Gifts from Friends

Stitching friends are the best friends and I've been fortunate to connect with some really great people since I started blogging. A few packages arrived over the weekend and they were filled with some lovely stitching things!

First up - check out this lovely set from Ronel. Ronel and I have been corresponding back and forth this past year; she is an excellent stitcher and finisher. She sent this lovely pinkeep - it has a pocket on the back for storing one's scissors and four little rings to attach floss to. She also stitched a coordinating pincushion and the pins on the backside have a sweet treats theme. Thank you Ronel; I have enjoyed exchanging with you and am glad for the opportunity to get to know you better!



Next - a package arrived from Wendy Jo with this cute snowman fob. Wendy Jo has a heart of gold and I hope she and her stitching buds will make a road trip to Minnesota soon so that I can meet her! As you can see, the backside of the fob is personalized with our initials. So sweet of you to stitch this fob for me - thanks Wendy Jo!



Last but not least, Marie sent this adorable pinkeep. It's a design from Mary Garry that Marie has modified. I love the colors and the personalization. It's finished perfectly. I've enjoyed exchanging with Marie over the past few years. Thank you for this special gift!


As suspected, my family did have supper ready when I arrived home tonight. We had Rice Krispie coated chicked, creamer potatoes (the little gold ones), and mixed vegetables. (That other thing on the plate is a roll with way too much butter on it!) The best part - it was all ready when I walked in the door!



Tomorrow is the start of basketball season. My daughter is a senior and will be the starting point guard this year. We put the following ad in the basketball program. You probably recognize Zeta and Maggie, our dogs. They are wearing green coonskin hats (my daughter plays for the "Pioneers", hence the coonskin hat!)


Life is good.

Another Year Older...

Here I am riding my "Black Beauty" on my second birthday. I loved that horse. Still have it; it's tucked in a crawl space under our steps!

I received some lovely gifts and will share pictures with you later tonight or tomorrow. We're celebrating tonight, but it's a surprise and I'm not supposed to know (on Saturday, I overheard my daughter secretly planning with her grandmother!) I told them we're going to have "leftovers" for dinner!

Enjoy your day - it's the last day of November!

Catching Up

Why does it get so crazy at this time of year? I can't really blame the holidays too much for my absence from this blog; my reasons are mostly work related. Some days are so busy that I just don't feel like being on the computer when I get home. But enough of that ... even though I've been absent from my blog, my needle and thread have still been busy!

I have quite a few people that I like to give gifts to, including my team at work (all 17 of them!) It would be quite expensive to buy gifts for all of these people; but I find that a handmade ornament is always well received!

As you can see, I've stitched quite a few of this design from Lilybet Designs called "Joy." I think I have this finishing method down pat now...lol. These were all stitched on miscellaneous fabric from my stash using DMC and Sampler Thread (Grape Leaf).


This second batch of ornaments is one of my favorite Mary Garry designs; you can find it in the 1998 JCS Ornament Magazine. I stitched these on miscellaneous fabric from my stash (mostly 32 ct lambswool) using DMC fibers (221, 420, 500.)


A great package was delivered yesterday - earlier this year I signed up for PIF from Karol on Rosebud's Stitching blog. She gifted me with more than just her stitching - a beautiful beaded fob, a beaded ornament (which I think Karol made), and two cross-stitch kits. But the pièce de résistance was this beautiful needleroll. The design is from Hands to Work and it can be found in the 2008 JCS Ornament magazine. Karol did a beautiful job stitching and finishing it. Thanks Karol!


Well, I have more to share, but I think I will save the rest for another post tomorrow. I hope my U.S. friends enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. Wish you all a great weekend!

A Giveaway

I know, I know, I've been mostly AWOL...but I have to tell you about this great giveaway. Go to Linen Stitcher's blog to read more about it!

Another Memorable Exchange

Last night while watching Dancing With the Stars I finished the stitching for the ornament exchange that needs to be mailed in a few days. Now I just need to do the finishing. You'll have to wait for pictures.

Then I started another Mary Garry ornament (you know, like the finished ones I posted last Friday!) It's such a quick and easy design and I can stitch while watching TV and not worry about making a mistake.

But what's a post without a picture? So here's another memorable exchange, this time from Simone. I love this little Drawn Thread design (it was in a JCS magazine, but I'm not sure which issue.)

Simone has been quilting lately. Check out the lovely Friendship Sampler RR that she is participating in.

That's all I have for you today. I'm off to watch the "results show" for dancing...and of course, will be stitching!

