 Mini Challenge. Surprisingly, they turned out OK (at least to my eyes *LOL).

I crocheted pentagon mini doily using white Anchor and variegated Floretta No. 10 yarns. The diameter including the lacy edging is approximately 5 inches. The pattern is from Japanese crochet book. I personally prefer diagram pattern than the written ones. And Japanese crochet books full of diagram patterns.

However, I found that there are a lot of nice freebies on the net are written patterns. I made an attempt to learn to 'read' them and successfully crocheted 2 items including the crocheted teacup for 5 Mini Challenge. I used Anchor No. 10. You can find the teacup pattern here It is pretty quick to do. I embellished the cup with lazy daisy stitches, put some poly-pellets inside and covered with felt, before brushing some PVA glue to the entire surface of teacup. The glue application made the cup sturdy.

Another 3 minis are cross stitch and sewing projects. Will upload the pics later.

Heart to Heart - part 2

2007-01-11T14:24:00.000+08:00

I would like to share a picture of the monochrome heart that Azie stitched for me. It is in turquoise. I simply love blue and blue family *wink*. Lovely!
Stitched on 28ct linen using Dip & Twist overdyed. This pheasant & peacock heart pattern is a freebie from Gift of Stitching website. If you happened to wonder what is the finishing style, Azie and I actually actually agreed to swap stitched pieces only. I know Azie has lots of other stitched pieces but she rarely has time to do the finishing off. And so, I finished the stitched piece that I wanted to give her into an ornament. As for this monochrome heart, I'm thinking of a pinkeep OR a needlebook for the finishing style. What say you?

Quick Hello !

2007-01-09T18:45:00.000+08:00

To Lee Ann, thank you very much for the lovely card. I picked it up from my parent's place quite some time ago but forgot to let you know.

To Anja in Germany, could you please email me coz I need your address for 'Pay-it-forward' mailings. I tried to contact you several times but got 'failed delivery notice' every time I sent you an email.

And last but not least, thank you dear friends & visitors whom left comments on previous postings. I couldn't respond earlier but if anything should you want to ask, please email me.

Heart to Heart

2007-01-09T14:39:00.000+08:00

When my stitching friend, Azie and I had an online chat last December, we discovered that both of us have developed an interest towards monochromatic and quaker patterns. Later we decided to have a personal swap to welcome the new year - to stitch and swap monochrome or quaker piece between us.

We are absolutely on the same wave length, to my surprise, both of us stitched heart patterns *wink*
I stitched a quaker heart for Azie and she stitched a monochrome ones. Quaker Heart is designed by Janice Wood, it is a freebie pattern actually but I couldn't remember the URL. Originally the pattern is inclusive of 2 heart patterns front & back in red DMC. I only stitched the sampler alphabet heart using white DMC and some overdyeds on 32ct lugana ( in mocha). Finished into a stuffed ornament, I used buggies print cotton as the backing fabric.

Happy New Year & Stitching update

2007-01-09T11:29:00.000+08:00

Hi everyone ! Happy New Year to you!

December was a pretty busy month for me. Lots of meeting-ups with friends as well as catching-ups with families. Also to familiarize the kids with the school thingies - I let them spent their days drawing & colouring and paper folding too since November.

Last Wednesday was Hanie and Shasha's first day at school. Time goes by quickly, my little babies had grown up and they are now happy preschoolers. To my surprise, they didn't cry at all, in fact I was the one with teary eyes *LOL*. They are in different classes, I hope by sending her to school, Shasha will be more independent and able to converse fluently. She is a late talker. Hanie is doing fine, she is just a shy little girl.

I have finished stitching MYS 5-mini Challenge and several pieces for 2007 exchanges (some of them are now ready to be mailed out). 'Pay-it -forward' items - yet to do the finishing part . My dear recipients, please bear with my slow stitching & sewing pace *LOL*. However, I have to admit that I still have some unfinished stitchings & sewings from year 2006. I pledge to finish all the UFOs by end of this year.

