Cozy Egg

Jetting Around

2009-07-13T12:48:00.004-05:00

Eric and I are back from Miami! I may have alluded in my previous posts that we were heading out for an adventure. Well, Eric surprised me with a trip to Miami over the 4th of July weekend. We left on Thursday night (flying First Class - woohoo!) and came back on Monday. We had so much fun, and I will have photos to share soon. As you may imagine, though, there wasn't any stitching while I was gone. In the past week though, there's been a tiny bit of stitching. As you can see above, I pulled out Earth Sampler and stitched on it a bit last night. I took Andrea's lead and replaced the GAST Sable with GAST Cinnamon. I am so much happier with it. So, I'll definitely be pulling out the h,i,j in the middle to replace it with Cinnamon. My little bit of stitching last night while watching True Blood was the only stitching I did all weekend. Friday night I went with a friend to see The Hangover - so funny! Saturday we had a dinner guest and then Sunday was of course cleaning and laundry during the day. But, I think I am happy with the piece again after the color switch.

On Monday night after we returned, I did settle down and do a little bit of stitching on my new start, Sweet Treats. I finished block 1, minus the buttons, and I've started the border.

I think the buttons will look really cute once I stitch them on. Any suggestions on what to stitch them on with? Matching thread?

Wednesday night I took my final for Access, and happily did very well on it. I just need to schedule my vendor certification exam now. But, having my final behind me allowed me to spend Thursday night with some stitching friends. I took Mystery 9 and did a little more stitching on the swirl. I was doing more talking than stitching though, so not much progress to show.

And I would like to provide a little update on my vent from a few posts ago. After calling the needlework shop with my credit card information for the one chart that was sent, I did also cancel my order for the second chart. I politely explained to the person on the phone that I'd been waiting for four months for the order, and at this point I just wanted to cancel the order. So, imagine my surprise when on Saturday a package arrived from the needlework shop. In it was the chart I'd been waiting on, for no charge, a letter of apology from the owner, and some extras. I sent the owner an email this morning thanking them. So, I wanted to update everyone on what happened, so that I didn't also leave you with a bad taste in your mouth about the situation (even though I haven't mentioned which shop this is, as I'm sure we all from time to time have a bad experience). Anyway, while never expecting to see this chart, much less the way in which the owner handled rectifying the situation, I was pleasantly surprised. So, anyway, the situation is resolved.

So, I will have photos from Miami to show you all soon. And if you want to take a look at more of my Dallas After Dark photos, you can see them here. I hope to get some more stitching in this week. I'm itching to get back to Earth Sampler now!

I am grateful for a fun vacation to Hot Miami.

After Dark Sneak Peek

2009-07-04T12:32:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone, and thanks for stopping by my little part of the world. I always appreciate that you do. Our Dallas after Dark photowalk was fun (although h.o.t.). I think I got some good photos, although I haven't had time to really sit down and go through them. But, I thought I'd share at least one of them with you for now. This is taken at the West End in downtown Dallas. I haven't made any edits to this photo other than resizing, so I'd say that's pretty damn good. I love how you can see the green building in the background through the arches. I can't wait to go through the rest and see what I've got. I'll be sure to post them when I do, probably over on my alternate universe (ie the other blog). I will of course also have photos of the other adventure that is forthcoming. Yay!

Not much stitching to report. Last weekend was a full one, as I'm sure you can imagine. I did, however, manage a new start (like I need another WIP). But, whatever, it's summer...I can do what I want. I wanted a new summery start, so I decided to pull out a piece that had been calling to me for awhile.

Can you guess what it is? Why yes, it's Sweet Treats (block 1) from Country Cottage Needleworks. I've had all the fixings for this piece in my hot little hands for some time now, and it was finally time to start it. So much fun. I should be able to finish up this block pretty quickly I think. I'm using the Crescent Colors threads that came with the pattern, of course. I am also using the suggested 28ct Vintage Lentil from Lakeside (so that the buttons will fit). Love it!

I hope you all have a wonderful 4th, if you're here in the states. And for everyone else, a wonderful stitchy Saturday!

The quilt top below is one I finished several years ago, and it has yet to be quilted but I thought it was appropriate for an Independence Day post.

Swirlies and Possibly a Little Venting

2009-06-27T12:10:00.003-05:00

Last week Eric surprised me with these colorful beauties. No reason, just because he's a sweetie. Aren't they pretty? They are really brightening up my kitchen.

When I changed my blog template a couple of weeks ago, I mentioned the pieces that were WIPs still even three years after my first post. One of those is Mystery 9, which I'll show you progress on in a minute. The other is Bay Sampler by The Workbasket. Glenna asked me if I'd finished it, and well, you can see I haven't. But, I thought it might be fun to show you where I last left off on this piece. I LOVE this piece, and stitching with Silk N Colors (which are probably one of my favorite threads) is such a pleasure on this piece. Here's what happened though, I had problems with the top sail on that boat. The color it was supposed to be stitched in was the exact same color as my fabric. So, I switched it out and restitched that sail three times. Well, I'm still not happy with it, but I was at a loss as to what to do. So, I put it down. And I haven't gone back to it. Are you noticing a trend? In case you're just tuning into the blog - I do this a lot...once a problem arises I am notorious for setting a piece aside. So, no more progress on Bay Sampler. So, not sure what to do with that sail still, but I may pull this out again soon and stitch on the other stuff and leave the sail alone for now.

So, last weekend I finished Part 8 on Mystery 9. On Sunday, Eric and I sat down to start watching Season 1 of True Blood and I started on Part 9. This part consists of the swirlies in each corner. The one on the bottom there is finished except for beads and crystals. This part is almost all beads and crystals. So, it is going to be blinding once all the bling is in place. I can't wait! And it's coming along pretty fast too, I think. I'm almost done with the stitching on this corner, then three more to go. Also, the more I look at it the more I wonder if this thread might work well for my sail? I may have to try it out and see, if I have any left over.

And I am loving my new stitching bag! It's ginormous, but I love that M9 fits in there easily. And I may just have purchased a little accessory piece that matches to hold my scissors and needles. Possibly.

And let me vent a little moment here. Let's assume that a stitcher decides to place an order with a needlework shop for the first time. And let's assume that said stitcher sends an email inquring about ordering, gets an immediate response back saying that of course they would be happy to help. Said stitcher then calls the shop to provided credit card information. Now, let's assume that this ocurred say oh, about four months ago. Let us also assume that said stitcher has not yet recieved either of the two charts he/she may have ordered. And, progress reports on the status of the order are only given when the customer inquires. Sometimes it requires two attempts to get an answer. Said stitcher finally may have sent an email indicating their extreme disappointment with the customer service and ordering ease with this needlework shop. Needlework shop sends email stating they will send one of the two charts ordered and would stitcher please provide credit card information. Stitcher in question just may have responded a little hastily with an email stating that credit card information was provided four months ago, you should check your records. At this point the stitcher in question doesn't know if chart A will be arriving, and if chart B will ever arrive. Needless to say, it is assumed for the sake of argument that stitcher in question will not be giving Needlework shop a second shot at his/her business. Stitcher is an entirely reasonable person, and with adequate communication is willing to understand what all issues may arrive - except of course that chart B did come in and although was being held for stitcher, was then sold out from under stitcher to someone else...thus adding another two months and counting onto the transaction. Of course all of this is just theoretical. Of course. Really.

And I made a little bitty start on BBD's The Simple Things. Love the colors on this so far.

