Seasonal stitching

Well, the temperature has swung from above normal to way below average around here. The cold weather definitely makes it easier to get in the Christmas spirit. I don't know what I would do if I lived somewhere in the south. You know how some plants need a certain amount of darkness or light to do their thing? I need a certain amount of cold to get ready for Christmas.

My Christmas stitching and finishing have been progressing (no pics though since they're gifts). We've had more than our usual time at home due to various illnesses so I've been making the best of it.

I found a new trick to stitching the ornaments from the Christmas in My Heart leaflet. Since I kept finding myself mis-counting on my buttonhole edges, I tried stitching two ornament borders next to each other. Since they are pretty much the same size, it becomes evident pretty quickly if I have mis-counted and I can fix it before I get too far. Once I stitch the borders, I fill them in with all of the cross stitch and kloster blocks. I don't start any cutting until all of the stitching that requires a frame is completed.

These have stitched up pretty quickly - at least when I count correctly. I really like how they have come out.

I also started on one of the new Nora Corbett pixies, Holly. It would be nice to finish her before Christmas, but I don't think that's realistic. I really like her though.


Happy Thanksgiving!

Gingerbread Friends ornament

So, here's my Gingerbread Friend - the design from Brooke's Books. It is stitched on 14 count perforated paper. It stitched up relatively quickly. This is definitely one of those designs that benefits from the backstitching. I was a little concerned about some of the shading, but the backstitching really made a difference. Oddly enough - the toughest part of this one was cutting the paper around the outline around the stitching. Of course, I forgot to add a hanging loop when I put the backing on the ornament. It is really cute though. For the next one, I am planning to stitch Cherry on Top.










Here's our page for designs from Brooke's Books Publishing. The design that I stitched is Gingerbread Friend from the Elf Babies series which contains four patterns. The second design from Brooke's Books is Cherry on Top from the same series. Brooke's Books has a lot of cute designs for baby announcements, Easter and Halloween decorations, as well as Christmas decorations.

Happy stitching everyone!

Blank Canvas

Blank canvas! Look at this!

I've been working on a few of the ornaments from Emie Bishop's Christmas in My Heart. I just finished the buttonhole edge on another ornament and took a new look at the piece. What a great frame. I could fill this with all sorts of different designs. Motifs from countless different samplers would fit beautifully in this little heart. More hardanger fills. Anything.

I think I'll start with borders on more pieces. There are probably tons of possible combinations out there that I never even considered. Once I have a border to work with, I have a smaller canvas to work with. Somehow, that makes it so much easier to use my own creativity to fill the space. I can't wait!

More Gingerbread

Halloween Exchange for Becky

I have received word from Becky that she has received her Halloween Exchange. I stitched the Kreinik freebie, Happy Jack. The design uses lots and lots of #4 Very Fine braid in Vintage Colors. Somehow, I didn't notice that it was so full of #4 braid until I had already started. I was a little worried about the amount of metallic thread but I think it turned out OK. I finished it as a stand up for Becky. She has much better pictures on her blog. I really enjoyed this Halloween Exchange. Thank you so much Becky.

We are having the most beautiful Fall weather. The fall foliage is at its peak. The nights are clear and cool and the days have the most beautiful blue sky. I hope everyone is enjoying autumn.

Gingerbread Friend

Here's an update my Gingerbread Friend from Brooke's Books Publishing. I need to get the stitching completed before the weekend so that I can work on the finishing with the Girl Scouts. As you can see, he will definitely benefit from some backstitching which I'll do when the cross stitching is complete. When I've actually had the chance to work on him, the stitching has progressed pretty quickly. I should be able to finish the little girl before Saturday.

Rather than finish the back as instructed, I think I will embroider a name on a piece of felt and use it for backing the stitching. Then I'll have an ornament/gift tag.

How is everyone's holiday stitching going?

Autumn House Exchange for Susan

Susan has received the Autumn House Exchange that I sent to her. Here is the needlebook that I stitched for her. The design is the house part of Cider House Garden from Liz Turner Diehl.

Here is the whole piece from Liz Turner Diehl.

I have seen stitched models of this piece and it is really gorgeous. I am pretty sure that I have also seen it on a stitcher's blog as well. I have it in my stash to stitch the entire sampler someday.

Fall is really kicking in around here. The leaves are finally changing and we seeing some frost in the morning. Pumpkins and Halloween decorations are everywhere and we've been making lots of apple picking trips. I hope everyone is enjoying the fall weather.

Autumn House Exchange from Joan

Look at this wonderful exchange I received from Joan. This is for the Autumn House Exchange. Beautiful cross stitching and sewing as well - Joan made the little chicken too. I love all the goodies too. Its hard to find ribbons and trims around here since we don't have a fabric store nearby anymore so the ribbons are doubly appreciated.

Sorry about all of the shadows on the picture. The sun is setting already.

Just wonderful. Thank you so much Joan.

Strawberry from Gaby

I received the cutest little strawberry emery from Gaby for a Make a Wish Exchange. Isn't this adorable? Thank you Gaby.

