More kitty kats....

I've been stitching the monthly Val's Stuff Kat Kalendar series and here is March....they are very quick to stitch and I'm already half-way done on April, but I don't expect to have much more time to stitch until after Christmas.

And here is April!

Here are best wishes to all in the holiday season, and have a very Merry Christmas!

Christmas ornaments!

I can now show off the three Christmas ornaments I made for my small stitching group!
The first one is from Elizabeth's Designs, A Dog's Christmas. This is an older one I believe, because I don't remember ever seeing it before. Stitched on 18ct davos. I used a different finishing technique on each one, the first being the easiest!


The other two are from JBW Designs, French Country Mitten in red, and A Nordic Mitten (with greeting added) in green. The French Country one has a beaded edge, and the Nordic one has been mounted (front and back) on mat board and whip stitched together.



Now, I only need to finish assembling about 3 dozen more ornies.......maybe next year!

Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow done!

Yahooooo! My version of Carriage House Samplings' Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow has it's last stitch! You can see a close up of the final block as well. I made changes or additons to at least seven of the blocks....see if you can find them all! This was a great challenge stitching it on 40ct silk gauze over 1, and a few changes had to be made because of that. Some were just for fun, especially the singing kitty! Each block in a little over 2 inches square, making it about 7"x 9".

I still need to trim out stray thread tails on the back and have it blocked and stretched for framing in the new year, but for now I can say it's DONE!

My December Biscornu

I have completed the 4th year of monthly biscornu stitching with this freebie design from Tor Rhuann!

The Wreath Biscornu was stitched on 32ct pearl linen with stash on hand, including Kreinik and DMC. The candle flames in each wreath are 4mm bicones, and I added a chain so I can wear it during the holiday season! It's only about 2 inches across. I also finished stitching the last of the gift ornies, just need to do the ornamentification on them and deliver them later this month. Then I can post pictures! For now, I'm working on the last block of Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow, so watch for a Happy Dance soon!

November Recap
WiPs...
~Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow, Block 11 Done!
~Castles in the Air, Pt.13 Still on hold...
~Rose Garden Sampler SAL Third page done!
~Quaker 31, San-Man Orig. Done!
New Starts...
~Rainbow Vignette Box Done!
~Pearls & Roses Biscornu Done!
~Christmas gifts to be started....three are done!

December Goals
WiPs....
~Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow, Block 12 Done!
~Castles in the Air, Pt.13 Nope!
New Starts...
~Cardinal Ornament Done!
~Kitty Kalendar-April Done!
~Kitty Kalendar-March Done!
~Wreath Biscornu Done!
~JCS Christmas at Williamsburg class project Started...

Keeping it simple this month!

Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow report

Here is a quick update on Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow as the last hour of November comes up on the clock....I am actually keeping up on this, with a block a month all year and have finished the 11th block! Only a couple of small changes...I replaced the year 1802 on the sail with a crown motif from the first block, and rather than the black, I changed the background to dark blue as in the previous block 6. The last block is mostly lettering, so it should go fast.

I have also finished three Christmas gifts I will post later, after they are delivered!

I'm leaving Thursday for the JCS Christmas in Williamsburg stitching seminar with my friend Carolyn, and I'm going to relax and enjoy it before the holiday season goes into high gear.

Happy Stitching!

Small finishes

Where has the year gone? It's nearly Thanksgiving here! I've been working on some smalls, including a gift I'll have to wait to show off. I got the monthly biscornu out of the way, stitching a freebie from Drawn Thread called Pearls and Rosebuds. It's very tiny, only an inch and 3/4 across and meant to be a square fob, so of course I turned it into a biscornu! Changed the threads a bit, and added motifs to the plain back. Fabric is 32ct lugana from Silkweaver, the bead in the center is rose quartz.

I also stitched up this Rainbow Vignette for a box lid. It's from Rainbows, a 1992 leaflet by Young Designs. The fabric is 18ct cork linen, stitched four over two. Just over a year ago we were hit by the suddend death of one of our cats, Pixel. The box will hold his ashes, along with the ashes of my first kitty Ari, who died in 2006. This is a perfect example of the value of stash....found the pattern in my files and felt it was perfect for this important box.

I'm working on the 11th block of Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow, pics to come next week.