So that's about all the news from here today. Eric and I will be heading off on a short adventure next week, which was also a surprise and I am really looking forward to. And tonight, another adventure, we are going on a Dallas After Dark photo walk. That should be fun (hot as hell, but fun). I hope to learn a few things and also have some cool photos to share.

I am grateful for losing another 1.6 pounds this week.

Part 8 Finished!!!

2009-06-20T14:14:00.003-05:00

Finally! It only took me oh, two years to finish this part! Sad. But, that's the way it is. This part is finished now. And I only have four parts left. I am so excited to be making progress on this. Martina's designs are so intricate, and involve a lot of shading, color changes and intricate work. But, when it all comes together, it is magnificent. I took this piece with me on Thursday to Barnes & Noble to meet up with some of my stitching friends (I had such a blast, ladies!). I do have to say that it made me feel really good to have people stop and tell me how pretty it is. And, of course, I am a sucker for sparklies, so beading this piece as I go makes it a lot of fun. I finished up the beading on my last artichoke bed this afternoon. And don't those stitches for the flowers just make them? I love how three-dimensional they are.

Here's the whole thing so far.

Keep in mind that I haven't added the bigger Swarovski crystals yet, nor have I added the bugle beads on those triangular beds. And I was asked about the center. Yes, there is a center designed for it, which is part of Part 12. Martina offered two options, a beaded center or a stitched center. I am actually going to be doing a combination of the two. I have the pearls and crystal embellishment Martina offered, but I will be stitching around them. And Part 9 is all about the sparklies, so it should be a beautiful effect that I'll be seeing next.

And, my trusty mail carrier arrived this afternoon with some goodies for me. One package contained The Primitive Needle's Sampler Sisters of the Thread. This design is so beautiful, and I will definitely be starting it pronto. I also received my gorgeous hand-turned pincushion base for the BBD Loose Feathers "extra". This piece is so well-made and I highly recommend that you all call your LNS and order one immediately. (Mr. Milady will probably be cursing my name soon). But really, this is so pretty. I can't wait to make my pincusion. Although, I am holding off on the sewing accessories for now because I want all of mine to match, so I'm thinking about color schemes. I do really like the color chosen for the pincushion though, so I may just carry that through.

And, have you seen this?

The new Mirabilia mermaid. Love it - she is a real beauty!

That's all for me today. I am going to be ironing my fabric this weekend to start on the new Loose Feathers (The Simple Things), and also probably making a start on Part 9 of Mystery IX. I'm so happy to be able to say that!!

I am grateful for Eric's surprise - I can't wait for the 4th!

Resurrection

2009-06-13T07:13:00.004-05:00

Thanks to all of you for the compliments on my new look. I am so in love. And it's weird to look at my blog and not see Botticelli's Venus looking back out at me. But, that's ok. I love the red. So, in my last post I mentioned that two of the three pieces that were WIPs in that first post of mine in 2006 are still WIPs. The two are Mystery IX and Bay Sampler. Well, after writing that post, plus seeing that blank spot on my bedroom wall staring at me, I decided to pull out Mystery IX and work on it a bit. I am currently working on Part 8 (of 12). I have two of the four artichoke beds still left to finish. So, I've been working on it the past couple of nights and I'm making a bit of progress.

The blank spots you see in those right hand beds are for the specialty stitches and beads. I'll do that once I have all the cross-stitching done on the left two. I'm also missing the bugle beads around those yellow beds. Bugle beads can cut the thread you've sewn them down with because of their sharp edges, so I'll wait until the end to add them, along with the larger crystals. If you want to see my last progress photo of this, you can see it here. I'm stitching this on the 32ct Lavender Mist linen that was called for with the recommended silks. It is so hard to tell in the photos, but the fabric is really the palest of lavenders. You wouldn't know it unless you held it up against something white. But, it is not the bluish/greyish color it appears here. That's just 7am light through the window. I love this piece so much, but I just can't seem to stick with it for very long. And I have the incentive. I've promised myself it will go to Jill Rensel for framing and I have the space picked out in our bedroom to hang it. I'm anxious to finish up part 8 and move onto part 9.

And remember that crappola of a week I was having? Well, on the very worst day of that week, look what arrived in my mailbox! Sweet and thoughtful Anna sent this sampler chart to me as a new addition for my A&E wall. So fun! Thank you, Anna!! And, of course she sent along one of her beautiful handmade cards as well. She is talented in so many areas! [Although I wish she'd send her framed Anna's Bird to me...I covet it.] Anyway...thanks again, Anna! You made my week!

And here we are again with the yeti fabric. I haven't made much progress on it since I last showed it to you, but I am liking the progress I made. I saw Andrea's finish of this on her blog and she also subbed out the Sable thread. I think I am going to do the same, because I hate mine. So, the h, i, j may be coming out to be replaced with a better brown. I want my bunny to be a pretty brown, when I get to him, not this weird-o brownish blackish greyish color. I don't have the GAST Cinnamon she used, but I'm sure I can find something that works.

And I've also got some progress to show you on Dorothy's Garden. As I mentioned, I finished the alphabet and started on the border.

This piece is just so dainty. It's a lot of fun to work on, but I am really dreading that house. I'm gonna have to just suck it up and do a little at a time. Here's the whole thing...

I also bought a new stitching bag, which I was in desperate need of. I'd been using this fabulous woven bag, but it's just gotten so much use that the material it's made from is starting to wear down. Which is a shame. So, I saw that Silver Needle was having a sale on Vera Bradley bags, and I ordered one. I decided on the Miller bag, in the retiring fabric "Night Owl". I just fell in love with the little owls! The bag is freakin' huge, but it is wide enough I can fit my 17 x 17 q-snap in it with no problem, which I suppose is a good thing. And it has a ton of pockets around the perimeter of the inside, which is nice. I've never even really looked at a Vera Bradley bag before, so this was a new adventure for me.

I have also signed up for a 5k in August, and have been training for two Saturdays now. I'm excited about it, and looking forward to it. My plan is to walk it, but last night I made my first venture into running, so I may end up doing a walk/run. This morning I probably walked close to 3 miles, so I don't think the 5k is going to be any problem. I'm tired though, so I think some serious stitching/couch time is on the horizon for me this afternoon.

So, that's all the news from around here. Hope you all have a fantastic weekend!!

I am grateful for losing two pounds this week and pushing myself to run last night. Yay me!

Surprise!

2009-06-10T19:02:00.002-05:00

As a slightly early gift to myself for my third blog anniversary, I decided to do a complete overhaul of my blog template. What do you think? I am absolutely in love with it. I've had the same template since my very first post back in 2006, so it was time for a change.

If you're interested, you can read that very first post here. And yes, two of the three WIPs I show in that post are still WIPs...don't judge. There will be a big party with fireworks and champagne when they're finished. I promise.

Sadly, I have no progress photos of my current projects to share. It's just been that kind of week. I've made a bit more progress on Earth Sampler, currently stitching that cute little speckled egg. And I've also spent more time on Dorothy's Garden. I finished up the alphabet and have now moved on to the border. I am hoping that I don't completely regret starting on the border without all the middle finished as reference points. But, I think it will be fun to have the border done so I can see how big this sampler really is. I'm also hoping that sometime in the near future I can get back to my quilting. I have several quilts in progress that are calling my name.

Thanks to all of you who have been with me for three years, and thanks to all of you who have joined me along the way!

I am grateful for my new look.

Snuck a Little In

2009-06-03T22:01:00.003-05:00

So remember I said that we were supposed to have a check-in on our MAGIC projects at the guild meeting last night? Well, I picked up my piece over the weekend and made a surprising amount of progress. At least, I surprised myself.

