Friendly Stitches

First Finish of 2009

2009-01-18T20:10:00.003-05:00

This is Mere Noel by Corinne Rigaudeau of Tralala. I stitched 2 over 2 with DMC threads on 32 count Lambswool Jobelan.

Oh my gosh I just realized I didn't give the birds their legs! Ooops! I'll have to go back and stitch those before I forget again. :-)

I plan to make this into a cushion to display for the holidays next year. It might be difficult to find just the right backing fabric now, but I'll be on the lookout. Maybe I'll have to go shopping in my mom's fabric stash.

Thanks for visiting!

WIPs

2009-01-11T12:59:00.004-05:00

I thought I would share some pics of my WIPs today. First up is Theresa Wentzler's Floral Bellpull. This has been a WIP for too many years to count. I put a few stitches in it last week and I'm seriously considering finishing up this square and having it framed as is. Next is Preamble Sampler. I'm don't know what's holding me up on this one, other than I really don't like to stitch words. It's really beautiful though and I'm hoping to get this one finished in 2009.

Last is Mere Noel. I started this one last week and I love it. I'm out of 221 (actually my mom is because I borrowed what you see from her). Bill is going to pick up some for me today when he goes out so this one should be finished before too long.

On that note - Bill said he would stop and get my floss for me if my list wouldn't embarrass him. I asked him how I could possibly embarrass him at JoAnn's and he said by having him pick up only 3 skeins of floss. !!! I really only need one, but now I'll have to create a bigger list so he won't be embarrassed. Yay!

Thanks for stopping by!

Christmas Blessings and Coughing on the Couch

2009-01-03T10:19:00.007-05:00

Happy Holidays to my blog friends!

Christmas was wonderful for us. Very busy trying to get around to see everyone, but wonderful none the less.

Cheese enjoyed his presents and spent most of the day with his new Nintendo DS.

The best part about Christmas was that my whole family was together. For reasons I won't get into, our relationship with my niece and nephews has been fragile over the last few years. Things have improved and all three of them were able to join us for Christmas dinner. I sincerely hope this is the first step toward mending the ties between us. I've missed them terribly and I've vowed to do my part in keeping in touch with them.

The day after Christmas I didn't feel too well. I thought it was just a cold, but it turned into something more. I've been on the couch all week trying not to cough. I did go to the doctor on Monday, but I think I'm allergic to the antibiotics he gave me. I had huge plans to finish Cheese's bedroom this week, but I've done absolutely nothing. I'm still coughing quite a bit and if it doesn't slow down by Monday, I'll go back to the doc.

I have been stitching in between coughing spells and naps. I'm hoping to do more today and tomorrow before I share a pciture.

I'll leave you with two pictures of the cats. Shadow crawled in this bag and stuck his head through the handle. It's a cute picture and I did get him out and put the bag away before he got himself caught in there. Libby was enjoying the festivities, waiting for a stray piece of ribbon or a bow to play with.

Thanks for stopping by!

Exciting Times!

2008-12-09T21:18:00.004-05:00

What a great month December is turning out to be. Bill proposed to me Saturday night and presented me with a gorgeous engagement ring. We have not set a date yet, but we are both very happy!

Cheese had his winter concert tonight. I made him pose for several pictures because he doesn't get to dress up too often.Tomorrow I have the day off and my mom and I are going shopping. I hope to get most of the rest of my shopping done so I can enjoy the season. Tomorrow also is the anniversary of the death of my best friend Lori. I always take the day off and do something fun and try to remember the fun times I had with Lori and what a great spirit she had. Godspeed, my friend.

Hug your loved ones and enjoy your family and friends each and every time you see them.

Thanks for stopping by my blog!

LHN Holly & Berries

2008-11-16T15:10:00.006-05:00

I don't think I've ever enjoyed stitching a design as much as I've enjoyed this one. From start to finish I loved every single stitch. The design is from Little House Needleworks and is called Holly & Berries. It is stitched over 2 on Summer Khaki linen using the DMC called for in the pattern. The only change I made was to outline using the darkest green instead of the brown.

I think I will eventually finish it into a cube to sit on the mantle. I stitched this on one corner of a large piece of linen and I'm seriously considering stitching it 2 more times for Christmas gifts. I'm going to stitch something else that hopefully won't take too long and let this finish sit for a week or so.

Thanks so much for visiting!

2008-11-14T07:29:00.002-05:00

Kristin tagged me to share 6 things about me.The rules are as following:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know your entry is up.

