Joy and Peace

Here is the Little House Needleworks ornament that I stitched over the weekend.  It is Joy and Peace, No. 9 in the 2011 series.

Ornamentification will happen at a later date.

IHSW Report

I got lots of stitching in this weekend - since I was at a stitching retreat, it would have been sad if I didn't!

I finished:

• 1 mail art piece
• the border and wording on my Round Robin's piece
• Leta's Round Robin piece
• a needle felted blue bird
• a Little House Needleworks ornament!

Round Robins Again

Our Threads of Life Group started another 4 person Round Robin, and I started it off by being
behind.  While on our retreat, I stitched up the border on my own piece: Bon Appetit by Sue Hillis.  This has been in my to do mountain for quite some time, and I am thrilled that it will finally be stitched!













And I stitched my square on Leta's piece.  They will be in the mail to Sue on Tuesday.

Mail Art Class

Saturday's class at the retreat was a class on Mail Art, taught by yours truly!  I stitched up a new piece of mail art to demonstrate the finishing of a mail art piece done on stitch banding, but I can't show you the piece until the recipient gets it in the mail.  I promise to post a picture just as soon as it is received.

The class itself was well received and a lot of fun to put together.  Hopefully I have inspired everyone to create a piece of mail art of their own!

Needlefelting

At our retreat, there are usually two short classes offered.  The first class was Needlefelting taught by Eileen Gurak of Handblessings Designs.

We began by wadding up the wool and then stabbing it with needles with barbs at the one end, shaping it as we went along.  Two balls and a tail were fastened together by stabbing them with the needles.

Blue wook was then placed over part of the white wood and stabbed into place.  A tail was also added.

The blue bird needed a face and beak.

Wings were added, and here he is, all done!  Not as perfect as Eileen's but I am pretty proud of him anyway.  It was a fun class, with lots of laughter while we were stabbing away at the wool.

 

A Weekend in Galena, Illinois

 

The Fox Chapter of ANG (American Needlepoint Guild) is holding their annual retreat in Galena IL.  

We are staying at the De Soto House Hotel, the oldest operating hotel in Illinois.  It is a charming old hotel with 55 rooms and lots of history.  

 We stitch in the ballroom, and at one point sleep for a few hours. 

I was too busy stitching to take any pictures of the stitching room and the wonderful stitching going on, but did love this very first finish of the weekend by Irene Mast.  I need to add this to my to-do mountain.....

IHSW - June

It's International Hermit and Stitch Weekend again!  The weekend begins for me on Thursday!  check back on Monday to see how much I stitched!

Two Finishes in One Day!

Sunday evening, I finished this quick little project.  I picked up this Shepherd's Bush kit at Black Cat Stitchery on Saturday.  Once I finished the canvas heart, I didn't feel like getting up to get another project to stitch on.  This one was in arm's reach of my stitching chair and had everything I needed in the package, so I started stitching.  By the time it was time to go to bed, it was finished!

Huntington Heart Finished!

I put the last stitches into this project on Sunday afternoon.  This is the Huntington Heart by Nancy Cucci.  I took her pilot class last Saturday, and really enjoyed working on this one!

Ornamentification will happen at a later date.

Black Cat Stitchery Revisited

 Saturday morning, we set out at the crack of 9:30 to take the drive to Black Cat Stitchery in Winthrop Harbor IL.  I picked up Trudi and Michelle, and off we went in the rain!

An hour later we arrived at Black Cat Stitchery, a shop that has just celebrated it's 1 year anniversary.

Lea, Sara and Kay were already there and had been shopping for a bit.  Thanks to Kay's expert navigation and driving, they arrived without incident, much earlier that I expected.  Lea and Sara have a reputation for taking the "scenic route" whenever they go somewhere.

 In the year that elapsed since I last visited the shop, the inventory has been increased.  I was happy to see that!  There are also models up on the wall, which were rather bare last visit.  I did have an opportunity to speak to Erica, one of the owners, and she mentioned that their web site will be going live in a few weeks.  I was happy to hear that too!

Holly arrived a bit later, but wasted no time finding stitching goodies to take home with her.  Another Michelle also met us there!   We filled up the shop and kept Erica's business partner, Paula, quite busy at the cash register. 

After the stash enhancement, most of us drove up the road just a bit to the Stone Creek Grill for lunch.  The Stoney fries were yummy as was the rest of our meals.  We were so busy showing off our purchases, and chatting that we forgot to take a picture!

June TUSAL Report

Here is this month's ort jar....doesn't look like much, but there was a bunch of over one stitching, and not many orts produced from that stitching.

