Merry One Finish

This latest project is another one that I have wanted to do for a very long time. I had to wait to see if it was going to become available as a stand alone chart, as this was a former club piece. I am not a huge fan of clubs, because of the expense and hassle of them. I would rather just purchase a chart outright and then stitch the design with the materials of my own choosing. A big case in point is this latest project of mine. 

I purchased this piece some time ago and have just now gotten around to stitching it. It is stitching up quite quickly, which gives me hope that I will make the goal of 30 projects stitched for the year. I am quite pleased with that thought, although, I do need to decide what the last project of the year will be. As of right now, I am leaning towards finishing Block Three of of Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow by Carriage House Samplings . That would be a good way to end the year, I think. 


Well, at any rate, on with the show! 

Design: Merry One

Designer: Paulette Stewart of Plum Street Samplers

Fabric Used: 25 count Natural Oatmeal Floba by Wichelt

Fibers Used: Crescent Colours Belle Soie silk in Collard Greens, Harvest, Malted Milk and Tulip. Rainbow Gallery Splendor 12 ply silk floss in S899, Dark Ecru. 

Began: Tuesday, November 29, 2017

Finished: Saturday, December 09, 2017

Stitchers' Notes: Stitched one strand of silk floss over one fabric thread. Substituted called for fabric and floss for in house materials. 29th project stitched for 2017. 

Well, I must be off. Lots to do today. I hope everyone is having a great week. 

Happy Stitching!

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

Finish Friday For Friday, May 13, 2016

Honestly, I should have been stitching on something Halloween inspired instead of this latest finish from Kit Mountain. I have had it for quite some time now as it was purchased back in 2014 during the Colonial Gatherings Club hosted by Dyeing To Stitch. When I received it in the mail, I was not overly....impressed (for lack of a better word). 

These kits are not inexpensive ($40.00 each). Honestly, at this late date, I have no idea of what I was expecting, but surely something more than what showed up. I lost my job soon after and I had to 'retire' from the club, which was something else. I will say this, however. This pretty much cured me of ever signing up for one of these ever again. I was under the assumption that when one signed up for a 'shop exclusive' it was exactly that. Exclusive to the shop. Not 'exclusive for six months and then it gets released to the general public'. I do not need a $40.00 'kit' once every other month for 12 months for all of that! I will just wait. While I understand designers have the right to do with their own designs as they see fit (as well they should!), quite honestly, shops need to stop advertising these as 'exclusives' when it simply is not true. 

So, it came to pass that this kit languished in Kit Mountain until this week. I was putting something away and I came across it again. I could not bear to look at it, as it brought up some unpleasant memories every time I looked at it. I am not too entirely sure as to why I decided that I was sufficiently annoyed to just get it out and deal with it, but this is how it came to pass. I began this piece on Wednesday, May 11, and finished it up just a bit ago. I left off some things and changed the colors around, but it's finished regardless. I have no idea of how it will be finished as I do not plan on ever needing and/or wanting a candle pocket. 

Design: Colonial Candle Pocket 

Designer: Paulette Stewart of Plum Street Samplers

Fabric Used: 35 count Olde Towne Blend by R and R Reproductions 

Fibers Used: Needlepoint, Inc. silk flosses in 328, 912 and 965

Stitcher's Notes: Began Wednesday, May 11, 2016. Finished Friday, May 13, 2013. First design in the 2014 Colonial Gatherings Club hosted by Dyeing To Stitch. Changed bird to NPI 965 (Dapple Grey) and all flowers to NPI 328 (Williamsburg Blue).  May add date later on. Undecided as to how this will be 'finished' finished. 

Well, time to be off. Another loaner chart from the Blackbird Designs Lending Library has arrived and I need to make haste. Willow House is the next item up for bid and I can't wait to get started. It will be my weekend project this weekend. I love the tulips in the basket! 

Have great weekend everyone! 

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

Top Secret Twenty Two

Thanks to an online stitcher friends, I was able to complete #22 from the Bin O'Shame. I had thought to add the Endless Knot in some of the spaces in the piece, but DH and I decided to leave it as it is. It is very clean and uncluttered and we prefer it that way. 

This is my most personal piece that I have ever stitched on, other than the flag that I have in the  Bin O'Shame that is earmarked for my father. I am hoping to get to that one soon, as that is another 'soul wound' that needs to be healed up a wee bit more. 

Well, at any rate, here it is. #22:

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 (late) Sunday, June 21, 2015:

Finished as of (late) Friday, June 26, 2015:

Well, I had best be off. I have a ton of stuff to do today. And with the Bin O'Shame there is certainly no rest for the wicked. :)

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend! :)

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

Ghoul Update

I've managed to get a fair amount accomplished since Wednesday. I've hit a wee bit of a roadblock in the lettering in the middle, but a friend is lending a hand with that. I will hopefully have this completed by the end of the month. It is stitching up very quickly and I am really enjoying the process. 