My Autumn House exchange is on its way and my Halloween Exchange for Becky will be on its way this weekend. Then it will be lots of projects for the holidays.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Halloween Exchange from Becky

I received my Halloween Exchange from Becky today. Isn't this just perfect! The inside of the box is lined as well. Thank you so much Becky.

It rained from Friday all the way through Sunday so I had lots of stitching time. Finished up my Halloween Exchange, made some progress on my Gingerbread Friend and I even worked on a near UFO - Mirabilia's Fairy Idyll. So, I'll have more pics as soon as the sun stays out long enough to take some pictures.

Thanks for stopping by.

Fuzzy Little Friend

No stitching pics today. One exchange going out tomorrow and another exchange going out the end of this week. Still have my happy gingerbread man too - he has a head and shoulders and a face. He just needs his little companions. I need to get moving on him to finish him up before the beginning of October - but first I need to finish up my Halloween Exchange.

I do have a pic of a fuzzy little friend. I'm not sure what variety this is, but I found him moving pretty quickly across my front steps.

Stitching pics next time. Happy Fall everyone.

Yuko's Birthday

I just found that Yuko has received her birthday gift for the Stitching Bloggers Birthday Exchange. Her birthday is on Sunday so it arrived just in time. Happy Birthday Yuko! I hope you like your Needlebook and needles and the JBW Designs.

Here's the cool needlebook design - this is the Folding Cross Needlebook from Indigo Rose. I changed the colors to pink for Yuko. The original design called for midnight blue. You can see (and purchase) the design here. We'll be adding more Indigo Rose designs to our website this weekend.

Each leaf of the needlebook has numbers to specify which needles are stored there and the center is a pincushion. Then the whole thing folds up neatly into this little square. Each leaf has button hole to button to the little tulip bead in the center.

The design was fun to stitch. I think I may join the cyberstitchers of the EGA just so I can take the reversible blackwork class. I had never done anything like this before and I am quite sure that there is a more correct way of starting and finishing and being sure that everything looks just so. But I am very happy with how this piece turned out. I will be stitching another one for myself when my holiday stitching is complete.

Have a good weekend everyone. Prayers for those who are in the path of Hurricane Ike.

No Gingerbread smile yet

Well, after Tropical Storm Hannah passed through Saturday night, Sunday was an absolutely gorgeous day. So, my little Gingerbread Friend still doesn't have a smile (or shoulders or a head for that matter). And given that today is absolutely gorgeous as well, things aren't looking to promising for him today either. Maybe he'll have better luck tomorrow; its supposed to be stormy. I do have to finish him up though because the new Sweetheart Tree biscornu kits are calling to me. I really love the Blackberries on Gingham Biscornu, so I'll do that one first. Followed by the Holiday Holly design.

Blackberries on Gingham Biscornu	Holiday Holly Biscornu

I mailed out a couple of pieces this weekend for gifts and exchanges so I'll be able to post pics soon. I really liked working on these pieces. Can't wait to show them.



















This is a pic of the piece I did with the Brownies this weekend. This is a VERY old Mill Hill kit. Each of the girls picked a kit from this Summer or Fall's releases and started work on them. The beading parts of their kits will be much easier - they won't have to manage loops of beads. This little pin turned out to be cute. I hope they enjoy finishing their kits.

Gingerbread bellybutton

Now, there's a title for a post. I'll bet you expected more crumbs!

This little guy is Gingerbread Friend from Brooke's Books. It is stitched on perforated paper which is sooo easy. I think he deserves to at least have a head by the end of the weekend. (With all the rain and wind to come, I don't think I'll be doing much else) I plan to stitch a few more of these cute little Brooke's Books designs and use them as gift tags at Christmas.

I pulled out the Brooke's Books designs because most, if not all, of them are stitched on perforated paper and I needed a refresher on the perforated paper. I'll be teaching a group of Brownies some cross stitch (this afternoon, in fact) and I thought that the little Mill Hill pin kits would be a great place for them to start. The kits include everything. They are stitched on perforated paper, which is remarkably sturdy. They include beads so the girls get to work with beads and floss (and they're sparkly which doesn't hurt). And they are small enough that they won't be too tough to finish. So, hopefully, I'll finish the Gingerbread Friend before the next meeting in October with the Brownies and I can show them what else they can do stitching on perforated paper. I get to work with the girls again in the spring and then I'll bring small projects on fabric for them.

By the way, if you ever get the chance to work with the Brownies, I highly recommend it. They get so excited over new things. They're a blast to watch. And, you'll always know for sure when its time to order those Thin Mint cookies.

If you're interested in the Brooke's Books designs, you can see them on our website.

Enjoy your weekend!

Little House Needleworks

We are happy to announce that we will now carry Little House Needleworks designs. These popular designs really celebrate simplicity. Check out the great variety of LHN samplers on our website - NeedleartsGallery.com.

