"Simplicity Goodness Truth" by Heart's Content

I really had a blast doing this one. It's stitched one-over-one on some hand-dyed fabric, and it has several specialty stitches (four-sided stitch, double and single eyelets, shell stitch, queen stitch, star stitch, diamond eyelet, Scottish square stitch, sawtooth satin, and star stitch). The original chart is 8 inches square, and the finished design is only a little more than 3 inches square.

"H is for House and Home and the Herringbone Stitch" - Erica Michaels

This is another design from the Cross Stitcher's Surprise Series from Rainbow Gallery. The last year, instead of being designs for each month, was a set of designs for each letter of the alphabet. As of "XYZ," there will be no more designs in the series. Again, I used my own threads for this, so the colors are a combination of DMC Variations, Crescent Colors, and Gentle Arts Sampler Threads. (I'm having fun stitching with overdyed floss!)

"Harvest Pumpkin" (November) - Linda Stolz for Erica Michaels

This is part of the 2005 Cross Stitcher's Surprise Series from Rainbow Gallery. Linda Stolz of Erica Michaels designed several years' worth of these, which can be found at the Rainbow Gallery website. I didn't use any Rainbow Gallery fibers, though - mine is stitched with Crescent Colors and Gentle Arts Sampler Threads.

"Chocolate Makes Your Clothes Shrink" by Waxing Moon Designs

I changed the colors a bit in this one - I didn't have the overdyed floss the pattern called for (Six Strand Sweets), so I used some Crescent Colors. I also used two chocolate kisses buttons (Just Another Button Company) instead of one. This is going to my niece Allison since she just bought her first home - she has a wicked sense of humor, so I think this will make a fine housewarming gift!

"Kathy's Violets" by Martina Weber (Chatelaine)

This one is a freebie from Martina Weber (Chatelaine). I did it for a seasonal exchange on CSRR. The frames I ordered are here, and I just need to mount this on some mounting board and stain a frame for it. Martina designed several small mandalas, and this is the second one I've done (the first was Lavender Garden, which was published in TGOSM). I framed this in a little frame that I stained myself - I found some stuff at Michaels, that when mixed with acrylic paint, turns the acrylic paint into a stain.

First Post of 2008

I can't believe it's been a month since I last posted here. I've been preoccupied with my other blog (Ruminations), cooking, gathering recipes, doing meal plans, but still doing a lot of stitching. The past couple of weeks I've been working on "Calico Cats," and still have about 3 more cats and some background to do. But I'm setting it aside for now. I've started a mystery SAL of a design by Helga Mandl and Barbara Ana Astray Mendez. It's with the Yahoo group wXSw (Wonderful XS World). I'll be posting an update of that one in a day or two - I've just barely started it.

Over winter vacation we camped in San Diego and Oceanside, and I worked on a few other small pieces. They need finishing, but I'm still going to show pics of them.

This is a Bent Creek Snapperville piece called "Homestead." One of the reasons I stitched it was so I could use overdyed threads. I've really enjoyed taking a chart like this and selecting my own color choices. This will be easy to frame on my own since it's square. I can find a cute square frame at Michaels's or JoAnn's.

Here's another Bent Creek Holiday Snapper in honor of Arbor Day. Both of the Bent Creek pieces are stitched on a 28-count linen called Whittenburg. I like the salt-and-pepper look of this fabric.

This is an unfinished Christmas ornament from Just Cross Stitch Magazine, and the designer is monsterbubbles. I haven't attached a charm yet, but that will happen when I get around to finishing the ornament pillow-style on some bright pink cloth. The original date was 2006, but I changed it to 2008 - it shows up better in person.

I didn't stitch this - Cassandra did. She drew my name for the International Exchange on CSRR, and this arrived while I was on vacation. Isn't it cute?










So what did I accomplish in 2007? Well, I started stitching again after a 20-year layoff, and in 6 months finished 45 pieces. I've learned all about stitching on linen, developed a passion for overdyed floss, and have recently learned how easy and fun one-over-one stitching can be.

What's planned for 2008? Here are some major goals:

1. "Calico Cats"
2. "Simplicity Goodness Truth"
3. "Crabby All Year"
4. wXSw Mystery SAL
5. Signature RR in CSRR
6. as many other RRs as I can do time-wise with CSRR
7. have fun stitching!

Ornament Exchange

This came yesterday from Monique in the Netherlands. It's for the Xmas Ornie Exchange group I'm in, that has participants from all over the world. Monique made the Santa with Pear design from Prairie Schooler, and she stitched it one-over-one. I love lace border she sewed on - makes me wish I could use a sewing machine! Isn't it lovely? And the floss is DMC 4210, a Color Variations floss called Radiant Ruby. It's absolutely perfect for stitching more Christmas ornaments. I didn't know DMC made floss that looked like this - it's like the overdyed flosses I like so much. Thanks so much, Monique!

Days 5 and 6 of Twelve Days Exchange

Days 6 and 7 brought me a little black bag I can use to store some stash in, plus a little nutcracker ornament to stitch! Thanks, Doreen!

