My Twenty-third, Twenty-fourth, Twenty-fifth and Twenty-sixth Frolics for 2017...

Obviously, I DO need to be more organised each Saturday to post about my Friday Frolics!  Note to self: Do better.

Anyway, this post is a Fourfer - four weeks of Frolics in one!

Twenty-third Frolic: June 16th

I remember that I had a really productive day for my Twenty-third Frolic, I actually had nothing on that day (amazing in itself), so I spent most of the day pottering around in my Girl's Nest and catching up on my Masterchef watching. 

This is what I worked on:

I finished the stitching on "Accept this trifle from a friend" (which is a freebie from Plum Street Samplers) and then I searched through my fabric stash to find the perfect green fabric for the backing (it matches the bird exactly) - very happy to find it.

I also FFOed, Singin' in the Spring (CCN) - again with fabrics from my stash - this time I used bright 1930s fabrics.

I also did a bit on my Nutcracker Sampler

I also pulled out this Happy Halloween UFO but I put it away again as I couldn't find the relevant threads but maybe it will come out again soon for Friday Frolics.

(Psst! If you are wondering what the real reason is as to why I put it away again, it is the fact that the pumpkins are stitched using Smyrna Crosses and it was Soooo fiddly getting them right - and there are still two more to go - yikes!)

I also pulled out this UFO ...  Snowmates by Blue Ribbon Designs from the JCS Christmas Ornie Magazine 2015.

.... and worked on it a little more.

So, a very successful Twenty-Third Friday Frolic.

Twenty-fourth Frolic: June 23rd

For this Frolic, I picked up Afternoon in London by CCN, this is a gift for a friend's 60th and I really need to get a wriggle on as she is going to turn 61 at the end of July!  (Only a little late with this one, but it did take us a while to find the right design for her tastes.)

I managed to get quite a bit done on that Friday and over the rest of the weekend, as you can see.

Loving stitching this one, gorgeous muted palette and the fabric I am stitching on is a dream to work with. 

Twenty-fifth Frolic: June 30th

For this frolic, I thought that I should get a wriggle on with my Red Robin pouch.

So, I went from here....

... to this....

I am really happy with how the red Japanese beads make the design pop and give it that real Christmassy feel.

Twenty-sixth Frolic: July 7th

On July 7th, I picked up Afternoon in Paris by CCN again, as I do really need to get it finished very soon.

So, it went from this ....

.... to this...

Getting so close to a finish now!

So, that is four weeks of Frolicking for you, I am so looking forward to picking up another WIP this coming Friday - only two more sleeps!

hugs, Kaye

My First Frolic for 2017....

... was a bit like Schrodinger's Cat - neither successful nor unsuccessful!  For those of you who are wondering who Schrodinger and his cat were and why I am referencing them - Sheldon from The Big Bang explains it best (or click on the link above).

(TraderVic and I are huge fans of The Big Bang Theory and are quite addicted to the show - it is on repeats here in Oz every night, so we are able to feed our addiction regularly - lol!)

Anyway, I digress - onto the stitching.....

Now, the successful part was me completing a FFO from last year - Wee Santa 2016....

Design: Wee Santa 2016

Fabric: 28 ct Mocha linen

Floss: My own choice of specialty threads

Framing: By me in a Mill Hill frame

My dear friend, Wendy, from my LNS, taught me a neat trick for getting the design to sit nicely when you sew it over the cardboard - you have two lengths of thread and weave them like shoelaces.  It worked like a dream, the stitching is sitting really flat and looks perfect - thank you so much, Wendy. xxxx

Now for the unsuccessful part... in true Friday Frolicking fashion, I chose a WIP at random from my ever growing pile of WIPs, UFOs and BAPs ....

Morning Song by Just Nan, I last posted about it on this post.

So, here is where I was up to before yesterday....

... and after, looking rather more crumpled and not much progress at all!

Design:Morning Song

Fabric: 28 ct Cream or Antique White linen

Floss: Suggested DMC threads

Okay, do you want to hear my excuses?

1. Plait stitch is really tricky to do, especially in a light green - I found it really hard to get a rhythm - there was a lot of frogging happening.

2. It was really, really hot yesterday, so the house was shut up tight with the air conditioner on, the outdoor sun blinds down and the plantation shutters shut - so the lighting was poorer than usual which affected 1. above.

3. Frantic morning video chats with DS2 in Sydney. DS2 video chats me on my mobile:  

DS2: Dad, where's Dad? I need Dad!  (Note: no greeting)

Me:  Why do you need Dad, is everything all right?

DS2: No, our ceiling has fallen down and I don't know what to do! (Note: DS2 is 24 and lives in a sharehouse in Sydney and there were terrible storms in Sydney overnight)

Me (and TraderVic):  Oh, my goodness, was anyone hurt? - Ring the SES (State Emergency Service) and ring the agent.

DS2: No, no one was hurt, we were all in bed (it was 9am), I tried the agent, the office is still shut for the Christmas/New Year break. What is the number for the SES?

Me: Does the agent have a head office or a mobile number?

DS2: No.

Me: (On the computer in Melbourne, remember DS2 lives in Sydney) The SES number is xxxx and the real estate agent's mobile number is xxxx. Ring both of them now. You may be told by the SES that you can't stay.

DS2: We have a back up plan if we have to move out, I'll ring the SES now but I can't bother the agent on his mobile.

Me: Yes, you can, he needs to know, so he can let the landlord know!!!!!

DS2: Okay. Talk again soon.

Me: (later that morning). How is it going?

DS2: Ses came

And said it will be fine

So land lord is getting people to come fix it

Me:You got onto the agent, then? Do you have to move out?

No we can stay

Yep glen is sorting it out

Me: Great, aren't you glad that I found his mobile number for you - just saying! lol! 

DS2: Thx mummy (Remember he has just turned 24!)

(Later that morning I get another call)

DS2: it is still raining and now the living room is flooding.

Me: Have you shifted the furniture? (couch, dining table and chairs, TV, etc.)

DS2:Nah! It is only a millimetre or two.

Me: What if it keeps raining and you don't have contents insurance?

DS2: Nah, she'll be right (very typical Aussie attitude), it's only a little bit of water and rain.

Me: I give up!

I am not sure what else has happened as DS2's mobile phone has now broken down - so I have to Message him via his best friend's phone who is staying with him for a few days before heading back to Melbourne and DS2 starts a new job on Monday. It never ends with your children, does it? lol!

4. Daytime naps needed to be had due to 2. and 3. above and the fact that it has been really hot overnight so little sleep has been had.

5. TraderVic, DS1 and DDIL and I all played a lively game of Monopoly_Melbourne Edition in the evening, which severely cut into my stitching time.

So, there you go, all sound like reasonable excuses to me! lol!

Just to finish off, the cats are feeling the effects of the hot weather, too. Milo and Nobu are engaged in a Mexican Standoff ....

... and Furio has just given up!

Poor furbabies, mind you, they could sleep in the cool, air conditioned rooms but no!

So, that was my first Friday Frolic for the year. Rather an eventful one, now that I think about it!

hugs, Kaye