Well, here is my progress so far:

Design: Ghoul (A 2008 design)

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 Wednesday, June 17, 2015:

As of Sunday, June 21, 2015:

Closeup of the Stone Angel:

Well, I had best be off. I need to start stitching the pomegranates and I need to find some small crows to add to the piece. I am also seriously considering jet black beads in addition to everything else. I hope everyone is having a great Father's Day Sunday!

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

Memento Mori

Or, as the kids say nowadays, Valar morghulis. My apologies to anyone out there who finds this post a bit disturbing. This current UFO was started on Tuesday, September 2, 2014 and I had a hard time stitching on it due to the nature of the project. This particular piece is to be a memorial project for our only child that died in stillbirth. I couldn't stitch on this as it brought up too many memories, however, I picked it back up this past Monday and it doesn't hurt so much to stitch on it now. In all honesty, it actually feels like I am meant to stitch on it. I am hoping that another week is all that will take to finish it up. If so, this will mean this project is #20 from the Bin O'Shame. 

Design: Ghoul 

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.

Stitcher's Notes: This was originally a Halloween/Fall type design. Turned into a memorial sampler for our only child. Crystal Legacy used to invoke the beginnings of frost that has landed on parchment paper.  Project originally started Tuesday, September 2, 2015. 


Original Chart:

As of Monday, June 15, 2015:

As of Wednesday, June 17, 2015:

Well, I best be off. Tons to do today. Hope everyone is having a great week!

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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. 

The Queen's Crowns finish

Managed to hammer this out this weekend and finished this up moments ago. I am VERY pleased with this finish and can now see the holes a lot better than when I first started. :P 



Well, here it is! 

Design: The Queen's Crowns (A tribute to Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth I)

Designer: Paulette Stewart for Plum Street Samplers

Fabric: 40 count Newcastle linen in French Vanilla by R and R Reproductions

Fiber Used: Crescent Colours Belle Soie silk in Tulip and Old Crow. Kreinik  blending filament in 002 Gold. 

Stitcher's Notes: First time stitching on 40 count Newcastle linen. Stitching with one strand of Crescent Colours Belle Soie silk in Tulip over two fabric threads. 

Well, I need to bolt for the door. Hope everyone has had a great weekend!

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

12.12.2012 Update

No, it's not another UFO finish post today, haha! Merely an update on the Plum Street Samplers  piece that I started the other day. I am really enjoying this piece. It won't be long before I finish it and yet another piece comes out. I am not sure what I will do after this one, as I think I am about UFO'd out. At least I'm finishing up the things I start and there haven't been any more UFO's at least! :D


At any rate, here's the update on The Queen's Crowns:


Design: The Queen's Crowns (A tribute to Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth I)



Designer: Paulette Stewart for Plum Street Samplers


Fabric: 40 count Newcastle linen in French Vanilla by R and R Reproductions


Fiber Used: Crescent Colours Belle Soie silk in Tulip


Stitcher's Notes: First time stitching on 40 count Newcastle linen. Stitching with one strand of Crescent Colours Belle Soie silk in Tulip over two fabric threads. 

Well, I best be off. Got tons to do today before I can get back into my stitchy spot with the cats and finish this one off. Hope everyone's having a great week! :)

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

A Glitch In the Matrix

 Trinity: A déjà vu is usually a glitch in the Matrix. It happens when they change something. 


Well, never say never. I thought I would never update any of the pictures on my blog after Webshots took everything down, however, I've spent a considerable amount of time since late afternoon yesterday doing just exactly that. As consequence, I seem to have updated two posts that were originally posted a few years ago. My apologies to my long term readers. It's a bit of déjà vu and can be disconcerting. So, rest assured, dear Readers, it's only human error and not Blogspot's fault. :)


At any rate, here is what I have so far on The Queen's Crowns. It's a LOT of fun to stitch and I am enjoying the 'mini finish' feeling every time I finish a crown! :)


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




Design: The Queen's Crowns (A tribute to Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth I)



Designer: Paulette Stewart for Plum Street Samplers


Fabric: 40 count Newcastle linen in French Vanilla by R and R Reproductions


Fiber Used: Crescent Colours Belle Soie silk in Tulip


Stitcher's Notes: First time stitching on 40 count Newcastle linen. Stitching with one strand of Crescent Colours Belle Soie silk in Tulip over two fabric threads. 

