Hello Fall!

It's my favorite time of year!  I love it when the leaves turn those brilliant fall colors, the air gets a bit nippy, and the world seems to slow down a bit.  Well not necessarily in my case...haha.  

I just got back from vacation and my world didn't slow down one bit..haha.  Before we left we celebrated Little Miss A's birthday.  A few days later we were on the road.  I signed up for a needlework class with Ellen Chester from With My Needle at Hobby House Needleworks in Pittsford, NY.  

What a lovely person Ellen is!  She made class fun, explained everything in great detail, and even showed some really neat ways to make bands turn out fabulous!  I learned so much and had such a great time.  And I'm beginning to like going to these classes on my own.  It's great meeting new people, I even sat next to a lady from Baltimore (completely by chance!).  

The learning project we were stitching from was called Kindred Spirits.  There was a needle roll, pin cube, shaker basket, ruler cover, scissor weight, scissor holder and a 3 sided thimble holder.  We also received the scrimshaw ruler and floss winders.  We learned several specialty stitches...and so much more!  I've been working here and there but have only managed to finish the 6 sides of the pin cube.  I can't wait to get started on the rest.  

I will say, the fabric is fabulous, 36 count and though some of it is worked over one fabric thread, with the silk it's like working with butter.  I love stitching on this!  

Our vacation didn't stop there, we left NY on Sunday night, drove to Allentown, PA, then on to Ocean City the next day to celebrate the kid's 3rd anniversary.  Whew!  We watched Little Miss A so they could enjoy an evening out.  We just love spending time with our little family!

We shopped for clothes and for needlework supplies, I think I have enough fabric to last the rest of my life now...haha...and patterns to work and share.  Call me a happy camper!  From there we came home to help the kids move into their new (to them) home.  I rested Saturday but Sunday we helped paint walls and trim, sat with the house on Monday while they laid carpeting in the halls, bedrooms and up the stairs, and will be helping them move in the rest of the week.  They have to be out of their apartment by the end of September.  Whew!

While waiting for the carpet guys, I stitched a bit on Christmas in a Drawer by Mani di Donna.  There are three patterns, I was able to finish the first, Merry & Bright.  This was stitched on 30 count Cocoa by Weeks Dye Works.  I would wash cupboards, then stitch a bit to rest my arm, then clean out another cupboard.  LOL  Tearing out old adhesive shelf paper was tough work!  My arm will feel that for a few days! 

 

Well I guess that's all the news.  I'll be back to stitching soon, (I hope) the old body can't take the hard work anymore, it's exhausting!   I hope everyone is safe (especially those in the path of the storms headed our way) and healthy!  Happy Stitching!

September Gifted Gorgeousness

Oh my goodness...the days are just flying by and I can't believe it's time for Gifted Gorgeousness again.  If you haven't heard about GG please go to Jo's blog, Serendipitous Stitching and you can read about it by clicking here.  If you want to see what stitchers have been stitching for this challenge you can visit her main page by clicking here.  Mainly we post pictures of things associated with stitching gifts, either to us or to others.  I've had a busy month, though I guess I don't really have too much to show for it.  First off (and you've probably seen this around before) is Noble Companions.  I stitched this in exchange for a painting from a lady I know in Northern NY.  I went to school with her daughter and got to know her a little bit through Facebook.  I have always admired her painting, she has admired my stitching, so it was inevitable that we would eventually have an exchange.  I used a tutorial I found on the Twisted Stitcher's blog to assemble this flat fold.  I really love how it turned out and am so tempted to keep it, but a promise is a promise....so it will soon be in the mail heading towards it's new home.  

I stitched this elephant for my pen pal.  Hopefully she has it by now, I've had it finished for a while now, but just couldn't seem to get to the post office.  I loved how this turned out too...I hope she likes it.  I found this freebie on a Russian Blackwork site which I'm pretty sure wasn't pirated...it's hard to find an elephant pattern that isn't child oriented.  Again, I was sorry I had to send it away..LOL!!  

I've put a few more stitches in the Tale As Old As Time SAL being offered on Story Stitches.  I am trying desperately to keep up with SALs and other challenges as things keep getting in the way.  The SAL is a freebie, and this will be a gift for my Daughter in Law.  I think she loves it already!

I finished this little pumpkin ornament that was from the 2008 October JCS Magazine.  I consider anything stitched from there a GG because all of the issues I have came from gift subscriptions from my DH.  Gotta love a man who supports my insanity!  LOL  This was designed by the Sweetheart Tree and was stitched on 28 count Cream and Natural Gingham.  It's called Pumpkin on Gingham.  I love anything associated with the fall!!  

I also finished up 2010 Ornament by the Sweetheart Tree from the 2010 JCS Ornament Issue stitched on 32 count natural opalescent over two.  I have stitched this a few times, I just love all the specialty stitches!

Can you believe little Miss A turned one last week?  They had a "One"der Woman party for her and I was tasked with making a banner/garland for her high chair.  This was a fun project...

