Puttering...

Does anyone else putter, or is it just me?  Some days I rarely get anything done because I think...well I should straighten up my sewing room...then I find something that needs to be put away in another room, which starts a whole..."but first" disease moment.  On Wednesdays I really try to keep it together and work on a WIP that is hanging around.  I sat at the computer to download the next weeks installment of the Peppermint Purple Blackwork SAL.  I had to go on Facebook to get the pattern, that started me thinking I should make a post in Friendly Stitchers, which reminded me to I needed to email someone, then I needed to download another piece of another SAL I'm working on...then I thought, I should update my blog...well you get the idea.  So here I am, another victim of But First disease.  I'm going to do this update, download the pieces of the SALs I'm following, THEN I have to choose a WIP to work on...hm...whatever will I pick?  LOL

Last night I came so close to finishing Peace Rose by Blackbird Designs.  I was just too tired to put in the last few stitches.  So...first thing this morning, I finished this up.  I only had two of the hand dyed floss in my stash, and since I'm really trying hard not to buy new supplies and use up what I have, I substituted a lot of the colors.  I really like how it came out so I guess I didn't do too bad a job.  I stitched this on 36 count Vintage Pecan Butter.  I love it, really, the fabric is lovely to work with!

This past week I put a few more stitches in Flowers & Lace by Kooler Design Studio.  I love this piece, really I do, but it's large and sometimes my hands have trouble holding the frame I use to stitch this with.  So I can only work on it in short bursts.  Here's where I finished the other day.  Maybe I'll work on it a bit more today?

Ok, enough of the "But First" issues.....off to get some stitching done!  Have a great day and Happy Stitching! 

HATS off

I've had a few days of stitching, finally!  It's been a wild few weeks.  Just a little update on us...we've been having a few medical tests.  DH had a mole on his back tested, which, thankfully, came back negative.  I too have had a few tests come back negative.  I guess with all the lockdowns we have had, our normal medical visits have been put on hold.  Not that we were anticipating anything being wrong, it's just nerve wracking when suddenly our Doctor has us go for all these tests.  I've also been to the dentist and all is good there too!  I guess, from the sounds of things, we will inhabit the Earth for a few more trips around the sun!  haha  

I've been asked how our little Momma-to-be is doing, so far so good!  No major problems for which we are grateful for!  Due date is anticipated on September 27th.  I can hardly wait!

I've been bouncing all over the place lately, with different projects.  I'm still caught up on all my SALs....I finished off April by Senerita di Campagna...I love most of the months in her SAL, this one is on the cutesy side which is not my favorite, but you know me, I have to complete the sets!

A friend sent me a gift of Spring Violets by Hands Across The Sea Samplers.  I loved it from the moment I first set eyes on it!  You know me and my love affair with violets!!  LOL  I found myself in a rut, stitching things in my rotation that I felt I HAD to stitch, so I threw caution to the wind, and picked up something to stitch for fun.  It was this one....and I'm hoping to finish today!  It's been hard to put down, but the last couple of days I had a lot of time on my hands so thought it would be fun to get it started.  Little did I know it would stitch up so fast!  This is stitched on 40 count antique butter cream over two.  I adore it, and hope I can get it framed when it's finished.  I'll let you know!  I know that the spelling on the chart for flowers is different than how I stitched it, but I just couldn't get past the old English spelling...my eyes would have struggled every time I saw it...so yes, I did change that.  Sorry, designers, but OCD took over!  LOL  Thank you so much Lady P...it was such a thoughtful gift!

I guess that's all I've been doing for the past few days.  I'll try to be more consistent with posting, but the weekend is on it's way and the family have a lot of things planned. 

Drum and a Pinkeep, two bits...

I've decided things need to get finished!  LOL  I realized, as I was searching for something else, that I had some things in my "finished closet" that needed to be fully finished.  I'm terrible at getting things framed and/or finished unless it's for someone else.  Well...I really want to get things out so I can see them.  I stitched Lady Liberty 4 years ago....FOUR YEARS ago!  Sheesh, it's time it saw the light of day...and while I was at it, I decided since I just finished up Spring Hare, I might as well send them both in at the same time.  The finisher at The Stitching Post has done other things for me so I decided I would let her finish these too.   I love this Blackbird Design Lady Liberty drum...and here she is in all her splendor!

