Today's Stitching Update

Sorry, I haven't been very regular in posting. Work has been busy, the kids are playing summer sports. We go to the lake every chance we get. Fortunately, I have had more time to stitch so here are the updates!

Drawn Thread Game Board Sampler - two more squares finished on the far right!


WIP - this is the Heart in Hand Wee Santa from 1997. I started this about two years ago and am determined to finish it this year. I have some backstitching to do on Santa's face and I need to connect the stars plus attach a star button - he's almost finished!



Finally, I've completely finished the verse for My Sunshine from La D Da. All I have left to finish is the outside border. I must admit, I had some difficulty counting this one - I was trying to do it at the lake and wasn't concentrating as closely as I should have been. Despite a couple minor errors, it looks great - I just might have to fudge the border a little bit! (The fabric looks a bit washed out in this photo - it's more gold in color!)



In addition to these three projects, I've finished stitching three of my upcoming exchanges. I just have to do the finishing. I must admit that I wish I had done the Biscornu Exchange on the SBEBB - the completed projects I've seen on everyone else's blogs are fabulous!

Have a great week everyone!

Catching up!

So sorry, I know it has been a long time since my last posting. Fortunately, I've been stitching, just haven't had much time for blogging!

It's Memorial Day here in the U.S. We went to the lake for the weekend but cut our trip short and came home quite early today - it was just too hot! It's been in the high 90's here and too hot to really enjoy sitting at the cabin. We came home this afternoon and flipped our A/C on. We're all just kind of "vegging out".

Some of the stitching I have been working on is for exchanges, so no pictures, but here are two projects I can show you.

First, my weekly DT Game Board Sampler which I'm stitching with Nicole, Pam, Lelia, Myrna, and Bine. (Hope I didn't miss anyone!) This shows the progress I've made over the past two weeks (four squares!)



The second photo is of a La D Da piece that I started at the lake this weekend. It's called My Sunshine...

Game Board Sampler Update

Hi everyone - I've been kind of quiet lately. Just busy with projects around the house and kids activities.

Today I should be posting my weekly Game Board update but I didn't make much progress on it last night. As soon as I log off of the computer tonight I'm going to stitch on it some, so I'll try to post a picture tomorrow!

Our group is growing - Bine was the original member, then Lelia and Myrna joined us. Nicole is cruising on her sampler and this week Pam joined in the fun. Be sure to check out Nicole and Pam's pictures!

I know that Lelia has a couple of non-blogger friends who are stitching with us. Is anyone else SAL'ing with us that I'm not aware of?

Second Finish in Two Days

I've been somewhat determined to move some of my WIPs and UFOs out! I started this ornament last month but didn't get very far on it. Yesterday, I had time to stitch at my mom's after dinner then finished it after we got home.

This is a Homespun Elegance design from the JCS Ornament Issue (2004 I think!)

Happy Mother's Day

We're getting ready to head over to my mom's to enjoy the day with her, but before we go, I wanted to quick post a couple pictures for you!

First, an updated DT Game Board Sampler photo. If you read my blog regularly, then you will know that I just re-started this beauty on 36 ct linen (the pattern calls for 25 ct linen). My semi-completed version on 25 ct is now in the hands of Nicholas, Lelia's son -he plans to finish it when he has time. We all know what a talented stitcher Nicholas is!

Since you last saw a photo, I stitched a little bit more of the top border, and between last night and this morning completed three squares and started a fourth.
Lelia, Bine, Myrna and Nicole, plus a few other non-bloggers are stitching along with me. (Lelia - any chance we could convince them how much fun blogging is?) Anyone else care to join us?



The second photo for today is a finish -woohoo! I started it in March and have been working on it a little bit at a time ever since. This is Quilt Time Sampler from LHN. It will be a birthday gift for my sister-in-law later this year. I'm planning to get it framed between now and then. (Sorry, the design in the photo isn't perfectly straight!)



Thank you for visiting my blog and thank you for your kind comments. I so enjoy hearing from each and everyone of you. I will be visiting your blog too and look forward to seeing your stitching updates!

DT Game Board Sampler Update

Quick update -now that I'm back into this groove again! Since yesterday was Sunday, I stitched on DT Game Board Sampler. No pics to share, but I can tell you that I stitched Q, R, & S and the inside border along the top. Wonder how my friends Bine, Lelia, Myrna, and Nicole did? If anyone else is interested in joining us on this one, you are more than welcome. It's a no pressure SAL!

