Second Bin' O'Shame Finish For 2017!

Woohoo! Finally managed to power through this one. It is also my second finish from the infamous Bin O'Shame. I am quite pleased with the way that it turned out. I really do prefer this design on the 28 count Cashel linen in Water Lily instead of the original pink that I had chosen. It would have been way too much pink, IMO!

Well, at any rate, here it is in all its' glory: 

Design: Strawberries and Cream 

Designer: Casey Buonaugurio (retired)

Fabric Used: 28 count Cashel linen in Water Lily

Fibers Used:  DMC Embroidery Floss Art. 117 in B5200, 225, 321, 351, 743, 815, 937, 986, 988 and 3706. 

Accouterments: Mill Hill beads in #00128 Crayon Yellow, #03049 Rich Red, and #42014 Petite Black beads

Stitcher's Notes: Began Monday, April 11, 2016. Design featured in the February 2006 issue of The Cross Stitcher, a now defunct US magazine. Design featured on page 36. Substituted called for fabric for 28  count Cashel linen in Water Lily. Substituted gingham band and strawberry flower and leaves for wording. Pink gingham band free formed by me. 

As of Thursday, July 13, 2017:

As of Sunday, July 16, 2017:

Well, time for me to be off. I need to clean up my stitching area and get started on a piece from the FB BBD Lending Library. This time around I have borrowed the out of print Be Kind and True:

I think I am going to stitch this in the same color palette that I chose for Summer In Bloom from the book Maria Selby Humphrey - 1831 book. Probably not on the same 48 count fabric, however, lol! 

Happy stitching! 

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Respectfully submitted, 

C. 

A Year Later

And a *bit* closer to finishing this piece than I thought. I really do hate it when I am stitching a project that I am just not 'into'. This is how I get the ever popular Bin O'Shame came into being, for heavens' sake. And this project was a do over, no less. I really do not know what it is, but it's taking forever to finish this piece. Each row is seemingly simple, and yet, it is taking a lot longer than I thought it would. I am thinking all of the color changes are accounting for this issue. 

As it has been over a year since I last posted any progress on it, I think this now qualifies as Bin O'Shame status. I have decided to get this out and just get on with it until it is completed. I am hoping that posting frequent updates will spur me to finishing it!

At any rate, here is what I have so far:

Design: Strawberries and Cream 

Designer: Casey Buonaugurio (retired)

Fabric Used: 28 count Cashel linen in Water Lily

Fibers Used:  DMC Embroidery Floss Art. 117 in B5200, 225, 321, 351, 743, 815, 937, 986, 988 and 3706. 

Accouterments: Mill Hill beads in #00128 Crayon Yellow, #03049 Rich Red, and #42014 Petite Black beads

Stitcher's Notes: Began Monday, April 11, 2016. Design featured in the February 2006 issue of The Cross Stitcher, a now defunct US magazine. Design featured on page 36. Substituted called for fabric for 28  count Cashel linen in Water Lily

As of Friday, April 15, 2016:

As of Thursday, July 13, 2017:

Well, I best be off. I hope everyone has a great weekend. Happy stitching! 

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

Putting 2016 In The Rearview

Wow! This has been some year, huh? Despite some things happening that did not make me happy, I cannot go through life thinking that I must be comfortable and safe all the time. Things happen and it is up to me to make what I will of it. Here's hoping that 2017 calms down a bit, yea? 😀

I managed to get a lot more finished than I thought I did. I stitched on more random projects than anything else this year. I would have preferred that I got in my 12 Bin O'Shame this year, however, the seven eight! that I managed to finish the stitching on is eight projects that I did not finish from the previous year. So, I cannot complain really. Besides, I have made great strides in reducing the number of them overall. I am now down to 29 going into 2017, which makes me really, really happy. I started off with 70 UFOs beginning in February 24, 2015, so every bit has counted! 

I also stretched my stitching muscles by participating in my first ever Round Robin, which was fun. It was a treat to see what themes were picked out and which section would be 'mine'.  I really should do another one at some point. 

