Finally February

January was not bad as far as productivity.

Stitch From Stash 2017A

I was able to get through the entire month without any stash purchases, and I got $26.00 credit for finishes.  So I begin February with $46.00 and my February budget of $20.00 for a grand total of $66.00.  Go Me.  Hoping I can have another month of no purchases and making progress on some old projects.




MONTHLY NEW STARTS

 Breath of Spring by BlackBird Designs

28 Count Woodvine Jobelan (very definitely a lilac color) using Gentle Arts and Weeks Dye Works cotton threads 2 over 2.

Sampler Excursion #1 Scotland from Amy Mitten.

32 Count Linen, "Fibers to Dye For" silk threads 1 over 2.

I got this kit last year and it comes with everything.....linen, silks, even a needle.  My only issue is all the initials called for in the pattern.  It will take some thought on my part about how to actually do the initials.

WsIP

I am still enjoying the Mystery SAL from Linens & Threads.  Will be making the color choices as each band is released (monthly) using threads from my stash that I have in multiple skeins.  It looks like it is going to be basically a green, gold and brown piece.  This month's band is quite a bit smaller and more manageable so it did not take me too long.

I am caught up on the Under the Sea SAL by Ship's Manor.

FINISHES

Books Reading Books, HAED

Completed Page 15 which is just abouth half way.  I am in year to of this project and my goal is to give it a little more love this year.



Dancing Deer, Cherished Stitches

I thoroughly enjoyed this.  The colors are just fantstic.  I left off the wording at the bottom and hope that by the time I get ready to fully finish it I will have some idea what I want to put there.

I also made a pillow out of a December 2016 finish, Reindeer Games.  It need some emblishment, but I am going to wait until next Christmas when I am more inspired as I think is really needs something.

I am not all that thrilled with how it turned out.  I think I left too much of the linen fabric on the sides.   I used a pillow form .   By the time next Christmas rolls around I may be in the mood to re-finish it.


Completed a couple of ornaments so far this month.  I think because the two releases on the SALs were small I was a little out of sorts at the beginning of the month.  I found myself wanting to do some February/Valentine themed projects, but new purchases are not in the budget, so I got a freebie and did a small ornament.

That is it so far this month.

I am finding that the Stitch From Stash is carrying over to other parts of my life also.  I am a little more conscious about what I am putting in my Amazon basket these days.

Thanks for visiting and Happy Stitching.

So Far So Good

Stitch from Stash 2017A

So far no purchases and no more new starts.

FINISH


Ye Old Coffee House, Little House Needleworks

I enjoyed this, but I must have frogged twenty times and miscounted as many.  How this simple looking project turned out to be so difficult is beyond me.  But, it is done, my first finish for 2017
I made several counting errors and added the coffee cup above the house where it was charted for a heart.

My monthly ornament and  FFO of an old ornament.

That give me $12.00 credit for this month so far in my Stitch from Stash Budget.





SALs

Beautiful Sea, Ships Manor

Was able to get caught up the first week of the new year and just finished part 8 so I am all caught up.  Really enjoying the colors of this.

2017 Mystery Sampler, Linen & Thread

Since I am stitching from stash for the first 6 months of this year, I pulled any DMC of which I had more than 10 skeins and pulled a piece of 32 count Platinum Belfast linen.  I am hoping to have the left side finished today.  The second band comes out the first part of February and I would like to stay caught up, but who knows.  Those large empty spaces are for bird looking things that I think I will do in a different color.  I may wait until the second band comes out before deciding what color.

WsIP


Alice Merryfield, Pineberry Lane

I worked on this for the "red" weekend challenge (Jan 13-15) so I got a little further on it and want to finish out the red part of the border this weekend.  I am probably going to replace the very pale color as it just is not showing up on this fabric.

Dancing Deer, Cherished Stitches

I am still amazed by the colors in this piece when I step back and look at it.

But Happy They Wedding Sampler, Cherished Stitches

I wish I could say I was enjoying this.  It may end up at a UFO by the end of the month.  It just is not holding my interest, although I do like the fabric.  I should probably make up my mind before I get to the personalization portion!

