Gifted Gorgeousness SAL June update

Hello lovelies,
It's that time of the month when we show what gifts we have been working on or/and what crafty gifts we have received. If you don't know what I'm talking about , check Jo's blog for more info.

First, baby blanket which I'm knitting for my friend's baby due in Aug, however the target is to finish by next week. It seems almost impossible now, even though I have been knitting it every free second of my time. I carry it in car to utilise the 15 mins of commute to office, at least I'm trying.
This is how I look it after 26 days....

DH and I have joke where we say "oh it looks like its grown to 15 inches" and find it to be always shorter by 2 inch of our guess 😁. Any guesses how long is it now?

I had to think very hard what else can I show you for this post and I remember that I missed showing some gifts I gave and received like the next two:

Presenting my first ever design....ok I know its pretty simple and is not a big deal for many of you, however for a person who doesn't have a single creative bone, it is a big deal!!

One day strolling thru one of the dollar tree equivalent shops in Kuwait , I spotted blank luggage tags. I bought a few to stitch something and insert in it. I gifted this to Expat Panda , fellow Kuwait expat bloggers who is an avid traveller.

My friend Z also an avid traveller brought this cute traditional ornament from Ukraine for me, she knows me well..addicted to cross stitch.

I'm lucky to have friends who bring me gifts from their travels..like this magazine CrossStitcher , Issue 317, my friend Tammy bought from Jordan .

Thursday I started reading the magazine with a motto to select designs which I can stitch in future. Of course ,first is the cover kit designed by Susan Penny.

Next is the cushion design called "Floral Fancy" by Emma Congdon.

The magazine has started new series of four house pillows , one for every season designed by Becky Spencer. This is the Spring one

This unusual design caught my attention, good for people who like word puzzles.

Next not a theme I would usually stitch but very appropriate for a cat crazy friend of mine.Designed by ThuHA Designs.

Again not my style but this birth sampler is cute and I may stitch it someday. Not too primitive or vintage ..Designed by Faye Walsh, Little Dove Designs.

Last but not the least, a design by Becky Spencer again , such beautiful use of colors.

What I liked about this issue is how the magazine have provided patterns by new designers. I don't buy many magazines however from various internet sources I find that magazines these days are publishing patterns by 3-4 designers with single issue containing multiple patterns by same designer. I don't have anything against these popular designers but it makes me wonder what happened to the designers who were popular a few years back.

Have you heard of these new designers I mentioned? While writing this post, I started thinking how many different designers have I actually stitched? I will try to get this number for my next post, join me and let me know how many have you stitched in your next post as well.

That's it my friends for this time, wishing you all a happy and relaxing weekend.

Lovely exchange with Preeti

Good morning friends ,

New day and a new month... where is the time flying.

I'm still recovering from my amazing holiday in the Himalayas , living in cottages overlooking rives/valleys , eating simple local food and soaking in the peace of the mountains away from internet , mobile etc.

One of the added advantages of travelling outside Kuwait is sending and receiving goodies to friends and fellow crafters.

One such goodie bag I received was from Preeti , we have been talking about an exchange since long, however the timing never clicked. I have been persistent and asked Preeti this February  again for the swap. This time it did work out.

Here is what Preeti sent me

We agreed on 2 handmade+ 5 extras for the swap. Look at the beautiful bird cross stitch Preeti made for me, so pretty and colorful (and  big as per swap standards). Lesley Teare is one of my favourite designers, and Preeti chose a perfect pattern to stitch for the swap.

As Preeti and I do crochet and knitting respectively in addition to cross stitch, we added items made using these crafts.

Goodies sent by Preeti include burlap ribbons, cookie cutters, crochet diya hanging -very appropriate for Diwali celebrations,  buttons ,easel and a postcard.

Thank you Preeti, I love everything in the package and the cross stitch and heart hangings are already adorning the walls of my house.

You must have seen what I sent to Preeti on her blog, just a quick round up here

I made a biscornu for the cross stitch handmade , my first and I'm pretty happy the way it turned out. I have always been intrigued and intimated by biscornus , so I decided to  come out of comfort zone and try making one for the swap. Biscornu expert Kerry was consulted in the process and the result is here.

Pattern by Faby Reilly

The design called for beads, which I didn't have but I think it looks good without beads . What do you think?
For the second hand made I made some knitted coasters , again a first for me.

For the goodies I added some linen, backing fabric, Mill hill kit , needle minder, scissor fob, stationery to the package.
I'm happy to say that the gifts have been well received .

The easy part about the swap with Preeti was that we have similar tastes and choices of what themes we don't stitch or make. As we both are from same cultural background it was easy to understand what the other person likes.Not that I don't like swapping with my crafty friends across the globe 😁

Preeti , thank you for the wonderful swap . I throughly enjoyed making these little items for you and I look forward to more such swaps in future.