January smalls 2019 check-in

Good morning everyone,
The fabulous Mary at www.marysthread.com is hosting this wonderful SAL for 2019.  We check in the last Friday of the month and show all of our smalls.  It is a ton of fun and I can't wait to see everyone's work tomorrow.

I thought I would get a jump on posting this today since I have a few things to show you.

First is 2 Stars and a Stag from Blue Ribbons Design.  It is in the Aug 2018 JCS issue. I used the called for DMC colors on 32ct Lambswool Joblean.  I accidentally made the border the darker green so I flipped the greens around.  I love the darker green as the border.

Next, I finished Chilly Frillys from Little by Little Designs and was in the 2009 JCS ornament issue.  I chose this because I participate in the Christmas Ornament SAL by Kaye at Kitten Stitching.  This fulfills the January requirement.

I used the called for DMC threads on a scrap piece of 32ct Belfast linen. 

Next, I am doing the A Year in Cupcakes by Durene Jones.  You can find the pattern in her Etsy shop.  I am doing each month individually and rotating them in this frame.  I am using the called for DMC threads and 28 ct Monaco fabric.

Thank you so much for looking and I really appreciate all the kind comments. 
Mary

October Smalls Check-in

Good morning and Happy Halloween everyone,

I hope you had a really wonderful October.  Wow! it seems this year is really flying by, but then again, I seem to say that every year.

I want to thank Heather over on Stitching Lotus for hosting this fun SAL.

I do have 2 small projects completed but one isn't FFO'd just yet.  

The first one is the October mini bunnies from Handblessing Designs and was in the Sept/Oct 2018 JCS issue. I stitched it on some random 18ct Aida (I forgot the dyer) that I had in my stash for many years.

The second finish is Sugar Skull with Flowers by Medina Designs and it was in the 2016 JCS Halloween special edition.  I loved stitching on this. I just used scraps of floss and fabric from my stash so it isn't the called for colors in the chart.

I wish I had more to show but I am currently stitching Season's in Chalk: Christmas by Hands on Design and it was in the 2016 JCS magazine.  Hope to have a finish for November.

I hope you have a great November and I will check back soon.

Thanks,
Mary

July Update- Smalls SAL 2018

Good morning everyone,
Thanks again to Heather at The Stitching Lotus for hosting this event.

I hope you had a really wonderful July.  This month has really flown by, especially this week, because of school preparation.  My kids go back to school on August 9th. 

Here is my first finish of the month.  It is July Mini Bunnies by Handblessings Design in the Aug 2018 JCS.

My fabric was too soft (I used Joblean in Queen Anne's Lace) and I couldn't get the bunnies to cooperate so I just added another star instead.  It is such a cute addition to my basket.

My second finish was Baby's First Christmas from Frony Ritter Design and was in the 2016 JCS Christmas Ornament issue.  I did this for my husbands Nephew and wife since they had a sweet baby girl at the end of June.

Lastly, I finished Persuasion by The Sampler Girl and it was in the Feb 2009 JCS issue. I love the sentiment of the words because we all need that reminder sometimes.   I just realized that all my finishes were from the JCS magazine, haha.  I do tend to stitch a lot of things from there.  Anyway, I just need to find a frame for it.  I loved stitching this one.

Thanks so much for looking and have a great weekend!
Mary

I am back with some finishes

Good morning everyone,

Wow!  The time has really flown and I can't believe it has been 2 months since my last post.  I hope everyone is having tons of fun this summer and getting some stitchy time in.

I have been very busy and have finished several things since we have last visited each other.  The first thing I want to show you is my Seasons in Chalk, Stars in Stripes by Hands on Designs that was in the July 2016 JCS issue.  I am doing each one and will make them all into pillows. 

I am currently working on Seasons in Chalk Christmas out of the Dec 2016 JCS issue.  Here is an update after working on it for 4 days.  It is so much fun.  I dyed some Charles Craft 14 ct Opal Aida in black and I am really happy with the results.

