Lucky #7

I am quite pleased with this latest finish. With this finish, this makes number seven from the Bin O'Shame so far this year. I have five more projects to go and I will hit my mark for my yearly goal for 12 finishes from the Bin O'Shame for the year. This one languished for three years, and to the day when I started it. 

The 40 Count Newcastle linen by Zweigart in Moondust from Silkweaver Fabrics was quite difficult to stitch on. The fabric is actually somewhat dark and the sparkles made it a lot harder to see the holes. However, I managed to power through and got it finished. This also makes the third finish for the month. 

At any rate, here are my efforts. This one will probably eventually be framed, although, it would also make a nice wall hanging or a flat fold finish. 

Design: Be Thankful sampler

Designer: Nikki Lehman of Country Cottage Needleworks

Fabric: 40 Count Newcastle linen by Zweigart in Moondust from Silkweaver Fabrics

Fibers: Crescent Colours in Brown Hen, English Ivy, Finley Gold, German Chocolate, Hickory Sticks and Toasted Marshmallow

Stitcher's Notes: Began project on Friday, September 27, 2013 in honor of Cathey of Pumpkin Patch and Company and her fight with cancer. Stitched only the pumpkins and crows. Finished Tuesday, September 27, 2016. 

Last Update: Saturday, October 12, 2013

Finished on Tuesday, September 27, 2016:

Time for me to go. I hope everyone is having a great week! :)

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

Takedown Twenty Finish!

I did it! I managed to power through and get this latest finish under my belt in record time. It took a day and a half to wrap things up and I am so pleased with the outcome. This also means that I am 5 more projects from the  Bin O'Shame  to make my goal of 25 for the year. WooHoo!

Well, here it is #20 from the  Bin O'Shame :

Design: Ice Cream Sundae (Country Cottage Chart No. Nineteen)

Designer: Nikki Lehman of Country Cottage Needleworks

Fabric: 28 count cream lugana 

Fibers: DMC Six Strand Embroidery Floss Art. 117 in the called for colors

Stitcher's Notes: Changed wording at the top to my husband's favorite ice cream shop. :)


Last Update As of Friday, April 17, 2017:

Finished On Tuesday, June 23, 2015:

This past weekend, I did the hermit thing and managed to get Ghoul updated a wee bit more. A friend of mine is lending a hand with plotting out the middle, so this is where I am stopping until she finishes off the wording for in the middle. 

Design: Ghoul (A 2008 design). Ravens taken from the September/October 2010 Just Cross Stitch Halloween issue, page 29. Designed also by Paulette Stewart of Plum Street Samplers. Leaves the ravens are sitting on were free formed by me. Pomegranates taken from Kreuzstitch and fillet pattern of Grisons  circa, 1927. 

Designer: Paulette Stewart of Plum Street Samplers

Fabric: 32 count Belfast linen in Legacy  by Picture This Plus, from their Crystal line. 

Fibers Used:   Access Commodities Soie d'Alger in Noir, 3224, and 3842.

Stitcher's Notes: Project originally started Tuesday, September 2, 2015.  This was originally a Halloween/Fall type design. Turned into a memorial sampler for our only child. Crystal Legacy used to invoke the feeling of frost that has landed on parchment paper. Pomegranates stitched in place of the original acorns. In ancient Greece, pomegranates were considered the fruit of the dead and were said to have sprung from the blood of Adonis. 

                                                   As of (early) Sunday, June 21, 2015:

As of (late) Sunday, June 21, 2015:

Well, I had best be off. I have to clean up my stitching area and get ready for tomorrow. Hope everyone is having a great week!

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

Nifty Nineteen!

I did it! I managed to hit the 19 mark on the Bin O'Shame projects that I have been working on. And all within the first six months of the year. This makes me so, so, so happy! Time to happy dance and celebrate good times! I know I was supposed to pick  Sea Flora back up as my Summer 2015 project, but I saw this and just could not resist the temptation to see if I couldn't sneak in another finish before the end of May. And I managed to pull it off! :)

Well, here it is!

