2 small ffos and more

Good morning,

I hope everyone is having a wonderful, safe and warm friday.  It is up and down weather wise here and it is driving me crazy.  Oh well, I will get use to it soon.

FINISHES:  I have 2 small FFO's that were stitched late last year.  First, is a old freebie from the Cricket Collection called Nutkins.  If you love her designs, her website is here.  She has a gift design area where she rotates free designs.  They are always so cute and she has a new one up now. Anyway, I made it into a bowl filler/small pillow.

Second, is an old pattern from Sanman Originals.  I made it into an ornament and I am happy with it.

Next on the list is a new SAL I joined by Stitching Lotus.  If you click here it will lead you to her blog where you can see the instructions and how to join if you choose to do so.  I like low key SAL's where I can pick what I want and work at my pace but still keeps me motivated.  I have several groups on Facebook and they are really helpful.

WIPS:  I usually don't post a lot of progress on my WIPS but I want to start posting them so I can see how far I have come from one post to another.

First, Update on Ink Circles.  I made some progress, not as much as I hoped.  I struggle with needlework in the Winter because I need the sunlight.  I have other lights but my eyes just aren't that great.  

2nd, Winter Flowers by Turquoise Graphics & Designs.  This is in the JCS July/August 2012 issue.  I probably won't get done until January.

Lastly, this is December from Hands On Design and I only have January to go and the set will be complete.  

Well, I guess that is all for now.  Have a great weekend!

Mary

2 finishes and a WIP update

Good morning everyone.

Hope everyone is doing well.  I am just trying to prepare myself mentally for winter, the holidays and the cold weather.  This is my least favorite time of the year because I detest cold weather. I am a Florida gal through and through and much prefer 80's to 30's.

At any rate, enough of that.  Now on to the good stuff.  I finished and framed Happy Camper this week.  It took me 5-1/2 months to complete this and is a BAP to me.  It is 8x10 of solid stitches.  I posted a photo for my sister-in-law and she loved it.  I will probably wait until after the rush of the holidays to mail it to her.

I did the framing myself.  I ordered the frame and mat from here and I couldn't be happier.  The quality is excellent.

I also have a small finish I did for my November challenge.  It is a freebie from here.  I used the some of the dyed Monaco I showed you last time and I really love it.

I have some WIPS in the mix; some smalls for the weekends.  My main upstairs WIP is Circle des Cirque.  It is on 14ct black aida and Carries Creations Bluebird.  I am a little over 1/2 of the way done.

Well for the rest of the month I hope to get done December and January of the 2014 Hands on Design charts that were in the CS&N magazine.  These are the final 2 I need to do.

My goals for 2017:  I am trying to work on larger projects.  My sons have been complaining that I haven't made them anything.  So I will be working on this.  As far as smalls, I really need more Easter/spring designs so I am going to concentrate on that and christmas ornaments.

Let me know what your goals are so we can motivate each other.

TFL and have a wonderful day.
Mary

Fabric dyeing and finishing

Good afternoon.

I hope everyone is having a lovely November day.  It is cool and sunny here so I am very happy.

I have been busy trying my hand at dyeing fabric.  I have done so in the past, but usually only one color or coffee/tea dyed, so it was simple.  This time I did some ice-dyeing and it is very simple.  There are several people of Youtube but I watched WonderfullyHopeless for inspiration.

Here is how it looks on linen.  I used liquid dye instead of powdered in orange, grey and camel.  I love how it turned out.

This next one I love but I learned some things. I used liquid in Camel and powdere in Tan.  It is on 28ct Monaco and it is thicker fabric than linen so I had some trouble.  When the powder hit the ice it made it some little spots with red and blue. Next time I will dilute the powdered dye and make it liquid.  Once the ice melted and I pulled it out there was a lot of white where it did not go through so I had to do it twice.  I still love it and plan to stitch this cute pattern I bought on Etsy from RedBearDesign.

It addition to dyeing fabric I also have some FFO's.  I finished stitching November by Hands On Design yesterday and everything else was stitched earlier this year. My finishing isn't perfect but I still love them.

Thank You so much for looking,
Mary

Happy Halloween and a quick finish

Happy Halloween.  It is one of my favorite holidays and Fall is my favorite time of year.  I love how all the leaves turn vibrant shades of oranges and yellows.  I love everyone dressing up and being creative.

I have a finish today and it is my last Halloween finish for 2016.  It was for the One Day Challenge that Honeybee graciously host on the 123stitch! message board.  It is fun and there is no pressure whatsoever.  This freebie is from 2010 and is called Ectoplasmic Kiss by The Cricket Collection.  Although it is no longer available, if you go here and click on the free design as she rotates very cute freebies.  The colors were more pastel but I changed the green and orange to match the ribbon.  I love how it turned out even though making circles is challenging. It might not be perfect but I still think it is cute.

