stitched with love

I have been lucky to participate in several rounds of exchanges with the Stitched with Love Exchange group.  The Fall into Halloween exchange has just been completed, and since everyone has received their parcels, we are free to share photos. Autumn is my most favorite time of year, so this one was really fun.

My parcel arrived from Greta, and it was just super. I love biscornu but do not do a very good job stitching them, so I was tickled to find this beautifully stitched one in my parcel. I love the little acorns and squirrels!

Top:

 

Bottom:

And here is a pic of everything else that was included.

Thank you so much Greta!

And here is the piece I stitched for Cath. It is Autumn Bird from Heart in Hand, made into a pinkeep.

And a photo of the whole parcel.

I hope Cath enjoyed it as much I enjoyed putting it all together!
  
Thanks for taking the time to visit!

it's TUSAL time

Another month has flown by! It seems that I have actually done quite a bit of stitching this month...my little bowl was nearly full and this one is getting there too! I don't know why it is so orange...I'll say it is autumnal!

Thanks for taking the time to visit!

victory!

I dusted off my sewing machine, found the instruction book and had some fun this afternoon! It sure saved me a lot of time putting together a little piece for an exchange.

And who knew there was a needle threader on the machine? Has that always been there? I can't tell you the problems I have had trying to thread the sewing machine needles!

Anyway, I am a very happy camper! You can see a teeny bit of the piece off to the right...sort of!)

I am off to pick hubby up at the airport...so glad to have him home safely!

Thanks for taking the time to visit!

a soggy sunday

Today was the perfect kind of day to stay inside by the fire, with lots of hot tea, watching football and stitching...and that is exactly what I did!

None of my teams won, but I did get some more stitching done...another exchange ornament is done. I'm off to dust off my sewing machine and get to the finishing. Wish me luck!

Thanks for taking the time to visit!

a stitchy saturday

It's been a pretty productive day!

Hit Michael's for some needed DMC and a few other goodies for exchanges. Also bought Christmas cards at B & N. wonder how long it will take me to start writing them...I do have stamps though...

The patterns I was waiting for arrived from 123stitch, so I'll be able to start another exchange piece tomorrow.

The elusive "Jennifer's" are still nowhere to be found...at least in this area. I think if a design is going to be exclusive to Joann's (which these are)...then they should be available at all the stores and on line too. It doesn't seem fair that some areas of the country get them and others don't. I think it should be an across the board thing. Maybe they'll still show up...we'll see!

I've been stitching on an exchange piece today, so can't show anything yet. I think it will be cute though!

Watching some college football...go Ducks!

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!

Thanks for taking the time to visit!

friday flights

Hubby arrived in Arizona safely. He will be spending the next few days with his brother whom we haven't seen in a few years, so this will be a fun trip for him.

Still trying to track down a pair of the new Gingher Jennifer scissors. None of the Joann's around here seem to have them and it is very frustrating!. It's not like I need another pair of scissors, but I really like these. And I have a great coupon too! Oh well, I'll just keep at it and maybe one of these days they'll show up!

I also made a small trek to Acorns and Threads because I needed a few flosses for an exchange I am doing. I thought the pattern would come in today's mail, but it didn't. I did get my fabric for Santa's Village though so I'll be all set once that pattern arrives.

Some of us in the Friendly Stitcher's group are doing a round robin, and I finished stitching my part on Judy's today. She chose Language of the Flowers from Rosewood Manor as her piece and it is really a beautiful design. This is a shot of the bit I stitched, all except the "P" and the bottom of that vase in the upper corner.

and here is a shot of the piece so far. It is going to look really lovely; I think Judy will be pleased.

I'm off to work on another exchange piece...

Thanks so much for taking the time to visit!

grimm

The people who film the television series Grimm have invaded this little town where I work. There are massive equipment trucks surrounding our little library and streest being closed even as I type this. The actual filming is being done in the church across the street, I think. I know that this show is based in Portland...they have done lots of filming in the neighborhood where my daughter lives. But it is kind of exciting. I guess I should start watching the series...

