A New Year!

Well, it has been an extremely long time since I have written on my blog.  I am so sorry for the delay.  I was thinking about you and reading your blogs - usually no comments - but never bothered to update my own.

I did manage to finish 9 of the 15 day challenge from last January.  That's pretty impressive for me.  Here is the list of finished stitches with the date finished: Sampling Halloween 1-30-11, Quaker Christmas Sampler 2-14-11, Merry Christmas 2-27-11, Housework Never Killed Anyone 3-9-11,  Holly & Berries 4-9-11, Crow 4-19-11, A Quaker Christmas 7-13-11, ABC Lessons 11-26-11, and finally Let Heaven & Nature Sing 12-30-11.  I will show you pictures of the last three as all of the others are elsewhere here.

Let Heaven & Nature Sing
With Thy Needle & Thread - Blackbird Designs
32 ct old mill java
recommended threads except DMC 371 instead of OWS

ABC Lessons
Lizzie*Kate
22 ct hardanger beige
threads included in kit

  I can't seem to find a picture of Quaker Christmas but let me just say it is finished and beautiful.  And no, not a thing is finished or framed.  Maybe one day.

I have been busy with other things throughout this past year.  I traveled to the mountains of TN to stitch with girlfriends and make quilts.  I did manage to very simply machine quilt two while I was there and the receivers were extremely happy to receive them.  I also made a reindeer quilt for my grandson who is now 7 and in the second grade.  It fits his double bed and was a real trial for me to machine quilt.  I am so not good at that!  Here is a sideways partial pic from Christmas.



Reindeer Games Quilt
Peppermint & Holly - Art to Heart #530B
(Nancy Halvorsen)
setting changed to simple

I am sending the book and all fabric remains to my quilt friend Jill who is supposed to make this quilt also.  She bought the fabrics at the same time!  That might have been in 2007 or 2008.  Well you know that fabric has to age before it can be used - all quilters know that!

I read a lot of books this past year also.  Most of them were new but I had to visit with old friends also.  Most of them I read on my kindle so there was no heavy lifting and turning of pages!

I have promised myself to finish my challenge from 2011 and stitch at least 1 or 2 new pieces.  Hopefully these will all be from my stash.  My husband and daughter stand in my sewing room and shake their heads.  I made mention of giving my quilt fabric away - just keeping the quilt kits I had made up and make up a few more - but they both said not to do that (give away the fabric).  I may still give some way.  Let's be honest here ladies and gents, just how long am I going to be able to cut, sew, hand quilt and bind.  I'm 60 now and how long are the eyes and hands going to last.  I realize that I started talking about my stash (cross stitch) and finished with my quilting but they are housed in the same room - small room too.  Remember I live in a single wide trailer!  Not much room for zippidy do da but I make do.  Lucky for me, my husband is not a collector and his stuff is in the shed! (along with 2 4-wheelers and a dirt bike)   This is dirt road living at its best!

Nicole get your stitching mojo back soon.  I miss the pictures of your stitching.  Siobhan keep adding those pictures of Ireland.  I love them! (Irish and Scottish heritage from my Mum)  sorry Dad - you were Irish and Mum was Scottish.

Happy Stitching to all and a healthy New Year.

Oh Well

The life of leisure is over for me.  My husband is finally moving down here to SC.  WooHoo! a married women again!  Now that's going to put a quirk in my system of doing what I want when I want.  After 1 1/2 years apart, I am going back to fixing dinner on a somewhat regular schedule, cleaning house a little more often with another person in the house, laundry more often.  You get the picture.  Yes, I am happy that he is finally moving here.  It has been long enough.  I will still have to travel back to Ohio as my Mom, sister, and sister-in-law are still there along with lots of girlfriends!  Plus there is an actual cross stitch store that is not 2 1/2hrs away - it's only 30 minutes!  I normally order on line from Amy at http://downsunshinelane.com/ or one of the other online stores to spread the wealth but sometimes you just want to feel the fabric or actually hold the chart in your hand to see if that is really what you want to purchase.  You get the idea.  OK enough of the poor me.

Did you all enjoy the WEDDING?  I loved it.  I've probably watched it 5 times with all of the repeats on the TV.  Enjoyed it everytime!

I did finish another of the Crazy January Challenge pieces.  I'll have pics next time I promise.  Cross my heart!  Amy is also hosting another gathering of stitchers at The French Hen on June 4.  Anyone besides me going?  I'll have to e-mail Hildit to see if she is going as we rode together last time.

Well talk to you later.

Happy Stitching!

