Made it to the right side border

I spent a lot of time today working on a gift that I cannot show... but I did find some time later tonight to work on And A Forest Grew, and as a result I was able to stitch the flock of blue birds... which represents touching the right side border now :-) I look forward to when Karen V starts hers (any luck yet with choosing your fabric, Karen?)

Hope everyone is enjoying their weather. It is warming up just enough around here to give the hint of spring.... and the Boston Red Sox and the rest of the MLB will start their 2007 season on Monday - this is a good thing! I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Thanks for all the nice words about Mermaid Heaven. I am happy to have that one going again too! It has been far too long - know what I mean? Sometimes you just appreciate a project more after it has been away for a while.

Stitched on today: Stitched on a gift, and And A Forest Grew

It's been a while...

It's been a really long while since I stitched on Mermaid Heaven. Jenn and I started this as a SAL back sometime in 2005. I worked on it really diligently for the longest time, and then 2006 came and I was really involved with two huge Chatelaine projects. As a result, this got put aside. Tonight, with no Barnabee's Quest to stitch any longer, I got to sort through some projects that have been neglected... and chose this one. After all, there is already a stitcher waiting in the wings to adopt this chart when I finally finish. It was all about stitching a rock on this tonight - LOL!! I am hoping, as I always do, to find more time for this and to finally get it done soon!

Stitched on today: Started a gift, and Mermaid Heaven

Venus de Milo, No Longer

It's Thursday, and that means Dawn comes back out - and tonight she got her second arm. She is Venus de Milo no longer. And I spent a good part of my time working on all the color changes in the many roses on her dress. Now those are done :-)

I have a three day weekend - yay! I finished up an exchange project tonight as well, so tomorrow I can start putting together my package for my recipient :-)

Stitched on today: Finished an exchange project, and Dawn, Fairy Spirit of Grace

A little Bordeaux

I surely wouldn't call tonight's progress on Bordeaux Sampler monumentuous, but since this is my own personal stitching journal, I will still put in a photo of tonight's work. I am hoping that I will soon be finally through Part 4. Part 4 is the center of the sampler, and I consider it to be the hump. I almost didn't pick it up tonight due to a severe headache, but I really do want to stick to my schedule with it.

I forgot I had this photo sitting on my desktop. This is Gig (blonde) and Anouk (grey and white) on Sunday morning - catching some fresh air in the window, as a little snow from Saturday night was melting away.... signs of spring in New England! (And, Gig and Anouk are rarely seen here, so I figured I would share them too - someone asked how many cats I have? 6, all persians).

Someone mentioned in my blog comments today... Andrea, I think?... that animals often get white spots in their fur at the site of an injury. You are right - I think! I noticed the greying/white spot pattern on Angus is around his neck (where he wore that Elizabethan collar for so long, and his underside/butt where he was shaved and surgery was performed) - well done you - I believe you solved it for me! Thank you!


Stitched on today: Stitched a gift (start to finish), and Bordeaux Sampler

More Paradigm Lost

A bit more Paradigm Lost tonight... I don't know about Jo, but I am getting kind of bored with this huge motif with the hearts... am looking forward to moving on in another direction soon.

I heard from Dani today that she received my birthday gift for her - and on her real birthday too! The post from here to Canada is quite slow... slower than to Australia... so it was just a guess at when to get this in the post. I know how much Dani loves fantasy designs, but all of the ones I liked were by Jennifer Aikman-Smith, and of course, Dani has stitched all of those - LOL! But then I came across this little Celtic Knot and it made me think of our SAL we did with Katrina a year or two ago - we did Celtic Band Sampler - and thus, I stitched this - I am so glad Dani likes it!

Square Celtic Knot Fob

Dragon Fire Designs

36 ct Sand Edinburgh linen & Dinky Dyes Silk - Fantasy Blues

Stitched 3/13/07 - 3/16/07

I found Angus hiding under this little table Mike has in his desk/programming area - typical programmer, he has tons of software and cables lying about in this area... Angus likes it! He is starting to get grey in some areas... vet techs out there, is this a sign of a deficiency, or is it a black cat that just turned six years old?

