Too long since last post...

Wow! It has been a while since I posted, hasn't it? I have been quite busy for the past few weeks, with all of the end of school events and my trip to Denver. I have been stitching a bit, but I don't have that much to show for it. I finished the LK Cat Lessons for People. It was really fun to stitch and turned out really cute. I want to frame this for my kitchen.

Last night, my younger sister and I attended a sewing class at the local quilt shop. We learned how to make a tulip bag. It was really a lot of fun and I think my bag is really cute. I am definitely using this one as my purse this summer. Of course, I have to curb my impulse to go out an get enough supplies to make lots of these. Maybe later in the summer...

I'll try to be better about posting because I have some really neat projects in line for the summer. Thanks for stopping by and I hope everyone has a great weekend!!

Finally feeling better...

Sorry for the delay in posting. I have been very sick for the past week. And the little monkey in the picture above is to blame. His mom took him to register for Kindergarten and they picked up more than the supply list. He spread his little illness to almost everyone in our extended family. Needless to say, I have been too tired to post. Notice the cute quilt in the picture? That is the rag quilt that I made for him. He was very happy with it, but his baby brother really loved it.

When I did have some energy this past week, I stitched. Since I wasn't together enough to pay attention to small details like color, I decided to stitch on the Quaker Christmas sampler. I have made some great progress. I am almost finished with the first sheet of the pattern. I am really enjoying stitching on this one, but it does get redundant sometimes.

One more finish to share... Shepherd's Bush Scatter Pumpkins. I think it is really cute, even if the buttons are a bit large for the fabric count that I selected.

We are almost to the end of the semester and I am so excited. Just one more lecture in each class and then exams. I am looking forward to some free time for a few weeks before summer school begins.

Have a great week and thanks for stopping by.

Theron's Rag Quilt

I had posted pictures earlier of the rag quilts that I had made for my boys, Patrick and Nicholas. Well, I had quite a bit of fabric left over from my wild shopping spree for flannel. I decided to use the leftovers to make Theron a rag quilt. I think it is so cute and just perfect for Theron. I still need to sew the squares together for Tucker's quilt, but that should be finished in the next week or so.

Other stitching news: Not much to share. I started Shepherd's Bush Scatter Sunshine. This was a freebie I got a while back and thought it would be perfect for this time of year. I am using the floss the pattern calls for except for a few changes. It should be finished later this week.

Have a great week and thanks for stopping by!!!

When Barnabe Met Bella...

FINISHED!!!! Isn't this absolutely lovely? I loved the pattern when I first saw it, but it is so much prettier in real life. I stitched on this one exclusively the past 4 evenings. At first, it was quite aggravating with all of the color changes, but with my "one color" approach, it actually went pretty quickly. Now I need to get some of those lovely pins by Just Nan to add to this biscornu. I do have the bunny and hedgehog, but I think a bird and some bugs would be just perfect. What do you think?

A few finishes to share...

So, this weekend was a very productive stitching weekend for me. For some strange reason I have really wanted to watch the Harry Potter movies lately. I'm not sure what started the whole interest, but I have been thinking about it for some time. Well, this weekend we watch all six movies. I got up Saturday morning and cleaned the house a bit (didn't sweep or vaccuum). At 10:00 a.m. I started the first movie and we watched them the rest of the day. This of course gave me plenty of stitching time. We finished the last movie at 3:00 a.m. Sunday morning.

So here are some of my finishes for the week. I actually finished this (CCN Joyful Summer) earlier in the week. I love the fabric I selected for this piece. I might finish this as a flatfold.

The big project for the all day Harry Potter marathon was Blackbird Designs Awake the Dawning Day. I have really struggled with this one for some reason. Once I got the house completely finished the rest of the pattern was pretty enjoyable. However, while watching the movies I did misspell a word and had to rip out some of my work.

The other finish I have is actually part of a bigger project. This is the bottom of the Just Nan When Barnabe Met Bella. There are a lot of color changes in this piece. So, I tried a different approach. I stitched only one color at a time and complete all the stitches for each color. It actually went very quickly that way. The top is a bit more detailed, but I hope to finish it in the next week or so.