Well, at any rate, here are my year end numbers. This was a surprising amount of work that was done, so I guess I can forgive myself for not getting my latest start completed 'on time'! 😉

BIN O' SHAME 2016

1. September Dragon by Dragon Dreams. Finished Sunday, January 10, 2016

2. William Morris tile by Sheila Hudson. Finished Thursday, January 14, 2016

3. Antique Roses by Hallmark. Finished Sunday, January 17, 2016

4. Coffee is Magic by Dragon Dreams. Finished Thursday, February 18, 2016

5. Jardin Mythique by Danybrod. Finished Tuesday, February 23, 2016

6. Easter Fairy by Mirabilia. Finished Easter Sunday, March 27, 2016

7. Be Thankful by Country Cottage Needleworks. Finished Tuesday, September 27, 2016

8. Lorri's Heart Tin by Lorri Birmingham Designs. Finished Saturday, December 31, 2016

KIT MOUNTAIN FINISHES

1. Hangin' With My Peeps by Sue Hillis. Finished Monday, January 4, 2015

2. Spring Cat by Banar Designs for Better Homes and Gardens Finished Tuesday, March 29, 2016

3. Colonial Candle Pocket by Plum Street Samplers. Finished Friday, May 13, 2016

4. Dreaming by OakHaven Designs. Finished Sunday, November 13, 2016

2016 RANDOM FINISHES

1. Tulip pincushion by Blackbird Designs. Finished Saturday, January 30, 2016.

2. David Bowie Told Me by Plastic Little Covers. Finished Monday, February 1, 2016

3. Birds and Berries needlecase by Blackbird Designs. Finished Wednesday, February 17, 2016

4. Love Birds by Antique Sampler Stitcher. Finished Thursday, February 18, 2016.

5. St. Patrick’s Shamrock by Brooke’s Books. Finished Monday, February 29, 2016

6. Portion of needlecase from Quaker Schoolgirl Needle Necessities by With My Needle. Finished Thursday, March 3, 2016

7. Winter Garden pincushion from Blackbird Designs. Finished Tuesday, March 8, 2016

8. Pumpkin Blossom (Loose Feather #4) from Blackbird Designs. Finished Monday, March 21, 2016.

9. Compassion (revised) by Danybrod. Finished Thursday, March 24, 2016

10. Crow on a Pumpkin by Kimberly Nugent of Samplers Not Forgotten. Finished Thursday, March 31, 2016

11. Motifs Abécédaire 30 by DMC France. Finished Saturday, April 9, 2016

12. Savoir Faire by Blackbird Designs, version one. Finished Thursday, April 28, 2016

13. Savoir Faire by Blackbird Designs, version two. Finished Saturday, April 30, 2016

14. Chateau de Corgi for 2016 Tiny RR. Finished Tuesday, May 10, 2016

15. Assassins’ Creed logo by GeekieCrafts. Finished Tuesday, May 10, 2016

16. Willow House (Excerpt One) by Blackbird Designs. Finished Sunday, May 15, 2016

17. Willow House (Excerpt Two) by Blackbird Designs. Finished Monday, May 16, 2016

18. Bluebird’s Needles and Pins pincushion by Blackbird Designs. Finished Wednesday, May 18, 2016

19. French Country Bicycle by JBW Designs. Finished Friday, May 27, 2016

20. Prairie Schooler Christmas Village (white house) Finished Sunday, May 29, 2016

21. Kitchen Mixer by Hugs Are Fun. Finished Wednesday, June 8, 2016

22. July Celebration by Blackbird Designs. Finished Monday, June 20, 2016

23. Winter Cardinal by Waxing Moon. Finished Monday, July 4, 2016

24. Seahorse by unknown. Finished Thursday, July 14, 2016

25. The Skeleton Key by StitchyFish Designs. Finished Saturday, July 16, 2016

26. Basket of Spells by Blackbird Designs. Finished Monday, July 18, 2016

27. L'Arbre d'Automne by Jardin Privé. Finished Thursday, July 28, 2016

28. Patchwork Pinkeep by Blackbird Designs Finished Sunday, July 31, 2016

29. Three Peacocks by Heartstring Samplery. Finished Friday, August 5, 2016

30. King of Autumn by Primitive Acorns. Finished Saturday, August 13, 2016

31. Hallow Game Board (excerpt) by Primitive Needle. Finished Sunday, August 21, 2016

32. Halloween Tree: Spooky by The Trilogy. Finished Saturday, September 3, 2016

33. S'mores by Mill Hill. Finished Saturday, September 17, 2016

34. Spooky Elegance by Shannon Christine Designs. Finished Sunday, October 2, 2016

35. Haunted Mansion Spooky Silhouette by Shannon Christine Designs. Finished Wednesday, October 19, 2016

36. Simple Harvest from Blackbird Designs. Finished Thursday, November 17, 2016

37. Marshmallow Sweet by Mill Hill. Finished Thursday, November 24, 2016

38. 2010 Sampler 69b by Ria Lanser of Stofnest. Finished Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Total Number Of Finishes For 2016: 50

Not quite the numbers that I did in 2015, however, things were very, very busy for me this past year. 

