Did you hear me squeal ?

CHS Alphabets

I am surprised if you didn't. My framed pictures from the Rensel Studio came in the mail late Thursday and I was so excited and happy. I knew they were on the way but didn't know when they would arrive. The frames are gorgeous. I am so pleased. Jill found the perfect compliment to the designs. They are just so awesome. The sun is not up here yet so I the photos do not do them justice but I just had to share them with someone. I love them. It is always exciting for me to be able to add something to the walls.
       
The first is Carriage House Samplings Alphabets. I finished this a while ago. I did not stitch it with the charted bittersweet as the fill in at the bottom of each letter. I am just not into orange or yellow so much. So after much agonizing over it I chose to go with blue and I love it. It is bright and cheerful and when you live where grey can be the predominant color for most of the year bright and cheerful is good. Thanks so much to Jill for such a wonderful job. I love how the frame inset is so much like the pattern of the border. Lovely.

detail of frame 

Next up is the small darning sampler from Trenner needleworks  that was part of the SAL that Ellen Chester from With My Needle sponsors every year. It called for green but I used a deep rose color. I loved stitching this and am definitely going to do a large darning sampler after I get some of my WIP's finished. I really like the darning, it goes quickly and makes such lovely designs. I just have to choose one I want to do.  Jill found the perfect inner border that really makes the color of the thread pop. I can't wait to get them on the wall.

Trenner Darning Sampler

This week I am stitching on the Maryland Inspiration sampler. So far I have had to take out exactly every stitch that I put in because I caught the thread on the back and did not realize it until it was more than a knot, it was just a mess. and what  a mess it was. Talk about waste of time.  I hope to have a Monday progress picture to post on that lovely piece. The thread colors are just beautiful.

I am taking a small design to stitch group on Thursdays  that a friend came up with as a teaching piece for our EGA several years ago that I never got finished. I am hoping to make Thursdays stitching time for some smaller more portable projects so they too will get done. I was without scissors and missing a thread which just makes me realize how disorganized my stitching stuff has become. So this weekend, along with mailing out some of the stash for my friend that has sold I am going to be sure all my projects have scissors, all their threads and thread holders so the process is not held up when I do have time to stitch. Fortunately for me I had a second project with me or I would have been out of luck. I made some progress on the Button Up Birdies Whiskey Jack since I couldn't work on the drawn thread piece I had taken (without the appropriate threads.) These little birdies are quite fun to stitch. I will be able to move onto a new one by the end of the weekend as all I have left for this little guy is the backstitching.
Well, I am off to get to the post office and mail some packages off and then it is time to stitch. Hope there is some stitchy time in your day.
Marjo

Stash for sale listed

Just a note to let you know I posted the list of stash I have for sale on the page at the top of the blog. I have pictures of everything so let me know if you want to see something.  I did post pictures of the Needlepoint canvases that are for sale. The pictures are not the best but it will give you an idea and I am  happy to take another shot if you want it.
Have a stitchy day.
Marjo

First finish of 2013

Well it should have been the last one for 2012 but finally, at last it is done. The hummers are ready to fly to my sisters house where they will reside from now on. Yeah!

Hummingbird Art by Dimensions

I am working on getting back into working on my rotation. It has been so long since I have done that it has taken me a while to get into the swing of things.  Last week was gift stitching and I made a good start on it. This week is Dorothy Walpole. I love the colors in this one. I decided that I would not take her to Thursday stitching with my stitch group but to take some small, older pieces that I also want to get done. I took a small drawn and pulled thread design piece this week and got two rows done on it. Should have it finished in a few weeks. Will take pic of it next time to show you. It is a design put together by a friend that she taught at our local EGA group a long time ago. It was a lot of fun.

