Mid-Year Stitching Goal Review... how am I doing??

What a joy it was tonight to stitch again on 17th Century Irish Garden!! This one fell out of my rotation all month while I was so focused on finishing Fairy Flora... I am hoping that it will not get neglected like that again :-)

Someone asked me in yesterday's comments section if I had seen Stitching Bits & Bobs' Fourth of July sale.. well, yes, I did. I visited it before my first client this morning, and I bought three fat quarters of hand dyed fabrics.... I know, I have been buying a bit of that lately, but I am noticing a trend towards (a) their suppliers are backordered with base fabrics, and (b) price increases are showing up... so with my penchant for the stuff, I am stocking up, I guess... I got a fat quarter of Picture This Plus Crystal Meditation Cashel ...a fat quarter of Sugar Maple Fabrics 32 ct Merfolk's Morn lugana (just loved the name of this one) ...and a fat quarter of Sugar Maple Fabrics 28 ct Summer's End lugana ... ;-)

I received an email tonight from Dyeing4U alerting me that there will be no FOTM this month due to an illness in the family. I am sorry to hear that, so what did I do? Ugh. I went back to the sale at Stitching Bits & Bobs and I used that FOTM money to buy the new Mediterraneo chart (I am thinking the Crystal Meditation Cashel I purchased this morning may be just about right for this stunning design...), as well as the beads it calls for.... and then I also purchased all the Kreinik fibers for Dawn Awakening too....

I received the British magazine with the Wild Cherry Blossom Flower Fairy in it today - very nice issue!! I was high bidder today for the actual issue of Sampler & Antique Needlework Quarterly that really does have that stunning Merry Cox sewing roll in it - yay!!

Mike went and picked up Erin, our youngest (12 year old) niece, for the long holiday weekend. We just had fun watching The Pacifier - there are some really funny lines in that movie! Disney always does a great job. Even Mike was smiling and laughing through it :-)

OK.... today marks the end of the first half of 2005. I figured I would pull up my 2005 Stitching Goals and see how far along I am:
(1) Houses of Hawk Run Hollow - it is sort of in my rotation, but after six months I am still on the first house block...
(2) Legends of the Dragons - right on track, and doing this as a SAL with Nicole really helps to keep me going on it...
(3) Convent's Herbal Garden - haven't picked it up yet this year...
(4) Angel of Love - right on track...
(5) Little Wings - working on it, not quite as far along as I had hoped to be by now...
(6) Celtic Band Sampler - on track, should get it done - loving doing this as a SAL with Katrina and Dani...
(7) Kingdom Sampler - have not started this one...
(8) 17th Century Irish Garden - making progress...
(9) Rebecca's Sampler - have not started this one...
(10) Elizabethan Sampler - have not started this one...
(11) My Stitching Treasures - have not started this one... BUT, Becky and I have begun to talk about starting this as a SAL...
(12) Roma's Garden - have not started this one...
I also had set the goal to stitch anything by Brightneedle, Birds of a Feather, Just Nan, Long Dog Samplers, Drawn Thread, Mirabilia, Indigo Rose and Elizabeth's Designs... so far I am doing OK with this. I have stitched Peacock Cypher (Just Nan), Fairy Flora (Mirabilia) and Green Old Gardens (Elizabeth's Designs), with Petal Fairy (Mirabilia) underway as well as Catherine Agnes (Indigo Rose).... As for UFOs, I hoped to finish five of them... and I did finish one - Beneath the Stars :-) **I will recap my June goals and set my July goals tomorrow...

Stitched on today: Story Time and 17th Century Irish Garden

Legends of the Dragons SAL Update

It is Wednesday, so it is Legends of the Dragons night. I didn't get more than a couple of hours to stitch tonight. Anouk and Gig both required a lot of grooming tonight, and their welfare always takes priority over stitching... But Majesty is pretty close to finished now :-)

Q. When starting a new project, do you start in the middle? If you do,
once you've worked down to the bottom, do you turn your chart and
fabric around so that you are stitching the top section downwards
again or do you just stitch upwards from the middle?