Beginner's Exchange for Leslie

Leslie received my exchange gift today so I can post a picture now. I've been wanting to stitch this Hardanger Welcome Heart for a number of years and finally found a good reason to do so. I was worried about the color (pale green on white), but Leslie said that she likes it (whew!)



I had sent some other goodies along with the stitched piece but forgot to take a photo of those...

Stitching Update

Friends - sorry for my lack of blogging lately! It's Spring - and we've had weddings, first communions, confirmations, etc. Last night, my daughter and I visited the school she will be attending next year - they had a picnic for incoming new students. It's just been one thing after another!

I am not going to review April goals - I don't think I accomplished too much! I am also not going to set specific goals for May. My general goal is going to be to finish some projects that are "oh, so close" to being done!

Here's what I've been working on lately:

On Sunday, I re-started the DT Game Board Sampler. I decided to stitch it on 36 ct (one strand of floss over two. I really like it! Here's a picture with the first version on 25ct and the new start on 36 ct.



Sorry for the wrinkles - I work in hand and I didn't have time to press before I took this picture. Now, is anyone interested in my partially stitched version on 25ct? It's maybe finished about a fourth of the way -- I'd be happy to pass this on to anyone who would like to finish it for themselves...

The other project I'm working on is Quilt Time Sampler by LHN. I stitched the two quilts in the middle and the bottom section this week. I still have the top section to finish.



And now a question for anyone who might be able to help me - I'm trying to finish my Apricot (Mint) Elegance needlecase - it's "oh so close!" I need to make cording for the scissors fob and for the case. I used Needle Necessities pearl cotton to stitch this and I would like to use the same NN pearl cotton for the cording - the problem is that the pearl cotton is pre-cut into one yard lengths. When I make cording, I twist the entire length of the thread and then fold it in half - so in other words, I end up with an 18 inch piece of cording and it is not long enough. Is there a trick on how to do this and end up with a longer piece of cording?

Thanks - have a nice day!

Thanks to all who have visited my blog recently - and thanks to those who have left comments!

Cindy - the Hardanger hear scissors fob is an adaptation of a pattern from Pure Heart Designs (Lacy Bookmarks I). There were a series of five hearts that made a bookmark. I just took one of the five hearts to make the scissors fob. Thanks for asking!

Today was a great mail day. As I pulled into the driveway I could see a box sitting on the chair next to the front door. It was a teal colored box, so I knew immediately that it was from Myrna (Myrna had posted a picture of the box on her blog!) This was for the Grab Bag Exchange on the U.S. Exchange Board. Myrna went all out - the theme was "blue" and everything was packed in a blue bag. There were beads, a scissors, Silkweaver fabric, a candle, some chocolates, blue DMC floss, Homespun Elegance pattern, Blueberry lotion - oh my gosh, the list goes on and on. Thanks Myrna - you are awesome! Here's a picture:



As long as I had the camera out, I took a picture of the Hardanger valance I stitched a few years ago. It hangs on the window over my kitchen sink:



Tonight I went to my LNS for a stitch-in. I rarely have time to do this since Thursday nights I'm usually at choir practice - our director and his wife are adopting a baby from Russia and so all choir rehearsals are cancelled until September! I stitched the scissors fob to go along with Apricot Elegance. I hope to finish the fob this weekend!

Take care everyone!

It's Small but it's Still a Finish!

I've been working on finishing an exchange gift for the Beginner's Exchange on the U.S. Exchange Board, so unfortunately you will have to wait for pictures on that one.

Tonight I finished a quick small - a Hardanger scissors fob! It's heart shaped and done on pink Hardanger fabric with some leftover Needle Necessities floss that I had (great project for using up left over fabric and floss!) I used pre-made cording and for the first time ever, inserted a 2006 quarter to give it weight. Isn't it cute? I'll be making more of these!

Stash Enhancing

Unfortunately, this is all I have to post. More stash; no stitching!



Quaker Garden is calling my name! Check out Donna's blog; she has already started it!

