A Patriotic Finish

 Good morning everyone,

I hope your June has started off great. I am sorry that I haven't posted this month but it has been very busy.

I am excited to show you my latest finish. It is called Grand Old Flag by Wrought Iron Stitching. It was in the JCS Aug 2023 issue.

It was done on 28ct Belfast linen coffee/tea dyed.   This is my 14th finish for the year.

Thanks so much for looking. 

Happy Stitching!

Mary

Smalls SAL - May 2024

 Good Evening Everyone,

Thank you to Rachael at The Ten Hour Stitcher for hosting this Smalls SAL.  If you want to showcase your work, hop on over to her blog and participate.  We all love to see what everyone is working on, and cheer each other on.

This month has flown by like I thought it would.  It was lovely to see my college aged son and for all of us to hang out with each other.  I tried to cross stitch as much as I could.  I am sorry it has been a few weeks since I have posted anything.  

I do not have actual smalls but I do have portions of 2 projects that fit into this challenge.  The first one is from the JCS August 2023 issue.  It is called Grand Old Flag by Wrought Iron Stitching.  I love patriotic and hearts, so I immediately fell in love with it.  Here is the picture from the magazine.

I chose a 28 ct piece of random linen and some floss from my stash.  I am trying to stitch about 3 hearts a day.  

I also worked on Louisiana.  I finished the A N A in Louisiana.  I am really happy to have that done.

Here is a before picture:

Here is the after picture:

Well, June is my birthday month so I am excited for some new starts.  I had 4 new starts for May and I plan to do about 5 in June. My other plans are to finish Grand Old Flag by the end of the month, work on at least 1 ornament for my mom (I didn't work on one in May), and rotate some of my other wips.  

Thank you for looking at my blog and I have you have a wonderful stitchy weekend.

Hugs,

Mary

May 2024 Fully Finished Projects

 Hi everyone,

Thank you to Rachel from The Ten Hour Stitcher for hosting the Fully Finished SAL.  

Here in the United States today is our Mother's Day.  I hope everyone who celebrates the holiday has a wonderful, special day.  I am so excited because I have 4 fully finished projects to show you.

1st is an ornament I stitched for my mom's birthday present in December. It is just a really simple finish, but really cute.  It is called Comfort and Joy by My Big Toe.

2nd project is Patriot House by Calico Confectionary on ETSY.  I really enjoyed this project.

3rd project is the M Sampler I created as a SAL challenge with my Facebook stitchy friend, Mira.  It looks so much better now that it is framed.  It is not wrinkled that bad, I just can't take good quality pictures.

Last framed project is Snowflake Sampler by KEB Studio Creations from the 2021 Feb JCS issue.

Well that is all the fully finishes I have for the month.  I can't wait to see what everyone has been up to.  I hope you have a wonderful day.

Hugs, Mary

Smalls SAL for April

 Good morning,  

I hope everyone is doing well. It is the last friday of the month, so it is time for the Smalls SAL hosted by Rachel the Ten Hour Stitcher.

I haven't stitched as much as usual this month because I am waiting on my new glasses.  Unfortunately, my prescription has changed significantly causing eye strain.  I am looking into getting a magnifier/light to help me but I am undecided on what to get.  Hopefully, May will be an amazing stitchy month.

I did finish my mom's ornament that I showed in a previous post.  I will show it again just in case you didn't see it.

Christmas Woodpecker by Punochka from the JCS 2022 ornament issue. I used a scrap piece of 32 ct Joblean and random floss.

I am also participating in a SAL that Laura from Stitching By the Shore and Devi from GlitterDoveFairy with the hashtag of #springshowerssal.  The pattern is called Current Mood from Stitchyfish Designs and is in the JCS Spring 2024 issue.

I finished stitching the lady in the umbrella.  All I have left, is to backstitch around her and some rain. I dyed some 14 ct aida and used random floss.  

I hope you have a great stitchy weekend.  I have been ffo'ing some projects that I can show in the Fully Finished SAL in May.

Hugs,

Mary

  

IHSW - April 2024

 Good evening everyone,

This weekend was IHSW (International Hermit and Stitch Weekend) for April hosted on Facebook by the lovely Jo from Serendipitious Stitching.

I never know how much stitching I can get done over the couse of the weekend, but I try to get some in.  Friday I was unable to stitch anything at all.  On Friday mornings, my mom and I have a "Friday FunDay" where we go grab some breakfast or lunch and do a little shopping.  It is a time we both really cherish.  That night, my son had a track and field meet that lasted until about 8 or 9 pm.  I was really exhausted when we got home so I promptly went to bed.

