Well, this weekend didn't turn out as expected! I hope all of you did have a pleasant weekend!
I had a lot of plans for the weekend, but everything was turned upside down when I was caught by the flu bug. At least that's what I think it was! I was able to get some stitching done while I rested, and the rest of my family went out and had fun! LOL Well, one good thing came from it...I lost 7 pounds!
Want to see what I've been stitching? I'm participating in a Round Robin, but it's a bit different. We sent out small pieces to each other to stitch, then when we are done stitching, we will send them back to their owners to be finished off. I have finished stitching the ones I've been sent...so now I just have to get my act together and take them back to the post office...as soon as my world stops spinning, I'll do just that!
I showed you the first one in the previous post...so here are the other two. The first is It's Snow Cold by Little House Needleworks. I thought this one was so cute!
The second is Goodness and Plenty by Plum Street Samplers. I really love PSS patterns, and this is no exception. I might have to find this pattern and stitch it again!!
We had a dusting of snow overnight and all the brown ground has been covered in white. I love it first thing in the morning when the sun shines over it and it looks like glistening diamonds. Sadly the snow never seems to last long here in Mid Atlantic, so I'll enjoy it this morning and be thankful it was just a dusting!!
Where does the time go? I swear the older I get the faster time goes....I wonder if it's because it takes me a lot longer to do things now then when I was younger? Hmmmm
I signed up for the Smalls 2017 Challenge over at Stitching Lotus so the first order of business is my small for this month. This is In The Land Of The Free by the Sweetheart Tree. I stitched this for an auction that will take place in August. The proceeds are going to Equines for Freedom which is a program to help service members suffering from PTSD. I will eventually be finishing it by framing it. Thank you, Heather, for hosting this challenge. I look forward to digging in my stash to find things to stitch for this challenge!
So yesterday was WIP Wednesday. Did I get very far? Hm...I'll let you be the judge. I haven't had much time to stitch this week, and suddenly the amount of things I want to do just seemed to careen out of control. I'll show you the progress I've made on Winter's Majesty since last week...
It's been a wacky week, as my DS's Girlfriend was in the hospital for a few days and we went to visit her. She's home now, thankfully, and the world is back on it's axis. DH celebrated his birthday over the weekend, so he chose the day to straighten up the storage unit and the basement. UGH!! LOL Then DH got sick and took a day off work. Sometimes I think sick husbands are a lot more work than sick kids! He's back to work now, thankfully! All of these take time away from stitching, and rightly so...however, this chick gets cranky if I can't put a few stitches in! LOL
I was able to spend an hour on my lighthouse...I wish I could spend more time on this...I guess I'll have to get another WIP done so I can, huh? This is stitched on 28 ct. over one on Navy lugana.
I finished up the first part of the Linen and Threads SAL...whew! Just in time for the second part to come out. I think the next part will be a bit smaller, or at least I hope so!! This has been stitched using things from my stash, 28 ct. black over one with vintage Bucilla floss. Challenging to say the least!!
And last, but not least, I'm participating in another Round Robin this year, but it's a bit different this time. We have sent a small to each other to stitch, then send back to the owner who will finish it into something. I've sent my partners some strawberries. My package arrived yesterday, so today I was able to finish up the first one...I loved the colors!! Only two more to go! I'm hoping this one will count as a small for January as well!
That's it in a nutshell...I hope you are enjoying your week! Happy Stitching!
Seems I have trouble getting my post for WIP Wednesday done on Wednesday! LOL I guess maybe because I was stitching right up until I put my head on my pillow!
DH came home yesterday and was ready to take the decorations off the tree. This is quite a lengthy process for me because I have specific boxes for specific ornaments and everything must find it's proper place. It's tough being me sometimes...LOL!!
Because of that, and trying to do other things, I didn't have as much time to stitch as I would have liked. So here are before and after pictures of my progress on Winter's Majesty.
I've been trying to find time to catch up on the Linen and Threads SAL too. It seems to be very slow going for me. I'm not sure if it's because I don't have much time to stitch these days, or because I'm working on black over one, or that I spend too much time trying to decide which color to use where. My mind seems to be occupied every where but on my stitching! Hopefully today I'll make a little more progress. Here's where I am right now.
