march 28 - spring? really????

Well...after a nasty cold week, and two beautiful spring days, we are now back to cold and rain...and my old bones are feeling it! I want spring, and I want it now! No patience left for this nasty weather!

Stitching has really been hit and miss lately. I finished up stitching an Easter exchange, but I haven't heard if it has been received yet, so photos will have to wait. I'm also still working on stitching up three PIFs that are supposed to go out by the end of the month...hmmmm...I'm afraid they might be a tad late! But no photos there either.

I stitched up my ornament for March. Two groups that I belong to are having a year long ornament SAL and I'm trying hard to stay on track. This is another small design from the Folk Art Samplings leaflet from The Cricket Collection. I guess it is called Noel...at least that's what I am calling it! The fabric on the bottom is the backing fabric.

Mouse has graciously been designing a band sampler for us over at Friendly Stitchers, and I finally picked some thread and fabric to stitch up part one this week. The sampler is called Dawn of Spring. I chose a Jazlyn 32 ct. fabric from Silkweavers. The color is called Debutante which is a very pale lavender. The threads I chose are Gast...Highland Heather. The funny thing is that both my original and contrast color are the same. The difference though is in the dye lots. One is much much darker that the other! It's hard to see the difference in this picture but it is pretty obvious in real life! I also changed the bottom section a bit by omitting the cushion stitches. It is probably me, but they just didn't lay correctly when I tried them. Maybe I will go back and add them later on. Anyway, this was really fun to stitch and I am looking forward to the next part.

Has anyone else tried the new blogger interface? I thought I liked it until I tried to post. Once I added a photo, I couldn't get my curser to let me get to the next row. It kept wanting me to type right through the photo! Anyway, I have never claimed to be technologically savvy, so I am sure that the problem is with me. I just hope I can figure it out before this becomes the default for posting!

I guess that's all for now. Time for a nice hot drink and then back to work!
Thanks so much for taking the time to visit!

march 23 - a day late TUSAL

Just a fly-by post to show my TUSAL for this month. Baseball season is upon us - yay! - so I have my baseball player standing guard!


After a week of cold winter weather, and even snow...today was a gorgeous spring day...hope it lasts all weekend!

Thanks for stopping by to visit!

march 19 - IHSW update...& we have a winner!

No pictures to show today...and very little stitching done this weekend either! We ended up having our grandson stay over from Friday night until after dinner on Sunday, so that left very little stitching time. No naps = no stitching for gramma! But I didn't mind one little bit. We all had so much fun together. The sun even peeked out for a bit so we could go outside and play.
I did finish up my stitching for an Easter exchange, but can't show any photos yet.

There were 27 entries for the Easter patterns. I don't know how to do the random number thing, so I just wrote everyone's name on a little ticket and put them all in a basket and had one of my co-workers pull out a name. And the winner is.....Natasha! I am sending you an email for your address, or if you see this first, please just send it along to me. Thanks to everyone who took the time to enter!

And thanks for taking the time to visit today!

Thank

march 16 - another pattern will be traveling soon

So, while most everyone around the country has been enjoying summer-like weather, here in the Pacific Northwest it has been raining like crazy. The last two days were just non-stop downpours, but it seems to have let up today, so I have high hopes for at least a partially clear weekend (maybe...).

I've had these photos sitting in my blogger for days now...just no time to post anything! But now I have a few things...

About the only stitching I managed last weekend...an update on my Traditional Sampler. Only one more band to go!


An idea for those of you who love Vikki's silks...now that they mostly (always?) come on bobbins, I was looking for a way to store them. While shopping for something else, I came across these cute little bobbin boxes....


They store 21 bobbins and were only $3.99. I thought that was a pretty good deal...and they can stack and take up very little space too.

Lately, I have noticed several bloggers being awarded the Liebster Award. It is for great blogs that are starting out and have fewer than 200 followers. What a wonderful way to be introduced to new bloggers! I have been having so much fun reading fun facts about bloggers I already know, and discovering lots of new blogs to follow. I'm not sure who got this one started, but thank you! It's a wonderful idea!

