It Works!

Now I can serge the fabric I cut!

Those of you who have been following this blog are acquainted with my love-hate relationship bad attitude toward my mini serger.  Yes, it's as cute as can be, but the darn thing refused to work.  This new development falls squarely into the "it doesn't take much to make me happy" category.  The serger is now WORKING!  And I will give all of the credit to Mark, who seems to somewhat enjoy getting things fixed with a great deal of patience.  I was pretty much done with the thing and ready to toss it or sell it for parts, but he sat at my craft table yesterday and got the chain going after discovering that the needle had been put in wrong.  Not by me.  The former owner gets all the blame for that.  So it was up to me to try it out and TA-DAA! 

I used my Friday day off to do some stitching and watching some vintage Project Runway (season 2).  I know.  It's kind of pathetic.  But I did get my Seasonal Sampler finished!  It was a nice change of pace stitching on this giant (10 count) fabric, but it did make it a little difficult for my eyes to re-adjust to stitching on 30 count.  Cute finish though.  I need to find a nice square frame for this one. 

In my ongoing quest to get the craft room organized, I finally went through the chart collection.  I must have done a good job because I weeded out about 20 charts.  These are ones I either have stitched in the past or ones that I know I'll never stitch.  I don't even remember where I got some of them.  But during the process, I got to look at each chart I own and made some decisions about where in the stitching lineup they are.  As for the charts I'm done with -- should I do a giveaway?  Put them up for sale?  This is something I'll have to decide soon. 

These are the ones that are going!

Lastly, here's a photo of Cosmo, while he was watching me type up this post. 

More Progress, TUSAL, And A Rainy Day Treat

After the past week or so of spotty internet service, I'm taking the opportunity to post while the posting is good.  First of all, let me proudly display my ort jar for the TUSAL I'm taking part in.  Amazing how those little threads accumulate!  For more information, read about the TUSAL on this post on Daffycat's blog.

Next is my progress on "Seasonal Sampler".  If I knew how much I was going to like this project, I would have stitched it up sooner.  This has been the perfect stitching project to start after not stitching for a while.  Not too much left to do on it. Fun, just fun.

What do you get when you combine a gloomy, rainy day with a day off from work?  Some housework, bad TV and this:

Who knew that skim milk could froth up like that?  I'm becoming more of a coffee fan lately.  And it was delicious.

OK, I'm not going to tempt the fates much longer.  My internet connection could go poof at any time, so I'm going to make this post a short one.  I guess I'll just have to stitch and maybe watch some more bad TV.

A Start And Some Acquisitions

Remember how I wanted to add to my WIP's to make my magic number of three projects?  I decided on "Seasonal Sampler" by Bent Creek.  My friend Lori gave me the chart a while back and I've had it kitted up for quite a while too.  Wanting to stitch something different, I thought this would be just the ticket.  The fabric is 10 count Tula in Country Mocha and the floss is Perle Cotton.  I don't think I've ever done an entire project in Perle Cotton, so this is a departure from the norm!  The result is stitches that have a very chunky look.  And the chart is so cute.  I do like stitching things having to do with seasons and months, so I'm really enjoying this.  My fellow stitcher, Thea, remarked that she was also a fan of seasons, so I'll pass this chart to her when I'm done.

Last Saturday was Stitch Day at The Stitch Store.  I hadn't been in a while, so this was a real treat to see our stitch group again.  It's always good to see what other stitchers are up to - very inspirational.  Also, we all had to agree that a positive thing about meeting and stitching was the affirmation we receive when we show off our completed (and in-progress) projects.  I'll try to remember my camera next time to get some photos of the beautiful work our group does.

I did get some straightening done in the craft room this week.  All of the Christmas wrapping paper and ribbon are put away, as are the boxes and bags I stashed there.  There is still a lot of organization to do.  I'll get to it.  And then there is the chart collection.  I figured out how many actual charts (not freebies) that I have and I'm somewhat embarrassed.  But that's as far as I got.  The next step is to go through them.  See how I have to do this in steps?

There's a very cool antique show that is held at a local exposition center every month.  Did I mention that it's local?  It's within about 5 miles of my house.  Plus, they always have a spectacular selection of lovely things to buy.  A little dangerous?  Why, yes it is.  I don't go every time, but when I do, I usually come home with something fun.  And useful too!  Here are some craft room goodies I bought last month.