Off to get some stitching done. Wish me luck!! Happy Stitching!
So...here it is the 15th already, and time for another Gifted Gorgeousness entry. We have Jo, over at Serendipitous Stitching to thank for this event. Here is where we showcase things we've stitched that were given to us, or we are giving to someone else. You can sign up to participate on her blog here. And if you are interested in what others are stitching, you can see all their work when they link up on this post. It has given me incentive to search through my stash for things others have given me, or I've won in a giveaway, or that I'm stitching for someone else, and post them once a month. Thanks, Jo, for keeping us all enjoying our stitching!
I finished up something for an exchange I'll be participating in in a few months. This year I'm stitching from stash, and had everything I needed already, so I just sat down and in two days had stitched this. I will show it to you when my partner has received her gift.
I also finished up In the Land of the Free for an auction that will take place in August. I will be getting that framed pronto...so I will show it again after it's been framed.
I finally had a moment to start the Linen and Threads Mystery SAL which started this month. You can find information about the free SAL here. Then if you decide you want to join, they have a Facebook page all set up. I had to finish up a WIP so I could start this one...haha. I actually finished a WIP AND two other pieces before I started this...and as you can see if you click on the link, that I'm a tad bit behind. I hope to catch up sometime this week...wish me luck!! All the materials I had in my stash, and since this is a free SAL, I count it as a "stitch from stash" item AND a Gifted Gorgeousness as well. I found the thread in a container I bought at a flea market, and it is Bucilla thread. I'm not sure but I think they don't make the thread anymore. I may not have enough to completely finish the SAL, but as the designer so aptly explained, back in the day when young girls were learning to stitch, they used whatever they had on hand. It didn't necessarily match, nor was there any rhyme or reason to the colors they chose. I have to say, this is the first time I've used Bucilla thread, and I LOVE it!! I can't determine if they have stopped making it, but I can't seem to find a place that sells it, so I'm at a loss. What a shame if they have gone out of business, their thread is a joy to stitch with. I'm stitching this on 28 count black over one. Yes, you might say I'm certifiably insane, but all I ask is if you insist on locking me up in the rubber room, please bring me my stitching!
I've been trying to put at least one length of thread in this piece, Leave a Light On. This was a gift from DH for my birthday last year. We had all the thread and the fabric ready to go on January first, so I hope I'll have time to finish this year. This is stitched on 28 ct over one on Navy. I am not sure I like the hand dyed fibers so much, this seems to be coming out a bit stripey. But, it's been a fun stitch so far!!
That's all I have time for today. And I was asked if I survived Friday the 13th. The answer is yes, but if DH keeps doing things like he did last night, I may not last much longer. We had lunch with DS and his girlfriend after church today. He asked me why we left the door unlocked last night. He got home around 1 AM and DH had gone to bed and hadn't locked the door!!!! (Just so you know, there have been thefts and things in the neighborhood, and even if I'm home and awake, I usually keep our door locked at all times!!) Jokingly I told DSGF that if she doesn't hear from him she might want to check on us....and I'll be checking the lock frequently from now on!! LOL That's life in the burbs around here anyway...
Well.....I've been seriously foolish today! But isn't that what Friday the 13th is all about? LOL
It's a dark and stormy night...ok, not stormy, but it sure looks menacing all day...it has gotten dark, there's a scary show playing on the TV (I was just using it for background noise until my favorite show, Expedition Unknown, comes on) when suddenly, from the darkened downstairs of my house comes an eerie YYYOOOOOOOOWWWLLLLLLL. I have no idea why the cat is making such an awful sound, and now I'm too afraid to look. The boys are at a hockey game down in DC, and here I sit.....alone....
Should I go and investigate? I don't have a golf club or baseball bat, they are all in the basement. Hm....I could use my 4" sharp embroidery scissors....but in all honesty would that do much damage to a Freddy Krueger or Jason Voorhees type? I think not....let me grab my expensive, heavy based Verilux stitching lamp instead. All the while, in my head, I'm screaming...it's when they go to investigate that bad things happen....lock the door...don't go!!!
Oddly enough, the full moon was last night, and I got these out of focus but kinda cool shots!