As for any goals for next year, I think I am just going to stitch what I feel like stitching. I will have my 'unofficial' goal of 12 projects for the year as always, but I do not think I will have any other goals than that one. I have slowed down on my stitching a lot, and I think this is due to simply doing too much. I also think that I need to get into paper crafting or something like that again in order to balance things out. I also have a number of larger projects that I wish to stitch on and that I have page goals that I wish to complete. Can't exactly crank those out. Well, I suppose I could, but I would have to quit my job and I would probably wind up with carpal tunnel! 😮

Well, I need to be off. I wish you all a happy weekend and a safe and blessed New Year! 

Respectfully submitted,

C. 

A Winter Inspired Finish

My latest finish is a bit of a surprise to me. I had not planned on stitching anything else other than Autumn (Book Number 66, Autumn Samplers) from Prairie Schooler and a retired design by Jackye Derhay Renahy of A Mon Ami Pierre (Noel 2009 for the curious). However, in the past week, I have needed a break from the news and current world events. I decided to do something quick and easy and something I have wanted to stitch for a very long time. I am also happy that this project was culled from Kit Mountain. That's one less project in that bin for next year. Although, if I don't stop buying the Mill Hill kits, that won't be the case anymore, haha! :)

Well, at any rate, here is my latest finish:

Design:  Dreaming

Designer: Tonya Pappan of Oakhaven Designs

Fabric Used: 28 count Cashel Dwarf linen from Picture This Plus from their Crystal (opalescent) line

Fibers Used: DMC Embroidery Floss Art. 117 in 775, 3756, 3841, and 3865

Accouterments: Mill Hill glass seed beads in size 11/0 #02010 Ice

Stitcher's Notes: Substituted called for 14 count blue Aida for 28 count Cashel Dwarf linen from Picture This Plus from their Crystal (opalescent) line. Design is a former freebie from the OakHaven Designs Yahoo Group. Chart is not able to be shared or distributed. Piece taken from Kit Mountain. Substituted Mill Hill glass seed beads for the called for DMC Embroidery Floss Art. 117 in 310. Began Friday, November 11, 2016. Finished Sunday, November 13, 2016. 

Well, I had best be off. Tons to do today. I hope everyone had a great weekend. Happy week to you all! 

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

Some Progress

...is better than no progress. This past week at work has been extraordinarily busy, so I have not gotten as far on this piece as I would have liked. However, I do have the weekend off this weekend and I should be able to make a lot more progress on it. I am really liking how the green is making the white show up quite nicely. I think this will be a very nice piece when it is completed. 

I have noticed that it is very difficult to take pictures where the fabric shows its' true colors. I will have to experiment with different times of day and lighting. 

At any rate, here is my usual pre-weekend update:

Design: Strawberries and Cream 

Designer: Casey Buonaugurio (retired)

Fabric Used: 28 count Cashel linen in Water Lily

Fibers Used:  DMC Embroidery Floss Art. 117 in B5200, 225, 321, 351, 743, 815, 937, 986, 988 and 3706. 

Stitcher's Notes: Began Monday, April 11, 2016. Design featured in the February 2006 issue of The Cross Stitcher, a now defunct US magazine. Design featured on page 36. Substituted called for fabric for 28  count Cashel linen in Water Lily

As of Wednesday, April 13, 2016:

As of Friday, April 15, 2016:

Time for me to be off and away. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

WIP Wednesday Post For April 13, 2016

This latest start is from Kit Mountain. I have had it for quite some time now. I have always wanted to stitch this one, and yet never got around to it. I wanted to stitch it this year, as it has been sitting for a very, very long time. Only when I got around to stitching it, I decided that I didn't like the fabric that I had decided to use for it. Originally, I had chosen a 28 count Raspberry Lite joblean to stitch this on, but decided that the white was simply not going to show up very well. I then decided on a green, but then the question was which one? I eventually settled on a particular piece of 28 count Cashel linen in Water Lily that was purchased at my LNS this past weekend. After I had finished up Motifs Abécédaire 30 late Saturday night, I took Sunday off to rest my hands and arms. This one was started on Monday, and I am really loving the colors on this fabric. It fresh and 'Spring like'. I do not know why I generally associate strawberries with spring, as strawberries are typically at their peak in June. Which is definitely not spring! :)

At any rate, here is the newest start: 

Design: Strawberries and Cream 

Designer: Casey Buonaugurio (retired)

Fabric Used: 28 count Cashel linen in Water Lily

Fibers Used:  DMC Embroidery Floss Art. 117 in B5200, 225, 321, 351, 743, 815, 937, 986, 988 and 3706. 

