A Stitch in (Wrinkled) Time

Nothing like a little stash...

2007-08-15T19:07:00.001-05:00

...to get that mojo flowing again. And when I say a little stash, what I mean is...yah, I went a little nuts. :P

I made my first ever trip to an LNS today! I hit the Lazy Daizy in Raleigh this afternoon and wow! How cool it is to have an entire store dedicated to stitching instead of a teeny aisle stocked with cheese.

I picked up a few charts - most of which were on sale and nice and small. I picked up a whole bunch (for me) of WDW and Sampler fibers that I'm totally in love with! I can't wait to dig into something new.

I've also made a bit of progress on my Dad's piece. I've stopped referring to it as my BAP, because it's not actually all that big ass compared to many of you ladies' projects!!

Long time no see!

2007-08-09T14:11:00.000-05:00

I don't know what the reason is, but I have not been in a stitching mood at ALL lately! I haven't even been checking my favorite stitching blogs. I logged in to Google Reader today and found 72 posts waiting for me! So at least you guys have been busy. :)

I did pick the needle up a few times here and there but I haven't made much progress on anything. I've gotten a little done on my Dad's piece. And I cut and stitched the border for the gecko. I started sewing him on to the velcro for my son's backpack and I just couldn't make myself do it. I think I'll take him in to an alteration shop and they can just sew it on there for me. It won't be perfect, but it will be done!

July/August Goals

2007-07-30T17:14:00.001-05:00

Here's the progress I've made on my Hawaiian quilt ornament.

I ran out of WDW Turkish Red, so it's on the back burner now until I either make a trip to Raleigh or place an order online. I'm a little worried about getting fiber from a different dye lot, but we'll see what happens.

I really wish you could see the sparklies in the fabric because that's my favorite part of this piece! :)

On to the goals...

July Goals

1. ~~Complete, finish and mail little Nemo.~~ Check!

2. ~~Work on my sadly neglected BAP.~~ Technically, I did work on it. Since I restarted it, I'm actually behind where I was before, but I'm still considering this goal met. :)

3. ~~Start~~ and complete one Hawaiian Quilt ornament. I would have finished this if I hadn't run out of thread. So, unmet but with good intentions.

4. ~~Start, complete and finish a surprise project for a mysteriously unnamed recipient.~~ Check! This was the needlebook I made for my friend Alicia.

5. ~~Take a few more babysteps in the direction of an actual rotation.~~ Check! I definitely have been rotating projects. Not with any set schedule, but rotating nonetheless.

All in all, I'm pretty happy with my first month's goals! Now to set more...

August Goals

1. Complete and finish the first Hawaiian quilt ornament.

2. Complete the stitching on my co-project with Alicia.
3. Catch up to where I was on my BAP.

4. Finish Gecko number 1 as a patch.

5. Stitch Gecko number 2.

SBQ July 29, 2007

2007-07-29T10:07:00.000-05:00

To answer stitcherw's question - My BAP is a pattern from Solaria Galleryfor my Dad. Click here to see the many starts and restarts of this BAP. :P

Today's SBQ was suggested by Dani and is:

Have you ever thought of getting a rider on your household insurance to properly cover your stash (some of us have quite an extensive stash that an average household policy wouldn't fully cover) in the case of some sort of damage to your house that would destroy/ruin charts, fabrics, floss, etc?

I don't have anything approaching the amount of stash I would feel needed insurance protection. But it's a fabulous idea to consider for the future. For now, I'll content myself with envy over those of you who do have such copious stash! :)

A Finish and a (Re-)Start

2007-07-29T09:18:00.000-05:00

I missed a question from Kathryn in an earlier post. Yes, I'm switching to an evenweave for my BAP restart. The gridded Aida came with the chart, but I've never really been partial to it.

Also, thanks to teageeare for schooling me on my flower. :) I feel much better knowing that I haven't taken my plant killing abilities to new levels. And it has bloomed a few more times already!

I finished the stitching on gecko #1! I'm going to make him into a patch for my son's backpack and then I'll get started on gecko #2 to hang here. I'm glad they sent me enough fabric to stitch him twice!

I also got a small start (or should I say restart) on my BAP. It took me a while to get it all kitted up - which I hadn't done the first time around - so I haven't put much stitching in yet. I'm doing it on a tea-colored monaco since it's a solid pattern that I intend to mat and frame so the fabric won't be visible anyway. No sense wasting a pretty hand-dye!

My Very Amateur Needlebook

2007-07-25T20:14:00.000-05:00

First, to answer a question. Chiasmata - I'm using 3 strands of black on the gecko, per the instructions. I think they're right that 2 might not be enough coverage.

Here are the pics of the needlebook I made for my friend Alicia. This was definitely a learning experience! I didn't measure accurately enough which made the front and back designs offcenter. And, I handstitched the hem around three sides and then turned it right side out. I *should* have used a slip stitch along the last side, but I thought it would look bad against the lining fabric. I didn't realize backstitching along the last edge would totally flatten that edge! Argh! Oh well. I'll make a nicer one next time. :) Oh, and poor Alicia had to sew the seam down the "spine" of the book herself. lol I really need to get a sewing machine and learn how to sew...

I really like the chart I used for the cover, though. I think I may do it again for myself as a redwork piece!

Ornaments and Geckos and Lilies Oh My!

2007-07-25T13:28:00.000-05:00

Thanks to all of you for the great tips and tricks in my last post!! I'm a self-taught stitcher and most of the time I'm just winging it. :P I'm learning so much reading all of your blogs and your comments here! So...thanks!! :D

I've made some progress on my Hawaiian quilt ornament. I decided to try the spiraling thing with the overdyed thread and I really like the look. I can see how stripes would be better for certain things, but for this I like the spirals. I'll just have to flip the design so the stripey corner is (hopefully) not very noticeable on the bottom.

