X Marks My Spot

Latest Stitching and 2011 in Review

2012-02-02T09:59:00.000-08:00

Though I feel like I'm stitching all the time, I've had little to show for it lately. Over the holidays I managed to complete one small piece of work.

Joy and Peace
Little House Needleworks
GAST, CC, and DMC

I changed it slightly to make the garland around the tree red instead of white - I'm pretending it's a garland of cranberries. Hmmm, maybe I should have made it red and white - then it would have been cranberries and popcorn.

And Oakhaven Designs has started a new SAL for 2012. This time it's cats. Here's January's cat.

Oops - Ernie, get out of the way so people can see it! Yes, I know real cats are more important than stitched ones, but...

I'm still working on Summer Song - I've hit a big block of brown stitches and it's tedious, especially on the black fabric, so I've slowed down on it. I'm also stitching a monochromatic design, and it's seen me through episodes of Downton Abbey (it's good to have something else to focus on when the war scenes come on).

For 2010 I had something like 19 finishes. In 2011 I had quite a few less, in part because of the two SALs I participated in. We'll see what this year brings. I finished:

Owl SAL by Oakhaven Designs

Mystery SAL by iStitch Designs

Jenny Bean's Christmas Sampler by Shakespeare's Peddler

The North Wind by Little House Needleworks

Sew a Brown Bunny by iStitch Designs

Dandy Dreams by Silver Creek Samplers

Blue Moon by Brightneedle

Snow White by Little House Needleworks

Souvenir de France by Blackbird Designs

This year I'd like to work on my finishing skills, which are rudimentary at best. I'm tired of having piles of stitched linen piled up in a container, instead of out where I can see them. There's lots of inspiration out there, so hopefully I can bring this New Year's Resolution to fruition!

A Souvenir for the Holidays

2011-12-17T04:31:00.000-08:00

My sister (who doesn't read my blog, so I can post this) and her daughter went to Paris last summer, so I thought I would stitch her a memento of her trip for Christmas. I was so happy to find this free chart by Blackbird Designs. This was only my second time putting cording around the edges - I always dread joining the ends, and I knew this design didn't lend itself to a bow to hide the inexpert join. Thanks to Carol from Stitching Dreams (finisher par excellence), who gave me some tips, it at least is presentable (it actually looks less pronounced for real than it does in the pictures). I hope it brings back some happy memories for my sister.

Souvenir de France

Blackbird Designs
28 count cashel linen
Belle Soie Ocean Tide

End of the Owl SAL (sob)

2011-12-14T14:32:00.000-08:00

It's all over - the owl SAL is finished. This was my first stitch-a-long and it was such fun. I will really miss stitching these little owls. I'm looking forward to what Tonia has in store for next year.

December Owl

Completed Owl SAL
Oakhaven Designs

I had the misfortune to come down with pneumonia at Thanksgiving, so I've spent a fair amount of time lolling on the couch and stitching. My latest project is from a fairly recent Just CrossStitch magazine (I can't remember which one offhand). It's called Summer Song by Midsummer Night Design. Other than ornaments, it's the first thing from the magazine I've ever stitched, despite having been a subscriber since 2006. I enjoy getting it but don't often find the projects calling to me. So I was pleased to find this one. It's nice to be working on something summery as the winter winds start to roll in.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas/Chanukah/New Year!

A Finished SAL and a Nearly Finished One

2011-11-11T11:05:00.000-08:00

I'm so sorry that the iStitch Mystery SAL is over - it was such fun to get each successive design and to rush to get it completed. I was always so thrilled when my picture got into the first slide show (not very often!) I'm so happy with the way it turned out. Now I just need to figure out how to finish it. We don't have Hobby Lobby here in the east so I can't use the box it's designed for, but hopefully I will find something else. Thank you to Carol for making this SAL possible!

And here's November's owl - only one more to go. I do wonder what December's will look like. I don't know what I'll do when all my SALs are finished. Of course, maybe I'll get something else accomplished! I bought a Halloween design that I never got to, and except for the bag of candy in our kitchen, that feels like it was ages ago. Yesterday at the hairdresser they were playing Christmas music so that's probably where I should be putting my stitching energy. Hmmm, maybe if I finish my (not) Jenny Bean Christmas Sampler, it would count...

October SAL Pictures

2011-10-22T16:41:00.000-07:00

This will be short and sweet - I'm just posting my latest SAL pictures:

This is the October owl from Oakhaven Designs. I didn't realize it when I took the picture, but you can barely see the little white ghost to the right of the owl - those two black things are his eyes. You can only faintly see the white stitching for his body. He certainly is ghostlike in this picture!

And here's Part 6 of the iStitch Mystery SAL. Part 7 arrived in my inbox yesterday and I've made a small start on it. Then there's only one more part to go!

SAL Progress

2011-09-25T10:44:00.000-07:00

For a slow stitcher like me, the SALs I am participating in are just perfect - each one has just the right amount of stitching so I can keep up. I'm determined not to fall behind in either of them. Here's my latest progress.

First up is September's owl from Oakhaven Designs. It's been such fun to see what kind of owl Tonia will come up with each month. My son's friends have seen me stitching on this, and now every time they come over they ask to see the latest owl. This little white-winged guy is supposed to have French knots for his eyes, but I just can't seem to do them on Aida, so he gets the sleepy-eyed look.

And the Mystery SAL from iStitch keeps getting prettier and prettier. This is what it looks like through Part 5, which I finished this morning. The next part won't be released until October 8th - I'm going to be in withdrawal!

The Frame Game

2011-09-12T15:03:00.000-07:00

I had a couple of my more recent finishes framed at Joann Fabrics. Finding the right frame for a piece is no easy task! I really wasn't sure what would be best for Dandy Dreams, and struggled to find something that fit. I had a very opinionated framer helping me who felt that it should be matted because it was fairly small, but I resisted, though I did let her convince me to use glass for both pieces - something I continue to be ambivalent about. I'm curious - what do people think about the glass issue? To use glass, or not to use glass, that is the question. In any case, I ended up with a frame that I don't really love, but the color is exactly the color of the lettering and the rough texture seems to go with the design. So I'm going to live with it.

Dandy Dreams
Silver Creek Samplers
28 count Chime linen and DMC

With The North Wind I again chose not to mat it. This frame has a little bit of blue running along the inside beveled edge that you can't really see in the picture. I like this one a lot.

The North Wind
Little House Needleworks
Meadow Mist Belfast/Crescent Colours and DMC

Now my only problem is finding places to hang these pictures. I don't have a lot of unused real estate for wall space. There's one perfect wall but it contains my husband's poster of a cyclist climbing the Going to the Sun Highway, and I would fear for my marriage if I ever suggested taking it down.

I also stitched up a small LHN design called Snow White, though I used Mer Bleu Belle Soie instead of the Icing it called for. Blue is such an icy color - it just seemed to fit the piece.

Finally, I've been enjoying the iStitch Mystery SAL, and here it is up to Part 3. As I told Carol. I was really relieved the latest section was tiny - last week I scratched my cornea, which put a big crimp in my stitching life. After three different medicines I seem to be on the mend, and I'm looking forward to Part 4!

I just gor the September Owl chart from Oakhaven Designs, so I'm off to get that going. Hopefully my eye will cooperate!

Jenny Bean No More

2011-08-14T12:59:00.000-07:00

My title sounds like I lost Jenny Bean's Christmas Sampler, but fortunately that is not the case (though I remember with a shudder my temporary loss of Sew Spooky). As I came into the home stretch on JB, I realized that I didn't want someone else's name on my work. Maybe this is why I haven't yet tried stitching a reproduction sampler, in spite of often gazing with envy at the beautiful work of others. I've never changed anything before, other than floss colors, but with a little bit of guilt, I charted my initials instead of the name, and added the little motifs on either side. While I was at it I made a few other alterations - I didn't like the eyelet B, so I made up another letter style, and I changed the block shapes on the front of the barn (I'm into symmetry, I guess). I dated the sampler with the current year. Oh, and I removed the extra W and X in the alphabet - I couldn't figure out why they were there other than to fill in space, but I think it looks okay without them. So here's my version of Jenny Bean's Christmas Sampler, sans the final border - I ran out of Rose Garden and had to order another skein - don't you hate when that happens?

I've done a few other little things lately - this is Blue Moon, a freebie by Brightneedle:

And here's August's owl:

Last but not least, I was lucky to get to sign up for the iStitch Mystery SAL, and just completed Part 1 this afternoon. It's my first project with 40 count linen, and I'm using HDF Beleaved - the greens are a little darker than they show up in the picture. I'm so excited to be participating in this, and am determined to keep up!

The only other thing I'm working on right now is Snow White, by Little House Needleworks, which I'm actually stitching in blue. But I just kitted up a project that will be my first foray into using black linen, which may make for some interesting challenges. I hope to get started on that one soon.

Dandy Dreams Done

2011-07-26T04:56:00.000-07:00

I finished Dandy Dreams - what an enjoyable project to stitch. I wish the photo showed the buttery yellow color of the linen better than it does. I think this is the first piece I've ever made that didn't have a misplaced stitch in it! I'm so used to fudging it - I could hardly believe it when everything fell into the right place. Though I did change the yellow designs in the border, since I didn't like them being asymmetrical - this way they look more like full dandelions in bloom.

Dandy Dreams
Silver Creek Samplers
Picture This Plus Chime Linen
DMC

Here's July's owl - this was a really quick one. I'm certainly amassing quite an owlery - they'd fit right in at Hogwarts. The January owl reminds me of Hedwig.

I have had such trouble uploading and placing pictures, and finally realized that there was a new editor that made everything easier. It's so nice that everything doesn't load at the top of the page anymore!

Jumping on the Dandy Wagon

2011-06-26T16:24:00.000-07:00

I've seen quite a few versions of Silver Creek Samplers' Dandy Dreams floating around, and while on vacation, I started a new one. I ordered the recommended Picture This Plus linen in Chime from 123stitch - it took over two months to get but it was worth it - I love the look and feel of it. It's a very substantial fabric in a light mottled yellow color. So far the stitching has not been without its issues. I thought I had brought all the required floss with me, but found that I had left the skein for the lettering at home. So I ran to Michael's five minutes before closing, only to find that they were out of that color (don't you hate when that happens?) I looked yearningly at the WalMart nearby, remembering when they used to carry floss - oh the good old days. So I focused on getting the border done. A cautionary tale for those who plan to stitch this - the grids at the bottom of the chart only have nine stitches, even if it looks like there are ten. Unfortunately I realized this only after I'd stitched the left hand border and bottom row, so the frogs came to visit - how did they know to follow me to Florida? Here's my progress so far (I made one slight change - I didn't like the unfinished look of the little round things in the border, so I made them symmetrical). In other stitching news, I finished June's owl for the Oakhaven Designs SAL:

Here's what the first six months of owls looks like:

And that's about all the news from here. Hope everyone is having a good summer so far!

A Finish and a Find

2011-06-02T15:38:00.001-07:00

The North Wind has finally blown and it's finished. You might be forgiven for thinking that this is a spring scene rather than a winter one, since the Icing Belle Soie for the snow just didn't show up very well on the blue linen. You can see it a little better in real life than in the picture, but all-in-all I'm a bit disappointed. Oh well, it's still a pretty design even if it's not that snowy.

The North Wind
Little House Needleworks
Belfast linen - Meadow Mist
Crescent Colours, Belle Soie and DMC

After finishing NW I went back to Jenny Bean's Christmas Sampler. This one has its own issues with the loosely woven linen, but it's a lovely design. It's about to go on hiatus again though, because the June Oakhaven Designs Owl chart just came out, so I'll be working on that for a bit.

This weekend my sister and I stopped in at an antique mall, and I decided to see if I could find a flower frog to use to store my scissors. I didn't see any, but then my sister asked about them at the checkout counter. Lo and behold, I was thrilled to be shown this one. It has a base and a lid - isn't it pretty? It cost a grand total of $6.75 - quite a bargain. My sister was very surprised to see it - she thought I really wanted something that looked like a frog!

My First Decorated Pillow

2011-05-18T03:30:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed stitching iStitch's Sew a Brown Bunny, and finishing it was such fun. Thanks to Carol of Stitching Dreams, I learned the secret of attaching ric-rac (what a relief to learn I didn't have to sew it and could glue it instead). I chose the hot pink to pick up the color of the little heart and the flowers in the fabric. I have Michele to thank for the sweet gift of this chart - Michele, I loved every stitch!

Sew a Brown Bunny
iStitch Designs
R&R Abecedarian Blend
DMC and Crescent Colours

My other stitching has mostly been for the Oakhaven Designs Owl Sal - below are the April and May pieces. I'm looking forward to June - wonder what the theme of the month will be?

April Owl

May Owl

I'm still plugging away on The North Wind, and hope to post a finished picture soon. It's time to be stitching on something springy!

Giveaway Winner

2011-04-13T18:46:00.000-07:00

My son picked a name for the giveaway - it's Marilyn! Thanks to all who entered - I wish I had more copies of the book.

A Fantastic RAK and 100th Post Giveaway

2011-03-29T12:25:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I got an email from Carol from iStitch, with the most wonderful surprise. Michele from Just Another Stitching Blog had RAK'd me with Sew a Brown Bunny, Carol's newest design. I'd had my eye on it since it was released but hadn't gotten around to ordering it yet. It was such a lift for this to happen - Michele is one of the nicest bloggers around and I was just so excited and touched that she'd done something so nice for me. I have already pulled the threads and selected the linen for this project, and will be starting it this week. It's the perfect Easter design. If you want your own copy, why not pop on over to iStitch Charts - you won't regret it! Michele, thank you ever so much!

I finished my March Owl for the Oakhaven Designs SAL. I'm enjoying stitching these little guys!

Here's my progress on The North Wind. All that's left is the white - lots of white. The chart called for Crescent Colours Toasted Marshmallow, but it has subtle browns in it and I thought it would make the snow look kind of dirty. So I'm using CC's Belle Soie in Icing. It's not showing up as well as I'd like - I think my linen should be a bit darker. But it's not, so I guess we're going for a subtle look.I don't recall where I heard about this, but there is a new kind of cotton stranded thread being produced, called Rosace. They are offering three free skeins through their website - you can pick the colors you'd like. The floss is quite nice. To get your free samples, go to http://www.threadrosace.com/ and click on the bar at the very top of the page. I think their free offer ends in a few days, so do this quick if you're interested.

This is my 100th post! Never when I started this blog did I imagine I'd have had enough to say or show to reach this point. Being a part of this stitching community has enriched my life more than I can ever articulate. There is a quotation attributed to the poet W.B. Yeats that I think is very apt - it says, "There are no strangers, just friends who haven't met yet." I think that describes the relationships between stitching bloggers so well.

To celebrate my 100th post, and to give a little back for all that has been given to me (literally and metaphorically), I'm doing a giveaway. I'm still gathering things for it, but one item that's definitely up for grabs is a copy of A Cross Stitch Christmas: Celebrations in Stitches. It's the edition that has the chart for Brightneedle's Lo How a Rose, and I know there are many of us who want to stitch it. So this will be one of my gifts to the winner.