Have a great week and thanks for stopping by...

Not so much to share....

So, I haven't been as productive this month as I was in January and February. I have been so busy with other things that by the time I have a chance to sit down and stitch I am just too tired. I know, excuses, excuses, but that's my story and I'm sticking with it. My big finish this month was Patrick's rag quilt. I made one of these for Nicholas about a year ago. I cut the squares for Patrick's about a year ago and then got distracted by other things. Well, during Spring Break I decided I was going to finish up some of the sewing projects I had laying around. I finished three pairs of PJ's for my dad (he was so happy) and this quilt. It was really easy and turned out so nice. Patrick likes it and has it on his bed now.

You know how one project leads to another. Well, I had all of this left over fabric from Patrick's and Nicholas's quilts so I decided to cut squares for another quilt for Theron (my nephew). My mom then said, "What about Tucker?" (He's another nephew.) So now I have two more rag quilts read to be assembled and another stack of fabric for quilts for the last two nephews (Tyler and Leif). All this from just trying to tie up some loose project ends.

Now for cross stitching news. I haven't finished anything since my last post. I did buy quite a bit though. Due to a little bonus that we received in March, I decided to use my extra cash on some patterns I have been wanting for a while. I also purchased some 40 ct linen for future projects. I can't wait to stitch on these, but they are in line behind some other lovely projects, so they will have to wait.

I have been stitching though. Here is my progress on CCN Joyful Summer. I have made so many mistakes. I think I have the hang of it now and will be able to finish it in the next week or so.

My other slow-going project is BBD Awake the Dawning Day. I don't know what it is about this one, but I just can't get going on it. Maybe now that I am working on all the cute flowers in the border that will help inspire me to stitch, but I don't know.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and a lovely Easter Sunday. Thanks for visiting.

Christmasland is completed..

One more down, oh so many to go. I have been a bit slow the past week with my stitching. In my mind I was whining about not stitching fast enough and would get discouraged and just not stitch. Fortunately, I broke through my own brattiness and finished RTRD Christmasland yesterday afternoon. I just love this piece. I'm not sure if the fabric choice was the best since the white doesn't stand out as much as I like, but I do like the sparkly aspect. It is pretty!!

I also pulled out one of my new patterns from last months spending spree. This is Blackbird Designs Bluebird. I used a piece of 40 ct. linen left over from one of the Jenny Bean samplers. I also used thread I had purchased from Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe. It is a bit lighter than what the pattern calls for, but I like the look. I will finish this as a pin pillow.

It is so nice to finish some of these patterns, but I have so many more to do. AND, I stopped by Shakespeare's Peddler yesterday. Several new patterns arrived plus her store is chock full of other wonderful projects. Thankfully, I maintained self control and didn't purchase anything (this time). Next month, though, boy do I have some spending plans...

Yule Game Board is complete...

Yippee!! Another finish for me. I love this piece. The colors are really nice and the stitching was actually very easy. Can't wait to see this framed. Now, I need to stitch on some other projects.

Have a great week.

A finish and some stash...

Well, I finished it. Nora Corbett's Halloween Fairy. Isn't she pretty? This was actually a very fun stitch. The fabric is a nice match to the colors of the fairy dress. Can't wait to get this one framed.

I also added some new patterns to my stash. I stopped by Theresa's Thursday afternoon to see what she brought back from market. I picked up some of the new Blackbird Designs patterns, as well as the Quaker Samplings III from With My Needle. I also got the new Jenny Bean pattern and some of the threads for that one. I found the Quaker Halloween Sampler, too. This one is so interesting. Finally, I picked up the new Spider Web Scissors. These are very interesting.

I actually accomplished all of my goals for this month, plus some extra stitching. At the beginning of the year I started a notebook that lists the projects I would like to finish with all of the information about the supplies and how much I have spent for the project. I think writing all of this information down has made a big impact on my interest in stitching. If the pattern holds, I should have some very interesting finishes for this year.

