Neither Rain, Nor Sleet, Nor Snow ...

...nor dark of night....would keep me away from a needlework class with Lori Markovic! Yes, my friend Joan and I traveled to Madison, WI yesterday to take a class from Lori at Stitcher's Crossing. I've always wanted to meet her in person; I absolutely love her designs, and so I snatched up this opportunity a few months ago as soon as I knew she was coming.
Now, realize of course that you never know what the weather is going to be like during the winter months in MN or WI. Traveling from the Twin Cities to Madison is a fairly easy drive, it's interstate the entire way, but as luck would have it, a winter storm hit the Twin Cities on Friday night. It was fairly clear here on Saturday morning and die-hard Minnesotans that we are, we decided that nothing was going to hold us back! Our four hour drive took five and a half hours; in places the driving was good, in other places not so good, but the important thing is that we made it safe and sound and with only seconds to spare!

We walked in the shop at precisely 1pm. The lady behind the counter said "Are you the girls from Minnesota?" We said, "Yes" and everyone in the class room cheered! We made it, woo hoo! What a fun group of ladies we met. A stitcher that I had met in the fall of 2007, Diana, was there. Leslie from the Legacy board was also there (I had met her at a Merry Cox class in the Twin Cities last year) - it was good to see both of them again!

Our class project was this little needle book called Pins & Needles. We had all done our stitching in advance of the class, so the next two hours would be spent assembling with Lori's guidance. The stitched piece was wrapped around two pieces of cardboard; then a piece of fabric was ironed to the inside to cover up the raw edges. There are grommets in the binding which hold the wool felt with the cording. As you can see, we also stiched up a strawberry pincushion. The two hours went by far too quickly!

Here's the class project:



Here's Diana, Lori, Cathy, and Joan:


P.S. Lori is wearing the "Star Pouch" that she designed and was available at Nashville this year. I am wearing my Miss Mary Mack necklace (stitched by friend Chris for me!)

If you are ever in the Madison area, Stitcher's Crossing is a great shop! They cater to both quilters and needlework lovers! Joan and I did a bit of stash shopping before heading home. By the way, our trip home was fine - it was still snowing around Madison, but once we hit the interstate and headed west, the roads were fine and it was clear sailing.

Teri & Tina from Shepherd's Bush last weekend, Lori from La D Da this weekend...I'm on cloud nine....

Progress Report on "Lo"

Just a quick progress report on "Lo" - this has been such a fun piece to stitch. After seeing Laura's progress on cream colored linen, I'm kind of second guessing my fabric choice ... hmmmm...I do love the mottled look though.

Before I go, here are a few more pictures from Temple Square in Salt Lake City - Here's a shot of the temple during the day. It took 40 years to construct the temple.

The leftover stone was used to create this chapel:
The organ inside the chapel is much smaller than the organ in the tabernacle:

Now we're inside the tabernacle - here's a closer shot of the Mormon Tabernacle choir rehearsing:
And just for my mom, here's a picture of the organ all by itself - almost 12,000 pipes!

Where Do I Begin? (Warning - Long Post)

Hello everyone, yes, I'm back after an awesome week in Salt Lake City. The trip's purpose was business related, but I had some free time here and there and stayed an extra day at the end of the week so that I could meet some online stitching friends and take a trip to the Bush.

Is it possible to fall in love with a place after just five days? Salt Lake is beautiful. No matter which direction you look there are snow capped mountains. Being from Minnesota, I don't get to see mountains like this everyday!

During the week, I had time to visit Temple Square and even slipped out of an evening work function long enough to hear some of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's rehearsal (what a treat to hear them!)


The highlight of the week though was meeting up with some Legacy Board stitching friends that I recently connected with online. Now, many of my co-workers were interested in knowing why I was staying an extra day in Salt Lake - you see, many of them flew out on the red-eye Thursday night or the first flight on Friday morning. How do you explain to a "non-stitcher" the significance of a trip like this?

I started by explaining that I was going to be picked up at the hotel on Friday morning at 9:45am by a friend -- the conversation went something like this...

"Oh, you have friends in Salt Lake, how nice - have you known them a long time?"

"Well, no - I just met them a few weeks ago."