To enter the giveaway, you don't have to be a follower, though I would be thrilled if you wanted to be one. Just leave a comment on this post, with your email address if it isn't in your profile or you don't have a blog. I'll pick a winner and post the name on Tuesday April 12th. Meanwhile I'll be thinking of what else I can throw in. Good luck!

More Owls Have Flown In

2011-02-16T05:19:00.001-08:00

I've added the February owls to my SAL fabric - as you can see they are sleeping (partially because I am a dud in the french knot department, so I couldn't keep their eyes open). I 've decided that these are owls in the daytime. I'm enjoying this SAL and am looking forward to March!

Here is my progress on The North Wind. I made one change to the pattern - I added a question mark after the word "then" because the last line of the verse is really a question, not a statement. I guess all my grammar lessons stuck with me because I just couldn't leave it be. The dot is a bad version of a french knot, and it's a little off center, so I really should keep fiddling with it, but for now, it's on to the robin. As I suspected, I ran out of Pea Pod so the border will have to wait until I get some more.

It has come to my attention that this is my 99th post! I can't believe I've made it to this point - never when I started this blog did I think I'd ever have that much to say or show. It's been such fun and I've "met" so many nice people. When I hit 100 posts of course I must celebrate by having a giveaway. So I better get stitching!

February So Far...

2011-02-04T17:03:00.000-08:00

Now that I'm recovering from the shock of winning Carol's giveaway, I thought I would post what I'm working on this month. I am doing my very first SAL with the Yahoo group for Oakhaven Designs. I am a sucker for owls, and there will be an owl design for every month. Here is January's owl:

Ever since I learned how to stitch on linen it's what I've always chosen to use, but for some reason this SAL seemed to call out for Aida. So I'm stitching on Jobelan Aida in a hand-dyed shade called Babbling Brook. I love this little owl and am looking forward to the next installment for February.

I did start LHN's The North Wind, which has taken me away from Jenny Bean for awhile. It's such a pretty design. A warning to anyone who wants to stitch it, though - it is very likely you will need two skeins of Crescent Colours Pea Pod, which isn't specified in the instructions. But I'm nearly done with the lettering and this color is called for all around the border, so I'm pretty sure I'm going to run out. So learn from my experience and buy two skeins!

I subscribe to Just CrossStitch, and though I don't often find something I want to stitch from it, I enjoy looking at all the designs. And this month's issue does have something I'd love to take on one day - Winter at Beacon House by Praiseworthy Stitches. It's well worth the cost of the magazine. Speaking of JCS, my November/December issue never arrived. I wrote to customer service requesting that they send me a copy, and instead they sent the 2010 Ornament issue, which I already have. If there is anyone out there who needs one, let me know (my email is in my profile) and I'll be happy to send it to a new home. If more than one person wants it I'll have DS pick a name out of a hat.

I Won a Giveaway! And it's here!

2011-02-03T13:11:00.000-08:00

I am so lucky! Carol from Stitching Dreams had a fabulous giveaway on her blog and I won her Winter into Spring gifts, which arrived today. Included were two charts - January Sampler by Waxing Moon and Prairie Schooler's Daffodils (with all the DMC to stitch the latter, all tied up in a pretty ribbon) and the most gorgeous pair of Victorian embroidery scissors - the picture doesn't really show the color, a deep crimson. And she also included five ornament-sized cuts of scrumptious fabrics. This is the first giveaway I've ever won and I'm still flabbergasted that I did. Carol, thank you ever so much - you were so generous and I am just thrilled.

Recent Stitching and the Year in Review

2011-01-07T15:41:00.000-08:00

Between the holidays and ogling too many other blogs, I don't have too much to add to this one (but notice it's not stopping me from trying). I only have one finish to show - it took me forever to get the Tulip Belle Soie I needed to pull it off the Q-Snaps. I'm still not happy that the blue isn't that variegated, but it's a pretty piece none-the-less. I'm not quite sure what to do with it - it's a little small for a pillow but too big for an ornament. Hopefully inspiration will strike one of these days.

Singing the Blues
Little House Needleworks
Unknown Cashel linen
Belle Soie threads

Jenny Bean is coming along but I really blew it on the size of the linen. The left and right sides only have about 1 1/2 inches to spare from the border stitches. I hope I will be able to frame it once it's done, which won't be for awhile, because something else has been calling my name:

This is such a quintessential winter project - I think Jenny is going to go on the back burner for awhile. The linen I got isn't quite the same shade as is suggested - it's a little lighter and brighter, but I think it will look okay. It's called Misty Meadows - isn't that a pretty name?

I will start The North Wind sitting under my new/old LUX floor lamp, which I found for peanuts at a rummage sale. What a difference a daylight lamp makes!

As a slow stitcher, I tend to compare my output to that of many others and find it quite minimal, but when I looked at my notebook in which I've started writing down my projects, I was quite surprised to find a respectable number of finishes. Here's my list:

Sew Animalistic - iStitch Designs
Netherfield Park - The Sampler Girl
February Little Hearts Sal by Sylvia
Necessities Sampler - LHN
Pear Tree - LHN
Laura's House in the Woods - The Sampler Girl
Sew Peacock - iStitch Designs
The Snowman and James - DMC
The Secret Garden - JBW Designs
Red Bird Freebie - Gazette 94
Do It Well - Silver Creek Samplers
By the Full Moon - Ink Circles
Wash Day - Carriage House Samplings
Tidings of Joy ornament - Heart in Hand Needleart
French Country Star ornament - JBW Designs
Sew Spooky - iStitch Designs
Country Wall Postbox - Janet Granger
Halloween Hoot and Bat - Oakhaven Designs

Victorian Christmas Motif - Joan Elliott

If I had to pick favorites I'd choose Sew Animalistic and Sew Spooky, Netherfield Park, Wash Day and Do It Well, but I enjoyed them all. I'll have to look back at the end of this year and see if 2011 measures up to 2010. Here's to a happy year of stitching for everyone!

Christmas Stitching

2010-12-13T16:08:00.000-08:00

At long last I have a finish to show - it's a pinkeep I made as a Christmas gift for a friend who doesn't read my blog. This friend is an Anglophile and she has a particular thing for British mailboxes. There is even an organization for people who have this interest. So when I saw this chart in a book of projects by Janet Granger, I knew I had to stitch it for her. I boxed it up (no pun intended) and will send it out to her tomorrow.

Country Wall Postbox
Janet Granger
28 count Summer Khaki
DMC

This little guy and his friend were a quick, fun stitch. It is a freebie from Oakhaven Designs found here. And this last picture is why I haven't been posting - Jenny Bean's Christmas Sampler by Shakespeare's Peddler. It's a larger project than I have done before and is slow going. I'm not very happy with the linen I'm using - it is a very loose weave and when I make stitches you can see the holes in the fabric. But I'm plugging away - maybe it will be done by Christmas 2011!

Better Late Than Never!

2010-11-04T13:32:00.001-07:00

Halloween 2010 came and went without it being ready, but I finally finished Sew Spooky today (and at least I didn't lose it again)! I had the best time stitching this design, and I really miss it now that it's done. I made a few minor changes - I left off the end of the ghost's "tail" so it would look like the ghost was coming out of the letter "L", and I didn't stitch the witch's hair because DS liked her better without it (we decided she was hiding her hair under her hat). The spiderweb in the upper lefthand corner is hard to see - I used Kreinik #4 braid but I probably should have used two strands instead of one. You really have to click the picture for it to show up. The backing fabric spiderwebs are silver glittery stuff - DS picked it out - isn't it perfect?

Sew Spooky
iStitch by Carol R.

28 count Taupe linen
CC, WDW and DMC

I'm still waiting for some special-ordered linen to start the project I wanted to do next, so I just began Jenny Bean's Christmas Sampler by Shakespeare's Peddler. It's the largest design I will have attempted so far, and I have a feeling it will take me a long time to stitch. I'll post progress pictures, since if I wait for the finish you probably won't hear from me until Easter!

My first corded ornament

2010-10-20T14:09:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Vonna's expert instructions (see her comment on my last post) I am now the proud possessor of a corded ornament made by my own hands. It's not perfect - close up you can see the join, but it's a lot better than I expected. It was even easy to glue the cording along the edges of the ornament - I thought I'd have to clamp it down or something, but it stuck on the first try. I love pinkeeps but I'm glad to add something new to my repertoire of finishes. I'm still working on my Sew Spooky pillow - in my continuing saga of mishaps, I misplaced the backing fabric I bought for it, and just uncovered it in a pile (my ornament is still among the missing). Hopefully I'll have something to show for it soon.
I have a thing for owls, and I found the most adorable freebie here. This designer has lots of free designs, and more are available at her Yahoo group. It's such fun to find new things to stitch!

A Spooky Scare

2010-10-11T07:59:00.000-07:00

I have finished Sew Spooky and took it to Joann's to find a backing fabric for the pillow I'm planning to make with it. After I dragged my son away from all the Halloween paraphernalia he helped me pick out the perfect material. We were going to see Legend of the Guardians after our shopping jaunt, and the line to pay was so long I hid my planned purchase under some spider web packets, and went off to the movies, planning to return. On the way back to Joann's I realized that Sew Spooky was not in the car! I remembered putting it in the shopping cart but not taking it out. With my heart in my throat we rushed into the store and approached customer service to see if someone had found it. I am happy to report that some kind soul turned it in, and it is now safely back in my possession. Moral of the story - do not put plastic bags with important projects in a shopping cart and expect them to magically follow you out of the store.

I'm really happy with the way Sew Spooky turned out and I hope to have a picture of the finished pillow soon. I'm off to work on it - now, where did I put it?

Oh Stitching, Where Are You Stitching?

2010-10-04T16:02:00.001-07:00

I'm in the midst of a mystery. I stitched an ornament, and I've lost it. I've looked everywhere and it's nowhere to be found. It's just a little unfinished ornament from the 2004 JCS Ornament issue, and I have no clue what I did with it. If I keep this up I'll have to attach little homing devices to my stitching, so I can keep track of it!

French Country Star
JBW Designs
2010 JCS Ornament Issue
Belgian 32 count linen/Crescent Colours Apple Fritter

Meanwhile, after the lost ornament I stitched this one from the current JCS Ornament issue. I love JBW's designs with the little motifs, and it was a quick and fun stitch. A word of warning - if you are going to stitch it, there is an error in the chart - the top right point of the star is one row off in two of the motifs. At least I think it's an error - the odd thing is that the model picture is stitched as it's charted, but it doesn't make sense since everything else is symmetrical.

So now I need to finish this, and that brings me to my Achilles heel - cording. I have never been able to figure out how to put cording around anything without it unraveling at the ends or the join showing. What is the secret to doing this? If you have any tips for me I would deeply appreciate them. Not knowing how to do this is really playing havoc with finishing what I've made, and I would love to be able to get past this.

Okay, back to looking for my little lost ornament...

Rub a Dub Dub

2010-09-18T04:57:00.001-07:00

Wash Day
Carriage House Samplings
WDW 30 count parchment
DMC

I just finished working on this piece, my first CHS design. I saw it on someone's blog and fell in love with it, and was lucky to find it in the designer's Etsy shop. It was a quick and fun stitch. I'm now in between projects - I had to special order some linen from Picture This Plus for the dandelion project I plan to do, so in the meantime I've been looking through JCS ornament magazines for something to fill in the time. I have issues from 2006 on (plus 2004, which I bought on eBay so I could stitch the LHN Woodland Snowfall ornament), and in looking back through them, I noticed that it is only recently that they started giving DMC conversions for most of the charts. I love overdyed threads and prefer to stitch with them when possible, but it's nice to have the DMC information when you don't have the needed floss and don't have an LNS close by to pop into. I found an ornament to stitch from a couple of years ago - just an easy one - and while it uses threads I mostly don't have, I think I can do a conversion of my own with my little stash of overdyes. So that's what I'm off to do.

A Marvelous Night for a Moondance

2010-09-11T10:57:00.001-07:00

By the Full Moon
Tracy Horner/Ink Circles
JCS September/October 2010

28 count Sand (I think) linen

CC Gingersnap and Fallen Leaves/WDW Raven

This is my first real Halloween project and it was such fun to stitch! But boy did I count carefully over and over so I'd make sure the trees and cats were symmetrical.

This fabric is cut on the bias so the pumpkins would be horizontal instead of diagonal. So don't look too close at the grain!

I loved this curvy trim. It was my first time making a bow like this. I really wanted two loops on each side but the trim was too thick for that.

Vonna's Harvest Fairy took pity on me and made a brief stop at my house. I think she was a little tired after all her hard work at Vonna's, so she didn't stay long, but she did fix up this little table for me.

In other stitching news, I've been working on LHN's Singing the Blues. I'm not that happy with it - the variagation in the blue silk floss isn't very pronounced like the stitched model is - I probably should have stopped and bought a new skein. My LNS is out of the Tulip silk I need to finish the piece, so it's kind of on hiatus. I hope it doesn't become a UFO. I always like stitching with silk, though, so hopefully I'll finish it up.

Lastly, here's Do It Well framed. My husband seemed pleased and he did acknowledge that the sentiment fits him to a T!

Doing It Well

2010-08-07T06:01:00.000-07:00

Do It Well
Silver Creek Samplers
28 count light sand linen
DMC

My husband's birthday is coming up and I wanted to stitch something for him, but nothing was presenting itself until I stumbled upon this design. The verse reads:

Be the labor big or small
Do it well or not at all
When the task is once begun
Do not stop until it's done

The philosophy fits my husband to a T. Now me, I have a million projects in various states of completion, but he's a sequential kind of guy. Start it, finish it, move on to the next thing. It might take him awhile to notice that the grass is up to the rooftop, but once he does, he's on it, and he doesn't stop until the grass is cut to an inch of its life, and then he starts on the next part of the yard, and the next (we are lucky we live behind a stand of trees, though, since this diligence only happens now and then!)

I didn't stitch it exactly as charted - I left out a few extraneous stitches that seemed unnecessary and I didn't fill in the background behind the year, as I wanted a simpler look. The border was tricky - it didn't always repeat the same number of stitches, but I managed to avoid too many visits from the frogs. I liked stitching this so much I've ordered another chart by this designer, found here. My son is growing a dandelion in a pot, so guess what he is getting for his birthday? I'm hoping the chart arrives before we head to the Jersey shore for vacation next week. Right now I'm stitching LHN's Singing the Blues, but it's going more quickly than the vacation will. Oh is it nice to stitch with silk!

A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That

2010-07-21T15:59:00.000-07:00

The Secret Garden
JBW Designs
28 count Irish linen
DMC Threads

The Secret Garden (book and movie) have always meant a lot to me. I read the book over and over as a child, and occasionally still pick it up - it never loses its magic. And my now husband and I saw the movie on our sixth date - after which we agreed not to see other people. So anything having to do with the words Secret Garden gets my attention. I bought this little design on eBay some time ago, and it was the perfect "in between projects" piece to stitch. It came with three charms (two flowers and a little bird) but I haven't been able to attach them. I tried French knots as the instructions said, but they just pulled through the linen. The other suggestion was to attach them with beads but I didn't have the right kind. So it is a charming but charmless design for now.

