100 Stitches and Gardens

This is the first full day I've had without worrying too much about Mum. I know she's in good hands and now she's got the first lot of treatment over is much more relaxed about the whole thing.

We went to the garden centre this morning to buy plants for the front garden, hanging baskets and something for the border at the back. It cost a disgusting amount of money but the plants look lovely, still lots of bare ground though. I just hope they bush out a bit and fill in the spaces. My poppies have bloomed again, the first one I photographed ended up in the compost bin blown to bits by the wind and rain.

I've also managed to catch up with the last three days of the "100 Stitches" challenge Day 8 should really be a button but I didn't have one in the colour I wanted so I used a large sequine/bead type thing. Its a bit big but looks fine on the block.



Day 9 is this braided border, its wrapped herringbone stitch, well half a herringbone stitch, straight stitches and chain stitch.


Day 10 is buttonhole stitch in the shape of a half wheel with chain and straight stitches, very much like day 9 just in a different order. There are small beads at the end of the straight stitches in this one. I only put the beads on one side as there wasn't a lot of space between the other side and the seam treatment on the next border.

I know these stitches were originally intended to be done on a crazy quilt background but I didn't have one, just a lot of orphan log cabin blocks so I'm doing them on those.

I have three challenges to finish before the month is out, the CQ JP - I only have the border to sew on. It took me quite a while to find a colour I was happy with but I'll finish this one on time.

The second one is the Arch challenge on Textilechallenge group - I've got the arch finished and quilted but changed my mind as to how I am going to embellish it so it'll be near the end of the month before its finished. Can't give you a photo yet as I want it to be a surprise. The third challenge is a yo-yo challenge fabric postcard for ArtsntheMail group which I haven't started yet. I know I had a Clover thingymyjig to make yo-yos but I've put it somewhere safe. Guess I'll have to do them the old fashioned way.

I'm just waiting for Keith to come in from work and then I'm off to bed with my ipod, don't know what I'd do without it. I'm a poor sleeper, my mind is far too active at night so I listen to books on my ipod and I drop off to sleep. Naturally I miss a lot of the book and have to rewind it in the morning but hey it gets me off to sleep, despite Keith's snoring!!