Debsroom at home

Happy Autumn Everyone

2010-10-21T17:49:00.000-07:00

So this time it's been longer than two months. Way longer. I do have an excuse, and a pretty good one at that. My hard drive crashed, had to get a new hard drive, and the woman who 'fixed' my computer did install a new, much larger hard drive but messed up the computer pretty bad. I'm still trying to install fixes, patches and programs, so much doesn't work that should, and I've just been trying in my own inept way to get things fixed up--so many times I've prayed for a family member that was a computer geek.

While I've been working on the computer, (it was down about two weeks) I've also been stitching and framing, and reading. Well, no reading for the last week because I was way too busy. This post is heavy with pictures, so if you think you might need to warm up your coffee, go ahead. We'll wait.

First up is what I call my 'Dad Project'. Yes, Jean, I did get it finished, finally. I started this project a few years ago, so I guess I have a finished UFO. It seemed to take me forever. But, now that it's finished, I really like how it turned out. This past week has been a frenzy of framing so that I could give this 'project' to my father at his 75th birthday celebration. Here it is. Do you think he'll like it?

These next two are Halloween finishes. One you've already seen, the Lizzie Kate October piece. (I still have to finish the over one piece into a fob, boo, hiss.) The other was a kit, 'Come in for a bite' by Hillside Samplings. I just love how it turned out. I would have made an over one except the wording is already over one. I made these both for my son Chad, who loves Halloween all year round and decorates that way.

The next three finishes are all Little House Needleworks pieces. Simple Joys, Tall Pines and Singing the Blues. I changed the wording on Tall Pines to reflect the vacation the family took, all together, to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. One of the best times of my life. Simple Joys was done as a SAL with a friend Linda. It was amazing how fast we both got finished working together. Singing the blues, well, that was finished long ago, right around my birthday in July, but just now finally got framed. This is such a sweet piece. Of all these pieces, I think I love Simple Joys the best though. Just love how the colors look.

I spent the entire summer reading and I'm totally shocked with how much I've read. I read all of Kathy Reichs' books, all the books by Tess Gerritson (Rizzolli and Isles) and a ton more, including the trilogy of 'The girl with the dragon tatoo". I've worked on my Shepherd's Bush piece, 'into the night' and worked on my LHN Neighborhood. I think you can say, I've kept busy.

I have, on the other hand, kept up with all of you. Going to retreats, stitching, stashing, antiquing, vacations, redoing craft rooms, and been entertained by all that all of you have done. Living vicariously through all of you.

Right now, I'm stitching on 'Be Merry, Belle Pepper' by LHN. Have only gotten the house done so far, and I've done some changing on the colors. I love this piece but it was kind of drab, in my opinion, so I'm taking out one of the browns, adding a very pale blue for the stars and doing all of the lettering with the dark green. And have you seen Diane's new sampler? The row by row piece? Oh, wow, it's so totally gorgeous, with lovely deep reds.

So when did blogger change the way one places pictures? They are still uploaded to the top of the post, but I can't seem to move them the way we used to--drop and drag? If anyone can give me some advice on this--let me put it this way, it took me 3 hours to move all these pictures around so that they were where they were supposed to be. And can you believe we only have two months until Christmas? Where did the time go?

I am definitely going to try to make more posts and I apologize for taking so long with this one. Stitch on, dear friends, and have a great weekend.

TWO MONTHS ???

2010-07-29T12:51:00.000-07:00

No, it can't be. Two months since my last post? And I was whining about hot weather then too? Okay, so it's been hot, very hot and humid here since Spring. What's up with that? No nippy nights, cool mornings and warm afternoons. Just heat. Ick. I just don't like the intense heat. I can't seem to think. Maybe that's why I've been missing in action.

The truth really is that I didn't have much to say or share. I don't go out much, or do much but sit at home and stitch while the tv is on, or read, or go visit the grandkids, or have them visit me. I do house cleaning as little as is humanly possible, but the dog sheds so I have to vac sometimes. So, I do try to keep the house clean, which is now possible with DH going back on the road. I didn't remember him to be such a slob until he was home every day. And going back on the road, he's making more money and the bills are finally getting caught up.

So, what have I been doing these past two months? Hmm. Can't remember doing much in June at all. Some stitching, some reading, and all that. But in July, we had a family wedding. My niece Cate was married in Holland, Michigan on July 3rd. Oh, she did us so proud. She was a beautiful bride. She planned out her reception at the Piper Restaurant on the night they would be doing fireworks. DH and I went up to Holland and stayed that weekend with my parents and had just a wonderful time. As hot as it was during the day, it was cool at night, with the breezes coming off Lake Michigan, and through all the pine trees.

Then my new granddaughter Angel had her 4th birthday, that was fun. Grama and Grampa got her a big baby doll and clothes, and a diaper bag, with all the goodies. I think she sang Happy Birthday to herself for three days straight. She is so adorable. She's going to have a new Sibling for a Christmas present.

That brings us to this week. Monday, I had a birthday. Number 57. Why would that age hit me so hard? 50 didn't do it. 55 didn't do it. But this one kind of hit me in the head. I had a great birthday. My youngest son and his wife gave me two lovely tops and a hardcover book, which I jusst finished reading. Oldest son gave me a mini party on Monday. He and his wife brought over a cake, pizza and presents. It was so thoughtful of them. (the presents were Boyd's Treasure boxes. I've been collecting them since they first came out.) Saturday DH is taking me shopping so I can pick out my gift (s). Hope he's prepared.

Stitching. Yes, I have been doing some stitching. My last post I showed LHN's Needle and Thread, the completed stitching and the finished fob. I used the larger piece for a box topper and it looks like this:

Took me nearly a week to get the finish on the box the way I wanted it. I've done nothing inside except for stain and seal, want to line the bottom with fabric, and perhaps some fabric loops to hold scissors, threads, a pin cushion, etc. I plan on making all of my granddaughters some kind of sewing box.

I started stitching on LHN's Little House Neighborhood, but I'm a bit stalled about half way. So, as this was my 'birthday weekend', I picked up LHN's Singing the Blues and have that nearly done. It was so nice getting back to the silks. So, here is where I am with those two projects:

And I've gotten two packages from my friend in France, Marylin. The first package she sent was pretty much missing in action and we both figured it had been destroyed, so she sent me another one. But, after many many weeks, the first package arrived, via Argentina, so here is a picture of the things she sent, and the lovely stitching she made me:

Isn't this little girl the sweetest thing you've ever seen? And Marylin did such a great finishing job with it, the ribbon on the sides. It is proudly residing in my china cabinet on display.

Then yesterday, my best friend sent me a birthday package, and this was what was inside:

I was so totally shocked. These are handmade coffee mugs, from the fragrant mushroom , a store where she works, pouring candles. Aren't these the most gorgeous mugs you've ever seen? She said she sent two so DH would have one also, but I told her, absolutely NOT. He takes his mugs outside so I'd just save the extra for when she comes to visit. She also sent me a Shepherd's Bush kit that was on my wish list, Blue Snowman.

So, all in all, I had a wonderful Birthday, summer isn't going too bad, and I'm getting caught up on my reading. I'm just ready to start Stieg Larrson's "The girl who kicked the hornets nest", picked it up at the library yesterday. I wasn't sure I was going to like this trilogy when I started the first one, but WOW, these books can haunt you. It seemed like I had to wait forever for this book to get back to the library.

Now I'm going to try and download all my photos, and once again, apologize for how horrible my picture taking is. I'm sorry it took me so long to get this update done and I'll try not to let it go this long again. Happy stitching everyone!

Needle and Thread, a finish.

2010-05-27T13:39:00.000-07:00

Its been a hot few days and I do NOT do well with the heat. After a month of rain, this heat brings on the humidity. Most people take advantage of the nice weather to get outside. I use this heat as an excuse to stay inside. (Okay, so I went out and played softball with my Granddaughter on Sunday then hurried back inside.)

I think I mentioned on my last post that I was in the process of working on Little House Needlework's Needle and Thread, and that the fob stitching was finished. It's all done, and I'm now looking for a box to top with the main stitched piece. The fob has been finished into a scissor fob. I did not stitch this fob on the fabric Diane chose for it. I used the 32 count fabric, color unknown, that I used for the main piece. I think it made a very acceptable size. I filled the fob with plastic pellets for weight.

Last weekend I pulled all the DMC for Little House Neighborhood and got started on that. It's coming along nicely. I have two houses nearly finished. I'm stitching it on 32 count R & R Cotton and doing it as a SAL with a friend in Scotland.

Thank you for all the encouraging comments you left on my last post. It was a very difficult time for me, and you all helped more than you know. I have heard from that person since then. Isn't it crazy how close you can feel to someone you have never met? I think blogging does that for us. Allows us to meet and get to know so many different kinds of people. And we are all as varied as the designs we like to stitch. Thank you, all of you, for being my friend, for visiting my blog and leaving comments. YOU ALL ROCK!!!

Moonlit Garden Framed, finally!

2010-05-14T12:20:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally got the frame made for this piece and everything put together the other day. Since its been so long since last I posted, I had another finish so went ahead and framed that one also. So, here is my rendition of Moonlit Garden by Blackbird Designs, and Rose Hill Plantation by Little House Needleworks:

Whatcha think? I decided to go with a 'carved' look for the Moonlit Garden frame but wasn't at all happy with the quality of the molding. (I'll just never buy it again.) I had the suggestion, from Patti, I think, about the color it should be--oaky--and chose English Oak stain. Several coats of clear and it was finished. By the time the frame was completed and dry enough to put the stitched piece into, I had Rose Hill finished. Went ahead and made that frame, used my old stand by molding and Rosewood stain, and framed them both on the same day. I'm definitely going to have to learn to cut mats for my pieces--they just look so plain compared to what all of you guys are putting on your walls.

Forgot to mention that I changed up the fabric color--used Vintage Examplar light, and changed all the colors to Crescent color cottons, except for one DMC she used. That was one color I couldn't find a substitute for since I don't have all the CC colors. I enjoy the look of the overdyes. Don't those 'roses' look like the 60's hippy flowers?

While waiting for the frame for Rose Hill to be ready, I started stitching the LHN piece that previewed at Nashville Market, Needle and Thread. The scissor fob is stitched and tonight should see the finish for the larger piece. I did not buy the mattress that went with this piece--I'm thinking more along the lines of a box top, if I can find one the right size. Maybe use beads to make little bun feet, and then put the scissor and fob inside. Just a thought.

The weather has been crazy here but not as crazy as it's been in other parts with all the tornadoes running amok. We get hot weather, then cold weather. Sun and then rain. Last night brought tornado warnings, (a blast from the warning horn) thunderstorms and high winds. Had several storms blow through here last night. Seems like we've had some kind of rain every other day this week and most of last week, too. Positively creepy, though I must admit to liking the nights when we had frost warnings. I am NOT looking forward to the hot summer.

I've had something on my mind for several months, and it's really been bothering me. Have you ever lost a friend and not known why? No argument, no disagreement, just silence where once were phone calls, letters and emails exchanged on nearly a daily basis? No explanation, just . . . . nothing. I had a wonderful friendship with this lovely person. We talked on the phone almost every day, sometimes more than once a day. We exchanged emails, notes, letters, packages often. Then, for some reason, I became 'persona non grata'. Phone calls were not answered, or returned. Emails not returned. Letters not answered. I did get a Christmas card with just her signature on it. I feel like I must have committed some heinous crime but for the life of me, don't know what it was. I never gossiped about her. Never shared any secrets she shared with me. If it wasn't for her continuing to add pictures to her album, I would have thought she died. I really hate to give up on her but it's now been something like 6 months, and nothing. Last time I wrote her, I requested that she return something she'd been working on for me, and that hasn't been done either. (It was a Lorrie Birmingham kit, a needle book in a heart shape, for my daughter-in-law. I didn't think I could do the hardanger.) My heart hurts over the loss of this person and I don't know what to do anymore. In doing this in this way, it did bring home to me something that I did to someone else. I had an email buddy that I stopped writing to, for no particular reason. I have since re-established that friendship and apologized for the hurt I caused her. Nothing like having it done to you, eh?

So, there you have it. I've got it off my chest. It's why I've been so slow in posting, having so much on my mind. In other news, my eldest son just shared with us that his wife is pregnant, about a month along. It will be his first child and he's grinning like a baboon! They already have names picked out, can you believe that? I was still picking and choosing at the hospital after he'd been born. And here is what else I've done in these last few weeks. He picked up this water color at a yard sale last year. I did some cleaning on it, fixed it up a bit and framed it for his new apartment.

Not sure what will be next for me. Maybe I'll just go back and finish the Shepherd's Bush halloween piece I was working on before I got sidetracked. I have been saving my pennies to pick up LHN's Virtues chart--I really like that one.

Stitch on, my friends! Thank you for all the comments you leave, the encouragement you give! It is all much appreciated.

Moonlit Garden, a finish

2010-03-26T12:27:00.000-07:00

Howdy friends, this is a drive-by posting. Forgive the haste, but I have to run to the grocery store, and then continue to help my son Chad in his quest. He's in the process of moving into an apartment, and he's been working on it two weeks now. You'd never believe the tons of movies and cd's he has--not to mention books, furniture, clothing, etc. He has scoured our house to fill up his own place and I'm hoping to see an end to the moving this weekend.

My finish is Moonlit Garden by Blackbird Designs. I used the charted thread colors by Weeks Work but changed out the color of the fabric. Had a piece of Prairie Moon that I thought went really well with the thread colors. The lettering below the house and stars is a Bible verse so I added the book, chapter and verse, and to balance that, added my name to the other side. Oh, and the middle of the flowers were stitched in Smyrna stitch, along with the period and dots for the "i"'s. What do you think?

Does anyone have a suggestion to frame color? And should I tart the frame up or leave it plain? All suggestions will be considered so. . . . have at it!

I was happy to have this piece finished--those stars were driving me nuts. So many of them, and very few were charted the same. But, I'm happy to say that I have pulled threads out for my next project, which will be--drum roll, please--Little House Needleworks, Rose Hill Plantation. I pulled the threads yesterday, and I've decided to use Crescent colours for all the threads but one. Couldn't find a good match for one of the DMC threads, so I'll go ahead and use that one DMC color. I'm stitching it on 32 count Vintage Examplar with one strand of thread. Got the roof done and while the one thread is not covering as well as I usually like, it's looking sort of old and faded. And I do like that.

Okay, off to add pictures to this post and then to the grocery store. (I so hate spending money on food but its a necessary evil!) Stitch on, my friends and have yourselves a wonderful weekend.

And now it's MARCH?

2010-03-16T14:41:00.000-07:00

This year is flying by, isn't it? I can't believe that March is half over already. Soon it will be spring, the snow will be melting, and leaving mud pits all over the place. See, I look at it that way because of dogs coming in with muddy paws.

I had planned this update a lot sooner than it is taking place. We've had nearly two weeks of rain and gloom, where the sun didn't show its face and made it difficult to get pictures. Of course, there was some lazy in there too, or too tired, or too distracted, or plain just too much to do.

I forgot to take a picture, but I'm 3/4ths done with BBD Moonlit Garden. The house is done, the pumpkin is done, the lettering is done and half the stars are done. I'll just wait and show you a finished piece, ok? Now, I have Befores and Afters.

BEFORE: My tea cozy, stitched on the linen that came on the finished piece. As I told you before, I couldn't figure out how to stitch the blasted thing while it was all together so I took it apart. Here are all the pieces, after I ironed the stitching. Couldn't really fit the words "The Tea Room" on it because of how they cut the linen for the ruffle.

BEFORE: Shepherd's Bush MY PINS pincushion. Here it is, stitched up with all the finishing supplies. Took me an hour to find that envelope with the fabric, as I had placed it some place to keep it safe. Yeah, even safe from me, it seems.

AFTER: My tea cozy, all put together. If I had been smart, I'd have checked the size because it doesn't fit over any of my normal sized teapots. Seriously! It only fits over the 1-2 cup pots. Anyway, here is how it looks all sewn up--or sewn back together.

AFTER: Shepherd's Bush MY PINS. I hate it. As you can probably tell, I did NOT stuff it, or fill it with anything. That giant rick rack was a major pain, and I'm taking it apart, sewing it back without the rick rack and then will apply the rick rack to the outside by hand. Just what is wrong with cording or ribbon, or even tiny ruffles? Rick rack? ICK!

I don't remember if I even said I was stitching this one, but my son thought he would surprise me (knowing that the money doesn't stretch to stitching stash) and pick up this little Lizzie Kate flip-it. He even bought me two pieces of fabric, one for the over 2 stitching and a piece for an over 1 for a fob. So that is exactly what I did. I'll frame up the larger one and give it to him, as he likes all things Halloweeny, and I'll make a fob out of the tiny one. As you can see, nothing has been done on the finish finishing but I'll get to that soon. And last weekend, when he was out shopping, he picked up the newer LHN piece, "Battle Hymn of the Republic". Isn't he a sweetie? He is in the process of moving into his own apartment so I'd best get some framing done so he has something for his walls.

This is LizzieKate's October Flip-it, done with the recommended threads.

On the home front, hubby is waiting for a call for a job he applied for, that would mean more money and probably shorter hours. I'm really hoping he gets it. Right now he's working upwards of 65 hours a week and not getting paid for overtime. And his schedule seems to be different every single day which is incredibly wearying.

Dinner is nearly ready and after clean up, I get to stitch while my shows are on. Stitch on my friends. I am thinking of you while I ply my needle. Thank you for the kind comments you leave, for the encouragement, and the prayers.

LHN Sailing, Sailing

2010-01-27T12:51:00.000-08:00

And finally, it's done. I didn't want to show you Sailing, Sailing until it was all framed up. I don't know exactly why. Perhaps it's because my photo taking skills are primitive at best, and taking a picture of a flat piece of fabric is especially difficult for me. OH, well, here it is.

I had some trouble with the mast lines. I knew I needed them tight, but not too tight as to pull the fabric apart. But, tight. Linen does shrink a tiny bit when dampened and ironed, which is great because stitches seem to "pop" up. In this case, my threads came a bit loose. Ick. Okay, so perhaps padding the piece in the frame would help. I did that, and it did help, just not enough to keep those darned mast lines straight and tight. Or are they gibb lines? I know absolutely nothing about sailing, never even been on a sail boat. So, what is a person to do? Without tight lines, don't the sails fall down? Okay, I'm reaching now--but seriously, it wasn't looking that great with those loose lines/threads. I had the worst time with that really long one. Glue. That's the ticket. A tiny dab of glue (Aleene's) on the under side of the longest thread. If I'd been smart, I would have done that before framing and on the back of the piece, to tighten it and keep it hidden. But I thought the problem would resolve itself when it was all in place.

Now, the big question. What do you think of the frame? My son, who gifted me the chart, thinks the decoration above is "too much", and that it looks over done. What do you think? Honest opinions please. Personally, I love tarting up these frames, and I think it makes them look more "one of a kind" so to speak.

Moving on. My newest project is really an old project. I'm stitching CCN's The Tea Room on a tea cozy. It's one of those Adam Originals, all sewn up. Can anyone stitch on those? I tried, I really did, but could not stitch with it all together. I ended up taking the tea cozy apart so that I could stitch the piece. When I'm done, I'll have to resew the thing together again. Crazy, I know. I could have just made one of my own, and not gone through the taking apart. Does anyone know how to stitch on a finished piece? I have another tea cozy, cup cozy and several other items that need stitched on--I know, stupid. Should have tried stitching on the first one I bought before buying more. But, its so tantalizing to see something all finished up that just needs stitching.

While I'm starting new projects, I have another one waiting to be started: Mon bo sapin by Tournicoton. It's part of a SAL for a group I'm part of. Most of the others are stitching it monochrome so that's what I'll probably do. Now to find an interesting silk color that is full of color changes.

Here is the picture of our little Banshee, begging. I didn't get the perspective quite right--I was sitting on the floor so her nose is what you see the most of. I'll be trying again, because she's just the cutest thing.