Oiseau (Bird) freebie found here
Gazette94
Belfast linen

DMC 221

I found this little bird on a wonderful French blog - there are lots of beautiful free charts there. The bird's eye is a Smyrna stitch - I do so dislike the dead looking eye a cross stitch makes. I was hoping to turn this into my first tin topper but it is just a tad too big for an Altoids tin, so I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for something suitable.

You all know how much I love The Snowman - well, I just hit the jackpot on Amazon.com. I'd been looking for this book for ages but used copies were selling for $100 or more. Then one day I idly checked on Amazon again, and lo and behold there was a new copy that, with shipping from England, cost less than $20! I snapped it up in a heartbeat and it came today. I don't know when I'll stitch another Snowman design, but I certainly have lots to choose from now.

Meanwhile I have a new project that I'm working on for my husband's birthday in September. He pays absolutely no attention my stitching so I can work away right in front of his eyes without his having a clue!

A Present for a Friend

2010-07-03T06:58:00.000-07:00

Laura's House in the Woods
The Sampler Girl
WDW 30 count Parchment linen
DMC Threads

My friend Laura is a long-time fan of the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder (she's named after the author), and when I saw this pattern by The Sampler Girl I had to stitch it for her as a birthday present. As you can see, I finished it as a pillow. The verse Tanya included with the chart reads: "Remember, it is not the things you have that make you happy; it is the love and kindness and helping each other and just plain being good. " I love that sentiment!

If you are a fan of Disney and/or old movies, check out Laura's blog. She has encyclopedic knowledge of both, and her blog is always informative and fun!

Snow in June

2010-07-01T14:19:00.000-07:00

I think I may have mentioned that I have had a soft spot in my heart for Raymond Briggs' The Snowman, ever since I saw the movie with my then toddler son. From time to time the British cross stitch magazines have a chart with a Snowman design, so I've collected a few of them, and when I came upon an advertisement for some Snowman kits made by DMC in the UK, I tracked them down (no mean feat, as they had been discontinued). The kit came with blue opalescent aida, which I decided to use despite not having stitched a thing on aida since I discovered that stitching on linen actually wasn't impossible. I must say I rather enjoyed it although I won't switch back by any means. This piece looks like it was very simple but I had to keep track of some color changes with the greens and the rust/browns, so it was good practice for when I finally take on something with major color changes, something I haven't had the nerve to do yet. It was also the first time that I had to backstitch features - his eyes and nose aren't exactly right but his expression is rather sweet, so I think it passes muster well enough. I learned one thing the hard way - when you stitch with white floss, don't hold the fabric in an area where you've used it. The Snowman's right arm (left side of the design) is not nearly as white as the rest of him. I always wash my hands before I stitch but clearly white calls for a higher standard of cleanliness. Oh well, live and learn. Here's the finished product:

The Snowman and James
DMC mini cross stitch kit
14 count opalescent aida and DMC threads

Since I finished this I've been working on a small JBW Designs piece, which is going rather slowly. It has lots of little flowers that only use a few stitches worth of color, and I'm spending most of my time threading and unthreading my needle. I'm determined to finish it but I'll be glad to move on to something else!

Back again

2010-05-29T08:07:00.000-07:00

Remember me? It's been a slow few months, with a family crisis thrown in for good measure (my mother was in a serious car accident but she has turned a corner and is now recovering). My stitching output has been minimal, but I do have a few things to show.

iStitch charts have become my "waiting for DS at swimming lessons" projects- the little motifs and alphabets are perfect for short stitching stints. I fell in love with Sew Peacock when I saw it, and GAST Peacock thread just begged to be used for it. Sew Nautical is next on the launching pad.
LHN's Pear Tree was my first foray into adding beads - there weren't many so it was a good piece to try it on. I quickly learned that my beading needles weren't big enough for floss to pass through; thanks to Staci I discovered Piecemaker size 28 needles worked like a charm. The beads are on the branches - they are kind of hard to see, but they're there!

I had a few things framed recently - I love how Primitive Wizard of Oz turned out. This is my mother's birthday present and I'm so glad I'll be able to give it to her.

I had a ready-made frame that was perfect for Have You Any Wool. There's one place where I didn't snip off the thread very well and it kind of shows through - I guess if it really bothers me I can always take it apart and have them redo it.

So that's the latest from me - I'm working on a small project which I hope to be able to post soon. Have a very happy Memorial Day weekend!

My First Pillow

2010-03-31T11:47:00.000-07:00

After threatening to make a pillow for months, I finally did it, using Netherfield Park by The Sampler Girl. It's hard to see the fabric colors - the background is green and the flowers are gold, picking up the colors in the pattern. In the picture the linen doesn't look quite even with the fabric at the top of the pillow, but in "real life" it looks pretty straight.

Pear Tree Ornament
Little House Needleworks
Cream Belfast linen and DMC

My other March finish is this LHN ornament (I haven't put the beads on yet). Now that I know how to make a pillow that may be what it ends up as; it's rather large for an ornament. I'm working on something else but it's a gift so I can't show it yet. In the pipeline are Carol R.'s Sew Peacock and Shakespeare's Peddler's Jenny Bean's Christmas Sampler; Anita at Little Stitches had a sale on the chart and floss for Jenny Bean and I couldn't resist. It's so nice to have projects lined up! (I have no idea why the font size in this paragraph is so small - another Blogger mystery).

Pillow Help Please

2010-03-17T11:06:00.000-07:00

I am trying to make Netherfield Park into a pillow, and right at the get-go I am in need of assistance. Should I wash the pillow fabric before I sew it to my stitched piece? I'm going to "frame" the pillow with fabric rather than using it just as backing. And any tips on cutting the fabric straight would be most appreciated. I pulled threads in the stitched piece to get a straight cutting line, but that doesn't seem to be possible with my fabric. Thank you to any more experienced soul who can point me in the right direction. I was not a seamstress in a previous life!

A Finish, and a Finished Finish

2010-03-13T15:09:00.001-08:00

Necessities Sampler
Little House Needleworks
Unknown 28 count linen
DMC Threads

Here's my latest project - this was an easy and pleasant piece to stitch. I haven't decided what to do with it yet - it might make a very pretty little pillow. I went to JoAnn Fabrics to look for material, but couldn't find anything I liked. JoAnn's is the only fabric store around here - the wonderful quilt shop I used to patronize years ago in Cambridge is no more. I find JoAnn's fabric selection to be rather disappointing in general. I'd like to try buying online but I'm concerned that the colors on my monitor may not be the same as the actual fabric colors. If you order fabric online, are you happy with your choices?

Victorian Christmas Motif
Joan Elliott
The World of Cross Stitching Issue 158

This is my first ornament! Remember when I was asking how you adhere stitching to felt when it's fringed? I was stumped until I saw a fringed piece in CrossStitch and Needlework magazine - they suggested using acid-free double-sided tape (scrapbooking tape). It works like a charm! My fringe isn't totally straight but for a first effort I'm pleased with it. (The top doesn't seem to show the pinked edges but they are there. It was my first time using pinking shears too). Thanks to Michele for her encouragement in trying this finishing method.

My husband and son went to Florida for a few days to visit DH's mother, and they left me behind to have some "mommy time." I have a meatloaf in the oven (they hate meatloaf and I love it) and an evening of stitching and movie-watching planned. What could be more perfect?

Some Unfinished Finishes

2010-02-21T14:13:00.001-08:00

Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorite novels, so when I saw Netherfield Park by The Sampler Girl it called my name. I stitched some of this while watching Lost in Austen, which is a miniseries about a contemporary young woman who finds herself in the midst of the P & P story and affects the events therein. If you are an Austen-lover I highly recommend it. I made a few changes to NP - I swapped the called-for DMC for Crescent Colours (I used Queen Bee, Bean Sprout, Whatley Woodlands and Wavy Navy), changed the tail feathers slightly, and instead of stitching the year 1813 I substituted Elizabeth's and Darcy's initials. If I ever get my sewing machine tension fixed it will (hopefully) become a pillow, upon which I can rest my head and dream about Colin Firth (don't tell my husband!)

Netherfield Park
The Sampler Girl
Unknown 28 count linen
Crescent Colours threads

Thanks to her nice comment on one of my posts, I discovered Ma Teakettle's blog, which I am enjoying wandering through. A project of hers grabbed my attention and this is the result:

My Little Heart - February
Sylvia K. Hessen
Freebie found here

Belfast Linen
DMC threads

Isn't it adorable? It's one part of a SAL that will encompass 12 designs, which can be stitched separately, or together with a border. Please pay close attention to the birds' eyes; they are - drumroll, please - french knots! Thanks to this tutorial they came out okay, I think. I would like to make this into a floss tag but I have to get one of those gizmos that set the grommets. I have seen a rather unwieldy one at Joann's - does anyone have any recommendations for this type of tool?

That's all I have to show right now - so it's on to the next project, when I figure out what it is!

Sew Fun to Stitch

2010-02-05T11:14:00.000-08:00

Sew Animalistic
Carol R.
30 count parchment linen
DMC 4130

After Wizard of Oz I missed doing little motifs, so this was the perfect next project. I chose one of DMC's variegated threads because it seemed to go so nicely with the squirrel and the fox. I finished this in just a few days and I miss it already. This is the second of Carol's charts I've stitched, and it won't be the last.

I'm still mulling over what will be next. My LNS just sent me an email that tomorrow everything is 20% off, and I think that compels a trip, don't you?

Wizard of Oz Finished

2010-01-29T14:15:00.000-08:00

Primitive Wizard of Oz
Midsummer Night Designs
Antique Ivory Belfast Linen
Crescent Colors and DMC Threads

With mixed feelings I put the final stitches into this last night. This has been such a fun project and I'm going to miss it a lot. Each little character has a neat little touch; the witch with her green skin,, the scarecrow with his straw stuffing escaping, the Flying Monkey standing between the F and the M - I can't wait to give it to my mom for her birthday once it's framed.

Yesterday I had some coffee left over in the pot, and I decided to do a test run of coffee dyeing on a little piece of fabric. I looked at Staci's tutorial and Vonna's basting and baking method. With these two wonderful ladies holding my hand, this is what I came up with:

Next time I'll use a bigger piece of linen now that I've gotten my feet wet, and maybe let it soak a little longer. But for a first try, I'm happy. Now I have to figure out what to stitch on it!

Following the Yellow Brick Road

2010-01-27T11:27:00.001-08:00

My goodness, it's been a long time since I posted! I'd like to say it's because I was off doing something stupendous, but alas, it was just the holidays and limited stitching that kept me from having much to say. But I promised Michele that I'd put up a progress picture of Midsummer Night Designs' Primitive Wizard of Oz, which we are both working on. I'm heading into the home stretch now, with just a few more motifs and a few details to go. This has been such a fun stitch! It's so clever - notice how each motif is near the first letter of its name - G for Glinda, O for Oz, W for both Wizard and Witch, etc. Like Michele I love the Golden Star thread (and thank heavens my border matched up right). I wasn't careful when I read the directions - it's supposed to be stitched 1 over 2, but I started off using two strands of floss and continued that way. It makes the colors quite vivid so I think it's okay. I'll definitely miss this one when it's over.

I'm stitching this for my mom, who has been a Wizard of Oz fan since she was a child. When I was young, it was only on TV once a year - what an event that was! We'd all gather round the black and white screen - it was a revelation to see Oz in color years later. Guess I'm dating myself bigtime. I have a DVD of the first season of Lost in Space, a favorite show of mine early on, and it's all in black and white, which my son watches with disbelief. The other big TV event from my childhood was Peter Pan with Mary Martin, also an annual event. I was always so intrigued by a woman playing a boy - it was a cause for endless fascination. Ah, memories...

Anyway, since I'm making this for my mom's birthday, while I was visiting my parents over Christmas I had to have something else to stitch so she wouldn't see it. I picked up an issue of The World of Cross Stitching, which had a bunch of holiday motifs by Joan Elliott. This one caught my fancy - it was an enjoyable quick project. Which leads me to a question - I'd like to fringe the edges and mount it on felt to make an ornament. How do I affix the stitched piece to the felt without using glue, which I'm afraid will show through the linen when it's dry? Is there some technique I should be using? I'd appreciate any suggestions.

Blue No More

2009-11-19T09:43:00.001-08:00

Sew Blue
Carol R. (iStitch)
Belfast linen

GAST Peacock

Here's my finish of Sew Blue. The color is a little off in the picture - it's really a more turquoise blue than it seems (the color in my photo two entries down is a better view). The replacement floss I got when I ran out wasn't quite the same dye lot - the threads weren't as dark in places, but overall I think it looks okay. Luckily the little bit of chocolate I managed to get on the design came out. Warning: do not dish out ice cream to your son and forget to wash your hands before you put in your last stitches! There is a small error in the lettering (Carol can you find it?) and I may yet re-do it - I enjoyed working on this so much and I wouldn't mind having a little bit more time to play with it.

I finished this watching the remake of The Prisoner, which was totally incomprehensible even if you are a fan of the original rather puzzling show (which I am). Having only one color to stitch at least helped me to follow what I could of it. My next project is Primitive Wizard of Oz by Midsummer Night Designs, and that has lots of different colors to juggle. I'll need something a bit more straightforward to watch for this one. Hmmm, maybe a re-watch of the Colin Firth version of Pride and Prejudice is in order. If I could keep my mind on my stitching instead of Mr. Darcy...

My First Flatfold

2009-11-12T12:59:00.000-08:00

Blessed Be
Plum Pudding Needleart
Freebie found here

Here's my first flatfold, thanks to Vonna's tutorial, which made the whole process so clear and easy. It still needs cording around the edges but it's finished enough to display on my little fall table in the entryway. I spent most of Veteran's Day making this - it took awhile between stages because of waiting for the glue to dry, but I passed the time watching Aliens in the Attic with my son (can you tell I have a 9 year old boy?) I know it's not perfect - it's not exactly centered and the corners aren't the best, but that's okay. I tend to get anxious trying new techniques - I always want things to be exactly right, but I'm glad I didn't let that feeling stop me. I do have a question about putting on the cording - where is the best spot to start and end it so the join shows onlythe least? I bought some fray check which I have heard is good to use on the ends. This will be another first since in the past I have just hidden ends under a bow, but I just want plain cording for this piece.

Woodland Snowfall
Little House Needleworks
DMC and CC threads on Evenweave

I also finished my little squirrels and the tree - finally! I can't tell you how many times I messed up that darn tree. Doing the single stitches was challenging to get them to look okay and not too loose or tight. I saw someone else's version and they'd done the snow with beads, which looked very pretty. Maybe I'll try beads the next time I have to do something like this.

I did go to the LNS for the floss for Sew Blue and some linen for my next project, and have gotten to Sew Blue's border. Those are always so challenging - counting and recounting and recounting again to make sure the edges will meet. Anyone have any tips on how best to do this? This has become my "swimming lessons" project - it sure is an enjoyable diversion from smelling all the chlorine in the pool while I'm waiting!