Since last we left off on progress pics for this piece, I had finished up the roof and begun that flower basket. Over the weekend I finished up the flower basket and then started on the alphabet. I love how it's looking.

There is really so much more to go on this piece, but I am glad I made a little progress on it. And just for bringing my piece in for the check-in, I got a pack of John James needles for my trouble. And apparently, if you look at this from far away it looks like Shrek or something. You may have to squint. Guess I'll have to fill in the house so that the roof no longer appears to be legs. Oh, and just in case you're wondering, since it's been so long since I worked on this...it is Dorothy's Garden by A Stitcher's Hands. I am stitching it over one on 32ct. unknown linen with DMC and AVAS. I started this in 2004, which is why I decided to offer it up to be my MAGIC piece for the guild this year. I hope I finish it.

It is lovely though, I have to admit.

I am grateful for chocolate...because it's been that kind of day.

The Rest of the Story

2009-05-30T11:43:00.003-05:00

So, remember when I ran out of Rose of Sharon Belle Soie halfway through the "u"? Well my friend, Sylvia, took pity on me and when she read on the blog that I'd run out, she donated the necessary thread from her own skein. Thank you, Sylvia!! On Wednesday night, after receiving the thread I came home and finished up the alphabet. Thursday I attempted to stitch my initials, and after two tries got them mostly stitched. Last night I finished my initials, stitched the year and then determined a motif that would fit between the "Z" and the "M", since what was designed to go there would no longer fit. I think I made a good choice. So, without further ~~rambling~~ ado, let me present the finished stitching.

Peacock Pinkeep (Loose Feathers #35)
Blackbird Designs
Belle Soie on 28ct Gingham linen by Weeks
Finished 5/30/09

I'm quite pleased with how it turned out using two threads over two, rather than the recommended one (except of course, for that whole pesky running out of thread thing). And although my photography skillz don't adequately showcase this, the fabric for top and side are the same color. Probably close to somewhere in between the two that you see here. And let me just say again for the record, I love Belle Soie silk and I love this fabric. And maybe, just maybe, I will attempt to finish this sucker on my own. We'll see.

And there's been a tad more progress on Earth Sampler, although I have to admit I quickly tossed it aside to finish up on the piece above. This is another piece of fabric that eludes my attempt to capture it on film. Perhaps we will just call it Sean Penn. Or the Yeti fabric, that may be more fitting. It is much warmer than the photo here shows. But, I am moving along on it. I'm feeling a bit iffy with the threads so far. I'm happy with the starburst to the flower, and the sheep. But the rest of it is risking a big rip out. I'll keep after it, and it may all even out in the end. But, for now...the rest of you letters and motifs, consider yourself on notice.

And I've just been reminded, via an email from the guild, that we'll be showing the progress on our challenge pieces on Tuesday. You mean that challenge piece I haven't touched since oh, February. Guess I'd better get that out and put in a couple of stitches or something this weekend, or maybe just iron it. Don't hold your breath.

I am grateful for Sylvia coming to the rescue!

Bellpullooza

2009-05-26T10:07:00.002-05:00

Do you remember my Barnabee's Quest? I stitched him as a SAL with some other lovely stitchers, and although I was one of the founding members of the SAL, I was the last to finish. I finished him July of 2008. And there he waited, hanging in my closet. It seemed such a shame to let this piece languish, so I sent him off to Deb to be finished. I cannot tell you how utterly gorgeous Barnabee has become under Deb's amazing finishing skills. I am so glad that I purchased the pullware for this piece. Look how beautifully it goes with the stitching. Notice the triple cording that Deb added.

I am thrilled with how the piece turned out. Deb is a marvel!

I stitched this piece long after it was first introduced, so finding the pullware for it was a lucky break. I was not able to locate the accompanying beeskep tassel. But, look at the wondrous tassel that Deb created for me. I love that it has not only the colors of the cording, but it also incorporates the purples in the piece and in the pullware. Lovely! I cannot imagine trying to attempt this finishing myself. So thank goodness, I have Deb!

But, that's not all. You may remember that I finished this piece myself a while back. Well, although I tried to artfully photograph the piece in order to camouflage the problems with it...I was so unhappy with my finishing. The main problem with the piece was that the stitching needed to be blocked. The border lines were wavy and crooked, just due to not having been blocked. Try building a fabric border around wavy lines. Well, after pulling the piece apart twice and attempting to correct it, I finally gave up and sent it to Deb. She managed to block the piece and also straighten everything else up. You'd think I'd been sewing drunk. Thanks to Deb, I can now look at this piece without cringing. I am so pleased with it. And what I thought was a simple bit of finishing, frustrated me to no end.

All better! Who knows what Deb thought of me when I emailed her asking if she performed rescue operations. And guess what...she does! Thank you, Deb for your beautiful artistry!!

So, you can see what a happy mail day I had last week, when these arrived carefully wrapped up.

I also did a little bit of stitching over my four-day weekend, although a lot more than you see here. First, let me say that this piece is impossible to photograph. The best photos I've gotten of it are with no flash, but those are also blurry...so this is the best I can do. Please ignore a) cat hair b) thread behind piece c) inaccurate color representation...as the colors are not nearly this "neon". Anyway, I did stitch a lot more than it looks like. I just stitched the same thing three times. I filled in Adam's face, then proceeded to outline his torso. Then, my lines didn't match up. I ripped it out and tried it again...still not matching up, but the problem was in a different place. Ripped it out and restitched a third time. Worked. Then I started filling in his torso, and got tired of stitching on it after giving him a cummerbund. I had hoped to see way more progress on him this weekend. Of course, we were catching up on episodes of 24, and so possibly trying to watch the last four hours may have contributed to my inability to count.

So, after throwing in the towel on Adam...I decided to pick up something new that I already had in my stash (fabric, thread, chart - how often does that happen?). This is Earth Sampler by Primitive Needle. I love this chart. And I think this may be my first time to stitch on 40ct. I love it. It is not nearly as hard as I was thinking it would be. And I am feeling good about the coverage of one thread over two. I love love love this fabric too...it is Picture This Plus Ale, which is the recommended fabric. It is gorgeous! I wish my threads were showing up a bit better against the fabric color, but perhaps it will look better as I move along. The greens are just a bit light. And, with Eric and I having finished up 24, we moved on to watching more episodes of Season 1 of Earth:Final Conflict, which I am really enjoying.

Anyway, I hope to have some more done on Earth Sampler in the next few nights. Thanks for all of your congratulations on my Access test. I hope to have another unit test under my belt early next week. After Access, I'll be starting on my Project Management classes. Here's hoping those go quickly! Hope you all had a great weekend and enjoyed your stitching!

I am grateful for time with Eric.

Adam Emerging

2009-05-22T11:10:00.003-05:00

I made a deal with myself this week. I really wanted to meet up with some friends from guild Thursday night for a stitching evening, but I had to take a test at school this week also. I ramped it up a bit and got my test out of the way on Wednesday night. I scored a perfect score (1000). Go me! So, last night I began my four-day weekend (I took today off work), and I was able to meet up with my stitching buddy at Barnes & Noble for an evening of guilt-free stitching! Since I've done all I can on my peacock for now, I decided to go back to working on Adam & Eve (CHS). I've done some fill in on the tree and last night I started in on filling in Adam's face. He's got on helluva five o'clock shadow going on there, huh? I am hopeful that over the next few days I can spend a good amount of time stitching and have some serious progress to show on this piece.

