Hello, Stitching Friends! Is it freez-y cold where you are? We have had several winter storm warnings, but only a bit of ice and not a single flake! The winds are cold coming off the mountains, and I have been stitching or playing Settlers of Catan with the family. Hektor has not been happy that he alone must go out into the cold to do his business.

This week I started "A Pennsylvania Bird" by Elizabeth's Garden. I had no idea about this designer until I saw the charts pop up on e$ay while searching for Carriage House Samplings.



I have not quite finished the Mary Beale I was working on - I just really do not want to do that last wing on the angel. Maybe I can force myself to work on it sometime this weekend. After all, the reward for finishing a piece is to start a couple new ones, right? ;)

Glory of the Lord

I still have not fixed the wonkiness on this blog, so please bear with me. I did start a new blog which focuses on preparations for my Sunday School class. Today's post is about making felt and wood saints for Bible story presentations.

I really have not been stitching much since the first week or so of December. I may have finished a few more ornaments, but that was it. Last night I picked up the Mary Beale piece I started before Christmas, and the needle felt odd in my hand!! I am going to do what I can to get "back in shape" with a long afternoon of stitching! LOL

Ornaments and Blogging Blahs

I love being part of the blogosphere, but some things have changed lately that encourage me to avoid blogging. 1. I can't figure out how to blog straight from Picassa anymore. (Louisiana Man fixed that) 2. Whenever I upload pictures, suddenly they are all on top of each other, and I have to go in a separate each one. (got fixed somehow) 3. The right-hand sidebar is way, way down at the bottom of the blog. I looked it up on help, and it instructed me to look at link by link to see what the problem could be. Gee, thanks. (Now that is suddenly fixed too!! What is going on? This morning I had to scroll all the way down...Oh, for crying out loud!) (Now it is gone again! AAARRRGGGHHHH!)

Anyway, I have been stitching like..like...like a what? A house a-fire? A banshee? Do banshees stitch?
Next week homeschool starts back hard and heavy, so this week I am indulging in all my fantasy stitching!
The first picture is an WIP ornament from the November/December 1991 Just Cross Stitch. JCS has been publishing ornament for a long time - I have '85, '87 and '88! I love looking back through the older issues (older? I graduated high school in '91!!!) and seeing how the designers have honed their styles over the years; I also lament designers no longer designing. This issue seems to have left off the designers' names. It is fun to try and guess the designers, but they are only guesses. I wonder if the above is a Sheepish Designs, or Nostalgic Needle, or ... Any guesses?

The design below is definitely Sheepish Designs from the 1999 JCS ornament issue. It was designed for a dark blue (gunmetal?) linen, but I used what I had on hand (wood violet) and adjusted the colors a bit.

Who can resist Prairie Schooler? Such classic designs that never looked dated! This is 'Cranberry Christmas' from the 2007 JCS ornament issue. I think I might try to back this one with felt.
This is a Brittercup design from the JCS ornament issue 2006. I stitched this for our puppy dog Hektor, and plan on backstitching his name on the stocking.
This design is so obviously Homespun Elegance! I found this leaflet on e$ay a year or so ago. It is 'Colonial Celebration I' from 1990. There are 10 designs, and I would like to stitch several of them. This design is called 'Williamsburg Couple.' Louisiana Man and I went to Savannah on our honeymoon and again this year for our 15th anniversary. I thought this would be a good commemorative ornament for those trips. I need a wider ribbon for the edging - the turquoise floss I used for stitching it together shows! (I didn't want to waste a color I use frequently just for binding!)
I have always loved this series by Shepherd's Bush! This is the ornament for the JCS ornament issue 2006. I am just using overdyed threads I have on hand. I keep thinking it looks very Americana!

I am going to hop on the treadmill and read a bit more of 'Ross Poldark.' I started watching the mini-series on Ne$flix. It is very dated (an odd complaint about a period piece!), but still enjoyable. I like the book even better, and there are seven more in the series! It has to be a fantastic read to keep me on the treadmill - if only I could stitch and walk!! :)

Argh! Having trouble posting pictures!!! Do you see them?

