2012 Finishes

Well, I didn't post very much in 2012, but I was stitching. I previously posted about finishing SamSarah's "Sweet, Sweet Babe," but here it is framed. The frame is a dark brown, although it looks almost black in these photos.

I worked on Blackbird Designs' "Raven Bewitched" for most of the summer (each one of those Quaker stars took me close to an hour to stitch!), then caught the Halloween bug when the JCS Halloween issue came out. Here are a few small ornaments I finished from different issues. I recently bought a variety pack of Halloween fabric so I can finish-finish them.

I only made two small ornaments as Christmas gifts this year: Imaginating's "German Nutcracker" and Mill Hill's "Tropical Santa - Tahiti."

Technically, I finished "Raven Bewitched" on New Year's Day, but I'm going to count it as a 2012 finish since I only had to stitch the "er" in October and the "2" in the date at the bottom.

Hopefully, there will be lots more to come in 2013.

Two Finishes

After stitching two of them for holiday gifts, I finally finished the "Friendship" pattern for myself. I made the letters on mine purple instead of blue and now I can't wait to get it framed and hang it in the hallway.

I also finished this birth announcement for my cousin, who is currently living in Germany - Samsarah's "Sweet, Sweet Babe." A couple of changes - I changed "babe" to "baby" and stitched the date in the European style, otherwise, stitched with the called for GAST and WDW flosses on 28 ct. fabric. I'm debating whether or not to buy the button pack that goes with the design - I have until June to decide, when my cousin and the new baby are coming to the US for a visit.

Presents

I can finally show you the presents I made for my two best friends, since we were able to exchange gifts this past weekend - The Trilogy's Friendship:

There is the slightest difference between the two - the sunflowers on the right are different colors. I thought it was a little too dark in the first version, so I made it a bit brighter in the second version. I still have one more of these to finish for myself.

I also received these lovelies as a birthday gift:

They include Christmas Tea and My Pretties by Plum Street Samplers, French Country Snowglobe by JBW Designs, Tribal Crab by White Willow Stitching, The Hamster Did It by Stitchy Kitty and Blackbird Sampler by Blackbird Designs.

UGH!

For the last couple of weeks, I've been trying to compile two new catch-up posts about WIPs and finishes since I last posted (you know, since it's been so long). One thing that's been dragging me down is that one of my WIPs had me completely frustrated.

Last year, before we went on vacation, I started "Sea to Shining Sea" from the July 2003 issue of Stitcher's World. I had the entire project kitted up, but some time this spring, I lost the project bag with all of the floss skeins in it - all 36 of them! Luckily, the pattern and fabric weren't in the bag, just the floss. At first, it wasn't a big deal, because I was just working on the red, white and blue squares on the perimeter and I didn't need the other colors. But as time went on, I became increasingly frustrated that I couldn't find this project bag. I have searched and searched for it several times. I had decided when I first started stitching it that it wasn't an on-the-go project because of all the color changes, so to add to the frustration, I knew it had to be somewhere in the house.

This week, I looked one last time, to no avail. So I finally decided I would re-purchase all of the floss.

Tonight, I went through all of the my floss to see what I might have on hand so I wouldn't have to buy all 36 on a trip to Joann's tomorrow. As I'm going through the floss, I slowly start to realize that I have all of the colors. WTF?!

The only explanation I can think of is that somewhere along the way, back in the spring, the floss got mixed back in with my stash and re-filed. I don't know if one of the kids mixed them together or if I did it without even realizing it was the floss I had already sorted for "Sea to Shining Sea." Regardless of whatever did happen, I'm relieved to have the floss and glad I won't be going on any more wild goose chases through my house.

Now, if I could only find my Tacky BOB so I can finish another WIP that just needs beads to be completed! (I obviously have an organizational problem on my hands here, but that's a post for another day.)

Happy New Year!

I just returned from my annual scrapbooking weekend. I got off to a slow start, but managed to complete 26 pages from 2008 and 2009. I felt like my photos were very unorganized - maybe because I hadn't printed photos since April of 2009 and I was rushing to get things done before leaving for the weekend.

Now that the holidays and the scrapbooking weekend are over with, I'm ready to get back to stitching. I took a part-time, seasonal retail job for November and December and it really cut into my stitching time. I only finished one of the three Mill Hill ornaments I had planned to stitch (and forgot to take a picture of the one I did finish before I gave it away) and only one of the two "Octopus's Garden" design for my sisters' birthdays. I gave the finished "Octopus's Garden" to my older sister unframed and then took it back to finish the framing. At least I have both frames once the second one is finished!

In 2011, I want to start (and maybe finish, dare I say) Kringle's Christmas Tree Farm. I have the fabric and about half of the threads. But I need to finish the other octopus design before I can start anything new. And now that I have my own laptop (the best Christmas present ever!), I hope to post more without having to fight the kids for computer time.

Holiday Stash

My LNS had their Holiday Open House last weekend and I was able to stop in on Friday. I was trying not to buy too much and just stitch what I have, but I couldn't resist the bargain charts. All of these charts were only $1 each, except for "Ravens & Pumpkins & Cats, Oh My!" by Carriage House Samplings, which was $3. The GAST and WDW threads are for Kringle's Christmas Tree Farm.