Before anyone asks, yes, this is our kitchen and yes that is a scrap of carpet on the floor. We took the carpet up when we were remodeling (which isn't done yet) and found more carpet underneath. Since we needed to dry wall the ceiling or do something with the ceiling (right now there is some cheap kind of paneling up there)--I was voting for pressed tin ceiling tiles--we haven't put in the new floor tiling. I so can't wait for that to be done. This floor is the absolute pits!

Off to get a little bit of stitching going. The house is quiet, everyone's gone for now and I'm sure enjoying the time alone. I hope everyone reading gets a little of that, the peace and quiet. Stitch on, my friends, and thank you so much for all of your encouraging words. Things are getting a little better each week. Hugs to all!

Two months zipped past. . . . .

2010-01-13T12:04:00.000-08:00

and now its 2010? I feel like I've been left in the dust by all that's going on. Ever want to just grab a flashlight and a huge down comforter, and your favorite book, and hide some place that no one can find you? Hunker down under that comforter and read that favorite book by the light and not hear the family calling your name because it's supper time, or laundry time, or whatever time? To just be invisable for an hour or FOREVER?

That's how I'm feeling right now. Our life is a mess, I'm trying to take solace in my stitching (while drooling over some new designs that I won't be able to afford for months) and everyone wants my attention RIGHT NOW!

Confused? Me too. Oh, well, before I attempt to explain, let me show you what I've been up to in these two months that I disappeared--it's not a lot.

First, when I last wrote, I had just a few stitches left to finish LHN's Poinsettia House. That piece has been finished, ironed and framed. Took me about a week to get a frame made that I thought complimented the piece and also looked good in our house. I love the color of the frame, rosewood. Has just that hint of reddish pink color in the brown. I think it goes well with the colors in Poinsettia House.

Next up, LHN's ornament Fa La La. I did change a few colors--ended up doing it all in Crescent colour cottons, and changed the one girl's dress from green to blue. This piece took me ages to do. I'd pick it up, stitch 5 or 6 stitches, and set it down again. Maybe because I knew I wasn't going to frame it--or there was just too much "stuff" going on to be really interested in finishing it. But, Diane is a wonderful designer, able to evoke certain feelings with just a few stitches, and now that it's done, I like looking at it. This will get finished into an ornament, some type of flat piece, for our tree next year.

And here is what I'm working on right now. LHN's Sailing,Sailing. It was a gift from my son Chad, the chart, the fabric and the 4 skeins of Crescent Colours cottons. When I first looked at the picture for this, I loved the ship, but didn't notice much else about it. But, there is a lot going on in this picture. It has a whale, a compass, two mermaids sunning on a rock, pine trees and palm trees, the sun, moon and stars and an anchor. Lovely colors. It really flows. I think I'm about half done with it and it's stitching up fast. Too fast.

I was blessed to get some wonderful gifts in the mail for Christmas. Jodi, whose father is Max Bloom of Bloom Woodworks, sent me this lovely thread keep. Isn't it the most gorgeous thing you've ever seen? I love that the dragonfly is blue, and so sweetly painted. What a joy to use! Thanks, Jodi, this means a lot to me.

I also received another lovely gift from France from my friend Marylin. She stitched me an armchair aid--one of those things that lay over the arm of your chair, and it has a pin cushion, a place for needles and an ort bag. My picture doesn't do it justice but she did a really nice job of stitching it and a great job on the finishing. Of course, being Marylin, she couldn't just send that lovely piece--she added this really sweet pincushion that looks like a flower--isn't it the cutest thing? And a bourse for my buttons. (She added in candy and goodies but those were gone the same day the box was opened.) Marylin, thank you. You've brought joy to my heart with these lovely hand made items. And aren't handmade and hand stitched items, the best things in the world?

Now, the confusing part. Our life has turned upside down. Just when we thought we were going to make it in this economic slow down, we failed. Hubby took a job with Tradewinds here in Indiana, and even though he was roaming the North East, he was happy in his job. Until the company deductions left us little money to pay bills. The cost of fuel has been creeping up and when you purchase 300 gallons instead of 25 for a car--the amount is just astounding. There wasn't enough money in the paychecks to pay the household bills, let alone make a $1200 a month truck payment. The last straw came when his check for over 2000 miles came in at $30 (after deductions.) He turned back the truck to the finance company, and took what little money we had to fix up our old truck--no monthly payments on that one. After fixing, (buying parts, working in the cold for two weeks, etc) he decided that he'd rather not be a truck driver--rather be at home, and have a normal life. Well, duh, you couldn't have thought of that before we spent $900 on parts? So, he's been home, looking for jobs that would keep him in the area, home nights, to have a "normal" life. Yeah, 6 weeks he's been home, no income. Driving me crazy, not just with worry over the mounting bills but despair that there wasn't going to be a Christmas at our house this year. (and there was no Christmas. I did put up the tree though. ) With him "helping" me with chores that he didn't know how to do. Or, the best part, him laying on the couch, snoozing, while others around him were working. I couldn't believe that the stress wasn't getting to him--or maybe that's why he spent so much time sleeping. When we missed the third house payment, I went into full panic mode.

When things got the better of me, I called my dad for a loan so I could at least buy groceries and get prescriptions. Let me tell you, that was embarrasing. Hubby finally got a job and started this Monday. His normal job/normal life is working 11 am to 11:30 p.m. nearly an hour away. So he leaves at 10 am and gets home some time past midnight. Real normal. But, I'm thankful for a little time to myself since I hadn't had any for two months.

Please don't misunderstand me. This is not a plea for help, loans or anything other than prayers. (Unless there happens to be a gazillionaire out there reading my little blog, then said gazillionaire can feel free to send whatever they have in petty cash and I'll willingly accept it. And even spend it on bills first, before doing a bit of online shopping.) This economic situation is affecting everyone. Even if you, my dear reader friend, have enough to pay your bills, and get groceries, and even shop a bit online, even you are watching how you spend your available money.

I am thankful that I have friends, friends who encourage, who pray for my sanity, my family and who leave lovely comments. (Hint, hint) I am thankful for the stash I have, and the ability to bury myself in stitching, or a good book. Or a good movie. And very thankful that I have a daughter-in-law who runs a Movie Gallery so I always have movies to watch. And thankful to all of you, updating your blogs so I have something interesting to read with my morning coffee. (Please, don't share this little fact: I read your blogs all day long, every chance I get.)

Now to see if I can add the pictures. I got a few good photos of Banshee which I'll try to post tomorrow. Stitch on, my friends. Y'all totally amaze me with how much you accomplish stitching wise and how much other stuff you do. Thanks for reading.

Many Gifts and a finish

2009-11-18T10:21:00.000-08:00

I've been sitting here driving myself crazy trying to think of something to write, then realized, I have a finish. And I got the most lovely gift in the mail last week that I haven't shown. Finally got around to taking pictures--if the pictures are dark, I apologize right now. We've had very dark days lately and a lot of rain.

First up, my finish. It's a simple one, a freebie from LHN called Two Sheep. I wanted something simple and easy to do over the weekend when hubby was home. Can you believe, after nearly 20 years of marriage, he still doesn't know about interrupting while I'm counting--so I keep it simple. I really loved this design, especially for the simplicity of it. I chose to do it all in Crescent Colour Cottons and used a 32 count linen that I dyed and called "summer sky". To bring out the color of the sheep, I framed it in a frame that I used liming on. Lets the wood grain, what there is of it, show through. Whatcha think? I also have LHN's Poinsettia House nearly finished--just needs 6 more stitches and ironed, and I can show you.

Now, my gift. This really sweet lady from Lyons, France, sent me an email about something she saw on my blog. And sent me a link to her blog. Her name is Marylin, and wow, is she a great stitcher. Anyway, out of the blue, she sent me this lovely package with threads and charts from France. (I'm in the middle of putting together a package for her--if you'd like to send her something, send me an email.) She says that stitching things are really dear there, and that all of the stitching stores are very tiny. Her dream is to some day visit an American stitching store. Won't she be in Heaven then? Anyway, she also sent me a lovely scissor pocket that she stitched me, and it's gorgeous. I'm sure my photos won't do it justice but I did try.

Isn't this scissor pocket just adorable? It's stitched on the front, on the flap and on the back.

And the entire thing is stitched over one thread. Then she sent me two full kits, a DMC book on Hearts, and two other charts. She also sent a package of tea and a bag of chocolates but guys, those are gone, gone, gone. Yummmmmm!

Wasn't this the most lovely package? And from a stranger that I now call friend. This world sure is a small place and stitchers have made it that way.

I mentioned before, that I'm preparing a package for her. I'm nearly finished with the stitching and have pulled out some stitching things for her. If you would like to send something for me to include, just email me. If you would like to send her a package yourself, email me and I'll be happy to send you her address. Oh, I'll be adding her blog address to my sidebar so you can visit that way also. She said her friends are impressed when she gets a comment from Americans, lol.

Stitch on, my friends. And keep our family in your prayers. Hubby has returned the truck he was trying to buy and is spending the next week or two fixing the one we have. That means nearly two weeks of him in and out, dirty door knobs, hair pulling (mine), no patience (me) and a lot of trying to stitch to keep my mind at ease. And no stash, sob, sniffle, sob. Oh, well, this too shall pass, and I think I have enough stash to see me through. Hugs to all! And thanks for the comments.

PIF's

2009-11-12T08:05:00.000-08:00

I believe all that were getting PIF's have received theirs, so now I can post and show you how they turned out. I also have a new finish and nearly a second one, but I'll leave that for another day. (I need help finding things to talk about, lol)

You've all seen these stitchings before but not all finished into their final state.

I really enjoyed stitching these pieces over one thread but it sure wasn't like that the first few times I worked over one. And I will admit, the over two pieces took half the time as the over ones. And yes, I do have a 'thing' for scissor fobs. Love making them and love receiving them.

I'll leave you with this photo of Spooky, my vampire cat. (her little fangs hang over her bottom lip--do cats have lips?) I pulled the sheets off the bed yesterday, for washing, and when I brought the clean sheets back in, there she was ! Ensconced on my pillow, looking for all the world as if she belonged there. And let me tell you the yowls of disapproval when I moved her could be heard all over the house. Okay, so I have a very small house but she has a very loud yowl!

Stitch on, dear friends. I get a lot of encouragement from all of your finishes! Keep warm.

A Teeny Tiny Finish

2009-10-30T12:47:00.000-07:00

For the past week, I've been doing finishing work on PIF projects so they could be mailed today. If you are waiting for something from me, it's in the mail. I also was able to fit in a small fob kit that I recently received, Eek! by Lizzie Kate. Since I can't show the pictures of the finished PIF's, I'll just show you a picture of my Eek! fob.

I have done some more work on SB's "Into the Night" but not enough to take a progress picture. I get a bit jealous of people like Nicole who seem to get so much done so fast. Actually, I spent most of my time on the computer, looking up directions and addresses for hubby, who had a 6 stop Menard's run, delivering bathtubs and shower enclosures, all over Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri. That was fun. (took 2 days to get it all off.) Now, it's Friday, and I don't know if I want to go back to work on Into the Night, or find something new and/or quick to work on for the weekend. I'm leaning towards the something new and quick, lol.

This Eek ! fob was fun and very simple to do--until it came to sewing on that dratted button for the spider's body. That button is tiny, almost infinitesimal. I mean smaller than a baby button. So, there I was, trying to get it in perfect position for the legs, holding it with my finger nails, and snap--I flicked it off into the nether world. It went sailing over my chair and took me 20 minutes to find. Good thing my kid was already in bed. I would have been so embarrassed with him seeing me frantically searching for that teensy tiny button. (I'm not trying that other word again, lol.) I was crawling around on the floor, moving things--my cat thought I was a nut. It was one of those times when everything I touched fell over. Eventually, I found that dratted button, got it sewn on and quickly put the project away to iron at a later time. ( I could just imagine what would have happened had I tried to iron it then.) Anyway, I waited until the next evening to get the finishing done on the fob. I did NOT attempt to ruch a ribbon around this fob like the picture on the kit showed. I want to be able to use this piece so just sewed on cording. Sorry for the dark picture, we've had rain all day.

Hope this finds all of you well and ready for Halloween tomorrow night. Stitch on, my friends and thank you for all the lovely comments you leave.

Winter Thread Keeper

2009-10-22T12:32:00.000-07:00

Two finishes, Winter Thread Keeper and Winter fob. Winter Wonderland was what I was working on last post, and had lost the picture. When I got close to being done, I decided to postpone my blog post until I had the piece attached to the Winter Thread Keeper by Impie, Hattie and Bea. The fob was worked over one on a scrap of the same fabric, Raw Linen, I believe, and the design was from Winter Wonderland, by LHN. The front shows the snowman and the back, just one of the trees from the piece. Both pieces were worked as charted. I did "embellish" a bit by making a few of the single stitches Smyrna's, along with the little blue snowflakes. I backed the "pocket" on front with a grey blue dupioni silk that a friend sent me and hand sewed the piece to the front of the keeper. (I also lined the pocket with interfacing for stability.)

A word here. I usually hesitate to voice my opinion on anything, but a while ago, I voiced an opinion on the Impie, Hattie and Bea piece for LHN's Traveling Stitcher. I said that my piece was uneven and that I thought I could do it better. I still think I could have sewn the piece better, and probably could even sew 5 of them better. But, I recently found out that these pieces were all sewn by one person. I definitely could NOT have sewn 100 of them better, or 1000. (I get way too bored, find ways to cut corners, when I do more than one or two of the same items.) Long ago, I did sewing for a stitching store in Michigan, making pillow tops, finishing stitcher's pieces into wall hangings and other things. Almost all of these things were "one of a kind" and therefore didn't bore me. But, when you sew the 10th pillow top, or pin the 12th ruffle, etc, it does get somewhat boring. So, I deeply apologize for my "big mouth" on that post. In doing as many as she did, she did pretty awesome work. Now, with a red face, and a grimace, I will slink back to holding my opinion to myself.

The fob work was practice for all the PIF's I've been working on. I had an idea and wanted to see if it would work, so I practiced on my own piece. Now, on to finishing the other three pieces I've already shown you. I will post a picture when the three are completed. And in between finishes, I have been working on my Shepherd's Bush "Into the Night". I'm past the wording now so better than half done. After that, I'm thinking of doing LHN's "The Library". Just ordered the fabric today.

Autumn has come to northern Indiana, bringing more restful and cool nights. I hope all of you are enjoying the autumn colors which are rich and wonderful this year. Stitch on, dear friends, and thank you so much for your constant encouragement and comments. Until next time. . . . .

EDITED TO ADD: Terri asked for pictures of the inside of the thread keeper and the inside of the finished pocket, so I'm editing this post to add those pictures. Please keep in mind that it's rainy and very dark here in Indiana today, so I wasn't able to take these pictures outside. The dining room table had to suffice. Thanks for looking.

Finishes and framings

2009-10-13T10:56:00.000-07:00

It's been nearly a month since I posted any finishes or framings. It's been a bit strange around here. Hubby got angry over a settlement that seemed short on earnings, so opened his mouth and quit his job before his sensible side took over. He's been at his new job three weeks now, and is liking the job but not where the job is sending him. For the first time in his career, he's spending time on the east coast, and not liking it one bit. As much as I love the east coast, I can see his point. Some of the roads over there don't seem wide enough for a horse and buggy let alone a 60 foot tractor trailer combo. And all the roads are toll roads--ok, not all of them but one week he paid nearly $200.00 in tolls. I thought the Chicago area was bad for toll roads.

I turn to my stitching whenever "life" is getting me down, and this time, I made a little dent in my stash. Four finishes, three framings, and a new start, all Little House Needleworks pieces.

First up, Lavender Hill. This is the first chart I bought of LHN's. I picked it up at Cecelia's Samplers in Branson, MO, while vacationing with my parents. I got it to make for my hubby. When he was growing up in Illinois, his mother ran an herb nursery and called it Lavender Hill. Their property in Kingston still wears the name. Shawn wanted me to give this to his mother so I framed it fast, so he could take it with him on Sunday. He's planning on being with his parents this weekend. Whoa! A free weekend for me--that just hit me. (his mother has been ill and just recently got home from hospital. She's doing much better now.) The piece was framed in a pine colored stained frame that I made.

Next is Psalms 145 by LHN. I changed this one a bit--I don't much like red houses so made mine blue but the rest of the piece was completed according to the chart. Those leaves were a pain. 52 of them. I didn't think I'd ever get finished with them. I also decided to leave off the stitchers initials and instead, I stitched our last name, and the date we were married over one thread. I put it in a rosewood stained frame and added that little carving to the top for interest.

I had my last PIF to stitch, so I chose Small Sampler House, again by LHN. It's a freebie that I've had for ages. I thought it would make a lovely, over one thread piece. It turned out so pretty that I stitched it over again but this time I did it over two threads. Framed it in a colonial pine colored frame. (I really like the color of wood and the grain that shows. Bet you figured that out!)

Banshee seems to have mastered the "going outside to potty" so we don't have to watch her so closely anymore. That thrills me no end. She's quite the bundle of energy and luckily, she's found a friend in Shadow the cat.

I started a new project and did take a picture of it, but somehow I managed to delete the photo I took. I'm working on Winter Wonderland by LHN to sew to the Winter Thread Keep. I'd say I'm about half finished with it. After it's completed, I'm going back to Shepherd's Bush, Into the Night. With Halloween in about two weeks, I'd really like to have it finished.

Thank you all for the loving comments you leave. Those comments keep me going, encouraging me to keep on. Autumn came quickly to this part of Indiana, and it has been so much easier to sleep with the colder nights. Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Dance times 2

2009-09-10T12:00:00.000-07:00

Another finish, well, another two finishes. Gentle and Kind by LHN. This was a silk thread pack, and there was nearly enough thread to do both of these. Yup, I did the one the way it was supposed to be done, on 28 count Putty Linen, and the other on the same linen but just over one thread. You might notice that the personalization has NOT been done on either piece. The larger one will be a sister present, and I'm not sure which of my four sisters will be getting it--though I have a good idea which. The mini one is blank because while I know who its going to, its a PIF and a secret so in case that person is reading, I don't want them to know its for them. Hahaha.

So, that's why I've been going a bit over board on the over one stitchings. Seems like lately, everything I stitch, I stitch twice. But, I'll tell you true, that mini took more than twice as long as the full sized one. (But, I think its cuter. What do you think?)

I've run into the problem of the deep red silks bleeding when I iron because I dampen my fabric. Is there any other way of getting out fold lines? Anyway, my son had an idea that really worked. I lay my fabric face down on a towel, as I always iron stitching this way, but after dampening, I lay a paper towel over the back and then iron. Strangely enough, the bleeding bleeds up into the paper toweling instead of into the fabric or towel. Isn't that amazing? The silks used in this thread pack were Crescent Colours Belle Soie, ah so lovely to work with.

And finally, I've framed up Americana Samplings and Pine Tree Hill with frames I had bought ages ago. I pulled out my two tubs of picture frames and sure enough, had a frame for both. I loved the red antique like frame for Americana Samplings.

Off to pull threads for my next project. It's a LHN small one, but its charted for DMC and I want to use Crescent Colours Cottons. So, I'm taking it all outside to match up colors. I've already pulled all the DMC used, now to match them up.

Until next time, stitch on, my friends.

Americana Sampling

2009-08-26T10:25:00.000-07:00

Didn't think it would take long to get this one finished up, so here it is, Americana Sampling. This was a limited edition kit for 2005. I changed the date to reflect the year I stitched the piece. This was a fun stitch--but I had to substitute a thread color. It used Crescent colours Bunny Honey but my skein was just too light--the alphabet faded right into the fabric color. I ended up using Country Lane, but even that was really too light. And obviously, my try for interesting photos was a total bust. Maybe one of these days, I'll get a good picture of something.

Haven't touched "Into the Night" lately so no update photo. I will get back to it soon. I've left it on my stitching table to keep it in sight.

On the home front, the animals are being more friendly towards each other, and Banshee is pretty much house broken now. There are still a few encounters with Spooky, the oldest cat, but somehow I think it's all friendly fun. (Spooky comes looking for Banshee, if you get my drift.) Banshee and Boo are such a Mutt and Jeff pair. I snapped this picture the other night--it was just too cute to pass up.

