Tin from Elizabeth

 Isn't it cute?  I got this tin in exchange from Elizabeth.  She included a bunch of lace motifs in it, too!  Thank you, Elizabeth!

Candji's Asian Block

Although I completed this toward the beginning of the month, i've not gotten to post it until now.  Here it is before I worked on it.

And this is after me.  I mainly worked on the upper right.  I made some more bead flowers and put them on up top, and cut out a motif from some fabric I got via mail from the States.  Some rickshaw wheels for the narrow area, and a nice mother of pearl button.  I hope she likes it.

Wintry Trip to Colonia

 Back in August, we went to Colonia del Sacramento, the oldest settlement in Uruguay.  It was built by the Portuguese originally, and Montevideo was built by the Spanish in response.  The Spanish eventually overran it.  It was a cold and windy day, but at least the sun was shining.

The area has several tiled murals in unexpected places.  Almost all of them are religious in nature.

Here is a gate to the original fort.

And this is another tile.

 People live in the area, and these put up some cute carved old men.

The lighthouse.

I really like this tile design and want to design a piece of needlework similar to it.

And another view of the lighthouse.  More pictures ina later post.

Still Coming Down

I'm about halfway through the huge number of queen stitches that need to be done on the left and am completely done with the big top center motif.  Slowly, it's getting there.

Cornered

Every sampler starts somewhere, and there's a whole lot left to go on this one.  On the other hand, I've got the first corner done.

Revistas

When I was on my shopping spree the other week, I stopped in at the newsstand in Plaza Independencia and picked up some magazines.  They're old publications, but unused.  It's very hard to get new stitching magazines in Uruguay, with the exception of knitting ones.

Thank You!

I had told the temari ladies that I wanted to learn to knit properly a few weeks ago.  They've made it their mission to teach me!  Here's the first step.  Ana gave me some lovely wol and circular knitting needles.  Now to learn...

My Other Exchange Tin

 This tin started out holding tea.  I put a piece of cross stitch bordered by some fabric on it, then embellished with thread and beads.  The inside has marbled paper again.  I hope she likes it.

A Tin Exchange

Recently Crazy Quilting International had a tin exchange. This is one of two that I made.  This is a Godiva chocolate smalls tin that I've got plenty of.  Someone keeps sending them to me to upcycle.  This is the first I've completed.  Anyway, tin finishing is hard work! It's nearly impossible to make the back look neat, but at least I tried.

Diamond Temari

 Another temari done for Christmas.  This one's got eight interlocking diamonds on it and I noticed that I have not taken off my marking thread.  I'll have to do that before I give it away.  I do like the colors I used.

Roofing

This week it was more roofing and a bit more of the peach wall. 

Stitchy Birthday Gifts

People were very generous with my birthday, and I got these wonderful stitchy gifts.  This first picture is the kit for Alhambra Garden from Chatelaine.  I'm going to start in on it this week.

And Melina and James got me this wonderful crochet book.  Poor James had to sacrifice and buy it in the States to bring down here. 

 And this last one is from Betsy.  She made this fabulous tote for me and I've already put all my stuff in it to make it my daily one for taking to the embassy and back and other places.  I love it.

Thank you all!

Building Along

My little buildings along the edge are getting bigger, and the backstitched flowers inside the outer border are done. 

Another Round Thing

In my quest for more presents to give away at the end of the year, I completed another temari.  This one's a simple design of interlocking spindles with an obi.  I like the way the colors came out.

Shopping and Collecting

About a week and a half ago, we went on a road trip to Punta del Este.  This first picture is what we bought when we got back - we hit up the bead shop yet again.  They always have something new.












 I collected these shells on the beaches of Jose Ignacio and La Paloma.  There are a lot of complete ones - almost all of them are flawless, if small.  Some are definitely going onto crazy quilting blocks.  It was fun sitting in a field of shells and picking through them, even if the day was windy and cold.

Okay, so this one's really different.  We were in the Punta del Este mall, and a place was having a clearance sale.  This was only 100 pesos (about $5).  I'm -not- going to wear it!  I'm going to take it apart for all the motifs and beading and such for crazy quilting.  There's so much of it and it's such a good deal that I bought two.

Celtic Block Home

Thank you to Rebecca, Wendy, Cathy and Faye for working on my Celtic block.  My inspiration in piecing it was Mont St. Michel in France.  I have space to add more things, since Faye had a personal problem and was unable to add more to the block.  Thank you all for the work.

This is a picture of the block before embroidery.

Janet's Jewels on Black DYB

I believe I am currently in six crazy quilting round robins.  This is one of the newer ones, Jewels on Black.  Janet made her blocks all black with only differences in texture.  This is the one I chose to work on.

This is the block after I finished it.  It's quite a bit brighter.  For some reason, it called to me to make it polychromatic and with lots of silk ribbon.  Hopefully, she'll like it.

Mystery Revealed

Yay!  I finished something!  The German Group Mystery by Kelly Searles is complete.  Only one of many stitchalongs in the Sticklounge group that I've been working on, but at least it's complete.  I really like the colors I chose, too.

Yet Another Sticklounge Start

This piece is called Riesenmustertuch, which translates into Giant Sampler.  It's 600 stitches square.  Huge.  And it's a three year project with Sticklounge.  Anyway, here's my start... I'm using HDF Dragon Opal on 32 count Sandcastle linen from Zweigart.  Wish me luck.  Oh, and I'm doing it in tent stitch over one.

Prado Purchases

 A couple of weeks ago we went to the annual Prado exhibition.  It's the Uruguayan version of a stock show or 4-H Fair.  I'll have pictures of it to put up when they're given me.  In the meantime here are some pictures of my purchases.  Most are from the Indonesian pavilion. 

These books are handmade and covered in dried leaves.  Don't they look neat?

 This fan was also bought there.

The two trays are going to be lacquered and then used as change trays.  The lizard was a choice of Andreas'.  I  vetoed the gaudy dragons of the same basic design but larger.  They were painted up and down in green, purple, yellow and red.

Black, I Say, Black!

The theme for this time was black, and as you can see, I made a bit of progress on the dragon/salamander's body.  I'm almost done with the first of two and a half pages.

Closing on the Center

I'm working on the second side still.  It's almost to the center being done now. 

Thank You Magela!

Magela made this lovely placemat for me and gave it to me the first time we met!  The ribbon embroidery's sooo pretty and looks even better in person.  She is one of my temari students and is making great progress.

Yet More Skirting

Still all brown again this week.  Some more of the ribbon and some of the skirt got done too.  I -am- working on the bottom skirt border at least.