2021 Finishes

I am looking at all the stitched ornaments on my tree, my stitched stockings, and my stitched advent calendar and realizing again what a big part cross stitch has always had in my life.  I haven't been able to concentrate on it for long periods of time since my mom died and then my husband had brain surgery and then I got a concussion, but even then it's always been there and I'm thankful for it.

I finished a number of things this year - and even finish finished one - which is amazing for me.   This Lizzie Kate ABC's of Faith hangs next to my bed and I look at it every morning.  It's one of two pieces I have that I actually had professionally framed.  I finished it during online "Cross Stitch Camp" which was really a good challenge for me. 

My word this year was harmony, so this little Shepherd's Bush Fob kit was perfect...

I finished a page of my HAED Mini Serenity Lane on 18 ct Aida...

Made a sweet freebie from Shannon Christine Designs using Antique Blue 14 ct Aida and some threads from my stash.

Made a Stitching with the Housewives freebie for Sunflower September with FQS Flosstube. (14 ct Vintage Country Mocha, threads from stash)

Finished a 6 or 7 year old WIP - Family Blessings by Imaginating (kit)

Finished 5 patterns in the Frosty Forest series by CCN - I plan to finish this in 2022. (16 count Platinum Aida, DMC)

Finished Block 1 of FarmHouse Christmas - LHN - 16 ct French Country Mocha?, Classic Colorworks.  This series is on my list for 2022 as well - and hopefully I will start the new Fall series when this is done!

Lady in Red by Heritage Stitchcraft, stitched on some fabric from my stash... Monaco, maybe?  This one is in memory of my mom.

I'm actually a bit amazed to see how many I've finished this year!  Since my last concussion a year ago - I've had a number of them through the years - I've had a spike in ADHD type symptoms and sitting still and concentrating to stitch is hard.  I've been trying to stitch for 15 minutes or more a day this year, but it is frustrating when things that used to take a couple of nights now take a couple of weeks.  And then you have to work through the mental struggle of wanting to quit because you feel like a failure and you wonder whether it is worth it.  I'm realizing that I need shorter goals, easier counts and some aspect of novelty / fun /challenge to keep going.  And I want to keep going, because it is good for me mentally and emotionally.  I think I will be making a WIPGO board for this year, working mostly on Aida, and challenging myself to fully finish my projects this year.

On a fun cross stitch related note, I've developed a love for project bags this year.  I picked up three from this Etsy shop - pamsneedleandthread - over the course of the year.  They are gorgeous!! Plus I received one from a stitching friend as a thank you for some handmade cards I made for her. I think I got the better end of that deal!!

I've also been watching the Fat Quarter Shop floss tube channel.  I love watching the incredible amount of projects Kimberly can accomplish in a year.  It continually inspires me and it's fun to see all the new things she works on.  Happy Little Stitch Shop has a lovely floss tube and shop as well.  Angela is so sweet!!

So that's it for 2021 unless I come back and post my plans for next year or I happen to have a finish.  Merry Christmas to any of you that happen to run across this post!

Happy Stitching!

Tricia

Give Thanks

LOL!  I just about posted this on my stamping blog!  They would have really wondered... : )

Shepherd's Bush "Give Thanks"
Stitched with recommended floss on 16 ct natural lite aida
(Did I mention that I *love* this aida cloth????)

Hi everyone!  I'm back with another finish.  WOOHOO!!  I've had this in my pile for... ummm... 2 years???  I've wanted to stitch it again and again and just decided this was the time!  It's a sweet little chart by Shepherd's Bush that was passed down to me from Renee.  So I'll do the same.  If you are interested in the chart, just leave me a comment and if there is more than one person interested I'll draw a name when I post next!  

TTFN!

A Finish and a Giveaway

Hi all!

I finished the little Shepherd's Bush piece that I was working on, and I really don't love it.  It's not that it's awful... it just isn't what I expected!  So I thought that maybe - possibly -  one of you might like to have it and finish-finish it.  Here's a look.  The little sheep is actually one of my JABCO pins.... sorry, but you don't get that.  You'd have to find your own pin or button to put on it, and then it would make a cute flat piece or pin pillow.  : )  If you're interested, just let me know in your comment!  I'm also giving away the pattern, so let me know if you want to be in the drawing for one or both, ok??



Here's an update on my other two pieces.  I haven't decided what to start next to take the place of my SB piece.  I'll have to look at my list!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Tricia

Progress!

