Itching To Stitch

No pics :(, but a medical update

2008-09-27T21:26:00.002-04:00

I have no stitching pictures to show because I've done absolutely no stitching. THANK YOU to everyone who has prayed for me and wished me well concerning my kidney stone. I've had surgery twice in the last 3 weeks and have been admitted to the hospital 3 times for pain control. I finally passed the stone one week ago but my symptoms have not gone away. So my doctor is now trying to figure out if there's more going on than just residual pain from damage the stone caused. I've tried to not be discouraged but I've had moderate to severe kidney pain for almost 6 weeks and it is wearing me down.

Again, thank you to all who've sent me comments. They always bring a smile to my face.

St. Pete's

2008-09-17T09:26:00.002-04:00

Here is my pathetic progress on St. Pete's. I will still give the excuse of my kidney stone though. Yesterday I was in just horrible pain but there is nothing the doctor's can do except wait until Friday to do the surgery to get the stent and the kidney stone out. I actually had been improving pain wise, so yesterday really caught me off guard. I hate being sick and off my feet. It would be nice if I could stitch but I just can't concentrate because of the pain.

I've been enjoying reading your blogs but I've left few comments for which I apologize. With all the medication I'm on it's hard to put thoughts together sometimes. Hopefully once my kidney stone is removed I will quickly be back to my old self and can leave the comments I'd like to leave on your blogs.

Thank you for your prayers and kind words so many have sent.

"The guardian angels of life sometimes fly so high as to be beyond our sight, but they are always looking down upon us."

Udate on Noah and a RAK

2008-09-13T12:06:00.002-04:00

This is how far I am on Noah. I haven't picked up anything to stitch since my surgery. I managed to get a little bit more done on this before my surgery though.

Speaking of my surgery, the doctor was not able to get the kidney stone. He ended up putting in a stent to dilate the are where the kidney stone is sitting and I have to go back to surgery on the 19th to have the stent and the stone removed. Hopefully that will be the end of this ordeal ;)

I received a beautiful RAK from Tracy. I love this pattern. I actually have the linen it calls for, I just need to pick out what thread I want to stitch it in. I did a floss toss this morning but I need 40 yards of thread and don't have that much in my stash. So I think I might go looking for a pretty variegated silk. Will show a pic when I've found what I want.

Thank you Tracy, that was so sweet of you.

"Cheerfulness is among the most laudable virtues. It gains you the good will and friendship of others. It blesses those who practice it and those upon whom it is bestowed."

Mermaids

2008-09-04T12:04:00.002-04:00

I have finished Mermaid #1's tail, except for the beads, and I've started on Mermaid #2 where she crosses under #1. I had hoped to be so much farther along on this piece, but at this point I'm not sure I'll even get them finished by the end of the year.

I'm still having problems with a kidney stone. I have surgery scheduled for this coming Tuesday. Any prayers that you want to send up are appreciated.

Thank you!

"Our Creator would never have made such lovely days and have given us the deep hearts to enjoy them, above and beyond all thought, unless we were meant to be immortal."

Cheaper than Therapy

2008-08-30T12:39:00.002-04:00

Here's the small amount of stitching that I've done. Very pathetic!! The mojo just isn't there. Although I'm still dealing with a kidney stone and it looks like I'm going to have to have surgery to have it removed, so I guess I'll use that as an excuse for not wanting to stitch :).

Thank you for the blog awards that people have blessed me with. I just don't have it in me to forward those awards on to other people. I enjoy EVERYONE'S blogs.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Labor Day Weekend!!

"Trust the past to the mercy of God, the present to his love, and the future to his providence."

Noah

2008-08-23T17:42:00.002-04:00

Well, it's been a long time since I've posted. My posting mojo left with my stitching mojo.

I've been struggling with a kidney stone since Tuesday so I haven't felt much like stitching, too uncomfortable. I'm having more xrays done on Monday and will have some options laid out for me on Wednesday when I see the urologist again.

Also, my daughter had plastic surgery on her lip yesterday. She had to have a scar revision done and a mole removed that the doctor's have been concerned about. She's a trooper though, her lip looks pretty scary but she's holding her head high and planning on going to the first day of school this Monday, she's only 12 years old, so I'm feeling pretty proud of her.

Above is my progress on "Noah". Not much to show. I do need to clarify that this piece is not ALL 1/1. Most of it is 1/2. Those 1/1 areas are still killing me though on this 40ct linen.

Thanks for stopping by, I always appreciate it.

"In good times and bad, we need friends who will pray for us, listen to us, and lend a comforting hand and an understanding ear when needed."

Cheaper Than Therapy

2008-08-11T15:54:00.002-04:00

Still running pretty low on stitching mojo. This was all I was able to accomplish yesterday. Funny, the pattern actually says "Stitching is cheaper than therapy....but not if done right." But what I have here "stitching is therapy" is true too.

It continues to rain here. I think it's rained 30+ days straight. I'm actually a person who likes rain, but this is a little excessive. I'd like to see the sun for more than an hour at a time.

"We are so very rich if we know just a few people in a way in which we know no others."

Finally picked up St. Petersburg again

2008-08-09T20:07:00.006-04:00

I made myself pick up St. Petersburg today, but I wasn't able to finish part 6. I actually started part 7 because part 6 is so boring. Repeating a design 4 times makes it difficult to work on a design, for me anyways. So upper left corner is the start of part 7 and I actually enjoyed stitching it :). I don't think I've ever worked on a piece that I've struggled so much with. I think this will help to move further into the design without completely finishing each corner.

Over all I'm not stitching very much though. The mojo just isn't there.

We bought a Wii fit that I'm having a blast with. I've actually lost a few pounds, yeah.

"Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart."

The desire of my heart is for my daughter to come back to the Lord and come home to us.

First time dying linen

2008-08-02T17:35:00.003-04:00

Well, I spent the afternoon with a friend dying linen. This is the first time either one of us has ever done this. I read lots of blogs and other websites about dying linen to be prepared. We dyed with RIT dye but found out that bleach was our best friend. LOL!! We had some real disasters going and bleach saved us.

We are both fanatics about stitching on hand-dyed linens, this sure is cheaper. My favorites are the two in the top picture, especially the one on the left.

All of these are 36 ct edinborough except the peachy one in the bottom picture, that one was a cheap piece of 28ct monaco.

The two best RIT colors were tan and cocoa brown.

Thanks to everyone who sent kind comments about my family situation. They are very appreciated.

"No one is as capable of gratitude as one who has emerged from the kingdom of night."

Noah/Struggles and trials

2008-07-31T08:49:00.005-04:00

Here is an update on Noah. The more I stitch this the more I know I don't want to stitch on 40ct again, nor 1/1 again ;). I am really shocked at how poor my eyesight has become.

Thanks for all the nice comments about my Mermaid(s).

Struggles and trials have become a normal part of my life for the past year and a half. I never realized you could feel so many emotions (often at the same time). These struggles have to do with my oldest daughter, whom I love so much. This past year and half has taught me that I would LITERALLY give up my life for her to get herself back on track. You always hear people say they would die for their kids. But I KNOW I would die for any one of mine. We received more distrubing news about our wayward daughter last night and I think I cried 2 pounds of tears. On my good days I KNOW that God is in control, and that he knows what is going on in my daughter's life. It's so hard to remember God's greatness in times of difficulty and yet he should be our biggest comfort. How disappointing I must be to God because I do not trust in Him the way I should. But God uses trials to make us better people for him. Apparently I need a lot of work since he keeps giving us more to deal with.

I leave you with the verse below, knowing this is my time for weeping.

"To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die...a time to weep, and a time to laugh."

Mermaids

2008-07-28T09:19:00.002-04:00

Well I picked up my mermaids this weekend. I did a fair amount of beading although it isn't noticeable (rats)! I worked mainly on her tail fin. I'm close to being able to start on Mermaid #2.

I hope everyone had a nice weekend. My son is feeling much better, thanks to all who wished him well.

"Don't just get older, get better. Live realistically. Give generously. Adapt willingly. Trust fearlessly. Rejoice daily."

