December Smalls Check-In

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

I hope everyone has a fabulous week and joy and celebration.  I wanted to post my finishes today in lieu of Friday.

Thank you again to Mary at Mary's Thread for hosting the Smalls SAL for 2019.  It has been so much fun to meet new stitchy friends and admire everyone's work.

I have 2 finishes for December and they are both Christmas presents.

1st is for my SIL and it is Mill Hill Beads and Buttons Kit called Teal Mask.  I really enjoyed stitching this one.  I made some mistakes; but I covered it up so you can't tell. 

The second finish was Snowflake SAL by Stitchonomy.  I did this as a gift to my mom since she loves the color purple.  It is done on iced-dyed 28ct Monaco fabric and DMC jewel & metallic threads and Mill Hill beads. This is the 2nd SAL from Alyssa I have participated in, and it has been so much fun.  She is such a sweet and generous designer.  She has a new SAL starting on February first called House Plants SAL and you have until January 31, 2020 to signup.
 Her website is:
https://stitchonomy.nl/

Oops, here is my finish

If you get on her mailing list she will explain how to join the SAL if you so desire.  There is also a Facebook group called Stitchonomy Stitch Alongs to talk and show off all of your Stitchonomy work.

Well that is all for now.  Thank you all for subscribing and commenting.  See ya in 2020.
Mary

Novermber's - Smalls SAL

Hi everyone,

Today is still Thanksgiving Day in the US and I hope everyone who celebrated enjoyed their holiday.  We had a great day, a little sad because my oldest son couldn't make it.  He attends college in another state and it didn't make sense to come up here for 2 days.  I will see him in a few weeks for Christmas break, so I am excited for that.

Anyway, thank you Mary at Mary's Threads for hosting this fun SAL.  I am a day earlier because I am unsure how busy I will be tomorrow since my husband and 2 sons will be home for the day.

I only have 1 finish to show you, but I have been stitching on a lot of larger projects.  I have completed November's- A Year In Cupcakes by Durene Jones.  I can't believe I only have 1 more month to go and then it is complete.  This has been such a fun project.

I look forward to seeing everyone's post.
Have a fabulous weekend.
Mary

Happy Halloween- And A Finish

Good evening everyone,

Now that Halloween is about to come to a close and November is knocking on the door, I thought I would pop in and show you my latest finish.

This was a free design called Drawlloween 2019 by Alyssa at Stitchonomy.  I did substitute about 10 squares for different motifs.  This was so much fun to do.

Alyssa is also hosting a Christmas SAL and you can sign up here.  She also has a Facebook page called Stitchonomy Stitch Alongs.  It is going to be a small one about 75x75 without border and will be different snowflakes.

Well that is all for now.  I am trying to rotate between Swans and Shears SAL by Tempting Tangles and a Christmas SAL.  Hope to finish them soon.

Have a great night!
Mary

October's Smalls Check In

Good Morning everyone,

It is hard to believe this is the last Friday in October.  I hope you had a great month and were able to get lots of stitchy time in.

Thanks again to Mary at Mary's Thread for hosting this fun SAL.

I have 2 Halloween projects that I started and completed this month.  The first one is the completion of October's - A Year in Cupcakes by Durene Jones on Etsy.  I only have 2 more to do and then the set is complete.  I have really enjoyed stitching this series.

I also finished this Halloween Stitch Along from Cute Mermaid Designs.

Sorry the photo quality is bad but it is the called for colors on Lime Green 28ct Linen.

Thanks again for looking and have a great month.
Mary

September-Smalls SAL Check-In

Good Afternoon,
Gosh, the month got away with me but here we are, Autumn.  My favorite time of the year.  I have a few stitchy things to show you, 1 that I fully finished less than an hour ago. 

My first finish of the month was September's A Year In Cupcake.  I just love this cute till squirrel.  Now that I live in a house that is surrounded by trees, I get to see squirrels all the time.  We just love to sit and watch them sometimes.

2nd finish is Think Autumn by Lizzie Kate.  I just love how this turned out.  I am now done with this series which is a bummer because they were such a fun stitch.  I didn't use the called for colors, I just chose colors close to the picture.

