Setting myself a challenge or two!

When my Mum died in 2004, I came across a couple of unfinished items.  The first was a crochet waistcoat and the the second was a tablecloth with one corner embroidered!

So the reason for a lapse in postings over the past couple of weeks was due to being absorbed in these two challenges.

Now I am the first to admit that I don't DO crochet or embroidery, although I do know the basic stitches for both and have done the odd things in the past.

I did have a little help with the jacket, as the original pattern was in different colours for each round, and the pattern my mum made was all same wool.  It required some triangular sections to finish it off, and I just couldn't work out from the instructions how to make them - so a friend of my daughter's came to the rescue and did those for me.

I then had the job of sewing in all the ends of all the granny squares (a labour of love) and then crocheting an edge to the jacket.  Now there wasn't enough wool left to do what was required in the pattern, so I found some complimentary wool and did most of it with that, finishing off the last round with the original wool to tie it all in.  (yes I am quite chuffed with overcoming that problem!).  

I don't know that I will ever wear it, as not really my colours (as my daughter said "It is very Nanny"), but I rose to the challenge, and might just wear it in the summer!

the completed waistcoat

Now to the second challenge - the embroidered tablecloth.

I haven't done embroidery since my teens - so that is over 50 years ago.  The first challenge as I couldn't find the embroidery silks of mum's that I know I had somewhere was to match up the threads.  Fortunately my daughter came to the rescue, as she and my eldest granddaughter are into counted cross stitch* so she had a large box of silks.

(* well that's another challenge I have started - I got a free counted cross stitch piece in one of my magazines - have never done that sort of embroidery before - watch this space!)

Well I really enjoyed this and it all came back to me - my first corner was a bit "rough" but I improved.  In fact I so enjoyed it, that as I had the original iron-on designs in with the tablecloth, I have transferred some more of those onto the cloth - so that will keep me out of mischief for a while, creating a new family heirloom.  (Of course I could be mean and put it all back in its original bag for my daughter to inherit and let her finish it - or even do her contribution, and then she could put it away for her daughter to add to it anon.  It could end up as a permanent heirloom sampler ....).

No I probably shan't be that mean - so keep an eye on the blog to see if I complete it this year!

The four corners  (mum's original corner - top right)