Six random things about me.....hmmm.....
1. I count everything - steps, poles, cars, people - but not consciously.
2. I'm in charge of a million dollar project at work.
3. I would love to be a librarian.
4. My favorite TV show is Monk.
5. I would rather not go to a function than be late.
6. It makes me very happy and relaxed if I know all of the shoes in the house are sitting nicely together in pairs.

If you haven't posted your random facts - consider yourself tagged!

2008-11-12T14:57:00.002-05:00

I made this cute little floss tag as a thank you for a friend of mine. The flower came from LHN's Nature's Beauty but I did change the floss colors. I'm having a great time with my new Crop-a-dile. I just wish I could find some book rings in different colors.
Yesterday I started Holly and Berries by LHN and I'm loving every stitch. Maybe I'll have a progress picture soon.

Thanks for visiting!

Time Flies

2008-11-03T21:40:00.006-05:00

Oh my, here it is the beginning of November and I still haven't posted 1st day of school pictures. I've already removed them from my camera, so I'll have to post them another time - I'm too lazy to post from the desktop computer. :-)

There has been stitching - lots of it - but I can't show most of it. We do a 12 Days of Christmas Exchange over at CSC and I can't show my stitching until my pal opens her presents. Let me just say that I am thrilled with the things I've completed and I can't wait until my pal sees them.

I can show a picture of the ornament I made for the Christmas ornament exchange. It was my first time sewing in a shape other than square or rectangle. It is not equal on both sides, but I still think it looks ok. I hope my pal likes it. The pattern is from the 2008 JCS Ornament Issue and is by Sue Hillis.

For the first time, Cheese decided he wanted to go trick or treating with a group of friends without me. I was ok with that because it was a good group of kids. Here's a pic of him and one of the boys before they left the house. Cheese is the "Scream Reaper" - he actually had a pump that pumped fake blood through his mask. He loved it!

Last week Cheese's new bed was delivered. It's huge! It's a full sized captain's bed with a storage cabinet underneath that is removeable. He decided he wants to change bedrooms so for the past few weekends I've been stripping wallpaper and scraping paint off the trim. My brother is so kind to skim coat the walls for me to prep them for paint. Cheese chose a very dark green with a lighter shade for one of the walls. There's still quite a bit more work to do and I have to choose carpet and schedule it to be installed. I'm hoping to have everything complete and moved in before Thanksgiving. I'm going to tackle the upstairs hallway next.

Thanks for visiting and catching up with us!

Labor Day Finish

2008-09-01T13:18:00.004-04:00

Little House Needleworks

Necessities Sampler

Stitched over 2 on Confederate Grey Linen

This was a really fun stitch, as are all LHN pieces. I'm not thrilled with my fabric selection, but I threw some fabric in my bag on the way to Splash Lagoon earlier in August so I had to work with what I brought. I would like to mount this on the top of a box or basket, if I can find one the right size.

We're off in about an hour for a picnic at my parents' house. School starts tomorrow and Cheese is not impressed. He's happy that he can finally wear his school clothes and shoes, but not happy about the actual school part. We went up last night to put his things in his locker and do a walkthrough of the first day. He seems pretty confident about finding his classes, but it will be hard for me to stay in my office and not peek into the hallway to see how things are going. With all the construction that happened in the building over the summer, I'm sure I'll be occupied with other things, but my thoughts will be with him all day.

Stay tuned for a first day of school picture tomorrow!

Slowing Down

2008-08-28T19:07:00.003-04:00

Work is so crazy right now. I'm waiting for other people to finish their jobs before I can do mine and it's stressful. Unfortunately I'll have to put in some hours this weekend since school starts Tuesday.

But this evening, it's cold and it's rainy. Cheese is with his dad and Bill is at football practice. The cats and I have the house to ourselves. They are napping - I'm doing a little of this

and this

I'll be back tomorrow. :-)

My First Award

2008-08-27T20:20:00.005-04:00

My dear friend Velda nominated me for a blog award. Thank you so much Velda!

I am supposed to pass this award on to 7 other blogs, however, I think all the blogs I read have been nominated recently. I'm going to save this and pass it out to my friends at a later date. We have a great blog community of stitchers!

Happy Birthday, Cheese

2008-08-15T13:49:00.008-04:00

11 years ago today, I was in the hospital waiting for Cheese to arrive. We didn't want to know the gender, but I had a feeling I was carrying a boy. I was instantly in love with my son and have had so much fun with him. He has taught me so much throughout these 11 years. Here are a few of my favorite photos of him.

1 year old

Kindergarten Graduation

Age 7 with Champ

August 15, 2008

ready to leave for Boy Scout camp

I love you with every fiber of my being, Birthday Boy.