A. I don't understand the concept of 'turn your chart and fabric around so that you are stitching the top section downwards again' - how does that work? I don't think you can turn your fabric, or your x's will not be crossed the proper way... am I missing something? I generally do like to start from the center. I see a lot of stitchers start at the top or an outer edge. I can't do that. My math skills are so incredibly poor that if I do not start in the center, I will be way off... have had to trash projects because of this. I truly have a severe math anxiety. Good thing I do not have a job that relies on numbers :-) However, if the project is a band sampler, I do always start from the top - after I double and triple check my math, maybe even have my DH check it for me too - he totally understands that my math is so bad :-)
I simply could not resist this fat eighth of Crystal Splash Cashel by Picture This Plus that I saw on Stitching Bits & Bobs' site today... was just cruising around, but ended up shopping! I have no idea if this color will look like this in real life, but it sure looks like a Dragon Dreams dragon or other fantasy design would looking striking on it! I also ordered up Finley Gold and Dandelion Stem Crescent Colours floss for Blackbird Designs' Summer House... guess I really was just looking for an excuse to order those fibers anyhow.... now back to work, I hear some disruptive children out in the office hallway and I am sure they are mine :-(
I received my "Monthly Bits" from Stitching Bits & Bobs today - I like what they sent to me this month: a skein of Needle Necessities in 178, a skein of Ozark Sampler floss in Blue Ivy, a skein of Weeks Dye Works floss in Old Glory, a skein of Dragon Floss in Friendship, a skein of Crescent Colours Cottage Colours floss in Cheryl Chic (a new release color) and a skein of Gloriana silk in Highland Meadow. This is working out great since Bobbie figured out that I don't care for receiving any crayon bright fibers :-)

Dyeing4U is having an Odd Cuts sale... most of the cuts they have are really small, but I found three that would work for me.... band sampler sized cuts primarily - 28 ct lugana in Manhattan Myst 6.5" x 20", 28 ct lugana in Nautical Lights 9.5" x 12" and 32 ct jobelan in Majestic 9.25" x 10".... they should be fun to use :-)

Almost forgot! Had two ebay wins today... little ones... I got Winter Visitor... and the chart I bid on as a gift for my friend... but I can't write about it because it is a surprise and she reads my blog :-) Oh, and I just noticed I also got the used chart from someone's kit for DMC's Lavender Fairy:
Red Sox 5, Indians 2... finally something good to write about my team again :-)

Stitched on today: Story Time and Legends of the Dragons

Earth Angel Update

Tonight I did grab the right project pack from my satchel and made some more progress on Earth Angel. She is moving along nicely now. I have just another dark row along the back of her gown and then it is just flowers, ribbons and wings left to do.... "just," as if that is not tons - LOL!!

I got in two of the British stitching mags I got from ebay today. Love them! I also received the Goode Huswife chart and the Marjolein Bastin kit.... a good day again.

I see that Silkweaver is doing Celebration Bags right now - I loved the Santa Bag from them last year, so I ordered up the one that has three 18 x 26 cuts in it - one Reflections lugana, one Expressions lugana or jobelan and one Expressions linen. Can't wait to see what they surprise me with :-) They will all be new colors not yet seen on the website...

OK, there are two more now for the Celtic Winter SAL starting in September.... if I am correct, we are Katrina, Kathy, Jenn, Karen, Becky, Julianna, Karen and Carol (myself) - any more takers? The more the merrier!!! I attached all the links in hopes we will all start chatting with each other and get to know each other before the SAL begins :-) How is everyone doing with getting their supplies? What fabrics are you using? I am using Silkweaver 28 ct Blue Diamonds Reflections lugana....

It is New DVD Release Tuesday, and of course, we selected one... a comedy this week, The Pacifier

Well, my Red Sox have been on a slide the past two nights, so I am not much intersted in talking about them LOL! However, when I looked up while stitching tonight, I saw a fan catch a foul ball.... I squinted and did a double take. It was one of my clients! I see a father and son every other Tuesday.... the dad caught the ball on TV tonight, and there was little guy grinning away next to him. That was totally cool! Can't wait to mention that next Tuesday when they come in :-)

Stitched on today: Earth Angel - no stitching at work today, just too busy :-)

Celtic Winter Head Count Time....

