A Visit to Village Stitches

While I was on the road to Branson, Missouri, last Thursday, I found myself near Bloomington, Illinois. My trusty GPS got me to Village Stitches without too much trouble, so I stopped in while I stretched my legs.

The shop was very cozy and inviting, and carried yarn and other knitting supplies, and needlepoint canvas and fibres as well as cross stitch supplies.

There were some lovely models in the shop, and lots and lots of fibres to choose from.

I found this darling mini tea cup pin cushion kit as well as the one skein of Gentle Arts Sampler Thread that I needed for a future project.

Allthough it is a small shop, with more emphasis on knitting than on cross stitching, they do have a fair amount of newer cross stitch charts and lots of yummy fibres to choose from.

11 Pages Done - 1 More to Go

The end is so near! I hope to finish up the last page sometime this month.

TUSAL - July 31st

I am traveling at the moment, and have left my overflowing ort jar at home. Here is a picture of my orts as a result of this weekend's stitching. Once I get home I will add it to the ort jar.

July Progress, August Goals

July
Work on Bavarian Table Topper no
10 hours on Rocky Mountain Christmas no
work on Logan’s stocking no
Christmas heart canvas ornament no
Work on Cloister garden no
Work on Crystal Iris no
LHN ornament Merry Skater finished
LHN ornament Happy Skater finished
Piecemaker’s Quilt square 7 finished
afghan pillow no
Logan's birth sampler worked on it 14.25 hours
Mystery Sampler part 7 no
Quilted wreath ornament no
EMS Rose Sampler part 11 finished
Photo booth no
EMS Monkey ornament finished
Sock monkey ornament finished
Baby’s first Christmas (Logan) finished
Baby’s first Christmas (Natalie) finished
Sue Hillis EEK ornament finished
Start 15 in January challenge:
January stocking project for ANG worked on it

August
Work on Bavarian Table Topper
10 hours on Rocky Mountain Christmas
work on Logan’s stocking
Christmas heart canvas ornament
Work on Cloister garden
Work on Crystal Iris
LHN ornament
Piecemaker’s Quilt square 8
afghan pillow
Logan's birth sampler
Mystery Sampler part 7
Quilted wreath ornament
EMS Rose Sampler part 12
Photo booth
Start 15 in January challenge:
January stocking project for ANG

Ready for Fall

I am not fond of Halloween. I rarely even look at Halloween designs. I was surprised to find myself paging through the Just Cross Stitch Halloween ornament issue. This little pumpkin really called me to stitch it, so here it is!

I still need to ornamentify it...but that will come at a later time.....

Merry Skater

I finished this ornament for Little House Needlework's 2010 series the other day. I need to fix one of her eyes before the ornamentification process begins.

I noticed a companion chart of a boy skater in an issue of Just Cross Stitch Ornaments Issue. I now have that one all kitted up and will be stitching it soon.

Baby's First Christmas

In a previous post, I mentioned that I would like to make an ornament each year for each of my grandchildren. Since Logan is already 2 years old, I needed to catch up! I have already shown you the monkey ornament and the sock monkey ornament for Logan.

Here are two Baby's First Christmas ornaments that are not yet ornamentified! One is for Logan and one is for Natalie. I am all caught up......until next year.

Edited to ad:

The design is a free chart on the Victoria Sampler website.

A Sock Monkey for Logan

I stitched up this sock monkey ornament last weekend for Logan. Just need to add the date and his name, and then off to ornamentify it!

The chart is from the 2010 (I think) Just Cross Stitch ornament edition, and was stitched on a random piece of 32 count linen with DMC floss.

July Quilt Square

I finished the July square to the Piecemaker's/Peacemaker's Quilt this week. I love the colors on this one. I don't have anything in my house that are these colors, so it will not match anything, but it's still fun to stitch!

A Different Kind of Finish

We were invited to a 4th of July party last weekend, and I volunteered to bring a desert. I needed something quick and easy, something that would work well on a buffet table, and something with a "wow" factor.

I found canoli shells at a local produce mart that specializes in Italian imports. After scouring the internet for filling recipes, finally found one that combined both ricotta and mascarpone cheese.

It was quite easy to mix up the filling, pipe it into the shells, and dip the ends into mini chocolate chips and chopped pistacioes. They were a hit! And they were quite tasty too!

