While I'm waiting...

On the next installment of the mystery SAL I have returned to my rotation and I finished “His Name is Jesus”.  It is a freebie I downloaded from Joyful Expressions and it is designed by Wayne Dickinson.  There are only three colors of floss required for this chart and you can basically stitch it in any color.  Traditionally it has been stitched using three shades of the same color, like I did here with the blues.  I think a variegated floss would probably work nicely too.  I may try that the next time I stitch this chart. 

 As I was reading other blogs earlier I discovered the “Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe” give-away, this tip was over on Karen’s blog “My Stitchy Ramblings”.  These are some very beautiful hand dyed threads; you may be interested in participating. 

I have decided to work on the next part of the black & white project.  This is the next to the last part and then I can start thinking about how to arrange them into a quilt like wall hanging.

Speaking of quilting this is a statue given to me by my hubby for Christmas a couple of years ago.  I just love that it represents handing down a beautiful craft from one generation to another.  There is an actual quilt like the one being worked on in the statue; I may have to order it if it is still available.  This statue is designed by Thomas Blackshear’s.

Thank you all for stopping by and until next time I’ll be making those wonderful little xxs.

IHSW - APRIL

Another IHSW has come and gone... and I continued on the same project that I started at the beginning of my SWAT for the About.com Cross Stitch forum.  It was the Around the World in 80 Stitches from Papillon Creations.  It is a mystery SAL and I don't want to spoil all of the mystery for everyone who is just starting or haven't started yet.  So here are my IHSW updates. 

Second heart with beads

Until the next installment I will return to my regularly scheduled rotation and maybe finish another wip.  Time to make some wonderful little xxs.

TUSAL

It is that time again when we display the remains of our work on this New Moon.  As you can see my TUSAL is almost full.   There are threads of purple frogged from Spring Heart 1&2, and of course there are threads from the 1^st heart in the ATW in 80 Stitches with the sparkly DMC light effects.  What is that on top? Why it’s yellow, orange and violets from the 2^nd heart of ATW in 80 Stitches. 

 Yes I was a little anxious and I couldn’t wait so I have forged ahead and almost finished the first installment of the mystery SAL. And seeing as how it is a mystery I won’t share the second heart and spoil the fun for everyone else that has decided to participate. I’ll let you all catch up.  All I can say is it’s as much fun as the first.

A few post ago I featured the figurine that reminded me of my church so I decided that since you’ve seen the outside, let’s take a look inside, shall we. 

The pulpit and the choir are by Anne Lee, the congregation consists of a couple pieces from Sarah’s Attic and some only show UTI on the bottom. However, I think the most important part of Church is the congregation where ever they come from, can I get an Amen?

Well it’s getting to be that time… when I thank you all for stopping by to visit and leaving comments, welcome any and all new followers and being that it is IHSW I’m off to make some beautiful little xxs.

I'm Not Crazy!

I posed this question in my last post, for having 8 projects going at the same time.  The consensus was that I was not.  So there you have it.   I am having so much fun stitching the mystery SAL.  Over on the forum About.com Cross-Stitch we have going on what we like to call a SWAT (Stitch Week-A-Thon), it started this past Saturday and will last until next Saturday. The rules are to stitch all day like the IHSW on one of the two Saturdays and as much or as little as you want or can during the week between.  You can share beginning photos, progress photos during the week or wait until the last day and then share it’s up to you.  The main thing is to have fun, fun and more fun stitching and drooling over everybody's work.  For this SWAT I'm working on Around the World in 80 Stitches, I know there are several others that indicated that they were going to join this SAL.  Like I said I actually started mine last Friday and this is a few of my progress photos.

My colors I showed in my last post were chosen randomly even before I got the first chart, in addition to the 8 floral colors and the 3 greens there is to be a metallic.  Instead I chose a Light Effect from DMC E130, I think it was a great choice.  There are 2 beads that I haven’t got yet, I will be going to stitch night this evening so I’ll be in search for the perfect colors.

I hope you’ve signed up for this month’s IHSW it begins this coming Saturday, if you haven’t go on over to Joysze’s blog and sign up.  I know what I’ll be working on, how about you?  As always thank you to all of my followers new and old for stopping by and sharing your thoughts and comments.  Now I’m off to make some wonderful little xxs (well not all xxs this time).