Have a great weekend!!

A very productive weekend...

This past week, we moved our bedroom from the second floor to the first floor. That meant that I had to give up my craftroom. Well, let me tell you, it is amazing what you can pack into one room. My craft supplies are spread out all over our house. We did manage to get our bedroom painted (still have trim to complete) and set up before Hobbie's surgery on Wednesday. Now for the rest of the mess, I am just taking my time so I can do some purging. I have lots and lots of unfinished projects, so I tried to tackle some of them this weekend.

First up, I finished the LHN Poinsettia House piece as a box. It is so beautiful. I love the colors and the cording. Great thing is that this is all from my stash. I am impressed.

Next up, Bridget's birthday presents for the past two years. (Shameful, I know.) I have been putting off finishing the needle book and pinkeep for 6 months now, but finally completed them. The box was a project that I started for her 2008 present, but took my own sweet time to complete. I think they all turned out wonderful. She was very happy with the gifts, even if they were late.

Finally, I spent some time stitching this weekend. I completed the first page of NC Halloween Fairy and have made some nice progress on the second page. I think I just may finish this before the end of the month. And, I made a bit more progress on Primitive Needle Yule Game Board. Not much left on this one, just the green squares and the mirror image of the top part. Maybe this one will be a February finish as well.

I hope everyone has a nice week and thanks for stopping by.

Updates and a couple of new starts...

Well, I have been stitching, but I don't feel like I am accomplishing as much as I did in January. It may be that I don't have as much free time, but I'm not sure. I have been doing pretty well onmy goals. I finished the Jenny Bean Christmas Sampler and have stitched on the Quaker Christmas. I just don't think I will finish the Halloween Fairy by the end of the month. But, who knows.

So without further ado, here are some pictures of my progress

Last weekend we all met at Lisha's for a stitching day. Sharon and Bridget arrived a little later than I did, but we still had a lot of fun stitching. Theresa and her mother came to visit for a bit, but they had a Mardi Gras Party to attend. I stitched a bit on the Quaker Christmas. I think this is going to be very pretty when I finish it, but I really need to spend more time on it.

I have also been working on the Nora Corbett Halloween Fairy. I decided to go ahead and add the beads as I stitched. It is going to be beautiful! I just might be able to finish her before the end of the month. (Keep your fingers crossed.)

I also started part 3 on Raise the Roof Christmasland. This is such an easy stitch. I love the silks and can't wait to finish this and have it framed. Theresa is releasing another series called Libertyville. You can see it on her webpage. I love it, too, especially the motifs in the hill.

Next up is a new start. This is Yule Game Board from The Primitive Needle. I worked on this Wednesday while Hobbie was having hip surgery. It is very easy and is stitching up quickly.

And finally, I also started Blackbird Designs Awake the Dawning Day. I love the colors in this one. Very cute.

As most of you know, this weekend in the Nashville market. Theresa has been working very hard and has some wonderful designs that she will be releasing. I was joking with her that I would be stitching like a mad woman this weekend to make room for all the lovely things she will be bringing home from market. I can't wait to see what other designers have released and will be making my new wishlist soon. I just love the excitement of market. I do know that Jenny Bean's newest sampler will be at the top of my list.

I'm catching up with that Jenny Bean...

I finished the Jenny Bean Christmas sampler. Isn't it pretty? I love the holly. Can't wait to frame this one. Theresa posted a picture of the newest Jenny Bean sampler. It is another beauty. I just love the wings on the bees.

Thanks for all the birthday wishes. I really had a wonderful birthday. We still have plenty of leftover King cake and Hamburger cake. Nicholas doesn't like the King cake so I told him he could have the other cake. Hobbie was the lucky one to find the baby in the cake. I hope he remembers to pick up another cake. Well, maybe not. My clothes are getting a bit tight.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day.

It's my birthday!!!

