Catching up

I have a beautiful grandaughter. She is now 16 days old. I have been too busy to post much, but, I need to catch up with what I have been up to and mostly (between cross stitching and bear making and folding and delivering junk mail) I have been spending time with my beautiful daughter and her very beautiful brand new baby girl. :0)

Jasmine Ann was born on December 13th at 5:20pm, weighing 6 pounds 10 ounces and measuring 55cm long. She is just gorgeous.

I have almost finished stitching the birth sampler. I do not have any more recent photos of it, but, I will get around to photographing it soon.

The photo of Jasmie Ann was taken by me, yesterday. Isn't she just gorgeous?

love Cathie

I designed and started stitching a new bear last night. It is a friends birthday a week from now and I am going to be giving it to her as a gift.

It is such fun doing bears again and I am really enjoying sculpting around the eyes and nose of my latest bear. It adds real depth of character to their faces.

My first grand child is due to be born any day now and I am going to make her a bear when she is born. Well, we have been told she is a girl, but, that was from an ultrasound at 18 weeks, so, I am going to wait to see if it is definitely a girl before I start on a teddy bear for her..............

Of course, I have bought heaps of pink clothes for the new baby, so, if by chance it is a boy, well, I guess I will be selling lots of brand new, pink baby clothes on Ebay. lol lol

I love making bears

It is so good to be making bears again. The enforced break I had (thanks to a couple of bad Multiple Sclerosis attacks) has actually done me good and I have come back with many new ideas and I think my bears are looking good.

I have sold four bears in the past couple of weeks and I am very pleased.

I am currently working on a cross stitch birth sampler for my daughters new baby. The baby is due on December 7th and I am trying as best I can to have it stitched in time. I will leave the birth details blank and stitch them in once the baby is born.

I am so enjoying the bear making though. Between the bears, cross stitching, working at my delivery job and spending time at hospital appointments, I do not have a lot of time up my sleeve, but, it is all good.

As long as I can design and make bears and cross stitch, I am happy. :0)

That was rather nasty....

I currently have 3 bears on Ebay, up for auction and yesterday I received an email from someone stating that a bear they were interested in bidding on looked "strange" and was it the photograph that caused it.

I replied politely that any photos of my bears on Ebay are exactly how they look in real life and that if she thinks it looks strange, then, I would prefer it if she did not bid on it.

Today, she sent me a very nasty email telling me that I am an upstart and the reason I have no bids on my bears is because they look "strange"......

Gee, and I thought it was because artist bears are not as popular as they used to be. Silly me. lol lol

Seriously, 3 days ago there were 144 artist bears on Ebay Australia. 18 of them had bids. Only 18. I take that as a sign that if I get even one bid, then I am doing well. :0)

My bears were very popular a few years ago. I could put one on Ebay and it would get bid up to as much as $250USD (which at that time was equal to $500 Australian dollars).

That was then. This is now. My name is not known like it used to be. Because of events in my personal life (my own ill health and looking after my dying parents), I was unable to make many bears.

I am still unwell, with Multiple Sclerosis, but, I am now well enough to make bears again and I plan to continue doing that, regardless of nasty comments from people with bad feedback.

In fact, that bit of nastiness that I was sent this morning only makes me more determined to succeed or at least do my very best in whatever I attempt.

So thank you, to the person who took great pleasure out of being nasty to me. Your mean comments have helped to make me more determined. :0)

Latest work

I am stitching a birth sampler. My first grandchild is due to be born in early December and I finally found a sampler that I like. I will photograph it as I stitch it. :0)

My patterns available via download

I am finally getting set up so that I can put my patterns on password protected pages and they can be bought and instantly downloaded and printed out using Adobe PDF reader.

This is really cool. I am very happy to be able to do that. I will probably start by selling them on Ebay, but, eventually, I may put them all in one password protected site and charge an annual membership fee for unlimited downloads of all patterns. :0)

It is going to take a lot of work on my part, to get everything up and running but I will do it. It will take time because I do lead a busy life.

What I am currently working on

I am getting much enjoyment by designing and cross stitching religous/spiritual samplers.

Yay, I am back and able to work :0)

I am so happy that my eyesight is now ok enough for me to be able to see to cross stitch again.

It has been a tough few months, with one thing after another in regard to my health, but, I am feeling as well as I can at the moment and it is all good.

I am really excited to be cross stitching again and making teddy bears. I am also doing some patchwork, though, I am not good at it I do enjoy it and it is a pleasure to be able to do my crafts again.

It took me over 3 months for my eyesight to return as well as it will (I have about 80% vision back in my right eye and full vision in my left eye) and on top of that I had liver problems (NO, I DO NOT DRINK) due to some trial drugs I was on for Multiple Sclerosis.

