Sending Hugs

that is the title of this little stitch which I have completed for my friend.  It is also how I see the gifts of hand that I give and those I am lucky enough to receive.

We started writing to each other many years ago when we still lived close enough that we saw each other every Sunday.  So why write? Because getting letters is great, because with lots of people around and wanting attention there was not always really time to have a proper chat and share stuff.

Later she moved to the other end of the country and the letters have continued over the years, through our ups and our downs, the happy, sad and every shade in

between.

Now my pen friend, my post pal is also a cross stitcher and delightfully sends me some of the fruit of her needle.

This first one as you can see panders to my favorite subject, and I love the colours and the sparkle.  However, I have not as yet found just the frame to set it off.  I take it out admire it and keep looking. One day I will find a frame worthy of it and together they will sing.

The second made me smile as this time it came framed, I tend to frame under glass and flat.  This is without glass and padded, I rather like it.

Tatty Teddy

This last one, well I will admit to being rather naughty with it, there was something about the placement of one eye that just did not settle with me. It is in the correct place to the pattern (yes I checked, I know I am bad) and on every image of the design that is the place the eye goes.  Don't care, it was driving me mad and as it was unframed...yes I did I went all biblical (Mark 9 : 47) and unpicked it and put the eye where I thought it should be!  I did tell my friend, and she knows me well enough to be understanding of my foibles.

If you are thinking that the exchange is a little unbalanced in my favour, well there have been a few items from me to her before the mice (which whilst nice, are small) including a quilt to two.  So we are good there.

I have waited to post this till I am sure my friend has received her hugging mice so as not to spoil the surprise.

Oh and in case you are wondering, we only use more modern methods of communication if something urgent comes up, otherwise we stick with snail mail and delight in pretty paper and envelopes and finding the right card, or stamp or seal.

Oh and this is my first link up with Serendipitous Stitchings 

Home page link.

A Sampler quilt block two and three

I thought it might be a good Idea to do the block two and three together as they required machine sewing.

Here are the bits cut out for split rail and maple leaf.  Apart from the stem on the maple leaf the colours are the same as the first block.

I got my measurements for the strips in the split rail wrong and made them too thin.  Fortunately this pattern is fairly forgiving when that happens.  I just measured the height of the three strips and cut the width to match and make squares.  I will have to add borders to bring the block up to size for the final quilt.  The book arranged the strips light, dark, medium however, on this occasion I did alter the arrangement of the tones to light, medium, dark.  

Split Rail

I did a bit better with the measuring for the maple leaf, I say a bit better as the square for the stem ended up slightly larger than it should.  But it has not lined up too badly for a first attempt.

Maple Leaf

This block also needs boarders to bring it up to size (although on this occasion that was in the plan rather than a required design modification due to my uniqueness?)