Last but not least, I have a page finish on Still Life with Sunflowers.  Only 35 pages left.  Haha.  I haven't picked this back up for a few weeks, so hopefully I can work on it over the weekend.

What it will look like when done.

Well, I am going to go look at everyone else's wonderful work.  Hope you have a great weekend.
Mary

Non-Stitchy Finishes

Happy Sunday y'all,

How have you been?  I have been busy with cross stitch and other crafts but today I thought I would post my non-stitchy projects.  This Friday is Smalls Check-in for September so I will show you all the cross stitch projects then.

Well the first thing I wanted to show you was a wreath I made for my dad.  His birthday was yesterday and he really liked it.  I used a different technique than the first wreath.  It is done with different size ribbon.  I also found the pendant on Ebay.  He is a Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan.

The second finish I have is some napkin rings I made for my mom.  When my kids were younger and we were visiting my parents they somehow got a hold of her ceramic napkin rings she made long ago.  They broke one and I always felt bad about that.  I know they can't be replaced but I hope she likes them anyway.  I used recycled paper towel rolls, ribbon and stickers from the scrapbook aisle.  I think they are really pretty in person.

Thanks so much for looking and have a fabulous week.
Mary

August Smalls Check-In

Hi Y'all,

Wow!  Can you believe that it is Labor Day weekend? It is a federal holiday celebrated in the United States  to honor men and women in the work force.  I hope everyone who celebrates has a fun extended weekend, and for those who don't celebrate it I hope you have a fabulous weekend too.

Well, this month began when my 2 youngest sons went back to school.  That gave me about a week to hang out with my oldest son Bradley before he went off to college.  He has been there for about 2 weeks and so far so good. 

Even though it has been crazy getting back into our family routine I have been stitching up a storm.

I only have 1 small finish completed but I have been working non-stop on my rotation of larger projects. I even have a new start for Halloween.  I love Halloween and it is my favorite holiday by far.

1st off is July's Cupcake by Durene Jones.  I am a month behind but I am not worried.  I have started on August and should hopefully be done by the end of the weekend.

This is part 7 in A Year In Cupcakes and I purchased the pattern in her ETSY shop.

I have really enjoyed stitching these cute cupcakes.

The second thing I wanted to show you is part 1 of Stitchonomy's 2019 Halloween SAL.  I have no idea how I stumbled upon this designer but I am so glad I did.  It is a free SAL and the link to sign up is Drawlloween2019
I am using some 28ct evenweave (I think it is Jubilee) it is a discontinued 100% cotton fabric.  I eco-dyed it with black beans.  I post how I did this next week.  I didn't write the words or the symbols on the sides because I am waiting on the floss list.  The link didn't work yesterday.  It officially kicks off on October 1st.

Lastly is a non stitchy finish,  I have been addicted to watching DIY projects on YouTube.  I wanted to try my hand at making a wreath.  I made this football one and my youngest son wants it.  I have 2 more wreaths to make so stay tuned.  It is simple but I love how it turned out.  It looks better in person.

Now I am off to look at everyone's fabulous smalls.  I hope you have a great month!
Mary

July- Smalls SAL Update

Good Afternoon,

Sorry for the delay but I totally forgot about the last Friday of the month.  It just kind of sneaks up on you all of a sudden.

Thank you Mary at Mary's Thread for hosting this SAL.  I love stitching smalls, especially on the weekends when my stitching time is limited.  This month I decided to do my own version of Christmas in July.  Since I didn't have any wips, I chose to work on Christmas Ornaments this month.  I always have the best intentions on stitching tons of ornaments, but somehow it is never the right time until December.  I go to set up the Christmas tree and then get disappointed on my lack of homemade decorations.

Well, I was able to complete 4 but I only took pictures of 3.  I will have the opportunity to ffo them next month when the boys go back to school.

What I love about stitching ornaments is that I can use random or scrap floss and material.

I chose to select projects out of the 2010 JCS Ornament issue.

#1- Star by JBW Designs.

My only change was that I omitted the word Star.  I used random 28ct Linen that was tea dyed and Limited Edition Carrie's Creation Silk floss in red.

