Progress Reports

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.

The most fabulous Ladies Room in History

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.

Designer Exchange

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.

Pin Exchange

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.

Hanging on by my fingernails !!

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 !

I found it at last!

Yes, indeed I did find it. Lois at Elegant Stitch had one left and it's on the way to me. Thanks Lois. And thank you all, who looked for this kit for me. I appreciate the time and trouble you all went through looking at the various sites for me. You ladies are the greatest! And isn't Lois the sweetest person out there? Drema is a close second. I'm sending out a great big hug to all of you who joined the search.

THANK YOU ALL!!!

Bee Charmer Biscornu

For some reason, I have become addicted to "smalls". Those of you in the same position will understand. Is it because they are small? Compact? Intricate? Addicting? All of the above, I would say. Yet, how can I possibly use that many needle books, pincushions, biscornu ? I don't add fobs to that list because I use every one of them, for all the scissors I've collected. A quick sidebar to the fob situation. I'm about 8 fobs behind for the scissors I have, so if anyone would like to stitch up a fob for me, or design something special, I'd be very happy to have some more. Like most stitchers, I treasure what other stitchers spend their time stitching for me.

Lately, I've been working on the biscornu, those cute little 8 sided tuffets that look so complicated to sew but are relatively easy to do, once you know the trick. And they do look very elegant. I've been displaying them in the china cabinet, sitting on top of pretty china cups. One of these days, I want to make an entire matching set, little pockets and fobs, needlebooks and ruler holders, pincushions and beeswax holders, all to fit into my Shaker box--when I find the right Shepherd's Bush picture for the oval top. (If anyone has a suggestion, please, I'm all ears. I've been searching for the "just right" one for years now.)

Here is my latest biscornu--and just how is that pronounced? Its The Bee Charmer by Indigo Rose. It came as a kit, and the nicest packaged kit I've ever gotten. The silks were all in their own little baggies, the Bee and the bottom button, along with the tassel beads, in another. The linen was of the very best quality, and the stuffing was included. Yes, isn't that amazing? A baggie of plastic pellets, the ones used for fobs and dolls, was included. I'd never even considered using those pellets to stuff a biscornu but it makes the cushion fairly heavy, and it feels good in your hand. Also makes it easier to position it for display. It does make the button a lot harder to sew on.

My pictures aren't the best--it was a bit dark in the house and I was in a hurry. We're going to watch a movie, make popcorn, and I'm going to stitch. Last night, after finishing this biscornu, I started the Elegant Stitch From the Heart, pocket smalls. Another needlebook and fob--just what I need, eh?

Thanks for taking the time to stop by and read my blathers. Have a great weekend and get those needles smokin'.