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.

Wet in Wyoming

It has been refreshing to have some rain showers.  Especially since we are landed for a couple of days in Wall, SD.  Cute little town.  Has the famous Wall Drugs that still gives free water to travelers.  Interesting story, interesting town that we plan to visit tomorrow (cannot take the dogs in the rain ya know).  Jasmine is really enjoying the cloudy day and watching all the activity in the park.

I have to say, when we got this RV I was not that thrilled to have a washer and dryer (it came with the unit we purchased).  Well, I have definitely changed my mind.  It is SO amazing to be able to do a load or two of laundry while we are hanging out at the RV.  Clean sheets are my passion (sick I know).  Remember our dogs like to snuggle under the covers early in the morning, so being able to wash them is a real bonus for me.

On the stitching front, I decided to take out all the work on Inside the Box and redo it.  I had used the wrong thread, was a thread off on the count, just a big mess.  So, I am redoing some of it.  Here is where i am right now.

Also have been working on both my Americana project and Halloween projects.  It does not feel like I have making much progress, but they are coming along.

I am really loving this piece.  I think it will be very cute in my RW&B room in Blanco.

As much as I do no enjoy backstitching, I am thinking that the hat needs it.  I don't know.  Maybe.

Tomorrow we are going to visit the Bad Lands and the city of Wall so I should have something interesting to report.

Thanks for checking out the blog.  Hope you are not too bored.

Made it to Montana

Tonight we are in Garryowen, Montana.  It is the "home" of the Custer Museum which sits on the site of Sitting Bull's camp site.  Interesting.

Garry Owen is the name of an Irish song that was supposedly the "theme song" of the 7th Calvalry.  There is really no town, just the museum and the RV park where we are staying.  Kind of funny, we looked for it on the wrong side of the highway.......hit a dead end and had to unhook the car to get the RV turned around.  It was kinda funny to me.....not so much to my traveling companion.   Also kind of funny to me is that this RV park is on a dirt road................kind of dusty, but it is really nice.  On the top of hill overlooking a nice valley.  All is well as we are settled and enjoying the incredible view.

We are due a storm (small storm) tonight and it is really nice watching it come in as the sun sets.


Stitching Progress:

Made good progress on Lilac Time, the Laura J. Perin piece I do while we are driving.  I am enjoying it a lot.   I really like the fibers that are used. #5 DMC us nice to work with and I  like the metallic ribbon that is used.  It is alot of fun even if it is alot of counting.

Last night I worked on Wicked is as Wicked Does by Waxing Moon.  I got the witch's hat done which was my goal for last night.

We are off to the Butte area tomorrow.  It will be a long travel day so we will be up and out early.

Thanks so much for visiting.  

April Almost Over Already!

It has been a whirlwind of chores since we got back.  I did have some stitching time.  The weather has been too beautiful to be inside during the day so I need to come up with an outdoor project.  It is good to be back on the bend.

Orchid Intrigue by Summer House Stitch Works

I wanted to do something with varigated threads.  I purchased a grab bag from Mo's Sale (they sell hand dyed threads) and simply have not been able to find any place to use them.  So, I used the pattern from Just Cross Stitch Magazine.  I used a 35 count linen in Watermelon and one strand of Mo's Pretty Bird.  It was an interesting stitch, and I have no clue what I will do with it.

I still want to do some other things with varigated threads, but it may be a while.

Mini Mandala IIC, Chatelaine

I framed the second of the set of three Mandalas

Mini Mandala IIB

I used the wrong thread for the algerian eyelets in the center, but I am not sure I am going to re-do them at this point.  They would be the dark green color and for some reason I had a brain face and used the variegated silk.

Books Reading Books, Heaven and Earth Designs

Also finished the second "row" of pages on Books Reading Books.  It is coming along and I am doing a version of parking that is making it a little bit easier.  I am working in columns by color and it seems to be helping.  I am just a little under half way done.  It amazes me how it looks when I step back from it.

That will about wrap up this month.  I am looking forward to some new starts for May.  I am kind of in a rut, but I do want to get some of these older projects finished this year.  One can always hope!

Thanks for visiting.

Finally in Texas

Another couple of uneventful traveling days.  The weather is fantastic.  

Wednesday

I have a serious question about parks in the desert.    Why is it that shade is so hard to come by.  When I lived in the desert I knew that shade was a premium.  It amazes me that every park we stay in has the West sun shining on the passenger side of the coach which is the area where you want to sit out in the evening.  It baffles me.  If you are in the RV park business i would think you would be more cognizant of what your customers needed.   However on the other hand if you are here in the winter, which is snowbird season, perhaps you like that sun in the evening.  Not my thing.   In addition, the WIFI service is not available, so you are getting this update a day late, Marj.  Sorry about that.  The park is Little Vineyard in Demming, AZ.  It is not one of my favorites.