OK, the general concensus appears to be that a September start for this SAL would work out for those who expressed interest. Is that still true for all? Also, I wish I had written down who volunteered for the SAL... but to the best of my memory I think it is Katrina, Kathy, Jenn, Karen, Becky and myself. I thought there was someone else, and I will kick myself for forgetting once I learn who it is! Did I forget someone? So sorry if I did, but please let me know if you are missing from the list! Thank you!!! Some of the stitchers have expressed interest in knowing who will be doing the SAL with us, so it made sense to post something about it here :-) I am really looking forward to this one! I hope you are too! (Totally kicking myself, I had forgotten Becky!! Yikes - sorry Becky!!).
I had planned to stitch on Earth Angel, and when I reached into my rather large satchel of project packs tonight, I thought I had pulled the right packet out... but instead I realized I had pulled out Little Wings. But then I figured, "OK, sounds good!" and worked on it anyhow! I hadn't worked on it at all yet this month, and I actually had some fun working through the green velvet of her gown tonight :-)

I also just discovered some bids I had pretty much forgotten about came through on ebay tonight - I got this Fire Dragon chart for only $2, and if nothing else I want to admire the charting of this one :-) I also was high bidder for two charms by The Trilogy, a small checkered heart and the tall heart I have been needing to stitch Wedding Spots. I have been considering stitching that one up for my FIL and his third wife, who married last Fourth of July weekend... now that I have the charm, I guess I best get to it!

The mailman was friendly today - I received the Flower Fairies book from Julianna, and she included her Tulip Fairy chart from when she had stitched the kit as a special treat! Thank you so much Julianna! My Flower Fairy stash is getting huge (I forgot to mention that Jenn had sent me a few Flower Fairy charts recently too - thanks guys!) And I also received the gorgeous Ametrine opalescent belfast from Silkweaver today too (for Titania, Queen of the Fairies)! And a stunning Merry Cox chart from my pal, Margaret in Baltimore! I am so lucky to have such wonderful friends!!! And, the Autumn Feeder chart came in from ebay today too - a great day!!

Did I buy any stash today... um, yes... while ordering a gift for a friend from Silkweaver today, I could not resist that their special was still going on and I ordered myself a fat quarter of 28 ct Green Apple Reflections lugana too - I truly love that shade, so why not.... I am thinking one of the L&L celtic ladies might look great on it since I am doing Celtic Winter on 28 ct Blue Diamonds Reflections lugana... :-)
My delphinium came back this year - woo hoo! I wasn't sure it would tolerate the miserable winter we had!And here is the It's Ours daylily again, and for the last time... just that this is a much better photo today...My primrose is blooming! Sorry for the blurry photo - it looked better in the camera than it does here... :-)And, Mother Nature knows best! Every year she moves my violas around to new places - here is one of this year's chosen spots... she put a huge clump along the corner of the front walkway by my roses. Good job Mother Nature!

I am so glad this is only a four day work week for me! I am taking Friday off to make a four day weekend for the Fourth of July! Mike wants to drive out to Troy, NY to visit friends, but I am pushing for a nice quiet weekend of gardening, stitching and my sports.... wish me luck!!! I had a shorter day today because we had to go to Town Hall this evening to register our two Jeep Grand Cherokees and the new Corvette - yikes, what a bill that turned out to be! I can barely catch my breath! I hope the Town of Auburn finds something good to spend all that money on!! :-)

Stitched on today: Story Time for a little bit at work, and Little Wings

Miracle Butterfly is back...

Now that my rotation is getting itself back together, I went back to Miracle Butterfly for today's Passione Ricamo SAL day. I thought I would be able to get her large wing done tonight, but it was deceptively time consuming... almost there though :-)
I thought my magazine bidding on ebay had ended, but I was wrong - there was this one last one that ended today, and I got it. This one has a cute Wisteria Fairy by Black Swan that I had been tracking down for a little while now. I see her stitched up in stitchers' online albums from time to time and she is quite cute :-)

Red Sox 12, Phillies 8 - swept that series. Interleague play turned out to be very good for the Red Sox this year :-) And, Ryan Newman drove a super clean race in Sonoma, CA today. He came in 9th and stays 7th in points... doesn't sound amazing, but that is good for him on a road course :-)

Stitched on today: Miracle Butterfly

I decided to continue on with Petal Fairy again today. I don't think it will take all that terribly much longer to finish her, so I decided to give this one some extra time right now. I got the flower(s) done (looks like two flower blooms to me).... then I rolled the scroll and started working on her skirt, only to realize I have to go and pull out a good sized section of yellow I had previously done but miscounted.... I knew that was going to happen in this skirt :-) Ugh... oh well...
Received these two Silkweaver Solos today - love them! The 28 ct is not as pink as it had appeared it could be. It is much rosier with some grey in it.... nice! And the 32 ct is very purple and greenish... they sound strange, but as usual, they are lovely!! I also received the 32 ct parchment lugana and the robin bead for Robin's Wreath from Laurel's Stitchery today.... I can't get the tragic loss of her husband out of my mind.... I do hope she stays open, she is so pleasant to work with, and a sweet lady too....I sent her a card yesterday.