A new start and 2 awards ;)

2008-07-26T11:57:00.005-04:00

I have been awarded the Brillante Weblog Award by Dawn @ Golden Angels Works. Thank you!! Here are the rules:

1) Put the logo on your blog
2) Add a link to the person who awarded you
3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs
4) Add links to those blogs on yours
5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs

I nominate the following: (I could actually nominate everyone).

1. Carla @ CC's Stitching Diary
2. Lynn @ Kearnels Korner
3. Deb @ Lavender Rose Ramblings
4. Teejay @ Passion of My Needle
5. Suzanne @ Squazi and the Chicken
6. Debby @ Stitch Wizard
7. Kim @ These Are The Days

I was also awarded the Kreative Blogger Award by Noreen @ Needle Caboodle.

Thank you Noreen. Here are the rules:

1. The winner may put the logo on her blog.
2. Put a link to the person you got the award from.
3. Nominate 5 blogs.
4. Put links to the blogs.
5. Leave a message for your nominees.

I nominate the following: (again I could nominate everyone)

1. Vonna @ The Twisted Stitcher

2. Karoline @ Karolines Corner

3. Karen @ Karen's Place in Web Space

4. Monique @ Inside Number Twenty

5. Kathryn @ Threads of Desire

I know a lot of people don't participate in these awards and if you don't want to participate that's fine. I am literally amazed at and enjoy EVERYONE'S blogs. I think this is a good opportunity to open up new blogs to people.

While I was on vacation I did start a very small project. It's called "Cheaper than Therapy" by My Big Toe Designs. I'm doing it on a 32 ct Silkweaver Solo with WDW and GAST threads. I changed the thread colors so they would match the linen better.

I am basically done with my daughter's bedroom (just need to buy new curtains and hang them) so I'm going to make myself sit down and stitch this afternoon. I'm not sure what I'll pick up, will probably just look in my WIP's basket and see who's hollering the loudest.

This is absolutely the longest post I've ever posted. Thanks if you made it to this point.

Have a great weekend.

"Our steps are made firm by the Lord, when he delights in our way; though we stumble, we shall not fall headlong, for the Lord holds us by the Hand."

A finish.......I think ;)

2008-07-23T14:35:00.002-04:00

It's been forever since I posted because it's been forever since I've stitched!! Technically I finished Maude Eloise last week when we were away on vacation, but the design is just a tad too small for the frame I want to put it in. So I have to decide if I'm going to have the frame cut down or put a border around the design to make it bigger.

Life has been very hectic and unpredictable and I have completely lost my stitching mojo.

I'm still trying to finish the redecorating of my daughter's room. But paint won't dry when it's 96 degrees with 80% humidity. I'm actually posting while I'm waiting for a wall to dry so I can put the last coat of paint on it. I'm also painting furniture. And of course all of her bedroom furniture is sitting in our living room. So you can barely maneuver around our house.

And to add to all of this my son left Sunday for a mission trip that's 4 hours away and he's been sick since Monday. My husband left a few hours ago to go and get him, 4 hours to get there, then 4 hours to get back. Like I said life is so unpredictable. I'm sure I'll be taking him to the doctors tomorrow. I think he probably has strep throat :(.

We did have a super vacation. Rented a house that was right on the ocean. Gorgeous!! It was so relaxing.

I'm slowly getting caught up on everyone's blogs. Boy, you guys post a lot. I never have that much to say :).

"I have seen what a laugh can do. It can transform almost unbearable tears into something bearable, even hopeful."

Miss Mermaid

2008-07-04T12:46:00.003-04:00

I haven't had much time to work on any stitching projects, but I think I've made enough progress on my mermaid to post a pic. I still enjoy working on her, but I'm not keeping up with the beading as I had planned, so I'm starting to feel a little anxious about that. The next time I work on her I've told myself I'll have to work on some of the beading. I do want to finish this piece by the end of the year and I think I'll be able to reach that goal.

This coming week I'm going to redecorate my youngest daughter's room. I'll be removing the wallpaper and painting her walls. We went out this morning so she could pick out her bedspread, at the price of $100, yikes!!! I'm going to choose the paint and border for her room from the colors in her bedspread.

Happy 4th of July to everyone.

"God has not promised us an easy journey, but he has promised us a safe journey."

Update on Noah

2008-06-26T14:02:00.002-04:00

Here is my 40ct piece. The other half of this 40ct piece I will be using to do one of the other sunday school lessons in this series, and that will be the end of working on 40ct I believe :). I'm doing "ok" with 1/2 but the 1/1 is killing me. My eyesight just is not good enough to work on linen this small.

Everyone is working on such pretty pieces. I love visiting your blogs and try to comment as much as possible. I appreciate everyone who visits mine.

"God understands our prayers even when we can't find the words to say them."

Maude

2008-06-22T15:31:00.002-04:00

Here's my update on Maude Eloise. I still really enjoy stitching on this piece. I'm very close to being done. Maybe a couple of more weeks and it will be finished :).

We finally have our pool clear enough to swim in it. Of course the horrible heat wave that we had is gone and it's almost too cold to swim now.

Thank you all for the encouraging comments, they are appreciated.

"God is not an elusive dream or a phantom to chase, but a divine person to know. He does not avoid us, but seeks us. When we seek him, the contact is instantaneous."

Update on St. Petersburg

2008-06-19T13:09:00.002-04:00

Well, since the kids are out of school I've barely done any stitching. We're trying hard to get our pool to the point of being able to swim in it, it still has a lot of algae in it. I took the kids to a driving range this morning to hit golf balls which was a lot of fun.

This is how far I am on St. Petersburg White Nights. This is going so slowly but at least I'm working on it. It is a stunning piece but it will probably take me another full year to finish it.

Thanks to everyone who gave me tips and websites to go to for dying linen. A friend and myself are going to give it a try, this should be very interesting :).

"Sometimes we see things not as they are but as we are: Love brings understanding."

She's growing

2008-06-14T16:26:00.002-04:00

Well my mermaid is definitely growing. She is still fun to work on, although I made a counting error somewhere and today I was able to compensate around it. Took a while to make everything match up, but I did it.

I want to try and dye my own linen, but have never done it. I've gotten some tips from Vonna's blog using RIT. Can anyone else give me some tips or directions, even if you point me to somewhere on the internet.

Thanks so much.

"Sweet is the smile of home; the mutual look when hearts are of each other sure."

A New Start

2008-06-12T19:22:00.004-04:00

I had a friend over last night to do some stitching and I always seem to start something new after I've stitched with her. She has about 12 different projects going all at once, I see that and *shabang* I start something new. This is a series put out by Plum Street Samplers called Stories To Live By. This one is Noah. I'm doing this on 40ct R&R Daily Grind. This is the first time I've stitched on 40ct and my eyes are struggling (even with a dazor light and magnifier). I love to stitch on 36ct and I didn't think there'd be that much of a difference but there is. And..... there's 1/1 in this piece. Yikes, the 1/1 over makes the 1/2 seem very easy!!

My friend has a wonderful listening ear. This past year has been extremely difficult for me and I spent most of last night crying on her shoulder about it. I hate it when I do that, but some people are so easy to talk to. Thank you my friend :)

I take the quote at the end of my post to heart.

"I want to learn to live each moment and be grateful for what it brings, asking no more."

Update on Maude

2008-06-04T14:17:00.002-04:00

I'm making great progress on Maude Eloise 1891. I love this piece. It's such an easy piece to pick up and work on. I have several more Blackbird Designs in my stash and may need to stitch another one.

Today is the last day of school for my kids. I love having them around the house but they certainly cut into my stitching time. But they're definitely worth more than stitching :)

"Today, see if you can stretch your heart and expand your love so that it touches not only those to whom you can give it easily, but also those who need it so much."

Mermaid has more beads

2008-05-29T14:51:00.002-04:00

I have been stitching pretty good on my mermaid(s). I've started beading her body. Boy, there are tons of beads. I'm so glad I'm beading as I go. Otherwise I know I'd get her (them) all stitched up and never bead her (them).

I have the strongest desire to start something new (again)! I'm sort of pushing to get Maude Eloise done so then I wouldn't feel guilty about starting another project :).

"The human heart, at whatever age, opens only to the heart that opens in return."