Dorothy Walpole Scarlet Letter

My husband is frequently on call with his job and so on weekends I will occasionally accompany him. I take ornaments to work on while I wait. Here is my progress from yesterday's calls. This is Victoria Sampler Button Up Birdies. They are so much fun to stitch and easy for me to do in the car with variable light. I am enjoying these little bird designs. Though I must admit the Wisper on this one is giving me fits. I had never heard of the Velvet stitch and it took me a while to get it right to make the willows on the design. It s good to learn something new--once I have learned it. Fun stitch. One more day on call and it should be done. Sorry, he looks a little odd with no eye or feet but he is a WIP..

Well no more stitching to report. It is cold and rainy here with icy roads and just general uck. Therefore I will finish the evening with Dorothy Walpole and some listening to book on tape. Hope you have some stitchy time in your week.
Marjo

And the hunt continues

My pattern was safely at my friend's house for the hummers so that turned out well. I was so relieved as getting the extra threads was no problem, explaining why I needed a second pattern was not going to be so easy. I am anxious to get back to it as this weekend is my time to finish that design if at all possible. Since my pattern for the hummers was missing in action I moved on to a new start to usher in the New Year. It was wonderful to start something new. I had been stitching exclusively on the hummers since May (yes, I am an incredibly slow stitcher). I am looking forward to getting started with the rotation once the hummers move on to their permanent home at my sister's house.

 I did want to tell you that if sewing/craft/stitching area organization is one of your agenda items for 2013 that there are tons of ideas on the web for how to do it. I have spent the morning looking at Pintrest and other internet sights that have groupings of what people have done to make their corner of their home be as functional as possible for their craft. Some have invested a ton of money to make just gorgeous picture perfect sites but many have used garage sale finds and inexpensive items to do the trick. We each have different requirements for what that means to organize our space and different budgets to do it with as well. I continue to jot down notes of things that appeal to me. I did find some embroidery ribbon holders which had been a search for sure. That ribbon is too precious to just jumble in the bottom of a sewing box which is where mine currently resides. I will give you pictures of the final decisions as I come to them. As for now I am still at the de-clutter stage of the project. It is a definite work in progress. If you have some ideas on how you have utilized a small space to work for you I would be interested in hearing about it.

 I am in search of a cutting table today. I found some ideas and I am going to see if I can find something like that here in chilly Alaska. We have a lot of stores but not any of the Ikea, Container Store type places where a lot of the solutions I found came from. Plus many of the regular shops don't carry everything they do normally in the lower 48. It has to do with shipping costs when everything comes by barge.  It is always a challenge to find a substitute up here for things I am I in search of for my crafts; especially ones that fit into my budget.  I will let you know what I come up with next time.

I have finished two books, going to download a new one from Audible and listen/stitch the afternoon away until my husband gets home for our shopping trip to town. Hope today finds some stitchy time for you as well.

Marjo

Happy New Year

Picture by Dept of the Interior Kenai Fiords Alaska

I hope you had a wonderful New Year's Eve whatever that means to you. I had to work but that was okay. I spent the evening working on my organization plans for my stitching room. I had been putting off doing an inventory of the box of stuff a friend from church gave me to try to sell for her. It was a big box with more in it than I thought it had. It took me all evening to work on it but the list has been compiled. Now I have to search for prices on the internet and then put them up for sale. I investigated different avenues to do that while I was making the list.
You can sell cross stitch charts on Ebay, Etsy, and even on Amazon. I have already gotten permission from a group owner on Facebook to list the items there and Legacy Embroiderers Guild on Yuku also lets you list things. I will send the list to my stitching group first to see if there is anything they want to buy and then begin posting it in various places to see if I can sell some of it for her.  We will see. I am not much of a salesperson. If you want a copy of the list let me know and I will email it to you. Wide variety of items from Shepherd's Bush, Just Nan and heartstrings Artists Collection to name a few. She also is selling a lot of needlepoint canvases, small ones. No idea how to price those.
Along with that box this week, I kitted up my gift for a friend new start, made a list of the DMC I needed in order to take advantage of the sale at Joann's which is on the way home from work. My best friend posted about being able to get the app for Joann's and they can scan the coupons off your phone. So I got the DMC I needed on sale plus 10% off. I was so excited (doesn't take much :) ) I also organized and inventoried all my Crescent Colors and made a list of colors I need for patterns for the next time I get a sale or an opportunity to go outside and hit a needlework store. Next up to organize  is Weeks and GAST. The apps I got from the App store from Coffee Shop Works are great for inventory and shopping lists. It worked quite well for the DMC. I am trying hard not to duplicate any supplies as best I can. I still have a lot to do but progress has been made. Today I am packing up the boxes of supplies to donate to a local group that is teaching different types of needlework to kids and adults that are interested. I used to teach it before I went back to work full time and I am anxious to keep the trend going.
I did not meet my goal of finishing the Hummers before the New Year. I lost the pattern. Actually I hope I left it at a friend's house but she is out of town for the holiday so nothing I could do. I was sick at myself. Since it is backstitched in 4 different colors I couldn't tell by looking at the picture. Oh well. It will definitely be my first finish of 2013. Here is where I am currently.

