Cat Tails & Needles

CCN February Cottage

2012-02-09T19:49:00.001-05:00

Stitched on 32 ct Mountain Rose (limited edition fabric)

Substituted CC Pink Champagne with CC Jelly Roll

CC Pink Posey with CC Cerise

CC Poblano Pepper

Substituted DMC 435 with DMC 318

Substituted DMC 437 with DMC 317

DMC White

Close up of my Red Bird

Close up of Rhodes Hearts (used instead of cross stitches)

Happy Stitching! =^..^=

To Stitch or Not to Stitch Giveaway!

2012-02-02T17:54:00.001-05:00

Barbara at To Stitch or Not to Stitch is having a fantastic giveaway for Valentine's Day! Here is a link to her blog - To Stitch or Not to Stitch
She has some beautiful finishes on her blog too.
Happy Stitching! =^..^=

January framed!

2012-01-24T21:12:00.001-05:00

Picked up my framed January cottage by County Cottage Needleworks on the way home from work tonight. More on Country Cottage SAL.

Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Couple of finishes to share

2012-01-09T20:36:00.000-05:00

This weekend, in between helping with the kitchen remodel (I'm the helper with a smile LOL), I finished two pieces that I stitched a year ago - I think during snowstorm. Both designs are from The Sampler Girl. They are both stitched on a piece of overdyed fabric that I think was from Silkweaver's years ago when I used to get monthly packages from them. I don't remember what I used to stitch but think it was silk.
The first that I finished was Snow Day - I got some cute snowman fabric and I really love how the finish came out.

The second was Gone Sledding - unfortunately my silk fiber doesn't show up that well, but the batik fabric that I used is perfect with it. I finished this on foam core and backed it with some great printout from My Computer is My Canvas. This was my first order from Colette, but I'm sure it won't be my last!

Happy Stitching! =^..^=

January Cottage Finished!

2012-01-05T19:07:00.002-05:00

You can read of my CCN - January Cottage on The Cottage Stitch-A-Long Blog.
Happy Stitching! =^..^=

January Cottage

2012-01-01T20:23:00.002-05:00

You can read of my CCN - January Cottage on The Cottage Stitch-A-Long Blog. "Cottage Building Has Finally Commenced!"

Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T23:54:00.001-05:00

Wishing you the Happiest of New Year's

Happy Stitching! =^..^=

C Mon Monde 2011 SAL Finished!

2011-12-31T12:42:00.001-05:00

The last stitches were put in last night! This was a fun piece to stitch. Thanks Valerie for letting me join in. I am not sure how I will finish it - frame, wall hanging, tray - but I have a few months to think about the finish.

Close-up of the berries - I did these in a rhodes stitch

I just love this little girl running down the hill to the snowman!

Now for a new start - I think it will be County Cottage Needleworks January cottage! Wonder if I could get it stitched by Monday night?
Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Christmas Wishes

2011-12-25T00:02:00.002-05:00

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas

I cherish each of you in the Blog World

The merriest of merriest to each

Happy Stitching!

=^..^=

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-22T21:11:00.001-05:00

Well, my intentions to post several weekends ago did not materialize! But I had a great weekend with my two stitching buds and gifts were given and received and everyone was very happy.

One of my friends loves the move "It's a Wonderful Life" and when I saw this design I knew it was perfect for her gift. I don't believe the design is available any longer - it is "Bedford Falls 1946 Christmas Sampler" by The Prairie Sampler. I stitched this as her original showed from when she stitched it in 1991. I changed the colors from the original red/green. Colors used: DMC 154, 3756, WDW Teal Frost (my new favorite color), Sampler Threads Old Blue Paint and Grecian Gold.

Close-up of frame. Hard to see in picture but it was perfect.

For my other friend, I stitched Belle Pepper, as charted but stitched on Rue Green, as I had seen others done on this and loved their finishes.

Close-up of frame. Again hard to see but was a great frame for the piece.

We also have started a tradition of exchanging ornaments each year. This is the 3rd finish I have done of the LHN Merry Skater. I still need to finish mine! Wish I had more of the Daffodil opalescent fabric that I used for these. I used to belong to the Silkweaver fabrics of the month and this was one of those pieces. I think I used the colors as charted and then finished as a pinkeep to use or tuck in the tree.

Used a ribbon border threaded through backstitches with a bow tied in the upper left corner.

The other ornament was The Sampler Girl's Every Time a Bell Rings design from last year. I thought it was too large for an ornament so finished it to mimic an English cracker. I put bells on each end and it is magical with its twinkling bells as it moves. My friend loves purple so I used purple floss and silk/silk ribbon in the finishing.

The pictures below show the bell on one end and the finish I used for the the back.

I haven't yet taken pictures of the gifts I received as some of them are still being stitched and finished and my ornament is on my little tree. I will try to take pictures this coming week as I am now on holiday until January 3rd! I need the rest - although I am not sure how much rest I will get as we are in the process of finishing the remodeling job on the kitchen. I am currently without stove, sink or dishwasher but it will all be worth it in a month or so! We are doing the remodel ourselves and I was told that we would be without stove, et al. for 2 weeks but I have decided to let myself believe it will be a month and then I will be happy when it is finished sooner!

Wishing all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I have been reading blogs on my phone so have not left many comments as it is difficult to comment using the phone. Suffice it to say that I am in awe at all the beautiful creations I have seen in blog world and count each of you as dear friends that I wish the best of everything.
Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Victorian Motto Sampler Giveaway!

2011-12-09T20:05:00.002-05:00

Nancy over at Victorian Motto Sampler is having a giveaway!

From her blog: "A beautiful assortment with lots of reds and greens, after all....it is almost Christmas!
25 skeins (20 yards each) of my own Hand Dyed floss in beautiful colors. 500 YARDS OF STITCHING FUN!"

You must go and enter.

I'll be back hopefully this weekend with an update of my stitching - but here is a sneak peek!

Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T18:30:00.000-05:00

Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Part 3 Completed and Thankful!

2011-11-13T16:24:00.000-05:00

I've finished Part 3 of the The Thread Basket SAL with C Mon Monde! I am thrilled that I have been able to keep up with the weekly assignments, although I think part of the reason was that it was only for 4 weeks. I made a couple of changes - added some fringe to the snowman's scarf, changed the girl's shoes to red to show up better on my material, stitched the pompom on her hat in a smyrna, stitched the berries in a rhodes stitch and outlined around the door and windows in the door and added a french knot "knob" on the door but used the same color as the door so it really only adds a little texture.
Today I finally put my Shepherd's Bush Thankful in my frame. I picked up Boo and Thankful just before Halloween and had all intentions of putting up Boo, even if only for a couple of days but Mother Nature decided that she wanted to play tricks on us and turned out the lights for several days so Boo will have to wait until next year. I now need to stitch Fa La La but am not sure that will be done in time for the holidays this year as I still have some Christmas stitching to do which I can't show here yet.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend and Happy Stitching! =^..^=

SAL Part 2

2011-11-06T17:02:00.000-05:00

I joined The Thread Basket's SAL by C Mon Monde and hope that I will be able to keep up with the fast pace -- it is a 4 part SAL, with each part being released on Monday. Here is my finish of Parts 1 and 2.

We spent most of the afternoon hauling brush and tree limbs to the curb in anticipation of the town picking up the debris from the freaky snowstorm last weekend. We lost power on Saturday afternoon and got it back on Wednesday night. There are still thousands in CT, including my town, that are still without power. Some streets are still not passable. Here are a couple of pictures from last Sunday but my street was really spared the brunt of the storm, although my neighbor's house had a tree go through their roof (this is their house) and they had the wires ripped from the house as well, but they were OK and got power back today. Some streets we went down (or tried to go down) this morning are still terrible, with limbs and wires everywhere.

Today was sunny and warm! What a difference a week makes.
Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Boo to You!

2011-10-19T21:54:00.000-04:00

Wow, it has been a while since I have posted - sorry to have been MIA but I've been away for a few long weekends and then took last week off. Did a couple of day trips, one of which included an overnight. These were both stitching/crafty trips. One was to attend my monthly EGA meeting where I began a Shepherd's Bush stocking - Elisabeth - and the other was was paint my box and a box for a friend for the Blackbird "Casting A Spell". We were only able to get the paint on the boxes so another trip is scheduled for the end of the month to do the sanding and antiquing. I finally was able to find the Briwax! I finally framed Shepherd's Bush "Boo to You" which I stitched before 2000! I got the frame from Michael's and framed it myself. (For some reason I can't move the pictures so you'll have to scroll down to see them, so I'll continue rambling on.) I really love the frame and decided that I wanted an easel and found a cute one at Michael's with a little bird on it. Thought it appropriate for Halloween decorating. I also found a great black feather tree at Coward Farms in Southwick MA - they recently built and opened a store and this was the first time I was there, but it definitely will not be the last! I also had the Shepherd's Bush "Wave" framed at Creative Picture Framing and Creative Stitching in Holden MA. I love the frame I picked for this one, too. One of my favorite flowers are Morning Glorys and I have never had great luck in growing them from seed but this year I succeeded! It must be all that rain we have had. Next year I will plant many more packages of seeds but I love see the beautiful blooms along my garden fence. Another flower I love are Batchelor Buttons and I see that I have just a couple of blossoms left - I'm sure these will be the last as the colder weather is knocking on our door! And you can see my major harvest from the garden this year! I did plant miniature carrots - but I expected them to be slightly larger - but they are sweet and yummy. I got 2 radishes and one potato! Finally, I am a member of the Stacy Nash Girl's Club from Country Sampler of Spring Green WI and finished "Cast Your Spells" from last year. I changed the backing fabric and added some buttons to the front. I also stuffed this with a cotton stuffing and I love the cotton stuffing. I got this at the Quilted Crow the last time I was there but can't find it on their website but I'm sure you could call them. I really like to use wool roving but that is difficult for me to find in a larger quantity and it is expensive in the small quantities I do find so I was looking for something other than fiberfill. Hopefully you haven't fallen asleep with this post. Enjoy your Autumn weekend! I'm meeting a cousin from Georgia for dinner tomorrow night. I only met her 4 years ago. I'm sure we'll have fun. She is driving from Boston to Albany for work and we'll meet along her travels for dinner and talking.

