My big finish

Hi y'all,

Hope you have had a really fabulous January.  Personally, it has been the pits, to put it mildly.  However, stitching wise, it has been amazing.  I have a few smalls to show you next week, but I wanted to show you my big finish today.

It is called Swans and Shears Mystery SAL by Tempting Tangles Designs.  She is one of my favorite designers.  I changed the colors and used silk threads from Carrie's Creations Thread.  I sure do miss Carrie (she is no longer in business) but understand that things change.

I stitched it on 32ct off white Belfast that I coffee/tea dyed. I had to wash it and unfortunately the colors bled.  Luckily, everyone said it just looks like it was dyed that way.  I know eventually I will get over it, just not yet.  I worked on this on and off for at least a year so I am not getting rid of it. 

Thanks for letting me share my pride and joy with you.
Until Friday, Happy Stitching
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

November's Smalls SAL Challenge

Hi everyone,

Hope everyone is doing well.  For those of us who celebrated Thanksgiving, I hope you had a lovely time.  It was just the 5 of us, but it was nice just to hang out together for the weekend.

I have been pretty busy stitching, especially with winter about to set in.  I think autumn skipped us this year.  Oh well, it just means more time to get projects done.

I have finished 3 more bunnies out of the Mini Bunnies series by Handblessings Design.  They are so cute and I have really enjoyed working on these.  I still have half of November and February to do and then the whole year will be done.  Next year I plan on stitching A Year in Cupcakes by Durene Jones.  I am going to stitch them individually and will rotate them out in a frame.  I have January and February all kitted up and ready to go.

Anyway, here is Oct:

Dec:

and Jan:

I also FFO'd Think Winter by Lizzie Kate.  Thanks to Danielle from Stitcherista on Flosstube for the tutorial.  I loved how they turned out.  I am going to work on Think Spring next and finish it the same way.

I also wanted to show you some of the bigger projects I have been working on.
Mandala is about 2/3rd's done.

Darth Vader's head:

and Swans and Shears SAL:

Thanks to Heather at the Stitching Lotus hosting the smalls challenge.  It has been a ton of fun.

Thanks so much for looking,
Mary

September Smalls Check-In

Good Sunday morning,

I hope everyone had a really great month.  Our weekends have been filled with high school football on Friday's and the rest of the weekend dedicated to college and pro football. We finally got some much needed rain, however, it dropped the temps about 20 degrees and I wasn't quite ready for 60's and 70's yet. 

So onto the smalls I have for you this month.  Thank you again to Heather at The Stitching Lotus for hosting this Smalls SAL.  I am so glad I have some things completed because my eyes started straining so I had to slow down my stitching so I could get my eyes checked.  I just got my new glasses on Friday so I am ready to stitch as usual.

First is a finish I did at the end of August but fully FFO'd this month.  It is called Joy and is by Hands on Designs and it was in the 2017 JCS ornament issue.

I used 28 ct Monaco in Hunter Green and changed the coral stitches to light pink Mill Hill beads so I could match up the pink beads around the ornament.  I love how it turned out.

2nd finish is September's mini bunny by Handblessing Designs and is in the Aug/Sept 2018 JCS issue.

I used scrap 32ct sand linen. Gentle Arts Dark Chocolate, Carrie's Creation Desert Bloom and DMC 712.

3rd finish is A Star, A Star from The Sunflower Seed and was in the 2007 JCS ornament issue.

It is hard to tell but the gold is metallic and their are beads around the outside border.  It was such a fun stitch.

Well that is all for this month.  I have another small finish that need to be FFO'd so I will show you that next time.  I am 98% done with The Spider and The Fly mystery SAL by Tempting Tangles so I will post that sometime this week. 

Thank you so much for all the wonderful comments and I hope you have a great October.
Mary

April Smalls Check-In

Hi everyone,

Can you believe it is that time again.  Time to show you all my work (especially smalls) for the month of April.  Gosh, where did the month go?  It totally flew by.

Thanks again to Heather, at the Stitch Lotus for hosting this fabulous SAL.

Well, the first small I want to show you is out of the April JCS 2018 issue.  It is the April mini bunnies by Handblessings. I used Carrie's Creations Thread in Baby Blue and Koala Claw and misc. yellow DMC. 

Second finish, Think Winter by Lizzie Kate.  I hand-dyed some 14 ct Aida for this one.  I used a mixture of various hand-dyed floss I had in my stash.

Third finsh, Winter Silhouette by Handblessings Design and it was in the Dec 2013 JCS issue.  I dyed some 28ct Monaco Navy.  Hard on the eyes but I love it.  I also added beads for the snow.

