Last Post Of 2012

I think this Christmas season could be described as a whirlwind, speeding by so quickly.  Where did the month of December go?  I ask that question every year.  Our December was crammed full of fun activities, visits and visiting, and eating.  Very little baking was done - just a batch of cheese straws for a work party.  That's it.  And maybe that's a good thing. I figure that there's plenty of time for baking during the winter months ahead.  Unless the scale objects, that is.

I finally sat down and stitched this week, so "Holiest of Nights" is almost completed!

Just a little more border and it will be done.  Just in time for Christmas......of 2013.  But there you go.  I'll admit that I got stuck on this one for a while.  The many stitches of "Straw" which covered the ground in this chart made me yawn a little.  But after I got started on the little figures, I was more motivated. 

One stitching-related thing that I'm looking forward to participating in during 2013 is a Facebook group I've joined.  It's called Xstitch For Those Impacted by the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting.  Some kind ladies started this group with the intention of gathering stitchers from all over to create squares which will eventually be sewn into quilt hangings.  The quilts will then be given to parents, siblings and other relatives of those impacted by this tragedy.  The plan is also to create one (or more) quilt to hang in the school.  Many of the members signed up to participate in a quilt for a specific child or teacher, but others (like me) just want to create stitched squares to be placed where needed.  When I first signed up, there were about 125 members, and that number has grown to 455 when I last checked.  So if you're on Facebook and would like to participate, check out the link I've provided.  You'll find all of the specifics there, along with links to charts that would be suitable for this project.  You can use any chart or design you want, as long as it fits into the size limits.

I've seen other stitchers list their stitching resolutions for 2013.  As of right now, I don't have any specific stitching goals for the new year, but I could probably come up with a few eventually.  I'll have to think about that!  So, do you have any stitching resolutions?

I hope that you all have a very Happy New Year!  May 2013 bring good things to you!

Other People's Creativity

All has been quiet in bloggerland for me lately.  I've been up to my usual pre-Christmas busyness and a little more disorganization than usual.  I also have not been stitching as much lately.  Oh, I've wanted to and I thought about stitching, but there always seemed to be something else more pressing that needed to be done in the past couple of weeks.  So I just wanted to get a post in before Christmas day and decided that I would showcase some creativity of others.

I've said before how much I like to get a hand-crafted gift, and I received one last week.  Sheila made this beautiful ornament for me!

It's stitched and finished so nicely, don't you think?  I'll add it to my collection of ornaments and each year will appreciate the work that I know went into it.

Many months ago I posted about a chart that I designed on PC Stitch for my friend Patty to stitch for her granddaughter.  Well, in the meantime the chart was stitched, framed and presented to the parents of this sweet little girl.  Therefore I can now post a photo of it.

Patty did a wonderful job of stitching it and her framer put it together so beautifully!  The baby's name is whited out, but you get the idea. 

One of the great things about the Christmas holidays is that our son, Matt, comes home for an extended stay.  He's been with us for a week so far, and his girlfriend, Stephanie, arrived a couple of days after he did.  Last Tuesday they cooked dinner for us, working together in the kitchen while I put my feet up and caught up on episodes of Project Runway Allstars.  (Why I didn't use this for stitching time, I don't know.)  Anyway, we were served some delicious spicy gumbo and a pear pie for dessert.  No store-bought piecrust for these two. 

Simply Delicious

 

 

 

My last photo is something I never expected to see in December.  Mark and I planted two little rosebushes last summer and one of them decided that December is a fine month to display one perfect little flower.  This just made me happy.

And with that, I'd like to wish all of my followers, fellow bloggers and all readers of my blog a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  I plan on starting the new year with a new project that I've gotten involved in and will tell you all about it soon.  Hmmmm, it's still early.  Maybe I can get a little stitching in tonight.......

Christmas Treasures

It really looks like Christmas around here.  The house is almost decorated.  I keep finding things to put out, and I pretty much have to edit because over the years I've collect a lot of decorations.  Can't put them all up or it will look overly-festive.  Yes, there is such a thing as overly-festive.  While decorating the tree, I realized that we have quite a few ornaments that are very special to me.  Ornaments collected on various trips, ones from Christmas trees of my childhood, gifts from dear friends, very old ones (circa WW II, and two dating back to the 20's).  But the ones I love most are the handmade ones that I've collected over the years.