Last night I started LHN's Gentle and Kind, and I'm doing it twice. One will be two over two and one will be one over one. Both are likely to be gifts of some sort. Since I only managed to get a tiny bit of border stitched, I didn't bother taking a picture. There is nothing recognizable there but a line of stitching. Word of warning to anyone stitching any of these charts. The charts are computer generated, and with the alphabet at the bottom for personalization, the computer doesn't put the centering arrows in the correct spots. The same was true for her Traveling Stitcher, which comprised two charts, and the computer chose to put the arrows in between the charts and a lot of people, myself included, started on their linen in the wrong space.

While our weather here is still hot for the most part, we're having a bit cooler temps at night. A welcome relief. It will soon be autumn! Stitch on, dear friends, and thank you for all your wonderful comments.

WIPs and Finishes

2009-08-21T10:31:00.000-07:00

Summer is nearly over, and I, for one, am extremely happy about that. Autumn brings cooler evenings, the kids are back in school, and for some, time seems to slow down a bit. I take much joy and solace from my stitching, so I'm happy to report, I have two small finishes and two WIPs.

First, the finishes: Pine Tree Hill by LHN. I think this one was supposed to be an ornament but I plan on framing one and making a scissor fob out of the other. (I thought it too big for a tree ornament.) I saw this design on artisticneedle's finishing album, thought I had the magazine it was in, and YES, amazingly, I did have it. When I started the first one, on 32 count Belfast, I didn't have all the recommended threads, so I substituted Manor Red for the Ruby Slipper I was missing. But, Ruby Slipper arrived soon after, so the second one was done with all the charted colors. I haven't done a lot of over one stitching but I think this one turned out fairly well. This little one will be part of a special project I have planned.

Next up are my work in progresses: Into the Night by Shepherd's Bush, and Americana Sampling by LHN. I'm enjoying both of them, but I had to step away from the Shepherd's Bush piece because I just couldn't concentrate well. Hubby is home, has been in and out for the past week or so. I needed to get stitching on something that I could "sail" through and still be stitching. After Americana Sampling is done, I might be able to get back to Into the Night.

We finally had two days of thunderstorms and while still humid, it's not quite as hot as it had been. In fact, today is positively marvelous. Too bad I'm stuck inside doing laundry, LOL.

Thank you all for the lovely comments left. Our stitching community sure knows how to show love and encouragement. And you all have kept me very entertained with your blog posts lately. Happy stitching everyone!

Finishes, birthdays, and gifts, oh, my!

2009-08-05T14:03:00.000-07:00

I'm a bit late in getting this post written and posted. July ended up very busy, as was the start of August. We're into Birthday months--and September is THE worst of all. (five and counting) My birthday was at the end of July and I have a few gifts to show you from that, and then my youngest granddaughter's birthday was August 1st. Hubby actually made it home for both of those days, though he couldn't stay long for mine. More miles run mean more bills caught up, and thanks to my Mom, Dad and Hubby, a stash order will be forthcoming. (I'm panting in glee right now, and can't wait to get started with my online shopping.)

First, a finish finish. Took me far longer than I expected, but Witches Hat Scissor Case is now completed. What an absolute pain it was to do but it turned out looking pretty good, if I do say so myself. I'm thinking of using the leftover black belfast and the chart to make a fob for my witch's scissors so have left the threads and chart out. (okay, so I'm a slob and haven't put them away yet--but I can still make a fob, right?) Putting the cording around the edges hides a multitude of tiny mistakes, or tiny linen threads that just didn't want to stay put. If ever I do another finish like this, I'm using GLUE!!! Of course, my friend Deb would say there is nothing wrong with a little judicious use of glue in finishing. (though I know she uses very little.)

I tried copying some of your techniques to make pictures interesting, so here is my Witch's Hat Scissor Case, front and back, with my Witch's Scissors by Uncommon Scissors. (She makes great and cool scissors.) Okay, so I know I take boring pictures, sorry about that.

My birthday was a lot of fun. The grandkids came over and brought their Wii, so we had a Wii party. I won on archery--yeah for the old lady! Both my boys got me a game for my DS, Guitar Hero and Harry Potter. Chad also got me a leather notebook/journal, and a lovely pair of opal earrings. I baked a three layer cake, and thankfully, no one put candles on it. (could of burned the house down, lol) We all had a great time, and the day ended with me feeling very loved and appreciated.

My dear friend Beth sent me a lovely package for my birthday--stash! Wonderful, glorious stash. And all from Shepherd's Bush. She sent me three kits, all wonderful: My Pins, Home (the newest sheepie with hat) and Purple Snowman (I've been wanting this one a long time) and a leaflet that I really want to do up for Chad: Halloween Night. It's shown done on 20 count but I thought doing it on 28 or 32 count would look really awesome.

I mentioned last post that we had a new puppy. She's part Cairn terrier, and feisty! She weighs like 5 pounds and thinks nothing of attacking Boo's nose to play--and Boo weighs in at about 95 pounds. Unfortunately, one week after bringing her home, son got called back to work, so the job of house breaking her has been put on me. BOO! HISS! I so hate that job. But, she's doing well, not many accidents and the cats are putting up with her.

In trying to take pictures before Chad got home from work, I forgot to snap a picture of what I'm working on right now. I'm about half done with Shepherd's Bush's Into the Night and nearly finished with Little House Needlework's Pine Tree Hill. Will try to get pics taken soon.

That's all for now. Hope everyone's summer is going well, and that the heat isn't getting to you. I know we have really high temps coming this weekend and I plan to stay inside with the a/c and my stitching. Stitch on, my friends! And for those of you who have children in school--school starts soon! Yay!

More finishes, well, sort of.

2009-07-14T13:56:00.000-07:00

Its been a strange summer so far. The new truck has had troubles a plenty--boo, hiss, but the hubby keeps keeping on. He's passed the frustration on to me--which is my job, to keep him as cool headed as possible--and I pass the frustration on to my stitching. I wonder how many of us do that? Deal with all the negatives in our lives by stitching? Sure does keep me a lot calmer. How about you all?

First up, GOODWILL by LHN. I stitched this one because of the lovely colors and because it was a thread pack. I didn't have to hunt down any of the threads, just a lovely piece of linen to stitch it on. And I didn't even have to make a frame up--I have two large tubs of frames I've bought over the years and I had a perfect size to use. (I actually had 4 the perfect size but wrong colors.) There was a lot of mindless stitching, stitching without having to count very often, and that made it absolutely perfect for my purposes. I was sad when I got it finished, but today, very happy that I could stick it in a frame and hang it on the wall. I'm thinking, for the time being, that the wall is finished. (I did think of doing LHN's The Rose in Morning and doing it over one, for a tiny horizontal piece.) Does it seem that I was in a hurry to get that wall done? Absolutely, hubby should be home in the next day or two.

The next piece isn't really finished. The stitching is done but not the finishing work--and I'm a bit nervous about doing this finish. It's Witch's Hat Scissor Case by Historic Stitches. It was really easy to stitch, but would have been much easier to stitch on a different color linen. Done on Black Belfast, I couldn't believe how much difficulty I had in seeing the threads. I think it took me twice as long as it would have on a lighter color. My picture turned the fabric gray but it really is black. The chart called for two pieces of Black Belfast, 11 x 11 inches--I stitched it on one piece of Belfast, 11 x 11 and still have two large squares left over to do a scissor fob or biscornu. But, I've hesitated starting the finish process as I don't think I have enough skill to do it justice. I'm going to try anyway and I'll let you all tell me what you think of it.

I spent most of the past weekend watching Harry Potter movies and stitching on Shepherd's Bush "Into the Night". Didn't really have enough done to take a picture of it. Hopefully, after getting the top part done, the specialty rows will go quickly enough so it actually looks like I stitched something. Of course, eldest son has already said it's going to be his one day--and I think I'll surprise him and give it to him when he buys his first house. (He's looking.)

It's hard to believe that summer is half over already, and the grandkids go back to school next month. What's up with that? Am I the only one who remembers going back to school right after Labor day, in September? I shudder to think of all those young people sweltering in classrooms during the hottest part of the summer.

And with all the heat, the problems with finances, truck troubles and all, we have a new member of the family. Banshee is some kind of terrier, very small, short, with these tiny short legs. We are having a terrible time getting her housebroken but she's finally getting the idea. She is Chad's puppy and he's doing most of the work with her. She really is adorable, and I'll have a picture of her next post. But, do you see a theme here with pet names? We have Boo, Spooky, Shadow and Banshee--two black pets and two gray ones. Shadow has finally taken to the new puppy but Spooky is still hissing and spitting at her. Boo has become her protector, though she's not too fond of Banshee using her tail as a toy. As you can see from the photo above, Spooky seems to spend all her time sleeping on our bed--its a high four poster and the puppy can't reach her there.

I've had a lot of fun reading everyone's posts, and I am amazed at those who can post nearly every day and show pictures too. How on earth do you do that? Debbie, if that was your first framing job, how talented you are. You did a super great job. And Terri Boog, that sampler is to die for. Coni, I love your newest LJP finish--its super spectacular! It would make a really lovely pillow with some patriotic fabrics--or a great wall decoration. Nicole, as always, I'm amazed at how much lovely stitching you do, and with three small boys to raise. Cathy, I love seeing pictures of those grandchildren just as much as seeing your stitching. Deb, busy as always but when do we get to see the pics that are hidden behind those smiley faces? Kath, been missing you and don't think my emails are getting through to you. And to anyone who has been waiting for an email from me--I probably already sent it, but our ISP has been having problems the last few weeks, and most of what I send out is not getting where it should go. Anyway, I love reading all your blogs, it's nearly like visiting in your home and stitching with you, without the drive.

Stitch on, dear friends. Can't wait to see what you stitch on next. Enjoy your summer, and Terri, watch out--that was a lovely looking and very appetizing table you set on the deck. Made me ready to jump in the car and come for a visit. For those that don't know, Terri lives in my old 'neck of the woods' and there are times that I sure do miss Michigan. Until next time. . . . . . . .

Happy Dance times 2

2009-06-27T13:51:00.000-07:00

Finally have something to show. With some of the hottest weather in Indiana history, for the first week of summer, I've been staying indoors with the air conditioning. Hot and humid do not work for me at all. (Not to mention the hot flashes the doc says are normal at this time in my life, lol.) I have continued to work on the wall behind our four poster bed, making it look, (I hope) a bit less feminine.

First up, Moon and Stars by LHN. Wow, I really loved stitching this one. I didn't have the recommended Crescent Colours cottons so I substituted Crescent Colours Silks, the Belle Soies. Love working with these threads. I think my color choices were a pretty good match. I had to pull the DMC for general color, and then use the picture to make better variegated matches. I used the recommended fabric color and count, but I wasn't really happy with what I had. My fabric was thin, not nice and dense how I like it.

When I framed the piece, I took Diane's (LHN) idea for frame color and used white. I used a liming paint process that allowed the wood grain to show through and then polyurethaned it for a soft glow. I'm really happy at how it looks all framed up.

I finished the stitching early one evening, and had to find something else to work on. I had LHN's Thread pack of Berries so I pulled out fabric and got started on it. I got the outside borders stitched that first night, so I had the dimensions to measure for framing. Went ahead and made that frame--my first time making a frame before the project was completed--so when I was finished with it, was able to put it in the frame as soon as it was done.

I did make a few changes in this piece. I changed the door to 8 Rhodes stitches, to mimic an eight panel door, and added two chimneys to the roof. The flowers beneath the fences were done with a Smyrna stitch as were the two buds further up the flowers. Just wanted to give a bit more depth to the piece.

Next up is finishing Goodwill, another LHN Threadpack. I got that started up last night but only have the outside border and some of the green ground work done. After that is finished, I'm thinking of a Halloween scissors sheath but not sure of the designer. Or perhaps the Drawn Thread scissor pocket that's Halloweenish.

Here's what the wall looks like over our bed now. As Goodwill will frame just a tad bigger than Berries, it might look good where this tiny shelf is now. Or I can lower the tiny shelf and position the picture above it. And yes, before you ask, hubby and I used to collect Boyd's Bears plush. These bears, hares, and others reside on shelves that encircle the room high up near the ceiling.

On the non-stitching side of life, things are going a tiny bit better--if one can disregard my son's car getting vandalized for the second time in six weeks. (He thinks disgruntled old girlfriend.) Whoever it was left the driver's side of his car decorated with lots of long, deep scratches. Insurance company is NOT going to be happy. Hubby is right now stuck in Atlanta, waiting for a load that will bring him this way. Catching up on bills is going to take us longer than it ever has, thanks to the increase in fuel prices. Looks like perhaps my birthday trip to House of Stitches might have to be a lot later than next month. :(

Stitch on, dear friends, and thank you for all the lovely comments you leave. You have kept my spirits up, encouraged me to keep "keeping on".

Sunflower Inn Happy Dance

2009-06-08T15:53:00.000-07:00

My newest finish is Sunflower Inn by Little House Needleworks. This piece seemed to take me forever, and I wasn't even distracted by my dh being home. It was an enjoyable stitch. I didn't use all of the recommended threads. Substituted Crescent Colour cottons for the three DMC listed and used a different fabric, Heritage Cashel. I really like how it came out.

I will admit to having a small problem with framing this piece. I got it all together, and was ready to put the paper on the back, and realized that I had missed two stitches--the ecru color between the house and the roof. I was so upset. Set about to fix the problem, with my son laughing hysterically in the background. Yes, I added those two stitches without taking the piece out of the frame. Can you spot my addition?

I seem to be on a roll with LHN designs, but there is a reason. For 18 years, the most prominant picture over our four poster bed has been an Alma Lynne bunny, dressed to look like a little girl. Okay, so that isn't the most masculine picture for a bedroom shared by two people. LOL. Dh said he didn't much mind what was hanging there, but I think he likes these LHN pieces better. So far, I've hung Sea to Shining Sea, Prairie Sampler, Holly and Berries (?) and now Sunflower Inn. I have Two White Houses in the works also. (only have most of one house done so far.) I know LHN has another chart with a house that's similar to Prairie Sampler, so I need to find out which one that is, and get that one going. I think that would fit into the collage.

A moment for a rant here. I did Sunflower Inn with two threads over two threads--and what is it about using two ply, strands, whatever, that really sucks? Somehow, I always ended up with one thread shorter than the other. I kept a close eye on my stitches, so I didn't have any uneven ones, but still. Does this happen to anyone else? Is there any way to keep it from happening? Between us, I prefer to stitch with one thread but it just doesn't cover well enough on 28 count, and it's barely sufficient for 32 count. (silk is a different matter, covers just fine on 32 count.) Oh, well, grin and bear it, right?

Here is the piece that I showed last time, all framed up. Acorn Hill. What do you think of the frame color? Too "out there"? Too bright? I tried dulling it down with a wash of green paint, but it doesn't show much.

On the home front, things are getting marginally better. He's running the miles and getting paid, but we have so much to pay back and it's taking a lot longer getting bills paid off than I had thought. I'm on a stash diet--well, not even diet as one eats on a diet. I'm in stash withdrawal, and will change that the second that I can. So many lovely charts out there, so many threads I'm running out of. I'm actually doing Two White Houses with the recommended DMC floss colors.

Life goes on, summer is approaching and with it, the dreaded heat. I've already spent a lot of time indoors with the air conditioning. Did spend one Sunday afternoon washing and waxing my car but it was a cool day, about 65 degrees. That's the kind of temps I enjoy. We have survived a severe storm with only a few downed tree limbs and short power outages. (Poor Boo, the thunder scared her so she stuck close to me.) And this stash withdrawal is causing me to dip into stored stash, and I'm finding things I didn't even remember I had--how cool is that?

Stitch on, dear friends, and thank you for all the comments you leave me. Your encouragement brings a smile to my lips and happy thoughts to my head. And a special thank you to all of you who keep your blogs updated on a regular basis, for I have interesting things to read. Until next time. . . .

Acorn Hill

2009-05-20T14:47:00.000-07:00

It's been a very busy time around here, and not much fun. Right after I posted last time, the truck went down again, and hubby was home for 12 days. There was a choice to be made, either fix the old truck, or try to get another truck. I kind a figured that we had put so much money into the old truck that it should be new again, but hubby didn't see it that way. And because he used the title for the old truck as security for purchasing a truck he wanted to put a driver into, and that one hasn't been paid for either, he couldn't use the old one as a trade in. Oh, the drama continues, and for the first time in my life, I hate trucks.

Have you ever seen an Irishman mope? That should be MOPE in capital letters. Irishmen are depressing when they are in a funk, or trying to make a decision, or worried about finances. And my Irishman does it all to the extreme. He must have made 500 phone calls, eaten me out of house and home, tracked in dirt and crud from the garage, did totally nothing for several days, and then tried to get everything he wanted done in a day. HE DROVE ME CRAZY!!!

I have to say, I'm very glad I was stitching on a Little House Needlework project--if it had been a Shepherd's Bush, I'd have made a cake of it. But, with LHN, I can not only enjoy the stitching but not have to worry so much about a certain person talking while I'm counting. Or snoring. And this piece really gave me the "soothing" I needed during this difficult time. So, without further ado, here is Acorn Hill.

This piece was charted for either Crescent colours cotton or Crescent colours silk, so with the choice, I decided on the silks. But, now I need to be careful. I have found out that Chad's cat loves my silks--she stood up on her hind legs and snagged my ring of silks and ran off with them. I caught her before she'd done any damage, but now I have to watch her when I get the silks out.

Now that Shawn is back on the road, I'll be getting the saw out and making a frame for this piece and for my newest project, "Sunflower Inn". About all that's been done on that is the stitched border and the sun, so I didn't take a picture of it yet.

This last picture is the gift Chad got me for Mother's Day. This is the 2009 Friends of Boyd's Bears club kit, with a basket, stuffed bear and a treasure box (I collect their treasure boxes). Wasn't this a sweet thing for him to do? Now I get to find a good use for this lovely basket.

Thanks for stopping by, and many thanks and appreciation for the loving comments you all left me. The encouragement, sympathy and love made me cry and smile at the same time. Thank you all so much. And thank you all for your posts. They really keep me entertained.

Stitch on, my friends--for you all are my friends, the friends of my heart. What blessings you all are!

A New Frame and a New Finish

2009-05-02T18:55:00.000-07:00

I sure didn't think it had been over two weeks since the last time I posted. I think I wait to have a picture or a finish to share before I post something new.

First up is the new frame for LHN's Sea to Shining Sea. Thank you for all the compliments on the first frame for this piece, and I really did like the style of the frame. But, what you couldn't see was that the corners didn't fit perfectly and I felt like that detracted from the look of this piece. I tried to match the frame color, but used the idea of what Diane used for her piece. I thought about going the blue she did, and I had the paint for it, but after using the stained frame, I thought that just brought out the color of the lettering so nicely that the new one just had to have stain. I would have posted several days earlier but here in northern Indiana, we've had nearly a week of rain, and the humidity caused the drying time to be really slow. So, what do you think of the new frame?

And now, my new finish. I was really inspired by the framing job Miss Jane showed on her blog of her My Needle's Work. It was fabulous so, of course, I had to get started on it. It went so fast, I was amazed! Got into a good rhythm and had it finished, for the most part, in three days. (or three evenings.) When it came time to stitch the picture she is holding, I just couldn't stitch that rooster. It's not that I hate roosters but it just didn't feel right that my needle worker would stitch a rooster and then be so proud to show it off. Now, I have stitched a rooster picture, but that was for my little sister for Christmas one year as she collects and decorates her kitchen with rooster everything. Anyway, I decided that my little needle worker would stitch a LHN design. I used the Traveling Stitcher chart, stitched only part of it, over one thread. I used the left side house, with the fencing with the bird, the fence on the other side of the house and the flower, plus some of the upper border. I didn't use the thread colors used in Traveling Stitcher, but the thread colors used in the My Needle's Work. Let me tell you--it took longer to stitch that tiny piece than it took to stitch the rest of the piece in its entirety. But, I was very pleased with the results. I am not the greatest over one stitcher but I'm getting better.