I went to Michael's this morning and picked up these goodies.

I am not ashamed to say I love a good deal and I really scored on this trip.  Their Halloween/Fall items are 70% off and I got all of this for less than what the basket sold for regularly.  I am going to use the basket to store some of my kitted WIPS for downstairs.  My husband likes me to sit with him and it will be easy to reach in a grab a quick project.

Here is a close up to the metal spiders.  Can't wait to use them next year!

I also purchased a few things from Etsy.  I am telling you as soon as I joined Instagram a few months ago it really opened my eyes to new designers, charts and Floss tube.  I purchased 2 Thanksgiving charts (Happy Thanksgiving from Cloudsfactory and Happy Thanksgiving from Redbeardesign).  They are so cute.

Goals:  My goals for November is to continue to stitch on Happy Camper.  Thank goodness my SIL wasn't in a hurry for this.  I also want to stitch Happy Thanksgiving from Redbeardesign and November from Hands On Design since I only have 3 more months to go.  Yech!

Well thanks for reading and I hope you have a safe and fun Halloween.
Mary

Good morning,

I hope everyone is have a wonderful day.  I spent the last 2 hours doing some finishes and it feels great.  Here is a picture of all of them together.

Eek by The Stitcherhood was made into an ornament.  It was stitched on hand dyed green 28 ct Monaco by me with DMC 310. It was in the autumn JCS 2013 issue.

Boo To You was also made into an ornament. It was stitched on 28ct linen. It was a freebie from a group on Facebook.

I finished stitching October by Hands On Design yesterday and made it into a pillow for my basket.  I hand dyed some evenweave in orange and tan.  I have 3 left in the series to complete. This was in a 2014 Cross Stitch and Needlework Magazine.

I am still working on Happy Camper and have the One Day Challenge left to complete that Honeybee is hosting on the 123 Stitch! message board.  October's theme is Halloween and I have the perfect chart that I kitted up yesterday.  I will do it tomorrow.

Thanks for looking at my blog,

Mary

An ornament finish and an update

Hi y'all,

I hope everyone is enjoying their day.  I love this time of year even though my allergies kick in to high gear.  The leaves are falling and it is cooling down somewhat.

The kids were off of school in the beginning of October and we drove down to Florida to visit my family and paint my parents house.  My husband Bill is a work horse and did a lot of it but my oldest boys Bradley and Blakley helped as well.  My nephew William, sister Dawn and her boyfriend Kevin also helped a great deal.  We were also able to fix some other things too.  It was wonderful to be able to do that for them since they do so much for everyone.  Seeing all of my family was great.

My is making everyone warm fleece blankets for everyone and they are so warm and comfy.  We got them as an early present since mailing them would have been a real pain.  I picked out my fabric from Joann's website and love it.  Peaches, corals and turquoise are the colors and I even got a matching pillow.

Last week was slow getting back to stitching.  I had sinus problems but by the end of the week I felt like picking up my needle again.  Here is an updated picture of Happy Camper by Emma Corgdon.  It is in the Summer 2016 Cross Stitch and Needlework Magazine.

I also finished this ornament today.  It is called Joyeux Noel by Monsterbubbles and it was in the 2007 JCS ornament issue.  I made some changes to match the fabric.  I used opalescence Lugana and matching beads.  I also made the beaded hanger and the black edging around the ornament sparkles.
It is my favorite Christmas ornament to date.

Lastly, I went to Hobby Lobby today and found some goodies.  It isn't cross stitch but will help with finishing my projects.  I got some Christmas, Fall and Halloween items.

Thanks for looking.
Mary

A Halloween ornament finish

Good morning,

I hope it is as lovely where you are as it is in Western Kentucky.  I picked up pinecones this morning so my boys can mow the lawn tonight.  Hopefully, the grass will dry out by then since it was damp.

Well, I finished this freebie a few weeks ago and finished it into an ornament this morning.  It was for a monthly challenge and this months theme was fall.  It is called Autumn Witch by the Snowflake Diaries here.  Her blog is lovely.  This is what I started with.  I hand-dyed some evenweave with chili powder.  It is a very pastel shade of rusty/peach.  I have plenty left over to make the Sugar Skull pattern from the 2016 JCS Halloween issue.

Here is how it turned out.  Luckily, it turned out how I envisioned it.  Unfortunately, it doesn't always work out for me and I have to alter or scrap a piece.