And Spring Hare turned out so cute though it's so small.  I really love the backing fabric I found and the trim too.  Aren't they fun?

I just got them back today and had to post about them...I'm happy dancing all over the place today!  I had an attack of "startitis" last night...and once I get a little more done I'll post a picture ... Spring Violets by Hands Across The Seas is what's in the hoop...you know my love affair with violets...haha.  This was a gift from a friend a month or so ago...I just couldn't put it off any longer!  Stay safe, everyone, and Happy Stitching!! 

April Gifted Gorgeousness

What a crazy time it's been!  But one constant (that I am truly grateful for) is the Gifted Gorgeousness post we do once a month.  It keeps me focused on what I still have to work on and keeps me looking at things that have been gifted to me to stitch.  I hope I'm making sense.  The past week or so has been incredibly busy and my brain is fried.  I hope I don't forget to include anything....wish me luck!  If you haven't heard of Gifted Gorgeousness, you can head on over to Jo's blog Serendipitous Stitching by clicking here.  You can read the rules and sign up to participate there.  The more the merrier!  And if you want to see what the rest of us have been posting for Gifted Gorgeousness, you can click here.  

I'll start by posting what I've received lately.  I have a wonderful pen pal!  She lives in Texas and we've been pals for only a few months now.  I enjoy her letters, and she sends the cutest things!   Here is what I received for Easter.  (The chocolate is missing, as my husband loved the kind that she sent...it didn't stand a chance once I offered him a piece...haha)

I consider things I stitch from freebies on the net as gifts.  But especially the Brooke's Books Advent series.  I'm stitching these for my Daughter-in-law who loves all things cute!  The more I stitch these, the more I love them.  Sheila Sheep is just adorable!  I've been stitching these on 32 count light blue linen over one.  Challenging, but they are so adorable when they are finished!

And of course, Fitzwilliam Frog is dapper in his own right.  He was a quick stitch, and I love how he's croaking out a carol!

For the 12 Days of Christmas challenge I'm participating in, I have been stitching the Dragon Dreams 12 Dragonlets of Christmas.  This month is #4 and is called 4 Calling Collie Birds (don't you love the phone and wire all twisted around the dragon?  These crack me up!!  These are stitched on 28 count antique ivory over two.  

I've been stitching these Monthly patterns by Little House Needleworks for a friend of mine in England.  These are stitched on 40 count over two Natural.  She is putting together a flip book with them!  I'm also making a set for me, but hers come first!  LOL  

I've been participating in a Christmas ornament challenge and they have picked ornaments from the 2020 JCS Ornament issue.  This month they chose Rejoicing Reindeer by Blue Ribbon Designs.  This is stitched on 40 count lt mocha over two with a mix of WDW threads and DMC.  I do love her designs!  I consider this a GG because my husband gifts the subscription to me.  I hope to finish this off in the next day or two.

Another pattern from JCS Ornament issue is from the 2017 called Guilded Snowflake by DebBee's Designs. I stitched this on 40 count Midnight Tryst from Fabrics By Stephanie over two using WDW Icicle floss.  

For Christmas my husband gifted this SAL pattern to me.  I'm using fabric I found in my stash...28 count Navy...and DMC I had in my stash also.  I'm stitching it over one, and I am just LOVING this design!  It's called Winter Quaker by Wiehenburg Designs and can be found on her website.

Another free pattern I have found on the internet is the Peppermint Purple SAL that is happening right now.  It's a blackwork piece and I am really enjoying stitching this.  I'm using 40 count cream linen.  I've been lucky to be keeping up with it and even started on the border that one of the stitchers shared with the rest of us!  Please don't ask what floss I'm using, be creative and pick a color you love, or you can use the multi color pallet that she is suggesting!

Another freebie is from L'R de rein.  I call it spring basket.  I stitched this for my pen pal, and will finish it soon, as I'm very late to get this in the mail to her.  My life needs to slow down a bit!!!  I had to choose my own colors but I really like the way it turned out!

Last is the Spring Hare by Stacy Nash.  A friend gifted this to me last year and it took me a while to get busy and stitch it.  This is stitched on 32 count blue spruce over one.  I just sent it out to have it made into a standing pin keep.  I'm waiting with baited breath to see how it looks finished!  It's going to be sooooo cute!!  