What an assortment!  You can see wooden ones that Mark made on the lathe, a cute snowman that Matt made in elementary school, and a funny macrame reindeer.  Then there are the clay ornaments that Matt and I made in a workshop when he was all of three years old.  When Mark and I were newlyweds, Sheila presented us with some beautiful handmade ornaments for our first Christmas tree.  Years later, she made us some pretty ornaments crafted from sand - yes, sand.  There are some little Christmas animals that I painted during my college years, along with some beaded bells and sputniks.  

These macrame snowflakes were fun to make, as was the Just Nan Santa and turkey that I stitched a few years back.

All of these wonderful treasures make the Christmas season special because they bring up so many memories.  I can't remember when the water bill is due, but I remember where I got each one of these little ornaments.  And, by the way, the tree looks so festive!  A photo of it will surely be coming up in the next couple of weeks.  So stay tuned.  Happy decorating!

All I Want For Christmas.....Stitchingwise

During this time of year, when we're all doing our best to find the perfect present for someone, Blog Hop #13 turns the tables and asks ME what I want.

The holidays are right around the corner and gift exchanges are happening everywhere you look. If an amazingly magical Stitchmas Santa were to fly overhead and bring you one stitching wish, what would it be? 

In general, I have pretty much everything I need -- good health, a home I love, a good husband, a smart and talented son, family, friends.  And I know that I'll be with family and friends during the Christmas season.  Yes, that's important to me.  But this question asks what Stitchmas Santa should bring me!  Ahhhh, that's an easy one.

As you may have seen from previous posts, I have enough stitching supplies to last a lifetime.  However there is one stitching wish that I have -- a location for our stitch group to meet.  You see, we had the ideal one which we loved, but circumstances made that one not possible anymore.  This new location has to be appropriate for the number of stitchers in our group, centrally located, inexpensive and accessible.  Stitchmas Santa, are you listening?   I do believe that he'll come through for us.  And that's it.  That's all I need.  In the meantime, the Sisters In Stitches will not give up looking for a place, and we'll gladly open our homes until we find one.

Visit all the blogs in this round of the Stitching the Night Away Stitching Blogger Blog Hop:
Find the instructions on how to participate in this round by clicking here.

A Little Joy

Last week I took a stitching finish from last year and turned it into a festive door hanger just in time for Christmas decorating.  The pattern is "Joy" from Little House Needleworks.  It turned out a little too big for a tree ornament so I figured that other parts of the house could use a little brightening up.

I stretched the stitched piece over foam core board, and thought about what I could use for a backing.  I liked LHN's idea of making a pillowy hanger, but wanted to do something a little different.  The pretty moss green felt that I had was regular felt -- soft and pliable -- not suitable for the backing I wanted.  So I went online and found out how to make standard felt into stiff felt.  All it took was one part white glue and one part water, mixed up and a paint brush.  I painted both sides of the felt and let it dry on freezer paper.  If you do this, you may notice that it looks really splotchy while drying, but have no fear.  Mine was very splotchy and it dried perfectly clear.  Also, you might want to turn it over a few times while it's drying.  It takes about a day for it to get good and dried out.

For the hanger, I used one of the DMC colors in the design and some silver metallic DMC and crocheted a chain.  I attached a couple of silver beads to the felt, and tied on the hanger and TA DAA!!  A sweet little door hanger.  A fun way to finish a stitching project.

Now back to my tree trimming.  And more about that coming up!

A Blogging Honor

What a pleasant surprise for a dreary Tuesday morning -- my blog has been awarded a Liebster Award by Melody at The Stitching Life!  It's great to know that other people are reading and enjoying what my blog has to offer.  Thank you so much, Melody!

Now, as part of accepting this award, it's my duty to pass this award along to five other blogs that I read.  Here are the rules:

1. You must publically thank the person who awarded it to you. 

2. Paste the Liebster Award on your blog. 

3. Pick 5 blogs with less than 200 followers, and leave them each a comment on their blogs letting them know of their honor.

 

That's easy.  I read a lot of interesting and entertaining blogs that offer stitching information and inspiration.  My picks are:

 

The Hoopless Stitcher 

 

Blue Star Stitcher 

 

Melanie The WIP Slayer 

 

All This & A Bag Of Chips Too 

 

The Southpaw Stitcher

I'm very happy to be doing this for other bloggers.  There are many blogs that I enjoy and I wish that I could nominate more!