I haven't gone back to stitching on Shores because frankly, I am not happy with it. I really don't like the coverage of one strand on 36ct. So, I've been debating what to do. Start over on 40ct? Leave it and hope I learn to love it? Well, I think I've figured out what I want to do. So, I'll have to do some test stitching and see what I think. But, that's the reason Shores has been tucked away for a bit. I hope to get it back out soon, because I do dearly love that design. I'd just like to dearly love my stitching of it too.

Anyway, I have some other goodies to show you next time. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!

I am grateful for a stitching night.

Blackbirds Aplenty

2009-05-17T13:57:00.003-05:00

Thank you for the compliments on my PLR. Since I've been in a Blackbird mood lately, I'm still stitching along on my Peacock Pinkeep. I'm working my way across on the alphabet, but I've run out of Rose of Sharon silk halfway through the "U". So I see purchasing more of that in my future. I am using two strands over two, rather than the recommended one strand, which is why mine looks so much darker than the others of I've seen (and also the reason I ran out of thread). If I had had a full skein, I would have been fine. Not sure if I'll make it with the Tortoiseshell or not...we'll see. But, I love how this is turning out and I love my coverage. I am really enjoying stitching on this so much. My photos of the fabric and so different, I would say the actual color is closer to the top one, just a bit lighter.

As you can see, I've finished with the top of the pinkeep. I just love this! I am making a significant effort right now to stitch from my stash, which is why I haven't run right out and bought more Rose of Sharon thread. I have so much lined up waiting in the wings that I should be just fine working from my stash for awhile.

Of course, I am still on the automatic shipments for the Loose Feathers club, so I was treated to this lovely package in the mail on Friday. Look at the luscious colors! And I am so excited to stitch the little pincushion with the hand-turned wooden base, that comes from Milady's Needle. As soon as I lift my ban on new purchases, you can bet I'll be ordering one of those bases!

I definitely want to stitch all the the "extras" for the Loose Feathers club this year, based on what I've seen so far. However, I am thinking I like the colors in this pincushion much better than the colors in the needlebook. So, I may work on making them match. But, what fun this year's Loose Feathers are so far. I love this design as well, and the texture that the chain stitching will give around the flowers and leaves will be beautiful.

I am grateful for time to stitch.

Petites Lettres Rouges

2009-05-05T09:41:00.004-05:00

Petites Lettres Rouges

Blackbird Designs

Needle Necessities over one on 28ct Silkweaver FOTM Exclusive

Stitched April 18, 2009 to May 2, 2009

A finish! As I mentioned in my last post, the moment I saw this lovely chart posted on the Blackbird Designs blog, I dropped everything and started stitching it. I chose some beautiful 28ct fabric from Silkweaver that is a FOTM Exclusive color. I've used this before for another Blackbird piece, and the fabric is really a gorgeous mottled color. I knew I needed a special thread for this, so I pulled out the gorgeous red skein of Needle Necessities (I believe the color is Razzle Dazzle) that Anna gifted me with at Christmas. I've been waiting for just the right piece to use it on. I decided to stitch this over one, because when I think of French stitching, my thoughts always run to over one stitching with beautiful red threads. Alma suggested in her blog to stitch a family name into the sampler, and to add a little bird motif. The original sampler had 1918 charted, and I immediately thought of my grandmother who was born in 1911. As you can see, I chose to stitch her name and the year of her birth into my piece. The little bird was modified slightly, in order to fit, from another little Blackbird Designs bird. I hadn't stitched in the last week at all, but on Saturday I went over to another stitcher's home for a day of stitching with a few stitchers from the guild. It was such a relaxing and fun day. I was so in need of a day like that, it was a mini-vacation! I took several pieces to work on, but decided to stitch on this piece. Sitting outside on the porch and enjoying the wonderful weather (right up until it started pouring), I began to stitch my grandmother's name into the sampler. By the end of the day, I had finished everything but the outside border. So, when I came home that evening, I was able to finish the piece easily. I found a wonderful frame for it on Sunday and framed it myself. I've placed it in what is becoming our new French guest bath. I love it there, and I can see it each day and be reminded of the woman who taught me to stitch and encouraged my creativity from when I was little.

After finishing up my little sampler, I put my Loose Feathers back in the q-snap. One of the women at our stitching day was working on the alphabet portion of this, and it got me inspired to get back to it. I just love stitching this piece, and it was fun to start getting to use the second color of the Belle Soie. I think my skeins are darker than a lot of those I've seen stitching this...but that works for me. I think it's very pretty. I may move that "L" over. I'm waiting until I get some of the little motifs around it stitched before I decide. It may be fine where it is. I should have the top of the pinkeep finished soon, and then I can move on to the alphabet. I'm hoping I end up with enough fabric to stitch the needlebook too.

I have my guild meeting tonight, which I am looking forward to. And I am glad I have a finish to share too. Hope you all have a wonderful rest of the week and happy Cinco de Mayo!

Spring Colors

2009-04-23T11:53:00.003-05:00

Thank you all for your sweet compliments on my progress photos last time and for the anniversary well wishes. This weekend we are going on a little day trip that Eric had planned for our anniversary, but due to car trouble we had to postpone. I am really looking forward to it! Anyway, as promised I am showing you my new start above. This is the new Loose Feathers by Blackbird Designs. I love the linen for this little pinkeep. I am stitching with the recommended Belle Soie silks as well, which are luscious. I've made a little more progress on my peacock since this photo was taken, but I have to admit I got slightly distracted. In case you didn't know, Blackbird Designs have a blog now! And, of course it features the lovely photography that I have grown to love on their charts. There is a freebie offered that is a sweet little reproduction sampler. And I couldn't resist making a little start on it. So, I've been focusing on that the past few days. I hope to show you a finish on it soon, and then I can get back to my little peacock.

At my last guild meeting, one of our members gave a wonderful presentation on darning samplers, as a great introduction to our SAL on the darning sampler we've chosen from SANQ. That is one of the thing I have just loved about belonging to this guild, the things I am learning. So far, my two favorite meetings have been the one about Adam & Eve samplers, and now this one. Such knowledgeable women! At our meeting, I received my linen and silks for the darning sampler, aren't they lovely? I'll be stitching this on 40ct. I believe the color is Sand. And the silks are Au Ver A Soie. Two of them are missing from this photo, one is on its way and one because I'm a dork and left it out of the photo. Lovely though anyway.

I've been continuing with my photo a day project, and you can see more of those over at my other blog, if you're interested. Thanks for stopping in, I really appreciate all of your comments and friendship!

I am grateful for time together.

Surf's Up

2009-04-17T13:08:00.003-05:00

Long time, no blog! You may be wondering what have I been up to? Well, as you can see I did finally manage to get my waves stitched on block 1 of Shores. I'll be moving up to the top half of the block now. I had hoped to catch up and get through blocks 1 and 2 in April, but well...we'll see. I haven't done a ton of stitching lately between migraines and just tiredness. But I have done some reading, which has been really nice. I think maybe my brain just needed a break, you know. I sat aside Pillars of the Earth (which is excellent, by the way), and picked up Dead Until Dark, which is a very fun read. Anyway, I'll be getting back to Shores soon. But, I am glad to have those waves finished!

I've also made a bit of progress on Adam & Eve too (also by Carriage House Samplings). This is a fun little stitch. And I am stitching it over one on black. I decided to take my progress photo with my scissors in there, just for scale. I love the size this is turning out to be. Please excuse the cat hair, my hair, and general fluff that this black fabric seems to attract that for some reason shows up glaringly in photos. Don't those little scissors look giant sized?! I dearly love that little squirrel. He now has a little perch to sit on, and I've stitched in Adam's head (which still needs to be filled in), and I've begun work on the tree trunk.

