Stash for Sale

I am parting with some of my stash – I had good intentions when I purchased these projects, but now I find that I have far more than I would ever be able to stitch in my lifetime!

All of these charts have never been stitched. Non-smoking home. Fibers or fabric are included where indicated. Prices include postage for U.S. addresses only. I accept check, mo, or PayPal – please email me at tadten@msn.com if you are interested or have questions.

The Drawn Thread

-French Garden Needlework Pocket & Scissors Keeper (original retail $21 – includes chart and Needlepoint Inc Silk, Caron Waterlilies, beads and charm) - $10

-Lily of the Valley (original retail $30.75 – includes chart, fabric, fibers, and beads to complete project) - $15

Just a Bunch of Nunsense

Yes, that's right, I meant "nunsense" not "nonsense!" I usually limit my posts to stitching related items, but since I have nothing new to show I'm going to deviate a little bit!

Last weekend we had our fall festival at church. This year, our church is celebrating its sesquicentennial (150 years). Lots of things to do for all ages over the two-day celebration. On Saturday night there was a variety show. Some of my friends from church and I have done this act on and off for the past five or six years. Since it was such a significant year, we decided to "dust off our habits" and do the act again this year.

Let me explain...have you ever seen the play "Nunsense" - it's hilarious, especially if you were raised Catholic and went to private school where the teachers were nuns. Even if you didn't experience it first hand, the play is still quite funny. If you haven't seen Nunsense, then I'm sure you've seen or heard about the movie "Sister Act" starring Whoppi Goldberg.

Now why am I telling you all of this? See below:


We call ourselves the "Sisters of the OCC" (Order of Complete Chaos!) By the way, there was a real nun up there on stage with us! I'm the nun at the microphone in the middle.


We are an "equal opportunity" order!


Yes, I'm the good sister on the right. That's apple cider that I'm drinking by the way (yeah right!)

I guess you've just seen another side of me!

PIF Gift Received

My fifth and final PIF gift for 2007 was received a couple of weeks ago by Angela in England. What did she receive? Yup, you guessed right -- one of my hardanger doilies!

A Few More Pictures

I'm going to be traveling this week for work, so before I go I thought I'd leave you with a few more pictures.

Lavender Rose asked what I do with all of the exchanges that I receive. I'm very lucky to have a room that's dedicated to my stitching habit. Our family computer is located in that room too. So here are just a couple of snapshots - some of the smalls are in baskets and some are up on a shelf. I have a few of them tucked away and then I rotate every so often!



Look at the thoughtful RAK I received from Lelia this week. She volunteered at the Midwest Stash exchange this past week and this was the project at the "make it, take it" table. All proceeds went to the American Heart Association. The beaded fob was made by another friend of Lelia's. Too cool!


Lastly, -- I got one! When I checked at JoAnn's last weekend, they didn't have the new Ashley scissors in, but this weekend they did. They are really pretty!


Have a good week everyone; I'll be back on Wednesday!

It'a All About Me!

Yes, I had a great mail week - package after package all for me! It's always a lot of fun when exchanges start rolling in.

Package #1 - My Fair and Square block from Brenda. We discovered that our likes and dislikes were pretty similar, so it was quite easy to decide on a design for each others squares. I stitched the house from the bottom of The Drawn Thread's Sunflower Bellpull (picture was a few posts back). As you can see, Brenda stitched a house from an LHN design. It's great!

Package #2 - What's the Buzz exchange on the SBEBB. Wendy in Canada had received my name and she stitched this design from Shepherd's Bush and finished it into a lovely pillow that can be hung if desired. I also received a great pattern from Wendy - A Quaker Floral from Midnight Stitching. I haven't stitched anything from this designer so I'm excited to stitch this one.

Package #3 - Seasonal Exchange - Summer. Carolyn must have been studying my blog. She figured out how much I like designs from Homespun Elegance. This great design is finished and ready for hanging in my stitching room. Carolyn really spoiled me by sending lots of goodies - check out the picture below!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend. I've been doing my usual - laundry, cleaning, etc. Hopefully there will be time for stitching later this evening!

Not Much to Blog About

Hi everyone. Hope those of you here in the U.S. enjoyed today's holiday; I know I did. I will never complain about a long weekend!

I haven't got too much stitching to show. Recently I started The Counting House from Little House Needleworks. I've also been stitching Hardanger angels. I can make one in about 90 minutes - I still have the cutting and the wrapping to do, but that won't take too much time. I've got five stitched right now.



So that's all I have to report on! I haven't shared an updated puppy picture lately so here's a recent picture of our little Maggie - she's almost 4 months old now.



Thanks for stopping by. Hello to all the newbies that have stopped commented too!

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.

Stiching Friends are Special!

It was a challenging week at work; I had worked many extra hours and was mentally and physically drained when I arrived home on Friday night. Lo and behold - there was a package waiting for me in my mailbox!

A package from Marie - I was excited to see what she had sent. Marie received my name for the USEBB Summer House exchange and WOW is the only word I can use to describe the piece she stitched and finished for me! The design is from Lizzie Kate and it's beautifully stitched, but check out the awesome finishing Marie did, turning this piece of stitching into a quilted wallhanging. It is really beautiful! Marie sent other goodies including a pattern from my wishlist - The Drawn Thread "Halloween Spot" - I look forward to stitching this one in the fall. The wallhanging will be hung in my sewing room very soon! Many thanks Marie, I will truly treasure this gift from you.



