Time for A Stitchy Post!

Wow - January is just fleeting by; I can't believe it's the 25th already! I shouldn't complain though; it's been a productive month for me. After the holidays every year I start my annual campaign to clean every room in the house. Not just your normal dusting and vacuuming either - I clean out closets and drawers and "reduce, reuse, and recycle!" As the year progresses, I make my way through the house...some years I get through the whole house, some years I don't. It's a good feeling though when the rooms are really clean and stuff is organized!

I seem to have stalled a bit with my stitching this month. Oh, not to worry, I'm still stitching, but maybe at a slower pace than earlier in the month. Still, I'm making progress and I have a few updates for you.

Let's start with some framing that I picked up recently. This was one of my first finishes this year and it is going to be a gift for some friends. I had it framed at JoAnn's and unlike the pieces I have framed for myself, I had them put glass on it. The design is Pray for Peace from Birds of a Feather.



The angled photo shows off the mottled look of this frame. I like it alot; I hope that our friends like it too. They lost their house to a fire last fall and so when they move in to their new home in February we will give this to them. I figured they may need something to hang on their walls!

Next up is a progress report on my Blackbird Designs Loose Feathers. I seem to be on a mission to get some of my WIPs done before starting anything new. This happens to be one of those WIPs and I'm making good progress on the center section. Can I just say that it took forever to stitch that big bird?!?!? I'm stitching on 36ct Irish Creme and using the overdyed threads as called for. I really like the shading in the alphabet and the birds!



Last but not least - I think this is the update I am most proud of. The piece is not finished yet, but it is really close! This was/is the oldest WIP in the basket. The design is called Mystery Sampler and the pattern was posted back in 2005 and 2006 over several months in the EGA magazine. As you can see, it is a band sampler. It's about 2.5 - 3 feet long. It's stitched with DMC.



I started this project in 2005. I got as far as "PQR" and stopped. I was afraid to do the pulled thread stitches I guess.


Two weeks ago at a Needlework Guild meeting, one of the ladies there had brought hers with. She had a little bit more finished than I did, but still had quite a bit left to do. Once I saw hers I knew that I had to get this finished this year! With some prodding from another friend (aka taskmaster Chris) I completed the rest of the stitching down as far as my name at our weekend stitching retreat two weeks ago.

This past weekend while watching football I stitched up the over one verse at the bottom.

All I have left is the two pulled thread sections (under PQR and above STU). If you look closely, you can see that I've started pulling out threads under PQR! I hope to share a finish with you on this one real soon!

So there you have it - you're all caught up with my recent stitching progress. Happy hump day and keep on stitching!

Pay It Forward Follow-Up

Thank you Shirlee, Rebecca, Pat, and Kate for your interest in my Pay It Forward offer. Since there were four of you we drew names (with my DD assisting.) Shirlee and Pat, you are the lucky winners! Please send me your mailing addresses - you will find my email address in my profile.

Since there were only four of you, Rebecca and Kate - you are going to get a "consolation" prize. I would like to send you each a small gift for offering to participate. Please send me your mailing addresses too.

Today was a busy day, otherwise I'd have pictures for you. If you can patient a few more days, I promise it will be worth the wait!

Hope the week ahead includes some stitching time!

Pay It Forward

It's been a long time since I participated in a Pay It Forward or even an exchange for that matter; but when Maureen from Maureen's Mountain of Stitching asked if I wanted to participate in her PIF, I gladly said yes. I had the good fortune of meeting Maureen and her mother at the Dyeing to Stitch retreat in Virginia Beach last fall. It was a delight to visit with them throughout the retreat!

This Pay It Forward was started last November by Karen at Stitching and Sharing . Since I will be receiving from Maureen, I have agreed to "Pay It Forward" to two lucky stitchers. If you want to receive a gift from me, then you also agree do the following:

1) If you win, you must be willing to post this PIF on your blog and do the same for at least 2 people.