Saturday, I had a pile of mending that needed to be attended to, so I spent some time with my sewing machine. After everything had been repaired, I decided to get out one of my quilts that needed quilting and worked on it a bit. You may remember that this little Valentine's Day quilt had previously had quilting on it, which I have been ripping out because I wasn't happy with it. I've now finished the ripping out, and I've started on the quilting again. It's turning out nicely so far.

This past weekend was also Easter, so we went to visit family and I took some photos of some fabulous ornaments that my MIL made out of ribbon. Aren't they fun?

Her good friend made one for me, and then taught her how to do it. I'll have to remember to take a photo of mine too to share!

And finally, last week Eric and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary. Even with his father in the hospital (now home and doing well), my sweetie surprised me with two dozen red and white roses as well as a single white rose in our special vase from the Rose Ceremony at our wedding. I am so happy, and I am a lucky lucky girl.

I've got a new start to show you next time, and I also have some lovely new stash to share as well. Enjoy your weekend, and thanks for stopping in!

I am grateful for my ability to embrace change and to move through what seem like difficult times and see them in a new light.

Low Tide

2009-03-31T09:16:00.007-05:00

I'm back, with just a little progress to share. As you can see above, I've finished the rocks in Block 1 of Shores and I've moved on to the ocean. It's slow going, but it's relatively mindless filling in, which seems to be what I'm wanting right now. I did attempt to work on the Mermaids for the Sunday SAL, but for the life of me I cannot find my chart and thread. I was "organizing" recently and must have put it in a "safe place" so that I would be sure to be able to find it at a moment's notice. I'll give it another look during the week and hopefully I'll be able to get back on track with those girls. I'm all excited to start page 2. But, anyway...back to Shores. I don't think I'll be finishing with Block 1 this month. So, I'll just keep plugging away at it, and maybe by the end of April I'll have blocks 1 and 2 done.

I've also made a tiny bit of progress on Adam & Eve (also Carriage House Samplings). Instead of moving on to the swirl the squirrel is standing on and then back to the tree trunk like I'd thought I was going to do...I decided to start on Adam. He just has a bit of hair at the moment, but should soon have a face as well. I'd like to see some more progress on this before my guild meeting next week. I love this piece, and it is so different stitching on this one than on Shores, even though they're the same designer. Such fun!

I haven't even touched my Catherine Theron pieces either since the workshop...maybe I can pick one of them back up this weekend. That would be nice, huh? Not too much else going on here. I bought five more skeins of NPI from Drema during her sale. These were the five I'll need (that I didn't already have) for Block 2 of Shores. I figure I'll just buy them as I need them, in order to space out the cost. Plus, when I can get them on sale for $2.70 as opposed to almost $4, that's a deal! I've also ordered a couple of charts from The Attic, but haven't seen hide nor hair of them yet. I think one of them was on backorder, so hopefully those will come soon. Not that I need anything else to work on right now. When I get closer to finishing A&E, I'll be ordering fabric for And They Sinned. I ordered all the thread for that at New Year's, if you remember...so that will be my next big start I think.

Oh, and thank you all for your interest in the magazines. Two have been sent out, and I'm still waiting on Sherry and Chiloe to respond to my emails with your addresses. So, if you're reading this...please get me that info so I can send you your magazines. Hope everyone is doing well. Enjoy your stitching!

I am grateful for being welcomed back.

There's Nothing Like Procrastination

2009-03-24T11:54:00.003-05:00

On Saturday, I had the afternoon to myself and I was trying to choose something to work on. For whatever reason, one piece in particular just jumped out at me...my Just Nan RR. This RR was the first RR I took part in and I ended up with a gorgeous piece. It's just been hanging in my craft closet since it came home (in 2007). I bought a frame for it months and months ago, but there was one minor issue. The piece wouldn't fit in the frame, it was super close though. What I needed to do was move the names and locations of everyone in a bit, so that it would fit in the frame. I have put off doing this for so long, but on Saturday I finally decided to get out my RR and just do it. I decided to center the names and locations under each block. When I had originally gridded out the piece, I'd given everyone a lot of room and asked them to sign at the bottom of their area...so on some of the smaller blocks it looked a little funny when the gridding came out. I spent the afternoon taking out and restitching all the names and locations, then I laced up my piece and got it framed. I am so happy to have it finally framed and hanging somewhere I can appreciate it. Doesn't it look lovely? And all it took was an afternoon. Why did I put this off for so long?! Anyway, it's done now. And here's what it looked like before I moved the names.

Not too much else going on here...no stitching last night. I've made a tad more progress on my rocks since my last photo, but nothing exciting. I hope to get some stitching done tonight though when I get home. Oh, and I thought I'd share with you the darning sampler that my guild is going to be stitching. I'm interested to learn more about darning samplers as well as to have the opportunity to stitch one. The one that's been chosen is in an old issue of SANQ. Here's what it looks like...

I've ordered the fabric and silks for it, and I'm looking forward to stitching it along with some other guild members. I was hoping to have another finish to share at our next guild meeting (I was hoping for A&E), since I've had a finish to share every month this year so far. But, I don't think it's gonna happen. A&E is much slower going now than when I started. Maybe I can make some more progress on it this week too. And I did receive a question about the designer on that one - it's Carriage House Samplings.

Thanks also to everyone for offering to take the magazines. I've contacted four people about them and just need a couple more addresses to send them out. Thanks!!! I'm sure as I do some more cleaning and organizing I will find more stuff! And just in case you're interested, I've started another 101 Things in 1001 Days, having finished my previous 1001 Days. My first post regarding it can be found here.

I am grateful for rainy mornings.

Restitching & A Giveaway

2009-03-20T10:09:00.007-05:00

There's been a bit of unstitching and restitching going on over here. I was working along smoothly on my Shores, and finished up the lighthouse. I moved on to the rocks and was thinking "wow, this is really starting to come together". Isn't that the moment at which you soon discover it SO isn't? Well, I got to the rock at the bottom - and hit rock bottom, so to speak. My black outline was one stitch too far down. Crap! I counted and recounted and sure enough, I'd stitched it 1 stitch too low. I started to just go ahead and rip it out and fix it right then. But something told me that if I'd made a mistake there, I had most likely made a mistake on the right side of the outline too. I had a sneaky suspicion that instead of including the previous side's stitch in my 92 stitches, that I had stitched 92 stitches from that side - thus making it 93. So...I decided to stitch across to the other side and sure enough, I was off there as well. So, out came both the bottom and right lines and they were both restitched. Now I can get back to what I was doing. But, above is what it looks like now, and below is what is looked like last time - plus two brand new sides. If I recall correctly, I seem to remember I did this same exact thing stitching the outline for Midi Mystery II. Will I ever learn??

And, a little tiny bit of progress has been made on Adam & Eve. I now have a squirrel and a few more apples and leaves. There's a swirl the squirrel is standing on that will get stitched in next, and then I think I'll work on the tree trunk. Here's what it looks like now...

And last time...

So that's all on the stitching front for me. I do have a giveaway though, that I've been meaning to do for some time. I have four magazines that somehow I ended up with duplicates of. So, if you're interested in one or more of these, please leave a comment and let me know which one(s) you'd like. First come, first serve. I'll cover the postage cost regardless of where you are. Just please take these off my hands!!

JCS June 2005 issue on the left. This has a small CHS design in it called Emma's Samplers that I am definitely going to stitch at some point. There's also a Brittercup Designs chart in here called Love Grows that is really cute. And a Cross-Stitch & Needlework May 2008 issue on the right. This one has a Jane Greenoff design in it called Monet's Giverny Gardens, there's an interview with Jenny Hart of Sublime Stitching and two embroidery designs by her, and a cute Thistle & Clover biscornu design by Jennifer Mitchell.