Lot of catching up to do!

Hello All,
Well things have progressed here.  I had a wonderful visit/stitching session with Amy and the gang at The French Hen in March.  I met a lot of very nice stitchers from the immediate area although some may have been from North Carolina which is just next door so to speak.  Lots of pretty stitching was shown.

Then the next Saturday Paul came for a visit for a week.  We raced around - he is looking for a job here - filling out applications or getting information.  The grandson stayed with us every night but one and Grandpa took him to school each morning. The poor child had to ride the bus home.  Paul took all of us out to dinner once because I like to eat out - Paul and daughter Christina could care less about eating out but Sebastian and I love to.  Paul left for Ohio on the 25th and I was sick all day - just overload of people I think as I was right as rain on Sunday.

Before he left he took pictures of stitching for me so I am going to try to insert them here.  They are just progress pictures but you can see that I had been stitching!

This is A Quaker Christmas update but it has changed from this.  You will have to wait longer for a new picture as I don't know how to take a pic on my phone and mail it to my laptop.  C will tell me how to do that in the next day or two.

This is kind of blurry but it's Holly and Berries from Little House Needleworks and it is almost done now.

This is a FINISH! - part of the Crazy January Challenge 15 project thing.  Housework Never Killed Anyone from Lizzie*Kate finished in March and I think it's finish #4.

I would like to take the time to thank Hildit and William for taking me with them to The French Hen.  His driving was very smooth -no car sickness-  and I should be able to find my way back with Hildit as my passenger.  So much fun to have a travel companion.

I have been listening to books on tape as I stitch.  J D Robb's  ...in Death - ones that I have missed reading. I have The Last Queen -C W Gortner to read next.   I Kindled Sean Keefer's The Trust and enjoyed it.  It's his first novel.  He lives in Charleston but is from Loris so it was included in the book.  I also watch movies - especially ones that I have already seen as I don't have to pay strict attention to them afraid that I'll miss something important.

I can hear a crow out the window.  Did you know that crows have two languages?  I didn't either until I watched Nature on PBS.  What a HOOT!  Have you seen the eagle babies?  If you go to http://www.withthyneedleandthread.blogspot.com/  she has several spots on the blog that will direct you to the eagles.  What a sight!

I enjoy reading everyones blogs.  I don't always leave a comment but please know that I always look forward to reading and seeing stitching!  Updates with Mia, Stewey, the 3 Pugs and puppy, and all of the others are welcome too.

I will try to update more often and not this hit or miss that I have been doing.  You would think that being here (SC) and semi retired (I don't leave home to go to a regular job) I would have oodles of items stitched or quilted.  Not!  I am not organized but I am having fun and that's what counts when you are almost 60.

Happy Stitching!

another finish!

Stitching friends, yes, I do have another finish to report.  Actually I have 2 finishes and this brings my Crazy 15 Challenge up to 3 finishes.  WOOHOO!!!  If my computer skills are up today I will include pictures of them.

Quaker Christmas Sampler

Carriage House Samplings

28 ct lambswool

CC silk - cranberry

started 1-7-2011

finished 2-14-2011

Merry Christmas
Carriage House Samplings
25ct lugana potato
DMC 115,935,310
started 1-28-11
finished 2-27-11

So to date, I have finished 'Sampling Halloween', 'Quaker Christmas Sampler', and 'Merry Christmas'.

Well as you can see my picture taking skills have not improved as this last one is blurry.  Maybe one day I will have all co-ordinated and show you a wonderful picture of some stitchy thing.  Right now I am stitching on 'Housework Never Killed Anyone' from Lizzie*Kate.  I also completed the top vine work on the border of 'This is the Day' to see if I had enough fabric left on the L side for framing and luckily I do.  That was a relief.  I also worked on "Matter's Choice" and finished the top border type area and stitched the L bird and started the 'snow' in the background.

On the quilting front I finished the twin size quilt top that I had started for baby Margaret.  The batting has been allowed to breath and now I have to make the backing fabric and layer and pin.  I am going to try to simple quilt it on the machine.  What can go wrong?  I don't like it and take it all out (which I have done before).

Weather is nice here.  Daytime in the 60's and nights in the 30's.  I will take SC over OH anytime for the weather.  The SUN is shining!

My thoughts and prayers go to all of those who have lost a relative or loved one.  Also to the people of KY and TN in their weather related troubles.  And with all of the flood waters being in the news, let's not forget to 'turn around - don't drown'!

Well, I guess this is all for now.  Keep those fingers busy!

Happy Stitching!

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!