I worked out a fun trade with Jenn today. She has some fabrics she is trading off, and I am sending her a piece of lugana she wants, and in return she is sending me a fat quarter of 32 ct Winter Breeze lugana.... I have always liked that one, and I can just imagine the possibilities for it now :-)

I think Mike enjoyed the family BBQ we had today for his birthday. His mother and uncle came, as well as my mother, brother and three nieces. Meanwhile, one of his best friends is also here as we started finishing off our basement. He was framing down in the basement pretty much all day!! And it was 90F here today! What a trooper! I am getting a stash room out of this! And a room for my treadmill, plus we get a much larger family room down there. We live in a new construction, large colonial house with the tiniest living room. I am so excited to be getting all this new space soon!!
Daylily: Butterscotch Ruffles - always one of the earliest and most adundant daylilies in our Zone 5 garden. Once this one blooms, the others start to just pop! Yay!

Red Sox 7, Phillies 1 - Red Sox are on a great roll right now!

I am off to frog out that yellow area on the skirt...

Stitched on today: Petal Fairy

It's the Weekend!!!

...And tonight I got back to Petal Fairy. She is definitely one of my favorites right now. I didn't quite get the flower done, which I had hoped to do... but I am still happy with the progress.
I finally received my FOTM from Silkweaver today. It takes so much longer to get to me than it does to Becky in SC - mine is a pretty blue, slightly lighter than the scan shows and has a nice hand dyed appearance to it... as usual, I can always use blue fabric! I contacted Silkweaver today and asked them to replace that Midas Touch Reflections lugana I ordered a few days ago with their Blue Diamonds Reflections lugana, and of course they said, "Sure, no problem!" That is the fabric I have decided to use for the Celtic Winter SAL - I want mine to be sparkly like the snow that covers the ground here from November through March (trying to develop a positive attitude about winter here, and that is not easy for me - I hope this celtic lady will help to improve my attitude - HA!).

I had a couple of my older ebay bids come through today - MH 1836, an older retired Goode Huswife chart, as well as a fat half of Silkweaver Antique Gold cashel linen :-) I received the Guradian Angel kit, as well as Wedding Sampler Love, Flame of Friendship and the "must stitch" Summer House from ebay sellers today :-) But, the only new bidding I did today was for a chart that, if I get it, will be a surprise for a good friend (so, another good day with not being a compulsive spender on my own stash!!). ****I spoke too soon on that one! I ended up going to Joann's Fabrics while Mike and I ran a grocery errand for his birthday family BBQ tomorrow, and I picked up several extra skeins of DMC 927, as Katrina advised me I will need several when I stitch Mermaid Heaven...and I also got the invoice and paid for my FOTM from Heaven Lee Creations/The Blended Needle...sigh...

Red Sox 8, Phillies 0 - in first place, at least for now!

Stitched on today: Story Time for a little bit at work this morning, and Petal Fairy

Celtic Band Sampler...Still Plugging Along...

OK, this took me a long time to stitch - and I still haven't finished the band! But at least all the knotwork is finally stitched, I have to do only the center flower of the last medallion type area, and then finish the acorns... still sounds like a lot to do!! I swear I will catch up with this SAL someday!! LOL!

I got some sad news from the stitching world today, and I thought I would pass it along. I followed up with Laurel of Laurel's Stitchery about the parchment jobelan I had ordered from her. She had to get it in stock for me. It is on its way, but she also told me that her husband died suddenly on June 16th. She sounded OK in her emails, so I am sure shock is still in control here. If you are one of her customers, I thought you would appreciate knowing this sweet lady is going through a hard time. She needs our support right now.
I think all of that magazine bidding I did on ebay ended today, and I got this one :-) Yep, because of the Flower Fairy.... maybe I have enough Flower Fairy charts now :-) LOL! I also got the Pecking Order kit, which I want to give as a gift to someone dear to me... But other than those old ebay bids coming around to win, I am proud to say I had a mentally stable day - a day without any compulsion to buy stitching goods! Yay me! This is big!

