StitchinKat's Pawprints Blog

Year of the Dragon...my first freebie!

2012-01-31T14:10:00.000-05:00

Ever since I started my stitching blog, I have wanted to create some gifts for my followers, and here in the new year of 2012, and the Chinese Year of the Dragon, I have come up with this design for you all! I hope to put out a new freebie every month this year for your viewing pleasure. Eventually I hope to begin publishing my own patterns under the banner of Riversong Needlearts! I have in the works more Chinese New Year animals, as well as many other ideas knocking around inside my brain. I am still learning my software and how to convert PCStitch Pro patterns to pdfs, so bear with me please! Freebies will be available for your download, but please do not share the pdfs! You may direct friends to my blog instead. All the patterns I create are of course my property, and under USA Copyright laws. I reserve the right to remove any freebie if abuse is noticed. Free patterns will be up for one year and then will be added to my catalog for sale once my company is up and running. Please let me know if you like what you see, and please send me pictures if you stitch this or any other forthcoming pattern! I'm willing to take requests on small designs, but cannot promise success quickly!

My creative process starts with Google Images. If you add the term "free rights" you get hundreds of clip art and free design motifs one can use with a clear conscience. This design is a compilation of several image motifs I used for inspiration, including a border motif and a Chinese Dragon figure with horns. From there is was just a matter of creating the border/corner sections and adding a fierce dragon face. The final size is 50x50. A gold backstitched line is added only if you wish to make a biscornu as I have done. I have stitched it on 28ct black linen, but you could use any color or count, even Aida, as there are no fractional stitches and only a little backstitch.

Please click here for the link to the pdf, which includes the key and other information about the chart. Save it to your computer and then print. You may need to use the snapshot tool to enlarge the chart, I certainly did! If you click on the first pic below you will see the chart clearly, and could right click and save I think. You will not have the key unless you use the pdf. Still a couple of quirks to figure out, including how to get the colors of the stitch blocks to show on the key with the symbols. Let me know if there are any issues with getting the pdf please!

My stitched dragon.....

In order to make it into a biscornu, I stitched the red border/corner sections again to use for the back. You can add your personalization there as I have shown below. I left off any bead or button to make it dimple. The shape of the biscornu is what makes the finish I believe! You can add a ribbon hanger if you'd like.

My, my...where has January gone?

2012-01-26T15:37:00.001-05:00

I cannot for the life of me figure out where January went! I've been happily stitching along and here it's down to the last few days of the month, already! My first finish of 2012 was to complete the stitching on the Prairie Schooler 2011 Schooler Santa.

I am now all caught up on Santas and can begin the process of "ornamentification" (thanks Heather for coining that word!). I also have tons of other finishing to do, including two class projects, several door banners (all seasonal), and a couple dozen other ornaments. I might have to devote a whole month to sewing machine work to get everything "FINISHED"!

This one at least was a breeze....a Pine Mountain kit called What A Hoot! I was lazy and bought the pillow form after I took this picture. This just slips over the pillow and is tied on. If I ever do any more of their series I can just switch out the pillow form. My kind of easy!

Both of these were finished by January 3rd! About that time I learned that my dear sister-in-law (DSIL) Ann (hubby's sister) is coming with her family for a visit this spring from way down under in New Zealand!
We were able to go down for a visit way back in 2000, which is when this next project started....she took me to a stitchy shop in Taupo and saw the Heritage Stitchcraft Map of New Zealand and asked me if I would stitch it for her, so how could I say no? Long story, shortened, I worked on it for a while (and I recall that this was BEFORE I attempted anything that big, like a TW or Chatelaine). My daughter was 6 and time just did not allow for much work on it and I put it away the end of 2001. Now that they are coming for a visit, I just HAD to get it out to finish so she could carry it home with her. I will make it a door banner too, for that reason. This is what it looked like early this month...sorry the pic is not very good.

Now, the South Island is done!

In fact, most of the North Island is done since that picture was taken a couple of weeks ago...I need to take another picture, and finish the coat of arms floating offshore to the west.....hopefully by the end of the month!

I am also working on two mini stocking ornies for my not-so-little kittens adopted last August. They are my carry-around project. I also have a surprise coming soon, as I have been working on some biscornu designs of my own creation to share this year on my blog! I just have to stitch up the first one, and get some help converting the pattern to a pdf to make it easier to download. I am using PCStitch Pro which I just got in the most recent form, and am still figuring out some of the new stuff on it. Any advice on posting would be appreciated for those of you who have experience in this area! Happy New Year!

Wrapping up 2011...

2011-12-30T15:33:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year of 2012 to everyone! Hope all of your holiday celebrations were happy ones! I guess I need to wrap up my stitching year with some pictures of several projects finished up these last three weeks. Jo asked for a picture of all the tiny biscornu necklace fobs, so here they are....

The one for October is not so tiny, but hey, I like it! My college class ring is beside the first one so you can see how small they are. I was working on the last one and got many comments at the stitching seminar, and a few people wanted instructions! Earlier this year I did do a tutorial on biscornu finishing so I hope that helps anyone who wants to try their hand at wearable needlework art. My final results for 2011 included 44 completed projects (2 were gifts), and 18 of those projects were also finished off as biscornu, ornaments or pillows. I still have 8 WiPs and 10 UFOs. For 2012 I am going to try and get 2 more WiPs completed, and attempt some designs of my own for the monthly biscornu series, so keep visiting!

On to the JCS Christmas at Williamsburg Needlework Seminar....this year was the 25th annual event for Hoffman Publishing, the publishers of Just Cross Stitch and many other crafting magazines. The event does lean in the direction of samplers and reproductions, but this year I took the class with Barbara Jackson of Tristan Brooks Designs. The piece is a traditional crewel Jacobean design of a strawberry motif for a needle book and fob. Barbara is an experienced surface embroiderer with training from the Royal School in England, and taught us some of the tricks of the trade. I learned that "crewel" refers to the type of thread used, which is usually plied wool, although any fiber can be used. We basted muslin to the back of our linen ground fabric (and stitched right through both layers) to give more strength to the piece, which is meant to be used. She went over each stitch, from stem stitch to long and short, to split stitch, lazy daisy, bullion, tied fly, and satin stitch, and yes....french knots! Here is a close up...

The design is very lightly sketched on the linen for us in the kit, and blue dots of washable marker are there to outline the shape for finishing. I still have to remove them and assemble the two parts of the set, the needle book/scissor keep and a separate scissor fob. I really enjoyed doing those yellow bullion stitches!

This is the completed front cover of the book (upside down), and will be stretched over acid free card stock (which she found at a comic book store!) cut into a heart shape. The hinge will be on the top edge. Inside is a fold of felt and a pocket for some tiny scissors. The back and the fob are here...

I actually added a strawberry to the back so my poor attribution would not look so sparse! The fob is folded and hem stitched with a bit of fluff. Here are some close up pics....

All that is left to do on this is to do the finishing! The instructions are clear, and Barbara went over them in class, so I feel pretty sure I'll be getting it done soon! I would recommend her as a class teacher wholeheartedly, one of the best teachers I've had in fact! Since I was in a "crewel" mood, I decided to finish up another embroidery piece from a previous class with Catherine Jordan. This is her Tree of Life Journal Cover, and I just had to finish up the back and hem it and it's now done completely and covering a tiny 3x4 inch blank journal! I put the title and year (in Roman numerals) on there as well as my initials hidden in the grass. This little journal is going to be saved for very profound thoughts indeed!

I was in need of an idea for my Mom for her Christmas gift (she is 87 and really hard to shop for!) so an exclusive design from San-Man Originals for the members of her bulletin board magically appeared (Thanks Sandy!) and insisted I stitch it! I used opalescent fabric to give it a snowy sparkle and will make a little banner for her door this weekend....in time for the new year, of course!

