Royal Mail from the Land of Paisley

I love it! I got another exchange via "Royal Mail". Paula, Celtic Stitcher, stitched me this adorable set for the SBEB Redwork Exchange. The needlebook is already employed with the Quaker round robin I am working on. The other piece is a fob with a magnet attached to the back- a very handy touch, good for needles or for sticking to my Lowery frame. Fabbo! I love the natural style of linen she chose, as I think it adds a sort of rustic/ethnic touch. Oh, and I think she used one of those finishing forms for the fob. I've been wanting to try them, now I know I need to buy some. I also got a cute cut of fabric with butterflies and some assorted Mill Hill beads.

Check this out. Paula also enclosed a postcard of the town she lives in. The caption on the back reads

Paisley, Home of the Paisley Pattern. Paisley has a wealth of the Victorian and Edwardian architecture, much of it gifted by the owners of the town's great thread mills, the Coats and Clark families. Its Medieval masterpiece is Paisley Abbey.

Now, how cool is that! I think it an apropos place for a needleworker to live, wouldn't you say? Now when I see paisley prints I'll think of Paula from Scotland. Thanks for everything, Paula! I'd love to visit your land someday.

Marvelous Malaysian REDWORK

I am just beside myself with utter elation over the Redwork Exchange piece I have received. It came to me from the other side of the world - Malaysia. It is the most wonderful bourse. Thank you Leena! It was worth the wait. I will treasure it forever.
I am posting these scans but I am hoping Leena has digital pics I can substitute.

Antique Redwork

Thankfully, my redwork project has been received by Murielle. These are my scans of the project. I dream of owning a digital camera someday. If you want to see the wonders of a digital photo compared to the scan you must visit Murielle's blog.

Murielle’s blog
Be prepared. The blog and gallery of a PCB member is a sight to behold.

A little detail about my project- The motifs are from a french book, Repertoire des Frises, by Valerie Lejeune. If I owned only this book alone, I could stitch for the rest of my life. My goal was to try to achieve an antique look. I love antique needlework and tools. Someday I plan to own some. For now, I must mimick it. The cushion is stuffed with wool. The thread is Vicky Clayton's silk floss in garnet, one of my favorites. The ribbon edging did not come out quite like I had hoped - it was hard! I know how I'll do it next time, so I have learned something and that makes me happy. Besides that, Murielle loves it, and that makes my heart glad.