A PIF and a New Scissors!

Happy Sunday! Thanks to all who visited and for your kind comments on my last post! My mom and I did go the German Mass last night and then to Oktoberfest for a little while. We both ran into some old friends who we hadn't seen for a long time, so I'm glad we did it. One of the organizers of this festival used to work with me (many years ago!) and the group really does a nice job of creating a festive, Oktoberfest atmosphere - just like in Munich!

In my inbox this morning was an email from Nic; I was so happy to see it. You see, several weeks ago I sent off two PIF gifts, one for Joan and one for Nic. Of course, Joan received hers right away. Normally, mail to the UK takes about a week, but there has been some strike activity within the postal system there. We feared the package might never make it, but it arrived yesterday. Whew! So now I can share a picture with you. I stitched the same thing for both Joan and Nic; this is one of my all-time favorite designs from the ornament magazines!

Roz Watnemo - Nordic Needle
Stitched on white Congress Cloth
Threadworx Pearl Cotton

My mailbox had some goodies in it yesterday too -- check out my new baby - Mia! Do any of you remember when last year I said that I thought it would be cool if Gingher came out with a designer scissors in Christmas colors? I think they must have been listening because this scissors reminds of a Christmas plaid fabric with red, green, blue. Of course, I'm kind of partial to the color red anyway, so I love these scissors! (If you are looking for a pair, check your local JoAnn Store or go to joann.com!)



Pictured with Mia are a couple ornaments I've been working on in between samplers. This of course is a Mary Garry pattern from the 1998 Just Cross Stitch Ornament Magazine!

That's it for me today. On the stitching front, I'll be working on my Fall Seasonal Exchange for Brigitte. On the TV front, we'll be cheering on the MN Vikings (football) this afternoon and the MN Twins (baseball) tonight! Hope you find some time for stitching today too!

Looky What We Got Last Night

It was inevitable; it just seems a bit early this year. You hope and pray that you won't see any of that fluffy white stuff until at least November. But alas, it is October 10 and we got snow. At least it was only a dusting! It's been cold here all week with temps in the 30s, 40s, and 50s. Pictured with the snow are our labs Zeta and Maggie, Zeta is the chocolate one and Maggie is the yellow one.


As the Spinster Stitcher would say, I have another "FEE NEE" to celebrate. Last Saturday, I picked up the fabric at Stitchville and a couple of the threads I was missing and promptly began stitching this one. At first, I didn't think I was going to like it so much, but now that it is finished, I love it!

Primitive Needle - Earth Sampler
36ct PTP Ale
Gast and WDW Fibers

So for today, well, I have a whole bunch of laundry calling my name, as well as dusting and vacuuming. Just a normal Saturday, ho hum. They are celebrating Okttoberfest in St. Paul this afternoon and evening, so I think I will take my mom to the German mass and then we'll go listen to the Bavarian Musikmeisters for a little while.

Enjoy your day and thanks for stopping by.

A Wonderful Weekend!

Hello Stitching Friends! Yes, it's too bad that the weekend is coming to a close because it was a terrific weekend.

Stitching friends are the best friends! On Saturday morning, I met my friend Judy at our not so local LNS. Judy and I first met about five years ago at a Nordic Needle retreat. We met again two years later when I attended my second Nordic Needle retreat. I'm not as faithful as Judy is in attending the retreats, so we haven't seen each other for about three years, but we stay connected via email. Judy was making a trip down to the Twin Cities and it worked out that my morning was free, so, we met at Stitchville! It's a little over two hour drive for her and about a 45 minute drive for me. We had a great time checking out all the market designs and other goodies. About 90 minutes later, with purchases in hand, we then went out for lunch and had a nice visit. It was great to see Judy again (thanks Judy!)

Since it has been a little more than a week since I last posted, we have some catching up to do! Let's start with the Mary Garry design "Peace" that I was working on. It's now finished! This was a relaxing design to stitch. I really like the Belle Soie silks!