Hubby is off on his travels tomorrow and that gives me a 4 day weekend...I have grand plans to get many things done and I hope that that is what happens. It is very cold today, so if it stays this way I have every excuse to just stay inside by the fireplace and stitch and read to my heart's content, right? Of course, the doggies have to go out, but we can bundle up for that.

An ex-coworker came in today with her daughter...the last time I saw her she was a tiny little baby...she is nine years old now! (and as tall as her mother!) Where did those nine years go?

I also went to a presentation this morning on our retirement plan and how to apply, etc. Not that I am really getting ready to retire (although hubby would love it if I did), but it is always good to find out that information early. It is kind of confusing, at least to me. I never have been one for numbers!

Time for a nice hot cup of tea...I have been sitting here freezing all day..hope I'm not getting sick...wish I had brought some stitching with me.  It seems like whenever I do that, I never have the time. Was wondering if I should just have a "work project" and leave it here. Do those of you who work outside the home ever take your stitching to work with you?

Thanks for taking the time to visit!

bits and pieces

With the election finally over, the knot in my stomach is gone. That's a good thing.
I realized that I missed last month's WIPocalypse, but I think I've already posted pics of anything I worked on last month...other than some exchanges, and those have to wait anyway!
Still stitching on Judy's round robin..it's going a bit slowly, but coming along.
Lots of you have been participating in Loretta's blog hop questions. I kind of fell behind with those, so thought I might try to answer a couple.
What's your absolute least favorite thread to work with? Color wise it has to be white thread...which is really unfortunate because I really like snowman designs! The one type of thread I avoid is metallics...they drive me nuts!
What are your must have stitching tools? I have lots of those...I have to have a magnifier...also a needle threaded...I also like to use highlighter tape. My hubby bought me a great combo light and magnifier which I also love to use.
I'd love to hear about some of your favorite tools!
Thanks for taking the time to visit!

this is a test...

I've had this iPad for just about one year, but I don't think I am using it to its full potential. Granted, I am not the most tech savvy person on the planet, so there are probably lots of things I could do if I only knew how. So I got a book from the library today, but before I start delving in, I thought I would see if I could post to my blog.
I wonder what it will look like? I wonder if it will show up at all! Will I ever learn how to post a picture? Only time will tell...I'll just be taking baby steps!
Thanks for taking the time to visit!

misty monday

There has been a constant mist here for most of the morning...sometimes thicker than others...and now, just before it will start to get dark (because of that darn time change!) the sun has come out in full force! I shouldn't complain, because yesterday was a really lovely warm day...wonderful for November.

I've ordered my fabric for the Santa's Village project. I just went ahead and got the 32ct. lambswool. I probably could have been more creative about it, but I just really want to get everything ready and be able to (hopefully) keep up with this one. I failed dismally with the cottages...only finished one all year (although I do have high hopes for finishing December so that I can display it this year...we'll see).

Some good news...my sister and her family in New Jersey finally have their power back...and hubby went back to work today after a bout with pneumonia. It seems to be going around here too...kind of weird. Election Day is finally upon us...no more of those constantly irritating political ads...I am not looking forward to staying up late tomorrow night to find out the results, so maybe I'll just go to bed and be surprised in the morning.

I worked some on Judy's round robin last night and hope to get some more done tonight. She chose Language of the Flowers from Rosewood Manor for her piece. It is really pretty, and we are each just doing a small bit, so Judy will finish it up later. I'll post a pic when I have my bit finished.

Well, it's time for me to pack up and go home. It's been a long work day and I am really feeling it. Why do Mondays always seem so hard?

Thanks for taking the time to visit!

a little sunday stash

This is the first Sunday of the month, and on those Sundays, Acorns and Threads, my LNS, opens for a few hours. They were holding CCN's December Cottage for me, and while I was there I thought I'd just look around a bit. I've really been trying not to buy too much stash over these last several months...because I really really do have way too much already...but I couldn't resist picking this one up. It's new from Dinky Dyes, and it even had all the threads, so how could I resist? I love those autumn colors!

