1st Small Post 2017

So here is my first small finish of the year.
If you would like to join this wonderful SAL please visit Stitching Lotus.  It's a wonderful way to visit some great stitching blogs too.

 Yes, I found this potholder in my stash - I bet I have had it for 20 years.  And this little Gingerbread dude can be found in a very old Leisure Arts Magazine.  January was a great month to stitch from Stash.  I am having too much fun digging through my old stuff.  I am also happy, I have a fully finished object too!

I am Focusing on a Finish In February.  Please click on the link and travel to  Theme-Tas-Stitch 2017 SAL.  I loved the monthly stitching themes, so I signed right up.

I have two finishes in my WIP - these are also two things I want to finish for my FaceBook Year of WIP Challenge. So in February I will be stitching on - Ursula Michaels Easter Basket and Papillion Creations Celtic Beauty.

I started Easter in 2012 and Celtic in 2013.  I go to visit my grandkids each morning before school and to get them on the bus for their mom - I have about 1 hour to spar while I am there, so I bring stitching - Celtic Beauty will travel with me - It is a great travel stitch.  It would be wonderful if I could finish both of these - but I have not one true Easter design and so few Spring Designs I really would like to be able to display this finish before Easter 2017.  I will be pushing it.

End of Stitching.  And I just have a few pictures to show you from the March On Washington.  Hats off to all of the Sister Marches - Double Hats off to all of those International Women who also marched in their support.  I marched for the women who wanted to be there and could not - I am in no means suggesting all women felt the need to march.

Women from Canada were there - I ask permission to post picture

Women from Chicago were there - permission given to post this picture

The sign we carried - my friend, sister, friends daughter and niece

March on Washington 1/20/2017 I am in this picture with the yellow

The flip side of our sign.

This march was Empowering. And I believe this experience has changed my life.

Last Thursday of August 2016

Where did August go?  It's the last Thursday of the month and it is the day we share our monthly Smalls over at Stitching Lotus

Here is my Small for August.  This is one I completed for the Olympic Stitching Challenge in the Stitch Mania Facebook Group.  I enjoyed this SAL and would do it again.



So here are the rest of the projects for the challenge

August 15 was stitch White, and August 19 was silver.  I worked on the same project on both these days.  I was going to do this project for my daughter for her wedding - but it's not going to happen.  I hope to complete this and give it to her for Christmas - The dress is DMC Sparkly5200 one strand and one Strand of a sparkly Silver kreinik.
The red bow will be yellow and I am only doing the dress.

I did not stitch on Tuesday August 16 - it was wheel.  But I did work on Celtic Beauty again on August 17th it was Gold.  I was excited to pull this out again to work on because I do not want this to be a WIP anymore.

August 18 was Music or Patriotic so I pulled out Samples Not Forgotten Music Amongst the trees.

Next up was August 20 -Fire or Flames and 8/21 Copper or Bronze.  I started and worked on the JBW Choo ChooTrain.  I figure this is a very old train, so I know it used coal for fuel, and there was a fire going in the engine.  I change the color of the engine and the finally car before the caboose to DMC 921, which is copper.  That was the end of the SAL.  

My daughter asked me for her wedding day to find a special picture of her dad, so she can clip it to her bouquet as she walks down the aisle.  Her dad died of cancer several years ago.  I have the picture and I was trying to figure out how to attach it and I decided to make this little bag and put it in there and attach the little bag.  This is on 40 ct Mello.  This is half of a design from Rosewood Manor.  This chart was a gift I received while attending a Stitching Retreat.  I changed all the colors - the flowers are yellow and purple - the Wedding colors.  I love this quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson.  I have a very hard time with all the wedding samplers out there - for personal reasons, but I love this message and I think it is good advice to share with my daughter and future SIL.  This is very small, the verse will be hard to read - but it will work I hope.  

What lies behind us, and what lies before us, are small matters compared to what lies within us.  

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

Little Bit of Stitching

 

 

I have a little finish! It is my Laundry Mat Piece.  I always try to take a little something with me when I do laundry - I don't feel bothered about the time spent waiting for washing and drying.  This is a freebie from Papillion Creations It is called Three Emblems. 

Here is my update on Garden Shed.  It is for my Monday SAL with Debbie and Linda and some other wonderful ladies -  I look forward to finding some time each Monday to stitch a little on my shed.  This shed reminds me of my mom's.  A little bit of everything was in there. Including some critters.