On the home front, things continue to go wrong. The truck was down again for another repair, we haven't seen a paycheck in three weeks (which makes it really hard to not only pay bills but to get groceries and prescriptions) and would appreciate any prayers that come our way. It's been a real difficult time but we're trying to keep our heads up and keep on keeping on. The truck is running again, and hubby is in Ohio and won't be home this weekend. All of these problems plus the week of gloomy weather and rain has got me down but I turn to my stitching and all of your blogs and can forget the problems. So, thank you, all of you, who write such lovely posts, keep all of us entertained and inspired. Your posts and your comments mean so much to me.

So, what's on board next in my stitching? I was trying to finish up LHN's The Angels Sang, (and it's almost finished) but I'm having a problem with the floss colors. Her dress and wings are nearly the same color, (antique lace and Garden Trellis) so I'm going to frog out her wings, find a nice pale color that will accentuate the piece, and restitch the wings. But first, I'm stitching Acorn Hill by LHN. I needed to stitch with some silks and this piece is charted for Crescent Colours Belle Soie. I love stitching with Belle Soie. It is so soft and it gleams sweetly and covers so well. I was going to show a progress picture but all I got done was the outside border and a start to the house's roof--so just some brown stitches. I'm stitching it on 32 count Vintage Pearled Barley by Lakeside Linens, which was a gift from a special friend--you know who you are and how special you are to me

Okay, dear friends. I'm going back to my stitching, and see if I can find something interesting on television to listen to. Stitch on and show plenty of pictures!

Many, many more

2009-04-15T15:50:00.000-07:00

Its been probably a month since I last posted, and man, I've been busy! This is going to be a long post, with lots of pictures, so go grab a Pepsi, or a cup of tea/coffee, and get comfy in your chair. Maybe a pillow for your stitch butt? (thanks Siobhan for that delicious and oh, so, perfectly true phrase!) I hope you enjoy what I've been up to for most of March and a bit of April.

I've not just been stitching, although a lot of that has been going on. This past week, I've worked on framing some pieces that have been lanquishing in the tub, praying that a frame would bring them to be hung on the wall. So, some of these you have already seen before, a few are new finishes.

First, my finish and framing of LHN's Sea to Shining Sea. This has been temporarily framed. Temporary because I absolutely HATE the frame and have plans to make another one as soon as I can get my hands on different molding. But, at least, you can see what it looks like completed. And thanks to all of you that encouraged me to NOT frog. It doesn't look too bad, in my opinion.

Next up is Val's Stuff, "Home is where your cats are". I stitched this for my son Chad. I changed the colors a bit--the black cat was supposed to have green eyes while the gray cat had gold eyes. Well, our black cat has gold eyes and the gray one has green so that was one change. Neither cat has a pink nose so that was also changed. I think I also changed out the color on the house because I didn't have the charted color--but it was a close match.

My last NEW finish came after I had made up frames, so it got left out. Here is Wishing Sheep, by Shepherd's Bush. Isn't he cute, with his birthday cake?

The rest are just frame jobs, in no particular order:

Fright by Shepherd's Bush

Jingle by Shepherd's Bush

Come by Shepherd's Bush

My Garden by Shepherd's Bush

My Heart's Garden by Shepherd's Bush

Snow by the Trilogy

Halloween by Drawn Thread (also for Chad--loves Halloween. It was his idea to put the silver spider on this piece instead of the 4th black button)

And while I was waiting for varnish to dry, and the framing to be completed, I started a new LHN piece called the Needleworker. I am really enjoying this piece and already have plans on framing and where to hang it. Should only take a few more days to get this done. I'm stitching it on Vintage Examplar 32 count, with the recommended Crescent Colour overdyed cottons.

If you have lasted this long, and waited for all the pictures to load, I thank you. Happy stitching, everyone and thank you so much for visiting and all the lovely comments you leave. I hope the sun is shining in your windows today.

Progress Update

2009-03-17T15:19:00.000-07:00

I'm a bit late in showing my progress on Sea to Shining Sea--I should have updated a few days ago, when I finished 'Southwest'. Instead, I just kept on going, and last night, finished 'West Coast'. This one was the most fun--I loved this house, with it's blue shutters and climbing flowers at the sides. I made a few little changes to my piece--the yellow middle of the flowers are smyrna stitch, and the yellow window in the front door is all smyrna stitch, just to give a little depth to the stitching. Tonight I start 'East Coast', the silks are organized, the chart is out, I just have to make my start, and hope I find the right spot to start in, lol. Let me apologize right now for the really poor photographs--I really suck at taking them. I stitch in hand, no matter the size, so the sides of my stitching pieces are always rolled up. Nicole, where are you? I need you to take a few pictures for me. . . . . . . .

On the home front, hubby is on the road, the truck is fixed, (for now, anyway--there's always something that needs doing on the Beast) and I have my house back. Peace and quiet reign supreme. No TV the minute we grab our coffee in the morning, no ten million phone calls all day long. Just quiet. No one snoring during stitching time, or black door knobs. It's going to take awhile to get the house back to normal but as long as no one is messing it up as soon as I get finished, it shouldn't take too awful long--well, probably longer than most because I HATE housework.

I managed to catch a picture of Shadow sleeping near the dog--she was NOT happy that I caught her, snuggling up to Boo. If looks could kill, and all that. She paid me back today by laying on each of the pillowcases as I was trying to get them on the pillows. She is such a hoot--and doesn't seem to realize that Boo could gobble her up in one bite. She'll sit at the edge of the recliner and bat at Boo's nose as Boo walks by. Sometimes, I don't think Boo even notices her.

Off to make supper, so I can start my stitching time a bit early tonight. Just hope there is something on TV to listen to. Stitch on, my friends, and keep your own updates coming. They encourage me. And sometimes really really tempt me to start new projects. LOL And try to take advantage of the lovely weather. We have a sunny 72 degrees today, here in north east Indiana. Until next time.

An Award

2009-03-05T13:55:00.000-08:00

I have been given an award by Patti, on her blog. I am overwhelmed, thanks so much. Now comes the hard part of choosing people to give it to.

This award means -

These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these kind writers. When you pass the award along please include these guidelines. I am to choose eight friends to share this with.
This is always the difficult bit, and please don't feel let down if you're not on the list, it doesn't mean I think less of you.

Nicole She is always an inspiration

Leigh She makes me smile

Deb Truly a needle artist

Kathy Loves dragons

Coni Makes me laugh outloud

Siobhan A real Hoot!

Rachel Great with a needle

Miss Jane Lovely pictures

Thank you Patti, for this honor. Now, fingers crossed that I did this correctly, and hope the names don't end up in cyber space.

OMG, do I need to frog?

2009-03-04T12:27:00.000-08:00

HELP!!!

I just noticed that I'm off one stitch on my first block on Sea to Shining Sea. Can you believe that? I checked the instructions, and it says "There are two spaces (stitches) between the individual charts and the white line border." The chart has one blank stitch on each side and two blank stitches on top and bottom. If I go by what she said, then I should have three blank spaces on each side, or should ignore the blank space on each side on the chart. Darn! I thought I had spaced it out perfectly, but I went over 24 stitches to start the middle tree instead of 25--so the right side has three blank spaces and the left has one. Darn again! Now what do I do? I have the house nearly done, the tops of all three trees done--how bad does it look? Does anyone think I should frog it all out? (I am NOT doing that border again, so that means no starting over.) I could add a few extra stitches to the right side tree, make it even up a bit more. I am so bummed out.

On a lighter note, I wanted to show this picture I took of our cat Shadow. For some reason, she loves Wal Mart bags. Grocery store bags. All kinds of bags. She's waiting at the door when I come home from the grocery store and can't wait for me to empty those bags and throw them on the floor. For the last few days, all I have to do is shake out this bag, and put it on the floor, and she crawls into it, curls up and goes to sleep. Spooky used to do this also, until she got her head caught in one of the handles and got "spooked", lol. She tore through the house, trying to get that dratted bag off and since then, when a bag lands on the floor, she's in the other room. Instantly.

Perhaps I'll make a start on 'Home is where your cats are', until I get enough comments for me to make a decision, to frog or not to frog. How does it look? Is it real obvious that there was miscounting going on? Does it look really off center?

Stitch on, dear friends. Spring is a-coming!

New Stash, Oh, My!

2009-03-02T13:02:00.000-08:00

A new month, and a new order from House of Stitches . It arrived today, and to say I'm thrilled would be really understating things.

I received a blend of old and new. From Val's Stuff, "home is where my cats are". I had to get this chart--it shows a picture of two cats, a gray and a black one. Both of which, we have. Then from Blue Ribbon Designs, from market, "It's Cold Outside". I really like this chart. I'm not sure that I'll ever do the large sampler but I have many uses for the smaller designs. Snowmen, and who doesn't like snowmen? Penguins, my daughter in law loves penguins! Then there are snowflakes, presents, a gingerbread guy, ice skates, a bunny, trees, you get the picture. And I do so love smalls! I also got all the Crescent Colours that the chart required. Might as well have it on hand, eh? Also in that first picture, something called the Buddy Case. It's a faux leather tool case for my stitching bag. It has an inside tray so I can keep some things secured, and still have a place to keep my good scissors safe from scratches. I think it's gorgeous. Mine is in the color Saddle but it does come in tons of other colors, even Eggplant.

Little House Needleworks--truly a blend of the old and the new. The old would be Peach Tree Cottage (which I thought was cute and thought I had but didn't) and Goodwill thread pack. Of the new, East Coast (from sea to shining sea) the last installment, Liberty and Justice, In the Beginning, State Fair and the first design in the new Women's Virtues "Gentle and Kind". Gentle and Kind is a thread pack with Crescent colours Belle Soie and this first one is gorgeous. And before you ask, no, I didn't buy any linen this time. I have a huge cabinet full of linen and it's time I started using what I have before I buy more.

As mentioned above, I did receive the last chart pack for From Sea to Shining Sea, East Coast. Yesterday, I finished that border, completely, and started in on the middle design, Mountains. It was so nice stitching something other than border; new colors, different shapes. Now my only problem will be continuing to work on this project when I so want to start one of the new charts, like "home is where my cats are".

Well, back to my stitching chair and afghan, as it's plenty cold outside and it's been difficult keeping the house warm enough without spending a ton on heating. Keep stitching, and smile! It makes people wonder what you're hiding, LOL.

Traveling Stitcher

2009-02-26T17:19:00.000-08:00

Instead of working on LHN's Sea to Shining Sea, I decided to put it aside (I was so tired of that blasted border) until I had the last installment--oh, who am I kidding? When I saw Traveling Stitcher, I couldn't resist starting it. It is a gorgeous piece from market. I had to wait a few days to be able to afford the finish kit and nearly had the larger piece done before it arrived.

This came as a chart pack with the Crescent Colours necessary for completing it. It is stitched on 32 count Lambswool linen, one of my favorite linens. I enjoyed every minute working this piece. After getting the needlebook done, and both pieces sewn onto the finish kit, I decided that the "set" really needed a scissor fob.

For the fob, I took the letters for "scissors" off the larger piece (the capital 'S' from the personalization alphabet included) and charted all the letters on graph paper. I used the border from the needlebook making it smaller across and longer lengthwise. Inside, I graphed the left side house and the stitcher, along with some grass for the house to sit on. The back side (not shown) simply has the same border and the blackbird from the fence.

This is a great design and it was a lot of fun to stitch. Miss Diane once again has a winner. (of course, lol).

Side note, if any of you reader/stitchers sews at all, you'd do best to make your own finish kit. As pretty as the fabric is, the work put into the finish kit was not worth the money I paid. It could be that as I've been machine sewing since I was five (5) that I've become more of a perfectionist than normal. I was not impressed with the workmanship in the finish kit I received. The needlebook wasn't even "even" front to back. The envelope was simply two pieces of fabric with quilt batting sandwiched between, top stitched to form a 'pocket'--the needlebook was the same except that it folds in half and the top stitching catches a piece of felt for needles.

I'm sorry if I'm hurting anyone's feelings or offending anyone but I think that us stitchers need to stick together. In this day and age, where chart prices are rising, and hand-dyed linen is almost too expensive to use, we should be able to expect to get our money's worth. The price of the Little House Needlework chart pack with thread was very fair, simply the cost of her average chart and the cost of the threads. More than worth the cost to have all the threads right there to use.

Okay, off my soapbox now. It's been a terribly gloomy day here for all that it was warmer than normal. Rain instead of snow--woohoo! Back to working on my Sea To Shining Sea, as the last installment is due in my mailbox early next week--and I have so little of the border left to complete.

On a parting note, let me share a picture I took of our sweet kitties, the ones that share my lap with my needlework most nights. It took several months for them to make friends. For the first few months, if Shadow was sleeping in my lap, Spooky would jump up and lay right on top of her. Now they share lap space, lol. Spooky is the black cat and Shadow is the grey ring tailed cat. This picture shows them sitting on the back of my chair, watching the early birds.

Until next time, keep those needles flying.

SNOW by the Trilogy

2009-02-09T20:18:00.000-08:00

Okay, okay, I'm on a roll with small projects. This is SNOW by the Trilogy. The picture came up a bit crooked on the scanner, but I'm not going to photograph it until its framed. The picture frame is done, just needs to be painted--blue to match, hopefully, the blue of the border. I had plans of pulling out something larger to stitch, but as I was looking through my stash of kits (I didn't want to dig out floss and fabric) outside it was very cold, and this little snowman appealed to me. I did change one item--the snowflakes around the snowman were regular cross stitches, which I changed to smyrna stitches. Makes them stand out a bit more. This was stitched with Weeks Dye Works and GAST overdyes.

On to a bigger project. Once SNOW was finished, I pulled out LHN's From Sea to Shining Sea. I was inspired by Nicole and her work on her's. She's nearly done and I'm still working on the border chart. I started this piece when it first came out, but the border overwhelmed me. It seemed to go on forever. I am working on it now, and am getting close to being able to work on the interesting parts, the individual houses.

That's all for now, I'm going back to my stitching. Our weather has turned fairly warm so I'm thinking of washing my car tomorrow. Hubby is off, back on the road, thank heavens. There is only so much mud I want to clean up every hour! But, he works hard, so if you pray, pray for him to be safe. He's headed towards Dallas, TX. Stitch on, dear friends, and thank you so much for all the lovely comments you leave me. They are very much appreciated.

A Gift

2009-02-05T10:30:00.000-08:00

This year for Christmas, my friend Jodi sent me a threadkeeper. Her father is Max Bloom of Bloom Woodworks, and he makes wonderful threadkeepers, of all shapes and sizes. I have wanted one of these to mount a stitching on, and this one seemed perfect. The other threadkeepers I have that her father made are in shapes, and not really suitable for a stitching. (one is a really cool looking bat, the other a jumping bunny) I had several ideas for this one, but decided to go with a Little House Needlework house, in my choice of colors. It was stitched with Belle Soie Silk, the main house color being Blue Heaven, on Flax linen in 28 count. Really wish I could have found a piece of 32 count in this color. Mounted on batting covered mat board, and laced in the back, the cording is twisted linen thread. I think it turned out great, being my first one.

Now, I'm thinking a mini sampler for the next one? Perhaps my favorite bands from Shepherd's Bush samplers? I'm thinking I need to place an order for a few more of these lovely pieces.

Thank you, Jodi, for this lovely gift. And thanks, Max, for your wonderful talent.

Framed Finish

2009-02-03T12:43:00.000-08:00

Seems like lately all I've had are small finishes. This one, at least, I got framed right after finishing. This is Winter ABC by Shepherd's Bush. The mat was included in the kit. It was fun stitching this one--here in Indiana, it was frigid the entire time so stitching on a snowman was quite apt. I tried to get the same color in my frame as they used with the dark mat and blue fabric. Now to find a place to hang this piece.

I've been working on a stitching to decorate a hornbook thread keeper that I received for Christmas. I hope to be back in a day or so with the results. The stitching is completed.

I really do need to find something larger to stitch on but these "instant gratification" small pieces seem to be addictive. Until next post, keep warm, (or cool) and keep interested in your stitching. You are leaving behind a legacy that will live on.

Another small finish

2009-01-26T16:43:00.000-08:00

I think I'm on a roll, at least with smaller pieces and having finishes. This is the new Shepherd's Bush 2009 Scissor Fob. I think the ribbon took longer than the rest of the finishing. Please, can someone tell them to go back to the cording around the outside? Makes a much more useable scissor fob. I did enjoy the stitching of this one. The fabric color is just mouth watering. It's called Seafoam green but it looks more aqua than green.

I used a pair of antique scissors that I got on eBay just for display purposes. I hope to be able to find a pair of "Roberta" Ginghers to go with this fob eventually.

Next up? Not sure, but I'm leaning towards SB's Winter Sampler shop exclusive. It came with an absolutely adorable mat.

Thanks for again stopping by, and for all the lovely comments you leave. Stitch on, and keep warm.

A Tiny Finish--Framed

2009-01-23T14:50:00.000-08:00

I didn't have time to get the camera out, so a scan will have to do. This is 'Where there is life', (LHN) stitched over one and framed. I chose to paint my frame a pale green and then sanded it to make it look time-worn. Since this was such a small framed picture, instead of the hanging hardware on the back, I've drilled a hole for a small piece of dowel rod, to make it a stand up, stand alone piece. How did I do with the color? I thought about staining it but just had the feeling that would make it too dark.

I'm finished with the front of my SB 2009 Scissor fob and have a start on the back. I'll get moving on finishing that part tonight during Ghost Whisperer--I just love that show. Happy Stitching to all of you and thanks so much for the comments. Have a great weekend.

A Tiny Finish

2009-01-21T13:37:00.000-08:00

Yes, indeed, a tiny finish. This is "Where there is life", a compilation kit from Elegant Stitch, designed by Diane Williams of Little House Needleworks, with the threads by Sharon Crescent of Crescent Colours. I loved this piece but after seeing Lois' finish over one, I decided I just had to stitch it that way. I was a little bit disappointed in the colors used--my "clay pot" looks nearly the same as the "second-hand rose", and the colors used in the house, "country lane" and "bunny honey" seemed to be reversed on the chart. (I always use the darkest brown for the roof.) Those problems were simple to fix, and I love that Lois is always doing these Breast Cancer awareness pieces. I know my picture is pretty poor--I just put it on the scanner but I'll take a better picture when I have it framed. I made the frame this afternoon, and if I can decide on a color for it, it will be ready in a flash.

This is not the first time I've done an entire project 'over one' but with my eyesight, I do find it difficult to stitch. I'm very proud that I actually finished it. (I had second thoughts about the over one while I was doing the border, which was the first part I stitched, but as I'd cut the fabric in half, no going back.) And there was that "perfect timing" about the finish--yesterday, my new Shepherd's Bush kits came: Winter Sampler and 2009 Fob. I was determined NOT to start the fob until this piece was done--so now that it is done, on to the fob. My project to start tonight. Very thrilled I am. And the icing on the cake? Mr. DH is finally home after being out on the road for 17 days without a home visit. Can you say dirty laundry? Ick.

Until next time, dear friends, keep those needles flying, and only stitch what you enjoy stitching. Life is way too short to waste time stitching on something you don't like.

UFO now a finish!

2009-01-15T14:30:00.000-08:00

Here it is, Shepherd's Bush "FRIGHT", finally done. I really like how this one turned out. It's so pretty. (Yup and it's another one that eldest son has put his name on since the theme is Halloween.) You probably can't see it, but the fabric is distressed, and the fibers are silk, with the variegated thread Autumn Foliage by Threadgatherer.

That makes at least three UFO's that I've done in the last month. I'm so psyched about that. Of course, I have plenty more to get done, but I'm feeling righteous so . . . . . a new project. I'm thinking of starting LHN's 'Where there is hope' but I'm really tempted to get started on her 'Winter Whites', that Nicole started. It looks so pretty and wintery--and here in Indiana, it is certainly winter. Our high for today was -1 and right now, we're at -4 degrees. Just too too cold. We did get a bit of snow yesterday, so when I look out the front door my car is simply a white mound. I'm staying indoors to keep warm. I've been keeping busy, with laundry mostly, and some minor picking up. As soon as dinner is over, then I'll pick which new project to start on. I'm sort of leaning towards the 'Where there is hope', but I'm trying to decide if I want to do it over one or over two threads. Wouldn't it be neat to have that as a miniature? Decisions, decisions. If my order from Shepherd's Bush had come, there would be no decisions to make--I'd have started the 2009 Fob immediately--it's really adorable. But, from what I understand, the Bush is awaiting an order of ribbon for the kit and they won't be sending any out until it arrives. Boo, hoo.