LHN Moon and Stars Finish

2008-07-31T20:15:00.003-04:00

Moon and Stars

Little House Needleworks

32 count Pewter Lugana over 2 threads

colors as charted

I'm so happy to finish this! I started it at the beginning of July after a long stitching slump. It's really lovely and will look wonderful on the stitching shelf after it is framed.

In other news - I'm on vacation until August 11! I'm picking up Cheese from Boy Scout camp tomorrow night and we'll have a whole week to goof off and have fun. I'm so looking forward to spending time with my main man.

Thanks for visiting!

Finished Ornament

2008-07-30T16:51:00.002-04:00

This is the completed ornament for the Christmas in July exchange. I'm pleased with the way it turned out. It is a design by Nikkie Leeman at Country Cottage Needleworks that is found in the August 2008 JCS Christmas Ornament Preview magazine.

I stitched over one on 28 count Mushroom Lugana using DMC 869, 3362, white Marlitt, Dark Blue from The Dye Shop, and Kreinik Very Fine Braid 002. I love the way the finished product sparkles, but I'm not eager to stitch over 1 with Kreinik again. I do hope my pal likes it!

Weekend Laziness

2008-07-27T19:31:00.005-04:00

I spent this weekend doing next to nothing because I've done something to my back. I had grand plans of finishing the painting in Cheese's room, but it wasn't to be. I have been stitching an ornament for an exchange on one of the message boards. It's not finished yet and I'm a bit nervous about the whole thing. My pal is such a talented stitcher and I afraid my stitching pales in comparison to hers. I gave it my best shot though and stitched this piece from JCS Ornament preview magazine. It is CCN's Silver and Blue, although mine is gold and blue over one on 28 count linen. I will finish it into a little pillow with complimentary blue fabric on the back. I'll post more photos when it is finished - this is just a quick snap with the wrong lens on the camera.

Cheese is away at Boy Scout camp until Friday, so I'm adding cat pictures for fill. :-) The first one is Star, Shadow's mom, lounging on the running board of my car. She was born under our porch last May and she isn't too tame. She will let us pet her and feed her of course. We did capture her and had her spayed at the vet. Now she's one of our outdoor cats and keeps the mice away. The second is Shadow, of course. Isn't he getting big?

Sister's Choice

2008-07-25T08:19:00.005-04:00

In Richards's latest stand-alone Shenandoah Album saga, childless Kendra Taylor and husband Isaac accept an offer from Kendra's younger sister—single mom Jamie—to conceive and carry a child for them. The sisters have recently inherited money from their father, so it's no hassle for architect-in-training Jamie, who is not quite 30, to come with her daughters, Alison and Hannah, to live in nearby Toms Brook, Va. Pregnant Jamie can be on-site while the house that Jamie designs for Kendra and Isaac is built—on Isaac's family property in the Shenandoah River Valley—by the extraordinarily handsome Cash Rosslyn. For her part, Kendra keeps tabs on Jamie, whose misspent youth had previously estranged the sisters, as Jamie carries Kendra's family's future. Cash's grandmother Grace, meanwhile, has plans for Cash and Jamie, and Grace's love of quilting, and especially her own touching love story from another era, draws these women of different generations together. Richards should've included a special pull-out hanky insert, but readers looking for positive resolutions won't be disappointed.

I really enjoyed this book. It is quite long and I was reading in every spare moment I had - I just didn't want to put it down. Jamie is the kind of mom I want to be, but I identified more with Kendra and her constant worrying. Book #32 for 2008!

****Edited to add: I just found out that this is the latest book in a series. I hate it when I read out of order! All books have a little bit about quilting in them and I'm excited to read the others. Check out the author's website at www.emilierichards.com.

Home Run!

2008-07-15T10:30:00.003-04:00

Cheese hit his first career home run Saturday at the first All Star game. We pulled out a win during an extra inning. It was a great game - all the boys have come so far this year. We lost last night's game after an amazing comeback that fell short. 3rd game is Wednesday against the team we beat Saturday. Switching sports tonight for a soccer game. I don't know how he does it - I'm exhausted just watching!

Moon and Stars WIP

2008-07-09T14:09:00.006-04:00

I spent the 4th of July weekend on the couch with a nasty summer cold. I'm not much for sitting and doing nothing, so I stitched on Moon and Stars from LHN. I'm a little further now and hope to finish this up this month to add to the shelf in the dining room.

I'll also share a partial picture of the plate rail in my dining room that I will eventually fill with needlework. This rail/shelf is along 2 walls of the dining room. Oh yeah, I sewed the curtains for the dining room this weekend too, but need to get weights for the corners so it will be straight across the top. (The candles really don't belong there, but I was using the table and that's the only place I could think to put them so Shadow wouldn't eat them.)