Tonight it's pitch black outside...no moonlight and it seems all the houses in the neighborhood have their lights off. Just a few little streetlights are on here and there. Anybody out there want to come and keep me company? LOL!!
Having the day to myself turned out to be pretty productive, as I've finished In the Land of the Free....here are a couple of shots and you can see all the embellishments there, they always seem to be so time consuming.
I actually made it down to the first floor without incident...and the cat is nowhere to be found, he must be catnapping somewhere, but I'm not about to prowl around looking for him....hahaha. Back to my stitching cave, and a Hallmark Movie with hopefully a happy ending! Enough scary stuff for me for a while! Happy Stitching everybody!! Oh, and in case you wondered....every light is on in this house!!! LOL!!
Well....I missed posting on the day, but I did get some stitching done yesterday...it was WIP Wednesday over at Friendly Stitchers.
This piece is Winter's Majesty. I started stitching her on Christmas day 2012. She has been languishing in the corner since August 2013. I LOVE this piece!! BUT....there is metallic thread, and blending filament, and Marlette thread, and I nearly lost my sanity! LOL I've decided I really want to place her on my wall...so I need to get busy. If I start to act deranged, please gently place me in a rubber room, but let me have my stitching! OK? She is going to be my Wednesday WIP, but also one of the Wipocalypse pieces I want to finish this year....so here we go. Here are before and after pictures of my progress yesterday.
Here is a little close up so you can see the detail of the snowflakes. It's a challenge with all those short stitches and the metallic thread.
I finished up another piece...except for the personalization at the bottom. I'll get to that later, but I'm calling it my second finish of the year. Unfortunately, I can't show pictures yet, as it's a gift...*sigh* I'll post it when I have given it to them.
Today I begin stitching on In the Land of the Free. I've had this in my stash for a couple of years. I had it on hand in case we did another patriotic exchange over at Friendly Stitchers. We never had another one...LOL!! I have always wanted to stitch it for myself though, BUT...I'm going to get it stitched now, and framed. I'm going to donate the finished product for a raffle for an organization that will help Veterans suffering from PTSD. I may even stitch one for myself while I'm at it! Off to get started now! Have a wonderful stitchy day!
Ok, so I'm having a stitch day at my house tomorrow....I come downstairs this morning, with duster, vacuum, and mop in hand getting ready to clean when what to my wondering eyes should appear....
THIS!!!
I'm giggling and shaking my head all at the same time. Where would I be without my goofy husband who is always exercising my chuckle musles?
Ok, I hope you've had time to look and see what I'm talking about in the picture...My husband LOVES anything Olivia Newton-John related. I've given him albums and other things she has created over the years. So when I saw this ornament at the Hallmark store, I couldn't resist getting it for him for Christmas. He loves the movie Grease, and loves the music from the movie too. We had a good laugh over it on Christmas day. I haven't taken my decorations down yet, because one of my friends wanted to see them (that's why the stitch day is tomorrow), so I didn't really notice that Olivia wasn't on the tree anymore...until I started dusting today. And there she was...well at least she stood back and let the Wise Men have the close spot next to Baby Jesus. I have to admire her, everybody should get to know Jesus!!!
Ok, on to the important stuff...Folks have been asking what my next WIP will be. I've decided to tackle Winter's Majesty...at least for the rest of this month. I have two items I need to make as gifts, and as soon as they are done, I'll be working on this fine lady. So here are pictures of what she looks like, and where I'm starting from right now.
I haven't worked on her since August of 2013. I started her on Christmas day, 2012.
I've also started one of my gifts, and I'm only going to show a little bit here. I don't want to give anything away, or who it's for...so here is my humble beginning...it is being stitched on 28 ct. Mushroom lugana over one. Thankfully, and as you can tell, it's just a small project...
And that is all the news that's fit to print. I hope none of you are expecting a dramatic finish like Aurora Cabin. I'll share a secret with you! Most of the sky and trees were done in half stitches. There was very little back stitching or couching that was left to do by the time I picked it back up again. There really wasn't much work left to be done, so it went along fairly quickly. Winter's majesty is mostly all cross stitches AND lots of back stitching with metallic thread. A stitcher's worst nightmare. But I'm going to work on it for a bit and see how far I get. Wish me luck! Till then, happy stitching everybody!!
