More kitty kats....

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

And here is April!

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

Christmas ornaments!

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


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



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

Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow done!

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

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

My December Biscornu

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

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

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

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

Keeping it simple this month!

Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow report

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

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

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

Happy Stitching!

Small finishes

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

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

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

Rose Garden Sampler progress report

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



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

Another San-Man done!

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

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

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

Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow update

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

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

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

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

Halloween stitching!

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

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

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

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

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

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