Adjusting Our Sails

I stitched this quite some time ago, but just got it back from the finisher last week, who finished it as a flat fold for me.  I gave it to John yesterday for his birthday. 

It is an Erica Micheals chart, stitch on 28 count evenweave with 1 strand of DMC floss over 1 fabric thread.  It is small enough that he can display it on the sailboat if he wants, and I think he is planning to do that. 

Autumn Banner

I finished Autumn Banner by Nancy Cucci the other day.  It is a charted needlepoint piece done on 18 count mono canvas with Anchor floss.  I plan to finish it as a small bell pull but I need to find a charm to add to the bottom triangle section first.          This piece was taught at our ANG guild meeting last week.  Nancy Cucci has now designed matching banners for the other three seasons.  I am such a sucker for 4 seasons designs!

 

 

 

 

6 Fat Men Week 20

Ta Da!!  My 6 fat men are finished! 

After 20 weeks, actually I only stitched on 19 Mondays, and a total of 84 hours, my 6 little fat friends are all finished.

I will wait to pick out a frame until after the 6 ladies are done.

I will miss spending my Monday evenings with these guys, but in a few weeks, once I have picked out some fabric, I will continue with the 6 Snow Belles on Mondays. 

Snow Belles!

Just released by Lizzie*Kate......will make a great companion piece to 6 Fat Men....who is up for a Stitch-a-Long?

6 Fat Men Week 18 and 19

 This first picture was taken after stitching on 8-6-2012, which was week 18 of the SAL.  I made good progress, but it doesn't look like much.

This second picture was taken after stitching on 8-13-2012, which is week 19 of the SAL.  I finally feel like I am getting somewhere on this square, and feel like the end is in sight!  Perhaps only two more weeks and I will be done!

6 Fat Men Week 17

I forgot to take a picture at week 16, but there wasn't too much progress.  Not too much progress this week either, but it's getting there.  I just wish my Mondays weren't so busy so that I could spend more time stitching!

July Progress and August Goals

July wasn't too bad, stitching wise.  I am fairly happy with my progress, but I always wish there could have been more stitching time.  You will notice that two more items on my Work in Slow Progress list are finished.  That leaves 5 items on that list.  I hope to get at least one more of those finished this year and make some progress on the other 4. 

July Progress

WISPS:

Work on Bavarian Table Topper  
10 hours on Rocky Mountain Christmas  
work on Logan’s stocking 
Christmas heart canvas ornament 2011  finished
Needlepoint hearts 1   finished
Antique Map and Needlebook
Heirloom Christmas Sampler

 In Progress

Snow fun finished

Need to start

afghan pillow bear
afghan pillow moose
Photo booth
Sue Hillis Seasonal Baskets – stitch border
Natalie’s Birth Sampler
Quaker Rose Sampler
Snowman Ornament (Val’s Stuff)
Train ornament
Duck ornament
Mystery Sampler part 12 finished
Let it Snow  finished
Strawberry #4  finished
Mystery Sampler beading  finished
Snow Day worked on it
Needlepoint heart 2 finished
Hardanger Ornament #2 finished
Crystal Violets
Robin’s RR finished

August Goals

WISPS:

Work on Bavarian Table Topper  
10 hours on Rocky Mountain Christmas  
work on Logan’s stocking 
Antique Map and Needlebook
Heirloom Christmas Sampler

In Progress

Snow Day

Need to start

afghan pillow bear
afghan pillow moose
Photo booth
Sue Hillis Seasonal Baskets – stitch border
Natalie’s Birth Sampler
Quaker Rose Sampler
Snowman Ornament (Val’s Stuff)
Train ornament
Duck ornament
Crystal Violets

Results from this past weekend

I wasn't too much of a hermit this past weekend, but I did get to stitch and have a finish! 

Friday evening was a Children's Folk Dance Group rehearsal, and by the time I done dealing with all of the little darlings and got home, I was too tired to stitch.

Saturday, I went to the Des Plaines Library (at the crack of 10) for our monthly stitching get together.  I brought along this canvas piece that was barely started and stitched and stitched until I got too cold at about 3:30 (besides, my wrist was getting sore) and then I went home. 

After a few chores around the house and some Tylenol, I went back to stitching and even found some beads that would work and was able to finish it off before I went to bed.  I will do the companion piece another time, perhaps even next week.

Sunday I met Marguerite for breakfast and then we visited the Kane County IL fair so see the needlework that was entered.  What a disappointment!  We got their as the fair opened at noon, so we were able to park up close to the entrance.  There were no maps to tell us which building was which, and we found the textile entries by accident, the building wasn't even marked.  There were 3 (yes, three) counted cross stitch entries, one or two stamped embroidery entries and a few machine embroidery entries.  This fair doesn't give a Divisional Champion ribbon or have a Grand Champion, so I guess no one bothers entering.  Security was non-existent, so I would be afraid to enter there.  Oh well, at least we had breakfast and a nice visit!