Hummers almost backstitched

I also wanted to share with you a wonderful cross stitch piece I got from my best friend for Christmas. I love it. I had never seen it before so it is always fun to get a stitched piece especially a surprise. She does lovely work and stitched for her mother, sister  as well as her twin grandkids.
I could not make up my mind what I was going to work on today. Finally I decided that I was going to put a strand in all my projects for the first rotation of 2013. No stress, no fuss just needle and thread, a hot cup of coffee, tea and probably a cold diet coke before the day is over. Supper is in the crockpot, my husband is reading and I will post this and begin the ritual of needle pulling thread to start my New Year.
Best wishes to each of you in this year to come. I hope you get time to pick up needle and thread as often as you can. Hope you find some stitchy time in your day.
Marjo

On a cold winter's night

It is unusually cold here tonight. We have a fire going and I am getting ready to get back to my hummers. I so want to finish that for 2012. I am down to the bottom edge of the design and have started doing the backstitching and fill in of missed stitches. I am pleased with how fast the backstitching is going. I think the end is in sight. This photo is only the bottom half. When I get some of the backstitching done I will add a new picture.  I ran out of 3 colors of thread but Dimensions was very prompt in sending me additional thread. One of the colors I used almost every bit they sent me so the kit was quite short of thread.  I will save up to get it framed for my sister's birthday mid-year. I am looking forward to picking something else up to stitch!

There are several designs on the WIP list that are not making any progress that would love to see some stitching time. I am still working on my organizing so I will be ready when the stitching time comes around. I still have a lot of work to do to get my stitching room in order. It just seems to multiply. I did find out this week at Thursday night stitch a resource to donate my quilt type fabric pieces to that I know I will never use. I don't mind giving it away if someone can use it. I am going to box that up and get it out first. That will free up quite a bit of closet space. There are also some old clothes that need to go to the donation bin as well. That will also open up some space. I have a couple of boxes of older designs that I no longer think I would use that I am going to donate to a local group that holds classes for kids to learn different sewing methods. I have a large rubbermaid box to go to the kids learning to stitch as well. I may take some to the little consignment shop and see if there is any interest. I have a large box of stash that a friend gave me to try to sell for her so I am going to inventory it and put it up for sale.I am going to add some stretcher bars of mine to the list and see if someone that loves them would like to have them. I use a different brand than I used to and the old ones are just taking up space. I can raise some money that way to fund the improvements I want to make.  If I just get all of that done I will have made a huge dent in organizing the area.
I spent a lot of time on the internet looking for ways to organize a stitching room that doesn't involve a large cash outlay. Mine really needs some help. I need to sort my fabric so I know what I have. I would like to be able to sort it by count and shades of color but not sure what to put it in to keep it in order.  am thinking of shallow drawers that I have seen before.  I am going to do an excel inventory for it and print it so I can look at a glance what I have so I don't order what I don't need.  I am trying to figure out the best way to organize my threads and patterns. The threads give me the biggest problem. I am going to get some boxes to organize the patterns in but my over-dyed threads need a better system.  I am not sure I want to go the baggie route but that may end up being the best I can do. Over-dyed ribbon is something else I would love to find a good way to organize.  My DMC are well organized in Thread Bed notebooks that fit nicely on the shelves. I found apps for the phone that will allow me to keep up with the thread inventory (and my Mill Hill beads) so I know what I need in each of the thread categories I use the most. My patterns will go by designers in boxes in the old wardrobe I have in the stitching room now. That way they will be behind closed doors but labeled so I can find the pattern by designer quickly.
I have a lot of project bags so I can get everything I want to work on organized with threads, fabric and pattern to make it easy to move between them as I move through the rotation. I have some nice plastic bags a friend gave me that work well for WIP storage as well.
So, I have done lots of looking, planning and drawing out the changes but not so much of the working on cleaning it up part. I have a couple of things I want to get to add to the usefulness of the room. I am making my list for the garage sale season though I think some of the items will come from Joann's. I want a counter high small ironing board for in there that will fit behind a door until I need it and some larger cutting boards. I am also looking for a table that I can put a cutting pad on that is high enough to use for comfortable cutting and probably to hold the ironing board as well.   My sewing room is a very small area so I have to be careful to leave room to sit and stitch. I have a good chair and an excellent light. So I have a wonderful start. Like my stitching I enjoy planning my space.
Off to get some stitching in. Hope you find some stitchy time in your day.