Interweave Knits Summer 2007 on the left. Includes the cute Josephine Top and Origami Cardi that everyone was knitting. SANQ Summer 2006. Includes part 1 of the Old Aviary Sampler and The 1831 E.F. Sampler (on the cover) that I just love.

Anyway, please leave a comment and email address if you're interested in any of these.

And finally, I was nominated for an award by Rachel at Willing Hands. Thank you so much, Rachel! I'm so sorry I am just now getting around to mentioning this. For this award you are supposed to list 5 favorite things and tag 5 others.

Favorite things:

1. Mexican food

2. Fashion magazines

3. OPI nail polish

4. Lakeside linen

5. British comedy - I've recently been reminded how much I miss watching these shows!

And now for five people to tag... Missy, Glenna, Anna, Annemarie and Mary Kathryn. I could name soooo many more!

Othello thinks my blog is fabulous too...

I am grateful for a Saturday at home.

My First Workshop

2009-03-15T17:53:00.004-05:00

I have had a fabulous two days. My guild hosted Catherine Theron for two classes this weekend and they (and she) were wonderful. I cannot tell you what a joy it is to belong to a guild with such wonderful people. I told someone this afternoon that this guild has really expanded my horizons in so many ways in the few short months I've been a member. One of those ways was attending a workshop for the very first time. Yesterday Catherine taught her Williamsburg Remembered Sewing Case and today taughter her Quaker Sewing Case. I had so much fun and learned quite a bit in both classes. I learned two new stitches yesterday, the trellis stitch and the spiral trellis stitch, both of which are so cool when they're finished! Above you can see the very exciting stitching that I accomplished in both days. The pieces on the left and right are from today's Quaker class. The piece in the middle is from yesterday. Aren't you amazed by my skills?! That is 158 (count them) stitches in stem stitch in silk. Woohoo!! (ignore my basting line.) But really, I learned a ton...even if I don't have the stitching to show for it. Catherine is a lovely woman, and I so enjoyed meeting her, learning from her and also visiting with her. I would jump at the opportunity to take another class with her. So, it was a wonderful weekend of stitching, but mostly being with other stitchers. This is a weekend I won't soon forget. And hopefully, I'll get those pieces done and have something to show for it! Really, my only concern is the finishing. The stitching I think will be not easy, but do-able. These are pretty detailed pieces for being so small! Anyway, for those of you who asked me questions about Catherine's workshops, pieces, etc. I will get back to you individually with the answers.

So, what else. Ah, yes. Mail. The mail came yesterday with a package from The Scarlett House. I purchased one of Tanya's beautiful ruler and needlecase sets that are handpainted by her. This one, was so different from her other pieces and I just fell in love with it. There is something just so homey and "samplerish" about the saltglaze crocks and bittersweet. Thank you, Tanya, they are even more lovely in person!!

And also last week in the mail, I received the first three BBD stockings charts. These are going to be such fun to stitch up, once I get to them. Lol! I have heard rumor that the BBD gals had a tree full of all 36 of the stockings at Market, and I would so love to see a photo of that! What a site that must have been. Anyway, I'd like to see them all hanging together someday in MY house. I think these would be good take-a-long projects though too, huh? Easy to slip into your bag and have whenever you need a little something to take the edge off.

And, I have been promising Siobhan to share a photo of a kit I have for a Tree of Life Tombstone rug. I've been wanting to learn rug hooking for awhile now, and I have two kits sitting at the back depths of my craft closet. This is one of them. But, wouldn't it look fabulous hanging with on my A&E wall (you know that imaginary wall I'm working on). I may have to just tape the charts to the wall, rather than actual stitching, but whatever. Wouldn't this look fabulous there?

So, that's all the news that's fit to print today. I am hungry and waiting for my hubby to get home so we can have dinner. I've got another full week this week, but I hope to have some time this evening to sit down with some stitching and relax.

Hope you all have a great week - and I also have an award I need to mention, so I will do that next time. Don't let me forget!

I am grateful for learning new things.

Brown Swirls and a Black Line

2009-03-12T10:40:00.004-05:00

Hi, all! I keep meaning to get out here and post some progress photos, but it just hasn't happened. Thanks for all the compliments on the Mermaids. I intended to spend the majority of Sunday stitching, particularly on the Mermaids, but it didn't happen. I was at the emergency vet with Romeo for a good part of that day. He's fine, but it wasn't something I wanted to wait to have looked at. So, no stitching on Sunday. But, I do have some progress to report on my two CHS pieces. As you can see above, Adam & Eve is moving right along. I am stitching over one on 28ct black linen with the recommended NPIs. Love it. I apologize for the quality of my photo because I took it at about 10pm last night. I figured if I was ever going to get photos, I had to just suck it up and take them whenever I had the chance. So, not the best, but you get the idea. I love the apples. They're fun. I thought I'd work on this side of the tree and then work on filling in the tree trunk. I just wanted to have some reference points before I start down the trunk in order to help with my counting. Here's what it looked like last time.

And, you may also recall that this month I started on Shores of Hawk Run Hollow as well. I'm working on block one, usine the recommended NPIs on the recommended 36ct Vintage Autumn Gold fabric. I love the fabric, it is soooo gorgeous. Anyway, I'm using one strand over two and I wasn't sure how I was going to like it, since I am really finicky about my thread coverage. But, it seems ok so far. I finally finished that black outline of the block, I thought that would never end! And the block is actually way bigger than I imagined it was going to be. But the blocks are 92 x 92 stitches, so that's pretty big, even on 36ct I guess. I'm moving along on the lighthouse and enjoying it. I was glad to get to the red finally after all that black and white!

It's a fun stitch so far though. And I'm glad to have finally started this piece. (Please excuse the wonkiness, I need to reposition on my q-snaps and just haven't gotten around to it.)

And since I've had A&E samplers on the brain lately, I thought I'd show you what's in the new issue of Cross-stitch & Needlework Magazine (US).

I actually like the original piece a lot better than the reproduction (which you can see a corner of). They stitched it on a really light fabric, and muted down the colors. I like the darker more vintage linen the original is on, as well as the brighter colors. Not a bad sampler though!

That's about all from me here this week. I'm stitching on both the above pieces when I can and hoping to get back to Mermaids on Sunday. Oh, but I have my Catherine Theron workshop both days this weekend, which I am really looking forward to. I can't wait to attend my first workshop! It is gonna be wonderful!

Have a great rest of the week!

I am grateful for a little rain. (ok a lot of rain)

Mermaid Return

2009-02-28T15:27:00.004-06:00

Happy Saturday everyone! I'm so glad the weekend is here. It was a long week for some reason. I did, however, take another final at school and my certification exam for this class will probably be next week. I'm onto my fifth class now, and I have two more after that. Then I am DONE! Anyway, I have been stitching this week, even though one night Eric took me out to see a fabulous performance on Tuesday night. So, here's my progress for this week. As you can see above, I did get out my mermaids and stitch on them. I finished up a page last night. This is page 1, of course, which is a small page (basically a half page), but it was the center so that's why I started there. I'll be moving on to mermaid number two and working my way up I think. So, page 1 complete, minus bling. Here's how she looked a couple of weeks ago, when I stitched on her last.