I will upload the pics later. Got to go, have to wait for the school van outside. Today is my darling girls first experience of school van ride.

MYS 2006 Exchange final round - part 2

2006-12-21T09:23:00.000+08:00

I received a sewing pouch for this round! Lovely stitched by Margaret. Ladybugs and Bumblebees by Country Cottage Needleworks - my favourite design.

Thank you Margaret for the pouch and the needle card. An adorable piece of lace on the pink felt caught my eyes. It is a crochet-like cotton lace.

MYS 2006 Exchange final round - part 1

2006-12-21T08:36:00.000+08:00

For the final round, I have to stitch a sewing pouch. Ooopss! You might not knowing of what I'm talking about. Click here

I stitched a sewing pouch for Angie. It was my first time of such finishing and I struggled a bit to finish it off.

Bonnet & Tulips in Pots by Mosey 'N Me Design is stitched on pale yellow 14ct aida using DMC and Anchor variegates flosses. Sunbonnet Sue is one of my needlecraft favourites. The size of this sewing pouch is approx 7.5" X 5.5". I used black velcro for the flip-styled closure and inserted 2 pieces of matting board to give the sewing pouch a firmer 'body'.

Winter Mail Art from Zarina

2006-12-21T07:59:00.000+08:00

It has been quite sometime, no update here. I was preoccupied with activities besides stitching. Family & relatives visits, weddings to attend and outing with friends (and stitching friends too!) etc. Personally I have to say, being back in the big city made my life busier yet enjoyable. Hubby & I did a lot of catching-ups with families and friends. And the kids enjoyed it too.

Here I would like to share some pics of Winter MA I've received earlier this month.

Snowman from Lizzie*Kate Stamp-It January 2005 stitched on 28ct lugana. I simply love the matching fabric - snowflakes print and the batik post stamps. It made this Winter MA much more adorable !

Thank you Zarina for such a lovely Mail Art as well as the silk flosses that you put in the MA.

Winter Mail Art - personal swap

2006-11-29T07:04:00.000+08:00

Yesterday, the Winter Mail Art (MA) has safely reached Zarina, my stitching friend in Penang. I felt a great relief! Congrats to Pos Malaysia. It is a rather quick mail delivery service, I thought it wouldn't be any earlier than Wednesday.

Stitched on 28ct Lugana colonial blue using some leftover overdyeds and DMC. Pattern by Little House Needleworks (LHN) - I did some adjustments to the pattern. I love LHN charts as well as Country Cottage Needleworks charts. Stitching on darker fabrics is tricky when it comes to backstitch. Normally, mail artists will backstitch the addresses, but I had to stitch them over one thread. Trust me, stitching the addresses took me longer time than stitching the house & snowman.

If you happened to wonder why both of us (Zarina & I) decided to stitch a winter-themed MA while in the contrary, we live in the part of the world where snow never fall. The answer is simply because we have lots winter patterns from the magazines and hardly stitch any. It was fun for me actually, I enjoy stitching the snowflakes.

The MA is lined with flannel. I couldn't find a matching cotton fabric. There is no winter-themed buttons in my collection, simply stitched a snapper as the closure and embellished with heart-shaped bead. I really enjoy stitching the Winter MA and really satisfied with the outcome.

Time flies & Mail Art incident

2006-11-26T11:42:00.000+08:00

Yesterday was baby Alya's 1st birthday. She began toddling already (most of the time cruising though) and tried to leap once. Like her sisters during their toddling time, Alya doesn't seem to have problems with climbing the bed & the couch, and able to get back down on her own. You don't have to guess, Alya's toddling time is a nerve-wracking time for me *LOL*. This is not my first time. All my darling princesses do. When they grew bigger, I can laugh at memories of the hard times they gave me. The sweetness of parenthood is what they called it.

Alya loves to mimic us talking on the phone, she will grab the remote control and say "ho oo". And when sees us eating, she will say "nyum nyum". She loves music too. Will stand up on her feet and wiggle her body to the music. How time flies quickly. Last year, she was just a frail tiny baby.