"Peace"
Mary Garry
36ct PTP Shale
Belle Soie Plush Plum

Last weekend I whipped up this hardanger beauty! It's a gift for someone (who I don't think follows my blog.) This actually was one of the classes at a Nordic Needle retreat that I attended. I didn't take this class, but the kit included the coordinating mat and I thought it was a good buy. I believe this was designed by Roz Watnemo of the Nordic Needle.

Design by Roz Watnemo
Nordic Needle Retreat/Class Kit
22 ct Jobelan
Watercolours/Wildflowers Fibers

Finally, today I had time for some finishing. I stitched these ornaments two years ago and attempted to finish them last year, but alas they never got finished. This year they are going to be finished and given as gifts. Here are the first five (although I think I actually finished six today!) and I have six more that are stitched that need to be finished yet. What do you think? Cute?

"Joy" by Lilybet Designs
Misc fabric from stash
ST Grape Leaf and DMC fibers

Other than stitching, it's been a busy weekend here in the Twin Cities for sports. The UofM Gophers played arch rival Wisconsin Badgers in football yesterday. Unfortunately the Gophers lost but it was a great game. Every game is great this year in their new outdoor, on-campus stadium! Today, the Minnesota Twins beat the Kansas City Royals to force a game with Detroit on Tuesday night to determine who the American League Central champion will be. Tomorrow night, the MN Vikings play the Green Bay Packers on Monday night football. If you've been following football at all then you will understand the significance of this game! Long time, Packer quarterback Brett Favre plays for the Vikings now! And finally if you haven't had enough sports yet, the UofM Men's Gopher hockey team kicked off their season today with an exhibition game; the home opener for the NHL MN Wild is on Tuesday night. Whew!

Well, if you are still with me -- hope you have a great week filled with lots of stitching. Thanks for stopping by!

Dancing and Stitching

Oops, didn't mean to get you all excited. I don't have any finishes to show. What I meant by "Dancing and Stitching" is that I've been busy the last three nights watching the season premiere of Dancing with the Stars and stitching! Any other DWTS fans out there? Any predictions on who the mirror ball winner might be?

While watching DWTS, I needed a project that didn't require my full attention; something where I didn't have to follow the pattern so closely. So, I went stash diving and here's what I came up with.



The picture is a little on the dark side (the sun hasn't come out here yet!) Does anyone recognize the pattern? It's an oldie that I picked up on eBay. I'm stitching this beauty on Picture This Plus 36ct Shale. It kind of has a purplish/brownish hue to it and of course, it has the mottled look that I love. I'm really becoming rather attached to PTP linens! The fiber is a Belle Soie and it is called Plush Plum. Working with one color makes this an easy and relaxing stitch for me.

Oh, and you might be wondering about that scissors... it's the new Gingher Elena. Isn't she beautiful? Very colorful!

Have you figured out what design I am stitching yet? It's from Mary Garry and it is called "Peace." The letters "A" through "G" and the letter "K" have to be added yet, those are stitched over one. Then I just have three more quaker motifs to add. Don't worry, I'll post another picture when I am finished.

Anxiously awaiting for the news from market. Is there a design that you have seen that you are not going to be able to live without?

In Memoriam

Special Delivery by Blackbird Designs
32ct Lakeside Linen - Strawflower
GAST Fibers

Elisabeth Nikosch was one of my mother's sisters; the story (if you haven't already read it) can be found on an earlier blogpost, here.

Long Time No Post (Again)

I know. I haven't been regular. I've been quite irregular. I'd eat more fiber, but I don't think that would help me to post more often. I'll try to do better.

I've been stitching quite a lot lately.

First up - a week or so ago, I started the wildly popular design from Hands to Work called "This is the Day." You will find this pattern in the February 2009 issue of Just Cross Stitch. I could not find a large enough piece of LL Autumn Gold at my LNS, so I'm stitching mine on 32ct WDW Cappuccino - the color is pretty close. I'm stitching with the recommended fibers. As you can see, I haven't gotten far, I got distracted with a couple of other things.