My Quaker Exchange for Becky

First of all, thank you for your comments to my "dilemma". I appreciate your honesty. Knowing that others have experienced this too makes me feel better. I think I've decided to start over - I'd like to do it on 36 count with one strand of floss over two - I'm going to check my fabric stash first.

Last week you saw that I received my Quaker Exchange from Becky. Coincidentally, I also had Becky's name and so I was stitching my gift for her! I was a tad bit nervous - not only was the first time I had ever stitched a Quaker motif, but it would also be the first time I had tried one of the required finishes. My motif was taken from the Beatrix Potter Sampler (which I had purchased a few weeks ago after seeing it on several blogs). This particular motif had "bees" incorporated in the design (appropriate for Becky - don't you think?)

We were to use purple fabric - I chose lavender bliss (32 ct Belfast) and use purple or yellow threads. I broke the rules a little bit - when I saw this Needle Necessities overdyed it was perfect for the fabric, so you'll see some pink, green and blue too. (Hopefully Becky will get a better picture of it - the fabric looks pink in my photos!)

We could finish as a scissors fob, needle book or a pinkeep. The design was too big for a scissors fob, so I decided to take a shot at the pinkeep. I followed Karen's directions posted on the SBEBB and they were quite easy to follow. I was quite pleased with my final project and Becky indicated that she was delighted with it!





(Becky- there's one pattern in this photo that you didn't receive because it didn't fit in the box. It's coming to you later this month!)

Dilemma

Have you ever started a piece, made significant progress on it, and then wished that you had done it another way?

Right now, I'm feeling that way about my DT Game Board Sampler. As my regular blog readers know, I started this piece in January (January 1 to be exact!). I am working it on the linen called for on the pattern - 25 count natural Dublin linen. The finished design size will be 192 stitches wide X 192 stitches long. If you are familiar with this piece, then you know that it finishes into the size of an actual game board.

I'm wishing that I had worked this on a smaller count fabric - perhaps 32 count or 36 count. It's unlikely that I would ever use it as a game board and I think it would be really fun to work up a smaller version of this - sort of a "mini game board".

Has this ever happened to you? Would it be silly if I started over? I could always pass the started piece on to another stitcher who would like to have the full size gameboard. Your thoughts?

Happy Easter

Happy Easter to my stitching friends! Hope you have a wonderful day however you choose to celebrate it!

Sorry for not being a more active blogger or stitcher this week. One of my other passions is singing and it has been a busy week for that. I sing in the choir at my church and we've had a number of rehearsals for the various Easter services. Last Sunday evening I sang at Evensong and now since Thursday, there's been a service every evening.

We will spend Easter at my mom's; she's a wonderful cook. My four brothers and their families will be there - unusual that we will all be together on the same holiday! Hopefully, my sister-in-law and I will be able to squeeze in a little stitching time after all the dishes are cleared.

Last evening, after I arrived home from church, I spent a couple of hours straightening up my stitching room - it needed it! Why is it that we experience such enjoyment from fingering our stash? I still have a few more things to put away this morning, but my WIPs are organized. While going through my patterns, I picked out designs for the Dog Days of Summer and For the Birds exchanges that I will be participating in on the U.S. Exchange Board. I also discovered a number of patterns that I didn't even remember that I had (how sad is that?)

It's going to be a beautiful spring day here in Minnesota - wherever you are, I hope you experience a delightful day. I'll be blogging and stitching more soon.

Lucky Me!

Look what I received in the mail today from Becky:




Becky received my name for the Quaker Exchange on the Exchange Place EZ-board. We had to stitch a quaker design on lavender linen with purple/yellow threads. Becky finished it off with some coordinating purple/yellow fabric into a needlebook. Isn't it lovely?

The special handmade gift from Becky was more than enough - yet she also sent me a Kreinik kit "Because Nice Matters" (I'll enjoy testing out those silk threads!) and sampler key chain designs from Milady's Needle. The Busy Bee self-stick notes will remind me of Becky each time I use them and I think the mini memo pad might be just right for making notes on stash to be purchased. I'm touched by Becky's generosity!

I'm in the process of putting the final touches on my Quaker exchange gift for ??? (can't tell - it's a secret). Hopefully by the weekend I'll be able to post an update on my project!