Maude Eloise

2008-05-24T10:06:00.002-04:00

I have found lots of time to work on Maude Eloise this week. I actually didn't work on St. Petersburg at all (as I should have), which gave me more time for this piece. Blackbird Designs are so much fun to stitch, I just can't seem to keep my hands off of this one.

Thanks for all the nice comments on MOTDB, I'm still enjoying her a lot too.

My teenage son has 3 friends over this weekend and I think one of them has broken his wrist. Of course since he is a teenager he is saying it isn't bothering him (because he doesn't want to leave all the fun), but I'm going to need to call his mom.

This is a long weekend in the states (Memorial Day), I hope everyone has a nice one.

"A cheerful friend is like a sunny day, which sheds its brightness all around."

More of the mermaid

2008-05-21T10:27:00.002-04:00

Here is my progress on Mermaids of the Deep Blue. This is an enjoyable stitch, inspite of all the beading. My daughter is loving watching her grow. I've realized that even though I have several projects going I am only posting pics on two of them. My St. Petersburg is too boring to keep posting on the repetitive corners being done. I probably won't post on that again until I'm done all 4 corners of part 6.

One of my other projects is a secret stitch and the person I'm stitching it for reads my blog so I can't post any pics.

So I hope you don't ge too tired of Maude Eloise and my Mermaids.

"When we obey him, every path he guides us on is fragrant with his lovingkindness and his truth."

Maude Eloise 1891

2008-05-15T09:04:00.002-04:00

I am absolutely loving this piece. I could stitch on this every day but I am trying to stay with my rotation, which means I only get to work on this piece once a week. I love the colors in it, very pretty.

I need to catch up on blogs today. I don't know how you guys blog so often. The weekend is coming up, have a good one.

"We have been in God's thought from all eternity, and in his creative love, his attention never leaves us."

Beads, Beads and.......more Beads!!!

2008-05-10T10:29:00.002-04:00

I am having so much fun stitching this piece, but those beads..... yikes!! I am glad I'm beading as I go because there are tons of them. I love the linen I am stitching this on, it is so perfect for this design.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

"Love is a fruit, in season at all times and within the reach of every hand. Anyone may gather it and no limit is set."

St. Petersburg Update

2008-05-08T05:58:00.002-04:00

This is part VI on St. Petersburg. I just need to finish the gates on the house on the left and I'll be done with this corner at this point. Just 3 more corners to go for this part. It felt kind of good to be stitching on this again. I'm going to try and pick it up once a week, so maybe I'll have this finished by 2010 :).

I've been so busy working that I've not had much time in the last week to check your blogs. I hope to do some blog reading today.

"Other blessings may be taken away, but if we have acquired a good friend...we have a blessing which improves in value when others fail."

A New Start

2008-05-04T16:19:00.002-04:00

I went shopping with a friend yesterday and she is such a wonderful enabler :). She talked me into not one, but two new starts. I've only started one of them though. This is Maude Eloise 1891 by Blackbird Designs (2006), I'm using Country French Cashmere linen and overdyed threads. You can see a completed pic of it in my side bar.

This is going to be a fun (and quick) stitch.

I hope everyone had a great weekend. Thanks for the warm comments.

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart."

Crazy Cats are finished

2008-04-30T13:24:00.003-04:00

Well, I finished up my silly, crazy, whimsical cats today. This will be made into a pillow for my daughter. I'm glad it was a quick stick, I'm not that fond of stitching whimsical pieces, give me a big sampler piece anyday!

My Cat~Trail Creek Farm

32ct Mint Green linen ~ Silk 'N Colors thread

Started ~ 3/25/08 Finished ~ 4/30/08

Thank you all for the well wishes for my son. The new medication he's on has worked wonderfully. He's having no problems breathing and his allergies are better controlled.

"There is a past which is gone forever, but there is a future which is still our own."

Mermaids

2008-04-23T09:03:00.002-04:00

I've almost finished the beading in her hair. I've decided I'm going to bead as I go along and not leave them until the end. This piece is so much fun to stitch. This is for my daughter and she is watching with great delight as the mermaid comes to life.

Thanks for all the well wishes for my son. He feels a lot better, but he still has a bad cough and a fair amount of wheezing. He was started on a new medication and I'm waiting out the 10 days to see if it's going to work or not.

"Love works in ways that are wondrous and strange, there is nothing in life that Love cannot change."

Another update

2008-04-19T12:02:00.002-04:00

"A Sweeter Love" is coming along nicely, although I've not been working on any of the 1/1 areas.

It is 70 degrees out today, woohoo!! I've been doing yard work and after the nasty winter we had our yard is a mess. But I'm done that for the day and now need to get the inside of the house clean.

I hope everyone has a great weekend. Do lot's of stitching.

"After winter comes the summer. After night comes the dawn. And after every storm, there comes clear, open skies."

My Cat

2008-04-16T10:09:00.003-04:00

Here's my update on "My Cat", hopefully the next time I pick this up I'll finish it.

I haven't had much time to stitch this week. My son has pneumonia, which got his asthma out of control. Poor kid, last week was school vacation and he was sick the whole week. He goes back to the doctor's today to see if the medications are working. He was well enough to go to school today so that's a good sign.

"Wisdom is oft times nearer when we stoop than when we soar."

I'm sticking it out ;)

2008-04-13T14:29:00.002-04:00

Well, thanks to the encouragement of so many of you I've decided to stick with St. Petersburg. I finished the beading on part V but not the back stitching. I'll do the back stitching a little at a time as I work on part VI. You can see the beginnings of part VI in the upper left corner.

I hope everyone has had a good weekend.

"Nothing we can do will make the Father love us less; nothing we do can make him love us more. He loves us unconditionally with an everlasting love. All he asks of us is that we respond to him."

My new start

2008-04-08T09:38:00.003-04:00

Well here is my new start. Mermaids of the Deep Blue by Miribilia. I know that most people under the sun have stitched this piece but I've had it in my stash for a while and it's for one of my daughters. I'm stitching this on Silkweaver's Ocean Fantasy. I took 2 pics so you could see the fabric better. It's a really pretty dark blue, much darker than what it looks in the pics.

I received a lot of comments about my putting my Chatelaine St. Petersburg away, so I might try to hang in there. I'll need to figure out some type of rotation so I can at least do a little on it to try and get past the backstitching on part V. Once I'm past the backstitching I think I'll be okay. Thanks for the encouragement everyone.

"Take spring when it comes, and rejoice. Take happiness when it comes, and rejoice. Take love when it comes, and rejoice."

Update

2008-04-03T09:21:00.002-04:00

I am making some good progress on A Sweeter Love. I'm slowly working on the 1/1 verse and the border.

I am afraid my Chatelaine may officially be a UFO. It's still in my WIP's basket but I just cannot pick it up, oh well. So I'm going to start another new piece :). I'll surprise you with it when I've actually started it.

"Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it with the handle of anxiety or the handle of faith."

Something new

2008-03-27T11:28:00.002-04:00

I decided I needed a break from "A Sweeter Love" and couldn't face picking up my Chatelaine. So I chose something whimsical. This is going to be a pillow for my daughter. It's called "My Cat" from Trail Creek Farm. I'm stitching it on mint green belfast with Silk 'N Colors. The colors are a little odd but I know my daughter will like it.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. I did! Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving such nice comments.

"Caring lifts the burden...Courage shoulders the weight...But only loving lightens the load."

I've got people

2008-03-20T14:03:00.002-04:00

I've been able to get in some good time on this piece. I spent an entire afternoon doing the verse in 1/1 and enjoyed it (how weird is that?). The frog has left so my needles have been smoking. I love my people, aren't they cute? I especially love the waist on the lady (who has a waist that small?) I'm starting a new job next week so that will greatly decrease my stitching time.

Thank you all for the nice comments and coming by to visit. Have a great weekend.

"Every time I begin to feel that there just isn't any more strength in me, I end up knowing that there is more.....in God"

What's worse than 1/1?

2008-03-14T08:08:00.002-04:00

What is worse than stitching 1/1? FROGGING 1/1!!!! Boy, I'm struggling with doing the 1/1 on this piece and I've had to frog most of what I've stitched this week in the verse. I've told myself I have to do some 1/1 every time I pick up this piece before I can move on to an area of 2/2. Otherwise this will never get done.