I'm off to make dinner and then head for my stitching nest and an afghan for my feet. Hope all of you are keeping warm, and enjoying your stitching. Stitch on dear friends. And for those on the other side of the pond, keep cool, stay out of the sun, and send a bit of the warmth our way.

Come Tarry and a new finish

2009-01-13T14:56:00.000-08:00

After more than two years, I can finally hang "Come Tarry" by Shepherd's Bush on the wall. For that long, I've had a blank spot waiting for this piece and now I can fill it. I really enjoyed working on this, as I love long narrow band samplers and Shepherd's Bush have the best ones. (In my opinion.) I did change the piece a tiny bit--I changed the pudgy's hair color and made it a lot longer--the braid that is. That was done to make the pudgy resemble myself--I used to have hair that color-before it all turned gray and white and faded out. And I still have long hair, just not quite as long as the braid I gave the pudgy.

I took some close up shots of the top, middle and bottom of the piece, to show more detail. What do you think of the frame and the color? I was just so tired of staining the wood. And no, the color isn't light yellow but the color of heavy cream.

And here is my newest finish. A small piece, again by Shepherd's Bush, called "Come". The end result was a bit lighter than I thought it should have been but these were the colors that came in the kit. Haven't decided on a finish finish--if you know what I mean. Frame? Make into a pinkeep? A cube? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for looking, and get those needles smoking! I hope to be back soon, with another finish. I'm stitching and half done with Fright by Shepherd's Bush. I love reading your blogs and seeing your finishes. Those finishes encourage me. Stitch on.

I've been FRAMED!!!

2009-01-07T13:40:00.000-08:00

I finally got into the back room, got my power tools out, and got some stitchings framed. Can you believe that? It's been simply ages. Unfortunately, I missed taking pictures of most of the projects. Yep, Lil Miss Too Much To Do forgot about taking pictures until after 6 of the projects were wrapped up and ready to give as gifts. I was so mad. And then I forgot to take my camera home to take pictures when the recipients opened the gifts. I still have "Come Tarry" to frame but as it's going to be a huge frame, I needed to make sure I had enough molding for the gift frames first. That one will come tomorrow and I can't wait. Seems like I've had that Shepherd's Bush piece done for years.

First up, the gift for my daughter-in-law, Brown House Studio's American Sampler. It was stitched with the recommended WDW's threads over one on Belfast Linen. She really liked this design when we saw it at House Of Stitches. She was very surprised when she opened this gift.

Prairie Sampler by Little House Needleworks

Holly and Berries by Little House Needleworks

Thread Gathering by Little House Needleworks

Autumn Blessings by Shepherd's Bush

Stripes by Shepherd's Bush

The rest of the framed pieces were for the house here. Prairie Sampler, Holly and Berries, and Thread Gathering by Little House Needleworks, and Shepherd's Bush Autumn Blessings and Stripes. At least I think its called Stripes--it has been forever since I stitched it. It was the first design I thought to give to my brother-in-law--until I found Brave Hearts. Yep, that was one that also got framed, along with Morning Berries, Strawberry House, and Drawn Thread's Spring Spot that I forgot to get a picture before wrapping.

Until next time, dear friends, stitch on and don't forget to get those lovelies framed or finished for all of us to drool over. And take lots of pictures before you wrap!

A Birthday Finish

2008-12-16T15:34:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share a special finish that I had a while ago, but couldn't share until the birthday girl received her parcel. I didn't have a lot to go on except that she likes scissors, the colors purple and pink and smalls. HMMM, whatever shall I stitch her? Okay, smalls it is.

I chose a design by Indigo Rose, her Victoria's 2 pence Scissor Fob. I enlarged it, changed it around, added to it, and came up with this set: a scissor fob, needlebook and biscornu. I also used her Rhodes Heart to decorate a scissor sheath. I used R and R's linen in Breast Cancer Pink and Belle Soie silk in Empress purple. I added beads to the edges of all pieces except the sheath.

I loved working on this. Loved changing it, making it bigger by adding an extra row of rice stitches, and loved doing the finishing on it. I think its taking a blank piece of fabric, a soft piece of silk and making something lovely out of it. Something three dimensional out of it. Something that can be used. And don't we all love using pretty things? And because the birthday girl works giving Mammograms, I added the pink ribbon scissors. I think it made a sweet set. What do you think? Oh, it might help if I add a picture of the set?

The beaded counter was made by my son Chad to match the set I stitched. Isn't it pretty?

I have other finishes to share but the camera batteries need a recharge. I'll be back soon with an update and some pictures that I've just finished framing and a couple of tin necklace finishes. Until then, happy stitching!

Another Just Nan finish, Hooray!

2008-11-26T12:33:00.001-08:00

I was so happy at finishing the previous UFO of Just Nan's, that I thought I'd give a try and finish this up. It's Just Nan's, "And Many More" needlebook, to match her "20 Flowers". I had started it years ago. I so totally loved the look of this piece, with its many flowers, sheepies, but with so many flowers, so many color changes. Way too many color changes, if you know what I mean. I felt like I spent more time threading my needle than stitching. But, now that it's finished, I love how it looks. And it was stitched totally with silk thread. This is the front, isn't that rose on the flap gorgeous?

And the back, with the over one blue birds, the pretty sheepies, and all those flowers. If you look closely at the backstitching at the bottom, on the hills, you'll see a 'S' and a 'N' hidden, for Silver Needle.

I ordered the finishing kit but didn't follow many of the instructions, preferring to finish by hand, instead of by machine. I did follow the instructions for completing the inside flower, which I thought was a really cute idea. The way you sew the top and bottom flower together makes tiny pockets that can be used for needle threaders, charms, buttons and such.

Our house is home to three pets; a dog named Boo, (a black lab/chow mix) a black cat named Spooky (can you see a theme here?) and the newest member of our family, a grey cat called Shadow. We love all our pets but Shadow is something special. She lives to be loved on. She'll sleep in my lap despite me having a lap full of stitching and pillows. The night she decided to use my chart as her pillow, I just had to take a picture of it. So, here she is, Shadow, my stitching buddy. Isn't she adorable?

Now, if I can keep her from playing with my threads, I'll be happy. Sometimes I wait until she falls asleep before I start stitching--saves my silks. I have several charts with tiny teeth marks on the edges. She loves to cuddle. Next post, I'll try to find pictures of the other two beasts that live in our house and our hearts.

Once I finished stitching and finishing this project, I got started on Little House Needlework's "The Angels Sang" and its about half done. That was the chart that Shadow was sleeping on. I put it aside to start a project for a birthday exchange for next month. Most of the stitching on that is finished, just have to get started on the finishing for all the different pieces.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you, and I hope you manage to get some stitching done, in between taking the pies out of the oven, basting the turkeys, and slapping husband's hands that sneak tastes. Until next time, happy stitching.

I have attempted, several times, to edit this post. The last three paragraphs should have spaces between them. Blogger won't allow me to do that, and I don't know enough about code to do it myself in the edit mode. Someone advised me to add the pictures last, and then blogger will allow editing--but when you add pictures last, they all go to the top. I'll try it next time, see if I can manage moving pictures without leaving off much needed code. You'd think that Blogger would make it a little easier to insert pictures, or edit, wouldn't you? Thanks for reading!

I can't believe I actually finished it!

2008-11-07T20:16:00.000-08:00

Yes, indeed I did! I finished it all by myself. I simply can't believe that I not only finished stitching this piece but did a decent job finishing it into an ort box. This is Just Nan's TrickorTreat Box, a specialty design she did for the Silver Needle cross stitch shop. Isn't it cute? It's done on linen stitched with lovely spooky shades of silks, a bit of sparkly metallics and finished with two really cute charms.

Here you can see the side with the witch in her striped leggings and a pumpkin with a bat hat. A witches hat charm is the closer. (don't mind the price tag on the candle holder I used to prop up the piece--sorry, I didn't notice the tag until after I uploaded the picture.)

This was my favorite side to stitch. I just loved the pumpkin with the mask, and the spider sitting on his head.

Isn't that cat in front of the moon cool? Spooky? And the ghost holding the monster head? And the bat? Yes, I do love Halloween. This is the back of the piece.

Here is the box open, and you can just barely see the witch hat and the copper moon charms. The witches hat is on a stretchy ribbon and fits over the moon to keep the box closed. But, do you know what's hiding inside?

A pumpkin shaped pincushion. I thought it was a cute idea, and I'm very glad to have this finished. But I will need to keep a close watch on this piece, my eldest son has 'dibs' on all my Halloween stitchings. I'm not sure what he would do with this, but he's been watching my progress with keen eyes.

All in all, I'm happy with my finishing on this. It's not perfect, by any means but I'm still learning all these new and different options besides framing.

In my last post, (which was over a month ago, so sorry but its been a long 30 days) I said that I had planned on stitching another Little House Needlework piece. Isn't this pretty? While I was stitching it, Indiana was having spring weather, balmy and almost summer like. Mid to high 70's. This piece was so soothing to work on--oh, and it's the one that I had to frog the entire left side border. Okay, so the frogging was NOT soothing, but the stitching and restitching was. This is Strawberry House, one of the All Dolled Up series.

I had planned this next one as a welcome to colder weather but that didn't happen. The piece got stitched but I'll always think of being too warm while it was being stitched. This is Holly and Berries by Little House Needleworks. It's a very simple piece but charming in its simplicity. It makes me think of stitching by the fire, with the snow swirling around outside.

Okay, so I guess I need to explain why this past 30 days seemed so long. Hubby was home for nearly three weeks of it. Yup the truck needed fixing, the company didn't want to give him back any of his escrow money to do it so he sold some junk (recycled metal) to buy parts, and then quit his job. Like I said, it was a long 30 days. (He's now working on his second run for a new company after a three day orientation to learn how this company wants their paperwork done.) I had more than two weeks of him coming in with black and greasy hands, bottles of anti-freeze and oil thrown all over our front yard, and the garage light left on for hours at a time. Unless you know big trucks, you'd never believe how much oil and anti-freeze those monster vehicles take.

I have started a new project a few days ago, Little House Needleworks, The Angels Sang. Haven't gotten too far on it yet, but after the month I've had, I needed a new project. Time for me to get back to it. May all your stitches be soothing, and in the right places.

Two New Finishes

2008-10-01T13:13:00.000-07:00

This is my first new finish, Heart and Home Sampler by Little House Needleworks. Isn't it cute? I loved working this piece, it seemed to soothe me somehow. Why is it that some pieces you fight with, trying to make headway, and some pieces fly way too fast off your needle? This was the later, too soon finished. I opted to go with just stitching the berries instead of using beads. Just liked the way it looked stitched. I used the called for colors, DMC and Crescent Colours Cottons. I'm thinking of doing the tiny, over one thread necklace too.

This is Two Cabins by Nancy's Needle. I finished the sky and windows last night. Really enjoyed stitching on this but it will never take the place of cross stitch for me. I found it difficult dealing with the mounting frame, trying to hold it and stitch at the same time. I would like to do a quilt this way, but a really big one, to hang over our four poster bed. I think that would really be prettty. But, in thinking of that possible project, I think that I could design a geometric quilt in shades of colors and stitch it on linen. Think I'd enjoy it more, also.

I'm almost finished with LHN's Strawberry House. I totally mis-counted on the border and had to frog the entire left side or it would have been finished by now. I think I'll use the buttons on that one to "doll" it up like the designer intended. After that, I have a birthday exchange to decide a project for and a Shepherd's Bush (several in fact) that I want to do. It's been way too long since I've done one of their projects. And I'm several sheepies behind on their sheep series.

Stitch on dear friends. I'll try not to take so long for my next post.

I have tried, several times, to edit this post and put spaces between the paragraphs. For some reason, Blogger won't let me do this. And since my dh is hoping for dinner that will actually be served sometime tonight, I have to let this post stand as it is. Perhaps some other time Blogger will allow some changes, and editing. Thanks for reading.

Beth's Fob

2008-09-10T20:31:00.001-07:00

When I made my last post, I thought I had posted a picture of the fob I made for Beth, the Purple Three Penny Scissor Fob by Indigo Rose. NOT! So, here it is. The different shades of purple, the white beads to match the handles of the scissors--I think it turned out quite nicely. This was part of her birthday gift. I was going to try and post these pictures in my last post, but I just can't seem to add pictures where I want them to go. If I don't add them at the beginning and then write my blip, the pictures always end up at the top. If someone can tell me how to put pictures where I want them, I'm all ears.

Happy Stitching everyone.

A little this, a little that

2008-09-10T19:17:00.000-07:00

I can not believe it's been over a month since I last posted. Seems that life has kept me very busy. We finally have a new shower and it only took a week to install. We are having a problem with the caulk curing, so might have to remove it all and re-caulk with a different brand. You'd think that after two days, it would be dry and stay dry. Nope, it gets tacky whenever it gets wet, and seems to wash away. Really annoying.

Summer is nearly over. Isn't that the best thing you've heard in ages? Autumn, with its lovely colors, and cooler temperatures, is just around the corner. Last night, I turned off the a/c and opened a window--was to get down to 45 degrees. Must have because I was very comfortable--and I like being cold when I sleep. Really cold. Don't believe me? I once slept in the truck, parked on the top of a hill in Northern Illinois in the middle of January--and the temps were below zero. (and the truck was not running!) I had no trouble sleeping. And why on earth would I do that? We were visiting my husband's parents and as they are getting on in age, they like to keep the house REALLY warm, like 85 degrees. So, I'm very happy to see the end of summer. The grandkids are back in school and it should be reported that they all like their new teachers. And all they can talk about is Halloween coming. Oh, and birthdays--three of them have birthdays this month.

So, in amongst all the busy-ness of life, I did get a bit of stitching done. First up, Little House Needleworks Reading. I do not know why the fabric is showing up blue because it was stitched on Antique white Belfast, with Crescent Colours. I really enjoyed stitching this one. When these charts were previewed, I decided then and there I was only going to stitch the Quilting one. I am a reader, but the Quilting piece was the only one that really interested me. Guess I changed my mind. Looks like I'll be stitching all four in the series. Am I a sucker for LHN designs, or what?

Here is my stitched piece, Little Women Reading by Little House Needleworks. It was a fairly quick stitch, and has been done for days. (Just kept forgetting that the batteries for my camera needed to be recharged.)
Next up, Indigo Rose's Three Penny Scissor fob. For my birthday, my friend Beth gave me a pair of scissors. She bought the same pair for herself. For her birthday, I stitched her this very same fob, in a purple over-dyed silk, Empress Belle Soie by Crescent Colours. Since the scissors matched, I made myself the same fob, but in my favorite color of blue, Blue Lagoon Belle Soie by Crescent Colors. (side note, if you've not stitched with Belle Soie yet, give it a try. You'll fall in love with this lovely silk floss.)

I did change the chart somewhat. I enlarged the design size from 4 stitches by 4 stitches (woven) to 8 stitches by 8 stitches. On the front, I left an area in the middle unworked to have a place to stitch an initial, this time, mine. The back was worked as Indigo Rose designed it, just a bit larger. You can't see the lovely sheen of the beads--here they appear white but they are the exact color of the darker part of the silk floss. The cording is made of the same silk floss. It's filled with plastic pellets for weight.

Seems like quite a few stitchers have been trying canvas work. Beth has been working on canvas for about 6 months and she is thrilled with it. Nicole has done a few and her's have turned out so pretty--her's look like mini quilts and that always makes my mouth water--so I thought I'd give it a try. This is Two Cabins by From Nancy's Needle. I'm enjoying the work, the learning something new but it will never replace my cross stitching.

If you notice the pine green on the outside border, I've finished up with that green tonight, and the last snowflake has been done. It's very small, only 4 inches by 8 inches but there is a lot of detail in that small piece. And can you believe it? I've had trouble doing the counting. Do I count the threads or the holes? I am finding it hard to understand how I can count wrong so often, when I don't do it very often in my stitching. A lot of frogging went on to get this far.

So, what is next? I'm thinking it's time for another LHN design, and I've chosen Heart and Home Sampler. It's charted for DMC but I think I'll try and find some Crescent Colours overdyed cottons to stitch it in.

Birthday Gifts and Stash

2008-08-06T16:59:00.001-07:00

Fair warning, this is going to be a long post. If you need to grab a cup of tea or coffee, or a diet pepsi, go on, I'll wait. . . . . are you ready now? Well, here goes.

My last long post concerned having a tooth extracted and the aftermath. I weathered that ordeal fairly well, and then. . . . wait for it. . . . promptly got sick with a horrid sinus infection. The last time I had something like this was three years ago and it nearly landed me in the hospital. I just can't eat, which is not good when one is diabetic. So, there I was, just days from my birthday and so sick I couldn't even eat, let alone stitch, or read, or make merry with my family. My eldest son tried very hard to help me, before he went off to work and when he got home at night--he works second shift. Hubby finally came home to get the truck in for some repairs and stayed until I was able to do for myself. During that time, I had three days of feeling pretty good and his gift to me for my birthday was a trip to House of Stitches, in LaPorte, Indiana. We made the most of that day, let me tell you.

I've uploaded many pictures so you can see some of the things my family gave me for my birthday. They were all thoughtful gifts. First up, the ones from my eldest son. He knows that I collect Boyd's Bears Treasure boxes and resin figurines, so that's what he got me. The little hats below are Treasure boxes and the figurine is the new Halloween piece.

There is the Snowman Hat, Witches Hat and Santa Hat. The hats all have tiny mice figures inside. My favorite was the Snowman hat because the little mouse figure has a snowman.
See the close up of the snowman. Isn't he cute? He also gave me a pair of lovely earrings, and a book I've been wanting to read. But, the biggest gift he gave me was the care he showed during this difficult time.

Next up were the gifts from my youngest son and his family. They got me three pairs of earrings, a cute pair of capri pants and two really cute, dressy tee shirts. And I have the promise of a cook out this coming weekend with a cheese cake to celebrate.

The next picture was a surprise gift from my dear friend, Nicole. This package arrived the first day I felt human and knew I was going to live. LOL.

Nicole sent me five cuts of linen, all of them specialty linens. Aren't they gorgeous? And look at that ton of Crescent colours. She also sent the JABC buttons for LHN "All Dolled Up" Strawberry House. But what really topped everything is the beaded scissor fob she sent. Isn't it gorgeous? All in shades of blue, my absolute favorite colors. I put it right away on my scissors and have been using it ever since. Thanks Nicole.

As I said before, my birthday gift from my hubby was a trip to House of Stitches. We decided to take the entire day to ourselves. We enjoyed the trip up, all 2 1/2 hours worth, with a stop for lunch at KFC. We talked like we haven't been able to talk in months. Sadly, music went by the wayside because we were jammering so much. The weather was clear, bright and really warm.

I was thankful that we went on a Thursday because the shop wasn't crowded, as it always is on the weekends. Hubby decided he'd do best to take a nap in the car while I shopped and visited, and shopped some more. So, here is what I walked out of the store with:
Just Nan's Gilded Dragonfly and silk thread pack, the Halloween ornament issue of Just Cross Stitch and the Autumn issue of Cross Stitch and Needlework.
A large bag of Best Way floss bobbins, a package of thread drops, a pair of scissors with handles shaped like the Eiffel Tower, a pin cube kit and Crescent colours for 4 new projects.
Four cuts of specialty linen, a skein of Belle Soie in Empress, and a few Kelmscott pieces in the mother of Pearl: ruler, thread rings, and a winder that looks like a butterfly.
Twisted Threads Tin Pin Flag and a Just Nan frame accessory of a bat, for a project I'm making my son. If anyone has made the Tin Pin Flag, please let me know. I have a few questions for you, LOL.