 

A Surprise Finish

As in, I'm surprised that I actually finished something.  Ha ha.  I wanted to stitch a little something for Christmas and searched the stash for the perfect thing.  There I found "Peppermint Twist" by Little House Needleworks.  As I looked through my fabric supply, I found a bag with a label on it that said "ornament fabrics".  It's not my writing.  So apparently sometime in the past, I purchased an assortment of pretty fabrics in sizes suitable for ornaments.  Genius!  And here's what I accomplished.

A sweet little finish, if I may say so myself.  In my humble opinion, though, I don't think it needs the candy cane button.  Oh, it's a cute little button, but this pretty little design does all right by itself.  I'll sharpen my finishing skills and attempt to finish it in time to hang on this year's Christmas tree.

I'm also in the process of finishing "Joy" by LHN.  I've already stitched it, ahem, last year, but am now creating a door hanger out of it.  This one will be featured in a future post. 

I love this time of year.  The Christmas season, in many ways, begins on Thanksgiving.  We traveled over the river (not sure which one, but there was definitely a river) and through the woods to Hiawassee in the North Georgia Mountains.  What a wonderful day spent with family!  While walking one of the many dogs present that day, I noticed that the sun was shining on part of the mountains and lake and ran in to get my camera.  I think I captured the beauty of it.

Did I mention how thankful I am for my followers?  I blog for fun, so it's just icing on the cake to get new followers and receive such encouraging and fun comments.  Thank you for taking the time to look at my blog. 

Don't forget to come back to see what I did with that door hanger! 

A Thankful Stitcher

Blog Hop question #12 is a timely one:

When it comes to the stitching part of your life, what are you most thankful for?

Great question!  I am very thankful for this wonderful hobby for many reasons.  It's a satisfying creative outlet that lets me play with colors as much as that Crayola 64 color box did when I was a kid.  I am constantly creating works of art, and what a joy it is to give something that I stitched as a gift.

Other bloggers mentioned their husbands.  I, too, am thankful that my husband is fully supportive of cross stitch.  Never once has he nagged or complained after one of my stash acquisitions.  He's generous with compliments and often asks me "Whacha building?" when I'm stitching.

Regarding practical matters, cross stitch is a relatively inexpensive hobby.  Yes, I am fully aware that it can get expensive.  But this is one pastime in which costs can be kept down because of the options we have when choosing fabric and floss.

I am ever so thankful that through cross stitch I can connect with some of the best people around.  It is a hobby that my sister Sheila and I have in common (we do seem to have a lot in common).  And through cross stitch I have made some great friends.  Our stitch group, Sisters In Stitches, has become a constant in my life and I cherish my friendship with these ladies.  Cross stitch brings us together once a month.  It is something we really look forward to.  I also have stitching friends in different states who I have met through stitch camps, Facebook and blogging.  What can be better?

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my stitching friends out there.  I hope you find as much joy in stitching as I do.

Visit all the blogs in this round of the Stitching the Night Away Stitching Blogger Blog Hop:
Find the instructions on how to participate in this round by clicking here.

November TUSAL - Patriotic Mr. Peanut

Uh-oh, did I miss TUSAL by one day?  Sorry for my lateness!  And you know what they say about being late.  Better late than never, especially when Mr. Peanut is particularly patriotic.  This past month, a LOT went into that ort jar!  You can find out more about TUSAL on Daffycat's blog.

Am I the only one who has a name for her ort jar? 

A Finish....And A Finish

It's rare for me to have two finishes in one week, but it indeed happened.  The first one is "Folk Eggs" by Prairie Schooler.  I actually got it done in time for (next) Easter!  I'd like to frame it in a whitewash painted frame.  What do you think?

The next one is a little different finish -- not of the cross stitch kind.  It's my London scrapbook.  I wanted to get it done before Matt came home for Christmas.  So I made my goal and am happy.  It contains such good memories of our trip of a lifetime.  Not fancy, nor is it particularly creative, but it's all there nice and neat.

These aren't the only pages.  I just photographed a sampling to give you an idea.  This scrapbook just makes me happy.  Thank you to the experienced scrapbookers who gave me advice and encouragement!