"You just met them? Have you been to Salt Lake before?"

"Well, no - I posted a note on an online needlework board asking for more information on transportation options to a needlework store."

"So you are meeting up with people you don't really know?"

"Yes, there are going to be five of them and me!"

"Are you sure you are going to be okay? Where are you going with them?"

"We're going to a needlework store in Ogden."

"You're doing what?"

"We're going to a needlework store in Ogden. This shop in Ogden is world-reknowned for its designs. The owners are two sisters -- they are like 'rock stars' in the needlework industry. They are the 'Mick Jaggers' of cross-stitch."

"Oh, well have fun. If you're not at work on Monday we'll contact the state police."

"No need to worry, these ladies only travel with needles and designer scissors!"

I guess you have to be a stitcher to really understand the significance of this trip! Yes, I met up with some wonderful ladies from the Legacy Board - Alice, Lynn, Laura, Brenda, and Cheryl - we first stopped at the Craft Center for some stash shopping and then we headed up to Shepherd's Bush where I met Teri and Tina (rock stars in my world!)



After more stash shopping, we had lunch at the Red Rooster in Ogden and hit one more shop, the Needlepoint Joint, before heading back to Salt Lake. They dropped me off at the airport in plenty of time to make my evening flight home. It was a fabulous day and I have some wonderful new friends in Salt Lake!

Before I go -- while I was away, Carol received the ornament that I stitched for her. February is her month to receive from our group participating in this exchange. This is a design from Val's Stuff; it was in one of the JCS Ornament preview issues.


Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Couldn't Wait...

Now that I have the appropriate piece of fabric (see previous entry) I was just itching to start stitching "Lo." And here it is....

To see a finished and framed "Lo" visit Vonna's blog here.

I am going to be away this week with no access to blogs or email. I'm traveling to Salt Lake City to attend a conference for work. I've never been to Salt Lake before so I am excited to see it. The highlight of my week however will be Friday -- some of the ladies on the Legacy board are picking me up at my hotel and we're going to spend the day together. They have the itinerary all planned and it includes a visit to Shepherd's Bush! I can't wait to meet these online stitching friends!

Vonna's Recipe

After seeing so many others working on "Lo How A Rose" from Brightneedle, I decided this would be the project I take with me when I go out of town next week. I didn't really have the right color fabric on hand though and I'm determined to stitch as much from my stash as possible. Then it hit me -- I could create the right color fabric simply by following Vonna's basting and baking instructions. A pot of coffee and 4 bags of tea later - voila! I have fabric that is perfect for this Brightneedle project. Here are a couple of photos to give you some idea as to what I ended up with (I started with a cream colored Cashel - the last photo started out as Potato Lugana!) The first photo is the piece I will use for Lo...



A lovely ornament arrived from Julianne yesterday - check it out! I believe this a Prairie Schooler design, is it not? Beautifully stitched, nicely finished - it's going to look wonderful on the tree! Thank you Julianne!

Exchange Catch Up!

Sorry -- the past few days have been kind of busy. I've had pictures to share but just haven't had time to post them.

First up -- my HoE Lizzie Kate exchange from Maria. The pictures really don't do this piece justice. It's a bag for transporting stitching projects or anything really. The stitching is nicely done and the bag is beautifully finished (the inside is lined - I can't quite figure out how to photograph that for you!) Anyway, the bag, along with the goodies that Maria sent, brightened my day! Thank you Maria!



Two exchanges that I recently sent have also been received. Nic emailed me on Monday to say that the HoE Valentine exchange that I had sent to her arrived. Now, those of you who have followed my blog for a long time have seen this before, but somehow when it's for Valentine's Day I can't quite help myself. Yes, I stitched the Hardanger Heart suncatcher and made a matching fob for Nic. Aren't they sweet?


Finally, Kerstin emailed me to say that she received the Winter exchange that I sent to her. As you can see, I stitched this design from The Drawn Thread and finished it into a pillow. I thought it turned out pretty good! Hope you enjoy it Kerstin.