Stitching One Over One

This is the upper left corner of "Simplicity Goodness Truth," a design from Heart's Content. I tried a one-over-one piece a few weeks ago when I did the little ornament from Follow the Leader, and I liked how the tiny stitches looked. I deliberately left my thumb in the picture for scale. This is fun, and I know the final piece is going to look great. I'm really glad I have a magnifying lens!

Day Four - Another Ornament to Stitch!

Day four brought me a Mary Engelbreit wreath to stitch, and it came with the floss and a little fram to hang it in, too!

"All is Calm" - SamSarah Design Studio/Just Another Button Company

This little ornament/bag is from the 2003 JCS Ornament Issue. I tried to follow the finishing instructions and make a lining, but the directions defeated me and I made the bag without it. It's still cute, and I think it's perfect for filling with candy canes or other Christmas candy.

Button, Button, Who's Got the Button?

I do! This is what I received for day 3 of the 12 Days of Christmas exchange. I"ll paint the apple one red - and now I need to find a great apple-themed biscornu pattern. The rest will be great embellishments for more projects.

My Newest Stitching Gadget

Where I sit to stitch most of the time, both at home and in my trailer, the only way I can see is to turn on a big overhead light. I don't have an Ott light, nor a lamp to my left. I have a lamp to my right here at home, but I'm right-handed, and it casts a shadow on my stitching and isn't bright enough. Yesterday I took Don to Bass Pro Shops in Rancho Cucamonga to let him pick out some Christmas presents (reel, jigs, flies, etc.) and saw this cap light at the reels counter. It clips on the brim of your baseball cap, and adjusts to shine wherever you want it to shine. I have it on the left side of the brim, so that it shines towards my stitching and lights up the area where I'm working. I like it because I can use it at the same time as the magnifying lens that clips on my Q-snap frame. Now Don won't complain about the bright overhead light anymore!

"Liberty" - Shepherd's Bush

This was a little Shepherd's Bush kit I bought in Las Vegas last month; the frame is a 99¢ wooden frame from Michaels that I painted with acrylics. In real life it looks maroon, and matches the red of the flag.

Day Two of the 12 Days Exchange

Doreen doesn't know it, but I needed these. I keep my scrapbooking scissors by my chair to use when I'm stitching here at home, but I wanted a pair for my purse for when I take a piece to work on at the doctor's office or some other place that requires waiting. These are folding scissors, and I love the tin Doreen put them in! Now I have to make a scissors fob for my new scissors!

My First Biscornu!

Will someone please tell me why these things are so fun to make? What purpose do they serve? But then again, what purpose does our craft serve anyway? I guess I'll answer my own question about the biscornu - they're quick, easy, and really cute.

This one is called Sweet Christmas, and it's designed by Helga Mandl. I stitched a Halloween piece by her in October, and decided to turn this ornament design into a biscornu. I used the tutorial from Own Two Hands - a well-done tutorial, which really made this an easy task. The button is from Just Another Button Company.



This is the bottom side - I didn't want to stitch the design twice so I just put a few stitches in each corner and used an ordinary red button.

On the First Day of Christmas...

One thing that a lot of people don't know is that the 12 days of Christmas are not the 12 days leading up to it, but the 12 days between Christmas and January 6, the Epiphany. But that being said, I will go with the flow on the 12 Days of Christmas exchange that I signed up for on CSRR.

The exchange works like this - we exchange 12 packages, and beginning today we open one at a time and write about them on our blog or on the CSRR message board. My partner for this exchange is Doreen, from Canada, and above are the 12 gifts she sent.


So here was the first package - it's a beautiful kit of ornaments from Dimensions. I will definitely be stitching these, since I like to make and give away ornaments!

"Fishing" - Hinzeit

I just put this in the mail to Gary, our fishing friend from Las Vegas. The original design called for two very drab colors, but I wanted it to be a little more colorful, so I used "Burnt Toast" Waterlilies silk thread from Caron. It's stitched two threads over one on pale green 18-count Irish Cork linen, and the frame was stained by me to match the red tones in the threads. I'm going to stitch another one for Don and me to hang in our trailer, but instead of charms, I'll use flies. Don says he has a few he can give me, and I can pick up the rest at Sport Chalet.

Man with Flag - Heart in Hand

This is a square I did for SOLAK, and the design is one of the Monthly Miniatures from Heart in Hand Needleart. The pattern originally called for three white star buttons, but since this is going on a quilt, I just stitched the stars.

December Goals and a Look Back at November

I really, really did not even do well as far as November goals went. Why do I even set them when I'm going to go off and do my own thing? I guess I need to keep trying, though. I DID do a lot of stitching.

Here were the November goals:
1. Start "Alpine Seasons Garden" mandala (Nope, didn't even do that.)
2. Finish January on "Crabby All Year" (Almost done.)
3. Stitch at least 3 charity squares (Did one)
4. Stitch at least one LizzieKate snippet or flip-bit (Nope, none.)
5. Stitch at least 3 jar lids (Nope, none).

