a finish and progress

Sampling Halloween

Lizzie Kate

28 ct dirty linen

mostly recommended threads

restarted 1-9-11

finished 1-30-11

Sorry for the out of focus but I am not a good picture taker as you can see.  My hand shakes too much so you get what you see.  Just a note on the Halloween.  I have discovered that I can't count on dark fabric, at least that is what I am using as an excuse.

  The next pic also out of focus is a progress on Quaker Christmas Sampler you will have to look back at previous post to see the start but this is the progress.  My fingers were flying!

It has only taken me about a half hour of playing with the computer to figure out how to put the pic in again.  I couldn't remember what I had done the other day as that was a fluke that I was able to achieve it at all.

A friend - Debby - had wanted to see a few of my quilts so here are a few pics.  I hope you enjoy them also.

These are the first 6 blocks on the left side of the quilt.  It is Folk Art Angel - Block of the Month from Cabin Fever Designs (Robyn Pandolph - designer) 1995.  I made the quilt with my Mother's help as we hand appliqued.  It was done in 1996.  I had it machine quilted by a friend and co-worker Mickey.  What a great friend!  Here are the rest of the quilt blocks.

Those are the two close up pic so you can see the detail on the block. Simple embroidery stitches and embellishments were added to each block.

This is the label I appliqued on the back with all of the info on.

These next pics are 2 quilts both the same quilt but slightly different.  They are both 'The Winter Quilt' from Snowbound by Red Wagon.  These are from back in 1991 and 1992 when the book first hit the market.  They are both hand appliqued and hand quilted with blocks and sashing done on the machine.

This is the first The Winter Quilt that I made and here is the second one.

Did you see the angel flying over the sheep?  You have to add these things are the top is assembled.  That was the last picture.  Aren't you glad?  The label for the back of the quilt was three snowballs side by side with the information written on them.

Hope you had fun reading and looking at pictures today.  I'll try not to include so many pics in one post in the future as I know it takes time to download.  I just hope that I can remember what I did to capture the pics and then post.  Faulty memory.

I hope you all stay warm and dry.  Please send prayers to those fellow stitchers that have family issues at the moment - family death, illness, loss of beloved pet.

Until next time    Happy Stitching!

sorry just need to add this

Just a quick update because I was cruising blogs for forty billion hours and came across the blogaversary at http://www.belfontenotes.blogspot.com/. 

Then when you are finished signing up for this, head on over to http://thestitcherhood.blogspot.com/ and find out why women lie.  It was a cute read!

Thanks again for reading and commenting.

Happy Stitching!
Susan

Lost it in January!

Well stitchers this is almost a first for me as I am blogging twice in one month.  I have finally gotten my 15 starts in the first 15 days - ok so it took me almost a month and 3 are WIPs but we won't mention that.  I will try and show you some pictures of all of the starts for this Crazy January Challenge.

Sorry these are not part of the January Crazy Challenge - Seasoned Greetings and Winter Woolens are finished stitchery from 2010 and Merry with the part peacock is mistake that I have to correct.  Yes, the border and Merry are correct but the peacock is wrong and over 1 it is taking me some time to unstitch.  Now I will try for the real Crazy January Challenge pictures.

Top left is CROW a Primitive Bettys freebie.
Top right is Sampling Halloween a Lizzie Kate.
Bottom is - for the second time - Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow from Carriage House Samplings.
These are my 3 WIPs.

Top is Matter's Choice from CHS.
Bottom left is Housework Never Killed Anyone from Lizzie Kate.
Bottom Right is ABC Lessons from Lizzie Kate.

Top left is Quaker Christmas Sampler from CHS.
Top right is Peace from Birds of a Feather.
Bottom is To Laugh Often from Twisted Threads.

Top left is A Quaker Study from CHS.
Top right is Holly and Berries from Little House Needleworks.
Bottom right is Merry Christmas from CHS.
Bottom left is Let Heaven and Nature Sing from Blackbird Designs.

This is the Day from Just Cross Stitch Magazine Feb 2009.

As you can see not much is done on any one piece but I have great hopes of completing all of them and more before the end of the year.  Yes I did change the challenge a bit to include my 3 WIPs but I'm sure I will be forgiven.  And to show you that I really am stitching Christmas at HOH for the second time here is a pic of the first one.  It developed a whole in the fabric and I was not able to repair it to my satisfaction so I started again.  Lucky me!

Whew!  this was some long blog today.  I hope to have my act together as I have now figured out this picture business.  I will try to blog more often than 3 times in one year or was it 4.  I will try to post progress pictures as I stitch but I make no BIG promises.

Yes, my husband is still living in Ohio and I am still living in SC.  What a life!  He has promised me that we will be together by the end of the year if not sooner.  He is still looking for a job here is SC while working in OH.  We are going to plan our 60th birthday party for the summer in Ohio as that is where our friends reside. (And now you know how old I will be this year!) 

So long for now.
Happy Stitching!

Long time away!

Well it has been an awful long time since I blogged and I really have no good excuse other than - I just didn't. I have been very busy reading blogs and enjoyed every minute.



I must state now that I am one of probably close to 100 that have joined the 15 Challenge of 2011 where you start one project each day for the first 15 days of the year. Well let me tell you I am a complete failure so far. I have managed to start 6 new projects and restart one WIP so I have been stitching. No I still do not have pictures but soon... I think I need to take lessons on how to coordinate pictures and blogs.



The sun was finally out today and it was heavenly! My poor car is in sensory overload as it thought it was moving to a warmer climate since it has to live outside now instead of its former warm garage. It hasn't taken kindly to the ice covering of the past 2 days or the below 30* temps. Poor baby!