Another Gift

I've been so busy traveling for work lately, that sometimes I don't know if I am coming or going! I forgot to post about a gift that I received about two weeks ago.

Lelia, Stitches of Life, was one of the first bloggers that I reached out to when I discovered this vast new world of blogging. I was kind of hesitant at first, but she encouraged me on and well, here we are today!



Recently, the Needle Artisans of Northwest Indiana (NANI) celebrated Indiana State Day with a special project that was designed especially for the occasion. They created a box top insert and an Amulet bag using a Hardanger design. Lelia was telling me about the project and several stitching bloggers who are members of NANI blogged about the progress (some of them even finished the project!) Anyway, Lelia gifted me with the kit to complete my very own Indiana State Day project! I'm looking forward to stitching this; unfortunately it will have to wait until after the holidays are over. Thank you Lelia!

No new stitching to report; I'm working on an exchange that needs to be mailed in 10 days. While cleaning yesterday I decided to pack away some of the smalls I've received over the past few years. They get dusty sitting out in baskets. I think I'm going to leave just a few things out at a time and rotate them. Anyway, I thought it would be fun to "re-visit" some of these exchanges and see what the sender is up to these days! (Come on, go with me on this - maybe it will enable me to post a little more often...)

Today's Memorable Exchange...is a pinkeep I received from Laurie in Iowa!

The design is from Carriage House Samplings. She dated it and you can see that she sent it to me in 2006! That was the first year that I participated in exchanges! Laurie started blogging recently - please stop by and visit her at Corgi Cottage.

That's it for me today -- enjoy what's left of your weekend!

FTT Fall Seasonal Exchange

At the beginning of the year, a group of eight of us decided to do a seasonal exchange together; four stitchers from the USA and four stitchers from Germany. We rotated partners each season. Our year of seasonal exchanging is winding down.

For the Fall Seasonal Exchange, Brigitte was my partner. Yesterday I received her package and she also received mine. Our tastes in stitching are very similar! Brigitte stitched a Homespun Elegance design called "Delivering Harvest" and did a pillow finish. This was a perfect choice for me - do you know that I have stitched this design two or three times already but always for someone else! Now, I have one for myself. Brigitte sent other goodies too - two patterns (one of them from my wishlist - Friendship Pocket, Midsummer Night Designs), some linen fabric, and some unicef cards. It was a great exchange and I'm grateful to Brigitte for putting so much thought effort into this gift!



As I mentioned, Brigitte also received her exchange from me. It took me a long time to figure out what to stitch for her, but when I realized that she was a big fan of all Blackbird Designs everything came together. I stitched three different little Halloween ornaments from various BBD books. Many of you will probably recognize the stocking from their Halloween Stocking book, the other two are from their Trix or Treat book. I also sent a handtowel for her kitchen, some pins in various colors for pinkeep finishing, and a copy of the JCS ornament magazine (I know it is hard to find overseas!) Brigitte said that the package was just perfect, so I'm glad she is happy with it!



Did some rearranging on the pillow bench, pulled out some Fall/Thanksgiving themed pillows and other stitched items, some from exchanges.


I found this photo as I was pulling others over into blogger - it's my DD and her "big dog" Zeta; they are cuddling. Zeta is such a furry sweetheart!


Someone asked about the ornaments in my last post - the designer is Mary Garry and the pattern is in the 1998 JCS Ornament Magazine. I changed the colors up a little bit and am using DMC fibers.

Have a great day! Thanks for stopping by!

First November Post!

Hello dear friends. I am so glad the weekend is here. No big plans; will do what I usually do on the weekend - laundry, vaccuuming, dusting, grocery shopping, etc. Doesn't matter though, I'm glad to be home. I've been traveling a lot for work lately and was gone three days this week.

I was contemplating whether or not I should post tonight; I wasn't sure I had much of anything to say. The more I thought about it though, I realized that I have quite a lot to share with you!

First of all, a package was waiting for me when I arrived home last night. Anne from Feather Stitching gifted me with a random act of kindness (RAK). It was such a nice surprise - some threads, beautiful silk ribbon, chocolates, and a beautiful beaded fob that I'm quite certain Anne made herself. Thanks for brightening my day! I need to send Anne a proper thank you, but in the meantime, should she see this post -- thanks Anne!



When I'm traveling, I have a hard time stitching; it just doesn't work for me in airplanes or airports! So I try to pass the time by catching up on my reading. I finished two books in the last two weeks. The first I would highly recommend; it's a charming story!