Here's what I DID do:
1. Finished "Merry Yule" ornament (Erica Michaels)
2. Finished "O Christmas Tree" ornament (Follow the Leader)
3. Finished "Winter Whitetail" ornament (Something in Common)
4. Finished stitching "Colorado" bell pull (Fireside Originals)
5. Finished stitching "Flock of Briar Root" (Tina Richards/before she was Shepherd's Bush)
6. Finished "As Bethlehem Slept" ornament (Shepherd's Bush)
7. Finished stitching "Liberty" (Shepherd's Bush)
8. Finished stitching Dutch (Hollandaise) Cow [for WOCS]
9. Finished "Winter" ornament (Prairie Schooler)
10. Finished "Rocky Mountain Christmas" ornament (Jeannette Douglas)
11. Finished "Hanuka Tova" ornament (Periphaeria Designs)
12. Started "Simplicity Goodness Truth" (The Heart's Content)
13. Finished "Carousel Jumper" for CSFC
14. House/trees mitten [for WOCS]

See? I got a lot done - just not what I'd planned. So let's see if I can put together some December goals that I'll actually try to accomplish!

1. Finish January in "Crabby All Year"
2. Texas Cow for WOCS
3. Pine Trees mitten for WOCS
4. "Joy" ornament - SamSarah
5. Lighthouse towel for my friend Patrick
6. Smiling Uncle Sam square for SOLAK
7. At least two more ornaments
8. "Fishing" piece for Gary
9. "Fishing" piece for Don
10. Start February in "Crabby All Year"
11. Peppermint Candy biscornu

Stitching Blogger's Question of the Week

What tips would you give to a new stitcher to help her stitch faster and neater while still keeping it enjoyable?

1. Use one of those sponge-in-a-box things to dampen your floss after you've separated it and are ready to thread your neeedle. I wrote about it and gave a picture here.
2. Check the back of your piece often for loops - before you've stitched another 50 stitches and have to go back to undo them.
3. Count twice. Count often. Our hobby used to be called "Counted Cross Stitch," and the emphasis is on counting, not frogging (undoing)!
4. I'll steal this tip from Nancy of Cross Stitches and Kitty Kisses: when you're stitching a long horizontal row, stitch one way, put a cross every 10 stitches, then go back the other way. Great idea Nancy!
5. Use a Q-Snap frame instead of a hoop. It's much gentler on your fabric, especially on your already-completed stitches. And I'll add a tip about Q-Snaps: to keep them from losing their tightness, turn the clamps inward to loosen them every time you lay your work down to do something else or quit for the day. It takes the tension off the clamps and also off your fabric.

For more info on SBQ, go here.

"Cape Hatteras" by Fulmer Craft - National Park Needlework Collector Series - Framed

I promised the story behind this, so here it is. My brother Barry, who died of lung cancer last year at the age of 53, loved lighthouses. He especially loved this one, which stands on the shore of North Carolina, where he lived. Back in about 1961, our family moved to Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, from Panama. Daddy felt it was important for us to see our country's heritage, so we spent many weekends traveling in Virginia and North Carolina. I remember very well our trip to Kitty Hawk, where the Wright Brothers flew their little plane, and to Cape Hatteras, where we visited the famous striped lighthouse. At that time, Barry was about 8 years old and was a big fan of GI Joe. He also was very clever, and created numerous parachutes for his GI Joe figures. When we went to Cape Hatteras, Barry saw the perfect opportunity to launch his parachutes from a great height. Time and time again he climbed the staircase inside the lighthouse up to the top, where he threw his GI Joe figure and parachute into the winds. We all watched the figure float down to the beach, where Barry scooped it up and ran once more to the lighthouse for another climb to the top.

As the years went by and we grew up and moved to opposite sides of the country, I would not forget his love of this lighthouse. I sent him a ceramic figurine of it once, and I still covet the one he painted which hangs at my mother's house. I saw this design at the Iron Kettle store in Cody, Wyoming this summer, and knew I had to stitch it for his wife, Alice. I hope she likes it. I'm sure she will.

Three More Ornaments Finished

These are all ornaments I stitched while I was at Lake Mead. The first one is from Lady Periphaeria of Periphaeria Designs. It originally called for stitching the Hebrew words "Hanuka Tova," but I decided to leave them out. This will be given to my friend and colleague Mike, who has been very gracious about my curiosity regarding Judaism.








This little ornament was designed to be a scissors fob but I just made it an ornament. It's called "Rocky Mountain Christmas," and is designed by Jeannette Douglas. The border is made of Rhodes, Rice, and Smyrna stitches.










From the 2006 Just Cross Stitch Christmas issue, this is called "Winter," from Prairie Schooler.

Dutch (Hollandaise) Cow [for WOCS]

This is for a French Silly Cows quilt for WOCS. I stitched it because I thought the design was really cute. I can't wait to see the finished quilt!

Received from Marlies

One of the groups I belong to is Crazy Exchange - a group of stitchers who like to send and receive things we make. I sent Marlies a little fairy hanger and she sent me this cute star hanger. Thanks, Marlies!!!!