Rose Garden Sampler progress report

After a week of stitching, I have finished the third page (of 24) on the Wal D'Champs (WDC Designs) Rose Garden SAL. I'm using white 25ct lugana over 1 and still it's BAP large!



I've been working on some Christmas gifts too, but won't post pictures just yet......

Another San-Man done!

This one is a companion to the Quaker Halloween, and is a freebie available on CyberStitchers under San-Man Originals. It is called Quaker 31. Stitched on 30ct Chartreuse linen from Weeks, with DMC varigated purple and orange, Kreinik for the moon, and Antique Effects 310 DMC for the critters. It is very *bright*! On to Christmas presents now!

October Recap
WiPs...
~Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow, Block 10 Done!
~Rose Garden Sampler SAL... Second page done!
~TW's Companions Nope...poor horse with no tail!
~Castles in the Air, Pt.13 (maybe?) No, but did take it to Jubilee to show off!
New Starts...
~Kitty Kalender for March Bumped...
~Owlscornu Biscoru Done!
~Tree of Life Journal class at Jubilee Started....
~Hummingbird Sparklie Garden Mandala (hope to start!) no such luck...
~Halloween Quaker, San-Man Orig. Done!
~Quaker 31, San-Man Orig. Started 10/30...

November Goals
WiPs...
~Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow, Block 11 Done!
~Castles in the Air, Pt.13 Still on hold...
~Rose Garden Sampler SAL Third page done!
~Quaker 31, San-Man Orig. Done!
New Starts...
~Rainbow Vignette Box Done!
~Pearls & Roses Biscornu Done!
~Christmas gifts to be started....three are done!

Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow update

It seems the year is running out faster than usual....it's already the end of October and summer seems so far away! I spent the last week working on the 10th block of Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow. This is one SAL I am managing to keep up with and will no doubt finish by the end of the year, what with only 2 blocks to go. After this, it's time to start some stitching gifts!

Block 10 with the cardinal birds is my favorite block! Here it is so far as well..... the silk gauze is going to need to be blocked when it gets framed, as it has warped slightly as all canvas does.

I made no changes to the 10th block. The next block is solid stitching, so it will take some extra time.

To everyone who is enjoying the Halloween season, have fun, stay safe and don't eat too much candy!

Halloween stitching!

What a busy last couple of weeks I have had! I was in Lancaster, PA for the Stitching Jubillee for the 14th-16th (more in a later blog entry)and took a class by Catherine Jordan, the Tree of Life Journal. It is a small crewel embroidery piece and I hope it will be finished this year! If you check her site, the little postage stamp-sized reversible necklaces have a similar Tree of Life piece. The journal is more the size of a note card. I got the Cats & Dogs kit while I was there.

I also finished up a Quaker Halloween SAL from the San-Man Originals board available to members only (but, it's free to join!). Sandy is a very generous person and you can find a few of her freebies on CyberStitchers, including another Quaker piece. I really love the Witchy Boot!

I spent most of last week getting more organized in my hobby room (what with all the new stash!) and stitching my monthly biscornu.

This time it's the Owlscornu by Barbara Ana....with a little black cat button on top, and a bat on the back! If you visit her site, she has several freebies of similar brightness!

You can see the little spider peeking out from under the edge!

I am back to stitching on my 10th block of Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow and will have more about the stitching festival soon!

A little progress on the Rose Garden Sampler

Just about to start packing for my trip to the Stitching Jubilee in Lancaster, PA! I did want to post an update on the Rose Garden Sampler SAL I started last month. Part 2 is essentially complete, with a little extra from the adjoining pages. I am finding this very fun to stitch and have had a hard time putting it away to move on to the next item in the rotation! I am stitching it over 1 on 25ct white lugana. The picture is clickable.



I started a little Halloween piece over the weekend, which I will take to my stitch group tonight to work on. Trying to decide what to take on my trip, since I hope to spend many hours stitching when I'm not in my class, or shopping! I am NOT taking my laptop, so I'll have to report in next week when I get back. DH and DD will just have to cope without me for a few days!

