Weekend Stitching and Finishes

It turned out to be a good weekend for stitching, finishing and designing. It was just too hot to step outside so lots of time spent with a needle in my hand.

First I designed a "Little" ornament for my Hardanger class with some new stitches for them to learn. I have started stitching the model and as soon as it's finished I'll share it with you. I would have finished it but I just can't put "Witches" down. I don't know what it is about this project but it's drawn me in and I can't stop working on it.





More Finishes.....

"Pansy Sampler Ornament"

This is the free design from Victoria Sampler that goes with the "Pansy Sampler" we are doing as a SAL in my Hardanger Class. I really finished it last week but forgot to put it in my last post. I think I want to do this one again in Christmas colors.

The next two projects I have had in my finished bin for a long time and just hadn't done anything with them.

"Snow People" Bell Pull

Stitched on 18 count Fiddlers Light with DMC

I remember stitching this from a magazine BUT I don't remember when or which magazine. I do know it was done at least 3 or 4 years ago. About time I did something with it.

"Santa" No Sew Cube

All I can remember about doing this one is it was a kit like the Snowman Cube I did. Again this has to be 3 or 4 years old since I got the kit for it at WalFart before they discontinued carrying stitching supplies.

I still have one more project to finish this week for Halloween but need to get Tracy to cut the cardboard for it.

Tracy's vacation has officially started and we are going to go out to dinner tonight to celebrate his birthday and that's the extent of our plans. We hope to meet with Nancy R and her beau on Sunday for a concert on Fremont St and will probably also spend some time on the strip seeing the free attractions there and do some people watching. The weather is predicted to cool off and be below the 100 degree mark finally so should be a good time to get out before all the tourist arrive for the holiday weekend.

Until Next Time.....Have a GREAT week with lots of stitching time.

Finishing Frenzy

This week started off really strange for me stitching wise. I pulled out "Scream House" to do some more backstitching but just couldn't get into it. Then I thought about doing another section on "BOO Club" but that didn't tickle my fancy either. What to do, what to do? Start a new project was the answer. Last year I stitched "Pumpkin Patch" by The Prairie Schooler and then got the companion chart "When Witches Go Riding". That was the answer I was seeking....A new project! As you can see in the top corner of the chart below there are 4 little designs, they really make cute small projects but more on that later.



This is the start of "When Witches Go Riding". Not a lot done yet but it's a start. I just love this fabric by Silkweaver's. It's called "Dark Tan" and is what I used last year on "Pumpkin Patch". I wasn't sure there was enough left to do the new project and it's a bit skimpy on the sides but since the finish probably won't be matted it should work out fine.

"Witch" No Sew Cube

Design from "Pumpkin Patch" by Prairie Schooler

stitched on 32 count hand dyed Evenweave

with DMC

This was a start and a finish while working on "When Witches" and I just love the way she turned out. A really fun, quick stitch and my new favorite way to finish small designs.

As I titled this entry I went into a Finishing Frenzy after a trip to WalFart for some seasonal fabrics. The stitching got put down, the pins and glue came out and this is what I did.....

"Snowman" No Sew Cube

I just had to use this fun fabric for the "Snowman". You really can't see it but the fabric has snowmen and the words Merry Christmas with some sparkles. I then added the Pearl pins to give it some bling and they kinda look like snowballs.

"Give" Ornament by Stoney Creek

I used a 4" finishing form to put this one together. It still looked kinda plain to me so I decided that the Red/White metallic cording would add some sparkle and dress it up a bit. You really can't see the sparkle in the fabric and cord but it really shines in the light and should sparkle on the tree this year.

And last but my favorite......

"Hardanger Christmas Tree"

This is the design I created for my Hardanger Class and what started the frenzy. I knew I wanted the Red/Green plaid fabric and was so happy when I found it I just had to get this done NOW. I found the Red/White/Green metallic cording in my ribbon stash and I think it really sets off the colors in the stitching and fabric.

Well that is what I did this week and I have 3 more projects sitting here with their fabric for finishing. By the end of the weekend I'll have more finishes to share with you and maybe even more done on the current WIP.

Tomorrow is Tracy's birthday and the start of his vacation. Not sure how much stitching I'll get done with him home and awake all day hehehe. He works nights and sleeps days so I normally have all the time I want to stitch but who knows what will happen with him awake. We aren't going anywhere on vacation, staying home with maybe a trip out to the strip to play tourist and then out for a birthday dinner. There is a free concert on Fremont St next Sunday that we will plan on attending to end the vacation.