A Monkey Ornament for Logan

I have decided that I want to stitch an ornament for each of my grandchildren every year and since Logan is already 2 years old, I am behind before I begin!

This monkey ornament is a freebie on the Ellen Maurer-Stroh website, and since Logan just loves monkeys, it is perfect for him. I still need to personalize it with his name and the year, but I am not sure where those two elements will appear.

Birth Sampler Progress

Here is Logan's birth sampler as of July 1st.

I am at the half way point, and am making steady progress on it.

Patriotic Stitching

Happy 4th of July!

Every year I try and stitch something patriotic on the 4th. This year I started early and finished before the 4th.

This is Red White and Bloom, by Country Cottage Needleworks, stitched on 30 count straw linen by Weeks Dye Works with Cresent Colours and Weeks Dye Works floss.

TUSLA - July

Here is the ort jar as of July 1st...lots of stitching was happening recently!

June Progress and July Goals

June Progress
Work on Bavarian Table Topper
10 hours on Rocky Mountain Christmas
work on Logan’s stocking
Christmas heart canvas ornament
Work on Cloister garden
Work on Crystal Iris
LHN Sheep ornament finished
Piecemaker’s Quilt square 6 finished
afghan pillow
Logan's birth sampler worked on it (about 10 hours)
Mystery Sampler part 7
Quilted wreath ornament
EMS Rose Sampler part 10 finished
Photo booth Love Happens finished
LHN Red House in Winter ornament finished
Red, White and Bloom finished
Monkey ornament worked on it
Start 15 in January challenge:
January stocking project for ANG


July Goals
Work on Bavarian Table Topper
10 hours on Rocky Mountain Christmas
work on Logan’s stocking
Christmas heart canvas ornament
Work on Cloister garden
Work on Crystal Iris
LHN ornament
Piecemaker’s Quilt square 7
afghan pillow
Logan's birth sampler
Mystery Sampler part 7
Quilted wreath ornament
EMS Rose Sampler part 11
Photo booth
Start 15 in January challenge:
January stocking project for ANG

Photobooth Love Happens

I finished my second Bent Creek Photobooth chart the other day. I hope to eventually do them all.

This one was really cute and a fun stitch.

EMS Rose Sampler Part 10

Here it is, 10 parts done, 2 parts to go!

If you haven't been following my journey on this piece, it is stitch on 25 count Lugana, over one fabric thread with one strand of floss. I love working on it.

A Bib for Natalie!

I received this darling stitched bib in the mail the other day from Debi!

Natalie will wear it soon!

Thanks, Debi!

Red House in Winter

I got the last skein of floss I needed for this one the mail and just had to start stitching! I know, I already did my LHN Ornament for June, but I couldn't help myself!

This one didn't need any beads or buttons, and stitched up very quickly.

I return now to my regular list of stitching goals....well, maybe......

Winter Sheep

Another Little House Needleworks 2010 ornament finished! This was the 5th ornament for 2010.

It needs a small cardinal button, which I will pick up next time I am at Welcome Stitchery.

Giving Thanks

I have had this chart all kitted up for quite some time, and finally had a chance to stitch it up.

The chart was free from Just Another Button Company when you purchased the buttons. It is one of the early pieces from the Stitch Every Day series. It didn't look like much until the buttons were added.

I already have the frame for it, so I hope to have it all framed by Thanksgiving.

Another Quilt Square done!

I finished square number sick on the Blessed are the Piece/Peacemakers Quilt by Handblessings Designs.

I look forward to the next square.

Joy Ornament

I completed the stitching on Little House Needleworks' Joy Ornament recently. It still needs to have the beads added.

I took a trip to Welcome Stitchery this past Saturday to pick up the beads. I came home with all sorts of lovely charts, fabric, flosses and frames, but forgot the beads! Will pick them up next time.

June TUSAL

Here is the ort jar as of this evening. It's getting quite full!