I also stopped by Michael's on the way and picked up some beading supplies. I'm thinking of trying to make a fob or two. We'll see how that goes!

Off to watch some football and stitch on Judy's round robin.

Thanks so much for all your comments on Joy in the Journey...it really was a fun design to stitch.

And thanks for taking the time to visit!

a quiet saturday

This has been a pretty quiet day. Hubby is finally starting to feel better...he's had pneumonia and has been feeling lousy for a couple of weeks now. We got lots of errands done...car stuff, laundry, shopping, hair cut...watched some college football...Oregon beat USC...go Ducks! Now I'm coloring my hair and getting ready for some stitching time tonight.

Just have one small thing to share today. We are doing a round robin with Every Stitch Counts and this is my bit stitched on Berly's piece. She chose the Seasonal Nine Patch from Amy Brueken. I chose to stitch two of the autumn blocks. The colors in the photo are way off...the fabric is actually white!...but I just loved the autumn shades in these squares. This is going to be a really colorful piece when it is completed.

Hope everyone is having a relaxing weekend! Thanks for taking the time to visit.

a fun exchange

One of the yahoo groups I belong to is Every Stitch Counts, and the friends there are always coming up with fun things to do. Over the past weeks, one of the things some of us did was a scissor fob or biscornu exchange. All of the stitched pieces were so lovely!

I decided to do a scissor fob because as much as I love biscornu, I never think mine turn out very well. My partner was Mylene, and this is the fob I stitched for her. It is a design from Little House Needleworks.

This is the adorable fob I received from Mylene. It is a design from Plum Pudding Needlearts, and includes some of my favorite motifs and pretty autumn colors (also my favorites)

This was really a fun exchange...can't wait for the next one!

Thanks for taking the time to visit!

there's joy in the journey

When I found out that my sister-in-law was celebrating a milestone birthday, and that we would actually be seeing her right around that time (she lives in Maine...3000 miles away), I thought...oh good, I will stitch something for her (which I haven't done in a long long time) and set about thinking of the perfect design.

I remembered that I had ordered a Diane Williams design awhile back, and thought the sentiment would be perfect, and I knew she would like the style of the design. I know that this design goes back aways...before Little House Needleworks, and if I remembered right, it wasn't easy to find. I ordered a kit (which came with beads, by the way), never opened it, put it away in one of those safe places for the future and forgot about it.

So I spent a good part of a day searching through lots of stash and finally found my treasure. But, when I opened the package I found beads, a piece of aida, thread, instructions....but no pattern!!!!!!
And it would be so perfect too...darn. Hubby thought I might still be able to find it online...and he was right. So I ordered it again, hoping the kit would be complete this time. 

And it was (no beads this time!). Unfortunately, it came with only one week left to get it stitched and framed. I guess I work best under pressure (and luckily, had some time off from work) and I was able to finish it with one day to spare!

This is, of course, a very poor photo, but she loved it...and it did turn out to be the perfect gift after all!

Thanks so much for taking the time to visit!

October's TUSAL

Well, this TUSAL showed up before I knew it! Not much added this month, but I love all the Christmas red!
Hope everyone else had more stitching time than me!
Thanks for visiting!

Wipocalypse!!!

Gosh...these months are just flying by! I don't know if I really like that or not!

Anyway, I have actually done some stitching this month, some things I can show and some I can't. There were two exchange pieces...one for a scissor fob exchange with Every Stitch Counts, and the other for an Autumn exchange for Stitched with Love Exchanges. I really was pleased with how they both turned out, and I hope the recipients will like them too!

This month there was also some round robin stitching. This is my bit or Carein's piece (another project with Every Stitch Counts) She chose Prairie Schooler's A Prairie Year design, and I chose to stitch the October square, because I love pumpkins and fall colors!