Stitched on today: Story Time at work - stitching up really quickly!, and Celtic Band Sampler

Edited to add: Happy Birthday to my Dad... he passed away suddenly on 12/17/95, but today would have been his 69th birthday... I miss him so much!! On a much different note... I got in the Anchor flosses today for Kingfisher, along with the four cards of Petite Treasure Braid for Celtic Winter - going to get the fabric ordered Friday so I will be ready to go for that SAL at the end of the summer :-)

Happy Birthday Mike!

My hubby's birthday is today :-) He got his big gift, the Corvette, a couple of weeks ago. But I am making today a short day at work and will go home around 1 or 2 PM to spend the afternoon with him, give him his smaller gifts (standard stuff he relies on every year, like summer shirts) and hopefully he will enjoy his day. Time sure is starting to fly - I can't believe he is 45 already!!
I was in need of a new project that I can bring to work, so I chose the one I had set as my goal to start this month, Story Time. I am stitching it on 28 ct Antiquity Jazlyn from Dyeing4U. This is a fun stitch, and I can tell it is going to be a quick one! I am wondering, though, if anyone knows what kind of birds these are? I don't think I have ever seen this variety in New England :-)
And, here is my updated photo of Legends of the Dragons after a few minutes here and there on it at work the past three days... now it will go back into its weekly rotation spot again.

Q. Are there any types of designs that you won't stitch?

A. Oh, absolutely! I just cannot stand Precious Moments! I hope that doesn't offend anyone!! I also don't like to stitch cutesy designs. I did just buy Glory Bee's Bon Bini, which is a little cutesy, but it is so reflective of our trips to Aruba that I will excuse its cutesy nature this time around :-) I used to have firmer guidelines - like I wouldn't stitch a natural animal scene... until I came across Kingfisher in Cross Stitch Gold, and that changed that!! I won't stitch something I don't like, or that I cannot find a place to hang. I adore Noah's Sub, but am not sure I will ever stitch it because it doesn't fit my decor.... so I guess that is my bottom line, if I don't like it or it has no place to go, it doesn't get stitched...
I have changed my mind again about what fabric to use for the Mermaid Heaven SAL starting July 4th weekend! Originally I planned to use Silkweaver's Meadow Mist lugana, 32 ct. But I was in one of my fabric boxes a few nights ago and my fat quarter of Sugar Maple Fabrics Impressionism Cashel jumped right out at me! I pulled out the floss and I loved it! The fabric is lavender and aqua, not so very bright, blended together like a misty dawn. Wow, so much more interesting than the Meadow Mist, plus I was more in the mood to use a 28 ct for this pattern. I am posting a photo of my floss toss... Jenn, what do you think?

********Would anyone like to adopt either my used Fairy Flora or used Shimmering Mermaid charts?? They show some wear, so I surely wouldn't put them up on ebay, but they are still really useable and I would prefer to post them off to a good home than to either store them away for eternity or dispose of them.... anyone?? (edited to add: Shimmering Mermaid has a new home in SC...and Fairy Flora is off to Singapore!)

I have seen a lot of comments in blogs lately about stitchers being dissatisfied with ordering hand dyed fabrics off the internet. I figured I would share some info I got from the owner of Dyeing4U a few months ago when I got a fabric in that was not what I expected.... not all fabrics take dye the same way. Most of the internet sites show their color swatches on either lugana or jobelan, unless otherwise noted. Linen takes dye the darkest, followed by jobelan, and finally by lugana. If you want dark and bright, you have to go with linen. If you really want an evenweave, then select the jobelan. She didn't say anything about jazlyn, but I have some and noticed it dyes well, like the jobelan does. I have no idea about tula, since I do not use tula. It's just a basic rule of thumb that might help save some disappointment for you if you are ordering off the net. Of course, there are just always going to be those times when swatches don't match. Another dyer told me it may have been my monitor, but when I checked on several computers I saw the same color each time... go figure! (By the way, Dyeing4U, Silkweaver and Sugar Maple Fabrics have all happily exchanged fabric for me, no questions asked, no extra charge... so the risk isn't that bad anyhow...just don't be afraid to ask for help from the dyer.... Most noteably, just last night I asked Silkweaver about the 32 ct Ametrine Reflections lugana I ordered a couple of weeks ago - the base fabric is backordered, so they offered to upgrade me to the Ametrine opalescent linen for absolutely no extra charge - excellent, excellent customer service!).