 Yes!  There has been progress on my stocking!  You can see the donkey's ear and eye and I'm over halfway through the first page!!  I am really enjoying stitching this.  I hope by the end of the Packer game tonight I'll have made it through the column, but if it gets exciting I may forget to stitch!! LOL!!

Just a couple other little stitches...

The bookmark I take along when I go to my Mom's and have a few minutes to spare...

And the Shepherd's Bush quick stitch (next to my DD's Dimensions kit that she got for Christmas...) that I'm working on Tuesdays when DD and I have a movie and cross stitch night. : )  This pattern is supposed to have a button sheep on it, but I'm doing it on a different count fabric and I changed all of the colors, so I guess I'll have to look for the sheep button when I am all done, instead of just buying the one the pattern calls for.

Who's getting excited for the sheep virtues series????  MEEEEEEE!!!!  Can't wait!

Happy Stitching!

20 Days Later...

I can't believe it has taken me this long to update!  Yikes!!!  I have some fun to show you, though!

First, my finish of B is for Boy.  Sorry for the wrinkles, but I didn't want to forget to take the picture!

It took me longer than I thought it would, but actually no longer than I had scheduled it in my book... so that's good!

OH!  Before I forget, does anyone have the Prairie Schooler leaflet called Old McDonald's Farm that they would consider borrowing me?  I want to stitch the cow as a Christmas ornament for my son who works on a farm.  I promise I'd stitch it quick and get it back to you!

OK...  back to updates!  I was able to put in a few stitches on The BookStore which I'm stitching for my dd for Christmas or her birthday.  You can also see some of my new toys in the picture.  I picked up the Vera Bradley lanyard on my Anniversary weekend.  It is FANTASTIC for holding my scissors!!

This sweet little hedgie is my new stitching friend.  My dd got him for me for Mother's Day, but I don't remember showing him before.  He's a magnet and holds my needles like a pro.  I.Love.This.  And my husband does, too, cuz now I don't stick the needles in the arm of the chair that I'm working in and they don't get stuck in his hand when he leans on the arm of the chair to kiss me.

I saw this Shepherd's Bush kit done and framed while I was in my LNS on my Anniversary weekend, and it was so pretty that I decided it would be my stitching treat for the weekend.  I'm going to throw it into my rotation soon, cuz it's on linen and I'll only be able to stitch on it for a few minutes at a time.  I'm not going to have it say My Mom's Garden - just Mom's Garden - and I'll use my children's initials instead of my brothers' and sisters'.

One more little critter jumped into my pile at the store and asked to come home with me.  When I was stitching at the dentist office a while back I was wishing for a needle minder that I could attach to my fabric, since my hedgie had to stay home.  I think this will do the trick nicely!

Thanks for stopping by today!  I'll try to catch up with you all soon!

Tricia

Blessings!

One of these things is not like the other...

So.... notice any difference between these two pictures???  *Besides* the fact that one is finished?

I started the this piece during the challenge and I've always *loved* the pattern.  I also needed to finish it sooner rather than later because it's for an exchange, so I pulled it out on Friday and did a few stitches and then thought I'd finish it on Saturday.  BUT when Saturday rolled around I found that I couldn't face it.  Which is silly.  I love this pattern and have wanted to stitch it since I first saw it.  What was my problem??  Hmmmm....  Then it hit me.  I had started this on a piece of linen that I'd cut from a huge hunk I'd gotten when our LNS went out of business a few years ago.  I figured I could do an ornament on it.  Wrong!  It's just beautiful fabric - the color is more mushroom than the grey it looks in the picture - and I love the look of the stitching on it.  But I can not work on it, without feeling ill.

Soooooo....  I found a piece of 28 count tan evenweave - 100% cotton - and restarted it Saturday night... and finished it on Sunday!  Yay!  I'm 3/15 completed with the challenge, because I completed this one on Saturday, too!

So... if anyone is interested in the unfinished start of Santa's Flight, let me know.  It is 32 count linen, and I was using the recommended DMC.  The pattern is in the '09 JCS Ornament Edition.  Just look at it like a Round Robin project that you get to keep.  :-)  If you're interested, just leave a comment on this post and if more than one person is interested, I'll draw a name on Wednesday.

Happy Stitching!

