What Was She Thinking?

I'm having so much fun with Jean Scrimgeowr that I told my husband yesterday that I might not sell a lot of stuff for a while.  I would rather stitch than promote my Etsy shop.  Fortunately, we don't have to live off the income from my fobs and stitch markers.  And yesterday, I had to take a break to stitch a Habitat for Humanity sampler, so I am really itching to get back to JS.

My New Year's good luck is holding so far...or maybe after decades of stitching reproduction samplers, I have actually learned to look for compensations and other oddities, especially in borders.  As I worked my way across the top border…and unworked my way back a way… I discovered that each repeat of the border motif moves up one stitch all the way across the top.  Now I can hear you asking why I think my luck is holding given that I had to frog a little.  Well, normally, I would make it all the way around the border (and it's a big one) before I thought to look for those aberrations.  And now that I think about it, what probably made me take a second look is one little backstitched tendril extended above the graph and I thought, 'hmmm, wonder what that means'.  So I probably haven't really learned much in all those years, I'm just lucky.  And, it’s a good thing I left a decent sized margin at the top because I thought the top left was the high point in the design.   

What's the lesson?  Never make assumptions when stitching a reproduction.   And it just occurred to me that I'm probably going to go nuts when I frame it!  Do I square up the large border or the truly square inner red backstitch border?  Aaaargh, I'm going to obsess about that until the piece is done.  I hate it when I starting thinking too much.

Another interesting thing I've found is that the vine in the first band is in two different shades of green.  They are so close that it is difficult to tell that they are different unless you look very closely.  It seems to be planned, as opposed to not having enough of either color, but I wonder what Jean was thinking. 

I'm also wondering if the two dogs (one is on the far left side of the first band) are pets, since they are both pictured in two colors.  That green blob will be a bird once I add the legs, beak and eye. 

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Quiet Time Means More Time to Stitch

I think there is a very small light at the end of the tunnel...no wait, that's my Dazor ready and waiting for me to finish all those Queen stitches in the border!

But if you've been watching, you'll see that I've made significant progress in recent days.  Geometric motifs are so much quicker because I can memorize the pattern. So I don't have to spend as much time looking at the chart and figuring out where I am.  Plus doing an entire row of eyelets is easier than doing them one at a time in some kind of pattern.  I stitch the top half all the way across the row and the bottom half on the return trip.  That method also makes the eyelets themselves more consistently balanced.  I don't have to worry that one side is bigger/tighter than the other, thus creating a lopsided eyelet.  For some reason, when I stitch a complete eyelet, one side always ends up bigger than the other.

My friend, Donna, who owns my LNS, Angelwing Needlearts, called me the other day to tell me that Darlene O'Steen, of The Needles Prayse, had been in the shop that day.  Apparently, Darlene and Chris are looking at property down in our area.  Donna forgot to mention that I am working on one of my all-time favorite samplers, Virtue Outshines the Stars.  I'm sure Darlene would get a kick out of know that I've finally gotten around to it. LOL  I really wish I had been working that day.  I haven't seen Darlene in years and would love to visit for a few minutes.  I can only hope that she'll stop by another time.  

On the needlework bling front, I had a request for 200 purple stitch markers for a 'knitting event' in mid-August.  What a great opportunity to show my wares to some enthusiastic knitters.  Each participant will get one in their kit! Thanks so much to Jen at WoolGirl.  Here's a sampling.

 Stop by TJBdesigns for a look at all my stitching accessories. You can never have enough stitch BLING!

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I'll Be Your Honey Bee

Well, the visitors come and go and I'm back in my nest.  I took a short break from Virtue last week to stitch this little piece for my husband for our 31st anniversary! Happy Annivesary!

 "June's Honeysuckle" by Cottage Garden Samplings

And now I'm back on Virtue.  For those of you waiting on the color conversion that I'm using, be glad I postponed giving it to you.  I've had to make a couple of adjustments for the symbols that were originally blended needles.  Since I'm working this on 36 count, I'm only using one strand of Splendor, so no blended needles for me!  But, never fear, I will post the list as soon as I'm sure about it.

I'm currently working on a big wholesale order of stitch markers for a knitting 'event' in Oregon.  Every single one has at least one purple bead included!

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Summer Stitching

Since the massive frogging incident, I've made good progress considering that I haven't had that much time to stitch.  When you live at the beach, summer visitors tend to mess with your stitching schedule.  Plus, I usually have to give up my 'nest' so that everyone has a place to sit. 

I just started the first flower in this huge band.  Thank goodness I get to add a color that I like!  All that green and yellow was getting on my nerves.  Hopefully, I'll get back in my normal stitch routine this week and have time to post more too.

It's also time to reorganize my yearly stitching list.  I've indulged myself for several months now working on Virtue Outshines the Stars, but it's time to get crackin' on those thirty Christmas ornaments, birthday presents and Christmas presents too!  Where does the time go? 

It's too hot to spend much time outside, so you'd think I would get a lot of stitching done during the day.  But most days, I'm busy making new scissor fobs and counting pins and promoting them online.  Thankfully, they seem to be more and more popular and the knitters and crocheters want their share of needlework bling too! 

