Love to Dance!

October 2009

Not so many squares for the   Kids Company   cushions this month because at the end of September I discovered I had a detached retina in my Right eye and had to undergo emergency surgery.
It’s times like that you realise just how important it is too look after your eyes and knowing that my dad had lost his sight to macular degeneration I was frightened that I might lose mine too but I’m receiving amazing treatment at London’s Moorefield’s Eye Hospital so hopefully it will all turn out ok.

So as I said, not so many squares this time round.

This first one was yet another special request for a young boy who loves music and dance and I had started it last month, so I only had the edging around it to finish off.

I searched everywhere for a suitable chart for this one but couldn’t find anything, then I remembered there are lots of kids colouring pages on line.  After some searching I found something that withr a bit of jiggling around would be perfect for this cushion and I charted it myself.

Panel #23

Then there was no stitching at all until the end of the month, when with the aid of a magnifying lamp I managed to stitch these two.

Panel #24

Panel #25 (Chart from Cross Stitcher Magazine)

I must admit though that it’s a bit of a strain so I’m going to give it a rest for a while.


Just before I go I want to say a special Thank You to my friend Nicki, who came up with the whole idea for this charity project. 
I don’t actually make the cushions myself, I just stitch some of the many centre panels needed and send them out to Switzerland where Nicki undertakes all the machining, but don’t you think she does a wonderful job of matching the fabrics and making my stitching look fabulous……Thanks Nicki!

Big Brother’s Birthday

Sept 2009


What do you give your brother for his 60^th birthday………..Marilyn Monroe, of course!


Michael has always had a ‘soft spot’ for Marilyn and is also a Elvis fan so when saw that Cross Stitcher were doing a series of charts that depicted famous people I looked through the magazines I had and found the exact two I was looking for.

This month’s Cushions

July 2009

With all the birthday presents I’ve been stitching recently I’ve only managed a couple of squares for the  Kid’s Company Project   this month.

Both have been worked from Children’s colouring pages again and I’ve stitched the outlines and added some Blackwork and filling stitches.

Panel #21

Panel #22

 

Another Birthday Present

July 2009

Why is it that my friends all have their birthday’s in July....and so close together?


This time it’s Nicki’s birthday on the 17^th.

I’ve stitched her a picture too, so it’s a good job that I started early on it in order to get it finished in time.

I planned to do something for her to hang in her sewing room, so when I came across this chart in a copy of Cross Stitcher it was crying out to me.

I personalized it by changing the picture on the wall, which originally read Home Sweet Home, to Nicki’s sewing Room.

Also she had mentioned to me that her husband Peter had brought her narrow grass looking mat, covered in little White daisy’s which hangs down the side of one of the cabinets in her sewing room, so I wanted to incorporate that into the design too.

I think the picture was perfect for Nicki when you take into consideration all the quilts and cushions that she sews.

Birthday Present

July 2009

It’s my friend Sharon’s birthday on the 11^th July.

Sharon has a love for Santorini in Greece, so as soon as I saw this Mini Greek Island kit by Michael Powell I just knew it would be the perfect gift for her.

She’s a stitcher too but I thought I would stitch this for her and put it in a frame before I gave it to her.

 Hope she likes it!

It’s a 5 x 5 inch design that stitched on 14count White Aida and it has 21 colours of which 10 are blended.

Kid’s Company ….Thank You

July 2009


I’m sure I must have said this before but I really do love stitching for the Kids Company project.

I don’t it for any recognition either, it just makes me feel good knowing that someone else is getting a little pleasure from something that I love to do. 
It also gives me an outlet for the pieces that I stitch. ………there’s nothing sadder than a pile of stitched pieces sitting in a drawer or cupboard gathering dust, so when you receive  letters, such as the ones I’m about to share with you now, it brings home just how much of an impact this project is having.



The first letter  relates to the two Bunny cushions that I stitched last month. 
(See the post below)

Dear Nicki,

I was also hugely moved when I gave your beautiful cushions to the children. Arif and Samira are thrilled with the matching cushions as is their mother.

They have thank you cards and are writing them this weekend. I will then send them to you so you can give them to your team.

 Samiz was completely overwhelmed when I gave her the beautiful, bright cushion with her name on it and the lovely message. She just looked at it and then after a few moments threw her arms around me and hugged me as she didn't have any words. She then said thank you very much and I just felt so touched by her pleasure.

Thanks very much to you and Ilse.