And also yesterday was my 1st time visiting the Post Office , about 150 metres away from home. Our neighbour's daughter is the who help me with the mailings before. I wanted to mail out the Winter Mail Art. Finished it almost 2 weeks ago but my friend and I agreed to month-end mailout (it is a personal swap). FYI, there are some complaints & incidents, mail artists experience when to mail their finishes to the recipients . e.g.last time in Miri, they declined to process the mail art when my hubby took it to the small PO in the neighbourhood.

This time, I was armed with a mail art I received in my bag . The air-conditioned PO with glass door & panels greeting the visitors is rather small yet convenience. There are 3 counters and a lady officer was behind the counter when I took out the Winter mail art. She refused to process it. Oh no! Be cool.." I told myself. Then I showed her the mail art received from Wendy. She called the p-o-s-t-m-i-s-t-r-e-s-s (read POSTMISTRESS) and discussed the situation. "Oh please! please please" I was practically begging them *LOL*. Well, they were admiring the mail arts actually and after moments of thinking, Mrs Postmistress finally said "YES!". I was brimming with joy & relief at the same time. And now I hope in the next few days, the mail art will be in the hands of my friend safe and sound.

Good Luck To Farah

2006-11-25T02:38:00.000+08:00

A simple stitched card for my niece. It is actually a not-so-new finish, almost 2 weeks ago, I just forgot to share the photo here.

Stitched on 28ct linen over 2 threads using Six Strands Sweet (colour : Berry Medley) and DMC for backstitch. The chinese character is 'yun' means 'luck'. The card blank is from the collection I gathered for the last 2 years from purchases and gifts. It's exclusively made by Nik. The chart is from Cross Stitch Card Shop magazine issue 46 complete with flower and border, I only stitched the character/calligraphy though.

Some pics uploaded ....

2006-11-21T15:05:00.000+08:00

Hi!

Some of my stitching friends had requested for step-by-step pics of a pincushion I made earlier this month. I made another one and 've just uploaded the pics into my Craft Tutorial album.

I forgot the measurement. Will update later. Pretty busy with some finishings.

Stitching Bloggers' Questions

2006-11-09T16:34:00.000+08:00

How many different brands of “complete” embroidery floss sets do you own? How do you keep track of it? (i.e., spread sheet program, index cards, palm pilot, etc.)

None of them are complete. I only have almost complete DMC set. My Anchor collection consists not more than 50. And overdyeds collection is variety - handful of Six Strands Sweet, several GAST, WDW, NN, Crescent Colours & some silks.

I printed out several copies of a DMC embroidery flosses list (from DMC official website). One copy I used as my shopping list and the rest I sticked unto the flosses boxes for easy reference.

Since my Anchor flosses are used for stitching certain charts only e.g. Forever Friends bear, Newton's and Wordsworth; I usually kit them up together with other stitching stuff (fabric, needle & chart). And I have only one flosses box to store them after I finish stitching. The same goes to my overdyeds collection.

How did you decide on the title of your stitching blog? Was it random, or does it have a special meaning to you or about you?

Lil' Honey Collection is decided way before I jumped on the blogging bandwagon. I started needlecrafting in January 2002 and not long after that, I was pregnant with Hanie (my eldest darling princess) developed more & more interests in needlecraft. Since then I've been actively sewing & stitching during my leisure time. Hanie, her name is pronounced as 'honey'. I love to call my finishes , the 'Lil' Honey Collection' as my earlier needlecraft projects were always been inspired by her.

When I wanted to start blogging, I simply put 'Lil' Honey Collection' as the title of my blog. And I always get a pat on the back from Hanie every time she sees my finishes. She would say something like "It's beautiful, mom", "I like it!", "Wow!", "Good job, mom" etc

Pay it forward

2006-11-02T16:46:00.000+08:00

I saw this on Judith's blog and thought it would be a fun "Pay it forward" kind of treat...

