Just visiting again

How long ago it seems since I've been here.
No work done - stitched work I mean.
I'm living the life of a slave to our business and she demands all of my time..and more.
A couple of years ago I could say that the first few months of the year were the quiet ones for the business, and I had some free time to myself. I was easing myself slowly back into the idea of working with a needle and thread again.
Since then, there have been no quiet months. Of course the fact that the business is going so well is something to be celebrated. But it is at the expense of other ( important) things.
I'm telling myself that we should be working as hard as possible just now so that we can have a cushion to relax against when we retire, but maybe we won't be allowed to retire. The business seems to have a life of its own.
A bit of a ramble tonight, but I've just noticed that although nothing has been updated  for a year at least, there are still quite a lot of visitors who spend time here, and I'd like to say thank you to you all - mainly it seems from across the Atlantic - who have stopped and looked.
Come back again....I might have something new to show.
Well here is something not new - over thirty years old actually. But it is pertinent as I made this sampler for my daughter when she was a baby, and now she has her own baby, our grandson. Sorry to say I haven't made a sampler for him - yet.

Patience

The time isn't here yet.
There will be a chance to do some embroidery again, and move a step or so further but not for a little while yet.
We are just too busy with orders from the Trade Fair in January but the list is getting smaller.
Meanwhile I'm doing a bit of thinking and hopefully planning. There are a lot thoughts running around in my mind all the time, mainly about colour. It's difficult to actually grasp one and pin it down, but one day I will.
We're off to London in a week or two for a few days of culture and possibly inspiration.

Playing around - fly stitches on rubber matting with added net and french knots

Withdrawing threads from raw silk loose weave and working into it with nets and threads.

Large cross stitches on sprayed canvas.

New Year Break continues

I've just been to Edinburgh today to see an exhibition of Turner's watercolours, but I also wanted to see these amzing embroideries again - two shown here are from a seies of four entitled "The Progress of the Soul" by the Arts and Crafts artist, Phoebe Anna Traquair.
They are a staggering six feet high, and are entirely stitched in silk and gold thread on linen. The detail, texture, colour, vibrancy, craftsmanship is a pure joy.

New Year, New Ideas

We're almost into the New Year. Time to start digging out the canvas, threads, fabrics, wool, needles, books..... and put them in a prominent place to remind me that this is the creative time of year. I made it all the way through to June last year, finding time to work on embroidery just for myself, before the demands of the business took over.
This year I think I am one step ahead already - ready to dust off the cobwebs on this blog and make it a working diary again.
One new embroidery book for Christmas to inspire, and a magazine subscription.
Just a few more days to go... there is too much indulgence going on at the moment. You don't feel creative with a tummy full to bulging, and the house is full with family staying. I'm having a lovely time with them though, playing games and walking on the beach.
But it's also exciting to think ahead to when the Christmas decorations are all packed away and my workroom is not cluttered with everything that was taken out of the living room to make way for the tree, and I have peace to start a new project.
Happy New Year.

Update

I haven't visited this blog for months because I didn't want to get depressed/disillusioned/frustrated by the fact that I have had to lay aside this aspect of my work while I concentrate on the business side of things over here.
Since June we've given up all spare time to business work, but once more the end is in sight. You see we have an unbalanced year - the first half is relatively quiet and the second half is manic.
Once Christmas is past things start to slow down and suddenly there are free evenings again, possibly even afternoons and I can start to think about doing some embroidery for myself.
This year I've decided to start thinking about it earlier, so that when the free time arrives I've done the thinking and can make a start right away. Don't want to waste precious time.
So tonight I've opened up this blog again and have reviewed the meagre amount of work I managed to do last year.
Roll on 2011 - hopefully I can take a few more steps on the journey....

I Admit Defeat (I think)

I'm going to bow out gracefully for a while. Even the ten minute rule has had to be abandoned for the next few weeks because the business part of my life has become just too hectic.
It's not that I'm actually not doing any embroidery - it is in fact part of my business life. It's just that I'm not getting the chance to do anything just for myself. And that's what this blog is all about.
So I'll leave off posting until I have a chance to get time to myself again. Hopefully it won't be too long. But summer is always crazy.

All my threads, fabrics and bits and pieces are not far away though.
Bye for now.