And in case I haven't mentioned it lately, thanks for stopping by and commenting on my stitching life!  It's great to hear from all of you.

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Being Creative With Some Friends

 

A couple of my artsy friends on Facebook formed a group with the sole purpose of challenging ourselves to create something beautiful every couple of weeks. We all love color and making the most of color combinations, so the Creations Color Challenge Group is our way of pushing ourselves and sharing our creations. This week's color combo challenge (as if you couldn't tell from the photo) is green and orange. I have to admit orange is not one of my favorite colors, but when I pulled out the bead boxes this fob just sort of came to me. It happens that way sometimes, which is good, because I hate it when I have to force it. The results are usually not my best. In fact, I usually leave my designs laying on the workbench, unassembled, for at least a day, so that I can warm up to them. I put this fob together as soon as I laid it out. I added the removable stitch markers for crochet to complete the set. They're not very adventurous, but the set makes a great gift for someone who loves to crochet. Of course, I can also make counting pins for cross stitch and needlepoint or stitch markers for knitting to match the fob too. (Yes, that was a shameless plug.)

Not everyone has posted their items yet this week, but here are three wonderful items. Check out their fabulous on-line shops too! 

A gorgeous bracelet and necklace set by CarensJewelryBox on Artfire.

This lovely card is from CrossStitchCards, also on Artfire.

And this boldly beautiful bracelet is by KraftyMax on Artfire.

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Another Fun Finish!

 I can't figure out what I've been doing, but it's not stitching. At least, not as much as I usually do. Anyway, I finished this lovely sampler, as well as a Habitat for Humanity sampler. A group of ladies from our now defunct EGA chapter stitch them for new H for H homeowners in our area.  Emily Gorgeina Dixon is a reproduction from Ewe and Eye and Friends. The colors are unusal, but stitched as charted.

 
Now I'm officially starting the Christmas panic. I usually start my Christmas ornaments in June. Today, I final got around to kitting up some today. It's going to be quite a push to get 25-30 completed this year. Guess I'll have to give up sleep for a while.

Of course, I'm also gearing up for the gift giving rush in my Etsy shop. Don't forget your favorite stitcher, knitter or crocheter. Scissor fobs, counting pins, laying tools, stitch markers...Bling for the needleworker who loves pretty things.

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Just Make Yourself at Home

I was planning to stitch all afternoon, but I made the mistake of going down to my workbench for "just a minute". I ended up spending the afternoon working on crochet stitch markers, scissor fobs, and counting pins! Apparently, Otis missed me. I turned around to move some things to the photo station and this pile of old towels was on the floor and Otis had settled himself on the shelf from which he'd removed the towels. Now he has a little nest. I can't bring myself to put them back.

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It Pays to Read Ahead

Okay, I know, you look at this picture and think: "She hasn't blogged in a week and this is all she's manged to get done!" 

I stitched absolutely nothing while visiting my mom last weekend. And frankly, I'm happy to be this far! You know how I love to stitch on 36 and 40 count. So I changed the fabric on this piece to 40 count Pear from Lakeside Linens. (See, I finally remembered.) However, I should have studied the pattern a little before making this change.

You see that pink dividing band that looks like a zigzag? Well, that is French stitch. Not a particularly common stitch and not really difficult either. It's kinda like a Queen stitch in that each vertical leg over 4 threads is tacked down horizontally in the middle. But the stitches are done in pairs and are verically offset by 2 threads, hence the zigzag look. I love Queen stitches, even on 40 count, but somehow this little band took three nights for me to complete!!! And I had to use the magnifier for the whole thing. Very easy to misplace the couching stitches. Plus, since it's a hand dyed it's already been wet and dryed so shrinkage has already occurred. So the weave is tighter and harder to see. Again, not usually a problem for me, but this was a bugger! I love the effect and since Tuesday night, I've completed the alphabet and almost finished the next dividing band of Bosnia stitch (the dark green one). What a difference. Bosnia is so quick and easy that you're done almost before you start!

I'd love to be able to stitch more during the day, but I'm staying busy make fobs and counting pins and stitch markers, etc. for several new needlework shops. And here's my shameless plug, feel free to tell your LNS about my needlework bling and direct them to my Etsy shop or they can contact me about having some in their shops!

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Stitching Time is Sooooo Wonderful

I've been making an effort to stitch every night this week. Having houseguests, as fun as it is, really puts a crimp in my stitching time. Since I finished Abigail's Wisdom, I'm back on Shores of Hawk Run Hollow. Block 10, the ship in a bottle, is done and I started on Block 11 last night. Letters are soooo easy and they go so quickly.

During the day I am spending all my time getting ready for the Oak Island craft show. I started spreading the finished things out on the dining room table so I could get a feel for any gaps in the inventory. I like to have color coordinated sets of fobs, counting pins and laying tools. Plus when, possible I coordinate some stitch markers for knitting and crochet with some fobs too. 

I have a few bookmarks ready, but not nearly enough! I haven't even started on extra laying tools yet! So I may not come up for air for the next week or so!

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Mother's Day is Coming!

