Sewing Santa's and antique inspiration

Well it certainly feels like winter is on it's way down in our little corner of Devon - it is bitterly cold and bleak, time to start lighting the fire earlier and settling down for a game of Scrabble before supper - especially after Sunday when the clocks have gone back as it will be dark so early.  Never mind, all the more time for my cross-stitch:  and talking of that, here are my first 5 completed Christmas stockings:

I am so pleased at how they have come together - I am now on number 6 so getting through them in good time for Santa's visits!  There is a lot of sewing in each of them but hopefully they will become heirlooms in the future.

I am off up to Cobham in Surrey next Thursday for 3 days with my dear friend Lise - we have lots planned so it will be big fun, and then Sunday I zoom up the M1 to spend 3 days with my dear old Mum - so I shall get plenty of sewing done whilst with her.  Lise and I are planning a trip up to London, and hopefully will see family and other friends too.
I will also be sewing on some bindings as I am collecting quilts from Butterfly Quilters that Carole has long-armed her magic on: I always love seeing them after quilting, it makes such a difference.

In the past I have collected many antique samplers, so I thought I would show you some of them:

This is my all time favourite, sewn by a 12 year old called Mary Roe in 1780: the work is so fine, considering they had none of our modern aids - spotlights, magnifiers etc. these young girls did truely inspirational sewing.

I have also collected much Royal Winton china in the "Queen Ann" design - it looks like cross-stich, and looks very pretty on the dresser in our living room:

I managed to get this lovely shot of our Goldie Ben with Reg our old Tabby:  they love each other so much, it is sweet to see!:  they were watching me in amazement as I pruned the roses -I was trying to gain some brownie points!:

 

When I was out at Cowslip on Monday adding parrots and turtles to my Noah's Ark quilt, I took these photos of some of Jo's beautiful clever quilts which were hanging in the workroom:

 

No wonder we are all inspred whenever we spend time with Jo in that magical place!

Well I am off now to "move out" of my conservatory studio and back into the house - once the clocks change and the days are cold, grey and shorter it will become too cold to work in my Studio so I move into the little sitting room where I can light the fire and sew whilst being cosy.  I shall just have to try and be tidier - no pins left on the floor that the animals - and Rod - can walk on else I shall get into Big Trouble!
I trust all my followers are keeping well and busy - I shall Blog again on my return from Surrey/Nottingham.  In the meantime have a good weekend and keep busy everyone.