Morning Glorys along my fence

The last of the Batchelor Buttons

My *large* harvest from the garden

My Halloween decorations

Boo to You!

Close-up of frame

Close-up of easel

Base of feather tree

Jim Shore Cat

Stacy Nash Girls' Club finished!

I changed the backing fabric

and added the buttons

the "x's" around the edge

My crafting when in Vermont - Indian Corn in glass vase (LOVE IT)

Wave finally framed (stitched in July 2010, framed in September 2011!)

Close-up of frame

Close-up of Wave

Finally, a morning glory!

Happy Stitching! =^..^=

10 years ago .....

2011-09-11T08:23:00.000-04:00

¤¨¨¤.¸¸ ...¸.¤\
\ 9/11 AMERICA \
.\¸.¤¨¨¤ .¸¸.¸.¤*
..\
☻/
/▌
/ \ NEVER FORGET!!!

Happy Stitching! =^..^=

The final pictures of Irene in Simsbury

2011-09-05T22:04:00.001-04:00

Just a couple of more pictures - the street picture is to the left of the aerial picture. They are forecasting flash flooding tonight and tomorrow. Hopefully it will not happen. The second picture is my hubby talking to our neighbor. I promise no more Irene pictures. We will return to our regularly scheduled program of stitching shortly.
Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Sunny, Happy Monday

2011-08-29T16:36:00.001-04:00

I hope that everyone is OK after the visit from Irene. I know that she created a lot of havoc up the East Coast but I am thankful that by the time she reached Simsbury she had lost some of her power. I am home today because my street is flooded and there is only one road for me to take out of town and that will add at least 40 minutes to my commute! This is the road that leads to town - about 3 houses down from me. I know that we are very fortunate not to have any damage or lose our power.

We didn't lose power but I was ready with my battery-powered OTT lights so that I could stitch! I did manage to put together a Shepherd's Bush pinkeep that I stitched back in 2009. I decided to stitch the ribbon on over the seam and tie a small bow at where the ends meet. I need to stitch the bow knot so that it can't untie and then I will trim the ends close to the loops of the bow. (You can see the 2006 fob which still needs to be put together but I promise not to wait for another hurricane to finish this one.) These pictures are from my phone so they aren't the best.

I also finished Shepherd's Bush Live Life last weekend - sorry for the glare but it is difficult to get a good picture with the glass.

And I put together Shepherd's Bush Be Happy fob and pincushion - the pincushion is waiting for its ribbon which my girlfriend ordered the finishing kit for me and I won't see her until the 9th.

Again, these pictures were from my phone.

Friday was our 10th anniversary and I was surprised with these beauties.....

I will leave you with some pictures from my garden -- there are carrots, cucumbers, radishes, potatoes, lettuce growing and my lavender is beautiful. The peppers decided they didn't want to grow this year -- oh, and strawberries...

Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Just a Note

2011-08-24T21:20:00.000-04:00

Hoping everyone is safe with this weather that has been occurring lately -- earthquakes in Virginia and Colorado, Hurricane Irene, rain, heat and humidity -- ready for the lovely Fall weather and the colorful leaves. I didn't feel the Virginia earthquake but several in my office did. Hurricane Irene may affect us on Sunday but she has already made us cancel our dinner date for Saturday night at The Golden Lamb Buttery in Brooklyn, CT where we planned to celebrate our 10th Anniversary! That has now been rescheduled to September 2nd - hope that Mother Nature will be kind to us then. I have been stitching and hope to have some finishes to show on Saturday. Too tired now to try and take pictures after spending the last 3 hours or so preparing the newsletter for my EGA Chapter and updating address and mailing lists. I think I just might go and stitch, or maybe just have a glass of wine!!!
Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Some finishes to share *****

2011-07-17T16:56:00.000-04:00

I've had a productive July - being sick during the 4th of July weekend allowed me time to just sit and stitch! I managed to finish 3 Patriotic pieces that weekend - pictures of 2 were in my previous post - the 3rd (America by Threadwork Primitives) was stitched and finished during the 4th of July week. Last weekend I finished Happy 4th but need to find something to go around the edge to make it more *celebratry*.

As you can see I also finished America by Threadwork Primitives today! I used DMC 3768, Crescent Wild Berries and Gentle Arts Flax. The linen is an unknown piece I had in my stash. It may have been what I received with Liberty Belles but I used a different linen for that. America is stuffed with a sand and sawdust mixture that I got at the Quilted Crow in Boxborough, MA.

back of America

Thanks to Faye, I found a darling design from La Soffitta blog, which I started at my EGA stitch-in on Wednesday and put together yesterday. I stuffed this with some sawdust from my new kitchen cabinets!

back of Happy 4th & Freedom 1776

Happy Stitching! =^..^=

pride and glory finished

2011-07-04T16:51:00.000-04:00

at least the stitching part..........

Off to America now!
Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-04T11:23:00.000-04:00

Wishing everyone a safe and Happy Independence Day!

Thank you to those who have/are/will keep us safe!

I took last Wednesday through Friday off from work and had very high expectations of all that would be accomplished - but I didn't anticipate that I would get sick! I've been sick since Friday so Saturday and Sunday were spent mostly on the couch stitching! I'm working on some pieces from Threadwork Primitives. I had purchased Happy 4th when it came out but just got it stitched. (please ignore wrinkles, remember I'm sick LOL)

Threadwork Primitives ~ Happy 4th

Stitched on 28 ct Platinum Cashel Linen

Fibers: Gentle Art ~ Presidential Blue (LE), Holly Berry, Cranberry, Shutter Green

Weeks Dye Works ~ Swamp Water

DMC ~ 610

This year I purchased her "Pride & Glory", "America", and "Star Spangled Pinkeep & Strawberry Fob" designs. I am almost finished with Pride & Glory and hope to work on America today.

Threadwork Primitives ~ Pride & Glory

Stitched on 32 ct Silkweaver Mini Solo (unknown color)

Fibers: Gentle Art ~ Presidential Blue (LE), Cranberry, Shutter Green

Weeks Dye Works ~ Swamp Water

DMC ~ 167

Happy Stitching! =^..^= and enjoy the fireworks!

Happy Father's Day! and a Happy Dance

2011-06-19T18:18:00.000-04:00

Happy Father's Day to all the Fathers. The weather was wonderful today - and hope a good time was enjoyed by all.
I spent the better part of the afternoon squirreled away in my sewing room and finished the box from my Merry Cox class in May. I do still need to put together the pinkeep and perhaps make the presentation bag, but the main project is complete!

At my EGA meeting on June 8th, I finished attaching Liberty Bells by LHN to the pillow by Impie, Hattie and Bea. I decided that it needed a little more, so in my finishing mode today, I added a bow and some rusted bells, one for each *Liberty Belle*. I had hoped to have this finished for Memorial Day, but I am all set for the 4th of July!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and have a productive stitching week! Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Bottom and Middle Trays Finished

2011-06-05T10:45:00.000-04:00

Just a quick post to show my Merry Cox partial finish from my recent class. I have finished the bottom and middle trays so have the top tray left to complete.

Middle Tray

Bottom tray

Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Happy Memorial Day and Thank YOU

2011-05-30T16:42:00.000-04:00

Want to take the time to thank all the brave service men and women and their families for making our Land of America a safe and free place. My Dad was in the Air Force for his first career and got a very good job when he retired after 25+ years due to his education and work in the military.
I did manage to get the first part of my Merry Cox piece put together but haven't taken pictures yet - BUT I did get a new camera so hopefully pictures will be clearer and I will be able to upload them without difficulty. I had hoped to work on the second part this weekend but that didn't happen. The piece has 3 *trays* in a wooden box. The bottom tray is silk covered with 2 rectangular pincushions on either side. The next tray is all silk with pockets on either side to slip in needle packages or what-have-you and then there will be a place for your scissors and ruler. These were intended to be scrimshaw but I didn't order them this time. The top tray is the stitched piece which covers everything. This is Merry's take on Palais Royale sewing cases.
I am almost finished with LHN Liberty Belles. I had really hoped to have it completed for today but I think it will be done this evening and then I will need to interface it and sew it onto the pillow from Impie, Hattie and Bea.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend and please be safe.
Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Shuffling off to Buffalo....

2011-05-18T21:59:00.001-04:00

Headed out early in the AM to Buffalo (Orchard Part to be exact) for my finishing class with Merry Cox. Hopefully I'll have pictures of the finished project on Sunday! Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Happy Easter!

2011-04-22T17:57:00.000-04:00

Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Finished Tend Thy Sheep

2011-04-03T18:24:00.000-04:00

and now Tend Thy Sheep can mind my pins and needles. I signed up for Merry Cox's online class through the Shining Needle Society. Class began on January 1st of THIS YEAR and I am happy that I have completed the stitching and finishing in just over 3 months! This was a fun piece and even though I grumbled some while finishing, I am pleased with the results. Now I need to think about my pre-stitching for my May class with Merry in Buffalo! Happy Stitching! =^..^=

FINISHED!