I think for the next ornament, I'll stitch around the outline and then confetti the insides, just to see how that looks. I'm running out of Turkish red, so I'll need to order a few more skeins!

I also got a start on my tribal gecko. I'm loving this little guy! I'm having to be very careful of where the thread sits on the back of the piece, but other than that the little guy is easy peasy. And so cute!

We also planted a few lilies in the yard and one of them bloomed! And then promptly died the next day. lol I think I need to move them. I'm not sure they're getting enough sun where they are.

A question and an SBQ.

2007-07-21T12:54:00.001-05:00

I'm looking for advice on stitching with variegated color threads. What I've been doing is finishing each stitch at a time, rather than working in rows. And, I've been stitching the rows back and forth, meaning I stitch one row left to right and then the next one down goes right to left, etc... And, of course, I've been trying to match colors when I anchor and start a new thread.

I'd love to hear how you all work with these types of threads!!

This week's SBQ was suggested by Ish and is:

Which project (finished or in progress) are you most proud of? Explain why.

I don't know that any one jumps out at me. But, I guess I would say I'm pretty proud of my very first piece, as simple (and probably poorly done) as it is. My husband was away in training for 5 months and my son had just been born. I was all by myself and looking for a new hobby, and wanted to make something for my son. I stumbled across some cross stitching chart books at the craft store and combined a few different charts to make this one. So, I guess I'm proud that I found and taught myself something that I've grown to really love. :)

Catchin' up, catchin' up!

2007-07-21T09:52:00.001-05:00

It's been a few days since I posted, so this is going to be a little long...

I got my fabric order from Silkweavers! I got two small pieces of opalescent fabric - Dew Drop (the green one) and Treasure Trove (the bluey/purpley/taupey one). They are SO pretty! And I love the sparklies, though I'm not sure you can see them in the pic. The linen is also nice and soft and seems really even. Definitely worth the wait!!

I started a project I'll be working on with my friend Alicia. I'm stitching the name, and she'll be quilting a wallhanging for a mutual friend's daughter. I think I should have used my WDW Bubblegum, but I picked up DMC 107 because it seemed darker and closer to the color we wanted. I'm not really happy with the DMC - seems like each color goes for a long time before a change, and the changes are rather abrupt. Just makes me appreciate my WDW fibers even more!

I also started one of the Hawaiian quilt ornaments. I'm really happy with how this piece is coming so far. I love the WDW Turkish Red! I love the Silkweaver Dew Drop linen! I love the Christmas-y contrast between the colors! I love the shape of the design! It's really nice to be working on a piece that I love everything about after feeling so meh about the last couple of smalls.

I guess I've been busy, I even put in a small section on my BAP. I was really depressed about it at first. This is actually only the second piece I ever worked on. Why yes, I am completely insane - funny you should ask. :P I should have started with little fun pieces. Anyhow, four years ago when I started it, I decided to use 4 strands of floss (4!?!?!?!) and my stitches were soooooooo sloppy. It looks horrible. The entire time I was putting in the new section, I was totally bummed. After putting it away for a few more days, I've decided to go ahead and start over. While that means even more work, it's really a relief to make that decision. Now, I'm actually looking forward to working on it again! I'm including a scan so you can see just how totally ridiculous it looks. Click on it to see what I'm talking about in horrifying detail. :P

Another Finish, More Stash...

2007-07-17T14:11:00.001-05:00

...la dee da. :P

First off, thanks for the nice comments on the last post! I'm feeling a little less obnoxious. I'm just really glad I didn't express my irritation to Silkweaver!!

I made an ornament out of the Mary Engelbreit kit my friend Alicia sent me. This is my very first ornament, and I'm afraid it shows. lol I think it's cute, though and I'm hanging it off a lamp switch at the moment. I thought about putting it on the wall, but I'm kind of digging the fact that it moves a little when suspended. Now that I'm posting this picture, I'm also really noticing how badly I need to paint these walls something other than white!

I also picked up yet a little more stash today. I've been on a serious stash buying jag lately!! Pretty fun... :P I was at the craft store picking up some polyfil and they had a basket full of stitching kits on the cheap! Most of it wasn't to my taste, but I thought this was kind of cute. Not totally me, but for $5 I'll figure out something to do with it! And the floss was already carded! Yay!

Ok, I'm a cad

2007-07-16T17:55:00.000-05:00

I just got an email from Silkweaver that they are shipping my order tomorrow. They've had a sick child in the hospital for a week, and I've been whining to you all about my fabrics. I feel like the biggest jerk on the face of the Earth. Just wanted to set the record straight for them after I posted all these complaints here. :(

More Stash!

2007-07-16T14:03:00.000-05:00

I received my order from Sparklies today! One week from order to receipt - coming from England!! Awesome. Silkweaver, take note. lol

I ordered two small pieces of dyed fabric and I love love LOVE the colors. I can't wait to stitch up this little gecko. It looks like I'll have to do it one over one for my son's patch, but it's only 28 count and all in one color so that shouldn't be difficult.

I've been working on a small token for a friend, and I sent it off today. I'll share pictures as soon as she gets it. Unfortunately, my finishing job was crap. But, the stitching is cute! :)

I had actually started on a different piece for her, but when I got about an eigth of the way through, I noticed that the designer had used the same symbol for two radically different colors. It was only about 55 x 45 stitches, and it had 18 colors. Very much a confetti stitching piece, and I couldn't manage to wrap my brain around figuring out which should go where. So, I ripped the stitches out and started a new piece. I actually like the second design better, so the dilemma turned out to be a blessing. :)

I'm done!

2007-07-13T08:44:00.000-05:00

I'm done, I'm done, I'm done, I'm done, I'm DONE! Yay!

SBQ July 11, 2007 and Stash!

2007-07-12T10:33:00.000-05:00

Today's SBQ was suggested by The Wagon and is:

What do you love to do that many people hate? What do you hate to do, but do
anyway?