Our last Sisters In Stitches get together for 2012 happened last Saturday at Thea's house.  Once again, we were made to feel very comfortable and welcome as we stitched to our hearts' content.  Delicious soups were served by Thea and Laurie, and Marti brought a yummy coconut cake.  Our group is looking for a central location to have our stitch days, but it's been nice to visit each others' homes in the meantime.  We'll reconvene in January.  I'll make it a New Year's resolution to take pictures of our Stitch Days to share here.  I feel so lucky to have this group of friends.

I ran across the cutest Thanksgiving freebie generously provided by The Primitive Hare.  It's so adorable that I'm tempted to start it right away!  You can find it at The Primitive Hare's blog.  Have fun!

Having finished another stitching project, I thought it was time to start a new one.  Well, really two!  I'll post my progress with those next time. 

Welcome to my new followers!  And thank you, everyone, who took the time to make comments.  I enjoy each and every one!

Unusual Stitch Stuff? Blog Hop #11

Our current Blog Hop topic asks if we own any unusual stash:

What has been your most unusual or most interesting stash acquisition to date?

I've thought and thought about this.  And then even looked through my stash a little while doing a much-needed craft room cleaning.  Here's what I came up with:  nothing.  Nope, not a single unusual, weird, uncommon, rare, strange, or bizarre stitching acquisition.  That is not to say that I don't like my stash -- I do! I think I've acquired quite a bit of very nice charts, fabrics, floss and misc.  But not a single thing that I would categorize as unusual or interesting.  Except maybe the amount of stash that I have.  Now that's interesting.

Visit all the blogs in this round of the Stitching the Night Away Stitching Blogger Blog Hop:
Find the instructions on how to participate in this round by clicking here. 

Excuses, Excuses

I know, I know.  I haven't posted in a while, something like two weeks.  But I got sidelined with a cold, my first one in over three years.  That kind of threw me for a loop, and since it was a head cold, there was very little stitching going on.  Then I got busy doing who knows what and the next thing I know it's been two weeks since I paid any attention to the blog. 

Well, now I'm back, so no more excuses.  First and foremost, I'd like to welcome my new followers and thank all of my followers for their kind comments.  That must be every blogger's dream - to receive affirming comments.  So thank you!

The scrapbook is coming along, but slowly.  I have three more pages planned out in my head and am confident that I'll be finished well before my self-imposed deadline of December 15.  I'm not sure if I'm "into" scrapbooking, but I do know that the completed project will be something that my family will enjoy and treasure.  No photos right now, but I'll post some when I'm done so that you can admire my lovely work.

I did get a little framing done and it turned out good.  Just a simple, inexpensive store-bought frame and some foam core board and pins and here it is!

I'm glad that I was completely over that rotten cold in time to go to this month's Stitch Day, which was held last Saturday at Marti's house.  Marti was a great hostess, welcoming us into her home and providing a a delicious barbecue lunch.  Her husband made the barbecue, so he also gets a big "thank you".  Let's not forget Peggy's delicious dessert!  We also got to meet her adorable cats who were present throughout the day.  As usual, the day flew by, but I did get quite a bit of stitching done.

Lots of progress done on "Folk Eggs".  Do you think I'll have it finished and framed by Easter?  Ha ha.

I also want to mention that Marti has her own cross stitch design business and web page - Marti Harrington Design!  Way to go, Marti!  Looks good!

Some good news:  Bluebirds have decided to take up residence in the bluebird house that Mark made last summer!  We've been seeing them periodically for the past couple of weeks hanging around by the house, and last weekend, Mark braved a peek inside and saw nesting materials.  I just saw them again this morning, busily going in and out of the house.  I haven't been able to get a photo yet, but I'm determined to.

Have a fun Halloween!  I'll leave you with a fun Halloween finish that I did last year!

Not Very Timely TUSAL

Oops, I'm a day late for this month's TUSAL.  That's all right.  At least I'm posting, unlike, ahem, last month when I didn't TUSAL at all.  I did make some stitching progress, and therefore Mr. Peanut has a few more fibers. 

Gotta Love Mr. Peanut

For those of you who have wondered, TUSAL stands for Totally Useless Stitch-A-Long, and is sponsored by Daffycat.

Blog Hop #10 - Love/Hate Thread Relationship

The answer to the latest Blog Hop question came to me very quickly.

What’s your absolute least-favorite thread to work with? 