Here's my second start - this is called "Special Delivery" from Blackbird Designs. I'm stitching with the recommended fibers on 32ct LL Strawflower. The color of the linen is so pretty. This is the sampler I will personalize to remember my mother's sister that died as a baby. You can read more about it on this post.


Finally, I'm working on an exchange - you'll see and hear more about this one in a few weeks after it is received.

Just Cross Stitch update -- some of you commented that you also received the bogus subscription renewal notices in the mail. The circulation manager at JCS contacted me and is looking into it. She also received the bogus notices for her own personal subscription, not only for JCS, but also for SANQ. Last I heard from her, she wasn't able to get anyone at National Magazine Services to return her call. If you receive a subscription renewal notice from them - destroy it!

That's all I have for you tonight. Have a great evening and thanks for stopping by!

Traveling Stitcher Finish

Here it is - all finished now. I affixed the smaller piece "Needles" to the outside of the needle case. I didn't leave a pocket for storage. The larger is affixed to the backside of the stitching case. I didn't leave a pocket opening here either. I kind of wish this design would have fit either the front or the back of the front when the case is open. Oh well...I love the design and the thread colors.



Sad day in our community today, a police officer was gunned down while responding to a domestic call. Another police officer was also shot but will recover from her injuries. (Edited to add -- the suspect was also shot and is dead.) Many thanks to all who serve in law enforcement, who put their own lives in harms way so that we all can feel safe in the communities in which we live.

Productive Weekend

Happy Monday! Today is a holiday in the U.S. - Labor Day. Here in Minnesota the sun is still shining and we're expecting a beautiful day. Today is the last day of the great Minnesota get-together - the Minnesota State Fair. Tomorrow, most kids will start another school year (although my two kids have been back in school for two weeks already!) I've accomplished many things this weekend and hope to relax and fully enjoy today before I return to work tomorrow.

As I mentioned in my last post, Friday night I finished up two gifts, these are the PIF's for Joan and Nic. Both were mailed on Saturday, so as soon as they are received I will have pictures for you. Diana, if you are reading this, the BOAF Friendship Sampler pattern is on its way to you too.

I was going to start up another sampler and then decided to take a little detour. In-between laundry and vacuuming/dusting on Saturday I started this:

I didn't think it would take too long to stitch and I was right; I finished the stitching on Sunday morning!

You see, the other three seasons are all stitched and finished into pillows (they have been for quite sometime!) but for some reason I never stitched Autumn. Later in the day yesterday I did the finishing. Here's the finished pillow:

LHN Season of Plenty
28ct misc fabric from stash
DMC Fibers

And here is the whole set - aren't they adorable?



Last night I started a new sampler, there are quite a few other bloggers out there who have stitched it or are currently stitching it - it's This is the Day from Hands to Work. I'll post a photo later or in a few days when I have more to show! I may do some more finishing today too, we'll see.

Whatever your plans are, I hope you have a relaxing day filled with stitching! Thanks for stopping by!

A Beautiful Saturday and Buyer Beware!

Here in the U.S. it is a holiday weekend (Labor Day) and so for most workers, it's a three day weekend. In Minnesota, we are enjoying some beautiful weather with temperatures in the high 70's. The sun is shining - it's a gorgeous day outside!

My DH went fishing, and my DS is off at a gathering for remote control car racers. My DD is home with me, but she has plans to get together with friends later. Needless to say, I am enjoying a quiet day at home (and I love it!) I'm working on laundry and some cleaning this morning but will settle into my stitching chair later this afternoon and enjoy several hours of stitching bliss.