Still Here and Still Stitching...

Yes, I have been stitching, just not posting. I've been spending so much time on the computer job hunting and sending out resumes that I run out of steam when it's time to post about stitching.

I spent most of October stitching these pumpkins from last year's JCS Halloween issue. I had all year to stitch four more for my sisters and friends by Halloween, but waited until the last minute, of course. I finished them with the scrapbook paper backing and green wire on the 30th.

Now I'm working on Christmas gifts and have three Mill Hill ornaments in various stages of progress. Photos to come...

Fall is in the Air

I saw this tree in the Pier One catalogue that came in the mail last week and fell in love with it. Maybe I can find it for 50% or 60% off after Halloween is over. I think it would be perfect to hang stitchy Halloween ornaments from it.

Speaking of stitchy Halloween ornaments, I found a copy of the Just Cross Stitch Halloween ornament issue at Joann's last week - and was able to use my 40% off coupon to purchase it, which was a plus since Michaels doesn't let you use coupons on books and magazines. This week, I'll have to check for the Christmas ornament issue now that it's available and use a coupon again.

Unofficial End of Summer

Happy Labor Day to all! To celebrate, here are my patriotric finishes from earlier in the summer (finally!). After stitching the Quaker 4th of July freebie, I was then inspired by Carolina Stitcher's patriotic tree. I stitched "Very Merry Summer" and "Wee Flags" rather quickly, although both still need buttons attached (and to be finished finished, obviously). And I'm trying to finish up The Sampler Girl's "Summer Day 1776" freebie today. All I have left to stitch are the sails on the ship.


A Very Merry Summer
JBW Designs
Stitched on 28 ct. Forget-Me-Not Jobelan using DMC


Flags (Wee Ones)
Bent Creek
Stitched on 28 ct. Tea-Dyed Monaco using DMC

Giveaway

If you're a fan of Blue Ribbon Designs (I am!), Belinda is having a "Milestone Giveaway." Be sure to check out her blog for all of the details.

Winner!

I'm so excited! I was the winner this week of one of Anna's summer giveaways - a collection of Mill Hill kits, one of my favorites. It continues the good vibes from vacation. We just returned from a week in Florida - our non-Disney Orlando vacation. Instead, we went to Sea World, the Aquatica waterpark, Daytona Beach and we stayed at the Nickelodeon Hotel, which was very fun.

We drove down - about 17-18 hours each way - and I had all of these big stitching plans since we were going to be in the car for so long. I had kitted up a few new designs, basted fabric and even started a few borders so I wouldn't have to do too much counting. And what happened? I didn't stitch a single stitch the entire week! I don't know what I was thinking. The kids were constantly asking me for things - food, a drink, change the movie. And it was so hot, I felt like my hands were sticky all the time. So I just read instead. I finished two books, one of which was Pat Conroy's South of Broad. I had been waiting for vacation to read it and it did not disappoint. I love Southern fiction. And when we came home, I had an e-mail from Amazon telling me that my all-time favorite Southern writer, Anne Rivers Siddons, has a new book coming out next week - Burnt Mountain. I can't wait!

But I need to get back into stitching mode. To help me along, I had a chance to visit Needlecraft Corner today - by myself, without toting one of the kids along. I picked up two pieces of fabric - 28 ct. Flax Cashel linen for some miscellaneous ornaments and 28 ct. Rue Green Quaker cloth, which will hopefully work with Octopus Garden - a cute little needle slide with pumpkins on it and one of the new Mill Hill Festival of Trees ornaments (Old Fashioned Tree).

Still need to post those patriotic finishes! Coming soon...

July SBQ

I guess I should answer this while it's still July. Lee's question this month is:

Stitching is an activity that tends to be solitary. Sometimes I wonder if we choose stitching because we are more comfortable with pursuits that we do alone, or does our stitching cause us to be loners? So what do you think?

And you know that I can never stop with just one question or thing to think about, so here’s something else that’s been on my mind. Since we’re stitching alone most of the time, it seems to me that we get great joy from coming together with other stitchers. It can be such a good
feeling when we find a group of people who speak our language and understand our
stitching excitement and passion. But since not all stitchers are perfect, not all groups can be perfect either. So…if you could create your own perfect stitching group, what characteristics would make it perfect?

For instance, would you all be near the same age, or would you like your group to span a generation or two? Would you enjoy political or religious discussions while you stitch or would that make you shy away? Would you like a big group or a small group? Those are just a couple of variables in groups…tell us what’s important to YOU.

For me, I know I like to stitch because it is a solitary, peaceful activity. It's my "me time." None of my other friends stitch. We share other interests that could be solitary, but we do together, like scrapbooking or discussing books that we've read.

I'd love to find a stitching group of people my age (late 30s into 40s), but I feel like that could never happen. I imagine it might be like the stitching message boards online. Everyone gets so off topic and just uses it as a place to complain or gripe instead of really talking about stitching. I'd like to have someone or a small group of someones with whom I could talk about new charts or bounce questions off of about techniques or fabric, etc. The blogs that I follow come closest to this right now.