It was a wonderful day. I had a lovely visit with Linda and her daughter Sarah. With hubby napping, I could take as long as I wanted to, browsing the store, chatting, looking at everything. I think Linda got a chuckle --there is so much you can't see when you browse online, as opposed to being in the store proper. Linda is not just a great shop owner, she's a lovely hostess. I enjoyed my time there immensely.

Hubby got a really nice nap, nearly two hours, so we opted to take the long way home. We took the back roads all the way, and most of it was through Amish country. We passed lakes and lovely hilly land. Saw a sunset fit for royalty and enjoyed each other's company. We ended the day with dinner at Ponderosa.

It took a few more days for me to feel fit and healthy but I'm doing better now. Thanks to all who emailed to see how I was feeling. And thank you, all of you who stayed to the very end of this very long post. I wish I was better at describing things.

Until next time, Happy Stitching!

Pay It Forward again

2008-08-01T08:31:00.000-07:00

Here it is, the 1st of August. I'm sorry to say that I only had two takers for my Pay It Forward but we're going to make the best of it. By August 1st of 2009, I will send a handmade item to Amy and Peg . Thank you, Ladies, for offering to be a part of this PIF.

There is someone else who really did want to join, so I have included you anonymously. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!!

Okay, so Ladies, please email me your physical addresses, or leave your email in a comment and I'll contact you.

P I F

2008-07-22T11:42:00.000-07:00

Deb has selected me as one of the recipients for her PIF and so I am offering the same from me to . . . the first three who post a comment on this particular blog post. I will do the draw on August 1, 2008 and post the lucky three here so watch to see if you are it ;-). The three selected will receive a handmade PIF gift from me within 365 days and the only condition is that they in turn do the same thing on their blogs.

Gifts and new stash

2008-07-21T13:31:00.000-07:00

Its my birthday this Saturday, and my partner for the birthday exchange sent me this lovely Etui. Isn't it just gorgeous? The first picture is of the front of the etui and the extra gifties Dane sent. Aren't those threads lovely? The second picture is the back of the Etui, with my initials--and please, anyone that can translate what else it says, please tell me. (I flunked out of high school French.) The last picture is the inside of the Etui, and what a superb job she did. There is a little pocket with a ribbon that holds a pretty pair of scissors, a needle and pin page with a gold needle and a special pin with a heart on top. On the other side, a heart shaped pocket with several heart shaped charms inside. The two small sides have heart-shaped mother of pearl rings for threads. The finishing is exquisite, and I love how it folds up to be another heart shape. I was very impressed with the gift and the package. Also included in the package was a chart by Atalie called Mon Petit Jardin. So, does that translate to "my little garden" or "my little heart?" The instructions are all in French, of course, so a visit to my sister is in order. My niece Katie is fluent in French.

A little side bar to the first part of my post. This package arrived last Friday but on Thursday, I had a really bad day. I had an infected tooth, and the infection had spread to my jaw. Now, that's bad for most people, but I'm diabetic, and as such, my immune system isn't as strong as it should be. This was bad enough that my husband, dear sweet Shawn, came home from Chicago, and took me to the dentist--who not only extracted the tooth, but put me on a very high dosage antibiotic. Now, we live 20 minutes away from the dentist office, and were still 7 or 8 miles away when the numbness wore off. Poor Shawn, I kept saying "hurry", and he was already doing above the speed limit--he thought I needed to use the bathroom. Anyway, he got me home, put to bed after taking some pain meds, and went to fill my prescription. He let me get up for a bit of soup for dinner and then back to bed. Friday, still on pain meds but feeling a tiny bit better, and in he comes from the post office with the package from Dane. It made my day.

This week, reality set in. Diabetes has lost me most of my teeth. The tooth the dentist pulled was the last molar I had on the bottom. My doctor has me on a high protein diet--but now what do I eat? I refuse to live on soup the rest of my life. (Receding gums was the first indication that I had a problem. My dentist asked me outright if I was diabetic--NO! but guess where my next stop was? You guessed it and yes, I was!) My gums have receded so far that I don't have a bone ridge for a denture to sit on. So, I was feeling really low today. Hence, the reality setting in. (do you know how hungry one can get without chewing? Even if your stomach is full.) Today's mail brought another package. From my friend Beth, the friend of my heart.

This is what she sent me for my birthday. The Shepherd's Bush kit, Queen Sheep and the gorgeous--I need to find another word--pair of Sajou scissors that look like Mother of Pearl. I was totally in shock! I love these scissors. And won't they look perfect in a sewing box with the Kelmscot thread rings, winders, and ruler? I feel so spoiled. Of course, I had to open my gifts early, just couldn't NOT open it. Isn't she a thoughtful friend? We do all the SB sheepies together. Now it's my turn to put together a lovely package for her as her birthday is just days after mine.
My package also included my latest order of Shepherd's Bush items. The leaflet, She Tends, with the charms--won't they make lovely scissor fobs?--Happy Pumpkin NR, Into the Night Sampler, which is a really cool Halloween sampler, Mermaid Sampler and Sail Away. I'm happy, even with soup for dinner.

Until next time--and there will be a next time, I have ring tags to show off--Stitch on, and have a great summer. Thanks Dane and Beth.

An older finish

2008-07-15T11:14:00.001-07:00

A friend reminded me that I hadn't posted a picture of the finish "Morning Berries" by LHN. Sorry about that. I got finished and immediately started working on learning how to do ring tags. And look, my picture is crooked. I take terrible photos, and this one had to be taken while the stitching was hanging over the side of my bed, it's so long. I really enjoyed stitching this one, and the recommended fabric was the greatest to work on but I'm not totally pleased with how it turned out. Second guessing myself on my choices of silk colors. I used Belle Soie, for any new readers.

The ring tags are addictive--I'm doing the finishing today on number 3 and 4, with one more that I want to do. I'm trying to decide if I want to do the stitching for number 5 first, and then finish all of them at the same time. On a recent trip to Wal Mart's, I found more grommets--I used that in the first finish--and found that they come in a host of sizes. Very surprising. Could have used that on my first one--the grommets I had here are very small, and didn't go through my piece all the way. So, you get to only see the front of my piece, LOL.

As soon as I'm finished with the others, I'll scan and post them. I have to say that these are really fun to do--you can choose anything you want to stitch, in any color, with any fabric, or just a lovely motif that you are fond of, and make it into a ring tag. And it's nice to have that little decoration hanging with your threads. Hmmm, perhaps a ring tag exchange is in order. Anyone up for that?

Happy stitching, everyone. Thanks for stopping by.

Little Women "Quilting"

2008-07-02T13:54:00.000-07:00

She is finally finished, Little Women Quilting. She took longer than I thought she would, even with being a quick stitch. I had a lot of trouble getting her eyes the same size, but after a few tries, this is what I ended up with. I love her quilt and am planning on stitching it again, just the quilt, for a scissor fob. I will be changing the colors to something with blue in it. She is stitched on Antique white Belfast linen, with Crescent colours overdyed cottons. I finished her yesterday, just before supper and got her all ironed up. I think she turned out very nicely.

Next up will be Morning Berries to finish. That should come tonight. Just have the 7 berries at the bottom to get done. This one should have been done last night, but I got side tracked playing around on the computer, reading blogs, checking updates for online stores. It's very hot outside so I'm staying inside with the air conditioner, getting laundry done and stitching.

Happy stitching everyone, and I hope you all have a great 4th of July.

Oh, the places I've been. . . .

2008-06-27T21:32:00.000-07:00

http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/map.php

I thought this was so cool that I decided to put one on my blog. Most of the states I've visited were seen from the cab of a truck. Some of the states I've actually lived in: Tennessee, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada and Illinois. The rest I've either rode through, or driven through, or just stopped to visit. I couldn't figure a way to put in Canada, but I've been there many times. The Detroit area is just a bridge away from Canada. My hubby and I have picked up munition casings in Red Lion, PA, and delivered those munitions to a military base in Iowa; cabinet frames to Talladega, Alabama; window frames to North Carolina. We've watched the ships being loaded in Norfold, VA while our trailer was being unloaded. In Wisconsin, we watched a truck and trailer pull on to a ramp and be elevated so that the wood chips were dumped out the trailer door. (yes, it was totally upright.) And we drove through a bug storm before we got there. (I think we were going past a cranberry bog!) The most remarkable thing I've seen, was going up a mountain in Virginia, heading towards Norfolk. The mountain almost always has fog near the top so there are tiny lights in the road, set right where the lane lines are. At night, it is the MOST gorgeous sight in the world.

Thanks for stopping by and going with me down memory lane. Back to my stitching. Have a great weekend everyone.

LHN Progress: two projects

2008-06-26T13:18:00.001-07:00

First up is Morning Berries. I really adore this piece, it's so calming to work on. I think it's the fabric, 28 Natural Pearl. It's really dense and holds the stitches quite nicely. This is coming along, slower than I had imagined but it's nearly done. Tonight or tomorrow should see it completed. I'm not really happy with all the silk choices that I made, the rabbits don't show up real well, and the urn with the vine isn't quite the correct color, but it has a soft look that I do like. But, the reason it isn't quite done yet? I started another project.

Quilting, by LHN. It came in the mail on Monday and I just had to start it. First, I was only going to do the top row of the border, then the sides. I just couldn't put it down and ended up doing all of the one color, Joshua Tree, that was in the border. So, I'm thinking an hour for Quilting and the rest of the time trying to get Morning Berries finished up would work. After that, I can finish up this small piece and on to another project. Maybe their new projects will be out by then, the Neighborhood piece is really cute. Have you seen it?

It is odd, working with the cottons first and then the silks. I'm using two strands on both pieces, but the way they lay, and feel, and the look of the pieces are so different.

Happy stitching all of you, thanks for stopping by. I have to make this post a short one because we have storms going by, and have already lost power three times. Looks like I might be stitching by candlelight tonight. Already have several candles lit, just in case.

A Small Start and an Even Smaller Finish

2008-06-12T17:25:00.000-07:00

Here is my small start. It's Morning Berries by LHN, and it is indeed a very small start. I'm working this on the recommended fabric, 28 count Natural Pearl Linen by Zweigart. I'm really loving the look of this linen and it's wonderful to work on. I am not using the recommended threads. I have substituted Belle Soie silk for the Crescent Colours overdyes. Of course, the substitution isn't a perfect one. For example, the berries are supposed to be done in Blue Moon, a lovely periwinkle, sort of lavender blue color, and I just couldn't find the perfect blue to use. Instead, I used Spring Violets, a more lavender color. I'm also using: Icing, Tumbleweed, Cinnamon Stick, Lily Pad, and Sandy Beach. Some are very good matches, some not quite so good. But I'm happy with how it's turning out. I've stitched the entire border, though it doesn't show in the picture, and have a pretty good start on the top part. I did realize something important when I started stitching the berries at the top; the Belle Soie made the stitches look soft and full, while the Crescent Colours overdyed cottons look crisp and full. I wanted the soft look for this lovely piece. Oh, and if you look very closely, you can see that I'm frogging the row beneath the bunnies because I blended two "v's" into one large one right at the beginning. So, that's what I'm doing tonight, reworking that row.
Next up is my small finish. And it is truly small. This is a piece that is going to Laura, for our Smalls RR. It is Drawn Thread's Holiday Halloween and I used the silks that came with the kit. This was the second time I've stitched this, so I was lucky to have enough thread. The big change is that I stitched this one over one, and it came out really small. I didn't have enough black to work the words so I used the dark olive green. The little buttons that came with the kit were just too big for this tiny piece so I worked tiny spider web rosettes in the corners instead. And just how small is this piece?
This small. I don't think it even measures 3 inches square. I love the detail which seems to show up more on the over one than the regular stitching. Had a great time working those spiderwebs. So, what do you think? Laura wanted Halloween, and I think this is small enough for a scissor fob, or ornament, right?

On the home front, the truck is back on the road, my house is clean again, and I really miss my dh. That's always the problem of having him home for long periods of time. I get so used to him being here, even when he annoys me, that it's twice as hard when he leaves again. And to those inquiring minds who want to know, YES, I did help him with taking out the radiator, and putting the new one back in. (Oh, and that baby weighed like 300 pounds!)I took him up to the truck parts store to pick up special anti-freeze. And I cooked for him. Can you imagine, the man wanted three square meals every day! Big departure from being home alone, and grabbing whatever is available. He's planning on working the weekend through, and won't be home until next Wednesday night so keep a watch for me--I'll be wandering through all of your blogs, trying to keep busy.

Until next time, happy stitching and I hope you all keep cool.

Small Finish and New Stash

2008-06-03T11:30:00.000-07:00

First, a small finish. This is Thread Gathering, by Little House Needleworks. It was a limited edition kit, that came with the threads, Crescent Colors Cotton overdyes and a lovely Kelmscott thread keep, made from Mother of Pearl. I stitched it on the recommended fabric, 32 count Natural Raw Linen. The border seemed to take forever to stitch--but then I figured out how many stitches were in it, over a thousand, and that made perfect sense. It was a real joy to watch the colors change, especially the Old Blue Jeans color. I really love the simplicity of the piece and it will be framed and hung over my guest room/stash room/sewing room door. Quite fitting, don't you think?

Next up is NEW stash. I received two packages in the mail yesterday. From House of Stitches in LaPorte, IN, some new fabrics. Pictured is the largest piece, a Lakeside Linen called Tundra, in 32 count, which is my favorite count to work on. What isn't pictured is a small piece of 28 count Linen in Clay, which I'm using for a piece in our Smalls RR and that I started last night. I'm doing a Drawn Thread Witch, from Holiday Halloween. Linda from House of Stitches is the greatest to order from. There have been times when I order one day and have it the next day. Of course, she's only two hours away so shipping time is short, but Linda and her gals are the greatest around. And their store is a stitchers dream. The rest of my order was from the Froggy Stitcher . I ordered a chart which was out of stock but on sale, Thread hoops from Kelmscott (really lovely) and three skeins of Crescent colors cotton overdyes in Black Bird, Blacksmith Blue and River Rocks. Those last are for an upcoming project I have planned. Karen was really great to deal with and got my order out right away.

So, there you have it. A finish and some new stash. I've not gotten a lot of stitching done the last few days because hubby is home again, working on the truck. I think I'm going to name this truck TROUBLE since its been causing problems all year. This time the radiator blew out, to the tune of $745. The new one was delivered this morning. Oh, and of course, with him needing to be outside working on the repairs, we have a thunder storm arriving any time.

Until next post, Happy Stitching and may your finishes be many.

Mother's Day Silks and Update to Stash Room

2008-05-22T15:01:00.000-07:00

This is what I received for Mother's Day from my darling hubby. Isn't it gorgeous? Its the full line (so far) of Belle Soie Silks, from Crescent Colors. Wasn't he just the most thoughtful of men? He knows I've been wanting these for a long time, since I first used them for LHN Prairie Sampler. Personally, I think they are the nicest silks on the market, and even one strand covers well.

Here is more of a close-up of the colors. I am so wanting to start a project with them right NOW, but I'll be patient and wait until I finish LHN Thread Gathering. I'm enjoying it and its starting to look really nice now. And when its done, I'll hang it up, over the door of my stash/guest room.

Now, on to the update to the cleaning of my stash room/guest room. I have to quantify that all the time because I sort of feel guilty having an entire room, albeit a small room, dedicated to stitching. I uploaded all the pictures in order, but somehow Blogger decided to rearrange them, so instead of trying to upload them all over again, I'll leave them as is, and hope you can manage to see the room as a whole. Okay, so the bed didn't get totally cleaned off. That bag you see at the end of the bed is full of fabric to make two blankets, and very hard to find a place for. I'm just going to have to get those blankets made up and given out, and get that out of the room. You can just see the circle of silks that I laid out, my Brave Hearts laid on the pillow for picture taking, and a few other things that need stowing away. You can also see my wall of Told in a Garden Bookmark stitchings. Am I showing my age yet? I think I did all but 2 of those.
This picture was to show the top of my big Ugly, where I store baskets, stuffing and quilt batt, and its the corner of the room opposite to the bed. This picture was taken from the doorway so you can see that the room is quite small.
This is the same green chest from the last picture--it stores all of my charts and leaflets. I've never found a really good use for this piece, until I noticed that the charts fit in perfectly. This is a handmade piece and I just love it. Would have rather it be a different color though.
This is that library desk that you couldn't see at all in my last post. You can see it a bit better now. My two sewing machines, magazines stored underneath, and a lone bag of fabric that I'm not sure what to do with yet. On the right is my rolling shelves for beads, and I haven't touched it yet. It needs to be better arranged so that things don't fall off so often, LOL.
This is my little ugly, it sits on the wall next to the door, and houses my kits. There's another picture, that should have been right after this one, showing how I've organized the inside. And that is my cheap-o stash room stereo, and right above that, is one of my old stitchings, one of the first I'd done.

Well, what do you know? They actually put the picture in the right spot. It looks messy, doesn't it? But on closer inspection, it really isn't. The top shelf has kits that come in those plastic envelopes and in front, my cord maker. The next shelf are smaller kits, and I have them arranged in three boxes and that green organizer is full of scissors. The next shelf are those kits that come in the hard plastic boxes, mostly silk gauze kits. Also, thats where I've stored the Sudberry pincushions, pretty porcelain boxes, thread keepers by Max Bloom, etc. Bottom shelf is pretty much the same, just different kits, along with my collection of amish quilt kits. Remember those?
And here is the inside of my lovely new china cabinet. I got the baskets at Kmart's also. The baskets hold my stitching fabric, and a basket underneath holds finishing fabrics. The top shelf has my perle cotton balls, and some specialty fibers. The drawers are holding my new silks, some Crescent Color cottons, and some of my newest pretties.
The bookcase in the back holds magazines, for the most part, the small basket, and the large basket hold Shepherd's Bush kits. The little drawers there beside the china cabinet hold specialty fabrics, like linen banding and such.
On top of the bookshelf of magazines is this lovely cabinet--its supposed to be a spice rack, no kidding--I got it at Target a long time ago, and it holds a myriad of things: beads, charms, silk embellishment kits for Drawn Thread kitlets, Just Nan embellishments, Victoria Sampler threads, charms for SB stockings, you name it, its probably in there.

Next post, the start of LHN Thread Gathering. Now, I'm off to have dinner and get in a bit of stitching before Hubby wakes up and starts emailing me. Darn Blackberry! As always, I welcome your comments, and any advise that will help me clean up this room even more.

Two finishes

2008-05-16T14:08:00.000-07:00

I promised pictures of my recent finishes, Wool Needlebook and Fob. I've taken the pictures but have to confess, the needlebook has no button on it, and the fob has no cording or loop to attach to scissors. I have the perfect scissors to attach to it, just not sure I want to part with the Belle Soie for cording. I should have just stitched the pieces with the recommended threads but no, I had to do them in Belle Soie. I think it turned out well, the silk will hold up to use, but to waste all that lovely silk on cording? I cringe at the thought. Or put cotton floss as cording on it? I don't think so. Perhaps I could make just a top loop and not put the cording around the outside, and not make a pretty tassel--that would make it more rustic looking, right? Any ideas would be appreciated, fellow stitchers.

My second finish is one I am most proud of. Brave Hearts by LHN. This one was charted for Belle Soie and that is what I stitched it with. And its not my stitching that I'm proud of but who the stitching is meant for. My BIL George. This man I am so proud of, so proud that he is part of our family. Let me tell you a little about him.

George is married to my middle sister Patti. He served as a Marine for 16 years; in Beirut, in Quantico, all over the world. He's a home town hero, a soldier, a family man. Not long after retiring from the Marines, he had an accident at home--one of those dreaded accidents that left him paralyzed and in a wheelchair. He went from standing tall to sitting in a chair all the time. A situation that would have devastated many a strong person just made him a stronger man. He is my hero. He works, he travels, he even danced Patti around the dance floor at the wedding of their eldest son, in his chair. Their love grows stronger every day, as they depend on each other, and on their GOD to sustain them. He didn't let a little thing like a wheelchair stop him. Brave Hearts is for him.

I'll save my stash room update for another day. Thanks for reading.

