January 6, 2017

Well, yesterday was successful! After posting my entry, I trimmed and taped the pattern pages together in pairs. Then, I couldn't resist adding some stitches. I got several in as well as stitching an over 1 bee. It's so cute and has me excited to be stitching on the project again. 

The project I pulled from the bag today has me sighing in frustration. It's Summer Zinnias by Pam Sweda from Mystic Stitch. There is a gorgeous over 1 model stitched and taunting me at Heart's Desire in Wichita, KS. I have to stop and stare every time I'm there. No problems so far. Keep reading...

I had been looking at how much dark background there is and wishing I could do something about it. Then, I found the perfect piece of fabric already in my stash. It's a 36ct Edinburgh linen Solo from Silkweaver. It's just got the most fabulous mottling that greatly resembles the background in the project. So, my issue now is trying to figure out what's foreground and what's background. However, the stems of the flowers share some of the same colors with the background. My current plan is to stitch and figure out where the flowers, leaves and stems end and then leave the fabric to shine through as the background. I'm hoping it will make the flowers stand out more. 

My other issue is that I was CRAZY and started stitching with 2 strands of floss. On 36ct fabric! What was I thinking? Another change. I'm not frogging the bits I have in. I'm just changing to single strand stitching from here on. 

I've had so many issues with this that I don't know if I want to work on this project any more. It's definitely not one I'll be working on anytime soon. I may just have to stare at the pattern picture until I love it again and then try stitching it. 

Summer Zinnias PS-02

Pam Sweda

Mystic Stitch Inc. 

225 x 170

36ct Solo Edinburgh Linen Silkweaver Fabric

DMC floss

Happy Stitching!

Laura :)

January 5, 2017

Woo Hoo! Five whole days I've remembered to do this process! How many days to establish a habit? I am working on other things as well. I'm trying to increase my activity and get healthier. The biggest project is the total house decluttering we've started. We're in the kitchen this week. Brendan (our son) and I spent just about 15 minutes this morning decluttering a counter top. (It's a snow day so we're home from school.)  It's the coffee station area. It had just been cluttered with 2 coffee makers and all sorts of cups, carafes, car cups and miscellany. It's just amazing how much better it feels to just get one counter area under control. Imagine how good it will feel when they're all done! 

Anyway, on to today's project! I have chosen a really special one for today. It's Glory in theMorning by Crossed Wing Collection. A LNS has had it hanging as a shop model for several years. I drooled over it and sighed over it and put it on my wish list. My family (thanks Katie!) ordered the pretty fabric and gave the whole thing to me as a gift. I started it while on an apartment hunting trip to Ohio with Katie, feeling quite optimistic. It's 507 x 138 but I figured I would work on it a little bit at a time and have it stitched in a reasonable amount of time. As lovely and large as the pattern is, my major issue with it is that they printed about 2/3 of a horizontal section on the vertical left page and 1/3 on the vertical right page. There's no overlap so it's tedious to keep track of it all. Why in the world didn't they just turn the paper and print it on a horizontal page? It would probably have been just as many pages but there wouldn't have been the break to mess with. Yes, I know I can trim the pages and tape them together but why couldn't they have done it? Also, I don't think about doing this process until I'm already seated and ready to stitch. ::sigh:: Silly problem, right? I think I'll take care of this today. Who knows? Maybe I'll be inspired to work on it more often!

Glory in the Morning

Crossed Wing Collection

507 H x 138 W

28ct Hand Dyed Linen from CWC

DMC Flosses

Started July, 2012

Finished ????

Thanks again for hanging in there with me. I've enjoyed this so far! More rediscoveries coming soon!

Happy Stitching!

Laura :)

January 4, 2017

Hi all! Today's project is Cotillion from Papillon Creations. I've chosen 32ct Twilight linen from Picture This Plus and flosses from Vikki Clayton threads. Again, I can't give a start date but I'm pretty sure it was started during one of my infamous January starts. 

For those of you who don't know, I did an annual stash dive and purge for a number of years. During the dive I would choose projects to work on during the upcoming year. Then I would decide whether I was going to start all or only some of the chosen projects. Some years I would have so many projects it would take me the entire month of January to start them all! The thing is, I really don't like starting new projects. Or rather, I don't like pulling all of the supplies to start a new project. I don't know what it is. Too many decisions to be made? Fear of choosing the 'wrong' colors? Anyway, starting a whole bunch of projects at one time seemed like a great idea. It has also produced an excessively high number of WIPs. 

As I look at this project, I do like the colors against the fabric and the pattern is still interesting to me. So, my conclusion is that I should keep it and hope to be able to add it to my rotation sometime soon. Do you have any projects like this? 

So, here's my start:

 

Thanks for reading. Happy Stitching!