I had a heck of a day with Autumn Leaves.  Holy cow I must have stitched, pulled out an re-stitched the zig zag three times.  It was so frustrating.  I have figured out that when I cross stitch I count blocks….open spaces…when I needlepoint I need to count threads.  I got so frustrated I had a cocktail right after lunch!  ha

Jasmine is enjoying the view from the front dash!

I am working on Mini Mandala IIB in the evenings  I had wanted to get more done, but that is just not happening for some reason.  

I am looking forward to finishing this third in the series of three.  Ready to frame them and hang them together.  

Thursday

We made it to Texas and are in Fort Stockton for the night.  We will be in Blanco tomorrow in time for the weekend.  

The weather is still great, warming up as Texas heads into summer.

I managed to finish the last portion of Autumn Leaves today.  It was not too bad and I am glad to have it finished.  I still have some of the extra metallic and detail to complete which should be no problem (she says confidently).  What I will do with it, who knows.  Perhaps I will frame it.  I have another Laura J. Perin project called Lilacs that looks like a companion piece to the Autumn leaves.  I will be doing that one during our next trip.

I will be posting from Blanco for a few months.  Hoping not to have another major flood this year!

Thanks for visiting.

December plans

We are back in California so I am getting settled into my stitching area.  Of course it is very busy getting ready for Christmas and the new year and enjoying my grand girls so I am not stitching as much.   And I MUST get to the framer on Monday.

I also need to do some serious organization.  I reeived a couple of orders that I had sent here rather than hauling it from Texas. First a bunch of fabrics that were on sale at Herschners many month ago and  my order from ECC for two Chatelaines, Classicism and Old World Vinery.  I am not sure when I will get to these but I just did not want to chance any of the specialty threads being discontinued in the next year and I got a refund on some taxes that, of course, I had to spend.

This month I want to finish or at least make some good progress on a few things before I start working on 2016 projects.  One of my many goals for this month is to have no new starts.  Just work on WIPs.  I usually plan my next year the week between Christmas and New Year's Day.

I  miss working on Gardens of London by Chatelaine.  I figured out that once I got through alot of the specialty stitches and borders that were so much fun to do I am a little bored with doing the cross stitching and back stitching on the buildings.  There are many color changes and the chart is a little tedious to read.   I am back to it this month, determined to get at least the London Bridge section finished.  I changed to a smaller qsnap for this project since I found the 14x14 was sort of becoming a problem for me.

Hoping to get some good progress done on Pumpkin Swirl by Glendon Place.  I am just a little over halfway done with it.  Have no plans for it after it is finished so this one of really kind of on the back burner.  I do want to finish it so I can free up my Millenium frame for another project next year.

A long way to go on Ink Circles RYOB  but it is a pretty quick stitch.  Hope to finish it soon and get it in the mail to its intended recipient.

Knot Garden by Chatelaine.  I am not keeping time on this project as I do with most of my others.  Now that I have moved out of the center I am really enjoying the project as I work through the specialty stitches.  I think I will frame this piece and keep it for myself.

Books Reading Books, Heaven and Earth Design:

This so confetti heavy that it is taking me quite a while.  I am loving it, and cannot wait to get moving along on it.  I am thinking I need to allocate a certain amount of time a week to make some good progress on this piece.  I have now been at it a year.

Mini Mandala II-C by Chatelaine.

Barely started this project but I am looking forward to working on it and finishing it to go with the other mini mandala in the series that I have completed.


I do not know when I will work on my Needlepoint projects again.  No travel planned for a few months, but you never know when I will have to ride somewhere.  I am thinking these would make good traveling projects.

Thanks for visiting.

I wish you a wonderful Christmas Season and a terrific New Year.

Needlepoint News

Autumn Leaves Laura J. Perin Cyber Class

I received the first "lesson" and got a little work done.  I have found that counting for needlepoint is different than counting for cross stitch.  I think the deal is that you have to count the threads, not the holes.  I am not quite sure, but I know I have had to pull out several areas and redo them when they did not work out properly.  It is very interesting working with the metallic ribbon (the gold part of the border portion).  I have never worked with it before.  It is surprising easy, but it does fray quite a bit.

Grace Dimensions Kit

It is interesting.  I am having the same counting problem.  Since this was a pretty inexpensive kit (compared to most kits....it came from Amazon), I am using it for practice.  Hopefully it will help me with the other needlepoint project.

Those pinkish stitches were fun to do.  They are called Teardrop Jessica stitches.  Surprisingly easy once I got the hang of them.   This thread in the kit is all what appears to be a 6 strand DMC type cotton so there is a certain comfort level.  There is a little metallic threads for finishing but that shoes not be a problem.  I am hoping I will get better as I am not sure I am happy with the continental stitch (I think that is what the half crosses are called).  I am beginning to completely understand the use of a laying tool.