BUYER BEWARE
I received something in the mail this week that has me a bit concerned - it was a renewal notice for my subscription to Just Cross Stitch Magazine. This renewal form didn't come from Just Cross Stitch, it came from National Magazine Services. The cost of the renewal immediately caught my attention - it only indicated that I could renew for two years at a rate of $65.95! Those of you who regularly subscribe to Just Cross Stitch know that a two-year subscription only runs about $40.

I've sent a note to Just Cross Stitch customer service asking them about this renewal form and will be sure to let you know what they say when they respond....BUT.... if like me, you do a quick google of "National Magazine Services" it would appear as though there are complaints filed by others who have received fake / unauthorized renewals for other magazines. So be careful about sending your money/renewal to this company.

No pictures to share today. I finished up two gifts last night and will post photos of them once they are received.

Have a great day and happy stitching!

Two Finishes ---

Yes, I'm dancing today and itching to start something new. I stitched until late in the evening last night and then a couple more hours this morning and now it is finished. Here it is:

BOAF Friendship Sampler
Sampler/WDW/DMC Threads
36 ct Picture This Plus Legacy Fabric

Isn't it beautiful? When I was finished, I took time to restitch some of the letters with a darker shade of ST Cornflower. In some places, the thread was too light and I just wasn't satisfied. I'm happy with it now! This pattern will be making its way to my friend Diane next week.

Here is a picture of Traveling Stitcher. I finished this last weekend but didn't take time to iron and shoot a picture until today. I still need to attach it to the project keeper and needlebook.

LHN Traveling Stitcher
Crescent Color Threads
32 ct Lambswool

Well that's it for me. Off to play in my stash!

On the Home Stretch

Just a quick update as it's late and I need to get to bed! Almost finished with BOAF Friendship Sampler...

Oh Sister Mary Spinster Stitcher!

The picture below is for Coni at Spinster Stitcher. If you read her post from yesterday, you will understand why I had to share this picture with her.



Now the nun on the left shall remain nameless, however, the nun on the right is moi, aka Sister Mary Catherine. Just for the record, that is apple juice in our glasses. Several years ago a group of us did a "Sister Act" routine at our church's fall festival. I'll include a picture of the "Sister Act" part too (yes, that is a male nun to the right of me; our "order" was very liberal!)



Anyway, the first year we did it, my friend and I were approached by a younger couple. They started sharing with us that a family member was very sick with cancer and asked us to keep them in our prayers. It was at that moment that we realized that they thought they were talking to real nuns! (we weren't drinking apple juice at that very moment either!) We didn't have the heart to tell them we weren't real and figured we could pray for them just as hard as anyone else (nun or otherwise.) They they went to their car in the parking lot. The two of us started to giggle and were feeling bad about pretending to be real nuns! All of sudden, the couple headed back toward us and asked, "Are you sisters waiting for a ride; can we take you somewhere?" Oh gosh, we had all we could do to keep a straight face when we thanked them and told them we had our own car!

The next morning we shared our story with the "real" nuns at our church (and they don't dress like this!) We asked them to also pray for this couple and their friend. I don't think we'll ever forget that story!

Here's my message for Coni: Paper Warehouse or any other costume store; you can get one for about $20! We added the belt (white cording)!

You'll Want to Check This Out!

Trust me, you'll want to check this out! This is a new blog to me and wow, was I glad to find it. Jan is one talented lady -- she just designed her own chart and is offering it as a giveway. Please stop by her blog and have a look!

Belfonte Notes

Snowmen in Summer

Week before last was the annual stitching retreat with the Friday night stitching group. We haven't been stitching on Friday nights since Joan moved to Aberdeen, but the retreat went on as planned! Joan was home for the week and joining her were Jill, Lori, Jackie, and me! While I wasn't able to take time off from work to be there during the day, I joined them on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings.

These ladies have been doing this every year for the past four or five years. Each year they pick a theme and then they put together little gift bags for each other. Last year was the first year I attended and at the time I didn't even realize they did the gift bags. This year, I had my gift bag ready but man, oh man - these ladies took this year's theme very seriously! Here's a snap of just some of the goodies I came home with!