Stitcher's Notes: Began Monday, April 11, 2016. Design featured in the February 2006 issue of The Cross Stitcher, a now defunct US magazine. Design featured on page 36. Substituted called for fabric for 28  count Cashel linen in Water Lily

I need to bolt for the door. lots to do today, as is my custom. I hope everyone is having a great week!

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

Under The Wire

I have always been fascinated with the origin's of phrases and words. In this case, the expression 'under the wire', is believed to have originated from horse racing, where a wire was hung up over the finish line to help determine a winner. Thus, races that were extremely close could be described as "coming down to the wire," quite literally.

In my case, this means, I have managed to sneak in yet another completed stitched piece before the end of the month. After I had finished up the Easter Fairy, I went through  Kit Mountain,  Leaflet Silo and on with the Bin O'Shame again to see if anything was grabbing me. I decided to go ahead and bite the bullet and stitch this one up. I think this series has the distinction of being both in Kit Mountain and in the Bin O'Shame, simultaneously. The kit was purchased around 2003 or 2004 and had left to rot until I managed decided to get off of my duff and finish the stitching on the Winter Cat in July of 2015. This was followed by the Summer Cat in August of 2015 and then the Autumn Cat in September of 2015. I think very much like Christmas At Hawk Run Hollow, it is both UFO and finish at the same time. Schrödinger's projects, if you will. 

The Spring Cat was left to languish until now. I have no idea why. It is quite possible that I was just not 'into' the coloring of this cat. I really should have changed the coloring to that of my beloved and much missed Ozzy. I think it would have popped better on the fabric. Ah, well. As is my custom, a day late and a dollar short (any action that was taken too late and is too feeble to be of any use, for the curious :) ). 

At any rate, this series is now completed in its' entirety. I am thankful for that. Now, I need to find a frame that will show all of them off. I am thinking of just one frame for all four projects. This way, I can pop them in and out of the frame at will. I seem to be one of these stitchers that is more interested in making sure money is spent on stitching projects, rather than using money to complete them. :)

Design: Cats For All Seasons Spring Cat (4 of 4)

Designer: Nancy Javier and Barbara Finwall of Banar Designs

Fabric: 14 count khaki aida of unknown manufacturer

Fibers Used: Unknown as provided in the kit

Bling Used: Mill Hill beads #42014 Petite Black seed beads

Stitcher's Notes: Kits previously purchased around 2003 or 2004. Substituted beads for cat's eyes and nose. Left off wording at the bottom. Seasonal cat number four out of four. Series completed as of Tuesday, March 29, 2016. 

Finished Tuesday, March 29, 2016:

Well, time for me to go. I hope everyone is having a great week so far!

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

Turn The Page

There I go
Turn the page

Happy New Year to you all. It's a fresh new start to the year, and I know it is going to be absolutely amazing this year. I have chosen to start this year off by picking out a piece from Kit Mountain to begin the New Year. This is another one that DH has picked out. He even chose the fabric for this piece, after I was waffling on a few. I think this one is really going to pop on this fabric and I cannot wait to get started. 

Design: Lady Of The Flag (retired) MD-62

Designer: Nora Corbett for Mirabilia 

Fabric: 28 count Cashel linen from Picture This Plus  in Phantom

Fibers Used: DMC Embroidery Floss Art. 117 as called for in the chart. Kreinik metallic threads in #4 Very Fine Braid in #025 Grey and #002HL Gold. 

Beads Used: Mill Hill beads in #02001 seed beads Pearl, #02019 Crystal Honey, #02022 Silver, #03015 Snow White Antique Glass seed beads, and #03050 Champagne Ice Antique Glass seed beads. 

Stitcher's Notes: Began Friday, January 1, 2016. Chart is now out of print and very hard to find. Please note that this chart is not for sale or trade. Stitched in commemoration of the Tuesday, September 11, 2001 attacks. 

Lady Liberty Lore: Frederic Bartholdi has trumped any Mother’s Day gift you could ever come up with: He used his mother, Charlotte, as the model for the most recognized statue in the world. This was first discovered in 1876, when Bartholdi invited French Senator Jules Bozerian to his box at the opera. When Bozerian pulled back the curtain to step into the box, he was shocked to find a real-life version of the Statue of Liberty sitting there in the box. When he said so to Bartholdi, the sculptor smiled: “But do you know who this lady is? She’s my mother,” he told the senator.

Well, I had best be off. The Lady will not stitch herself. I hope everyone has a great New Year's Day and the best year ever!

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Respectfully submitted, 

C.