Now I am working on the 2011 Prairie Schooler Santa as my last project of the year...hope to finish stitching it by tomorrow. I also have another picture I want to share...a few months ago I saw a blog somewhere, and the blogger was showing off her "flower frog" that she was using to keep her scissors safely stored away in.....and I just HAD to find this "flower frog" thingy, whatever that was! Not a frog at all (tho' a flower frog FROG would be so appropriate for sewing scissors don't ya know!), but a glass bowl with a top that has holes for arranging short stemmed flowers like pansy blossoms. And, through the power of eBay, I found this lovely blue glass bowl and took this picture. Now I have to round up all the other little scissors to keep in it! LOVE IT!

May everyone have a safe and happy New Year in 2012 and be sure to come visit me often!

Lots of smalls to celebrate!

2011-12-08T14:02:00.001-05:00

November was a VERY busy month, and December is looking the same, so I'm posting a Happy Dance catch-up today! I'm going to try and keep them in chronological order, so here we go.....

Early in the month I stitched the Mill Hill Buttoned & Beaded kit for the Gingerbread House, which was a birthday present for my DMIL Helen. I have given it to her so now I can post a picture!

The red frame is also from Mill Hill....what could be easier?

Next I stitched the last of the Val's Stuff Kitty Kalendar series for December. Stitched on a Silkweaver Solo on hand, and very cute! Now that all 12 are done, I've got to figure out a way to finish them, possibly with only one small frame to switch them out every month.

Next is my November tiny biscornu, a freebie pattern from the Alexandrina blog Matrioshka Biscornu, the Acorn Biscornu and Scissor Fob set. I made the biscornu tiny by stitching over one and adding a leaf button. It is about an inch and a half across.

At this point I was on a roll when it comes to smalls, and decided to keep going because the month had been so busy with Thanksgiving and all, and the teenage boy kittens were getting too interested in my large Chatelaine on the frame! Next up, the 1989 Schooler Santa from Prairie Schooler.....now I only have this year's 2011 Santa and beyond!

In a Christmas mood, I decided to get out the backlog of Just Cross Stitch ornament issues and stitch up a couple. These two are both from the 2004 ornie issue, Never Too Big, by Dragon Dreams....

...and Woodland Snowfall from Little House. Hope to do a lot of ornament finishing in the new year!

Lastly, since I was going off to the JCS Christmas in Williamsburg Stitching Seminar I kitted up my December necklace fob and had it done in no time. The motif I used was from a pattern by Janie Hubble from the November issue of The Gift of Stitching online magazine. This is the smallest one yet, barely an inch across! I added some beads and a tiny Polar Express bell to make it festive.

Now I am all caught up, and will post more later on the stitching seminar I attended with my friend Carolyn.
The class we took was with Barbara Jackson of Tristan Brooks Designs, and is a crewel strawberry needlebook and fob.

More October stitching!

2011-11-03T10:47:00.000-04:00

Here I am again with another Chinese Garden update! I finished the Spring corner garden of part 6 and have an updated picture....there are three more seasonal corners and lots of specialty stitching yet to come!

And here is the whole piece so far....I am now 2 parts behind but with the holidays upon us I don't expect to get caught up anytime soon!

In addition, I finished up a couple of smalls. One is from the SanMan BB, and is exclusive to members. This was my car project for the month (while waiting for DD's soccer practice to complete). I changed the cat's eyes to green but otherwise no changes. The fabric is a 28ct cashel called Violet Mist. It will probably become a Halloween ornie!

Finally, my November Kitty Kalendar from Val's Stuff....stitched on a 28ct colonial blue evenweave.

Only December left, and then will probably make a wall hanging of some sort so I can flip the pages like a calendar each month.

Quick update on Chinese Garden...

2011-10-20T13:03:00.002-04:00

I'm working on pt.6 of Chatelaine's Chinese Garden Mandala this week, and finished the fourth gate. Before moving on to the northwest garden I took some pictures to share here! This is the gate from the left, or west side.

And here is the whole piece so far...I had to move it into a larger q-snap at this point! Now working on the upper left corner garden. More later!

In Halloween mode!

2011-10-10T18:00:00.000-04:00

Halloween is so fun to stitch for! I have three new finishes to show off....first, a kit from Trail Creek Farm called Halloween Cats. The pillow and stitchable cover come with the chart and floss, so it's a quick stitch. I did have to stitch most of it in hand because it was hard to use my usual q-snaps inside the cover. I gave the cats different faces for some humor. I didn't really like the charted faces so uses some backstitch and french knots instead, and left the words (Halloween Cats) off, as I thought it was cute without.

Next is my monthly biscornu necklace fob, from a chart by Jemini Designs called ScareCat. I stitched it over one and added a border to be able to finish it as a biscornu. It is about 1.5 inches, a little bigger than the others.

Last night I finished another Halloween pillow, this time by SanMan Originals, called Halloween Hoot Night. Sandy even made the tuck pillow with the round opening! It turned out really cute on 28ct Silkweave solo linen. This little owl looks like he got into the cider and had too much!

Now I'm back working on the Chinese Garden Mandala.....more later!

Two more September finishes...

2011-10-04T11:50:00.001-04:00

Finally found some time to post about my last two finishes in September! I'm blaming it on the new school year for daughter Kira, plus it's her senior year which means soccer practice, SATs, yearbook photos, homework, etc.--and I am trying to work out 3 days a week, and all the other stuff of life, including the new kittens! They are off tomorrow to be neutered and after that we can start letting them out of quarantine in the guest room!

At any rate, here are the pics, which I'm sure is more interesting than all that!
First is the final Micro design from Chatelaine--#04. It is stitched on 32ct Silkweaver solo with called for fibers and beads. It is the version 2 colorway except for the dark purple motifs which were supposed to be the darker pink. I wanted a bit more contrast so I just used the Purple Night Sky (personally I think is looks more very dark blue, but hey...) instead. Now all four Micros are done, and I have to figure out what to do with them!

I also stitched another state heart from Victoria Sampler's series, this time #21 for Illinois. Almost to the halfway mark on the 50 states!

I felt the urge to start something new for Halloween so now I'm working on a piece from Trail Creek, and hope to finish it soon so I can get back to my Chinese Garden Mandala. Happy Autumn!

Chatelaine's Chinese Garden progress...

2011-09-13T14:10:00.000-04:00

The fifth part of the Chinese Garden Mandala has been added! This is the third moon gate image, which is upside down in the piece, so I flipped it for easier viewing here!

And here is the overall piece so far....

I'm really loving it on the black linen, and have not had much trouble seeing the threads, to my surprise! Going to move on to the last of the Chatelaine Micro designs for the rest of this week. Happy Stitching!

Imagine my surprise.....

2011-09-08T14:34:00.000-04:00

Yep, I was surprised to see my own words in the newest issue of Cross Stitch & Needlework! November 2011 issue, page 8 if anyone wants to know.....they have a Facebook page and ask stitchy questions frequently. The question was about designing your own patterns so I mentioned the ONE large design I have done and they liked my answer enough to publish in the magazine! Here is what I said....
"I charted a long poem written by my late grandfather and his sisters in 1905 when they were children. It was about Uncle Charlie's horse "Kitty" so I added a little bay mare pulling Uncle C in his wagon and a blackwork-ish version of the house they lived in...all as a 50th anniversary gift for my aunt, and (since they are twins) another for my mom! It was loads of fun to chart and stitch (twice)! I need to do more originals I think."
and here is what I was talking about...you can click on it for a bigger pic.

Guess I've had my 15 minutes of fame now....back to my stitching!

September's tiny biscornu necklace

2011-09-06T15:33:00.000-04:00

Well, the Labor Day holiday weekend was pretty busy, but I managed to stitch up my monthly tiny biscornu over the weekend so I can go back to the Chinese Mandala!