I also did the mini bunnies from the May/June 2018 JCS issue.  Here is May:

Here is June:

I ffo'd the skull and I just love how it turned out.

I was working on Ink Circles pattern called Cirque de Triangles but I just couldn't get into it.  I am sure we have all been there before.  So I cut off what I stitched and went looking for a pattern that I could still use the floss and fabric for.  I found this Mandala by Heritage Stitch on Etsy.  It reminds me of the Spiralgraph toy I had as a kid.

I also started on this baby sampler for my great-niece Eden.  I have finished all the leaves and just need to finish the trunk and the tree will be done.  There will be some woodland animals at the bottom.  I found this on Etsy and the store name is NikkiPattern.

Last but not least is the free pattern on Lakeside Needlecrafts website.  I am really enjoying this one.
It is done on some 28ct Monaco evenweave I hand-dyed last year.

Thanks so much for looking and catching up with me.  Have a great weekend.
Mary

Have some FFo ornaments to show

Hi y'all,

How are you doing?  I am doing great!  The weather has either been rainy, windy or cold so I have had a lot of time to work on cross stitch.

I completely FFO'd Souvenier de Paris by Blackbird Designs.  It is from 2009 and is found on her blog.

I know it is hard to see the White Chocolate floss but I am still very happy with how this turned out.

The second thing I just got done FFO'ing is We Three Kings by The Cat's Whiskers Studio in the 2009 JCS Christmas ornament issue.  I am participating in the Chrismas Ornie SAL 2018 and for the month of March the theme was We Three Kings.

I used sparkly scrapbook paper I found at Hobby Lobby for the backing.   I also used red Swarovski crystals I found at Hobby Lobby on the crown and I used leftover gold Kreinik braid for the crown.

I am very happy how it turned out.

Well, I hope you all have a great couple of weeks and I will check back at the end of the month for Smalls check-in.

Mary

Small's SAL - February edition

Hi y'all,

I am sorry I am late to the party but I finished my small last night.  Thank you to Heather at The Stitching Lotus for hosting this SAL. Here is where you will find her blog and all the info to this SAL.

My finish for this month's SAL is the 2009 Souvenir de Paris freebie by Blackbird Designs.  You can find it here.  I altered the pattern by not including the phrase at the bottom and by changing the date to this year.  The cream floss I used is a little hard to see but once I ffo it I hope that is will stand out more. The fabric is 28 ct opalescent Lugana that I fabric painted pink.

Here is my ffo from my finish earlier this month.  I made the mistake of thinking I can do a circle and it looked awful.  I had to make some alterations but I think it is still cute, mistakes and all.

Thanks for looking and have a great Sunday.
Mary

January Christmas Ornament

Hi y'all,

Hope you guys are safe and warm from this cold weather.  My kids have been home since last Friday.  Today is the first day we are going to get above freezing so hopefully some of the snow and ice will melt.

I am participating in the Christmas Ornament 2018 SAL that the wonderful Kaye at Kitten Stitching is hosting.  You can join at anytime and is a lot of fun.

This month's theme was Deck the Halls so I found this online and bought it.  It is called Deck the Halls by Little House Needlework.  I even rocked the french knots.  I think they kind of look bug eyed but hey I am keeping it at is.

So I will be back next Friday for the Smalls SAL 2018.  Not sure if I will get another small done but Summer by Hands on Design will be done today and I will look forward to showing you that next time.

Thanks for looking and for all the kind comments.
Mary

2017 Smalls SAL- Last one for 2017

Hi everyone,

I am here to post a few smalls I have completed this week for the 2017 Smalls SAL hosted by Heather @ The Stitching Lotus.

Heather is hosting this SAL next year and you can join anytime.  It is really a great motivational tool to get smalls done.