I used to hate backstitching - and I don't think I was alone in that - but now I kind of love it. I love watching the piece come to life, and it is such a tidy little stitch to do. I also like fractional stitches, now that I've learned not to do two adjacent 3/4 stitches. :P

I can't really think of anything I hate to do (and do anyway) right at the moment...

Yesterday, I received my Stitcher's Closet order! A few, bigger q-snaps and my first overdyed threads! The overdyes are just gorgeous! The colors are so pretty and vibrant and I love the variation.

I got a very small start on a gift I'm working on - really just so I could try out my 6" q-snaps. I love them, I love them, I LOVE them!!! Wow. It is really amazing how much easier it is to get the fabric taut, and that actually seems to help prevent the twisty stitches, too. Plus, they're so much nicer to hold on to than hoops, which tend to hurt my wrist after a while. Oh, how I love the q-snaps. :)

I'm SO almost done with little Nemo. I would have finished the stitching last night if the hubs would have tolerated just one more late night of stitching. Oh well. :P Hopefully, I'll finish up today so I can post a pic!

Grr... and Yay!

2007-07-09T18:49:00.000-05:00

First with the Grrr.... I ordered some q-snaps and overdyed threads from Stitcher's Closet June 28th, and they just shipped my order today. When you're SO excited to get your stuff, eleven days seems like a reeally long order processing time.

Or, it seems long until you consider the fact that I ordered some fabric from Silkweaver also on June 28th, and they still haven't even charged my card. So, I'm pretty sure they haven't shipped yet. They did have a notice on their site that they would be on vacation July 4 - 12, and wouldn't ship in that time period, but I didn't realize they wouldn't ship orders placed 6 days before that period either! :(

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!

Ok, enough of that. On to the Yay! I spotted this lovely kit on Stitching and Life in The Company of Pets and had to have it. I think I'm going to stitch it once to hang here at the house, and again for another patch for Little Man's backpack. So, I ordered it last night and Sparklies emailed me today to tell me they shipped it. Already! Yay! Here's a picture of it...

Even more tangibly exciting, I got a small stash delivery today! Elegant Stitch (which I learned of through Dawn) is just awesome. I called in an order on Thursday afternoon and it was here today! Monday! So, woot for Elegant Stitch and Dawn! I got my very first set of Piecemaker needles and my first q-snaps! I got a small 6" x 6" frame which will be great for ornaments. Here's a not terribly exciting picture of my teeny stash delivery.

I've made a little more progress on Nemo, but I'm waiting until I finish it to post him again. Here's hoping my stitching moves faster than certain stores... :)

All Fish, All The Time

2007-07-05T13:53:00.000-05:00

I finally finished making Mr. Betamax into a patch for my son's backpack. I had a hard time finding velcro that was big enough (even doubled up). Him being out of school for the summer put a damper on my motivation as well. :) But, now it's ready to go for next year!

I let my husband talk me into using the sticky side of the velcro for the patch because that's how they are on his uniform. But, it has since occurred to me that this is only to faciliate washing the uniforms. Hand sewing the aida onto the back of the sticky side of the velcro was M-U-R-D-E-R. The floss kept getting tangled up in the little velcro coils and then it wouldn't lay right and just ARGH. You can see a couple of spots on the edging where the floss got all messed up and the stitch just looks bad. Oh well. Little Man is thrilled. :)

I've also made some progress on little Nemo. Shouldn't be too long now!

SBQ July 3, 2007

2007-07-03T18:01:00.001-05:00

Do you consider yourself a floss "miser"?

Not exactly. I consider myself a thread-I'm-stitching-with-right-now miser. If I'm on the last few stitches of a color in the section, I will go until my floss is so short that I have to put the needle in, then thread the needle, pull through and do the same again. Really, it would probably be less trouble to anchor and start a new thread. But, what can I say? I'm stubborn. :)

So far, I've only stitched with DMC and Kreiniks, so I've never been all that concerned about wasting thread. I do seem to underestimate what I need when kitting up - so maybe that's a little miserly. But, I don't save floss or worry much about wasting it. I do have some WDW overdyes enroute to me, and maybe I'll be a little more miserly with those...

First Stash Wave and July Goals

2007-07-01T17:29:00.000-05:00

My first bit of stash got here today! Yippee! I got a book of Hawaiian Quilt inspired charts that I'm going to use to make some ornaments for Christmas gifts.

I've never set monthly goals before, and the only stitching goals I've ever set have fallen sadly by the wayside. But, I'm going to take a shot and see what happens!

July Goals
1. Complete, finish and mail little Nemo.
2. Work on my sadly neglected BAP
3. Start and complete one Hawaiian Quilt ornament
4. Start, complete and finish a surprise project for a mysteriously unnamed recipient
5. Take a few more babysteps in the direction of an actual rotation

IIIIIIIIII. Can. DO ETTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!

My First Finish!

2007-07-01T15:57:00.000-05:00

So far, I've framed some pieces, made some coasters, done some plastic canvas and made a LOT of pre-finished bibs. But, until today, I've never done an actual "finish". Here's my very first! I used a great No Sew Wallhanging tutorial from Focus on Finishing and substituted craft dowels in place of cording. I'm tickled pink with how this came out!

I haven't made a whole lot of progress on little Nemo, considering how long it has been since my last update. I let a couple of messy stitches slip by and seeing them was so disheartening that I couldn't make myself work on the piece for a while. Plus, we've had a busy weekend hosting two different barbecues. But, I plan to pick it back up tonight. I've got the fabric to finish it already, so I'm pumped to get it done and shipped out!

I have a bunch of stash headed my way and I can't wait to get it! I'll post pics as soon as it gets here. Also, I'm planning on setting some goals for this month, which I'll try to post in the next little bit.

The Glass is Half Full!