Design: Fall Leaves (Part Three of the Fall Festival Series)

Designer: Nikki Lehman of Country Cottage Needleworks

Fabric: 28 count raw linen by unknown manufacturer

Fibers Used:  Crescent Colours Belle Soie silk in Beanstalk, Butterscotch, Cinnamon Stick, Icing, Poison Apple and Pumpkin Carriage.

Stitcher's Notes: I do not know when this was first started. All I know is it wound up in the Bin O'Shame  and needed to be finished up. :)

Began Thursday, May 28, 2015:

Finished Friday, May 29, 2015:

 I promise that there will be Sea Flora pictures soon. She's already loaded up into the Q-Snaps and is rarin' to go! I had best be off for now. I hear the siren song of the dinner bell calling me. Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

Motivational UFO Post

I had wanted to have this one finished for a Finish Friday, but alas, it is not to be. There is too much left to stitch on this one and I am finding my motivation going out the window. At this point I am not half wondering if I shouldn't just set it to the side to stitch something quick. However, I am afraid that if I do, this one will languish for another 3 years in the  Bin O'Shame . Yes, I really do not trust myself that much! :)

Well, here is what I have so far. A fair bit done, but DH has said he wants me to stitch the outer border which is in all white. Can you say, 'Totally not digging on that.'?

Design: Ice Cream Sundae (Country Cottage Chart No. Nineteen)

Designer: Nikki Lehman of Country Cottage Needleworks

Fabric: 28 count cream lugana 

Fibers: DMC Six Strand Embroidery Floss Art. 117 in the called for colors

Stitcher's Notes: Will not stitch the lettering at the top. Will change it to my husband's favorite ice cream shop. :)

As of Sunday, April 12, 2015:

As of Friday, April 17, 2017:

Closeup:

Well, I had best be off. I need to try and grit my teeth and get this one finished. Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend! :)

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

Sizzling Seventeen?

Sizzling Seventeen is rapidly turning into Fizzling Seventeen. This next chart that was taken from the  Bin O'Shame has reminded me why it was put there to start with. Mind you, it's very pretty and I love it, however, I'm just not into it, if you follow. My enthusiasm for the UFOs has waned a bit and I am wondering if I am just burning myself out with all of this. Something to think about at any rate. 


Well, here is Number Seventeen for the year:

Design: Ice Cream Sundae (Country Cottage Chart No. Nineteen)

Designer: Nikki Lehman of Country Cottage Needleworks

Fabric: 28 count cream lugana 

Fibers: DMC Six Strand Embroidery Floss Art. 117 in the called for colors

Stitcher's Notes: Will not stitch the lettering at the top. Will change it to my husband's favorite ice cream shop. :)

As of Sunday, April 12, 2015:

Well, I best be off. Hope everyone has a fantastic week!

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

Be Thankful Update

Not a whole lot completed as of yet, but I am making headway. It's stitching up a LOT quicker than I had anticipated, which is nice. I am absolutely LOVING how this is turning out on this fabric. It's so sparkly and it reminds me of the few short years that I spent in Michigan and fall would roll around. The ground would have a touch of frost on it and there would be nice crisp days, with the sun beaming down like dappled honey over the sugar maples ablaze in scarlet and gold and chocolate browns. I wax nostalgic for those times as they were happy ones. I miss frost on my pumpkins and the clean, crisp scent of the apple orchards nearby. The crunch of the leaves and wind picking up at a brisk pace, turning my nose red. 


At any rate, before I get *too* maudlin, here is the newest update :)

Design: Be Thankful sampler

Designer: Nikki Lehman of Country Cottage Needleworks

Fabric: 40 Count Newcastle linen by Zweigart in Moondust from Silkweaver Fabrics

Fibers: Crescent Colours in Brown Hen, English Ivy, Finley Gold, German Chocolate, Hickory Sticks and Toasted Marshmallow

Stitcher's Notes: Needle Nanny by Puffin and Company in Country Pumpkins. Began project on 09.27.2013 in honor of Cathey of Pumpkin Patch and Company and her fight with cancer. 