Stitched on today: Paradigm Lost

Barnabee's Quest is Finished

All finished now - added the beads and charms this afternoon (it's my 26th finish of the year, but only the first that I am keeping for myself - I think...):

Barnabee's Quest
Just Nan
White Cashel linen, DMC floss, Kreinik #4 braids
Stitched 2/1/07 - 3/26/07

I am continuing to do my best to devote my Monday evenings to Houses of Hawk Run Hollow, and tonight I finished up House Block 2, and started House Block 1. Now I need to print out another page of graph paper off of the internet and graph out the personalization that goes on the next line. My name is much longer than the name on the chart, plus 2007 (or 2008 or even 2009) will be wider than 1831, the date on the chart. So I will need to leave room for the wider year as well.

I heard from Cindy today that a wee little birthday gift that I made for her arrived - you're welcome Cindy, I loved stitching this fancy little C for you:

Deco Alphabet "C" Fob
Passione Ricamo
40 ct lambswool linen
DMC Color Variations #4210, Radiant Ruby
Stitched 3/21/07 - 3/22/07

Stitched on today: Barnabee's Quest, Houses of Hawk Run Hollow, and stitched on an exchange project

Christmas Ornament SAL Weekend

I realized this morning that this is Christmas Ornament SAL weekend already! So... I did this...

ABC Santa
Prairie Schooler
32 ct Sage Jobelan
DMC floss
Stitched 3/25/07

And... I finished up the stitching on Barnabee's Quest tonight. As I recently mentioned, I really want to finish so I can start a new SAL (although, that feels like it is up in the air right now, we'll see...).... I just have the beading and charms to add, and I will probably do that tomorrow.

I am so far behind in reading blogs right now - I am so sorry if I have not commented in your blog lately - I will catch up :-)

Stitched on today: ABC Santa, and Barnabee's Quest

A Trip to an LNS Today!

Keeping with my Saturday rotation, I worked for a bit tonight on And A Forest Grew. About half way through stitching the tree just under the three blue birds to the far right of the sampler, I happened to glance at the cover and thought, "hmmm...." I know I used the correct colors following the symbols, but on the cover they are reversed. It is not like one would really notice that, but I somehow did. Looks good either way, and I figure since I did it as charted, there was no reason to change it. Anyhow, I am on to Section 7 now... which will be bring me to the right edge soon... almost half done now!

I got a rare treat today! Mike decided to take me to an LNS! He drove me down to The World in Stitches in Littleton, Massachusetts earlier today... and I got some stash! It was fun to visit the shop again. Randi, the owner, always seems to have a trunk show at any given time. Right now, it is La-D-Da. All of the framed models were so delicate and beautiful! I scooped up Kitty, Kitty from the trunk show (it's been on my wish list for a while now). And, there is a really nice new (I think it is new) Brenda Keyes sampler called Sampler Houses that was a must have! The model is stitched over one using half stitches on 18 ct floba. I am not going to use that. I used floba many years ago, and hated it. I will likely stitch this over two on 40 ct. It will look good hanging with HOHRH and VOHRH some day! I also grabbed Drawn Thread's Red Lace Sewing Case (I have wanted this forever!!) and Blackbird Designs' My Valentine as well. This is a modest shopping spree compared to what I see in blogs these days, but I am still very over the moon with my new stash!

I also recently decided to sign up for the FOTM with Shakespeare's Peddler. I have very few indulgences right now, but decided this one was worth it, as the prices are perfect. In the photo you can see my first installment as it arrived today - Lakeside Linens 40 ct Vintage Magnolia... a buttery yellow. It is far more yellow than I expected it to be.... but still gorgeous! It is almost April and I can't wait to see what fabric we will be getting (Theresa lets you know ahead of time, which is really great).