The pink glass flower frog fits a little bowl I already had and makes a good (second) scissor holder.  I don't have a scissor problem.  Really.  The  cats in a row is actually a wall hanger.  I still have to decide where to put it.  And the little bunny is just cute and looks good on the craft table.  And this tiny box of Shiny Brite ornaments is really a little pin.  Some extremely talented crafter copied a real Shiny Brite box and then shrunk it down to create a teeny-tiny box, just big enough for some Mardi Gras bead ornaments.  So cute and clever!

So I've had a good start to the year, crafting and stiching-wise.  Also organizing-wise.  And that scrapbook has been on my mind lately.  Maybe this will be the year that I actually finish it!

Getting Back Into The Stitching Routine

No one was more surprised than me when I saw the date of my last post.  A month ago!  And I'd been doing so well with the blogs!  Oh well, I'm back and ready to go.

Let's see, since I last blogged, I:  baked two batches of cookies and three loaves of pumpkin bread; made a batch of crockpot candy; worked 12 days; lifted and checked in approximately 1500 books; had a good 18 day visit with our son; wrapped about 20 gifts; met our son's lovely girlfriend; put away approximately 200 ornaments; enjoyed some nice dinners/lunches with family and friends; had a wonderful Christmas and New Year.  And just how many stitches did I get in during the past month?  Oh, just about 100, if that.

I guess my craftiness has taken a backseat to any and all Christmas activities.  I was, however, happy to present the scarf I crocheted to Stephanie and was even happier that she liked it!

Now it's time to get back into the routine of eating better, exercising and being crafty - stitching in particular.  Remember when I used to stitch only one project at a time?  Maybe you don't.  But it's true.  No new project was started until the current one was done.  What a weird rule.  What was that all about?  So now I have in progress the Kitty Kalendar and Holiest of Nights.  What shall I add to my WIPs?  Over the next couple of days, I'll be searching through my ever-increasing chart collection and select the perfect one.  That should get my stitching back on track!

The good news is that there is a Saturday Stitch In at The Stitch Store this week!  Yippee!  I'm looking forward to seeing all of my stitching friends and spending the day doing what we love to do - stitching, eating, and talking.  Can't wait!

January is also the month that we're supposed to get all organized.  The craft room truly needs it.  I've been in the bad habit of sticking stuff that I don't want to deal with in there.  And I should go through the above mentioned chart collection and realistically weed out the ones I probably won't stitch.  Good idea, huh?

Oh, and a serger update:  Mark spent some of the last day of his vacation taking a look at the ill-mannered machine.  He has come to the conclusion that it is indeed threaded correctly (I'm patting myself on the back right now), but that there is something bent in the inner-workings.  He thinks he knows what it is, and he is welcome to take the thing apart and attempt to fix it.  So I'll post either a picture of the working machine or me saying a sad farewell to it.  Stay tuned.

It's December?

I'm having a hard time believing that we're already into the double digits of December.  I certainly know that it's December, but how a month can fly by so quickly is beyond me.  It's probably because there is so much to do, and so much that's expected of us that we get to the end of the month and ask "What just happened there?".  So now that we're at the less-than-two-weeks until Christmas point, I intend to slow down a little.

Mark and I started this slow-down yesterday by attending the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra's Christmas Show.  This is a tradition we've held for about 13 years now.  Yes, it's pretty much the same show every year and no, that doesn't matter to us.  After listening to these talented musicians and singers perform their beautiful selections, there was no way we couldn't be in the Christmas spirit.

We also participated in Clark's Christmas Kids again this year.  You've seen Wal-Mart busy at the holidays, but not like this.  Clark broadcasts his show right there from the Wal-Mart, where people can come in a choose a child in the Georgia foster system to buy for.  Then it's time to take the cart and find your gifts.  But despite all of the jostling, it's a happy crowd.  I know that the purpose of this event is to benefit needy kids, but the givers get a good feeling from the experience too.