Needless to say I was taken off the trial as soon as my liver problems were discovered. My liver count is almost back to normal and I am feeling heaps and heaps better. I have my energy and my passion for creating back. It is such a good feeling to be well again. I am very grateful.

love Cathie

Bah humbug - Not again :0(

I am not a happy little vegemite, but, things could be worse and I have to remember that.

I have done no needle work for a week. I cannot do any kind of craft work at the moment.

I have gone blind in my right eye.

Another MS attack. My 2nd major attack this year.

I have Optic Neuritis. It is a disease of the eye that is often associated with MS.

I have had it before, but, it had been almost 8 years until now.

Last time I got my vision back within 6 weeks.

I hope I get it back as quickly this time around.

Until I do have my sight back properly, there will be no more photos of my current works, because I cannot do any crafts at the moment.

love Cathie

I decided to re do the sunflowers cross stitch. I am now doing it on I8 count aida, it is stitching up much nicer, but, will take a lot longer because I have to stitch in the black background.

Never mind. I am much happier with the look of it on I8 count aida rather than I4 count. :0)

New project

I am really excited about my latest project. I have made a pattern (after much editing) from a copyright free picture I have and I am stitching it.Below is a picture of what it should look like stitched and I will put in pictures of the actual piece, as I stitch it.

When stitched, the finished size will be around eight X ten inches. I am stitching it in around 30 different colors.



There are heaps of half stitches in this pattern and it is taking me a long time to do a little. This will definitely be the most difficult one that I have ever stitched, but, it will be worth the time and effort.


I am still stitching 'kangaroos watching' and below is a current picture of it.

June 5th

Current projects

Feeling better

I am feeling heaps better. I had a MRI scan on the 26th and will get the results when I see my neurologist on MayI5th. I really am feeling heaps better. I am still really tired and lethargic, but, I am cross stitching. I have not done any bears, I do not have the energy for those at the moment, but, I will soon.

Pics below are of a cross stitch I designed and made to take up to my "retreat". I have a cabin in country Victoria. It really is a retreat for me, hence, the making of that cross stitch. The other pics are of a cross stitch that I am designing as I stitch. It will have some sort of verse in it, but, I am not sure what, yet.

Update

Well, I am still having this MS attack.

Unfortunately, it is worse and after speaking to a MS councelor, it seems it could very well take a few months before things get better.

Oh well. As long as it does not get any worse, I can cope, even though I am now having up to or actually, probably more than 90 attacks a day. So be it. I can work between attacks.

I am seeing my GP again this afternoon and I am seeing my neurologist on Tuesday. I have been put on a high dose of steroids and I am nearing the end of the 2 week course, thank goodness. They have not made me any better but they have made my appetite horrendous and I cannot stop eating and I have put on 4 kilos in the last 2 weeks and I am very unhappy about that.

I have not been to the gym for 3 weeks. I used to go every day. I just cannot do it at the moment, I am too ill from this stupid attack.

I made a huge pot of vegie soup yesterday and now, everytime I want to pig out on food, I have a cup of soup. This is helping, but, I do feel despair and panic at the weight gain and my loss of not being able to go to the gym.

Anyway, enough "poor meing". I really am ok and I am alot better off than many others, so, I need to remember this and be grateful. And I am.

In between attack, I am busy re doing my craft website. It is slow going at the moment, but, it is getting done. :0)

A finish

Managed to get one of my new pictures stitched.
I am still going through an MS attack, but, I can work between bouts and this is good.
I am happy. :0)

An MS attack

I have been quite ill since late March, which is why I have not uploaded any new pictures of my work.

I have Multiple Sclerosis. I was diagnosed with it over 7 years ago and despite a few ups and downs with it, I have mainly been in remission for the last few years.

Unfortunately I am no longer in remission and have been trying to cope with severe weakness on the right side of my body (arm, leg, face) for the past couple of weeks.

There is no cure for MS, but, you tend to go in and out of remission with it and even now, after only a couple of weeks, I do feel that my arm and leg are improving.

The attacks are not constant, though, I am having up to 70 attacks a day of severe weakness on the right side of my body and though the attacks only last for a minute or so, when they occur I cannot walk or hold anything in my right hand.

Of course, in between attacks, I have actually been doing some new cross stitch designs, which I am really excited about and will be showing in this blog, after the Easter break.

I am going away for a few days, to the country, with some friends and I will be back on Sunday night. Hopefully, by then, I will be feeling alot better.

I do feel better today and I have had less than 20 attacks so far and this is very good. The steroid medication I have been put on must be working, finally. Of course, the side effects of this high dose of steroids is another story.......................... lol lol

Anyways, I will be back next week with photos of the work I have been attempting to do over the past couple of weeks.