The first five people to respond to this post (via the comments section) will get some form of "art" made by me. Be sure that I can email you to get your snail mail address. Think of it as something to look forward to getting in the mail. It will be original, made by me (sorry), but it may not be immediate, as I haven't made them yet. I am about sure what it will be.

There is a catch, of course, the way this works is that if you sign up, you have to blog this as well and continue sharing.

Stashing, Enabling & Fish Tale

2006-10-21T13:06:00.000+08:00

For the past few months, I didn't have much time to spend for stitching & sewing. There are some projects have been postponed for quite some time. Nevertheless, stashing is a different story. It is a never-ending story actually. I did some stash-shopping in Miri & Kuala Lumpur. Not much cross stitch stuff anyway, more on patchwork & quilting and some crocheting stuff.

I took my sister, Sabrina, to meet my stitching friends in Kuala Lumpur. We went for a short trip to a LNS. And guess what....my sister wanted to learn to cross stitch ! I bought her a simple kit for a start.

A visit to Miri's newest cotton shop was rather exciting. The owner is sharing a show house with her teakwood furniture dealer husband. It is a bungalow house to be specific. I must admit that patchwork wallhangings & tablerunners look really gorgeous displayed together with the teakwood furniture. Anyway, her cotton collection was what I craze about. I bought abundance of half yards, fat quarters and fat eighths of cotton. The colours are vibrant and the prints are my favourite themes e.g. teacups, polka dots, weave, oriental & vines. I bought some batik prints fat eighths as well. And the best part is, a friend of mine (dear Lim) who drove me to the shop developed some interests to pick up patchwork. Me & Lina (the shop owner) were like further fanning her sparks of interest. Lim is planning to take patchwork lessons during her long holiday end of the year.

I found some golf prints from another cotton shop in Kuala Lumpur. There some projects (for my DH) in mind.I also stocked up some crochet yarns & hooks since I've been crocheting quite actively these days. Our friend's daughters (Athira & Alia) regularly spend their time with the 3 darling princesses. Athira saw 2 crocheted hats I did for baby Alya and she asked me to teach her to crochet. I promised to teach her during the long school holiday at the end of the year. And she is already bought the hook & yarn!

Enabling is as much fun as stashing. I'm excited to see my sister, my friend and our friend's daughter are their way to be part of the needlecraft world.

And lastly but not least, the latest addition to our family, small tropical pet fishes! We really enjoy their company since July. Currently we have 16 of them.

"Welcome! I live on the 2nd floor"...

2006-10-16T16:25:00.000+08:00

After 3 years in Miri, we had finally left the Seahorse city of Sarawak for good. We were actually not there since May, only came back to pack things up in July. Luckily , we had movers to do most of the job.

Once again, new house and new neighbours - thanks to the nature of my dear hubby's job. We are now staying not so far from our families. Glad to be back with them after years of being away (far away) from them.

There are still boxes & bundles to unpack in our hobby room. We are practically surfing the net amongst those boxes & bundles. Hope that by the end of the year, everything will be in their right places. We purposely postponed getting a phone line, thinking of the boxes & bundles were occupying our house in first 2 months here. Applied for the phone line & broadband in the 3rd week of September. Well, thing didn't work as fast as we expected. Back online barely 2 days ago (a week before, the phone line was finally installed).

I was actually delighted when our new neighbours greeted us on 1st day here. Not all urbanites are snobbish afterall. Furthermore, the place where we live is truly Malaysia - Malays, Chineses, Indians & Sikhs (major ethnics) live harmoniously in spite of the hectic,bustling urban lifestyle. And what I love most to be back in the city is the amenities & services that I need are plentiful and more accessible.

I will write more on my needlecraft activities for the past few months in next posting. Thank you for your emails & comments. To Gina & Isabelle - I will email you back. And to Ann Lee - hope to hear from you soon. To all crafting bloggers, it is envious to see the pics of your great finishes in your blogs.