Jump Start

2008-07-07T11:48:00.005-04:00

I thought I would get the blog rolling again with a picture of our newest addition - Shadow.

Shadow and a brother and sister were born in our garage in April and we decided to keep one of the kittens. Cheese chose this one because he looks like a previous Shadow that escaped from the house and was hit by a car.

We are enjoying him, but Libby (our 6 year old cat) is not too fond of him yet. I'm sure they will get along eventually.

I'll also share a picture of Cheese on his last day at the Elementary school. He'll be starting 6th grade in the Fall at the Middle/High School Building. Time really flies!

Feathered Friends

2008-03-07T12:24:00.003-05:00

A finish on the stitching front from Heart In Hand. These seasonal birds from the Wee Ones series are just too cute. I'm not loving the bee charm in the summer square, but I guess it's ok.

Please excuse the crooked scan. :-)

It's really not rocket science!

2008-03-03T10:11:00.010-05:00

I did it. I finished my first sock. Here it is, in YarnHarlot (my link button is not working - grrrr. http://www.yarnharlot.ca/) fashion, in the snow.
The whole sock:
Close-up of the heel:

Why do I compare knitting a sock to rocket science? I didn't really know what I was doing, so at the beginning it seemed to be really difficult. I knew how to knit and purl - that's it. I did not (still don't really) know how to read a knitting pattern. I have never finished a knitting project. I have a few scarves of various lengths in bags around the house, but I don't know how to cast off or bind off, so I can't finish them. I'm sure I could find directions on the Internet, but I'm really not interested in scarves - I'm interested in socks.

Two years ago (yes, I'm admitting that) I found directions online for knitting socks. Directions - not a pattern. (They can be found here http://www.cometosilver.com/socks/, if anyone is interested.) So two years ago, I cast on this sock, ripped it out, cast on, ripped it out, cast on....you get the idea. I couldn't get the hang of stitching with 4 DPNs. Finally I got it and completed about an inch of ribbing. It wasn't fun, so I put it away.

A few weeks ago, my mom and I visited a yarn shop. A real yarn shop. And I fell in love with the possibilities and all the sock yarn. But, I hadn't completed a sock yet, so I told myself I would not buy sock yarn until I was sure I could knit a sock. I finished this sock in 3 days. Technically 2 years and 3 days, but who's counting?

I'm very proud of this sock. It's not perfect and sadly it doesn't fit anyone's foot at my house, but it's a sock. This is my first attempt and I was aiming for something that was sock-like. My results are better than sock-like - this really is a sock that could be worn by a small person. I've amazed myself.

Yes, this sock will stay singular, because of the size issue. I'm thinking of hanging it on my wall though, as a reminder to take chances and expect the best.

I Won!

2008-02-12T21:47:00.000-05:00

This is old news in a way, but I won a SuperBowl pool at work. $400! I've saved it, thinking hard about what to spend it on. Of course there are bills, savings, something for Cheese (he wants an X Box), but everyone keeps telling me to spend it on myself. Well, I've decided to take my to-be-framed pile to the framer and finally be able to display my work the way I would like to.

I have a plate rail that goes along 2 walls in my dining room. Since plates really aren't my thing, I want to fill the rail with framed cross stitch pieces. I'll be sure to take pictures after I have a few things displayed. I'm so excited!

Love These Birds

2008-02-10T15:38:00.000-05:00

It's a blustery day here in Western NY, so I've been stitching and trying to stay warm. I'm working on Heart In Hand's Wee Ones - the seasonal series - and I'm stitching them all on one piece of fabric. I love these little guys so much! I'm hoping to finish at least one if not both of the others during the Stitchathon this week at Cross Stitch Crazy.

Gosh...!

2007-11-26T20:39:00.000-05:00

I haven't been here in a while have I? Sorry about that.

I've been stitching a little lately and wanted to share. First is an ornament I stitched for an exchange on the Cross Stitch Crazy board. I hope my pal likes it!

Next is LHN's Snow Bunnies from the 2007 JCS Ornament Edition. I will probably keep this for myself and finish it as a flat ornament.

I guess my New Year's Resolution should be to visit my own blog more often. :-)

For the Birds

2007-06-06T13:43:00.000-04:00

Not really, I'm keeping this one for myself. This is a freebie from SanManOriginals stitched on a Silkweaver solo using DMC floss. I'm not sure how I will finish these cute little guys, but I will find a way!

