Crazy Weather!

It's hard to believe that it is still March and we have no snow and record high temperatures. Yesterday, it hit 80 degrees and that's just unheard of for our part of the world. Crazy weather everywhere I think. Maybe there is something to the global warming theory...

Despite how strange it is, I was glad that it was a beautiful day yesterday. My daughter ran in her first 7K in downtown Minneapolis; the Get Lucky 7K. The participants were all dressed in crazy attire - I wish I had pictures of some of the really crazy ones! There were serious runners too! Can you pick out "The Hulk" in the photo below?

Many green wigs...

And tutus...and shamrock headbands...

It was a beautiful day; over 8000 runners participated in the 7K...

My daughter wanted to run the 7K in under 45 minutes; her final time was 40:51 minutes. She said it was a lot of fun and she's looking forward to her next race! Here she is with her two friends (DD in the middle):

I know you are interested in stitching too, so here are a couple more little finishes from that bottomless basket of smalls that I am determined to conquer! Have no idea how long I have had these three kits, but they were quick and easy to stitch; I will save the finishing for another day in the not so distant future!

Hearts of America (Minnestota X2, Indiana)

The Victoria Sampler

Kits -White 25 ct Lugana and DMC

That's all I've got for you today! Thanks for stopping by.

A Star Pouch

I know, I know! I should be working on my pre-work for the upcoming Stitchville retreat...but another project was calling my name today and I just couldn't help it!

Do you remember this La D Da kit from a couple of years ago? It's been neglected for so long, so when I pulled out my basket of smalls it kind of jumped out and said "Stitch me, stitch me!" And so I did.

The stitching was easy; the finishing not too bad. Lori's finishing instructions are very good. Since I had purchased the kit, I had all the supplies I needed to finish up this little pouch. I think it will come in handy for storing scissors or a small 6 inch ruler when I go to stitching get-to-gethers.

Here's the front:



Here's the back:

A Star Pouch

La D Da

35 ct Weeks linen

Needlepoint Silk

All in all, a productive day wouldn't you say?

Sampler Update

Happy Saturday! Happy Weekend! It's positively beautiful here in MN this weekend. Gorgeous spring weather with warm temperatures. I opened up several windows to let the fresh air in!

Thought it was time to give you an update on the sampler I am working on. I haven't had a lot of time to stitch in the last week or so, but I think I've made pretty good progress. Just a few more flowers (four to be exact) on the right side, and the outside border will be done. I am loving this piece - great design, wonderful Belle Soie silks, and a scrumptious linen color.

Please excuse the wrinkles - I didn't take time to press. The colors in the photo of the entire piece are most accurate; the close up of the top left corner is a little bit washed out.




The design is "I Sigh Not for Beauty" from C Street Samplerworks...

I'm going to have to put this down soon. I have some stitching to do for the upcoming Stitchville retreat, plus I want to finish a couple more smalls out of that smalls basket. Wish me luck!

Just a Couple of Buddies

Okay, I was only going to buy the sheep - it was too cute! But then I had to have the penguin too. And you know how much I love dogs. The chick, well that one just stole my heart!

I just couldn't resist these button buddy kits from Just Another Button Company. Tonight, in just a couple of hours, I assembled all four of them. May I introduce you to (from left to right): Charley Chick, Sherry Sheep, Penny Penguin, and Harriet Hound!



Thanks for stopping by!

Great Day of Stitching

I love to stitch...

I especially love to stitch when I'm with a group of friends...

Some of my stitching friends will tell you that I like visiting more than stitching...

Sometimes that is true!

Today, a group of stitching friends got together at a local quilt shop that let us use their classroom for a nominal charge. We started at about 9:30am and stitched away until 3:00pm. Some took time for lunch at the restaurant next store; others just continued stitching. Lots of progress was made on many projects.

I took pictures of some of the projects - I wish I had captured all of them. Here are some of the things that members of the group were working on today!

A good time was had by all!

WIP Progress Made

Hope you are all enjoying the weekend. I've spent most of day just putzing...haven't accomplished too much.

Here's the only stitching update I have to share...in between the smalls I finished last weekend and the red exchange project that I sent out, I've been working on this:

Birds of a Feather Mystery Sampler

With Thy Needle and Thread
35 ct WDW Confederate Grey linen
WDW fibers

I'm sure many of you are thinking "it's about time she gets that stitched!" Believe me, I feel the same way. I'm not sure why it's taking me so long to pull this one together, but it is. And now I must put it away again as I have some other projects to work on...such as pre-work for the Stitchville retreat...right Judy? (Judy already has started hers...)