But I really hate to say it.  It's a lovely product.  The colors are rich and beautiful and using this thread adds a special touch to stitching.   OK, here goes.  Don't hate me.  It's metallic thread!  Any kind, any brand!  It lures me in with its beauty, but then gets me so mad with its fraying and bunching up.  Ugh.  I've tried all of the suggested methods for making this stuff easier to use, but to no avail.  From shorter lengths, to Thread Heaven (which helps me enormously with other threads), to using a certain kind of needle.  None of it has worked well for me.  Yet, when used successfully, these threads look so pretty in the finished product.  I am open to any and all suggestions not mentioned above which will help me overcome my disdain for metallic thread.

Many thanks to Loretta for bringing up questions such as this one.  I can see how it can benefit our stitching community to voice our stitching problems and frustrations and possibly get advice on what to do to make our stitching woes go away!

Visit all the blogs in this round of the Stitching the Night Away Stitching Blogger Blog Hop:
Find the instructions on how to participate in this round by clicking here.

Some Of This, A Little Of That

Lots of craftiness going on around here lately.  In a post last year, I whined talked about how I couldn't get started putting together the scrapbook I wanted to make about our London trip.  Some scrapbooker friends advised me to organize my materials and decide exactly what I wanted to put into the book.  I did just that this week, and finally started scrapbooking.  It's looking good, but certainly not the professional look that my talented friends achieve in their scrapbooks.  But I like it and have given myself a finishing goal for this project -- December 15.  Plus, I'm really enjoying doing this!  Take a look at the creative "organization".

On the stitching front, progress was made on "Folk Eggs".  I stitched quite a bit on egg #7 while watching a particularly bad baseball game.  I must say that I love Prairie Schooler.

I think I'm in the framing mode.  During a little fit of organization I discovered that I have some cross stitch finishes that need framing or further finishing (like ornaments).  One of these is "Seasonal Sampler" and I already have the frame for it.  So just getting the supplies out to frame it might propel me to do just that!  Do you think?  I also need to get online to my favorite framing supplier and order some items to frame a couple of other things.

And finally, not crafty at all, is sweet Cosmo taking a morning nap on the big cat bed.  Not a care in the world.

Blog Hop Time: Must-Have Stitching Tools

The Blog Hop Question today is:

What are your must-have stitching tools and aides? Other than your trusty scissors, of course. Is there a problem you have had when stitching that you created your own solution for, or have you purchased a tool that helped?

I started off this post thinking "There's not a lot that I need for stitching.  Just fabric, floss, a chart and a needle."  Then I thought some more and realized that I do indeed use many tools to make stitching the fun experience that it should be.  For example, while stitching on black fabric as I'm doing right now, my Clover tweezers and sticky roller are the most helpful implements!  Guess why.  Yes, because of my dear cats and their ever present flying fur.  Black fabric is just the biggest magnet for cat hair!

Then there's my star detailer, which is so helpful for anchoring a tiny thread-end securely and neatly.  Great invention.  An Ott light is a big help when my eyes are tired, though I don't use one all of the time.  And I might be in the minority here, but I love my hoops, especially Darice tension hoops.

Because I'm a fan of scissors, I love the scissors holder that my husband, Mark, made for me.  It keeps my scissors at the ready and also protects the tips.  He's also made these for several of my stitching friends.  This is the one that I keep by my side, with my Gingher Emily scissors resting inside.

Zippered project bags are another thing that helps me with my favorite hobby.  They keep my stitching clean and organized. 

So, yes, I do require quite a few stitching tools!  Anything to make an enjoyable pastime even more enjoyable!

Visit all the blogs in this round of the Stitching the Night Away Stitching Blogger Blog Hop:
Find the instructions on how to participate in this round by clicking here.

A Pincushion How-To

I've been asked a few times for the steps to finishing my completed cross stitch.  For example, the ornament I finished back in July.  Unfortunately, I didn't photograph my steps as I went along creating this ornament.  I will admit that I made them up as I went along.  So next time I do one, I can take pictures as I go to give you an idea of how that festive little creation came about.

Yesterday, I took time to make the pincushion from my completed "La Fleur".  This time I did keep the camera by my side as I worked in order to give the step-by-step instructions for making a pincushion.