And also this week, I felt like stitching on something small, so I decided to go ahead and start on Adam & Eve by Carriage House Samplings. I am stitching this over one on 28ct black linen with the recommended NPIs. Don't you just love silk. There is nothing like it. Anyway, the swirls seemed like a fun place to start, so that's what I'm doing.

I'm stitching this one as a SAL with several other stitchers from the Carriage House Samplings yahoo group. I'm very excited about stitching my first A&E. Anyway, tomorrow I'll be starting the other SAL I've jumped into (also in the same group), on Shores of Hawk Run Hollow. I'm so in love with that piece. I can't wait.

And although I didn't really place any Nashville orders, I thought I'd show you a few things that the mailman has brought over the last week.

I ordered the finishing chart for the freebie alphabet charts Erica Michaels designed for Rainbow Gallery. I've got all the supplies to start the first two, I just need to set time aside to do them. I love how they are finished into a book though. And speaking of books, have you seen the most beautiful book ever? Go look, I'll wait, it's worth it. WOW! That's all I can say.

I also received the last of the 2008 Loose Feathers charts, or as Siobhan calls it, the Shrek glove.

Anyway, I think that's all for me today. I'll have my Shores start to show you soon, but I'll wait until I have more than a black border to show you. Have a great weekend.

I am grateful for Saturdays.

Fat Tuesday

2009-02-24T09:30:00.003-06:00

Hello all! I had hoped to have a post yesterday, but sometimes Mondays are Mondays. I've been making a lot of progress on my stitching and that feels so good! I am trying my hand at not feeling stressed or guilty about my stitching. I have a couple of things nagging at me, but for the most part I am just enjoying myself. One of the things nagging at me is my Mermaid SAL...I really need to get back to that. Anyway, above you can see what I have been stitching on...my Papillon Creations Mystery Sampler. I have been stitching away on part 2, and was able to finish up the last motif on Friday night. The tall flower actually spans across parts 2 and 4, but I wanted to finish it in its entirety (as I did with the potted tree on the left hand side that spans between parts 1 and 3). Here's how it looked last time, just for comparison.

Next time I pick this up I'll be moving on to part 3. It feels so good to be making progress on this again. After finishing up part 2 of this, I decided to move onto something else that's been calling to me...Mystery 9. I started this in January of 2006. This was my first big Chatelaine mystery (although I had completed a Midi Mystery in 2005). I think I moved along just fine on this until about March of 2006 when I moved and then in April 2006 got married. I did work on it off and on, picking it up again February of last year. Here's what it looked like the last time I stitched on it.

I had started on part 8, the four artichokes. I was leaving the specialty stitches and beading on each artichoke until I finished all four. Well, I picked this back up over the weekend and I even got out my System 4 floorstand that I have never used. I got it set up and started stitching away! Here's where I left it Sunday night. Please excuse the horrible photo...I took this last night with the piece still on the stand, so just imagine how much prettier it actually looks. Oh, and the fabric this is on is actually a pale pale lavender (Lavender Mist I think). It looks beautiful against that yellow.

So, I'm working both artichokes three and four at the same time, rather than one at a time like I did with one and two. It keeps me from changing thread as often. I'm very happy with my System 4 so far. I had one issue with it, that Eric fixed easily, and then I was back to stitching. Next time I'll try to get a better photo that actually comes closer to doing the piece justice. Last night I had a board meeting for the guild, so I was home two hours earlier than normal (yippee!), so after doing all the stuff I have to do when I get home at night, I sat down to put some more time in on Mystery 9. It's been a pleasure working on it these past few days.

Coming up soon, though, I'll be starting two new pieces. My silks arrived for the Carriage House Samplings Adam & Eve. I already had black fabric left over from the Twilight tags. I'm going to stitch my A&E over one. It will be a challenge, but I think it will turn out a nice size, plus it lets me use the fabric I had on hand.

And I also received my silks for block 1 of Shores of Hawk Run Hollow, as well as my fabric. I will be stitching on 36ct Vintage Autumn Gold. I LOVE the fabric. I know a lot of stitchers are not fond of the recommended fabric for this piece, but I love it. Gorgeous! I decided I would just purchase the silks for block 1 at this time (although any that required more than 1 skein for the piece, I went ahead and got all that are required for dyelot purposes), and then with the remaining blocks I'll fill in the few threads I need when I need them. Aren't they stunning though?! I can't wait to start on this.

Hope you all have a lovely week and enjoy your Mardi Gras!

I am grateful for focusing on my accomplishments rather than my failures.

My Everything

2009-02-17T10:37:00.006-06:00

My Everything

The Sampler Girl

Tulip Belle Soie on 32ct Cream Linen

Finished 2/11/09 for Eric

As promised, above you can see the finished and framed My Everything. I gave it to Eric on Saturday morning, and he hung it in our bedroom on Sunday. We hung it next to the pewter heart that I bought for him two Valentine's Days ago. You wouldn't believe the luck I had with this frame. I went to Joann's on Thursday night and found this mat and frame that already had "art" in it. It was marked down to $5, and as you can see it is the exact perfect fit for the piece. At the bottom of the piece, you can see my initials and Eric's initials with a heart in between and then the year. I just love how this turned out and I am so happy I finished it in time to give it to him.

And Eric gave me these gorgeous roses (these are called Freedom), as well as something sparkly. He made a lovely dinner for us Valentine's evening, and we had some champagne over the weekend too.

After finishing My Everything, I decided to work a little on my Papillon Creations Mystery Sampler (that appeared in the Gift of Stitching in 2006, I think). I started this one in March of 2007. I am stitching it on 32ct Sandcastle by Silkweaver with Vikki Clayton silks. I just love stitching on this piece, but unfortunately some time ago I realized I had made a huge counting error, and I had about six motifs that were in the wrong places. So, I started working on ripping out and restitching. I took the piece to my guild meetings and I would force myself to work on ripping a little each month. Here's what the piece looked like December of 2007 (only part 2, I had finished part 1 already). The motifs that had to be ripped out and restitched were the D, the windmill, the tree, the rose, the blue diamond and one other motif that I had stitched after this photo was taken.

I picked this back up Thursday night and began doing some more ripping and restitching. I finished up the repair work, and then began moving along to finish up part 2. I have such fun stitching on this piece, and I was just on a roll with it, so I continued stitching along on it over the weekend. Here's what part 2 is looking like now...

And here's the whole piece so far. Parts 3 and 4 are the bottom two corners, and then part 5 is the middle, which I think I have three choices for, when I get to it.

I may continue to work on this piece more this week before going back to Dorothy's Garden. I have a couple new starts on the horizon as well. In the CHS Yahoo group, several of us are going to begin a SAL on March 1st of Adam and Eve. You may remember this chart was part of my New Year's purchase. I am going to be using the leftover black fabric from the Twilight tag (I will still have enough to make one for me), and I have the NPIs on order.

Also on March 1st, several of us will be beginning a SAL on the Shores of Hawk Run Hollow. I just love this piece, and I've been wanting to stitch it for so long. I have had the chart a little while, and I have the fabric on order (I went with 36ct Vintage Autumn Gold) and I am also ordering the NPIs for block 1.

So if you'd like to jump in and join us, please feel free! I hope to get back to my Mermaids this weekend, I missed out on the SAL on Sunday because I was stitching along on my Mystery Sampler. Hope you all have a great week!

I am grateful for enjoying my stitching.

Mishmash

2009-02-12T09:52:00.005-06:00

Hi, everyone. Thanks for the compliments on the mermaids and Dorothy's Garden. It is much appreciated. Mr. Eric surprised me with a Valentine's bouquet delivered to my office on Tuesday. He just knew I'd want to enjoy it as long as possible, as well as I am missing him greatly this week while he is in Chicago for work. It even came with a balloon, which I love. I don't think I've ever gotten a balloon before...makes me feel all girly! What a guy!