2) Send no less than 5 stitching related items per person within the next 365 days.

3) Items can be DMC, other threads, stitching needles, straight pins, buttons, scissors, ribbons, ect. - a combination of items such as 3 threads, 1 pack of straight pins, and 1 pack of stitching needles or just 5 threads.

4) The items must be new and not used.

If you are interested in participating and would like to receive a Pay It Forward gift from me, please leave a comment on this post. Make sure you include your email address (or have it available in your blogger profile). If more than two people express interest, I will draw two names. Please comment by Friday, January 20!

Hope you are having a great week filled with lots of time for stitching!

Productive Weekend

Hello Friends! I've just returned from three days of stitching bliss! Some of my stitching friends have been getting together on this weekend every year for the last several years at the Belisle Ranch Retreat. This year, I was able to join them. The ranch is about a 1.5 hour drive, just across the border in Range, WI.

We arrived at "The Ranch" on Thursday afternoon at 3pm and stayed until about 11:30am today. We cross-stitched and ate and cross-stitched more. The meals were fabulous (not to mention the fact that they were cooked for us!) The accommodations were very comfortable. Here are a couple of photos of our stitching room; you can see that many of the stitchers were hard at work!




During the weekend, I managed to finish three projects; one is from my WIP basket and two are from the basket of smalls that you heard about at the beginning of the year. I also have one other WIP that I worked on extensively - it's not finished yet, but I put a really good dent in it and hope to have it finished soon.

Since it's late and I'm ready for some shut-eye, let's get right to the stitching photos! Here's the finish from the WIP basket. I'm sure you will recognize it; it's from the Cherrywood Designs Dictionary Series.

Scissors
Cherrywood Designs
28 ct WDW Blue Jeans/Natural Gingham Linen
WDW Kohl

From the basket of smalls, this LHN design from the Nashville Needlework show in 2011. I also purchased the needlebook and pincushion; I think there is some finishing in my future!

Fresh from the Garden
Little House Needleworks
30 ct WDW Straw
Cresent Colours Fibers

The third finish also came out of that basket of smalls; it's the 2011 Shepherd's Bush scissors fob! Can't seem to escape that finishing work!

2011 Scissor Fob "Passion"
Shepherd's Bush
Kit - 30 ct Aztec Red Linen/DMC & WDW

The other WIP that I spent a significant amount of time on is one I started back in 2005. It's the EGA Mystery Sampler and is done as a band sampler. I got about a third of the way done (back in 2005) and got stuck. I needed a little encouragement (okay, maybe it was a shove) to get this one going again. I'll share a picture of this one next time.

Before I go, let me share with you a picture of Buttercup - she was the resident cat at the ranch. She was super friendly and constantly monitored our work. Buttercup liked getting cozy on our laps and she especially liked napping under our stitching lights, but as you can see in this photo, Buttercup also took a liking to one of these stitcher's lap trays! What a silly cat!

The Mermaid

As many of you probably guessed, I went for the quick and easy win. Not a lot of solid stitching and mostly letters, so I was able to finish The Mermaid from Shakespeare's Peddler in just a few days. This was our class piece with Theresa Venette at the Dyeing to Stitch Retreat in Virginia Beach last fall.

I don't think I would have normally purchased this pattern, but I am strangely attracted to the design! What's interesting about this piece are the "patches." Yes, some of the motifs are stitched on a slightly different colored piece of linen and these patches then were stitched to the main piece of linen. I tacked them down and then went back and added the "topstitching". Kind of different and unique don't you think?

The Mermaid

Shakespeare's Peddler
Dyeing To Stitch Retreat - Class Project

I'm going to be away for a couple of days; going to enjoy a stitching weekend with some old and new friends.

Thanks for stopping by!

I Think I Can....

Will have another finish to dance about soon. The Mermaid by Shakespeare's Peddler is almost done, but you'll have to wait another day or so for a photo.