Can I get a WOOT and a drum roll please??? I finished my first WIP for 2017!!! Only 16 more to go! Now I will need to save my pennies so I can frame Aurora Cabin. It hasn't always been a fun stitch (dragging up to 6 strands of threads through 18 count Aida fabric really takes a toll on ones fingers!!) But I will say, I'm thrilled I persevered. I love how it looks done, and I will say the picture on the front of the kit doesn't do this piece justice! I'm not even going to count the number of French knots I just navigated, but let's just say it took a good two days to finish them up! I don't mind doing French knots, but not hundreds at a time!! LOL Not bad for two years and 7 days work!
Now I can start a new project...and I have three staring me in the face...whichever will I choose??? (Two of them are gifts, that need to be finished...so I may have to bend the rules and start them all...) Off to gather supplies and pick one to start today...
Happy Stitching!
Happy Friday everybody!!
I've had quite a week! Don't get me wrong, I love my guys, and I've enjoyed every minute of spending time with them over the holidays! It's been great having them home. When the holiday falls on a weekend, the government generously gives them an extra day off, so they have both had two 3-day weekends, which has been fun. We've been going to movies, shopping, and dining out, and I will say I'm pretty tired...so the past week, I've slowed down a bit and spent some time stitching. I got my hair cut, and had lunch with two ladies (who recently retired) from our church. The rest of the time I've been stitching...and making really good progress on Aurora Cabin!! Here are before and after pictures...
I've also tried to put one strand of thread in Leave a Light On a day. I love this pattern...and am really enjoying the stitch, but the main priority this year is to knock out those WIPs I've had hanging around. Weird how the pictures look different in the different light...it's a bit dreary here today. What has been nice about stitching slowly on this is that I'm stitching on 28 count Navy...over one...quite the challenge, so it's nice to give my eyes a break!! Not a lot of progress, but there is some...
I have a couple of things waiting in the wings. I decided to stitch something for a charity (Equines for Freedom) my cousin is raising funds for in honor of her brother who was a Vietnam Vet. This is a program that provides healing for our veterans with PTSD without cost to the vets. I couldn't attend the fundraiser last year because I was in NY taking care of my Mom, so I thought this year I would go, if I can, but I would also stitch something for them to raffle off to help raise funds. I've chosen this pattern, which I happened to have all kitted up and ready to go! So, I can stitch it up and still stay within my resolutions to stitch from stash. Win win!!
I've also decided to participate in the Linen and Threads Mystery Sampler SAL. My friend Mouse has twisted my arm...LOL!! (Just kidding....she only had to whisper SAL...LOL!!!) I thought long and hard (about 5 minutes...haha) and decided to dive into my stash and see if I had what I needed...two summers ago I bought a small container of threads at a flea market for $5.00. You couldn't really see what was hidden in the bottom and there were a couple skeins of DMC at the top....but that was all the DMC in there!!! I found JP Coats, and many others I had never heard of. I put it aside and use it now and then when I need a small amount of a color in a project. I decided to really dig around in there and I found several skeins of the same color! Woot!! I decided I'm going to give it a go and see where this takes me. I'm going to throw other colors in there now and then just so I hope to have enough to finish the whole thing. Here is my toss floss on 28 ct. black fabric. I'm going to stitch it over one (and hope they don't throw any specialty stitches in there). Still stitching from stash! Ain't life grand??
I just want to end this by saying....the two ladies I mentioned that I had lunch with? They recently retired. They mentioned that it's been a challenge since they did, as they are finding it very lonely. They both had jobs where there were a lot of folks around, and they have found the change very isolating. I am so glad now that I invited them to lunch!! I like having time to myself, I enjoy just puttering and doing what I like, so solitude never bothered me, but I REALLY enjoyed their company!! I realize there are a lot of folks who don't have much interaction with others (my Mom is one, and I worry about her spending so much time alone, but living so far away there's nothing I can do about that). It opened my eyes to the needs of others (something I've been praying about) and honestly, it took very little time to go and have lunch with them, and cheer up their day. I encourage you, if you have the time, to seek out those who might enjoy your company, and spend a little time with them. I know I'm so glad I did, I may have even got more from our little encounter than they did! If you are the one isolated, reach out and invite someone to do something with you...who knows? You might even get more enjoyment than you think!