The other two little stitches were both for block exchanges with Stitchers' Timeout. The first block had a reindeer theme, and I found this cute design from The Floss Box.

The second theme was Santa, and I stitched this design from Twisted Oaks Designs which was in the JCS 2007 Christmas Ornament Issue. I stitched this once before and made it into an ornament and I've always liked the design.

So there you have it, lots of small things, but I feel like I'm getting more stitching time in, and that makes me happy!

Thanks so much for taking the time to visit! I appreciate it so much!

Sunday TUSAL report

It's TUSAL time again. Here is my jar...getting pretty filled up!

I've been working on a couple of exchanges, so can't show those, but I did stitch on another round robin. This is Niina's, from Friendly Stitchers. She chose the Lizzie Kate Green Series for her piece. I stitched the "Save Water" bit. I have this set in my stash,and now that I see it all stitched up, I think I may have to start my own one of these days!

It has been crazy as usual around here lately...by the time I get home from work I am usually too tired to do much of anything. I really hope things will slow down soon!

We are having some lovely summer temperatures here, even though it is almost fall. I hope everyone is emnjoing their weekend.

Thanks for taking the time to visit!

blue moon

Since I missed the first WIPocalypse this month, I wanted to make sure I didn't miss this one! Not much to show, but I am slowly getting back in the groove of stitching more and worrying less. I hope it lasts. I don't know what is wrong with my camera, but neither of these pictures is really representative of the piece!

This first is my bit on a round robin that we are doing with Every Stitch Counts. The fabric is actually a very white aida...the thread colors look pretty close! This design is called Patchwork Sampler and I think it will really look pretty when all completed. I had a hard time choosing which block to stitch and finally picked this one because of all the red tones. There is a lot of backstitching, which is not my favorite thing to do (!), but I was really pleased with how it turned out in the end!

This second photo is my progress on Coverlet Birds. I think I am about half-way through and will probably finish it up soon. Again, the colors are way off...the fabric is actually a pretty blue and the threads are two shades of blue and an orangy-red. Hopefully by the next time I take photos, it will look like it actually does in person!

I thought I would also share a couple of photos of the spot I did most of this stitching...we took a ride to the Coast last weekend and it was such a beautiful day. We went to Cannon Beach...that's Haystack Rock in the background (you might know it from the movie The Goonies) and it was really peaceful and relaxing.

We'll have Asher for at least part of this weekend, so I don't think I'll be spending much time with needle and thread, but I know I will be having fun!

Thanks for taking the time to visit! And I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend planned!

lost again.....and a TUSAL

It has been a month since I blogged last...thank goodness for TUSAL posts! Speaking of which, I know this is a few days late, but better late than never, right?

It feels like the time has flown by and dragged along, both at the same time! Things around here have put me in kind of a tailspin since mid-July. Right before we left on vacation, my daughter's life starting falling apart, and we have all been caught up in it. But this is mainly a stitchy blog, so I don't want to go into all the details except to say that any good thoughts and prayers you could send her way are most appreciated. I know she will get through this, and maybe when everything is back on track, I'll feel like talking about it. Right now, I mostly feel like curling up in a ball! I always thought things were supposed to get easier as your children got older, but I think someone lied!

I haven't really done much stitching the past few weeks, but I did get some things done before that.

There is an exchange that I can't show yet, a couple of round robins, and some ornaments that will get finished eventually!

We had a Christmas in July challenge/exchange at Friendly Stitchers last month. I challenged myself to stitch three ornaments, plus the exchange. I did get the stitching done on three, but not the finishing. The first design is from Plum Street Samplers and was in the JCS ornament preview issue. it is called Second Day, and it is stitched on waterlily jobelan with GAST thread in HollyBerry. 

I wanted to stitch all three of the 2012 Quaker Ornaments from Twisted Oak Designs, but I ran out of one of the threads before I finished. (I just got some more in the mail, so I should be able to complete the third ornie soon. Here are the first two, stitched on Queen Anne's Lace jobelan with Crescent Colours threads in Ladybug and Goldfish. These were so much fun to stitch,and I am looking forward to finishing them (I don't always look forward to finishing!)