The pillow case for the pillow in the back was made by Joan (pillow was provided by Jackie last year) - moving clockwise - the slippers were made by Jill's mom, snowman pinkeep from Joan, project bags from Joan and Lori, felt snowman ornament from Jill, at the very bottom of picture is also a snowman stitch marker from Jill, in the tin cover is a tiny little scissors with a snowman beaded fob made by Lori, the snowman project in the baggie is from Jackie, the Frosty Friends scissors fob was from Joan and the pincushion on top of the small canning jar was made by Joan. There are a few other ornies from the girls in the picture too (click on the picture to enlarge so that you can see everything.) These ladies took their theme seriously this year!

I made each of us a snowman ornie for our Christmas trees. The design is from Plum Pudding Needlearts. Along with their ornie I provided a collection of beverages for them to enjoy - assorted hot chocolates, cappucinos, and teas. Just the thing I enjoy sitting down with when I'm ready to stitch in the wintertime!


Next year's theme is "Under the Sea" - I better start thinking about it now so that I can keep up with these creative ladies!

Join in the Fun!

I'm making my way around blog world today reading posts and leaving comments. Here's a giveaway you might be interested in (over 218 other bloggers have already signed up!) Mel is celebrating her blogiversary!

The Daily Mel

And she's giving away this:

New Stitching Blog

Friends, please visit a new stitching blog when you have a minute. Irma took the plunge and joined the world of blogging. You must see the picture of the Blackbird Design's Loose Feathers design she stitched - it's #3 Evening Shades the Garden and it is gorgeous!

Pretty Little Corners blog

Summer Exchange from Gaby

Yesterday I was able to share with you the summer exchange I sent to Gaby. Today I can show you the summer exchange that Gaby sent to me!

I received a wonderful package from her. The two of us apparently were on the same wavelength because look how she finished her exchange - a wallhanging, with a cute wire hanger that has three hearts in it. Now look at yesterday's post to see how I finished my exchange for her (a wallhanging with a wire hanger in the shape of heart!) What a coincidence!

Gaby's design is from a German designer by the name of Ulrike Blotzheim and it's called "Sommerkinder" (or Summer Children). Gaby sent the pattern to me so that I can stitch the other little girl that is part of this design. Isn't she cute? Gaby did a great job with her finishing too!

In addition to the stitched item, Gaby also sent this wonderful bag which she knit and then felted in her washing machine. I love it! The colors are so pretty! I look forward to using this bag! Finally, Gaby also sent a piece of fabby and some beutiful rose colored floss (not pictured). Thanks for everything Gaby.
Our last seasonal exchange will happen in October. It's been fun getting to stitch for and exchange with these four different German friends!

As promised, here's an update on BOAF Friendship Sampler - see, I'm making progress! (I took the picture outside; it looks a little washed out!)

And, last week I was working on LHN's Traveling Stitcher - I can stitch on this one without a magnifier or light, so it's easier to travel with! (We'll take a better picture of this one next time too!)

That's it for tonight. Thanks again for stopping by!

Finally A Stitchy Picture!

Thanks everyone who commented on my last post; I usually keep to just "stitchy" topics but I thought you might enjoy my story about Elisabeth. I also appreciate all of your suggestions for samplers. I think that I've picked out the design that I am going to use; it's from Blackbird Designs and it is called "Special Delivery Girl's Birth Sampler." I'm thinking I will stitch her birth and death dates under her name. What do you think?


Now, here's a finish I am really excited to share with you. It was so hard to send this away; I'll just have to make another one for myself. A small group of eight of us have been doing seasonal exchanges this year, and for summer, it was my turn to mail to Gaby. I stitched "Sunflower Sampler" from Country Cottage Needleworks and finished it up as a wallhanging with coordinating sunflower fabrics. I also sent her the cute hanger for it. Gaby received it recently and said that she likes it!