One more item of business -- about three weeks ago I sent two of my Gingher scissors (the one's I use for Hardanger) off to Gingher to have them reconditioned and sharpened. One of these scissors had been sharpened before through a local sharpener; it wasn't quite the same afterwards. This week I received my two scissors back and they are functioning as good as new! This service is only offered on Gingher scissors, but I highly recommend it. You can find more information about it on the Gingher website here: Gingher Repair and Maintenance

Thanks for stopping by!

Ornament from Becky

Becky's ornament arrived yesterday - it's a Prairie Schooler! Isn't it great? The design is called Santa & Friends and it's done on 32ct Chestnut with DMC fibers. I love it! Thank you Becky!

If you have a minute would you drop by and visit a new stitcher to the blogging world? Her name is Ronel and she is from South Africa. She's told me that she likes to do stumpwork and ribbon embroidery. Her blog was just recently created; I hope we get to see some pictures of her work soon!

Ronel's blog

Valentine's Day exchange from Gabi

Gabi received my name for the HoE Valentine's Day exchange and look what arrived in my mailbox yesterday! The designs are taken from the "Valentine Wishes" chart from Blue Ribbon Designs, and she stitched this on 28ct hand dyed Jobelan in the color Watercress. She used the recommended Sampler Threads.

Her finish is called a "fold up." This is a new technique that was created by Judy Odell. There are two sides to the design -- it's really cool. To see another picture of a fold up that Gabi made, go here.



Gabi included some other goodies - one in particular I must share with you. My daughter was about to make off with this "box of chocolates" until she realized that it was a perpetual calendar! LOL (Gabi said that her daughter also thought it was chocolates until she took a closer look at it - LOL!)

Wonderful exchange - thanks so much Gabi!

More Christmas Ornaments ...

Two more ornaments arrived yesterday; I'm just getting photos posted tonight...

First up is the ornament from Vonna; it's a beauty. You may recognize this as the 1991 Prairie Schooler Santa! It's stitched over one on 25ct Ivory Lugana. I just love it!!!

Next up is the ornament from Carol. This design can be found in the 2008 JCS Ornament issue. It's from Midsummer Night Designs and it's called Christmas Angel. Carol stitched it on 36 ct light sand. I really like it!

Wish I was better at staging these pictures and that I had better lighting to work with! Aren't they both beautiful? Thanks Vonna and Carol!

Today's Stitching

Before I head off to bed I want to share with you my stitching for today. This was a quick stitch that I started this afternoon and finished this evening. Next month, I am taking a class at Stitcher's Crossing in Madison, Wi with Lori Markovic of La D Da! This is the project we are going to work on - the stitching had to be done in advance; we will do the finishing in the class. It's going to be a needlebook.

It would seem as though I have a lot going on in February - can't wait!

4X8 Winter Exchange

Late last year, eight of us decided to do a seasonal exchange in 2009. The group is comprised of 4 stitchers from the U.S. and 4 from Germany. We're going to rotate partners each season of the year.

For the Winter exchange, my partner was Kerstin. Kerstin's package arrived this weekend. Enclosed were many wonderful things! First off, here is the lovely bag that Kerstin stitched and finished for me.

The heart stitched in the center of the bag is comprised of several white, delicate looking snowflakes. The bag is finished off with two snowflake buttons and coordinating fabrics. It's really pretty!

Kerstin enclosed this unique pin. I haven't seen one of these before. As you can see, it's adorned with some pretty glass beads, a charm, and a piece of cross-stitch. I love it!


A few other goodies filled out the exchange including an Easter pattern (designed by Kerstin herself!), some banding, pretty french thread in a pale blue color, and a scissors! This scissors is new to me - it is adorned with the breast cancer ribbons.


A wonderful exchange; I've enjoyed getting to know Kerstin through her blog. My package to her is on its way; I hope she likes it!

Another LHN RR - finished!

When I stopped at Joan's on Saturday, I picked up Melissa's LHN RR. This is the last one that I had to stitch on; it goes back to Melissa when I am finished. Well, two cups of Capuccino, two good movies (Mona Lisa Smile and The Bridges of Madison County) and four hours of stitching, and Melissa's LHN RR is done!

As you can see, Melissa asked us each to stitch one of the squares from the Dear Diary series (what a great idea for a round robin!) I think it turned out great. Now that's it done, I can send it home to Melissa when I mail Joanne's to her!