Still plugging away

Most of my stitching is samplers or smalls, which you probably know if you have been following here for any length of time. I do have a few large picture designs that I want to do, most of them florals. When you live somewhere where Winter is the dominant season you sometimes have to grow your flowers with needle and thread. One of the flowers I have come to love since moving to Alaska is the peony. We have a plant growing in the front yard that through total neglect by me produces beautiful blooms all summer. They make me smile every time I see them. I have quite the collection of peony graphs for stitching. During the last online needlework show I found a peony biscournu to do which seems a more doable size flower to stitcher considering the never ending hummers. I think I will add it to the line up for the new year.
As you can tell I am trying to get organized for next years stitching line up. In years past I belonged to a group online that had a challenge to do one strand a day on a project that was not a regular rotation piece but that you really wanted to finish but were not currently motivated to work much on. That worked surprisingly well for me and I think I will bring it back for next year. I will pull something from the Longgggggggg WIP list to put in that position.
So for rotation the way I have done it in years past I pick 4 pieces to change every Monday. I get most of my stitching time over the weekend. Variations on this included having something different that I only stitched on at my weekly stitch night with my friends. Having a project that I did just one strand a night and then moved back to the rotation piece. I almost always carry a piece with me in my purse for unexpected down time ( I also have my IPod which only has podcasts and books on tape just in case).
I also used to have a piece in my car for travel stitching. If you have even been to Alaska you know nothing is close and drive time can be several hours. During the summer with all that lovely long hours of daylight that is prime stitching time. So I have a little stitching bag I keep in the back seat just in case. Right now there are two smallish Santa designs in there. Sometimes I think I enjoy the planning as much as I do the stitching!

So 2013 rotation as it stands now
Maryland sampler from Heartease
A gift for a friend
Dorothy Walpole
The hummers and then Ann Bowers or Common Grounds by Just Nan
ATS will be my One strand a night piece
Peony Biscournu, then White work sampler, the EGA Piece from the WIP pile for Thursday night
In the car monthly freebies teacups and teapots
Purse piece mill hill moose, then stockings from BBD

So other than the gifts for friends, and SAL pieces the rest are all from the WIP pile. I am committed to getting the pile smaller! I stitch slowly though so it will take a while. And it may not go this way at all as plans are held loosely here. I am more likely to accomplish more if I have decided ahead of time what I want to do as opposed to getting lost in the stash room looking for a WIP I know I have "somewhere". Over December I will tweak the list, dust off the project bags and arrange the current rotation into my big pink stitching bag so it is an easy move from one piece to the next. Of course, I am determined not to start this until I finish the hummers so off I go to pull them out to put a few more stitches in. Thanks for stopping by. Hope you have some stitching  time in your day!
Marjo