Maybe later this week I will snap an update photo of BOAF Friendship Sampler; I've been working on the border. I've also been working on LHN Traveling Stitcher so I'll try to snap a picture of that too. You'll just have to stop back again later in the week! Thanks for your visit!

Baby Elisabeth

No stitchy pictures for you; I'm working on the border for BOAF Friendship Sampler, but you'll have to wait for a photo update later in the week. (If you are only interested in stitching updates, then you probably don't want to read any further. Just come back and visit me another day!)

On Saturday morning, before it got humid, sticky, and hot, my mother and I went to an old cemetary in St. Paul. We went to visit my mother's sister's grave. My mother is the youngest of 10 children; there were 23 years between the oldest and my mom, she is the only sibling still living. In 1913, my grandparents welcomed their fourth child, a girl, and they named her Elisabeth. Exactly eight months later, she died. When she died, my grandmother was already pregnant with child #5. (An interesting little side note is that child #7, born in 1918, was a girl and they named her Elizabeth too --with a "z" instead of an "s"-- we always thought this was kind of interesting.) Anyway, no one really knew much about this baby that died, no one remembered her exact date of birth or exactly when she died or why she died.

One of my cousins and I dabble in geneaology (actually, I am the one who dabbles, she's serious about her dabbling!) Two years ago, we were determined to find out more about baby Elisabeth. We were pretty sure that she was at one of the older cemetaries in St. Paul as this is where many other family members are buried. A short visit to the cemetary office confirmed that she was there! They provided us with a map and told us how to find her burial spot; the only problem was that there was no stone to mark the grave; we would have to use other markers to find her.

We weren't surprised that her grave was unmarked because the family certainly didn't have the means in 1914 to buy a stone. This didn't sit right with us. The two of us agreed that one day we would purchase a stone to mark her grave.

Fast forward to 2009 - my cousin was in town visiting this spring and we decided to pursue this a little bit more. We needed to locate birth and death certificates so that we had correct dates and we wanted to know how/why she died. Even though I had been unsuccessful before, I went to the MN Historical Society website to locate either a birth or death certificate. This time I managed to find her birth certificate; the last name was misspelled on the birth certificate which would explain why I hadn't found it before. To our surprise, the date of her death was also noted on the birth certificate (perhaps the birth certificate was first filed when she died?) We couldn't locate a copy of the death certificate online, but a trip to the Vital Statistics office and the work of a clerk who knew her way around the older records yielded a death certificate for us. Baby Elisabeth had died from tubercular meningitis. How sad it must have been for my grandparents; how lucky they were that their other children did not get sick.

Now that we had the information we needed, we knew exactly what we wanted to do. Her grave is now marked so that future generations will be able to find her; baby Elisabeth will never be forgotten.



My mom thought that it was a silly thing to spend money on, but I think that after visiting the grave with me on Saturday she feels differently.

I think now that I would like to select a special sampler to stitch and perhaps stitch Elisabeth's initials or her name in it as a remembrance...any suggestions?

The Weekend is Here!

Yes, the weekend is here and I am long overdue for an update! Unfortunately, I don't have much to show! There hasn't been a lot of stitching going on here; and the stitching that I have worked on, I'm not able to share....yet.

It's going to be hot, hot, hot, and sticky here in the lower third of MN today. We've had a relatively cool summer; it's actually seemed more like spring or fall all summer. I like it that way, but there are a lot of others who have been disappointed. They will get their fix of hot for the next seven days or so.

Today I have a couple of stitchy gifts that I need to finish up, then I hope to get back to working on BOAF Friendship Sampler. Did you by any chance see Melissa's finish this week? It is gorgeous!

The only photos I have for you is a quaker fob that I stitched for Carol a couple weeks ago. Carol celebrated her birthday recently and I wanted to send her a little something.



That's it for now! Thanks for stopping by!