Ok, I think that's it for now.  I will post this last picture of my Modern Folk Embroidery SAL because I haven't updated a picture on here for a while.  This is not part of Gifted Gorgeousness, but I thought you might like to see it.  

I am in love with this piece (even if stitching it is a challenge...there are a lot of stitches in this this month!!!)  I hope all of you had a safe and healthy Easter season and are enjoying the spring.  I love it this time of year even if my sinuses have issues with the pollen here in Maryland!  LOL  Happy Stitching Everyone!

Expanding my horizon...

I know I probably should wait until Gifted Gorgeousness to post these, but I just can't wait!  LOL  I have been participating in a round robin and I have to say, these ladies sure pick some challenging pieces to stitch.  I love it!!  I have always been a bit intimidated by all the specialty stitches, but I love learning them and enhancing my stitching with them.  I added so many to my repertoire over the weekend!  And in all honesty, they may look intimidating, but they are actually quite fun!  There is one more "robin" making the rounds that I haven't seen yet, but here are the three that I have stitched so far, and I'll include mine at the bottom that I sent around.

So first off is from Lady M.  She is the one I've been partnered with before for exchanges and she is the one who included me in the group.  I can't thank her enough!!  These have been a blast to stitch!  She found these Dutch tiles in a magazine (May 2006 CrossStitcher Magazine I think).  I picked this particular one because I love the sheep!  There was another that had a man with the sheep, it was a toss up between the two!  LOL

The next to arrive was from Lady C.  She actually sent two so I chose this one from the set.  I believe it will be finished as a needle roll or drum but was originally part of a travel set and was a passport book cover.  This also was from a magazine, but I'm unsure which one it was.

She also sent along Hillside Samplings My Stitching Chair Necessaire.  Oh my goodness, I am in love with this pattern!!!!!  I will be on the hunt for my own copy.  First of all, the stitching may be lots of specialty stitching, but it stitches up very quickly.  I don't know if I'll be able to completely finish it (I may have to find someone to fully finish it when it's done) but stitching on it will be a blast!  I learned so many new stitches that are not too hard, but look fabulous when finished!  It makes me want to  play around a bit with patterns to just throw in some specialty stitches instead of cross stitching everything.  So...I worked on the pin cushion.  

That stitched up so quickly I decided to chose another...and decided on the needlebook.  Whew!!!!!  This was loaded with stitches, each corner was a different stitch!  There was the four sided stitch, the rice stitch, the Palestrina knot, and the Smyrna cross in the corners.  Then came the fun stitches...the cross tied windmill, the queen stitch, the double cross diamond, the spider's web flower and the rosette flower.  I think my spider's web flower is a bit wonky, but I dearly loved stitching on the others.  

This is why I love round robins so much!!  It expands my repertoire of stitches, it is fun sending notes and admiring other people's stitching, and I just love stitching for other people.  There is something so special about the community of stitchers.  I think this is why quilting bees and other ladies gatherings were so popular before the invention of the tv and telephone.  I miss the days when we encouraged one another.  

Last is the one I sent around.  I think I may have posted this before.  I saw someone stitching this in a Facebook group and had to stitch it too!  I'm glad I had it on hand when I was offered a place in this round robin!  So I outlined all the parts of the 15-sided biscornu then stitched one of the sides and sent this around.  It will be interesting to see if the others liked it.  I can't wait to get it back and finish it off!

Thanks again Lady Belles (and especially Lady M) for the invitation.  It's been a real pleasure!  Here's to all you out there I hope you find joy in your stitching too!  Happy Stitching!!

Oh Happy Day!!!!

I've been waiting to share this news for months!  The kids told us in January.  Ben handed his Dad a book for his birthday.  It was about the miracle on ice when the American team beat the Russian team during the 1980 Winter Olympics during the playoffs for the Gold Medal.  The inscription inside the book mentioned that wasn't the only miracle story they had to share.  There was a lot of excitement that day, and a few tears were shed.

