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.

October Update

Before I start on my update, I have to share a brilliant idea.  I am always looking for a way to make my stitching a little easier and my stitching time more effective.  I love Thread Heaven thread conditioner, especially for DMC and metallic threads.  I do not usually use it for silks for some reason.  Not sure why, I am just not comfortable putting on a project I know that I cannot launder.  Anyway, we all struggle with using that last bit of Thread Heaven and taking it out of the little box to run the thread over it when it is not new......well, I saw these little baby wax things for quilters and ordered them.

Then, I took the wax out, put half a container of Thread Heaven and a washer (so it will stick to a magnet) in the little container and voila!  I am lovin it!  They have the notch in the container so the thread can be run through.    No clue what I will do with the wax I removed, but I have used it in the past as a thread conditioner so I will hang onto it.  I am not sure how this will work out, but time will tell.

Now on to progress:

Be Thankful:

Perhaps because of the fabric I chose, I made a couple of changes to the recommended floss.  3865 was too white, the yellow and green were too bright.  So I used 3866 which is creamier.  I also just picked a softer yellow and softer green.

For some reason this piece is becoming a little tedious.  Perhaps because I do not like doing "words". Who knows.   I sort of fell out of love with it somewhere right after halfway.  So it is packed away and perhaps I will finish it next year.

Patterned Gourds

Finished this project in about 36 hours of stitching.  I really like the Chai Tea fabric that I used.  I will probably make this into a cube of some sort by mounting it on a piece of foam.  I like the argyle look of it.  It kind of screams autumn without being in your face.  Really like it.

Heaven and Nature, With Thy Needle and Thread

Have really been surprised at how much I enjoyed this.  While I am still not convinced this is the best fabric for it, it is working well for this piece.  I made a few tiny changes to what I am assuming are supposed to be snowflakes.  Just added a stitch in the middle of the small ones.  I like the trees and really like the red poinsettia at the bottom.

I know I mentioned the threads before, but I really love the subtle variegation of the Gentle Arts threads; particularly for this piece in the dress and the reindeer.

Now to make it a pillow without wrecking it!  I learned from this project that I cannot sew and really don't enjoy it.  Measuring and pinning and stitching and turning, oh my.  Not a fan.  Perhaps I just need practice.......

Stitching this project took about 28 hours, but the pillow making.......felt like it took every bit of that although I know it was only a few hours!

Nora Corbett Letter "A"

Am enjoying this one as much as the previous letter.   I am not crazy about the fabric, but it will work out just fine.

Ink Circles Mandala RYOB series

Made a little progress on this project.  One quarter done.

Books Reading Books, HAED

This project is going slower than I would like.  So much confetti, so many color changes1   I am trying to devote an hour or so a day.  I am wishing I could get the hang of the parking technique.  I have not been able to make it work for me and I truly admire anyone who can master it.

While I do not need any supplies (other than some substitutes for discontinued threads on my Chatelaine that I will do next year) I am wanting to visit Stitches from the Heart in San Antonio next week.  It is an hour away, but something is just calling me to go.

That is it for this busy October.  Lots of stitching due to trying to get my silly foot o heal up.  I do not like being "down" for what feels like weeks on end.  Especially since we will be on the road in a few short weeks and I have to get this house ready to be left for a few months.

Thanks for visiting.  I have some really nice things planned for December along with the on-going projects so don't forget to stop by in a few weeks.