May Progress and June Goals

May
Work on Bavarian Table Topper worked on it
10 hours on Rocky Mountain Christmas no
work on Logan’s stocking no
Christmas heart canvas ornament no
Work on Cloister garden no
Work on Crystal Iris no
LHN Joy ornament finished
JABC Thanksgiving design finished
Piecemaker’s Quilt square 5 finished
afghan pillow no
Logan's birth sampler worked on it for 20.50 hours!
Mystery Sampler part 7 no
Quilted wreath ornament no
EMS Rose Sampler part 9 no
Start 15 in January challenge:
January stocking project for ANG no

June
Work on Bavarian Table Topper
10 hours on Rocky Mountain Christmas
work on Logan’s stocking
Christmas heart canvas ornament
Work on Cloister garden
Work on Crystal Iris
LHN ornament
Piecemaker’s Quilt square 6
afghan pillow
Logan's birth sampler
Mystery Sampler part 7
Quilted wreath ornament
Photo Booth chart
EMS Rose Sampler part 9
Start 15 in January challenge:
January stocking project for ANG

Peacemakers Quilt progress

I finished up square 5 recently. If I didn't have so many other things that need to be stitched, I would just love to finish all the squares right now!

Birth Sampler Work in Progress

Now that Natalie is here, I need to hurry up and finish big brother Logan's birth sampler, so that I can start on hers!

I am stitching the Savannah birth sampler, which comes a kit by Dimensions, but I have used 28 count evenweave instead of the aida that comes with the kit, and I am using my own DMC instead of the floss that comes with the kit. Here is my progress at about 35 hours of stitching.

The Wait is Over!

Natalie Margaret was born this morning at 6:01 am. 7 lbs, 1 oz, 19 inches!

TUSAL - May

Here is the ort jar as of the May new moon. It's getting rather full! Lots of stitching this past month.

April Progress
Work on Bavarian Table Topper no
10 hours on Rocky Mountain Christmas no
work on Logan’s stocking no
Christmas heart canvas ornament no
Work on Cloister garden no
Work on Crystal Iris no
LHN ornament Snowy Pines finished
Piecemaker’s Quilt square 4 finished
afghan square #11 finished
Logan's birth sampler 18.75 hours stitch on it!
Mystery Sampler part 7 no
Quilted wreath ornament no
EMS Rose Sampler part 9 finished
Easter ornament finished
To Gnome Me is to Love Me finished
Garden Gnome finished
Start 15 in January challenge:
November cup ‘o Tea finished
January stocking project for ANG no

May Goals
Work on Bavarian Table Topper
10 hours on Rocky Mountain Christmas
work on Logan’s stocking
Christmas heart canvas ornament
Work on Cloister garden
Work on Crystal Iris
LHN ornament
JABC Thanksgiving design
Piecemaker’s Quilt square 5
afghan pillow
Logan's birth sampler
Mystery Sampler part 7
Quilted wreath ornament
EMS Rose Sampler part 9
Start 15 in January challenge:
January stocking project for ANG

And Yet Agnother Gnome!

This cute little guy was found peaking in the window of my Stitching Room on Easter Sunday, while I was preparing dinner.

He looked so pathetic out in the cold, and since it was going to rain overnight, I had to let him in.

My house is being over run by gnomes, and I have no idea who is sending them to me. No one will admit to it, but everyone is a suspect!

Happy Easter!

Ukrainian Easter eggs are known throughout the world for their complex designs and beautiful artwork, but Ukrainian artist Forostyuk Inna decided to forgo the usual wax and dye methods and opted to cross stitch her eggs instead. No one seems to be quite sure about the methods she used to create these cool designs, but that only serves to make them that much more incredible.

EMS Rose Sampler Part 9

I stitched up part nine over the past few days and now I am officially 3/4 done, only 3 more parts to go. As much as I love stitching this one, I am very anxious to get it finished and framed.

Here is the entire piece so far. I am stitching it on 25 count antique while Lugana, over one fabric thread with one strand of DMC Variations #4250.

Snowy Pines

I stitched up this Little House Needleworks ornament this week. It is the third ornament in the 2010 series, done on 30 count raw linen from Norden Crafts with DMC floss.

Looking at the picture, I forgot the "snow" on two of the pines in the bottom row. I need to go and stitch that in.

One Last Cup 'O Tea!

Here it is! The final tea cup! I am finally finished with all 12 Tea Pots and Tea Cups by Just Another Button Company.

