Stitching update!

Hello friends!
Here is finally a stitchy update for you...I did stitch over the last 3 weeks, although not that much... I mean, I stitched ridiculously little as compared to all my gift planning; however, when I see those pictures I realize I did manage to get a few goals accomplished.

Donc, here are a couple of blue pieces I finished this week:

A Hardanger piece from a French magazine.
I laid it onto a turquoise fabric to show the openwork better.

This was stitched with Anchor # 1346 and blue perlé (#131); the colours are the exact same I used for a little piece I stitched for Jenna back in January.
I'm not sure yet whether I'll be finishing it into a small drawstring pochette, or a pillow.

And here is a bath wrap I embroidered for Robin:

Sorry for the poor quality of the pictures...
It's getting difficult to take pictures in the evening.

I used bits and pieces from a sampler freebie I got from a French ONS.

I hope my sister and BIL will like it. It's a bit more "formal" than what I've hitherto stitched for Robin (following their own tastes), but this aida band proved too narrow for most of my designs... I hope they'll like it nonetheless! I'm thinking, since this is maybe more for a little boy than for a baby boy, they might always cut off the stitched band when Robin is older and use it to decorate his room or his door!

That's all for now friends... I'll try and share pictures of some previous stitching later tonight. Hope this finds you all well!

Thanks friends... and woolen coat

Hi everyone!

First, thank you for your comments and support concerning my last post. Wow friends, it would be so much harder without you! Thank you... I wish I could give a hug to each and everyone of you. Your response to my dilemma and frustration at not being able to stitch gifts for Christmas this year have been an incredible heart lifter. You've really helped me feel better. Thank you!!
I'll be using that Christmas gifties list for 2007, and sending out gifties as birthdays or occasions - or inspiration! RAKs are so nice - allow.

While we're on the subject of gifties, I want to salute Anne's brilliant suggestion of creating a database with everyone's tastes etc... What a great idea for those just-because and birthday gifts :) and what a great way not to miss any birthday! I hope many of us will be filling in that questionnaire :)
For those of you who read this blog but don't know Anne yet, do pay her a visit, she's a fantastic stitcher - but above all a wonderful lady with a big heart :)

~*~

Here are finally pictures of my woolen coat. I'm not sure whether there is a specific term for that kind of fabric in English... (help?) In French, this is called laine bouillie - literally, "boiled wool". Here, the wool is embroidered as well (which is why I loved it so much).

We haven't had the time to take new pictures in daylight, so those pictures are those taken by night in our flat 3 weeks ago... I'm sorry they're not ideal, but I figured that was better than nothing ;)

The picture most faithful to the coat's true colours is the last one, which is why I put it (notwithstanding the ghoulish face )

The pattern was New Look 6632:

This is a truly special coat to me, as my elder sister contributed to paying the wool... We bought it together while purchasing some fabric for Robin's blankies etc.

I really love that coat - its colour, its couture style - and the sisterly story behind it!

~*~

I couldn't help showing you this picture of Robin in a couple of Auntie things.
My sister sent it to me this morning.

Isn't he gorgeous!!

My sister told me she and her husband insist on using at least one thing I made for Robin every day (apart from the three blankies, I mean - those are being used all the time!). Really, what better thank you could I get?

I promise a stitchy update very soon - I finally took pictures!

Hope your week is going smoothly... I know dear Becky won't be reading this, but my heart goes out to her and her family...

Sweet package, quiet Saturday - & downsizing Christmas plans...

Hi everyone! I hope this finds you all well. Hope my American friends all had a great Thanksgiving Day :)

Sweet Katrina sent me a lovely package this week. I'd fallen in love with her Wandering Shepherd finish, and what do you know, she very kindly sent me the chart, along with the leftover silks!! What a sweet, sweet gesture.

She even included a pretty notepad and an adorable kiwi pen - too cute!
Thank you Katrina :)

~*~
Sorry I have been so silent lately... It's been very painful for me to leave my sister and nephew and go back to Paris - I have a big lump in my throat as I'm writing that - and I didn't want to be all whiney here.