Sew Blue, (I'm) So Blue

2009-10-25T04:33:00.000-07:00

Anyone remember the old song "Love is Blue" from the 60s? That's what came into my head when I ran out of the Peacock Blue GAST I was using to stitch Carol R.'s Sew Blue. I'd been going to stitch this on blue linen with some kind of overdyed white floss, but the peacock color just grabbed me. I seriously underestimated how much of it I had in my stash and by the time I realized it, I'd already stitched a fair amount. But I love the color and can't wait till I get more. Which brings me to an ethical dilemma - where to buy it? Part of me just wants to go online and click and buy - it's so easy to do it this way, as opposed to driving nearly an hour to my LNS. But if I don't patronize them, I'm contributing to their possible demise - it must be so hard to be a brick and mortar LNS with the competition of online stores. So I may just hold my horses and wait until I can take a trip.

So (I almost typed "sew") in the meantime I needed a little project to work on until I can get going again, and I picked this one by LHN from the 2004 Christmas Ornament issue. It's been great to work on while I sit by the steaming hot pool where my son is taking swimming lessons. And it had an unintended benefit. One of the lifeguards came over to see what I was doing, and it turns out she is an avid knitter who wants to set up a group that meets to sit and chat while crafting. No one in my 'regular" life here stitches and it would be so nice to find some company every now and then. I'm hoping she does more than talk about it, because if she sets it up, I'm in!

I have been stitching for awhile now, more than a few years looking back at my blog posts, and I'd like to be branching out a bit to something more complex than my usual choices. This is my ultimate goal - I bought this from eBay years ago, but it has always scared the heck out of me to try something large with real color changes. The chart came kitted with linen and all the DMC needed for it - when I first saw the linen I thought I would never ever be able to use it, but of course now I use nothing but, so I can't use that as an excuse anymore. Actually, looking at the pattern the color changes are not that hard - there are lots of blocks of color more than actual changes. I tend to be a one project at a time stitcher, so if I stitched it my blog would become awfully focused on one thing, but I do feel the pull to challenge myself a bit more. I'm not quite ready to try it yet, but it's in my sights. I'd love to give it to my mother - the verse reads:

You may have riches and wealth untold,
baskets of jewels and caskets of gold,
but richer than I you will never be,
for I had a mother who read to me.

That's the news from my little corner of the world. Hope all is going well in yours!

Button, button, who's got the button?

2009-10-08T14:45:00.000-07:00

This is my almost-finished Button, Button, which needs, well - buttons attached to it. I decided to do the Button Box version rather than the Button Bag - now I have to find a box that it fits! This was a relaxing project to stitch. Of course, it was not without one of those "only God does things perfectly" errors - the U in the last button has an extra stitch, but I'd have to take out a number of letters and frogging the floss would leave a slight residue of color (I've had this issue with Belle Soie before, but I love stitching with it). So I've decided to leave it alone and pretend I don't see it (she says hopefully).

We're going to Florida for a few days to visit my husband's mother, so I need a plane project to take along. Carol R.'s Sew Blue fits the bill, so I started it the other day. It's fun! I'm looking forward to Sew Autumn and Sew Noel.

I have a stash question - what are good online sources for linen? I don't have a lot of it so I'm always running out to the LNS to buy some for a particular project. I'd like to build up a supply so I could start things on a whim (though I always want to support my LNS). If anyone has any recommendations I'd love to hear them!

Conversion Crisis

2009-09-11T05:39:00.000-07:00

I'm having a crisis of confidence in my floss choice for my latest project, The Goode Huswife's Home Sweet Home. Having spent far too much money on stash lately, I couldn't justify the cost of the called-for Gloriana silks, so I thought, well, the WDW threads listed as an alternative would probably be fine. So that's what I bought (though I did buy one skein of Gloriana that had no alternative). But now, having stitched on it a bit, I'm thinking I made a mistake. This is what the colors are supposed to look like:

Below is how mine is starting out. The flower is fine because that's the correct floss. But the doors look very dull compared to the original. You can just make out the start of the green of the leaves (under the right side of the roof) and the color is way darker than it should be. I could live with these things but the rest of the WDW threads are not very variegated, and none of the colors I have for the bird match the picture at all. It's such a pretty little piece, but I find myself not wanting to stitch on it very much. I guess the thing to do is put it away until I can afford the silks (I have to say that I like CC Belle Soie much better than Gloriana from my limited experience with it - with BS knots slip right out while I've had to give up on the Gloriana once or twice and start afresh). How often does this happen to you? Are you usually happy with the conversions offered? Or is it best to bite the bullet and go with what the designer used? Next time I'll pay more attention when I am kitting up a piece, that's for sure.

But in the meantime, I have other fish to fry. Yesterday I got this adorable chart (complete with a skein of Belle Soie and the buttons for it) to make a button box or bag. It was my first order from Jan at Only One Ewe Needlework, and it was a great experience - Jan is so friendly and the order was dispatched so quickly. Do check out her shop and her wonderful blog.

And Carol sent me the chart for her lovely design Sew Red, which I just love. This one will require a trip to the LNS to find the perfect red floss for it. Thank you, Carol!

And now a Blogger question - when you make a post, do you upload each picture first or do it as you go along? The latter is always how I've done it and it's been a real pain. Today I uploaded each picture and then did the typing. Have I been a complete idiot and been doing it wrong all along? Is there a Blogger for Dummies website out there? Oh my gosh, there is!

Birds Under the Wire

2009-08-20T05:38:00.000-07:00

Brite Birds
Freebie by Kathy Barrick-Dieter
DMC, CC, GAST and Carrie's Threads

Having travelled for various reasons over what seemed like the entire summer, I haven't gotten much stitching done. This was my companion piece - simple, easy to fold up and take along. I used threads I had in my stash, and almost learned an important lesson: make sure you have enough floss before you start a project. The border took every last bit of the skein of floss I had. I was literally holding my breath as I rounded the last corner. Then I found I'd left out an eye on one of the birds, so I had to use an ort to stitch it. So this one made it in just under the wire. My initials are in blue (backwards). If I had it to do over again I'd use a better contrasting yellow for the two birds and the date, but overall I like how it turned out.

I started something new (The Goode Huswife's Home Sweet Home) but my stitching time is curtailed because I have to look for a new (used) car. Right before one of our trips I came out of a store with DS to find the police in the parking lot next to my poor little Subaru. Someone parking their car had stepped on the accelerator instead of the brake and smashed into my car, which then smashed into two others. Needless to say it was totalled but at least we weren't in it and no one got hurt. The car would have been paid off in January so now we are facing lengthy car payments again. The rental car company didn't have anything comparable in size so I am driving this huge SUV I call the Behemoth (I'm 5'2" and can barely see over the steering wheel). Once this is over I think I am owed some serious stash shopping!

A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That

2009-07-02T15:00:00.001-07:00

I've been working on the registration for a literary convention about a children's book author, so stitching has taken a back seat to endless hours entering information into a database. I am so sick of my computer (except for when I steal time to look at blogs). But I have managed to do two small pieces. I've been in an animal mood lately, it seems. This little fellow is a freebie that I got from the cross-stitching.com site. The chart can be found here.

Midnight Owl
Lesley Teare
Platinum (I think) 28 count linen
DMC threads

The next piece in my menagerie is from The Gift of Stitching (September 2006). This was really fun to stitch. I got to play around with overdyed threads - after using them it is sometimes hard to get out the good old DMC. But what would we do without it! I'm still sad that WalMart stopped carrying their floss.

Have You Any Wool
Beth K. Hendzlik
Off-white Belfast linen
(mostly) my own conversion of WDW, GAST and CC

Since I'll be traveling to the convention soon I wanted a smallish project to accompany me. Barbara kindly sent me the chart for Brite Birds, so I have started that and will take it with me. Even though I doubt I'll have the time to stitch, having something to bring along is like a security blanket!

Here in Massachusetts the month of June has been like monsoon season, and July has started out the same way. My stitching lamp has provided me more daylight than the real thing! I hope
the sun is shining down on everyone, wherever you are.

Small Steps

2009-06-07T13:55:00.000-07:00

A few little projects have been on my horizon lately - nothing fancy, but fun to stitch. Cruising eBay one day I found this little booklet of Brightneedle freebies, with a lot of sweet designs that looked quite my speed. I love Brightneedle and am sorry they don't seem to be designing any more.

Many of the charts called for specialty threads that I don't have (not much of a stash of those yet, though I'm trying) and had no DMC conversions. But this one did! And my marbleized scissors were calling out for a fob, so here it is:

Bunny Hop
Brightneedle
28 count linen
DMC threads

Dearest Friend (detail)
Brightneedle
28 count linen
DMC threads

Sorry for the shadowy second picture - Blogger sometimes turns my pictures sideways (go figure) and I had to use a different one than I had planned.

I also stitched up a freebie by The Sampler Girl that I've seen on a number of blogs. Being from southeastern Massachusetts, it seemed like the perfect project.

In Thankfulness of Heart
The Sampler Girl
28 count platinum linen
Crescent Colours threads

This one will be my first foray into trying to make a little pillow, if I can just figure out how to get the edges straight. I'm tempted to just make a pinkeep, but "been there, done that" and it isn't going to help me to get over my FOF (fear of finishing) if I keep going over old ground. Tune in next time for "as the pillow turns."

Finishing Duo

2009-05-10T12:13:00.000-07:00

At long last, I finished the two pieces I've been working on for, well, ages. First up is Always and Forever, complete with initials. I can't tell you how much trouble they gave me. Stitching with half a brain tends to do that. First I stitched the m where the b was supposed to be, then I aligned the tops of the letters instead of the bottom. I hosted so many frogs that I practically had to feed them! My husband's initials behaved themselves better - maybe they know this is part of his Father's Day present. For a different take on this design, visit Sweet Pea Stitches - she made some neat changes for her anniversary gift.

Always and Forever
Little House Needleworks
Crescent Colours Mer Blue
28 count unknown linen

And I finally completed Moon and Stars! I'm over the moon about that - pun intended. The house might be a little shaky and the stars a little weird, but I really enjoyed this one. If I had it to do over, though, I might make the bottom border yellower, to pick up the color of the moon (the floss is called Ginger Snap - I love that name) - the white jumps off the linen a bit much, but hey, it's done and I'm happy with it. I only have one more LHN chart in my stash now - Dear Diary Abigail Winslow. Being from the Boston area it seems only fitting that I stitch this one. Guess I will have to stock up on more LHNs (it's my civic duty, you know).

Moon and Stars
Little House Needleworks
Crescent Colours Threads
28 count Silvery Moon linen

Speaking of stash, I started a wishlist so I can keep track of what I want to stitch. The trouble is there are too many blogs with wonderful stitching to tempt me. The enabling around here has just got to stop!

I'm off to see Star Trek, making the reason I'm a mother one very excited little boy. Happy Mothers's Day to all of you!

A spring surprise and a sigh of relief

2009-04-15T13:14:00.001-07:00

The other day I got the nicest surprise - a mysterious envelope arrived with a lovely skein of Crescent Colours floss - Ripe Melon. Enclosed was a note and a card with the url of a really neat blog: http://www.themovementyourturn.blogspot.com/. Here you are encouraged to do nice things for somebody, and post comments about what you did or how someone blessed you with a kindness. It was such a treat, a real pick-me-up, and I'm having fun deciding what to do now that it's "my turn." Thank you, anonymous friend (I have a sneaking suspicion that I know who you might be, but it's fun to speculate)!

The sigh of relief is because I am just about finished with Always and Forever (everything except the initials), and the border ends matched up! I can't tell you how scared I was as I approached the finish line, but all was well. I did make one mistake with this piece - I started the border one stitch above the tree more than there should be, but even though the bottom of the border was thus closer to the lettering, I think it looks okay.

Moon and Stars is still perking along - I'm just doing the finishing touches. So I hope to post pictures of that soon. Of course, soon for me could mean weeks, but I'm trying!

My First Needlebook

2009-03-27T16:08:00.000-07:00

For better or worse, here's my maiden journey into the world of making needlebooks. I used this tutorial, and got a lot of help from Jean (thank you, Jean!) when I was having trouble figuring out how to attach the felt. She also gave me some nice ideas about attaching edging to it - I didn't have anything to use on hand so that step is still ahead of me. I wonder if I could navigate the mysteries of making twisted cord. Gotta hide those lumpy edges! Meanwhile, it's certainly nice to have a place to keep my needles. This was really fun to put together and I'll definitely try it again.

Mystery Sampler (Scotland)
The Gift of Stitching July 2008

Cashel linen, DMC floss

New Start and Book Find

2009-03-20T14:57:00.000-07:00

Thanks for all the feedback about my needlebook fabric. By a landslide it's the darker material. Now all I have to do is make it. We've been in Florida visiting my mother-in-law so I haven't had a chance to tackle it. Maybe this weekend I'll get up the nerve.

I'm almost done with Moon and Stars, but I started LHN's Always and Forever while I was away. Stitching with silk is so nice - it just glides through the linen. I was relieved to find that this floss (Mer Blue) doesn't stain the fabric when I've had to frog. At first I thought the chart had a mistake in the border - I counted the left and right top stitches and it looked like there were 11 stitches on one side and only 10 on the other. I wrote to Diane Williams who told me there were 10 on each side, and I realized I'd been counting using the grids, not the actual x's. The grid on the right side only had 9 columns, not 10 like is usual. That'll teach me to make assumptions! At first I wasn't sure the floss was variegated enough but I'm happy with the way it's turning out. Here's what I've gotten done so far:

I am now the delighted owner of a book I'd been coveting. I don't usually find designs I want to stitch in books, but I found America's Best Cross Stitch at the library, and it has some lovely pieces. While I was in Florida I visited an amazing used book store called Haslam's, and lo and behold they had the book! They had two copies, and quite a few other cross stitch books. If you are ever in St. Petersburg Haslams's is well worth checking out.

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend. I'm looking forward to catching up on all the blog posts I've missed.

My Trip to Joann's

2009-03-05T13:07:00.001-08:00

Being at loose ends the other day, I decided to take a step closer to putting together the needlebook I have been promising myself I would try to make. So I took myself off to Joann Fabrics to see what I could find that would get me nearer to this goal. I found two different fabrics to use for the inside of the needlebook, and I'm in a quandary about which to use.

On first glance the darker fabric looks far more interesting than the light one (the purple color is the felt that would hold the needles). But the lighter fabric picks up one of the greens in the peacock and flower, and I am wondering if the white felt I'd use with it would show the needles better. Then again, maybe it's too boring. What do you think?

Here's the rest of my haul from Joann's: the linen is so I can try Vonna's baste and bake method for coloring fabric. I bought some fray check so I could put cording around an ornament and try to hide where the cord begins and ends. Now of course I have to make the ornament! You all are so enabling. Everything I see I want to be able to do. I hope that as I slowly pick up the tricks of the trade I'll increase my output of finished pieces. Thanks for all the inspiration!