September Recap, October Goals

September Recap
WiPs...
~Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow, Block 9 Done!
~Castles in the Air, Pts. 13 Postponed again....
New Starts...
~2010 Schooler Santa Done!
~Rose Garden Sampler Started...one page done...working on second page
~Zara Biscornu Done!
~Kitty Kalender for Feb. Done!
~Hummingbird Mandala?? (waiting for fabric!)
I got the fabric, but decided to start this in October after the Stitching Jubilee in PA

October Goals
WiPs...
~Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow, Block 10
~Rose Garden Sampler SAL...Second page done!
~TW's Companions
~Castles in the Air, Pt.13 (maybe?)
New Starts...
~Tree of Life Journal class Started....
~Kitty Kalender for March
~Quaker Halloween Done!
~Owlscornu Biscornu Done!
~Hummingbird Sparklie Garden Mandala (hope to start!)

My Biscornu for September

I am continuing with my monthly biscornu, if for no other reason that I enjoy them, but also because I have dozens of patterns to use up making these obsessive little items!

This one is a pattern by Pelin Tezer called Zara. It has two motifs, one positive, one negative, and thus an interesting way to use the pattern as a biscornu. The fabric is a scrap of Lavender Mist cashel, the threads are Gentle Arts Simply Shaker, Moonlit Path and Tea Rose, respectivly. It is a little over 3 inches across, and I added a wide ribbon to hang it from a knob.

I also got a fair number of new goodies from my LNS after the St. Charles Market. You may be seeing a couple of them really soon because they are really loud in their calls to "Stitch ME!"

Plus, two weeks until my friend Carolyn and I leave for Lancaster, PA and the Stitching Jubilee...we are counting the days!

Update on Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow

I have finished the 9th block of Carriage House Samplings' Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow! If you have not seen the previous progress check out my older posts on the subject. I am stitching one block a month as a SAL, which has helped me make progress on this! Threads are DMC, and it is stitched over 1 on 40ct silk gauze. Each square is a little over 2 inches. The only change I made on this block was to use less backstitch on the church windows.

A few things back from the framer....

I am lucky to have an excellent framer at my LNS, and thru them, a finisher as well! I got a few things back this week that were over to be framed or finished. The first one is a needlepoint pillow, which was from a class I took in 2003! Finally I decided I was never going to make it into a pillow myself (canvas is rough on sewing machines!) so I sent the canvas piece and fabric I picked for it off, and here it is.....she mitered the corners perfectly for me!

The other two are framed pieces I stitched earlier this year. They are going in my kitchen.

One is the Val's Stuff April Showers on gingham, the other is Teresa Layman's cross stitch version of Singing Tree.

I am working on block 9 of Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow this week...stay tuned!

February Kitty

It's been awfully warm this summer so I thought cool and stitched another cat from the Val's Stuff monthly Kitty Kalendar series for February! Plus it was two days quick and a fun happy dance! I changed some of the Weeks floss to stuff I had on hand and used a Silkweaver solo from my stash. I love the gray and pink together! I should admit I am fixing the eyes on these by adding french knots because the kittys look asleep, and moved the whiskers down a bit to suit my personal taste.

After this, I am back working on Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow, block 9. Some little froggies visited, but I sent them packing! Watch for the picture update later this week!

Rose Garden Progress Report

Hi all! Here is the first WiP picture of my new obsession which I showed off in my last post. I finished one page of part 2 (and a little from the page below) and now am taking a break from over 1 on 25 ct lugana to stitch another of the Val's Stuff monthly cats. I got distracted last week by a new book by one of my favorite Sci-Fi authors, which cut into my stitching time. Who knew only six DMC colors could be so pretty! I really love the flower circle.




I am trying to stick to my rotation, so I'll be getting back to Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow soon, but also have another floss toss to show off the fabric I got for the new Chatelaine, the Hummingbird mandala.....only two silks (in front) might be an issue on the blue opalescent 28ct jazlyn, so I will watch them carefully when I get started, probably next month sometime. I still have to pull all the DMC for this as well. It's really hard to decide what to stitch when there are so many wonderful designs that are saying that I just *have* to stitch them!

What? Another SAL you say?