~*~

Today is the first day in months when I feel I can take it easy. Well, I should probably be working on my research, but I really need a break today - I really, really need some special sewing time to myself. And it's been the first time in the last 2 months when I feel it won't be the end of the world if I take a day's break over the weekend.

~*~

On a bitterer note, I've come to the painful realisation that I won't be able to send all those gifties I'd be planning on sending to my friends. I never thought work would be so crazy this semester - as I said, today is my first free day in months - and what with Robin's arrival and all, I just can't do it (I'm spending next weekend in Lille, and that means another non-stitchy weekend, as I really will have spend every minute working whenever I'm not at my sister's).
Also while picking up Katrina's package at the PO, I sent a few packages abroad that weren't even that big - just little bits and bobs I'd long been meaning to send to a few dear friends (Cathy in Pennsylvania, Shashi in England, and Anne in Australia). The French post has changed their international rates again, and let me tell you the total amount seemed pretty out of proportion for those few, small packages! That doesn't mean at all I regretted sending those out - definitely not! It makes me so happy to send gifts around the world. But it made realize it would be financially unreasonable to send out as many packages as I'd planned for Christmas.
I did spend every spare minute over the last few weeks stitching gifts, but there certainly won't be enough; so I'm still torn between two choices : follow Karen's example and organize some sort of raffle. But I'd still be feeling terrible for those of my friends who wouldn't be getting anything. Besides, I definitely won't have as many gifts as Karen's seven ornies!
Or, I could just concentrate on next year's Birthday gifts, rather than Christmas. But that feels so lame: this year would have been much different had it not been for my online friends' kindness, and I so wanted to send them a thank you gift.
Anyway, I'm still undecided. If you have any other suggestion - any advice - they are welcome :)

~*~

To end that post on a smile, here's a picture of Robin, Seb and me last Sunday - yep, Seb came to Lille too, he so wanted to meet his first nephew :)

Robin is doing very well - he's such a gorgeous, lively baby.
His mother is exhausted, though - but happy!

Hope you're all having a lovely weekend.

ps: I promise a stitchy update real soon :) It's not I haven't stitched at all over the last two weeks... I'm just feeling lazy taking pictures! ;)

A picture is worth...

... A thousand words...

So here's a dozen for you - they show Robin's encounter with his Uncle Jean-François and his two Aunties, Hélène and Isabelle. The three of us work and live in Paris, so we took the train to Lille as soon as our work allowed us.

| View Show | Create Your Own

Hope you can differentiate the three sisters ;) I tried to write pretty explicit captions. Catherine and I get asked whether we're twins pretty much every time we go out together. We also have the exact same voices, which is confusing for whomever has either of us on the phone (parents included). She's 4 years older, though! Honestly, does she look 29? ;) Trust me though, our similarities run much deeper than those surface features...

Thank you so much for your comments... They're all much appreciated!

This is my favourite picture...


Robin and Auntie Hélène

Robin and Auntie Isabelle

I'm still in Lille, BTW. I'm not teaching any classes on Monday and Tues. morning, so I worked from my sister's home today - it's been Robin's first day home and she didn't want to be all on her own. The father had to go back to work on Saturday morning... Needless to say, I took some intensive Auntie training today :) and needless to say, I'm loving it.
But ack! it's 10 pm and I haven't achieved all the work I was supposed to do today... Better go back to it.

See you all soon! If you're not bored with baby pictures, I may well have some more to show you - perhaps even a video some time! (as soon as I find the time to edit my father's filming into smaller bits).

Thanks again for your warm-hearted response :) :)

Meet Little Robin

Create Your Own

I hope you can all see the slideshow above...
Many, many thanks to my sister Catherine for allowing me to publish those for you!

And thank you very much for all your comments... I am deeply touched by your interest and friendship!

We are very, very happy... Can't wait till tomorrow evening when my classes are over, so I can finally hop onto a train to Lille, and meet my beautiful nephew!

~*~

Today's another special, special day... Seb and I became part of each other's lives six years ago.
For those six years together... for the strength of your love, for your never-failing, never-ending kindness... for your lovely sweetness, to me and Violette... for your incredible understanding... for your deep care of others, your generous and charitable soul... for your sense of humour, your wit and quickness of mind... Merci, merci, mon Sébastien !!