Special Friends Award

2009-03-02T10:47:00.000-08:00

Rachel over at Willing Hands kindly bestowed the Special Friends Award upon me - that was so nice of you, Rachel. I am so glad to be considered your friend. The description for this award reads "These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these kind writers. When you pass the award along please include these guidelines. I am to choose eight friends to share this with."

I appreciate every comment and piece of advice I receive whenever I post, so it's hard to single anyone out. These are some of the bloggers who have been especially patient and affirming to me: iStitchaholic, Just Another Stitching Blog, Kathy's Sit and Stitch, Linen Stitcher, Purple Wildcat, Snippets and Stash, Stitchful Thinking, and Stitchyangel's Treasures. Thank you all for being so friendly and helpful to me.

Leaf me alone!

2009-02-28T06:11:00.000-08:00

I am so sick of leaves I could scream! They seem to go on and on. I've finished the leaves on the border but the trees need a bunch. I have to keep cutting the overdyed floss so I can make the leaves look variegated, and I've got little snippets all over the place. On the bright side, my border matched up! I did find one stitch where I crossed over three threads rather than two, but I'm leaving it. I'll just invoke the "nothing is perfect but God" rule.

This was so strange - I uploaded the picture to Blogger, and it rotated on its side. I did it three times, and it wasn't until I tried it on the left side that it uploaded right side up. Then I centered it again and it came out right. Blogger continues to be mystifying to me. I still haven't figured out how to make the pictures clickable - does anyone know? Do you do something special, or do they just turn out that way? Maybe it's my template. I'm long overdue for a change anyway.

Well, I'm off to do some lettering, till I get sick of that. Then I'll go back to putting foliage on the trees. Hope everyone has a good weekend!

A BIG visit from the frog

2009-02-21T09:10:00.000-08:00

See this? It's Moon and Stars by LHN - BEFORE I discovered I'd left out four stitches at the top of the border where I started the piece. Therefore, it wasn't wide enough, which I only discovered when I got to the D in thread. I couldn't believe it - I had counted the border three times (so much for my math ability). There was no way to fix it - it had to come out. So I ripped out half the border and the tree branch on the right. Since then, I've restitched it and the D now sits in its rightful place. But it sure set me back awhile.

Borders make me so anxious. Whether I stitch them first or last, I always hold my breath when I reach the end and start doing the rest of the design. I live in fear that what happened to me with LHN's Where There is Life will happen again - I did the border last, and ended up one thread off from meeting the stitching on the other end. You'd think I would have learned.

I went off to my local needlework shop because I needed a skein of Crescent Colours Desert Mesquite for M&S, and came home with another LHN chart that uses silk - Always and Forever. I love the feel of the silk sliding through the fabric. This time I'll center the stitching properly!

I followed a link on this great blog (thank you for visiting me!) to the Cricket Collection's website, a company new to me. I fell in love with this project, perhaps because I grew up reading a wonderful children's book called The Sherwood Ring, which set its story at a house called Rest and Be Thankful. I feel an order coming on...

Boy, I sure am into linking things today. I guess I'm making up for not posting for quite awhile. It's nice to be back.

Back At It

2009-02-12T09:32:00.000-08:00

I'm hoping my hiatus is over. There was a death in my family and a serious illness, but finally life has stabilized. And I've actually been doing some stitching! I made this flower to go on the back of whatever I do with the peacock. I'm actually thinking of trying to make a needlebook, though the thought of it strikes terror into my non-finisher heart. But what am I going to do with the little pile of projects I've managed to amass if I don't try something new? So stay tuned...

The other thing I completed (sort of) is Schoolgirl Lessons. I say sort of because I didn't leave quite enough fabric at the bottom so I decided not to do the motif that runs under the lettering. I think it looks okay without it. The house kind of looks like the Leaning Tower of Pisa but I hope that can be straightened out. I loved working with silk but it was very frustrating that the color stained the fabric. Don't look too closely or you'll see all my frogging!

I haven't decided what to start next so for now I'm going back to Gingerbread Cottage, which has been languishing in a pile somewhere. But I tend to get bored with it so I'll be thinking of something else before long. Hope everyone is doing well.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T17:31:00.001-08:00

Family commitments have kept me from stitching much, so I don't have anything to show, but I just wanted to pop by and wish all of you every happiness in this new year. Thank you all so much for the support and friendship you've given me since I started this blog. It has made all the difference. Be well - I hope to be back before long.

A Little More Stitching

2008-11-21T13:58:00.000-08:00

I'm still trying to figure out what I want to try for a bigger project, but meanwhile here's what I've been doing. I put a border around the peacock, which I think makes it look more interesting. Now I just have to try the pillow finish. Carol R. has sent me excellent directions and now it is up to me.

And I've picked up Schoolgirl Lessons again. This is the perfect easy stitch for an anxious stitcher like me. I'm trying hard to avoid making mistakes, because the floss leaves a pinkish tinge whenever it is frogged out. We are traveling to New Jersey for Thanksgiving next week and I'll take my little schoolgirl along for some turkey.

In thinking about trying something more advanced, I've got questions as always. Does anyone have any advice about keeping control when you have a lot of different floss to use in a project? This is baffling me at the moment. It's one thing to keep the floss in bags or rings with floss tags at the start, but what happens once you start cutting the floss and are in the process of using different colors? How do you keep it all straight? Once you start unwinding a skein of floss it isn't easy to keep it neat when you are cutting lengths to use, and multiplying by several colors just winds up in a mess, at least at my house! I am interested in learning about your systems - there must be a better way to do it than living in floss chaos (hmmm, Floss Chaos - another name for a blog for me!)

Missing in (non) Action

2008-10-31T14:02:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone - remember me? It's been a long time since I've visited with any of you. I'm sorry to have been so quiet but I haven't had much to show for my silence. Here's my little fox - it still needs backstitched grass, but the leaves are all done. I really enjoyed working on him - now he needs to be turned into something so I can keep him around while I stitch.

I bought a pair of those DMC marbleized scissors and stitched a small peacock (from the Gift of Stitching Historical Sampler series) to go with it. It was supposed to be a scissor fob but it's a bit too big, so I need to make a little pyn pillow. I've never made one and have to figure out how to measure properly so my pillow doesn't turn out lopsided - any suggestions? I don't exactly know how to start. I think I need to start a new blog called Fear of Finishing - no similarity to another well-known blog intended ;--) Couldn't one of you magically transport yourself to my house, and show me how to do it? I promise I'll feed you well...

French Knots (Sort of)

2008-09-27T17:10:00.000-07:00

Tonight I decided to tackle the dreaded French knot again. I used the tutorial that Carol pointed me to (thank you, Carol!) and after many false starts I came up with this:

They aren't the most beautiful French knots in the world, but at least now I can say I made one! It took awhile before I realized I shouldn't pull too hard when finishing the knot or it would go right through the fabric. One thing I haven't figured out is how you are supposed to start a knot if you aren't bringing the thread from another stitch; when the knot is actually where you first start using the thread. I had to make a loop start first, then I moved over to make the French knot. I'm not sure I am making any sense here - I think what I am asking is can you start a French knot when you start using your floss, and if so, how do you secure it so it doesn't just pull through and out the other side of the fabric?

I should have practiced more before I tried to make knots for eyes on this little freebie I am making. I ended up doing several knots in the same place, so his eyes look rather bulgy. I may take them out and try again, but at least he isn't blind! I think this chart comes from this blog - the design says it's copyrighted by Kirsten Schmidt, but I can't find the chart there. I hope I am attributing it correctly. I just fell in love with this little guy!

A new discovery to me is a blog called Stitching Bloggers Links, which I read about on Independent Needlework News. I was pleasantly shocked to find that my blog is listed there; it's still hard to believe that I am considered part of this great community of wonderful stitchers. As I try to navigate this hobby and get better at it I so much appreciate all the support I get. There is so much inspiration out there and it makes me want to keep trying and not give up!

Teacher Gift Framed

2008-09-14T14:17:00.000-07:00

Here's the framed version of the gift for my son's teacher. Thanks again to Tanya for the wonderful chart.DS has a new teacher now - he just started third grade. So far she seems nice; we'll see if she merits one of these at the end of the year. DS's first week was a bit dramatic - I got called to the school because he had a fever of 103. Of course this call came in while I was on my way to my haircut and color appointment, which was already three weeks beyond when it should have been. And my hairdresser was going on vacation the next day. So now I look kind of like Medusa, with my hair all over the place. At least there aren't snakes coming out of my head (yet).

Right now I'm working on a little freebie that should be finished soon, and I am trying to talk myself into giving a floss tag a try. Carol got the greatest looking device for putting in the eyelets. I was thinking of giving the one sold at Joann's a try - has anyone used it? The idea of putting a hole in my stitching scares the dickens out of me, but then so did making a needleroll, and I managed to handle that okay.

I have been reading all the Me, Myself and I RR plans with pleasure. Being a contractor isn't something I'm quite ready for, but it's such fun to go to open houses! I have a great old book by Dorothy Rodgers (wife of Richard Rodgers of Rodgers and Hammerstein fame, and mother of the woman who wrote Freaky Friday) called The House in My Head. She kept a kind of journal as she planned and built her dream house. I can't help but think of that book when I read the planning blogs. If I were to design one, I'd model it after a town near the border of Wales called Shrewsbury (are there any Brother Cadfael fans here?), where DH and I spent a wonderful trip over Thanksgiving one year. It has a castle, a narrow windy street called Grope Lane, a Tudor-style B&B where we stayed, and a friendly, non-smoking pub. I'm still too new at stitching to take on a project of this magnitude, but I'll be dreaming and scheming along with the rest of you in spirit!

French Knots (Not)

2008-09-01T15:51:00.000-07:00

I finished Our Souls Entwine in the nick of time; my husband's birthday is Wednesday. The only thing I tried to change was instead of making cross stitches for the birds' eyes, I wanted to make French knots. Unfortunately my attempts to perform this feat led to abject failure. I looked online for instructions and even though I found plenty of references, I couldn't figure out how to hold the thread properly. The pictures usually only showed one hand holding the thread but not both hands, and I was all fumble fingers. I also wasn't sure how many strands of floss to use - the instructions kept telling me to "wrap my floss around the needle" but not how much of it would make the knot correctly. If anyone can point me to "French Knots for Dummies" or some such, I would be forever grateful.

Meanwhile I finagled with cross stitches so the eyes look a little more substantial than Xs. Just Xs made it look kind of like the birds were supposed to be dead! Not a very romantic thought for a birthday present to one's DH.

Our Souls Entwine
Brightneedle
R & R Reproductions (Parched Bone)
Weeks Dye Works and DMC

The frame looks perfect, doesn't it? Well, don't look too close. It's just a regular picture frame, so the excess fabric is too thick to lace at the back of the stitching. I took the picture by hiding the fabric behind the frame. That's the way DH will get it, with my promise to have it framed properly one of these days!

So now I am project-less, not counting UFOs Gingerbread Cottage and Schoolgirl Lessons, neither of which are calling to me at the moment. I've been looking for a chart that I can use to make a floss tag for the MFC, and I really want to start something with which I can start to master color changes. I love LHN and the like, but I want to conquer my fear of something more complicated. I found a chart in a British cross-stitching magazine that I might try - a country house with a garden in front. But for this I'll need a trip to the LNS for the linen. You all seem to have endless stashes of beautiful linen - do you order it online? I have been getting it project by project but it would be wonderful to have a small store of it. So much linen, so little money... Off to look for a floss tag chart - see you soon!

Blogger did it again!

2008-08-21T14:36:00.000-07:00

I clicked the wrong thing and Blogger ate my post. Again. Don't they allow room for dumb mistakes? Not that I had said anything earthshattering, of course - merely a brief travelogue of my vacation to Cape Cod, where I got some stitching but no blogging done. I'm about 3/4 finished with Our Souls Entwine from Brightneedle; I don't even have to hide it from DH as he pays no attention to what I'm stitching. And shortly before I left I finished my scissor fob for the MFC, a little angel I gave to my relative who is undergoing chemotherapy - I figured she could use an angel to watch over her. Before I go after the pictures, I'm saving this paragraph. I know Blogger, I bet it's still hungry...

Angel
28 Count Platinum Linen
Crescent Colours Ruby Slippers Floss
Freebie from Casa Mia

The little heart was taken from Tanya's teacher gift I made, which is still not back from the framer. I forgot to take pictures with scissors before I gave it away.

Okay, I think I'm safely through this post (she says anxiously). I'm off to publish it before Blogger changes its mind and nabs me again!

I know how Sally Field felt...

2008-08-02T20:40:00.000-07:00

when she won her second Academy Award and said "they like me, they really like me!" Jennifer honored me by naming my blog a Brillante Weblog. Her post about the awards floating around our community was like a gift in its wisdom and thoughtfulness. Sometimes it can feel a little funny to be selecting particular blogs to highlight, for fear that others will be hurt. But Jennifer really makes a case for the positive nature of these awards. To a new blogger like me they are really meaningful, and they also do serve to introduce many of us to blogs we might not otherwise have found. I love seeing blog lists and finding new stitchers to be inspired by. So I am gladly following the rules:

1. Put the logo on your blog;
2. Add a link to the person who awarded you;
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs;
4. Add links to those blogs on yours;
5. Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.

I would like to give this award to:

Carol at Linen Stitcher - for her amusing posts about her neighborhood (we need an update on the soap opera!)
Carol R. at iStitchaholic - for all of her stitching and also for her reports on her lovely flowers (how's the eggling?)
Lisa at Me My Needle and I - for her color choices that just glow
Nicole at Carolina Dreams - for her prolific output and all her LHN finishes that I love to see
Ranae at The Needle and I - for her adorable Halloween stitching
Tanya at At the Honeysuckle Tree - for her creativity and her delightful posts about her children
Vonna at The Twisted Stitcher - for her beautiful finishing and for being herself

I hope you all have fun with this - I did!

In other news, I've just gotten back from Pennsylvania Dutch country. Most of my family got together and stayed on a farm where our kids could learn how to milk cows, feed calves, and collect eggs. It was a wonderful trip! And you haven't lived until you have seen Amish people shopping at WalMart. They drive their horses and buggies there, since they can't use cars. Just another reminder that people are like each other than they are different.

I got a little bit of stitching done, and taught my eight year old niece how to do simple cross stitch - I hope she gets the bug! My husband's birthday is in September, and I started this for him, sitting at the kitchen table on the farm. Stitching and looking out over green cornfields - 'twas bliss!

Pocket Scissor Keep

2008-07-25T12:16:00.001-07:00

I'm back on the wagon for the Monthly Finishing Challenge, and made a pocket pinkeep scissor keep for this month's challenge. I used Staci's instructions, which made things very easy. Next time I will try something a bit harder, but this is an acceptable first effort.