Not doily, but ......

2006-05-05T07:01:00.000+08:00

... a crocheted edging turned jewellery set.

Last year, I learned to crochet from my sis-in-law, my 1st project WAS a doily but I've tossed it away. It was about 2.5" in diameter already but I didn't like the way it looks. I didn't try to crochet again. Recently, after sending a dozen of cross stitched pieces to the framer, I decided to take a break from stitching. Then started a simple crochet project, scallop edging, merely for learning process. I like it very much coz it is easy for a beginner like me. I had nothing in mind for finishing-off ideas, then suddenly ... jewellery set !

This ring & bracelet set will go to Angely, our neighbour's 9-year old daughter. We are neighbours twice. First time was years ago when DH & I were newly-weds. Angely sometimes came to our house and chatted with me. She is such a sweet lil' gal. Few years later, DH & I came to Miri. And last November, Angely's family moved back here, their house is 2 rows away (rows of houses).

I started another crochet project - brim hat. But ...

I miscalculated some stitches, it was way too small for a brim hat even for baby Alya, who is now 5-month old. Initially, I wanted to make it into a small sling bag and suddenly a 'basket' idea came out. Was meant to use it for flower arrangement but darling Hanie loves it very much. She is now the proud owner of this little basket.

Progress report on other projects :
I've not been stitching for quite some time now. Anyway, I have finished my ED's For a Friend project about 2 weeks ago. Will upload a pic later.

It's Time for Tea - finished!

2006-04-21T08:52:00.000+08:00

A completed project at last! Happy Dance !

Pattern by Alma Lynne. Stitched on 28ct Graziano Riviera linen using DMC & Anchor flosses. Some colour changes - obviously one of the colour change is the border. It was supposed to be a checkered-like border (with 3 to 4 flosses of pink colour scheme). Since the pattern was stitched on checks linen, I changed the border to pink variegated floss. This is definitely one of my fav piece. Already sent to the framer with another 5 pieces (previously stitched, some are from last year).

Progress report on other WIPs:
baby quillow - another 5% done, made up 50% completed
ED's For a Dear Friend - another 10%, now is 60% completed
Stitcher's Alphabet (Brookes Publishing) - stagnant (10% completed so far)
MS Hello Archie! - stagnant (10% completed so far)

Newly started project : Needlecase - materials are ready. Target to finish by mid May.

Designer Mail Art Exchange - part 2

2006-04-21T08:00:00.000+08:00

Early this week, the Mail Art that I stitched had finally reached the recipient, Aida.

Plum Berry Sampler by Bent Creek. Stitched on 18ct aida using DMC, lined with leaf print cotton. Handsewn all the way!
I actually had to re-route the MA b'coz the lady at the Post Office branch nearby didn't want to process it. Luckily, Margaret, a stitching friend offered a lending hand. She mailed it out on behalf of me from her place. Initially, it was kind of frustrating situation for me. Then thinking of such problem is one of common problems faced by mail artists (participants), one PO branch refused to process a mail art is not a big deal anymore.

Ironically, as per explanation in TheFreeDictionary.com Mail art is art which uses the postal system as a medium. Click HERE to read more on Mail Arts.

MYS Exchange 2006 round 2 - part II

2006-04-21T07:49:00.000+08:00

On Tuesday, I received a pleasant surprise from Wendy. A lovely cheery bookmark.

She stitched on 28ct lugana using vibrant colours of flosses. I love it very much and asked a framer to frame it.

This is what I love about MYS Exchange 2006; the element of surprise. For round 2, I stitched a bookmark for Angie and I'm surprised by 3 lovely items (needlebook, tuck/flanged pillow & bookmark) received from other participants.

Designer Mail Art Exchange - part 1

2006-04-17T14:22:00.000+08:00

Again, April 1st is the mailout date for another exchange - Designer Mail Art Exchange organised in Mail Art Friends Yahoo Group (Mail Art by thread & needle). The participants were asked to stitch either Lizzie*Kate or Bent Creek pattern according to their recipients' preference. Anyway, many of us didn't want to pick a fav, we let our exchange partner decided on the patterns.