Messes, and more

2008-05-12T14:31:00.000-07:00

I had planned an update to the SAL that Nicole and I were doing. Yes, I have finished the stitching and most of the finishing for the Wool Needle book and Fob--still have to find a button, and put cording around the fob. Went back to work on LHN's Brave Hearts and I've finished the wording, and started work on the sheep--but pictures will have to wait for another day. Just too much needs doing right now.

The ladies of our Yahoo group have been comparing stash "messes". You know, when you walk into the room where you store your stash, and can't find anything because you pulled something out (many, many times) and didn't put it back in the right place, and all around you are piles of wonderful fibers and linens, charts and kits just begging to be worked on--and you feel you need a guide dog to lead you out of the room--that's the kind of mess I mean. Here is mine.

This picture was taken standing out in the hallway and that green cabinet is in the middle of the room. I had to move things around a bit to get my new hutch in here. But, you can see the general disorder of the place. Isn't it pathetic?

And this is the bed--or can't you see the bed under the pile of general "stuff"? Yes, there is a bed under all of that.

OH, my, there are the pillows, and a peek at my new hutch. And see, more "stuff" in bags on the floor. This is a very tiny room, not even a closet to hide anything in.

This is my sewing table. It's a library desk, very old, but sturdy enough to hold my sewing machine and serger, which you can't see because that nine drawer mini chest is in the way. And is that a "little Mermaid" purse of my granddaughter's? Yes, indeed, and she's now 7 and way too old for it. So, why is it still in this room?

This is the foot of the bed. I finally got the cabinet moved up against the wall so I can walk in the room. I'm thinking the best idea for me is to take everything that is piled up all over, out of the room, stack it on the dining room table and go from there. I did that last week, and did get a lot of things put away, and organized, but then the weekend came rolling in, we needed the table to eat at, so hence, the mess on the bed again. ARGGGG!

I did get a small start on making my room look a bit better, and that was the hutch hubby bought me for storage. We found it on clearance at K Marts last weekend, DS1 helped me put it together and we got it put in here. I just love it. I can use a bit of the area on top for "show and tell" and the rest for fabrics, yarns, finishing fabrics, and all sorts of things. It's 6 feet of lovely and usable storage. Want to see a picture of it?

I think its gorgeous. Those two little drawers are perfect for holding new items, thread drops, new overdyes, small things that haven't found their own space. The two bottom doors are hiding a ton of yarn, but there is still half the space waiting to be filled. Still some space on top. Those baskets are holding linens, and see on the top shelf? There is my Little Traveler for taking my stitching on the road, a few pretties that were made for me, and my hand finishing box of supplies. On the very top of the cabinet is a basket of SB kits, that didn't fit into the huge basket I have for them. Guess I need to get stitching. Up there is also my other stitching bag, it's one of those messenger type bags, and holds a lot of supplies.

So, there you have it. I'll be cleaning and taking update pictures so as to encourage myself and others to get your stash organized. After this is done, it's on to my stitching area in the living room. And next time, I will have pictures and updates from the SAL and my Brave Hearts. Until then, Happy Stitching!

Smalls RR and SAL progress

2008-04-27T19:43:00.000-07:00

This installment of our yahoo group Smalls RR comes from Jodi, to me. I think its a BBD but am not really sure. Isn't it adorable? She sent it to Kathy, another member of our group, for finishing. It's actually a combination pinkeep and flat fold, which I find a very interesting combination. There are two tiny ribbon hinges at the top--what a great job.

I'm having a lot of fun with this Smalls RR. This time, I stitched an ornament by LHN from the JCS ornament issue, for Jodi. Of course, I forgot to take a photo before sending it on. Next up is Laura, and a Halloween design for her. That should be really interesting. And means, I get to go stash diving to find the perfect chart.

If anyone has an idea for the perfect Halloween ornament, please let me know. Thanks for visiting.

More Progress Reports

2008-04-25T20:10:00.000-07:00

Its about time to give you all another progress report on my projects. I started a SAL with Nicole, on Wool Needlebook and Fob by LHN last night. So the picture has two evenings work on it. Its coming along really well. I think I like it so much because of the sheep on it.

Hope I can keep the pictures straight in my post. Next up is Brave Hearts. I'm more than 1/3 the way done. Its so much fun and looking pretty good, if I do say so myself. When its done, I'll tell you all why I decided to stitch this piece and who will be getting it as a gift.

Next is my progress on Honor Thy Needle which I'm doing as a SAL with my yahoo group, Friends in Thread. I did NOT get much done on it last Sunday. All day long, I kept heading towards my stitching chair and have company arrive. I think I was able to get all of an hour in on it.

And last but not least, a few finishing finishes. I've had the tiny pail stitching done for years--found it when I was cleaning out a project box. The Nantucket basket pincushion I stitched the other day, and decided to do the finishing on it when I did the tiny pail. The tiny pail was a kit that my friend Beth brought me back from a vacation to Florida.

I appreciate all the comments you are leaving. They have brought me comfort in difficult times, and made me feel not quite so alone here. You guys give me the warm fuzzies--there! I said it.

For those that have asked about the pincushions, the designers are: tiny pail, Hillside Samplings, and Pins and Needles, Olde Colonial.

Progress Reports

2008-04-17T13:56:00.000-07:00

Its been quite some time since I posted a finish. Why? Because I haven't finished anything lately. Okay, yes, I did finish a small piece for our Friends in Thread Smalls RR but I'm not posting the picture because my partner doesn't know what I stitched as yet. When she receives it, I'll post it.

I've been working on two projects exclusively, since I finished the small piece. Brave Hearts by Little House Needleworks and Honor Thy Needle, by Twisted Oaks. The last is being done as a SAL and we're working on the piece on Sundays. Since the entire thing is being stitched over one, its slow going and I don't have much to show. Just don't laugh, please. I changed out the pale green linen for a Belfast that I dyed myself, a pale country blue. Matches DMC 3853, ultra light antique blue. Brave Hearts is working up great. I don't have a ton done on it, but what is done, I'm really liking how it looks. I'm doing it in Belle Soie--once again, if you haven't tried these, you owe it to yourself to stitch something with them. Heaven for your fingers. I'm working it on the required linen, Natural Raw Linen but using the 32 count instead of the 28 count. Coverage with one strand of silk is fabulous.

Spring cleaning is under way here in our little house--took me three days just to clean out the closet and my dresser. Tomorrow starts the cleaning and organizing of the stash room, again. I will admit, I'd rather be stitching but cleaning the stash room is fun. My biggest problem with that room is that my sewing is in there, along with both machines, a table for them, and the bed takes up a lot of room. Of course, it still does double as a guest room--with NO room for a guest! There just has to be a better way to fit everything in there.

Spring has finally arrived in this neck of the woods, today being a balmy 76 degrees and sunny. Another progress report as soon as I have something to show.

Two More Finishes

2008-03-29T12:00:00.000-07:00

As the title reads, I have two more finishes to share with you. The first is Frappuccino, by Little House Needleworks. Its the last of their coffee series of kitlets, all done on Vintage Examplar by Lakeside Linens, with Belle Soie silk floss. I think these three are adorable and I plan to frame them the same and hang them in the kitchen. One might even look good framed in a Sudberry House tray. Might just have to do one of them over again. I really liked how Diane changed the colors of the borders for each one.

My other finish is one I've been talking about for a month, the box for my daughter in law. I stitched Four Little Ladybugs by Indigo Rose. Had to stitch the design twice, side by side, to fit into the top opening. I think it turned out well. I lined the top inside, and padded the bottom inside with suede cloth, and added a hasp so she can lock little fingers out. I think I have a tiny padlock too, for luggage that would work well with this. Oh, and I stitched the design on fabric I call Summer sky (because I dyed it myself) with 'Creamsicle' silk by Threadgatherer and Soie d'alger by Kreinik. I'm considering also doing a biscornu to match, as I have enough of the fabric left.

So, what's up next? I'm thinking either My Needle's Work by LHN, or Soft Spring by Shepherd's Bush. It just depends on if I have all the Belle Soie needed for the LHN project.

Thanks for stopping by and for all the comments you leave. I've been very encouraged by those comments during this, our times of trial. And let me tell you, I've about had it with these trials. It does look as though we've weathered the worst. Only time will tell.

Twilight Biscornu

2008-03-24T08:35:00.000-07:00

Our Yahoo group has been doing a Round Robin, a very unusual one. Everyone stitches up something to be used as a "small" but not the finishing. This time around, Laura stitched me Twilight by Indigo Rose. This was something I had stitched and made into a Biscornu for my daughter in law but had not had the time to stitch one for myself. It's a gorgeous pattern and stitches up so pretty. Laura chose some very interesting colors, and even sent along floss to finish it up. She used: Barrier Reef by Dinky Dyes (the spot in the middle), Twilight by Gloriana, and Red Plum by GAST. She sent a button that I used for the bottom. I used a bead for the top and filled it with pellets for weight. Didn't it turn out great? She did a perfect job with the stitching, and I love the colors she used.

I'm in the middle of stitching Frappuccino by LHN and will post a picture when I've gotten it finished. I also have the stitching done on my daughter in law's boxtop but haven't had the time to get it finished up with Easter. Will try to remember to take a picture before I give it to her.

Hope everyone had a happy Easter and that you didn't get too much snow or rain. Our Easter started out really nice, but cold. Nice and sunny, until mid-afternoon when we got an inch of snow which is already melted. YES! No shoveling this time.

Caffe Latte, Oooh, la la

2008-03-13T10:23:00.000-07:00

I finished this last night, Caffe Latte, by Little House Needlework. Worked with Belle Soie silks, I dyed my white Belfast to a color that matched the first piece, Cappuccino. I'm planning on doing the last one and framing them all the same for my kitchen. I'd like to do all of LHN's coffee themed pieces but I don't know if there is enough wall space in the kitchen. I suppose I could hang the larger samplers in the dining room.

I do a lot of thinking while I'm stitching, and last night, the thought popped into my head, "when did stitching go from a hobby to an obsession?" And that is what its become. A glorious obsession. My walls are crowded with framed pieces, so much so that you can barely see the walls themselves. I have two baskets of needlerolls, racks of scissors and fobs and several sewing boxes filled with needle books and biscornus. I even have a room dedicated to my stitching stash, with cabinets full of fabric, boxes full of threads, and shelves full of leaflets. I even have a small armoire dedicated to kits. Such a change from 26, 27 years ago. Seems like forever, way back then.

I taught myself to stitch, to be able to get a job in a stitching store. Back then, it was changing over from a needlepoint store to cross stitch. The owner was retiring and her daughter was taking over, Susan Greening (who later became Susan Greening-Davis). I had never heard of cross stitch but had embroidered since I was a child, so I figured, how hard can that be? I talked my dh (dratted, soon to be ex husband) into letting me purchase a leaflet, fabric and DMC to do a project. (He quickly let me know that I'd best be doing all the projects in that particular leaflet before he'd let me buy another one.) I couldn't even read the chart. I understood that all the symbols meant different colors but I found it difficult to follow and stitch. For this first project, he read the chart and I did the stitching. About half way through that project, I got the hang of following along, line by line, row by row, and a cross stitcher was born.

Took me nearly two years to collect all the DMC colors. For the first year, I bought new skeins for each project. When I finally sat down to organize, and started checking off color numbers, I think I had something like 12 skeins of 930, country blue dark. From then on, I always checked my list before buying new colors. Then came Ginnie Thompson Flower thread, learning to do waste canvas, stitching on linen, doing samplers, buying my first Shepherd's Bush kit, and working with silks for the first time. By this time, my first marriage had ended in divorce, I'd met and married my real dh (darling hubby) and his encouragement had allowed me to blossom. He also encouraged my obsession for needlework and supported financially my never ending need for new stash. He wants me to keep busy while he's out on the road.

This man is a gem that I wish all stitchers had one of--he's so considerate about my love of stitching, and keeping busy, that one time he talked me into going with him on a run--and our first stop was House of Stitches so I could get a few projects suitable for working on in the truck.

DH number one came back into our lives a few years ago, when he (newly divorced from wife number 3) moved in with our youngest son and his family. The first time he visited our home for a holiday, he just about fell on the floor in shock at the stitchings on the walls. His only comment, "you've improved greatly". Understatement of the year!!

So how many obsessive stitchers are there out there? And you know who I mean. And how many of you stitch in a hoop, on stretcher bars, or forms and how many stitch "in hand"? That's me, the last one, in hand. Have never been able to get the hang of using roller bars or scroll frames.

Wow, three posts in three days, my best yet. Thank you for all your encouraging comments, they've been a ray of sunshine in this dreary winter.

Scissor and Fob Exchange

2008-03-11T11:24:00.000-07:00

Last week I received my package for the scissor and fob exchange that our Yahoo group did. My partner was my friend Beth, and she stitched me the prettiest fob by Blackbird Designs. Isn't this the cutest thing? And she sent along with the fob, a pair of scissors that I didn't have yet, the newest Kelmscott ones called Love Scissors. I love them. Thanks Beth, you did a perfect job and I love this set.

I've been tagged, too!

2008-03-11T10:31:00.000-07:00

I was tagged by Deb and Kathy to share 7 weird or random things about myself.

THE RULES:

Once you are tagged, link back to the person who tagged you.

Post the Rules on your blog.

Post 7 weird or random things about yourself on your blog.

Tag 7 people and link to them.

Comment on their blog to let them know they've been tagged.

My 7 weird things that most people don't know.

1. I was born in a little town in Michigan that no longer exists but went to High School in NJ.

2. I had my bellybutton pierced on a dare, three years ago.

3. I learned to cross stitch to be able to work in a cross stitch store.

4. My hair is long enough to sit on.

5. I collect tea pots, scissors, Boyd's Bears and Treasure boxes, and silk flosses.

6. I've traveled with my dh in the semi all over the country and made him stop at most of the stitching stores we've passed.

7. I love a good, noisy thunderstorm.

I'm tagging the following ladies, hopefully for the first time:

Nicole

Peg

Cici

Leigh

Anita

Gaby

Adana

I hope you will all play with me, and I've got my fingers crossed that my links work. This is pretty much a first time for me, doing this.

A Little House Finish

2008-02-10T20:19:00.000-08:00

Finally I can show a finish for 2008 that I actually started in 2008. Cappuccino by Little House Needleworks. I have all three of LHN's coffee quickies and plan to do them all, frame them alike and use to decorate my kitchen. It really needs decorating. I finished this one tonight as I tried, in vain, to find something to watch on TV. I have to give credit to Nicole (Carolina Dreaming) for hooking me on Little House and this project. I watched her progress with great enthusiasm and finally had to give in and get it started. Its worked on Vintage Examplar by Lakeside Linens with Belle Soie Silk floss, which are a dream to stitch with.

I did have other finishes for 2008 but both were for exchanges for a Yahoo group and I couldn't show them. Of course, I also forgot to take pictures so it really doesn't matter. I did a Shepherd's Bush needleroll and slanted it towards Valentine's Day, and then I stitched a Victoria Sampler house which turned out really cute. It was from Cottage Garden Sampler. I love that house, and it was the third time I'd stitched it.

Its been a really difficult winter for us, and I'm barely hanging on. Having such wonderful friends has made it easier but the hard part is just starting. Check back in a few weeks and I should have more details or perhaps I'll be able to report good news. One can hope.

So, what's next? I'd really like to start another in this collection but have to hold off to get my dil's birthday gift finished. It's only half done--I'm doing Indigo Rose's Four Little Bugs for a box top and biscornu for her, but its a week late already.

Have a great week, everyone and for those in the northern climes, please try to keep warm. It's a toasty 3 degrees right now and it sounds like we are heading into the negative numbers before dawn. Perhaps I should rethink hubby's desire to move to North Carolina. Hmmmm, nope!

Finally, a new finish

2008-01-10T20:19:00.000-08:00

Yes, I finally have a finish to brag about. It's been a long time coming. Before this finish, I had several exchanges to do, and a few Christmas gifts to complete. I wish I'd taken pictures of the gifts I stitched but I didn't. I can tell you about them: I did a stitching set for my granddaughter Kayla. Kayla is 11 and she told her mother a few months ago that she thought she was old enough to have her own stitching scissors. Of course, she is. But, to get a pair of scissors, she needs a scissor fob. So that is what I stitched her, a fob and matching pin cushion. I used a free chart from the Caron website by Carol Tinson and was able to use a free spot on the pincushion to stitch her name on the back. You should have seen her face when she turned that pincushion over and saw her name. "Mom, Grama put my name on it". She was delighted. The other gift I made was for my lovely daughter-in-law, Olivia. I made her the Just Nan Lady Scarlet's Secret Garden. It turned out beautiful, the little pincushion in the shell, the needlebook nearly round--and I'll admit, it was a real pain to finish. Took me longer to finish that set than it did to stitch it.

Okay, on to my finish. It was the above picture, Prairie Sampler by Little House Needleworks. I loved working with the Belle Soie silks--so soft and smooth, covered so well. Now I'd like the entire set. Anyway, I stitched the piece on the called for linen, with the recommended two strands of silk. It was so much fun. I actually started this piece just before we left for Branson, so it took me awhile. But, I kept seeing Nicole's progress pictures and just had to get this finished.

I think my next project will also be by Little House Needleworks, Brave Hearts, and will also be done in the Belle Soie silks. I just have to finish 2 exchanges first.

I've got to show you the gifts I received from a dear friend. She is just so thoughtful. She sent me a beaded "fob". It's supposed to be a cell phone fob, but is being used as a scissor fob, as you can see. I've had two other fobs on my cell phone and broken both of them. I'm not going to allow that to happen to this one. Isn't it pretty? Yes, the little snowman has JOY hanging from him. And she also sent me this cute little necklace, a snowflake baby. It's made of wool, but how it was made, I can't figure out. It's not much more than an inch in length. Isn't it adorable? Such perfection in a tiny size. Thank you, my friend.

Like many other people, I am very glad that this holiday season is behind us. I wish for all of you and for myself, a year of less worries, a year of more finishes, and more fun stitching. A year of children's laughter, husband's smiles, less separation, more togetherness. It was a difficult year, but its now over and we have a new year to mold. God Bless, my friends.

The most fabulous Ladies Room in History

2007-11-22T19:33:00.000-08:00

Again, its been ages since I've updated my blog. Life has been a total mess, but it started with a lovely and fascinating vacation. Our trip to Branson, MO.

We left fairly early on Tuesday morning, and headed out. I felt like I had overpacked but guess what? I think my Mom packed even more. We stopped at a Cracker Barrel for lunch, which was a lot of fun. I always enjoy that place. Not long after we got back on the road, we got a phone call from Mom and Dad, they were stopping at a Cracker Barrel for lunch in Effingham. Great minds and all that, eh? They had come from Michigan, us from Indiana so they were nearly caught up to us by St. Louis. We met up just outside of Springfield and by then, it was time for dinner. We headed for Lamberts, the Home of Throwed Rolls. That was a real hoot and the food was just excellent. Then, on to Branson.

It seemed like the further we drove, the more out in the boondocks we were. Around and around, and suddenly, there it was, all laid out beneath us, like a jewel. All bright lights. We checked in to our motel, Comfort Inn West, unpacked and collapsed. Okay, hubby collapsed, I got my stitching out and worked on LHN Prairie Moon. By the time I had threaded up a needle, hubby was sleeping and snoring to beat the band, so I didn't stitch long.

It was a great vacation. We saw several shows, hit all the Outlet Malls, ate at fantastic places, and I found the stitching store. We kept on the run the entire time, going, seeing and doing as much as we could in the time we had. The most fantastic show had to be the Shoji Tabuchi show. (hope I didn't butcher the spelling of his name). Shoji is Asian, a brilliant violinist who fell in love with country music at age 18. His show was the best we saw. But even before the show started, we were amazed. The rest rooms were palatial. I heard, but didn't see, that the Men's Room had a pool table in it. The Ladies Room was like something out of a dream. All the stalls had solid wood doors that went to the floor, so once you were inside, you had total privacy. The wash room was a separate room, with about 10 separate sinks, with mirrors over the area, wall sconces with lovely clear and lavender crystals hanging from the bottom, and each "vanity" had a vase with an orchid on it. Over the entire room was a huge crystal chandelier, clear and lavender colors, matching the wall sconces. A burning fireplace at one end and at the other end, a pretty stained glass table, with an under light that warmed the glass, and made it glow. The show was almost anti-climactic. I'll try and post a few pictures of this room.

