18 March 2024

February Basket

 

Got a bit behind on stitching when I was doing all that framing, but it was worth it. Here's the February Basket from Cosford Rise Stitchery (Etsy). Scroll down a bit for my January Basket finish. I'm stitching these on 28 ct. raw linen with the recommended threads. Just did a bit of customization on the envelope to add our initials. Really looking forward to the March and April baskets... shamrocks and daffodils!

11 March 2024

Happy News!

 

Since November, we've had another move hanging over our heads. While it comes with the job, after three moves in five years, we needed a breather. We found out last week that we'll be here for two more years! Mr. Wonderful will be changing jobs (from the squadron to the wing), and that will keep us here for a bit. We are so relieved! Although this isn't a place we would choose to stay long term, we've become deeply attached to our church family here and we need some calmness; we've been through a lot these past few years, much of which I haven't shared. And the last four months of uncertainty have been very stressful. I feel like I can actually take a breath. So, so thankful for this blessing and wanted to share it with y'all. 

07 March 2024

Yay, Me!

 

Y'all, I did it! Last week when I was unsupervised I set out to frame 10 of my smaller finishes that I had frames for. I finished up on Saturday and am just now getting a chance to photograph and post. Kinda proud of myself for having finally gotten these finishes framed because some of them have been living in the finishes box for an embarrassing length of time. That being the case, some of them may no longer be available, but I'll identify them anyway in case you see something you want to hunt for.

First, my beautiful red boy, stitched from a kit. Scroll down a few posts for the link to the shop.


Fox Forest by The Workbasket



Liberty by Just Nan (charted as an angel, but I stitched her without the halo and wings), and Be Brave by Shepherd's Bush



Believe in Magic by Bluebird Needleworks, available from this Etsy shop. This is my blue-to-red color conversion, and my color choices are in this post. (The shop link in this old post no longer works, but the design is available at the shop link above.)
And a blue-to-green conversion of a very old Passione Ricamo freebie which is no longer available. You can see the original blue version in this post.





And there we have it! If you scroll through my last several posts you'll see all 10 of my framed finishes. I received my first custom frame from a new shop I'm trying out, and hopefully I'll be able to get that framing job done pretty soon and be off on my custom frame adventure. Also coming up: so. much. finishing. 

Stay tuned and Happy Stitching!

01 March 2024

Winter Pretties

 

Mr. Wonderful is safely returned from TDY and I managed to get half my smaller framing projects done. As we say at our house, "not great, not terrible". I had hoped to get a bit more done, but I'm happy to have accomplished what I did and maybe I can get a few more done over the weekend.

An uncharacteristic amount of blue happening here, for a girl who's not wild about blue, but in stitching, I take it on a case-by-case basis. I usually "purple-ize" blue projects (convert from blue to purple), but I liked these designs as they were.

This is Winter's Rest by Calico Confectionery,  stitched with the recommended DMC on mystery rustic even weave.




Snowy Wren from the February 2023 issue of Just Cross Stitch, stitched with the recommended DMC on Bridesmaid even weave.




And Let it Snow by Blackberry Lane designs, stitched with the recommended DMC on PTP Stellar, which I don't think is available anymore (or wasn't last I checked). Which is a shame, as it's a stunning blue, but I think I remember reading that some blue dyes were discontinued a while back and fabric dyers lost some of their colors.




I'm going to keep poking along here in the sewing room. Stay tuned for another batch of framing in a few days! 

Then maybe some finishing? Who knows?!

Happy Stitching!

27 February 2024

Unsupervised: Pie for Breakfast

 

It's just us girls this week as Mr. Wonderful is TDY and we are unsupervised! I got the house cleaned last week, and spent Monday in the kitchen getting my meals sorted, and now I'm ready to spend the week catching up on some framing. So far, I've managed to frame one 5 x 3 piece, so I'm not exactly off to a blazing start, but start I have. It always takes me a while to get going if I haven't done it in a long time, and hopefully I can make a dent in the finishes box this week.