I had to wait until my package from 123stitch! to arrive with my favorite needles.  I personally love Piecemakers; it just feels so good in my hand and they are sharp.  I needed some 28's so I could put the beads on.  Here is in it's current state.  It is called Paris from Monsterbubbles from the 2007 JCS ornament issue.  I omitted the some of it so it would match this beautiful fabric I found at Walmart a few months ago.

I love the black, grey and pink combination.  I know you can't tell but it is really sparkly. 

Lastly, here is an update on Happy Camper.  I accomplished a lot, especially the white on the top of the roof.  I was falling asleep but now it will be more fun.

Well, I hope to get my ornament done next week so I can show you.

I hope you have a great weekend.
Mary

Ornament Finishes

Hi all,

Hope you are having a wonderful week.  I decided to tackle 3 finishes that I have stitched this year and make them into ornaments. 

First, an old freebie by Trail Creek Farms that is no longer available.

Second,  Celtic Rose that was in an old JCS ornament magazine.  I know you can't tell but I used green sparkly thread and is prettier in person.

Lastly, an old freebie.

Well, I am running out of things to finish so I need to hurry finish some things.  I am working on another Christmas ornament and Happy Camper. I also tea dyed some fabric with green tea that is subtle but a nice neutral off white.  I

I hope to have more things to show you next week.
TFL,
Mary in Kentucky

A Halloween Finish

Good Afternoon,

There are 3 things that I love (besides family) and they are Fall, Halloween and Pillows.  Well 2 out of 3 isn't bad.  I made a promise to myself that I was going to do better about completely finishing my projects.  As long as they don't need framed, they were going to get turned into something wonderful.

Now since I have moved to Kentucky I have a Hobby Lobby and a Michael's within 5 mins from my house it has become easier to keep my promise.  I purchased some purple dye and 28ct Monaco fabric and dyed myself some fabric.  It was messy but a whole lot of fun.

I stitched this cute San Man Originals finish a few months ago and made it into a pillow yesterday.  The back is really cute Halloween polka- dotted fabric.  Oh did I mention I love circles and polka dots?

Thanks so much for looking and have a great day.

Mary in Kentucky

Lovebird Freebie Finished

Good afternoon,

I hope everyone is enjoying their day.  I met my husband at his work and we went out to lunch.  It is such a treat for me because when we lived in North Carolina he worked too far away to meet.

I participated in Honeybee's One Day Challenge on the 123stitch Message board.  The theme for August was furry or feathered so I chose this old freebie from Midsummer Night's Design called Lovebird.  The matching fabric is purple, pink and blue flowers and goes well with the stitching. 

Next month's challenge is fall and I can't wait to find the perfect pattern.

Have a great week,
Mary

A small Halloween Finish

Good morning,

I just finished this ornament and it was so much fun.  It looks way better in person and can't wait for fall.

It is called Stitching Witch by The Stitcherhood.  It was in the Oct JCS 2014 issue.

I was going to sew last week but lost my bobbin case when I went to change out my thread color.  I am notorious for losing things, and I don't even try.  I had to order another one from Ebay.  Now I won't be able to do more finishes until next week.

I have been stitching up a storm on Happy Camper and I will show you more on Friday.

TFL and have a great week.
Mary

Some stitching goodies and WIP updates

Good Afternoon,

I hope you are enjoying your day.  My middle son is playing his first middle school football game of the season today.   It is out of town and about 1-1/2 hours away but if should be fun.  My husband took off of work tomorrow so that we can rest up.

Anyway, I made my rounds today and picked up some goodies.  I found the JCS Halloween issue at Walmart.  I have never bought the Halloween issue before but I am glad I did.  I saw many things I want to stitch in there.  I went to Michael's and picked up some Monaco fabric, floss and some stiff felt.  I can't wait to try the felt.  Lastly, I went to Hobby Lobby and purchased the fabric and crochet thread.  The crochet thread is about the same weight as DMC Pearl cotton and if you put about 4-8 strands together you can make cording and it is more economical.

I also got to work on Happy Camper.  My sister-in-law wanted blue stripes and bottom so I picked out the blue.  I think it will work well together.

I decided to pull out and rotate my Ink Circles Circles des Cirque.  Since I have completed 30 finishes this year so far, I decided to make this my downstairs project (Happy Camper is for upstairs).  Since it is on black fabric I want to finish it before Winter so I can use the natural light.  It really helps a lot.

Well thanks for listening to me chat and share in my WIPS and goodie shopping.  I hope to tackle some more "finishing" next week.

Until next time,
Mary

I have some finishes

Hi everyone, how are you?  My 3 sons started school yesterday.  It was wonderful to have them around, but I am glad to get back into my routine.

I decided this year I was going to do my best to try to complete "finish" my projects, especially my smalls.  I am trying not to post until they are made into something.