Small House Sampler
Little House Needleworks
Unknown 28 count linen
DMC Floss

Kathy of Purple Wildcat had tagged me last week to do the one-word answer questionnaire. It took me awhile to get it together, but here are my answers:

1. Where is your cell phone? Pocketbook

2. Your significant other? Roger

3. Your hair? Highlighted

4. Your mother? Marianne

5. Your father? Michael

6. Your favorite thing? Reading

7. Your dream last night? Biking

8. Your favorite drink? Coke

9. Your dream/goal? Contentment

10. The room you’re in? Kitchen

11. Your hobby? Stitching

12. Your fear? Childloss

13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? England

14. What you’re not? Petty

15. Muffins? Corn

16. One of your wish list items? Sewingmachine

17. Where you grew up? New Jersey

18. The last thing you did? Coffee

19. What are you wearing? Tshirt

20. Favorite gadget? iPod

21. Your pets? Dog

22. Your computer? Laptop

23. Your mood? Calm

24. Missing someone? Father

25. Your car? Subaru

26. Something you’re not wearing? Shoes

27. Favorite store? Borders

28. Like someone? Yes!

29. Your favorite color? Green

30. When is the last time you laughed? Yesterday

31. Last time you cried? Reading

If any of the people I chose for the Kreativ Blogger award want to do this, please do!

And I'd like to thank my director...

2008-07-21T13:05:00.000-07:00

Carol R. honored me with the Kreativ Blogger award - thank you, Carol! It's a nice pick-me-up to get this. Now it's my turn to pass the award on to others. Here are the rules:

1 The winner may put the logo on her blog.
2 Put a link to the person you got the award from.
3 Nominate 5 blogs.
4 Put links to the blogs.
5 Leave a message for your nominees.

There are so many blogs that I love; this list is by no means exhaustive:

Just Another Stitching Blog (Michele)
Purple Wildcat (Kathy)
StitchyAngel's Treasures (Sally)
Sweet Pea Stitches (Jennifer)
Willing Hands (Rachel)

I hope you all have fun with this, like I did!

Blogger Ate My Post!

2008-07-18T21:09:00.000-07:00

It's so annoying when that happens. I'd written out several paragraphs and I thought I'd saved them properly, and then poof! Let's see, how to recreate what I wrote?

I found the (almost) perfect frame for LHN's Where There is Life at Joann Fabrics. The mat is made of fabric, with pink embroidery. It complements the colors in the design beautifully. The opening didn't quite have enough space to fit the entire border; even so it was worth all the fiddling to get it (almost) lined up right. I gave it to my family member with cancer on Monday; the sentiment seemed to resonate with her and I hope it brings her some comfort.

I've been wanting the LHN chart from the 2004 JCS Christmas Ornament issue (the one with the tree, a bird and two squirrels) and I found a copy on eBay, which arrived the other day. The past few Ornament issues haven't yielded many items I wanted to stitch, but this one was filled with them. To borrow a phrase: so many ornaments, so little time! I'm looking forward to the 2008 edition, and hope it's as chock full of must-stitch ornaments as is 2004's.

I've started the finishing for my scissor keep for the MFC. It's really a pocket pinkeep. I had wanted to make a scissor case like this one but I didn't know how to make the lining for it, so I'm going with the pinkeep version. I almost bought a pair of Emma scissors for it at Joann's today, but I got fussy about the way the colors were laid out on every pair, so I'm waiting till I find one I really like. I have yet to own a pair of Gingher's and am eagerly awaiting finding out why so many people seem to love them. I just saw that a new version called Roberta is coming out in October. Collecting these could get addicting!

A finish, and other things

2008-07-08T18:40:00.000-07:00

The gift for DS's teacher is done, except for the framing. I'm happy with the piece and hope Mrs. Pray is too. Thanks to Tanya for her wonderful design.

The Sampler Girl's Teacher Gift
Platinum Cashel
Carrie's Thread and DMC

Awhile back I was on the DMC website and saw a link about the DMC Mentor Program, which offered a packet to be used to teach others to stitch, for free. I sent for it and promptly forgot all about it. Well, it recently arrived - it's got four small kits with a cyclamen design, complete with all the materials (Aida, of course), and a nice little booklet with 9 different charts. I have a 13 year old goddaughter I'm trying to interest in cross stitch, so the first kit will go off to her. These kits would make lovely scissor fobs so I'm hoping I can find others to ~~indoctrinate~~ teach. The shiny little thing on the cover of the packet is a DMC Mentors pin, which has little colored x's on it. I just checked the website and I no longer see a link offering this program, so I wonder if they have discontinued it. I hope not - it's a great idea.

The other day I was looking through some old linens and found something I had stitched probably 20 years ago and had totally forgotten about. I have no idea where the chart is or what it's called, but it looks vaguely Pennsylvania Dutch. I've become such a snob; as soon as I saw it I thought "oh, but it's on Aida!" Still, it was a thrill to find some of my ancient handiwork - I only tried stitching for a short time and never got past the block colors phase. Perhaps it will become a pillow one day.

I am being summoned to play a game on Club Penguin. I'm off to the Polar Ice Caps!

Stitching by Fireworks Light

2008-07-04T20:24:00.001-07:00

Tonight while DH and DS were off at a baseball game, I worked on my Teacher Gift and watched the Boston Pops and the fireworks. Taking stitches while trying not to miss the action was a bit tough, but I finished enough to show this:

Only one more line to go, and it's on to the framing! Jennifer gave me a link to a great online frame shop, and I'm sure I'll find something there. I did swap out the Belle Soie silk I was using for some variegated DMC, because I wanted a less solid look to the heart's color. And I was still nervous about the bleeding, though I got some very helpful suggestions about that from Kathy. The silk did discolor the linen somewhat but it's all covered over with the new floss.

I think I'm going to try this month's challenge and make a scissor keep, though I have no idea how to do it. I want to make a simple pocket for my first try. If anyone knows of any tutorials, I would love some links. I had too much trepidation about the tin topper for last month, but now Carol has given me all kinds of wonderful advice, demystifying how to make them, so I'll be working on one of those soon

The guys have returned from the game and fireworks, and DS is begging to stay up until midnight. Oh wait - it is midnight. Time for me to help him turn back into a pumpkin. Good night, and happy 4th of July!

I'm changing my name...

2008-06-28T16:30:00.000-07:00

No, not my real name - it will stay Michele with one l (when I was a child I wanted to change my name to Kimberly but my parents declined, and now I'm resigned to Michele). I've been posting and commenting under the name Novice Stitcher since I started this blog, but I've decided that it would be better to use my first name. Not that I don't think I am a novice anymore - I still feel like such a newbie to stitching and especially to finishing. But most people seem to be using their names now, and it seems friendlier to do the same. So as not to confuse everyone, I'll be Michele B., since there are a number of Micheles out here, and I'm amazed to find that I'm not the only one who spells her name with one l. Speaking of my name's spelling, I have a funny story to relate. I talked to a woman with the same name and spelling who said that the reason she only has one l in her name is that her grandmother made her parents promise that she wouldn't be spelling the word h*ll every time she wrote her name!

I decided to live dangerously and I'm stitching the heart on my Teacher Gift with the silk Rose of Sharon. So far no bleeding and it looks really pretty. I'm not sure yet how I will frame the piece or if I can find a standard frame that would fit it and look nice. Where do you get your frames? Do you do your own framing usually or use a shop for it? I've yet to frame anything and I'm getting anxious to see some of my work on my walls.

Now that this piece is coming to an end I need to think about my next project. I'll probably finish up Schoolgirl Lessons but I'd like to try something with color changes soon. I'm definitely going to be a novice stitcher at that, but I won't let that stop me!

Making a Little Progress

2008-06-26T19:38:00.000-07:00

Here's how far I've gotten with my Teacher Gift by Tanya. I am so lucky the teacher's name only has four letters, the same as the chart had. I'm about to start on the heart, but I'm still undecided about the floss I want to use. The design is charted for several shades of pink but I think a deeper red would go better with the blue floss I am using for the lettering (Carrie's Threads Indigo). I'd been planning on Crescent Colours Rose of Sharon, so the heart would have a variegated look, but I'm a little leery of it because of the problem of staining the fabric if I have to frog any of it out, like has been happening in my Schoolgirl Lessons. I think I can manage not to frog if I do it carefully, but does anyone think if I iron the piece using steam before I frame it that the color might run? It is the perfect thing for the heart so I really want to do it but am not sure I dare to take the chance. It is hard to see in the picture but the bleeding is on the linen at the top right of the door. There isn't much, but then I hadn't frogged much there! After I get the gift done I will go back to SL, but I'm missing doing something with multiple colors and need to find a new project. I'm beginning to understand why stitchers have so many projects going on at one time!

More questions - I probably don't have enough time to make a tin topper for the Monthly Finishing Challenge (hopefully I'll get back on the bandwagon for the next challenge) but for the future: where is it best to start and end the trim around the sides of the topper so the ends won't show very much? Should it be in a corner or in the back of the tin topper? I keep trying to see where people did this in the pictures of the tins but they are hidden so well I can't tell. Is there a secret I don't know? Any tips would be most welcome. I am so glad for the huge knowledge base out there in the stitching community. I could never have learned the little I do know from books or stitching magazines!

Remember Me?

2008-06-15T13:56:00.000-07:00

I could hardly believe it when I looked at the date of my last post and realized how long I'd been away from blogging. I hadn't intended to disappear, but there has been so much going on in my life and that of my family that I guess I needed all my energy to live it rather than write about it. Plus I've barely picked up a needle for much of the time, so there was little to say stitching-wise. While I was "away," though, I was warmed by the caring and thoughtful comments and emails of many of you following my message about my family member's illness. This is such a wonderful community - I think even if I never took another stitch I would want to remain part of it (not that there is any danger of that!) Thank you all for your kindness - it really meant more than I can say.

Things are going okay right now, although the situation is pretty scary - my family member has the same kind of cancer with which Senator Kennedy was diagnosed. The one bright spot is the renewed interest in brain cancer because of his illness; we hope it will beneft my family member in some way, though I'm so sorry he had to be the catalyst for all the attention (I'm from Massachusetts and this is a very big deal here).

I finally think I've gotten back into the stitching groove, though I don't have much to show for this lost six weeks. I didn't get very far with Schoolgirl Lessons; the silk floss left a residue on the linen whenever I frogged even a stitch. I've heard that others have had this problem as well (any suggestions?). It's faint, but it bothers me, so I've been kind of reluctant to spend much time on this piece. Just yesterday I decided that I need a new project, and I remembered that Tanya had recently posted this perfect teacher gift chart (she'd even sent me a copy of the chart when I had trouble downloading it), and although we will be giving my son's teacher a gift certificate to a local restaurant, I really had wanted to give her something handmade as well. So this is what I did last night:I must admit that I have been fretting a bit about this project, even though it's simple, because I know I won't be able to finish it before Wednesday, the last day of school. It is SO frustrating to be such a slow stitcher. I see the quick way so many people are able to stitch things up and I wish I was one of them, but whether it's technique or just the way my hands were made, I am definitely the tortoise and not the hare (and this time, the hare wins!) Many people have wisely said to me that it's the process and not the pace that matters, and I know that, but I can't help but want to turn things out faster. There is, as the saying goes, "so much to stitch, so little time," and I guess I just long to do more than I'm able.

That being said, part of a responsive reading we had in church today really resonated with me:
May we not let awareness of another's talents discourage us, or sully our relationships, but may we realize that whatever we can do, great or small, the efforts of all of us are needed.

So the next time I complain about being the slow stitcher (and I'm glad that blog name is taken, otherwise I would have been tempted to use it), please remind me of the statement I just posted. Those are my words to live by.

I'm so happy to be back among you!

A Quick Hello

2008-05-03T04:55:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to pop by and say hello. I haven't been able to do much stitching lately - a close family member was just diagnosed with a very serious form of cancer, so much of my time and energy has been taken up with family issues. I did make a start on Schoolgirl Lessons by LHN; today I will be taking it to my son's soccer game, which will apparently be played despite pouring rain. I wonder how stitching with gloves on works? Guess I'll find out!

I've been trying to keep up with blogs and continue to be awed and inspired by all the beautiful work being created. Reading them has been a nice relief from sadness and stress, so I thank you all for helping me through a very difficult time. I hope to be back to regular stitching and blogging soon.

The World's Thinnest Needleroll

2008-04-16T15:23:00.000-07:00

I actually did it - I finished my first needleroll for the Monthly Finishing Challenge. The chart can be found here. I have to say I probably wouldn't have tried making one for quite some time; they looked so daunting, especially the hemstitching. I forced myself into doing something new by signing up for the challenge (even though you don't have to do every one, I figured I might as well see what I could learn to do). I used the clear as a bell tutorial that was posted by Anne S. and she made it so easy to follow that I had very little trouble doing it. I even enjoyed the hemstitching process. Not that this needleroll is perfect by any means, in fact, I have some tips for anyone making a needleroll for the first time. You can learn from my experience!

DOs and DON'Ts for Making a Needleroll:

DO: Make sure you leave enough fabric on the sides of your design so that your needleroll has adequate width to it (see title of this post for the reason why).

DO: Stitch along the edges of your linen first so that you don't lose a good 1/2 inch of fabric on either side due to fraying (see post title again).

DO: Take special care to line up your hemstitching properly along where you will make the French seam, so that the hemstitching on either side meets in the middle properly (at least the seam is in the back).
DON'T: Use your 30 year old sewing machine that can't handle tension correctly (the only tension you'll have is your own!)
DON'T: Forget that you don't have any polyfill so you have to cut up lots of tiny pieces of batting with which to stuff your needleroll.
DON'T: Let your son burst into the house from outside leaving the door open, causing your dog to escape and run crazy around the neighborhood, interrupting your finishing for far too long while you chase him.

If you can follow all these instructions, you'll have yourself a needleroll!

I'm not the only stitcher who made their first needleroll for the challenge - take a look at Kim's gorgeous creation, which she designed herself using motifs from some favorite designers. Isn't it beautiful?

I wonder what challenge will be next...

Now for the hard part...

2008-04-08T09:16:00.000-07:00

I finished the stitched part of my needleroll. I like the way it turned out, even if one of the zeroes is a little crooked - it's the fabric, not the meticulous stitching ;--) that caused it. I'm glad I still have about three weeks to tackle the finishing part. It'll probably take me two of those weeks to screw up my courage to try pulling the threads and doing the hemstitching. I just have to keep reminding myself that making the pinkeeps wasn't nearly as hard as I thought they would be, and hopefully I will not only find this to be true with the needleroll, but also that I will enjoy doing it. It makes me feel a bit better that fabulous stitchers like Staci and Vonna have also expressed some trepidation about this challenge.What is a needleroll for, anyway? Is it purely decorative or does it have a function? It took me awhile to find out that bicornus can be used as pincushions, but I haven't been able to find an explanation of a needleroll. Anyone know? Of course, just having an addition to the basket of smalls I am starting is reason enough for me!

My New Blog Header

2008-04-04T10:18:00.001-07:00

Some of you probably know that since I began my blog I've wanted to find out how people get such nice headers on theirs, but I've been unable to discover the secret. Yesterday I got an email from Staci's sister, who had taken some of the pictures from my blog and created a header for me! Staci had told her how much I liked the one she did for her, and so she took the time to make me one. I am so delighted with it! She picked the perfect font for my blog title (doesn't it look kind of like floss?) and my projects look great all lined up at the top. I'm so grateful to this talented person whom I've never met, and to Staci for her role in making this happen.