Happy Easter to everyone.

hugs, Cathie

Saturday

This weeks work. Pink bear finally finished. :0)

Monday

Saturday

Been a busy week, but, I have been working on my crafts. A new bear is in the making, it is a big bear. I have decided that my true bear making passion is for big bears (over I2 inches) and so, I am going to do a series of big bears.

Kangas watching is getting there................

Monday

Public holiday today. Spotlight are having a 20% everything, sale today and I got there at 9am, because my cross stitch hoop snapped and broke mid last week and I have done none since then because I hate working without a hoop. Now I have my new hoop (actually, I bought 2, because I have a habit of breaking hoops) I can continue with kangaroos watching.

I have not been idle these last few days. I finally finished off Petula bear and I have put her on Ebay to auction.

I framed a cross stitch that I finished stitching last month, in patchwork and I am going to make a bag out of it. I bought some batting at Spotlight this morning for when I quilt it.

As I am designing the bag as I stitch it, I have no idea what the finished piece will look like, but, I do know it will be a one of a kind bag. lol

I also put a few of my cross stitch patterns in PDF format so that I can sell them on Ebay and they can be sent to the buyers via email. They will be going up on Ebay in the next couple of days.

Oh and at Spotlight, I bought enough cottons to be able to kit up Kangaroos watching so I can sell it as a kit, once it is stitched.

See, I have not been idle. :0)

Wednesday

Tuesday

So busy, all the time and last night I woke up just after midnight. All I could smell was a funny burning, but it was outside as well as inside and I still do not know where it came from, but, I could not sleep, so, I folded all the midweek junkmail and it is ready to deliver in an hour from now.

This is good, because, I usually do not fold it till around now and that gives me no time to do any craft work.

Because I folded it some hours ago and went back to bed and slept for 4 hours, this morning, I got to finish this bear.

Well, finish him enough that he is complete. I still want to add some shading to him and then he can go on Ebay, but, that will be later. I have a really busy day today.

I need to deliver the junk mail, go to the gym, go to a class I am taking and then I have a 2pm appointment with someone. By the time I get away from there it will be 3pm and time to pick my son up from school, pick up the local paper, fold it and get it ready to deliver tomorrow morning......................

I will cross stitch tonight, though. Kangaroos watching is coming along very nicely. :0)

Monday

Finally started working on those 2 bears I cut out last week. Pink one should be finished by tonight. :0)

Now I am happy

Just finished this piece. It is much better than yesterdays effort and I am really pleased that the lines are all straight. This is huge for me. I used to not be able to sew anything straight and even though yesterdays piece looks ugly, the lines meet and are straight, as they are with this piece.

This one is not finished. I reckon this is the start of the makings of my first real quilt.

Sunday

Did more work on kangas watching, yesterday.

Today, I am doing more patchwork. I want to fix that disgusting piece I did yesterday.

Trying

Ugh, this photo is of a days work. I have dreadful trouble matching patterns and shapes. I am dyslexic when it comes to matching them, I am sure. The trouble has even been picked up in professional testing, but, still, for some silly reason, I am fascinated by putting together shapes and patterns.

Anyways, photo is of todays work. Shockingly bad, but, practice will hopefully make my patchwork better.

It is so frustrating. No matter how hard I try to get patterns and shapes to match, I always become hopelessly confused. But, I aint giving up.

2nd March

Been mainly working on kangaroos watching this past couple of days.

2 new bears on the way :0)

I have designed a new bear and cut out 2 in the same pattern but totally different mohairs. They will be one of a kind in the particular mohairs they are in.

Stitching of kangaroos watching

2nd photo of the stitching I am doing on kangaroos watching. It must be a week or close on since I started it. I have spent many hours stitching on this and I am enjoying every moment of it.

New bear on Ebay

Just added the finishing touches to this and she is currently up for auction on Ebay.

A new cross stitch, started

Finally started stitching my 'kangaroos watching' design. I estimate it will take me up to 5 weeks to finish.
Photo does not look much, but, the picture will take shape as I stitch it.

A new bear

This bear is finished. It is not for sale. It is a gift for a friends' birthday. It is the prototype for a new design and I am happy with it, except that I will make the arms a bit longer next time.

I have purchased a white light tent and I am expecting it to be delivered next week and I will then be able to photograph my work really well and once I can do that, I will start listing on Ebay again.

Hello

I have created this blog so I can put up my bears and cross stitch and patchwork pieces, as I create them.

First pic is of my first finished cross stitch piece for 2007. I finished this in early February and I now need to get it framed.