Queen Elizabeth II Celebrates her 94th Birthday

 Happy Birthday Ma'am and if I were to be invited to your birthday lunch I think I would wear this dress. I know we are both in lockdown but I can dream. Bought on eBay this dress is expertly made and fully lined and  has never been worn. Love the fabric and no it would not fit me.

 The fabric is sort of Andy Warhol design.

 Similar to the pics in the book I have.

 I've been lucky enough to add a few hand embroidered coronation brooches to my small collection of brooches.

 Today I did a quick trip to he supermarket and could have ( but didn't ) use this nylon shopping bag. It folds up ready for use in the little bag that can be seen at the top of pic. A small portion of my foot can be seen (sorry about that) in bottom of pic.

 Today the post brought supplies so I can start the new Teresa Gil Queen of the World cross stitch. Still to come are the beads and some silver thread. The first stitch will be in today.

While waiting for my parcel to come I have been working hard on my Queen Victoria 200th birthday. Still lots to do but there is no law to prevent me working 2 samplers at the same time.

Captain James Cook Commemorative Tea Cosy and more

 250 years ago this week Captain James Cook sailed into Botany Bay. What better way to celebrate that momentous occasion than with a souvenir tea cosy. Here is Cook with a map or chart in one hand and a telescope in the other. No I did not knit this, it came from Tea Cosy Folk in the U.K. Tea Cosy Folk only make 2 for demonstration I believe then sell the pattern.  They design and knit so many fun patterns, don't usually post to Australia but of course they had to make an exception and send Cook home. Many thanks to Susan at Tea Cosy Folk.

 The back view with hat removed so Cook can show of his wig with bow at the end of his pony tail. You can see he has already made friends with local wildlife.

 Thought I had given up collecting aprons through lack of space then I saw this one. Prince Henry visited Australia in 1934 for the Victorian Centenary celebrations and must have visited Sydney too. Henry was the brother of George VI and later became Governor General of Australia from 1945-1947.

 A close up of the embroidery.

 Had to have this one too with the car fully stitched in. Very pretty.

 I did have one without the car filled but sold it on eBay for more than I paid for the new one.

 And another very pretty George VI coronation tablecloth. This one is unusual because it has 6 matching napkins still with the cloth.

A close up of one corner also shows the very nice hand crocheted edge.

Teresa Gil and Lock Down

 I said on a previous post I would stitch every Royal cross stitch Teresa designed. Then I spotted this one on Etsy, downloaded the chart and can't wait to get started. This is quite a large design, the Queen is wearing a Norman Hartnell gown and the Irish State Coach bought by Queen Victoria in 1852 is in the background. This is the coach the Queen uses for the state opening of Parliament. The title Queen of the world is from a book of the same name by Robert Hartman. Of course I will want the book as well.

 Still in lock down/isolation I can't go to the shops to buy supplies for the new cross stitch and will have to buy on line. Easter will be spent trying to finish my Queen Victoria sampler. Doing backstitch  mostly

 My bedside reading. This book is far far worse than the Ruby Princess and other cruise ships not allowed into the harbour because of the Corona virus. The book is written by the grt grt grandson of the doctor on board and the trip from England to Australia  in 1852 was a nightmare. I went on 2 coastal cruises last year and maybe never again.

 My gym/exercise bike for use when I must take a break from cross stitch.

Or is scrubbing the shower so it looks like new classed as exercise, I think so.

I polished the kitchen sink till it shone, this must count as exercise so now back to my cross stitch.

Charles And Diana Wedding Tapestry

 Another expertly stitched tapestry for that now long ago Royal Wedding. I had never seen this one before and it turned up on eBay, it's a limited edition tapestry and one I had to have in my collection. The seller absolutely for some reason refused to post to Australia. I wasn't even able to send her a begging email. The only connection in the U.K I was able to ask a huge favour of was a seller I had bought lots of very interesting royal items from over many years. This wonderful seller bought the tapestry for me then posted it on to Australia and I can't thank him enough.

 Same seller also covers my parcels with royal U.K stamps so it is always an exciting event when a parcel arrives. Now I have a very interesting collection of stamps some for royal events long gone.

 I stitched the two cat cushions soon after my move, I think they look good on my new lounge and were very easy to stitch. The 2 kits came from Ukraine, great to be able to shop the world with the help of PayPal and eBay. The Punch and Judy cat cushion was made from a panel I collected years ago from the U.K.

 Yes I finished my 125 piece jigsaw, only took about a week so very proud of myself.

Now I could choose my next project from one of these 1000 piece jigsaws but I won't. I chose one opened the lid saw all those tiny pieces and put the top back on the box. Think I will place a note on the box - not to be opened again in my lifetime.