We have been helping the kids get their "new to them" house ready for the big move at the end of this month.  Get this....they are moving to Downton Rd.  Yes, I've already been calling their new home, The Abby.  LOL!!    I told them they will have to adopt British accents and stick their pinky out while drinking their tea.  They are not amused...but hey, I can't help loving Downton Abby!!  There is a lot to do to get their house ready, and we have other obligations, I hope we can get it all done in time...wish us luck!  And that is the end of this post.  Not a lot, as I said, but I'm lucky I got this much done...it's been a wild ride, and about to get even wilder as we get closer to the move.  If you don't hear from me for a while, don't panic...I'll be back, hopefully in one piece!  Stay safe, stay healthy and Happy Stitching!!

Our Little turned one!

It's been a wild ride lately!  Between trying to get the kids house ready for them to move in, and our Granddaughter's first birthday, I feel like I'm running in circles!  It was a fabulous (though hot) day for the celebration, Little Miss A had a great time!  Here's a few pictures from her big day...  She had a "One"der Woman party, isn't that cute?  

Off to get some rest before the craziness returns Monday!  Take care everybody and Happy Stitching! 

I guess I'm on a roll, but I think it stops here...

I have promised this piece to a lady in exchange for a painting.  I've been trying to find time to get it finished, but it's been a wild ride at my house for a while now.  Between outings with the family...and helping them with the house they just bought...and trying to get things ready for the fair, I've been running in circles!  Yesterday I was finally able to get the trim and today I finally had a big enough chunk of time to get it together.  Now to let it dry good before I ship it off.  Here is my finish of Noble Companions from the Leisure Arts book called Christmas Portraits.  It was stitched on 36 count light mocha over two.  I am sooooo tempted to keep it...but a promise is a promise, right?  

I guess that's all for this post.  I hope everyone is safe and healthy after our long weekend.  Stay safe and Happy Stitching! 

It is finished!!

Whew!  I'm excited to show you my very first design!  Back in April I traveled to Rochester NY to attend a class given by Jean Farish at Hobby House Needleworks.  She taught us how to use a program to design patterns.  I learned a lot, but I'm still pretty slow and have to play around a bit to get it to do what I want it to...lol...but I'm pleased to say I have finished my very first design.  Because I was learning I decided to use a portion of an antique pattern I found online.  It is free to distribute for private use and is not for resale.  I cannot sell my design, it is for private use, but I can share it if I choose to.  I have decided that if anyone wants a copy, I will send it by email, but only to those I "know".    The design I used came from a book called Moderne Stickerie - Vorlagen and I found it in the antique pattern library online.  I have wanted to design patterns for a long time, and share them here on my blog.  I have already started a  Christmas design and am almost ready to "model stitch" it!  I just need to tweak a few more things.  Hopefully I will have it up and running before Christmas, but it's been a bit busy here at DJ's Digs.  I will let you know if/when it's ready.  Here is Wildflowers.  

I hope everyone is healthy and safe...Happy Stitching!  

 

All's Fair In Love and Cross Stitch!

Well...the Maryland State Fair is in full swing...our little family went to the fair tonight.  It was a bit busy as it's a three day weekend for Labor  Day.  Some of my friends and family knew that I entered a few things in the fair this year...and in all honesty, my projects this year were now really WOW's...so I wasn't expecting much.  As I was dropping things off, the lady behind me in line and I were talking.  It's just fun to enter a few things to showcase our hobby....and if we win, it's a bonus!  I have to say, I think I lucked out this year!  I'll just pop the pictures up and explain at the end...  

The Yellow Ribbon is a special  award, given for best in show.  I am surprised that all but one of my pieces got a ribbon...I honestly wasn't expecting it!  Call me a happy camper!!  I hope all of you are safe and healthy!  Happy Stitching! 

New Adventure

I posted before that I attended a class at Hobby House Needleworks in the spring.  It was the second time I'd been there and I just love their store.  The classes I attended were run by Jean Farish.  She is a phenomenal stitcher and teacher, I learned so much.  I finished the Melbourne Sampler which is one of the classes I took, and finally had it framed a few weeks ago.  Looking at it now, doesn't seem too impressive, I guess...but I learned a lot of new stitches and techniques for the drawn thread...and I really like how it turned out.  

She also taught a class in design.  I played around with the software she taught us to use.  I looked through some antique patterns I found in an online pattern library.  These are freely distributed and can be used to design our own samplers but cannot be used for resale.  I can offer the design I created for free, and may post it here later.  I hesitate to call it my own design, though I guess in a way it is.  While the chart is one I semi-recharted in the software I'm using, I created some shading within the pattern and then I chose the color scheme.  That was a challenge in itself, as I had to change most of the colors while I was "model stitching".  I'll just call it my sampler...lol  I think I'll name it Wildflowers.  There is still a bit more to stitch, but here is where I am so far.  I have tons to do today and tomorrow so I'll show what I have stitched so far.  Hopefully soon I'll have a finish!  I've posted a few pictures on Facebook, and thought I should explain a little about the design.  

I have been working on a Christmas design that is all my own creation.  When I start model stitching that one, I'll show progress pictures.  It shouldn't be too long before I do that.  I hope everyone is enjoying the slightly cooler temps we have been experiencing here.  Take care, stay healthy, and Happy Stitching!