And we Begin Again 2017

I started the year with another Finish One Hundred Years.  Started in March 2015 and Finished January 1, 2017.  And this was one of the hardest projects I have ever finished.

There are so many mistakes - the letters are all messed up.  And I frogged so many times, I finally stopped and just thought - you have two choices, 1.  Throw this piece away or 2.  Read it - and if you can understand what it is saying, then just finish it.

I picked the 2nd choice.  I believe I have not mixed up any letters, or misspelled the words.  I hated this fabric and the browns (there are two different) look so close to me, I kept using the wrong one.

But 100  years from now, it will not matter the threads are messed up, the letters are the wrong sizes, some of the m's are different, there are too many, or too few spaces between the words - They will just know I survived the stitching of this piece and went on to have many more wonderful stitching finishes I loved.

My 2017 goals are 

1.  To post every month in the Small Sal I joined.

2.  To stay within my stash project.

3.  To finish 10 more projects in my Year of WIPs challenge, and to finish the year with 10 or less WIPs.  However, I may decided some of these WIPS will never be Finish and send them off to wherever all those Never to Be Finished by Original Starting Stitcher Go.

4.  To create 12 new Gingerbread Ornaments/decorations for the 2017 Holiday Season.

On a side note I am planning on attending One Million Woman March in Washington D.C. on January 20th.  Fingers crossed the weather is pleasant.  This is on my bucket list - to be in D.C. for on  inauguration day.  I feel very strongly about the future of my beloved Country and as the mom of 4 daughters - well enough sad.

Happy Sttching. 

It's Friday and I wish it would rain

I don't remember the last time I wished it would rain.  But the lack of rain in my neck of the woods has started to have a negative effect on everything, especially the local farmers.  So today there are promised showers, and I am going to be dancing!

My Week of Stitching --- Summer Sun = less stitching.

But I do have some finishes, some progress on one of my Longest Day Marathon WIPS, and a new start.

Lizzie Kate 100 Years.  - This is taking so much longer than I ever thought it would.  However I did get almost to the end of the top row and filled in some of the missing letters from the other rows. This baby has been put to rest now for a bit.

Here are my two little finishes.  They are both Nutcrackers - so my total for the year is now six.  I love my Red White and Blue Nutcracker.
The Purple Dude is from  a hard cover - Craftways - A Cross Stitch Christmas - A Heartwarming Holiday.  I wanted to do a Purple nutcracker and there are 4 in this book.  I just am not feeling this little guys arms, but I did fool around with those terrible French Knot Eyes.  I think when I do his friend I am just going to make his arm touch his body - just add the one column of stitches.

This is my new start - it is Summer Sampler and it is in the Cross Stitch and Needlework magazine and it is the July 2009 (or maybe it's called Summer 2009) issue.  This is  perfect for the Summer Family Picnics -- we always play Croquet with my Mom's and Dad's very old Croquet set - the one I had as a kid (and I have been around for a very long time) and I really like the colors too.

This is where I am after one day of stitching.

Once again my Country is in a terrible place.  I fear we will have another Civil War.

But today I will dance in the Rain and it's Friday.

My Day of WIP Stitching

What a day I had.  Jo,I had too much fun - also too much frustration.  I really do know why some of these projects are WIPS.... I had originally selected 19 WIPS.  I worked on 14 of them.  I thought I had a great plan and was very organized when I started.  Had a few stumbles along the way.  I am posting pictures only of the work completed.  Most of these before pic are on some page/post in my blog but in 1/2 of stitching - not much stitching difference but lots of insight. Please enjoy the pictures, no need to read all my descriptions - I wrote a lot of this for me - to help me organize my WIPS.
  Trying to keep the pictures small - In Order of how I stitched.  This is tribal wine glass.  Started 2012 maybe 2013.  stitched 3 little parts in the middle of glass - around the heart.

Thoughts After Stitching:  Am starting over with different fabric and different thread different colors would like it to look like a glass of red wine.

My 40 count -- I just continued on the very last EVIL White Stripe.  Again ripping out more than I stitched.  I am determined to finish this little tiny project no matter what!!!!!

Upside down Celtic Beauty (2013 DCC)  I love this - This was another Frog/Stitch project. There was a mistake in the border - I had to fix.  Was happy to finish the gold to the end of the top.  I will finish this one.  It has a lot of beads - I am not a great beader, but for some reason it is really important to me to finish all those I started for that challenge.

Finished the P - T.  Woodland Sampler - 2013 Challenge - Worked on this one earlier this year.  I will finish this.