First, take your completed stitched piece and trim around the edges if necessary.  Make sure to give yourself enough seam allowance a little allowance around the edge of your stitching.  A 3/8" seam allowance works well.  Then cut a backing piece and some fusible lightweight interfacing, both of the same size as the stitched piece.

Fuse the interfacing to the back of your stitched piece, using the manufacturer's directions.  Next, pin the backing to the stitched/interfacing piece, matching right sides.  Then sew along the edges leaving an opening of about 2".

Trim the seams to about 1/4" and clip the corners diagonally, but don't get too close to the stitching or it will spoil your day!  Turn your piece right side out.  This is a good time to give it a little pressing, if necessary.

Now you're ready to fill your pincushion!  Go and find a pet bird and ask if you can have some of his crushed walnut shells.  (I finally found out that birds use this as their cage litter.  Who knew?)  So tell him that they must be unused crushed walnut shells.  Or if you don't know any pet birds, then go to your nearest pet supply store and get a bag of them.  Get ready to do some lifting because I don't think this stuff comes in teeny tiny bags.  You'll have enough for many, many pincushions.  Or you can share with other stitchers. 

After you've filled your cushion to your liking (I like a little space in there to give it a squishy feel), then pin and stitch the opening closed by hand.

It's cute enough to leave like this or you can add some trim to the outside edge.  I chose some 1/8" organza ribbon and ran a thread right down the middle of it and gathered it up. 

This took a while but the result was worth the time.  Just make sure you have enough to go all the way around your pincushion.

Sew the trim on by hand right over the seam.  Then enjoy your awesome handiwork and your finished product!

Well, what do you think?  I hope you liked this little tutorial on how to craft your own pincushion.  There are a lot of different smaller cross stitch charts that you can use for this project.  The design doesn't have to be square.  Just pick something you like and give it a try!

One Stitch Day, Two Finishes

Yesterday began the new phase of Stitch Days for the Sisters In Stitches.  I previously told you that our favorite cross stitch store, The Stitch Store, was closing and we had to forge ahead and make decisions about how to keep our happy group together.  We determined that the best thing to do for the time being was to host Stitch Days in our various homes.  We're all set for the rest of 2012.  I was glad to host our September Stitch Day. 

So our group spent the day stitching, talking, laughing and eating, just like usual!  All that was missing was Terrie (who has moved away, but will join us for our twice-a-year retreats), and shopping.  But as someone pointed out, they could have shopped in my bountiful stash collection.  And the readers of this blog would agree, having seen part of the colossal cross stitch compilation.  All in all, I think our day went well.  Well, except for the little incident involving the bad behavior of one of my cats.  We won't go there. 

Like always, everyone was stitching beautiful projects.  I will have to get into the habit of taking pictures of their WIPs each month.  There was a finish, which is always good news!  Sheila completed her "Daily Life - Garden Daily" by SamSarah Design Studio. 

Sheila thought out of the box for this one, using DMC and Weeks Dye Works #5 Perle Cotton on 10-count Tula fabric.  It resulted in a very pretty, rustic, chunky-stitch look which will look great framed.  The photo honestly doesn't do this finish justice.

I also had a finish, although not technically during the actual Stitch Day.  Later in the evening I completed "La Fleur" by Sweetheart Tree.  All I had left to do were a few stitches, a quick pressing, and then sewing the tiniest buttons I've ever seen onto the piece. 

I'll be finishing this as a pin cushion.  I have enough of those crushed walnut shells left since I had to buy a gigantic bag and only used them for one project.  So stay tuned.  It should be a cute finish. 

Blog Hop #8 - Choosing Favorites

I'm glad to see the Blog Hop is back!  The Blog Hop question this time is:

What has been your favorite project to stitch? (either finished or in progress)

I didn't have to think about this one for very long.  My favorite thing that I've stitched is my "Square Dance" pillow.   I found this chart in a New Stitches magazine in the 1990's, and knew right away that I had to stitch it.  It was kind of a step up for me stitchingwise because it required two different fabrics to be pieced together.  My little local cross stitch store had to special order the navy blue Aida for me.  I remember the store owner warning me that dark colors were very difficult to stitch on!  Beware!  The light fabric was a very cool product called Aida Plus, which was a stiffer, heavy duty Aida.  The designs on the navy were stitched on the large piece of fabric and spaced very carefully.  The designs on the Aida Plus were stitched and then cut apart, again very carefully and then stitched onto the navy.  Lots of measuring and counting, but so worth it.  I just love the colors in these mini floral designs.  This throw pillow sits on a chair in my family room all year round.  And I was very happy to pass this chart on to another stitcher who admired my pillow when I posted a picture of it somewhere on line (I don't remember where)!  I just love when my used charts go to good homes!