It is a little flower motif from the blog of Anne-Marie called Brodstitch. I stitched it over 1 so had to adjust a bit since it had fractional stitches. It is just about an inch and a half across.

It's September...can Halloween be far behind?

2011-09-03T14:16:00.001-04:00

I have to admit I love stitching stuff for Halloween, just because of all the fun, funky colors! This week it was the Val's Stuff October Kitty Kalendar cat, poking his head out of a pumpkin. Only two more to go in the series! Fabric is a 28ct Silkweaver Solo, suitably funky.

Speaking of kitties....we recently added to the menagerie when our local shelter had a special cat adoption day for only $10 each, which included all shots, tests and neutering! Picked the new boys up a little over a week ago, and have them confined from the rest of the pets until they get over the usual shelter colds. They are brothers, about 6 months old, and silver tabbies. Meet Taliesen and Finn MacCool ! Tali and Finn for short, blue and red collars respectively. They are staying in the guest room and adjoining bath for now. Never had two kittens who moved so constantly, except when they are eating and purring like no tomorrow! Hard to take pictures of them together. Will keep trying!

Of course, our dog Lad is totally confused by them, and the older cats Cassiopeia (Cassi) and Leo are wary, but we hope for a smooth transition once the little boys are done with their surgeries. We are a four cat household again!

Holland Landscapes progress report

2011-08-31T16:00:00.001-04:00

Well! This took a bit longer than I thought, but part 9 of Chatelaine's Holland Landscapes is finally done! The parts added are the two delft tiles at the top, and the triangular motifs under each.

Here is a close up of the top....

Now I can take a break with a few smalls before moving on to the next WiP in the rotation! Hope everyone has a great Labor Day holiday in the USA, and a nice stitchy weekend everywhere else!

Between Chatelaines....

2011-08-17T16:37:00.000-04:00

Think of this as the middle of the sandwich! In between Chatelaines I have done another small in the form of one of the Victoria Sampler Hearts of America series, #20 for Mississippi. Someday when all 50 are done, they will become a quilt. For now they give me a nice easy break from the *large* projects that seem to be dominating my stitching this year.

.Finished this yesterday and promptly got out Holland Landscapes to work on the top delft tile motifs. I have to work on it upside down because I have it on a very large q-snap arrangement on my K's Creations floor stand. Hope to have a report on this over the weekend! Happy Stitching y'all!

Chinese Garden progress....

2011-08-16T16:55:00.000-04:00

Hey all! I have the progress pics of Chatelaine's Chinese Garden Mandala thru part 4, the east gate. This went a bit faster than the north gate since the stonework is the same.

The whole piece so far....the south gate is next up once I rotate back to this.

Today I'm doing another Victoria Sampler state heart, #20, which is Mississippi. Thirty more states to go!

August Biscornu Necklace Fob

2011-08-11T17:07:00.001-04:00

Stitched this up yesterday, easy peasy, and quick! It is from the blog of Francois Sablaise, saved a while ago from her April 2009 post. She called it Pendouille Avril 2009, I call it a biscornu necklace fob!
First the two sides before assembly...stitched with DMC 564 and 778 on 28ct pearl linen.

Here it is, assembled and on a silver chain...front side.

And the back side, on dramatic black! It is one and a half inches across.

StitchinKat seen Stitchin' at the Spa!

2011-08-10T16:54:00.000-04:00

Hey y'all! Back from my lovely vacation in the Adirondacks of New York State, rested and refreshed for the heat wave still burning up North Carolina (96F as I write this!) We enjoyed the cooler air, the vistas at Loon Lake, and the ice cream at the local diner! All the pics are clickable if you need a closeup view. ;-)

Not far away from the lake front cabin owned by dear friends is the little town of Saratoga Springs, also known as "The Spa" (for it's history as a resort town) and more importantly, the home of the oldest horse racing venue in America, Saratoga Race Track !! We had a very good day, as all 5 of us visitors won at least one race, DD Kira picked three winners! We each pick a different horse in each race, spending only $2 each per race...just for the fun of pulling for your horse! Between races, you can see I took some time to do some "Stitchin' at the Spa"!

Here are my niece (left) and daughter (right) hamming it up....

And a beautiful view of the track out in the sun (we were comfy in the shade of the Grandstand!)

Watched this one from the rail, with aid from the big screen to tell who won!

The last race of the day finished....after every race, while the winner is paraded and photographed, the rest of the horses get a cool bath and water right on the track before they are led off to their long walks around the barn rows to cool down. Then the winner is led off as well, with many well deserved pats! Only one mishap the entire day, as a filly dumped her rider behind the gate and heading for the barns, but she was easily caught by an outrider and returned, even finishing fourth! Good thing 'cause her jockey would have never heard the end of it otherwise!

As for that piece I'm stitching on....finished adding the embellishments last night and here it is.....one of The Silver Needle's kits for Secret Needle Night called Camp Wannasew! It's by Brooke Nolan.

Earlier in the week of vacation I finished another of Val's Stuff Kitty Kalendar cats, for September.....

Still recovering from the trip, and stitching a little biscornu before going back to my many Chatelaines!

Holland Landscapes update!

2011-07-27T15:33:00.002-04:00

Took a bit longer to finish part 8 than I thought, but here is Chatelaine's Holland Landscapes! All four windows are filled and topped by the tulip gardens...finally! ( I left most of the clouds off the lighthouse window to balance with the one opposite, which had NO clouds.)

Here is a close up of the lighthouse window.

Christmas in July!

2011-07-18T12:03:00.000-04:00

Wish we had the weather to go along with Christmas! It's HOT in North Carolina right now!

My rotation interlude turned out to be a Christmas ornament, the 1990 Schooler Santa by Prairie Schooler.
It is stitched with DMC on 18ct putty khaki davos over one. I started stitching them around 2000, and decided to go back to the year my DH and I met in 1989 and make one a year onward as well. I am almost to the end of the oldies! I will finish them all as ornies and will have a Schooler Santa tabletop tree at Christmas (along with our artificial tree...we have cats). This one I have dubbed the Wildlife Santa.

Now I get to go back to a large piece, Chatelaine's Holland Landscapes, to finally stitch the last of four tulip rows! At that point I will be 75% done on it. Think cool thoughts in this hot summer!

Chinese Garden Mandala update again

2011-07-12T16:43:00.000-04:00

A quick post to update my Chinese Garden....pt.3, the top gate opening is done! Have to rotate now, but will get back to it in August after vacation. As usual I have found a mistake or two, but not so you would know! I did decide to fill in the "sky" area because it looked odd with black in the background. The next gate window has this filled already, so this will fit right in.

Tiny biscornu break...

2011-07-06T15:35:00.000-04:00

Took a break on July 4th to stitch a tiny biscornu fob for my necklace. Being a patriotic day here in the USA, I used some red, white and blue floss, Week's Independence, and 28ct Ray of Light lugana in pale yellow. This little guy is just over an inch across, stitched over one. The pattern came from the Stitch Creations blog here. I used two tiny white seed beads to dimple the center and sewed on a bail for the chain.

By the end of the year I'll have a biscornu necklace for every occasion! Now to find a suitable August-themed pattern in a small size! Back to the Chinese Garden Mandala for the rest of the week. Hope everyone is having a nice July!

Chinese Garden Mandala update...finally!

2011-07-04T18:18:00.000-04:00

Whew! The second part of Chatelaine's Chinese Garden Mandala took a bit longer than I thought it would...nearly two weeks! I am really happy with the way it is looking on the black linen, as you can see...

Due to the black fabric, I made a couple of small changes...I left off the back stitched leaves among the yellow flowers because they just didn't show up well. Also changed the color of the darker green on the corner motifs for the same reason. Here is a close up of the piece from an angle....