I'm also trying to finish up Part V on my Chatelaine, but there is so much backstitching that I have no desire to even pick it up. As you can tell, backstitching and 1/1 are my least favorite parts of stitching. I am very tempted to start something new but A Sweeter Love is a gift for my DH so I need to keep my focus on this piece.

Thank you for all the good wishes and comments about my daughter. She is completely back to normal and healthy.

"What is important is that one is capable of love. It is perhaps the only glimpse we are permitted of eternity."

A Sweeter Love update

2008-03-06T08:43:00.003-05:00

I have been working on "A Sweeter Love" here and there. There is a lot of 1/1 which I wasn't aware of when I started this project. I'm not a huge fan of 1/1, so this has left me a little less motivated in picking up this project. But it is a gift for my hubby so I will persevere :).

Thanks for all the kinds thoughts and words about my daughter being hospitalized while away from home. She is home now and is doing just fine.

"Our Heavenly Father never takes anything from his children unless he means to give them something better."

VoHRH Framed!!!

2008-02-29T09:35:00.003-05:00

I got this back from my framer earlier this week. Didn't it come out gorgeous? I don't usually put my pieces under glass but I did this one which made it very difficult to take a pic of it. I have so many windows in my house that I couldn't get away from all the reflections. So this is the best pic I could get.

I haven't done much stitching. One of my daughters went on a college trip this week with her high school and she became very ill and ended up being hospitalized for 2 days, 1500 miles away from us!!!! She will be home tonight, I can't wait to get my arms around her.

I've been tagged by Noreen. Here are the rules:

1. Once you are tagged, link back to the person who tagged you.

2. Post THE RULES on your blog.

3. Post 7 weird or random facts about yourself on your blog.

4. Tag 7 people and link to them.

5. Comment on their blog to let them know they have been tagged.

Here are my 7 things:

1. I am left handed, but I do everything with my right hand except eat and write.

2. I need to know details. Example: When my husband tells me someone called, I need to know what time they called and exactly what they said (this drives my husband crazy).

3. I have a fear of heights (even a Ferris Wheel is too high for me).

4. I can't swim in water over my head, my feet have to be able to touch the ground.

5. My husband thinks I have ugly feet (I like my feet).

6. I never started drinking coffee until I was in my 30's, and today I can't live without it.

7. I like to dip potatoe chips in chocolate ice cream.

Thanks for the many comments that you guys leave on my blog. They are always very thoughtful and I appreciate them.

"I believe in the sun even when it is not shining, in love even when I am alone, and in God even when he is silent."

I have trouble spacing my postings, can anyone help me out? When I type my post I have spaces between my paragraphs but once I post it they disappear.

Puppy Dog Row is finished ;)

2008-02-22T15:43:00.002-05:00

I finished Puppy Dog Row this afternoon. It is much easier to stitch under my Dazor light instead of the romantic lighting in our room in Cancun, lol.

Puppy Dog Row

Bent Creek

Fabric: 32 ct "Sorbet" by Picture this Plus

Threads: GAST & WDW

Started ~ 2-9-08

Finished ~ 2-22-08

"God writes with a pen that never blots, speaks with a tongue that never slips, and acts with a hand that never fails."

We're back and a new start

2008-02-16T13:54:00.002-05:00

We had a wonderful time in Cancun. The temperature was in the 80's every day, the ocean was the most gorgeous blue. I got a beautiful tan which is peeling off and leaving me a funny pink :0). I debated whether I was going to bring any stitching with me and decided I would and that I would start something new. This is Puppy Dog Row by Bent Creek. I am stitching this on 32ct "Sorbet" by Picture This Plus, using WDW's and GAST. As you can tell this is a very quick stitch. My next sitting with it should finish it up.

Thanks for all the nice comments on SPWN, they will help keep me going.

"A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a person perfected without adversity."

SPWN Update and off to Cancun

2008-02-05T13:22:00.000-05:00

I was hoping to get all the cross stitching done on part 5 before posting a pic, but didn't quite make it. I still have a little bit of regular stitching to do and then a TON of backstitching and then to add the beads.

Apparently these are apartment houses, not regular houses. I actually thought they were mansions!! It looks like a lot of people stopped stitching this piece during this part. Hopefully this was the largest part in the pattern.

This Friday we leave for Cancun to celebrate our anniversary, a tad bid early, but who wants to go to Cancun when it's warm here?

"I have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God's hands, that I still possess."

A Sweeter Love update

2008-01-28T20:11:00.001-05:00

Here is an update on A Sweeter Love. Thanks for all the comments about my missing letter "P". The coolest thing happened. Paulette from Plum Street Samplers left a comment on my blog. That made my day!! I don't know how she found my blog and I feel honored she left a comment. Thank you Paulette!

The entire verse is over one so it will take me a while to get that done. I'm really enjoying this piece.

I've been working a lot lately so haven't had much time for stitching. Hopefully I'll be able to get some time in on SPWN and post a pic soon.

"Cease to inquire whatever the future has in store, and take as a gift whatever the day brings forth."

A Sweeter Love

2008-01-18T13:27:00.000-05:00

Here's my update on A Sweeter Love. I love working on this piece. I'm learning more about the missing letters in the alphabet. As I've said in the past, the letters J and V are missing. I realized also the letter Q is missing, probably because it's so similar to O. I noticed that P is missing also, but that's not because of the alphabet being used as a teaching tool in the 1800's, it's because THE STITCHER CAN'T READ A CHART!! The top alphabet is missing P because I missed it on the chart. What a dope. Now I have to decide if I'm going to frog the latter part of the alphabet and put the P in or leave it the way it is. I've had enough frogs at my house, I would really like them to leave.

A really good friend of mine suggested I wait until I'm done with the piece to decide if I'm going to frog that alphabet or leave it as is. What great advice!! I love this friend. Not only is she sensible, she's one of the most encouraging and straight forward people I know. I could add that she's also extremely kind. I am truly blessed to have her as a friend.

"No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him."

The plague of the frogs :(

2008-01-15T14:16:00.000-05:00

The frogs have hit like the plague. I already had trepidations about starting up St. Petersburg White Nights again and once I got started I REMEMBERED the counting error I had made before I put this away about 4 months ago. In my counting I was off by one stitch, which doesn't sound too bad, but the fallout is collosal (did I spell that right?). On a piece like this where everything builds on what you've already stitched you can't be off by even one stitch (which actually threw an entire row off). I am now paying dearly for this mistake. I am good at compensating but this is really draining my brain to figure out how to stitch this upper right corner around this error. Not only am I trying to figure this out but I'm ripping out as much as I'm stitching. I am trying to stay positive though, I was able to finish the lower right corner before the frogs hit.

I am done working on this for this week and I'm glad to put it away. Hopefully I'll be better prepared for the challenge next week when it comes up in my rotation again.

"Originality is not doing something no one else has ever done, but doing what has been done countless times with new life, new breath."

Update on A Sweeter Love

2008-01-12T14:59:00.000-05:00

This is where I've gotten on A Sweeter Love. That chain band you see under the alphabet took me almost 6 hours to stitch! Do you believe that? It was such an intricate band. I consider myself someone who stitches at a moderate speed but this took much longer than I think it would have someone else.

I want to thank Kathy for letting me know why the "J" was missing from the 2 alphabets in this sampler. She said samplers used to be used as teaching tools and since "J" is similar to a "T" they often left the "J" out of the alphabet. She also said they sometimes did the same thing with "U" and "V", and guess what? There isn't a "V" in this sampler either. So, thank you Kathy for educating me.

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend and thanks for all the great comments. They are appreciated ;)

"They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."

My New Start

2008-01-09T15:12:00.000-05:00

Here is my first new start for 2008. It's titled "A Sweeter Love" and is by Plum Street Samplers, which is one of my favorite designers. The full picture is in my sidebar. I'm stitching it on 32ct Lakeside Linen "Maple Sugar" (scrummy) and I'm using NPI silks. This will be an anniversary gift for my husband, teehee, I get to stitch this, get the anniversary gift out of the way AND the gift stays in my home. Boy, it doesn't get much better than that :)

There are two alphabets in this pattern and both of them are missing the letter "J". Odd, but I think it makes the piece more interesting.

