Stitching update

The wonderful group of ladies I stitch with on a weekly basis just had our fall stitching retreat. Two of our number moved away this last year so we were a smaller group than in years past. It was a little sad but we managed to have a lot of fun none the less. We met at one of the ladies' house and she made wonderful soups for us to enjoy after an awesome breakfast. We each brought something to share food wise and as always food was not an issue. We started early in the morning and stitched all day long.

I worked all day on the Hummingbird Kit. I made surprising little progress. I took a ton of other things to stitch and did not do more than bring it out of my stitching bag and look at it. I really want to get this design finished and off to the framers to be ready for gift giving. It will be for the next year not this one. But I will get it done. 

My friend with the only Ta-Da from our gathering.

In getting ready for the retreat, I went through my stash. Yes, well. I am trying to get ready for next year. It is already November  and I have so many stitching goals I get overwhelmed just thinking about it. I am going to continue with the hummingbird kit until I get it done. At the first of the year I am going to try to join the With My Needle SAL and see if this is the year I can keep up with it. Other than that I will stick to stitching from the WIP list. It is a long list. So I was thinking of what I wanted to get done this next year. Several things on the list are past class pieces, some are gifts and others are designs I still love but put down for one reason or another. I still want to stitch them all. So I thought I should deside what other designs I was going to pull from the list to get a little stitching time this year. I am going to do one other new one that is a gift for a friend and will start it as soon as the hummers are done.  The other 2 spots have yet to be decided. I try to do something small  for one of them so I can say I finished something. I am way behind on the BBD stockings and I have more ornaments that I want to stitch that any tree could hold. So much to choose from.  I want to have something small to carry with me for those times I end up with time on my hands and could use it to ply needle and thread. I think it will be the Moose magnet from Mill Hill for my travel piece. Not sure what will round out my rotation but since it will be December by the end of this week I better get it figured out.
Well, off to stitch. It is cold and clear here. Hope you find a warm place to get a little stitchy time in this week.
Marjo

Stitching disappointment

As I cannot seem to manage to get anything finished I really should never buy anything new. When I was in Salt Lake City for training for my new job I had to visit Shepherd's Bush. I absolutely loved it. I spent all morning there on Saturday. It was right before their birthday celebration and the retreat they hosted this year so the shop was full to the bring with lovely stuff. I think I handled everything in there. I did buy a few things there. Who could resist? I sat for quite a while looking at designs that I love as well as some I had never seen before. The result was a modest haul of new stuff to add to my embarrassingly large stash. Sigh. I always think I will not buy anything at least until I get my stash under control but something shiny catches my eye and there I go again. But my vacation is a totally different story.....

I just got back from vacation to see my husband's family. I was so excited to be going to the lower 48. I spent quite a bit of time looking at designs that I wanted, hoping to do some local shopping while we were there. I knew there is a local active EGA group there so I was in hopes of stitching to be seen. Well, nothing to be had. There was one lovely Needlepoint store but no cross stitch. I was so disappointed. This was unexpected to me as there were several stores listed within driving distance but they were all closed or not cross stitch stores. Sigh.
I then turned my mind to Hobby Lobby as there is a Christmas Ornament design coming out that uses a paper mache box from there. Since I have no such animal here I thought I would try finding a Hobby Lobby. Nope, not a one within 50 miles of where we were. Due to family obligations I could not venture farther than that but sadness, no Hobby Lobby either. I settled for getting some DMC at Joann's and that was an epic fail. So, a week of vacation = no stitchy shopping for me.
But we did visit a couple of Amish stores to look a the quilts. Only a few handmade quilts but it was a fun store. I don't think it is run by the Amish anymore but the new owners have kept the old name. It was fun to go through all the same.

Not much stitching got done either....not sure where that week went but I didn't get much done. I am a little farther along but still a good ways left to go plus all the backstitching. I will get this done and framed for her birthday next year I suppose. Well off to stitch.
Hope you have some stitchy time in your week.
Marjo

Back from the framers

I usually save up my money and take a bunch of things in at once to get my items framed. I think it drives my framer nuts but it always seems to work that way.

I joined a SAL a while ago for Sail Away by Shepherd's Bush. I love that piece and had great fun finishing it. Of course I was the straggler in the group, always the last to finish. I love it though and found the perfect frame to finish it.
I wanted to show you a close up of the frame for this one but it didn't come out as well as I would like. It is not brown at all but a grey that has a blue gray outer edge to it.  I may have to use this one again. (Of course that means I actually have to finish something first!)

I enjoy the designs by Blackbird Designs. I stitched this one a long time ago. I read the chart wrong and used the red for the roof instead of the orange color it called for. I didn't catch it until I was over halfway done and a friend who was also stitching it at the same time commented her thread on the roof was more orange than mine. That is when I realized I had used the wrong color. It turned out to be a happy mistake for me. I like the red better.

One of my favorites that I did  is Beneath the Sunlit sky by BBD. The colors with this one were lovely. I love the beach and this makes me smile every time I look at it. The frame is greener than it looks in the photo but no matter how many times I took a picture of it I could not get the true color of the green. I enjoyed stitching this one a lot.  I love the beach. Sigh.
I would use this frame again as well if it is still being made when I get And They Sinned completed.