Last night I went to Needlework Guild; our group that meets on the second Tuesday of the month decided to do a WIP challenge this year. We each brought three projects that we wanted to try to finish this year and then the group voted to decide which project we should each focus on and finish during the year. As part of the challenge, we each pay $5 to a kitty. At the April, July, and October meetings, if we have made significant progress on our piece we will get a $1 back. Those who finish their piece by the November meeting will get their name put in a hat and the name drawn will get whatever money is then left in the kitty.

I took three projects with; this is the one that the group selected for me:



It's I Sigh Not For Beauty by C Street Samplerworks. You will remember that this was one of my designated crazy challenge pieces for 2011. Unfortunately, it did not get very much attention in 2011. This is all the further I got:



So, in the words of "The Little Engine That Could"....I think I can, I think I can...

Jenny Bean's Christmas Sampler - Finished!

I'm happy to report that I have a finish to share...Jenny Bean's Christmas Sampler! This was one of my crazy challenge pieces from last year; I probably had about a third of it stitched and decided that I really wanted to finish it.

Jenny Bean's Christmas Sampler

Shakespeare's Peddler
32 ct LL Navy Bean
Sampler Threads

What's next? I think I need to work on one of the many WIPs languishing in the WIP basket. These next three pictures are not the greatest, but will give you some idea as to which designs I'm pondering about tackling next.

The Mermaid Sampler from Shakespeare's Peddler (Dyeing to Stitch retreat piece):


I Sigh Not for Beauty from C Street Samplerworks:


Loose Feathers Autumn from Blackbird Designs...I should probably get this finished since the final part, Winter, just came out...right?


You'll have to stop back tomorrow to see which I piece I decided to work on next!

Until then = Happy Stitching!

Off to a Stitchy Start

Happy New Year friends! I hope that 2012 is treating you well; I know that I can't complain!

Before I show you my 2012 stitching progress, I want to take a moment to thank everyone that said a prayer and/or sent good wishes for my mom. Her surgery earlier in December went well and she's doing great. It will be a few more weeks before she regains full movement in her right shoulder, but every week she's doing a little bit better. We need to get her tatting again! :) Now, on to the stitching...

Late last week I picked up the final LHN ornament pattern for 2011 -- Good Tidings. I was itching to stitch it and so I started it on New Year's Eve and finished it on New Year's Day. I will do the ornament finishing later on, but the stitching is done. I like smaller ornaments so this is stitched on 40ct.

LHN Good Tidings
40ct LL Fawn
DMC and Crescent Colours

I usually will start a larger project on New Year's Day, but I had a little project that I wanted to get stitched; this is going to be a gift for some friends and I need to get it framed.

BOAF Pray for Peace
36ct PTP Legacy
WDW Fibers

What's my stitching plan for 2012? Remember this?



It's that basket of smalls which I am bound and determined to conquer in 2012! At last count, there were about 35 - 40 projects in this basket. Scissor fobs, small pincushions, etc. - all small projects that I should be able to complete in a couple of days. Let's hope this basket is close to empty by the end of the year.

Aside from all of those smalls, I'm planning to stitch on whatever tickles my fancy! At the moment, I'm set on trying to finish up Jenny Bean's Christmas Sampler. I don't have too much left of it; if I can spend some quality time on it this week, she should be close to finished!



After Jenny, well, I'm not sure, but it's safe to say that I have a number of different projects to choose from. LOL! I've enjoyed reading all of your blogs and seeing the various projects you all will be working on...

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you find some time for stitching this week!

Final Post for 2011

Wow. I can't believe that it is December 31! Where does the time go? Tomorrow we start writing 2012. The New Year always seems to rejuvenate me; I make grand plans to do various things better in the new year and sometimes I succeed, sometimes not - but then there's always a new year to re-set and start over again!