Someone asked if I was keeping VoHRH or giving it away as a gift. Oh no, that baby is staying with me.

I'm working on my stitching rotation, I have a couple of "secret stitches" going on, which I'll be glad when they are finished. Getting back into a rotation means I have to get back to St. Petersburg White Nights. I found the piece somewhat overwhelming before, I hope I'm up for it.

"Each of us has something different to contribute, and no matter how small or insignificant it may seem, it can be for the benefit of all."

More pics :)

2008-01-07T16:11:00.000-05:00

Well, my camera battery is recharged so I couldn't wait to put some better pics and some close up pics of my Village on my blog.

This is the upper left hand corner :)

This is the upper right hand corner :)

This is the lower left hand corner :)

This is the lower right hand corner :)

It will probably be a long time before I do another piece this big (famous last words, lol).

Thanks for sticking with me through all these pics ;)

Finally a pic of VoHRH finished!!

2008-01-07T10:14:00.000-05:00

Well, here it is. Not a very good picture, but when I went to take another pic, the battery on my camera died :(. It will take the rest of the day to recharge that battery and I didn't want to wait until tonight to post. I may post another pic of this on another day when I have a functional recharged camera :). I already have the frame for this and it will get to my framer's next week.

Village of Hawk Run Hollow

Carriage House Samplings

NPI Silks

36 ct Lakeside Linens "Sand Dune"

Stitch Count 278 x 371

Started ~ 9-2-06

Finished 12-25-07

I will be starting a new project today, woohoo!! It's been so long since I've started anything new. You'll have to wait until I have something reasonable stitched before I post a pic and divulge what it is.

"Each one of us is God's special work of art...a painting like no other in all of time."

The Ark That Noah Built is framed

2008-01-04T07:27:00.001-05:00

Thank you EVERYONE for the lovely comments you left about my coming back to the blogging world. They mean so much to me, and it makes me so glad I decided to come back.

Here is a picture of The Ark That Noah Built framed. I dropped this off at my framer's back in August, and only picked it up earlier this month. Didn't my framer do a beautiful job?

The Ark That Noah Built

Carriage House Samplings

36 ct Lakeside Linen Vintage Light Examplar

Soie d'Alger Silks

Started ~ 6-14-07

Finished ~ 7-27-07

I don't have much to post since I haven't been stitching. Although I did finish Village of Hawk Run Hollow on Christmas day. So my next post will be of that. And I guess I'd better get my needle going.

"Guard well your spare moments. They are like uncut diamonds. Discard them and their value will never be known. Improve them and they will become the brightest gems in a useful life."

2008, a better year?

2008-01-01T16:03:00.000-05:00

I want to thank everyone who have left comments on my blog and have sent me emails regarding my last post, which was back in September!! I just got another comment 5 minutes ago, you are all so sweet. So many of you have checked in often and it has meant a lot to me. Little windows of encouragement that I've needed.

The end of 2007 was so painful and unfortunately that pain is continuuing into 2008. But I've learned so much from this experience and I've changed so much (for the better) because of it. I've learned ~ time is precious, people are precious, family is precious, our children are so incredibly precious and God is in control. Even though I sit here with a heart still broken, I know that God knew what was going to happen and he knows what will happen in the future. And I am most definitely being refined through this.

I literally gave up stitching until just after Thanksgiving when I was able to muster enough strength to pick up a needle and finish Miss New Year's Fairy which was a Christmas present for my daughter. Isn't she pretty?

Miss New Year's Fairy

Miribilia

32ct "Fairy Dust" Belfast

Crescent Colours and Kreinik Braid

Started ~ 7-27-07

Finished ~ 11-26-07

Since then I have been forcing myself to stitch. It used to be such good therapy for me. Most of the time I can only stitch for about 15 or 20 minutes and then I get too antsy to sit.

I have been loosely following your blogs and hope to get back into blogging and leaving comments. I've been fiddling with my blog for the past week because I'd forgotten how to post pictures etc. DH had to help me get going with my blog this afternoon.

"Each day brings us a chance to do better and to make good. It is as though our slate has had the smudges of yesterday wiped out."

Thank you

2007-09-20T14:17:00.000-04:00

I want to thank the people who've been commenting on my blog about the fact I've not been blogging.

Life is so difficult.........the most devastating thing has happened in my family. I can barely put two words together most days, never mind think about writing something on my blog. I haven't picked up a needle in weeks. I feel like my husband and I are just two "shells" of people walking around trying to get through each day and yet still be good parents to our kids. The strength we have is knowing that God knows everything and is in control, but that doesn't make it any less painful. And I never knew it was possible to go through so much emotional pain. But we need to continue to be able to give this to God. This situation has changed my husband and I forever, but hopefully we will be better people because of it.

Thanks to all of you, I hope someday to be able to pick up a needle again.

Update on Miss New Years and mean-spirited people

2007-09-03T16:42:00.000-04:00

Miss New Years is almost there. All the stitching and backstitching is done, I just have the beading to do. She has been fun to stitch and hopefully I'll have her finished in a week or so.
I need to address the person who left an anonymous comment for me (I did not publish it). If you dislike my blog, then don't read it. I have found this somewhat puzzling that someone would leave me a comment about how much they dislike my blog and yet they seem to continue reading it. To whomever left the comment: Get a life and move on, there are hundreds of blogs out there you can be looking at. If you wish to continue to criticize me then be courageous enough to not hide behind the "anonymous" button and do it under your own blog name.

The start of the end :(

2007-09-01T12:12:00.000-04:00

I have started Block #12, which is the Olde Burial Ground and the last block to this piece that I have so enjoyed working on. I believe I've been working on this for about a year and I have loved every minute of having this in my hands. I will definitely miss this when I'm finished with it. My goal is to have this finished by the end of September.
I hope everyone has a lovely Labor Day weekend ;)

Update SPWN

2007-08-29T16:10:00.000-04:00

Here it is, the piece that will never end. Sorry I have another out of focus pic, but the battery is dying on my camera. I really had to force myself to work on St. Pete's this week. Those mansions have gotten quite boring. And yet as I've said before it is just beautiful. But I will be so glad when I am finished this thing.
On a sad note, someone I've known for 15 years died this past weekend. She taught two of my kids at the school they attend. It was exactly one year ago that she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Today was supposed to be the first day of school but out of respect for her (her funeral was today) school will start tomorrow instead. She is no longer in any pain, she is in her glorified body in Heaven, and I look forward to meeting her there someday. Until that day, I will miss you Judy.

Block #11 Finished :)

2007-08-27T12:58:00.000-04:00

I finished block #11 on Village of Hawk Run Hollow, only one block left and then the entire piece is finished. Block #12 is a solidly stitched block so it will take me a while to get that one finished.

I'm using a different computer so I can't crop my pics (but hubby said he'd fix that). I took the cutest pic of my two cats, and then accidently deleted them, oh well.
I hope everyone had a nice weekend ;)

Miss New Year's Fairy

2007-08-24T15:11:00.000-04:00

I went over to a friend's house last night to stitch and.... we actually did some stitching :). Of course we did a lot of chatting too. She made me a wonderful dinner and we had a nice relaxing evening. I worked on Miss New Year's Fairy while I was at her house, she's stitching up quickly and I am thoroughly enjoying her. Please excuse the wrinkled fabric, I just didn't have time to get her ironed.
Thanks for all the nice comments on St. Pete's, they're encouraging and help me to continue plodding along on it ;)

St Pete's Update

2007-08-22T15:13:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm having trouble with my camera, so this out of focus pic is the best I can do. I'm working on my 3rd corner, I'm out of the yellow I need, but will be getting it tomorrow. I've been trying to figure out why I dislike stitching on this piece so much. It's the most stunning piece I've ever stitched so one would think I would be having the time of my life working on it, but alas, that is not so. I have determined a few things: 1. I do not like stitching a piece when I do not have all of the chart, hence the many mistakes that get made. 2. I do not like the repetition of doing the same stitching 4 times. If I had the complete chart I would stitch it differently than the way the parts are given to you on-line. 3. I will quietly say Martina makes many mistakes and often leaves IMPORTANT things out of her directions.
Realizing these things I may even do another Chatelaine someday. But it will be when the whole chart can be bought and I can stitch it in the order I want to.

