Old UFOs, New Happy Dances

Hello friends, it is I, the (unapologetic) lazy blogger... I have rediscovered my stitching mojo and made the most of it this summer/fall.  Having grown disgusted with the number of pieces I have "half-finished", I made a concerted effort to polish a few of them off before the ball drops on 2016.  And, I'm happy to report that it has been a productive season.

Primarily though, we are enjoying the newest edition to our family (granddaughter Kamrynn).  She is almost 19 weeks old and changing so much.  We are excited to visit her again in December for her first Christmas.

And, here are the stitching finishes I'm pleased as punch to share with you:

Kelly Clark Needlepoint

Irish mini stocking

too many threads and beads to list

(began in 2013)

"Turning Leaves" by Laura J. Perin

threads:  Watercolours, #5 perle cotton, metallics and beads

(began November 2013)

"Gathering Pinecones" by Hillside Samplings

(began Spring 2011)

In addition to these, I also finished Kamrynn's birth sampler, as well as two small huck weaving pieces taught during EGA monthly meetings.  I'll show you those three next time.  Until then,

Stitch Happy!

Snowmageddon 2015

I feel like a cry baby when it comes to nasty weather since I see folks who have it so much worse on the evening news every night, but... today makes Day 5 that hubby and I have been snowed in.  Thank goodness I bought extra supplies at the grocery before it hit.  I normally think the warnings are excessive and consequently tend not to stock up like it's the end of the world.  Glad I did this time.  Thankfully, we have several more days worth of real food before I have to make shoelace soup.

With record low temps and snow deeper than the top of my boots, I'm staying put for yet another day...

And, even though I thought I had updated everything yesterday, I found a few things I forgot to share:

Fresh finish from last night.. seasonal freebie (so hard to resist, aren't they?) 

My new favorite scissors sheath, on the right:

The tin topper and scissors fob were completed by me eleven years ago (much to my dismay).  It is hard to believe it has been that long.  I always thought they needed a third piece to complete the set.  Two things hardly constitute a set, right?  But, the chart was only for the tin topper and fob.  So, a few weeks ago while browsing at the Stitch Niche in Lexington, I saw the ultrasuede scissors sheath (with plain white 18 ct. monocanvas insert).  The color of the suede immediately reminded me of my little bargello set.  I adapted the pattern to fit the sheath, and I'm totally pleased with the outcome.   Now it looks like a "set", yes? 

Speaking of sets... once upon a time, I bought this Fern Ridge "shear hospitality" felt pineapple kit.  Nearing the end of the blanket stitching around the fronds, I ran out of thread.  So with a good amount of mumbling, it was tucked away, out of sight... for years... Truthfully, I'm making an effort to finish a few UFOs from "way back", and this little guy was so close to being finished, it was one of my first UFO finishes of the year.

File this under "Just for Fun":

Pumpkin pinkeep

tiny felt ball mounted on oversized wooden button

And lastly, I'm just remembering to share the final finished pics of the Blackwork Band 
Sampler class I facilitated for my EGA chapter last fall.  Because I love color so much, it is hard for me to stick to black thread only for blackwork.  The design itself inspired the colors I selected.   Because I'm running out of wall space, I finished mine as a combination teabag/marking pin wallet.  This band sampler is part of the Petite Projects series from the Embroiderers' Guild of America which provides members with free small educational projects in varied techniques.  The cutwork nametag I shared yesterday is also an EGA Petite Project.  If memory serves me, I've completed four of the petite projects and am always glad I did.  You can learn a lot about a new-to-you technique in even a small project.

Blackwork Band Sampler

by Julie Fera

for The Embroiderers' Guild of America

And that's a wrap for this frigid Thursday friends.  Until next time, Stitch Happy!

Memorial Day quick update

***

Greetings Friends! 

Hope your Memorial Day weekend has been filled with family, friends, food and memories.  Ours has been hot, Hot, HOT and therefore not suitable for many outdoor activities.  I managed to slip a few stitches in my cousins wedding sampler this morning after the dog walk.  I'm positive neither of them read my blog so here's the progress pic:

"Modern Wedding Sampler"

Cross Stitch and Needlework magazine

There is only a little bit left to stitch at the bottom.  I expect to have this hammered out in the next few days..

Now, I'm off to the kitchen..

Have a great week everyone!