IHSW again!

It's International Hermit and Stitch Weekend again! 

6 Fat Men Week 15

I am happy to say that I made a good bit of progress yesterday, and finished Let it Snow!

I even had a chance to start the border on Snow Day, which is the last square left to do.  

Black Cat Stitchery

It seems like every few weeks, another LNS announces that it is closing.  In Winthrop Harbor, Illinois, however, a new LNS just opened this past Mother's Day weekend.

 I had the opportunity to stop in at The Black Cat Stitchery last weekend.  It is a charming shop with lots of potential. 

The shop has just been open for two months, and is still growing.  They are sorely in need of models for their walls, and there isn't a lot of inventory but that could change as they grow.

Unfortunately, there is no web site, even though they have a nice newsletter that is sent out electronically if you sign up. 

I look forward to visiting again to see the shop grow.

Needlepoint Guild Retreat in Galena

The ANG Guild that I belong to has an annual retreat in Galena, IL each year.  It is held in a charming old hotel, The DeSoto House, which is the oldest continuously run hotel in the state.  Abraham Lincoln stayed there, Ulysses S. Grant used it as his campaign headquarters and it is said to have a resident ghost.   The rooms all have REAL keys! 

Lots of stitching and chatting and laughing!  It was a great weekend, starting and ending with some shopping at the Needle and I.  With the store closing, the 40% off sale was too good to pass up! 

6 fat men week 14



Not as much stitching time this Monday as I had hoped, but some progress was made.  I do see the end looming near!     Next year's piece by Lizzie*Kate is said to be "6 Fluffy Ladies"....not sure if I will be stitching that one or not.  I will have to see the charts first.

Patriotic Mail Art

I was involved in a Mail Art exchange recently, and here is the piece that I stitched for Marie. 

The design on the front is from Sue Hillis' It's Summer Chart.







The design on the back is from Sue Hillis' Liberty chart.  The fabric I used for the lining has fire crackers on it.

I enclosed a postcard of Chicago and two skeins of Weeks Dye Works Americana floss.

I hope Marie likes it!

Happy 4th!

Hope everyone had a happy 4th of July.  This is the trifle that I took to a party today.  It ended up being an indoor party instead of a picnic due to the heat, but was fun anyway. 

6 Fat Men Week 13

I finished Snow Fun this past Monday and made a bit of a start on Let It Snow. 

This is stitching up very quickly, and if I were to just stitch on ir for a few days, I would be done with the entire thing.   As tempting as that is, I will continue to just stitch on this on Mondays but I do think I will be done in a few weeks!

June Progress and July Goals

June was a good month, stitching wise!  3 more items on the Work in Slow progress list done, and 2 more from that list were worked on.  Total stitching time for the month was 117 hours, just 3 hours short of the 120 hours I was hoping for.  17 total finishes, too!  Although some of those were ornament, they were things that were hanging around, all kitted up for quite some time and I am happy to have them done.  Ornamantification will happen soon.

June Progress
WIPS:
Work on Bavarian Table Topper  worked on it
10 hours on Rocky Mountain Christmas  
work on Logan’s stocking 
Christmas heart canvas ornament 2010 finished
Christmas heart canvas ornament 2011 worked on it
Work on Crystal Iris  finished
Mystery Sampler part 7 finished
Needlepoint hearts 1  
Antique Map and Needlebook
Heirloom Christmas Sampler

In Progress

Snow House finished

 Need to start

afghan pillow bear
afghan pillow moose
Photo booth
Sue Hillis Seasonal Baskets – stitch border
Honey I Shrunk the Wreath ornament finished
Natalie’s Birth Sampler
Quaker Rose Sampler
Snowman Ornament (Val’s Stuff)
Train ornament
Duck ornament
Fox Scissor Fob finished
Margie’s RR finished
Mystery Sampler part 8 finished
Mystery Sampler part 9 finished
Mystery Sampler part 10 finished
Mystery Sampler part 11 finished
Mystery Sampler part 12
Snow fun worked on it
Bookmark finished
Congressional club seal ornament finished
Byzantine Ornament   finished
2^nd bookmark finished
Mailart finished
Hardanger Ornament  finished

July  Goals

WIPS:
Work on Bavarian Table Topper  
10 hours on Rocky Mountain Christmas  
work on Logan’s stocking 
Christmas heart canvas ornament 2011
Needlepoint hearts 1  
Antique Map and Needlebook
Heirloom Christmas Sampler

In Progress

Snow fun

Need to start

afghan pillow bear
afghan pillow moose
Photo booth
Sue Hillis Seasonal Baskets – stitch border
Natalie’s Birth Sampler
Quaker Rose Sampler
Snowman Ornament (Val’s Stuff)
Train ornament
Duck ornament
Mystery Sampler part 12

6 FAt Men Week 12

Here is this week's progress.  I had hoped to get Snow Fun finished, but I just didn't have as much time as I needed. 