Do you remember my Mother's Day fiasco last year? If not, click here. Well, the tradition (not the moronic one) continues. I started Mama's silk gauze sampler last night.  And I know I haven't done this one before because I just got the chart in February!

I just love doing these little samplers because they go so fast. It's cutting that tiny little frame that always makes me crazy.  The frame size is about 1.75" x 2.25".  And that means my pudgy little fingers get pretty close to that mitre saw blade going a zillion revolutions a minute.  (This picture is not my finished piece, it's the photo on the chart.)

If you need a non-stitching idea for Mother's Day, drop by my Etsy shop. All sorts of needlework bling for a mom who stitches or knits or crochets.  I even have beaded bookmarks if your mom is more into books than needles.

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Winter at My House

Okay, there is no snow and not likely to be any time soon. (We had snow about 9 years ago.) But it is cold and windy and I'm a weather wimp, so that's good enough to keep me inside and stitching. Actually, I've been so busy trying to catch up with my scissor fobs and pins and stitch markers that I've only been stitching at night while watching TV.

I've hesitated to post pics because there's not much to show. This is what Shores of Hawk Run Hollow (SoHRH) looked like when I put it away Oct 1st. (Remember the Christmas Panic?) So I pulled it out as soon as I finished my tree skirt piece. But all I've done is some more border and a little of Block 8. Not very exciting, but at least I'm stitching.

Now for the shock of the decade! I started a new project without finishing SoHRH! Do not panic, the world is not coming to an end, Hell has not frozen over...but it's awfully close. It's Spinster Stitcher's fault. I was reading about her "stitch whatever you want" attitude and I caved. I pulled out "Pigalle" by Long Dog Samplers. That's the good news.

The bad news is that I have to do some frog stitching. Sometime last fall I decided to change most of the colors because I'm just not into orangy reds. So I spent I don't know how many hours playing with it until I had chosen some blue and purple hues to go with one of the original reds that I did like. So I started it last night and after a couple of hours I realized it just wasn't going to work. So I trucked off to the stash room and started playing again. I now have reverted to warm reds...just not the ones listed in the chart. I'll show them to you after I make some progress. Here's what it looked like when I made the big decision.

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I'm BAAAACK

It's been a week since I posted and it feels like a year! We went to visit my mom for several days and have an early Thanksgiving. We had a nice visit, but I'm glad to be home. I'm such a homebody. I like sleeping in my own bed, drinking my own coffee, watching my zillion TV shows WITHOUT commericals. (I love my DVR.) PLUS, while I was away, I got another wholesale order from Nordic Needle, so I have three dozen sets of counting pins to make! And I have an order for fobs and stitch markers to coordinate with a line of knitting bags my LNS is carrying now. And to those of you who have been Christmas shopping at TJBDesigns, I thank you.

But the main reason I'm glad to be home is that I have so much stitching left to do in a short 5 weeks. I'm still stitching ornies and I have to finish about 26 of them! That's the really tedious part. I'll be in a cord twisting tizzy. Thank goodness I have the old electric hair braider to make it go faster. I can't believe I used to used a pencil to twist cord. That's like watching TV without a remote!

Anyway, I have finished a couple more ornies, including the pink angel I showed you only a start of.

I'll try to keep up with the blog a little better, but don't hold me to it...at least for the next few weeks. I really need to catch up on my blog reading too.

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Woefully Shameless Plug

Here it is, my woefully shameless plug. If you are thinking of giving a gift to a needleworking friend, please take a walk through my Etsy shop. It's like giving jewelry, but it's functional too! Beaded scissor fobs with handmade tassels...some even have matching counting pins for needlepoint and/or cross stitch.

Everybody needs a beaded needle threader.

And for the knitters and crocheters (is that a word?) on your list, I have beaded row and stitch markers.

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New item for Crochet

Now I know some of you don't crochet or knit, but lots of people do as an alternative to stitching. So bear with me just for this post.

I've been making stitch markers for knitters for several months now and recently I've had requests for row markers for crochet. These are open ended so they can be removed from the stitch. They will also work for knitting, except for very small needles. They might fall off needles smaller than size 5. I've been working on these for a little while now and I think I'm ready to show them to the world. These, and more, will soon be listed in my Etsy shop.

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Big Weekend Plans!

Did my title get you all excited to figure out what I'll be doing this weekend? Well, chill. Those of you who really know me have already figured out that I'm going on a stitching binge. No parties, no big dinner out, no Jumbo Marguerita. Just me, the TV, and Margaret Gatis. Now that I'm done with the satin stitch flower and Holbien band (on 40 count, over 3-don't forget), I'm actually enjoying working on it again. But don't quote me. By Monday I may be pulling my hair out again.

I hope I get a lot done this weekend because my sis and nephew are coming for the week for their summer's last hurrah before school starts. And I'm expecting a big beading order on Monday. So I'll have a lot of work to do. I already have some ideas bouncing around in my head for new scissor fob designs. And since my local yarn shopowner practically cleaned out my inventory of stitch markers (not complaining) this week, I need to conjure up some more of those.

Hopefully, you'll see lots of progress in my next MG update next week.

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