Today brought more surprises - another package in the mailbox; this one from Helen. I wasn't quite sure what it could be, but I must tell you that the contents nearly made me cry. Dear Helen felt badly that I hadn't received a package from my partner for the Trip Around the World exchange in April. Helen decided that she would stitch a replacement for me - what a dear friend! I must tell you though, she outdid herself with many goodies from the UK including a book of English Teatime Recipes, a pin with the British and US flags on it, a pen, a keychain that is fashioned after a red English mailbox, a towel with British wildlife pictured on it, and more! But the piece de resistance is a wee little needlecase with an English thatched cottage stitched on the front and the British flag and our initials on the back. Thank you Helen for being so thoughtful and kind - I will treasure this and remember your kindness forever!





I am so grateful to have so many stitching friends online. You mean a lot to me in more ways than you could ever possibly know. Thank you for sharing your talent with me, for visiting my blog and leaving words of encouragement, and for being such caring friends! Hugs to all!

Little Critters and Birthdays!

I was so excited to see a package waiting for me when I returned from the lake on Sunday evening. My Little Critters exchange from Svenja had arrived! Inside was this very cute pillow made with ladybug fabric and a cute ladybug stitched design. Svenja also sent more of the fabric, some ribbon, and some cute teenie weenie ladybug clothespins (for crafting). It's all wonderful - thank you Svenja!



Also, I was very late sending Vonna her birthday gift - too many other stitching commitments got in the way - but she received it on Monday. Just one of my hardanger doilies. This one is done on an apricot colored cashel with peach/orange colored threads (Leah's threads). Apparently, I forgot to take a picture, so please visit Vonna's blog if you are interested in seeing it!

Here's a puppy picture for this week - Zeta and Maggie:

Little Critters Exchange

Linda in Iceland received the pinkeep I stitched and finished for her as part of the Little Critters Exchange. Linda indicated that she liked bees and ladybugs; I went with a bee theme and stitched "Bee Happy" from Shepherd's Bush. The coordinating fabric on the back picked up the thread colors and also included some bees. You can see a picture of the entire package on Linda's blog. It was fun stitching this for Linda!

A Fob for a Friend

In May and June we had a little challenge going on the Friends Gather board to see how many LHN finishes we could collect during those two months. Each finish resulted in a chance to win something special from me. At the beginning of July we put the names in a hat and drew one name - Nicole was the lucky winner! I stitched this cute little fob for her; the design is taken from LHN's "A Stitcher's Prayer"

Maggie, our new puppy, is growing like crazy and is keeping us very busy. See how spoiled she is? She had a busy day playing.



I've been busy stitching more gifts and won't have pictures to share for awhile. There have been lots of new visitors to my blog lately - thanks for stopping by!

Hands to Work Retreat

Just last week I found the information on this year's Hands to Work Retreat - you can read more about it here. Just wondering if any of my regular blog readers are planning to attend this retreat? I've already made my plane reservations and sent my money in - I will be there! Can hardly wait until October!

Welcome to My Neighborhood!

My neighborhood RR is off in the mail today to Carol. I'm excited to be participating with the Group 3 stitchers in this, my first ever RR!

I am using 32 ct Vintage Light Examplar from Lakeside Linens. My blocks are 70 X 70 stitches. When it is returned to me, I'm planning to stitch a border in between the squares and around the piece (just didn't have time to do it before sending it off!)

My design is based on elements from LHN's Lakeside Lodge and Even Tide's Minnesota needleroll. I'm asking my neighbors to try and incorporate something in their designs that is significant to their area (city, state, or country). In my square, I stitched my house on a lake (Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes) and included a loon (our state bird).

I can't wait to decide what to stitch in Erin's neighborhood once I receive it!

Fair and Square Round One

The idea of a block exchange really interested me and the Fair and Square exchange organized by Vonna and Annemarie is going to be a lot of fun. (Thanks Vonna and Annemarie!) I received my first block this week from Yasmin in Malaysia.

Yasmin stitched Spot of Spring from The Drawn Thread. She obviously had been studying my blog and knew that I was rather partial to the Drawn Thread designs. Yasmin sent some other wonderful goodies including some overdyed fibers, a frogging needle, and a coin purse made from some Malaysian wedding fabric. It was truly fun receiving this first square from Yasmin! I think I'm going to eventually put mine together into a quilt of some sort.



I also learned that Yasmin just received the square that I sent to her. I used elements from the City Stitcher, Country Stitcher chart from Little House Needleworks. I felt that it symbolized our friendship!



I'm looking forward to the next round for Fair & Square.

Check out the wonderful package I received from Angi today -- a scissors fob (for the Friends Gather Scissors Fob exchange), a Kelmscott Putford scissors (really cool), some fabric and DMC floss. Isn't it great? Thanks Angi!

(For some reason Blogger won't let me add a title to this post. Is anyone else having trouble with this?)

Happy July!

Happy belated Canada Day (July 1) to my friends across the northern border. I've been traveling for a few days and that's why you haven't seen any updates from me.

Last week, Vonna received a biscornu from me as part of the USEBB exchange. You might recall that Vonna had my name for this same exchange. This was the very first biscornu finish I had ever completed, and while it wasn't elaborate, I thought it turned out quite nice. I alternated fabric and fiber colors on either side using a Debbie Draper freebie called Spring Flowers.




Earlier this spring, I moderated an ABC exchange and one of the participants did not receive her package. I stitched this design from the Workbasket for Nancy K using Crescent Colors Tartan Plaid on a piece of 36 ct white linen from my stash.



We've also been kind of busy around here lately - with a new puppy! We adopted her from a shelter. She's a yellow lab/golden retriever mix although we think she's mostly lab. Her name is Maggie and she will be eight weeks old on July 8.



You might recall that we already had a chocolate lab/Chesapeake Bay Retriever mix named Zeta. Zeta was also adopted from a shelter five years ago and we think that she's about six year's old. She loves to play with the puppy sometimes, but then she needs to take a long nap afterwards!


Zeta, Theresa (my daughter), and Maggie