Look for a finish next week, though!

Thanks for stopping by!

4 Canvas Finishes

Honey I Shrunk the Wreath

I have been busy with the smaller canvas projects this past week. 
The first one is Honey I Shrunk the Wreath, which is freebie by Neon Flamingo.  I received this all kitted up at our ANG Christmas Party in 2010, and I have always want to stitch it, so I finally pulled it out and did it!  I have Quilted Wreath all kitted up ready to do, but haven't had a chance to start it.   Now I am itching to get to it!

Congressional Club Seal Ornament



The second piece is a small project from the Congressional Club Seal that the guild did a number of years ago.  I plan to finish it as an ornament

Fox Diamond Scissor Fob

The third piece I did is a scissors fob design, designed by Eileen Gurak of Handblessings Designs, exclusively for our guild's 40th Anniversary luncheon.  We received the kit at the luncheon this past April.

Byzantine Ornament

The Byzantine Ornament was kitted up for us at the 2011 ANG Guild Christmas Party and is a freebie from the Caron Collection.  I actually had printed out the chart a year prior, intending to stitch it but never got to it.

The three ornaments still need to be ornamentified, and the scissor fob needs to be finished, but that will be for another day!  Right now, I am happy the stitching is done.


Excuse the wierd formatting, Blogger is being wonky this evening!

Questions.....and some answers

Tammy tagged me and asked me the 11 questions below.  I need to answer them, then write up 11 questions of my own, and tag 11 people so they can answer them.  Here goes!

1. Favorite pattern ever stitched-show a picture if you can - Quilted Flag by Neon Flamingo

2. Favorite junk food to have while stitching. ! Chocolate !

3. Your Favorite Blog to visit:   Riona's blog, she posts such interesting things!

4. Do you leave comments on blogs?  I don't post comments very often, I don't think people really want to read what I have to write.

5. Do you reply to your comments on your blog?  I try to, when I remember!

6. Your favorite thread to work with ie. DMC, Anchor, sampler, weeks ect. Glorianna and Dinky Dyes silks!

7. Do you know a male stitcher? I met one once......

8. what is the biggest stitched piece you have stitched?  Rocky Mountain Christmas - about 30 hours left to stitch and it will be done!

9. What is the farthest away you have traveled to go to a stitching store, what was it called?   I have been to shops in Alaska and Europe.  The one in Austria is probably the furthest one, but I don't know the name.  My cousin took me there as it is her LNS.

10. Favorite tool to use with stitching  my eye glasses!

11. and last but not least Do you like stitching for others or yourself and why?  I love to stitch for family and friends, but I hate deadlines!

Here are my questions:

1.  Where is your favorite place to stitch?  In my comfy stitching chair!

2.  What is your favorite shop (brick and mortar or on-line) to purchase your supplies?  Welcome Stitchery in Crystal Lake IL

3.  What is your favorite specialty stitch?  Rhodes Hearts - they are so pretty!

4.  Which specialty stitch do your least enjoy?  Queen Stitches

5.  French knot, colonial knot or Mill Hill knot?  Definately a 'Mill Hill' knot!

6.  How much stitching time to do get per day or week or month?   I try to stitch an average of 3 hours per day

7.  Do you keep a stitching journal and if so, what do you include?  I do keep a journal of sorts, it includes start and finish dates, how many hours of stitching time on the project, as will as fabric and fibres used and if it is a gift, model or for myself.

8.  Besides counted cross stitch, what other forms of needlework do you do?  Crewel, embroidery, counted canvas, and hardanger.  I can crochet too, but haven't done that in a long time!

9.  When did you start stitching?  and why?  I was 6 years old when my Oma taught me stamped cross stitch and embroidery.  She said girls needed to keep busy and playing was not an option.

10.  Do you rotate your stitching projects or are you a 'one-at-a time' stitcher?  Definately a rotater, I find I get more done that way.

11.  How many UFOs, and WIPs do you have?  I refuse to call anything a UFO, so I have WIP and WISP, and I now have 11.  My goal is to finish a good portion of these this year, and to make some good progress on the ones I don't finish.


Here are the 11 stitchers that I am tagging:

1.  Riona
2.  Robin
3.  Katica
4.  Ranae
5.  Carolyn
6.  Joyce
7.  Rachel
8.  Kim
9.  Lillie
10.  Barbara
11.  Meari
(you should be able to click on each name to go to their blog if I did this right!)

They should now make up 11 questions and tag fellow stitchers.

Ok, have fun!  I can't wait to see your responses.