That is it for the first two weeks of the year.  I have a pile of finished things from last year that I would really like to get completely finished, but I just have not been in the mood for finishing.

Thanks so much for visiting.

Welcome to 2017

First Things First:  Happy 10th Birthday to my sweet little Jasmine all curled up after destroying the bed!  She was not too happy that I uncovered her to take her photo......

I am doing Stitch From Stash 2017A.  It is stitching only from what I have on hand and sticking to a budget for the first six months of the year.  I have so many things I want to complete this year and I know I have more projects that I will live long enough to finish!



New Start 

Ye Old Coffee House, Little House Needleworks

Am doing this with the called for DMC on 28 count Clay jobelan and I love the fabric.  Unfortunately, however, the frog has been visiting me on this project so it is really dragging.  I am going to change out the heart at the top to a coffee cup.....I am not a huge "heart" fan.  I also am thinking about changing the date to the date we moved into our house in Blanco, Texas since that is where I plan to hang it......




Beautiful Sea Sampler SAL, Ships's Manor

I am determined to catch up on the Beautiful Sea Sampler SAL.   I am into part four so I am just about halfway caught up!    I am doing it on 28 Count Mystic Lugana with the Ship's Manor threads.  They are really great colors and I am enjoying it.  I cannot wait to be caught up.

Linen & Threads 2017 Mystery Band Sampler

This is a free pattern from Linen and Threads and it looks like it is going to be a year long project.  I have a piece of 32 count belfast in Platinum that I am going to use.  My dilemma is the threads.  It takes about 30 skeins and I am stitching from stash this year.  I went through and pulled all the DMC colors that I had over 10 skeins and they are mostly greens, golds and a little brown. I think it would be pretty, but I am so bad at deciding colors I am kind of nervous to start it.  I really do not want to fall behind (comes out monthly) so I gotta just go for it!  If I use the greens I may put the Evergreen Sampler on hold since it is alot of green.

WIPS

Here is where I am starting this year.  No photos as I have not made any progress on any of them.   With the new starts that give me about 8 WIPs which I think is plenty for a month or so!

Dancing Deer, Cherished Stitches

Evergreen Sampler, Good Housekeeping Christmas Book

Alice Merryfield, Pineberry Lane

But Happy They, Homespun Elegance

Books Reading Books, HAED

Knot Garden, Chatelaine



Thank you for visiting.  I hope your new year has had a great beginning.

End of the Year New Starts

The end of the year always finds me making plans and trying to get a jump on the new year.  Why?  Who knows.  It isn't like I ever get ahead....except of myself sometimes.

NEW STARTS

But Happy They, Cherished Sitches

I started the wedding sampler for my friends that is due in March.  It should not take long because it is mostly wording..  Lots of open space that is supposed to be filled with motifs that are personal to the couple.  Well, I am sure that will not happen.  I does have a lot of emply space, and I am a little nervous about adding the correct date.  I may just see if they are registered on-line anywhere and forget it altogether!

Alice Merryfield, Pineberry Lane

Not sure what it was that appealed to me, but I am giving it a go.

Evergreen Sampler, Good Housekeeping Christmas Book

This is my thrifty answer to And A Forest Grew that everyone is stitching.  I may still have to do it one day, but.....trees......

WIPs

Dancing Deer, Cherished Stitches

I was thinking I would put this away for a while, but I am so loving the colors that I am going to keep going.

I have a stack of other WIPs, but have not touched them this month at all.


And I worked on getting some old (and a new one or two) ornaments fully finished while I was in the mood.  Doing it quickly got me out of the mood, but they now have all been stuffed.  Just need to inspire myself to get them embellished so I can pack them away until next Christmas.

Oh, my wonderful cousin in Canada had the sampler I did for her framed and hung it in her kitchen.....she did a great job picking the frame and I am kind of amazed that I actually did this!

That wraps up 2016.  I am really looking forward to the new year and looking forward to what I can create in 2017.    I will post my plans after the first.

