Football and Stitching

I just love bowl games and playoff season! I get so much stitching done, especially while watching games in which I have no personal interest. Now some of you may ask, 'Why watch them?'. Well, I love football. I spent many Sunday afternoons as a child watching football games on TV with my dad. I knew more about the NFL than any other kid in elementary school. Daddy played football in high school and at NC State after his stint in the Navy during WWII. He even played in the Gator bowl way back when! Anyway, it was something we enjoyed doing together. The first fall after he passed away, I found myself picking up the phone to call him to talk about a game I'd been watching before I realized I didn't need the phone to talk to him.

Now I use the TV as a radio while I stitch. I still get excited about big plays and sometimes I have to frog because of it, but thatt's okay. So this week, I've made significant progress on The Cranberry Sampler.

It may not look like a lot, but that vine is a killer. It's done in Montenegrin stitch, which is not a problem when stitched in a straight line, but the diagonal portions require a lot of concentration. And for some reason, the sequence was not intuitive for me. It is slightly different with every directional change and I didn't really get into the flow until I was almost done. Then the base of the flowers (which aren't stitch yet) is filled with Trellis Stitch, another one low on my list of personal favorites. It similar to detached buttonhole, but harder to make consistent and not nearly as much fun. The fun part was the queen stitches in the leaves on the vince, but I ran out of them too soon. But all those stitches are what make these antique style band samplers attractive to me and I love the process. So I persevere!

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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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Whew!

I spent the better part of a couple of days this week assembling ornaments, but I'm finally done! I fought with my sewing machine for a while trying to sew the linings and backing on the stitched pieces. Then I twisted about a mile and a half of cording, then I stuffed about 20 lbs of polyfil into the little suckers. Then the fun part started...attaching the cording to the ornaments. But they're done, pictures are taken and they are ready to mail.

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Busy as a Bee

I've been so busy, I haven't even thought about blogging...well, that's not exactly true. I've thought about it, but haven't done anything about it! You'll have to be patient if you want to see the sampler I'm working on right now because somebody reads my blog who can't see it yet.

But I have been doing a little sewing for Christmas. And I do mean 'a little'. This table runner is call the 10 Minute Table Runner for a reason. I'm not sure what it is, but I'm sure there's a reason. I took a little longer than that but mostly because I use my sewing machine so rarely that it takes me a while to figure out what's going on. Yesterday, I spent quite a bit of time yelling at it because the tension was so loose. I won't tell you how long it took me to figure out that the needle had come loose and almost unseated. Duh. Once I got it in gear, everything moved along pretty quickly. The really fun part is standing in the fabric department playing with color combinations. 

  

Please excuse the lovely backdrop for my photos. It's hard to find a well lit place without going outside and laying them in the driveway!

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Cool and Refreshing, But It's Not the Weather!

Okay, folks, I'm finding a little difficult to think about winter when the temps are up in the 70s and I'm wearing shorts again! Not that I'm complaining. It's just messing with my mind...and I really can't afford that!

However, I continue to work on Christmas ornaments. 22 down, 6 to go! This Peppermint one is a fav of mine.

And this is my purple version of the blue Mill Hill ornament I completed recently.

And this snowman should probably go to somebody who won't see any snow this year...

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Do you think in DMC colors? You know, when you go to buy a pair of shoes to match an outfit, do you ask the clerk for something in '823' instead of 'navy blue'? Well, I do. Not all the time, but it happens. Last week I was working on a custom scissor fob (actually two) for someone and I just couldn't get a feel for what she wanted, so I asked her for the DMC colors. She went one better and sent me a picture of the scissors that will go with the fob. Here's what I came up with.

 There are lots of choices in my Etsy shop, but I am always open to custom work.

Still working on ornaments, but I did a count last night. Nineteen down, only eight to go! Woohoo! I managed to stitch quite a bit while watching football this weekend. (Go Wolfpack!!! Our season might as well be over, since we beat Carolina!) 

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It's Okay to Start Shopping Now

I've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off this week, so there's not a lot of stitching show and tell. I did finish the "Tweet" and "Baked Goods" ornaments by Little House.

But what I've been concentrating on is new scissor fobs and counting pins. Great gift idea for your stitch group gift exchange! I haven't listed these yet in my Etsy shop, but I will soon. If you don't want to wait that long, just comment and leave me a way to get in touch with you. You can purchase each item separately or as a set. I'll include a color coordinated needle threader with each set.

And, of course, I have lots of pretty stitch markers for the knitters and crocheters on your list...or treat yourself.

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