where have the months gone

GOOD GRIEF!!!

my Last post was in January!!!
Where have the last 2 months gone.
We had a fantastic time at Leuwen Horst - it was very hot and sticky and I spent most of the time in my chemise and a surcoat. Willie raced around in his new tunic and nothing but his new tunic and looked very cute. We made the paper as we walked off with handfuls of carrot for the horses!!I am thinking of putting the tunic into the hand sewing comp for May Crown. I have finished Baxton's braies, but only in cotton. I am going to make some in Linen but that is way TOO expensive in Hamilton. But there is a shop in Otahuhu with 3.99 a metre Linen. We stopped there on our family day at the Auckland zoo and my lovely Husband bought me 10 metres for my birthday!! so he will eventually get his linen braies.
But not just yet...
things are getting very hectic with Coronation only 4 months away. Baxton is stressed and I have got too many projects to do.

I really want to make a new dress for Coronation, 15th Century venetian, just for a total change. I have had a really good look at the basic gathered kirtle and thought that once I have the bodice sorted, it will really be quite easy... most probably famous last words!! I had planned to make a basic green (for Cluain) gathered kirtle and bought the fabric for that in the January sales. THEN while I was at spotlight the other day I saw a nice yellow brocade for $5 a metre and decided that it would look nice as a fancy over the top gown. We'll see what happens.

Baxton wants a new Houplande for Coronation and we have been given a large amount of Green Velveteen, which should do the job and his Mum has an old brown fur coat in the wardrobe which I will raid for trim.

I have to finish Benedict's Banner, which is my next project to finish - after I have layed out the bodice and the convent stitch all ready to go.

and there is the convent stitch for the competition. I have the linen all drawn up with the design and ready to go. I have decided on a piece that depicts the values of the household du Glonn - Cammeraderie, Hospitality and Antiquity, I will put pics on my Kloster stitch page when it is ready. But now my issue is, I havn;t done embroidery with wool before, I am doing a test piece and am not at all sure of the results. It is too thick to do the fine detail that I want. I really want to just do it in cotton pearl - which would be easier and cheaper but not period and this IS after all a competition piece. I have asked the list for help, but I really am feeling quite desperate about it. It will all work out in the end and I will have something for the competition even if it is not finished.

Coronation itself is a huge project and as we suspected, some people are not doing the jobs they commited to, which leaves more for the rst of us to do. - It is still going to be great and I am sure that the hospitality of Cluain will shine through and surpass everything.

The other thing I am working on and will finish this weekend is a handbag for my mum's birthday. She has taken a real shine to those bags that looks like someone has thrown fabric and lace at. SO I emptied the scrap bag and have put this explosion together for her. I also had some transfer paper, which I printed photo's of my son and ironed them on to some lawn and have scattered those on to the bag as well.... she will LOVE it. It is her birthday next weekend and we are going out to lunch. I will post it when it is finished.

I will finish all these projects and we will survive hosting a Coronation and I am sure I will even survive living with the Steward, But I am going to really need a holiday in July - I think I will take my family for a winter beach holiday at Marakopa.