Laura :)

January 3, 2017

Day 3 of the new year. I have a beautiful project pulled for today. It's Morning Song - Lavender & Lace #31. Now, those of you who stitched in the Round Robin with me will recognize this one. I really appreciate all the hours you all put into working on this for me. Regretfully it came home and I had other things I was working on. Anyone else do that?

I have always loved this pattern. The colors along with the sweet subject have always appealed to me. I'm using 28ct Apple Blossom linen with DMC threads. The first picture shows the collective project so far. The second photo shows what I've stitched in the last couple of weeks. My progress is highlighted in green. 

I'm pleased that I discovered this project again. I'm hoping it will see significant progress this year. It's a lot of confetti stitching so we'll see how it goes. I'm trying to work on a group of blocks on the pattern at one time. Hopefully that will keep me from going nuts while I work on it. I've already put in a good bit of the background behind the little girl. 

Can't wait to see what pops up for tomorrow!

Laura :)

January 2, 2017

Hi all! Time for another project review. I'm going to post started projects.  We'll see how many I truly have started. What a scary thought!

Today's project is A Quaker Christmas - ByGone Stitches. I started this several years ago. I got motivated in 2015 and finished half of it. I thought I'd make it through the whole project but no such luck! I'm stitching it on 35 ct Beige linen from WDW. I bought Special Edition flosses from Carrie at www.carriesthreads.com.  I really like the green floss. I realized that I actually bought twice as much as I really need. I bought enough for 2 strands over 2 threads but I'm only using 1 over 2.  I bought this pattern after seeing it online in several stitchers posts. I still really like it. The motifs are much larger and take much longer than I thought they would. I don't know if it will get any attention this year or not, but it will be finished at some point!

Here's my progress so far:

Thanks for reading!

Laura :)

2017 Here I Come!

I haven't used my blog in a long time. I just haven't made the time to write. I'm hoping to change that!

A few years ago, my friend, Mel, pulled a random project every day and wrote about it. I enjoyed seeing her projects and reading their history. I thought I'd try to do something similar.

This year I'm going to try to set some monthly goals. I find I do better with short term goals. Big goals tend to overwhelm me. So my goals for January stitching are:

1. Finish Snow Garden - Blackbird Designs. It's the first one in the Anniversaries of the Heart series. I started this several years ago on 32 ct Ale linen from PTP. I started using 2 strands of floss over 2 fabric threads. It has been difficult to stitch. It's just too much floss. I'm going to try using just 1 strand and see if that works better. I'd love to finish the whole series this year but I'm not going to think about anything except Snow Garden for now.

2.  Work on my aunt's afghan - Leave Your Blues in Your Shoes. I want to deliver the finished afghan to her in July. A little progress each month should do it.

3.  Everything else is bonus! I would like to begin a good stash dive and purge. I'm sure there are things that need to find a new home!

So, as you might have guessed, my project of the day is Snow Garden. It was published in 2010 by Blackbird Designs. I saw several posts with all 13 samplers stitched and knew I wanted to do this one. I set out to find the patterns and a nice piece of fabric that would complement all of the patterns. I think my combination has worked well so far.

I hope you all have a wonderful 2017! Here's Snow Garden as I'm ready to begin on it.

The Final List -- At Last!

It's been a couple of months since I posted the last list.  I said then that I'd get the rest up soon.  Well, life happened and I didn't get back to this until now.  So, here's what else is on my radar for 2014.  They're mostly my smallish projects but I also discovered a couple of bags of projects that I had pulled out to work on sometime in the past.  I'm putting them on this list because I still want to work on them. 

1)  long leg bird - ewe&eye&friends:  I've pulled this one for my work project.  I've had it for a long time but just never pulled it out to stitch.  I'm stitching it on a pretty piece of Silkweaver fabric that showed up in my bag after I used it on another project I've since finished.  WIP FINISHED 11/2015!!!

2)  Butterflies - Ginger & Spice:  I've admired this project on the wall at Picture This Plus for quite some time.  I finally bought the pattern but didn't pull the supplies so, of course, it languished in the mass of my stash.  I've pulled supplies and am ready to stitch this one very soon.  Unstarted

3)  Celtic Heart - M Designs:  Another one that has been in my stash forever. Maybe it'll see daylight this year.  Unstarted

4)  Here Comes Treble, Alto Gether Now, First Bass - Ink Circles:  Mel sent me these (Thanks again, Mel!) and I've been trying to figure out whether I want them all on one piece of fabric or to stitch them separately.  Anyway, it's a great set and I really want to work on them.  Unstarted

5)  Hooked Rabbit Pincushion - The Good Huswife:  Katie recently finished this one.  I really loved it, after all it is a bunny, so I've added it to my stash and have even gotten supplies for it.  Unstarted

6)  Peace to Your Heart - The Stitcher's Habit:  a sweet, sweet project that I've had for a long time.  I think it will be a great companion piece for Peace House that I recently finished.  Unstarted

7)    Wicked - The Primitive Needle:  This is a freebie pattern I used to stitch a bookmark for Kay's birthday a few years ago.  I've wanted to stitch it for myself ever since.  Unstarted. 