2007-06-27T22:53:00.000-05:00

And by half-full, I mean half-done! Yay! :) I'm really having fun bringing some of the brighter colors into the piece. I have to admit I was getting a leetle tired of a thousand variants of avocado green. I'm beginning to see the extra depth that the minutely different colors bring to the piece, though. So, yay for that.

Forgive the crookedness at top. I didn't lay the fabric in the scanner carefully enough. It's not crooked in real life. :)

I'm Actually Rotating :)

2007-06-26T06:57:00.000-05:00

I'm almost done with my Fourth of July heart - a short stint of stitching and I'll be finished. I put some time in on the heart while we were driving on a day trip over the weekend. Stitching in the car was a little less fun than I thought it would be. :P Now I just need a slightly less crazy week this week so I can make it to the fabric store to pick up what I need to finish this as well as what I need for Baby A's quilt.

I haven't stitched the heart for a few days, though, because the baby I'm stitching little Nemo for was born a few days ago and I'm very motivated to finish his piece. His mom and I have been friends since we were 5! She's my oldest friend and I'm so excited for her and her new life as a mommy.

SBQ June 22, 2007

2007-06-24T07:52:00.000-05:00

Today’s SBQ was suggested by Kathryn and is:

When you start a new work do you look for something small, do you look for another huge project or do you consider your UFOs?

I actually only have the one quasi-UFO and I consider working on it all the time. lol So, I'm not sure if that counts for anything. Also, I've never actually finished any huge projects, so I'm not sure if this question really applies to me.

I just took stitching back up after a few year hiatus. And, since I re-started, I've had a backlog of small projects I've been wanting to do for other people. Once I pick up some Q-snaps, I'll get working on my one huge project while continuing my small projects. After that one is done, I probably will look for another big project to start on.

A New Heart

2007-06-22T22:38:00.000-05:00

I've made a small amount of progress on Little Nemo. I can't wait to actually start stitching the fish. Orange is my favorite color!

But, I set him aside today to start working on a July 4th piece. This is a cute freebie that should stitch up very quickly. And, it will give me a chance to practice the no sew wallhanging finish before I do up Nemo for public consumption.

Re-Finishes

2007-06-21T18:27:00.001-05:00

I've been itching to stitch little Nemo today, but I wanted to bear down and bead, bead, bead. I added the beads to the Mary Engelbreit kit, which is now an official finish. Now, I just have to find a frame that will fit well.

I also added the beads to the initials and now I'm all set to pick out some fabrics! I found a quilter who will piece and quilt for me for a really reasonable price, so I can't wait to get this rolling.

Finding Nemo

2007-06-20T13:27:00.000-05:00

I wanted to get started on some Hawaiian quilt square Christmas ornaments for my mom, but I haven't actually ordered the stash yet. :P So, I decided now would be a good time to start on a project for a friend's baby who should be born any day now. I'm kind of over the bib thing right now, so I'm going to try my hand at this great no sew wallhanging from Focus On Finishing.

I'm working on a small clownfish piece from Artecy on a fun tea colored monaco. It's kind of odd in that it doesn't have any backstitching or fractional stitches at all. I'll have to see how it turns out, and maybe work some backstitching in on my own.

I've gotten a very small amount done so far. I never like having to leave off at such an odd spot, but Baby A wakes up when she wakes up. :)

I also ordered this cute Lizzie Kate Flip It from Stitches 'N Things and hope it gets here soon enough that I have time to finish it and hang it on the door by the 4th.

Once I order the Hawaiian Quilt squares, I'll need to pick up some fabrics and would love to hear recommendations. Since the quilt patterns are in single colors, I'm thinking of going with some hand dyed, marbled linens and a Silkweaver opalescent fabric (spotted here). Any suggestions?

Stick a fork in it!

2007-06-19T12:29:00.000-05:00

I knew I should have just held out until I finished. :P Oh well, now I'm finished. When I started Baby A's initials, I decided to leave out the knots, because I didn't think they would hold up well in the washing machine. It turns out that was a good idea since I can't quite seem to perfect knots, anyhow. But, now that I've discovered beads, I think they should be ok. So, I need to pick up a few shades of beads and then I'll repost all three initials.

Then, I get to pick out fabric for the quilt! Yay!

I can taste it!

2007-06-18T22:43:00.001-05:00

I was trying to hold out until I finished, because I'm Al. Most. There. But, I hate to go for days without posting. I've finished the backstitching on the flower and butterfly and am about a quarter of the way through the M. Should be done very soon!

With Father's Day being a nice chance to remember just how awesome my Dad is, I pulled out his piece and intended to stitch at least a thread length. But, it's quite big and the fabric is rather heavy and quite soft. I'm really not sure how I was stitching it in hand before. I'm planning on investing in Q-snaps very soon, so I'm going to wait until I get those before I start up again.

"M" Almost There!

2007-06-16T10:14:00.000-05:00

I have a few more stitches to put in on the butterfly, the other half of the M and then the backstitching to go! Despite the many neutral shades with really similar tones, this one has been a snap. Much faster than the last two now that I bothered to read the directions and found out the initial designs call for 1/4 stitches not 3/4 stitches. Oy!

P.S. Why can't I consistently make my pictures clickable? Sometimes they work so people can click through to the actual size and sometimes they don't...

SBQ June 14, 2007

2007-06-16T06:49:00.000-05:00

This week's SBQ was mine, actually. But, I'll try to answer it anyway. :)

How do you store your WIPs and other projects that you have kitted
up?

Up to this point, I haven't really had more than one project going on at a time. And I *just* discovered this whole "kitting up" thing thanks to some of your blogs. So, The Elephant in the Room (my borderline UFO) is really the only project I have sitting around. Thus far, I've just kept it in the manila envelope it was mailed to me in. I think I'll be transferring it into a ziploc bag today...

I "M" Making Progress

2007-06-14T08:22:00.000-05:00

I've gotten started on the last letter for Baby A's quilt. I had to put a dark paper behind it when I scanned so you could at least sort of see the really light colored stitches.