Last week, I received a lovely MailArt from Wendy. Even Mr Postman was smitten with admiration, he had a big smile on his face when he delivered the MA to me.

It is a Lizzie*Kate pattern stitched on linen. OOOhhh ! I just love the colours, so vibrant and cheery. Wendy is fondly nicknamed as the 'Queen of Mail Arts' in another Yahoo Group b'coz she had made & sent out many beautiful Mail Arts, be it for exchanges or personal swaps, even kindly sending them out to her families.

My recipient is yet to receive a MailArt from me. Will upload a pic, once it is safe in the hand of the recipient.

MYS Exchange 2006 round 2

2006-04-17T13:05:00.000+08:00

April 1st was the mailout date for Round 2 of MYS Exchange 2006

For this round, I sent a bookmark to Angie :

It is one of Joan Elliott charts in last year World of Cross Stitching magazine. However, due to some miscalculation, inavailabilty of some flosses & a matter of preference, there are some adjustments made to the chart. I stitched on silver perforated paper using DMC & overdyed flosses.

In this round I received a pleasant surprise - a needlebook from Angie

The pic doesn't do justice to her stitching which is very neat in real life. She stitched on 18ct beige damask aida. Wow! I have to say, it is rather impressive! I had some difficulties when I tried stitching on black damask aida last time. I love the shiny effect that the fabric have though.

And today, I received a beautiful flanged pillow from Roz.

I simply love the colour combination & pattern. YES, it is very TRUE, Simple Pleasures Are Best. Thanks Roz, you really brightened up my day.

Fabric Paperweight - Tutorial

2006-04-14T13:34:00.000+08:00

Hi !

I've uploaded some pics & instructions on 'How to sew a pyramid-shaped paperweight' to my Tutorial Album. Please click HERE for the link.

Happy Crafting and have a nice weekend.

This & that - April

2006-04-10T10:36:00.000+08:00

Last week, I was too lazy to pick up a needle. I did some browsing, then decided to change the look of my blog. My hubby said it looks neater than the previous one. I'm happy with the way the blog header turned out though the blog wrapper is not the exact colour that I wanted.

Much later of the week, I continued sewing the baby quillow but somehow put off by the applique' blocks. It is my first time of sewing the turned edge applique' and yet to get the hang of it. Before, I've done the blanket stitch edge applique', I feel that it is much more easier and faster to sew. Certainly I need another to finish sewing the baby quillow since it is a handsewn & handquilted project. Wish me luck

Itching to see a finished item, I sewed up a small stitched piece (previously done in January) into a mini pyramid-shaped cushion. Since I filled it up with some poly-pellets, it can be used as a paperweight. Poly-pellets are the bead-like stuffing that we used in making softie/plush toys. I just found a packet of poly-pellets which I bought few years ago.There were 2 packets, I used one of them in flower arrangement, I filled up the flower vase with poly-pellets after I put the imitation flowers in the vase.

And then, I resumed stitching one of my WIPs - It's time for Tea by Alma Lynne. Surprisingly, I managed to stitch about 40% more with a faster stitching pace if I had to compare with the last time I was on this particular project. Another 30% to go, hopefully by end of this week I will be able to finish it.

And I also started a NEW project, a quick to finish 'cute hedgehog' from a magazine. Stitched on 14ct lilac aida using DMC flosses. It requires wholestitch only hence it's soooo cute, I barely took one morning (not the whole morning but few hours) to finish it

It seems, a stick-in-the-mud start for last week but happily ended with smile on my face

Blog Facelift in Progress

2006-04-04T18:28:00.000+08:00

I'm in the middle of adding new look to my blog. With 3 darling princesses in the house, I will certainly need a longer period to complete the task. At least another couple of days

Mode : Stitching Slump

2006-03-29T14:10:00.000+08:00

Goshhh ! I haven't been cross stitching for more than a week !