This is Just Nan's Flowering Crown.




I have sooo much work to do.


And that's just the small pieces I have frames for. I have a frame stash that I've collected over the years. I always keep an eye out for sale/clearance frames, especially ones in non-standard sizes. Those are hard to find, but sometimes you do run across them.

I've got some larger pieces that will require custom frames, but I think I may have found a source for those. I can do the framing myself, which saves a huge amount of money, it's just a matter of gritting my teeth and spending the money on the frames. I know, I know. We deserve to have our needlework out where we can enjoy it, not living in a box or a drawer. I don't know why I don't have a problem buying hand dyed linen and threads for a project, but balk at a custom frame. Doesn't make any sense to stop on the last step of the process, but there it is. I guess I'm weird and need to change my thinking! Anyway, that's the framing. 

And then there's the finishing pile. Yikes. I'm three years behind on annual Christmas ornaments. And lots of other stuff. *sigh* Let's move on to food.

Chicken Spaghetti is one of my favorite comfort foods. I use Pioneer Woman's recipe, with just a few tweaks. The full recipe makes two 9 x 13 pans, if you need to take food to someone and also make supper for your own family. It's easy to halve the recipe if you don't need that much.

I also made myself some pie, because why wouldn't I? This is an old favorite I haven't made in years. My little recipe book calls it Chocolate Truffle Cream Pie, but this is the same recipe. I am a big fan of dark chocolate, but if you're not, I suppose you could make it with different chocolate. I used Ghirardelli 60% cacao chips. The only other ingredients are marshmallows, milk, and cream. It's lovely and smooth and chocolatey, and not overly sweet.


Will I be eating pie for breakfast at least once this week? Why, yes. Yes, I will.

Back in a few days with more framing. Leaving you with this:

Unauthorized access to my foam core






23 February 2024

An Early Spring

 

It's been three years since I last decorated for spring (2021; we moved in April 2022 and in May 2023). As I was getting out my things I realized... I don't have enough spring stitches! I've got a couple in the current to-do pile, and hopefully I can get them done pretty soon. I also had a rummage in the finishes pile and realized I've got a few spring things to finish/frame, so that's on the list as well. Since we don't have winter here (or what I consider winter), I just decided to go ahead and get a head start on spring. 








It's nice to see all of it again after so long. I am, as always, behind on finishing and framing. I need to reorganize my shelves that hold all my stitching stuff. I'm thinking about re-doing my summer decor with a different theme. I need to pull some supplies and get a few projects together. I'm stalking the mailman for some goodies I'm expecting. Just busy, busy, busy. Aren't hobbies wonderful? So much to do, and plan, and think about, and putter around with, and look forward to. So good for what ailes you. 

Happy Stitching!

18 February 2024

Beautiful Little Red Bull

Finished my lovely boy! I am delighted with him!


Look at these sweet eyes!


I can't remember the last time I stitched a kit. I have a whole box full of them, but apparently I'm just squirreling them away for the future. I know some stitchers put them by for when they retire, in anticipation of having less disposable income and not being as free to purchase charts, fabric, and floss separately. I think that's a great idea. I didn't start my kit collection with that in mind, but maybe that's where I'm going with it. Anyway, I got this kit from this Etsy shop. They have frequent sales, so if it's not on sale it probably will be soon. I did change out the fabric for linen, and the kit provided plenty of floss.


February is almost over and I've got four more small projects I had hoped to stitch this month. Will I get them all done? Probably not! But stay tuned to see how it goes! (I may be unsupervised for a week at the end of the month, and things may happen!)

Happy Stitching!

15 February 2024

Werewolf Snuggles

 

Werewolf Update:

Chunky: ✔️
Fluffy: ✔️
Snuggly: ✔️





31 January 2024

Stitching & Stash, Part 2

Let's go shopping!