Pink Flowers on Gingham take 2

I stitched the first one a few months ago, and just finished the second one.   This is Pink Flowers on Gingham, a "Teenie Tweenie" by The Sweetheart Tree.   I hadn't planned to stitch this one twice, but the piece of fabric was large enough for two, so as not to waste any fabric, I stitched it again.  One to keep and one to give away.

Ornamentification will happen at a later date

Traveling Stitcher Finish

I stitched this over a year ago, but finally had a chance to finish attaching it to the pouches.....

This is the Traveling Stitcher by Little House Needleworks, attached to the pouches by Impie, Hattie and Bea.  I attached the larger piece a few weeks ago, but misplaced the stitched "Needles" piece.  After looking for something else in my stitching room, I found it, and immediately attached it so I wouldn't lose it again.

Nancy Cucci Day 2

Since Nancy Cucci came all the way from Huntington Beach, CA, we wanted to use her time wisely.  A second class was offered, and I jumped at the chance to take the My Jeweled Heart class.  I chose the Rose colorway, although either one would have been fine.

Here is a photo of Nancy demonstrating how to attach some crystals onto the canvas to a few stitchers.  Nancy is a wonderful designer and teacher, and her instructions and kits are very detailed and easy to follow. 

Here is what My Jeweled Heart will look like when I finish stitching it.  Hopefully it will be sometime this century!

 

 

 

 

Nancy Cucci Day 1

Our ANG chapter hosted Nancy Cucci, who came to conduct a pilot class of her new design, Huntington Heart, which will be presented at the ANG National Seminar in Anaheim, CA this summer. 

 

I was thrilled to be part of this class!  Here is the canvas and all the supplies that we were given.  We stitched all day.  It was slow going with lots of instruction, but the day flew by too quickly!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Here is what it will look like when I am finished stitching, some time this century.....

 

It was espcially interesting to hear about the designing process and how the various sections evoke feelings of the movement of the waves and water...

Tomorrow is.....

International Yarn Bombing Day...

How will you celebrate?

Freshly Baked Take 2

I finished Freshly Baked Gingerbread for the second time last evening.


This is a design by Sue Hillis that was in the most recent Just Cross Stitch Ornament issue.  I stitched the first one earlier this year, and realized that the piece of fabric was large enough to stitch two, so not being one to waste fabric, it stitched two, one for me and one to give away. 

Ornamentification will happen at a later date.

Rose Quaker Progress

Here is Rose Quaker by Stickideen von der Wiehenburg, stitched on 25 count ivory Lugana with one strand of DMC over one fabric thread.  I have just completed page 5. 

3 more pages to go!

May Progress, June Goals

May was not as productive as I had hoped.  I did manage 5 finishes, and three "finished finishes" as well as taking 5 pieces to be framed.  Not as many blog posts either, but I hope to correct all of this in June.

May

WISPS:
10 hours on Rocky Mountain Christmas  
work on Logan’s stocking 
Antique Map and Needlebook
Heirloom Christmas Sampler

In Progress

Cubistic color wheel  finished
Lavender Hill  finished

Crazy January starts

Natalie’s Birth Sampler 

Future New starts

Joy and Peace
Snow in Love
Good Tidings
afghan pillow bear
afghan pillow moose
Crystal Violets
French Alphabet block sampler
Silent Night (CCN)
Around the World in 80 Days
Owen’s birth sampler
Peter’s Birth Sampler
Natalie’s Stocking
Owen’s stocking
Peter’s stocking
Mark & Karen’s wedding sampler
Tony & Melissa’s wedding sampler
Halloween House #15
Lavender Hill 2   finished
Rose Quaker page 3 finished
Strawberry #1 worked on it
Rose Quaker page 4  finished
Fresh Baked 2 worked on it

June

WISPS:
10 hours on Rocky Mountain Christmas  
work on Logan’s stocking 
Antique Map and Needlebook
Heirloom Christmas Sampler

In Progress

Strawberry #1
Fresh Baked 2
 
Crazy January starts
Natalie’s Birth Sampler 

Future New starts

Joy and Peace
Snow in Love
Good Tidings
afghan pillow bear
afghan pillow moose
Crystal Violets
French Alphabet block sampler
Silent Night (CCN)
Around the World in 80 Days
Owen’s birth sampler
Peter’s Birth Sampler
Natalie’s Stocking
Owen’s stocking
Peter’s stocking
Mark & Karen’s wedding sampler
Tony & Melissa’s wedding sampler
Halloween House #15
Rose Quaker page 5