I'm enjoying the Nashville updates that I'm seeing...added another "must have" to my list. Really like the Nashville exclusive collaboration by LHN, Crescent Colours, and Shakespeare's Peddler...you can see it on the LHN blog here.

Anxiously awaiting more updates...happy stitching!

Trifle From a Friend

As mentioned a few blog posts ago, I recently participated in a Red Exchange with some friends on the Friends Through Threads blog. I really wasn't sure about participating, I was really enjoying stitching without deadlines! Knowing how the package I sent brightened Hazel's day reminded me of just how good it feels to give to others, and yesterday, I was reminded of how wonderful it feels to receive something that was stitched especially for you by a friend!

Suzanne received my name and she stitched this lovely pinkeep for me. The design, Trifle From a Friend, is from Plum Street Samplers (a freebie that was offered on her blog awhile ago.) What is particularly special to me is that the entire design is stitched over one - no one appreciates the work that goes into over one stitching more than one! (My friends will confirm that I only do over one when I have to and I do it kicking and screaming all the way!) Suzanne stitched and finished it perfectly and her gift will sit in a place of honor in my stitching room! Thank you Suzanne!

Trifle From a Friend
Plum Street Samplers
28ct ecru linen
GAST Raspberry Parfait
Stitched and finished by Suzanne!

Another Must-Have

Well, I think I have found another must-have from the upcoming needlework market and all I've seen is a sneak peek! Look here: Chessie and Me/ Scarlet's Summer Sampler. When I stitched Scarlet's Christmas Sampler last year I thoroughly enjoyed it and it remains one of my favorite pieces....soooo....I think the Summer Sampler is a must-have!

I hope there will be some additional sneak peeks or periodic updates during the show. I'll be tuning into Facebook and the blogs with anticipation!

On a separate note, a number of people have commented on their blogs about the new word verification on blogger...I tried turning mine off the other day for a few hours and instantly received several SPAM comments so turned it back on. I've re-adjusted the settings again and will try going with it off. I agree with all of you - it's very difficult for real people to interpret the letters being used for word verification!

Check back tomorrow - I have something special to share with you!

Friendhip Pin Pillow

A couple months ago when one of my stitching buds asked about resurrecting the Friends Through Threads exchange blog, I turned over the reins to her and told her to go for it. It's been a long time since I have participated in any exchanges and I got really "comfortable" with not having to stitch around deadlines. When asked if I wanted to participate in the Red Exchange, I said "sure" and wondered if I would enjoy the process again.

I'm glad I did it...it took me a long time to figure out what to stitch. I perused through my patterns, but nothing seemed quite right. And then one day, I happened to see a post on the Heartstring Samplery blog and immediately thought "that's it!" I ordered up the pattern right away and got busy stitching (I've always been known to do better under pressure anyway!) With only a day or two to spare, I mailed off my package.

Hazel received my package yesterday and I'm glad that she likes it. I enjoyed stitching this little pillow for her. I really like the design and think that there will probably be more of these in my future!

Friendship Pin Pillow
Heartstring Samplery
32 count Summer Khaki
Victorian Motto Antique Red Fibers

Finally Finished!

What a way to start the week - my oldest WIP...finished! I started this back in 2005 and resurrected it in January. Last night I worked on it some and then put the finishing stitches in this morning. All I had left were the two pulled thread bands. I'm not sure why I let those two bands intimidate me so!

Mystery Sampler
Janet Kerr
Embroiderer's Guild of America
Stitched with DMC

I plan to get some hardware for this next time I'm at my LNS.

Gotta run! Thanks for stopping by!

Needlebooks Finished!

My, this has been a productive weekend! It helps that I had one extra day to get projects done...I have a couple more small finishes to share with you.



First up is the By the Sea Needleroll from Shakespeare's Peddler. This was an exclusive kit for those who attended the Dyeing to Stitch Retreat last October in Virginia Beach. I finished the stitching shortly after I returned, but never had time to do the actual "finishing." Sadly, I did not take a picture of the finished model, so I just kind of did my own thing. This rolls up...hence a needleroll.




And...another finish from the basket of smalls! This you will recognize as the companion piece to the Peacock Pinkeep from Blackbird Designs. I used the leftover silks from my pinkeep project and did my own version of a needlebook finish. This one is my favorite.





The fabric print on the inside of the needlebook is from Blackbird Designs too. The bird buttons were in my stash!



