Floss Daily Pin Cushion

Since IHSW I have been working on several projects but I was unable to finish them because I ran outof one or two floss. It's very difficult to go out to the shop these days: its too hot to go out with two kids when you are fasting, its almost impossible to find taxi these days (summer and Ramadan, bad baaad combination),  serkan came home from work in a state of pickle (he said so) - he was so exhausted and very sleepy and need his afternoon nap before breaking his fast in dawn, and the shops closed very early during Ramadan. I just don't know how will I buy my supplies, maybe when we go to Turkey in 2 weeks time I will buy online.

Anyways... since I had nothing to do I decided to make a little pillow cushion from a free pattern I found online and has been stored in my laptop for months. I have been intending to make one pin cushion or biscornu but I didn't have and didn't know where to buy the polyester filling (we called it dacron). But last week we washed our sofa cover and when we did that there were many dacron fell out and it seemed there was no point to tuck them back. So I saved them and made pin cushion. The great thing about this pattern is you can use any colours you have in your stash. No need to shop specially for it :)

I made two sides, one from the pattern and one I made backstitches of my name. I ended up loving the latter more :) I also made little hand embroidery rosebuds that I saw from lynn's blog (sorry couldn't find the exact post, the internet speed is hopeless now, will add later when it gets better)

It is a very simple cushion but so cute. My daughter couldn't stop kissing it and asked me to me one for her, while my son was so curious about it, wanted to hold it all the rime and pulled the needles from it. I've got frustrated a lot because my intention making it was to keep my needles safe, I used to pin them on the sofa and that habit drove my husband crazy :D I guess I have to make a less cute little pillow so they won't get attracted to it that much :)

***** many thanks, terima kasih, sağol, شُكْرًا
 

July IHSW: Baby Kitty (again)

I am one busy hermitter this weekend :)
As some of you may have known, weekend in Jordan is Friday and Saturday, but because I was so close to complete all my kitties so I decided to have 3 days of IHSW :)

I didn't touch my Baby Kitty project since last month IHSW, I was busy stitching other projects, and as I told you many times that I don't like this project so I put it away until IHSW again :)

On Friday I managed to complete two more small kitties, one tiny duck and completed tiny cube on the right side, and made two big kitties. It was frustrating in the beginning, it seemed never ending stitching kitty's head but because its white on white I felt like I didn't make any progress at all. But I like stitching Big Kitties a lot, because they are more standing out with their bold colours.

On Saturday I made one more big kitty and one small kitty riding a giraffe:

On Sunday I stitched the rest:

They are complete now!

Ooops, wait... not quite yet! lots of backstitching left, also french knots! I hope I would do that anytime soon so I don't have to wait for next IHSW to 'force'me to finish it :)

Are you a hermitter too? thank you for reading my post and I hope your week was a very stitchy one :) Mine was very very stitchy (on saturday I didn't sleep a wink until its time for our morning supper before Ramadhan fasting, it was until around 4 o'clock), my fingers are sore and so do my arms, I am feeling like I just back to my zumba class after being absent for weeks :))

You are not a hermitter but want to be one? Why don't you find out what IHSW is and join the fun! Thank you Joysze for hosting us! I am looking forward for another IHSW next month :)

***** many thanks, terima kasih, sağol, شُكْرًا
 

Belated July TUSAL

I can't believe I forgot  TUSAL! I don't really forget it, actually it is in my mind all the time when I stitch but I just forgot to check the date! I too hooked up on my Theme-a-licious stitching and preparation of IHSW :)

So here you go, my TUSAL jar:

Sorry for the bad quality, I know I need more natural lighting (I took the pics with my cell), but everybody is still sleeping and they are scattered everywhere (from the bedroom to living room :-p) so I can't open the shutter of our windows nor open the front door to the veranda (they made horrible sounds that may wake them up!). But I don't want to wait and postpone my TUSAL report any longer :)

I am still using the same jar that I used last month, just keep continue filling it with my ORTs. Since last month I do stitch more than usual so my jar doesn't look as miserable as last month :) I am so proud of my self hahaha... thanks to theme-a-licious and IHSW who keep me going :) Happy stitching eveybody!


***** many thanks, terima kasih, sağol, شُكْرًا
 

Theme-a-licious: Jolly July - Welcoming Ramadhan

As I mentioned on my last post, this Jolly July I am going to stitch this design:

The design is in Arabic by 'Oriental Stitching', I don't know the  title really, but I guess its a Row of Arabic Dancers in Palestinian Wedding. But I am going to make my own title: Welcoming Ramadhan. Ramadhan will start this Friday for one month, its a very special time of the year for us... we are welcoming and celebrating this month with joy and gratefulness :)

I enjoyed stitching it so far, in the beginning it was so difficult to me to put it down until I had very bad  migraine and spotting/blurry vision. I think I should buy additional lamp to be used when stitching, and have more sleep and eat regularly. I always had this migraine and spotting/blurry visions as long as I can remember - when I don't have enough sleep and skipping supper (in the past I always have it if I don't have rice 3 times a day (I know, unbelievably right, but that's our staple food, we even have heavy breakfast with rice) but now since I got married I can go without rice at least 2 days). 

