Chugging Away

Just because I haven't posted doesn't mean I haven't been stitching...except for the four days I spent with my mom.  I just can't get settled in the right spot with the right lighting at her house.  But I continue working on Virtue Outshines the Stars.  Just in case, you want to keep track, there are 45 queen stitches in each one of those flowers in the vine.  Good thing I love Queen stitches.

I seem to be breaking my normal pattern on this one.  I usually work with one color until I'm done, but I just can't do that here.  So I'm jumping around and surprisingly, it's not making my brain hurt.  Must be an aging thing...everything else is.

My little birds are beak-less just because I haven't gotten to that color.  But they are beginning to bother me.

 

 

This little piece of hardanger is going on a quilt that was made by the niece of my friend, Judy, who passes away recently.  I hope Judy's husband will be comforted by the knowledge that her friends remember her so dearly.

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Thistle Too

Now that Thistle Too is done, I'm taking a Periwinkle Promises break and working on some hardanger Christmas ornaments.  They're easy and they require no finishing beyond attaching a hanger and washing/ironing.  Maybe I'll have enough done by Christmas to avoid being disowned.

 

Over the last few months, I started making beaded eyeglass leashes.  Most of us, as we get a little older, need a little magnification to stitch. So we buy those adorable little reading glasses to make us feel a little less frumpy about needing them.  And you don't want to lose them, so you need a pretty eyeglass chain to keep them handy.  

In the meantime, I continue to add new fobs and counting pins to my shop. 

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Another Year, Another Big Start!

Well, the big Christmas rush is over and I'm still working on ornaments! But only because I like to have a few done before I start the Panic later in the year. Actually, it's kind of fun once the pressure is off, but you're still in the mood. And I'm working on hardanger ones, so I don't have to worry about color changes.

I stitched this Charland Design from my stash for my husband for Christmas. Of course, the frame wasn't done in time, but it's hanging on the wall now.  It's a little frou-frou, but hey, it's sweet!

But I started my first project of 2012 right before Christmas just in case I had some time to stitch (what a joke) while visiting my family. Since we got back I've really enjoyed working on "The Cranberry Sampler" by Needle's Prayse. 

  

I've made more progress, but haven't take a picture today. There's a huge whitework section at the bottom that I can't wait to stitch! In the meantime, I'm meticulously working on a diagonal montenegrin band! Talk about the need to focus...

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Another Fun Finish

Obviously, I've been stitching rather than blogging.  "The Christmas Quilt" by Emie Bishop is done. I laid it on a dark green fabric for the photo so that the hardanger would show up a little better. It was a fun piece to do, except for the cross stitch part. Too much confetti stitching for my taste. Next time I run into something like this I'll take my friend, Laura's, advice and use an overdyed green and an overdyed red and call it good.  The back is a mess and I really hate that.
 
 So, I decided to work on my Star Sampler SAL by  Periphaeria Designs this weekend while visiting my mom. It's an easy project to work on in the car and doesn't require massive concentration. That's the kind of project I like when I'm not in my 'nest'. 

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Show and Tell

I just love this piece! "Cotillion" by Papillon Designs. I finished it a couple of weeks ago, but wanted to get it framed before I shared it.

My current project, "The Christmas Quilt" by Emie Bishop of Cross 'n' Patch, is coming along nicely. The foundation stitching for the hardanger barely took a week, but the cross stitch greenery and berries is way more time consuming. I'm ready to finish it off and start cutting!

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Freedom to Stitch

I hope everyone is enjoying a fabulous 4th of July weekend. In addition to the cookouts and fireworks and family get togethers, don't forget to take a minute to think about what this holiday means. We have the privilege to speak out for what we believe, stand up for ourselves and others without reprisal, the freedom to work to improve our personal situations, and the freedom to worship and profess our beliefs. And we have generations of brave and responsible people to thank for those rights and privileges. So take a minute to think about what it would be like to be afraid to do all those things, or even worse, imprisoned for trying! Then give thanks for the independent thinkers who put their lives on the line and authored the Declaration of Independence, the framers of the Constitution, and those who protect our rights, both past and present. If you have the opportunity today or any day, shake the hand of a veteran or member of the military and let them know you appreciate what they've done. photo courtesy of PatriotIcon.org

So today I'm going to exercise my right to sit on my couch and stitch. I started "The Christmas Quilt" by Emie Bishop of Cross 'n' Patch the other day. The photo's not very impressive because it's all ecru on cream linen, but take my word for it, there is quite a bit of work in there.