#2- Joy by LadyBug Lane Designs

My fabric was 32ct White Chocolate Linen and misc red floss.

#3 Regal Red Christmas by Milady's Needle.

My fabric was the same 28ct Linen that was tea dyed.  I chose to use an old hand-dyed floss in my stash.  Can't remember who, but it is over 10 years old.  I used a color called Evergreen to match the backing fabric for the ornament.  I had to alter the design because the skein was small (about 5 yards) and it was too big.  They used a 40 count.  Overall, I think it looks pretty.

My plans for the next month, I am in the process of doing another Christmas ornament and I hope to get it done over the weekend.  I have a biscornu wip that needs done and I also need to do July and August for the Year In Cupcakes series.  Then I will be up to date.

Thanks so much for looking and all of your wonderful comments.
Mary

Finally A Finish

Good Afternoon,

 I hope everyone has had a great weekend and had plenty of stitching time.  I really haven't stitched since last week when I finally finished my larger project.  My son Blake, is off of dead period and is now in football practice full time.  We also attended our last football camp for the year.  It was quite an experience that I am sure we will have to do again next year.  

Anyway,  I have a finish that is larger than a small and that isn't a ffo.  Because of this, I decided to make a new blog post.  Besides, I was too excited to wait until the end of the month.

My finish: 

The Key

By: Stitchyfish Designs

From: 2016 JCS Halloween Special Edition

Floss: DMC 310

Fabric: 32ct Belfast Linen (hand-dyed by me)

My son, Brentley, decided that he would like this once it was finished.  I did make some changes per his request.  I omitted the wording at the top and changed the bottom to gate.  He also didn't like the key dangling from the crow's mouth. I now see I have some of the bottom railing of the gate to do.  I will do that tonight.  

Eventually, this will get framed.  I will probably wait until after school starts which is August 9th this year.

Well that is all for now.

Thanks for looking and I always enjoy reading your comments.

Mary

July's FFO SAL Check-In

Good Morning Y'all,

I hope everyone has had a great couple of weeks with tons of stitching time.  I have been stitching everyday but only have one FFO to show you today.  That is ok, hopefully I will have more done in August.

Before I forget, thank you Rachel at the Ten Hour Stitcher for hosting this SAL.  It really does motivate me to fully finish my stitched pieces.

So, I was going through my collection of hand-dyed floss and decided I wanted to make something with them.  When you only have a skein or two, biscornu's are a great way to use them up.  I found the perfect pattern here on Louison's blog.  She is so generous and has hundreds of free biscornu patterns.  I chose #332 and I stitched it on 25ct white Lugana (3 over 2).

Side 1:

I am not sure of the color but it is Mo's Sales Thread.  I only had one skein so I had to improvise on side 2.

Side 2:  

I found some DMC #67 in variegated Baby Blue. It is a great match to the Mo's Sales Thread.  For the middle I used a brad (from the Scrapbook section) instead of a button.

Well, I am off to do some errands and then hopefully some stitching later.  Unfortunately, I have to rip out some thread and redo a section because the hoop messed up my stitches.  I guess that is why I normally stitch in hand.  Oh well, it was worth a try.

Hope you have a fabulous day!

Mary

June's Small's SAL check-in

Hi Y'all,

Welcome to June's Smalls SAL hosted by Mary at Mary's Thread.  It is such a fun SAL that is low pressure and tons of fun.

I have a few things finished for the month.  I completed the smalls from the book #272 by The Cricket Collection.

1st is The Bee:

I completed the bunny and sheep but I can't find them on the computer.  I will post them as FFO's probably in August when the kids go back to school.

I tried doing a wreath and it was terrible.  It looked like a throw back to the 1980's.  Don't get me wrong, I love the 1980's.  The music, movies and fashion; it was my decade.  Unfortunately, home decor was awful back then.  

I decided to make them all into flat fold ornaments.  I can put them in my bowl, or hang them when I want or hang them in the future.

Next I finished stitching A Year In Cupcakes - June by Durene Jones.  You can find the pattern on ETSY.