2011-03-22T21:40:00.000-04:00

No clue how blogger will upload these pictures -- but I finished "T"'s gift tonight. I had to put the fob together and I am relatively happy with the finish. I used wool roving for the stuffing. I decided to just bond two fabrics together and then cut with my scallop shears and insert into the pocket where the scissors are supposed to go. I tried almost every pair of scissors that I had and none of them seemed right. Hopefully T will have some that will fit - or she can use the fabric heart as a pinkeep. I added a couple of straight pins.
Can you believe that we are supposed to get SNOW tomorrow!!!! I'm so ready for Spring and can't believe they are forecasting 3-6 inches of the white stuff! It just better be gone by Friday morning when we head off for our stitching weekend. Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Yet another birthday gift (almost) finished - NO PEEKING "T"!

2011-03-20T18:56:00.000-04:00

If you are "T" stop right here .....
I spent the better part of yesterday and today finishing another birthday gift. Part of it is finished but I'm not totally happy with it so may do some additional finishing - I think the heart is too open so will probably stitch the two hearts together some more - hope it looks OK when I do that. I still have the fob to put together and must have it done by Thursday night as we are heading to Maine for a stitching weekend with friends! The back of the large heart was supposed to be fabric but I thought it would be easier to put together using linen -- I didn't think that it would look unfinished until after I put it together. Trying to think of how I can embellish it but think I really can't since it is all put together and I don't want to risk ruining it at this point. I've tried several pair of scissors and none seem to work well. Oh, just had an idea- I will take some scrapbook paper and make a needlebook to fit inside! What do you think?

Tonight will be spent working on my Tend Thy Sheep. I have a couple more days of stitching and then hope to work on putting it together next weekend. Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Birthday Gift Finished!

2011-03-13T20:38:00.001-04:00

This afternoon I put the final stitch in the mattress pincushion for my mother's birthday. This was the piece that we did at EGA on Wednesday - I opted to use the CCN Cake pattern and make it into a Happy Birthday pincushion. I put Happy Birthday Eleanor 2011 around the sides with the 2011 in the front. I also attempted to make candles! I put a bicone and a bugle bead on a straight pin. Not quite happy but hubby likes it, so that's what matters!

This is a quick post as I want to get stitching and still have to finish the laundry. We had our yummy corned beef and cabbage dinner tonight. I usually try to have this on the 17th but that wasn't happening this year so today was elected! Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Edited on 3/20 - My Mother's birthday was today and she loved her pincushion Cake and Candles! Thank you for your comments. They mean a lot to me.

2011-03-05T15:19:00.000-05:00

After reading that Jennifer from Feather in the Nest had recently stitched and framed the Lydia Hinckley and Frances Bliss samplers (from The Scarlet Letter), I thought that I would share my finishes of these two samplers, which are from the collection of Old Sturbridge Village, of which I have been a member for many, many years. I even stitched a sheet when they were opening the Bixby House and were asking their members to assist with the sewing of the linens and garments for the house. But, I digress, Lydia Hinckley and Frances Bliss were special to me because in addition to their being from the OSV Collection, Lydia's came from Rhode Island which is where my Mother's family was from and where I had spent many school and summer vacations and have wonderful memories of those times. Frances was born in Springfield, MA (my home at the time I stitched these sampler) and moved to Windsor, CT after her marriage. I felt a kindred spirit to these two girls and still think of them whenever I look at these two samplers.

Sorry for the glare on the pictures but the sun "was" trying to come out today although it looks to be clouding up again. Rain is forecast for tomorrow and Monday! These samplers used to hang in my living room in my prior home and are now in the guest room, but they still are on either side of my hutch! I love the marbled paper that is part of the mat.

Off to finish housework and laundry and stitch my project for Wednesday's EGA meeting. We will be putting together a mattress pincushion and that will be part of my Mother's birthday gift later this month! Happy Saturday. Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Great Mail Day!

2011-02-24T20:07:00.002-05:00

I received the first of my Nashville purchases today from Karen @ Wasatch Needlecraft! I received the coveted BBD "A Stitcher's Journey" and have found several projects that I would love to stitch. Also received CherryWood Design Studio's "Snow Clips" which I think will be put aside until the heat of the summer! I've had quite enough Snow this year and don't want to jinx the weather god by stitching snow right now. Lastly, I received The Primitive Jewel's "The Aqua Queen" - this looks like it might be a quick stitch. I'm working on a birthday gift for T so need to focus on that right now and then have Merry Cox pre-stitching for my class with her in May and also need to get back to Tend Thy Sheep. Hopefully more Nashville purchases will find their way to me in the next several days. Wishing everyone sunny days and lots of stitching time. The weather around the world hasn't been very nice and our forecast is not great for tomorrow or Sunday/Monday but at least March 1st is right around the corner and that means Spring cannot be too far behind. Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Edited to add the photo which I forgot to add last night - thanks Denise for mentioning it although I did wake in the middle of the night and remember that I did not post my photo. I did try to create links and am curious to know if they work for you as they did work for me but I'm not sure if they work for all.

Happy {Heart} Day!

2011-02-12T20:37:00.000-05:00

I have been busy stitching but don't have tons to show for it -- although today I did finish a pinkeep for my Mother - it is Brooke's Books Love from her Bride's Ornaments but my color choices - taken from the LHN Needle and Thread (but it won't arrive in time for the big day). The fabric in the background is what I used to back the pinkeep with:

Most of my time has been spent shoveling and ice chopping. I know this picture is difficult to translate but I am standing with my arm outstreteched and the snow is above my arm! Fortunately this week has shown little accumulation and it does appear that the snow is being compacted so there is less on the ground! What I want to know is who has hidden Spring?

Enjoy your "V" day weekend - we're headed to a birthday party tomorrow afternoon and then a romantic dinner at a great German restaurant {yum}... Happy Stitching! =^..^=

LHN Finish

2011-01-09T16:49:00.000-05:00

I may be the last one to finish Needle and Thread - but I began the stitching on the coverlet last weekend and am happy to show the finished project! I did start the fob when I went to Florida in March but finished the stitching last night and it is also put together! The fabric you see is what I lined the coverlet with. I think it is from the same line as what Impie, Hattie and Bea used for the mattress (but confess that it was a year ago when I asked Mary Kathryn what she had used). Feels so good to have a completed project. Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Kitchen and Stitchin'

2011-01-08T16:20:00.000-05:00

We are in the process of redoing our kitchen - what a mess right now. But it is looking great. The walls have been painted and the new door and window trim is up and painted. The cabinets on the fridge wall have been removed and are now residing in a friend's garage. The electrical outlet has been moved and there is a water supply line for the new icemaker which comes with the new fridge! Tomorrow starts the laying of the new cherry wood floor. Hopefully by next weekend the new cabinets will start to make their appearance in the kitchen!

While I have not become a part of the Crazy Challenge, I did finally stitch LHN Needle and Thread this past week and hope to attach it to the Impie Hattie and Bea mattress tomorrow. Then I'll post a finish picture! I've also started the stitching on the Shining Needle Society online Merry Cox class - Tend They Sheep - here's my progress so far

Today was spent shoveling snow, emptying cabinets, and writing the newsletter for my EGA chapter. Now I need to stitch! I think I'll start on T's birthday present. Dinner tonight is homemade chicken noodle soup and grilled cheese sandwiches! Nice, warm comfort food.

Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T14:41:00.000-05:00

Stealing a precious few minutes to wish every one a Happy New Year before my (late) dinner guests arrive! Must admit that the food smells yummy so hopefully the delay won't hurt dinner.
See you soon in 2011! Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T13:00:00.001-05:00

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas!

Thank you for following my blog and leaving comments.

I have seen so much creativity in reading your blogs and think of you all as dear friends and thank you for the hours of enjoyment that I receive by reading your blogs.

I have had a couple of finishes this past month and share them here (some have been stitched for quite a while but I finally got the finishing bug)

God Jul Pincushion for Mom

Gift for Stitching Friend - with Handmade Box

Little House Needleworks Merry Christmas Skater

The Sampler Girl's Bedford Falls

Closeup of ribbon trim


Shepherd's Bush O Merry Day

Shepherd's Bush Merry Merry Be (minus the ribbon - to come later)

This year's Christmas Tree - due to kitchen remodel

Graycie in her "I want attention" pose! Sending you Christmas kitty kisses.

Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Remembering Pearl Harbor

2010-12-07T19:47:00.000-05:00

Today marks the 69th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. May we never forget the sacrifices that were made by those brave soldiers and their families.

Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Where did the weekend go?

2010-12-05T20:47:00.000-05:00

Sorry to not have any pictures - but we have started the demolition work in the kitchen! Wallpaper has been mostly removed and all the trim has been removed. We are doing the remodel in stages with custom-built cabinetry designed and built by SO. Ambitions were high today as it was hoped to do the demolition, paint the ceiling and get a base coat on the walls. Tomorrow is another day for painting (and I'll be at work).
After helping in the kitchen for a few hours I went down to my sewing room and got a finish on a Xmas gift. Hope to post pictures next weekend after it has been gifted. I still have 2 more gifts to put together before next Sunday and another that I am still stitching. Don't know if I'll make it all by then but the main stitching gifts are FINISHED! That is certainly a relief.
Yesterday I went to the Connecticut Historical Society museum to see their exhibit on Connecticut Needlework: Women, Art, and Family, 1740-1840. If you are anywhere in the area and a stitcher, you must/should go and see this exhibit which runs through March 26, 2011. It was wonderful! And the best thing (which I didn't know) is that the first Saturday of every month is free admission as long as you arrive before 1:00p.m. I picked up the Elizabeth Potter Moore Sampler Kit which is beautiful on its own but I think the motifs can be used to make smalls. I also picked up the Peacock which is taken from a fabulous bed hanging. They also had a free craft project to make an English cracker. It was a lot of fun and something that I have wanted to do for quite a while.
Hope everyone had a great weekend - enjoy your week to be. Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Time Flies When You are Having Fun!!!