Another really lovely "show" we went to was on the Branson Belle. It's a huge paddle wheel boat where we had lunch and saw a show. The food was good, but the show was way better. And the day we went aboard was my Dad's birthday.

I got really tired of shopping the outlet malls but we had a good time, brought back gifts for all the kids and grandkids, and I found the cross stitch store. It's called Cecelia's Samplers and its a really cute shop. Okay, yes, I bought stash--and my Mom bought me some too. I got several LHN charts, a piece of fabric for one of the charts, 3 small kits for my daughter in law and two granddaughters, a cute pair of swan scissors, 10 skeins of Belle Soie silk by Crescent colors, and a few other things. At Cecelia's, they give you freebies with every purchase--not just freebie charts but little gifts, a tape measure, a calendar, a ruler, etc. I liked the place so much, we went back again before leaving town.

We bid a good night and good trip to the parents the night before. They were headed to Alabama for another few days of vacation, and we headed home. We took our time, but this trip, stopped at Steak and Shake for both our meals before getting home. The dog was happy to see us, the cat acted miffed that we'd been gone so long. And since we did get home on Saturday, dh had Sunday to rest up before hitting the road again. Then came the shocker of the century.

Did I say shocker? It was worse than that. Dh called in for his dispatch and was told that since he showed such a lack of concern over his job by taking a vacation after only 4 months, (even though he gave them a two week notice--who can say no to a paid vacation?) that he could find another job. He obviously didn't think the company was very important. What a total jackass!

Which brings me to why I haven't updated for ages. Dh has been home, or had been, for over a month, trying to find a new job. Of course, it had to happen this close to Christmas. It was almost like the boss used this as an excuse to get rid of dh--he was working too hard and making too much money. I'd sure love to give that man a piece of my mind. Last week, dh spent it taking a class on tankers, and is now back to work but we have no idea when first paycheck will arrive. It's not a happy household right now. I keep thinking, if we had known ahead of time, we could have saved all the money we spent in Branson. But on the other hand, it was our first ever vacation, we had a great time, made a lot of memories, and how do you put a price on that? I also got to spend Dad's birthday with him. If its true that what goes around, comes around, Dan had better watch out. I see a lot of bad Karma in that man's future.

Thanksgiving was great, we all ate too much, we have a lot of leftovers but the dh is home, the kids have gone off to their respective homes, the animals are sleeping, and so is dh. Guess I should apologize for my bitter feelings expressed, and for taking so long to update. I need to get back to my stitching, I have a Christmas exchange that needs mailing out real soon, several things that need to be stitched for gifts (I'm doing the Lady Scarlet's Secret Garden for my dil, and a scissor fob and pincushion for a granddaughter) but I really want to get back to Prairie Moon. I'm almost done and its being stitched with Belle Soie. I can't say enough good about this silk floss. It's absolutely the best silk I've ever stitched with, covers great, beautiful colors, and it feels so soft--doesn't get fuzzy either. If anyone has a conversion chart, Crescent colors to Belle Soie, please let me know.

Enough rambling. Off to stitch. I hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving, or a really lovely Thursday.

Halloween Exchange

2007-10-10T16:39:00.000-07:00

Now that my partner has received her package for the Halloween Exchange, I can share what I stitched for her, and what I got from my partner. I stitched "Hatz Boo-tique" by Brightneedle and I did it over one. Isn't she cute? Look at her tiny high heels, and the attitude in the set of her head. I'm making another one for myself, but NOT over one. I'll use mine as a scissor fob.

And wasn' t my package wonderful? From Laura, she stitched me a really cute cube--I've never made one of these, doesn't it look great? She also sent me a project envelope, a pair of spooky socks, a flicker candle (runs on a battery) three skeins of Crescent colors, and a really cute package of Kleenex (which my youngest granddaughter nabbed for herself.) Sorry, the flicker candle is not in the picture, its on my mantle flickering in a spooky candle holder.

I emailed Laura to ask her who the designer was for my lovely cube, as I'd had someone ask. Its Prairie Schooler, and the design name is Pumpkin Patch.

Not much else to report right now, no finishes to show. I'm in the early stages of stitching Indigo Rose's Remember Me. Also trying to decide what to take on vacation. Hubby and I have never been on a vacation in the 17 years we've been married. We are going to Branson, MO, with my parents, to see a few shows, and relax--well, relax as much as possible, going with my Mom to the outlet stores. I might even try to find the stitching store there, Aux Arcs? I have heard from friends that the prices there are a bit high.

Until next time, thanks for reading and many thanks for all of your lovely and insightful comments.

Designer Exchange

2007-09-30T21:08:00.000-07:00

Let me start by apologizing for being so lax in updating this blog. In my own defense, I signed up for way too many exchanges. This exchange had to be mailed by mid September and the next one has to be mailed tomorrow. So, I've been concentrating on getting it ready for packaging and mailing, but had to wait before sharing this exchange with you all.

This was a designer exchange. All participants expressed the designer they liked the most, and their partner was to stitch that designer for them. My designer was Shepherd's Bush, of course, and my partner's was Indigo Rose. I was thrilled because, as you know, I also love Indigo Rose. I don't have many charts by Indigo Rose but I do have a few charts from the kits I've bought. I chose to make my partner a bourse, and used the charts from "Mary's Pin Pillow" and "Bee Charmer" for the stitching part of it. I think it turned out exceptionally--I changed the colors of the silks to suit my partner--she's into pastels, and used a lovely Silver Lilac silk dupioni for the outside. I was very happy with the way it turned out, and I think she liked it also.

I, in turn, received two SB scissor fobs, "Happy Wishes" and "Snow", I think its called. My partner did a great job with the stitching, and my package from her was very thoughtful. She also made me a really pretty beaded scissor fob with a tiny pair of scissors attached. Here is my package that made me so happy. She also sent me several skeins of Needlepoint silk and two of Vikki Clayton silks. (I really love using Vikki Clayton silks, the colors are so scrumptious.)

As soon as my partner for the Halloween exchange gets her package, I'll post a picture. I really enjoyed stitching the Halloween one--I don't often stitch that theme.

And while I'm thinking about it, on our Yahoo group, we got to talking about scissors, and collecting them. I pulled out all of my scissors, from the rack they hang on, the lamps they hang over, from sewing boxes and stitching bags, and laid them out on the dining room table to photograph them. I surprised myself at having, in excess of 70 pairs of scissors. I counted 72 but then forgot the pair left hanging on the rack with a SB fob, a pair in a stitching project bag and a pair in my big Vera Bradley stitching bag. Looks like I have at least 25 pair that are languishing without fobs--boo, hoo. Guess I need to get busy with stitching up a few more. I think I also need to make another herb drying rack to hang some more--my only problem, I'm not sure where to hang this new rack. My stash room, perhaps? Sorry that there isn't more detail in the picture. I ended up taking four other pictures just to show a few of the pairs in detail.

More Smalls

2007-08-28T20:23:00.000-07:00

Now that my pin exchange partner has received her package, I can share the stitching part with you. I stitched her Sea Shells, by Victoria Sampler, and finished it into a needlebook/pin keep. I really enjoyed doing this one, and it was on her wish list. She loves the ocean.

And here are my new finishes. The biscornu on the left is Twilight by Indigo Rose. I changed the colors to suit my daughter in law's taste and tonight, I gave it to her. She seemed to like it a lot. The biscornu on the right is also by Indigo Rose, Pretty In Pink, and its a lot smaller than it looks. It came with its own tiny wooden stand, and was a lot of fun to stitch.

These are both Purple Rosebud by Ewe and Eye and friends.

These two fobs were both from the same kit. Incredibly, there was enough fabric and threads for both. The one on the left is done the way the instructions read, with one strand over two threads. On the right, I used two strands over two threads. It was interesting to see the difference in texture and intensity of color in the two fobs. My daughter in law liked the one on the right the best, so she took that one home. Sooner or later, I'll fill her sewing box with smalls.

Now, on to the next exchange. This one will be a designer exchange, and I think I'm going to finish the piece into a bourse. That will be different for me. But, I think I'll wait until tomorrow to pick the fabric and fibers.

Thank you to all of you who read my posts and a special thanks to those who leave comments. I do appreciate the time you take. Visit any time.

Pin Exchange

2007-08-13T17:48:00.000-07:00

Today I received my Pin Exchange from our Yahoo group Friends in Thread. Isn't it a lovely package? It was filled with all sorts of pretty things, as you can see. First, the biscornu. Isn't it exquisite? More about that later. Then there are the pins to use with it, hand made by Rachel, from our group. Now those pins are lovely and they'll look really good in the biscornu. In fact, I may parcel them out amongst several of my biscornu's. And look at those scissors, aren't they cute? A little snowman. Now why can't someone figure out a way to make those embroidery scissor size? Wouldn't they be great in our stitching boxes, especially in the winter, when we're working on Christmas gifts? Jodi also sent a lovely pair of earrings with an aqua teardrop at the bottom, a pretty little photo frame with sparklies all around and . . . . . . a skein of Vikki Clayton silk thread in the color Dragon Ice. Jodi, you went way over board on the gifts but I love them all. Thank you.

Here is the biscornu top--isn't it the loveliest thing? See the beaded edging all around? What a perfect color those beads are. See the bead in the middle? It's a pink glass rosebud, isn't that sweet? Jodi, this project really came together perfectly. Rachel did the finishing on this piece, along with making the pretty pins.

This is the other side, could be top, could be bottom. Both sides are different but both sides match and I can't quite decide which side I like the best. What to do? I'm just going to have to find the perfect place to display it, and then every day, flip it over. And don't you just love those little bead loops at the corners? I would never have thought of doing that with the corners. Makes a nice change from the tassels.

Jodi, thank you for making my first Friends in Thread exchange the best ever.

Another birthday gone by

2007-08-06T14:22:00.000-07:00

Sorry to be so late with the update this time. You would not believe just how busy we have been.

Another birthday has come and gone, and I'm feeling older than dirt. Nah, not really. It was just a hectic last two weeks, or I would have updated sooner. I had a really nice birthday party. Hubby and I started off the day by going to Berne, Indiana's Swiss Days with my friend Jean and her hubby. Very hot outside. Did a bit of shopping, (got some splendid lace) ate part of a funnel cake, (not the best thing for my diabetes) and was totally relieved to get home to the a/c. After dinner, the family gathered. My daughter in law baked me a scrumptious cake (cherry chip), the kids made me all kinds of gifts--one was even a wrapped nothing. The boys thought that was great fun.

I received: nail polish set with fancies, a cell phone case, a game of "Are you as smart as a 5th grader?", a watch with Eeyore on its face, a glass heart and a fiber optic lamp, and the cross stitch kit "Purple Rosebud" by Ewe and Eye and Friends. There was no wrapped gift from hubby, just a card with cash, promising a trip to House Of Stitches.

I received two lovely gifts in the mail from stitching friends. From Adana, a lovely pin keep, with a bluebird of happiness right in the middle. She did a great job stitching and finishing it. Thanks, Adana. Never again tell me that you can't do finishing well.

My friend Deb sent me a book thong. It is gorgeous to behold, but even better to use. It's a real classy piece, a one of a kind, and the colors are just perfect. Isn't it pretty?

Okay, the trip to House of Stitches took place this past weekend. What a great day from start to finish. My daughter in law decided to go with us, she's becoming a great stitcher, and as hubby had to turn in his paperwork close to where the store is, he joined us. The weather was perfect for the trip--and trip it is, at over two hours one way. He dropped us off and went about his business, and we entered paradise for stitchers. We investigated every nook and cranny, bought leaflets and kits, silks and linens, scissors and laying tools. Fabulous models covered every inch of wall space, and we searched out charts for the ones we fell in love with. Time passed way too quickly, and before I knew it, hubby was back and laughing about the filled basket I was trying to carry. We talked about our shopping the entire way home, and poor hubby, feeling so left out, took a nap. We ended our trip by stopping at the Ponderosa my son manages, and had dinner. It was a perfect day.

My new stash: A lovely kit by Indigo Rose, Pretty in Pink. New silks. A few new leaflets. I didn't take pictures of the fabrics I got, but I got what was specified in the leaflets. And I finally broke down and bought a Just Nan with the whimsy frame, Summer Spell. Its really cute.

Indigo Rose "Messages"

2007-07-13T21:17:00.000-07:00

Seemed to take me a good long time to get this piece stitched up. I'm not sure quite why it took so long, what you see is what you stitch--no stitching on the back or inside. Stitched with four colors of Waterlilies (Moss, Steel, Cherry Cordial and Antique Brass) on 28 count linen, lined with fabric, with beaded edging. Now that edging took me most of the night to complete. Not that I'll ever use this--my desk gets much too dirty and dusty, but I like stitching items that I can actually use. And if you can't figure out what it is, it's a cover for a telephone message pad. I think that is the best of cross stitching, to make something that you can use in every day life, and make your life more colorful, more artistic. Isn't that just the greatest gift you can give yourself or others?

On the other side of life, my grandchildren have moved into our little town and are now close enough to walk to Grama's house. They've been here about a month, and I've seen more of them in that time than in the last year. It's been fabulous. We've been playing kick ball, and going swimming, having dinners together--tomorrow evening we're going to see the new Harry Potter movie. My lovely daughter-in-law has been over to stitch with me, and I've got her hooked on Shepherd's Bush Americana pieces. My grandson wants to learn to stitch. I am really enjoying life this summer, even with the heat and humidity. 'They are so close by, that when my husband got home today and the grandsons found out he was home, over they came to wrestle with him. In the living room, too. I am loving it, totally. This summer is going to go by way too fast.

A New Finish and an addition

2007-06-22T11:16:00.000-07:00

I have finally managed to finish Shepherd's Bush JINGLE. It wasn't really a hard stitch but as it's not close to Christmas, I had a real problem trying to get it done. Just wasn't enthused with working on it.

I was more "enthused" with working this biscornu and adding it to my Victorian Elegance set. The chart for the needlebook front was perfect for the top of the biscornu. I barely had enough fabric, had something like 4 threads for a seam allowance but I worked carefully so as not to lose any of those. I cheated and didn't stitch anything on the bottom at all. Used the same Magnifica beads on the edging, and I think it matches very well. This set will be a nice edition to my sewing box.

Dyeing Fabrics

2007-06-14T19:44:00.000-07:00

I've had a lot of ladies asking me about dyeing fabrics and linen, and what I use to do that. It sounds kind of dumb, but I use liquid Rit dye. I know, its not the fancy dyes that the companies use, but I find it's easy, works well, and the color doesn't wash out. And its inexpensive to play around with.

There are several different ways to work it, but this is the way I do mine. I use a large bowl, glass is good because the dye doesn't stick to it, and dissolve salt in very hot tap water. Be generous with the salt, it helps the dye set. The bowl I use is about a 4 quart size, and I use approximately 1/4 cup of table salt. (Yes, I do have a container of salt set aside just for dyeing.) Using an old wooden spoon I stir the salt until it dissolves totally, then add the dye. It doesn't take much--just depends on the depth of color you want. For more control, make sure your linen is wet before putting it into the dye bath. Now, I don't like wrinkled linen and I don't like ironing my linen before stitching. I fold my fabric loosely before holding it under the tap to wet it, then slide it into the dye. Since I'm usually going for a lighter color, or less intense color, I just use my wooden spoon to keep pushing it under the water, or flipping the fabric so all sides get the same amount of dye. One thing to remember is to let the fabric get a bit darker than you want it, because it will lighten up when it dries.

Okay, so now your fabric is the color you want it to be and you have a bowl of dye left--do you throw it away? I don't. Set your fabric aside, on a papertowel. I usually either dye more than one piece of linen, or find something else that I want to dye. Like a nightgown, or a bra--go ahead and laugh but ladies, I find it very hard to get my bras in any other color but white and black. Boo, hiss, how boring. After dyeing everything I want that particular color, then I throw it away--right down the sink. (at last count, I had a lavender, purple, aqua, blue, denim blue, pink, rose, and green colors of bras.)

After you have dyed everything you want to dye, leave the odd things in the sink, and fill your bowl with clear water, cold is fine. I keep the water running in the bowl and rinse the folded fabric the same way I dyed it. Continue until the water in the bowl is clear, and then rinse again. Blot extra water from linen with a papertowel. Does any dye come off on the towel? Rinse again. If not, hang your fabric to dry. Takes a few hours but doing it that way, you don't have to iron before stitching. (Now, rinse well the other things you've dyed, and when the water runs clear, put them in the washer, run a quick cycle and you're done. No, washing won't wash out the dye. After a few years, your nightie might fade a bit, but so will any other nightie.)

There is another way to dye your fabric other than a bowl wash. A friend of mine dampens her fabric and then makes up her dye and "paints" her fabric with a soft paint brush. Gives her fabric a more mottled appearance. The wetter your fabric is, the more it will spread. If you plan to do it that way, I'd make sure the dye is fairly weak looking.

Okay, so now you know how I dye my own fabric but you are probably wondering why I don't like to wrinkle or iron my linen before stitching. Good question. Susan Greening Davis taught me to stitch on linen. She said that if you lightly dampen and then iron your stitched piece, the linen will actually "shrink" a tiny bit and make the stitches set up on the fabric. Gives it a more dimensional look. Of course, you have to be a bit careful when stitching with silks or overdyes, but I still iron my stitched pieces. I dampen the piece slightly, lay it on a towel, and let it sit until nearly dry before ironing. I've only had one piece bleed--SB's Thoughtful Heart.

So, now are you ready to try it for yourself? Go for it. You might surprise yourself. And be sure to post pictures on your blog. Any other questions, just email me.

My Victorian Elegance

2007-06-14T13:11:00.000-07:00

It's finally done, my version of Indigo Rose's Victorian Elegance. What do you think? I dyed a piece of Belfast linen, and stitched with Waterlilies Iris and Amethyst, and used Magnifica Beads by Mill Hill to finish it off. Just need to find a nice pair of scissors for the fob. I saw a pair on The Silver Needle website that would be perfect, Tooltron but a lovely pale lavender color. Oh, well, put that on my wish list for my birthday.

Now, to decide on my next project. Any suggestions? As always, I thank you for your kind comments and the time you take to read my posts and comment.

Hanging on by my fingernails !!

2007-06-12T14:19:00.000-07:00

Well, its been 3 weeks and counting with my hubby home day and night, working on the truck. Good news is; the truck is done. Bad news? His new job that he was supposed to start Monday? Bossman went on vacation and we're stuck until Friday. Or should I say, I'm stuck until Friday before I can have my day of relaxation.

On the other hand, knowing what a mess he had made in working on the truck, hubby has been more than willing to help with the carpet cleaning, putting dishes in the dishwasher, and falling asleep on the couch by 9 pm every night. I don't know about all of you, but I just can't stitch when it sounds like the express train is speeding by. Thank goodness that all the television shows I watch are over for the season. I would have hated to see the season finale of HOUSE or BONES while the train was rumbling by.

Which brings me to a question. If any of you watch HOUSE, what do you think is going to happen with the new season? Will Dr. House hire three newbies? Get the old ones back? I really don't like cliffhangers. Not when it will be something like 5 months before we find out.

Even with hubby snoring on the couch, I have managed to stitch some. Right now I'm working on my Victorian Elegance. I dyed up a piece of white Belfast, and I'm using Waterlilies in two shades: Iris and Amethyst. The stitching is done on the needlebook but I'm fighting with the over one for the fob. Am also considering making a biscornu to match as I find I have enough fabric to do that. I really like how it's looking so far, but the real test will be after it's finished. And darn, still need to find some lavender felt. If you are wondering what color I dyed the linen, it's about the color of this font.

Now I'm off to make dinner. Another downside of Hubby being home during the week is having to have dinner at a specified time. Can you imagine, he'd like to eat on a regular basis !