 I can't take a photograph because of confidentiality issues as she is a therapy client but you both have really helped to give her pleasure and make her life a bit brighter and easier....Words actually feel inadequate to express the depth of this....

***

The second letter was from one of the schools that Kid’s Company help.

Dear Nicki and Camilla

I wanted to write to say thank you for the wonderful gift of the ‘name’ cushions Nicki made for each of the children at ******** School.

It was very thoughtful of Kids Company to put forward this unique project for our school. I was in the assembly when the cushions were presented to the children, and thought you should both know the surprise and delight on the children’s faces on receiving their cushion!
I am the school art therapist, so I have a particular interest in made things – I also do quite a bit of sewing in my own time, so I know it takes a lot thought and time to sew!

Through my work here, I have noticed how children treasure things made for them, keeping them for years and making sure they have a safe place to keep them. I imagine the children will find it a lovely thing, that somebody who lives in another country could think about them and make something especially for them.
With warm wishes,

***

But the thing that really brought home to me just what this project is all about was this photo.

It’s not very clear I’m afraid.  I’ve cropped it so you can see because this little boy was sitting right at the back but just look how he’s holding on tightly to that cushion!

A Change is as good as a Rest - Kid’s Company Project

June  2009


Well, I’ve been busily stitching away while recovering from my knee op a month or so ago and I thought I’d have a bit of a try at some free hand embroidery for a change instead of the old cross stitch.

I must admit, I was quite pleased with the way they turned out and they were a lot quicker to stitch but I still love my cross stitch so I’m not sure if I’ll do any more of these.

Here’s the latest set of finished squares that I sent over to Nicki in Switzerland for the Kid’s Company Project   and the finished cushions after Nicki had worked her magic.

All of the designs were children’s colouring pages that I found on the web.  I traced them onto some cotton fabric and stitched over the top.

Panel #12

Panel #13

Panel #14

Panel #15

Panel #16

Next up is a panel that was for a little girl who specifically asked for Cinderella on her cushion.

Again, I found a colouring page and traced it onto White Aida as I had intended to cross stitch this one but then I changed my mind and decided to do some Blackwork to fill in some of the design.

Panel #17

Then a footballer, also in Blackwork

And finally back to the old cross stitch  for the last panel this month.

Panel #19

Panel #20

Panel #18

Kid’s Company Cushions……….Special Request.

June 2009


It’s not often that the stitching I do for the Kids Company project is specific to a child because at the time I stitch I have no idea who it will be going to, but when Nicki  asked me if I would mind stitching two similar panels with bunnies on for two little girls it made a pleasant change.

I don’t know the story behind the two little girls and if I did couldn’t tell you anyway, because of confidentiality but apparently they deserved something a little special.

I had a look through my huge pile of cross stitch magazines and came across  a chart that would be perfect. 

To make the two cushions look different I stitches the first one as it was, straight from the chart and then I scanned the chart and flipped it over so the bunny was facing in the other direction on the second cushion.  I changed all the colours it was stitched in too.

Panel #10

Panel #11

Instead of waiting until I had a dozen or so squares to send to Nicki I as I would usually do, I sent  these two as soon as they were finished and here’s the finished results.

Oriental Beauty

June 2009


Ever since taking part in my school production of The Mikado many years ago I’ve had a fascination with geisha’s so when the chart for Oriental Beauty appeared in a copy of Cross Stitcher I know I just had to stitch her.

But while I was pleased with the way she turned out I didn’t really want her hanging on my wall, so for many years she sat in the drawer at the bottom of my thread cabinet.

Then quite by chance I was reading the latest copy of The World of Cross Stitching when I came across, in the wanted’ column, a lady who was looking for the chart for her.  She had apparently stitched two others from the set and was looking everywhere for this one.

I immediately emailed her and explained that unfortunately I didn’t have the chart any more but I did have a finished panel if she was interested, which she was and the money that I charged her was used to help with the postage of all the Kids Company cushions .

I’m so pleased that she found a new home and no longer gathering dust in the drawer.

Back to the cushions

January 2009


I’m really loving doing these panels for  The Kid’s Company Cushion Project,  partly because they are so quickly finished and secondly because you can easily take them with you when you go anywhere without having to carry lots of stuff with you.   
It’s also nice having something small to stitch at the same time as a larger project because it keeps me from getting bored.

Here’s my latest panels and matching cards all of which have been self charted from childrens colouring pages.

I think this first one is my favourite so far, I just love the colours.

Panel #6

Panel #7

Panel #8

Panel #9