2010-11-28T20:10:00.000-05:00

I must have had fun this past week as I was off from work and time just flew! I got lots accomplished but my list was way longer than I could have accomplished! I don't think that M or T read my blog, but if you ARE M or T stop reading now!
Last Sunday I finished Liberty - which was a quick stitch from The Stitcher's Parlor and included the tin star. I'm either early or late for the 4th of July! I am showing it on a huck weaving mat that my Mother gave me this year for the 4th and a close up of the stitching.

I finished T's gift today and am pleased with the result and hope that she will be also. It is finished similar to the Traveling Stitcher that Mary Kathryn - Impie Hattie & Bea did last year.

I also started the completion of my EGA exchange gift. This picture is before I did the finishing. The fabric is what I used on the back. You can't really see it here but it is a holly print on red with yellow roses. I think it looks wells I am going to put a green ribbon edging around it, similar to the CA finishes from last March, but was too tired of the tedious finishing work to do that tonight. I will then add some pins to it. I put 2 layers of wool felt between the stitching and backing. Hopefully I will finish it on Tuesday night.

I had 4 other pieces that I had hoped to finish today but time just didn't want to cooperate! Here is a picture of 3 of them. Maybe next weekend. I usually don't do finishing after working all day because I end up with too many mistakes. I have a nice piece of a turquoise overdyed wool for finishing Christmas Eve and found some ribbon that looks like tinsel to put around the edges. Since this is for me I'll have to wait until the gift finishes are done.

Enjoy the rest of your Thanksgiving weekend! Maybe it will be longer next year! :) I'm off to stitch on more Christmas gifts! Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Happy Thanksgiving to those in the US!

2010-11-24T20:48:00.000-05:00

Wishing everyone a very

Happy Thanksgiving

with family and loved ones!

Enjoy your turkey feasting!

I've been home this week and it has been wonderful. My big splurge was to have a remote starter installed in my car.

We're headed to SO's Mother's for dinner tomorrow. Our plate for the table will be an Endive and tangerine salad which was in the recent Martha Stewart's Living magazine. I wanted something different and this looked intriguing. Hope it turns out OK and that everyone likes it.
I also want to thank my followers and everyone who comments - it is really nice to see the followers and read the comments and I have found so much creativity by following your blogs. Wishing you all the best!

I'm off to stitch now - December birthday gift almost completed and then on to 2 or 3 more Christmas gifts. Friday and Saturday will be finishing days for me.

Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Happy Dance!!

2010-11-07T13:15:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I finished my Merry Cox Her Necessaire! Here it is in all its glory - well at least sitting in my dining room!

I'm not completely happy with the finished product and if I were to do it again there are things I would change in the finishing but it is done! I added a button to the top of the Necessaire and put the two ribbon ends through each hole in the button and just tied a loop bow to close. These buttons belonged to my grandmother so I thought it was appropriate to use them in my needlework since she taught me a lot of needlecrafts.

I only need to find a little pen or pencil to tuck in beside the notebook. Hope you have a Great Sunday! Happy Stitching! =^..^=

2010-10-31T16:20:00.000-04:00


HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Hope you get lots of treats and no tricks.

Greetings to my followers! It is so much fun to look at what you've been up to as well!

I have been working on Merry Cox Her Necessaire which I stitched in {can it really be that long ago} 2005! I did put it in the dark recesses for a couple of years before I got it out last year to tackle the finishing but it then got put away again. Last weekend I decided to work on the bag again as it was so close to being done. I changed the brass rings to black covered hedebo and used a black silk ribbon for the ties. I only had the narrow ribbon so used two lengths in each direction. The fabric doesn't gather nicely and since there are only the rings for the ribbon to go through I decided today to add buttons at each side to hold the ribbon in place. Now the bag is FINISHED! I also added the rickrack edge at top to give it a more finished look.

Here's a close up of the side - not a great picture but I took it with my phone.

I only have to sew the front and back of the Necessaire together but I've bent 3 needles already so off to find a stronger needle. Hope to finish this today!

I also need to press 3 of my Shepherd's Bush Sheepies and then add their cute button hats. I got a great frame for my birthday to pop these into as the seasons change so hope to have then mounted in the next week or so to be able to display them. I have finished Hunt, Wish, A Queen and Lucky. I am now working on Home and have ordered Fa La La, Spooky and Thankful so hopefully by next year I will have them all done, until they come out with more.

Enjoy your day and Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Pictures!

2010-10-21T22:49:00.000-04:00

Stacy Nash Girls Club - Queen of Spring Needleroll - with my adaptation of the felt beehive

Queen of Spring Needleroll closed - with my choice of ribbon

Now ON TO MAINE - Kennebunkport to be exact

Queen Bee Stitching - with CA Wells at Legacy

Queen Bee Pocket Purse for a tape measure

and a close up with the hints that I received from Jules! Thank you again!

Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Just back from Legacy ....

2010-10-20T20:24:00.000-04:00

I just got home from my CA Wells Legacy stitching event! It was a wonderful time. We had great weather, great projects and great stitching friends! Who could ask for anything more? I got great help from Julie on using my camera and got several good pictures and had hope to upload one tonight - but now Blogger has decided they need to do maintenance! I will upload a picture or two later. Also want to say "hi" to Amy who attended Legacy for the first time. I hope you enjoyed it. Happy Stitching! =^..^=

sorry for being such a bad blogger .....

2010-10-13T21:03:00.000-04:00

but life has gotten in the way. I have managed to make it through over one year of going to the gym - of course paying for a personal trainer has some of the draw but I know that is the only way I'll be sure to go regularly. I have been stitching some although no pictures to share. I have a love/hate relationship with the camera/computer/blogging. I have trouble taking pictures that don't go 'all white' when the flash does its thing. Then there is the whole uploading to the computer. But I will promise to have some pictures soon as I am off to Kennebunkport Maine on Sunday for CA Wells Legacy Event! The projects are a mystery but the theme is Queen Bee! I'm really excited and can't wait to get our projects. I've been working on Fair Charlotte by Sherri Jones and just need to put in my initials and then the dreaded finishing. Some day soon I hope to get back to my finishing of Merry Cox's Her Necessaire. I'm very close on being done with that one but then pre-stitching for Sherri Jones and other things just got in the way. I did get some really nice jewelry from Joanne May Illustration and Jewellery Design (mine are the green necklace and bracelet with the bunny/hare that I originally saw on Shell's blog. Joanne was a delight to work with and I would encourage you to run and look at all her goodies. On the garden front, I had a great crop of cilantro - plants that were over 4' high and from seed! I also had 2 Rubekias (black-eyed Susans) grow and blossom from seed. I even have some lavender growing, again from seed.I never have luck with growing things from seed so was extremely happy to have this little bit from our hard work in laying the new gardens. This winter I need to get very prepared to be able to really plant in my Square Foot Gardens! See you soon I promise. Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Been busy stitching and living but no pictures to share

2010-08-09T20:36:00.000-04:00

I've been MIA for quite some time although I do read your blogs everyday - and mostly from google reader on my palm pre (which I love). I've been busy stitching some Shepherd's Bush kits - little ones- Flag; Hung and Wish and will try to take some pictures later this week. I plan to send these to the famous Jill Renzel for framing in her special way. Also working on a couple of projects that I am not at liberty to share yet but hope to soon. We are also in the process of remodeling our kitchen - SO is building everything from scratch and it is going to be great! I will post pictures once the installation is begun as he is still in the building stage now, although we did order a new sink and picked up the paint on Saturday -- terracotta (Benjamin Moore #063) for the walls and White Dove for the woodwork and cabinets. On Sunday we ordered the laminate for the counters (Mercury Glass by Wilsonart). We had previously picked up 5" wide prefinished Brazilian Cherry for the floor!!!!! Until later .... Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Happy Birthday America!

2010-07-04T11:28:00.000-04:00

Wishing everyone a great day! I'll be sitting on the beach stitching!

Happy Stitching! =^..^=

What you get from moving 4 yards of stone

2010-06-28T20:29:00.001-04:00

At last the new garden is in place! Little stitching has been accomplished these past few weekends because we were putting in our new Square Foot Gardening. Saturday we ordered the stone to put on the walking paths of the garden and it was delivered on Sunday!! Of course, it was supposed to be delivered between 8 and 10 AM and did not arrive until 11:30 AM ~ but after a grooling 4 hours of moving stone from the driveway to the garden it is done and I absolutely love it! I have planted a few flowers and some seeds. Since it is late in the season to begin planting I don't hold much hope for this year but just wait until next year! This will be a mix of veggies and flowers. I hope to have an area that has mostly cutting flowers so I can have fresh flowers in the house. The barn in the back was built by my dear SO a few years ago and is so fitting nestled at the wood's edge. Hope to be stitching tonight! Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Happy Memorial Day!

2010-05-30T11:17:00.000-04:00

Don't be alarmed - 2 posts in two days from me --- I had a good mail day yesterday. Received Elegant Stitch's newest *sam's priss* and was up early this morning so put it together! Don't mind the white in the bottom of the little cup - that is the glue that needs to dry.

Happy Stitching!

=^..^=

Thank you for your comments! They do mean a lot to me. For those who find finishing difficult, I'm sitting right there with you! I will say that CA's finishing technique is almost fool-proof but that would be asking for trouble the next time that I finish one of her designs so I won't say that but as long as you follow every step they do go together pretty well. I also have to give much of the credit to my finishing to having taking numerous classes with the likes of CA, Merry Cox, Sherri Jones - just to name a few - but each class seems to add a little more confidence and only I know where the issues are with the finishing. And after a few days or weeks, even I don't really see my goofs.