Melissa was my partner in the exchange. I sent her this ornie from JBW Designs - French Country Star. It was in one of the JCS ornament issues, but I have seen it sold as well. It is stitched on waterlily jobelan with Hollyberry GAST thread. (can you tell I love this combination? the fabric is actually more like a pale green color...but it certainly doesn't photograph that way) I finished is as a hanging pinkeep ornament.

Melissa sent me...not one, not two, but three!!! ornaments! To say I was overwhelmed is an understatement. They are all beautifully stitched and finished and I can't wait to display them this holiday season. Thanks again, Melissa!

This also seems to be a year for round robins. I have three on the go at the moment! We are doing one with a group of stitchers from Friendly Stitchers, and this month I had Frances' piece to stitch on. She chose a Christmas Cushion pattern, and this is the bit I stiched for her. 

We are also doing a round robin at Every Stitch Counts and this month I had Kathy's piece. Her design is from Ursula Michaels and is called Threads of Joy. Here is the square I stitched for this one.

Well, I guess I have rambled on enough for one sitting! I promise to try and keep up more often. I know how much better I feel when I stitch every day...it has just seemed kind of hard to concentrate lately. (I have been reading some fun cozies though and they help as well!)

So, if anyone is still here, thanks for taking the time to visit! I really do appreciate it!

a late TUSAL posting

Just got back from a wonderful week away, but I wanted to post my TUSAL pic before I forget!

The lovely pillow at the bottom is my exchange piece from Debbie in the Patriotic Exchange at Stitched with Love Exchanges.

Thanks for stopping by to visit!

WIPocalypse again....

Wow...another full moon already! Time is just slipping by us...and I don't think I like it one bit!

This month I actually worked a little bit on an old UFO...when this design from The Scarlett House first came out I fell in love with it and bought it right away. I had the fabric and threads and put in a few stitches and then something else came up and I forgot about it. Then I decided to bring it to work as my "work project", but somehow I never seem to have any stitching time at work, so it got buried under a mound of other stuff. Well, I unearthed it the other day and wondered what the heck I was thinking to have ever put this one aside. So this is my meager stitching so far...please excuse the wrinkles...I just popped it out of the hoop for a pic...and actually I have stitched a bit more on it since...and hopefully will have a finish by the next full moon.

The design is  called Coverlet Birds and it is stitched on a piece of evenweave in a really pretty pale blue/gray color. The fabric is so soft...I think it is PTP, but not sure. I am using three threads from GAST as well.

I also stitched my bit on Katie's round robin. We are doing this with Every Stitch Counts, and Katie chose a Halloween  theme. I don't usually stitch much Halloween (even though I love all the cute designs), but this was fun...and Asher fell in love with it, so I think I will be stitching it again sometime soon! The design is from last year's JCS Halloween issue and it is called Happy Jack, from Mosey 'N Me...stitched on aida with DMC.

There was also another exchange piece for a patriotic exchange, but I can't show that one yet.

I hope everyone is enjoying the 4th...I think this will be a quiet day with some errands, some baseball and some stitching time.

Thanks for stopping by to visit!

almost sidelined...always sidetracked

It's been a few weeks since I last found time to do an update. I feel like I have been really busy...and I guess I have, but I also kind of feel like I didn't accomplish all that much. And so it goes....

My boss (and friend) and I went down to Anaheim, California for the annual American Library Association conference a couple of weekends ago. This was my first national conference, and it was pretty amazing. The weather was great (although the conference rooms were like igloos!),the sessions were informative (it's always fun to meet other librarians from all over and share ideas), Disneyland was right across the street...and all in all, we had a great time. The one really bad thing was that my friend's mom called because she had been evacuated from her home...she lost it completely to the fires in Colorado Springs. But she is a feisty lady and already making plans for what she will be doing next.