Last finish, I participated in Garette aka Coffee Stitcher's birthday SAL on StitchMaynia.  This was my only finish.  It was by Monsterbubbles and was in the 2009 JCS I believe Aug.  I hand dyed 28 Monaco and used misc DMC.

Here is progress on my Season's in Chalk by Hands On Designs Flag.  It was in the 2016 JCS. It is on Joblean.

Thanks for looking and have a great weekend.
Mary

March Smalls Check-in

Good morning everyone,

I hope everyone that celebrates Easter has a wonderful weekend and whomever doesn't celebrate I hope you have a great weekend as well.

I can't believe it is time for the check-in already.  I have been stitching like crazy and have a few things to show you.

Thank you again to Heather at The Stitching Lotus for hosting this wonderful SAL.  You can join at anytime.

I finished this ornament at the beginning of the month.  It is called Spiderweb Ornament from KBB Crafts and was in the 2017 JCS Special Halloween issue.

After seeing everyone's cute finishes I decided to do this bunny series.  It is in the current JCS issue and I adapted the colors to match my backing fabric.  I am choosing to do all the bunnies brown and this color is from Carrie's Creation Threads.

Lastly, is an ornament I finished for Needlecraft Haven. They choose a freebie every month and you can post a picture until after the last Sunday of the month.  This was my first time participating and it was a lot of fun.  It is called Christmas Joy and you can find it here in the November 28, 2017 entry.  It is really modified because I decided not to include the cart and the trees.

So as far as my bigger projects here is an update on them:

Seasons in Chalk by Hands On Design JCS 2016.  Beginning of the month:

Current progress:

White Tigers beginning of the month

:

Current Progress:

Well that is all for now.  Thanks for looking and have a great start to April.
Mary

2 large (to me) FFO's and some plans

Hi y'all,

How are you doing?  I hope things have been going well since I last posted.  The family and I are doing great and the kids can't wait for Winter break next week. 

Thanks again to Jo at Serendipitous Stitching for hosting the blogger of the week.  It was so much fun and I got to "meet" some wonderful stitchers as well as new followers.  Welcome to my blog.

I decided to join the 2018 Christmas Ornie SAL hosted by Kaye at Kitten Stitching.  Here is a link to her blog here and you can sign up if you want.  I actually forgot I signed up for 2017 and didn't contribute this year, but I am going to try to do better in 2018.  I already have Jan and Feb lined up.

In addition, Heather at The Stitching Lotus here will continue to host Smalls SAL into 2018 which I am so happy.  Even though I am trying to stitch larger projects I will always love my smalls.

So, what have I been stitching and completing since November.  Well, I fully finished the Connie Gee 2017 Rainbow SAL.  I used a limited edition cotton floss called Lurchen by Carrie's Creations thread.  The pillow form I purchased was too small so I had to improvise.  I think it turned out really cute and my son Brentley really likes it.

Yesterday I was able to finally finish House 2 for my SIL.  I will order frames for both houses next month after Christmas.  That nomostitchmo really helped me complete this project.  I hope my SIL's like their gift.

Now that the house is completed I will pull out White Tigers and that will be my nomostitchmo project.  My son Blake was happy I am working on it.

Here is where I left off last.

Hopefully, I will have some really good progress next time I post at the end of the month.

I just got done prepping 2 projects and can't wait to start on them.  I was going to continue to work on Summer by Hands on Design chalk series but I don't feel like stitching it right now.

I want to get these projects done because I am going down to Florida in early April for my sisters wedding.

The first one is a baby sampler for my soon to be born great-niece. I found this cute design on Etsy and it is by NikkiPattern. I decided to stitch it on 28ct Ant. white Cashel.

The theme of the nursery is forest and my nephews girlfriend likes foxes so I thought this would be cute.

Next, I am going to start my very first fairy.  I asked my mom what her favorite flower was and she loves Tulips.  The only fairy I could find was Anneke the Tulip Fairy by Cross stitching Art.com.  I bought the chart on 123stitch! and I am using 32ct Taupe Lugana and the called for threads and beads. This will be her Mother's Day present.

Thanks again for looking and I hope everyone has a wonderful Holiday season.

Mary

November Smalls SAL check-in

Good Afternoon everyone,

Thank you again Heather @thestitchinglotus for hosting this monthly SAL.

I apologize for always being a day or two late.  This month I got sidetracked by Thanksgiving.  In the USA we always celebrate this tradition on the third Thursday of November.  It is a time to gather with friends and family with a thankful heart.  We usually do not travel this time of year so it was just my husband Bill, my 3 sons and myself.

Everyone who celebrated, I hope you had a wonderful holiday and for those who do not I hope you have had a terrific November.