Well, I best be off. I have some stuff I have to do, then it's off to bed. Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

White Pumpkin-palooza

I decided the other day that I was craving another fall/autumn type of piece to work on. I'm not quite ready yet for Halloween and I am not sure why that is. I am not sure if it's because stores seem to 'rush' the holidays and I've seen Halloween candy out since late August or what. (Honest to God, I saw Christmas commercials on TV the other day and went on a rant worthy of Julia Sugarbaker.). At any rate, I am stitching what I want, when I want, and the goals I had for this year have completely flown out the window. I'm not gonna beat myself up over the meager WIPpocalypse offerings I have presented thus far, because two finished is better than none, yea? I managed to stitch on a 40 count fabric, loved it, and I thought *that* would never happen! I also managed to stitch on a 48 count fabric and lived to tell the tale. So, it's been an interesting stitching year so far. :)


At any rate, here is the latest start. Haven't gotten too far, however, this 40 count is a bit tricky as it is an opalescent fabric and it's a bit harder to see. (The 48 count Dower linen is actually easier for me to see. Go figure! :P)

Design: Be Thankful sampler

Designer: Nikki Lehman of Country Cottage Needleworks

Fabric: 40 Count Newcastle linen by Zweigart in Moondust from Silkweaver Fabrics

Fibers: Crescent Colours in Brown Hen, English Ivy, Finley Gold, German Chocolate, Hickory Sticks and Toasted Marshmallow

Stitcher's Notes: Needle Nanny by Puffin and Company in Country Pumpkins. Began project on 09.27.2013 in honor of Cathey of Pumpkin Patch and Company and her fight with cancer. 

In other stitchy news, there seems to be a ton of SAL options for Christmas already this year. Carol of Istitch Designs is planning an Advent SAL. The cost for that is $10.00. Paulette Stewart began her Sunday Mary's Sampler SAL today. Her's is free and she says it will be up as long as her blog is. Lots of options and stitchy goodness to be had! :)

Well, I must be off. Got tons to do before work today. Hope everyone is having a great weekend! :)

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

2010 Year In Review

It's inevitable, isn't it? The year winds down and out come the lists. I'm no different, as I LOVE the year in review lists. I find them fascinating. During all of the year end clearance and list making, however, I somehow managed to get sick. Yay. Go me :P. No last minute finish for me, but I do have one last WIP of the year. I should hopefully finish it soon after New Year's. Here's what I have so far:


Design: My Home design from the Loose Feathers Leaflet #38


Designer: Blackbird Designs


Fabric: 28 count linen in French Lace (DMC equivalent to 3024~ paler) by Wichelt


Fibers: Crescent Colours Belle Soie silks in Cranberry, Ivy League, Shale, Sweet Lavender, and Vanilla Pudding.


Note: Will be using Elegant Eggplant and Shepherd's Pasture to finish off the piece.

I had heard of Minna and her 2011 challenge of 15 WIPs in the first 15 days of January 2011. I toyed with the idea, but I decided instead of STARTING 15 new ones, why not FINISH 15 of the ones I already have started? I fully understand the concept of stitching what you have, however, like some folks, I have more started than one probably has a right to, and I really wanna have another year of the UFO as I managed to get about 30 pieces finished off last year, for a total of 52 finishes. That's one a week! :D

So I got out my Big Honkin' Box O' Shame and had at it. The rules are that I cannot start anything other than the Seafarer's Globe for The Hubmeister, Praiseworthy Stitches Winter at Beacon House by Praiseworthy Stitches in the latest JCS magazine, and one or two SanMan Originals for SanMan Sundays. Here is a picture of the Beacon House piece:

Design: Winter at Beacon House

Designer: Praiseworthy Stitches for the January/February 2011 issue of Just Cross Stitch.


