Stitching Update...I have been busy

So I have been pretty busy the past few days.  Just before Christmas, I made a list of all of the projects that I could easily start without purchasing new fabrics or threads.  Those are the projects I will focus on this year.  Happily, I chose a few easy ones to start with.  I finished this Lizzie Kate Spring Alphabet last week.  What a happy project!  The colors are so bright.  I really enjoyed stitching this one.  A while ago, I stitched the Winter Alphabet in this series and I have the Summer and Autumn in my list to work on this year.  

After finishing the Lizzie Kate piece, I picked up With Thy Needle and Threads February Word Play.  I love this series.  I have finished January, May, October, and November.  This year I hope to finish all the others and display them during the appropriate month.  These are really easy and fast stitches, so this one should be ready in time.  You can see that I have finished most of the words, it just the fun motifs to stitch now.

And finally, I am proud to show my progress on Stacy Nash's Christmas at Hollyberry Farm.  The house is finished, and what an accomplishment.  It is so lovely!  The left border is complete, so you can visualize the finished piece.  I need to add the little fence and a few more motifs, and of course finish the border.  But, after stitching that house, the remaining seems so easy.

Well, I am waiting for a cake to bake and then it is off to the lab today to clean fish tanks.  My older son, Patrick, has travelled to Washington, D.C., with a school group and will be attending the inauguration ceremony today.  He is having such a great time and I am so happy that he had this opportunity.  Honestly, though, I am a bit teary thinking that little guy is practically grown.  He is graduating this year, and I still see a 7-year old when I look at him.

Enjoy your week and thanks for stopping by!

Jen

Downton Abbey!!

Hobbie and the boys gave me a new TV and DVD/Blue-ray player.  That was very nice, but the best part is the player also allows me to connect with Netflix and Amazon Prime.  So, this weekend I watched Seasons 1 and 2 of Downton Abbey.  I am hooked.  I realize that the new season has started, but I don't have access to the channel.  Hopefully, the new episodes will be available through Amazon Prime soon.

So, here's my progress on the Stacy Nash Christmas at Hollyberry Farm.  Isn't is so pretty?  The border is very nice.  I am stitching this on 40ct. Light Exemplar.  I absolutely love this one.  There are 4 pages to the pattern and I have finished page 1 and almost page 2.  I just need to finish the top part of a tree on the right.  Page 3 is a challenging.  There is a huge white house on the bottom left, so that will take some time.  But, I am really enjoying this one.

And, I also spent one day stitching on the Lizzie Kate Spring Alphabet.  Sharon asked about the fabric. This is stitched on 32 ct. Wandering Ivy from Silkweaver.  This piece of fabric has been in my stash for some time and I wanted just the right project for it.  I think this one is perfect.  The colors are so pretty.

Well, this is the first day of the first "real" week of the new year for me.  I'm off to work later this morning to write a few letters of recommendation for graduating students and putting the final touches on the syllabi for my courses.  I think this semester will be a bit more relaxing for me.  I have 4 classes, but all revolve around anatomy and physiology, so at least there's consistency.  Plus, working on the textbook revisions will be along the same thread as well.  We don't have any major travel plans either; except for Patrick.  He is traveling with a few classmates to the Presidential Inauguration.  I am excited for all of them.  This will be a trip of a lifetime.

Have a great week and I hope you have plenty of stitching time.

Happy New Year!!

I guess this is the best time to update my blog.  Maybe this year I will keep up with my blogging.  2012 was a busy year for me, but I so enjoyed myself.  I was fortunate to share so many wonderful times with my family and friends.  Patrick, my older son, is a senior this school year, so he has been very busy, so I have been very busy as well.  

But, this is a stitching blog, so on with the stitching news:

On Christmas eve, I sat down with all of my stitching stash and made a list of the projects that at least had the fabric, and most likely the threads, to complete.  I want to focus on these types of projects this year, since I will have no excuses for working on them.  Well, I am a bit ashamed to admit it, but I have 67 of these projects.  So, no reason for whining about nothing to do this year, right?

                                    

Isn't this so incredibly beautiful.  Stacy Nash is such a creative designer, but I haven't stitch much of her  work.  Theresa challenged me to a stitch off on this one.  Now, Theresa is the fastest stitcher I know, but, she is also pretty busy this time of year, designing and all, so I feel like I might have a chance.  We'll see.  

  

 Next, up on my to do list is this lovely little alphabet from Lizzie Kate.  The weather in south Mississippi changes every few days.  It may be cold today, but it could be in the upper 70s next week, so I wanted something to lighten my mood.  Spring Alphabet was just the thing.  The colors are so sweet.

By the way, my sisters and I have made a promise to check with each other for supplies before buying any new crafting supplies.  Between the three of us and our mother we have over 5 sets of DMC, but not all are complete.  This alphabet project, of course, required one thread that I didn't have.  Luckily, I was able to pick it up at my mother's house last night, saving me a bit of change.

Finally, I have two finishes to share.  These were on the original list of 67 projects.  I finished the Lizzie Kate ABC Stitching Lesson Sampler on December 27th.  The Lizzie Kate Farm Sampler was my traveling project when my family went to Disney World last week.  I finished it Wednesday!  And isn't that little Lalaloopsy just too cute?  These have become an obsession of mine this year.  I have way more than a grown woman needs, but I do love them.