Today is Independence Day here in the US of A, so I am stitching a new mini biscornu in red, white and blue! Hope to finish it tonight. Nature's fireworks outside...thunder and lightning...so I'm betting local displays will be delayed to another day. My pets will appreciate that...they don't like booms! Hope everyone is having a nice summer (or winter if you are down under!) and getting lots of stitching done!

Hearts of America series

2011-06-22T17:50:00.000-04:00

Hi all! Went to visit my Dad on Father's Day and took this little heart with me to stitch on in the car. It's from the Victoria Sampler series Hearts of America, and is #19 for Indiana. 31 more states to go! Eventually I want to make a quilt with the hearts. These little kits include everything you need and each one features a different specialty stitch, which is expanding my knowledge as I stitch!

Now on to the Chinese Garden Mandala, pt.2!!

June's tiny biscornu complete!

2011-06-18T16:20:00.000-04:00

First off, I want to thank everyone for the kind wishes in regards to my knee problem. I got a cortisone shot and it feels much better! Unfortunately it's just my arthritis acting up and not much else can be done. The price of getting older, alas!

The month of June brings a new tiny biscornu for my necklace collection! This is from a freebie by Janie Hubble called High Tea and Petit Fours. She finished it as a teacup pincushion, but I stitched it on a scrap of 28ct Silkweaver Solo lugana over 1 and it ended up being just about an inch across! I did not add a bead dimple because it was really too tiny and I had nothing that would work without hiding most of the stitching. Here it is before assembly.....

And here is the final product...

Still thinking about what pattern to use next month.....something red, white and blue no doubt! Before stitching this little cutie up, I was working on Chatelaine's Holland Landscapes. I finished the last window scene of the lighthouse, but still need to add the tulip garden over it and I'm stalling because I have already stitched the tulips three times! The drawback of a mandala....;-) I will probably pull out another small to take with me to my Dad's tomorrow...we are visiting for Father's Day...and I need something to do in the car for an hour each way. More pictures coming soon and hopefully back to the Chinese Garden before the end of the month!

Third in the Micro series from Chatelaine done!

2011-06-08T15:34:00.004-04:00

Here it is! Last week I mentioned I changed most of the colors on this Micro 03 by Chatelaine...8 of 11 to be exact. Frankly, the lime green silk and olive shades were not to my taste. I loved the Dinky Dyes Blue Bush however, so I changed many threads to a more blue green, keeping the same values of light to dark, in order to compliment the Blue Bush silk. I did use a couple of more yellow green, less jarring threads, and I think it gives a nice variety of piney shades, from longleaf to blue spruce. I love playing with colors! The PTB and Delicas stayed the same, and again I used the center over one motif (about 1.5 inches across) from the first colorway, and everything else from the second colorway. In all it's about 4 inches square!

I think I'd better return to Holland Landscapes and try to get the last window filled with it's landscape scene before returning to the Chinese Garden.....really in a Chatelaine state of mind lately!

At least I have an excuse for spending most of my time stitching these days....I tore a tendon in my right knee, and just today got an MRI on it. Have to wait until next Tuesday to see the orthopaedist again and find out if I need corrective surgery. We are in a late spring heat wave, so I don't have any trouble staying inside with my leg up and stitching away the hours!

Little House's Plums

2011-06-01T13:57:00.003-04:00

Well, life is unpredictable around here it seems! We decided at the last minute to go to Atlanta over the Memorial Day weekend to see family gathering for my oldest niece's high school graduation. They did not have enough tickets for everyone so it was mainly a visiting session (probably just as well in the heat!) at my brother's house. I was hoping to get more done on Holland Landscapes, but will return to it later this month. I took the last of my Little House fruit series to work on and finished it up yesterday. This one is Plums, stitched on a Silkweaver solo with Crescent Colors. I have 9 done and am thinking I may just use the 8 fruits, and save the acorn and squirrel for something else. I need to dig into the quilting stash for fabric to make a door banner out of them, 2 x 4 blocks. My finishing basket is getting kind of full....may have to set aside a few days to work on some banners! I have a Christmas one and a Halloween one to finish as well.

I'm moving on to the first project of June, Chatelaine's Micro 03. Spent better part of the morning almost completely changing all the colors! I'm not a fan of lime green and olive brown!

Happy Stitching!

Little House's Apples

2011-05-23T15:29:00.003-04:00

After a good two weeks on the Chinese Garden, I needed a break, and pulled out this Little House Needleworks piece from the Fruit series, which I stitched up over the weekend. I added the button just for fun! This is the 8th from the series I have stitched, with just Plums to go, and then I'll make a quilted banner for my kitchen closet door. These designs came with the Crescent Colors floss, and I used some Silkweaver solo small cuts for each. They are in my LHN album on Webshots if anyone is interested.

First progress report on the Chinese Garden Mandala!

2011-05-20T15:02:00.003-04:00

After two weeks of steady stitching every evening I have finished the first part of the new Chatelaine design, the Chinese Garden Mandala! I am using the full silk kit from ECC, along with black 32ct Belfast linen. I love this part so much! It alone would make a nice top for a fancy lacquer box, don't you think? All the beads and crystals have been added because I like to add as I go or else I worry I'll miss one!

A couple of small changes due to the black fabric....I turned the lights on in the building by using the lightest yellow Eterna silk in the window openings before backstitching over them. I used the same green silk for the steps to backstitch the motif over the door, knowing that black on black just would not work!

And here is a close up of the central building with all the crystals!

Now I'm going to take a break and stitch a couple of smalls before moving on the the next BAP in the rotation....Happy Stitching!

Stitching thru the years...

2011-05-12T14:46:00.001-04:00

Today I was adding a few freebie charts to my Excel file inventory and decided to take a look back at my stitching life. Most of the time I keep the list of charts and leaflets in alpha order by designer and title, with columns for publisher, chart size and subject/use. I have a column for supplies needed and as each project is started and finished I make note in a final column. Today I indexed the Date Done column and it was eye-opening! It took a while to enter all the charts, kits and leaflets still in my possession...the magazines are nowhere near entered, and some few old kit charts are long gone, but looking back to 1978 when I first learned to cross stitch (after having learned some crewel and needlepoint as a child) I spent the next 20 years until 1998 stitching about 50 different projects, mostly as gifts for friends and family. In 1998 I attended my first stitching "event", the Spirit of Cross Stitch, in Knoxville, TN and concurrently discovered the online world of stitching message boards. A obsessive stitcher was born!

Fast forward to today, more than a decade later, and I have reached the 400 project milepost! Frankly, I'm amazed! Keep in mind that does not include stitched projects from magazine charts, but I hope to get them added in time.....nor does it put much of a dent in my stash of charts/leaflets/kits that I want to stitch "someday"! It seems I have reached SABLE....*Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy*!! I need to stitch faster or grow another arm to be able to get to the end (not withstanding future Stash additions), and therefore my future retirement is secure in that I will never be without something to stitch, as long as they still make DMC!

Now, back to the task at hand.....stitching my newest acquisition, Chatelaine's Chinese Garden Mandala! Progress pics to come......

Two small projects before a new start to come!

2011-05-05T14:15:00.006-04:00

Finally able to get a post up with my last April project and the first one of May!

I had another Kitty Kalendar monthly kitted so I did that while watching THE WEDDING festivities...I'm sure you all know what that's all about! Such a nice distraction from the woes of the world and before reality hit again on Sunday. At any rate, this one is August, stitched on another 28ct Silkweaver Solo with called for Weeks. Longing for some sunny days now!

Sunday I whipped out another mini biscornu necklace fob, this time with a pattern by Janie Hubble Designs (formerly Cat's Whiskers) http://janiehubble.com.au/
This is Peacock Feathers, a freebie you can get by signing up for her newsletter. Once you are on the list, you will receive the current newsletter link, and can access the newsletter archives, where other freebies are offered. Of course, to make it small for wearing on a chain, I stitched it over one using one strand of Gloriana's Tropical Seas. It's just over an inch across!