Guess who's having a stitch day? Next Tuesday...hopefully I won't have to cancel, and those I've invited can come. Can't wait to see my stitch pals again, it's been too long since I've spent time with them!!
On that note...off to get some serious stitching done...I feel the end is in sight of Aurora Cabin!!!
It's a brand new year! And my husband and I always have the same conversations. Are you making any New Year's Resolutions? What is so funny this year, is that January 1st was on a Sunday, so as usual we went to church. DH works with the kids one Sunday a month, and this was his week...so I sat by myself. I wish he could have heard the sermon, because it was about optimists and pessimists. Optimists make resolutions and work to stick to them, thinking this year will be a better year. Pessimists do not make resolutions because they feel they will only break them so what's the use? I never really thought about it before, but I guess in the long run, I'm an optimist...and my Dear Husband is a pessimist. After 32 years of marriage you would have thought I would have figured this out before...but now some things make a LOT of sense...*giggling*.
I have made some resolutions this year. I'm not going to spell them all out here, just a few that I don't mind making public...hahaha. First is I'm going to "unplug" a little bit. No electronics at the table. This means even if I'm having a meal by myself. No TV, no computer, and no phone at the table. I want to have conversations with my family if we are together. If not, I want time to reflect on things.
I'm going to stitch from stash. I have many things kitted up, but I'm not going to start anything new (except my New Year start, which I do every year) until I finish a WIP. I'm only going to buy floss or other fibers if I need it to finish something up. I'm going to finish smaller things when I am done stitching them. I am going to start a rotation of UFOs, meaning I will stitch on a project for an entire month (unless I finish it within that month) and at the end, rotate if I'm not finished. I sincerely hope to finish up some projects I have floating around that have somehow gotten me bogged down. I've joined a FB group called Stitching from Stash Only to help me keep focused on this goal. I'm counting on my pal, Cindy, to keep me in line!
I am going to take a little time each week to sort though, organize and clean up my stash. This means that when I'm finished with a project and I no longer need the pattern, I will be having a give away...so watch this space. And if you see something you would like to have, you can urge me on to get it finished, so you can try and "win" the pattern! This way we both win!
With all that being said, I did start something new...Leave a Light On by Teresa Layman Designs. I found this in the fall, and it was a birthday gift from my husband when we took our trip through Pennsylvania and ended in Ocean City. It was a model on the wall at The Strawberry Sampler...and if you know me at all you know I love lighthouses. It's been kitted up waiting for New Year's Day....and here is what I've done so far. It is stitched on 28 count Navy using one strand of floss over one thread. So far I love it!! It's very hard to put down.
I've also been working on a UFO. This was a New Year's project two years ago (has it been that long already??) This is Aurora Cabin. I will post the starting point and the current point. I'm going to try and stitch a little bit on both each day, even if it's only one length of thread. This piece has a lot of meaning for me, as my DH bought it for me on our Alaskan cruise, the one we took for our 30th anniversary. I really want to finish it and frame it this year. I do have one question, it calls for a LOT of French knots in the sky to represent stars....I don't mind doing them, but I'm afraid it will take away from the darkness of the sky showing the Northern Lights....what do you think? Should I do them, or leave them off?
I am participating in a couple of challenges this year. One is WIPocalypse 2017....trying to finish 17 WIPs in 2017. I have a list on my goals page, but it may change during the year. I still hope to finish 17, but I may change which ones I'm working on.
I'm going to participate in the Gifted Gorgeousness challenge again this year. I have done this the past two years, and have really enjoyed working on gifted projects as well as a reminder to post at least once a month. It's been good for me in many ways, and I thank Jo for hosting this each year.
I also signed up for the Smalls Challenge. I am participating in a Round Robin, which we are stitching smalls for each other, and I hope they ones that are returned to me and finished will count as part of that challenge. I'm also going to participate in some exchanges, so we will see where this will lead me.
And that, as they say, is that! I'm counting on you all for encouraging me in my goals, if you wouldn't mind. And remember, there will be some giveaways this year, so don't forget to stop back in! Happy Stitching everybody! And Happy New Year!