And, finally, I finished the stitching on Busy Needle from LHN. This was beautifully stitched and finished by Becky a few weeks ago (I still haven't decided how I'm going to finish mine) and when people started looking for the design (which was a special edition and no longer available), I realized I had it in my stash. So I stitched it up and am now offering it as a traveling pattern.


If you would be interested in a chance to stitch this adorable design, please leave me a comment on this post, and please make sure to leave an email address so I can contact you.

This is our IHSW weekend and I am hoping to finish an exchange piece and stitch up three PIFs that need to be sent out very soon. I'd love to also maybe stitch something that I can show on Monday too, but we'll see what happens. We're having a sleep-over with our grandson on Saturday night which usually means no stitching time for gramma, but that's ok by me as long as he is around!

Thanks for visiting and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

march 16 - quickie giveaway

I'd like to share these few Easter themed patterns ...so if you would like a chance to win, please leave a comment on this post telling me that you are interested. Don't forget to add your email address so I can contact you!

There will be a quick turn around on this one because I have a trip to the post office planned for next Wednesday, so the deadline for comments will be Monday at noon Pacific time. That should give me time to get an address from the winner and give you a chance to maybe stitch one of these up before the holiday!

Thanks for visiting!

march 8 - another full moon

The full moon is upon us again. Today has been a very crazy day...everything is upside down...between the full moon and the solar flare...I guess anything is possible today!

But one thing I know for sure is that it is WIPocalypse time again. This has been a rather barren stitching month for me, but I do have some progress to show on my Traditional Sampler. Sorry...the photo is a little bit wonky...it really isn't narrower at the top that at the bottom! I'm looking forward to seeing everyone else's progress this month. I hope my needles will be more active before the next full moon!

If anyone has any prayers to spare, my daughter could really use them this week. She is having a really rough time, and it is so frustrating to watch and not be able to do anything constructive to help. But I do believe in the power of prayer, so I know there is hope.

Thanks for taking the time to visit today. And also for your lovely comments. I do appreciate them.

march 4 - another week gone by

I had very good intentions this week, but they kind of all went up in smoke! Work was super busy...our director left for Paris on Friday and we had a zillion loose ends to take care of before she left. This leaves me in charge, but our circulation supervisor is also gone this week, so we are really short staffed. If anyone calls in sick, we're in trouble! Add to this the fact that my work email has been less than reliable for the last few weeks and I am slightly stressed! I rearranged my tiny space on Friday to set up for a new (finally) computer which (hopefully) should be here in a couple of weeks. My current computer is older than dirt and really really slow.

Very little stitching has been done this week...I've been too tired to concentrate...but I have been reading which has been nice. I managed to get my February ornament done...just under the wire again! This is a little design that I found in an old CEC leaflet, called Folk Art Samplings. There are lots of cute tiny blocks to stitch. I think that two more (at least) will make cute ornies. The fabric is what I used for the backing.

I had all my needles ready to SAL on Friday night, but didn't get any stitches done. Maybe before the day is done, I may still make some progress today! Right now, I am watching Bruins hockey. I have a book to finish, and then am planning on a trip to my LNS this afternoon to see what market goodies she has. Hubby has a meeting and this is the one Sunday a month that A& T is open. I also have to see about getting some new pants for work. I've lost some weight and my old pants are way too big. This is a good thing, but I hate to shop, especially for pants because they are always too long. We'll see what I can find.

I was lucky enough to win a giveaway from Patti and wanted to share it. She does beautiful work and I am so pleased that she sent this lovely heart. I have it close to my chair where I stitch and read, so I get to see it all the time.

Thanks so much for visiting...I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

february 21 - TUSAL & an update

It's time for a TUSAL report. I started off the month with lots of stitching, but haven't done as much the last two weeks. Still, I think I have added a reasonable number of orts to the jar!

Here is the block I received from Renee in the monthly block exchange at Stitchers' Timeout. The theme was blue. I love this design, and the blue is so much deeper and richer than it appears in the photo. Thanks again Renee!