My CA Projects

2010-05-28T16:19:00.000-04:00

At long last, here is a picture of the CA projects from our March class.

There is still one more piece to be finished and put together but that is on hold at the moment as I am still working Sherri Jones' A "Garden Variety" Long Pocket which was my class last weekend. I did get the bag put together in class and have one small completely finished and the other 2 are pretty well along. I am still finishing the stitching that goes on the bag. Stay tuned for those pictures - if only it would rain this weekend so I could stay in and stitch instead of weeding in the gardens! Although I do love the gardens when they are all primped. I also want to do some new plantings this year so welcome the long weekend for that.
Wishing everyone a Happy (and safe) Memorial Day weekend!
Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Tea. Strawberries - or maybe a covered box

2010-05-18T20:29:00.000-04:00

Christmas Tea framed and hanging - I really love this!

Some luscious strawberries made at a recent EGA meeting - these were fun to create!

A fabric covered box from an earlier EGA meeting!

Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Happy Dance!

2010-04-24T19:43:00.000-04:00

I finished my CA Wells scissor rest tonight! Haven't taken pictures of the other finishes but here is my scissor rest. The pin cub and fob are also done, as the thimble satchel was finished and shown in a previous post.
Now working on my Stacy Nash Girl's Club Queen of Spring needlebook. I should have the stitching done by tomorrow. Enjoy your weekend and Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Better late than never~

2010-04-18T17:43:00.000-04:00

I have finally watched Masterpiece Theater's EMMA! It was wonderful and I now need to nag to get our own DVR. SO wasn't the least bit interested in seeing Emma when it was on, even with my whining! My step-daughter graciously said that she was DVR it and we would have a girl's day to watch. Just got home and am having Emma-envy. Some stitching has been done but alas no pictures to show. Hope everyone had a great weekend. Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Lots has been happening ....

2010-04-03T21:41:00.000-04:00

Sorry to have been MIA for so long. I have been busy stitching. Had a wonderful weekend with CA Wells a couple of weeks ago and finished my thimble satchel. Here is a picture of mine with 2 other completed satchels. My pin cube and scissor rest are almost finished. It is so nice to come home from a class with a completed item! Yes, these were all prestitched so the focus was on finishing.

Next was 8 days in Florida to celebrate my Mother's 80th Birthday! We went to the Myakka River State Park and took an airboat ride on the lake to see birds and alligators. Here are a couple of pictures. I took over 100 so am only showing a couple. A blue heron taking off in flight and a limpkin that was catching little snails for dinner! We almost met the cutest armadillo munching by the side of the road. I was able to get very close to him and he just kept on munching. There were lots of firsts for me on this trip and I have several birds to add to my life list.

Then we went to the Mote Aquarium in Sarasota and got to pet stingrays in the touch tank. This was a great aquarium and we saw lots of interesting fish, coral, dolphins and manatees! And we saw a calico slipper lobster. I loved this and tried to get a good picture. I was amazed by the number of different lobsters.

We also went to Sanibel Island and drove through the Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge stopping to admire all the bird life there and had a wonderful lunch at Sunshine Cafe in Captiva. We also went deep sea fishing for a day and caught grunts and grouper. The grunt is residing in my Mother's freezer and we went out for dinner and had snapper! One of the many highlights was being able to spend time with my dear friend Deb and her DH! It was so great to spend time with her and marvel at all her stitching and creative happenings. I really miss our time together when she lived *up north* and it was so good to be able to see her.

Best wishes to all for a Happy Easter and I hope that the Easter Bunny brings you lots of goodies in your eggs!
Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

2010-02-14T16:43:00.000-05:00

This is so cute! It's from Elegant Stitch - one of the Prisses that Lois is designing now. My kit was missing the ribbon and it will be here early this week - naturally I waited too late to realize that the ribbon had escaped from my kit - guess it wanted to stay where it is warm and didn't want to risk becoming snowbound - although we have had very little snow this year and have seen green grass pretty much all winter. There is some snow on the ground but fortunately for us not a lot.

Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Happy Dance!

2010-02-04T20:21:00.001-05:00

Edited to add: Sunday night -- met our friends for a fabulous dinner at the local sushi joint -- gave them the picture and they LOVED it!!!! They will be back home late on Tuesday and can't promise that it will be hung on Tuesday but it will definitely be hung on Wednesday -- now to plan a trip north to see it hanging!!

Just picked up my rendition of Little House Needleworks "Lakeside Lodge" which I am giving to our friends who have moved to a beautiful home in Vermont. First time I have used this framer and I am pretty happy although the linen isn't perfectly straight - although until I pointed it out to the SO, he didn't notice.

I am happy with the mats and frame I choose - simple, yet elegant.

I hope our friends like it - I put in the name of their home in place of "Lakeside Lodge".

Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Something new --

2010-01-16T19:59:00.001-05:00

Just found this new gadget and am trying it out --

Round Two!

2010-01-16T19:54:00.000-05:00

Another 3 day weekend and no holiday dinner to host -- so it seemed to be the appropriate time to tackle the sewing room again! I am happy (tired) to report that almost all of the {ugly} carpet is gone and the room is probably 2/3rds tiled! I LOVE it!! Hopefully tomorrow will be as successful and we will be able to finish the tile-ing and that will involve unloading my corner china cupboard, moving said cupboard, laying the tile (actually sticking the tile), painting the wall behind the cupboard and then moving and reloading!!! I'm tired already just thinking of it! But it will so be worth the tired muscles and I hope to be able to really organize all of my stash so that it is easily accessible - well, one can dream!
Off for some R&R and a needle in hand. Hope to have pictures up by Monday.
Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Christmas Past and Christmas Tea

2010-01-04T21:03:00.000-05:00

Some pictures of this Christmas just passed

and

Christmas Tea by Plum Street Samplers

almost finished - ran out of WDW Gunmetal so

have ordered another skein

(my colors)

plus part of my Xmas gift - Dovo Centennial Scissor set!

It is my understanding that they only made 100 of the gold sets

and one is mine - (Thanks Mom)

Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T18:49:00.000-05:00

Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year! May it be filled with hours of stitching, eating and relaxing -- of course, all the chores will need to be done also but hopefully that time will be less and enjoyment time more! Wishing you all the best! I hope to have a finish to show by the end of the weekend.
Check out The Sampler Girl's blog for some exciting news.
Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Bedford Falls!

2009-12-13T20:49:00.000-05:00

Tanya from The Sampler Girl came out with her 2009 Holiday Ornament a week or so ago and I quickly ordered it as a dear friend loves It's A Wonderful Life - which I had never seen until I met her and now love it as well - it was a quick stitch and my friend loved it! I used some sparkly snowflake buttons that I had in place of stitching the snowflakes.

While working on my sewing room I came across a painted needlepoint canvas that needs a new home. I have the painted canvas and the instructions book for sale. I started this when I was a member of the White Birch Chapter of ANG. It is Russian Fairytales by Joan Thomasson and is beautiful but I know that I will never finish it. My cost was $50 and I would like to get that or at least close to it. Please email me if you are interested.

Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Thank you

2009-12-07T21:04:00.000-05:00

Thank you for your comments! They certainly were welcome after the hard work on Sunday and then going to the gym tonight to meet with my trainer. Sunday definitely took its toll on my back and legs. Jackie, the 2 card catalog cases are filled with my DMC. My late husband found them in a basement of a building that he managed and they were set to be tossed out. He knew of a better place to have them go than the dump and I've used them for years. I have another one that is only 2 drawers but it is much deeper and doesn't fit on the shelves so it will have to go somewhere else. The tall Nantucket baskets and the oval Nantucket picnic basket were made by my mother. Most of the other baskets are Longaberger although there is one rectangular one on a lower shelf that belonged to my father's mother, who died when I was barely in 3rd grade and having been an Air Force brat didn't know very well, so I was thrilled to get her basket, which again, I've had and used for years. The pink/purple fabric is one of my many Vera Bradley pieces. Maybe some day I'll get up enough courage to show you some of that collection! Received my 2009 Christmas Ornament from The Sampler Girl in today's mail so am off for a quick stitch tonight.
Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Progress!

2009-12-06T21:41:00.002-05:00

Thanksgiving weekend was spent beginning to rip out the carpet in the sewing room and put in "sticky" tiles! Got about 1/3 of the room done and so far I love it!!Then there was this little alcove in the room SO decided to build a set of shelves to fit the alcove because I have so much stuff - fast forward to today - and the shelves are made, in and in use! There was a little problem getting them to stand up but SO managed to make things work with his handy persuader tool!!
Here are a couple of other shots of my things! The room will be revisited after January 1 - to finish getting rid of the carpeting, putting down the rest of the tile and painting!

Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Sorry for the layout but Blogger is not the friendliest to use - and I'm exhausted at this point - no stitching tonight! (Boo Hoo)

~Happy Thanksgiving~

2009-11-26T08:08:00.001-05:00

Wishing everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving
~ safe travels ~ wonderful times with family and friends ~ good home cooked meals ~

~ and perhaps a few stitches placed ~

Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Noella's Berry is ripening!

2009-11-16T18:12:00.001-05:00

Am fighting a head cold so laid low yesterday and mostly finished stitching Just Nan's Noella's Christmas Berry!