I must be certifiably crazy to start another SAL this year, especially one so large! I usually am not much into traditional samplers but when I tripped over this sampler SAL online I could not resist it! You can find it here. The designer is in Brazil, and her name is Wal D'Champs. Her company name is WDC Designs. The SAL is called Rose Garden and it is very unusual for a traditional sampler, and like I said...Large! Try 500x600 stitches! There are some wonderful motifs and animals on the sampler as well as several different alphabet styles. She is releasing a part every other month for a small fee of one dollar US for each part. Part 5 of 12 just came out, so I'm way behind already! It will last out this year and next so that will give me some time to catch up...assuming I do nothing but stitch, of course! It is charted in DMC, with and Anchor conversion. There are only 6 colors, three greens and three pinks. I changed the pinks slightly to match my decor in the guest room where it is destined to live. I decided that because of the size and my scroll frame limits I would stitch it on white 25ct lugana over 1. Here is a picture of what I have done so far, starting with the top middle point (pt.2) and working my way back eventually. This is just one motif! I included the floss so you can see the colors, and a picture of the cover to show the size.

You all know I also have signed up for the new Hummingbird Mandala from Chatelaine right?

I am still waiting on fabric for that....which would make my 5th *jumbo* piece going at once. Yep, I'm certifiable. That's not counting the CaHRH which would be *jumbo* if it were not on 40ct silk gauze! I wonder if they make an exercise bike with a scroll rod attachment?

August Recap, September Goals

Better late than never, here is my monthly goal report!

August Recap
WiPs....
~Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow, Block 8 Done!
~Castles in the Air, Pts.11 and 12 Done!
~Holland Landscapes, Pt.7 tulips Done!
New Starts...
~Country Bouquet Card, World of CS Mag Done!
~Summer Breeze Biscornu, Dinky-Dyes Done!
~Witchy Poo, Amy Bruecken Designs Done!
~January Kitty Kalendar, Val's Stuff Done!

September Goals
WiPs...
~Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow, Block 9 Working...
~Castles in the Air, Pts. 13 & 14 Postponed...
New Starts...
~2010 Schooler Santa Done!
~Rose Garden Sampler Started 9/4...page 3 done, working on p.4 rest of month...
~Zara Biscornu, Pelin Tezer Done!
~Kitty Kalender for Feb. Done!
~Hummingbird Mandala?? got fabric, will start in October

Christmas is sooner than you think!

Yep, I just realized...only about 3 and a half months till Christmas! I just recently got the 2010 Schooler Santa, so stitched him up over the first few days of the month...this year Santa is a skier! Eventually I'll have a whole tabletop tree of Santas when I get around to finishing them all into ornaments. ;-D

Holland Landscapes progress report

After neglecting this one for a year at least, I finally finished the pt.7 tulips on the bottom window....one more window and it's tulips and I will really feel like I'm making some progress on this Chatelaine! Of course, there is another one in UFO status, and a new one I'm just waiting on fabric to start. Must be something in the water to make me want to work on such big pieces!

I have a Christmas ornie kitted up to do next, then we will see what happens after that....

Stitching and finishing...

Hi all! Well, Witchy Poo is still waiting to be finished, but I did get the card done, stitched and finished! The design from World of Cross Stitch magazine #167 by Edith Holden, was the free kit that came with the issue. It's called Country Bouquet, and the card came with it. I already know who I'm giving this to! I still have a few days to give Witchy Poo her due time, but today I'm working on some more tulips on Chatelaine's Holland Landscapes mandala. I will be so happy to get all the endless tulips done! Seems like I always get stuck in the middle where the repeats get a tad boring.....after that it seems to go much faster!

Update on Castles again this month...

I have another Castles update this month, trying to catch up before the 15th part is out next month! This is my progress as of pt.12, the half-way point. It has gotten very large and my big floor stand is getting a workout lately! I'm taking a break from this big piece to stitch a card, one of the freebie inserts in World of Cross Stitching magazine, then it's on to another big project, Chatelaine's Holland Landscapes. Tomorrow I'll do some Friday Finishing on Witchy Poo.
The house is so quiet with DD at school now...guess I'd better do some more laundry and go stitch now!

Gearing up for Halloween!

Halloween is only a little more than 2 months away, and I am in the mood to stitch something fun and funky! This is from Amy Bruecken Designs, and her name is Witchy Poo! Her best feature is her nose, so large it casts a shadow. I am going to turn her into a door banner with some cute Halloween fabric, so watch this space!