My needleroll is coming along, though one of those birds has been troublesome - I've frogged some or all of it three times! And I'm nervously watching one side of the linen, which I didn't stitch along (my sewing machine is broken) so it keeps losing threads. Hope I have enough left for putting the needleroll together. Of course it could be an excuse not to make it, but I promised myself I would try.

This morning I went to Borders and had coffee and read the British cross stitch magazines, which I enjoy perusing. Nothing caught my eye enough to buy one, but it was fun looking. And Borders had a copy of the Reader's Digest Big Book of Cross Stitch Design, so I got to see all the great designs that are in it. I didn't buy that either, but I have a small gift certificate to Amazon.com that just may end up being put to good use...

Needleroll Start

2008-04-03T08:34:00.000-07:00

With trepidation I have taken on the needleroll challenge and started a stitched piece to use. It's a German freebie I found. I like it a lot because it reminds me of Pennsylvania Dutch artwork (I spent a lot of time in that area growing up). It remains to be seen how well this will turn out - I cut one side of my fabric pretty close to the design, so it may turn out to be a very thin needleroll, that is if I can manage the thread-pulling it will require. And hemstitching - oh my goodness I am really in for it now! But I like having to make myself try new things. I tend to be someone who sticks with the familiar, so this is a nice opportunity for me to spread my wings a bit. The frog has struck a number of times already but I keep shooing him away. I'm hoping to be done shortly; then the fun starts as I attempt to learn how to actually put this together. Stay tuned!

My Wee Bird Scissor Fob

2008-03-30T11:45:00.000-07:00

I have a new "first" to share - my first scissor fob. I love this little bird - I think of him as my bluebird of happiness. His finishing was not without drama. It was really hard to pick up the backstitches in an even way, and his edges don't bear close scrutiny. And the floss I was using for the edges broke on two corners while I was going around. Is floss the best thing to use? It was a double strand but didn't seem that strong. I have seen perle cotton mentioned but am not sure if I should use this, or if so, what size. Any advice?

Freebie (no longer available)

Now for my next project (Gingerbread Cottage is still poking along but I'm trying to spice up my stitching with other things too). I'm going to attempt my first needleroll for the Monthly Finishing Challenge. I found a chart I like and bought the floss today at A.C. Moore after church (I also bought one of those Olfa cutting mats with a 50% off coupon -I needed it, right?) There are some good instructions for how to make them on Focus on Finishing, but one thing I'm not sure of is how much material to leave at the edges of the design. I know I have to have enough to make the French seam down the side but I'm not sure if there is a standard. Does anyone have some tips? Thank goodness for this community of more experienced stitchers - who knows where I'd be without you?

Note to self: now that you are a member of the Monthly Finishing Challenge blog, remember that your own blog is listed second on the Blogger dashboard, not first. Do not publish your personal blog posts to a group blog!

Button, Button Who's Got the Button?

2008-03-29T07:56:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Carol's excellent suggestion I now have a finished pinkeep that looks like the buttons are sewed on. Thank you so much, Carol, and all of you who helped me decide what to do. I like the pinkeep a lot better with the buttons, and the ecru thread I used for the "sewing" adds an extra little touch that breaks up the color just enough. I've emailed Becky to see if I can join the Monthly Finishing Challenge, even though the next challenge is a needleroll, which I find rather daunting. But if I don't try things I'll never learn, right?

As I was uploading the picture I just got a request from DS - he wants me to make him a pinkeep with a picture of R2-D2 on it. Now where am I going to find a chart for that? ;--)

Pinkeep with Buttons

2008-03-28T13:21:00.000-07:00

Thanks to a very smart idea from Harmien, I placed the buttons on the pinkeep corners and took a picture. I think I like how it looks - it makes the monochromatic theme more interesting. Should I get out my tacky glue?

Opin(keep)ions please!

2008-03-28T09:58:00.000-07:00

I made my second pinkeep out of my JBW Designs French Country Apple, but I had a problem along the way. I glued the batting to the cardboard but didn't let it dry long enough before I stretched the stitched piece over the batting. The glue went through it and then through the stitching, so in three of four corners you can see and feel some glue residue. It's not awful but it's definitely noticeable. Here's what it looks like (my apologies for not getting the cording bow to scan in a very good place):

JBW Designs French Country Apple
28 count cashel
DMC floss

The brownish spots in the corners are where the glue is. I had an idea for how to disguise it but would love some opinions. I looked for some apple-shaped buttons but couldn't find anything that fit, soI bought some burgundy buttons and I thought I could put one in each corner and glue them down. Would that look weird? I can't decide whether to do it or not. Maybe I should just live with it as is? You all helped Kim decide about the pink ribbon on her gorgeous first pinkeep, so I'm hoping you can help me as well.

Here's the back of the pinkeep (I really love this fabric):

I've been considering joining the Monthly Finishing Challenge, even though all I've finished so far are pinkeeps, but I'd like to resolve my glue dilemma first and make it look better. I'm kind of nervous to make the commitment to this but it sure would make me try harder to conquer my fear of finishing! My scissor fob backstitching is finished and I got the ribbon for the loop to attach it. That's next on my agenda.

Now I have a scissors question - are Gingher's the best embroidery scissors to buy? So many people seem to have them but they are quite expensive and my little cheapo from Joann's seems to work okay. Maybe I'm just afraid to start another addiction!

An Amazing RAK

2008-03-19T10:35:00.000-07:00

I was flabbergasted today to receive the most wonderful gift from Staci! She sent me a beautiful floss ring tag that looks just like the one she made for her tutorial, in fact it's the same one. I can't tell you how surprised and moved I was when I opened the package (which also contained a whole bunch of great freebie charts). Never had I imagined that I would be privileged to be the recipient of another stitcher's work. My stitching is so slow and basic that I've never been able to envision myself participating in exchanges; it's all I can do to finish something for myself, let alone anyone else, though it's a someday far-off goal to try. Today has been a very gloomy and cold day here and I've been working on our taxes, so to find this in my mailbox just made the sun shine all over me! Staci I can't tell you how much your random act of kindness means to me. I am honored to have become your friend.

Here's the gorgeous floss ring tag she sent me:

Front

Back

In use

Staci has also been encouraging me about my current projects. I haven't gotten very far with Gingerbread Cottage since I finished the house; I've just managed to do one tree. I decided to use DMC Light Effects for the snow on the tree; somehow all the white in the chart didn't look right and I thought some sparkle might liven it up. Now I'm trying to figure out where else to use Light Effects and where to stick to the white floss. But I've found that right now the project isn't holding my interest the way I'd hoped. Maybe the end of winter just isn't the best time to be doing such a project when I am yearning for spring.

So when Staci suggested I do something with a bit more chance of quick gratification, I decided to try my first scissor fob. I saw a post on the Christmas Ornaments SAL blog and fell in love with this wee bird. He seemed like the perfect motif for a fob. I stitched him mostly while watching American Idol last night. I'm about to start the backstitching, something that's not my forte, but I'm determined to get this thing done. I want to put my initials on the back; does anyone have any links for alphabets that they like?

Thank you to everyone who commiserated with me on my eBay fiasco. I haven't left negative feedback for the seller because she hasn't left me any yet, and I'm afraid she will post something critical if I do so (eBay's policy of not allowing sellers to post negative comments doesn't become active for a few months yet). I contacted eBay to ask how I could avoid negative feedback if I asked for a refund, and they were less than helpful, saying that even if I got such feedback I could do a reply and people would see my response. I am very leery of wrecking my 100% feedback score, so I'm going to wait awhile and see if she leaves feedback (though I bet she won't). Sally, your idea of contacting Mirabilia is a good one. I'll bet they would be very interested in knowing that this kind of thing is going on.

Now I'm off to tackle the backstitching - another round of American Idol is coming up!

eBay Live and Learn

2008-03-10T16:13:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting the Mirabilia chart "Mermaids of the Deep Blue" despite the fact that it's way beyond my capabilities to stitch, and usually I haven't particularly taken to stitched designs of people. There is something about this pattern that just grabbed me. I figured it could go into my stash and someday maybe I would be able to drum up the courage to try it. So imagine my pleasant surprise when I found a kit on eBay that included the chart and the floss for it, for a very reasonable price with Buy It Now. I was a little bit surprised about the floss and even wrote to the seller to make sure it was there, which she said it was. The picture looked right, and I checked and all the feedback was positive. So I bought it. No doubt you are already shaking your heads at what is coming next. What I received was a Chinese knockoff of the pattern, with cheap floss. I went back and looked at the listing and saw that the name Mirabilia was nowhere to be found. I'd been had, and have no one to blame but myself. I looked again at the feedback and although it was 100% postive I found two neutral ratings that warned about Chinese fakes - I hadn't seen that before. Though I am sorry I am out the money I am even sorrier that I unknowingly contributeed to fakes being sold. I'm not quite sure what to do now. The seller didn't falsely advertise because she didn't say Mirabilia, but I certainly won't use what she sent, nor will I pass it on to anyone else. I guess I will just chalk this up to a dumb mistake, and be much more careful next time.

In happier news, Kathy blessed me with a Best Blogging Buddies award - Kathy I am so honored and grateful. You have been such a great supporter and this means so much to me. I will pass on the award to others very soon.

I just arrived back home after spending a weekend with my sister at a "women's wellness weekend" that was held at a YMCA camp in New Jersey. We spent two days partaking of lots of activities ranging from quilting and scrapbooking (no cross stitch, alas) to archery and hip hop dancing, with lots of all-female cameraderie. It was great fun and very relaxing. I got a little bit of stitching done on the first tree for Gingerbread Cottage, though I realized after awhile that I had been stitching half crosses and then back again with overdyed floss rather than making my Xs as I went. Fortunately there is not a lot of color variation in this floss so I think I didn't do much harm. There's so much to remember with this stitching art!

Cottage Constructed

2008-03-06T16:10:00.000-08:00

The cottage that gives this design its name is finished, snow and all. However, I think I have to frog the pink and white stitching to the left of the door. I stitched it all going upwards and the stitches look so uneven compared to the right side, which was stitched going down. I'm trying to live with it for awhile to see if I stop seeing the flaws , but so far they really stand out to me. I haven't been railroading this piece and I think it may have been a mistake.

I wasn't sure the brown checkerboard for the roof was going to stand out, but I like how it looks. This really is a pretty little design. Though I kind of wish I was stitching something springy. It seems a little odd to be working on snow when March is coming in like a lamb here - I hope the lion doesn't show up anytime soon!

Look who's blogging!

2008-03-02T14:02:00.001-08:00

Guess who finally has a blog? Staci! Here it is: Snippets and Stash. As many of us know, Staci is a frequent blog commenter who always has such nice things to say, but we've never been able to reciprocate because she didn't have a blog. Well, she's taken the plunge and her blog looks wonderful. Go check it out for yourselves - welcome Staci!

Gingerbread Cottage begins

2008-02-28T14:07:00.001-08:00

Here's what I've done so far on Gingerbread Cottage. I'm missing one of the Crescent Colours so the area around the door isn't done yet. I'm just starting the roof and hope I don't get mixed up with several shades of light brown. I managed to do the small color changes with the flowers - it may not seem like that much but I've never done it before. Every first is a notch in my stitching belt.

I went to Barnes & Noble today and looked at British cross stitch magazines (I was lucky and they weren't in those annoying plastic bags that you can't open). I love to read the letters column and see the projects stitchers send in. Many of the patterns don't appeal to me or are too complicated for a beginner, so I rarely buy them, but every now and then something catches my eye and I ante up the cost just for one chart. In general I don't see many blog pictures of work that comes from these magazines, and I'm curious if any of you read them and what you think of them.

Please make sure to see my post below about the new blogger in our midst, Kim of Stitchful Thinking. Hop on over and give her a warm welcome.

Please welcome a new stitcher and blogger!

2008-02-28T03:38:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone!

I'd like to introduce you to my new friend Kim, who has just started a blog called Stitchful Thinking (great name!) Kim only started stitching in December and already has made more than a few lovely pieces. Kim wrote to me after finding my beginning stitcher blog, and now she's decided to join me in chronicling the journeys of a new stitcher. I am so excited to have company in cyberspace! She has said some very nice things about me helping her on her blog, but I think of anything I have been able to assist her with as my own version of Pay It Forward. All of you have been so wonderful in answering my questions and giving me encouragement, and it's nice to pass what I've learned on to someone else. Please join me in welcoming Kim to the world of stitching bloggers. I love her first entries and her blog is well worth a read from the beginning. Make sure to encourage her about taking the linen plunge! ;--)

Thank you all so much!

2008-02-19T06:32:00.000-08:00

I just love this stitching community. You are all so nice to give me tips about how to change colors. After seeing all the comments I have started Gingerbread Cottage and so far it is going swimmingly, even though my LNS didn't have the CC Blushing Beauty floss I need for it. I'm working on a color change part right now and am not finding it as hard as I thought, as you all reassured me it wouldn't. I will post a progress picture soon.

Kim has tagged me so I am thinking up some weird or random facts about myself. That's not too hard to do!

The Rules:

1. Once you are tagged, link back to the person who tagged you.
2. Post THE RULES on your blog.
3. Post 7 weird or random facts about yourself on your blog.
4. Tag 7 people and link to them.
5. Comment on their blog to let them know they have been tagged.

The Facts:

1. While Kim said her real name is not Kimberly, when I was a child I desperately wanted Kimberly to be my name. I was very disappointed when my father told me I couldn't change it. Then I had a dream that I was in a courthouse changing my name, and at the last minute I decided to keep Michele. If I'd had a daughter, though, I might have named her Kimberly (but I only have a son).

2. I got my dog Beau from Petfinder.com, sight unseen. He had to travel from the Midwest to the East Coast to get here.

3. I have always been a reader and a book collector. When I moved to my house 12 years ago I had 83 boxes of books. I can't imagine how many I have now. I'm never moving again!

4. My first kiss was in third grade. A boy and I went to get something from our classroom for the teacher and she told us to make sure to lock the door when we left. The boy refused to lock the classroom door unless I kissed him. What could I do? So I kissed him. Nowadays he'd probably be hauled into the principal's office!

5. I got my ears pierced when I was 13. They used spray ice, and missed the part they pierced when they sprayed the second ear. If it had been my first ear I would have gone through life with only one hole, it hurt so much.

6. I used to drink coffee with sugar until I had to have $700 worth of dental work back in the 1980s. Nowadays it would cost thousands. Needless to say I don't use sugar any more.

7. I am learning how to practice yoga. The oldest person in my yoga class is in her 80s!

The Tags:

I have tagged a few people who have commented recently on my blog. I didn't tag everyone because some people have recently been tagged or I tagged you before. I don't want to wear out my welcome!

Nicki
Rachel
Sharon
Teri

There are two more people I would like to tag who do not have blogs - Staci, who always writes such nice comments, and my new friend Kim, who is another beginner like me. If you would like to play tag, email me your facts at mstitches@comcast.net and I will post them here (no worries if you don't want to do this, but I thought it would be nice to get to know you better!)

