My Very Amateur Needlebook

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!

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.

Catchin' up, catchin' up!

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

I'm done!

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

My First Finish!

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!

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 :)

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.

A New Heart

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.

Finding Nemo

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?

No More Monkey Business!

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

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!

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

Another One Bites The Dust!

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

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!

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.

The Reveal!

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.

Another Day, Another Bib

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

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!!

A Top Secret Project

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!

Twinkle Toes

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.