Saturday, 28 September 2024

We Finally Met!

After years of being blogfriends, and over 2½years of being 'collaborative stitchers', Kirsten and I finally got to meet in person. It was so lovely. Our OHs got on well too, and had much in common - and we sat having lunch in the courtyard at Oxburgh Hall and chatting and chatting...
We also swapped our September stitching, and a few other heavier gifts [which would otherwise have been rather expensive to post]
A while back, I picked up a piece of fabric in a CS printed with labels. When I got home, I found that although some were just outlines, many had a Downton Abbey theme. Furthermore, it proved to be a double sheet, I had two of everything. So I sent half to Kirsten as one of the flat gifts. She used it on her September stitching, in a very clever way.

So here is her patch - the base rectangle is a lovely soft piece of tweed [actually a fabric sample from a chair company!] and then she stitched the label on top. But I was intrigued that it overlapped the edge of the patch. "It's a pocket" she told me - and her charming husband said I had to guess  what was in it, as that was my flat gift. I felt the shape, a long thin rectangle.

"It's too big to be a collar stiffener, and too thin to be a covid test strip" I declared, then realised there was a ridge down the centre and a point at the end. It's a pen!
A very clever flat ballpoint pen - the tube of ink is concealed in a cardboard packet bearing a picture of a lovely fountain pen. K explained she thought the notebook cover would be more useful if a pen could be stored neatly in a pocket on the front. Genius!
Although there is not much contrast visible stitching, I can assure you there are hundreds of tiny buttonhole stitched keeping all those edges in place!

The inspiration for my piece came on the beach on Bank Holiday Monday. Our great family outing to the beach [followed by Bob's catastrophic tumble]
As the littl'uns were doing other things, I grabbed a bucket and started collecting stones, to make a circular pattern. The sort of thing that Kezzie frequently does at the beach.
Unfortunately the grandchildren then decided they were going to build sandcastles and needed mu stones for their edifices. I quickly took a picture before the artwork was too disturbed.
The stones were greys, black, white, cream - and some had a blueish tinge whilst others were golden brown.  Lovely random shapes 

I found some sandy yellow cotton in my stash and did some slow stitching, interpreting the pebbles' shapes and colours. A reminder of a [99%] wonderful day!

27 comments:

  1. How lovely this is, and the stitchery is beautiful and so clever.
    Alison in Wales x

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  2. Having a pen so neatly concealed in the notebook cover is ingenious

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  3. It's always a treat to meet lovely people!

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    1. Especially when you have become friends through blogging, then through emails and snail-mail...then you finally meet "in the flesh".❤️

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  4. It was a lovely day... warm-hearted in spite of the patchy sunshine. Thank you both very much.

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    1. Thank YOU. A most wonderful day together 😍

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  5. How lovely to meet a blog friend in person and exchange gifts. I love the pen in a pocket and your recreation in stitches of the beach stones. :)

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  6. How lovely to finally meet Kirsten and exchange gifts of embroidery etc. Y out are both very talented. X

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    1. Good to look at our stitching together We've both learned new skills through this partnership

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  7. What a delight - meeting face to face and both your lovely needlework. Truly splendid and us followers get to share too. Regards Sue H

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    1. I'm glad we can share it with blogfriends. Maybe others of you out there will be inspired to do something similar

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  8. How wonderful you got to meet up! And the gifts are lovely.

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  9. How fabulous to meet your blog and stitchery friend and your OH's both got on. My Stepmum lives near Diss which is the only place I've visited in Norfolk, we always say we must explore more. Xx

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    1. Oh do explore our fantastic county next time you visit [we could meet up for coffee perhaps?]

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    2. That would be lovely Angela, we do come down once a year at least, I'll let you know. Xx

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    3. Excellent ☕πŸ‘πŸ˜Š❤️

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  10. YOU GOT TO MEET!!!! I'M SO happy you did!!!! Do we get to see a picture of you together???
    The stitching is beautiful!!! I love that you thought of my beach pictures!!!
    I'm itching to do another one!!! Kxx

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    1. Too busy talking and eating to take any pictures!! Yes, thank you Kezzie, for the inspiration to make the stone circle - which led on to the September stitching

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  11. To think you were only a few.miles away from me last year at your Scottish wedding!

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    1. That family now live and work in Australia!!

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  12. How lovely for the two of you to finally meet up in person. You must have had so much to talk about. Both of you did some wonderful stitching.

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  13. So pleased to know that you finally got to meet Kirsten with your respective husbands enjoying the occasion as well. I like your pebble embroidery, which captures the uniqueness of each one. Something about pebbles on the beach, I've always loved to pick them up and also make temporary artwork.

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    1. It was a lovely day. And I agree, pebbles are such fun to hold and arrange in temporary artwork

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  14. Sorry to be so late to comment but I just had to say I am so glad you have now met up for real. I know how good that feels. Nicky K

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    1. It was so lovely meeting YOU too Nicky!!

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