Until Next Time.....Happy Stitching

RAK from Star Student

In the mail today I was surprised with this adorable little ornament from Dawn in AZ. Dawn was one of my students in the Hardanger class I taught online. As you can see she was on of my star students who has joined me in being addicted to Hardanger. Thank you Dawn and keep up the great work.

Weekend Stitching

While the promised rain didn't show up where we are the valley did get some showers downtown and on the West side. I guess we'll have to move across town if we want to see any weather. While I was very disappointed not to have the rain I did get some good stitching time in.

LK's BOO Club is no officially half finished. 6 of the 12 designs done and 6 more to go. I think they are getting cuter as they go and can't wait to see it all finished. Saturday I did "creepy" and love the little Owl in the tree.

This morning (very early) I put the last stitches in the "BOO" Needleroll

"BOO" Needleroll by StitchX from Silkweaver's

Stitched on 32 count Belfast Solo Linen by Silkweaver's

with "Carrie's Creations", "sassy strings", Dinky Dyes"

and DMC with a Spider Button

When I received this piece of fabric with my FOM I really didn't like it, in fact I thought it was UGLY! Then I got the Carrie's Threads in "Autumn Leaves" and the chart and when I was looking for a fabric in my stash this piece looked perfect. I am VERY happy with the outcome and it will be a great addition to my Halloween decor this year.

Today will be some brain dead stitching. I'm going to try to finish up all the backstitching on "Scream House" and then will have to pull out the volume of instructions to see what comes next. Not sure what my next Halloween start will be but with a finish I do get to start something new. I know I'll probably get 1 or 2 more designs done on BOO Club this week but not sure what else I'll pull out of the WIP basket.

Hope everyone has a wonderful week with LOTS of stitching time. I also want to Thank everyone for their comments and encouragement. I love to hear from all of you.

Until Next Time....Happy Stitching

Halloween Stitching

This week I decided to work on some Halloween project and maybe even have them done in time for haunting this year. I picked out 3 projects....one old, one recent and one new.



First came "Scream House" by Just Nan and you can see it here ......http://family.webshots.com/album/567277118cghhmv I started this almost a year ago and still have lots to do to finish it. This week I did the outline backstitching on the walls and roof on the interior. Next I will do the same with the exterior walls and roof then start adding all the fun little details before assembling it. With some luck it may be done for Halloween (just not sure what year LOL)

Next I did another band on the LK BOO Club. This is one I have been looking forward to doing since I first saw the design....bet you can guess why.

"BOO Club" eek by LK

I also got a lot done on the border. I think the next chart will be really fun too but will take a little longer since it has more stitching and detail to it.

Now for the new start. I belong to Silkweaver's FOM and each month they offer a free chart of your choice with the purchase of the FOM fabric. This month I decided it would be fun to have another Halloween Needleroll and picked "BOO!" as my pattern of choice.

"BOO!" Needleroll

This is now half done and I think it will be finished by the middle of next week. Of course I didn't have the fabric or threads called for so I took a leap and decided to do my own thing. The fabric is a solo I got some time ago and really didn't like until this project. The only thing I knew for sure was I wanted to use Carrie's Creations "Autumn Leaves" (top band) and the fabric just jumped out of my stash and said USE ME. I really like the way it's working out and so far it's been a fun stitch.

Well that's it for this weeks stitching. After a very HOT week it's going to cool down this weekend with thunderstorms in the forecast. If the rain does come I'll open the door and windows to smell the fresh air and hopefully get some relief from the heat.

Until Next Time.....Have a great weekend with lot of stitching

Happy Hardanger Weekend

So many of my students in the Hardanger class have finished their class project and expressed a interest in doing more before we start the SAL next month I thought I'd better get busy and give them something else to do. I wanted to challenge them a bit as well as have more stitches for them to learn. This is what I came up with this weekend.

"Pansy Sampler Ornament" by Victoria Sampler

Stitched on 32 count White Belfast Linen

with DMC and Mill Hill Beads

Sorry for the quality of the picture, for some reason it just wouldn't come out clear.

The next project was a major undertaking for me and I spent most of the weekend on it. I designed this myself (THANK YOU dear sweet DH for the PC Stitch program). After a little hair pulling, several pots of coffee and not much sleep, and of course the frogs at my side, this is what I came up with. Not sure I want to venture into designing again very soon but I did have fun with this one.