Catching Up

2007-05-21T19:57:00.000-04:00

Stitching

I can safely post a scan of the SIF that I stitched, since Kristina has received it. Called Crowned Heart by Blue Ribbon Designs, it is stitched on 32 count Angel Blush Jobelan over 2 using an assortment of fibers.

The Marjolein Bastin Spring WIP is coming along, slowly. It's been a while since I stitched something with so many color changes.

I stitched part of a border and basted squares for a LHN RR and sent that on, but didn't get a scan of it before it left. I'm currently working on a little freebie by San Man Originals.

Cheese

The little guy is still loving every minute of baseball. Below are a few shots from last week's game (he's the catcher in the first pic).

And tonight, I came in from mowing the lawn and found this:

Look at that smile. Maybe I am doing something right. :-)

An Update...Really!

2007-05-10T10:16:00.000-04:00

It's been too long since I've been here!
I've completed and sent my SIF piece, but I won't post a pic until it's received, since I stitched her initials on it and I'm too lazy to edit the pic. :-) I think it's lovely and it was hard to part with it.

The crazy baseball season has started and we're juggling baseball, karate and Cub Scouts. Cheese (my 9 year old son wants to be called Cheese) loves all the activity and secretly I do too, but it does make life a little hectic. He has a game tonight but I have to attend an Educator of the Year Banquet so I'll have to miss it. I hope this is the only one I miss.

Last night, Cheese wanted to know if he could start taking a shower in the morning and using my conditioner so he can "shake his hair". Whatever that means. This morning he asked me to stop buying him kids' toothpaste - he would just use mine. Seems some growing up is going on and I'm not quite ready. I guess I'll have to take his lead though and adapt accordingly.

However, last night we played Hangman on his whiteboard. His first phrase for me to guess - "I love you Mom". He's still my little boy!

Biscornu Exchange

2007-04-06T12:51:00.000-04:00

It's been awhile since I was here - technical problems at home. When you fix computers for a living, the last one you want to fix is your own!

I've been stitching on my biscornu exchange piece. I chose Wildflower Hearts, a freebie by Catherine Strickler, as the design. I used Caron Waterlilies African Sunset for the floss. I only used part of the chart because I didn't want it to be too big. I hope my pal likes it. (The scanner sort of smushed the shape, but you get the idea!)

New WIP

2007-03-08T10:18:00.000-05:00

Started a new project on the 1st and I've made pretty good progress. The colors are not what I'm used to stitching, but it will look nice in the end.

Marjolein Bastin's Seasonal Bouquet: Spring.

Easter Stitching

2007-03-03T15:47:00.000-05:00

Finished the second Peter Plaidtail today. He's stitched over 2 on 28 count Star Sapphire Jobelan using DMC Floss (3838,3839,3840,563, 564). I think I'll make him into one of those no sew cubes and give him away, since I already have another one framed.

Here's a pic of the other one I stitched and had framed. The mat for this frame is a purple suede and I just love it. Of course, the cost was a bit extravagant for a seasonal design, but you have to surround yourself with things you love, right?

Mystery Garden Finish!

2007-02-20T14:38:00.000-05:00

Finally finished my Mystery Garden! I think this was published as a freebie in 2004. It's stitched over 2 on 28 count Mushroom Lugana, using all DMC floss. Just for record keeping, the floss #s used were: 3726, 315, 3326, 745, 367, 368, 319, 3865.

This was a fun stitch; which is a strange thing to say since it took me so long to finish. I started it and chose these colors because my brother and his wife had just redecorated their bedroom and it would match perfectly. This piece was released in parts and the first 4 sections were the gardens in the center. Funny thing is, had I stuck with the chart, the house would have ended up being pink, the same as my brother's. The marriage broke up though, so I put the project away. When I pulled it out a few months ago to look at it, I thought I would change the house to a soft yellow to match my current house. I do have green trim (with purple too - not my choice!) but not green windows!

Anyway, now that it's done, I like it! I'm going to get it framed - someday - and display it on the rail in the dining room. Darn, that to-be-framed pile is growing!

Next up - I really don't know. I'm considering stitching another Peter Plaidtail designed by my friend Leah. I've stitched it once using the suggested colors, but might try it this time in blues and yellows. Or I could always start another LHN...

New Blog, Small Finish

2007-02-17T12:34:00.000-05:00

Yep, I've decided to blog. I needed a place to keep things that are important so I can go back to them if I need to. The content will be prominently stitching, but may also include knitting, if that becomes a hobby. And of course, some family stuff will be interesting enough to blog about occasionally as well as new things in education.

Since we had a snow day, I finished this small stitch on Valentine's Day. It's stitched over 1 on 28 count Honeysuckle Pink Jobelan, using the suggested DMC threads.