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

3 finishes for the end of the year.

Good afternoon everyone.

I hope that everyone is having a wonderful, stress-free December.  We are keeping Christmas low key this year.  Other things that happened in December was a surprise party that my sister gave my mom for her 70th birthday.  I snuck down to Florida for a few days so I could spend it with the family.  I then headed back to Kentucky so I could be here for my son, Brentley's 12th birthday. 

Even though I have slowed down somewhat with my stitching, I still managed to finish 3 things.  Yea! 

Well the first thing I have to show you is the last of the Mini Bunnies series.  February is all set and ready to go.

I just love adding buttons when I can, and this was so much fun to put together.  I used DMC variations #4211 for the border.  Fabric is misc evenweave that was probably ant. white.  I dabbed some Chia tea to make the white bunnies stand out.  I had to be careful because one bunny was already stitched.  I think they stand out more.

The second finish for the month was the Mandala I have been working on.  We decided to paint the frame white so right now I have only pinned it in place.  Once the weather is better, it will get done.  Brentley really liked it.

Fabric is 32ct Belfast linen and Carrie's Creation Thread in Highland Hills.

Lastly, I finished this ornament but haven't had a chance to FFO it yet.  It is called Two Stars and a Stag by Blue Ribbon Designs.  It was in the 2018 Aug JCS mag.  Hope to show it complete next time.

Fabric is 32ct Lambswool Joblean and called for floss.

Thanks so much for the support you have shown me this year.  I hope you have a safe and happy Christmas and New Years and I will check back with you next month. 

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

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

January - Small's SAL 2018 check-in

Hi y'all,

How are you doing?  I am doing great!  I have a finish to share with you but it isn't a small.  I guess if  you breakdown the 2 flowers I did into 2 smalls I can get away with it.  Right?  haha.  I am sure you don't mind me sharing this since I don't have anything else to show.

The lovely Heather at the stitchinglotus is again hosting the Smalls SAL and it is so much fun.  Here is a link to her blog in case you are interested.

Well as promised, I have completed the Season's in Chalk by Hands on Design "Summer" that was in the June 2016 JCS issue.  I dyed my own 28 ct Monaco and changed the color of the flowers from the original.  I decided to make it into a pillow.  I went to Hobby Lobby and bought a pillow form. I just need to get motivated to get behind the sewing machine. 

My conversion for the flowers were 791, 794, and 798.

I am currently working on a Sunflower biscornu for next month's finish.

Thanks for looking and have a great weekend.

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

May's Theme-Tas-Stitch Finish

Good evening everyone,

I am so thrilled I have a finish to show you.  The theme was monochromatic design and I was out of town visiting family and I didn't know how much stitching I could do.  I made this pillow for my mom as part of her Mother's Day gift and she loved it.

I got home yesterday and I am going to have limited stitching time during the summer because my 3 sons are already out of school.  I will do as much as I can.  I am so close to finishing Cirque des Circle and I can't wait to show you.

Thanks for looking,
Mary

Made some FFO's today

Good afternoon everyone,

Well I finally got behind the sewing machine to make some FFO's.  I have a few more projects to complete but it will be easy.

These 2 are from Sanman Originals.  The first one is Swirly Cane and I made it into an ornament.  The second is Get Ready and I made it into a pillow for my basket.  I am pretty happy with the results.  I struggle with ornaments sometimes because of the cording but I won.

I have my first finish of 2017 completely Finished but I will wait until the 27th to post.  The hint is that it is a Sanman Originals chart I purchased last month.

I have made some great progress on Ink Circles because I have completed the 3rd page.  I will post an update next week.

Thanks so much for looking and for any comments that are made.  It truly means a lot to me.

Until Jan 27th,
Mary

2 Finishes and a New Start

Happy New Year everyone.  I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday last month.  Ours was nice but low key.

I had some small finishes last month.  I was finally able to complete the last 2 of the series (January and December) into pillows.  This series is by Hands On Design and were in Cross Stitch and Needlework Magazine 2014.  It was 2 per issue.

Not perfect but that is ok.  I accidentally attached the back the wrong way for December so I had to cut it off.  On the left side the trees are pointing down instead of up but it is done and still cute.  I am not going to stress over it and I didn't want to throw it away.

I have a new big start that I will rotate with my Circle des Cirque.  It is called White Tigers and it is by Jeanette Crews Designs.  It is in the  Stoney Creek Collection Encore #8106 book.  I am using 32ct Pearl Gray linen.  I just started on Tuesday so not a lot of progress so far.

Here is an updated picture of my Circle des Cirque.  I am almost done with page 3.  I will work on this every other week until it is done.

Thanks for looking.
Mary

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

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

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

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

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

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