My 2 kids (Hanie & Shasha) and I were down with fever last week. Recovered but still coughing a bit. Luckily, my hubby and baby Alya are in good health. I hate when it's time to take up medicine. Nooooo, it's not me who hates medicine, our 2 darling princesses will quickly think of something to distract us from giving them medicine. Cheeky gals...!

By mid of last week, 3 of us have recovered from fever despite the 'syrupy thug-of-wars'. Thank goodness, I managed to finish one of the exchanges (no XS, just finishing) coz later that week, I was distracted from stitching by watching the Commonwealth Games on TV. Hardly pick a needle except for finishing a MailArt which is barely finished yesterday. No mood for XS but itching to sewing. I've started the baby quillow project - I'm doing some applique' blocks at the moment. I'm thinking to resume stitching my WIPs only after I've finished the quillow *wink*

Oooopsy ! I forgot to show you my latest craze - softie.... I made one for the kids (merely one as Hanie doesn't really play with softies & dolls). Shasha seems to love Kittie very much inspite of the odd-looking ears. Here is a pix of Kittie behind the wheel

It's Time for Tea (work-in-progress update I)

2006-03-16T16:47:00.000+08:00

I've started this project last week (on Wednesday evening) concurently with the MYS Work-In-Progress Nite. It is one of my WIPs, currently I have 4 WIPs including 2 exchanges to be mailed out on 1st April. The chart is designed by Alma Lynne. Fabric - 28ct graziano riviera linen, flosses - DMC. It's still a lot to stitch, about 70% more

My Morning Cup

2006-03-16T16:01:00.000+08:00

I saw this morning cup challenge in San's and Lillie's few days ago but haven't got the chance to snap some photos. My favourite morning cup WAS the mug that I bought in Genting Highlands (Theme Park) several years ago. I bought it b'coz of Tabby (the cat that holding the alphabet T). Tabby The Cat is one of the theme park's mascots. I simply love teddie bears and tabby cats. Unfortunately, I recently broke the handle Anyway I have the Famous Amos Cookies cup to replace with. I love this cup for two reasons : one - b'coz it is just perfect for one sachet of my favourite cereal drink and second - bear bear bear

There is another mug that my hubby and I really treasure. We bought this mug few years before we came to Sarawak. It is an oversize mug, I use it if I would like to take 2 sachets of cereal drink in the morning.

Stitching Blogger's Question of the Week

2006-03-16T10:05:00.000+08:00

Do you stitch “over one?” If so, describe your experiences. If not, have you considered it?

I've done"over one" in 28ct linen. Initially, it was tricky to count the thread. Once I got the hang of it, it was quite fun actually and was eager to see it finished. I also have made few "over one" projects on 22ct hardanger cloth. If I had to compare, I prefer to stitch "over one" on linen as I think that it is much more neater.

What I did in February - part II

2006-03-14T10:14:00.000+08:00

I managed to stitch several small pieces in February. All of them are the charts from magazines. The bikini was actually a January WIP. Tigger and flower bouquet are mag freebies. The sunflower and pincushion patterns are adapted from bigger charts and already finished as needlecases as you can see in my PictureTrail album. The pincushion is from Joan Elliot's.

And I'm tempted to stitch 'Stitcher's Alphabet' by Brooks Publishing . As the newsletter is bimonthly, I definitely have to wait until end of the year to complete stitching the alphabet. Here is what I've stitched so far :

What I did in February - part I

2006-03-14T08:49:00.000+08:00

Early February was the mailout date for 3 exchanges I participated in.

MYS Surprise Exchange 2006 is a whole-year commitment exchange. We are required to stitch 6 items (bookmark, needlecase, bookmark, biscornu, stitching pouch & tuckpillow) and each item will be mailed out every 2 months. The surprise/suspense part is everyone of us will not stitch the same item and mail it out to the same recipient for the particular mailout date. And at the end of the year, every one of us will still receive the 6 stitched items. It is something like a 'wait and see' game

For the 1st mailout, i stitched a biscornu for Wendy .