My Spring Exchange for Satomi Arrived

Satomi in Japan was the recipient of my SBEBB Spring Exchange and I received a message from her today indicating that it arrived safely! It took me a long time to decide on what design I should stitch and after going through all of my charts I came across this one by Lizzie Kate called Think Spring. I just happened to find the coordinating fabric by sheer coincidence! Satomi can either hang it on a door knob or use it as a pillow - her choice!

April Showers

Another rainy day here in Minnesota...but a good day for inside projects! Unfortunately, not all of them are good projects (like doing the laundry) but some of them are fun (like cleaning my computer/craft room). It's always fun to "finger" one's stash.

First, here's a picture of a project I started recently and worked on quite a bit over the past three days. It's the Quilt Time Sampler from Little House Needleworks - I've almost completed the middle section; now I have to stitch the two ends. This will be a gift for my sister-in-law when finished (she doesn't read my blog!)



March proved to be another challenging month for stitching - we just had a lot of other outside activities going on. Here's what I accomplished in March:

DT Game Board Sampler - stitched some letters and numbers (right border) and four more squares!

Apricot Elegance - almost done!

Spot of Spring - done!

Quarterly House Exchange and Spring Themed Exchange - done!

In addition to these, I completed the stitching on another Essy's Friends kit (just need to complete the finishing) and started a Danish Pulled Thread project (as part of a class at my LNS).

April's Stitching Goals are as follows:

DT Game Board Sampler - get back on track! Stitch two squares per week; Sundays with Bine - anyone else going to join us?

Spot of Summer - Thursdays with Katrina, Von, and Kath

Finish Apricot Elegance and Essy's Friends projects (started in March)

Quaker Exchange Gift (stitching is done - finish and mail by April 14)

Continue to work on Quilt Time Sampler and also, pull out a Hardanger WIP and try to finish...we'll see!

Thanks to everyone who has visited my blog recently! Your comments are greatly appreciated!

House Themed Exchange

When I started blogging late last summer, I quickly became acquainted with Becky and her exchange boards. I watched and was amazed at some of the beautiful stitched pieces being exchanged from one stitcher to another. I wanted to receive beautiful gifts like these too, but I was really scared that I might not be able to produce gifts equally as nice (my finishing experience is quite limited!) In January, I finally bit the bullet and joined two of Becky's exchange boards - the Stitching Bloggers Exchange Board and the Exchange Place.

Recently, the deadline passed for one of the exchanges I signed up for - the house themed exchange. The instructions were to stitch a house with a Spring theme and plant some flowers around it. Finishing instructions were stitcher's choice.

When I returned from my short vacation today, a package was waiting for me from Nancy in San Diego. She stitched a lovely pillow for me. The design is from a Darlene O'Steen sampler called "House Sampler". I love the colors and the fabric she used to frame the piece (it's a sampler fabric!) Along with her stitching she sent a notepad and some DMC floss. I'm just thrilled with this first exchange gift! Thank you Nancy!

Front of pillow:



Back of pillow:



While I was away, Laurie in Decorah received the house I stitched for her. I based my design on the Drawn Thread design "No Place Like Home" (with some modifications of course!)




This first exchange has been a great experience!

One More Thing

As soon as I saw this new design from Little House Needleworks, I thought of Barbara. Isn't it an adorable design?

The Counting House

Have you seen the new Drawn Thread designs? Do you like them? I must admit, I like most anything from Drawn Thread!

Check out the English Garden Pocket and the Wayward Garden Chart!

Okay, better sign off. The kids are ready to go!

Heading North

Heading north to Duluth and then over to visit my cousins near Grand Rapids, MN for a couple of days (my kids are on spring break). Hopefully I'll have a stitching update for you when I return. And I'll have a lot of catching up to do on my blog reading!!

Have a nice weekend everyone!

Stitching Update with Pictures!

Finally, Blogger is cooperating and posting my pictures!

Here's my first update - I've been participating in a SAL that's been working on Cindy Valentine's Apricot Elegance Needlebook and Scissors Fob. This is my first attempt at any kind of needlebook! I'm almost done with the needlebook - I need to get some felt for the needle pages and need to make the cording for the closure. Then I'll need to stitch and finish the scissors fob. I am so pleased with this project - it's even better than I imagined it would be!




Update #2 - I promised you shopping pictures. Below you will see the lovely purchases that I made at Shakespeare's Peddler.