I stitched this in DMC and had all but DMC 777 so today went to Michael's and got what I needed and came home and finished the stitching and sewing on all the beads. The picture shows the berry before DMC 777 and the beads. Noella seems interested in what this might become... Hopefully I'll have the energy after dinner to put it together. Stayed home from work today and did grocery shopping which didn't get accomplished over the weekend (why are weekends so short?), I'll probably go to work tomorrow but I hear lots of groaning from the sewing room so I may be encouraged (?) to stay home another day!

Happy Stitching! =^..^=

My New Hutch!

2009-11-02T20:55:00.000-05:00

I spent a glorious Saturday afternoon unpacking 4 boxes of my *things* that have been in storage since I moved seven years ago -- here are a lot of these memories sitting in their new home - a 10 foot hutch that my SO built for me - to my specifications. It is difficult to get this all in one picture as the piece is quite large 10 feet long by 8 feet high! I still have more arranging to do so the displays will change as time goes on. i am happy to see some of my things again and have had fun recalling the many trips and people that are associated with lots of them. One of my requirements was to have a drawer large enough to accomodate the tablecloths without having to fold them into postage stamp size. The picture without the hutch top show the 3 sets of double doors and behind the middle set are the wonderful drawers - a 4 foot one on top and then 2 on each side below it! I love my new hutch!
I still need to tackle my sewing room - I have started but not gotten very far - one of the holdups was waiting for the hutch to be completed so that things could move from one spot to another and then other things could move to the spot .... you get the idea, I'm sure.
I also went to Legacy on Nantucket with CA Wells a couple of weeks ago and have been stitching on the ACK ornament (hope to have pictures later this week) - this is of particular importance to me because ACK is the call letters for the Nantucket airport - which we had to fly into last year because of bad weather and no ferries running! This year we went a day earlier than necessary to ensure that we would not have to fly in one of those very tiny planes and fortunately for us, we had an enjoyable ferry crossing on Saturday -- 5 people in our group were not able to come over on Sunday because the ferries and the planes were not operating. We rented a little mini Cooper and toured the Island on Sunday and the seas were very rough - of course, none of us had a camera to take pictures.
Thank you for all your comments. I enjoy reading them.
Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Yes, I am still alive .....

2009-10-28T20:36:00.001-04:00

I am still here and have been stitching on my projects from my CA Wells Legacy weekend October 18-20! No pictures yet but soon - I promise. Happy Trick or Treat Day to All! Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my!

2009-09-22T17:48:00.000-04:00

Well, not lions, tigers and bears -- BUT finback whales, porpoises, seals, eagles and even a moose! I'm on my annual vacation to Maine for 2 weeks (unfortunately this is the last of the 2 weeks - but I still have until Saturday to enjoy). A week ago we went on a 3-masted schooner from Eastport Maine and saw whales, porpoises, seals and eagles off the Head Harbor Lighthouse, which is on Campobello Island. Campobello is where FDR had a summer home, which is now open to tourists - so we put on our tourist hats and toured the "cottage"! It is very nice and looks like you could move right in. Today on the way to the library to use the computer, we saw a moose in the Moosehorn Wildlife Refuge in Calais Maine -- first time in 14 years that I have seen a moose in this part of Maine. No pictures to show as this is a shared computer. I've been stitching a little - I am almost finished with Lakeside Lodge by Little House Needleworks - ran out of Sasparilla! and am working on Stacy Nash exclusive "Cast Your Spells". I hope to start Sherri Jones' Spot in the Mountains as it seems appropriate for this part of Maine. I have also finished knitting one scarf and am almost done with a second one. I also bought several skeins of Maine wool so will be busy for a few days. Hope everyone is enjoying the fall weather. Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Finished Sweet Blossoms Bag!

2009-07-19T21:06:00.002-04:00

Today (when I really should have been working on other things, I finished my bag for Sweet Blossoms. I've been anxious to see what the beads would look like and am really pleased - of course it looks better in real life than as a picture but hopefully you can get the idea. I also changed the ribbon. I wasn't happy with the ribbon that came with the project and even after coffee dying it wasn't happy. So I found some Gloriana Rosewood and do like this. I used the 7mm for the drawstrings. I will now look at getting some 4mm to make a closure for the needlebook. I need to find a smaller button than what is supposed to be used because the shank is too large. If I had realized it before I finished I could have hidden the shank but will have to come up with a different button. I'd love to hear your comments. I'm really excited because I procrastinate at putting things together, sometimes for years!, and this is almost done less than 2 months after the class!

Hope all is well with you. Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Miscellaneous Things

2009-07-12T19:54:00.004-04:00

A picture of the sail/rowboat that SO helped a friend build - today was the Maiden Voyage. She (for some reason, boats are *she's*) sits really pretty in the water. Over the past 2 weeks we put the airconditioner through the wall instead of the window - which then required a repainting of our room! Yippee! 3 walls are crisp linen, which is a yellow-undertone off white and the accent wall is misted green, which is the same color as our bathroom. Pictures have been rehung and am just waiting for the linen valences to come home from the drycleaners! These are a couple of pictures from my hall and the guest room. I really need to get better at taking pictures! A friend is arriving from Vermont tomorrow and that means sushi for dinner! Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Pictures - at last!

2009-07-07T22:04:00.001-04:00

At long last here are some pictures, (trying to do this from Picasa so apologize for formatting issues - and the somewhat blurry quality of some of the pictures - my fault - not Picasa!). I still need to sew the heart onto the bag and and planning on using cranberry beads. I also need to thread through the ribbons but am hoping to do something creative to the ends so this is still a work in progress! There is also a picture of my finished hornbook - it is so sweet. Thank you all for your patience in my uploading of the pictures. Hope you enjoy.

Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Have been finishing all day today -----

2009-06-20T21:02:00.002-04:00

I wanted to let you know that I have spent the day working on finishing my Merry Cox pieces from class at the end of May. I have the scissor case to finish and hope to post some pictures tomorrow - but it is Father's Day and we will be out a good part of the day! I do have to wrestle with the sewing machine to make the drawstring bag so that probably won't happen for a while -- but I did want to let you know that I have been busy even if I haven't been blogging. I also put together my Merry Cox hornbook that I was fortunate enough to purchase at the shop during class. And that reminds me that I had another quick finish from that shop purchase. I'll be back with pictures! Happy Father's Day to all -- hope it is sunny and warm where you are (we will just have to *think* it is sunny and warm as rain and cool weather is in the forecast. Happy Stitching! =^..^=

21 down - 30 to go ......

2009-05-24T18:10:00.004-04:00

Flowers that is. I have been making progress on my Sweet Blossoms for my Merry Cox class thi coming Friday. I hope to get more flowers done tonight and tomorrow and my huge goal is to finish Tuesday evening so that I can pack on Wednesday! Happy Stitching! =^..^=

A Looooooooong Weekend!!!!!!!

2009-05-23T09:01:00.003-04:00

I'm so excited that we have a long weekend! I thank those heroic men and women who are serving our country to make it a safer and better place for all. While I am an Air Force Brat, I never had to deal with my father being on enemy turf or at war. He did spend a year at Fort Churchill, Manitoba, Canada where we could not accompany him - but he sent me fabulous pictures of polar bears, ptarmigens and other such inhabitants of the great white north!

I am taking a class with Merry Cox next Friday and need to finish my pre-stitching this weekend. I *think* I'll manage that, especially since it is raining this morning, but I did plead to go out to breakfast so the needle will stay motionless until later in the day.

Have a very wonderful weekend and Happy Memorial Day to all!

Happy Stitching! =^..^=

At last - some finishes~

2009-04-19T15:34:00.005-04:00

Here are some recent CA finishes! The Irish Pocket is from 2008 but I got it put together to wear for St Patty's Day in 2009 and when I saw CA later in March she tied the bows for me! The chair and lobster fob are from Nantucket 2008 and the perle keep (fabulous for holding on to those perle cotton balls - there is a hole in the top which you thread the perle cotton up through and then there is a cording which wraps around the button to keep it closed!) and the little chocolates are from this past March classes.

Perle keep front and botton

Perle keep sides and back

Irish pocket (sorry it's turned on it's side -- too much Guinness?)

I've been working on the finishing of my Hare Pyns by Sherri Jones today. This is my third or fourth day of finishing on it and I can see the light at the end but it will be another couple of finishing days before it is complete. I have an upcoming class with her this Saturday for her Mermaid of Two Tales!

Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Abigal Colby is visiting .....

2009-03-30T20:26:00.003-04:00

I am a member of the Mayflower Sampler Guild and the Guild has decided to stitch Abigail Colby's Work Basket and present it to The Attic Needlework's Breast Cancer Fund Raiser which is held each Fall. My small contribution is below. The colors are much nicer in real life and the linen that was chosen is a soft buttery color. This was a fun stitch. Now I am anxious to stitch the set for me which I have had since the original came out complete with the basket.

I do hope to be able to share some of my finishes from my weekend with CA in the next few days -- it will most likely be over the next weekend.

Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2009-03-16T21:42:00.003-04:00

I've been busy stitching for my CA classes this coming weekend but have no pictures to show -- hopefully I will have some next Monday! In the meantime......may the luck of the Irish be with you always!

Happy Stitching! =^..^=

For Craft-i-leigh

2009-03-03T20:06:00.002-05:00

Hi Craft-i-leigh (cute screen name). I'm posting here because I didn't see that you had a blog or an email where I could respond directly. Where in MA are you? Yes, New England and Snow in March!!!! Hopefully this will be the beginning of the end and Spring will finally appear. Do you belong to a guild? Where did you learn to stitch? I rarely buy a kit unless it is a class project, and I have been known to substitute my own linen or floss if I don't like those included. Once you have put 3 stitches in linen/evenweave you'll never go back to Aida. I think we probably all started with Aida and then at some point moved to linen/evenweave. I prefer the lighter appearance of the linen over the Aida and it is much easier to stitch on, especially if you are stitching *over one* or specialty stitches. I don't really know which brand of linen/evenweave I prefer, I usually go by the feel of the fabric. Cashel and Belfast are both nice. I am usually looking for a particular color and not so much a brand name. I really prefer 32 count for the majority of things I do. Let me know if you have any more questions and good luck. You'll have to start a blog so we can see some of your handiwork. Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Happy March!

