Scattered Stitches

END OF FEBRUARY UPDATE

Greetings, fellow stitchers!

Today is the last day of February.  Time for me to look over my goals for the month and make new ones.  Let's see how I did!

LITTLE DRUMMER BOY... complete page 1 and 2

Not quite!  I have two and a half columns left on page two.

LHN Sheep Virtues... Stitch Second Sheep

Nope!  It hasn't come yet.  : (  Maybe tomorrow!!

L*K Promise Me... Start

Make one project bag

I decided to let DD stitch this one first, and it turned out ADORABLE!  She stitched it on 28 Ct Tea Monaco over 1.  I love it!  I'm going to be stitching it on 16 ct fabric so mine will seem HUGE compared to hers!  I plan to start that this month. : )

I was able to finish another project bag this month, using the same fabric as my last one.  I learned a few more things this time - like how NOT to put the zipper in - and I am still playing with the size of the bag a little.  I have another zipper, so I hope to make another this coming month.

L * K Promise Me on a new Project Bag

Other Progress...

Here's my traveling bookmark.  I never have much time to work on it at Mom's, but it's growing little by little and it's a nice take-along project.  I don't have an "I want this done by..." date on this one, it's just a time filler. : )

I worked a little on my Eye on the Sparrow (Silver Creek Samplers) WIP this month.  Filling in the red around the two R's...

And here's a new start from this week.  I wanted to stitch a block for charity, so I pulled out a square of blue Monaco and this sweet "Baby's First Christmas" pattern from the book "Priscilla's Babyland" by Gloria and Pat.  I've had it on my list to stitch for over 2 years! : )  That blob will be a bunny...

DD the Designer...

DD stitched up this sweet little design that she made up.  Isn't it precious?  If you'd like the pattern, just let me know!

HAPPY MAIL!

Shirlee was so sweet to send me her HE snowman ornament that was wreaking havoc at her house.  : )  I'm looking forward to stitching it... I think!

MARCH GOALS...

• Finish Charity Block
• Finish page 2 of Little Drummer Boy
• Start a Stitcher's Notebook like Linda's for any new starts
• Stitch LHN Sheep Virtues Love 
• Make one project bag
• Stitch for 1 night on Eye on the Sparrow
• Stitch for 1 night on Yesterday, Today, Forever
• Start Promise Me
• Kit up Along for the Ride ornament

I shouldn't need to spend anything stitching wise this month - but I do love the little L*K limited edition spring kits (flowers and chicks, especially!) that I'm seeing sneak previews of for market.  I wouldn't probably be able to use the fabric that they come with, cuz I assume it's linen (I'm allergic), but if any of you are going to get them and would like to pass on the patterns when you're done, please keep me in mind!  I'd be happy to pay for them!

Thanks so much for stopping by.  I hope you have a splendiferous day!!

Tricia

The First Page and Other Stitches

Hello Friends!

LITTLE DRUMMER BOY STOCKING - HAED
I worked ever so hard these past few days to FINALLY finish page one of my stocking.  The little face and headpiece took a long time with all the confetti stitching, and, of course, I figured I could do the last little bit without taking the time to grid it.  HA!!  I won't be trying that too soon again!  (Famous last words???)  I got SO lost without my little grid marks!  Anyway... here's a picture of my {wrinkled} page one.

YESTERDAY-TODAY-FOREVER - Jeremiah Junction
I was going to start Promise Me (Lizzie Kate), but I decided to let my daughter stitch it first, so instead I kitted up Yesterday - Today - Forever, which is the piece my daughter just finished. : )  Here's my progress...

DID YOU SEE?
I saw the picture for the next Sheep Virtues pattern by LHN today.  Can't wait to stitch it!  I was hoping to get page two of Little Drummer Boy done by the end of the month, as well as the sheep chart when it comes.  Guess I'd better get busy!  LOL!!

Happy Stitching!!

Tricia

A New Project

Hi everyone!

END OF JANUARY REPORT
Here's my end of January progress on my stocking and my "take to Mom's" bookmark...

Plus I finished Hope & Shepherd's Watched.  

NEW STASH - sort of : )

I had a happy mail day the other day that brought the fixin's for the new Lizzie Kate Promise Me chart. : )  AND, I bought it with a gift certificate so it doesn't count as new stash... or something like that. : )  I hope to start it as soon as I finish page one of the stocking.

NEW PROJECT!

Now for my new project!  I have had a project bag on my list of things to do since last summer, so today I decided to take the plunge and try it.  I used this tutorial on Karen's blog - Thanks Karen! - to get me started and just changed the fabric size to make the bag bigger.  I misfigured a little, though, cuz it won't fit a full magazine or HAED pattern page, so I'll have to make the next one bigger, BUT, it's perfect for all my littler projects like Promise Me, or my LHN charts or ornaments!!  AND... the fun part is that I had all the "ingredients" for the bag in my stash, and all I need to make another one is another zipper and maybe a zipper pull.  My dd has already asked for one for Christmas.  : )

FEBRUARY PLANS

Let's see... for February I would like to...