With everything going on, it's been difficult to find stitching time, or any kind of crafting time for that matter.  I've been thinking that all I want for Christmas is a day of uninterrupted stitching time.  Wouldn't that be nice?  I did frame my Peppermint Twist, which I finished stitching earlier this year.  Once again, the people at American Frame came through with exactly what I needed.  I chose a lovely green frame and red mat, which matched the stitching perfectly.  I had forgotten how much I like this piece -- so pretty and cheerful for the Christmas season.  Plus, I had the perfect wall for it, and there it will stay until the last decoration is put away. 

Tonight is our neighborhood's "Night of Lights" luminary display.  Mark has already prepared our luminaries so that they will be ready to be placed and lit at 7:00.  Sheila, Fred, Emily and Grace will be joining us for this and a pizza dinner.  And hopefully, a little walk through the neighborhood.  It's time to slow down and enjoy this beautiful Christmas season.

Joy!

Another finish for me, this time a stitching finish.  It's "Joy" by Little House Needleworks.  This caught my eye when it came out because of its simplicity and colors.  Even though I knew the finished size, for some reason I kept thinking it would be ornament size.  But it's a lot larger than the usual ornament.  So I will finish it as shown in its chart photo and make it a door hanger and I'll post another picture of it completely done.  But I just had to post this pretty and very seasonal finish!

Still in the Christmas stitching mode, I am working on "Holiest Of Nights" by Homespun Elegance and like the way it's turning out.  Don't worry about the Kitty Kalendar -- it's about halfway done and is just kind of in the back of the rotation.  It hasn't turned into a UFO!  I do want to start something else to keep my current number of stitching projects at three.  Why three?  It just seems like a good number to have going at once! 

Christmas Finishes Before Thanksgiving!

I'm happy to say that I have a couple of finishes this week, just when we're getting into the hectic part of the holidays when I often feel like I'm a step behind.  My first finish is my fabric wreath!  When I saw this project online, I thought it would be kind of cute, but it turned out very pretty.  It will definitely brighten up a wall in our home over the Christmas holidays.  You can find the directions to make one of these wreaths here.  A couple of things though.  The straw wreaths were a little hard to find.  I finally ended up buying the last two 10" wreaths at Hobby Lobby.  It also calls for the use of a pinking rotary cutter, and as you may have read in my previous post, that just didn't work at all.  Never did find out what the deal with that was.  So if you already have pinking shears, you can save yourself some money and use those.  Just take a break while cutting out the fabric squares or your hand will fall off.  I didn't do the ribbon hanger because I'm going to hang the wreath on an existing nail and I didn't want that to show.  So I threaded a piece of fishing line into a large needle and poked it through the wreath in the back, knotted it into a loop, and now have a no-show hanger.  Oh, and use a thicker Phillips-head screwdriver to push in your fabric squares.

My second finish is my bellpull.  I stitched all three Christmas Box Ornaments by Country Garden Stitchery on one piece of fabric and found a nice bellpull hanger and there you have it.  It needs a good ironing around the edges, I know.  I was glad to be done with the metallic floss portion of the stitching, but it did make the finished product oh-so-pretty!

I wanted to show you another finish that I can't take credit for because it's Sheila's!  I believe this is from the 2010 issue of the JCS Ornament Issue.  I should know this, I realize.  But seeing as how this is her first ornament finish, I think it's pretty impressive.  So now when I want to do an ornament finish with the ribbon and beads, I'll know who to consult.  Very pretty, Sheila!

Also this week, I signed up for Daffycat's TUSAL.  That's "Totally Useless Stitch-a-long".  It just looked like fun.  You can find out more about it at Daffycat's blog on her November 15 post.  People probably think we stitchers are a little nuts for saving our floss ends, or orts, in pretty jars, but that's fine.  And there are currently 152 of us signed up for the TUSAL, so who's nuts?!

My serger continues to vex me.  I worked on it a little more this week and got it to where I thought the threading was absolutely correct.  Not so much.  It's still not making the chain when I turn the wheel.  Hmmmm.  I think I'm going to have to do what I've been avoiding all along -- unthread the thing completely and then start from scratch.  Someone online thought it would be a good idea to take your serger to a sewing machine repair place to have them thread it for you, but that would probably cost more than I paid for it to begin with!  But, just to let you know, the serger has not defeated me!  I am determined!

I just want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.  What a great time to think about what we have and how thankful we are for it.  Until next time.