Visit all the blogs in this round of the Stitching the Night Away Stitching Blogger Blog Hop:
Find the instructions on how to participate in this round by clicking here.

Giveaway Winner!!!

The winner of my 100th Follower Giveaway Drawing is:

Denise (Country Stitcher blog)!!

Congratulations, Denise!  I've already sent you an e-mail.  All you have to do is e-mail me with your address, and your stitchy goodies will be sent!

Thanks, everyone, for participating!  I hope you'll all continue to visit my blog and let me know how I'm doing. 

Ready For A Giveaway?

Yay!  I got my 100th follower today!!  I can finally reveal the contents of the project bag and let you know how to enter the drawing.

Here's a list of what our winner will receive:
*The Sanctuary by The Drawn Thread chart
*Happy Everything by Imaginating chart
*Morning Song by Just Nan chart with charm
*Sunflower Sampler by Country Cottage Needleworks chart
*Snowy Morn by Shepherd's Bush KIT with fabric, floss and beads
*Needle Threader
*LED Booklight
*8 Bohin needles (#26)
*Stitcher's Recordkeeper
*DMC #5282 metallic gold
*Kreinik Blending Filament #003 red
*Lo Ran project card
*Overture 4 ply cotton V59
*Overture 4 ply cotton V52
*Sew Mate Rainbow Thread Cutter Scissors - Blue
*Stork Tweezer
*Sheep Tape Measure
*Zipper Project Bag

Sound good? 

To enter:
1.  You have to be a follower of my blog.  If you're not yet, you still have time to sign up!
2.  Leave a comment on THIS POST on my blog.  You can say anything you want, including how awesome my blog is. 
     That's just a suggestion.  
     I'll leave the commenting for the contest open until Sunday, September 16 at 6:00 P.M. EST.

There will be ONE winner of this fabulous giveaway!  A name will be drawn and I'll announce the winner in a blog post on Sunday (September 16th) evening.  So come back here then to find out who the winner is!!

I'm doing this to let my followers know that I am so thankful for each and every one of you.  I blog for the fun of it and enjoy your comments and feedback to my ramblings. So good luck!

WIP Review

I noticed something as I increased my number of WIPs from one, to two, to three, then to four.  Yes, four is my self-imposed limit.  Currently.  But what I'm seeing is that I don't get very much finished.  Well, duh, you say.  It's true though, isn't it?  When we're project-hopping, the finishes just don't appear quickly.  I'm not a deadline-maker, but it would be nice to see something completed once in a while. 

So first I have "Holiest of Nights" by Homespun Elegance.  I started this one about 10 months ago thinking I would have it done for this Christmas.  Maybe if I worked on it exclusively......

Next is Prairie Schooler's "Folk Eggs", started in the spring.  I've actually made good progress on this, with only two more eggs to go after some finishing touches on the top left one.  I've found that I like stitching on black, but it attracts the cat hair like nothing else.  Especially the snowy white portion of Moxie's calico fur. 

I've barely made a dent in "Red White & Bloom" by Country Cottage Needleworks.  I know I'll finish it though.  I think this one was started around Memorial Day. 

Last but not least is "La Fleur" by Sweetheart Tree.  I'm stitching it with Weeks Dye Works color "Independence".   I think it looks cool.  Mark pronounced it "interesting".  I didn't ask him to elaborate.  This will be a pin cushion, and I already have finishing ideas for it.  So yay for me. 

Everywhere I look lately, there are so many wonderful fall and Halloween charts being stitched.  From my favorite blogs to stitching spots on Facebook, the photos of autumnal stitching are gorgeous!  So tempting, especially since I have that Just Cross Stitch Halloween issue.  My oh my, that magazine is full of cute things.  And don't even get me started on my recent stash haul.  But I think I'll stick to my limit of four and actually get a finish in before I begin a new project.  Self control, right?  That's all I need.

I need only one more follower to make 100!  Then I'll announce the details of my super-fantastic giveaway drawing!