A Finish of a Different Kind

Today is John's birthday.  To commemorate the day, I took the day off of work and we drove to Milwaukee to tour the Pabst Mansion.  I had been there a number of years ago and I was anxious to see the rooms that had been restored since my last visit.  John had never been there.  It is truly a wonderful place, and well worth the visit if you are in the area.







 We stopped for dinner on the way home, but went back to my house for dessert.  I had baked John's favorite cake, a spice cake.  This recipe has been in his family for generation, and I bake it for him each year.  It was yummy, but quite big for just the two of us.  John will be eating cake for quite awhile!

WIP Wednesday

I started on this Christmas table runner on Monday (I had purchased someone's UFO, but instead of continuing on I had to rip out everything that was done because the stitcher had used some unidentified floss colors)  I stitched merrily away on Monday and Tuesday, only to discover I had used the wrong poinsettia motif in the square and had to pull it all out, but I did manage to finished one square by late Wednesday evening.....I hope to stitch one square a day until it is finished.

IHSW Results

Hello blogging buddies.  I bet you expected to see a picture of what I stitched this weekend.....well, I have nothing to show you.  I spent a lot of time stitching, and a lot of time ripping out said stitches, so I've got nothing, nada, zip!

I had decided to do a 4-seasons leaf piece over one on 25 count, and had ordered a lovely piece of hand dyed fabric especially for this piece, but as I was about to start I realized there were lots of blended threads.  No problem, I thought, I will just use two strands.....well, after quite a bit of stitching, I realized I didn't like how it looked so I pulled it all back out again.  On Sunday, I thought to myself, since the two strands looked to bulky, I will just do a tent stitch instead of a full cross, and stitched merrily away for most of the day, but......again I didn't like how it looked, so I pulled it all out again.  At the end of the weekend, I was left with a blank piece of fabric and a massive headache.  I ordered more of the same hand dyed color in 32 count and 28 count, and will start over on one of those when it comes.......hope your weekend was better than mine.

Another IHSW!

The second International Hermit and Stitch Weekend this month!  What a bonus.  I have folk dance rehearsal to run on Friday evening, and have to meet with the electrician at German School on Saturday to work on the placement of the flat screens that are being installed, but then I have plans to stitch!

Another Finish!

I know, it's WIP Wednesday, but I finished the current WIP this morning, when I quickly added the beads before heading off to work.   This is the Spring Fob by Lizzie*Kate and it completes all four seasons! 

They will be 'finished' eventually......

IHSW results - a finish

Not as much stitching time this weekend as I would have liked.  A wake in the city on Friday after work, a funeral all day Saturday took up some valuable stitching time.  The visit from the grandchildren on Sunday was a welcome one, hugs and kisses from them are even better than stitching!

I did manage to finish the Winter Fab Fob by Lizzie*Kate and managed to get a good chunk of the Spring Fob stitched too!

We, Of the Needle

During my travels, I stopped at We, of the Needle, in Brea, CA, last week.  I needed a skein of Weeks that the first shop I stopped at didn't have in stock. 












We, of the Needle was a pleasant little shop, but disappointingly low on charts.  Things were a bit hard to find, not really logically placed.  There was a large table in the center of one of the side rooms.  I couldn't walk around that room to look at things, because an employee was sitting on one side eating her lunch, and the owner of the framing department (I think) was busy surfing the net on the other. 








I purchased the one skein of floss that I needed, and that was it. 

Needlepoint, LTD

On my recent travels, I stopped in at Needlepoint, Ltd. in Garden Grove, CA.  It was a bit hard to find, as it is way in the back of a warehouse complex.  Once I got there, I actually called the store to make sure they were open as it looked rather deserted.  The shop had moved in to its present location in January, but from the looks of the place, you would think they moved in last week. 

The shop is very well stocked with every imaginable fibre!  They carry handpainted canvases, as well as counted canvas charts and counted cross stitch charts.  The charts however, are not really displayed well, and things are hard to find.  In fact, some of the chart packs are bent over in the displays so they are even harder to see. 

There were still boxes with charts that didn't seem to be unpacked yet from the move. 









Overall the shop seemed 'dusty' and disorganized, but I managed to find some things that I couldn't live without!

International Hermit and Stitch Weekend......take one

Since this is the third weekend of the month, it is time of the monthly IHSW.  But.....this weekend isn't the third Friday, so it is not a 'full' IHSW.  I am told we will therefore have 2 this month!  check back Monday to see if I actually had time to stitch!

World Cross Stitch Day!

Today, Friday, August 14, is World Cross Stitch Day......and I am at work.....bummer.......

Autumn Fob Finished

Autumn Fob is stitched!  Two more seasons to go! 

Summer Fob Finished

Stitched most of this one on the plane to California, except for the one color that I forgot at home.  Found an nice LNS in Brea and purchased the needed color, and now it's all stitched.  I will turn it into a fob when the other three seasons are stitched

Vacation!

I am in southern California this week!  I love seeing the palm trees line the streets!











I am spending some quiet time stitching by the pool, resting my poor tired feet!

My real reason for being in Anaheim, is for these amazing little people!  They performed beautifully and were great fun to be with!

Heart of America Finished

Heart of America by Little House Needleworks.  Stitched on the suggested fabric with the suggested fibres.  I was hoping to have this finished before August 1st, but that didn't happen.  But it is finished now!  I will wait for the framing sale at Welcome Stitchery to get it framed. 

July Progress, August Goals

Well, July has come and gone, and here it is August!  I had hoped to finish Heart of America before the end of July, but I didn't make it.  Busy at work, busy getting ready for German School, and not enough time to stitch!

July 2015

WISPS:

10 hours on Rocky Mountain Christmas  
Antique Map and Needlebook
Heirloom Christmas Sampler
Oveture II 

In Progress

Star in the Meadow petit stocking #2  finished

Future New starts

afghan pillow bear
afghan pillow moose
Crystal Violets
French Alphabet block sampler
Silent Night (CCN)
Around the World in 80 Days
Peter’s stocking
Mark & Karen’s wedding sampler
Tony & Melissa’s wedding sampler
4 person RR Marguerite’s
Carnival
Landon’s Stocking
Justin’s Ornament
Justin’s Birth Sampler
Heart of America  worked on it
Byzantine  finished
Horizonal Milanese  finished

August 2015

WISPS:

10 hours on Rocky Mountain Christmas  
Antique Map and Needlebook
Heirloom Christmas Sampler
Oveture II 

In Progress

Heart of America 

Future New starts

afghan pillow bear
afghan pillow moose
Crystal Violets
French Alphabet block sampler
Silent Night (CCN)
Around the World in 80 Days
Peter’s stocking
Mark & Karen’s wedding sampler
Tony & Melissa’s wedding sampler
4 person RR Marguerite’s
Carnival
Landon’s Stocking
Justin’s Ornament
Justin’s Birth Sampler
Summer Fob
Autumn Fob
Winter Fob
Spring Fob