2009-03-01T16:15:00.003-05:00

They say that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb! The forecast that I heard this morning was for 8-14 inches of the white stuff but now they have said 6-10 inches overnight and tomorrow. I was really hoping for a snow day - guess I wished too much so they lowered the forecast and I'll have to go in to work. I'm still stitching for my classes with CA in a few weeks -- here's some of this weekend's progress - the unfinished word is Rule and this will hold a square ruler. It is part of a finishing companion which has a pocket for a rotary cutting board. Hope everyone is having a great weekend and getting those needles smoking!

Happy Stitching! =^..^=

The Stitchers' Village

2009-02-15T20:02:00.004-05:00

I just signed up to be a member of The Stitchers' Village (www.stitchersvillage.com)! This looks really interesting and I can't wait to see what other shops join and the classes that are offered. There is lots to see all from one launch site! Stop and take a look. Here is a bit of this week's stitching. Sorry for the not-so-great scan This is the beginning of my stitching for my March classes with CA). This will turn into a keeper for the perle cotton ball. Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Tagged!

2009-02-10T20:32:00.002-05:00

Deb (Lavender Rose Ramblings), " tagged me to tell what my 5 addictions are and then to tag 5 other people. Here are my 5 addictions in no particular order: 1. Needlework 2. Cross stitch (oh, I guess that's needlework!) 3. Collecting SABLE 4. Beading 5. Being on the computer looking at needlework that others have done! I won't specifically tag others, but feel free to post your 5 addictions! Happy Stitching! =^..^=

I'm still here

2009-01-22T19:48:00.002-05:00

I've been busy stitching on my Legacy projects but have no pictures to show. Saturday I will be going to a friend's house to have finishing party - we will work on putting together our Sherri Jones project "Hare Pyns" so hopefully I will have some pictures on Sunday. At my EGA meeting last week we made little fabric ort bowls so I will post a picture of that as well. It's supposed to be close to 40 tomorrow and then COLD again on Saturday -- where is Spring? Stay warm and Happy Stitching! =^..^=

No pictures but a funny Graycie story

2009-01-09T21:01:00.002-05:00

Today while I was at work, my SO called me .... the conversation started with "you won't believe what YOUR cate just did". He proceeded to say that I couldn't leave plastic bags on the guest room bed (you know, the one's from Michael's or Walmart ...) Well, apparently either Graycie woke up from her nap or was being nosy and ended up with the bag around her neck (there were items that I had intended to take to the next EGA meeting). She tried to get the bag off but couldn't, so took off down the hall at a high rate of speed past SO's office with this bag chasing her! She went between the recliner and the speaker and fortunately the bag broke, leaving most of the bag and the contents behind the recliner but she still had the handle and part of the bag attached to her. She proceeded to run through the dining room, into the kitchen, and down the stairs. She ended up hiding behind the couch in the family room. She did left SO remove the remainder of the bag from her neck but went back to hide for a while. She has just left from sleeping on my lap while I was reading emails so either doesn't know that I was the guilty party for leaving the bag where she could be *attacked* or has forgiven me. Guess I'll need to do so organizing this snowy weekend. Happy Stitching! =^..^=

A Good Finishing Sunday!

2009-01-04T20:58:00.003-05:00

I was able to finish the 2 pinkeeps and also put together my Compass Pocket from Legacy. Here is a picture of the 2 pinkeeps (sorry it is blurry). I didn't take a picture of the pocket as I still need to make the twisted cord to go around the neck. Back to work tomorrow after 5 fabulous days off!

Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Some pictures to show

2009-01-03T13:39:00.004-05:00

As promised here is some stitching that was done during the last 2 weeks of December! The pillow design is from Tanya at The Sampler Girl http://thesamplergirl.homestead.com/home.html, I stitched this as a Christmas gift for one of my friends who loves the movie "It's A Wonderful Life". I had never heard of the movie until I met her! Hopefully she won't look at my blog before we exchange gifts -- our major *gift* to each other this year was to wait and exchange gifts in January :) I decided to stitch this on opalescent linen as the theme is magical and I used NPI silks.

I finished this similar to the way that Tanya had finished the original. Note the jingle bells in the 4 corners --

every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings

Then I found this really cute pattern from tne November 2008 issue of The Gift of Stitching Magazine http://www.thegiftofstitching.com.au/ It's entitled "A Merry Christmas" by Barbara Westhoven of West Wind Cross Stitch Designs and I thought it was very cherry so decided to make pinkeeps. The picture of the stitched model had Merry spelled Merrie and I decided to follow the picture rather than the chart. You can see part of the back -- the receipient's initials are above the tree. I stitched these using fabric and fiber from my excessive SABLE! I am pleased with the results and hope the recipients are also.

The Dahlonga horse is from the 2007 Just Cross Stitch Ornament issue. It was going to be a pinkeep for my mother for this Christmas, but I think I will save it for next year as I still need to put these all together. My father's family was from Sweden and I have always admired their Christmas decorations. Someday I hope to have an accumulation of them for myself but so far I only have a wooden candelabra for the Christmas season.

I'm fighting a headcold with a terrible cough so am not in the right frame of mind to be putting things together -- so I guess that means I get to start something new while snuggled up under the wool blanket with the kitty warmer on my lap. Everything I stitch winds up with the finest of cat hair mixed in as Graycie sleeps on my lap every time I sit to stitch. If she decides that she wants some attention she'll very carefully push her little nose up under the fabric and then snuggle closer!

Hope 2009 finds you all well and brings many hours of stitching enjoyment! Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Happy New Year -- 2009

2008-12-31T16:32:00.003-05:00

Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year and hope that 2009 will bring much happiness and calm to everyone in the world. We were supposed to be going to a wedding tonight with the ceremony happening at the stroke of Midnight - but alas both SO and I have bad colds and don't want to infect others (as we were infected at Xmas)! Haven't had a needle in hand today but do hope to tonight. I will have some pictures to show tomorrow I hope -- need to make it to Michael's for some larger jingle bells for finishing. Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Something to Show

2008-11-23T16:15:00.006-05:00

Just a little something to show from my trip to Nantucket in October! I'm really excited as I have finished a couple of the projects and am more than half way through 2 more! Plus I came home with a Nantucket basket that I made on Nantucket (my basket is on the left and my friend's is on the right) Yes, those 2 little chairs are part of our projects from Legacy.

And this was done for an exchange with my EGA group (the recipient wasn't going to be here in December so I gave it to her at the November meeting). This is part of Patrick's Woods Hare Pyns project.

Hope everyone is well and is able to deal with what is happening in the World and has a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends.

Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Happy Fall!

2008-10-15T20:38:00.002-04:00

I just found these cute backgrounds and choose the Halloween one. After a little struggle, I made it appear! You can click on the link above and look to see which one you want. I've been busy stitching but alas no pictures to show. I had a great finishing class for Hare Pyns with Sherri Jones of Patricks Woods last Wednesday at our EGA and on Sunday managed to get all the lining pieces and pockets ready for the hand attachment. I did get the scissor fob and sheath finished on Wednesday and got the Hare Pyns pincushion prepped for attachment. Now I need another large chunk of time to be able to finish the pocket. Next week I will be at CA Well's Legacy needlework event and then staying on to make a Nantucket basket -- ON Nantucket! This will be my 9th Nantucket basket that I have made, but the first one with CA and Chris. I'm really looking forward to it. I promise to post some pictures when I return. Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Just a little something to show

2008-08-09T11:32:00.003-04:00

I've been sadly away from blogging as I find it very difficult after working all day and I want to spend my off-hours stitching rather than fighting with blogging. BUT I have a finish to show you. I stitched Oh Say by Shepherd's Bush on Saturday July 5th and decided that I wanted to have it framed by the renown Jill Rensel! I highly recommend Jill for framing. She was a pleasure to work with and very quick.

Here's the finished product which I received on Thursday!!!!! (This is the picture that Jill sent to me before adding the glass.)

Happy Stitching! =^..^=

2008-03-19T19:31:00.005-04:00

Glitterfy.com - Glitter Graphics

HAPPY EASTER!

Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Another finish for my classes next weekend!

2008-03-19T19:31:00.004-04:00

I've finished the piece for our Friday night class! Tonight I hope to finish the hedebo around the monogram of the piece in my earlier post and then I'll be ready to interface the 3 class pieces. Then I'll have one week to put in the finishing stitches on the other 2 pieces and completely stitch the 4th class piece! I've been told that I have saved the best for last and that it is a quick stitch! I really hope so as the clock keeps ticking. Happy Stitching! =^..^=

2008-03-10T19:09:00.003-04:00

I've been busy trying to get four pieces pre-stitched for a finishing class with CA at the end of this month. Here a progress picture of a part of one. I tried to use a Celtic script for my monogram, although I only use one initial, so not a true monogram.

I have a little bit of hedebo to put in around the monogram before I interface and put in the final touches. Another piece is at the same point. Hopefully I'll post pictures before class of finished stitching.

Deb at Lavender Rose tagged me on this Seven Random Facts About Me...and I have to say that I don't know how to "link" people. I keep getting the entire URL rather than her name, so the lead in IS the "link back" required in Rule #1!