To celebrate this new addition, we will offer 10% all Little House Needleworks designs for blog readers through September 15. Just enter code NEWLHN during checkout.

Stitching pics next time!

Have you seen...

Have you seen the Hawaiian Garden mandala design from Chatelaine Designs? It is really outstanding. I could send you to the picture on the Chatelaine Designs site, but it really doesn't do justice to it at all. It is just a computer mock-up so you don't get to see the texture of the beautiful stitches or sparkle of the braids and beads. I recommend you see the pics on the Yuku forum - here. Look at the detail - the volcanoes, the pineapples, the beaches, the waterfalls - and it isn't even finished yet.



For those who don't have experience with Martina Weber's designs (Chatelaine Designs), Martina generally releases her designs online over a period of time. Some of her designs are "mysteries", you get a piece each month and you won't know what the final piece will look like until the last month. Other designs are "online classes" in which you can see pics of the complete piece but the design is released in parts over the months. You download each part in an Adobe Acrobat file and you use a password to open the file. She releases her designs in chartpacks to shops approximately a year after the online period is completed. Her designs are truly impressive - lots of different fibers, embellishments and details.

We carry a number of charts from Chatelaine Designs and we will be adding more as they are released. We'd also be happy to special order other designs if you are interested.



I highly recommend going to the Chatelaine bulletin board on Yuku (the link is in my 'Important Links'). The bulletin board has sections for each of the current mysteries or online classes. Under each of these is a topic showing current Works in Progress. There is also a general topic with a gallery of completed pieces. These pics are really stunning. The next time you are in need of inspiration, I highly recommend checking out the Chatelaine forum.

Feels like Fall

It feels like Fall. The nights have been going all the way down to the fifties. The days are in the seventies. Clear blue sky - all day. And no humidity. Some of the leaves are even beginning to change. Summer flew by.

I have lots of stitching going on but nothing that I can show yet. Right now all of my stitching is for a few upcoming exchanges.

The new Just Nan designs should arrive today. And, of course, that just adds to my new dilemma. - When we were finally able to get Mirabilia Designs again and lots of stitchers were re-invigorated and inspired to finish their Mirabilia WIPs, we all had a chance to see lots of newly finished pieces. While I have really liked a few of the smaller fairies/pixies that Nora Corbett has released in the few months, I don't really have a place for them in my home. I also really don't have any little girls for whom to stitch. But, in addition to the pixies, I really love a few of the Mirabilia mermaids. Now that I've seen more and more of them recently, I soooo want to stitch them - specifically Mermaid of Atlantis and Mermaids of the Deep Blue. How many people stitch large designs knowing that they have no place for the finished pieces? I still have Fairy Idyll only partially completed and I have no place for that either. Will these pieces be an excuse to re-decorate my office? Will this mean that I will just simply have to have a room dedicated to stitching? (I rather like that last idea). Am I just crazy?

Keep stitching!

New Designs

Yay! New designs!

Mirabilia Designs has released its first large design since being acquired by Wichelt Imports. Athena - Goddess of Wisdom is now available.

Lavender & Lace has also release a new design - Fallen Roses.

Keep an eye out for new Just Nan designs at the the end of the month - including Christmas designs as well as the next installment of the Over the Top and In the Tin series.

Pinkeep for Vonna

Vonna has received her pinkeep for the Make a Wish Exchange so I can post a pic of it now. Vonna wished for a flatfold or pinkeep in a patriotic or Americana designs. I stitched the Liberty Heart Freebie from Trail Creek Farm and finished it as a pinkeep.



Trail Creek Farm is the company that makes those adorable pillows in different shapes. Here's an example of one of the pillows that they make in the shape of a star. They have a large selection of others including a bunny, a carrot and even the placemat for one of JBW Design's pieces from last Christmas. These pillows are a great way to quickly finish off your stitched pieces. They even come with coordinating covered buttons.






I am continuing work on one of my exchange pieces and while it is coming along well, I am beginning to see the need for counting pins. Gridding this fabric really wouldn't have worked very well, but the counting for this design is a bit tougher than usual. Time to look into some of those pretty counting pins. I always thought they were pretty but I wasn't sure how much use I would get from them - now I can see how helpful they would be.

Keep enjoying these last days of Summer. For those who have already returned to school or who have already sent their kids back to school, Welcome Back!

Twinklings I

Here is one of of the ornaments I finished last week. This is Twinklings I from the Twinklings pack from Just Nan. This was a quick stitch and I love how easy it is to finish them off in a WhimZi frame.

The Cherry Blossoms Biscornu and fob from my last post are from The Sweetheart Tree. This year, Sandie is releasing biscornu kits that coordinate with some of her most popular scissor fob designs. Over time, she has said that she will release designs for various other stitching smalls to coordinate with these designs and create whole sets of stitching goodies.

I have some other stitching in the works but it is all for exchanges. I can't wait for one particular exchange to be sent and received. I am really enjoying stitching this piece and I can't wait to show a picture of it.

Must be off before the thunderstorm causes another power outage. Have a great week.