This post has nothing to do with stitching. I just wanted to show off the cake my younger sister made for me. This is her second attempt at decorating a cake with fondant. I am totally impressed. She did a fabulous job. The sign doesn't make sense unless you are familiar with the Facebook game, Cafe World. We all play the game and that was her inspiration. I just have to say this is the sweetest thing. I can't believe she did this. Thank you, Bridget.

My birthday gets even better. My friend Lisha took me out for lunch today also. We went to the new Greek restaurant in Hattiesburg and it was delicious. Thank you, Lisha.

And, my brother Ricky and cousin Kevin came over today and installed a new back door for me. What great guys.

I am very blessed with wonderful family and friends. I do appreciate all of you. Thanks for making this such a great birthday.

A good start to Jenny Bean Christmas Sampler

Well, I started this one on January 25th and I am just about done. I have two holly leaves in the bottom border and then three more bands to do. The rest is pretty easy. The next band is a repeating diamond motif, the next band is the remainder of the alphabet, and the final band is the Jenny Bean "signature". I love the colors in this one and the holly leaves. I hope to be finished with this one by Friday.

In other stitching news, I stopped by Shakespeare's Peddler Saturday to pick up all of the threads I would need to finish lots of projects. I have a list of 17 projects that I really would like to finish this year. I have also pick out 3 or 4 more projects. So, Saturday morning I went through all of them and made a list of the needed threads. Believe it or not, I needed 28 different colors. I was able to get all but one. Theresa said she had just sold the last GAST Soot. No problem, it will be a while before I need that one anyway. This purchase was my birthday present from Hobbie and the boys. Aren't they sweet?

I am continuing to stitch on the Halloween Fairy. She is so pretty. I am sure I will finish her this month. My other projects include the Christmasland series by Raise the Roof and the Yule Gameboard. I will post progress pictures later in the week.

Have a great week!

Framing Day!!!!

This is a "stitchy" Welcome piece I finished a while ago and BC EduCATed.

Here are three Halloween pieces. The bottom left is SP Jenny Bean Halloween Sampler.

Jeanette Douglas Designs Pineapple Stitches

Jeannette Douglas Designs Pomegranate and Pears Stitches

Well, I decided to head to town early today and see if I could find some frames for my big pile of finished stitching projects. Earlier this month I went through all of my pieces and measured them all and recorded the information in my Stitching Notebook. Fortunately, I had this with me today. My first stop was at Shakespeare's Peddler. I wanted the frame for her Jenny Bean Halloween Sampler. Theresa has been straightening her shop and had several frames priced really well. Since I had my handy, dandy notebook, I was able to pick up several that would be perfect. After visiting with Theresa, I headed to Lowe's to pick up some paint and to pay for our new carpet. I then stopped by Hobby Lobby. They had the frames for 50% off and I found two frames that were perfect for the JDD pieces. So after an afternoon of stretching needlework, I have 7 pieces ready to display. Not bad for a Saturday afternoon.

Progress update...

Well, I haven't been stitching as much this week as I have the past 5 weeks. My job is justing taking too much time away from my hobbies. I am really having fun with these two though. The Jenny Bean Christmas Sampler is very cute. I love the holly leaves. I am surprised at how quickly the stitching is. I am sure I will have this one completed during February.

The Halloween Fairy is just too pretty. This one is also stitching up very fast. The pattern is on two pages of the magazine and my progress is most of the cross stitching from the top page. I still need to add all of the beads and the metallic threads, but those always seem to go quickly for me. I just love the colors of this piece though.

I think my next start will actually be a continuation. I have all four parts of Raise the Roof Christmasland. I finished the first part already. I think I will stitch on part two over the weekend. Should be fun.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!

Two new starts...

Well, this weekend I decided to organize my stitching stash...again. We have decided to move our bedroom downstairs into my current craft room. Our current bedroom will become a den for the boys to watch TV, play videogames, etc and for my crafting area. Friday the boys helped me move just the cross stitching supplies. It was a total mess, so I had to get everything straight again. I got my threads all together, my patterns all organized, and my fabric sorted by count, fabric type and color. It looks so pretty. While I was doing all of this I selected my next few projects:

First I started the Jenny Bean Christmas Sampler by Shakespeare's Peddler. Theresa posted her newest Jenny Bean sampler on Saturday, so I thought I better get ahead of the game. I am stitching this on 40 ct and it is so pretty. I just started, but I already love the colors.