"Hardanger Christmas Tree" by Me, Myself and I

Stitched on 28 count Water Lily Linen

with DMC Perle Cotton, WDW "Cocoa"Carrie's Creation "Peppermint"

and Mill Hill Beads

If you click on the picture to enlarge it you can see the details a little better. I'm not sure how many from the class will stitch this but it will give them LOTS of practice at cutting and needle weaving. I'm going to make this into a flat fold as soon as the Christmas fabric is in the stores. I want to use a Red/Green Christmas plaid and if I'm lucky I may even find some I saw a couple of years ago that had some gold threads running through it.

Now I'm going to give my burned out brain a rest and stitch on something simple. Just may have to do more of the border on BOO Club. It's a bit boring but doesn't require checking the chart and changing colors often.

Until Next Time....Have a good week with lots of stitching time.

End of Week Update

It was a good week of stitching here! After the finishes pictured later in this post I pulled out LK's BOO Club from the WIP basket and got another section done. I'm going to have to really concentrate on this if I'm going to get it done in time for Halloween.

I had two finishes at the end of the week......

"Emblem of Friendship" by Cherished Stitches

from the 2006 JCS Ornament Issue

Stitched on 28 count Lt Mocha Cashel

with sassy strings "Sangria"

As soon as I find a fabric that matches I'm going to make this into a small pillow type ornament. I really do like the "sassy strings" threads and will be adding more to my stash.

"Snowman" kit by Bucilla

I don't remember when I got this kit but it had to be several years ago since I remember getting it on clearance at WalFart before they discontinued stitching supplies. It came with Aida but I used a 28 count linen instead. I have some fabric that will go perfect with him and will be making a "No Sew" cube. I also have a Santa that was the same type kit that I stitched, not sure when, that I'll also do a cube with. I think they will look really cute together.

This is going to be a Hardanger weekend for me. I did a original design of a Christmas Tree for those in my class who wanted to do more projects. It is now in process of being stitched and I hope to have it done before the end of the weekend. Also want to finish the Pansy Sampler ornament freebie from Victoria Sampler. Just have the needle weaving and beads and it will go into the finished pile.

Until Next time....Have a great stitching weekend.

Exchanged Received

We are having a "Carrie's Creation" thread exchange on my ILCS Yahoo Group and my package arrived today. My partner really did spoil me with all these lovely colors. I have a collection of Carrie's threads in my stash but didn't have any of the ones Pam sent me. I really can't wait to start using them on various projects. Thank You so much Pam.

Until Next Time....Happy Stitching

A Wonderful Day

To use Meari's word for Monday....it was "Marvelous"! Got a finish, good progress on a WIP and a great package in the mail.

To start I finished this ornament for my DD Manda. She mentioned the other day how much fun it's finally going be be to get to shop the girlie aisle at Christmas. I just had to make this ornament for her for this year. And when I say finished, I mean totally finished, not just stitched. It is backed with a green fabric with Gingerbread Houses printed on it.

"Arm and Leg" by Raise the Roof designs

From the 2006 JCS Ornament Issue

Stitched on 28 count White Monaco

Wth DMC, Crescet Colours and lettering in

Carrie's Creation "Holly Days"

I just love this little "Snowman" and have made some good progress on it. It is from a Bucilla kit I got several years ago before WalFart closed out their stitching. I changed out the Aida and am using 28 ct linen instead. Should be able to finish him this week and then I'm going to make him into a "No Sew" cube.

"Snowman" WIP

The best part of the day came when I got the mail. My package from Karen at Wasatch Needlecraft arrived with the threads for a exchange on my ILCS group. We had discussed some other threads and she asked me if I had ever used "sassy strings". She said she hadn't stitched with them and was wondering how they were. So I'm her guinea pig, she sent me an assortment to try. I love the colors she sent.

"sassy strings"

When you get a new car you have to drive it. When you get a new toy you have to play with it. When you get a new movie you have to watch it. When you get a new thread you have to try it. Right? Well I jumped in with both feet, found a chart and some fabric and this is what I started last night with the "sassy strings"

"Emblem of Friendship" by Cherished Stitches

I am really impressed with the quality of the thread and love the smooth variation in the colors. It stitches really nice too. I know I will certainly add more "sassy strings" to my stash as she has some really lovely colors and like Carrie's you sure can't beat the price of $1.00.

I'll probably be quiet now for a couple of days while I stitch away to get more finishes and get back to some other WIP's.