Fabric: Zweigart 32 count Belfast linen in Pearl Grey (DMC equivalent to 415).


Fibers: Crescent Colours Belle Soie Silks in Bahama Breeze, Carrot Cake, Collard Greens, Fern Frond, Harvest, Mango, Noir, Old Crow, Peacock, Slate, Tree Trunk, Tulip, Tumbleweed, and Vanilla Pudding




I have chosen 21 projects instead of 15 as some of them are not gonna take that much to finish off and quite frankly, 21 is the lucky number here in Las Vegas. Here is what I have chosen for my pieces to finish stitching on:

1. Merry Christmas by Blackbird Designs

2. March Birthday needleroll by The Victoria Sampler

3. Fall Leaves Chart No. 3 by Country Cottage Needleworks

4. Checkered Love by M Designs

4. Pretty Posies by Dena's Closet for Bucilla

5. Ice Cream Sundae by Country Cottage Needleworks

6. Summer Heart Part 4 by Linda Culp Calhoun for Leisure Arts magazine

7. Season of Growth by Little House Needleworks

8. Joy of Christmas by My Big Toe Designs for Just Cross Stitch magazine

9. Love Letters by Papillion Creations

10. Noel heart by Bleu de Chine

11. Paris sampler by Novalee

12. February Heart by Cross Eyed Cricket

13. Cross of Christmas by My Big Toe Designs for the 2009 Just Cross Stitch Ornament issue

14. Winter Side by SanMan Originals for message board members

15. Cherries by JBW Designs

16. Let's Go To The Beach by JBW Designs for Cross Stitch and Needlework magazine, July 2009

17. Christmas Chickadee by Valerie Pfeiffer for The World of Cross Stitching #118

18. Oriental Beauty September 2007 issue of UK Cross Stitcher

19. Devotion free kit Issue 223 of UK Cross Stitcher

20. Quaker Christmas Alphabet by Carriage House Samplings

21. My nephew's birth sampler. He's almost three, for cripes' sake!


Well, I must be off. Thanks for following along with me in 2010, and I hope to see you all in 2011! Happy New Year! :)


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Respectfully submitted,

C.

Cupcake!

Got a really fast finish last night. It's a CCN Design from the "Sweet Treats" collection. All I had was the chart that was borrowed from a friend, so I did not get to stitch it in it's original colors, but I like how mine came out anyway. :)


Stitchy notes:


Design: Cupcake from the Sweet Treats Collection

Designer: Nikki Lehman of Country Cottage Needleworks

Fabric: 28 count raw natural linen

Fibers: Crescent Colours in Antique Lace, Frozen Margarita, Pink Champagne, Spinach, and Spun Sugar; Weeks Dye Works in Hazelnut.

Errata: Buttons are needed to finish off this design. I am thinking of using cherries, however, I will have to see what I can find.






I haven't gotten a chance to stitch a whole lot since I started working, but that is to be expected. I picked up a long time UFO to stitch on and I am hoping that it will be finished soon. It's a Cross Eyed Cricket and I am really enjoying stitching it.


Well, I best be off for now. Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend! :)


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Respectfully submitted,


C.

Bee Pinkeep finish and the best news ever!!

Finished up a quick design last night by Country Cottage Needleworks . I only stitched the inner portion of the design, as the fabric was simply not big enough to complete the whole design. Which is ok, because this means I get to stitch it again, LOL! :)


At any rate, here are my stitchy notes and the picture:



Design: Bee Pinkeep


Designer: Nikki Lehman of Country Cottage Needleworks for Gift of Stitching magazine. Issue 12; January 2007.


Fabric: 28 count natural Glasgow linen


Fibers: DMC 437, 716, 3011, 3012, 3371, 3712, 3865






I am having my stitching time curtailed because as of last night I became employed again after 2.5 years! Wahoo!!! My Nevada state license finally came in yesterday and I called up the place I had interviewed in a couple of months ago and left a message with the hiring manager to that effect. She called me back last night and offered me a job! I start today at 1:30, so I had better go shake a leg! I have some stuff to take care of before I go into work!


Hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend! :)



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Respectfully submitted,


C.

Bloom finish

Got a really quick finish under my belt. This has been kitted up for a while, I just never got around to it. Took a bit longer than anticipated, due to my having sinus issues and Mr. Frog paying me a visit. (Booooooo!). I added in an extra color, as I didn't want it in just the four colors used. I like the way it turned out. Love the CCN, yea? :)


At any rate, here's the stitchy notes and pictures! :)



Design: Bloom


Designer: Country Cottage Needleworks


Fabric: Zweigart 28 count raw Cashel linen


Fibers: Crescent Colours Pink Champagne, DMC B5200, 727, 937, and 3347.







I have my First Harvest design all queued up. I need to finish the border on it and then it's finally complete! Yay! I best be off. I need to do some chores before I get to stitch some more. :)


Hope everyone is having a good day today! :)


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Respectfully submitted,


C.

The First Day of Spring

Today is the the day of the Vernal Equinox, otherwise known as the first day of Spring. Far from being an arbitrary indicator of the changing seasons, March 20 (March 21 in some years) is significant for astronomical reasons. On March 20, 2010, at precisely 1:32 P.M. EDT (March 20, 17:32 Universal Time), the Sun will cross directly over the Earth's equator. This moment is known as the vernal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. For the Southern Hemisphere, this is the moment of the autumnal equinox.


Translated literally, equinox means "equal night." Because the Sun is positioned above the equator, day and night are about equal in length all over the world during the equinoxes. A second equinox occurs each year on September 22 or 23; in 2010, it will be on September 22 at 11:09 P.M. EDT. This date will mark the autumnal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere and the vernal equinox in the Southern (vernal denotes "spring").


These brief but monumental moments owe their significance to the 23.4 degree tilt of the Earth's axis. Because of the tilt, we receive the Sun's rays most directly in the summer. In the winter, when we are tilted away from the Sun, the rays pass through the atmosphere at a greater slant, bringing lower temperatures. If the Earth rotated on an axis perpendicular to the plane of the Earth's orbit around the Sun, there would be no variation in day lengths or temperatures throughout the year, and we would not have seasons.

Modern astronomy aside, people have recognized the vernal equinox for thousands of years. There is no shortage of rituals and traditions surrounding the coming of spring. Many early peoples celebrated for the basic reason that their food supplies would soon be restored. The date is significant in Christianity because Easter always falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox. It is also probably no coincidence that early Egyptians built the Great Sphinx so that it points directly toward the rising Sun on the day of the vernal equinox.

The first day of spring also marks the beginning of Nowruz, the Persian New Year. The celebration lasts 13 days and is rooted in the 3,000-year-old tradition of Zoroastrianism.


To celebrate, I am posting Antonio Vivaldi's Concerto No. 1 in E major, Op. 8, RV 269, "La primavera" (Spring). Blessed Ostara to all of my Pagan and Wiccan friends! :)






So, I have a finish and an almost finish. The almost finish, I ran out of thread. Many thanks to my friend Shannon who is saving my bacon and sending me some Crescent Colours Bandanna in order to complete the project. The other is a CCN piece that became a UFO for whatever reason. Stitchy notes and pics time! :D



Almost Finished:



Design: 4th of July Quaker Style


Designer: AutyTM


Fabric: DMC 28 count natural linen


Fibers: Crescent Colours Antique Lace, Wavy Navy, and Bandanna

Finished:


Design: Daisy Sampler


Designer: Nikki Lehman of Country Cottage Needleworks


Fabric: 28 count unknown green jobelan (possibly Watercress)


Fibers: DMC B5200, Weeks Dye Works Holly and Honeysuckle, Crescent Colours Frozen Margarita and Bramble Bush


Began: 04.30.08

Finished: 03.19.10

I've pulled some more UFO's out of the closet and am working on those. IIRC, the Four Seasons Fatties SAL resumes on Monday, so I will have that to do as well. If Sandy starts off with the Spring section, DH has requested a brown bunny, instead of a pink one. I'll have to find a suitable brown to stitch said bunneh when the time comes. :)



Hope you all are having a great weekend! :)



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Respectfully submitted,


C.