The Lace Makers of Glenmara
by Heather Barbieri

The second book I just finished last night on my flight home from Atlanta. I grew up watching the Little House on the Prairie series on TV. When I saw that Melissa Gilbert had written this book, I knew I wanted to read it. I didn't realize how complicated and destructive her life has been. I guess I just always think of her as the little "half pint" I came to know on the Little House series!

A Prairie Tale
by Melissa Gilbert

Well, before I go, I'll leave you with a stitchy picture. Remember those ornaments I was stitching a few weeks ago? Last weekend, I did the finishing on them. Don't they look great?




More tomorrow...thanks for visiting!

Blogging Blues

Sorry for being such an absent blogger lately. There just aren't enough hours in the day to accomplish everything I would like to do. So, I guess we have a little bit of catching up to do.

Earlier this year Ronel and I connected via blogging. She was interested in joining some of the stitching exchange groups online and contacted me for more information. We ended up doing a personal exchange in March and have kept in touch with each other ever since. Recently, we decided to do another personal exchange. Ronel's package arrived this week and she really spoiled me with an exquisite set of smalls. (I apologize that the pictures are dark; I'm never home when there is daylight!)



Ronel is a very talented needleworker. She sent me some beautiful stumpwork with our last exchange and now with this exchange, ribbon embroidery. A beautiful needlebook, pincushion, scissor fob, and threadkeeper. The stitching is beautifully done; her finishing is perfect.



Along with the set of smalls, were a few other goodies, but I must point out this wonderful embroidery book that was published in South Africa. The fibers she sent me are from Chameleon Threads, also from South Africa. The designs in this book feature these threads. Thank you Ronel, for this wonderful gift!



Ronel also received her package from me this week. I wanted to do something special for her too and decided that I would stitch a needlebook and fob for her this time, but rather than using a cross stitch design, I would do something with Hardanger. The needlebook and fob design is from the Nordic Needle; I did make some minor changes to the pattern. I think it turned out quite nice and I hope that Ronel enjoys using it. Along with the stiching I sent the JCS Halloween and Ornament magazines (I know how hard these are to get overseas) along with some other goodies.




Finally, here's my latest start. I'm working on the Jenny Bean Halloween Sampler from Shakespeare's Peddler. I'm stitching on the suggested fabric using the threadpack that came with the pattern (Sampler Threads). I'm stitching mine on 36ct. fabric.



I have more updates for you, but I think I will save them so I have something to post tomorrow! Thanks for visiting!

A PIF and a New Scissors!

Happy Sunday! Thanks to all who visited and for your kind comments on my last post! My mom and I did go the German Mass last night and then to Oktoberfest for a little while. We both ran into some old friends who we hadn't seen for a long time, so I'm glad we did it. One of the organizers of this festival used to work with me (many years ago!) and the group really does a nice job of creating a festive, Oktoberfest atmosphere - just like in Munich!

In my inbox this morning was an email from Nic; I was so happy to see it. You see, several weeks ago I sent off two PIF gifts, one for Joan and one for Nic. Of course, Joan received hers right away. Normally, mail to the UK takes about a week, but there has been some strike activity within the postal system there. We feared the package might never make it, but it arrived yesterday. Whew! So now I can share a picture with you. I stitched the same thing for both Joan and Nic; this is one of my all-time favorite designs from the ornament magazines!

Roz Watnemo - Nordic Needle
Stitched on white Congress Cloth
Threadworx Pearl Cotton

My mailbox had some goodies in it yesterday too -- check out my new baby - Mia! Do any of you remember when last year I said that I thought it would be cool if Gingher came out with a designer scissors in Christmas colors? I think they must have been listening because this scissors reminds of a Christmas plaid fabric with red, green, blue. Of course, I'm kind of partial to the color red anyway, so I love these scissors! (If you are looking for a pair, check your local JoAnn Store or go to joann.com!)



Pictured with Mia are a couple ornaments I've been working on in between samplers. This of course is a Mary Garry pattern from the 1998 Just Cross Stitch Ornament Magazine!

That's it for me today. On the stitching front, I'll be working on my Fall Seasonal Exchange for Brigitte. On the TV front, we'll be cheering on the MN Vikings (football) this afternoon and the MN Twins (baseball) tonight! Hope you find some time for stitching today too!