I just need to put on beads instead of french knots for the seeds.

My final finish for the month is not a small but I just had to share.  It is called Blessed Land by Tempting Tangles Designs.  Deb now has the PDF in her ETSY store.  I love the it so much.  I used 32ct Sand linen and the called for DMC threads.

Thanks so much for looking and have a wonderful weekend.

Mary

June's Fully Finished SAL

Hi y'all,

I just want to thank Rachel at Ten Hour Stitcher for hosting this wonderful SAL. 

I am happy to say that I have a fully finished project this month.  I stitched this project last year for my son Brentley.  To be honest, this wasn't the original project I was going for.  I started Ink Circles Cirque des Triangles but I kept making mistakes. I decided to scrap the project but I still had a ton of fabric left and a lot of Carrie's Creation overdyed floss.  I then went to search for the perfect pattern and I found one on Etsy. 

A few months ago I was at The Goodwill store and happened upon this frame.  I always try to pick up the square frames and anything else that is unusual.  It was originally a medium brown color but we decided that a white frame would make the project stand out.  We had to wait until the weather was warmer and then Bill (my husband) spray painted the frame white. 

My son has been on vacation to visit my family in Florida, so we took that time to repaint his room.  As you can tell, his favorite color is green.  The picture is now hanging in his room, waiting for him to get home tomorrow.  I think he is really going to love it.

Well, that is all for now.

Thanks for looking,
Mary

May's Small's Check-In SAL

Good morning y'all,

I can't believe it is the end of May already.  Thanks again to Mary at Mary's Thread for hosting this fun SAL.

So have you got a lot of crafting in this month?  I had a lull in stitching for about a 7 days due to my oldest son, Bradley, graduating from high school.  Between getting ready for family to arrive from Florida and them actually being here, I couldn't stitch much.  Then, I had 2 weekends where we decided to do some painting so that was about 5 days with no stitching.  But I am ready to get back into the swing of things.

I have a few smalls that I have done this month.

I am working on Cross Eyed Cricket #272 called Soft Boiled.  I am going to do the 5 cute little critters and make a spring wreath.  Hopefully, it will turn out ok.

So far I have completed 2.  The first one I did was the chick.

The second on was the butterfly.

I am currently working on the bunny and hope to show you that one next month.

I am also up-to-date on the A Year In Cupcake series by Durene Jones on Etsy.  Here is May's; I just love the soft pretty colors.

Well that is all I have for now.  I have been working on some larger projects and hope to have one finished next week to show you.  I am looking forward to seeing everyone's beautiful smalls.

Thanks again for all your wonderful comments and have a great weekend!
Mary

Stitchmaynia Week 2 Progress

Good morning y'all.

Happy Tuesday! Hope you are all having a fabulous day with time to craft.  I have to go to Michael's today to pick up a larger frame for Darth Vader.  Yesterday, I spent a few hours pinning and lacing him and now he wont fit in the frame I bought.  Since he is already prepared and I don't want to undo all that work, I am just going to get a bigger frame with a mat.  I need to have it done by Friday because my sister and parents are coming up from Florida for my son, Bradley's graduation and Darth Vader is a gift for my sister and BIL, Kevin.  I want to make sure they can take it back home with them.

I had a wonderful Mother's Day and I hope you did too.  My 2 oldest sons Bradley and Blakley bought me some flowers and coffee.  I was surprised and delighted by the gesture.

I purchased a some stitching related things from my son Brentley and my precious dog, Hana from 123stitch! I plan on doing the Hardanger free SAL by Durene Jones on the Lakeside Needlecraft website here
Just look under free charts.  I also want to learn other types of hand embroidery so I found some things at Hobby Lobby.  To round out my purchases, I found some fabric for embroidery on Ebay and bought from floss from Mo's Sale on Facebook. 

So, lets get to some progress pictures.  I decided to work on the Swans and Shears SAL from Tempting Tangles Designs last week.  I have officially completed 7 out of 16 pages.  I decided to stop working on it since I am at a good stopping point.  I really enjoyed working on this. 