This was "Hermit" weekend, and although I was a hermit for most of the weekend, I didn't get much stitching done! I seemed to spend most of my time resting and surfing through blogs and other stitchy sites! I did manage to stitch two more bands on the Traditional Sampler though. I think I have four more to go. I am going to really miss this one when it is finished.


Just like I am going through Downton Abbey withdrawals now! How are we expected to wait until next January for Season 3?????

Well, that's all for now. Thanks for taking the time to visit and comment. I have removed the wordy thing from my comments page. I hope this makes it easier for those of you who want to comment. I know that I am having an awful time trying to decipher those little words!

february 14 - on valentine's day........

...37 years ago, hubby and I had our first date

...7 hours ago, my daughter got engaged

...2 hours ago, my baby girl got flowers delivered from her boyfriend for the first time

lots of love shared over the years, and the promise of many more years of love to come...

here's hoping you all had a wonderful valentine's day filled with love & friendship

thanks for taking time out of your day to visit my blog...

february 13 - an update and another plan

We had the great pleasure of our grandson's company this weekend, so there was not much stitching done. We hadn't seen him in a few weeks and had so much fun.

I did manage to SAL with my Friendly Stitchers friends on Friday night though, and this is my progress so far on Nancy's Traditional Sampler. These are the first six bands, and happy to see that the colors are back to normal! Please forgive the wrinkles...and now that I look at this picture, it looks a little blurry too...oh well, better luck next time!


So tomorrow is Valentine's Day and I realized this morning that I have not one piece of cute stitching to display...no hearts or flowers anywhere! Well...I do have my February Cottage, but you know what I mean! I vaguely remember talking to myself on the way to work this summer (I always make wonderful stitching plans on my morning commutes...I'm a great planner...but not always a great do-er!)...anyway, I thought that maybe since I don't ever have much seasonal stitching to display, I should always stitch s season or two ahead...you know, like summer in winter, spring in fall, etc. I'm sure that this is not a new idea to some, but I have never done it before...actually, I still haven't done it...but it seems like a good plan!

So...do any of you do this?

If I follow the plan, I should be stitching patriotic and/or summer stuff now, right? But what about bunnies for Easter????? Maybe I'll make a little exception....see what I mean about not sticking to the plan?

Thanks for taking the time to visit today!

february 7 - it's WIPocalypse time!

I am very pleased that I have actually accomplished some stitching since the last full moon! There are some photos in previous posts of my January ornament, and my completed Autumn Band Sampler, so I won't repeat those here.

This is my progress so far on Lizzie Kate's Art of Aging Artfully that I am doing as part of a Lizzie Kate SAL at Every Stitch Counts. These designs are such fun to stitch!

Next up is my completed Dandy Dreams from Silver Creek Samplers. I have loved this design since it was first released, and Hazel was kind enough to loan me the pattern so I could stitch it up. I wish I could remember the name of the fabric I used. It is from Picture This Plus, but I can't remember the color. It is really pretty in person though...and so soft. I also love the thread colors in this one.

Here is my progress on Nancy's Traditional Sampler, that some of us are stitching at Friendly Stitchers. If you saw my last update you might be surprised at this one and rightfully so. I can't explain why the fabric looks blue and the thread, purple! It is actually a pale gray fabric with Williamsburg thread, which is a red blend. I don't know how this happened...hopefully my next update will look more like the real thing!

And, finally, here is my finished February Cottage from Country Cottage Needleworks. This is such a pretty series of designs. I left off the bottom border so it would fit in my frame, but as each month passes and I replace the piece in the frame, I will stitch the bottom borders and finish these off into little pillows for a basket for next year. I used all the recommended colors, except that I stitched the little birds in blue (they were charted in white)...partly because I love bluebirds and partly because I hate stitching with white thread!


And there you have it for the month! I hope I can be as productive by the next Full Moon!

Thanks so much for visiting and for all your wonderful comments!

january 31 - a january finish in january!

So I've been trying to stay on top of my stitching, without getting crazy...and the end result is that I am enjoying every stitch and really relaxing...which is what it's all about, right?