I had a fun ebay win last night - for a rock bottom price I got Autumn Feeder, and today I got a fat quarter of 28 ct Antique White linen, an essential to the stash, for a bargain basement price from one of my favorite sellers... pretty cool!

I found Stitches and Stuff's new location in Candia, NH this afternoon. I came across their new address and put it in my GPS as I was driving home. It is only about seven minutes from my house! I didn't go in because I wanted to get home to spend time with Mike on his birthday. I will go soon, though. I hope she has increased her inventory. She had only start up stuff when she was in Raymond, NH... I am looking forward to going soon to check it out!

Red Sox 5, Indians 4 - excellent game! Now we are only one game out of first place (for now, at least - LOL).

Stitched on today: Legends of the Dragons at work, and Story Time

I am a bit out of sorts with trying to get my rotation back on line now... so I decided to work on Angel of Love tonight. Partially because it has been a while, and partially because I spent most of today on the computer working on treatment plans and progress notes and the 28 ct had more appeal to my slightly strained eyes than my projects on 32 ct did... plus I love this one! I saw it stitched up at Yankee Cross Stitch, my LNS in N. Hampton, NH.... and I was surprised. They have it stitched on what appears to be 16 ct aida and the beads are so crammed together. Yikes!

I finally received the embellishments for Emerald Jeweled Garden today, and along with them I ordered the specialty threads pack for 15th Century Medieval Herb Garden. I ordered these directly from Liz Turner Diehl's website. I was a bit disappointed. I paid a lot for shipping ($5.50) yet these tiny items took two weeks to get here by some slow ride... and the thread pack consists of four tiny partial wheels of Glissen Gloss, at about three times what it would cost to get all four colors in full cards... oh well, live and learn!! Communication on their part was really poor too, but I am glad the embellishments came, as I could not find them anywhere else :-)

I also got in the lovely By the Bay charts today too (Colonial Harbor and Spring Hill). It is safe to say that these are just amazing! I love them!!
And, here is a new fabric adoption as of today... sigh....
I have bid on a few stitching magazines this week, and I was high bidder on another again this week. This Stitcher's World is great, because I don't think I have that Teresa Wentzler dragon in my stash yet! He looks great though! Here's a close up, Dragon Ride :-)
It's Ours - The first daylily to bloom here this season - a bit ahead of the rest, this one is cheating - it overwintered in South Carolina and was just shipped to me in early May :-)

Red Sox 9, Indians 2 with Bronson Arroyo starting to pitch better again. And, two home runs by David Ortiz, plus one by Manny Ramirez, just did not hurt the cause at all!

It is New DVD Release Tuesday - Mike picked up Hostage and Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous (I think I should get a niece or two up here soon to watch that one with me)

Stitched on today: Legends of the Dragons (just a little at work today, tomorrow is its official day in the rotation) and Angel of Love

Another Silkweaver Sale... Oh Boy!

It felt good to get back to stitching on the Earth Angel SAL tonight! I was a bit distracted by the Red Sox game, but still made progress. I don't think the progress ever really shows much from week to week in the WIP photos, but basically her robe does get longer each week :-)

OK, Silkweaver is having a sale on some of their 28 ct Reflections lugana fabrics - my finger was twitchy all night about this! I just gave in a little bit ago and ordered a fat quarter of Midas Touch! Ugh, shoot me now!

I got in my order from Paw Prints Cross Stitch already today - several cards of Petite Treasure Braid, as well as the white lugana for Night...ooooo, I am just so tempted to start that one! I will have to control the urge for now... ....
Here is a little ebay win from today... I love the colorful, artistic cat in the bottom right corner.... reminds me of some designs in my mom's house... Mom is a watercolor artist who teaches painting... much of the decor in her house is very colorful :-)
Tall Bearded Iris: Little Mary SunshineTall Bearded Iris: Playing With FireSiberian Iris: Limeheart

Red Sox 10, Indians 9 - odd game! Sweetened by losses by both the Baltimore Orioles (sorry Margaret...) and the New York Yankees - three homers, Manny Ramirez, Jason Varitek and Johnny Damon :-)