No good deed goes unpunished

Have I told you that a young girl at work asked me to teach her how to stitch?  She explained that she wanted to make a Christmas stocking for her son.  Isn't it like the most exciting feeling in the world when someone approaches you to share your passion for needlework?  I can vividly recall how I felt each time an acquaintance asked me to teach them.  I'm not exaggerating when I say that it makes me feel like those people who answer the doorbell and see the Publishers Clearinghouse van, balloons, and giant check.  I have those screaming, babbling crazy people jumping up and down in my head whenever I hear the words, "Would you teach me how to stitch?"

Well.  I tried to keep the crazy people subdued long enough to get my current student totally hooked.  I reviewed all my Christmas books, selected about 10 for her to take home and study.  She selected a very good classic, yet beginners stocking. One she should enjoy using for many years.  She's a smart girl so I decided to start her out stitching "over two" on evenweave.  She took to it like a duck to water.  I was so proud.  I watched her take her stitching bag to the break room like clockwork for her morning break, lunch break and afternoon break.  She always asked me to join and I always said, I'll be right there.   Famous last words.  Most of the time, by the time I was free, her break was over.  I did manage to arrange a few long lunches in order to show her how to use blending filament, attach seed beads, alter a design to suit her purpose, and share with her a few duplicate freebies I had stashed. 

Every morning as she walked by my desk, she'd give me the progress briefing, always with a big smile.  I'd make a point to cruise by her desk at some point every day so I could peak at her progress.  Then, one day, when I walked by her desk, she didn't have the stocking.  She had new, stitch-less fabric, stretched on a brand spanking new set of Q-Snaps.  "What's this?" I said.  Sheepishly, she said, "O that?  I'm going to need your help later today.  I'm starting something new".  Very concerned for the safety of the stocking (due to all the blending filament cursing and growling), I inquired...."What happened?" 

Much too perky, she responded:  Nothing bad.  I just want to do this other thing for so-and-so for Valentine's Day.  And besides, I have all kinds of time before Christmas. OH!  By the way, I went to your stitching store over the weekend and found this other thing I want to do for my Mom.  It's really pretty and has all kinds of stitches in it that I've never seen before, so you'll need to help me with it too.  Her birthday is in May.  I've got time to get it done, right?  And!  Have you ever seen those overdyed threads?  They are gorgeous!"

So, it was official.  She had earned her BAP/UFO/WIP and flosstitute and underestimation badges, all in one week.  Bless her heart - it was like I was having a conversation with my 25 year old self. 

I just smiled and said, "I'm sure you will". 

So, she's stitching three times a day plus evenings.  I'm joining her for about 20 minutes a week.   I had the same project in my stash (all kitted up) that she picked out for her mom, so we are having our own Stitch-Along.  It's killing me to try to stay ahead of her so I have to throw a gorgeous freebie at her every so often to distract her!  It's like tossing a wounded zebra to a lion.  Is that so wrong? 

She called me on it after (about the third time), so she knows my game, but she's lovin' every minute of it.  So am I.  I just wish I was getting as much stitched as she is!  I must admit, when she finished up a gorgeous Valentine's heart shaped sampler that I've been dying to stitch for like, EVER, I was a wee bit green.  Then I tried to steal it.  Then I tried to guilt her out of it.  But, nothing worked.  :-(

Here is the project "we" are stitching at the moment:

Not much progress to show: 

It only calls for two variegated threads, ecru perle cotton and one shade of DMC.  I love patterns that maximize the use of just a few colors.  The simplicity appeals to me.

So, I'm off now to finish Y and Z.  Maybe I'll get a little more of the perle cotton satin stitched inner border done too. 

Sweet dreams, my friends.

It's up and it's GOOODDDDDDDD!!!!!!!

My Peacock is up on the wall and, if I must say so myself, I think it looks mighty good. I've clustered my only samplers together on one wall. Alongside peacock is a Sweetheart Tree mini-tree sampler and a Kingsland Learned Wife sampler. I'm wondering if I've broken any rules by grouping two "true" samplers (containing alphabets) with a band sampler?

please click on photo for a better look

On the table below is a table runner I brought back from National in Louisville last year. It was hand woven in Perugia, Italy by expert weavers and in my favorite color none the less. When you touch it, you know it's special. Makes me a little sad that many of us here in the good ol' USA have accepted the sacrifice of quality for affordability and simply forgotten what quality even feels like. It just reinforces the idea of how special hand made things are and how proud those of us who create them should be.

Also on the table below is my recently acquired Whitman's tin (from eBay, shop VICTORIOUSLY) on the left and a box lid I've featured here on the right.

This little vignette will probably get switched around a couple of times before I'm totally satisfied with it (big shocker, right?), but the important thing is THE PEACOCK HAS LANDED!

Have a great three day weekend all! I'm off for an oil change (with stitching in tow).