Until next time....Happy Stitching

My Favorite Finish

I can't believe the "Sugar and Lace Ornament" is finished and ready to display. While it is a Christmas Ornament I can't put it away with the rest of the Christmas decorations, it will be out year around. Enough rambling.....here it is!

Above... All stitched and ready to finish......

Below....Finished into a Needleroll

"Sugar and Lace Ornament" by Victoria Sampler
From the 2007 JCS Christmas Issue
Stitched on 28 count Natural Irish Linen
with DMC Perle Cotton, Petite Treasure Braid, Mill Hill Beads

With every finish comes a new start or two.

The first start (would be a finish but waiting for threads) is called "Arm and Leg" from the 2006 JCS Ornament Issue. Just have the lettering left to do on him and as soon as my order for Carrie's Creations threads arrive I'll get him done. I also started another project from a kit that I picked on on sale several years ago and promptly forgot all about. I was looking for something else and ran across it and thought it would be a good one to do since I don't have to kit it up and it's just regular floss with no speciality stitches....almost like brain dead stitching for now.

I am so proud of my students in the Hardanger Class! Many of them have finished their project and all have done a fantastic job. Now I trying to design another project for them that will teach some new stitches. They are all doing so well it's going to be a challenge to keep one step ahead of them.

Hope everyone has a good week. It has cooled down here a little but that won't last and I'm sure the temps will climb over the century mark again this week.

Until Next Time......Have a Great week with lots of stitching time.

Another Finish and WIP's

Kelly has received her package from me and now I can share the lil Piggy I stitched for her. I received the fabric as part of my Bingo prize and as soon as I saw it I knew I had to use it for this project.

"Small Pig" free design from Cyberstitchers

Stitched on 18 count hand dyed Aida

with DMC

WIP's....

This week I have been concentrating on two projects.

"Pansy Sampler Ornament" by Victoria Sampler

The members of my Hardanger Class will be joining me in a SAL doing the "Pansy Sampler" and I thought it might be fun to do the free ornament before we start. Just have to do the needle weaving and then add some beads and pearls and make it into a ornament. This was really quick and fun to do so far.

I finally have gotten back to the "Sugar and Lace Needleroll" ornament. All the stitching is done and today I'm cutting and then will do the needle weaving and add the gold beads before finishing into a needleroll. At the rate I'm going it's going to take me all day just to do all the cutting.

"Sugar and Lace Needleroll" Ornament

I hope to have both these projects finished by the end of the weekend. What's up next? I'm not sure, will just stick my hand in the WIP basket and pull out a couple more projects or maybe even start a new one.

Until Next Time.....Happy Stitching from WINDY Las Vegas

Finishes

I stitched this at the end of July for a exchange. Now that it has reached it's new home I can share it with you. Kelly, the list Mum, of my ILCS Yahoo group hosted a bookmark exchange and because there were a even number of sign ups she wasn't able to be in it. She really needed a new bookmark so I suggested we do a exchange between us and this is what I stitched for her.

"Friends Count" free design by Victoria Sampler

Stitched on 32 count white linen with DMC

Since I have several bookmarks and don't read as much as I use to she is doing a bookmark for my DD who when she is not taking care of the kids always has her nose in a book and the last bookmark I made her is almost worn out. I can't wait to see what Kelly stitches for her, I know it will be wonderful.

As any Serial Started knows, when you finish a project you get to start two new ones. True to my title of "Queen of the Serial Starters" when I finished the beading on "Christmas Solders Stocking" I was entitled to two new starts. The first new start also quickly became a finish. I fell in love with this design when I saw that Mary A had stitched it and knew I had to do it. It is a free design and she was kind enough to send it to me.

"Quaker BOO" free design by Unknown designer

Stitched on 32 count Solo by Silkweavers

with Crescent Colors "Spinach" and

Dinky Dyes Silk "Desert Sands"

I made a few changes in the colors since I wanted more of the orange to brighten it up a bit. As soon as I can find a nice Halloween print I will finish this as a flat fold with a pretty orange bow.

The next start I haven't taken a picture of yet. It's a free ornament from Victoria Sampler that goes with the "Pansy Sampler". Since we are going to be doing a SAL in the Hardanger Class group with "Pansy Sampler" I thought I'd get a head start and do the ornament. I almost have all the Klosters done now and should have something to share in the next couple of days.

I think it's time to hit the WIP basket again and get as much progress as I can on several of the projects there. Not sure what I want to work on next so may just close my eyes and pull one out.

Until Next Time....Happy Stitching and Have a Great Week.