Happy Dance! - House Mouse

Design: House Mouse

Designer: Gillian Bowater, from Needlecraft magazine, November 1991

Threads: DMC as charted

Fabric: 14 count aida, white

This is the final design in the set of four, and again was another quick stitch.

I'm not sure how I'm going to finish these. I do have a friend who keeps a couple of mice - Boris and Vasili - perhaps I could make something for her? She's one of the founders of the knitting group I go to (and writes a column in the magazine Let's Knit) so perhaps I could make a knitting bag with them? Then again, she is the step-mum to a little boy, so perhaps something for him? Decisions, decisions...

Happy Dance! - Dormouse

Design: Dormouse

Designer: Gillian Bowater. From Needlecraft November 1991

Threads: DMC as charted

Fabric: 14 count aida, white

This little mouse rather reminds me of my guinea pigs, and their fondness for snuggling under blankets and duvets. I'm sure Jasper and Rowan would love beds of their own with patchwork quilts and lots of pillows...

This stitched up pretty quickly once I'd frogged the mistake (a couple of stitches) which had caused it to be abandoned in the first place!

See what I mean about snoozing in comfort?

Quaker Hedgehog - The Workbasket

Design: Quaker Hedgehog
Designer: The Workbasket (freebie available here)
Threads: DMC 4130 Color Variations
Fabric: 28 linen, cream

I stitched this little chappie for a private exchange with Karen and it was hard to part with him, but he went to a good home! He is stitched over one, as I wasn't sure how big a floss tag should be - I think it would have been okay over two, and I might do that when I stitch him for myself.

And this is the back ... You can just see I whipstitched the edges, which gives a decorative effect and means no struggling with turning a piece through a tiny opening!

Softie Tortoise

Design: Tortoise
Designer: Jean Greenhowe

This was a little tortoise I made for a softie exchange - the whole thing was less than 4 inches long. You can't really see because of the frill, but underneath the shell is a felt body with legs. The shell was made from a circle of fabric gathered, and the hat is a lace flower which I coloured with a marker pen to make it look more like a daisy. The fabric is some vintage Laura Ashley which I found in a charity shop.

Elephant Birthday Card

Design: Elephant Birthday Card
Designer: Not credited, came from a book given away with World of Cross Stitching
Thread: DMC as charted
Fabric: 14 count aida, antique white

I made the mistake of mentioning this design to my sister when I was half way through stitching something else as a card for my niece ... so guess who was putting the finishing touches to this on the morning of The Tot's big day? It was worth it, though, to see her smile when she recognised an "ellypant" :o)

Jungle Room Plaque

I finished this earlier in 2007, and finally made it up into a wallhanging as a Christmas gift for my niece. The pale yellow is to co-ordinate with her room, and I used some mini pegs so it could be hung on a ribbon. I also left a reasonable margin in the hems so that it can be framed at a later date, when Molly's mum is happy to allow a framed picture in the room - little fingers are a tad too curious at the moment!

Years ago, I gave my sister a bellpull for her birthday (I could afford to have it framed) and left about 1.5 inches all round the stitching in total - she had the piece framed last year, and the framer has done an excellent job, which is good for the future - I'd like Molly to enjoy stitched pieces now, but also in the future, and framing behind glass does preserve things - even though it empties the wallet ... LOL

The White Cat - Bent Creek

I'm not sure why I like this, but I do :o) I'm really one of the least cat loving personI know, although my partner is fond of them, and would love for us to have one!

I think it's the expression on the cat's face that I love. This mouldered for a while in my finishing pile, but I got the motivation to finish it up when I got my wonderful packet of mini buttons which I've often mentioned before! I wanted a simple finish, so I just made it into a mini pillow/pin cushion. The back is a very small beige country floral print, which echoes the flowers on the front.

My niece and her afghan

My niece M is a very curious child - here she is investigating a squirrel, who appears to be glued to the tree...

This post is just an excuse to share this picture with you, because it makes me smile every time I see it. Even though you can't see her face, her posture is just ... her! She's not very tall, but very sturdy, and very confident :o)

As I'm posting about M, I'm going to take this opportunity to post a picture of the afghan I made for her when she was born. When I gave it to her parents, my BiL insisted it be stored away safely, as it was too good to give her- I can see his point, but I hope that she gets to use it sometime :o)