8)  A True Friend - R & R Reproductions:  I got this project at the Heartland Stitch In one year.  While I finished the main project, I never got around to stitching this one.  I've got a nice chunk stitched right in the center of the project so it shouldn't take so long to finish it.  AND, the bonus is, it even came with a frame so it's all ready to be finished as soon as it's stitched.  WIP

9)  With All Your Heart - Blue Ribbon Designs:  This was sent as a gift from a RR member, Judie, who I stitched with for years.  I've always loved it.  My Mom was a breast cancer survivor so it has a special meaning for me.  Unstarted

10)  Cottage Garden - Cedar Hill:  I'm sure this has been in my stash for more than a decade.  It's such a sweet project and I think it's going to be gorgeous when it's stitched.  Unstarted

11)  A Gathering of Hearts - The Trilogy:  It's a pattern made up of hearts!  Need I say more?  Well, maybe there are some of you who don't know that I love hearts, stars, bunnies, reindeer, flowers and, of course, PURPLE!  Unstarted

12)  In The Dark Needleroll & Scissor Fob- Designs by Lena Rose:  Such a fun project.  I have changed the colors.  (another thing I do quite often)  Now I just need to stitch it.  It was originally intended as a gift.  Unstarted

13)  Spring Violets - Hands to Work:  I saw this stitched as a shop model at C C & Company in Blue Springs, MO.  I looked for the pattern but couldn't find it.  When I asked, they took me to this pattern that really didn't resemble their model.  I loved their color variation and have purchased all the floss to stitch it in their version.  Unstarted

14)  Peace, Love and a Cure - Lizzie Kate:  Another breast cancer pattern.  This one has been out since 2008.  I think it's time to choose fabric, floss and get stitching.  Unstarted

15)  Daisies - ?:  This was posted on the Freebie Gallery (http://freebiegallery.blogspot.com/) several years ago and I fell in love.  Crazy, fun daisies in fun, bright colors - love, Love, LOVE this design.  I used it to make a stitching notebook for a friend several years ago. Now I want to make some fun things for myself.  Unstarted

16)  Bucky the Snowman/Sloane the Snowman - The Trilogy:  I've already stitched the first two in the series so I need to stitch these two cuties to finish the set.  Fun and kitschy, they're just up my alley.  Unstarted

17)  New Wings A - Butternut Road:  I've had the supplies all ready for this project for so long.  I just need to stitch!!  Unstarted

18)  Snowman - Bent Creek:  great, fun, simple piece.  I know it would be a quick stitch that would make a fabulous pillow with some fun fabric added to it.  Unstarted

19)  Friends & Flowers - Gail Bussi:  a very cute pattern sent to me by Deanna.  A lovely springy/summery pattern.  Unstarted

20)  Amethyst Collection Needlebook and Scissors Fob - Cherished Stitches:  another great gift from Judie in the RR group.  She even sent me gorgeous scissors to go with it!!  Unstarted

21)  Glory - The Trilogy:  I've had this in my stash as long as it's been out.  I should get it finished by May so I can display it for the summer.  Unstarted

22)  Ladybug, Ladybug - Little House Needleworks:  I bought this because one of my coworkers collects ladybugs.  It's such a sweet design.  Unstarted

23)  Colette - Keslyn's:  I fell in love with this design the first time I saw it.  I've changed some floss colors and the fabric color as well.  Unstarted

24)  Spring Fling - Blackbird Designs:  2005.  Yep, it's been in the stash that long.  Such a pretty, pretty design.  Unstarted

25)  Peace - HIHN:  I've got a beautiful piece of denimy blue linen to stitch this design on.  I just thought it needed a different fabric color to make this one work better.  Unstarted

26)  Antique Heart Roll - Shepherd's Bush:  a great needleroll.  I've got a lot of the SB rolls in my stash or already stitched up.  I like these because I can finish them by hand and they're ready to display.  Unstarted

27)  Herb Garden - Little House Needleworks:  A bunny!  Actually, a hare, to be more precise, with a great verse, flowers and a few bees to boot.  C-U-T-E!  Unstarted

28)  Freedom Pinkeep Pillow - Stacy Nash Primitives:  Such a simple project.  One long stitching session and I'd have another finished project.  Really.  That simple.  AND, totally lovely.  Unstarted

29)  Little Blue Bungalow - Blue Ribbon Designs:  A GREAT freebie.  Seriously!  Go to www.blueribbondesigns.com and check it out.  Unstarted