Next month I'll be using another of her freebies from the May newsletter, called High Tea!

My new start was my birthday present but I had to wait for the supplies to arrive from ECC...it's the new Chinese Garden Mandala from Chatelaine! My rotation has been working so well this year, I decided I needed a reward...another BAP! Watch for my first WiP picture later this month....;D

As promised, Evening in the Park update!

2011-04-28T14:09:00.004-04:00

Took over a week of stitching after dinner, but here's my latest picture update on Chatelaine's Evening in the Park.

Part 8 includes all four wall corners. Gates go in the openings, and the winter bare trees and lampposts sit around the outside of the walled areas. EP is now 2/3rds done! The fabric is a 32ct opalescent called Blue Mystery, from Silkweaver. Just the right touch for a rainy evening in old London maybe? I keep expecting 101 dalmatians sneaking around the corners!

Weekend stitching on next Kitty Kalendar cat

2011-04-20T15:53:00.004-04:00

Over last weekend I was able to squeeze a quick stitch on the July Kitty Kalendar cat from Val's Stuff. Plain old gray jobelan and Weeks with a few color adjustments due to stitching from stash. Another reason I miss my LNS that closed.

I am ready for summer after stitching this!

Now I am working on Chatelaine's Evening in the Park again. Happy Stitching!

Rose Garden Sampler SAL progress

2011-04-15T14:13:00.007-04:00

My last couple of weeks, I have been working slowly on the WDC Designs Rose Garden Sampler SAL, and now can say it's over 20% done. The entire top row of this 24 page design is complete. Stitching with DMC on 25ct white lugana, one over one.

I have so many large pieces going or just about to start, I am giving each one some attention, rotating thru them as I go, and mixing in some small designs to give myself a break. Next up is from the Kitty Kalendar series, and later this month, back to a neglected Chatelaine, Holland Landscapes.

April's Tiny Biscornu

2011-04-04T10:59:00.003-04:00

Over the weekend I stitched up another tiny biscornu from Tor Rhuann, the Daisy Garden. The fabric was a scrap of 28ct linen called watercress, thread from leftover kit floss. (always frugal with thread around here!) On the back I added little flowers of my own, inspired by the lazy daisy stitches on the front, and used french knots in the flower centers as contrast. You can see by the needle that this is really tiny, about an inch square!

This completes Belinda's Getting Squared Away series. I now have four tiny biscornu to wear on a chain! I will be going in search of more tiny patterns (16 stitches square or so) in my stash and on the web.

Now I'm going to spend a little time stitching on my Rose Garden Sampler at least until it's time to go down to the DMV and renew my driver's license....just like me to wait until the last day (my birthday!) to get it done! If it's not stitching (or reading) I just put it off. Going out to dinner with my hubby and daughter tonight, then stitching the evening away!

Castles in the Air progress report

2011-04-02T09:34:00.006-04:00

Hi all! So far, so good this year on keeping on my rotation! For the last week of March I was working on Papillon's Castles in the Air, adding part 14 along the bottom edge, which consists of two sides of a large blackwork gate covered with flowers. Anyone else stitching this might notice my little boo boo on the top of the gates. The fleur de lis motifs along the top should have all been in gold metallic, but I did not realize that until I had already done them in black, so I just did the larger post top ones in gold and left the smaller ones black. Se la vie...if you know what I mean!

Here is a close up of one side of the gate. The other is a mirror image.

Here is the entire piece so far....

Today I am going to finish up my monthly tiny biscornu and get out my next big project to work on. That is if I don't get caught by my latest new book by Jean Auel! We've waiting a long time for the last book in her series!

March Progress, April Goals

2011-04-01T16:15:00.012-04:00

March Recap

WiPs...
~Class project-Tree of Life Journal, Catherine Jordan Completed front panel!
~Hummingbird Mandala, Chatelaine...finish beading on center motif Done!
~Castles in the Air, Pt.14 Done!
~Rose Garden Sampler SAL...finish Pt.1 corner motif New Starts...
~Daffodils Tiny Biscornu Done!
~Micro 02, Chatelaine Done!
~Kitty Kalendar-June Done!
~By the Light of the Moon, Primitive Needle honor piece Done!
April Goals
WiPs...
~Rose Garden Sampler SAL...finish Pt.1 corner motif Pt.1 Done!
~Evening in the Park, pt.8 Working...
~Hummingbird Mandala, pt.2
New Starts...
~Daisy Garden Tiny Biscornu Done!
~Kitty Kalendar-July Done!
~Little House Fruit Series-Apples
~Winter Watergarden Mandala (yes, I am certifiable!)

Chatelaine Micro 02

2011-03-23T14:06:00.004-04:00

It's been busy this month, but I did manage to start and finish Chatelaine's Micro 02 mini mandala over the course of the last week or so. Each of this series (there will be 4 in all) have two different colorways. The fabric is a Silkweaver Solo, 32ct and sort of a lavender/green color. The threads and embellishments are as called for. I used the center over 1 section from one colorway, and the rest from the second, mainly because I LOVE the Gloriana Tropical Seas color and wanted to use it as much as possible! It is used on the center, the flower eyelets and the border woven stitches and corner eyelets.

Next up is Castles in the Air, from Papillon....starting on the blackwork fence!

Progress on a class project

2011-03-13T19:09:00.004-04:00

Last fall I attended the last of the Stitching Jubilee (formerly CATS) events. I took one class from a favorite teacher, Catherine Jordan of Catherine's Designs. This is the front panel of the Tree of Life Journal cover. Most of it is done in surface stitches, or crewel embroidery, the rest is counted work. It is about 3x4 inches. The fabric is a fine 40ct linen, ideal for crewel.

Below you can see the back panel I have yet to tackle. The edges will be hemmed and the cover will go over the little blank book. This was an adventure back to my stitching roots, as crewel was the first embroidery style I learned as a child. In fact my mom has several little birds I did in high school that I have recovered to re-frame properly. I really enjoy doing the variety of stitches in a more relaxed format, tho' counted work will always be my favorite.

Off to a new start, my reward for the progress!

Val's Stuff Kitty Kalendar again...

2011-03-11T14:14:00.004-05:00

First off, I'm watching CNN's coverage of the Japanese earthquake disaster, and my thoughts and prayers are going out to everyone there, including those around the entire Pacific Rim who are feeling the effects of an 8.9 earthquake off Japan, and the resulting tsunami. Over 50 aftershocks in excess of 5 have come thru from the USGS in my email inbox. It's just stunning.

Our own little troubles pale in comparison.

I finished my June Kitty last night and wanted to post a pic. This one is very colorful and makes me smile. May it do the same for anyone visiting.

Tiny Daffy Biscornu!

2011-03-08T15:36:00.005-05:00

Last night I sat down to watch tv, and by bedtime this tiny biscornu was done!
Stitched on a scrap of 28ct pearl linen, with leftover threads from another project. Design is a freebie from Tor Rhuann Designs.

My third tiny biscornu made into a necklace....it is small enough to fit in the blossom of a daffodil flower!

I have daffys and jonquils blooming already in early March! This little daffodil biscornu fits right in don't you think? Happy Spring!

In honor of Lisa Roswell...

2011-03-07T14:26:00.003-05:00

Not everyone may have heard about the death of Lisa Roswell of the Primitive Needle in the flooding in Ohio last Monday, the 28th of February. I have only a few of her patterns, but joined in a Facebook SAL in her honor over the just past weekend to show support to her family, friends and fans at this time. I stitched a small Halloween piece called By the Light of the Moon, which is a freebie and can be found here. Stitching from stash, I took some liberties with the threads, which are all Weeks. The fabric is 25ct, stitched over 1. The border is stitched with Weeks Trick or Treat. Lisa was very fond of Halloween themes. May she rest in peace.