• Finish pages 1 and 2 of the stocking
• Finish the next LHN Sheep Virtues - end of the month
• Start Promise Me
• Start Yesterday, Today, Forever
• Make one more project bag

Happy stitching and thanks for stopping by!

Tricia

Hope

It's done!  The first of the LHN Sheep Virtues... Hope.  I stitched it on 28 ct Almond Jazlyn and am doing them without the buttons.  So pretty!  I left the "H" lowercase, rather than capitalizing it.  No particular reason.  I just liked it that way! : )

This piece reminds me of the words of the hymn...

My hope is in the lord

Who gave Himself for me

And paid the price of all my sin

At Calvary.

And the verse...

I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.
Psalm 130:5

I can't wait to stitch these each month!!!

Guess what came today??

Eeek!  I'm a happy stitcher!  My first sheep virtues pattern came in the mail today, and, yes, I've already started it!! : )  Here it is next to my stocking-in-progress.

I'm going back to work on it as soon as I'm done with this post! : )  My goal for this week is to finish the sheep and the rest of page one on the stocking.  Not sure if that is possible, but that's my goal!

Now - the winners from my giveaway!  First the chart - It is going to CINDY from Crafter's Corner.  And the finished piece is going to DIXIE SAMPLAR.  If you gals can send me your full names and mailing addresses (my email is in my profile), I'll get your things out to you later this week! : )

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Tricia

An Adorable Giveaway

Looky, looky!

Ginger at  Bearbits is giving away this adorable bear!  You really should go and enter, but I'm pretty sure the bear wants to come live at my house.... :)

Isn't he sweet?????

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!

It's a New Year!

Hello friends and neighbors!

Did you have a nice Christmas?  Ours was just lovely.  I had a stocking filled to the brim with fun things like this extendable magnet thingie.  It will be perfect for lost needles and dropped scissors!



And I got to go to the not-so LNS with my dd who was home from college, cuz she *needed* something.  I picked up a piece of fabric for my Little House Sheep series that I plan to do this year.  Isn't it pretty?  I can't stitch on linen (it gives me hives) so I picked something that was kinda sorta in the same color family, only in Lugana instead.  Can't wait for them to come out!!!



Let's see... I had a few wonderful surprises over Christmas from blogging friends.  Mouse sent me the adorable little ort catcher (bourse?) with sheep on it and I also won the blog drawing on her blog for a gift certificate to 1-2-3 Stitch.  I'm for sure going to get the first Sheep Virtues pattern with it, and I think I might treat myself and kit up one of the  My Big Toe Building Blocks that I've had on my wish list for a long time, too. : )

Yesterday I found out that I'd won another blog drawing, too, but you'll have to wait to see this one until it gets here. : )

On the stitching front, I've been working a little on my HAED Little Drummer Boy Stocking and I did a tiny bit on a bookmark when I was sitting with my Mom one afternoon.  I hope to stitch more this week than I did when DD was home from college!!

Little Drummer Boy Stocking and the Bourse from Mouse

Thanks for stopping by!

Tricia

One More Ornimentification

Whew!  I realized I didn't have an ornament for my son's stocking, so I whipped up this Prairie Schooler freebie the other day while watching Christmas movies and ornimentified it this morning. : )  All done and ready now, and only one more sleep til Christmas!!  (And I get to watch Muppet Christmas Carol tonight... YAY!!!!)

Some Ornaments Ornimentified

Don't you just love that word "ornimentified"??  It's about as confusing as saying "I'm going to finish some finishes." :)  But that's what I did today - well, this afternoon, cuz that's how long it took for me to get up the courage to start!  I needed to do some flat finishes, and since I'd only done one up to this point I was a little nervous... but I like how they turned out!  Here's the group shot...

The cow and the horse were stitched by my husband.  He gets the cow in it's "ornimentified" form (there's that handy word again!) for Christmas and I get to keep the little "Friends" one. (LK chart)  The other two will find their way into my daughters' stockings.

On the actual stitching front I started the HAED "Little Drummer Boy" stocking this week and I'm close to finishing the first column on the first page.  Yay!   It's working up smaller than I expected, since I've already reached the back of the donkey.  Shall we guess how long it will take for me to finish it???  Hmmm....  I'd love to be done with it by the end of March, but I just saw the sneak peek of the new LHN series and it's about SHEEP!  Must stitch.  So that will mean the stocking will take a little longer.  There is that little thing of finding the $$ to buy the adorable sheep-ies and supplies, though, so I might not have to worry about it!! : )

Here's my start.  All together now...  Ooooooo.....  Aaaaaaahhh...  (What is it?????)  : )  Hopefully there will be a little more to look at next week! : )

Thanks for dropping by this week!  Your comments make my day. : )

Long Time No Post

Hi everyone!

