Kelly, don't look!!!!!



I just finished Kelly and Travis' wedding sampler. Off to the framer this weekend, so that it will be ready to give to Kelly and Travis when they are here for Kristin and Jonathan's wedding.

Finished Haranger Runner:

Here it is all finished, after a nice bath and ironing. It took 73 1/2 hours to stitch, and is from Mary Hickmott's Easing into Hardanger.

Here is the Hardanger Table Runner, almost finished.

Just a few more filling stitches and then the hem.

The stitching is finished - time to start cutting

I finished all the Kloster blocks and ships and now I am ready to start cutting. Not too much longer and it will be done.

This past week's stitching:

I made some more progress on the American Soldier Memorial Project. At this point I am a little more than half way finished.















I also started this Hargandger Table Runner on Easter Sunday. I am about 2/3 done with the center motifs. It will be a raffle prize for the Youth group's fashion show at the end of this month. Hardanger is a Norwegian embrodery that involves cutting threads and filling stitches. I haven't done any cutting yet, I want to get all the Kloster blocks and other embroidery stitches done first before I cut and then fill in.

Rocky Mountain Christmas - 110 hours of stitching.

1065 Stitches this 10 hour session

13,566 total stitches so far

This was started in February of 2006. I figure about 2 1/2 years to complete, stitching 10 hours each month (I am 40 hours behind right now, hoping to catch up soon).

Happy Easter!

I stitched Balerina Bunny just in time for Easter! She is for the color Round Robin I am a part of, and is for Sara. Sara's color is 'rainbow' and she included some varigated rainbow floss to be used on her piece.

Another Update

Here is Rocky Mountain Christmas at 100 hours. I stitched 1321 stitches this session and have done 12,521 total stitches to date.

To answer a few questions that have come up. When doing a project of this size, I start by gridding the fabric. By running a thread every 10 stitches (20 threads because I am stitching over 2) vertically and horizontaly, I end up with 10 x 10 stitch squares that correspond to the the darker lines on the chart. Each 10 x 10 square is 100 stitches. It helps me make sure my thread count isn't off between stitches if I skip around.

As I stitch, I mark off the stitches on the chart with a yellow highlighter. At the end of each 10 hour session, I count how many stitches are highlighted total, subtract what was done before, and end up with a stitch count for that rotation. Counting is easy as a completed 10 x 10 square is 100 stitches.

Clear as mud?

Rocky Mountain Christmas update






Here it is at 90 hours. I did 1227 stitches this 10 hour session, and have done a total of 11,180 stitches so far. I did a lot of white, grey, light blue and lilac snow this time, so it doesn't show up too well. I am still 50 hours behind schedule, but don't have time to catch up right now. Watch this space for future updates.

Today is PI Day (3.14)!

Take the quiz http://www.blogthings.com/whatkindofpieareyouquiz/ to find out what kind of pie you are.

My results:
You Are Lemon Meringue Pie
You're the perfect combo of sassy and sweetThose who like you have well refined tastes

Love Quilts for Children

The EGA (Embroiderer's Guild of America) Chapter that I belong to has chosen Love Quilts as this year's outreach program. Love Quilts is an organization that makes quilts for sick children. Cross stitchers from all over the world stitch a square and send it in, and then the quilters piece them together and quilt them. The finished quilt is given to a sick child to help them know that others are thinking of them. Our Chapter chose to stitch quilt squares that could go to any child, instead of picking a specific child. Here is the square that I stitched:


If you would like more information about Love Quilts, please go to http://www.lovequilts.com

A Round Robin finish

This is a square for the Color Round Robin I am doing with a group of friends. This is part of Teresa's piece. She sent individual squares that she will eventually finish into a quilt. She didn't pick a color, so I chose Jig of the Ladybug by Bent Creek because it complimented the first piece that was done for this Round Robin. It goes in the mail on Monday to the next stitcher, and I should be receiving another package with the next Round Robin piece soon.

A Model Finish

I finished this piece about two weeks ago. It was done for the designer of the piece, Sue Hillis, to use as a Trunk Show Model. Sue sends out an assortment of finished pieces for cross stitch shops to display, in an effort to interest stitchers in the charts. I will be mailing it off to Sue next week, and she will attach a charm (a gold bag of potato chips, and some chips dangling from the bag) in the upper left hand corner, on the red block, and then frame it before sending it on to shops across the country.

It was fun to stitch, but it made me hungry!

Two Hearts for Two Angels

Recently, a friend's daughter gave birth to twins, a boy, Dayne, and a girl, Danielle. They were born very prematurely, and both only lived a few hours. I have stitched two squares that will be part of two quilts in memory of these two little angels. Hopefully the quilts will bring comfort to the grieving family.

Just in time for St. Valentine's Day!

Here is the hardanger piece that I received in the hardanger exchange that I posted about a few weeks ago. I received this lovely heart ornament from Kate from Massachusetts. The stitching is beautiful, and the filling stitches are expertly done. I need to learn how to do picots, Kate's are just perfect! Her finishing is amazing! Thank you Kate!

The next time I see this piece, it will be all finished!

This is Quilt Sampler 1 by Linda Myers, and I am doing it as my piece for a Color Round Robin. For you non-stitchers out there, a Round Robin, or RR, is a piece that is sent around to the members of a group and everyone stitches a part of it.

This is a Color RR, and I have chosen blue. There are 8 of us in this group, and since the piece has 9 squares, I did 2 of them and the border.

Before it is finished, it will travel all across the US, and to England and Australia. Every 6 weeks, a new piece will show up in the mail for me to stitch on, and then send it on. When finished, all 8 of us will end up with some beautiful pieces.

Eva

Thoughts on running a youth hostel......



There must be sign on the expressway somewhere that says " please take the next exit for Jugendherberge Rill" This is the only explaination for the visitors that keep showing up at my door for a few nights lodging. Either that, or one or more of my children have put an ad somewhere on the internet to that affect.



We had visitors this weekend from the Donauschwaben Youthgroup from Cleveland, Ohio. Lisa Rimpf, brought her brother Tony and his girlfriend Gretchen, and their friends Manny and Kristian. Kristian was supposed to stay at the Mayer's but he spent at least part of one night at our house.



The reason for their visit was to attend Trachtenball, an event at our German Club, where all the young ladies (and some not so young ones) wear very old traditional garments that their grandmothers wore. It gives them a real appreciation for the comforts of modern clothing, and teaches history and tradition.



I should add that Lisa has been here before....a number of times.....and I don't think it is because she enjoys my company. Tony is the only other person that lives in this house. Could it be that she is really visiting him?

What's in the works?

My daughter asked what I was working on. Now, Viki, when have you known me to not have a stitching project going?

Usually I have three projects in the works. Rocky Mountain Christmas, which I work on for 10 hours each month (well, 20 hours until I am caught up), a medium sized piece (currently ducky borders on bath towels for JC's Birthday in August) and a medium-small piece (currently a model for Sue Hillis).

As soon as I get the model piece and two quilt squares done, I will be stitching on the American Soldier Memorial project exclusively until it is finished.

What is it?



I finished this hardanger piece last evening. I needed to do a small piece for an exchange, so I chose this one because I wanted to learn how to do the Scandanavian four-sided edge stitch. I am happy with the results. But, I need to figure out what it is I made. Is it a coaster, or is it an ornament, or is it something else?

Did you know that I am inspiring?

This chart is named Eva's Garden. Laura Tilson of Snapdragon designs, designed this a few months ago, and named it after me! She said I inspired her! I got my autographed chart before Christmas, so now I must make time to stitch it.