Touching the Autumn Sky - 2013 Challenge  Before only the red stitches were complete.  This is my first and only ever started Mirabilia.  I love this design - It took me about 15 minutes to figure out where in the design these three little red bunch of stitches were. WHAT I LEARNED:  Always make sure when you put a project down you know where in the chart you need to start.  I knew it was in the center somewhere

 This is Joan Elliot I started this for the 2013 Challenge also - for some reason this picture was not on my original page for this Challenge so I added a picture of this - I love this saying but wish I had not started with the border.  It will be very pretty when finished even if all my kids are married a long time before this  It will not be done by September 3, 2016 the date of DD#3's Wedding - I am looking for a quick but very pretty little something to stitch up for her.
This is when I broke for Lunch with my Sister's who took me out for a wonderful Birthday Lunch.

 Patchwork Egg Basket - CS_N magazine Long ago start - one of the first evenweave projects.  I completed the top purple design - all one color - easy stitching.  Will Finish.

Liberty House - Leisure House - .  Did the red door.  I have been working in 2016 on this I will finish - this is one of those projects where everything is back stitched.  I am not doing the border, or anything besides just the house.








Around the World in 80 Stitches.  I completed nothing.  I have only the outline of the very first heart done.  I hate the fabric I started this on. And I am going to restart this one on a different fabric I think  I really want to finish this because of all the Specialty Stitches.

SamSarah 2013 Challenge start.  I don't like this fabric - but I do love this and love the colors.  Finished the star and a little bit of something else - was missing the correct color and spent too much time trying to locate  will Finish.





Dinner Time

2015 Start - Woneta  Worked on her green hand and the yellow on her skirt.  This I will finish will work on this one again soon.  It is tedious because I am not use to the big blocks of stitching the same color - and back in the day it seems that was all I stitched.  Wow how my stitching has changed over time.  I love this Witch - I love all witches really.

One Hundred Years - Lizzie Kate  Started 2015 Have cropped to show you what I completed in my 1/2 hour.  I really want to finish this for one of my kids.  I think it is a saying that is so important in the way we live our lives.

Stoney Creek Silent Night Cardinals 2013 Challenge.  Worked on earlier this year and for the longest time I had it upside down and couldn't figure out where to add the branches I had planned on stitching.  Finally figured it out.  There are two tiny little patches of brown branches I completed.

This is Lizzie Kate Belle - I started a challenge in 2012 to stitch all these guys one a month on the same fabric.  I got behind and have only a few left to complete.  This will be a shame if I don't finish.  I did more of her - the white a the bottom.








My Final piece of the day:

Yes there are stitches here.  This was my project for the 2015 retreat.  This was a year I took off from blogging - so there are no pictures of this.  There were three projects - the little strawberry - completed, the pincushion completed and the needle book.  The needle book - we had to baste first the outlines of the six pages.  Which was a very long process.  I had not stitched on anything since I finished the original basting.  The next step is to backstitch the actual frame of each page.  I worked on this backstitching - this was my first stitching on this since the retreat and it took me awhile reading the instructions and all.  This will be a beautiful needle book and I will finish this so there will be many more pictures.

If you have made it this far you have made it to the end of the day.  I kept out my most current wips to the last - and did not stitch on my RWB Nutcraker, God Bless America, my two LaDDa projects they are my most recently started and unfinished WIPS.

That is all for this post.  I do hope it will not take me so long a to pick up these projects again.  I have been in the New Start Something Small Enough To Finish mode - so we will see where my 2nd half of 2016 Stitching Joy takes me.  My goals are set 90% of the time with no END DATE.  So we will see.  Once again thank you Jo

February SAL 2016

Stitching Lotus Small SAL 2016

Hands On Design 

If you live in Syracuse, New York, it is hard not to caught up in St. Patrick's Day.  If you lived most of your life on the West Side - than you are most definitely connected to the celebrations.  The Green Beer will be delivered to Colemans Pub this weekend - the only bar in town with the Phone booth for leprechauns and also if you look on the right hand side - bottom right next to the front door of the pub you will see the little door for the leprechauns.

Upside Down Traffic Light.  Green is On top

Lizzie Kate

So it only makes sense - I would always have a Patrick Day Stitch on my to do list.
This month I did two for the Small SAL - Thanks Heather at Stitching Lotus for hosting.

Stitched A Bit

 

September is here.  What a Wonderful month this is.  School has started, Apples are getting ready for picking.  The American Football Season has begun.  I love this time of year.  One of my daughters has moved back home (she has gotten a teaching postion at the Elementary School in the neighborhood), but another one returned to College for what I hope is her final year.  So there are still three kids at home.  Tthe moving in and out really doesn't bother me too much.  However  I do wish I knew what it was like to have an empty nest, just once.  My job is still consuming so much of my time, I have had little for blogging - and reading blogs, and that is something I really miss - the reading.  I do have to try to set aside time each day for reading blogs. 

I was able to get a little stitching done in August.  