At Stitchers Timeout, we always have a "January 1 Start" SAL, and this year I chose to stitch Autumn Band Sampler from Little House Needleworks. And I actually managed to finish in January! putting the last stitches in yesterday morning before work. I am going to miss stitching on this one. It is stitched on a fabric from Picture This Plus...I think the color is magnolia...and the fabric is wonderful to work on. I used the recommended threads from Crescent Colours...all my favorite autumn shades. The photo isn't the best, but you'll get the idea!


At Every Stitch Counts, Karen is designing a House a Month SAL for us. I was going to stitch them all on one piece and then decided to do them individually instead. I picture a basket full of little pillows, or maybe door hangers...not sure yet. Anyway, I'm stitching these on a natural aida...with DMC threads. Here is January's (I haven't added the beads yet, because I misplaced my beading needle, but there will be some berries in those little green bushes one day!


Finally, here is my progress on Nancy's Traditional Sampler. I'm not sure what band I am up to because Bands 1-6 are all together on one pattern...but I'm thinking maybe 3. I love stitching this piece and look forward to Friday nights stitching along with Ally, Gilly and Frances from Friendly Stitchers.


I also made some more progress on Dandy Dreams this week, but forgot to take a picture. Maybe my next one will be the finished piece!

Thanks for stopping by to visit, and thanks for your comments! They are always appreciated.

january 27 - friday update

Well, this week has been another busy one. I'm in the middle of budget planning at work and am taking a much needed break right now, because if I don't I'll go crazy!

Thank you all so much for the good thoughts and prayers for my sister. She is having her surgery on February 6.

I am hoping to get a call from my LNS telling me that my March cottage pattern is in so I have an excuse to go over there tomorrow. I feel like buying something new!

I'm trying to remember what I stitched this week. I know that last night I worked on Dandy Dreams some more. I think maybe one more Thursday night and it might be finished! And I worked a little bit on the February cottage. Oh...now I remember! I started the little house SAL that some of us are doing at Every Stitch Counts. I was so proud of myself and thinking I would get it finished on the second day...when I found a mistake and had to take out about 1/3 of the stitches I had in. It was a silly mistake on my part, but not one I could work around. So that is on my list of things to work on this weekend. I want to get the January house done before the end of the month so I can get February's!

Before I forget, head on over to this blog for a great giveaway!

Anyway, I guess my break is over! I'll try to post some photos on Sunday night.

Thanks for taking the time to visit!

january 23 - TUSAL, updates and prayers, please

Well, this was an interesting weekend. Hubby was sick in bed with the flu all weekend, and it rained and rained. I tackled a cleaning/organizing project in the dining room that I have been procrastinating about for way too long, watched a lot of football (Go Giants!!) and got some stitching done.

This was International Hermit and Stitch Weekend, and it was the first time I have participated in that. On Friday, I joined some fellow stitchers from the Friendly Stitchers group and started a piece called Traditional Sampler. This was designed by Nancy, a member of the group, before I joined. I guess there was a SAL at that time, but a few of the members have resurrected the design from the files to SAL again. It's a really pretty sampler, and I am enjoying stitching it. I am a couple of weeks behind, but this is where I am so far


I am also going to try and keep up with stitching an ornament a month for 2012. I stitched and finished this one on Saturday. It is a design called White Christmas by Maria Warmke. It was in the November 2011 issue of The Gift of Stitching magazine. I used Weeks thread in Holly and stitched on 32 ct. red Belfast linen. The fabric underneath is what I used for the backing.


I also made a little bit of progress on my BAP...Quaker Christmas II. This is slow going, but it is fun to stitch


We had another color exchange for January at Every Stitch Counts. The color was blue/blue gray and this is the wonderful package I received from Pam. I especially love the little bluebird...it is hanging beside my stitching chair already! And there are all kinds of trims and threads and fabric, and a lovely pair of scissors, and other goodies as well. Thanks again Pam for a great exchange!

And here is my first TUSAL update of 2012! Lots of pretty colors in there....


Finally, I have to ask for prayers for my sister. She called last night with some bad health news and I know she can use as many prayers as can be sent her way. She has had a rough year, and now it is getting even rougher. Thank you.

And thanks for visiting, and for all your wonderful comments. They are very much appreciated!