 

 

Went to a baby shower this weekend, my sister is finally going to be a Grandma and so excited - she was thinking she would NEVER be one.  I am looking for a new start to celebrate GRANDMAs and give to my sister.    Any suggestions you may have will be greatly appreciated. 

Thank you all. 

Prayers for Oklahoma

I am in a place where I have a job, I have a home, I have a loving and wonderful family.  I am so blessed.  I have such an ache in my soul for those in Oklahoma - another elementary school tragedy. 
Nature ---- What can I say - it just makes no sense to me why we can't stop these storms somehow.....

These are my stitching updates for last week.  First my Monday SAL - I have finished the little creature on the roof of my Garden Shed - I am not quite sure what he is, and more of the shed.  This is a hard project to put down once I get started.  If you click HERE you will see all the wonderful updates for all the great Bothy Threads Projects  Thanks to Debbie and Linda for organizing and updating this amazing SAL.

Update #3 Bothy Threads, Garden Shed,
May 21, 2013

This is my little PEACE ornament.  I found this design right after the Boston Marathon.  It is titled Peace Love and Rainbows - I felt the need to stitch this.  It took me less than two days of working on it, so easy to stitch - it was in the Childrens Section of Stoney Creek, but for me, it was a soothing sort of stitch.


Peace Love and Rainbows,
Stoney Creek, Magazine

I had an amazingly wonderful opportunity to go to Arizona on Business. I was really only there for two nights and I was in a two day long seminar with so many techie people - it was awesome.  Arizona is beautiful.  But anyway - when I travel, as when I babysit - I do One Color Wonders.  I am back home now - but I worked a little on this one this week, because sometimes my brain wants to stitch, but it doesn't want to work too hard at it.



Freebie Papillion Creations
The Three Emblems Click Link to see all the free designs

Thank you Melody

Beach Cottage Stitchers.

A little bit ago Melody posted about Beach Cottage Stitchers.  OH MY GOODNESS.  She was so right on with her review.  The customer service was excellent.  I had several questions about their Automatic Mailings, and after several emails back and forth, I called Cynthia and she was wonderful.

I could not resist two of their automatic mailings - the first one I joined was Country Cottage Needleworks Cottage of the Month.  You can join these anytime and she starts you right out with January, and it ends when you end...  I can't imagine the time and energy Cynthia must spend, making this work for everyone.  I received my Chart already.  Cynthia ordered a new piece of linen, just for me - so she will use the same piece for each month - so they will all match perfectly.  She also will track my special threads - so if the next cottage uses the same floss, she will not have to send another one.... That is service that is so ALL ABOUT ME..

I could not help it, I had to join SamSarah Design Studio Witch's Pantry.  This is scheduled to start two weeks from now - so I will have a couple of weeks to stitch my little cottage.

Now I know I have so many Monthly Mailings, and no posted WIPS.. Well, I was so intent on finishing those Fall WIPS, I did nothing else for about a month.  But you see, this is one of those reasons rotations never work for me.  I am too spur of the moment, switchy. 

Do expect to see some progress in my Around the World in 80 Stitches, and of course, I have not even mentioned my Polar Express Mandala - Chatelaine Designs - the class started in October, I am a little behind.. I am so lucky my stitching never over stresses me. Each chart, in its own time.

Anyway... If you are looking for a new and different Online Needlework Place - please try Beach Cottage Stitchers. 

So What's Up World, Its September

No blogging of late, even less stitching - more working and definitely more eating.  State Fair last week - I can't even begin to count the calories - I just can't help myself, I love FAIR FOOD.  We have like the biggest and oldest State Fair in the US - It is a huge event, and I live right next door.  It was the way we always ended Summer, and has too many Teenage memories I am glad my mom and dad never found out about.  Went Three times -- The Needlework and Quilts there were amazing - of course you can't take pictures in there, but WOW...