30)  Charm - Moonflower Designs:  Swirls, swirls, swirls.  It was a whole kit that I purchased several years ago.  Unstarted

31)  Americana Roll - Shepherd's Bush:  Another cutie.  Unstarted

32)  Favorite Things - A Needle & Fred:  I liked this one so much I bought it twice!  I've got all the floss pulled.  I just need fabric and to get started.  Unstarted

33)  Long May She Wave Roll - Shepherd's Bush:  another kit.  Just do it!  Unstarted

34)  Snow Scissor Fob - Shepherd's Bush:  a whole kit, including the scissors to go with it.  Unstarted

35)  Lovebird - Midsummer Night Designs:  A freebie design I picked up from Heart's Desire in Wichita, KS because their model was so stinkin' cute I just couldn't resist!  Unstarted

36)  Love Spring/Adore Autumn - Trail Creek Farm:  I made a great online friend (Hi, Betsy!) because of these freebies.  I've already stitched two of them and want to finish the set.  Unstarted FINISHED 2/2016!!!

37)  Peacock Tile - DMC:  Mel's mum, Denise, sent me this gift.  (Thanks again, Denise!)  It's all beautiful colors and great design elements.  Just add stitching!  Unstarted

38)  Art Deco Sampler - From the Heart:  Freebie!  This is a great alphabet with a fun border.  I bought supplies with it but I've seen it stitched in so many great colors.  I need to find my perfect combination and get stitching.  Unstarted

39)  Texas Wildflowers - Cross Eyed Kat:  I don't know what it is about this design, but I just love it.  It's only 70x70 stitches wide but it will be a lot of confetti.  Unstarted 

40)  Four in the Bush - Ink Circles:  A great freebie from Tracy.  Brendan chose the supplies and I had great plans to finish it quickly.  I just stalled out.  WIP

And now for the bonus group of projects that have just crawled out of the woodwork.  

B1)  The Bra Band - The Drawn Thread:  This was designed for a RR group as a way for them to contribute to Breast Cancer research.  It's just such a fun project.  I have plans to get my friends to stitch up their knickers for me.   Unstarted

B2)  A Friendship Sampler - Carriage House Samplings:  Hearts!  I still have cards with their floss in them from several of my stitching buddies.  I'm going to use the floss they sent me to create a keepsake for myself.  Unstarted

B3)  Irish Blessing Sampler - The Sweetheart Tree:  Oh, I love this one.  I don't know where it was hiding when I made my lists, but this one definitely should have been on one of them.  I have all the supplies ready to go.  Unstarted

B4)  Buttercups - Shepherd's Bush:  This is one of 8 samplers in this flower series.  I've stitched 3 or 4 of the others and want to finish this series so I can put them all up together.  WIP

B5)  2008 Mystery Bonus Sampler - Blackbird Designs:  5 extra charts that were designed to be stitched together or individually on separate fabric pieces then sewn together.  I've stitched the first one and have the second started.  WIP  PART 2 STITCHED 8/2016

B6)  Calico Sampler, The 2012 Sampler - Summer House Stitche Workes:  I have all the patterns and the fabric.  I'm thinking of tweaking the colors.  I think they're what has been holding me back.  I love the font, I'm just not totally sold on the colors.  So, a tweak and then I"ll be ready to start.  Unstarted

B7)  Blue Moon Angel - Lavender & Lace:  I started this one but really had difficulty with the fabric I'd chosen.  It was the kind that has sparklies in it.  I don't know if that was the problem or if it was something else, but I just couldn't make it work.  So, I set it aside and I've chosen a new piece of fabric.  Hopefully it will go better this time.  Unstarted

B8)  Moonlit Garden - Blackbird Designs:  I worked on this a lot in the Fall so there's not a lot left to stitch.  WIP

B9)  Joy to the World - Twisted Threads:  I've had it a long, long time.  Pulled fabric, even.  Just didn't start it!  Unstarted

B10)  Stretch - TW Designworks:  I have this started to make into a bookmark for Brendan.  Since he's an avid reader, this should be perfect.  WIP

B11)  Easter Parade - Blackbird Designs:  While there are two designs in this chart and one of them is a bunny, I'm actually stitching the basket.  I started it but am not happy with the fabric.  I think a change of fabrics would make a huge difference.  There's not much to frog from the original project so I could give it away and I'm sure my sister would frog and use it.  Hmmm, now what color should I choose?  WIP/Unstarted

And, there you have it!  51 MORE projects added to the already ginormous list.  Seriously, I need to win the lottery so I can stitch nonstop.  I do love my projects, though.  I'm hoping to finish a lot of WIPs so I don't have so many started projects hanging around.  Now, I'm off to stitch!

Laura :)