From a stitching perspective, I get excited about digging in my stash and making plans. Of course, I'm always going to "buy less" and "stitch more" but that never happens! I keep reminding myself that for me, stitching is therapy; it's my escape from the problems of the day, my way of letting my creativity shine, a way to relax-even if only for a few minutes. It's pretty amazing when you think about it -- we take a blank canvas (one that's mottled with a very fine count works best for me!) and we change it. We add color and texture with the fibers and the stitches that we add. When it is all finished we have a beautiful stitched piece that holds special memories for us. It might remind us of that special person that we thought of while stitching the piece with their initials carefully incorporated in a corner. Or, it might remind us of a special event, past or present; maybe we remember exactly where we were when we were stitching the sampler and who we were with... Some of my stitched pieces remind of special friends, people that I have met in person and/or through this blog; they all hold a special place in my heart.

2011 was a successful stitching year; if I counted correctly, I had about 30 finishes or so. That CRAZY Crazy Challenge for 2011 was a huge motivator for me. Going into it, I didn't expect to finish all 15 projects, but I also never thought I would finish 12 (and I did!) Needless to say, I'm happy with my results!

Here are some of my favorite finishes from this year:


Blackbird Designs Peacock Pinkeep -- as my regular readers know, there's always something from BBD in my WIP basket; I love all of their designs; in fact, I stitched eight of their designs last year. I was excited to stitch and finish this one in 2011!

The Drawn Thread's Game Board Sampler would probably still be languishing in the UFO pile if it weren't for the Crazy Challenge. I had to take a short vacation from stitching houses after stitching this one! Lelia (Stitches of Life) and I started this project on New Year's Day back in 2006 or 2007...I'm glad mine is finished.

Another Blackbird Designs project! And another project that had been languishing in my stash for a long time. This one holds special memories; it reminds me of my trip in 2007 to the Hands to Work Retreat in Virginia. I hadn't been blogging long and stitching retreats were kind of new to me. Oh how I wish I could do that one again! It was such great fun. The design is the Flowers for Sarah needleroll.

I love this Chessie and Me piece - Scarlett Pomegranate's Christmas Sampler. I was determined to finish the over one stitching by myself. And I did!

Quaker Stitches from Jeanette Douglas; proof that the designer knows best! I fretted over the light colored fiber in the medallion top center and bottom right. There's also some in the center of the piece. Bought like 3 or 4 different skeins of Belle Soie silk each time thinking that color would work better. In the end, I used the color that Jeanette had charted. What a silly girl I am! I had the good fortune of meeting Jeanette at the Stitchville retreat last April!

(Hope you are not bored, I'm kind of enjoying this trip down memory lane...)


This one is at the top of my favorite list. I love BOAF. Included the initials for all the special people (and pets) in my immediate family. Birds of a Feather Happy Hearts...


LHN Friendship Squares - this is one of the coolest things I did all year. Each member of the Friday night stitch group stitched a square. We added our initials and swapped squares and then made these little boxes. Love it!


Quaker Medallion Sampler - Enjoyed working on this sampler from C Street Samplerworks; I've got another one of her designs started (and plan to finish it in 2012!)



The last one I will include here, is the piece I finished in Virgina Beach at the Dyeing to Stitch retreat (another fun weekend with stitching friends). I was so close and so determined to finishing this one that I kept on stitching right during the opening reception - at one point I had to stand up, which I did but I kept right on stitching! In my room later that night I started my happy dance only to realize that I had missed a part and had to sit back down and continue stitching! Ha! I should have a picture of this framed, but I can't find it, so here are the unframed photos of Jenny Bean's Halloween Sampler from Shakespeare's Peddler.

Many happy memories...looking forward to making more in 2012!

Ready to Move on to a New Year!

Our tree by day...



Happy Day After Christmas! How was your holiday? Ours was event-filled, but all worked out for the best. We were hosting dinner on Sunday for one of my brothers and his family, but it must not have been meant to be. My daughter woke up during the night with the flu and we had to quickly figure out "Plan B." We packed up the food and gifts and took Christmas dinner to my brother's house! My DH stayed home with my daughter, my mom went with me. It all worked out and we had a lovely day. By the time we got home last night, my daughter was feeling a little better and we were able to open our gifts to each other. Most of the family then watched the football game; I went to bed - I was tired out!

