and the Winner is...

Karen of Karen's Colorful Creations was picked by Lucky to win her birthday giveaway. I will be mailing this out soon, Congrats Karen.

Stitching away from home

That's right, I have so much to tell you and show you that I am going to have 2 postings today.

First I will start with last weeks stitching trip. Six of us met in Tulsa to spend a few days stitching and shopping. Although a little chilly on our first day there the rest of the weekend was beautiful.
Below is just a few of the things that we had going.

Linda worked on a second Christmas stocking for her Grandson. Here they both are, although the pic isn't very detailed these stockings really are.

Elaine brought this fun piece she had just finished, but I didn't catch who the designer was. She spent most of her time on a beautiful Art Stitch design.

Elaine worked on this Cedar Hill design as well as a Nancy's Needle counted thread piece that was just amazing.

Wanda and Rebecca were both diligent stitchers but I wasn't so diligent about my picture taking so I didn't get their things photographed. Wanda was working on a large Deb Bee's counted thread design on a bright yellow canvas. Rebecca, stitched a fun halloween cat design that she came very close to finishing. It was on this great purple overdyed linen.

So what did I do you ask? Well nothing nearly as dramatic as the others but I did have a couple of finishes.

Firstly, I finished up the Friends piece from Jeannette Douglas designs.

I even purchased a frame for this while out shopping. Secondly was the Woman's work design from Valentine Stitchery that I got a small start on before I got there. It fits into a premade frame that holds a note pad saying "...is never done"

This one gave me a little trouble when it didn't match up at the bottom, but Wanda spotted my error quickly and I was able to unstitch and get it right. In fact the blasted frog hit all of us at some point in the weekend, some more than once. It had to be the frog not all the talking and stash sharing that was going on.

Oh wait, there is a thirdly. I actually started and finished this little counted thread design from Hand Blessings.

Then there was shopping. I didn't hold back much on that. Here is a pic of the main items, but there was also a couple of vera bradley things and lots of threads for other projects to come. Some fabric for a couple of patterns I purchased online recently and little giftie items.

The Valdani threads in this pic are for Quaker Diamonds which I have had for a while and now I just need fabric. I will also have to finish the big piece I just started on our weekend. It is not really much of a start but it was a goal to get it basted on the scroll rods and make a start. Now I can leave it out to work on at home.

The fabric is actually moonglow a nice yellowy cream color so the pic is terrible. This will be the Blessings and Grace pineapple house blessing from Glendon Place that I have mentioned starting several times. It is stitched on 28ct over 2 with 1 strand of Simple Wool thread from Gentle Arts. So far I love working with the thread. It is so soft and not itchy like wool at all.

One more weekend photo.

 This was to be a weekend door prize as I had all 4 parts to the series, but it turned into a group round robin. So I have to go find fabric and get the first part complete and pass it on. A couple in the group will share a part so that we all have a hand in it. Maybe this can be a tradition and everyone can pick a series they like for us to stitch as a group. After a few dozen retreat weekends we could each have our own round robin pieces to display at home an remind us of these fun trips.

Where to next time gals?

2 of 2 and a Giveaway too.

OK, so back from my stitching weekend and other than unpacking all my new goodies and catching up at work not much stitching was happened. But I did manage to get out and do a little more shopping.

This time I got a few clothes and even this great new purse.

 

I don't know why but I love the color.

 

After shopping I met up with my son for dinner and then the sky opened up. The hail was intense and lasted for a while. Here are pics from my yard after we managed to get back home.

 

 

out the front door, all the dark green on top is the leaves that were ripped of my tree.

 

DS posed to show how much hail accumulated in the corner of the house. (sorry so blurry it was dark out)

My backyard was completely covered by hail. It looked like snow. Crazy spring weather.

 

The bad part is that my car was parked at the restaurant during all this and is now covered in hail damage. Ugh! It is only two years old and I loved this car. It will never be the same.

 

 Just to end on a happier note. Here is a pic of my Lucky girl. When another blogger mentioned celebrating her puppies 5th birthday I thought Lucky should have a birthday to celebrate. Just because she was adopted and we don't really know it, shouldn't matter. So Lucky will be celebrating her 5th birthday (the vets guess) on May 1st.