Thanks for all the nice comments, especially on Miss New Year's ;)

A tree grows.....

2007-08-18T18:43:00.000-04:00

I'm almost finished with the trees in this block. I think I'll need 2 more stitching sessions to get this block finished. I'm probably hopeful in the thinking I can get the whole piece done by the end of September.
Some one asked what fabric I was stitching St. Petersburg White Nights on, it is Opalescent Midnight Fantasy by Sugar Maple Fabrics, this was specially dyed for this project.

Hope everyone is having a nice weekend ;)

St Pete's Update

2007-08-16T17:49:00.000-04:00

Well I had a pretty good session with St Pete'sburg this week. Of course frogging was parting of my session as it always is with this piece. I'm out of a color and won't be able to get it until next week, so that's slowed me down some. This piece is so pretty IRL, it sparkles and glitters and all that good stuff.

Update on Miss New Year's Fairy

2007-08-14T18:07:00.000-04:00

Miss New Year's Fairy is coming along quite nicely. She's been pure joy to stitch, although I've had little time to put into her :(. Life has been crazy. Work has been extremely busy for me and trying to get the kids ready for school is leaving little time for stitching ;)

The Schoolhouse is erected

2007-08-10T15:47:00.000-04:00

This block is moving along quickly and as usual I love every minute I put into this piece, but there's still a lot of stitching to finish this block. I'm starting to think about what I'll replace this with when I'm done. I have several birthday gifts to stitch and of course Christmas is right around the corner. So I'm undecided if I'll replace this in my rotation with gifts to be stitched up or another big project. Of course, I could always use an extra night on St. Petersburg to try to get caught up but I'd really have to think about that one.
Have a great weekend everybody ;)

Update on SPWN

2007-08-08T12:33:00.000-04:00

Here's my update on St. Petersburg. I'm glad it's turning out so pretty, since I still get very little joy out of stitching it, but I will persevere to the end ;)

Block #11 of the Village is started

2007-08-06T14:00:00.000-04:00

Here is the beginning of block #11, it's the School House. That little girl is jumping rope, but I haven't stitched in the jumprope yet. I'm not real happy with how close the "greens" are in this block. You can barely tell the 3 different greens apart. None the less, I still enjoy every minute that I'm working on this piece.
Thanks for the great comments on Miss New Year's Fairy. You guys help keep me going ;)

Miss New Year's Update and some stash

2007-08-03T18:29:00.000-04:00

Here is my update on Miss New Year's. I LOVE working on her. I can't remember the last time I did not stitch on hand-dyed linen and I'm finding this is a nice change, all of her colors pop so much better on a plain color.
I did a little more shopping. We have upper row: Silkweaver 32ct Jobelan "Dreamin" and Silkweaver 32ct lugana "Iris Garden" (super pretty), bottom row: Silkweaver Tallahassee Teal 32ct belfast linen and Silkweaver 32ct belfast linen "Thunderstorm", all FQ's.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope everyone has a nice weekend stitching!

SPWN Update

2007-08-01T16:05:00.000-04:00

Well, I have fallen farther behind on this than I thought I would. I'm very happy with my stitching rotation but this piece has taken a hit because of it. The way I do my rotation is: I assign myself a project for every day (evening) of the week and if I'm able to stitch on that day then I work on the project assigned to that day. Bridal Showers and meetings have not given me the time for this project because of the days I have assigned it to.
So above is the upper left hand corner, and below is the entire piece so far. Last night I ran out of NPI #133, which is the main yellow used in these mansions so I'll need to get more of that.

This is part V and Martina came out with part VI one day early. I'm sure she thought this would bring great joy to the people doing this class, but it brought a huge *ugh* from me.

A New Start

2007-07-30T14:44:00.000-04:00

My new start is Miss New Year's Fairy. I got a good start on her this weekend. I'm using 28ct Fairy Dust, I bought this linen on eBay and it was listed as 32 ct, but once I started stitching on it it was clear this was 28ct, which is okay but not my favorite count to work on. And out of the *TONS* of hand-dyed linen I have, I couldn't find anything that worked well with these threads. I'm happy with the Fairy Dust, the threads show up much better IRL.
Thanks for all the nice comments on my Noah's Ark finish, they were kind and inspiring ;)

The Ark That Noah Built is finished :)

2007-07-28T16:12:00.000-04:00

WooHoo, another finish. This was a relatively quick stitch, nice to have another finish under my belt. Now I get to start something new, woohoo again ;-)

Designer - Carriage House Samplings

Title - The Ark That Noah Built

Linen - Lakeside 36 ct Vintage Light Examplar

Threads - Soie d'Alger Silks

Started - 6-14-2007

Finished - 7-27-2007

Block #10 of the Village is finished :)

2007-07-27T13:20:00.001-04:00

I finished block #10 of Village of Hawk Run Hollow last night, and even got a small bit started on block #11. This was a fun block to stitch, as they all have been. It would be nice if I could get this finished by the end of September, I'm looking ahead to block #12 which is solid stitching and know that block will take me a good amount of time.
Thought I would show you a slightly better picture of Easter Fairy. My camera just does not want to focus well on her.

Thanks for all the nice comments and have a wonderful weekend ;)

Easter Fairy is framed!

2007-07-25T11:42:00.000-04:00

I got Easter Fairy back from the framer's and I am posting a terribly out of focus picture of her. My camera's batteries died right after taking this, which is probably why it couldn't focus. I still decided to post this because life is so busy that I may never remember to post a pic of her framed. The frame is a pale yellow that matches her dress perfectly. If I think of it in the future I'll take another pic of her. I'm very pleased with the framing.

2007-07-22T20:57:00.000-04:00

I'm almost finished with this piece. I think I'll be able to finish it up the next time I sit down to stitch on it. I had some stitching friends over yesterday and we had a great time, of course more talking than stitching got done.
** I'm very thankful for good friends, and God has put many in my life**

I hope everyone had a great weekend.

Village Update

2007-07-20T19:12:00.000-04:00

My favorite project back in my hands, hmmmmm. I'm almost finished with this block. I should be able to finish it up next week. There's a SBQ out there about what piece you're most proud of, and I would have to say it is this piece for me.
I hope everyone has a lovely weekend ;)

Update on SPWN

2007-07-18T06:55:00.000-04:00

I had hoped to get this entire corner finished this week and as you can see I didn't even come close. Things were just too busy this week to give any of my stitching projects much attention.
Thank you for all the well wishes about my meeting. It did get sticky, but there was no getting around that, the meeting went as well as it could have.

Update on Noah's Ark

2007-07-15T15:12:00.000-04:00

Well, The Ark That Noah Built is coming along nicely. I think two more stitching sessions with this and it will be finished. I still have the bottom flowers to do. Sorry this is such a short post
but I need to get ready for a meeting tonight that may prove to get a little sticky. I'm praying all will go well but still have some butterflies in my stomach.

Update on the Village

2007-07-13T10:02:00.000-04:00

Ahhhh, back to my Village of Hawk Run Hollow. I don't think I've ever enjoyed stitching a piece as much as I've enjoyed this one. I'm about half way through block #10. This is a piece that I will miss stitching on when it is finished, so I'll have to find another big project to keep me inspired when this one is done, don't worry, I have plenty in my stash.
Many people have asked what fabric I used for my Easter Fairy, (it is in the post on that finish), it is Lily Pond by Crossed Wing Collection, they have so many pretty fabrics.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend ;)

An enjoyable session with SPWN :)

2007-07-11T12:33:00.001-04:00

Finally, some enjoyable stitching on St. Petersburg :). The new stitching on this corner is representative of 10 hours of stitching, part 5 is HUGE. No way this part will be done before August. Having a stitching rotation is helping to keep the stress out of my stitching. St. Petersburg only gets 2 nights a week.
Thanks to everyone who left such nice comments about my Easter Fairy finish. You all are so encouraging.