Dutch Strawberries from The Goode Huswife - Theresa had this framed and it was gorgeous! I'll be stitching this one on 40 ct. Iced Cappucino.

Sunflower Charms/Loose feathers #15 from Blackbird Designs - This one makes me think of summer, and we could use some warm weather in MN right now! I also purchased the 30 ct. Korty's Blend from R&R to stitch this one.

Finally, the pale yellow fabric you see in the photo was Theresa's fabric special for the month of March. The color is called "Chime" and it's from Picture this Plus. It's yummy and buttery and I have no idea what I'm going to use it for!

Update #3 - Here's the photo I promised you last night of my progress on Danish Pulled Thread Embroidery...watch for more updates on this one!



Now I'm off to bed!

March Madness!

Yes, I do think that is the best way to describe the month of March! Here in the U.S. we call it "madness" because there are so many college sporting finals - Men's and Women's Basketball Final Four, Men's and Women's Hockey Final Four, etc. In Minnesota all of the high school tournaments for winter sports are held in March too.

It has been a busy month with school and children's activities. Here it is the last week of March and I don't have much to show for myself in the way of stitching!

My sister-in-law, my daughter, and I took a road trip to Fargo, ND this past weekend. It's about a 4 1/2 hour drive from the Twin Cities. Yup, you guessed right - we went to the Nordic Needle. Spent nearly two hours looking at everything in their shop! Then we visited Theresa at Shakespeare's Peddler - we made arrangements to meet her at the shop (she will open her shop by appointment on Saturdays). Of course, we made a few purchases; okay, we made a lot of purchases. I'll share them with you as the week progresses.

This evening was spent packaging up two of my exchange projects - the Quarterly House Exchange (the Exchange Place board) and my Spring Exchange (SBEBB). They will be going in the mail tomorrow.

I think I mentioned that I am taking a class on Danish Pulled Thread - I have a picture to post but blogger is misbehaving again. I'll try to add it later.

In the meantime, have a great evening!

Away

Sorry for my lack of posting lately - March has been a challenging month for me. My daughter and I are going on a quick weekend trip, so I'll be away for the next two days. Will try to post some updates next week!

Shepherd's Bush Retreat

Shepherd's Bush is planning a needlework retreat for this fall. Has anyone in blogger land ever attended one of these, hosted by Shepherd's Bush?

Shepherd's Bush Retreat

Lots of designers - looks like it would be fun! All of the details will be available in April. Anyone interested in attending?

Four More Squares

Please excuse the wrinkled appearance (I stitch in hand)- having neglected this piece for the past two weeks, I finally took time to work on it last night. This is a SAL that I have been doing with Bine. Normally I stitch two squares per week. Last night I stitched four squares. Now, if I can find time to stitch two more squares sometime this week I will be back on track!

Spot of Spring Photo

Finally, blogger is cooperating!

Spot of Spring Happy Dance!

Well, I'll have to add the photo later - Blogger is not cooperating this morning. On Thursday's, I've been stitching along with Katrina and Von on the DT "Spots". I'm happy to report that I just finished Spot of Spring. I will likely start another spot, perhaps not this week, but week after (I have quite a bit of catching up to do!)

There just hasn't been much time for stitching lately. I had a busy week at work and winter sports are wrapping up for both kids. What time I did have was spent working on exchanges and my version of Apricot Elegance - many who participated in this SAL have completed their needlebook; I'm still working on finishing my stitching!

This afternoon, I will be stitching on a Danish Pulled Thread project that I started two weeks ago. I'm taking a class at one of the local needlework shops. We meet every other Tuesday and I need to finish my assignment for this Tuesday's class. After this week's class I should be able to post a picture.

We have about 15 inches of snow on the ground here in MN - yes, mother nature packed quite a punch this past week! I can't wait for spring!

Monday Update

Wow, I haven't posted much lately. Having trouble keeping up I guess.

I've been busy working on exchange pieces and completed the stitching this weekend on my Spring Exchange (SBEBB) and my House Themed Exchange (The Exchange Place). I will be able to do the finishing next weekend and they will be ready to mail, yahoo!

My SALs are calling to me (DT Game Board Sampler and Spot of Spring) but I really want to finish Apricot Elegance - I'm so close! More than likely that's what I will work on this week.