Chatelaine's Hummingbird Mandala

2011-03-04T15:52:00.003-05:00

Martina called this her sparkliest mandala ever, and I believe the correct name is Sparkling Elegance, but everyone just calls it the Hummingbird Mandala. Anything with birds catches my eye (why else do I own every chart by Crossed Wing?) and the hummers on this one are stitched over one to boot, so how could I resist? At any rate, it was released last August and it took me a while to decide on fabric, so I just got started on it last week, in the center as usual.

This is my floss toss (minus DMC, about 2 dozen colors) on the blue 28ct opalescent I chose. You can see it has tons of Delica beads, and plenty of crystals too!

I spent about a week and a half getting the stitching and beads this far....

The four flowers at 12, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock are different in color, and the four hummers visiting them are all different too. I will get to those when this comes back around in my rotation in a couple of months. It's hard to tell, but there are a ton of beads on it already! Here is a close up that proves my point!

I think it's time for another biscornu this weekend, just to rest the eyes!

February Recap, March Goals

2011-03-01T20:10:00.007-05:00

February Recap
WiPs...
~Rose Garden Sampler SAL, Pt.1 2nd page Done!
~Evening in the Park, pt.7 Done!
~Class project-Tree of Life Journal, Catherine Jordan Postponed...
New Starts...
~Entwined Hearts Tiny Biscornu Done!
~Free Bird, Pine Mt. Designs Done!
~Hummingbird Mandala (finally starting it!)Center part done but for beads

March Goals
WiPs....
~Class project-Tree of Life Journal, Catherine Jordan Front Panel done!
~Hummingbird Mandala, Chatelaine...finish beading center motif Done!
~Castles in the Air, Pt.14 Done!
~Rose Garden Sampler SAL...finish Pt.1 corner motif Postponed...
New Starts...
~By the Light of the Moon Done!
~Daffodils Tiny Biscornu Done!
~Micro 02, Chatelaine Done!
~Kitty Kalendar-June Done!

Chatelaine UFO comes out for some love...

2011-02-22T16:03:00.003-05:00

Hey all! I got out my oldest Chatelaine WiP/UFO to work on this month! I started it in 2006 and was stuck at the halfway mark, but in order to justify buying TWO more Chatelaine mandalas, I decided I'd better give the two in process some love while waiting for supplies to arrive! Plus I already had the Hummingbird Mandala all kitted and my reward for stitching on Evening in the Park (adding pt.7) was to finally start the Hummingbirds, which I got last August.

Next month I'll get out Holland Landscapes and my reward there will be to start the Winter Watergarden (more birds!). By the time the Chinese Garden Mandala comes out in April and I have my supplies for it, I should be well ready for my 5th Chatelaine mandala!

Those 5 plus my Rose Garden Sampler will rotate, two each month for a week each, give or take a day. In between I'll work on smalls. At any rate, here's the progress pic! (and a close up of one corner band of pt.7)

Update on the Rose Garden Sampler

2011-02-18T15:33:00.004-05:00

Last week I was working on Rose Garden Sampler and completed another page of 24 total pages for the pattern.....20 pages to go! Here it is so far....

I have one more page on the top edge, another corner section, and then I can move down. I am doing it over 1 on 25ct lugana with just 6 colors.

Now I have rotated to an old WiP, Chatelaine's Evening in the Park, and am working on it this weekend, hoping to finish part 7 of 12. Pics to follow!

What I did during the Super Bowl....

2011-02-08T17:15:00.003-05:00

Hey, I didn't have a horse in the Super Bowl "race" so while others cheered, or not, I was stitching this cute design from Pine Mountain called Free Bird (completed with tuck pillow!)

Better get back to my BAP Rose Garden Sampler if I'm going to finish a page this week!

Happy Stitching!

Biscornu tutorial!

2011-02-04T16:16:00.019-05:00

Yep, I did another mini biscornu, and this time I took some progress pics so I could write a tutorial on how to make the little critters! I should probably not say "little" because I've made one that is big enough to serve as a sofa pillow before, although most are in the 3" range. Visit my Webshots biscornu album if you are interested...link is in right bar. I spent the weekend doing some hand stitching on my JCS class project, and was at a good stopping place to rotate on to my February biscornu, so here you go.....

This biscornu is another freebie from Tor Rhuann Designs, under Getting Squared Away. It is just 16x16 stitches and is called Entwined Hearts, perfect for Valentine's Day this month! I used 32ct Zweigart Baby Lotion linen and Crescent Colors Ruby Slippers thread. The center beads are real red coral beads from a rock shop in upstate New York.

After stitching the design, and backstitching around it (two threads out), I made the back by using the little corner motifs and adding my initials and the year ('11).

Then I cut them apart and added some small squares of iron-on interfacing to the backs of each side to give them some stability. They should not cover the outer backstitch lines. Trim the edges to remove bulk before you start, but not too close.

You should then finger press the edges along the bs line, and align the parts as shown, with the corner of the front lined up to the top edge of the back, at the center. That will make the back upright. The front on this piece is symetrical, so there is no "top edge".

Start whip stitching thru the loops of the bs line, matching them up as you go. Here is where you realize that the pattern should be square with sides having the same number of stitches in order to match up correctly.

When you come to the corners give an extra whip into the last stitch on the side, and the first stitch on the new side, just to reinforce the corners.

Keep traveling around the edge, whip stitching as you go. If you would like you can add beads every other stitch as you go to give it a nice edging.

Here you can see I have gone about half way around and the biscornu is beginning to take shape. You can also see how the interfacing makes it stiffer and easier to stitch around.

From a different angle....

If you peek inside now, you can see how the raw edges collect in the interior corners.

Nearing the end, you can see the points are staying sharp and crisp.

Take a small amount of fiber fill and poke it inside...

It won't take much on this tiny biscornu. Larger ones you can pack loose or tight, your preference.

Once you reach this point, with only two sides left to whip, it can get a little fiddley. I tuck in the long straight side first, stitch to the point and tuck in the final edge, reinforcing the corners and final connection well.

It is now completed closed. I finish at the same place I started, so now I sew on a necklace "bail" at the point. You can find these "bail" rings in the jewelry section at Michaels or AC Moores. If you want to use it as a scissor fob, add a cord or ribbon just before you close the final few stitches and make sure it's secure.

At this point, you can add a bead or button to the center by threading thru each side's bead two or three times and pulling the thread tight to dimple the center to your preference. If you'd rather leave it un-dimpled that's okay too!

Mine is now done, with a chain added to wear as a necklace!

Here are both tiny biscornu I have made....so far! I plan to make one each month this year, and I will then have a complete set of interchangeable necklace fobs to wear year round!

January Recap, February Goals

2011-02-02T15:21:00.001-05:00

January Recap
WiPs.....
~Castles in the Air, Pt.13 Done!
~Rose Garden Sampler SAL
~JCS Class project-Catherine Jordan
~Jubilee Class project-Jackie du Plessis Progress made...
New Starts....
~Kitty Kalendar-May Done!
~Scissors Biscornu Necklace Done!
~Just Nan Christmas Secret Done!
~Hummingbird, Teresa Wentzler Done!
~Chatelaine Micro 01 Done!

February Goals
WiPs...
~Rose Garden Sampler SAL, Pt.1
~Evening in the Park, pt.7
~JCS Class project-Catherine Jordan (hopefully!)
New Starts...
~Entwined Hearts Tiny Biscornu
~Hummingbird Mandala (finally starting it!)

As you all may notice, I'm gonna be stitching Chatelaines a lot this month! Have to make some progress to justify the TWO new ones I want to buy this year!
Wish me luck.....

Micro mini mandala!