This last one is the November Cup 'O Tea, and the dark brown fabric was pain to work on, so I kept putting it off, but now it's finished!

I have the Teaspoons to do, but I don't want to start them just yet, I have other things to finish first.

Another Gnome Finish!

I stitched another cute gnome chart the other day. This is by Hinzeit. I have to finish the framing on it, the frame is just laying on top of the piece for the stitching, but you get the idea.

I am going back to stitching my rotation now as I have run out of gnome charts to stitch.

A Stitched Gnome!

Gno gnew gnomes have appeared on my front steps since the second one arrived.

All this thinking about gnomes made me want to stitch this design by Sue Hillis that I have had kitted up for quite some time. It is stitched on 28 count Ice Blue Jubilee with DMC floss.

An Easter Finish

I finished up this little Easter freebie ornament the other day. The chart can be found on Sylvia's blog. I stitched it on 32 count antique white Lugana with Crescent Colors floss.

I have no idea how I will finish it, but it sure is cute!

Another Finish!

On April 2nd, I had the second finish for April! I stitched the 4th square in the Blessed are the Piecemakers/Peacemakers Quilt by Handblessings Designs. I love the colors in this quilt, and plan to make a pillow out of it when the stitching is complete.

Here are all 4 squares that I have stitched to date.

1st Finish of April!

I finished this goose a on April 1st. It was the last square that needed to be stitched on my Northwoods Afghan.

Here is the entire afghan in all it's glory! It still needs to be backed and then have binding sewn around it as there isn't enough fabric to fringe it, but the stitching is done!

A Long Stitching Weekend

This past weekend, a large group of stitching friends met at Welcome Stitchery, in Crystal Lake, Illinois to do some shopping. Here is what I bought.

After a few hours of shopping and helping each other make some additional purchases, we conviened to the Public House around the corner for some lunch.

It was a great day, and fun to see some wonderful old friends as well as meet some new ones.

Two of the stitchers, Lynn and Barb, traveled all the way from Canada for this event, and stayed and stitched with me for a few days. They brought me some lovely gifts. Although it wasn't necessary at all, I truly will treasure the things they made! Thank you Barb and Lynn for your visit and the lovely gifts!

April TUSAL

Totally Useless Stitch-a-long: Here is my ort jar as of April 1st. It contains the orts from January 1st through April 1st. Perhaps it's time to get a bigger jar?

Agnother Gnome!

A second gnome showed up on my front steps today. Poor little guy was out in the rain, so I brought him and and dried him off. He quickly made friends with the gnome that arrived Tuesday. Still don't gnow who to left the gnomes...there are a gnumber of suspects, but gno one for sure.....

March Progress, April Goals

March Progress
Work on Bavarian Table Topper worked on it
10 hours on Rocky Mountain Christmas no
work on Logan’s stocking no
Christmas heart canvas ornament no
Work on Cloister garden no
Work on Crystal Iris no
Piece maker’s quilt project square #3 finished
LHN Fa La La ornament finished
afghan square #11 work on it, almost finished
Logan's birth sampler no
Mystery Sampler part 7 no
Quilted wreath ornament no
EMS Rose Sampler part 8 finished
Love Quilt Square finished
Baby Bib for Clara finished
Start 15 in January challenge:
November cup ‘o Tea worked on it
December cup ‘tea finished
Strawberry ornament #2 finished
January stocking project for ANG worked on it
Sue Hillis 2009 JCS ornament finished

April Goals
Work on Bavarian Table Topper
10 hours on Rocky Mountain Christmas
work on Logan’s stocking
Christmas heart canvas ornament
Work on Cloister garden
Work on Crystal Iris
LHN ornament
Logan's birth sampler
Mystery Sampler part 7
Quilted wreath ornament
EMS Rose Sampler part 9
Start 15 in January challenge:
November cup ‘o Tea
ANG Holiday Stocking

Do You Gnow this Gnome?

First off, I need to mention that I rarely use my front door. I enter the house through the garage most of the time.

The other day, when I came home from work, I noticed something stuck between my doors, so I walked up the walk to the front door. On the way up the stairs, I noticed this little guy standing on the bottom step. I don't think he was there on Saturday, and I found him on Tuesday. So, who left him there? He sure is cute, and I would love to thank whoever left him, so please fess up!