Thanks for visiting and sticking with me this year.  It has been a wierd one.

A Very Productive December

First things first, I have to grumble a little.

I have had this floor stand for my stitching for years and am not even sure who makes it or what it is called.  I have struggled with it and suffered with it the entire time.  As you can see, the two "arms" do not line up because the top cross bar is warped or something.  I have tried a thousand time to "fix" it and have not been successful.  I am sure it was not very expensive and it is terribly wobbly.  I have finally given up on it.   I was going to donate it (as I do most things) but I changed my mind and decided to take it apart and hold on to the hardware for later use.  I do not want anyone else to suffer through this awful thing.

I have a Just A Thought stand that I got over a year ago that lives in California but for some reason I have been using it in a different place.  (Hard to explain)  At any rate, I moved it into my utility/craft/laundry/computer room and use it.  Whew, what a difference.  I may get this HAED piece done yet!

Please excuse the mess!



On to stitching stuff


FINISHES

 Nora Corbet letters for my grandgirls.  They are framed and ready for Christmas delivery.

I did a flat fold of Hatching Christmas for my Daughter in Law...she loves it!  Woohoo.  Another Twisted Stitcher tutorial finish.

MORE FINISHES

I am thinking of 12x12 pillows for these two finishes.

Share the Joy of Christmas, Abbey Rose Designs

I am really pleased with this.  I thought the colors were going to be a problem, but I really like it.

Reindeer Games, Kathy Barrack

This turned out cute, but I did not use the suggested threads so I did not do the large black "vase" that is at the bottom.  I will probably do it again next year with the recommended colors.

Woodland Wonder, Glendon Place

The photo does no really show the opalescent fabric very well, but I am pleased with it.  I did not use the kreinik on the snowflakes because I could not get them to come out right.  It looks wierd to me because I did not start in the middle of the fabric, but 3" from the corner instead.   I will try to find a frame for it.



All in all a very productive couple of weeks....of course I have done nothing else!  No housework, no cooking, no laundry.......HA  I have to get to work now and get some cleaning and baking done.

I am trying to get these WIPS done so I can begin my 2017 planning.    I think I am down to 6 if I don't count the ones that I have given up as lost causes.  Who knows, perhaps I will drag them out next year for the Stitch from Stash 2017A.

I am planning to firm up my 2017 stitching plans the week after Christmas while things are winding down for the year.

Thanks so much for visiting.

Have a wonderful Christmas and Holiday Season.

Back in California

Other than fighting a cold all the way back we had a very pleasant and uneventful trip.  Those are the best kind.  We managed to hit a nice weather window other than some minor dust storms coming across the desert.

I got a little stitching done.  I worked on some Christmas ornaments since I got totally frustrated with the needlepoing project I had planned to work on while we were driving.  Somehow I managed to get the count off so I am having to fudge it quite a bit.

I gott the threads for Woodland Christmas all on bobbins.  Everyone has been doing the "Forest Grew" by Rosewood Manor.    I found this one in the Good Housekeepig Christmas book (do not remember the year)  I hope I copied it correctly because I did not bring the book with me.   Winding bobbins is very therapeutic while we are riding along and I do not have the concentration to stitch.  I am looking forward to starting this one after I finish the Nora Corbet letters for my grandgirls.

WIPS

Mermaid Letter M, Nora Corbet

Had some decent progress.  Have the beading to do before I start the other one.

The Bee Keeper, Plum Street Samplers

Managed to get quiet a bit done and and I am not sure how because I tried to work on it while Jasmine had my seat in front.  Kind of bumpy but at least this is just for me and not for a gift so I can forgive myself some of the errors.

Winter Wonderland, Glendon Place

So much beading.  I am really enjoying seeing this come together, however.  I hope to finish it this month and move on to another one of the Christmas Projects I have in the wings
.

NEW STARTS

Reinderr Games by Kathy Barrick

Dancing Deer by Cherished Stitches

For some reason the photo of this project is hiding from me. So I will post it later



Happy Thansgiving to all of you who celebrate Thanksgiving this week.  Thank you for visiting.