Before:

After:

Thank you so much for looking.  Have a great week!
Mary

Fully Finished SAL- May 10th

Hi y'all,

Hope y'all are having a wonderful Friday.  I would like to wish those of us who are celebrating Mother's Day an extra special day.

Thank you Rachel at The 10 Hour Stitcher for hosting this fun SAL. 

The Front:

I don't always have a fully finished ffo but I did manage to get one done last month.  The pattern is an old freebie and I am not sure where I got it from.  I stitched it on 32ct White Chocolate Linen and DMC Coloris in States.  I made the decorative counting pins and was very easy.

The Back:

I was doing a search and I noticed that people that sewed would make pincushions or sachets that resembled biscornus so I thought I would experiment.  You wouldn't think it would be more difficult than hand-sewing but it was.  I am still happy with it and would try it again but I would do it slightly different.  I think next time I am going to do a basting stitch and then hand sew them together.  I hope to try that technique over the summer and will let you know how it goes.

I hope you get lots of stitching time in and I will check back with you all at the end of the month for Mary's Smalls SAL 2019 hosted by Mary's Threads.

Thanks again for all the wonderful comments.
Mary

Update on some Halloween Stitching

Hi y'all,

Hope you are having a wonderful spring day.  It is gorgeous outside and the temps are perfect.  I was actually able to go for a walk.  I hope you have had lots of stitchy time.

I decided on April 29th that I would participate in Stitchmaynia.  Nothing like waiting til the last moment, huh? Stitchmaynia is a group on Facebook and they host a month long challenge during May.  You are able to do any kind of variation you want. Normally you would stitch 19 new starts (18 last year), but there was no way I could handle starting that many charts at one time.  So I decided to concentrate on some of my larger wips.

So here we are in May stitching on Halloween.  I love Halloween so it is no hardship.  I pulled out The Key by Stitchyfish Designs.  It was in the 2016 JCS Halloween issue.

Here was my starting point:

I was able to accomplish quite a bit in 4 days.  There were 3 days where I couldn't get to it but I was able to work on smalls.
Here is my ending point for this wip. 

So now the entire outside border is compete and I am very happy with my progress.

My next wip for the week is Swans and Shears by Tempting Tangles.  I'll be back next Tuesday with a progress report.

Thank you so much for looking and have a great week.
Mary

April's Smalls Check-in

Good Morning y'all,

I want to thank Mary at Mary's Thread for hosting this wonderful SAL.  It has really motivated me to get projects done.

I am posting a few days early so A.) I wouldn't forget.  and B.) It might be a little busy for me.  My husband, Bill and oldest son, Bradley went out of town to go to college orientation.  They are returning sometime Friday but my middle son, Blakley, has football scouting.  He is a rising Junior and has colleges looking at him for football. 

Anyway,  I do have some finishes to show you.  2 are smalls and 1 is a medium size project. 

1st small is another kiss from the Cricket Collection.  This was a freebie many years ago.  I believe it is called Snowflake Kiss.  I used 28ct Cashel linen that I acrylic dyed. My youngest son, Brent claimed it as his.  Pretty cool since he is 12.

2nd small is A Year In Cupcake- April by Durene Jones. Used called for DMC on 28ct Monaco fabric.

My medium project is Geranium Fairy by Nora Corbett.  It was my first fairy by her and I just loved working with the metallic floss and beads.  I stitched her with called for floss on 28ct lambswool Joblean. I plan on starting Ms. Christmas Eve on June 18th to celebrate my 50th birthday.  Go big or go home is my motto.

Thanks so much for reading my blog.  I can't wait to see everyone's progress.

March Smalls SAL Check-in

Hello everyone,
Thanks again to Mary at Mary's Threads for hosting this SAL.

I hope everyone had a productive month and got lots of stitching in.  I was able to complete several finishes this month.

My first finish is Lizzie Kate and it is 3rd one I have completed. Think Summer.

The second finish is March cupcake by Durene Jones.

The 3rd is not a small but I am so happy to have it done.  I bought the pattern on Etsy.  It is a gift for my sister, Dawn and her husband kevin.

I am going to go and look at everyone's amazing work,  Thanks for looking and have a great month.

Mary