He's here!!

Robin was born around 4 this morning!

My dear brother-in-law called us at 5 (I wasn't sleeping anyway!). Everything went amazingly well. Catherine was super brave, had a quick delivery - no C-section! - and Stéphane, my BIL, told us Robin was a very "tonic" little guy. Perfectly healthy! He measures 48 cm and weighs 3,2 kilos.

Sébastien and I must have slept a total of 3 hours and I must dash to work - and have a splitting migraine - but never mind! Robin is born! My sister is well! And we're uncle and auntie!!

It might be for tonight!!

Dear sis Catherine just called me: they've left for the hospital!
Is this really the time Robin has chosen to come - or is it just a false alarm?
Having a hard time typing this - my hands shake so!

I so wish I could be with her... Cathy, I love you!

Looks like there won't be much sleep around here...

Edited at 10.45: yep, it is for tonight!
Catherine is in the delivery room!

Keeping you posted, friends.

Tulip Kitty

Hi everyone. I hope this finds you well!
I'm still not an Auntie - the due date isn't before another week actually, but the doctors say that Robin really ought to come now, or else he'll be too big and my sister will probably have a C-section - which she doesn't want. Poor sis is getting very upset about it all (and that's putting it mildly).

A week ago, the SB&B I'd placed in early September thanks to a gift certificate Becky sent me for the Adopt a Stitcher program finally arrived... Thank you Becky! I got The Drawn Thread's Treasure Box (I predict 2007 will be very much a DT and Shepherd's Bush year for me... Bliss!), along with Brittercup's Britty Kitties V.

I'd been wishing for so long to get a Brittercup design, that I just had to start it straightaway.

This will sound ridiculous to most of you, but this kitty only just got finished. It took me a whole week to stitch this simple, quick design! That being said, with an average of half-an-hour's free time every night, it's not that bad after all...

The tulips are stitched with a French hand-dyed thread (by Marion) called Primevère.

This is probably due to overwork, and over-tiredness, but I can't figure a way to finish it. Maybe you friends will be more inspired? I'd love to hear your suggestions. This is to be a gift.

I worked all weekend, except for a couple of hours on Saturday night, when I managed to finish my Audrey Hepburn coat. We haven't been able to take pictures in daylight yet... So that'll had to wait. It turned out cute, IMHO!
By the way, 2 hours' free time is hardly enough for a weekend. And I hadn't managed to take any free time at all the previous weekend. Friends, I'm seriously close to losing it!

Which leads me to a painful decision I'm having to make... I need to unsubscribe temporarily from a number of blog feeds. Not that I've lost interest - not at all -, but this is just not realistic anymore given this semester's circumstances. I do hope to be able to re-subscribe in a few months. For now, I'll only be able to keep in touch with my closest friends. I am aware this is tough, and I am sorry if any of the people whose blog I'll have to unsubscribe from feels hurt. If so, please, feel free to email me.
Anyway, this is only temporary. Things should be better in a couple of months!

Take care everyone and thank you for the kind and lovely comments. (((Hugs))) to you all! And special (((hugs))) to those of you who need them.

Quick, quick

This is a crazy time for me... I have way too much work, can never achieve enough, sleep a bare minimum of hours every night, and am only hoping I can stay afloat till Christmas... I've had so much, so much work since our two weeks vacation in early July, and this has been simply getting worse and worse. Not as if I had a choice either!

I'm sorry friends, but my blog reading and email time has been drastically reduced... Don't take it badly if I can't read, comment and email as much and as often as I like! I still keep my friends in my thoughts... Even when I'm working like mad!

Here is the very little I did since my last stitching update...

A machine-embroidered swathe
(I do feel like cheating... But I do need to sleep at least a few hours every night!)

And a bib, hand-stitched with Violette

Since my sister is very small (a tad smaller than me) and doesn't want a C-section as she wants many babies, the obstetrician told her yesterday it'd be better if Robin was born 10 days earlier... meaning, now!! Fingers crossed my sister and Robin manage!

Thank you for you comments concerning the new look. I'm glad it suits you!

Off I go