X Marks the Spot

2008-02-16T17:51:00.000-08:00

Here's the finished result of my little stitching project. As Kathy guessed, it's an X - for X Marks My Spot, of course! I'd like to figure out how to make it into a banner image for my blog, although if you look closely, you'll not only see my mistake with the border, but you may notice some miscounting that led to a lot of fudging in the bottom half of the design. I even had to stitch over one in a section in order to make things look relatively even. My skin must be getting tougher, because it's not bothering me as much as it would have earlier in my stitching career.

Now that I'm done with this, I needed a new project. I know I've mentioned LHN's Moon and Stars and The Snowman, but neither of them are calling to me right now. So I visited my LNS yesterday and lo and behold, the elusive Gingerbread Cottage by CCN was on the rack at last. I snapped it up along with Summer Garden, bought the linen for it, and am about to commence upon it. This will be more of a challenge than I have taken on before. For the first time I will need to do areas with a number of color changes, something I've not felt ready for. This seems like a good project to try it with.

One thing has always puzzled me. Have you ever noticed that when instructions for how to cross stitch are given in a chart or a magazine, what's never mentioned is how to change colors. No one ever addresses this. The directions always seem to be geared towards single blocks of color. To a newbie, color changes look very daunting. I'm not talking about the kind where you do one color for awhile, then switch to another. I mean in designs where the color changes every few stitches, making it impractical to switch floss color and then change to a new color within a stitch or two. I think I've learned enough to try it, but I wish I had some guidance on the best way to accomplish it without going crazy. I guess Gingerbread Cottage will be the test of what I can manage. So here I go!

The X's Stay Put

2008-02-08T13:20:00.000-08:00

Many thanks for all the support around my upside down and backwards stitching. I'm going to stop taking it all so seriously. I can barely even tell when I look at it. I like the Amish concept! Here's where I've gotten to so far. Is it starting to look like something recognizable yet? Even though it's not much of a project I have enjoyed stitching it. I really love that spinach green, which is more than I can say for the real thing!

Border Blues

2008-02-03T14:31:00.000-08:00

This new stitcher has made quite a newbie mistake. I'm working on a little design for my blog header, which has a border. I got all the sides to match up, but it didn't take long for my self-congratulations to dissipate. I stitched nearly a quarter of the design before I realized that I had turned the block of linen the wrong way, and my stitching goes in a different direction from the border stitches. This is always what you get warned about in cross stitch lessons - make sure your stitches all go the same way. Sigh. I could frog it all out and start afresh but I don't have the heart to do it. So I'm going to continue, hoping that it won't be noticeable on my blog. Can anyone tell what I'm stitching yet? I'm using Spinach by Crescent Colours and I like the variegated look in the design.

I read this post by Deb of Lavender Rose Ramblings after I discovered my error, and its wisdom helped me get a bit of perspective on this latest debacle. I urge anyone who has ever been discouraged to read it.

Oh Christmas Tree

2008-01-27T16:25:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry I haven't posted in awhile. We were in Florida visiting my mother-in-law, and I haven't had any pictures of anything worth noting. Remember I am a very slow stitcher!

While we were away I worked on Christmas Motif Sampler, figuring I could at least finish it during vacation. Well, I completed the tree but ran out of Weeks Dye Works Holly just when I was ready to work on the animals. It didn't look that variegated so I tried to get some DMC to match, but to no avail. It'll take a trip to my LNS (about 45 minutes away) to get this design finished. For anyone who is planning to stitch it, there is an error in the chart - the tail of the ribbon at the top on the right side is higher than on the left, so be careful. It must be really hard to avoid such errors, as they are more frequent than one might think. Maybe not all the designs are stitched before they are released?

I'd planned to start LHN's Moon and Stars but find I'm just not in the mood for it. While I was away I bought The World of Cross Stitching magazine, because it had a chart of an illustration from Raymond Briggs' The Snowman. I love that story and movie; I used to watch it all the time with DS when he was really small. So I'm going to do that one for my next project. The project called for some blue aida. It'll be the first time I've stitched on aida since I discovered linen. I hope I remember how to do it. I know I could do it on linen but I rather liked the look as it was in the magazine. In the article about the designer it said there was a whole book called The Snowman in Cross Stitch available, but when I looked it up on amazon.co.uk the only one I could find was 238 pounds! On Amazon's site here it's a bargain - $144.66. I guess I don't want it that badly.

I'm also working on a small design to use in a banner I want to make for my blog. I think I've finally figured out how to post a blog banner, though I'm still not sure of the dimensions to use. It will be nice when I can make the blog look a little less generic!

A few questions

2008-01-10T06:58:00.000-08:00

Thank you so much to everyone who commented on my pinkeep - it feels good to get such a nice reaction. I so enjoyed making it, and it's the start of many more to come. Now all I have to do is the stitching for others. I do have a few other small pieces like Blessed Be and Small House Sampler so you'll be seeing those soon.

Meanwhile I have a couple of questions I'd love some advice on. How do people hide the ends of the cording so they don't show on the back? I put the ends up at the top and the bow hides them on the front, but you can see them on the back. Is there a better way of doing it? Where do you usually start your cording or ribbon?

My other question is about fabric. I'm about to get going on Moon and Stars. My fabric is folded in quarters so there are creases across and up and down it. Is it better to iron out the creases before I start, or will using Q snaps be enough to keep the stitches flat over those areas? I've only done small projects so far so the fabric for those hasn't been folded. Many thanks for any help. I am going to Florida this weekend - we are visiting my mother-in-law - and I'm looking forward to stitching in the warm sunshine!

My First Finish!

2008-01-05T20:00:00.001-08:00

I made a pinkeep! This is the first thing I have ever finished. I was so anxious about trying for so long, but today I decided to get over myself and just give it a go. I used the tutorials by Vonna and Nicki (thank you both!) and it was really easy. I didn't expect to enjoy doing this but I did. There was something very satisfying about producing something that wasn't just on a piece of cloth with raw edges. Now, I won't say it is a perfect piece of work by a long stretch. It's a bit lumpy and it isn't quite a perfect square. But all in all it turned out okay, and I am proud of it.

I started this during the afternoon although I didn't have any backing fabric that worked (or ribbon or pins for that matter), so I ran out to Joann's to get what I needed. The backing fabric is what the pinkeep is on top of. I'd been planning to use green fabric but couldn't find anything that worked. I found a pretty brown ribbon that I was going to use, but then I saw the twisted cording with a red that picked up the color in the cardinals and the house, so I just had to get it. Then I found the gold pins. Altogether the pinkeep isn't as understated as I had envisioned, but I'm quite happy with it. Now I want to turn all the little projects I've done into pinkeeps. This could be quite addicting!
Meanwhile my Christmas tree project is at a standstill. It just isn't holding my interest. So I'm going to start something new: LHN's Moon and Stars, which I've had kitted up for awhile. I'd been going to start it today but my son was obsessed with playing Disney's Scene It which he got for Christmas, so when I wasn't making my pinkeep I was wracking my brain to remember Disney trivia. But as Scarlett O'Hara said "tomorrow is another day!"

'Twas Three Days Before Christmas...

2007-12-22T15:08:00.000-08:00

I should be packing instead of blogging. We're leaving for a week with my family tomorrow morning, and I'm frantically doing laundry and looking for enough clothes to last us for the trip. So no stitching here today, but I did do a scan of my little holiday project from JBW Designs. I'm afraid this is one tree that won't be up for Christmas, but it will accompany me and hopefully see in the New Year. Of course I discovered a place where I was a row off, so it was one step forward and two steps back for a bit. I'm still fixing it up which is why there's an empty patch under the reindeer.

One good thing came from starting to get ready to travel - I went into the pantry for a plastic bag to contain all the various chargers we have to take along, pulled one out of the basket, and lo and behold it held the floss for the birds' feet in Hope Perches that I'd been searching out for days. I'd just about decided to use something else but I really wanted to do it with the floss the chart called for. So a few more stitches and the birds will be flying.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas (or had a lovely Chanukah) and a very happy and fulfilling New Year. Thank you so much for all your encouragement and support in 2007. It got me through a lot of tough moments of doubt. I love this stitching community!

Hope is nearly perched

2007-12-11T09:58:00.001-08:00

At long last I have a picture to post. I really slowed down on my stitching and didn't have anything to show that was all that different from the last picture. But I'm finally done with the birds and the poetry lines. All I need to do is the birds' feet, and wouldn't you know it, I can't find the floss I bought (GAST Nutmeg). I know it's floating around here somewhere, so it's really frustrating that I can't quite finish yet. This will be the first piece I'll have framed when it's finally done. I do love the saying, though my husband makes all kinds of jokes about birds flying around inside a person.

I have one UFO I've been working on lately - JBW Designs Christmas Motif Sampler II. I hope to get it done before Christmas, and to finally figure out how to make a little pillow or ornament. I'll try the pulled thread method and see what develops. I'm still very wary of trying to finish anything, though seeing all the gorgeous ornaments on blogs lately makes me long for them.

Looking through my little but growing stash, I'm deliberating on what to start next. I bought the floss for the Autumn pinkeep from The Gift of Stitching but with yesterday's ice storm I'm not in a fall mood. I have LHN's The Bookshelf but I'm not sure I'm ready for that yet. I have a lovely chart by Papillon Creations with a cherub and lute player that I might do. What I'm really hankering after is Gingerbread House (oops - it's Cottage) by Country Cottage Needleworks but I haven't been able to get the chart yet. Well, something will call to me soon.

Staci, thanks for thinking of me! I knew when I started this blog that I wouldn't be able to post updates as frequently as most other bloggers. I'm just so incredibly slow, but I keep plugging. You know what I wish? I wish a quick stitcher would post a video of how they do it. I just am in awe of the speed in which people turn out projects, and I'd love to see what the process looks like. I think I stitch as fast as I can but I'm a turtle compared to all the hares out there!

Progress and Pillows

2007-11-05T14:37:00.000-08:00

Hope Perches is coming along, with three lines of the words just about done. I'm quite enjoying stitching this, and am now seeing how the birds stand out even though the blues look similar up close. It's such a pretty little design; I may have to do some of the other Literary Littles that are available.

Though I've decided to frame this when it's finished (I can't resist the idea of seeing it on a wall), I have been wondering what I would do if I were to make it into a pillow. The thing I can't figure out is how you make sure the design is straight when you sew the backing fabric together with the design material. I assume you do it inside out and then turn it rightside out, but I'm stumped as to a method of ensuring everything is lined up properly. So if any of you more experienced stitchers have any tips, I would be very grateful!

I wish I had a stitching group (or even friends that stitch!) For the past few days I had an old friend visiting from Minnesota; she is a knitter and a needlepointer, and we had such a companionable time sitting together and working on our respective projects. Well, at least reading blogs fills a bit of that need for me - it's such fun to look at all the beautiful projects out there, and dream of what I might be able to do one day if only I can stick with it!

Hope Perches

2007-10-25T11:53:00.000-07:00

Here's what I've gotten done so far. Of course, what you can't see are the 3 1/2 letters I had to redo because I put one x in the wrong spot, or that I didn't center it very well on the fabric. But other than those things, it's going fine! I don't even mind having to keep restarting with each new letter. It's probably not possible to tell that the floss for the letters is different from that of the bird. They are both Carrie's Threads; one is Peacock and the other is Indigo. I would have liked a little bit more contrast but they are both pretty floss colors. The birds will have a kind of autumn yellow color, and that will brighten things up a bit.

I've been tagged!

2007-10-24T18:22:00.001-07:00

Wow - my first-ever tag came from Kathy of Purple Wildcat. Now I feel like I really belong to the blogging world, Kathy - thank you! I need to list seven facts about myself. This should be easier than it seems, but here goes:

1) I am old enough to remember seeing the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show, but not Elvis Presley.

2) I love children's books, particularly the Betsy-Tacy series. I've collected almost all of my childhood favorites. Thank goodness for online book search services.

3) I met my husband through a dating service (not an online one). Our 12th anniversary is next week!

4) I work with tutors in an English as a Second Language program.

5) When I was in 6th grade I won a watermelon-eating contest at the class field day. Can you understand why I've disliked it ever since?

6) I am something of an Anglophile - I've been fascinated by all things British since I read a biography of Queen Elizabeth I when I was a child. I've made three trips to England so far in my life, and hope to make many more. My favorite place is called Shrewsbury, where the Brother Cadfael mysteries are set (I love British mysteries too).

7) The only celebrity I ever met was Teddy Kennedy, when I was ten (at an airport). I washed my hands and saved the water in a jar. When I went to college my mother found the empty jar in my closet (the water had evaporated). I haven't kept the jar.

Now it's my turn to tag others. If you have been tagged already or are too busy don't worry about responding. I had fun just thinking of you!

Carol of Linen Stitcher
Karen of Little Cat Blogs
Katrina of The Needle's Promise
Mindi of What's Up with Wyora
Ranae of The Needle & I
Sally of Stitchyangel's Treasures
Vonna of The Twisted Stitcher

Now I better get back to stitching so I will have a picture to post soon!

Blessed Be is finished

2007-10-20T12:16:00.000-07:00

I used Katrina's suggestion and found the little flower button on the back of my camera, so was able to do this closeup of my finish of Blessed Be. I think it looks a little better than earlier pictures. Thank you Katrina! Now all I need to do is to tackle finishing it. I'm happy with the way it turned out.

Kathy and Mindi, your input on soaking floss is much appreciated - I think you both make a lot of sense and I will go with being careful and not soaking the floss beforehand. The colors for Hope Perches are very pretty and I wouldn't want to lose any of their vividness. I'll just make sure not to drink my coffee anywhere near my stitching!

To Soak or Not to Soak...

2007-10-16T13:03:00.000-07:00

...that is the question. As I wind down on Blessed Be (mostly just the lettering left) I'm looking forward to starting Hope Perches, which consists mostly of lettering. It uses several different brands of overdyed floss from The Gentle Art and Carrie's Threads, and it was suggested that I might want to soak them in water before I use them, since they are not colorfast. Do you do this? I am wondering if it would make the floss harder to use if I soak it first. Would I soak the whole skein, or only the amount I think I am going to use? I have used Crescent Colours floss before and didn't soak it; so far I haven't seen anything that looked like it had bled onto my fabric. But if this is a good practice I am game to try it. I'd be interested in your experiences with overdyed floss, and any suggestions. You are all so helpful!

A little progress

2007-10-12T16:18:00.000-07:00

I'm enjoying working on this little design a lot. And so far I've counted everything perfectly! I have started wondering how to finish this. I'd like to learn how to make a needlebook but I'm not sure if it's the right shape or if it's too big. Maybe I will try a pinkeep even though it isn't exactly square. At least I'm thinking about finishing something!

I don't know what I am doing wrong with the photos I'm taking or the images when I scan. They don't seem nearly as clear as other pictures I see on blogs. So if anyone has any tips on what they do to make their photos look good, I am all ears. Maybe it's a blogger thing rather than my photos. I use the medium picture setting. The image always goes to the top of the page and I have to drag it into place. Is it just me or is blogger not for the faint of heart?