With no tutoring scheduled this week, I've had time to fly right along on stitching! And, I *think* I've finally figured out how to put in a picture so you click on it for the full size shot. Crossing my fingers...

No More Monkey Business!

2007-06-12T09:54:00.000-05:00

Doing the happy dance on this one! Monsieur Monkey is all finished and ready to ship out. Since I had the beads around (for the last piece), I decided to use some beads for his eyes.

The poor hubbin is not particularly interested in cross stitching but I couldn't stop hassling him on this one. Do you think beads for eyes would be creepy? (still contemplating the idea) Does this look creepy? (holding the beads next to the piece) Does *this* look creepy? (basting the beads in) Are you sure this doesn't look creepy? I don't want to anchor this if they look creepy... LOL He was very helpful.

Swinging Along

2007-06-10T13:01:00.000-05:00

This piece is coming right along! My fingers were starting to get kind of sore trying to pull the needle through the plastic canvas - there's no give, of course. And then I had the brilliant revelation that I should use a smaller needle. Duh. It's still a little tough dragging four strands of floss through holes that already have 8 - 12 strands in them. But, it's certainly easier.

Should just be another night or two of stitching and it will be time to break out in that happy dance! :)

Just Hanging Around!

2007-06-08T08:07:00.000-05:00

I have two projects I want to start working on. First, I'd like to stitch the M for Baby A's quilt. Also, (inspired by Kathryn) I'd like to stitch some Hawaiian quilt blocks for ornaments for my mom for Christmas. I'm really excited to branch out from Charles Craft, et al...and pick up some pretty, hand dyed linens for that project.

In the meantime, I'm stitching a request for my cousin. Baby Sabine (of the magnolia bib) has a big brother who loves monkeys. So, I'm stitching a wall hanging for him. This is my first time working with plastic canvas. Of course, there are no fractional stitches. But, the biggest difference for me so far, is having to be hyper-aware of how threads are sitting on the back of the piece - the canvas is clear, so of course I don't want anyone to be able to see threads zigzaggin between stitched areas, from the front.

I got a small start on it, and then realized I didn't actually pick up all the threads for the piece. Or, more likely, I did but misfiled #976 and can't find it, now. :P

Knot Good

2007-06-05T22:48:00.000-05:00

So, apparently I suck at knots. French knots, colonial knots...I don't discriminate. After some practice, I finally got a string of decent knots on my scrap cloth. But, when I tried to do some on my piece, they looked like crap. So, I decided to cut my losses and leave out the rest of the knots. :( Which is frustrating, but it does mean I'm done, so...yay?

Any tips on knots, ladies?

I finally joined the 21st century and bought a scanner. So, this is my first piece that I actually scanned instead of taking a picture of it!

Little Stitchey, Lotta Talkey...

2007-06-02T18:54:00.000-05:00

We've been sticking pretty close to home since we moved to NC, because our daughter (the baby) is what we call a car screamer. Put her in the car, she screams. Sometimes happily, sometimes angrily, sometimes just out of boredom. Cranking Jason Mraz way up quiets her down every time, without fail (only Jason Mraz, though - NO other musician cuts it) but it's probably not a good thing to blast out the kids' eardrums at such a young age.

Lately, she's become quite the conversationalist and she's now happy babbling to her brother, which has limited the car screaming. So, we decided to venture a few towns over to a farmer's market, today. Our town has a daily, year round sort of farmer's market but nothing is quite like the atmosphere of the weekend markets.

As we were getting closer to Lumberton, we were getting pretty excited. There were permanent signs out on the highway directing people to the farmer's market! It had to be BIG, right!?!? Wrong. lol There were two farmers. One "antiques" dealer. One craft booth. Seriously.

Oh well, we had a nice drive and we did pick up some beautiful fruit and a few kinda sad looking vegetables, that I'm pretty sure will be much tastier than they are pretty. And, now I'm finally getting to my point. I struck up a conversation with the crafter who had a bunch of framed cross stitching for sale. I asked her if there were any needlework shops around and she told me no in Lumberton but yes in Fayetteville! Well, yay!!! Then, bless her heart, she lit up and told me there was a Michael's! A Jo-Ann! And even a Hobby Lobby!! Sigh. I guess I really don't have an LNS.

What I do have, though, is a fun little design that is getting very close to the happy dance phase. I've started the backstitching and - after about a week of lackluster stitching motivation - I seem to have caught the bug again. I can't wait to finish up this post and pick up that needle!

Almost There!

2007-05-30T22:20:00.000-05:00

I've got a little more to do on the last two flowers, and then it's on to backstitching! I haven't really been in a stitching mood, today. I keep finding reasons to do other things. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be ready to let that needle rip!

SBQ May 30, 2007

2007-05-30T12:49:00.001-05:00

I haven't answered the last few SBQ's because they didn't really pertain to me. Here's this week's question from Kathryn.

How many needles do you use during a project? Have you ever loaded up a needle for every color? Do you use a new needle for every project or recycle your
favorite needle?

I usually have two needles out during a project. If I have enough area with one color to warrant it, I'll load up two needles at a time with that color and stitch one, then the other. If I'm working a piece with small areas of any given color, I still like to have that second needle out to help every now and then when the thread on the needle I'm using isn't long enough to stretch over the hoop to the other side.

I've never loaded up a needle for every color, but I have tried to stitch in rows once so I had about 6 or 7 needles going at any given time - all tethered to the piece of course. Oy. That was a headache, for me.

I have a whole bunch of the same exact needle in a little case and I just pull any given two out when I sit down.

My Kind of Gardening

2007-05-29T00:12:00.000-05:00

I've finished the hat and the lettering and started on the flowers. Lettering is always fun - it just flies along! :) This pattern is just so cute!

Kinda Like Molasses

2007-05-27T19:21:00.000-05:00

That's about the pace I've been working this piece. :P I've had a few nights of no stitching at all. I'm almost done with the hat, and have the flowers and lettering to go.