Update on Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow

Updating Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow early this month, as Block 8 went a little faster. See if you can find the "extra" I added!

As a reward, I'm getting a new start, which will actually be a gift....getting a jump on fall birthdays this way! I'll be taking it to the local LNS's stitch night on Monday. It's a fun one!

Castles update and a biscornu!

Hi all! I got part 11 of my Castles in the Air completed on the 7th. Part 11 is on the lower left, the next part mirrors it. I hope to get back to this later in the month....I am a couple of parts behind and need to catch up. Of course, that depends on how busy we get, as school starts for DD on the 25th!


Also, I finished off my monthly biscornu last night. This is Summer Breeze by Cat's Whiskers. It uses Dinky-Dyes silk, and the fabric is a solo opalescent from Silkweavers. I subbed a hummingbird bead for the top button. This was the fourth of the seasonal biscornu from Cat's Whiskers and Dinky-Dyes. Pictures of all my biscornu are in my Webshots album.

First in a series kitty from Val's Stuff

I am collecting the series of Kitty Kalendars from Val's Stuff to stitch up as a quick break from all the big projects I am currently working on in rotation. This is the first one for January. The plan is to stitch them all up, and my framer will mount them and make one small frame to rotate them in and out monthly. She puts little rotating clips on the back of the frame and it's easy to pop the pieces out and replace them. Saves tons on framing costs too!

This one is stitched on a Ltd. Edition fabric by Silkweaver that was in the stash, and using Weeks, DMC and one subbed thread from Crescent Colors called Tabby (of all things!) for the cat, since I was out of Weeks Whitewash. I was working on this on Monday at my LNS's Stitch Night and accidentally switched the scarf purple and the teal border....no harm, no foul since they look fine to me! I wasn't happy with the eyes and whisker placement on the pattern, so I did a little "adjustment" and like it much better.

Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow update

Yes, it's time to post a new picture of my CaHRH silk gauze piece! I finished block 7 on the last day of July, just in time. Only change on this block is the name on the barn, as I gave my daugther a chance to improve it, and she named it Kira's Tree Farm, after herself of course!

Sunday I started the first of a series from Val's Stuff, the Kitty Kalendar for January. I am being liberal in my choice of fabrics and fibers, trying to use stuff from my stash on these. There is one for every month this year (Sept. just came out!) and I am planning on getting them all mounted to be rotated thru the year in a single frame. My framer has done this for friends of mine, and I really like the idea of saving money on frames! It is going really fast, so I should be through with January very soon! Watch this space.....

July Recap, August Goals

July Recap
WiPs.....
~Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow, Block 7 Done!
~Castles in the Air, Pt.11 Nope, better luck in August!
~Dragon Feathers Afghan Done finally!
New Starts....
~Victoria Sampler's Louisiana Heart Done!
~Teresa Layman's Singing Birds Done!
~Paw Printing's Raspberry Parfait Biscornu Done!

August Goals
WiPs....
~Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow, Block 8 Done!
~Castles in the Air, Pts.11 and 12 Both done!
~Holland Landscapes, Pt.7 tulips Done!
New Starts...
~Country Bouquet Card, World of CS Magazine Done!
~Witchy Poo, Amy Bruecken Designs Done!
~Summer Breeze Biscornu, Dinky-Dyes Done!
~January Kitty Kalendar, Val's Stuff Done!

My new start reward for finishing a UFO!

So, after finishing the dragon afghan UFO, I felt the need for a new start! This is what I did last week....it's a Teresa Layman design, but not one of her knot designs! It's the Singing Tree. I love this design...notice the kitty peering upward....so cute and fun to stitch! The fabric is a Silkweaver Solo from my stash (lovely to have stash for spur of the moment stitching) and I used the called for fibers, mostly GAST and CC.


Last night I was back working on Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow, block 7! Soon it will be August, which I hope will be more normal in the weather department...we just suffered through three straight days of temps over 100F!

Once a UFO, now a Happy Dance!

I started this project way back in 2002, and it was a UFO for several years before I finally got it back out last year and vowed to complete it! It is the Dragon Feathers Afghan by Fanta Cat Designs, stitched on black Anne cloth. Last night I finished hemming the edges and fringing them and am Happy Dancing like mad! Click on the pic to see it better.