P.S. The square that I stitched is on the bottom in the middle - "Kindness"

More Ornaments from Stitching Friends

More ornaments from the ornament exchange to share - Carolyn's came in my mailbox; and I picked up Jill's and Joan's at Joan's house today (they were expecting me to come stitch with them last night but I didn't make it. My daughter's team's basketball game went into 3OT - but that's another story!)

First up is the ornament from Jill. The design is from Brown House Studio and if you are interested in stitching this one, it is in the 2004 JCS Ornament magazine. Jill is an expert finisher -- this is really beautifully done. Thanks Jill!


Next up, the ornament from Joan. This was a freebie she found online somewhere. She said she stitched it for me because she knew I was partial to reindeer (kind of like Edgar!) It's stitched using DMC115 - isn't it pretty?



Finally, here is Carolyn's ornament. This one also comes from a JCS Ornament magazine; 1999 to be exact. The design is from The Sampler House. It's perfect because I love alphabets too!



Such a lovely collection -- thanks so much to all of you wonderful stitchers!

Ornament from Staci

This is ornament #2 from the small group that is doing the monthly ornament exchange; January is my month to receive. This lovely ornament is from Staci!

Staci wrote that it is from the JCS 1999 Ornament issue; it's the ornament from Hollie Designs. Note Staci's attention to detail -- I hope you can see the tiny tree stitched on the back side.


Another wonderful ornament - thanks Staci!

Mama Joan

Mama Joan is a new Grandma -- her oldest daughter had a baby girl yesterday. Now Joan has one of each - a grandson and a granddaughter. If you have time, drop by her blog and congratulate her! She also has a PIF offer for anyone that might be interested....

Mama Joan's blog

Nic and Joan

Well, you are the only two that left a comment on the PIF post, so as promised, the two of you will each receive something stitched from me within the next 365 days (oh it will probably be much sooner than 365 days!)

Now, in exchange, the two of you each need to post this offer on your blog and "pay it forward" to two more stiching bloggers.

How's everybody else doing?

Joanne's LHN RR

Over the weekend I added my contribution to Joanne's LHN RR. My block is in the top right corner. The house and the trees are from the ABC123 chart; I changed the house colors to match the colors of one of the houses in the LHN Neighborhood chart. The sheep and the flowers in the middle are from The Counting House. I think it turned out great; I hope Joanne likes it.
Now look at how beautiful this RR is ... only one more block to go before it returns home to Joanne! (The colors in the second photo are more accurate!)

One more thing...

Karol at Rosebud's Stitching had a PIF offer on her blog which I signed up for. Karol is going to stitch something for me in the next 365 days. In return, I promised to post this on my blog and "pay it forward" to two other stitching bloggers out there. So, if you are interested in receiving something stitched from me within the next 365 days AND you are willing to post this on your blog and "pay it forward" to two other stitching bloggers out there, leave a comment on this post. I will draw two names on Wednesday, January 21...

Ornament from Edgar

A small group of us started an ornament exchange last year. Each month, one stitcher receives on ornament from the other nine. It's my turn this month to receive and my first ornament arrived yesterday from Edgar!

I was so excited when opening the package, anxious to see which design he selected for me! Inside was a wonderful, primitive looking ornament adorned with antique buttons (forgot to take a photo of the back, but they are there!) and some antique looking lace.

The design is called "Peace On Earth" from Heart String Primitive. Edgar stitched it using DMC on 32 count Lakeside Linen fabric. Of course, the ornament is personalized with our initials and the year.

Thank you Edgar for a wonderful ornament!

Tiny Treasures Scissors Fobs

Not only did I receive my scissors fob but the one I sent was also received this week on the Tiny Treasures exchange. First up, here's the one I received from Lori. It says "Home is Best" - I couldn't agree with her more!

My partner was Estrella in Cordoba, Spain. Estrella doesn't have a blog, but Sharon was kind enough to send me some of her likes and dislikes. In the end, I decided to stitch a hardanger fob for Estrella. It has eyelets stitched on one side and the initial "E" on the other. I used some colorful Needle Necessities #8 perle cotton from my stash. There are also some beads stitched on this fob, but they don't show up in the photo!