I am having so much trouble with Blogger!!! I guess everything changed, and I missed it. I used to upload pictures from Picassa. Now I cannot find the blog button. When I post pictures, there is a divider band between each one, and the pictures are still on top of each other!!! Is there some weird little imp in my computer or has anyone else had problems? Anyway, over the weekend I visited my WIP basket. I was shocked! When I start something, I am usually so excited and think it is the most wonderful design in the world and calculate how soon until it is finished. Then, somehow, it winds up in the WIP basket. I looked at WIP after WIP thinking "Why in the world did I ever put this down?" I took pictures of some of my favorite finds. The above picture is by Little by Little. I have no idea when I started it or why it was cast aside. I LOVE the color combination. I worked on it last night and really hope to finish it up. As I was stitching the inner border, I thought how nice it would look done in satin stitch. Around midnight I glanced at the chart and noticed it actually called for satin stitch!! I decided not to rip out my evening's work though. The next picture is an actual finish! This is 'Anonymous Women' by Sheepish Designs. It is actually their first design and the work of Little by Little designer Cindy Bradford. Very fun piece!
'Anonymous Women' was published in 1985 the same year as Margaret and Margaret published this design. I found it in my mom's stash and began it as soon as I finished AW. I got a chuckle when I noticed the dates! Here is a lovely WIP by Nostalgic Needle. This was in two editions of Just Cross Stitch a few years ago. I started it the day I saw it. The colors and designs are beautiful. How could I put it down??? Wow! This is by With My Needle. I started this during the early phase of my Scottish Sampler passion. I think it was the band of queen stitches that stifled my passion. I hope you enjoyed some of the highlights from my WIP basket. I hope to get this HTML thing straightened out soon! Michele

Why, hello there!

That is all the stitching that has been done in ever so long - I almost didn't recognize it! All the way back in January, I signed up for a BAP with this Bridget Powers sampler. I obviously have a B-A-way to go! I was stitching it while watching an older miniseries on Netflix about Edward the VII. I thought it was quite appropriate.
We celebrated my birthday last month with a chocolate cake with peppermint butter cream frosting made by my sister. It was every bit as good as it looks and sounds!
Easter Day dawned fair and bright.
We celebrated my niece's birthday. This year my sister's got squished in between.
false indigo is beginning to bloom...
It's cloudy out, so maybe I will be able to stitch today. There has been so much to do in the garden lately!

It's My Turn, Turn, Turn for a Finish!

Thanks, Siobhan, for the post title! Thanks to all of you for the encouragement to stay focused on this piece! 'Renaissance Garden' by Goode Huswife 40 ct Angel Hair & DMC
I really, really love this piece, but I am glad the stripes and shading details are done. Whew!

I love the color combination in this butterfly!

Last night, I worked a bit more on 'Anonymous Women' by Sheepish Designs. Today I am looking forward to FINALLY starting on 'Bridget Power.' Hope you all get lots of stitching done!

Must break free!

If you know me at all, you know I like to switch my stitching projects frequently! 'Renaissance Garden' by Goode Huswife must have some sort of voodoo over me because I cannot put it down and start any new stitching projects however tempting. The race to the finish feels like a sick obsession. It must get finished this week! The spell must be broken! Must start new projects!

Howdy!

Just a quick note to tell you I am still around: still driving girls to dance and still stitching whenever I get the chance!
Renaissance Garden - Goode Huswife 40 ct (Angel Hair?) with DMC

Stash and Stashability

I don't have any amazing progress or finishes to show you, so I thought I would share some views of my stash with you. I love making piles of charts and rearranging the "stitching order." These are some that have been at the top of the pile for a while.

You all know how dutifully I have been working on Anonymous Women by Sheepish Designs.

Yesterday, I put her aside when the mail carrier delivered some fabric for Bridget Power Sampler by Of Female Worth.

Unfortunately there was a stain on the otherwise lovely 40 ct Angel Hair, so back it will go. But the linen for Renaissance Garden by Goode Houswife looked perfect, so I thought about starting it.

Whenever I see Renaissance Garden, I think of 1762 Canterbury Tapestry by Barrick Samplers for some reason. They are very like and very unlike to my mind. I have the fabric and could have started it.

But the birds were singing yesterday, and the bees were buzzing, and the day was unusually mild for February.(ETA: Thanks, Barbara! It is January! lol) So I considered English Cottage Sampler by Chessie and Me.

or Awake the Dawning Day by Blackbird Designs.

As you can see, I was spoiled for choice. With all this vintage-y goodness spread before me, my capricious needle may another stab, as it were. I sat myself down in my car in front of the ballet studio and stitched this.

I suppose I will always have a spot in my heart for Cross-Eyed Cricket!

I found this freebie in one of the newsletters at Stitchville USA. http://www.needleartworks.com/stv/nwsltr/svnwsltr.htm

Sewing Class

This weekend we went to a craft store. The girls chose some Valentine fabric for little pillows I have in mind made from a Sampler Girl freebie. I mentioned to Nutmeg that it would be cute to stitch up a few for her a couple of her besties. She misunderstood; I was suggesting she stitch them! Maybe we will stick to candy this year...

I divided my weekend stitching time between Mary Queen of Scots and Anonymous Women. I picked up a few DMC colors I was missing and so was able to stitch some of the "fun bits" of Anonymous Women, in particular that big glow-y flower. I stitched it incorrectly. I decided to call it personalization and leave it.

This will be the week the girls and I conquer the sewing machine. If we can get past Latin, French, Math, Composition, et al. hmmmmm....