We are making the most of the recent warmer weather we are experiencing in Northern Italy, even though we sometimes feel like the only ones doing so! We have the kind of sunshine and warm temperatures that would see most right thinking UK residents in shorts and flip flops. Not the Italians! They are still … More Letting the Sunshine In
I have had a busy stitching week here. Lots of planning and beginnings so, therefore, not so much to actually show! I have a number of cross stitch patterns that are at various stages in the design process. This is the start I have made on my Spring Fair Isle using the colour palette I … More Weekend WIP Round Up
Before we moved to Italy I could take or leave coffee. Maybe once a week I might pop into one of the well known coffee chains and have nothing more challenging than a latte. I would try espresso but I would always find it far too bitter and a flat white, especially on an empty … More Coffee Commission Completed!
For the last week I have been preoccupied with my special coffee commission. I am happy to say it has finally been completed. I am so delighted I will no longer be getting myself into tizz with all of the far too similar shades of grey! One of the last jobs I had to do … More Weekend WIP Round Up
I have been making a big push to get my Special Coffee Commission completed this week. We are visiting the UK at the end of next week and I want to have it all finished and mounted by then so I can take it with me and deliver it to my friend. I have learnt … More Moka Making
I mentioned last week that in recent months I have learned to love cross stitch again. I have to admit I’d previously got a bit snobby about cross stitch and had focused entirely on other forms of embroidery. I do think part of the problem was because a lot of shops that supply embroidery kits only … More Cross Patch
Before we moved to Italy, many friends who had lived abroad warned us that we would have lots of visitors! They suggested that we would need to adopt a strategy to cope with all of them. Whilst it is true that we have had our fair share of people coming to stay, on the whole, … More Taking it all In
I have been slowly but steadily making progress with my commission. Having to design something to someone else’s specifications does limit you, but in a good way. The person who made the commission was quite clear about the image he wanted me to create. I have to make that work within the parameters he has set which … More Making a Moka
This week I started another little project. I did wonder if I really should do so given that this is what my current Work In Progress pile looks like: Before I went on my sabbatical I had less time to stitch, so I used to be a lot more disciplined. I generally didn’t start a … More The WIP Pile
Wow! I am feeling a great weight of responsibility! A friend of ours from the UK has requested that I make an embroidery for him. In the last year, we have moved to Italy and he has moved to Madrid. We like to stay in touch and compare notes about what we miss about the … More My First Commission
Ambrosia Stitches 