Taking the Blue Pill

Morpheus: This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill - the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes.


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Cypher: I know what you're thinking, 'cause right now I'm thinking the same thing. Actually, I've been thinking it ever since I got here: Why oh why didn't I take the BLUE pill?


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So, I've been sick with a stomach virus for about 5 days now and apparently, I've lost my mind some place. The quotes from above are from one of my all time favorite movies, The Matrix. Keanu Reeves is pure sex on a stick in that movie. :D


I posted these quotes, because while I am an ardent, nay fanatical, believer in taking the red pill (ie: opening my eyes to Truth), when it comes to my stitching, I've wholly embraced the blue pill and all of its subsequent effects (ie, sticking my head in the sand. How's that sand tasting?! :D)

Anyway, this is as far as I have gotten on CCN's 'Ice Cream Shoppe':

I apologize for it being so out of focus, but as bad as I feel, I really didn't feel like dicking around with trying to get a better shot. :/


In other news, it seems the entertainment industry is taking it on the chin with two deaths yesterday, that of Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. What I find utterly amazing is that there are utter and complete morons out there arguing as to whose death is more important. Say WHAT?! IDK about anyone else, but I find this incredibly disrespectful to both of them. They both lived, they both made mistakes, they both died and now we who are left behind will suffer the loss of them gone. Both of their families are in incredible pain right now, so the least the rest of us can do is be respectful and mind our collective manners.


Hopefully, I will not be so cranky tomorrow. :/


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Respectfully submitted,

C.

CCN's Ice Cream Sundae

I had taken a poll in the house and by General Consensus, Country Cottage's Ice Cream Sundae was deemed to be the one that needed to be stitched next. I do not have any of the supplies, however, my wonderful DH has promised me a trip tomorrow.

If I remember to take my camera, I will take pics of Stitcher's Paradise, which happens to be located all of five minutes from my house. :D


Go me!


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Respectfully submitted,

C.

Seasons change

I was passing by my stitching area and I noticed that I still had the 'April' Lizzie Kate design on the stitchy area walls.


I paused.


What's the calendar date again?


Oy!


Ok, stop whatever it was I was doing, get the step stool, get out my seasonal stitching. Decide what to put up and if I have enough frames to be able to change everything I want up.

Now, at this juncture, I would like to add that my idea of 'seasons' are different than what most people follow timewise. Most folks have seasons broken down thusly:


Spring: March, April, May

Summer: June, July, August

Fall: September, October, November

Winter: December, January, February


I, on the other hand, have known farmers, gardeners and other folk who follow a different type of seasonal calendar:


Spring: February, March, April

Summer: May, June, July

Fall: August, September, October

Winter: November, December, January


This makes more sense to me, somehow. I guess to me, it makes more sense that the 'seasons' are like this timewise, due to planting, growing, and harvesting of the stuff I eat. I mention this only because when I changed out my seasonal wall, everything is summer related. Temps are rising at a rapid rate here in Sin City, so it quite frankly feels like summer anyway.



Country Cottage Needleworks 'Summer Strawberries'.
Fabric: Dyeing 4 You's 'Sandy's Sunshine' in 16 ct aida.
Threads used: Crescent Colours Spinach, Cupid , Pink Champagne, Granny Annie. White thread by DMC in B5200. SanMan Strands in A New Leaf.

Began Friday, June 27, 2008; 9 PM PST. Finished Wednesday 07.30.08.









Design: Sunshine Sampler #117

Designer: Lizzie Kate

Fabric: 28 count natural pearl

Fibers: DMC and Crescent Colours

Began: July 2005

Ended: July 2005

Stitched piece during trips to the beach Summer 2005 with Amber.






