Warning.... long post

Hi everyone,

Hope you are all sitting comfortably with your cuppa, because this is going to be a long post (yes... you have been missing my long posts haven't you :) they mean - many piccies :D)
So first off all I hope you're all planning to pay a visit to Joysze's blog because ... guess what.... IHWS is next weekend so go over and join us on the fun (if you press the link it will take you diretly to the signing in page... or just press the IHSW crabbie on the bar side) and the more we are, more blogs we have to stalk read :D

Now lets go to my projects,
on the last post I mentioned I had finished a project for a Spring exchange in one of the groups I belong to so I couldn't share the piccies... well it was received today so.... Picture time:

We had to stitch something related to Spring or Easter, so I decided to do a 2 in 1 and finish one of my Crazies that was perfect for the theme, then the challenge was to finish it in some new way we hadn't tried before... I had several ideas and initially I was going for a small cushion, I bought the fabric and when I finished the stitching and started the finishing project I thought... it would be nice if the stitched part was a pocket for some bits and bobs, and so I made the pocket... and then I started thinking... "oh it would be even better if it had some sort of utility instead of being merely decorative" and so this was what I ended up with:

Front view withe two variagated threads I sent on the pocket

A project bag where you can keep a small project for the go. I thought of this because I'm using the train more and more frequently to go to the city center, this way you have your project protected and everything in one place (I'll be doing one for me for sure :))

Side view

Bottom view - it has a "hard" bottom and the fabric I sent

Back view with the fabric

 Now I sent her also two pieces of fabric I dyed myself after learning a new technique here. She has a great tutorial on dyeing fabric with paper crepe and the effect speaks for itself :):

A greenish one

And a blueish one

 In exchange I received the most gorgeous needlebook and it's even more special to me because it's my first needlebook with my very first counting pins...

The card and the needlebook

The cover

Aren't they gorgeous :D I was so happy with it :D I'm really lucky for having such gifted friends :D

Also... do you remember the Crocus's I had been doing a while back... well I finally sent it to it's final destination so I can finally share a picture of it framed:

Crocus on the oval frame

I finally finished part 2 and 3 of Sweet flower SAL and these is how they look like with my colour choices (sorry for the wrinkles but I won't iron it until I've finished it):

Close 

Close up of part 3

Part 2 and 3

Full project up to now

 So my stitching plan is to catch up with the dawn of Spring now so I should have a new post in a few days (or so I hope)

Happy Stitches,
Sara