Over the weekend I accepted the Friends Gather 24-hour challenge. Kind of a wimpy project, but at least I got it done including most of the finishing (I still have to do the beaded edge). This is one of the Essy's Friends kits from a few months ago:



We received 10 inches of snow today - quite a shock to the system considering it was in the 40's and 50's just last week!

Lots of Stitching; No Pictures

Hi everyone! It's Sunday afternoon in cold and snowy Minnesota. Just thought I'd post a quick note telling you that I got lots of stitching done both Friday night and Saturday night, but I can't tell you what I did. Shhhhhh, it's a SECRET!

Actually, I decided to use this weekend to stitch up two of my exchange gifts - the House Themed Exhange (The Exchange Place) and the Spring exchange (SBEBB). I still have a little bit more work to do on both of them. I may give my SALs a rest this week so that I can finish these.

Questions?

Katrina asked: Is the Sampler Board stitched over one or two threads? The DT Game Board is stitched on 25ct Dublin and is stitched over two threads using two threads of floss. I'm not sure what the exact color name is on the fabric - my cut wasn't marked!

Lili asked: You have loads of stitching plans for March. When are you going to sleep? Good question Lili. I'll have to get back to you on that one!

Donnasews asked: What a cute snowman (HE Snowman Button Sampler)...Will this be a pillow? Donna, I haven't really thought about it. More than likely I will save this one to be framed...someday...

Lili asked: Your snowman button sampler is gorgeous! Can't remember the designer? Lili, the designer for this one is Homespun Elegance. She also designed a very cute Sheep Button Sampler (which I've also stitched and like alot!)

Tobie asked: Does Robin (my not-so-secret stitcher) live close to you? No, we're about a 3-hour drive apart. She lives northwest of the Twin Cities in an area known for its beautiful lakes and resorts. Great summer vacation spot!

And finally, a message for Tobie: Yes you should find your DT Game Board Sampler in the WIP bin and stitch along with Bine and me. We only stitch one-two squares a week so it is totally manageable!

Have a great week everyone!

Seeing Spots!

Made some progress on Spot of Spring last night:



To see other 'spots' please visit Katrina's blog and Von's blog. Note that Katrina has completed her spot - happy dance! And Von is making great progress on hers!

Thanks to all who have visited my blog recently. I enjoy reading your comments and appreciate your encouragement!

Game Board Sampler Update

Normally I work on this project on Sundays with Bine. I had completed one square this past Sunday, but I wanted to get a little bit more done on it, so tonight, I stitched more of the right border (S - Z and 1 - 6).



March Stitching Goals:

DT Game Board Sampler SAL with Bine (Sundays)

Cindy Valentine Apricot Elegance with Stitching Smalls SAL group (weekly)

Spot of Spring SAL with Katrina and Von (Thursdays)

Miss Mary Mack - yup, gotta find time to finish this one!

Quarterly House Exchange - finish and mail by March 31

Spring Themed Exchange - finish and mail by March 30

Stitch an ornament with Friends Gather

Good thing there are more days in March than there were in February!

Final February Finish

I just couldn't hold myself back. I wanted to finish this project in the worst way, so here it is: Snowman Button Sampler from Homespun Elegance!



Okay, I should have straightened those buttons before I took the picture - and I noticed that the shading on the snowman's face is vertical, whereas the rest of the body is horizontal! It doesn't bother me enough to rip and re-stitch, so it is what it is!

Quick review of February's goals:

Continue working on SAL's - Apricot Elegance, Game Board Sampler and Miss Mary Mack (Worked on both Apricot Elegance and Game Board Sampler)

Work on a project from WIP bag (It wasn't exactly a WIP, but I started and finished Snowman Button Sampler)

Stitch an ornament with Friends Gather (I completed Glory Bee's Seasons Greetings from 2005 JCS Ornament issue.)

Start on house exchange project (Started; sorry, can't show this one until complete!)

Participate in other Friends Gather challenges (Hopefully next month - unfortunately, due to some unexpected events, my month was thrown out of whack.)

Not bad if I may say so myself. Will post March's goals in tomorrow's update.