Am I Crazy or What?

I have been having some really crazy idea lately. I got the idea in my head that I could do this chart called Spring Heart with a lot of specialty stitches in it and to top it off I would do this design on black fabric.  I started on a piece of linen with DMC Satin floss (the first mistake) I frogged that out so I wouldn’t ruin the fabric, the second start was on 14ct Aida and I soon learned that it is really hard to make specialty stitches on Aide so I frogged that out.  The saying that “the third time is the charm” is true I started for a third time on 25 ct Lugana with the regular cotton DMC floss and voila! 

The chart is a freebie from http://olgamaxden.blogspot.com/ and I really enjoyed stitching it.  However this next crazy idea was put into my head a week ago at my Wednesday stitch-night.  It is a mystery SAL by Papillon Creations called “Around the World in 80 Stitches”, I got the supply list and gathered what I needed. I’m using a 28ct even weave called “Dusty  Green”, 8 DMC floral colors of my choice + a dk, md & lt green.  I’ll have to see if some of the beads I already have will fit before I decide on the two I need.  This is my floss toss, I think I did okay.

As soon as the first section was available I ordered and received my first of 24 monthly installments, I’m excited and a little scared.   This brings my WIPs to a whopping total of 8, something I have never done before and is the reason I posed the question (Am I crazy or what?).

Instead of another of my figurines by Anne Lee, I thought I would share a one of a kind piece by a young artist.  This one is actually my most prized possession.

Mama's Mug by DD 1993

Well that’s about all for now, thanks to all my followers and readers keep those comments coming, I love them.  I’m off to make some wonderful little xxs.

WIPOCALYPSE-APRIL 2012

I just have a short post, I didn’t stick to my rotation as much this month so all of my WIPs didn’t get any attention but here’s the list:  Rose Sampler, Three Kimonos, Black & White and African Women got not attention and have no progress to report. I completely unstitched the heart I was stitching on black Aida to be restarted on black 25ct Lugana soon.  I had two finishes my soldier memorial and Random Threads that was posted last week.  That leaves the progress on “His Name is Jesus and the Champagner.

As it stands today

before

after

It is now officially spring and Easter weekend so my garden gnomes have come ready to start work (at least one of them has) in my balcony rail planter which as you can see needs lots of work. 

Flowerpot Gnomes

  I want to thank all of my followers and just readers for stopping by and leaving wonderful comments, I look forward to them every day and I want to also wish each and every one a very Happy Easter.  I’m now off to make some more wonderful little xxs.

BUSY, BUSY, BUSY!

I have been busy since my last post, sorry.  Last week I didn’t stitch as much but that is not to say I didn’t work on stitchy stuff.  I finished the framing of my soldier memorial and I framed “Random Threads” instead of a regular matt for RTs I decided to use some scrapbooking paper as a border in the frame.  I can’t afford to have my pieces professionally framed so I have to do them myself with store bought frames and there is never enough room for the matt, core board and the back of the frame so the scrapbooking paper worked pretty good and it’s acid free.  I did make a little progress on “His Name is Jesus” but it was time to move on in my rotation to something else.  I picked up the “Champagner”. 

Two blog related items are; I was invited by Jackie over at ScatteredThreads II to contribute on another blog, it is the Southern Roots Stitching Blog check it out.  Second I was nominated for another Liester Award, thank you Karen at The View From the StitchingChair.  I don’t think I’ll be doing the whole process over again, I really don’t know that many more bloggers to pass it on too, but I really do appreciate you thinking of me.

Over the weekend my hubby and I did some very unstitching things, we replaced the countertops in my kitchen.  We now have all new marble-like laminate counters.  The hardest part was cutting out the hole for the sink but we did it.  The first one we cut the hole too big and the sink almost fell through so we had to start over with a whole new counter.  The second time was the charm.

Last but certainly not least is a figurine that I am sure everyone can kind of relate to.  Whatever religion you belong to or faith you believe in I’m sure there is a special place you go to worship and this represents mine.  

Well today is beautiful and my hubby called and invited me to play nine holes after work so I have to go make a few xxs before then.  I want to thank you all for stopping by to visit, please leave comments I love them.