First, fabric! Hand dyed fabric doesn't go on sale very often, but over the holidays I did hit a couple of sales and decided to get some small cuts of colors I wouldn't usually buy, just to have on hand in case of emergencies. I like to be prepared.


From left to right: PTP Monet (28 ct. linen), PTP Flapper (28 ct. linen), Fiber on a Whim Cobalt (32 ct. Lugana), PTP Jay (28 ct. linen), and PTP Lupine (32 ct. linen).

I love everything stitchy, but I have a particular weakness for bags or cases to hold my stuff. Probably because I'm an organization nut. If someone wanted to lure me away, all they'd have to do is wave a really neat stitching bag at me. I found this one on Amazon and I really like it. It's small, but will hold quite a bit. The brand is Luxja, if you go hunting for it.


Top zipper compartment:


Bottom zipper compartment. That's a 6"x 8" q-snap.

I was at Hobby Lobby the other day and picked up a little embroidery kit on a whim. I haven't done embroidery since I was little but this sweet fox caught my eye. Just a few stitches here and there on printed cloth, exactly like the kind I learned on as a kid. Also had to bring home a fat quarter of adorable Highland Cow material. 


Did y'all know you can spend $30 on a pair of tweezers, if you're so inclined? For me, tweezers are an essential stitching tool for de-fuzzing my stitching as I go. Tiger Lily's fuzz wasn't too bad because it was mostly light colored, but the werewolves' fuzz is black and there's twice as much of it! I need tweezers with every project! I started looking for a few more pairs and was annoyed by the prices. I mean, they're for cat fur, not brain surgery! Dollar Store to the rescue! Three for $1.25. And they're tiny (smaller than a toothpick) so they fit in any tool case and a needle minder will hold them.


Okay, best for last! I was nosing around on Etsy (as I do) and found some really cool floss organizers for projects. They come in different sizes but I decided to get a small one just to see how it was made and if I would like it. 

I do! Well made with sturdy vinyl, with a larger vinyl pocket on the other side.

I like this floss organizer because it's flat and will fit anywhere, taking up almost no space. This one holds 12 bobbins, and I think there are ones that will hold up to 45, with several sizes in between. I usually don't do really big projects with lots of DMC colors, so I think the 20-bobbin size will probably be the most useful to me and I'm already planning to get a few of those. They just had a good sale (25% off), so if you're thinking of trying these out you may want to keep your eyes open for another sale.

Happy Stitching (and shopping)!

30 January 2024

Stitching & Stash, Part 1

I have been trying to get this post up for weeks and in that time it just kept growing so I'm gonna have to make it a two-parter! Fix yourself a cozy beverage and get comfy because we're doin' stitching and stash!

Every January brings the previous year's blog book. This year's, like last year's, is bittersweet. It's the first without Tiger Lily in it, and it's the babies' first back cover (that was always Tiger Lily's place). 





This is the printing service I use. I've always been happy with the results, and the price is reasonable if you wait for discount codes, which they have periodically, and always in January.

Last year was a challenge and the only stitching I got done was for Christmas Open House and I really missed being able to work on other projects. I've been able to get back to my Winter Sampler. The latest block is a cold, snowy night.



I'm also still working on my 2023 Christmas ornament from the JCS ornament issue. I got Mr. Wonderful's done (but not finished).


Another January start was this lovely bull. "Lovely bull?" Well, I think he's lovely. Look at those soulful eyes. And my dad was a bull rider in his very young days, so I guess in a way this old boy reminds me of him.



As I mentioned in my last post, I'm also already working on Christmas Open House 2024, aaand I'm gathering my charts and supplies for Open House 2025! There's a method to my madness, but more on that at a later time. 

Finally, I got back to my Winter House Trio as well, but don't have any interesting progress to show yet.

So that covers my January stitching. Part 2 tomorrow will cover stash! I have some neat stuff to show you!

Happy Stitching!