Next I started the Halloween Fairy by Nora Corbett that was in the September 2008 Cross Stitch & Needlework. I bought this way back then and have had it kitted and ready to go for some time. I picked a 28 ct. Silkweaver Jobelan Solo and absolutely love it. The colors are perfect. This one is stitching up fast, which is surprising considering how detailed it looks.

Finally, I have finished yet another piece. It's small, but it still counts. I found a skein of Six Strands Sweet Fruitcake in my cleaning and decided to use it to stitch Shakespeare's Peddler Abby Rhoades ornament. I think it is cute and will make a great ornament on my tree next year.

Well, January is almost over and I am so happy that I was able to get so much accomplished. If I can keep up half this pace I just might accomplish all of my goals this year. I did pick up some new patterns at Theresa's on Friday. Have you seen the new Lizzie Kate Green Flip-It series. It is adorable and since I am a biologist I really need this one for my office. Also, since I am a cat owner too I had to buy the new Cat Advice for People.

Hope everyone has a great week!

And another finish...

Alright!!! I love finishing these patterns. This is the last of the patterns I have been dreading. I bought the button pack to go along with this pattern and then realized that the size was off. But, my resolution this year is to enjoy myself and not fret over things that don't really matter. So, I used the buttons anyway. I figure the button bees are closer to the "front" of the piece and that the butterfly is just really healthy and big. I think it looks so pretty. This piece will be finished as a box top.

Now, what to stitch next???

Another January finish..i

Man, I am on a roll this month. Last night, while watching The Office, I finished Sharon's Christmas Fairy. Sharon, my sister, started this project a while ago, but had some issues with seeing the fabric. She has whined and whined about for so long and finally convinced me to finish it for her. She had stitched everything but the wings, head, hands, and tree. So I really didn't have too much to do. The wings were the most frustrating. Once I completed that, the rest just took me a few hours. The beading was easy, too. So, I guess I shouldn't complain. I called Sharon as soon as I finished and she is very excited. One more project bites the dust!!

The rest of the evening, I worked on another WIP that I have been putting off too long. I don't know what it is about this piece, but I was not enjoying it at all. Last night I finished the bee hive and now the rest should be quite easy. I hope to finish it this weekend. This was suppose to be a present for my younger sister, Bridget. I think I will frame it for her and give it to her as part of her very late birthday present. (If you are reading this, Bridget: Surprise!!)

I have been very fortunate this month to have so much time to stitch. It really feels good to check so many things off my list. Not a bad start to 2010.

Pineapple Stitches completed!!!

Yea!!! I have finished another project in January. This is Jeannette Douglas Designs Pineapple Stitches. I bought the pattern, fabric, and thread pack last spring and have been looking at it since then. I love these patterns from JDD. I stitched her Pomegranate and Pears Stitches a while back and really enjoyed it. So, since my goal this year is to stitch primarily from my stash, this is a check in that column.

One other thing that I have been doing is getting rid of some of my stash. Instead of keeping patterns that I have already stitched and will never stitch again, I have been posting them on eBay. Here's my logic... If I can get a little bit of money from selling some old patterns, then I can use that money to buy new stash without guilt. It works. I sold 8 patterns in the first week in January and made enough money to purchase the last parts of the RTR Christmasland series that I love. So, no guilt.

One other note: a water pipe burst in my craft room. Fortunately only 1/3 of the room was affected and my stash was not in that 1/3. I lost all of my mat board, foam board, craft paper, watercolor paper and several bags of polyfil. All of my stitching bags were also soaked, but I should be able to wash and dry those with no problem. The carpet has partially been removed and the walls and ceiling are almost dry. The adjustor comes by on Monday, so hopefully we can have everything back in order by February.

Hope everyone has a great weekend and happy stitching...