Well, I best be off. DH wants to go out and about today and I have no clue where we're going. :) Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend! :)

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

A Game of Thrones

Teh Hubmeister and I have found a new series obsession. We have been watching Game of Thrones and love every minute of it. It's a medieval soap opera! While we've been watching it, I started a new project and finished another one up tonight. I have decided that after I finish my new start, we should be on Season Three by then, so I will get out Mary, Queen of Scots. I think it would be appropriate to stitch two projects related to two Queens who  fought one another over thrones while watching a show that speaks on that very subject. 


At any rate, here is the new start:


Design: The Queen's Crowns (A tribute to Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth I)


Designer: Paulette Stewart for Plum Street Samplers


Fabric: 40 count Newcastle linen in French Vanilla by R and R Reproductions


Fiber Used: Crescent Colours Belle Soie silk in Tulip


Stitcher's Notes: First time stitching on 40 count Newcastle linen. Stitching with one strand of Crescent Colours Belle Soie silk in Tulip over two fabric threads. 

The second project is one that I finished up tonight. The Crescent Colours Belle Soie silk in Strawberry Shortcake came in today and it took less than half an hour to get the rest of the border finished up. 

Design: Frappuccino


Designer: Diane Williams of Little House Needleworks


Fabric: 14 count aida in Beige


Fibers Used: Crescent Colours Belle Soie silk in Beanstalk, Carnation, Cinnamon Stick, Old Crow, Strawberry Shortcake, Teddy Bear, and Vanilla Pudding

Well, I best be off. Need to pick up some more and possibly watch some more  Game of Thrones. Hope everyone is having a great weekend! :)


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Respectfully submitted,


C. 

Veteran's Day Finishes

Been busy today finishing up long overdue projects. Two more have been taken out of my huge stitching bag and I am really happy about that. I promised myself that I could start a new project if I finished these two up, however, I think there is another project I want to stitch on in the same bag, so I may finish that one up instead. 


At any rate, here are the two I finished stitching on just a bit ago. The floss finally came in for the A La Belle Etoile SAL piece and it took less than 10 minutes to finish up the leaves on the right hand side. I love the way it turned out.   




WIP#1:



Design: A La Belle Etoile SAL

Designer: The Thread Basket with C Mon Mode


Fabric: 28 count silk and linen in natural by Wichelt

Fibers: Crescent Colours Belle Soie silk in Elegant Eggplant, Ivy League, Sweet Lavender, and Tumbleweed. Gumnut Yarns Stars silk floss in #991 ecru. Kreinik Very Fine (#4) Braid in 001 Silver.


Accouterments: Jolee's Jewels - Crystallized Swarovski Elements in Purple Violet 4 mm bicone, Crystal Moonlight 4 mm bicone, 20 MM Crystal Aurora Borealis star and 16 mm - Crystal Aurora Borealis moon.

WIP#2:




Design: Christmas Tea


Designer: Paulette Stewart for Plum Street Samplers


Fabric: 32 count Belfast linen in pearl grey


Fibers: Crescent Colours Belle Soie silk in Collard Greens, Cranberry, Noir and Vanilla Pudding

The chart was a gift from my dear friend Barb and I enjoyed every stitch of this project. It was stitched with one strand of Crescent Colours Belle Soie silk over two fabric threads. 

Well, I best be off. Laundry is calling and I need to clean up my stitching area so I can get out another project. Hope everyone is having a great weekend and a special thank you to all of the Veterans out there today. You are not forgotten! 

Respectfully submitted,

C. 

11.11.11 WIP post

Don't have any finishes to post, but I have been in the grips of a full blown Startitis Flu. Honestly, I don't even know why I even bother making lists and sticking to them. While I can stick with lists in non stitching activities, for the life of me, I cannot seem to get control of myself when it comes to my stitching. Oh, well. I guess it's ok if that's the only area! Haha!


At any rate, here is what I am working on so far:


WIP #1:

Design: A La Belle Etoile SAL

Designer: The Thread Basket with C Mon Mode


Fabric: 28 count silk and linen in natural by Wichelt

Fibers: Crescent Colours Belle Soie silk in Collard Greens, Empress, Ivy League, Tumbleweed and Vanilla Pudding

WIP #2:




Design: Christmas Tea


Designer: Paulette Stewart for Plum Street Samplers


Fabric: 32 count Belfast linen in pearl grey


Fibers: Crescent Colours Belle Soie silk in Collard Greens, Cranberry, Noir and Vanilla Pudding

WIP#3:


Design: Baked Goods


Designer: Diane Williams for Little House Needleworks


Fabric: Belfast Linen in 32ct Vintage Country Mocha


Fibers: Crescent Colours Belle Soie silk in Collard Greens, Cranberry, Harvest and Vanilla Pudding

Well, I'm off to do some cleaning of my stitchy area. Hope everyone is having a great day and getting some stitching in!


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Respectfully submitted,


C.