 

 

I am going to celebrate Lucky's big day by having my first giveaway. It is this great Trail Creek Farms pillow kit. "Please and Thank You" and comes with all the buttons and bows needed to finish it off. You would have to supply the fabric and thread to stitch the design. But who knows what else may finds it's way into this giveaway package. (my little frog friend is only assisting in the picture taking and is not part of this give away).

 

 

 

Just leave a comment and I will include you in the drawing to be held on Lucky's birthday May 1st.

 

Good Luck, CJ in OK

 

 



A Whole Month?

That's right, a whole month flew by without a post. My goal was to post once a week, so I will try to get back to that. But I was stitching some in that month.

I finished this fun springy Baltimore quilt inspired piece called Sylvania by Summer House stitche workes. I had just started it on my last post. Not sure how I will finish it up, but it was a fun easy stitch.

I also made good progress on this Friends piece by Jeannette Douglas. In fact I have quite a bit more done than this picture shows, only the over one "Friends" left to stitch, so I will wait to show you a new pic when it is finished.

The next two pics are my latest stash acquisitions. Both online orders for things I just couldn't resist and even a couple pieces of fabric with no real plans in mind.

 

 

The chart called Corona is another in the same series as the Sylvania piece I just finished, so I will probably start it as soon as I get the fabric. The Needleworker that several of you have already stitched, I am thinking of doing it over one because I found the perfect little cut of fabric in my stash, but we'll see.

 

I am on vacation for a few days and will be heading out to meet friends in Tulsa, just to stitch and shop for 4 days. Oh and there will be eating and chatting in abundance as well.

 

DS will be holding down the fort and take care of my little Lucky while I am off gallivanting. I have to take advantage because he will soon be headed for a place of his own and I won't have him right here to take care of everything when I am away.

 

I will pass on all my updates when I get home Monday, hoping for a couple of finishes, one I started that I haven't even shown you yet. And my big start will be the Pineapple Welcome from Glendon Place that I have had ready and waiting for a while. Hope everyone has a great weekend with at least a little stitch time.

 

Talk to you soon,

CJ in OK

St Patrick's Day

 

 

Happy St Patrick's Day

 

I really did spend a lot of time stitching or preparing to stitch things since this was a IHSW.

You know all that time we spend reviewing the patterns and collecting the threads, choosing and rechoosing a fabric that will work in both size and color. All of this is really a big part of the fun of cross stitching. Of course I always get side tracked by having to put away all the things from the last finished project. Ironing and planning the finishing work.

All of this is to explain why I have so little to show from my weekend devoted to cross stitch.

I did get a start on a new project from Summer House stitche workes called Sylvania, which is part of A Baltimore Bride series. I have ordered part two and thought I had better get going on this before the next one arrives. This is very simple with only three DMC colors to work with 2 over 2, but it has a very spring feel and was all in shades of green so very appropriate for today.

 

 

Spring is most definitely on the way the birds have been visiting even the little finches. They even let me hold the door open to get this picture, although they rushed off when I try to get a little closer.

 

 

 

I will give you one more look at the peacocks before I cut it apart to finish. I completed the little pin pillow stitching which I think will be cute. It will make a tiny biscornu about the size of a quarter. I read through all the finishing instructions and will give it all a try next weekend.

 





The final project only made it to the getting ready stage. It's from Jeannette Douglas Designs and is called Celtic Friend. She made it a challenge to figure out since all she gave was the DMC numbers and supplied the threads in the kit along with the charm and beads. It is very hard to know which color is which when all you have is numbers and a clump of threads. So I had to go find all the colors in my stash and then mark which threads are which by using this little thread palette. Not hard just time consuming. I think it will be worth it later, I like that a lot of this is blackwork.
 

 

Will update you on my progress soon, CJ in OK

 

2 Finishes and 1 Start

Well this is rare for me. I actually have two finishes and only one new start. I am sure I will remedy that in no time. But first things first.
 
Faster than I had expected I have "Red Border Study II" from Heron House Designs completed. This was very fun, and once I decided to make it my "at home" main project it went really quickly.
 