Today I tackled my 3 Hands On Design finishes I have done. I need to do 5 more to complete the series.  These charts have been a pleasure to stitch.

The glue gun was mean and took off a few layers of skin on my finger.  It feels much better now, thank goodness.

Here is an update to Happy Camper.  I am going to the next page.  This has been so much fun.

Thanks for looking and have a great weekend.
Mary

Some small finishes

Good morning,

I sure hope everyone is staying cool.  It is pretty hot out there in Western Kentucky with so much humidity.  Oh well, I like it better than 30 degrees.

I was going to wait until I made these into pillows to show you, but it will be a few weeks before I can get to the sewing machine.  My boys go back to school next Thursday.  I will miss them but then I can tackle my "finishes" without worries.

Here they are:  Eek is by The Stitcherhood and was in the JCS 2013.  The other 3 are Hands on Design and they are in various CS-N 2014 issues. I have been working on these for the last 2 months on the weekends. They are on different counts of evenweave and linen.

Next is an update on Happy Camper.  I work on this during the week.  Of course my husband wonders why it isn't done but I tell him it is solid stitching and is a lot of work.  I only work on it a small amount of time during the week.  I am hoping to finish this top portion by the end of the week.

Have a great week.
Mary

More Christmas Ornament Finishes

Happy Friday y'all.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.  It is suppose to rain here so we won't be doing anything special.

I am slowly trying to tackle my "stitched" bin and make them into ornaments.  I am always too critical about my skills, there are others who are much better than I am., but I enjoy learning as I go.

I don't think you can tell but both were stitched with sparkly thread.  The green one is an old Seba Designs and the blue one is called Flake and is on the Oakhaven Designs blog.

Here is an update on Happy Camper:

Thanks for looking.
Mary

Some finished Christmas ornaments

Good morning,

I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer.  Ours is low key, my boys have been relaxing but also bored.  Luckily, my middle son started his 8th grade football training yesterday so that should keep at least one kid busy for the rest of the summer.

I have made 27 projects this year.  I am on a roll.  I think I am making up for last year since I didn't get to stitch as much.  I am really trying to finish them off before I post a picture; as sort of motivation to get them made and not in a basket.

So, here is 3 Christmas ornaments that will adorn my tree this year.  They are all Ink Circles Designs and were in various JCS magazines.

I was asked by one of my sister's in law if I would stitch her a picture of a camper.  I was very flattered so I put down my Ink Circles project to do this for her.  It is called Happy Camper by Emma Corgdon and was in the latest Cross Stitch and Needlework Magazine.

Thanks for looking,
Mary

Some new stitchy goodies

Hi everyone,

Well it is almost the 4th of July weekend.  My husband, Bill took off tomorrow so he can have a 4 day weekend.  Thank goodness it has cooled down into the 80's because the 90's is way too hot for us. I am not sure what we are doing yet but it will still be nice.

I am always putting charts on my ebay watchlist in the hopes that one day I will actually buy them. My husband told me to buy some charts since we were making a purchase anyway.  I am sorry the picture came out blurry but I got Rosetta by Ink Circles, Watermelon by Fancy That and a chart by The Prairie Schooler.

I then made a small purchase from 123stitch!  I bought some 9x13 test swatches to see which one I wanted for the Rosetta.  I chose the one in the middle which is 32ct Joblean in Sandcastle.  Now I have to pick the perfect floss.  I also bought some cream Luguna and some pretty beads so I can do Winter Flowers by Turquoise Graphics and Designs.  It was in the JCS 2012 Christmas Ornament Preview issue.

I have also been working really hard on my Circle Des Cirque by Ink Circles.  Here is an updated picture.

I have done some small finishes but I am waiting for the kids to go back to school until I put them together.  I will post them when I am completely done.

I hope everyone celebrating the 4th of July has a fun and safe weekend.

Mary in Kentucky

More finishes as promised.

Good Morning,

I have a few more finishes to add.  I have finally found my stitching mojo since last year was so chaotic.

First, May from Hands on Design.  I loved the soft colors and is so pretty.

I love daisies, they are so cheerful and remind me of Spring.  This is I believe #332 from the Floss Box.

This is the front:

and the back:

This little hanging ornament pillow was done as a one day challenge on the 123 message board.  It is an oldie from Sweetbriar Designs.

The next 2 are some ornaments I made.  The one on the left is from Ursula Michaels and was in the Nov 2014 CS-N magazine.  The one on the right is a Sanman Originals Design.

And I saved the biggest finish for last.  I was able to finish this early this week.  It is called Words on Palko-Lap's blog.  It is no longer available and the SAL is complete. I loved stitching this.

That is all for now.

Have a great weekend.
Mary