Two More Exchange Updates

It's always a relief to learn that packages mailed have been safely received! Jeanne emailed me yesterday to say that she had received my package for the "What's the Buzz" exchange. It took me awhile to decide on a design; I finally settled on this scissors fob from Shepherd's Bush. I included some other goodies with a "bee" theme. Here's the fob front and back:




Then today, I heard from my Fair and Square partner for round two - Brenda received the block that I stitched for her. We're supposed to keep these to a 50X50 stitch count, but with her permission I went slightly larger - 51X54. You might recognize this design; it's from the bottom of the Sunflower Bellpull by The Drawn Thread.

Warning! Long Post Ahead

Hi! Hope everyone is enjoying what is left of summer. My kids start school on Tuesday, so we'll be getting back into a routine again.

The past few weeks have been kind of busy for many reasons - I've been working longer hours at work, our new puppy keeps us on our toes, and we've been working on some home improvement projects. I also accepted responsibility for writing my EGA chapter's newsletter - it turned out to be more involved than I expected! At the end of the day, there's just not much time left for stitching! Fortunately, I was able to keep up with the commitments I had made, but that's about all I had time for. I hope that I'll have more time this fall - I have so many things in my stash that I want to stitch!

Let's start with the pinkeep that I sent to Katrina - this was for the Summer House exchange. I really love stitching houses. This design was from a French website. I didn't take a picture of the back, but I used some of the pink/cream ABC sampler fabric from Blackbird designs.



Next up is the Summer exchange that I sent to Simone. This is a seasonal exchange group, so Simone will be receiving something from me for Fall, Winter, and Spring too. For this round, I stitched Blooming Summer bellpull from Homespun Elegance. I adjusted the flag on it to include the colors of the flag for the Netherlands.




Another thing I have been working on recently is a Neighborhood Round Robin. I've been stitching on Erin's neighborhood this round. Erin requested a "woodsy" theme, so I think I did okay in trying to meet her request. I actually combined elements from The Drawn Thread and Prairie Schooler to come up with a block that looks like this:




So, that's about it for now. In a few days I should have more pictures to post. My fifth and final PIF gift, my Fair and Square exchange block, and my piece for the What's the Buzz exchange were recently mailed.

Thanks for stopping by - I'm sorry that I haven't been very good about blogging lately. I do try to read blogs once a week but haven't been taking time to comment. It's always so much fun to see what everyone else is working on! Thanks again --- until next time, Happy Stitching!

Taking a Break

Just dropped in to say that I'm taking a little break from blogging. Don't worry, I'll be back soon!

It's the Weekend, Yippee Skippee!

My dear friend Barbara says I'm a "Rockin'Girl Blogger". It was very kind of her to include me on her list. I think that it's been a little more than a year that the two of us have been communicating with each other as a result of blogging. Despite the fact that we have never met, I consider her to be a great friend. Love to you Barbara!

As I work my way through blogs today (my weekly catch-up) I see that a number of others have already been tagged, so I'm not going to tag anyone else, but I will list five stitchers who are special to me. (It is really difficult trying to keep this list at five!)

Becky is one of the most generous stitchers I know. Through her exchange boards she fosters friendship between stitchers from all parts of the world.

Karen V is an amazing source of inspiration. She has impeccable taste when choosing designs to stitch; her finishing skills are marvelous.

Lelia is one of the first bloggers I befriended. We both lead busy lives with our families, and both share a passion for needlework.

Carol is unbelievable - I'm amazed at everything she accomplishes! So many wonderful, large projects. And yet she still finds time to stitch a fob for every online friend when they celebrate their birthday.

Vonna has a big heart. She too is an amazing stitcher and finisher; from her posts it's clear that she is also a great mom.

I could go on and on - there are many, many stitchers that have touched my heart since I started blogging almost two years ago. Thank you all for your friendship!

A Horrible Tragedy

There has been a horrible bridge collapse in Minneapolis this afternoon; it happened at the end of rush hour. A bridge collapsed into the Mississippi River. My family and I are all accounted for. Please keep the victims of this horrible tragedy in your prayers.