So back to work. Everyone seems to be taking time off this week to stretch the holiday into a longer one. I wasn't clever enough to think about doing that! (we do have a vacation coming up really soon though). And besides I am pretty bruised, so might as well stay hidden away in my little cubby of an office.

Ah...and how did those bruises happen, you might ask (or not, but I will tell you anyway!) I just had to stay up and watch the end of a ball game one night last week, and while I was on my way to the kitchen (in the dark), and I tripped over the dog and dove nose first into the stone island in our kitchen. There was a lot of blood and moaning (from me)...and calling up to hubby who woke up and made the bleeding stop and cleaned up all the mess I'd made.So now I have a big bruise under my eye, other big bruises all over my legs and a very sore nose (though not a broken one, thank goodness!) So almost sidelined...but not quite.

Asher came to visit this weekend...I hadn't seen him in two weeks and really needed my grandma fix. We had a blast...made a Captain America shield and froze the bad guys, among other things. He's a rock star too, but only sings Queen tunes at the moment! So I got a little sidetracked from my stitching, but did manage to make a small start on LHN's Summer Band Sampler. It is stitched on a light green lugana fabric from Sassy's Fabrics with DMC thread.

I would love to stitch all of these...so far I have completed Autumn. They are lovely designs to work on.

And thanks to a sale going on at The Sampler Girl's website, I also got sidetracked on my way to post on this blog. But I got a few more lovely designs, including one I have been wanting to order for years...and I wouldn't be surprised if I go back to visit one more time before the sale is over!

I hope all my American friends have a wonderful 4th..I think we may just lay low and relax...we'll see!

Thanks so much for taking the time to visit today!

it's TUSAL time!

Time for this month's posting for Daffycat's Totally Useless Stitch-a-long! I'm almost halfway to the top of the bottom of this jar...not bad! It doesn't seem like I have been stitching as much as I'd like, but all those little orts add up!

Till next time, thanks for visiting!

hermitting time....

This past weekend was the monthly International Hermit & Stitch Weekend...and it's actually the first one in quite some time that I've actually had some time to really stitch! A good portion of my time was spent stitching a piece for a Patriotic exchange, so I can't show that one yet, but it was fun to stitch and I was pleased to get it finished.

This little pillow was stitched for a summer ornament exchange with Stitchers Timeout. It is Summer Spots from The Trilogy, stitched on a piece of random evenweave with DMC threads. I added the little bee button because I didn't have the one called for.

This is my part stitched on the round robin we are doing with Friendly Stitchers.Gillie chose The Drawn Threads' Cloister Garden. There are lots of specialty stitches in this piece...luckily I didn't have to do too many! It is stitched on a lovely lavender fabric with some kind of silk threads. It's hard to see the signature in the photo but it is easier in real life. Gillie did the very top part with the topiary trees before sending it along.

This last pic is Dawn of Spring through part three...the lovely sampler that Mouse is designing for us at Friendly Stitchers. I have fudged most of the specialty stitches (not my strong suit!) with beads, but am thinking about going back and doing them when the sampler is done. I also realized that I made a counting mistake in one of the other rows so I'll change that later as well. Maybe I should just start over!

I'm in the search of some Christmas ornaments to stitch for another challenge...it's fun hunting down the ones I want to stitch. More about that later.

Thanks so much for stopping by to visit!

WIPocalypse & catching up

I'm late with my WIPocalypse, I know. The past few weeks have been crazy! I'll show you a little stitching first, so if you don't want to read further I won't be insulted!

I was able to complete a couple of small things. First up is the first part of the "Waiting for Christmas" SAL. I'm not quite sure how all the parts will fit together so I will wait to "finish" this until I see. I used a piece of 32 ct. jobelan (color: Queen Anne's Lace) and Carrie's silk thread (color: New Vision). I really love this thread...it is wonderful to work with.