Wish I had More to Report

Had a busy weekend - On Saturday we celebrated my nephew's third birthday. He's such a cute little guy and quite a character. Girls, watch out! On Sunday, my daughter played in a one day tournament - three basketball games! Needless to say, these activities didn't leave much time for stitching, but it was good to be with family and friends!

Here's an update on HE Snowman Button Sampler. As you can see, he is almost done; in fact, I had hoped to finish this one in February. That probably won't happen, but it will be finished soon!



The photo below is of two gifts I received in February from my "not-so-secret" stitchers. The not-so-secret stitcher program is coordinated every December through Shakespeare's Peddler. Several years ago I signed up and got connected with Jan in Evansville, IN. We've continued to write to each other ever since. In February, Jan sent me the Minnesota heart from Victoria Sampler along with two tubes of my favorite color of lipstick (Jan sells Avon). This year I put my name in the hat again and got connected with Robin who lives in Brainerd, MN. Robin sent me this beautiful hand knit scarf. It's so soft! Aren't they great friends?



Tonight I'm going to work on DT Game Board Sampler a little bit more. I completed one square yesterday, but would like to make a little more progress on it. Bine is stitching along with me on this one!
I'll try to post a progress picture tomorrow!

Progress Made!

I finally got my act together...a couple of weeks ago, Katrina asked if I might be interested in a SAL for Spot of Summer (it is summer in New Zealand). I told her I would stitch Spot of Winter with her. To my surprise, the pattern was missing from my chartpack! I haven't resolved that issue yet, but I also had Spot of Autumn in my stash, so I told Katrina I would stitch that.

Truth is, I wasn't really in the mood to stitch Spot of Autumn, so yesterday I went out and purchased Spot of Spring. I finally got it started and will now be stitching along with Katrina on Thursdays!

Olympic Fever

Sorry - no time for stitching updates - I'm watching the Olympics! Stitching updates will be posted tomorrow or Sunday!

You Are Curling

What you lack in athleticism, you make up for in concentration. And while curling isn't much more of a sport than bowling, you *can* win a gold medal for it!

What Winter Sport Are You?

Sunday Evening Already?

Gosh, where did the weekend go? Mine certainly flew by!

On Saturday morning, I had the pleasure of meeting Linda N at a local bakery/coffee shop. Linda is leading the Apricot Elegance SAL for the Stitching Smalls Yahoo group. Shortly after starting this project we both realized we were in MN and then quickly figured out that we lived about 2 miles from each other. Small world, isn't it? Linda had the opportunity to go to Nashville and so it was fun to hear all about it. We admired each others progress on the Apricot Elegance project.

Due to family commitments and my daughter's basketball tournament, I didn't get too much stitching done this weekend. Today, I stitched three squares on the Drawn Thread Game Board Sampler that I'm doing with Bine. (Will post updated photo next week-)

Last night, I worked on the Homespun Elegance Snowman Button Sampler - all that's left is to finish the bottom mittens, stitch the top mittens and to stitch the snowman.

I'm also going to stitch with Katrina on the Drawn Thread Spot of Summer/Winter. Katrina is actually doing summer and I'm stitching winter. Well, I was going to stitch winter. Imagine my surprise when I opened the chart pack on Wednesday night and - there was no pattern! I think it was a printing oops! The inside pages are blank. So, since I don't have time to go back to the needlework store right now, I'm going to switch and stitch Spot of Autumn with Katrina. She started on hers last week; I won't be able to start until this week!

Has anyone made any purchases since Nashville? I have already received "A Most Noble Pursuit" from Elegant Stitch. I've ordered the "Red Desert Scissors Pocket" from Elegant Stitch too. Other than that, I've just got a wish list going. It's getting pretty long...

Thanks to all who have stopped by and left a comment. Have a great week!

Midweek Stitching Update

Hello dear friends. Thanks to everyone who has visited my blog and left comments. I enjoy hearing from each of you!

Happy belated Valentine's Day to you! I was feeling a bit under the weather yesterday and wasn't able to post. Here's a pic of a Hardanger valentine heart that I stitched for a couple of friends. Becky received hers, but I'm not sure about the others yet, so I won't mention any other names right now! :)



In addition to getting caught up on the Apricot Elegance SAL, over the weekend, I stitched an ornament. "Seasons Greetings" is a design from Glory Bee and it was included in the 2005 JCS Ornament issue. I made some substitutions on thread colors (using up some of that stash!) This one is quick and easy! I'll worry about finishing later...