My First Kit

2007-05-23T15:30:00.000-05:00

I got a small start on the kit my friend Alicia sent me. Mary Engelbreit stuff is so cute and I really like this design!

Here's what I've done so far...

Another One Bites The Dust!

2007-05-22T10:39:00.001-05:00

I got a burst of motivation and polished this bib off last night. Yay! The design originally had 2 flowers, but I decided to stop with one and make Baby's name bigger. Aesthetically, I just like it this way a little better. Besides, it was going to be a while before I finished a second flower at this pace.

Next up is a cute little kit that my friend Alicia sent me. I've carded the floss and will probably get started tonight. Is it just me or is this an awful lot of thread - and a lot of colors! - for a 5" piece?

Blooming Slowly

2007-05-21T09:27:00.000-05:00

I've been working on the bib requested for a friend, and I've almost finished cross stitching the first flower. I think I'll backstitch it before I move on to the next flower. This is coming along very slowly as we've been very busy. It's definitely almost summer! BBQs and baseball games and bike riding galore!

Next up is a little kit sent to me by my friend Alicia. I don't think I've ever actually done a kit before, so I'm excited to dig in!!

Hook, line and sinker!

2007-05-17T07:32:00.000-05:00

Well, I refused to post anymore on this stubborn fish until I was finally finished. So, it's been a few days. :) I actually finished the stitching yesterday afternoon, but haven't mounted him on his velcro yet. I have been deciding whether to wrap him over a piece of plastic canvas first, or not. I think I'm going with not. Now, I just need that illusive backpack...

I've also gotten a small start on the next project. My cousin asked me to stitch a baby bib for a friend of ours who just had her second baby. Baby's name is Sabine Magnolia (isn't that pretty?), so I'm stitching magnolia flowers.

STILL Swimming

2007-05-13T22:20:00.000-05:00

Well, I didn't meet my goal of finishing Mr. Betamax by Saturday. In fact, it's Sunday and I'm still not finished. I have made a lot of progress, though. Just having the goal helped motivate me to put time in on the project. I guess I just need to recalibrate my reasonable-goal-setting skills.

I've finished the cross stitching and have dipped a toe into the backstitching. I have a ways to go, though. So, I'm setting a new goal of Tuesday for the finish.

Apparently, the most difficult part of the project is finding Little Man's backpack. Whatever happened to Jansport? If I wanted a plastic Thomas, Dora or Spiderman backpack, I'd be SET. But, a plain, smallish backpack...a leetle hard to find.

I've been tagged!

2007-05-12T07:05:00.000-05:00

I've been tagged by Dawn.

Here are the rules:
Each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their seven things, as well as these rules. You need to choose 7 people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they have been tagged and to read your blog!

1. I've never broken a bone or sprained a joint.

2. I've lived in Oregon, Hawaii, Arizona (for a short while), Oregon, Wyoming (for a short while), Oregon, Hawaii and North Carolina.

3. My husband has turned me into a food nazi. High fructose corn syrup is apparently the devil and at least 70% of our food is organic.

4. I own the sweetest and weirdest Boston Terrier on the planet.

5. I met my husband in college because my roommate had a crush on him and brought him home for a study date. Sounds bad. We're all still friends. :)

6. I played the piano for about 7 years growing up, was a performance piano major for one term in college and miss having one more than I miss anything else in the world (besides my family).

7. I have a stack of magazines next to my computer almost a foot high. I haven't read any of them. Why do I subscribe!!?

I'm tagging Lea, atoxicsparkle, Aud, Dana, Pix, and Alicia. (That's only 6. I don't know that many bloggers. :P)

Just Keep Swimming...

2007-05-11T07:02:00.000-05:00

I've made a little progress on Mr. Betamax here. He's starting to look a little more like a fish and a little less like a whale! I'm not sure if I'm going to make my goal of finishing by Saturday, but I'll just keep swimming, just keep swimming!!

The tip from Kathryn to "lay" the thread on the fabric rather than pulling it, has really helped! I really like the way this little guy looks.

The Reveal!

2007-05-09T14:13:00.000-05:00

Well, the Double Secret Super Classified Oh So Mysterious Project recipient opened her present 4 days early (the cheater!), so I get to share it a little ahead of schedule!

My dear mom is a bit of a coaster fanatic. (Sorry, mom, it's true. :P) So, I stitched a coaster/trivet set for her for Mother's Day. This character is a family name, and I was so thrilled with this design that included it! The coasters are stitched one over one on 32 ct fabric (my eyes are only just now recovering :P) and the trivet is stitched on 18 ct aida.

Here's a close up of the stitching.

A Patch-y Spot

2007-05-08T08:36:00.000-05:00

As I've mentioned, the next mini-project is Little Man's first patch for his backpack. He chose this pretty little Beta from my handy dandy Cross-stitcher's Complete Companion.

I've gotten a small start on it so far. It should move very quickly. But, I'm tutoring a lot this week, so I don't have a lot of time to stitch. My goal is to finish it by Saturday.

I've also been keeping my stitches a little looser. I've noticed from looking at other people's work, that I may have been pulling my stitches too tight. I'm really liking how this is coming along so far!

Dunzo!

2007-05-06T13:05:00.000-05:00

Well, I've decided that I'm done. The pattern calls for some french knots, but I don't think those will hold up well on a quilt. So, I'm leaving them out.

Next up, some patches for Little Man's backpack!

Come "N" Along

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

Yep, it's coming along. I've finished about a third of the backstitching so far. I don't know why I used to hate backstitching so much. I kind of love it now. :) I guess it was just a matter of getting the hang of it!

SBQ May 4, 2007

2007-05-04T12:36:00.000-05:00

I've noticed a lot of stitching blogs posting weekly SBQ questions and their answers. (I'm assuming this stands for Stitching Blogger Question, but who knows, I only *just* figured out what an LNS was. :P) So, I've decided to jump in on the action.