I also finished a Sweetheart Tree, With This Ring for a recently married friend. I can't post the picture until I get it in the mail to her. I will show it as soon as I know she has received it.

Matchless Grace by Heartstring Samplery. This sweet little sampler was so much fun to stitch. I fell in love with this sampler over the little blue flowers that go in different directions around the edge. I kept all the mistakes as charted as well as I thought that was part of the charm of this piece.

Quaker Hornbook was done a really long time ago. I am so glad to finally get it ready for the wall. The colors are not my usual palate  but they seemed to really work with this and I love how it turned out. The frame came from Brokenwheel Wood worker not from my framer.

So much fun to be able to add some new things to my wall that I so enjoyed stitching over the last several years. I also mailed out two pieces to Jill Rensel to frame because I wanted to see what she would do with the mat for CHS Alphabets. I can't wait. I also sent her the small darning sampler I finished.
Well, off to work on the hummers yet some more. I fear they will never be finished. I am really afraid I am going to run out of thread. The design will just have about 2 inches around it I hope. Not only was the kit short of the poor quality thread it is going to be a tight fit for the fabric as well. I will be glad to have that one on the finish pile for sure.  Well off to it. Hope you have some stitchy time in your day.
Marjo

Updates

I have been busy for the last while as you can tell from my lack of posting to my blog. I have taken a new job, gone to the lower 48 for training and come back to Alaska to start the job and stitching all the time. I have been stitching on the Hummingbird design for the last several months, I am totally afraid if I put it down I will never touch it again.  This is the progress from this weekend.

I still have a good bit more to do on it but I am making progress. I am leaving the backstitching until the end so I can do it while watching TV.

I did get all my pictures back from the framer. I will post pictures of them next time.

Hope there is lots of stitchy time in your day. Marjo

Off to see the framer

I have so many finishes that have been languishing in a pile for quite some time. I am so excited to finally be able to drop them off with the hope of them gracing my walls soon.  So today I am dropping off Sail Away by Shepherd's Bush,  Wedding Sampler by The Sweetheart Tree, Beneath the Sunlight Sky by Blackbird designs,  Matchless Grace by Heartstring Samplery, Quaker Hornbook by Exemplars from the Heart (this one is just getting glass, spacers and core board as I have the frame already), Darning Sampler by Trenner Designs,  and Home is where the heart is by Blackbird designs.  I cannot tell you have excited I am to get these things framed. I have been saving for quite a while. I have a hard time getting to the framer so that makes it even harder. I want to try a couple of other framers from out of state like Jill Rensel and the framer with the Attic but I am just afraid to put the pieces in the mail. I would never get over it if one of the big pieces got lost. I am saving CHS Alphabets back until I get up the nerve to mail to Jill Rensel. I love her work.  I should probably send one of these to each of the framers and see who I like best and compare costs. I think the Attic framer is having a sale quite soon.  Maybe I will try a piece and see how it goes. It is quite expensive up here to get framing done due to the cost of ordering supplies (everything is barged in). So in reality the cost might not be so much different. Oh, I cannot wait. I enjoyed each one of these all the way through the process and cannot wait to see them completed.
I am almost at the halfway mark for the hummingbirds so I will post a picture soon.
Today is my first lace knitting class. I am looking forward to it as well. We are making a cowl. I have wanted one for a while so I couldn't be more pleased to be able to take the class. The trouble is the store that has the classes is inside a quilt store and so many of the people don't knit that work there so you can't get any help if you are shopping for yarn and not fabric. It is frustrating as I work the same hours the stores are open so my opportunity to get there is limited and then when I do they cannot help me.  I am going to try go in early to get the yarn as it is supposed to be ready to knit when we start class.  I hope someone will be there that can help me pick out the right yarn.  They were out of the needles needed as well. The store that just sells yarn does not offer very many beginning classes. The small local shop doesn't  offer summer classes. Plus I have a coupon for 15% off so I want to use it on class supplies at that store. I do get excellent service from the other two stores though. I am crocheting a scarf and a baby blanket for a co-worker so always plenty to do.

Well, I have to add a couple of beads to the wedding sampler before it goes to the framer so I best be off. Thanks for visiting. Photos of needlework next time I promise.  This is a shot of the view from our condo from our May trip out. It was gorgeous and I would love to be back there right now.....
Hope you have stitchy time in your day.
Marjo

First knit project

Depending on where we hold our stitch night and how tired I am when I get there makes me decide what I will be working on. All of my stitching buddies knit, really well. Me, not so much. So I decided I needed to learn and took a class. So here is my first project, a hat for my husband. He is a knitter but he is left handed so he could not teach me. He is helpful when I run into problems.


I have crocheted for many years and am working on a couple of small things but got some great yarn so added a scarf to the baby blanket I had started while I was on vacation.

So much to do, so little time. Have some stitchy time on your 4 th of July! Marjo

Progress and a small finish

I have continued work on my hummingbird piece for my sister but just for fun I had to take out something small to work on and my go to piece this time was another Blackbird design stocking. Still back on February designs I finished Be mine and started February violets. I am pleased to make some progress on the large piece but satisfied with the small finish.