I don't know if you know the whole story about Ben and his first love, Katie.  She had Cystic Fibrosis and was told she could never have children.  We loved Katie, and supported Ben in his decision to marry her, but deep in my heart I felt a heaviness that I would never be a Grandmother.  I just love babies, and after many of my friends have become Grandparents, I was aching to have some Grandkids to love.  We miss Katie, and she will always have a special place in our hearts.  I will say, though, I was thrilled when Ben met and fell in love with Heather.  Heather loves kids and I know she is going to be a great Mom!  We were a little surprised that they decided to have kids so soon, but I couldn't be more excited to be a Grandma!  I love how they shared this on Facebook!  I have already picked out a few things to stitch for the baby, and now you know why the urgency to finish up the Advent Calendar.  Off to rummage through my stash!  Thanks for reading...Happy Stitching!  Oh....by the way.....Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

March Gifted Gorgeousness

Good Morning!  It's the second day after we change the time and it's still dark outside.  This will take some getting used to!  LOL  Welcome to my March post featuring Gifted Gorgeousness.  This is a lovely challenge (and my favorite by far!) offered by Jo over at Serendipitous Stitching.  She has developed this challenge to showcase things that are gifted.  They can be items stitched from things given to us, or things we stitch to gift to others.  Mostly anything with the title gift attached to them.  If you want to see the original rules or if you want to sign up to join us, please click HERE.  If you want to see who is participating you can find the links on Jo's homepage by clicking HERE.

So...what have I been up to this month?  Hm...Let's see...my husband (who is my biggest fan) is very good at supporting my habit.  He has bought all the JCS discs available and gifts me the subscriptions too!  I consider anything I stitch from the magazines a gift from him.  I've been busy this month with a few.  First off is Little Lambs by Ursula Michaels from the 2002 JCS Ornament issue.  This was stitched on 36 count Mystic over two.  I just love how it came out!

Next is Snoelle by Linda Jenkins from the 2020 JCS Ornament issue.  This was stitched on 36 count antique white over two.  This was a fun one, and now I have to figure out how I want to finish these two!  Decisions, Decisions!

I've been working on the free Advent calendar from Brooke's Books for my DIL.  She loves these little characters, and they have been fun to stitch.  The latest two are Pearly Pig

And Kenny Kangaroo.  These are both stitched on 32 count Blue over one.  I really need to get busy and get these finished into ornaments!

Next up are some monthly pieces I have been making.  These are from Little House Needleworks and I've been stitching them for my friend over in England.  She has been putting a flip book together.  She just received the latest, so here are the last two I've sent to her, March, and April.  These are stitched on 40 count natural over two.

I've also been working on a monthly SAL I signed up for last year.  I'm stitching them individually and will make them into pillows.  The first three were free on her facebook page, so I consider these two gifts.  Here are February, and March.  I just love the little one playing in the puddle.  February was stitched on 40 count flax over two, and March was stitched on 36 count natural over two.

For my 12 Days of Christmas this year I've been stitching the 12 Dragonlets of 2021 that were free from Dragon Dreams.  I love the little characters in this set.  This was 3 French Hens, and all the French references had me cracking up.  See the wine glass, the chees, the little beret on the hen's head and the baguette.  So much fun!!  These are stitched on 28 count natural over two.

I've been able to keep up with the Peppermint Purple Blackwork SAL this year.  This is also a freebie offered on their Facebook page.  Here is where I am right now.  This is stitched on Antique Ivory 40 count over two.  I love how it's coming along.  One of these days I really should start on the border....

I stitched a wee bit on Flowers and Lace by Kooler Designs.  This was a Christmas gift one year from my husband, he found the fabric, the floss and the pattern!  I should spend more time on it, I love  this one so much!!

I've been asked to participate in a Round Robin again this year.  Anyone who knows me, knows I love to participate in these.  The lovely Ms. M from Canada sent this Dutch Tile series to me she found in the May 2006 CrossStitcher magazine.  This was stitched on 28 count white over two.  I love it!!  Now I'm on the lookout for these patterns so I can stitch them for myself!!  I think a bellpull would look lovely!

I guess that's all the gifted stitching I've done since last time.  I hope I haven't bored you with my stitching.  I think the reason I got so much done is because I participated in a challenge last month where you had to stitch at least 30 minutes a day and post before and after pictures each day.  I was able to stitch every day!  Hopefully one day I'll receive a needleminder for completing the challenge!  Thanks for stopping by!  I'm behind in answering your comments from last time, but hopefully I'll catch up soon.  Till then, Happy Stitching!