Finally, I've been itching to stitch this one for awhile now and since I'm fairly caught up on other projects, I started the "Snowman Button Sampler" from Homespun Elegance. I've made pretty good progress. The alphabet is all stitched. I'm using the 28ct Amber linen and the Sampler/Weeks fibers as indicated on the pattern.



Now I need to pull out DT Spot of Winter and try to make a start on it tonight. Katrina is stitching DT Spot of Summer and we're going to try to complete these together. Time to get busy on my exchange pieces too - I have some fabulous ideas.

Please keep two of my blogging friends in your thoughts. One special friend is recovering from surgery and the other recently had her computer stolen out of her home. I'm hoping that everything works out okay for both of them. Until next time...happy stitching!

Apricot Elegance Update

I was a tad bit behind on this SAL, needing to complete weeks 4, 5, and 6. While watching (actually listening to) the Olympics last night and tonight, I was able to get caught up. The color is distorted - it's hard to get a good picture when it is 9:30pm - but at least you can get some idea as to the progress I've made. There won't be another lesson on this until next weekend, so now I've got time to work on other projects.

This weekend my daughter is playing in the basketball tournament sponsored by our team's association. I worked two hours in concessions today and need to volunteer an additional four hours in admissions tomorrow. It takes a huge chunk out of the weekend, but volunteers help to keep the costs down. Our association relies on profits from this tournament to keep our program fees affordable. We only have to do this one weekend each year, so it's not so bad.

I'm looking forward to enjoying the Olympics this weekend and throughout the week. We are huge sports fans and especially like to watch the hockey games and the figure skating. Do you have a particular Olympic sport that you enjoy watching during the Winter Olympics?

Have a great Sunday everyone and take care!

...and then there were five....

I seem to be on a roll here - on Tuesday evening I completed two more of Essy's Friends. These are quick and easy to stitch and finish resulting in instant gratification! My latest two finishes are #2 Shoot for the Moon (center) and #6 from Shepherds Bush (tin pin to the right). I have two left to stitch and finish and then I will be caught up.



I hope to get back into my regular routine soon. I need to work on my mint green version of Apricot Elegance. I'm three lessons behind, but I think I could catch up quite easily. And then there's Miss Mary Mack....hmmm, perhaps this weekend. Definitely not a night-time project!

Dear friends - thanks again for your support these past few days. It meant a great deal to me.

...and then there were three...

First, thank you all for your kind comments and your expressions of sympathy. It's been a tough couple of days for me and I appreciate your support.

Tonight was spent making many phone calls. I had many things that I should have done, but felt like I needed to relax a bit, so I pulled out the latest installment of Essy's Friends from Elegant Stitch. It came in the mail this past weekend. The design is from Sampler Cove and it's called Halle's Heart. It's an original quaker motif stitched on 32 ct. Awareness Pink with two strands of Threadgatherer Silk 'n Colors in lavender. It is finished in a square tin pin. As you can see, I've completed three of these so far - I still have four of them waiting to be stitched!

Progress Made Plus Another Finish!

While watching the Super Bowl tonight (actually, I stitch and listen) I finished up another small Hardanger doily. This smaller design was a snap to stitch; although I started it last month and just finished it tonight (other projects got in the way!) The design is from Satin Stitches by Donna M. Olson and is from the Time for Tea - Jasmine chartpak. I used a pale pink Hardanger fabric and a soft pink pearl cotton thread from Needle Necessities.


I also made progress this weekend on DT Game Board Sampler. I had some catching up to do - my goal is to stitch two squares per week. Last Sunday I didn't stitch on it at all. So last night I completed five additional squares (so I'm now one square ahead!) Bine and I have been working together on this one. I might finally be catching up to her!

This past week was a very difficult week for me. My last living aunt passed away yesterday after spending the week in the hospital. I was very fortunate to have spent time with her this past week in the hospital, particularly four precious hours on Friday night. She was very special to me and while I know that it is a blessing that she no longer endures any pain or suffering, it's very difficult for me to let go. We particularly missed her today - she was a huge football fan and would have come tonight to watch and celebrate the Super Bowl with us. Auntie Florence - I will never forget you!