Easter Fairy is finished :)

2007-07-09T15:31:00.000-04:00

Easter Fairy

Miribilia Limited Edition

Fabric: 28 ct Lily Pond by Crossed Wing Collection

Threads: Crescent Colours & Kreinik Braid (No Subs)

Began: 4-10-07 Finished: 7-4-07

This is my first finish for 2007 (a little behind most other bloggers, LOL). Unfortunately, this is not a very good pic of her, she's much prettier IRL. She was fun to stitch but she has more beads than I thought. It took me about 4 hrs just to bead her. She's already off to the framers. I'll post another pic of her when she's framed ;)

Noah's Ark

2007-07-07T22:20:00.001-04:00

Here's an update to The Ark That Noah Built. This piece is stitching up very quickly, I love the Soie d' Alger silks. Although the frog seems to have taken up permanent residence at my house. Frogging hasn't bothered me as much on this or VoHRH though like it does on St. Petersburg.
I hit a great deal on eBay today on some Silkweaver linen (like I need anymore linen). Earlier this week I actually ordered some charts to go with some of this linen I have accumulated.

I hope everyone is having a nice weekend ;)

Back to a piece I love ;)

2007-07-06T11:34:00.000-04:00

Well, I am back to Village of Hawk Run Hollow and I'm loving it. I have enjoyed every single stitch I have put in this piece. I love the fabric and the silks and the design!! This is the beginning of block #10 (the apple orchard). What a relief to put that Chatelaine away until next week. My new stitching rotation is working well, of course, I've only been doing it for a week :).
I actually don't want this piece to end.

Thanks to everyone who's stopped by ;)

Horror of horrors

2007-07-04T11:40:00.000-04:00

I have finished part 4, including the beading. I started the beading last night and when I was almost half way done I realized I was using the WRONG color beads. Ack!!!! So I have spent this morning fixing my error. Do you know how hard it is to remove beads that are packed together? For those of you who do not know me I am not typically this brain dead when it comes to my stitching. There is something about this piece that just doesn't click for me. But every time I finish a part, I look at it and think it is just beautiful. Hopefully my next post on this piece will be one that says "hey, I haven't made any mistakes and I'm enjoying it".
Happy 4th of July!

Ahhhhhhh!!!! A piece I'm enjoying

2007-06-30T18:38:00.000-04:00

It feels so good to stitch on something other than St. Petersburg :). I just had to put that Chatelaine away for a while. I've put myself on a stitching rotation for the month of July, it will be interesting to see how it works for me. I may even see if I can figure out how to put my rotation in my sidebar. I've noticed a lot of you do that and I like to see how people do their rotations.
I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend. Thanks to everyone who's stopped by ;)

My Nemesis

2007-06-28T21:13:00.001-04:00

Yes, this is my nemesis. I am almost finished with part 4, I still have to finish the left hand side, do some backstitching and put in the beads. Martina came out with part 5 today, 2 days early! This, to me, is not good news. Pressure, pressure, pressure! I would actually have finished this part over a week ago if I hadn't had to frog almost as much as I've stitched. One night I frogged much of the right hand side, restitched it and realized I had made ANOTHER mistake and had to frog that whole area again, 3 hours after I began I was exactly where I had started :(. Part 4 was huge and part 5 looks huge also. I've decided I have to get myself into a more organized rotation with my stitching or this piece is going to overtake my life. Even though I am not enjoying stitching this, it is absolutely stunning IRL.

Thanks to everyone for your comments, they always bring a smile to my face.

Stash Happy :)

2007-06-25T18:34:00.000-04:00

I am insanely hooked on hand-dyed linens. This is what was waiting for me when I got back from vacation: Top Row - Silkweaver 28 ct "Autumn"; Silkweaver 28 ct solo; Silkweaver 32 ct belfast "Forest Haven" (this is gorgeous). Bottom Row - Silkweaver 32 ct Jazlyn "Debutante"; Silkweaver 32 ct belfast "Cinnabar" and Silkweaver 32 ct Jobelan "Spring Garden". In the bottom pic we have top row - 32ct Antique Copper; Drawn Thread's Wayward Garden; Sugar Maple Fabrics 28 ct "Sun Dappled Glade"; Sugar Maple Fabrics 28 ct "Petunia Path" (I have another piece of this but this one is much pinker); middle row - 40 ct R&R "Neptune Blue" (very yummy); Sugar Maple Fabrics 28 ct Peach Grove; Sugar Maple Fabrics 28 ct "Morning Meadow"; bottom row - Sugar Maple Fabrics 32 ct belfast "Posiedon"; Silkweaver 28 ct solo; Sugar Maple Fabrics 32 ct belfast "Daisy Chain". And then 5 skeins of Crescent Colours I needed.

In my last post I mentioned that 3 LNS's that I went to weren't very good but I forgot to tell you about the great deal I got at one of them. This particular LNS also owns a frame shop next to it. While I was there buying a few skeins of thread someone came through the shop with a bunch of frames, and she was talking to the person who was waiting on me about THROWING them away. I quickly spoke up and said if they were going to throw them away I would gladly take them off of their hands. I got 15 frames for FREE. 10 of them are just gorgeous, the other 5 are just kind of ordinary. They said the frames were odd sizes and they couldn't use them and they were tired of tripping over them. Yoohoo for me, I'll find something to put in them!!

I'm back from vaca......

2007-06-22T18:19:00.000-04:00

I am back from vacation. It was a relaxing time. We did a lot with the kids....amusement parks....water rides....eating out....playing games.....shopping etc. I managed to track down 3 LNS's and not one of them was worth the drive to get there. I don't know how these places are in business. I did finally buy Wayward Garden by Drawn Thread because I've been watching someone's blog who's stitching it and I just love it and bought some beautiful 40 ct R&R. When I got home I had 3, yes 3, packages of stitching stash from the mailman. I'll show a pic in a few days.
I did allow myself a new start while on vacation. This is "The Ark That Noah Built" by Carriage House Samplings, I'm stitching it on 36 ct Vintage Pearled Barley by Lakeside Linen in Soie d' Alger silks (scrummy), the colors are a bit unusual but it's been a fun stitch. Should have it finished in a few weeks. Nice to stitch something relatively small for a change.

I was laughing a few weeks ago while reading someone's blog who had been away on vacation and that she had over 100 blogs to look at on her Google Reader, that's where I am right now and laughing again, this time at myself. I'll get to them all ;)

What's worse than Algerian Eyelets?

2007-06-10T20:37:00.001-04:00

Frogging them!!! I've started on part 4 and in the upper left corner are Algerian Eyelet's (which I don't care to do) and I had to frog a huge part of them because I had them in the wrong squares. One good thing about part 4 is that my husband figured out how to enlarge it to a normal size chart instead of the miniature print I had for part 3. I do not have to fix my mistake on part 3 either *phew*, I can compensate around it. This is so much prettier IRL, even though I am not particularly enjoying stitching this piece the results are stunning.

We are getting ready to go on vacation at the end of this week so I probably won't post again until we get back. Between work, appointments and packing there will be no stitching time :(. Although I think I might treat myself to a new start while we're away :)

Just an update

2007-06-04T18:45:00.000-04:00

Just a quick post to show my progress on Easter Fairy. Her colors do show up better IRL, but are somewhat muted. I think once I do the backstitching on her body she'll look much better.

Someone stop me.......please!!!

2007-05-30T17:49:00.000-04:00

I think I am out of control with my stash buying. No.....I know I'm out of control!! Someone help me put the brakes on. I LOVE my new stash and I'll enjoy stitching every bit of it someday if I can ever get to it all.
In the top picture we have God's Critters and Trellis by Workbasket, these go together and are rather old charts but I just love them. I will do them on the 36 ct Antique White Edinborough you can barely see under there. Then I had to get Paradigm Lost by Long Dog Samplers, but I will do it in the multi-colored version like Rob, I bought a 36 skein set of the DMC variegated flosses and I may use them or I might go with Vicki Clayton silks like Rob did. Then there's Miss New Year's Fairy by Miribilia and a FQ of Silkweaver "Elegance" 28 ct Jobelan. I'll do Miss New Year's on a Silkweaver Solo that I have instead of the natural linen it came with. The bottom picture is the series by Plum Street Samplers called Stories To Live By, I got Jonah, Noah and Adam. I got 40 ct Creme Brulee by R&R for Jonah, and 40 ct Daily Grind by R&R for Noah and Adam and just a few of the threads that will be needed.

