Mickey wants to stitch!

This is what happens when a cat is near a spool, he wants to play with it of course.
No, no my dear this stuff is not for you !

He is looking to a selection of Devere silks, 06 thread that I received recently.
This is the silk I was looking for in the last years to make historical embroidery; its a beautiful shining floss nearly flat, just a minimum invisible twist, 120 denier so a very fine one and is perfect to make long and short stitch and all the other historical stitches, just use one or more strands depending on what one is doing so a really versatile thread.
Of course it can be used for any other kind of embroidery.
Its a filament silk but the great thing is that this material catches on hands just a bit so is an easy floss to work with and makes no knots or fuzz at all, also when a longer lenght is used.
One can go crazy with other brand of filament silks, believe me !
Each spool is plastic packed.
The price too is great, 200 meters for £ 2,00. The range of colours is just enought and most of them are "historical shades" so I can say I'm really happy with it ! and I know I will buy more...

Actually I'm stitching with this silks a "secret project" for A mirror to my heart, the Needleprint competition but you must be patient untill the winner will be selected in October so I could show you my finished work..... wish me good luck.

Here is the online store:http://www.devereyarns.co.uk/

A little finish

Haven't done so much in the last weeks, time is always my enemy, but I could start and finish The Pansy Heart a canvas work kit by Sue Hawkins.
It's my first canvas, nothing special just a simple work easy to stitch, made with the intent to calm my mind; no difficult threads to use, no complicate stitches to made, only coloured cotton floss and a up and down needle going throught the canvas.
Still have to sew it as a little heart shape cushion.

I also started a Berlin Woolwork sampler, taken from the book Marquoirs d'Allemagne.

I have overdyed the Zweigart 22ct Cordova etamine and made my own conversion for the threads; the chart calls for AVAS silks on linen but I can't imagine a Berlin sampler stitched in silk so I changed with Appleton Crewel and some Medici wool....much better ! and with an historical sense.

And a new stand, built with the help of my husband that sometimes is patient enough to support the crazy ideas of a maniac stitcher.
Have named it Totem, it's a mix of various elements seen here and there in other stands available on the market; I wanted something really stable and firm, so something heavy ! and versatile to the various kind of embroidery. It can support professional slate frames and also hoops, the sizes are no more a problem.
And after the money spent for the Lowery workstand and the Edmunds floorstand I said: "do it yourself ! " with a strong beech wood and oly 50 €.

Something beautiful

What human hands can do ?
Here you can see two incredible tablecloth entirely hand stitched in Burano lace on ivory linen; this is a tipical kind of embroidery coming from Venice.
Those are a century old and came out from a chest from my husband's family.
The conservation status is perfect, probably have been used just few times, aren't incredible ?

The rectangular one.

The round one.

Here you can see others greats objects, seems me they are called "puzzle ball" in English, but the original name should be "sphere of life".

Are made of ivory, all hand carved from a Chinese artisan one century ago.

Makes me crazy trying to understand how was possible to obtain twelve thiny spheres one into the other from a single monolith of ivory, each one is separate to the other and can rotate freely....fantastic !

But let me say I'm glad ivory is restricted now.

Thank you !!!

Thank you so much to http://stitchingwithkittens.blogspot.it/ for this lovely surprise: the Liebster Blog Award, I'm honoured !

The rules to accept this award are:

1. Pass the award to other five Blogs with less that 200 followers

2. Leave a comment to the Blogs you have choosed and leave a comment to advise them

3. Say thank you to the Blogger who sent you the award and link back to it

4. Post the award on your Blog

5. Share five new things about you

These are the Blogs I have choosed to pass the Award:

Megan, http://elmsleyrose.blogspot.it/

Theresa, http://shakespearespeddler.blogspot.it/

http://samplerloversblog.blogspot.it/

Laurie, http://corgiscottage.blogspot.it/

http://needle-eye.blogspot.it/

Five things about me ?? mmmhhh....

1. I have a wonderful niece that is now an aerospace engineer, I love her !

2. I love England an all is English, would like to spend part of my life there, maybe on day...

3. Have a illness, Fibromyalgia

4. Love gardening

5. I love classic dance and I was approved to study in the Opera Theatre in Rome when I was a child but my father didn't believe that my dream could became true so everything ended when I was 10 old....I still cry when I watch a ballet !

Thank you to all the "web friends", you are a the sun in cloudy days !