The second piece is another of the exchange blocks we are doing with Stitches Timeout this year. The theme for this one was Autumn, and I found this San-Man design called Just a Little Autumn. It is stitched on an unknown piece of linen with DMC. I forgot how much fun San-Mans are to stitch!

I also completed a piece for the Stitched with Love Exchange but it is on it's way to my partner, so I will show that one when the exchange is completed.

I also forgot to show this...I was the lucky person chosen when Tricia had her "scissors scamper" awhile back. She sent this adorable Lizzie Kate scissor fob, with the scissors...and she also included the pattern with a piece of fabric and some beads, so I can stitch it up and pass it along to another friend. It was so much fun to see everyone's scissor collections...I still don't know why I need (?) so many, but they are sure fun to collect! Thanks again Tricia!

So, it's been a few weeks since I posted last and like I said before, we have been busy. Our anniversary was on May 22nd, and we went to see Roger Waters that night. He is touring and performing "The Wall".  We had seen a piece about it on 60 Minutes the Sunday before and thought it would be a fun way to spend our anniversary. Luckily we were able to get tickets because it was a really amazing show.

The we headed off to Boston for the Memorial Day weekend to see our daughter. We were helping to host an engagement brunch for her and her fiance. We had such a nice time. We got to meet Kevin's family and everyone had lots of fun. The weather was great too, so we were able to get out and about a little bit. I didn't take too many pictures...I always forget that I have my camera with me! But here are a couple. We went on the Duck Boat Tour which was lots of fun. Our driver was a hoot! Part of the tour is on land and part on water.

We also went to the JFK Library which was fascinating, and Battleship Cove, where we got to walk through a submarine and battleships. I am in awe of the men who lived on these vessels during the war. There is so little space, especially on the sub. I kept banging my head (and I'm a shorty!), and the stairs are so steep. They make it look so easy in the movies!

And here at home, our annual Rose Festival has begun...parades, lots of activities throughout the month of June. We stopped by the Fun Center with Asher on Saturday, so I'll leave you with a picture of him in a little canoe ride. He's so cute...loves to tell everyone that he's 3 1/2!

So, back to work where our summer reading program is just getting started. Always a very busy time for all of us here at the library.

Thanks so much for taking the time to visit...hope you all have a wonderful day!

TUSAL and hermitting

Another new moon and another hermitting weekend...and very little stitching done...again!

I did get some things kitted up this weekend, and while looking for threads, found some long lost projects that will soon see the light of day...I promise! But this weekend was spent playing and laughing and reading books with Asher, and needles and little boys do not mix well! I did do a l;little stitching on an exchange piece, but I can't show that yet, so the only pic I have is of my meager orts. Not much, but pretty colors just the same!

Off to work soon...but a long weekend to look forward to. 

Thanks for stopping by to visit!

another blog hop!

The question posed this time is:

Do you use a stand when you stitch? If so, tell us about it and share pictures if you’ve got them. If not, would you like to try using a stand? Do you have any tips or tricks around using a stand versus not using a stand?

Well...I actually have two stands...one is a lap stand, and the other is a Lowery stand that my wonderful husband surprised me with one year for Christmas. I've used them both from time to time, and I actually do like using them. But the problem right now is that my good stitching light and both stands are upstairs, and I seem to be doing most of my stitching downstairs in the living room.  I know that I could easily bring the stands down and then back up but usually I just don't take the time. It's a shame really!
And I've never taught myself to stitch two-handed, which from what I've read is made easy with a stand.

So I guess I should be less lazy and put some more mileage on those stands! Can't wait to read what everyone else does!


Visit all the blogs in this round of the Stitching the Night Away Stitching Blogger Blog Hop:

1.	Cindy	2.	Stands - Love 'em or leave 'em?
3.	Stitching Stands	4.	How Do You Stand It?
5.	Faithfully Stitching's Blog Hop	6.	BLog Hop #2 stand or no
7.	Using a Stand	8.	another blog hop

Thanks for taking the time to visit!