Friday Night Sew In & Weekend Wrap Up

What a busy week!  I'm so glad that I signed up to do the Friday night sew in, though.  It got me started on a quilt for my dh.  I'd made the center block a long time age, but then I couldn't decide how to make it scrappy, cuz there were too many fat quarters of color to choose from.  Pathetic, I know!!  Anyway, I'm making up a simple design and have it all ready to sew on little by little.  I think the center star is destined for a tabletopper. :-)

My other sewed project for yesterday is this...  I finished the Shepherd's Bush Glad Tidings fob from the challenge!!!!! :-)  I am *so* thrilled.  I've never had a scissors fob and I just love it.  I put it on the Lion's Tail scissors that my dh got me for Christmas, and it just fits. :-)

Which brings me to the next piece of news...  I have enough of the kit left to make another fob, I think - or pretty close at least.  You'd need to add some fabric and maybe a little thread, but I'll sell the remnants and the chart for $5 to the first one who is interested.  I prefer paypal, cuz it's easier. :-)  Here's a picture of what is included (and the chart, of course!)...  My email is in my profile on my sidebar.

** SALE PENDING **

As for my weekend wrap up, I got a lot done this week!

First, I finished the block for Angel Quilts.  It was my last 2010 UFO.

I worked on my Challenge Start #2...

And on my challenge start #5.

I'll see if I can finish those this week. :-)

Thanks for stopping by!!!

Blessings!

Days 7 & 8

It's day 8 of the challenge and I'm finally starting to feel better!  What a blessing!  But when I went to write this post I realized that I had been feeling so rotten that I'd numbered my days wrong on the last few posts.  They're fixed now! 

  Here is my Day 7 start - LHN's Woodland Sampler ( or is it Woodland Sampling?  I don't have it in front of me...)  I was going to do it on linen that I'd bought especially for it, but my head hurt too badly last night to attempt to do anything over two, so I started it on 18 ct Fiddler's cloth and it's adorable.  I can't wait to finish it!  

And here's today's start... and finish. :-)  Just pretend that I made the picture look antique-ish and that it isn't really the horrible light that I took it under that made it look sort of yellow.  I'll post a better picture when I actually finish-finish it. :-)

I've had this Shepherd's Bush fob kit for a year and just kept putting it off.  Today was the day, though.  I was feeling better, but not good enough to do much, so I spent most of the day stitching and listening to Elizabeth Klett read Emma.  She is a FANTASTIC reader!  I love to listen to the Jane Austen books that she's read for Librivox while I stitch.  It was so fun to finish something - especially cuz I feel like I've lost a week of the challenge while I was sick.  I'm not behind with my starts, I just didn't feel like I'd been accomplishing very much. 

So... what shall I start tomorrow?  I hope you'll stop by and see! :-)

Blessings!

Day 5

I decided to start a little Shepherd's Bush ornament yesterday - called "Santa's Flight".  I love the little sheep reindeer in it!  I had a little more time to stitch yesterday between napping and coughing, so I feel like I accomplished something. :-)

Today I'm going to start a little Spring chart from a Cross Country Stitching magazine.  It should be a fairly quick stitch, so my plan is to make myself do something for 15 minutes and then stitch for 15 minutes throughout the day.  That's about all the energy I have to be up and around and the stitching will be a nice reward. :-)

See you tomorrow!

Crazy Days!

Welcome to 2011!!  I'm sorry that I didn't update yesterday, but I'll try to catch you up to today...

First, here's my new Stitch E-Z lap stand (and some of my grey hair if you look closely! LOL!)  It comes with the clamp that you see, as well as a scroll frame.  I'm loving it!  Although it is going to take me awhile to learn this two-handed stitching thing!!

In the hoop is a square for the Angel Quilt Project.  I hope to do a number of squares for them this year!

Here's my last finish for 2010 - a JCS ornament.  I haven't had a chance to finish it into a pillow yet, but it is for a friend who has just been diagnosed with gastric cancer.  I'd like to send it to her as a start to a "basket of hope"- something like Faye's pink basket that she's making in honor of a friend.

Here is my start for Day One of the Crazy challenge.  I really didn't have a lot of time to stitch yesterday, so there isn't a ton done, but it does seem like it will be a fun stitch... except for trying to use 5 strands of floss in 18 count aida.  Grrrr....

And here's today's start.  This adorable fob by Shepherd's Bush.  I've finished the back and started on the front, but I think now I will put it away and work on my Angel Quilt square for awhile tonight.

I'm starting to feel like I could be getting the cold/flu that my daughter has been fighting with for a week.    I do hope that I'll at least be able to do my crazy 15 starts if I get sick. :-)  See you soon!

Blessings!