This week's question seems to be:

How many WIPs (Works In Progress) do you have? How many UFOs (Unfinished Objects) do you have? When does a WIP become a UFO?

Currently I have two small floral pieces that I started years ago, and then tucked into a book. Since then, I've had a daughter and have decided to finish the pieces for her room. This will be a really quick finish, I just need to get to it.

I also have several quilt squares with my daughter's initials that I'm working on - one down, one almost done and one more to start.

I have a quasi-UFO (which I'm calling The Elephant In The Room) that I'm trying to turn back into a WIP. It's been at least 2 years since I've done a stitch.

I don't think I'd consider a project an official UFO until I admitted to myself that I had no intention of picking it back up. Being that I'm quite the optimist, I may never have an official UFO. lol

One Letter Down!

2007-05-04T08:38:00.000-05:00

I've finished the Big Bad Letter A! Doesn't seem like I get two finishes, two days in a row very often. Or ever! So, I am one happy camper today.

The original design has a pink A, but it didn't mesh well with the M and N. I'm really happy with the substitute color I picked out. I agonized over the backstitch color choice and think it came out pretty well! Does DMC have a color wheel or anything that helps you find compatible colors?

Now, I just need to backstitch the N and start (and finish) the M. Guess I need to get cracking on the next step, as I'm skeptical these will just jump into a quilt all by themselves. Unfortunately.

Another Day, Another Bib

2007-05-03T12:57:00.000-05:00

I finished this a month or so ago, and can share now that the birthday boy has had his day. This was for my nephew and his sports themed room. I *had* to get Boynton for this bib because Boynton for Brayden's bib just makes me happy. I ♥ alliteration. :)

I am also happy to report that the Double Secret Super Classified Oh So Mysterious project is officially a *finish*! I've snapped the pics, wrapped it up and will send it out tomorrow. I'm not 100% thrilled about the quality of my stitching, but it's not half bad for a first attempt at one over on 32 ct fabric ifIdosaysomyself.

Blind Update

2007-04-29T09:12:00.000-05:00

I've completed the first two parts of the three-part Double Secret Super Classified Oh So Mysterious Project! Woohoo! I'm really happy with what's been completed, it's a great design and I'm making pretty good progress.

No pictures, of course. :D Just an update.

And, I've settled on what I'll be doing next for my son. Little Man needs a new backpack. He's 4 and in preschool, but he's still carrying around the teeny tiny Scooby Doo backpack he's had since he was 2! So, I think we'll get him a plain colored Jansport type backpack, and I'll stitch a few patches and mount them on velcro. That way he can change up the design whenever he wants! He's picked out a fish that he likes, and I'll find a few other patterns for him as well. I'm looking forward to it!!

The Elephant In The Room

2007-04-25T10:39:00.000-05:00

Oh how I wish I could share my Double Secret Super Classified Oh So Mysterious Project pictures, because I'm making a lot of progress on that! But, alas, the wall must be maintained.

So, I'm dragging out this old project which I have been dutifully ignoring for almost 3 years. :) I am very much a project-oriented person. I like to start things and finish them, and I hate a big pile of loose ends. Trying to plow through this enormous project was a big part of why I burnt out on cross stitching and set it aside for years.

This pattern is for my Dad. He actually has this print up on his wall, so I thought I'd cross stitch it for him.

As you can see, it's huge. And it has a lot of very similar colors (the better to go blind with, my dear!) as well as metallic threads (SO hard to work with!). To make matters worse, I stitched this much of it before I realized that the background portion was supposed to be stitched over two squares.

So, I had to scrap it all and start again. I got this far before I neatly folded it back up in it's envelope, put it aside and set about the business of pretending it didn't exist.

Now that I'm embracing the idea of rotation, it's time to start entertaining the idea of thinking about the possibility of maybe someday thinking about picking this one back up. lol

A Top Secret Project

2007-04-23T16:02:00.000-05:00

I just started this piece last night. Thanks to an Internet fairy named Wendy for helping me find the pattern. I have to be cryptic because this is for someone who reads the blog. Hi someone! :)

This is my first time working with a 32 ct fabric. Actually, my first time working with anything but 14 ct aida. It took some getting used to! I'm working one over one (thanks tkdchick ;) because I need the piece to stay very small.

I won't be able to post any further progress on this one because it's going to start taking shape very soon. I'll put up the finished pieces as soon as I can!

BackStitching is BS

2007-04-22T07:52:00.000-05:00

Ok, not really. But, I couldn't resist. :) I have a few more leaves to backstitch, some curlie-q's and then I need to figure out what color to use to backstitch the perimeter of the A since I changed the color from the chart. Then, I'm done!

I also realized that I'm not the sharpest needle in the pin cushion as it turns out I actually *do* have the colors needed to backstitch the N as well. I was just reading the chart wrong. So, there goes my excuse to buy the full set of DMC. For now...

And, I'm going to start working on a project for my son, who has been patiently requesting something anything just for him. That should come as a relief, since you all have to be as bored of these letters as I am by now!

Big A, Little Progress

2007-04-19T11:47:00.000-05:00

I've done a little more stitching on the A. Not a lot as I've been tutoring every night this week. I really love the colors in this one. But, I'm not happy about how the blue stitches in the butterfly look very x-ey. There's no backstitching on that area in the design, but I think I'm going to have to add some to tone down the Frankenstein vibe.

Next, I need to finish up the butterfly, add some leaves, backstitch and then this one will be done! Now, I'm starting to have to think about how on Earth I'm going to get these into a quilt. :P I'm going to try to find a quilter in my area to sew the stitching and other patches together - I'll do the cutting. Any thoughts on what would be a reasonable price for me to offer...?

Two steps forward, one step back.