Are you all ready for Christmas?  We decorated a few days after Thanksgiving and I've been wrapping presents and watching Christmas movies and generally just enjoying the joy of the Holy Season.  It's such a gift to be able to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus!

Since my last post I've been working on another Work in Progress in my pile - a Precious Moments piece that I meant for one of the charity quilt organizations... but I cut the fabric too small.  UGH.  Oh well, it's cute anyway and I just put the last stitches in it last night.  Yippee!   I wonder who's having a little girl soon??

As soon as I finish this post I am going to go kit up the first page of my new start...

I am SO excited to start this! (And I can, even though it wasn't on next year's list, because it isn't next year yet!!! LOL!)  I bought it at the 45% off sale and I think it will be SO pretty.  It will be my first time trying the 25 count over 1 for this large of a project, so I hope I won't make too many mistakes.  I can't imagine frogging it!!

All right, I'm off to play with my stitching!

Thanks for stopping by!

Finishes!!

Hello friends!  I have some finishes to share...  Yes - finishes as in more than one!  I finished my Prairie Schooler piece last week, but I wanted to put it in its final form before I showed you, so I started one of the pieces I had kitted up for next year, and I finished it already! : )  So, first my new finish -- Heart in Hand's "Steeple Sampler", stitched on 28 ct over 2 on some mystery Jobelan fabric.  I changed out all the colors to some I had been given in different exchange boxes and ... TA DA...

It was such a sweet stitch!!

Now onto my first ever box finish.  I bought a wooden box at Joann's and my dd painted it for me.  I lined the inside with felt and mounted the sampler on the top.  I do hope my son's friend likes it!

Thanks for stopping by today!  I don't know what I'll work on next, I'll have to dig through my basket and see what calls my name. : )

Blessings!

Tricia

Another Week

Three squares out of four are done!  Yippee!! I sat down the other day and started gathering all the projects that I want to stitch next year. According to my "how long this will take" list, I have more than enough in my basket to last all year and I really don't need to buy anything except a piece of 25 count Lugana fabric for my Mini Christmas Mailbox chart, some DMC floss and whatever fabric I decide to stitch "Be Joyful" on.  And honestly, I think I could stitch from now through September without even buying any of that.  I really hope that I can finish most of this list next year and keep from buying a lot.   I keep thinking of the story in the Bible where the man built new barns to hold all his extra crops and then died before he could use any of them.    So rather than "stashing" this year, I hope to actually *stitch* a number of the wonderful charts that I've been blessed with!  Saving money would be good, too, as expenses seem to keep rising out of proportion with our paycheck.  Be sure to watch this spot if you are in the same boat of not much $$ to spend.  I plan to give away some charts and/or kits throughout the year -- ones that I know I won't get around to stitching.

Speaking of which!  The winner of the giveaway from the last post is... MELISSA.
Be sure to email me with your snail mail address and full name so I can get it out to you!! : )

Happy Stitching!

A Little Progress and A Little Giveaway

Hi all!

My mom's been in the hospital this week and I haven't had much time to sit and stitch, so here's my progress on Old MacDonald...

Anyone interested in a few bits and bobs??  I have a free card kit with fabric and threads, the leftover fabric and threads from a Pine Mountain "Bless You" pillow, and a Prairie Schooler mini card to pass along.  Just mention in the comments if you are interested and if there is more than one I'll draw a name before I post next.

I pray all of you on the East Coast are safely weathering your storm.  We thought of you last night when we saw this rainbow around the moon.  Well... actually it is a 22 degree halo, but it looked like a rainbow!!!

I've been making out my list of things to stitch next year and I need to sort through what fabric and floss I still need.  JoAnn's has a 25% off your entire purchase coupon next week, which is a great time to pick up some DMC!!  You can see my list (that will probably change 20 times!!!) on my 2013 Stitching Challenge page if you'd like.  Any idea what my theme for next year is??

Talk to you soon!

Tricia

A Finish and a Start!

Yay!  I have a finish!  Last week my dear, wonderful husband whisked me away to a hotel for a night and let me sit and stitch at the hotel while he attended a meeting the next day.  It was like my own little stitching retreat.  I drank coffee, listened to an audio drama of "A Christmas Carol" and part of "Jane Eyre" and worked for hours and hours on my "Cow Over the Moon" piece.  With just a few more hours work....

TA DA!!!

As a reward for finishing my first HAED chart, I bought a "mini" size chart at their Columbus Day sale.  When I looked at the amount of pages in said mini chart I was surprised!  It's still huge!  I won't be starting on that one quite yet.  I need to decide what count fabric to use...