Happy Sunday....

And Happy Mother's Day to all! We've been having a quiet day...had a nice breakfast out this morning...they gave a rose to all the ladies...really sweet. I spoke to my mom and my girls today, but won't see any of them today. Hubby and I will be going out to dinner later, and then off to see Iron Butterfly....talk about a blast from the past! The weather has been beautiful all weekend...warm and sunny...I'm loving it! I've been going through some stash and will be having a few giveaways soon. I have to get rid of some of this stuff that I will never stitch. And the Mariners finally beat the Yankees today...this day just keeps getting better. Off to find an ornie to stitch for May...hope you are all enjoying this great weekend! Thanks for taking the time to visit!

May WIPocalyse

It's WIPocalyse time again...I never seem to really work on a WIP for these...maybe next month. This month I started three new round robins. I posted a pic of the first earlier, but here are the next two.

This first one is being done with a group of stitchers from the Friendly Stitchers yahoo group.  I have chosen Yesteryear from Little House Needleworks  for my piece. It is stitched on a mushroom evenweave with DMC threads. I have done the top border and heading. I think I  will have to  stitch one block and the bottom border when it returns. I am also going to add everyone's initials to the bottom.

The second piece is being stitched with friends from the Every Stitch Counts group. This is the first robin for most of the stitchers, so we are stitching on aida for this one. I have chosen Papillon Creations' Simple Little Quaker for my piece. It is stitched on a capuccino country French aida with DMC variations and coordinating threads. Each stitcher will do one of the larger bits and I will add everyone's initials when I get it back. I have stitched one of the two center motifs.

It was too cloudy here last night to see the full moon, but I hope to get a glimpse tonight. It is supposed to be spectacular this month.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend. We had a fun time with our grandson again, I got a little bit of stitching done and tonight we are off for some Mexican food. I think I will spend some quiet time reading later too.

Thanks so much for taking the time to visit!

who's lost that stitchy feeling?

Loretta at Stitching the Night Away has started a blog hop...sounds like fun! This is the first prompt:

    

Have you ever had a case of the “stitching blahs” where you just didn’t want to stitch? Or maybe it was more like you didn’t get to stitch because you were busy and that created a chain reaction sense of the “blahs” and led to even less stitching…. sort of like a case of “the Mondays” that we are all familiar with. How do you handle your stitching blahs and get back into stitching mode?

This does happen to me from time to time...usually because a) I have tired of the piece I am stitching on and need a break (in which case I just start yet another project which gets added to my growing pile of WIPs and UFOs!) b) we are just too busy with family things and time slips away or c) I am so pooped after working all day that I just fall asleep in the comfy chair. Usually when I am that tired I pick up a book and try to read instead of stitch, because I have found that it is much less painful to fall asleep with a book in your hands than with a needle and thread! Ouchy!

But one thing I have noticed, is that even if I am not actually stitching, I am thinking about stitching....browsing on-line shops, reading stitchy blogs, thinking about what I'd like to stitch next, playing with my stash...those kinds of things. And before I know it, another new project appears and I am back in the comfy chair...this time with needle and thread (and awake!).

Visit all the blogs in this round of the Stitching the Night Away Stitching Blogger Blog Hop:

1.	Stitching Blahs? Who, Me?	2.	Losing the Stitching Mojo!!
3.	My Life and Stitches	4.	Stitching the Night Away Blog Hop
5.	It's a Blog Hop!	6.	Linda K's Creativity Works
7.	Dealing with the Stitching Blahs	8.	Cindy
9.	Faithfully Stitching's Blog Hop	10.	Blog Hop? Sure, I'm in!
11.	STNA Blog Hop @ Handmade Redhead	12.	Einschies stitching blog
13.	blog hop #1	14.	blog hop #1
15.	Milly's Stitches	16.	Cathryn's Place
17.	Stitching Blahs	18.	Who's Lost that Stitchy Feeling?

Thanks for visiting! Hope to see many of you join in!