The Rules: 1. Once you are tagged, link back to the person who tagged you.2. Post the Rules on your blog.3. Post 7 weird or random facts about yourself on your blog.4. Tag 7 people and link them.5. Comment on their blog to let them know they have been tagged.

Seven Random Facts About Me

1. I am both near-sighted and far-sighted.

2. I am content to be in a totally quiet room.

3. I think I could live on mac & cheese!

4. I write with my left hand but can't use scissors with my left hand.

5. I love to sit and watch the snow fall and the birds fly.

6. I like my job (most of the time, but especially at quitting time!)

7. I LOVE Maine and stitching while looking at the lake from my cottage (well, for 2 weeks of the year it is MY cottage).

I'll let this game end now and let others tag.

Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Fun Stuff

2008-02-05T19:48:00.001-05:00

You Are Thanksgiving

You are a bit of a homebody who enjoys being in the company of people you love.It doesn't take a lot to make you happy. You're enjoying life as it is.You have many blessings in your life, and you are grateful for each one.You believe that life is about what you *do* have. You feel like you have enough of the good stuff. What makes you celebrate: Family, friends, and the changing of the seasons. At holiday get togethers, you do best as: The host of the party On a holiday, you're the one most likely to: Spend so much energy preparing that it's a full time job

http://www.blogthings.com/whatholidayareyouquiz/">What Holiday Are You?

Your Brain is Blue

Of all the brain types, yours is the most mellow.You tend to be in a meditative state most of the time. You don't try to think away your troubles.Your thoughts are realistic, fresh, and honest. You truly see things as how they are. You tend to spend a lot of time thinking about your friends, your surroundings, and your life.

http://www.blogthings.com/whatcolorisyourbrainquiz/">What Color Is Your Brain?

Saw these on Mainely Stitching and thought I'd play too. It was fun and there are so many more of these! And I think they are pretty much on target! Off to stitch tonight on some CA Wells prestitch for March classes. I promise to post some pictures in a few days but after the weekend as I'm going away with a couple of stitching buddies for a stitching weekend -- eat, stitch, watch movies, eat, stitch, watch movies ...... Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Football Sunday

2008-01-20T17:46:00.000-05:00

While the SO is busy watching the football games I have been happily (?) filing some of my many charts in my new 4 drawer vertical filing cabinet! I spent last Sunday emptying several bags, baskets and boxes and inventorying a very small portion of the thousands of charts I have (dare I admit to having that many...) in the Organized Expressions software program. Today I decided that I would now alphabetize the list by designer and organize the charts that way in the drawers. I didn't want to have to type hunched over the laptop in the sewing room! I did manage to toss a few charts that I know I will never stitch although it was hard to part with many. You may wonder why I didn't start the project by filing by designer but as Deb (http://lavenroseramblings.blogspot.com) knows there is no room in the sewing room to spread things out. Deb is one of the very few who have ever seen what is behind the door! Once this project is over I really do hope that there will be room and I might even be able to leave the door to that room open! I did find a cute pattern from Indigo Rose that I am stitching as a pinkeep for Valentine's Day. It's called Four Little Hearts and I've stitched it using Silk 'n Colors Victorian Rose on 32 count natural Belfast linen.

To those is the cold areas -- stay warm -- and to those elsewhere -- enjoy your weather! Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Small Happy Dance!

2008-01-06T17:41:00.000-05:00

Here are pictures of a small finish from my Merry Cox class last March in Buffalo. I started stitching the needlebook after Christmas and finished putting it together on New Year's Day.

I also lined the little paper mache box that Merry and her husband painted for us. Once my bird has wings, she will sit atop the box on a flower and drink from her little thimble bucket. I got a thimble from an antique store which I hope will be the right size for the bird.

At our November classes with Merry, she had a really sweet pinkeep kit, which I stitched up quickly and got mostly put together during class but needed to glue on the suede backing, which I did on New Year's Day! (Hopefully my having finished a couple of things on New Year's Day will be a good omen for 2008 and I'll get lots finished - LOL!) Sorry the picture is so blurry --

Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Happy New Year!

2007-12-30T17:51:00.001-05:00

I’m going to attempt to post a little more frequently but I have been busy stitching both class pieces, gifts and some for me. I did manage to finish my CA Wells rabbit pocket and will try to post a picture later. The posting of pictures is one reason I’ve not been blogging. Deb (http://lavenroseramblings.blogspot.com) told me that you need to put in the pictures to make it interesting (and I do love to see everyone’s pictures) but it just takes me so long to get the picture into the computer and then try to load it into my blog that it has kept me from blogging. As I write this, I am writing it in Word and will try to copy over to blogger – if that works, I may actually get back into blogging. I had a great vacation in Maine at the end of September. It was my 13th year at The Hideway on Pocomoonshine Lake (http://pocomoonshine.com). I think of it as the best of owning a vacation home – it’s mine for the two weeks but I don’t have the ownership headaches! Then I went to Martha’s Vineyard for a CA Wells Legacy Event! The theme was “Mermaid in the Garden” and the projects were fabulous. Here’s a link to a picutre of the Mermaid Purse which is being taught at Needle in a Haystack in CA (http://www.needlestack.com/classes/CAWells-MermaidPurse.html). After returning from Martha’s Vineyard I got to spend 3 days taking classes from Merry Cox. Two were refreshers for me – A Beautiful Day in Williamsburg and Flowers in the Fall. I had taken these classes in March in Buffalo but haven’t (still) finished them. I did manage to get the body of the bird put together in November although she still needs her wings! Right now I am stitching on the needlebook and hope to finish the stitching in the next week. The other classes I took were Milady's Petite Sewing Box and Grateful to Thee Sewing Box. Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Can't believe it's been over a month since I've posted

2007-08-31T16:35:00.000-04:00

but I've had my hard drive die on me. Fortunately I had a second hard drive which had all my stitching *things* saved on it and the only thing that I really lost were emails and my checkbook! But contacts were happily backed up to my Palm and I was able to download the last year of checking information from the bank. Just miss some of those emails! But I now have a backup system in place and have pretty much recreated everything that I can think of that I had on my other hard drive. My new hard drive is 30 times bigger than my other one and losts of things are loading much quicker -- so all in all it wasn't horrible. Just time consuming.

On the stitching front, I've been working on my Quaker Friendship pages and now have 3 finished. Here's the most recent (and so far the *funnest* one to stitch).

Hope those in the US have a happy and safe holiday weekend. To others, I wish a happy and safe weekend also.

Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Not stitching - but craft nevertheless

2007-07-29T21:22:00.000-04:00

Here is a picture of the Nantucket Basket that I made this past week. I took a 3 day class with Martha Wetherbee (http://http://www.folkschool.org/index.php?section=instructor_detail&instructor_id=814), who is a noted basket maker/teacher. This is a #12 from the Signature Basket Nest. There are a total of 9 baskets in this nest but my nest will stop at just this one! Next year I will continue with the tray next that I have been making. I have 2 left in that next of 6, the party tray and the banquet tray. I will post a picture of that nest some other day. I'm back to stitching on Ellen Chester's Quaker Friendship Book. There are a group of us stitching a page for each other. Hope you all had a great weekend! Happy Stitching! =^..^=

Cat Tails & Needles

CCN February Cottage

To Stitch or Not to Stitch Giveaway!

January framed!

Couple of finishes to share

January Cottage Finished!

January Cottage

Happy New Year!

C Mon Monde 2011 SAL Finished!

Christmas Wishes

Merry Christmas!

Victorian Motto Sampler Giveaway!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Part 3 Completed and Thankful!

SAL Part 2

Boo to You!

10 years ago .....

¤*¨¨*¤.¸¸ ...¸.¤\ \ 9/11 AMERICA \ .\¸.¤*¨¨*¤ .¸¸.¸.¤* ..\ ☻/ /▌ / \ NEVER FORGET!!!

The final pictures of Irene in Simsbury

Sunny, Happy Monday

Just a Note

Some finishes to share *****

pride and glory finished

Happy 4th of July!

Happy Father's Day! and a Happy Dance

Bottom and Middle Trays Finished

Happy Memorial Day and Thank YOU

Shuffling off to Buffalo....

Happy Easter!

Finished Tend Thy Sheep

FINISHED!

Yet another birthday gift (almost) finished - NO PEEKING "T"!

Birthday Gift Finished!

Great Mail Day!

Happy {Heart} Day!

LHN Finish

Kitchen and Stitchin'

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

Remembering Pearl Harbor

Where did the weekend go?

Time Flies When You are Having Fun!!!

Happy Thanksgiving to those in the US!

Happy Dance!!

Pictures!

Just back from Legacy ....

sorry for being such a bad blogger .....

Been busy stitching and living but no pictures to share

Happy Birthday America!

What you get from moving 4 yards of stone

Happy Memorial Day!

My CA Projects

Tea. Strawberries - or maybe a covered box

Happy Dance!

Better late than never~

Lots has been happening ....

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Happy Dance!

Something new --

Round Two!

Christmas Past and Christmas Tea

Happy New Year!

Bedford Falls!

Thank you

Progress!

~~~Happy Thanksgiving~~~

Noella's Berry is ripening!

My New Hutch!

Yes, I am still alive .....

Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my!

Finished Sweet Blossoms Bag!

Miscellaneous Things

Pictures - at last!

Have been finishing all day today -----

21 down - 30 to go ......

A Looooooooong Weekend!!!!!!!

At last - some finishes~

Abigal Colby is visiting .....

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

For Craft-i-leigh

¤¨¨¤.¸¸ ...¸.¤\
\ 9/11 AMERICA \
.\¸.¤¨¨¤ .¸¸.¸.¤*
..\
☻/
/▌
/ \ NEVER FORGET!!!

~Happy Thanksgiving~