And speaking of Valentine's Day, I did a little bit of decorating around the house over the weekend. Of course, the mantel always gets the majority of the attention. You may notice also that I've moved our engagement picture from over the mantel and put my framed (by Jill Rensel!) Midi Mystery I here, just for a change. I love looking at this piece, and it inspires me at night while I'm stitching.

I decided to mix it up a little bit and put out some of my stitched pieces (the tin was a gift from Barbie) all in pink for the occasion. Fun, huh? You may remember the "For You" piece I stitched for Eric for last Valentine's Day.

I also put out my heart tree, like I have the past couple of years on the dining room table. I wish I'd been able to finish my quilt in time to have it out too, but time just got away from me. And speaking of...I finished stitching My Everything last night. Tonight after work I'll be shopping for a frame for it. I hope I can find something suitable. After finishing it last night I pulled out my Papillon Creations Mystery Sampler from GOS. This is the one that has all the mistakes in it that I am having to pull out and restitch. As I was stitching another motif back in last night, it ocurred to me that I purchased the HDF thread for this back when the piece was in the GOS, and likely the dye lots are severely different now, assuming I could even get the same threads. So, I'm going to take a closer look at it tonight, but I believe I may just leave the other three motifs that are in the wrong places, since I don't want to run the risk of running out of thread, if at all possible. I am reusing the thread as I pull it out as much as I can, but still... I'll post a photo if I make any progress that you can actually see on it. It is such a pretty piece, I think if I hadn't made the big mistakes on it I would be finished with it by now because I love stitching on it. Oh well. Here's hoping my thread is enough to at least finish the three corner parts. I figure if I run out of thread and have to substitute, I'd rather do it in the center part, so that at least all four corners match. Anyway, I'll deal with that if it happens. But for now, I think the decision may be to leave the other three mis-placed motifs where they are.

Oh, and I promised you stash photos too. Before I got sick, my friend Sherri and I went to that new to us LNS. Well, I cam home with some great stuff. I purchased the fabric and Belle Soie for My Everything, I also brought home Blue Ribbon's Pointsettias and Pines (which I've been in love with since I saw in on Nicole's blog), and Quaker Virtues by ByGone Stitches. I had hoped to also get Quaker Christmas, but she didn't have that one. Also in this photo you can see the two charts I purchased from Tanya (The Sampler Girl) when she was having her Inauguration Day giveaway sale (you got a ltd edition Inauguration Day freebie with a purchase, which is wonderful). You can see I purchased On the Banks of the Potomac as well as Return to the Sea with Jane Austen, which is the companion to At Home with Jane Austen that I just finished. You can see my Gold Santa there from Cathy B., as well as a chart from the Whitby Museum that I received at my guild meeting.

Also, at the LNS outing I picked up two other goodies - these two books...The Goodhart Book and Thank You, Sarah Tobias by BBD. I've done my part for the economy!

It was such a fun day, and I always enjoy getting to see Sherri. If you haven't seen the Goodhart book and had a chance to flip through it, you need to. It's really a gorgeous book. And speaking of books (don't you love how this post is all train of thought?! lol), I finished reading Two for the Dough last night too. If you haven't read these books, you should, they are so funny and well worth a quick read. I picked up Pillars of the Earth to replace that. I've given myself a challenge to read 50 books this year, and specifically to read some of the books that I've been meaning to get around to for a long time. Pillars of the Earth has been on my GoodReads list forever in the "to read" shelf. So far I'm enjoying it.

And finally, Nancy presented me with a wonderful award. It's called the Special Friends Award and "Love" Pendant. The description for this award reads "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.".

First let me say that one of the best things about having this blog is how many friendships I have made. It means so much to me that I can come here and write as often or as little as I feel like, that I can talk about stitching or my life or whatever. The support and interest that you all show me is just amazing. I would never be so inspired to push myself in my life and my stitching if it weren't for all of you. So, I would like to extend this award, and my friendship, to all of you who stop by my blog and visit me here. I love it when comments you leave turn into an email conversation. So, thank you all for being a part of my life and my blog.

I'll be back next time with a finished and framed photo of My Everything, as well as hopefully some other progress photos. I've got a couple new starts planned for March, so I'll have to let you in on those too...I must be crazy. Have a wonderful rest of the week. I'll be finishing up my Gossip Girl marathon tonight, and then tomorrow my sweetie comes home.

I am grateful for starting a new book.

Fit As a Fiddle

2009-02-09T20:01:00.004-06:00

Well, Eric and I are both feeling much better. Thanks for all the healing words you left! And, I am so excited, Paulette posted my Twilight tag on her blog. Woohoo! So, after missing last week's SAL day on the mermaids, I wanted to be sure to pick them back up this weekend. I am soooo close to finishing the page I'm on. It's a small page, but hey, a page is a page. Above is what she looks like after Sunday's stitching, below is how she looked last time.

After finishing At Home with Jane Austen, I decided I would pick up my Dorothy's Garden. This is the piece that my guild members chose for me to finish this year as my MAGIC (My Annual Good Intentions Contract) piece. So, here's how Dorothy looked the last time I worked on her - January of 2006 (I started this piece in 2004).

And here is how she looks now. I finished the roof slates, that knot motif and then started in on the flower basket below it. This is stitched over one.

I'm sort of dreading stitching on that house, but I think I'll break it up and stitch on it between motifs. That should keep it from getting too overwhelming or monotonous.

With Valentine's Day being on the horizon, I have a new little start. This is My Everything by The Sampler Girl. (and yes I know there's more to the poem...but I really like these lines). I'm stitching with Tulip Belle Soie - luscious - on 32ct cream linen.

I had a little bit of mail over the weekend to share with you too... my Block of the Month for my Halloween Baltimore Album quilt. This is month two. And no you didn't miss anything, I haven't done month one.

New books - two are for my book club (one more on the way). I'm enjoying my Stephanie Plum book, but I'm almost finished with it. I'll have to decide if I have time to read something else before my next book club.

Well that's it for me...I'm off to get a case of Stitch Ass, as Siobhan calls it. Have a great week!

I am grateful for weekends with my husband.

Random Thoughts

2009-02-05T11:35:00.004-06:00

Twilight Floss Ring Tag

Freebies from Plum Street Samplers Edward and Jacob

Over one on 28ct with Crescent Colors Ruby Slippers and Snowball

Finished 1/30/09

A few random things today...

1. I'm sick and trying to get over it (I am so rarely sick that it really bites when I am).

2. I haven't stitched in days (see number 1 above).

3. I am reading another Stephanie Plum book and loving it - she cracks me up.

4. The new Bunny Hill block is posted. Guess I'd better do last month's. I LOVE this month's though.

5. Cathy B. is a super sweetheart for sending me the Gold Santa I was so wanting. Thanks!!!

6. My monthly guild meeting was Tuesday and the program was about Adam & Eve samplers - I'll have to tell you all about it when I have more coherent thought processes.

7. Oh yeah, Eric is sick too....it's a lot of fun at our house.

8. I have stash to show you, but haven't had a chance to photograph it for your viewing pleasure.

9. I made my first floss tag (see above) for my friend, Sherri. She loves Twilight too! I'll be making one of these for myself whenever I get over this.

10. Have you ever seen two more fabulous Red Threads? Mine on top, Sherri's below. Maybe this photo will be clickable...I can only hope.

Until next time...

I am grateful for hot tea and a cuddly quilt.