Block #9 of Village is done

2007-05-28T19:56:00.000-04:00

I reached the goal I set for myself for this long weekend, and that was to finish Block #9 on Village of Hawk Run Hollow. This was a relatively easy block to stitch. This is the block itself and below is what I have finished so far on the piece. Just 3 more blocks to go :)

Love - Hate Relationship

2007-05-25T15:45:00.000-04:00

This is my first love/hate relationship. After my last post on St. Petersburg White Nights, Deb was kind enough to email me some tips on stitching a Chatelaine. One of the things she said was "you can either work it or it can work you", well I can tell you - this Chatelaine is definitely working me. I am finished with part 3, even the beading, and am breathing a huge sigh of relief. Now I did make a pretty big error on part 3 but I have to wait for part 4 to come out to decide if I have to frog or if I can compensate around the error. At this point in doing this piece I am pretty sure I will never do another Chatelaine. I give credit to all you stitchers out there who do them and do more than one at a time, you're incredible.

I do not work well with deadlines. I have decided I would be horrible as part of any SAL, again kuddo's to all of you who do SAL's. And again thanks to every one who's visited my blog and left comments.

There's a body under that dress

2007-05-23T14:35:00.000-04:00

She is actually turning into a fairy!! This has been a fun piece to work on and is small compared to what I usually do :). The picture is a little out of focus, I guess I need to work on my picture taking skills with my new camera.

Glad everyone enjoyed looking at my stash. I'm waiting for more to come in, I seem to be going through a stash buying phase and can't seem to get out of it.

More stash :o)

2007-05-19T19:51:00.000-04:00

I have been naughty in my chart collection and even naughtier in my fabric collection. I have Prairie Moon's "Eagle Weathervane" and "Angel Weathervane", Fouroaks "A Love Song", Passione Ricamo's "Romantic Stitcher" and Blackbird Designs "My Missouri Home".

I can't seem to stop buying these wonderful hand-dyed fabrics. Top left to right: Silkweaver's "Ocean Fantasy" Belfast; Silkweaver's "Beach Reflections" 28ct lugana; Enchanted Fabrics "Lilac" belfast. Bottom left to right: Picture This Plus 36ct "Fresco"; Picture This Plus "Thistle" belfast and Sugar Maple Fabrics "Snowflake" belfast. The snowflake is so delicate, I can't wait to find something to do on that. I will probably do my Mermaids of the Deep Blue on the Ocean Fantasy, everyone seems to do the Mermaids on this but there is so much variation between the fabrics, and I have a gorgeous piece.

Block # 8 is finished and I've been tagged

2007-05-17T14:09:00.000-04:00

I finished up block # 8 on Village of Hawk Run Hollow, hopefully tomorrow I'll get started on block # 9.

I've also been tagged by Cheryl to says 8 things about myself and here are the rules:
Tell eight things about yourself that others might not already know.
Here’s how to play:
1. Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves
2. People who are tagged write a blog post about their own 8 random things and post these rules
3. At the end of your blog you need to tag 8 people and post their names
4. Don’t forget to leave them a comment and tell them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

Here goes:
1. I am a born-again Christian
2. I come from a large family
3. I am ambidextrous
4. I have lived in 3 different states
5. I buy a lot of stuff on eBay
6. I've always wanted to play a musical instrument but never have
7. I'm addicted to caffeine
8. Noise bothers me, I like peace and quiet

And I will tag Barb, Karoline, Lauren, Tintock Tap, Christine, Jamie, Cathey and Charlene.

Easter Fairy Update

2007-05-14T14:40:00.000-04:00

Happy Mother's Day to all mom's out there. My children and husband made it a very special day for me. They made me breakfast and then took me out for dinner in the evening. And they gave me a new digital camera, yeah!! Now I can post more often :). This is where I am on Easter Fairy, she's coming along slowly because she doesn't get much attention. When I'm done this month's portion of St. Petersburg I hope to be able to get a lot more done on her. Thanks for all your encouraging comments, I appreciate them.

St Petersburg

2007-05-10T19:42:00.000-04:00

Okay, let me explain .......... I love to stitch. And I do like to stitch a variety of things. But.....this is my first Chatelaine and......IT IS SUCKING THE LIFE OUT OF ME!! There I've said it and I don't regret it. I knew when I started this piece that if I didn't keep up with the parts as they came out monthly that I wouldn't finish the piece, and it was wwwwwaaaaayyyyy too expensive not to finish, but...I don't work well with deadlines (in the stitching world anyways). So there is tons of pressure and it's making me put aside other things I'd rather be stitching. And if this piece wasn't bad enough, part 3 is formatted so small you can barely read it. A lot of people (including me) have not been able to get our computers/printers to print it out in a larger version. The first 2 parts were fine, so I'm not sure what Martina did to part 3 to make it so small. And as I was stitching on this tonight I realized I made a COLOSSAL error, but I will do almost anything not to frog (and I've done tons of frogging on this already). I will have to wait for part 4 to see if the error must be frogged or if I can compensate around it. I didn't intend for this to be a depressing post but it sure feels good now that I've vented. :)

Finally, pictures of Village of Hawk Run Hollow

2007-05-08T18:19:00.000-04:00

Thought it was time for me to post a picture of Village of Hawk Run Hollow. I've not worked on this very much because Chatelaine's St. Petersburg is taking over my life. I'm going to work on this one some more tonight, I just can't pick up that Chatelaine, but I will post a pic soon of it to show where I'm at with it.

I absolutely love working on Village. I love NPI silks so much more than other types of silks. I believe I'm working on block # 8 and hope to have this block finished within the next 2 weeks.

Thanks for all the nice comments.

Stash Acquisition ;)

2007-04-27T19:25:00.000-04:00

I just couldn't resist these patterns and fabrics. I LOVE hand-dyed fabrics. Front row from left is 40 CT R&R Reproduction Light Cappuccino, 40 CT R&R Ink Spot Black, 30 CT R&R Butternut. Second row is Silkweaver 28 CT opalescent Jazlyn Blue Shimmer, 32 CT Silkweaver Solo Belfast, 32 CT Sugar Maple Fabric Petunia Path Belfast. And then the charts are Mermaids of the Deep Blue and Bliss Fairy with the beads and braid needed. None of these fabrics are for these two charts though, I haven't decided what I'll be doing these patterns on, and I don't have anything specific in mind for these linens either, I just had to have them :)

Thanks for all who have come by to visit.

Easter Fairy

2007-04-23T18:29:00.000-04:00

Here is an update to Easter Fairy. This has been a real joy to work on. I have had very little time to stitch over the past few weeks, hence the lack of any recent postings. But hope to get more stitching in soon.

Thanks to all who've been visiting my blog, I really enjoy and appreciate the comments.

Algerian Eyelets - ACK!!!!

2007-04-15T12:58:00.000-04:00

This has to be the worst photo I've ever taken. Our digital camera is broken so I'm using one from the stone age. You can't even see the true colors on this piece. The border is mostly Algerian Eyelet stitches and I have to say that I DON'T like doing them. The area between the border and the green threads (not that you can see what is green) will also be Algerian Eyelets and Rice Stitches. I'm not crazy about specialty stitches when I cross stitch. I do some needlepoint and they are fun to do on a stiff canvas but not floppy linen.

Thanks to everyone who's visited my blog. I appreciate the comments. Your making blogging fun ;)

A New Start

2007-04-11T15:34:00.000-04:00

This is the beginning of Easter Fairy by Miribilia. I would love to do this whole series. You may be asking yourself why I would start EASTER Fairy since Easter has just gone by. Well...... because it struck my fancy :). I love, love, love the fabric I am doing her on. I didn't like the natural linen that came in the kit. Hope to have more to show next week, thanks for visiting.

St. Petersburg White Nights

2007-04-09T20:06:00.000-04:00

Hello - I'm trying to figure out this blogging thing and this is my first post. This is Chatelaine's St. Petersburg White Nights, which is an on-line class. I have part one completely done and am currently working on part two. It is a very sparkly piece but you can't really see that in the picture. I hope you enjoy my blog.