Stitched on today: Legends of the Dragons at work, and Earth Angel

My Two Happy Dances - better photos :-)

Thanks to Mike, here is a better photo of Fairy Flora. Now I hope to get her to the framer soon! This fabric appears much darker in the photo than it is in real life, but you can see the fabric color accurately in yesterday's blog entry, June 18th.
And, here is Peacock Cypher too!! Now to decide what I shall stitch at work.... hmmm.... time to think....
While the camera was out, we caught Beau watching TV on the sofa :-) He is on the newspaper and leaning against one of my project packs (Celtic Band Sampler) - he definitely thinks he rules the house!! The Red Sox and the NASCAR race were on at the same time, so Beau was watching me use that remote an awful lot - LOL!
And, a new Silkweaver Solo was scooped up today - and I also ordered a fat quarter of 28 ct Wandering Ivy lugana too - because I liked it :-)

I had a couple of fun ebay wins too - Just love this Marjolein Bastin chart in this one, plus I got this cute Flower Fairies booklet from our very own Julianna :-)
OK, my energy level for stitching was a little low today - LOL! After the beading marathon, I had so much to do around the house. But here is a little, feeble effort that I was able to put in on Celtic Band Sampler. It doesn't really help that I am a bit bored with the blackwork. I remain quite far behind my SAL mates with this one, so I am considering giving this one an extra evening sometime this week :-) Several projects are calling for extra attention this week.

Red Sox 8, Pirates 0, that's the good news.... Ryan Newman, though, came in 15th in Michigan and dropped down to 7th in points now... just can't get what it takes to win yet this year :-(

Happy Father's Day to those who have dads - mine passed away in 1995, and Mike's father is not on good terms with us.... so it was just a Sunday here. Hope everyone had a good day, though!

Stitched on today: Celtic Band Sampler

Here she is.... Fairy Flora Happy Dance!!

It took another three and a half hours of beading today, but finally - happy dancing!!!! Boy, I sure did prick my finger with the quilting between needle a lot last night - that was such an exhausting experience :-) Don't know if you can tell, but she has soooo many beads in her wings! If you plan to stitch Fairy Flora any time soon, make sure to buy three packs of Mill Hill 00161 beads - it took just over two packs for me to bead this. You will only need one pack each of the 00275 and 02024 beads, as well as of the 70161 bugle beads. You will use almost a full spool of the 013 Kreinik blending filament... on belfast linen, that is :-) I just went back in my blog and discovered I started Fairy Flora back on 1/17/05 and finished her on 6/18/05... keeping her in my rotation I still got her done in almost exactly five months! I think that is quite decent!

Thank you to all of you very sweet, encouraging cheerleaders who kept me motivated all week in finishing Fairy Flora :-) You are all awesome!
Hey, hey!!!!!! Ryan Newman is on the pole again for the race in Michigan tomorrow!! :-) (photo is from www.nascar.com)

I got in some items from Stitching Bits & Bobs today - the rest of the Mill Hill Treasures that were backordered for Enchanted Mermaid (anyone looking to do this as a SAL??) and most of the beads for the upcoming Celtic Winter SAL... the magnifica beads are backordered....

I treated myself to a little stash shopping tonight too - I ordered Autumn Winds (this designer is new to me, and this design appealed to me... great colors!), Thistle Stop (a chart I've eyed forever and loved seeing stitched up at Celebrations at the Crossed Wing Collection booth), Red Dragon Bookmark (a cute newbie from Dracolair) and a sheath for my Cougar scissors I bought several months ago (I like these for traveling since they were so inexpensive)...

I also finished Peacock Cypher late tonight :-) I only had a tiny bit of stitching left to do on the bottom band, and then the beading - which was nothing compared to Fairy Flora! So, double happy dancing today!!! I will post a photo tomorrow. I am going to have Mike take a photo of it, and a better one of Fairy Flora to post tomorrow :-) It has been a productive weekend, and now I shall forego my Passione Ricamo SAL for the second week in a row tomorrow and get cracking on the Celtic Band Sampler SAL - I am quite a bit behind my SAL mates, so I could use a day to get some progress made on it :-)

Stitched on today: Fairy Flora (Happy Dance!!) and Peacock Cypher (Happy Dance!!)