Saturday and Sunday I was able to get some stitching done inbetween working on projects outside.  I try to pick out one of my larger projects, so I know that I am devoting time to them.  This month I chose to work on Blue Dragon Fairy by Kustom Krafts.  I am so happy with my progress.  I am missing a couple of skeins of floss that I need to get from the craft store, but I can do that on Friday.

Here is what it will look like eventually:

This was my progress last month:

Here is my progress for April:

I appreciate all the comments and support you give to me. It keeps me motivated.

Hope you have a great stitchy day!

Hugs,

Mary

April Gifted Gorgeousness

 Good morning everyone,

I hope everybody is having a wonderful April.  I love this time of year where the sun shines bright and stays out longer.  

Today is the third Monday of the month so that means another round of Gifted Gorgeousness hosted by Jo from Serendipitous Stitching (Here).

 I have 3 projects to show you this month that is 1 finish and 2 wips.

I finished my mom's ornament for the month.  It is called Christmas Woodpecker by Punochka in the JCS 2022 Ornament Issue.

My mom always said that certain times of the year, you could hear woodpeckers pecking right outside her window.  Yesterday, my husband and I were going for a walk and spotted 2 woodpeckers high up in a tree.  They are back.  They are very pretty birds with their red spots among the white and black feathers.

I also made some really great progress on Strawberry Harvest by Cottage Garden Samplings.  I did over 400 stitches in my rotation.  I concentrated on the upper border and started on the crown of their head.  Luckily it matched up to where I ended, so it should be a lot easier to complete the bird.  I just love the colors on this one.

Lastly, I worked on Louisiana for my husband.  I still don't have a page finish, but I filled in the large spot that needed done.  It is now fully completed so that I can move over and complete the page.  I have half of the A and then page 2 will be done.

Thank you all so much for looking.  I look forward to seeing everyone else's progress for the month.

Hugs,

Mary

March Stitching Update

 Good morning and Happy Easter,

I hope everyone is having a great day. I am in the middle of cooking lunch for the family. I have some spare time so I thought I would give you an update of all my wips for March.

I am still chugging away on page 2. I would love to complete page 2 in April. We will see.

This is called Colorful Autumn SAL by Mr.stitch_mrs.needle. I worked on the border. I will continue with the border before doing the last part.

A new start:

I should have started at the top left hand corner like I usually do but I chose to start in the middle. It slowed me down, but I am working on the border now. I hope to get the border done in April. 

Pandemic got some love, not as much as I was hoping for. 

Baked Alaska by Glendon Place. I only planned to get page one finished but I got so much more completed. 

My husband was out of town for 2 days and I decided to work on Blue Dragon Fairy by Kustom Krafts. I still have quite a way to go for a page finish but I now have 5 colors in use. 

Lastly, I finished Eeek! It's Frank by Tempting Tangles Designs. I chose this as a focus on a finish in the hopes I could get it done by April 2nd. I finished it on March 30th.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Happy Stitching!

Hugs,

Mary

March Smalls 2024

 Good morning,

It is time for the Smalls roundup hosted by Rachel at the tenhourstitcher blog is hosting the Smalls SAL.

I was so happy to get 2 smalls completed this month.

My first finish was for my mom's Christmas present. It is called Happy Holidays by From the Heart Needleart by Wendy in the 2023 JCS ornament issue.

My second finish is called Luck by Lisatheall on Etsy. I was happy I could find use of this orange linen.

I was hoping to get some fully finishes, but my iron stopped working. I bought a new one, but it will just have to wait.

I can't wait to see what everyone else has done this month. 

Thanks for looking and Happy Stitching!

Mary

IHSW for March

 Good Morning Everyone,

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.  Since it was the third weekend of the month so it was time for the International Hermit and Stitch Weekend challenge. This is where you get to do nothing but stitch  3 days.

Sadly, I was not able to get a lot of stitching done for this challenge. I live in Florida, so while the tempratures are still bearable, we are doing gardening and yard work.  My husband is making a small cement pad and walkway for my mom.

I am not posting a progress picture of Pandemic because I only got 75 stitches in.  I also decided to work on a new small for Saint Patricks Day.  I knew I couldn't get it done before Sunday, but there is always next year.  Here is my progress photo:

This is a chart called Luck by Lisatheall on Etsy.  She has several cute patterns.  I am just going to do a little bit each day and concentrate on my bigger projects.

What did you stitch on this weekend?

Hope you have a great stitch day!