The framed one on the right, as you can see, is the one I did some time ago that I found in a magazine. They offered the part II as a companion piece you could order. I have never liked the framing on this one, a DIY project of mine. So I am looking forward to having them both framed to match. Some day, there will be one for each of my children's homes.

With this finish I was able to get started, a little, on the La-D-Da piece for my dentist called "My Pocket"

 

This is being done on the 35ct Weeks Dye Works linen called Tin Roof, over 2 with one strand of Needlepoint Inc. silk, as called for on the pattern. 
 
 
Finally, it's no surprise I finished up "A Little Easter" designed by Lizzie*Kate, since it was very close to finished last weekend. This was fun and I am really going to try and finish-finish this up before this Easter. Maybe a box or flat fold finish, we'll see.
 

 
 
I also have a few other "Little" designs from Lizzie*Kate so I may try to fit them all in this year. They are fun little projects and come with the fabric and button.

Now, I have no reason not to get started on my Pineapple Welcome project from Glendon Place. So I may try to get a real start on that by next Friday and Saturday, if none of the new things I ordered don't sidetrack me. Yes, that's right, I ordered a few new things. I just couldn't resist, Lizzie*Kate's a Needleworker for one. I will share them all when they arrive next week.

Talk to you again soon, until then, Happy Stitching.
CJ in OK

What's New

This is a Little Easter from Lizzie Kate or will be when it is finished. I got this started to stitch on Tuesday evenings with friends but I couldn't seem to get there with weather and schedules so I picked it up a few times just for fun. Should have it finished soon. Those checks will have legs and beaks next time and the flowers will have vines to connect them.

Here is what's up with my Border Study in Red II.

I made it past the numbers and will be starting the Assisi section right after this squiggly row. I am having so much fun with this. The ilets slowed me up some but so will this Assisi section so it may be a couple of weeks for another update on this.

Lastly is the Peacock and you would think it would be all put together by now but I decided to stitch a little pin pillow to go with it. It will be shaped like the center flower at the top but twice as big and using all the colors from the peacocks. But here it is before any of that gets started. I just couldn't waste that fabric you know.

The silks for the La-D-Da smile design are in so I will be starting that this weekend. Will be back to update you sometime next week.

And if I didn't say so before I just love reading and seeing all your blog posts. They keep me going and I try to post comments to as many as I can fit in. Everything is so pretty and creative. All of you have such grand plans, so I will stay tuned.

Happy Stitching CJ in OK

IHSW Results in OK

Well things didn't go quite as planned, but when do they ever. I did manage some concentrated stitching and some real quiet time Saturday morning.

Here's what I accomplished during that time.

 

This is the back side of the peacock fob and though it doesn't look like much it took a couple of hours to stitch.

 

Then I was on dog watch duty for the rest of the day. But the results are that little Lucky got her tube out this morning and is healing nicely.

 

 

And by this evening she had her spunk back.

 

Someone ask about the frame I purchased in Tulsa, so here is a quick shot of how it works. I just tossed on some fabric for a demo, but you can see my forearm will cradle nicely in the curve of the side bar. It also sits up when not stitching, which keeps things clean and out of any near by messes. (Lucky!)

 

 



My threads for the Little Easter design I had just started came in the mail, so I will take that with me tomorrow in hopes of getting away from work early to stitch with friends.

 

My only other acheivement this weekend was on Border Study in Red II and it was such small progress that I will wait to post a picture another time.

 

It was fun to be a part of the IHSW and I will mark my calendar for the next one to be sure.

 

CJ in OK

Hermit Stitching Weekend

OK I had some things over the last week or so which usurped all my stitching time. So this weekend I decided to join the Hermit and Stitch Weekend and really devote some time to stitching. If you haven't heard of this just click on the link below.

http://joysze.blogspot.com/p/international-hermit-and-stitch-weekend.html

I needed to grab some time to blog about the stitching too. So to catch you up - I did finish the front side of the peacock fob and made a very slight start to the back side. Will work on this more tomorrow, it seems to go best in the morning light for me, since it is over one.