2011-01-27T16:42:00.002-05:00

Hello all! Here is a picture of my completed Micro 01 by Chatelaine Designs. It is still a little crooked before being stretched and framed with it's sister micros to come.

I made a lot of color changes, in fact all of them but one!
The colors I used....
DMC 335
DMC 368 (in place of 3348)
DMC 367 (in place of 734)
DMC 890 (in place of black 310 and pearl gray 415)
Caron Meadow 003 varigated green/pink (in place of SNC 055 Camouflage)
SNC 084 Fairy Rose (in place of SNC Carnation Pink)
PTB 25 gold braid (in place of PTB 36)

My fabric is a 32ct Silkweaver Solo lugana, medium green in color.

The central round area follows the pinker version 2, the interior corners and outer dark band follows version 1, except I used dark green 890 in place of the black 310. Also, I used the green beads (4) in place of the gold beads (1).

Looking forward to Micro 02 now!
There are going to be four in the series, all 68x68 stitches, in different color pallets.

Castles progress pic and another small

2011-01-18T10:32:00.006-05:00

So far so good in the stitching department this month! I added part 13 to Castles in the Air last week (the round sections at the bottom edge) and got another small done over the long weekend. Here's the progress pic....

And this is the newest of Teresa Wentzler's freebies...Hummingbird! Stitched on 18ct ice blue linen over 2 and over 1 for the hummer....made it into an ornament for spring....which I hope is going to be early this year! I stitched the border and corner motifs again for the back.

Another small from Just Nan

2011-01-10T14:28:00.003-05:00

Another small finished on Sunday before moving on to some SALs....this is Just Nan's Christmas Secret! A small tin liner in redwork was fun to stitch up on a scrap of linen.

Next up, some more stitching on Castles in the Air....we are supposed to get MORE snow/ice today in NC so I should have some good stitching time....as long as we keep the power on!

First finishes of 2011!

2011-01-08T18:31:00.004-05:00

Happy New Year to everyone! Starting off the stitching year with some smalls....another Kitty Kalendar for May, and my monthly biscornu. I'm going to stitch all 12 of the Val's Stuff Kitties and switch them out of a single frame monthly (not to mention using them on my Facebook page each month).

This tiny biscornu is another freebie from Tor Rhuann Designs under "Getting Squared Away", which has 4 patterns, this one being the Scissors design. It was stitched on 32ct pearl linen with gold treasure braid and DMC. My college class ring is shown for scale, just so you can see how small it really is! I am starting my monthly biscornus this year with this design and other small designs that I can actually wear as a necklace just by adding a small bail for a plain gold chain.

I was running out of places to put my biscornu (have been making them since 2007) had a brainstorm!

Goals for the New Year

2011-01-03T20:56:00.006-05:00

December Recap
WiPs....
~Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow, Block 12 Done!
~Castles in the Air, Pt.13 Boy am I far behind!
~Rose Garden Sampler SAL Another one I didn't get to....
~3 gift ornies finished Done!
New Starts...
~Cardinal Ornament Done!
~Kitty Kalendar-March Done!
~Kitty Kalendar-April Done!
~Wreath Biscornu Done!
~JCS Christmas at Williamsburg class project Started...

January Goals
WiPs.....
~Castles in the Air, Pt.13 Done!
~JCS Class project
~Jubilee Class project
New Starts....
~Kitty Kalendar-May Done!
~Scissors Biscornu Necklace Done!
~Just Nan's Christmas Secret Done!
~Teresa Wentzler's Hummingbird Done!
~Chatelaine Micro 01

2011 Goals
In looking forward to my 2011 stitching, I have 4 UFOs that have not seen action in over a year, and 6 WiPs that I'd like to get to at least once in 2011.
I am also trying to stitch one biscornu a month, and finish the Val's Stuff Kitty Kalendar monthly kitties (on the 5th one now). Then there is the Hummingbird Mandala from Chatelaine, and the micro series, of which I have the first kitted.....and the Winter Watergarden is calling to me too.....will have to see what calls loudest! In the meantime.....

WiPs
~Holland Landscapes, Chatelaine 58% done
~Castles in the Air SAL, Papillon 50% done
~Breaking Dawn, Kustom Krafts--12% done
~Rose Garden Sampler, WDC Designs--8% done
~Tisket a Tasket Pansy Basket class project--begun
~Tree of Life Journal Cover class project--begun

UFOs
~Evening in the Park, Chatelaine--51% done
~Companions, TW--21% done
~New Zealand Map, Heritage Stitchcraft--2% done
~Flower Power, Crossed Wing--1% done

My Webshots WiP album has pictures of all my WiPs/UFOs if anyone wants to follow the link in the right side bar.

Final stitching of 2010

2011-01-01T17:02:00.004-05:00

Christmas and the week after were busy as I had relatives in town so I didn't have much time to stitch. I dug out a little NeedleMagic kit that I could carry around with me and stitch whenever I had some time. Finished just before midnight on December 31st! Here is my little Christmas Cardinal, with a bell to ring in the New Year.....

I have a hockey game to watch tonight, my Carolina Hurricanes against NJ Devils....go 'Canes!
Tomorrow I'll post my wrap-up of 2010, and my goals for 2011, in the stitching category anyway! Other resolutions hardly make it a month, but somehow I keep on stitching....;-)
Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season, and may you all have a productive and safe New Year in 2011!!

More kitty kats....

2010-12-24T09:47:00.003-05:00

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!

2010-12-23T11:23:00.004-05:00

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!

2010-12-22T13:00:00.004-05:00

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

2010-12-09T10:25:00.004-05:00

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!

2010-12-01T13:50:00.007-05:00

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

2010-11-30T22:57:00.003-05:00

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

2010-11-20T14:05:00.004-05:00

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

2010-11-12T17:43:00.003-05:00

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!

2010-11-02T14:37:00.003-04:00

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!

2010-11-01T12:02:00.004-04:00

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

2010-10-30T15:05:00.003-04:00

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!

2010-10-25T13:18:00.005-04:00

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

2010-10-11T11:10:00.002-04:00

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

2010-10-02T09:05:00.003-04:00

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

2010-09-29T15:56:00.004-04:00

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

2010-09-25T11:36:00.012-04:00

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....

2010-09-22T14:43:00.005-04:00

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

2010-09-20T13:25:00.003-04:00

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

2010-09-17T11:39:00.004-04:00

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?

2010-09-09T13:49:00.004-04:00

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

2010-09-09T13:44:00.005-04:00

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!

2010-09-09T13:37:00.004-04:00

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

2010-09-01T16:38:00.005-04:00

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...

2010-08-29T13:02:00.003-04:00

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...

2010-08-26T13:33:00.002-04:00

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!

2010-08-22T12:20:00.004-04:00

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

2010-08-15T16:58:00.003-04:00

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!

2010-08-12T11:49:00.006-04:00

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

2010-08-05T11:20:00.003-04:00

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

2010-08-02T14:07:00.003-04:00

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

2010-08-02T14:03:00.008-04:00

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!

2010-07-26T13:43:00.003-04:00

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!

2010-07-17T12:34:00.004-04:00

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.

July Biscornu

2010-07-07T18:08:00.003-04:00

This pattern by Paw Printings has been in my stash and kitted for several years. When I came across it recently, I realized it was square and could be made into a biscornu. It called for 18ct linen in Wild Raspberry (Wichelt) but I had only 32ct, thus its a small one, only 2.5 inches across. The center was supposed to have a MH treasure heart, which would not work, thus the pretty button! The back is plain. It is called Raspberry Parfait, c2004.

Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow progress report, and more!

2010-07-05T12:32:00.004-04:00

I finished the 6th part of CaHRH last week, and am now celebrating the half way point!

Made a couple of changes...the horse pulling the sleigh is now palomino, and has a collar and traces...how else could he pull it? LOL!

