Hi There! It's been a while, and most of the time that has flown by has been a blur!
Well, the stomach virus and cold/flu bugs have hit DJ's Digs pretty hard of late. I was out of commission last week for a few days with some sort of virus...was well enough to go to DS's hockey game on Saturday with DH and the lovely Miss. K,
and church Sunday, then the next wave of whatever it is hit. I blame DH, he brings all sorts of illnesses home from his place of employment. He was sick first! Thankfully DS is doing ok. They both got the flu shot back in October, while I was still in NY...so I'm wondering if that's why it has hit me harder than them? Who knows...thankfully I'm not important so no one has missed me!! LOL
I've mostly been sleeping, but I have managed to put a few stitches in here and there. Last month I worked on Winter's Majesty. I put in a few more stitches before the month was over. I did a few snowflakes working with Marlitt...ugh!! I like the way it looks, but taming that thread has become my nemesis!! It seems to take me twice as long to stitch with it than other threads. I keep staring at it hoping the backstitching will somehow stitch it's self. The backstitching is done with metallic thread, and though I've been schooled on Thread Heaven, I learned about it after I had done all this stitching with it, I can't switch horses in midstream...can I? There are times I wish I were Samantha Stevens....where I could twitch my nose and magic happens (please don't tell me I'm the only one who remembers Bewitched...the TV show...ok now I feel REALLY old!!) So...here are before, after and close up pictures, so you can see all the backstitching there is left to do around all those *&^% cherry blossoms and snowflakes...
I decided I would work on Sweet Nectar this month. I had all kinds of good intentions, but this one isn't as fun to stitch on. I have it on a scroll frame which is kinda heavy. DH made this lovely stitching frame made of PVC piping, but it takes a while to get set up with it, and I've been impatient, so I did stitch a bit, but decided I wanted something smaller to work on for a bit...here is before and after to show my progress right now...
I finally settled on working on Leave a Light On. This is nice to work on because it's smaller, lighter, and I'm enjoying stitching on it even though it's 28 count navy over one. I was hoping switching WIPs once a month would help me finish up some things I've had sitting around for many years, but all I've done really is waffle on what I should stitch. LOL I have so many, and some days I just feel like doing something different. So I decided I'm going to stitch whatever I feel like stitching. I won't start anything new until I finish something...or unless it's something small I can finish in a day or two. I'll eventually get those things finished, right? LOL I'll keep telling myself that and maybe it will actually happen!
Last, but not least, is my Linen and Threads Mystery SAL. This is stitched on 28 ct black over one using up some vintage Bucilla threads I had sitting around for ages. I've had fun choosing different color schemes, and from the posts I've seen on Facebook, others have seemed to like my choices, although they think I'm crazy for stitching over one on such a dark color. This has been a challenge for me as I really like structure and for someone to tell me what colors to use and what looks good. I guess it's good to stretch yourself from time to time! I like that I've had so many affirmative comments! For some reason, all the pictures I took today seem a little off in their true colors...it must be the cloudy day we are having. Hopefully they will be better next time!
Well...yesterday was a lovely day, it actually broke a record...it was 72 degrees and I had the windows open for a while. It felt good to get some fresh air without leaving the house. But today it's in the 30's, the wind is blowing and it feels like winter again. We were supposed to get snow, but looks like all we are going to get for the time being is wind. I know there are bad storms across the country, I feel like I live in a bubble. I hope the folks I know in the rest of the country and other countries too, are staying safe. Happy Stitching!!
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!