My next project is this sweet Prairie Schooler Farm sampler for a Christmas present.
It seems like it is going to be an enjoyable stitch as well!

Thanks for stopping by!!!

Tricia

Progress!

I didn't have a ton of time to stitch this week, but I did finish a motif from the CCN January Cottage chart that Heather let me borrow and I worked some more on my "Cow Over the Moon" piece.  Some pictures...

When I finish Cow Over the Moon, I'll start a Prairie Schooler piece that I need to finish by Christmas.  In the meantime I'm gathering charts and kitting up projects for my 2013 Stitching Goals.  I don't plan to start them all in January, but I have a list of projects I'd love to finish next year.  Some I've started and some I haven't, just to give me a good mix.  I'll post my list as the new year gets closer!

OK, I'm off to post my pictures to the Handcrafted Holiday Sew and Stitch Along group.  

Happy Stitching!

Looking For...

Hi everyone!

I'm making plans for my next year's stitching and I have three charts I would love to get hold of.  Would any of you happen to have these and be willing to part with them??  My stamping budget is very low, so I might have to work out a trade of some sort. : )

1.  Jeremiah Junction "Yesterday, Today, Forever"  Found it!
2.  Cross Country Stitching Magazine - June 1990
3.  Leisure Arts "Something for Every Season"   Found it!

Thanks for checking!!

Tricia

How Time Flies!

Hello everybody!

I have a wee update - as Mouse would say - for you today.  I honestly haven't stitched one stitch on anything except my HAED since last we spoke!  I thought it was half finished when I left it last night, but I just remembered that there is one more column on the second page.  Close, though!!

Here's the picture...  You should be able to see the kitty's ear and eye, his ribbon and part of the violin, and even some flowers around his feet. : )

I'm still really enjoying this... all 80 colors worth!  LOL

Not too much other news here.  We mowed the lawn the other day and the grass must have still been damp, so the mower made the garage smell like mildew and mold which triggered my allergies BIG TIME.  I have sneezed and wheezed so hard over the past few days that I feel like I've pulled muscles all across my back. : (   Hopefully all will be well soon!! : )

Happy stitching!

Tricia

Another First!

Hi there everyone!

I think it is time for an update!  After my last finish I decided to start another ornament... this one is from Donna Kooler's book 101 Ornaments for Christmas by Leisure Arts.  There is a whole grouping of Nativity Ornaments that I just love.  I started one on some overdyed aida and it was going very quickly... until I got sidetracked!  Here it is...

 All it needs is a little more backstitching around the outside, but I'm working on another piece I can't seem to put down, so it will have to wait a bit!

Here's another piece of a project that got left when I started "the project I can't put down".  A little Precious Moments piece for a gift...

Interested in this project I can't put down?????

You will NEVER guess.  Especially Gillie, who couldn't understand how I could give birth to a child who loves to stitch these particular patterns...

Yes.  I started a HAED pattern!!

Now don't get too excited.  A year or so ago, my dd (who has three HAED patterns on the go right now) kitted up a Tiny Treasure pattern for me for Christmas.  It's truly tiny.  About 4x6 on 18 count fabric.  But I'm doing it, and what's more I am THOROUGHLY enjoying myself.  The pattern is Cow Over the Moon - now go click on the link so you can see what it will look like!  Did you do it??  OK, here's my progress so far....

Can you see the cat's tail and paw?? It makes me smile.  : )  I'm stitching it with 2 threads over 1 (18 count is so easy to work with!)  and I am gridding down as I go.  I even watched a tutorial on parking threads, so I'm doing that, too, and just working on one block of 100 at a time.  I usually have time for about 2 blocks a day and it is so relaxing for me!  If I actually finish it I want to go a step up and get the Mini Christmas Mailbox chart next.  I might try that on 22 count, but I'm not sure.  I still want it to be fun, but I think on 22 count I might get by with 1 over 1 and save myself some $$ on floss. : )

Oh!  I found something out this past week.  Remember my strong dislike of the Dimensions kit I was doing??  I pulled it out again the other day, thinking I could just do one thread worth of stitching on it.  I did two or three stitches and had SO much trouble pulling the thread through and I was so frustrated!  I handed it to my daughter and said - "Here - you try it and see why I get so upset!".  When she tried it the needle went through like butter.  Grr.  I tried again.  The needle kept catching and slipping through my fingers.  Double Grr.  Finally I realized that our fingertips are shaped differently.  Mine are sort of tapered at the top and there isn't really any padding up there.  Hers are rounded at the top.  When I try to pull the needle through something difficult it slips right out of my fingers, but she has a better grip on it and can pull it through with no problems.  Interesting, huh??  She said that she will finish the Dimensions kit for me. : )  I am a happy camper!!

OK, I've rambled enough now, I think!  Thanks for stopping by today!!