Looky What We Got Last Night

It was inevitable; it just seems a bit early this year. You hope and pray that you won't see any of that fluffy white stuff until at least November. But alas, it is October 10 and we got snow. At least it was only a dusting! It's been cold here all week with temps in the 30s, 40s, and 50s. Pictured with the snow are our labs Zeta and Maggie, Zeta is the chocolate one and Maggie is the yellow one.


As the Spinster Stitcher would say, I have another "FEE NEE" to celebrate. Last Saturday, I picked up the fabric at Stitchville and a couple of the threads I was missing and promptly began stitching this one. At first, I didn't think I was going to like it so much, but now that it is finished, I love it!

Primitive Needle - Earth Sampler
36ct PTP Ale
Gast and WDW Fibers

So for today, well, I have a whole bunch of laundry calling my name, as well as dusting and vacuuming. Just a normal Saturday, ho hum. They are celebrating Okttoberfest in St. Paul this afternoon and evening, so I think I will take my mom to the German mass and then we'll go listen to the Bavarian Musikmeisters for a little while.

Enjoy your day and thanks for stopping by.

A Wonderful Weekend!

Hello Stitching Friends! Yes, it's too bad that the weekend is coming to a close because it was a terrific weekend.

Stitching friends are the best friends! On Saturday morning, I met my friend Judy at our not so local LNS. Judy and I first met about five years ago at a Nordic Needle retreat. We met again two years later when I attended my second Nordic Needle retreat. I'm not as faithful as Judy is in attending the retreats, so we haven't seen each other for about three years, but we stay connected via email. Judy was making a trip down to the Twin Cities and it worked out that my morning was free, so, we met at Stitchville! It's a little over two hour drive for her and about a 45 minute drive for me. We had a great time checking out all the market designs and other goodies. About 90 minutes later, with purchases in hand, we then went out for lunch and had a nice visit. It was great to see Judy again (thanks Judy!)

Since it has been a little more than a week since I last posted, we have some catching up to do! Let's start with the Mary Garry design "Peace" that I was working on. It's now finished! This was a relaxing design to stitch. I really like the Belle Soie silks!

"Peace"
Mary Garry
36ct PTP Shale
Belle Soie Plush Plum

Last weekend I whipped up this hardanger beauty! It's a gift for someone (who I don't think follows my blog.) This actually was one of the classes at a Nordic Needle retreat that I attended. I didn't take this class, but the kit included the coordinating mat and I thought it was a good buy. I believe this was designed by Roz Watnemo of the Nordic Needle.

Design by Roz Watnemo
Nordic Needle Retreat/Class Kit
22 ct Jobelan
Watercolours/Wildflowers Fibers

Finally, today I had time for some finishing. I stitched these ornaments two years ago and attempted to finish them last year, but alas they never got finished. This year they are going to be finished and given as gifts. Here are the first five (although I think I actually finished six today!) and I have six more that are stitched that need to be finished yet. What do you think? Cute?

"Joy" by Lilybet Designs
Misc fabric from stash
ST Grape Leaf and DMC fibers

Other than stitching, it's been a busy weekend here in the Twin Cities for sports. The UofM Gophers played arch rival Wisconsin Badgers in football yesterday. Unfortunately the Gophers lost but it was a great game. Every game is great this year in their new outdoor, on-campus stadium! Today, the Minnesota Twins beat the Kansas City Royals to force a game with Detroit on Tuesday night to determine who the American League Central champion will be. Tomorrow night, the MN Vikings play the Green Bay Packers on Monday night football. If you've been following football at all then you will understand the significance of this game! Long time, Packer quarterback Brett Favre plays for the Vikings now! And finally if you haven't had enough sports yet, the UofM Men's Gopher hockey team kicked off their season today with an exhibition game; the home opener for the NHL MN Wild is on Tuesday night. Whew!

Well, if you are still with me -- hope you have a great week filled with lots of stitching. Thanks for stopping by!

Dancing and Stitching

Oops, didn't mean to get you all excited. I don't have any finishes to show. What I meant by "Dancing and Stitching" is that I've been busy the last three nights watching the season premiere of Dancing with the Stars and stitching! Any other DWTS fans out there? Any predictions on who the mirror ball winner might be?

While watching DWTS, I needed a project that didn't require my full attention; something where I didn't have to follow the pattern so closely. So, I went stash diving and here's what I came up with.



The picture is a little on the dark side (the sun hasn't come out here yet!) Does anyone recognize the pattern? It's an oldie that I picked up on eBay. I'm stitching this beauty on Picture This Plus 36ct Shale. It kind of has a purplish/brownish hue to it and of course, it has the mottled look that I love. I'm really becoming rather attached to PTP linens! The fiber is a Belle Soie and it is called Plush Plum. Working with one color makes this an easy and relaxing stitch for me.