Hugs,

Mary

Gift of Gorgeousness for March

 Happy March everyone,

I hope everyone is doing well.  I want to thank Jo from Serendipitous Stitching for hosting the Gift of Gorgeousness SAL over on her blog.  It is a great way of showing what we have been given as gifts or what we are working on for others.  Luckily, I have a few things to show you today.

I was gently reminded from Rachel at Ten Hour Stitcher about posting the direct link and not just to my blog.  In my excitment and the fact I was doing it from my phone, I didn't do that.  I am now posting from my computer so hopefully it will be easier.  Sorry for any inconvience it may have caused.

I have been deligently working on projects since the last time I posted.  I wish I could stitch a tad faster but I am sure that is everyone's wish.

The first project I want to show is the ornament I completed for my mom.  It is called Happy Holidays by From the Heart, Needleart by Wendy.  It was in the JCS 2023 ornament issue.  I have to say, this has been one of my favorite issues in recent years.  I used random floss from my stash and a scrap piece of 28ct coffee dyed Monaco fabric. It looks much prettier in person.  I tried to replicate the colors Wendy chose.

I also worked on Louisiana by LubaDaviesAtelier on Etsy.  It is a gift for my husband, Bill.  It is slow going right now, but that is ok.  I am almost done with page 2 out of 6.  Once I finish the top, it will get more exciting.  I am stitching it with the called for DMC floss and 28 ct white Monaco fabric. I would have posted a picture but it is protected.  The excitement will come the more I stitch.

I also worked on Baked Alaska by Glendon Place.  My goal was to complete page one, and I did.  I also did quite a bit on page 4.  I know I am cutting it close with the fabric and I wanted to see if it was ok.  It looks like I will have about 1-inch to 1-1/4- inch.  I can always add more to the bottom later.  This is a gift for my oldest son, Bradley.  I plan on doing 2 more in the series for my other 2 sons.

What it will look like:

My progress Pic:

I opted out of using Dinky Dyes silks and chose my own colors of overdyed cotton floss on 28 count Antique White Lugana.

Last is a new start.  I was gifted a Michael's Craft Store gift card so I kitted up some projects.  I love strawberries so I decided to start Strawberry Harvest by Cottage Garden Samplings.  It is done on 32 count evenweave.  

What it will look like: 

My progress picture:

I usually work from the top, left-hand quarter but for some strange reason I decided to work from the middle.  Big mistake! Oh well, I will work on the border next time and then I can tackle the bird again.

I hope everyone has a great stitchy weekend.  I am off to look at everyone's blog and do some stitching.  

Thanks for stopping by.

Hugs,

Mary

February 2024 progress report

 Good evening everyone,

Wow, February is in the rear view mirror and we are driving straight into March. 

So, over on Facebook I have tried to participate in the Magazine Monthly Challenge hosted by Robin and Carolyn. I love the idea of stitching out of my magazines.   I had 3 finishes, which is amazing to me. Some of these you have seen from earlier post in the month but I will recap February's Challenge.

The theme was In The Meadow.

I chose Baked Alaska by Glendon Place because of the blues and greens. Minimum stitch was 200 stitches. I converted floss to my own colors on 28 ct Lugana.

The acrostic was S N O W S H O E

S- Star Spangled Winter Home Saltbox by Melissa at Pinker n Pumpkin Quilting blog.

I am stitching this on coffee dyed 28ct Monaco and DMC. Minimum stitch was 200.

N- Love Quaker Freebie by From The Heart Needleart by Wendy on her web site. Done on 14ct Opalescent Aida dyed by me. SAF (start and finish).

O - Louisiana by LubaDaviesAtelier on Etsy. Minimum of 300 stitches. Done on 28ct white Monaco.

W- Pandemic by Long Dog Sampler (wip) Minimum of 300 stitches. Done on 18 ct Aida dyed by me.

S- Snowflake Sampler by KEB Studio Creations JCS Feb 2022. I decided to make this my "focus on a finish" wip. I completed it on Monday, February 26, 2024. I loved working on this. Done on 14ct Opalescent Aida dyed by me.

H- Halloween Entrantress by Durene Jones JCS Oct 2021. Done on 32 Lugana by Fiber On a Whim in Silver Fox. Minimum 200 stitches.

O - Comfort and Joy by My Big Toe Designs. In 2023 JCS ornament issue. SAF. 2023 Just Cross Stitch ornament issue. Random floss and fabric. 

E- Eeek! It's Frank SAL by Tempting Tangles Designs. 28ct Monaco fabric dyed by me. Minimum 300 stitches.

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Stitching.

Hugs,

Mary