I'm sure I could find more things to finish, but I think I'm going to resume working on Birds of a Feather from With Thy Needle and Thread. Maybe I'll have a picture for you in a day or so!

Enjoy your evening!

Conquering the Bottomless Basket of Smalls

I am determined in 2012 to finish up many of the kitted smalls that I have collected over the years. Remember this basket?



So far, I'm on track; I finished the stitching on two smalls from this basket in January and now two more in February! Yesterday I had time to "finish" them.

One of the smalls I stitched up in January was the Shepherd's Bush fob for 2011. Love the red color of the linen! I used two strands of floss for my stitching. Here she is all finished up - first the front side and then the back side.




Another stitching finish from January was this LHN small from the pattern "Fresh From the Garden." All I had to do was blind stitch this design to the already finished needlebook from Impie, Hattie and Bea. Easy peasy.



My two February smalls are from Shakespeare's Peddler. You saw Ole Pincushion on February 12 post. When I was in Virginia Beach last fall for the Dyeing to Stitch retreat, I picked up this kitted pincushion from Theresa. It's called Patience Pincushion and it came with the JABCO pins. Her model was finished in a frame but I finished mine as a little pillow. Gotta love that hand-dyed chenille trim!

Patience Pincushion
Shakespeare's Peddler
Kit - 32 count linen, silk threads

I have one more finish from this basket which I will share with you in my next post. I think I'm making good progress though on the basket, do you agree? Now I just have to stop adding to it, right? :)

Have a great day! Happy Stitching!

Anticipation...

The excitement and anticipation is building...Nashville Market is just around the corner. I enjoy perusing through the lists and pictures of upcoming Nashville offerings.

There is one item that I will purchase without hesitation. You can probably guess what it is...the new book from Blackbird Designs, For My Friend.



Of the items that have been previewed, what's on your "must have" list?

PIFs Received

Happy Friday Y'all! I'm getting an early start to the weekend by playing catch up at home today. Hopefully by Sunday evening the list of projects on my list will be complete!

Earlier this week I mailed out my two Pay It Forward gifts (I wanted to get these sent out before I immerse myself in another project.) You can read the details for this PIF on my January 17 post. Since four stitchers expressed interest, I had to draw names and Shirlee and Pat were the lucky winners. Both have received their packages and I'm happy that they both liked the stitching related items that I sent to them!

The packages were similar. Each included one of my mom's tatted pincushions, some needles, some CC fibers, a corner gauge, R&R hand dyed chenille, and some chocolate. Here's Shirlee's package:



You can visit Shirlee's blog at: The Easily Influenced Stitcher

Here's Pat's Box:



You can visit Pat's blog here: Bits and Pieces

I've been working on With Thy Needle and Thread's Birds of a Feather Mystery Sampler but it has been slow going. I may have to put it away as I need to get my pre-work done for the Stitchville Retreat in April. Last I heard there were still four openings if anyone out there is interested!

Gotta get back to that list of projects...have a great weekend!

Just a Quickie...

...quick post because I'm watching the Grammy Awards!

It's been a productive weekend. Finished an exchange which you'll see a picture of in a week or so; once it is received. Assembled several pincushions using my mom's tatting (many of these are gifts too), and stitched and finished a small from that basket of smalls that I am determined to conquer this year!

I don't know why it's taken me so long to stitch and finish this wee little pincushion! It's "Ole Pincushion" from Shakespeare's Peddler. It's mounted inside an old zinc jar lid. Quick, easy, finished! I opted not to put trim around the design.

Ole Pincushion
Shakespeare's Peddler
32 ct Belfast Black
DMC Threads

And...pincushions..I just love these bright colors! My mom did the tatting, and now that her arm is feeling better, she's been tatting more regularly.



Well, gotta run...back to the Grammy's!

Super (Bowl) Finish

Summer-Autumn-Winter
Blackbird Designs 2011 Loose Feathers
36ct R&R Irish Creme
GAST & CC Fibers (as charted)

Drive By Post...

I have to make this quick! I'm working later hours today and I seem to always jam pack too many projects into the hours between waking up and leaving for work. Before I go though, I want to share this quick update with you...

Over the weekend, I finished up BBD Loose Feathers Autumn...(please excuse the wrinkles.)



Now, on to Winter...

And then...I just had to show you this...it's too cute not to share it with you.



It's the Jeanette Douglas needlebook from the Dyeing to Stitch retreat last fall. The stitching was done by my friend Judy; I just finished it into a needlebook for her.




Cute, cute, cute. Well I have to go to work now. See ya!