Design: Strawberry Sampler

Designer: Needlecraft (UK) magazine

Fabric: 28 count natural linen

Fibers: DMC

Start and end dates unknown. Probable 1996 or 1997.






Design: Cottage Garden

Designer: Nikki Lehman of Country Cottage Needleworks

Source: August 2006 Just Cross Stitch Magazine

Fabric: 28 count white Monaco

Fibers: DMC 153, 155, 156, 157, and 420. Weeks Dye Works thread in Pecan. Crescent Colours Joshua Tree, Tomatillio, and Summer Spray.

Misc: Decided to skip the outer border as I could not find a nice enough color that would compliment the color changes I made and let's face it, I'm lazy as hell. Ran out of the WDW Pecan and I did not want to buy another skein as I find WDW threads to be thin and have a propensity to shred, so I just substituted DMC 420 and went on with life. The difference is not that stark and I wanted this one just plain finished instead of it languishing in the UFO pile.

Began: (approximately) Friday, March 20, 2009

Completed stitching: Thursday, April 30, 2009





Design: Bless the Breeze (former freebie, not for trade or sale)

Designer: SanMan Originals

Fabric: 14 count white aida

Fibers: DMC and Six Strand Sweets

Began: Friday, January 14, 2004

Completed stitching: Tuesday, January 25, 2004






Apparently, I didn't upload a pic of the one above 'Cottage Garden'. Stitchy notes to follow:


Design: Joyful Heart from the leaflet 'Seasons of the Heart 2"

Designer: Erica Michaels

Fabric: 28 count natural pearl linen

Fibers: DMC

Began: Monday, February 21, 2005

Completed stitching: Saturday, March 12, 2005



Newest WIP:


Design: Home of a Needleworker (2003)

Designer: Diane Williams of Little House Needlework

Fabric: 28 count natural pearl linen

Fibers: DMC in B5200, 355, 356, 450, 429, 729, 869, 3051, 3052, 3371, 3828


Began: Monday, May 4, 2009





Closing for now with a picture of Ozzy and Ushi pacing themselves:



It's a rough life, but someone has to do it!


Hope everyone had a good weekend and Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms out there!


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Respectfully submitted,

C.

Whew!

The stitching blogosphere had a heart attack yesterday when the much appreciated and much favorited blog, LagattaC, suddenly went black for no apparent reason. When I went to this Blog of Awesomeness, it said CLOSED in big red letters. No one was able to ascertain the reasons why she elected to close down her collection of freebie links from around the web. I had speculated to friends that perhaps she grew tired of updating the million and one freebie sites from around the world or just found something else to occupy her time. Thankfully, when I logged on this morning to update this blog, I found that she had posted an update. Here is the translated text via Babelfish from the original Italian:

From some time I reflect sull' opportunity to close the blog. When I began in the 2006 c' they were little sites that they published " freebies" regularly, the spread of the blogs has widened the creativity of the lovers of the embroidery, and also my engagement. The beautiful season then tries to me with the walks in the forests and on mountains, all' leisure under the warm beams of the sun, the reading all' shadow of the trees in garden. They are elsewhere. To close definitively the blog is not necessary, leaves l' opportunity to continue to consult it even if from today in then I do not guarantee that the modernizations will be regular. Thanks to those who they have written to me, with calm I will answer to all, and thanks for the collaboration offered ones, of it I will hold account. Good day!

Whew! Well, I can't say that I blame her. I'm sure that with the proliferation of blogs and just plain 'regular' folks taking a stab at designing and posting their works for free out on the intarwebz, updating a blog with links to said freebies is probably a full time occupation. I, myself, have been spending a bit less time on the computer and choosing instead to take my stitching to the community pool and stitch poolside, rather than being cooped up in the house. It's getting warmer by the day here in Sin City and it's nice to be out by the pool stitching.

And in other news....