I have exciting news!! Jo at Serendipitous Stitching has interviewed my for Blogger of the Week.  I am not sure when my turn is but I was so humbled.  I am somewhat neglectful of my blog but I will get better.

Well, I only have two smalls for the month and the first one is the completion of November for Connie G's 2017 Rainbow SAL.  I finished the circle and quite a bit of the brown.

I ordered a special pillow form from Ebay that should get here in about a week.  I cannot wait to have this done to give to my son Brentley.  It has been so much fun to work on.

My second one is Brewhaha with some alterations.  This is a freebie Here and it is from Plum Street Samplers.

If you guys watch Flosstube or on Facebook then you know about the SAL called Nomostitchmo and is a spinoff of nomowritmo.  You stitch 50 stitches a day on a project which is the perfect motivation to finish the second house.  My husband said I could stitch it for February instead of for Christmas which I am so happy.  I didn't think it could get done for Christmas.  Here is my progress so far.

I am striving to complete it by Jan 1st and I feel confident I can do that.  I also pulled out my seasons in chalk in Summer by Hands on Design that was in the 2016 JCS.

I am having so much fun with this one and can't wait until it is finished.  This is another wip I hope to finish by Jan 1st.

I asked my mother what her favorite flower was and she said Tulip.  I am really surprised that Nora Corbett didn't have a Tulip fairy however, 123stitch! had this one and she liked it.  I am waiting for it to arrive.

I ordered the beads, Kreinik and 32ct Lugana in Taupe from Stoney Creek.  I also picked up the DMC floss at Michael's.  Aren't they pretty?

Well that is all for now.  I probably won't have anything done for Theme-tas-stitch so I will catch you on December 29th for the final check-in of 2017.

Thanks again for looking,

Mary

September Theme-Tas-Stitch

Hi everyone,

Hope you are having a great month and Happy Fall Y'all.  It is the beginning of my favorite season: Fall.  It is still hot here (in low 90's) but I am not complaining at all.

Thanks again to Kerry at Ramblings of a Biscornu Addict for hosting this SAL.

The last 2 weeks flew by.  I did manage to get some smalls completed but not that much on my larger projects.  Oh well, one day at a time.

The first small finish I did was the September section of Connie Gee Designs Rainbow SAL.  I used Carrie's Creation Thread in Sapphire.

The second one I just FFO'd today was Christmas Eve Delivery by the Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery.  It was in the 2015 JCS Christmas issue.

Cording is not my strongest finishing skill.  Do you all have any tricks you can share?  I have watched Vonna's tutorial but I thought you might have some other tricks to share.  It isn't bad; I would say just average.

Here is a non-stitchy finish I completed this month.  It is a very easy table runner you can find here

Well, I bit the bullet and joined Flosstube.  If you are interested, you can find me here as Mary Cat Stitches.  I just thought it would be a great way to interact with others.

Well that is all for now.  I hope you have a great week and I will check back next week for the 2017 Smalls SAL update.

Thanks for looking,
Mary

August 2017 Smalls SAL check-in

Hi y'all,

Heather at The Stitching Lotus is hosting a smalls SAL throughout the year.  You can join at any time and is a lot of fun.  I keep forgetting when we are suppose to post so I am a few days late.

I have been really busy and have several things to show you.

#1- Storm Trooper ornament by DJ stitches on Etsy.  I made this for my son Blake who loves Star Wars.

#2- 1 out of 2 Blackwork designs by Seba Designs that was in the Sept/Oct 2009 JCS issue.  I wanted to try Petite Treasure braid.  It was wonderful to work with considering it is metallic, however, there isn't much on the card and had to omit some of the design.  I still love how it turned out.  You can't tell, but I found some Swartzkof crystals on clearance at Michael's and used some as embellishments.  I will do the other ornament with blue braid and crystals.

Next, of course I had to do something Halloween since Fall/Halloween is my favorite time of year.  I finished this yesterday so I missed out on Theme - Tas - Stitch furry themed.  Would a rat be eligible?  Oh well, he is cute anyway.  I omitted the border.  It is called Rats! by The Stitcherhood on 28 ct Monaco dyed my me.  It was in the 2016 Halloween Collectors Edition.

4th and last is my August section completed on Connie Gee Designs 2017 SAL.  I used Carrie Creations floss in Key Lime.

How it looks so far:

Here are 2 pictures I framed myself.  1st is the Ink Circles I completed in May.  I found a frame at the store and spray painted it black. (Sorry about the glare)

Lastly, Here is a finish I did about 10 years ago or so.  I love it. I don't have info on it but I believe it was a SAL on a blog.

I do have some projects on the go and I hope to have pictures next time to show you.  Thanks for looking and have a great day.
Mary