I am still plugging along on my Border Study in Red II. I would say I am over half way and hope to make it to the numbers section this weekend.

I did start a new small to take on Tuesdays with the group but then weather kept us from meeting. The snow was very pretty though and was gone fairly quick without causing any problems. Oh the start was Lizzie Kate's Little Easter and came with the linen, buttons and beads. I didn't make much of a start and I am waiting on an order with the rest of the needed threads, so I stitched what I could.

The reason I didn't post last weekend was an impromptu trip to Tulsa which became an overnight trip. I did drop in at the Silver Needle and picked up a few things.

Valentine Sampler and I also stopped at CVS for the box of chocolates to prepare for the finish. The chocolates of course were eaten immediately.

This Vera Bradly laptop satchel that doesn't even fit my current laptop. Ooops I think I may be buying a new laptop. The other little thing in this pic is the wooden pin cushion for a design I bought with fabric and silks last year. I may want to start this soon.

Ok then there was this problem. I had the perfect project to start. Had the pattern, Glendon Place Pineapple Welcome, all the threads, Caron Wildflowers and the linen cut and ready to go. But it really needed to go on scrolls rods and the only pair long enough where being used. So while at the Silver Needle I looked for scroll rods long enough. Well they didn't have what I was looking for, but, they had this (see below) and it came with three pairs of scroll rods one pair that were just right. So of course I had to have it.

 

I have a smaller stand from this same company and love it, so this really wasn't a risky move.

I think this blessing will look great in the house and would like to get it going and finish in time to celebrate one year in the house at the end of May. It isn't very complex but, it is much bigger than this picture lets on.

Well that covers most of the stitching news. The other thing that kept me from my stitching last week was my dog. She slipped out my front door by accident, where she ran straight at another dog she saw down the street. She was extremely eager to play but this other dog did not understand that and bit into her immediately, before either I or it's owner could stop it. Then this dog also bit it's owner when she tried to get it off my poor Lucky who was just standing in the street in shock. The owner was not hurt badly but after a few days Lucky's neck was all swollen and we had to take her in to the vet to have the wound treated. So now there are pain pills and drainage tubes, yuck, plus a pretty hefty antibiotic and a pretty hefty bill, ouch. But of course she is most definitely worth it and we are glad she will be fine in a few more days and with some tender loving care. I will share a picture of her later when things don't look quite so gruesome.

Well it's off to bed so I can enjoy some more Hermit stitching tomorrow. Will let you know how it goes.
CJ in OK

February starts with a finish

Such a great way to start the new month. I started this fun easy stitch to do on Tuesday evenings with some stitching friends, but then I could never seem to get away from work to join them. This weekend I just decided to finish it up on my own.

 

Harvest Sampler

by Cross Eyed Cricket

 

I also made some progress on my border study in red but I will wait for a little more before taking another picture. The only other thing I worked on this last week was the little over one scissor fob. The front side is almost done, just the bottom and the year to add then it's on to the reverse side, which is almost identical.

 

 

This has actually been less strain on my eyes than I thought it would be, but I didn't attempt anymore after I ended up with a migraine on Friday.

 

With the Harvest Sampler done, I need something new to work on. I got the fabric for My Pocket by La-D-Da then couldn't find the two Needlepoint Inc silks that it called for. I tried it with DMC but on the 35 ct tin roof linen from Weeks Dye Works it just didn't look right to me. I may have just thought of where the black NPI silk is, and if I find it in the morning, I have a substitute Kreinik pink silk that will work with it. Keep your fingers crossed for me, I really want to make this for my dentist of many years.

  

If this doesn't work I am sure there is something else that will call to me. I will check in with you all next weekend, hopefully with a new start to share.

 

CJ in OK



In Progress for 2013

So happy to be able to share another finish. I actually finished this only about a week into the New Year, but just now got the picture taken and uploaded.

I started this one some time ago (maybe about 2 years) the pattern was from a magazine and a friend had this large hank of overdyed silk that someone had given her so she shared large amounts with several of us. The minute I saw the silk, I knew it would be perfect for this pattern, even though the magazine had shown it done in green. When I got home, I found I had this piece of overdyed linen that had purple hues over a blue gray linen. The silk also had this purple hue over a deep red or burgundy. I loved the two together and a project was born.