Had 2 finishes yesterday and started yet another project. It was nice to get some things wrapped up and start one I've wanted to start for a long time now. I am hoping after this next finish, I get out an older WIP/UFO and finish that up. Maybe rotate new starts and finishes, to clear some old stuff out and get to the stuff I have put off for so long and really want to stitch. Pic of the finishes plus the new WIPs. Stitchy notes attached! :)

Finish number 1:

Design: Cottage Garden

Designer: Nikki Lehman of Country Cottage Needleworks

Source: August 2006 Just Cross Stitch Magazine

Fabric: 28 count white Monaco

Fibers: DMC 153, 155, 156, 157, and 420. Weeks Dye Works thread in Pecan. Crescent Colours Joshua Tree, Tomatillio, and Summer Spray.

Misc: Decided to skip the outer border as I could not find a nice enough color that would compliment the color changes I made and let's face it, I'm lazy as hell. Ran out of the WDW Pecan and I did not want to buy another skein as I find WDW threads to be thin and have a propensity to shred, so I just substituted DMC 420 and went on with life. The difference is not that stark and I wanted this one just plain finished instead of it languishing in the UFO pile.

Began: (approximately) Friday, March 20, 2009

Completed stitching: Thursday, April 30, 2009

Finish number 2:

Design: Necessities Sampler

Designer: Diane Williams of Little House Needleworks

Fabric: 28 count antique white either lugana or jobelan

Fibers: DMC 420, 739, 869, 924, 926, 928, 936, 3011, 3013, 3371, 3768

Began: Saturday, April 18, 2009

Completed stitching: Friday, April 30, 2009

And now on with the WIPs! :D



WIP number 1:

Stitchy notes:

Design: Bee Pinkeep

Designer: Diane Williams of Little House Needleworks and Nikki Lehman of Country Cottage Needleworks for The Gift Stitching magazine, Issue 12 January 2007

Fabric: 28 count natural evenweave of an unknown type (I need to figure out what it is, cause I'm really digging on it!)

Fibers: DMC 437, 761, 3011, 3012, 3371, 3712, and B5200.

Began: Thursday, April 30, 2009


(Photo removed by Webshots and I do not have a copy)



Hope everyone is having a good day out there in cyberspace!


Respectfully submitted,

C.

Frog Happens

When I was stitching merrily along on Cottage Garden, I happened to notice that the wording was off by a block and a half. Now, since this piece has a border, this means that Yours Truly has to rip all of the wording and start all over again on it.

Ok, don't have an issue with that. As any stitcher of any length of time will tell you, Frogs Happen (rip it, rip it). What I have an issue with is accidentally cutting the FABRIC. This will cause me to swear like a sailor on a three day pass in Hong Kong, particularly when it involves hand dyed threads and/or expensive fabric that I cannot repair or (God forbid) replace.

This actually happened when I was removing the miscounted lettering. I managed to take a pretty chunk out of the letter 'A' in Garden, whilst merrily snipping away.

Crap.

/sigh.


Just as panic begins to settle in, and I am frantically trying to figure out how to cover this up and praying that I won't have to rip everything out, I get the bright idea of just stitching the lettering again, and seeing if I can cover up the 'whoops!' with a charm or button.

Yes, it pays to have stash.

*YAY*.



I actually found some brass charms that were bought with another chart, so I will replace them if I ever get around to stitching the other chart.

The only other annoyance is that I seem to have run out of the Weeks Dye Works Pecan. I have a few more sections I have to stitch using it, only money is a bit tight right now, and I can't get any until Friday at least.


Here is my progress so far:




Design: Cottage Garden

Designer: Nikki Lehman of Country Cottage Needleworks

Source: August 2006 Just Cross Stitch Magazine

Fabric: 28 count white Monaco

Fibers: DMC 153, 155, 156, 157. Weeks Dye Works thread in Pecan. Crescent Colours Joshua Tree, Tomatillo  Purple Pansy and Summer Spray.

I am not sure about the Purple Pansy border, so comments pro or con are much appreciated. :)


I have more chores to do around the house, so I will close for now. 




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Respectfully submitted,

C.