It was not really easy for me to adapt a chart for stitching a biscornu. After so much browsing and hesitation, I settled for a freebie border from a Bulgarian site (if I'm not mistaken) with some adjustment. Decided to stitch a dual tone - one on grey linen and the other on colonial blue lugana (I don't have a matching linen)

And it was a pleasant surprise to receive a biscornu from Roz for this particular mailout date. It is very lovely, you should visit her blog. BTW, I only received one of those shown in the pix: the other one is for Roz's another exchange partner

MYS Valentine Stitched Card Exchange 2006 - I happened to stitch several pieces before I settled with this :
Simply stitching 'love' using several alphabet charts. Padded the back of the stitched piece heavily with batting and embellished with ribbons and 'heart' bead mimicking a floating big heart-shaped balloon. Sent out to Bee Ee together with some beads & buttons and floss. She really like it and in return she mailed me the Women Weekly. I'm very excited as it had been a long time I didn't read/buy such magazine. I think I read/bought too many craft mags lately

And I received such an interesting card from Lillie - with dangling heart , 'open sesame' birdhouse and etc. And a lovely needlecase and beeswax candle. Visit her blog and you will know what I mean.

Needlecrafter Valentine Stitched Card 2006 - this is the 1st time I used perforated paper for stitching card (I've done a bookmark before). A simple patchwork heart pattern (I forgot the designer, will check it out later). With layers of organza, lace and craft paper, it turned out the way I wanted it to be. Sent out to Hani together with some stitching goodies.
In return, received a card from Rozie together with bead bracelets and pin. Thank you Rozie. sorry, I haven't upload the photos yet. will do it later.

Stitching Blogger's (s') Question(s) of the Week(s)

2006-03-14T08:19:00.000+08:00

What cross-stitch magazines or other publications (as opposed to blogs) do you read on a regular basis? What do you like about them? What do you not like? What would your perfect publication include?

I read/purchase several craft magazines monthly and The World of Cross Stitching (WOCS) is the XS magazine that I buy on regular basis. I wouldn't say it is perfect but WOCS is just what I look in a XS magazine - contains small, medium & large charts, tips and nice freebies. My intrepretation of perfect publication might not be a perfect one for others as my personal preference would include charts that I'd like to stitch for my kids (e.g. Pooh, Barney, Elmo & Mickey), charts for my hubby - golf and stuff, specialty stitches charts, insects & garden charts especially the buzzing bees and nice freebies e.g. coaster, fridgie, mini frame, buttons & etc

I recently started to purchase Papercraft Inspirations magazine. I can say this the perfect papercraft magazine for me. I like everything that comes with it - projects, tips, ideas, gallery and freebies

Do you have an organizational system for your patterns? If so, how do you organize them? If not, have you considered organizing them?

Yes, I do have an organizational system eventhough it is not as organized as it should be Basically, I have 5 differents folders namely - regular XS, specialty stitches, freebies, magazines (charts) and the last one is for my WIP. I don't separate them by 'designers' as I don't really have a very large collection.

Blog Anniversary

2006-03-12T18:25:00.000+08:00

Hi everyone! I'm back!

Today is my blog's 1st anniversary and I'm back to the blogging world. I wanted to blog earlier but I was down with stomach upset in the beginning of the month. I feel very healthy now and have actively stitching for the exchanges that to be mailed out on 1st April.

I've thought of stitching a memento for my blog anniversary but I'm too tied up with my kids and stitching for exchanges. Nevertheless, I've managed to upload 'step by step' photos in my PictureTrail album (initiated by an enquiry from Lee Ann in Hong Kong Thanks Ann) I had emailed to few of you regarding these photos and here I would to share them with everyone.

Please click HERE to view the photos. Enjoy and Happy Stitching to all of you. I will be back with photos of finishes and etc