Oh, and you might be wondering about that scissors... it's the new Gingher Elena. Isn't she beautiful? Very colorful!

Have you figured out what design I am stitching yet? It's from Mary Garry and it is called "Peace." The letters "A" through "G" and the letter "K" have to be added yet, those are stitched over one. Then I just have three more quaker motifs to add. Don't worry, I'll post another picture when I am finished.

Anxiously awaiting for the news from market. Is there a design that you have seen that you are not going to be able to live without?

In Memoriam

Special Delivery by Blackbird Designs
32ct Lakeside Linen - Strawflower
GAST Fibers

Elisabeth Nikosch was one of my mother's sisters; the story (if you haven't already read it) can be found on an earlier blogpost, here.

Long Time No Post (Again)

I know. I haven't been regular. I've been quite irregular. I'd eat more fiber, but I don't think that would help me to post more often. I'll try to do better.

I've been stitching quite a lot lately.

First up - a week or so ago, I started the wildly popular design from Hands to Work called "This is the Day." You will find this pattern in the February 2009 issue of Just Cross Stitch. I could not find a large enough piece of LL Autumn Gold at my LNS, so I'm stitching mine on 32ct WDW Cappuccino - the color is pretty close. I'm stitching with the recommended fibers. As you can see, I haven't gotten far, I got distracted with a couple of other things.


Here's my second start - this is called "Special Delivery" from Blackbird Designs. I'm stitching with the recommended fibers on 32ct LL Strawflower. The color of the linen is so pretty. This is the sampler I will personalize to remember my mother's sister that died as a baby. You can read more about it on this post.


Finally, I'm working on an exchange - you'll see and hear more about this one in a few weeks after it is received.

Just Cross Stitch update -- some of you commented that you also received the bogus subscription renewal notices in the mail. The circulation manager at JCS contacted me and is looking into it. She also received the bogus notices for her own personal subscription, not only for JCS, but also for SANQ. Last I heard from her, she wasn't able to get anyone at National Magazine Services to return her call. If you receive a subscription renewal notice from them - destroy it!

That's all I have for you tonight. Have a great evening and thanks for stopping by!

Traveling Stitcher Finish

Here it is - all finished now. I affixed the smaller piece "Needles" to the outside of the needle case. I didn't leave a pocket for storage. The larger is affixed to the backside of the stitching case. I didn't leave a pocket opening here either. I kind of wish this design would have fit either the front or the back of the front when the case is open. Oh well...I love the design and the thread colors.



Sad day in our community today, a police officer was gunned down while responding to a domestic call. Another police officer was also shot but will recover from her injuries. (Edited to add -- the suspect was also shot and is dead.) Many thanks to all who serve in law enforcement, who put their own lives in harms way so that we all can feel safe in the communities in which we live.

Productive Weekend

Happy Monday! Today is a holiday in the U.S. - Labor Day. Here in Minnesota the sun is still shining and we're expecting a beautiful day. Today is the last day of the great Minnesota get-together - the Minnesota State Fair. Tomorrow, most kids will start another school year (although my two kids have been back in school for two weeks already!) I've accomplished many things this weekend and hope to relax and fully enjoy today before I return to work tomorrow.

As I mentioned in my last post, Friday night I finished up two gifts, these are the PIF's for Joan and Nic. Both were mailed on Saturday, so as soon as they are received I will have pictures for you. Diana, if you are reading this, the BOAF Friendship Sampler pattern is on its way to you too.

I was going to start up another sampler and then decided to take a little detour. In-between laundry and vacuuming/dusting on Saturday I started this:

I didn't think it would take too long to stitch and I was right; I finished the stitching on Sunday morning!

You see, the other three seasons are all stitched and finished into pillows (they have been for quite sometime!) but for some reason I never stitched Autumn. Later in the day yesterday I did the finishing. Here's the finished pillow:

LHN Season of Plenty
28ct misc fabric from stash
DMC Fibers

And here is the whole set - aren't they adorable?



Last night I started a new sampler, there are quite a few other bloggers out there who have stitched it or are currently stitching it - it's This is the Day from Hands to Work. I'll post a photo later or in a few days when I have more to show! I may do some more finishing today too, we'll see.

Whatever your plans are, I hope you have a relaxing day filled with stitching! Thanks for stopping by!