The 1st one I completed was Ho Ho Ho Santa from Prairie Schooler.  It was in the 2014 JCS Ornament issue.  I stitched it on Hand Dyed 18ct Chia Tea Aida by me and misc floss to match my fabric.

The bottom is a little messed up on the white but the stitching looks good so hopefully that overshadows my mistake.

The 2nd finish is called Swirly Hat by SanMan Originals and it was a design on the message board.  Sadly, she has fallen ill and the message board hasn't returned but I still think about her and hope she is doing ok.

This is stitched on some old 18ct Aida.

Lastly, I FFO'd both houses as gifts for in sister-in-laws.  I hope they like it.

The only difference is the first one has more grass and then I decided why do I need to stitch all of this grass?  So I recharted it and think it looks ok.

Well that is all for me.  I have been sick so haven't wanted to stitch anything big and with my sons and husband home until Wednesday, Jan, 3rd I know I won't get a lot of stitching done.

I hope you have a fun New Years and have loads of time to stitch.

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

April's Smalls SAL Check-in

Hi y'all,

Hope you are all having a great weekend.  My husband and I are still trying to get over the cruds.  I think mine has turned into sinus congestion but all is wonderful.

I am participating in a lovely Smalls SAL hosted by stitching lotus .  It is a lot of fun, go check it out if you enjoy stitching smalls.  It is low key, low pressure.

Here are some smalls I was able to finish this month.

I love making biscornu's.  I found some orange, blue and pink variegated floss at Hobby Lobby and was able to match up buttons and beads in my stash.  Here is the 1st one, I made the pattern as I went along.

I don't think I showed you this one but it was a free design that use to be on The Prairie Schooler's website a long time ago.

Lastly, this is called Hop Square by Lizzie Kate.  I haven't sewn the bottom closed (sorry).

Thanks so much for looking and have a great weekend.
Mary

My Theme-Tas-Stitch April Finish

Good morning everyone,

I am sorry I am late posting my finish but I caught some kind of cruddy mess late Thursday and I am finally feeling better today.  My doctor said it was almost like the flu. Yuck!  Unfortunately, I passed it onto my husband and he has to go out of town this week on business.  I felt so bad for him.  Oh well, we will be fine.


Thank you for KerryP77  at Ramblings of a Biscornu Addict for hosting this SAL. It is low pressure, lots of fun, and you can join whenever you want.

Well, I did a different take on April's theme and went with an umbrella, or parasol.  It fits more with the rest of my smalls and is very appropriate for April.

This is a freebie that can be found here.

Thanks for looking at my blog and have a wonderful week.
Mary

I have 2 check-in's today and some finishes.

Good morning everyone,

Can you believe tomorrow is April.  Next week my 3 sons will be on Spring break so I am not sure how much stitching time will occur, but I will try.  I guess I will kit up a couple of small, easy projects to alternate with my Ink Circles wip.

Thank you to Heather at Stitching Lotus for hosting the 2017 Smalls challenge and Kerry at Ramblings of a Biscornu Addict for hosting Theme-Tas-Stitch.

Here is one from February I forgot to show you. It is called Love You More and was a freebie on Hands blog here.

This month's smalls only consisted of three.  One I showed you on 3/17/17 and was the St. Patrick's shamrock freebie by Brooke's Books Design.  The other one is called Winter Garden by Turquoise Graphs and Design and was in the JCS Sept/Oct 2012 issue.  So much beading but totally worth it.  I can't wait to turn it into an ffo.

This little cutie is an oldie by Sanman Originals Design.  I will make it into an ornament.  It is called Easter Tulip.

Now onto the March Madness.

Here is an update to Cirque de Circle by Ink Circles.  I can't wait to have this done and my son is getting excited to have it completed.

Here is an update on White Tigers.  I made tremendous progress this month also.

And lastly, another Turquoise Graphics and Design. It is called Christmas Wreath and is from JCS 2010.

Thank you for looking at my blog and my stitching.  Hope you all have a great weekend.
Mary