December Already? some embroidery is planned and a rude branch!

 

Well how did December arrive so quickly?
It creeps up on you have you noticed?
I made a few things for the Green Fair but it was a very poor turn out, which was unusual, normally its well attended and I sell a reasonable amount.
I covered the cost of the stall and then some but managed to spend that on some hand mades from another stall lol ( xmas gifts)

Okay, not 'another' cat picture I hear you say-  but this is an amazingly special cat picture!

Hilly cat has been with me since I rescued her 10+ years ago.
She had 3 kittens with her and yet she was only around 6 to 8 months old herself.
2 kittens had already died and the remaining one didn't survive despite my best efforts.  Hilly was and always has been terribly nervous but not feral.
I always suspected she had been left behind when folks moved or been kicked out whilst pregnant.
A kindly old chap provided  shelter for her when she wandered into his garden but wouldn't let him touch her.
He fed her for afew weeks before contacting us and I went for her.
She wasn't too hard to catch, no trap needed, just some cagey manoeuvres and food lure.
Well tonight for the first time EVER, she climbed onto my knee and snuggled down.
And after an hour or so of my not daring to move ... and my really needing a pee! - she climbed back on my lap when I got back!
It's taken all these years going at her pace and this reward is much better than a lotto win for me.
Okay daft I may be, but its a blessing none the less.

I succumbed and sent off to the USA for a patchwork and embroidery pattern and it has arrived!
Its cost more than I anticipated but even so, worth every penny.
Its Hocuspocusville by Meg Hawkey and from Crabapple Hill Studio.

https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=hocuspocusville+pattern+pictures&view=detailv2&qpvt=hocuspocusville+pattern+pictures&id=07B24B7BB37C27EFAB2B707B664A56FCA3E83FD1&selectedIndex=9&ccid=K%2flI%2bTqY&simid=607995755908171961&thid=OIP.M2bf948f93a986d130d8057c89392638eo0&ajaxhist=0

There's an assortment of pictures there to give you an idea what the design is like.

The pattern and postage was £39 and then the bloody UK Customs hit me for £7.75 AND Royal Mail charged me £8 handling fee!
Why should they charge me handling when they are already paid wages to deliver the damned mail anyway?
So annoying lol

I saw the pattern on Barbara's blog, she's been making it bit by bit and showing her stages as she stitched them.(http://catpatches.blogspot.co.uk/)

I fell for the witchy humorous embroidery designs and have now started it.  Am all but finished block 4 so will post it shortly.
Here's the pattern printed on my fabric before stitching, not sure if you can make out the sign post which says
                                                                       Lost
                                                                       small dog
                                                                       call Dorothy

I should point out this isn't a transfer pattern its a light box and micron pen draw onto the fabric pattern.

So I had to buy the A3 light box and 2 pens too LOL

( There goes my winter fuel allowance and I have only bought half the fabrics needed so far too -)

 

In between the rain and wind storms of late I did some garden tidying and lopped some errant branches off next doors curly wurly branched tree.

One longer branch needed to be cut into pieces to fit in the recycling bin and lo and behold, one piece caught my eye.

Here's its front and back

or back and front

- weird or what !!

 

 

 

 
 

LOL