I got these started because I want to do them while we are traveling in a couple of weeks so there will not be any progress until December or so.

Thanks for visiting.

New Starts and Old Projects

Just a few updates and new things this month.

December 1 started a Heaven and Earth Designs stitch-a-long.  I am doing the Books Reading Books design.  It is going so well I am lulled into thinking this is going to be relatively easy.  I am doing it on 18 county Aida because the 25 county I got originally was just too small and too distracting for me.

 

I am trying not to think about how stitching will go when I get to the portion of the picture that has a letters inside the book.  One stitch at a time, right.

 

 

I did get all the floss put on bobbins (most of it anyway) and am a little surprised that it doesn't use more colors.  It has a total of 86 colors which is not bad.  It has lots of area that only has a couple of colors and not much confetti.  When I get to the actual picture I am sure things will slow down, so I am making an effort to do as much stitching as possible before I get to the 'hard' part so that I stay motivated.

 



I have also done more work on the linen that I am learning.  It is coming along and is getting a little easier.  I am hoping to be more comfortable with this fabric as I have a couple of 2015 projects that use evenweave and/or linen.

This is a Thea Gouverner  kit that I got off of Overstock.com.  It is going pretty well.  Magnification and lighting sure help!

So that is about it for the first of this month.  I put in a few hours on Woodland Enchantress.  I have kind of lost interest in that project for now.  I am sure I will pick it up after the new year.

And of course I have not stitched at all on Bay Dunes, Cranes or any of the other WIPs I have going.  Oh well.


Thanks for visiting.

California Update

Have been in California for a little over a week and it has been so busy.  I am STILL unpacking from the painting last year and am making donations to charity.  I decided I no longer need most of the cook books and cooking magazines I have accumulated.  I never open them anymore and everything seems to be on line.  So, off to the used book store they go.

We also discovered that the RV will not fit in our driveway nor in the driveway that Robert had made up the hill.  It is too steep. (laughing uncontrollably).  Guess being in finance and not engineering is showing itself.  Right now the RV is parked in DIL's driveway up the hill, which is somewhat inconvenient, as I always seem to find something else that is in the RV.

I have also been working to consolidate my stitching stash.  What I brought from Texas and what was here in California.  It is overwhelming.  I have enough kits, enough fabric and enough patterns to last me until I am well over 200 years old at my current stitching rate.  And it took me an entire 8 hours to organize and log all the floss (just the DMC).   Crazy.

I am putting myself on a stitching stuff diet.  Well, sort of.  I am determined not to get any more patterns and/or kits until I get some finishes under my belt.  All this organizing and such has left me little stitching time so I have not made much progress for the past couple of weeks. 

I did start organizing the Books Reading Books HAED project and cannot wait to start it.  I am intimidated by the fabric, so I ordered some 18 count aida in case I cannot get the hang of the fabric that came with the kit.  Daunting!  I also had to order two new scrolls because my max length was 20 inches and I need at least 22.  And I put the first 16 colors on bobbins.   This will probably take me several years to finish.

I also kitted up the Welcome Friends in Celtic that I want to do for my nephew and his wife.  I decided to change the  colors over to DMC and some of them are not even close!  So, I may delay starting this project as I need to get some threads for it.  I will post a photo of it once I start it.

I made some progress on Woodland Enchantress.  This project has been my focus this week.  It is kind of slow going although I am liking how it is coming out.  I am using the System 44 stand (I think that is what it is called) to see how it is going to work for me.  Since I had to put the project side ways on the scroll frame, it is a little awkward to stitch.  The floor standing is helping some, but it is still not so comfortable.  Another reason I ordered the longer scroll bars.  This is the second project I have had to put sideways on the frame. It is about 1/4 done at this point. 

 

I put the Santa and Mouse HAED project I am doing on my American Dream lap frame that was here in California and it is going OK.  Still slow progress.  It has not dampened my enthusiasm for the large project from HAED that I will start soon.

 

And Bay Dunes was the project I worked on during the trip.  It is coming along nicely.  I did some of the back stitching while I was listening to Grandgirl nap the other day.  The babysitting is PERFECT as I can stitch without guilt.  Nothing else to do but listen to the little gal sleep!  Loving it.

I have found that my magnifying light that I love is just not working for me here.  It works like a charm in Texas, but the chair I use here in California is wider.  So, I ordered a new light.  Just what I need, right?   It came in yesterday and is still in the box so the jury is out on how well it is going to work.