2007-04-17T10:04:00.000-05:00

I finished the cross stitching on the "N"! Woohoo! Then, I went to start the backstitching and realized I had ignored the backstitch column when I went thread shopping, so I don't have any of the colors I need. Boohoo!

So, I put it a little more work on the "A" instead. I'm kind of digging the black. Adds a little edge! Once the butterfly fills in, the two patches will coordinate more as the colors are in both designs.

The Cross-Stitcher's Complete Companion

2007-04-15T14:42:00.000-05:00

I've done my share of patterns that just don't work out. In my experiences, the designer usually either picked funky colors that aren't true to the picture, got overly complicated or overly simple.

Every design I've done out of The Cross-Stitcher's Complete Companion has come out beautifully! Of what I've posted, Twinkle Toes and Jungle Love were from this book. I've found the designs and colors very nice and the fractional stitches kept to an absolute minimum without sacrificing detail. And that keeps you zipping through the designs!

The number of motifs are staggering and there are a lot of tips on finishes and technique that are very helpful for a relative novice like myself.

Slowly coming along...

2007-04-14T14:42:00.000-05:00

While these patches are for a crib sized quilt for my daughter, at this rate, they may make it in time for a queen sized quilt wedding gift. :)

Haven't mentioned yet that these designs are from Butterfly Garden Alphabet by Carol Schmidt and Leisure Arts.

Twinkle Toes

2007-04-12T12:43:00.000-05:00

Just finished this little ballerina last night! This has to be one of my favorites of all the things I've stitched. This was made for my cousin to give to her friend. I think I'm going to have to do another one for my daughter! The only thing I'm not thrilled about is the backstitching on the skirt, which I think would have been nicer in a dark blue. If I do this pattern again, I'll change that.

This is yet another bib to be worn by yet another bear for yet another baby. :) Ah, Spring.

A Little Progress

2007-04-09T12:05:00.000-05:00

I've made a little progress on the N for Baby A's quilt. I really love the colors on these initials. I have a book with all 26 letters, and the three I am using (A, N & M) all have very similar color schemes - and one that goes with the colors we already have in her room! I only had to change the color for the actual letter on A, and I pulled it out of another place in the design. It feels very serendipitous that it's all come together like that!

Lauren's Lamb

2007-04-05T12:38:00.000-05:00

Today's baby bib is a present to a treasured friend whose baby turns one today. Mom loves Care Bears and stars and this was the perfect combination of the two! The only thing that isn't perfect is this darn lamb, but I couldn't find the perfect white bear to wear this special little bib.

I was also inordinately pleased with my wrapping job, so I tossed up a picture of that too. :)

Jungle Love

2007-04-02T13:00:00.000-05:00

The latest projects, leaving the house today. (Hopefully.) These were made for a friend who recently had her second baby and whose first baby will be two next week.

I designed this as a nameplate for a bedroom door, but it could - of course - be hung wherever Howard's little heart desires.

The lion of backstitching fame and the bear who wears him.

WIPs

2007-03-29T08:25:00.000-05:00

Works In Progress (WIPs). Ah, that brings back warm memories of Accounting 211. Or, well...memories anyway.

I have a few projects on hold until after The Deluge of Baby Bibs ebbs.

The first involves two small floral pieces that I found tucked into a book almost completed. I'm not sure why I stashed them without finishing them, but I'm glad I found them! They're for my daughter but I haven't decided what to do with them yet. I'm leaning toward making one a hanging door plate with her name and sewing the other onto a small bag.

The second project is a baby quilt for my daughter. Both of my children already have beautiful Hawaiian quilts made for them by their Nana. But, I'd also like a patchwork quilt for my daughter with a few cross stitched squares. Unfortunately, I do not quilt or own a sewing machine. But, I'm starting with the cross stitched squares and will cross the quilting bridge when I come to it. :)

I originally intended to do her initials, but the letters are smaller than I thought and I may end up doing her whole first name. I got about halfway done with this letter then realized I didn't have one color that I needed for the next section.

So, I moved onto the next letter and got a very small section done before I needed to get cracking on those baby gifts.

I'm finishing up the last of the gifts and will start working on getting these WIPs on to FGs and eventually COGS (well COGGs). And I thought I'd never use Accounting in real life...

I'm bringing StitchingBack

2007-03-28T13:01:00.000-05:00

Backstitching is an outlining stitch done with a single thread that is used to define a piece of needlework. When I first started cross-stitching years ago, I ignored the backstitch instructions. Partly because, once you finish cross-stitching, you want to be done! Woohoo! This piece is finished! And having to go back over the entire piece again is a special kind of purgatory. But, also partly because I didn't really think it made a difference.

I just finished this piece today, and I think it illustrates really clearly how important backstitching can be.

I'm almost finished with this. Just need to go back and stitch baby's name in and then...one more bib down!

The maiden voyage.

2007-03-27T08:35:00.000-05:00

This is my very first piece, made almost 4 years ago when my son was just a few months old. In the right light, you can still see the slightly dingy mark left by the oils of my left hand where it came in contact with the hoop. And you can see that I didn't do any blocking as the cloth is pretty skewed and you can still see the fold mark on the aida from packaging. I'm leaving all that as it is, because I kind of like the novice touch.

Mine was inspired by a piece of yarn embroidery that my mom made for me when *I* was a wee few months.

Libby's Bib

2007-03-25T08:23:00.000-05:00

I've been on a serious baby bib jag lately. So many new babies! So many first birthdays! This is one I stitched for my cousin's first baby, born last month. I've learned over the years, that nobody will put a handstitched bib on a drooling, feeding baby. So, when I give a baby bib as a gift, I tie it around a teddy bear's neck for display in baby's room.

A single step.

2007-03-25T08:20:00.000-05:00

I love cross stitching and I love blogs, but I can't seem to find the perfect stitching blog. Which, I guess, is a blog that talks about me! and my! stitching. :) So, here we go on that journey of a thousand miles...