This post was going to be called a Pair of Smalls, then I found another one, so I have a spare like any good Girl Guide 🙂
I started June on my trip down to London, it’s a really cute one with a bear and a hive of bees. These designs are by Maia Matyas of Snowflower Diaries, they’re a free SAL from 2016 called Joyful World. I think they are cute without being twee!
It amazed me that within probably 20 stitches, you could already tell it was a bear, just by the snout and the position of the eyes. I stitched on the train journeys and a little bit in London. I was even stitching in Kings Cross Station whilst I waited for the platform to be announced!
I didn’t have so much to do when I returned. With the little bees on this design the obvious choice for the backing was my sage green bee fabric, it coordinates beautifully. The cord round the edge is actually one I made for another project but the colours didn’t work, I think it matches pretty well on my bear.
Whilst I was in London I also stitched a little blackwork sheep. This was a practice piece as my Embroiderers Guild are doing a joint project where everyone stitches one square on a blackwork grid. There’s some beautiful blackwork being stitched. We could either do traditional or modern blackwork, but our square was only 25 stitches across. As soon as I saw this sheep on Pinterest I knew he was the one. The name Skipton means sheep town, so I felt we had to have a sheep on there. 
I needed a practice because the sheep on the pattern was a bit big, just by a few stitches. So I cut off his tail, put him on a diet and trimmed his legs!!! A bit drastic but it worked! I added some grass to fill the square a little. I think he’s rather cute.
I stitched one on the official piece at my Embroiderers Guild meeting, I didn’t manage to get a photo of it, maybe next time! Last night when I was making June the bear up, I decided to make my little sheep into a mini pillow…and it’s pretty small. I found a grey quilting fabric which toned in nicely as it is actually stitched on a scrap of very pale blue/grey linen. I found some grey trim in my stash which was just enough.
Yesterday afternoon I was sorting through my mums stuff and I found a box of old cards, in it was a birthday card I made for her over twenty years ago. It’s a rather pretty forget-me-not design. Luckily I had done my usual trick of using sticky tape rather than glue, so it was easy to remove from the card. After that it was a fairly quick job to make it into another pillow. My spare small!
thecraftycreek 
So pretty! Love how the pillows look!
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All gorgeous – the bear’s my favourite but how lovely to find your Mum kept the card you made for her all those years ago.
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Sweet little stitcheries! And wonderful that your Mum still had the card!
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You are popping these out right and left…the goal will easily be met this year! I love the one from you mom’s card, so sweet.
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I love all of it. That sheep with the little blackwork detail made me say “BAAA!!” out loud.
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These are all so beautiful, small but perfect
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You have been very busy! I’m impressed you managed to get some stitching done at King Cross! I love your sheep – he is so cute!
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Thanks Catherine, I always get to Kings Cross ridiculously early as I’m so paranoid at missing my train with these specific train tickets!
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Your smalls are so delightfully wonderful…you do such beautiful work. I love the display in the flowers too
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Those are all so nice! I love the sheep!
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Oh those pillows are pure sweetness!
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These are adorable. Giving me ideas. Love the sheep, I love blakwork, but it’s ages since I did any. More ideas… I don’t need more ideas! Lovely.
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Lovely projects and great to find the card you made for your mum twenty years ago!
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Do you enjoy the embroidery guild, I’ve just had a google and they have a Hull meeting… hmm worth a though???
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I really enjoy it, there’s a few around so it’s worth seeing what they have to offer, for example Harrogate and Leeds are both evening meetings whereas Skipton is all day, once a month, we do our own stitching in the morning, which is a nice social time, take our own lunch, then have a speaker in the afternoon. Sometimes we do mini workshops or Saturday workshops, there’s also community work which I don’t tend to get involved in due to travelling problems. Just looked up Hull on their fb page, they meet once a month all day Saturday, sound a friendly bunch, if you’re coming to the Knitting & Stitching show in November they are going to be there.
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Thanks for this I’ve just liked their FB page – just have to find someone to look after the little ones!
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