I changed most of the colours, the codes that were given with the pattern are different than the finished  work shown on picture. After I bought all the floss and started to stitch I just realised that I don't like the colours and most of them are so bland on my choice of fabric (Glitter gold aida 14ct). So I searched available floss in my stash, they are not many really considering I am a starter, but luckily I could find what I need and I am quite happy with the result :)

Here is my progress:

I am very positive I would be able to finish it by the end of this month... not much left and during Ramadhan usually I would have more time to do something like this :) Only little back stitch left and stitching the edges, and I may add some wording as well :)

Some highlights of our days in between stitching it:

AMMAN WAVES
Dilara was enjoying it (before she got bored and feeling too cold) while Ali was hating it. Both of them were so happy to leave :) It was quite nice tough... and finally we know what Amman Waves is, no need to feel curious anymore. Personally I was disappointed because the place was small and far below most of aqua parks in Indonesia. I feel sorry for all Saudis who were crowding the Amman Waves. You all should go to Indonesia instead :)

Dilara got her uniforms from International Community School. She will enter Reception class this September. She is still missing her old school in Syria, begging us to move back there, but excited about her new uniform. It would be her first uniform :)

Dilara finishes her first session of swimming course (she got her first medal, every swimmer got one by the way) and continuing to the second session which will be ended this Thursday (and she will get one more medal, but she said she doesn't want it, 'one is enough for me and lets give another one for Ali'). She is still enjoying the swimming even though more anxious since the coach wants her to swim without any float support

At Yohana 5th birthday party which was celebrated at Jungle Bungle. We had a blast, we enjoyed it so much including me and Serkan. We were inside the playground and tried everything because we have Ali as our excuse :) I don't have Ali's picture at all, the little boy was so excited and keep moving around, impossible to take his picture.

Luigi and Iryna's wedding. The groom is from Italy and the bride is from Ukraine (and the witnesses are from Turkey (my husband) and Tunis). They exchanged the vows at Italian Embassy, because of security measure (with a very short notice even the father of the bride couldn't attend) all the guests couldn't present during the ceremony but we have celebration later in a restaurant which serving Arab food.

I think all the photos collages showed how JOLLY our JULY is :)

***** many thanks, terima kasih, sağol, شُكْرًا
 

My Jumanji June, 2012 Theme-a-licious

Happy dance for my first theme-a-licious! It went very well even though I couldn't manage to finish it on time but I'm getting there! I enjoyed stitching Margaret Sherry's Furry Friends, I stitched it with faster pace than normally am. I love wathcing it growing:

One picture for each day I stitched it, so I stitched them for seven days (will put picture from last day in the end of this post). I had one or two days break in the beginning of my daughter's swimming course. She is the one who take the course but I am the one who gets exhausted :) Having two kids in tow, looking for a taxi in this summer heat is definitely no fun. Fortunately after 2 days of hard day dear daddy finally said he would take and pick us up to/from the school where the course is taking place. Good thing that his office and the school is in the same neighbourhood and our house is not too far from his office (he walks everyday to his office, there is a shortcut that makes travel time only takes 5 minutes, it will take him longer if he took the car ^-^). Still it is difficult for me at the pool, I have to wrestle with Ali that never stay still while keep my eye on Dilara and shout encouragement words to her (you can do it! just jump! I'm so proud of you! excellent! good girl! you're so brave! etc), struggle to change/wash Dilara while give instruction to Ali to stay where he is :) But to see how she progressing (she used to afraid of water even in playing pool with her classmates during a birthday party she didn't enjoy it), how brave she is following the coach instruction with full attention and never cry, always smile even after she made mistake and drown a bit, is priceless and I am willing to keep her in this course until Ramadan comes and will continue again after summer for regular class.

Back to my Theme-a-licious June, I finished almost all the stitches except the blocking and back stitching. Very little white spot left on the left side as you can see in this pic:

I ran out of light blue 3753 threads and during the weekend (Friday and Saturday) the shop is closed. I don't think I will go there anytime soon because just last Tuesday I was there and bought lots of threads and some fabric for my Theme-a-licious July and small project that I want to make as a gift for a friend in Turkey. When I could buy the thread and finish the rest of it I will post again, promise! :)

Now for the next Theme-a-licious:

Jolly July

It's a jolly holiday with your WIPs...you can concentrate on Christmas designs, ornaments, or even pick a different holiday to render in stitchy goodness.

Since I don't celebrate Christmas I pick this design instead:

Arabic dance in Palestinian Wedding

It is a pattern that I found in a small craft and hobby shop in Sweifiyeh, there was a pile of old arabic style patterns and I bought a couple of Palestinian themed patterns including this one. I will start making it soon and will let you all know how it goes on my Jolly July check in post :)

***** many thanks, terima kasih, sağol, شُكْرًا