That is it for now.  I will do another update in November (only 2 days away, yikes) sometime.  Hopefully I will have a finish or two before that.  I wanted to finish Bay Dunes by the end of October, but that isn't going to happen.

Am really enjoying time with the Grand Girls, but I miss the river more than I thought.  It seems there are many more demands on my time here in CA.  The pace if definitely faster and everyone is in a hurry.  We have a lot more going on so perhaps it is my imagination.

More as it happens

Thanks for visiting.

DESIGN Post for October

I am participating in DESIGN which stands for Designer Everybody Should Instantly Get to Notice.  I found this through a facebook post, and it looks like it should be fun.  If nothing else, perhaps I will be more likely to post with a little more regularity than I have in the past.

I do a lot of kits, mostly because I am a little unsure about choosing fabrics and threads.  Since I discovered facebook I have been exposed to many  more options and am challenging myself.  I am also enjoying it quite a bit.  I have learned that there are a plethora of folks out there who design some incredible things for cross stitch.   This posting groups will definitely help me be more aware of the designers of the things that I do.

For this designer focused post I will one of my current WIPs.  It is a kit entitled Bay Dunes and is by StitchWorld.  The artist is Paul Brent. 

He has a website that shows some of his work:  http://www.paulbrent.com/

The kit I s dated 1998 and I am not sure where I got it. (knowing me I picked it up at a thrift store!)
 I notice that this piece is not listed on his site, but he does have some needlepoint designs listed.  When I opened this kit I was surprised to find that there is another one of his designs charted.  I like the beach and airy feel of this.  The colors are very soothing and it really has been fun to stitch. 

I have never stitched anything by Paul Brent before and I may do the other design that came with this kit.  Time will tell.   The two design would make a great pairing for a house near the water.  I really like the way it seems to extend beyond the border of the picture.  A little hard to explain, but it enhances the airy feel I think.

This kit has lots and lots of half cross stitches which makes it go pretty fast.  This kit is on 14 ct. white Aida and came with DMC floss.  The finished piece is 9"x13".

I am just about half way finished with it and hope to finish it this month.  I am coming into the more detailed part of the design, so it make take me longer.    Here is my progress so far.

 

Thanks for visiting. 

 

 

October Update

Computer is back home and so far is working (keeping fingers and toes crossed).  So here is an update on my WIPs (works in progress)

I have been trying to set up a rotation on my projects, so my progress the past month has been a little slow.  Seems like I always have something that keeps me busy.  Especially since the weather has cooled off and the weeds have taken over the flower beds!

I am also getting the house ready for us to leave on the 10th and that keeps  me occupied.

 This is my first HAED (Heaven and Earth Designs) project, and I must say it is not going very rapidly.  I am happy with how it is coming along.  I am still winding floss on to bobbins as I go.....47 colors, although so far it is blues and purples.

This is Bay Dunes and it is coming along.  Lots of half stitches.  I decided to do the half stitches the opposite direction than I usually do them.  Making them in the direction of my top thread.  Not sure I like it, but it is a good practice.  I am liking this a lot.

Feasting Frenzy is kind of taking a back seat to the other projects at the moment.  It is my first project on a QSnap.  The jury is still out on whether or not I will use the QSnap again, but I did get an alternative way to put the fabric on the frame from a Utube video which has helped.  This is the project I work on when I am on the patio in the afternoon, so now that it is cooler perhaps I will get a little more done.

And last but not least is Woodland Enchantress.  I am really liking this project a lot even though it is going a little slowly.  It will be interesting to see how long it takes me.

 

 

I did not do anything on the Cranes project or the Santa Stocking during September.  I am trying to keep my works in progress down to 6.  Well, the major projects anyway, I still want to do some small things for cards..................................

 

This month I also purchase two apps for my ipad.  One is a cross stitch application called "X Stitch".  It is really a great way to keep track of projects and future projects.  The good news is that I am almost caught up inputting information.  You list your works in progress, future works, kits, threads and fabric inventories, etc.  The bad news is that I have WAY more projects than I need.  I think it is a sickness! 

 

The other application I added was Good Reader.  It allows you to download PDF charts onto your computer.  Rather than using paper patterns and marking them, it allows you to have the chart on your ipad and mark it using the highlighter function.  I am not sure I am liking it so far.  It is great for enlarging the pattern/chart and is easy to see that way, but so far I still use my paper and highlighter pens for marking the chart.  Habit I guess.  But it is time I move into the new century I suppose.  I am trying it on the HAED project.

 

And I also put Hours Tracker application on my ipad (it was free).  It has a function to record the time I am spending on each project, or job.  I like it a lot as I have always been curious about how long something takes me.  Of course I have to remember to clock in and out, but so far that is not a problem.

 

 That is it for updates. 

 

Thanks for visiting.