I hope to have some pictures of my latest stitching projects in the next day or two before we head out on vacation.

Quaker 4th

Here is my finish of the Quaker 4th of July freebie. This was quick and easy to stitch. I've never stitched a Quaker design before and I really liked it. This one was stitched on a piece of 32 ct. linen (that looks more cream-colored in person than in this picture) using DMC 304 (red), 336 (blue) and 5200 (white). It's inspired me to stitch a few more small patriotic designs to finish into small ornaments to hang around the house for the summer. I have Heart in Hand's "Wee Flags" that I stitched as a gift a couple of years ago. I think I'll stitch one for myself!

June SBQ

Lee posted this month's SBQ on Monday:

Tell us about something that you have stitched or plan to stitch for any father in your life. Maybe it’s for your father, your father-in-law, your children’s father, your grandfather, your godfather, or someone who was or still is an important father-figure in your life. Why did you choose this particular piece of stitching? Tell us the story behind it.

Her question made me realize I have never stitched anything for my dad or really for any men - up until this year. I did complete the Christmas stocking for my husband back in February. In the past, I've looked at a few golf patterns that would be a good fit for my dad, but I never got around to stitching anything for him. Maybe I'll change that for Father's Day next year.

Out of Sorts

I've been completely out of sorts for the past month or so, but I have been stitching. It's just about the only thing keeping me sane right now! I pulled out "Quote the Raven" by Crossed-Eyed Cricket after the Big Family Room Move and realized I only had a little bit to finish - mostly the little motifs on the outside and a few letters in "nevermore." I love the colors in this design! I stitched it on 28 ct. Forget-Me-Not Blue Jobelan with the called for DMC threads.



Since then, I've been working on the fourth Christmas stocking and yesterday I started the Quaker 4th of July everyone else is working on. Hope to have a picture of that tomorrow if the sun is out and an answer to Lee's SBQ.

May SBQ

Thanks to Lee for starting up these questions again. This month's question is:

Suppose we say that there are two types of stitchers.

There are those who enjoy the “process” of stitching. They stitch for stitching’s sake and
if something gets finished, so much the better, but it’s not necessarily the end
goal. Primarily, it’s the application of needle and thread to cloth that makes
them happiest.

Then there are those who are “project” stitchers. They move steadily through their projects, certainly enjoying their stitching time, but finding their greatest joy in the completed stitching.

If you had to pick one to describe yourself, which type of stitcher would you be? I imagine
that we could all say that we fall somewhere in between, but really think hard
about this and try to pick just one. And once you’ve decided whether you’re a
Process or Project stitcher, tell us if your recognize that approach in other
parts of your life.

I am definitely a "process" stitcher. If I gauged my success at stitching by how many projects I finished, especially compared to what others are able to accomplish, I would not be a success. I find the act of stitching enjoyable and relaxing. I love starting new projects and picking out the floss and fabric. Fin ishing is great, too, and I've definitely finished more in the last couple of years than I ever have, but the act of stitching is more meaningful to me than finishing.

That being said, it's time to get back to stitching, which I haven't done very much of this past month. First, we rearranged the family room and I had to pack up all of my stitching stuff. Then, I spent the rest of the time planning and preparing for my daughter's First Communion. I felt guilty about stitching when I had so much cooking and cleaning to do. But the ceremony and party were on Saturday and now I'm free to make a mess in the family room again!

Cake Wrecks

If you've never visited the Cake Wrecks website, you must. It's always good for a laugh. On Sundays, the site features beautiful cakes instead of wrecks. Check out the cross-stitch cake (and other needleart cakes).

The Raven

I finished "The Raven" a couple of weeks ago and finally took a picture of it one sunny day last week. Even with all of the half and quarter stitches, it was a pretty quick stitch, especially since it only has two colors. But now on to something with a little bit more color to it!

Olympic Stitching

I watched a ton of Olympic coverage, staying up way too late most nights, but I was also able to get a lot of stitching done. First, I continued working on the "Christmas Eve" stocking. Here's what it looked like at the start of the Opening Ceremonies:


And I finished it during the men's figure skating finals!


This one was much faster to stitch than the snowman stocking, since it didn't have that big block of white. I still have to decide if I want to add buttons to it.

After finishing "Christmas Eve," I decided to take a break from stockings and started "The Raven" by Lavender Wings instead. This design is full of 1/4 and 3/4 stitches. I can't remember the last time I stitched a design with these stitches, so I really have to concentrate. I changed the reddish/GAST gingersnap border to DMC 550/purple to match some other raven designs I have planned for the future. Here's how it looked during the Closing Ceremonies:

First Finish of 2010

The nice thing about being snowed in is lots of time to stitch! During blizzard #1, I finished Bent Creek's Snowman Stocking in pink. This one is for daughter #2. If you remember, I finished #1 in purple last year. I've been looking at fabric online so I can finish finish these, but I think I'm going to wait until I have all four complete and then sew them all at once. I started stocking #3 - Bent Creek's Christmas Eve - during blizzard #2 and it's progressing quite nicely.