 

Freebie from my LNS. This is a varigated thread I purchased at Hobby Lobby called Earthy. It is a silk.
This is the latest in my Laundry Mat Stitching. It is very small, the size of a nice ornament, so including it in my 2013 Ornament SAL  THis thread was TOO varigated for me, well at least in this design. And I think I should have planned to stitch with a purpose. It was a great little project to test my patience with the thread type. And I did learn a bit. 





 I have fallen a month behind with my Guys and Belles, and I did not quite finish July.  I do want to be able to have this finished before January 2014.  I have only 3 more to go (and finish All Dressed Up).  To stitch these all as one is a SAL organized by Denise at Riverside Stitching.

This is an update on my Monday SAL organized by Deb and Linda.  I was able to take advantage of the Labor Day Monday and do some stitching.  I love to work on this B Thread Cut Thru Garden Shed.

Snow People July 1

This year has gone way too fast.  Seven completed... My goodness, it seems I just started this SAL with Denise at Riverside Stitching

Lizzie Kate Snow People...

SAL UPDATE -- Ornament and Bothy Threads

My June Ornament is a Lizzie Kate - Let Freedom Ring.  Since I am on this Super Patriotic Kick - of course, because I was raised as if 4th of July was the 2nd most important Holiday of the year after Christmas.  We are all Red White and Blue here getting ready for the 4th.  I know this picture is sideways.  And I have tried today to switch it - and I give up.  This is for my Ornament SAL over at Stitching Lotus

 

 

 

Next up is my Monday SAL Bothy Threads Cut Thru Garden Shed.  I worked very hard to do the roof all the way to the end, and then I worked very hard FROGGING - because I had made a little mistake, and things would not line up correctly.... I so do not like to frog. Debbie and  Linda are the wonderful ladies organizing and updating this SAL. 

To complete my Birthday Celebration, I am going to take a small road trip to Mass, and Vermont the next couple of days.  I am looking for Needlework shops as I travel.  Will share any I find.

Happy Stitching..

June 1 SAL Fat Guys and Snow Belles



June 1 - 7 Complete



Right back on Schedule. Finished the Queen this week, and Ready for Snow.  I do have lots of ideas for my little space, we will have to see. 

This is a SAL organized by Denise over at Riverside Stitching.
We are doing all the Guys and Belles in one. 

I can't believe we are past the half way mark - life goes so very quickly..

SAL - Unfinished Snow Belle

May 1, 2013 Snow Belle Ice Queen

This unfinished Belle is the story of my stitching this past month.  Not enough time for stitching or blogging - work was crazy and it just seemed I was too tired.  This is my snow SAL hosted by Denise over at RiversideStitching.

HOWEVER, here's to May full of x's.

As you can see, I will be needing some creative stitching to make this work out as one large project, as I mis counted and do not have quite enough space to place another picture in the space between the Queen, and Baby - so it will be a real surprise as to what I put in there... But by next month I hope to be back on track with the Queen completed, my next choice completed, and this little space filled.

We are having some wonderful amazing weather here.  Baseball - Little League is in full force, I have three grandkids playing, and of course Basketball never ends for my one grandson.

The girls are moving home from college - They are both too old to still be in college, but all of my children it seems are on a six year plan.  Glad they are not my loans.

Took my first YOGA class last Saturday - that adventure deserves a post in itself.  But I must say I did have a wonderful time, and due to the pressure and craziness of my job of late, I think it is a great choice for me.

I have joined (and will be starting next Monday) a brand new chart, new designer, new SAL.
 Over at Debbie's Crossstich, there is a Bothy Threads Cut Thru SAL - we stitch on Mondays

This is my choice - the Garden Shed.  This reminds me of my mom - and the shed we always had in the back yard.  The random crazy stuff, inside and out.  I had a very tough time picking out this design, there were several I really liked.  I have gathered all the materials needed, I did use some fabric I already have, and dmc thread.

Fat Men Snow Belle SAL -- December 1

 Here he is, my first WIP PIC for my first Blogging SAL Event.  Isn't he just awesome - incredible.  No Beads yet. so the bunny is missing his tail - however, my FAT GUY( Lizzie Kate) is the best.  I started with this one, Snow Friends - and he is finished.  I am not sure where I will go from here.  We will see.

This is my first update of Christmas Is - Waxing Moon Designs.  New Start in November.  And then I have an update on It's Winter,Sue Hillis Designs.

  I have a new start for December, Country Cottage Needleworks Santa's Village which is another SAL for 2013.   

 

My Stitching Goals for the month of December are:

 

1.  Finish Snow Person Number 2 for my FMandSB SAL

2.  Finish Santa's Village Number 1

3.  Finish Christmas Is

4. Finish Winter

 

I believe setting goals is great - way to stay focused and keep your eye on the prize.  This month is a tough one for stitching, with all the holiday going ons, however, when something that is so relaxing and stress relieving as stitching is, this is the time of the year where it is most needed.