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Whew! One more finish

So, I took the day off from Etsy...well, I quit before noon...to stitch and watch football and NASCAR. And it was a very productive endeavor. I finished the hardanger Christmas tree, Philip Rivers, QB of the San Diego Chargers and NCSU alum, led a last minute drive to beat the NY Giants, and Mark Martin finished fourth in Texas and picked up a lot of points on chase leader, Jimmie Johnson. Now I know most of you don't give a fat rat's ass about Philip Rivers or Mark Martin, but it made a great afternoon for me. And finishing the Christmas tree made a small dent in the mountain of stuff I still have to do in the next six weeks.

And I even managed to get about halfway thru one of those angel ornaments. I'm on a roll! Unfortunately, tomorrow real life intervenes. I'll be cleaning, grocery shopping, doing laundry, and finishing a custom order scissor fob. (That part is good.) So I'll be back to stitching after supper only. What a life!

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The Christmas Panic Continues

Only ten ornies left to stitch and about two dozen to finish! Those of you who read my blog and receive one of these little jewels every year may quit reading now. But even if you continue, you'll never know which ornament you're getting until arrives in the mail...or in your pile of goodies under the tree. So, in those immortal words...na na ni boo boo. (Loses something in the typed translation, so sing it to yourself. But if there is anyone else in the room be prepared for strange looks.)

I was looking for some new ones to stitch (in a hurry) and found these hardanger angels from Twisted Oak that I added to my stash some time ago. I promptly filed the chartpack with all my other Christmas patterns like the good, right-brained, anal retentive freak that I am. They definitely fit the parenthetical criteria because hardanger has few, if any, color changes and the geometric nature of hardanger makes it easy to follow the pattern.

Of course, I have to do something different with them (I have a contrary nature, as my grandmother used to say), so I'm doing them in the three colors you see here. Unfortunately, there are beads, but I'll suffer through. Ironic, isn't it, that my Etsy shop is all about beads, but incorporating them in my stitching projects makes me want to scream. Okay, I admit it, I'm a little weird.
Hopefully, my finishing will be somewhat close the models. Not my forte. But you should see the ones I stitched for my family 30 years ago! Scary.

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I am not dead yet.

If you hear that title with a British accent you've probably watched "Monty Python and The Holy Grail" one too many times. I know I have.

Some of you probably thought I had died and gone to that great stitch group in the sky, but no, I'm still here. We had a great week with my in-laws, et al, and ate WAY TOO MUCH, but now they're gone and I'm about three steps away from falling into a coma. So I'll make this short.

I did manage to get some stitching done yesterday while most of the family played golf. (And I have something to show for it, unlike them.) I stitched all the basics on this Christmas tree from Emie Bishop. Cutting and weaving should be done by the weekend.

I also chose all the coordinating fabrics for my bargello experiment needlebooks. Won't bother you with those until they are assembled and actually might incite a couple of comments. Still have about ten Christmas ornies to stitch and two dozen to finish, but I see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Now, if I could just teach Lester to stitch.

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Great Hardanger tutorial

Hardanger has what I call a huge "Oh, Wow"! factor. It's one of my favorite forms of needlework, probably because it's logical and symmetrical. Yes, I'm very left-brained. LOL. I love to teach it, but teaching someone how to read the diagrams is the most important part since there are so many filling stitches that no one can actually memorize all of them. And, as I'm fond of telling anyone I teach, "I'm not going home with you".

I get the Nordic Needle email newsletter every Monday morning. Recently Roz posted a great tutorial on hardanger. Since this is one of my needlework favorites I'm always thrilled when I can convince someone that it isn't as hard as it looks. The link provided is for this specific archived newsletter, so if you don't get the newsletter regularly be sure to sign up for it and check the rest of the archives. There is some wonderful stuff there.

Happy Stitching!

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Fabulous Friday

I'm starting a new feature called Fabulous Friday. I've decided to show you some of my stitching related discoveries on Etsy. So check them out and you might find treasures of your own.

This wooden needlecase by daystar07 is truly a work of art. http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=8335511

I can't believe anyone could part with this incredible hardanger table runner by Norwegianneedle. http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9761067

And I love samplers in this traditional style pillow by bethanderson . http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24043867

The elegance of this wooden pincushion by Nadelwerk is striking. http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=14205270

Imagine how organized your stitching nest would be with this Etui by sparetimecrafts. http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=20044336

You will be the envy of all your stitching friends when you pull out this beautiful needlebook by tickledpinkandblue. http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=23603904

I wouldn't advise eating this donut pincushion by adoreneko even though it looks good enough. http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=23778279

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