Over the 4th of July weekend I also stitched up this Victoria Sampler piece from the Hearts of America series, #18 for Louisiana. I love the little pelican!

June recap, July goals!

2010-07-02T11:58:00.008-04:00

June Recap
WiPs...
~Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow, Block 6 Done!
~Castles in the Air, Pt.10 Both pts. 9 and 10 Done!
~Dragon Feathers Afghan did some hemming...
New Starts...
~biscornu...Sweetheart Tree's Strawberry Quilt Block Done!
~new start...Little House's Blueberries Done!
~new start....Val's Stuff-April Showers Done!

July Goals
WiPs.....
~Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow, Block 7 Done!
~Castles in the Air, Pt.11 Nope, hopefully next month!
~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!

Stitching at the beach and family reunion....

2010-06-28T16:37:00.010-04:00

Back from the Outer Banks (OBX to us natives!) where a fun time was had by all! At the peak there were 29 of us, 3 generations including my dad and his sister, my three brothers, several spouses (used to us by now!) and nearly all the cousins, including a baker's dozen of second cousins! We ate well, laughed a lot, saw a slide show of the prior generations and us in our youth, played games, went site-seeing, enjoyed the pool and the ocean, told stories and watched some soccer. I'm exausted!

Crazy cousins!

I even managed to finish one small stitching project and nearly finish a second (which I put the final touches on while doing laundry back home). First is Blueberries by Little House Needleworks, from the Fruit Series. Fabric is a 28ct Silkweaver Solo, threads are Crescent Colors. I added the butterfly button.

Second is from Val's Stuff, called April Showers. It is stitched on 28ct sage/white Graziano linen with Weeks floss, and JABC buttons called for. It was really fun and I'm sure kept the rain away, as it was HOT and sunny all week at the beach!

More framing back, and beach trip starts!

2010-06-19T14:17:00.002-04:00

Hi all! These are the last two framed pieces back from my LNS for now. Bent Creek's The Branch is going in my kitchen, and I'm still looking for a good spot for Liz Turner Diehl's 17th Century Italian Garden to hang. I finished it late last year after a time in UFO neverland!

Now I'm in the final throes of packing for our beach vacation on the Outer Banks, way way out on the OBX in fact! (thank goodness my DMIL is pet sitting!) Sun, sand and a sea breeze for stitching on the deck I hope! No web access so unless we find a web hot spot I'll be out of touch with the world at large, but enjoing Mother Nature's most beautiful beachfront, and reconnecting with my side of the family....29 folks, 10 of which are teenagers! Wish me luck!

Besides some books, I'm taking my Dragon Feathers afghan to hem in the car, and 4 small new start projects. Hopefully I'll get a couple of them finished too. Have a great week and happy stitching!

Another biscornu and some framing!

2010-06-14T12:42:00.005-04:00

Hey y'all! Happy Summer Vacation! Hope everyone is finding time to stitch.

This latest finish for me is from Sweetheart Tree's line of Teenie Tweenies, and came with all the embelishments. It is called the Strawberry Quilt Block. I used a 28ct pink fabric, Weeks thread (the border), DMC, and a pink glass heart bead for the back (which is left plain).....

....and here is the biscornu! Many small square designs work well for biscornu, and they are a breeze to finish.

This is a gift I finished stitching earlier this year, and is now framed. It's a name tree from M Designs for a new cousin in the family.

I stitched this freebie from Papillon a few years ago, and took advantage of a frequent shopper discount at my LNS to get it and two other peacock motifs framed in matching black frames. I have a nice blue wall in the home office in need of some decoration!

This one I finished last year, a design called Alla Turca by Pelin Tezer. It is stitched on Aquamarine linen from Silkweaver, over 1! I adusted it somewhat for balance and added the gold treasure braid to the Weeks Peacock floss.

This is the third peacock, a freebie from The Workbasket ladies called Peacock Repose, stitched on tea-dyed linen with Weeks fibers.

I have one more to take a picture of, and one ready to be picked up still, both were finishes this year. I am now working on part 6 of Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow, and sorting thru the stash for projects I can take on vacation soon!

More Castles progress!

2010-06-09T14:00:00.005-04:00

Part 10 of Castles was pretty easy, so I'm back posting more pics. Not much visible change, just the addition of two heart topiary trees on the borders. Here is a close up of one, the other is just done in different colors. Still thinking about beach projects....another biscornu for sure, and maybe some ornies.....hard to decide!

Castles in the Air progress report

2010-06-07T16:32:00.004-04:00

Well, I finally got back to Papillon's Castles project, and finished part 9 last week. Now working on part 10. Here is a close up, and the entire piece so far! The pics are clickable.

Still debating what to take to the beach later this month....must be small and portable...and calling my name!

May Recap, June Goals

2010-06-02T16:01:00.006-04:00

May Progress
WiPs...
~Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow, Block 4 Done!
~Castles in the Air, Pt. 9 Working...(part 9 done June 4th)
~Dragon Feathers Afghan Got another block done...2 to go!
New Starts...
~Frogscornu, Barbara Ana Done!
~Candy Cane Cat, Chessie & Me (2004 JCS ornie issue) Done!
~Hang in There, Elizabeth's Designs Done!

June Goals
WiPs...
~Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow, Block 6 Working...
~Castles in the Air, Pt.10 Done!
~Dragon Feathers Afghan Did some hemming...
New Starts...
~biscornu--Sweetheart Tree's Strawberry Quilt Block Done!
~new start-Blueberries, Little House Done!
~new start-April Showers, Val's Stuff Working...

Meow! Another ornament done!

2010-05-30T11:44:00.005-04:00

I have been trying to catch up on all the JCS ornament issue favorites for a while! This one is from the 2004 issue, by Chessie & Me. I left off the border and smyrna stars so it would match her other cats. There have been several, and they are in my Webshots ornament album if you are interested. I am going to ornamentify them with the same holiday fabric....sooner rather than later I hope!

Last finish this month, as I am getting back to Castles in the Air today!

Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow, May update

2010-05-28T19:39:00.004-04:00

I finished the 4th block of Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow last night. This block necessitated adding filling stitches to the night sky to show the snowflakes. They were hard to see otherwise!

Started with the dark blue also used in block 6, and then used a slightly lighter shade. Tried a third blue, but the deer was hard to see so left it white. Live and learn!

Going to try and squeeze in an ornie before the month is over...and pick a project to take on vacation next month!

Stitching and Finishing...done!

2010-05-19T14:11:00.004-04:00

April and May have been pretty busy this year! Thankfully, over the last week or so I managed to get both some stitching and some finishing done! I finished stitching the Barbara Ana design "Frogscornu" and also finished it off into it's biscornu form. The fabric is a 32ct Silkweaver solo from my stash, as were the buttons. The back side is plain. I love the expression of "frog scorn" on the face of the frog prince!

Last Saturday I also finished up the Hummel pillow for my mom's birthday (it's displayed on her sofa now!). The kit came with backing fabric, but I used the blue floral you see for the back to match her decor.

This last little thing is from Elizabeth's Designs, a chartpack that came with the charm. Stitched it over the weekend and framed it in a small frame I had on hand. The fabric is from my stash as well, 28ct platinum linen.

Now I'm back to working on block 4 of Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow. More to come!

Dinky-Dyes Luna Park Biscornu

2010-05-04T16:08:00.005-04:00

Started and finished this in a couple of days to close out the month of April, and then got the Dragon Feathers afghan out for a change of pace!

This is by Jo at Dinky-Dyes, stitched with silk that came with the chart, and on 28ct white opalescent cashel. I love how colorful it is!

It's been really busy lately, as we are getting some repairs done on the house...both porches and a window that had to be replaced, plus painting the exterior. Now if we could just get the grass to grow.....