I am blogging on my new computer. It's a laptop and my old desktop went home to Ohio with my husband. This was a Christmas gift from him. And since my sister gave me her Kindle - don't ask - he also bought me a cover for it. Did I make out or what? I bought him a Garmin GPS unit for his car as he seems to have trouble finding his way around - especially down here in SC. (He did get lost on the way back to Ohio in September going the old way through TN but we won't talk about that.) The beach area totally freaks him out as to where he should be to go where? He will find his way one day.



Back to the Challenge - I have only seen on one blog postings of stitching. And she has been very busy. I realize that the challenge was to be all new projects pulled from our stash but I have had to include some WIP that I really want to finish/keep working on. I have a tendency to start large projects, get tired, stitch something else, and then eventually go back to the large project again. Or maybe just start another new large project! I know none of you would do anything like that!

I would like to start a blog of stitchery items for sale but until I have some picture taking/showing knowledge that will have to wait. I did have some finished projects last year so I do have some things to show.

I think I will end this session now and hopefully I will receive some comments back - if only to say HI!
Thank you all for your time and as always,

Happy Stitching!

It has been an extremely long time since I posted. I have been reading everyone else on their blogs and have enjoyed myself and yes I do leave comments but not every time I visit. I love looking at the stitching projects both finished and unfinished.

I have been very busy with other projects and here is my big news! The dreaded white quilt is finally finished and on it's way back to it's owner! Woo Hoo! No more feathered borders to quilt! Woo Hoo! I now have to quilt a lap size quilt which you quilters may remember - Snowbound - The Winter Quilt by Red Wagon - primitive applique blocks. This belongs to one of my former quilt students and lucky for me she is in no hurry for it. Maybe I will take a little time off quilting and cross stitch for a while. I would like to get block #10 of Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow finished before picking up the quilting again.

I have also be busy around the house. We have GRASS!!! Ok so it's only in the front yard but at least we have it. I water it faithfully daily or every other if the weather is not too hot. And it's kind of hot here, high 80's and it's only the middle of May - but I guess this is what it is in SC. Yes I am a transplant from Ohio and no I did not miss the winter in Ohio - my husband got to enjoy it all by himself!

Speaking of the husband, he was here visiting for the grandson's birthday and we have a wonderful visit. Grandson in the afternoon after school so Husband and I had all day to visit or travel around the countryside. He worked at our daughter's house down the road on several days - erecting a pool in the backyard, trimming weeds (and a bush or two), watering new grass, water proofing the porch steps, and stuff like that. She was at home to help on several of these projects while I finished up the quilting and binding.

When I came home from Ohio in April, I brought back with me all of my quilts and wallhangings. What a mess! I finally went through the bags (6 large black trash) again today and decided what to give away, what to keep, and what to sell. Plus I have a very small stack of tops to finish into quilts. So much to do and so little time.

Sorry again for no pictures of stitching. Husband sent pics of the house with Grass but I have no idea on how to move the pic here for you to see. Sorry I am a failure at this but just give me time and I'm sure to catch on. I will try and borrow my daughter's camera and take pics of my stitching and maybe she can figure out how to place it here.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week. May you enjoy good health.
Blessings!
Happy Stitching!

Sorry still no pics still no camera!

It is cold here in SC. OK not as cold as some parts of the country but for us, with the rain, it feels cold. Boo Hoo!

I have finished block #11 except for the background of Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow. I have made just a small start on #10 (one crown). I am stuck on Block #2 of the Vof HRH but promise to get back to it soon. I have already placed my order for Autumn at Hawk Run Hollow. I have seen 3 pics so far and just love it. They are on Kathy's blog Carriage House Samplings & Mo Jewelry and they are wonderful.

I am off the pick up grandson, Sebastian, soon and pick up dinner later. He told me yesterday he wants Chinese lo mein noodles and I will have my usual chick and broc and maybe as a treat I'll get their donuts.

I have another week to go until my husband gets here for a visit. Paul and I haven't seen each other since Dec 31 when I left Ohio to beat the snow. SC is enjoying much better weather even if it is raining again better than snow and ice. We did have some ice last weekend but just 1 evening and morning. We can live with that!

Happy Stitching and stay warm!
Susan

Thank you ladies for your welcome.

I don't have a lot to show, actually nothing to show but I am stitching on Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow and a freebie from PrimitiveBettys.

I did manage to empty about 24 boxes and have about 16 more to empty before my husband arrives with another van load from Ohio. I have only lived here in this house in SC since the 27th of November and most of my furniture is still in OH. I do have control of all of my stitching as it traveled with me. My quilting fabrics and patterns/books came down on the truck with the husband and they are all unpacked and put away - we do have to have our prioritites in the right order. (Please excuse any and all spelling errors as I had 4 hrs of sleep before sitting with a 5yr all day.)

I promise to include pictures of past stitched and framed items and maybe even post a little about me next time. Hopefully husband Paul will bring the camera and take pictures to post. What a thrill!!

This is the first time in almost 38 years that Paul and I have been apart this long. I really feel for the military families that are seperated as I am not liking this one bit!

I am going to go hit the quilt stores on Monday. Hopefully one of them will need some help as I have had lots of experience - 18 years in the shop with 15 years teaching quilting. The shop also sold counted cross stitch and I worked with that section of the shop for several years also. Does anyone out there remember The Daisy Barrel in Fairborn Oh? (Fairborn is the home of Wright Patterson Air Force Base) the owners of the shop have all retired and closed the shop - that is where I worked and stitched. We had a great group of ladies - both owners and workers.

Well I have rambled on enough. Thanks for reading. Happy stitching and no sticky fingers!