Our tree by night...



I'm looking forward to 2012 and a new year of stitching! You remember that I have pulled out a number of small projects from my stash. I'm hoping to get those stitched and finished in 2012. I haven't made any other plans or "resolutions" as of yet, but I'm anxious to spend some quality time in my stitching chair real soon!

Enjoy your week! Happy Stitching!

Merry Christmas!

Dear stitching/blogging friends, I wish you much joy during this season of peace! Merry Christmas!



(Received this BOAF ornament in the mail today from Marie at Creative Thread. Thanks Marie!)

All Tuckered Out...

I'm feeling a bit like my friend Maggie here!

Lots of Merry!

A few more ornament finishes tonight. If you've followed my blog for a long time you saw a whole basket of these last year. I had some fabric left and decided to stitch up a few more. This design is from Miss Crescent's Crowne and it is in the 2010 JCS Ornament Issue!



That's all I've got!

Busy Weekend!

This is going to be a quick post...I've got a million things to do yet! It's been a busy weekend. It started out grrrrreat! (Think Tony the Tiger...) On the second Saturday of each month a group of us gather together at Stitchville for Sip N Stitch. A little stitching, some stashing (the new Blackbird Designs sampler "Christmas Garden" had just come in!) We also enjoyed a delicious egg bake and an almond coffee cake...heaven. But as I've said numerous times before on this blog, all good things must come to an end....

Once I got home, I started cleaning like a maniac (imagine a house with two dogs that hasn't been cleaned for two weeks!) My DH and DD started pulling out Christmas decorations -- holy chaos Batman! The tree was dead...over two thirds of the lights on our artificial tree were dead...no matter what we did, we couldn't get them to light up....sooo off to Target to buy a new tree. Alright, I'll save you from all of the other details...today we continue with the lower level family room. Oy vey!

Let's talk about happier times like birthdays and stitching! I have a couple more gifts to show you. The Blackbird book in the photo below was a gift from Joan (I love any book by Blackbird Designs!), the kleenex holder, key fob (both made from Blackbird fabric) and the tea were from Wendy Jo, and the little notebook and scissors were from Diana. Thanks ladies for remembering my birthday and making it a special day!



I continue to work on that finishing I started the Friday after Thanksgiving. What do you think of these Christmas angel ornaments? I ruched the ribbon on one of them and did a beaded edge on the other two. I'm kind of liking the beaded edge the best, but I think both finishes are pretty.



Well...gotta run..washing machine is calling me!

Stitchville Retreat April 2012

I spent my morning stitching with friends at Stitchville's monthly Sip N Stitch gathering. We have the best time stitching and stashing and chatting. And Deb makes the most delicious egg dishes and pastries. I look forward to going every month!

When I was there today I found out that there are still openings (only six!) for the retreat this spring. Thea Dueck is coming and we are going to do a wonderful project - Thea's Victorian Pincushion. Here is the picture copied from the Stitchville website:



The retreat had filled up earlier this fall, but Thea agreed to add a few more spots. So, if you are interested, don't delay. We've always had a great time at these retreats - it's a great facility, the stitching/classroom is comfortable, and the meals are delicious! Please go to the Stitchville website for all the details (from the home page click on Spring Fling Retreat 2012).

My little disclaimer -- I'm not affiliated with the shop in anyway, just a very satisfied customer who has thoroughly enjoyed both of their first two retreats!

Hope you will come - would love to see you there!

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree!

O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,
wie treu sind deine Blätter!

Love this little German carol. Wish I were able to say that our Christmas tree is up and decorated and that the house is ready for the holidays...but I can't say that yet. Hopefully we will get this job done next weekend.