It's my month for ornaments and a special one arrived from Edgar today. I am going to save this picture for tomorrow's post.

Until then -- stay warm and happy stitching!

Frozen in Minnesota

Well, it's Tuesday and it's really cold here in Minnesota. When I woke up this morning, the temperature was -16°Fahrenheit (-26.66°Celsius). I don't think the temperature ever went above freezing today! I left home early because I knew it would be a long commute into work and it was. Bumper to bumper traffic with no one going more than 15 or 20 miles per hour. I heard that there were over 200 accidents on the roads. Saw a couple of spinouts and a few cars off the road. This is dangerous weather and treacherous travel, even for a die-hard Minnesotan like myself!

I've been stitching away since my last post. As I'm sure you remember, I'm trying to finish up a couple of exchanges. My HoE Valentine's exchange is finished and ready to mail; I'm still working on my Winter Seasonal exchange - hopefully by the weekend this one will be complete. Tiny Treasures has been mailed but it had a bit of a ways to travel (to a warmer place I might add!)

So, all I have for you this evening is the HoE Lizzie Kate exchange that I mailed last weekend. The receiver was Pam; she seems to really like it! "Life's A Stitch" is one of my all-time favorite Lizzie Kate designs and it seemed most appropriate to send to another stitcher. I used the called for GAST fibers and I think this was stitched on a piece of Dirty Belfast from my stash. It's finished as a pinkeep. I think it turned out quite nice!

Has anyone out there visited the Shepherd's Bush shop? I am going to be in Salt Lake City in February and I'm trying to figure out how easy (or difficult) it might be to get to Ogden, UT to visit their shop. I would have the better part of a day to do this in; any suggestions or recommendations on how to get from downtown Salt Lake City to Ogden?

Until next time - stay warm!

First Post in the New Year

Gosh, how can it be the sixth day of January already?

We had such a wonderful, relaxing weekend. We don't entertain on New Year's Day, we just relax. I made a pan of lasagna and we enjoyed some of the leftover snacks from the previous evening - we watched football and hockey on TV, and I stitched to my heart's content!

On Friday I had lunch with a friend followed by a road trip with Joan, Jill, and Jackie to Stitchville, our "not so" local needlework store (it's about a 40 minute trip in each direction.) Friday night was spent stitching at Joan's. On Saturday all the holiday decorations came down and returned to storage for another year. It was nice to get the house back in order. Sunday came and went far too quickly. Before I knew it, it was time for another work week to begin!

During the holiday weekend I did get some stitching in. Two dear friends celebrated birthdays recently and I wanted to send them something special. Both are fans of Mary Garry designs, so it was easy to decide what to stitch for them - the Mary Garry pinkeep from the 2000 JCS Christmas Ornament magazine. I replaced the word "Christmas" with their names. I used miscellaneous linen from my stash and ST Holly Berry and Pine.

Marie's birthday is on December 29 - unfortunately I didn't get this finished and mailed until the new year, but it is the thought that counts, right? I have so enjoyed getting to know Marie better through blogging and exchanging the past few years.

Lelia's birthday is on January 2. Lelia's blog was one of the first that I visited when I started getting into this blogging thing. Lelia is such a creative person - I enjoy reading her posts.

Here's another little project that I started on January 3rd -- I'm about halfway finished with the center design and then need to stitch the border. Perhaps you recognize Three Crows from Goode Huswife? (Thanks to Barbara for her enabling on this one; she stitched it recently and I fell in love with the picture on her blog.) I'm using sandstone linen and DMC threads. Also pictured is a recent eBay purchase; the price was too good to pass up. This is the Gingher Penelope embroidery scissors. I think it was available in 2002.
I also completed my HoE Lizzie Kate exchange last weekend; will post photos of this as soon as it is received. Tonight I'm working on the finishing for my Tiny Treasures scissor fob exchange. I know, I know, I was going on an exchange diet in 2009. I've never been very good at sticking with diets, but I'm still hoping to succeed at this one - I'm just putting off starting it until February!

That's all I have for tonight - until next time, Happy Stitching!