Although my home does not exactly have a victorian flare, I still loved the pattern, and really enjoyed stitching on this when I could. I will try to get it framed by next winter, and proudly hang it in my home regardless of the style.

 

Victorian Skaters

Finished January 2013

 

OK, I also promised to share the few projects I am actively working on right now. I have three of them. The first is The Border Study in Red II, which is a part II of one that I finished and framed a long time ago. I've had the pattern and thread for a while, and even purchased the platinum linen that matched exactly with the Border Study I. But for some reason other projects seemed more interesting. This fall when gathering projects for a weekend gathering of stitching friends I saw this and decided it was the perfect time to get it started. Even though I had taken along a couple of smaller projects that were fun to work on, I did get this started in October, barely, just the first two bands. Once the Victorian Skaters were finished earlier this month, I began finding this to be my favorite at home project. I always love how fast an alphabet goes. I'm about a third of the way down.

 

 

Border study in Red II

started October 2012

 

Next in a design from Cross Eyed Cricket (Vicki Hastings) called Harvest Sampler. It's small and easy to carry to a Tuesday evening gathering, with a few local stitchers, when I can go. I love the saying and picked up some fabric for it back in October. I think I first started it in early December, but haven't made it to stitch with the girls in a while so not much progress. Maybe I can give it a little time tomorrow.

 

Harvest Sampler

started December 2012

 

The last one I have out to work on, is a pretty little, over one, sissor fob design. It's from a designer named Nancy Backus, and I think, I picked up the pattern at the 2011 Celebration of Needlework in St Louis. I found a piece of linen that I liked for it and there was enough to do the front and back designs so I started this too. It is very small and I can only see it well in the early morning when my eyes are fresh, so only a little progress on this, but I am not giving up on it. That peacock looks fun.

 

 

Birds and Flowers

started December 2012

 

I also signed up for something new. A fabric auto, where I will get a fat 1/4 of 36 count linen from Picture This Plus every month. The first piece has already arrived, and now I am on the search in my stash, for the perfect project to stitch on it.

 

It's late and I have to stitch tomorrow, so night all.

 

CJ in OK







New Year and way to long for a new post

Let's try to restart this blog again. I have two new employees starting this month and I am hopeful that I will finally be able to exhale. 2012 was a whirl wind and I am looking forward to calmer and quieter 2013. Maybe even some rest and relaxation.

With rest in mind I registered today for the New England Stitching Retreats in the Shaker Great Stone Dwelling House. Since I grew up in New Hampshire and haven't been back there since I was 16, I thought I could combine a stitching retreat with a trip back to my birthplace. I'll travel up for the stitching and then rent a car for a few days of wandering through my past.

It looks like my last post was before I bought my house, a big step for someone who has been an apartment dweller for about 20 years. Three days after moving in a hail storm destroyed the roof and gutters etc. So I got a crash course on home ownership. But several months and a new roof later all is well. At least my car was safe in the garage during the storm, a luxury I never had in any of the apartments.

FYI, since we last spoke I adopted Lucky a terrier/beagle/??? mix. She was 4 1/2 years old and had never had any shots or been neutered. So we had a lot of new things to go through with her, not all great. But she has adjusted beautifully and now runs my household. I hadn't had a pet since my children were babies so this was a big transition for me.

If this all wasn't enough, right before the house, I became supervisor of the department I worked in and hired a new person, all at the same time. It has been a huge learning experience for me, and after a few ups and downs, hence the two new employees, I am beginning to get my bearings.

Enough of all that life business, lets share some stitching. Although my stitching time was limited, I did get a few things finished and a few more started.

 

 

Here is Ida Mae finished but not yet framed.

Then three other small finishes

I finished another large piece but I don't have the picture in the right place so I will show you next time. I am currently working on Border Study in Red II and a couple of small projects that I will also share as we go along. I need to get a better handle on the changes in Blogger for the pictures, these took forever to get on here and they look terrible.

Good to be back. Talk to you again soon. CJ in OK