Summer On Route

At least I like to think it's on route, sure we've been having a lot of the customary spring showers but still June is only a week away so I thought I would bring at a little closer. How? Well, I've been stitching the sample for the next free seasonal pattern, summer. 

In fact the sample is very much complete, just needs me to rustle up the pattern and then, bingo it will be ready for you lovely lot. As ever my newsletter subscribers will get first dibs on downloading it, which I am aiming to send out next Saturday, 31st May. Then it will be available on the blog as a download. 

I've kept it bright and cheery, as with the spring design and the stitches are simple but very effective, so that you can perfect the stitches and whip it up in no time at all. Speaking of the spring design, I would love to know if anyone has stitched it yet?

With this stitched has now meant I can start working on the Pretty Little San Francisco pattern by Jody Rice (Satsuma Street Designs). I did have to unpick some of it as I was stitched some of the top bar of the cross-stitch in the wrong direction to the rest of it, that's what you get for watching stand-up comedy on the tele whilst stitching! Oops.

I'm going to try and keep it as my evening/chill out stitching go to project, as I hope to get back to embroidering something a little more complex:

It's been sat, lurking on the table behind me with a load of threads and materials, but as of yet I haven't been in the right frame of mind to stitch it. That was until the other night when I felt that its about time I do something with it. It's going to take a bit of playing and experimenting at each stage, so very much a kin to the other two stumpwork pieces I've done, Paradise Bird and Peacock Paradise. I hope to get some of the prep work under-way on Monday, or least jot down how I want to start it. Then I'll just jump on in and get on with it. Bit like the rest of my ever growing to do list, which is finally seeing that I stop dilly-dallying about the postcard / greeting card idea that I know I've mentioned countless times. I procrastinate something rotten. So I'll get an order sorted on Monday, and keep you posted when they are listed. It will be a small batch to see how they go down, and then go from there, I should add thanks to Laura Howard for the advice/suggestions on this one! 

What else has been happening, well I've finally got my Frida Kahlo cushion cover back from the now sadly gone, Crafty Magazine. Which means folks I'll be turning it into a downloadable pattern, aiming to get that complete sometime in early June. Again, I'll keep you posted on this one.

I shall end this week's post with a naughty little purchase, picked up during a lovely day spent with an old friend's from Canada and Malasia (online buddies, never met face to face till Friday just gone!). I didn't need to buy any more notebooks but dammit I had to go and spot that Moleskine have opened up a store in Covent Garden! I was like a moth to a flame....

What do you always buying, even though you know you have a lot in you stash?