I've been making trees of a different kind these days - Hardanger trees! I joined the Nordic Needle Hardanger ornament of the month club this year and the ornament for October was a Christmas tree. While helping my mother this weekend at her boutique, I discovered that I can whip up one of these trees in an hour or two. I really like the beading detail (can you see those little red beads?) Well, I've made four of these trees already and I'll be making more!



The boutique was a huge success; my mom sold most of her tatting. She had a great time visiting with lots of different people - some come and buy her tatting year after year, some are just curious to find out what she's doing!




My daughter assisted at the boutique; the three of us had great fun - three generations spending the two days together. (However, only two generations in the photo - I'm not a fan of having my picture taken!)



My mom is having surgery on her right shoulder (rotator cuff) next Tuesday, so if you don't mind keeping her in your thoughts and prayers, I'd appreciate it!

That's all I've got for you. Hope your week is off to a good start. Happy Stitching!

Please Pass the Cupcakes!

I'm not a big fan of cooking or baking; hey I'd rather be stitching! But recently, I've been cooking up some cupcakes.

As many of you know, my mom tats. A few months ago I was trying to think of a way to incorporate her tatting into some type of needlework accessory. I saw a pincushion that had been done in wool and adorned with crocheted medallions and that sparked an idea. The finished pincushions are very different from what I originally came up with, but that's okay - I like them!

I've done these two ways now - you may recall a picture of the designers at the Dyeing to Stitch retreat holding their tatted pincushions for a photo. Those were done in tart tins and were quite cute (if I may say so myself!)



For this batch, I used some old zinc mason jar lids. The lids have lots of character to them (some have dates written on them; I noticed one of them had the year "1952" written on it - I wonder if the woman had canned pickles or peaches that year?) They are embellished with some trim I found at a local quilting shop.

My mom tatted motifs in various colors - she likes the thread called "Lizbeth" (a tatters version of WDW, CC, or GAST!) We found some wool colors that made the thread colors pop (thanks Roseanne) and voila!



Cute huh?

Back to Stitching

Sincere thanks to everyone who sent birthday wishes yesterday. I don't know why this particular birthday bothered me so much, but now I'm past it. It's a new month and pretty soon we'll be celebrating a new year! I have some stitchy pictures that I am excited to share with you!

First of all, a birthday gift that touched my heart. My friend Judy stitched this for me and did some special personalization. Judy and I first met at a Nordic Needle retreat in 2005. We both attended their retreat again in 2007. Shortly after that 2007 retreat Judy reached out to me via email and we started talking "stitching" and we've been good friends ever since. Of course, it helps that our tastes in stitching are similar - we both like to do Hardanger and we both love Blackbird Designs and many other designers. We've enjoyed several other retreats since then, like the Stitchville retreats and more recently, Dyeing to Stitch. We try to see each other once a month at Stitchville's monthly Sip N Stitch gatherings. I could go on and on..anyway, thanks Judy for your friendship! Judy stitched this Shepherd's Bush design for me -"Friends" and included our initials, plus "NN" for Nordic Needle and "2005" the year of our first retreat. It's finished in a cute little wedge and sits on a shelf in my stitching/computer room. Love it! Thanks again Judy!




JoAnn's called on Monday to say that the rest of my framing was done. Hooray! I picked up these two pieces from them.

Poppy Maye Russell
Heartstring Samplery
35ct WDW Cappuccino linen
WDW fibers

Jenny Bean's Halloween Sampler
Shakespeare's Peddler
36ct LL Pearled Barley
GAST Limited Edition Threadpack

I have to be honest with you; when I first started stitching Jenny Bean, I wasn't liking her very much. I don't stitch very many Halloween designs and I'm not a big fan of stitching graveyards or tombstones, but I loved the linen and I liked the thread colors and the more I stitched the more I liked this piece. Now that she's framed, I love her! I guess it just took a little longer for the two of us to bond!

Wish I had more to share, but there hasn't been a lot of time for stitching lately! Thanks for stopping by. Happy Stitching!