With the fair and my job, and my daughter moving into a new house, and school starting (two of my kids are teachers)  another one works in Student Activites at a College close by, the baby is still in College - and my grandkids, the new school year is an EVENT.  And September, is the time of year I do  alot of reflection, cleaning, putting the summer things away - getting out the fall stuff, set more goals now than at the New Year.  This is a season of my favorite colors, Oranges and Browns and Golds.   American Football has begun - life is good.  Just love the Fall.  BUT when I started that cleaning
 Well - I just had to come across the box with all the WIPS.  Made me wonder, now why did I start these charts, to stick them in a box, half done.  I SO HAD TO HAVE THAT CHART, SO HAD TO DO IT FOR SOMEONE  - and now it is half done in a box. WOW. 

For Example to my left - I can't remember the name - Designer Diane Arthurs So lets just call it Fall for now.  Cute, Simple little banner to display proudly at Thanksgiving.  Stuck in box and hidden away looking like this. So this upcoming week I will be putting in some stitches here.

 

On an even sadder note, this is all I stitched on my Around the World in 80. Now this is not really all I stitched. Because I have that other piece where I do all the practicing of those other stitches, which is filled with the practice stitches. I also did a whole bunch of stitches inside this heart, but found out I was off in my counting and we had to do that thing... FROG.... So I just thought, this is not the week for Around the World - must be I ate too much at the fair or something, so we put it down for a bit.

 

 

I received my order from Nordic Needle of the Metallics I needed for my Med Town SO it is up and I will be working on him.  Also back to my Witches, because before you know it, it will be October.   If you have read this far, you are wonderful.  Thank you Have a Wonderful Weekend.

A Stitching Adventure today

Today I am going to have a visit at my LNS A Stitchers Garden.  I am leaving work a little early, so I can get there before they close - Wednesdays they do stay open until 6.  I have my list ready.  I am also meeting a new stitching friend, who lives about 45 minutes away from me, who is going to help me with Medieval, as she has worked on several Chatelaine Designs (lucky me to have found her). After working on it for this week, I do have a few questions, I am kind of stuck.

But also, I am looking to bye some Dinky Dye threads for Celtic Beauty (Papillion Creation).  A 2013 Start I hope.

And Also the new afghan series from Stoney Creek.  This is not a great picture.  But it is very much me. I do not want to create an afghan, but I want to stitch this design.  So I am looking to purchase some fabric that will work, and not make it too large.  I know the people there will be able to help for sure.  Another 2013 project. 

I am really going to try to stick within my cross stitch allowance, we will see.

There has not been a stitching update in awhile.  Why not,  because I was not stitching.  So what to do, what to do.  My brain wants to stitch, but it can’t convince my hands to pick up the needle.  All those wips out there, all those HAED half (quarter) done pages.

All those NON HAED pages begging for a little attention.  Some of them with so few stitches left one good stitching week and they would move from the WIP to the finished…

Knowing, wanting to do something, I started reading blogs.  Lots of blogs, lots of blogs where you guys did all types of stitching.  All different designers.   Reading about specialty stitches, online SALS and online tutorials.   Meari posted great instructions about her Chatalaine project, Japanese Garden.  There are so many beautiful  Norah Corbett’s, thank you Koehler Kreations and Joan Elliot’s, thank you Manbroider .

 Not taking anything away from my HAED, because I love HAED and I so love those projects.  But  I did not want to do a new HAED start but I wanted something different.  Michele, you know how much I love you guys.

Stitching the Night Away
Ornament Pattern Club
Changed Colors to DMC 666 and 606

So as I am blog hopping I find Stitching the Night Away and I join their blog hop, and I join their Ornament Pattern club.  So quickly I got my first ornament and here you go, I have a finish.  Yes a small one, but it’s a finish.  Like when losing weight – celebrate even the ½ pounds. 

I ordered from 123stitch my first Chatalaine Medieval Mandala – this is so me.   

From Fabulous Froggers Blog I learned about Around the World in 80 stitches and joined that at Papillon Creations basically to learn about all the different types of stitching done all over the world. 

From Gizzimono I searched out GeckoRouge and have my wonderful Whimsical Shoes, I posted about earlier this month.

Dang I feel like I just won an Oscar and who do I thank – I know it is from all of the blogs I read over the past week – please review my blog ‘s to the right – cause every author has something amazingly wonderful to show and share.  And I do have to stop this post, or no one will read to the end. 

So bottom line, I am going to change my focus for the rest of the years.  If I try to complete all my 2012 HAED goals I will get none done, but I have not quite figured out the new plan.  Do I need one, no I don’t think I really do, I think I just need to stitch.