Stitched on today: Finished a gift, and And A Forest Grew

Barnabee Update

This portion of Barnabee's Quest moved along rather quickly tonight, and now I am thinking that I would really like to finish it up quickly so that I can start Lanarte's Spring Ride SAL with Karen C. as soon as possible. I have enjoyed every minute of this SAL, but will also be glad to finish it and finally start Spring Ride. I am so frustrated with myself, though, for starting too low on my fabric. I will have to give some real thought to how I will be able to finish this off. I think I can technically still get it framed, but I am not used to leaving such a small margin at the bottom.

I forgot to mention yesterday that I received my confirmation from Celebration for the Catherine Strickler class and for my membership for this year. Good to have that finalized now :-)

Stitched on today: Stitched on an exchange project, and Barnabee's Quest

Roses

Tonight I began to work on the many roses on Dawn's dress. I need to start using the camera on this, as well as putting it in the larger Q-Snap. The scanner does not bring out the beauty of this design very well. I am hoping that my SAL mate, Bea, will show us an update of her Dawn soon too :-)

barbeeque4: Please email me at carolsutcliffe@comcast.net about the Sugar Maple Fabric - you left a comment expressing interest in it, but you did not leave any way for me to get in touch with you. If you are in the US, a MO is just fine!

Stitched on today: Finished a gift, started a gift and Dawn, Fairy Spirit of Grace

Bordeaux Sampler Update & Some Fabrics Still For Sale

It is really helping to have Wednesday evenings reserved for Bordeaux Sampler. Before Anne and I decided to do that, this sampler just was not making any progress at my end. Now I am getting some good stuff done... finished those over one grapes above the baskets, what a relief! (I aplogize for what appears to be one of my long hairs on the fabric in the photo - geesh!)

I still have some hand-dyed fabrics left, so before I either put them on ebay or tuck them aside for a while, I figured I would show them again - PayPal preferred (if out of the US, PayPal required) - postage is low, we can work that out once you contact me :-)

Top Row:

Silkweaver Solo 32 ct Belfast Linen, 26” x 36”, $30

Silkweaver Dolphin Island (disc color) 32 ct Belfast Linen, 18” x18”, $15

Bottom Row:

Sugar Maple Fabrics Gnome 28 ct Jubilee, 18” x 27”, $20

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I spoke with my mother for a bit on the phone today - yep, there is a new kitty planned! My niece has a friend whose cat just had kittens two days before Mom lost Pookie. Two of the kittens are silver tabby males. Mom asked Nicole to choose which one would be good for her. We talked about the joy of having two kitties, as they keep each other company. My mom is 69 and very active - she is an artist who teaches watercolor painting and is active socially. We talked about how two kittens might be a good idea. She says she already told Nicole that if there are any problems with finding homes for all of the kittens, she would take two - I hope so!! She sounds excited. The kitten(s) will not arrive until May, so this gives her the good mourning period for Pookie as well.

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Monique - St. Reatham is Long Dog Samplers' new release :-)

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My template refuses to break up paragraphs when I publish with the "new" Blogger - pretty silly, really....

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Stitched on today: Started a gift, and Bordeaux Sampler

I Have the Nicest Friends!

Paradigm Lost night again - this sampler has been up every Tuesday for the longest time now, and can anyone think of anything to say about it anymore? LOL!! It is such a fun stitch, and I am thrilled that Jo and I will be doing another SAL once it is finished - along with Nicki this time!! - and it will be St. Reatham. I am already starting to think of what colors of linen and silk I want to use. The dreaming is one of the fun parts :-)

I have the nicest friends! And, here is another stellar example. Karen (wow, love your new blog template!!!) has just sent me the most unbelievable RAK!!! She hit my wish list really hard - and then some! I forgot to take a photo and it is late, so words will have to suffice. Now, it has been forever (since Angus fell ill) since I have had a good stash acquisition report. Karen took care of that for me in a huge way!! She sent me: Alyssum Scissor Pocket by The Cat's Whiskers, all of the Dinky Dyes silks needed for the Virginia Creeper purse by The Cat's Whiskers, a whole pile of new Just Nans: Daffodil Run, Making Friends, Queen's Heart, and Pansies Please. She also sent the new Quaker Mouse and Quaker Cat by The Workbasket... and.... Long Dog Samplers' St. Reatham!! I am utterly spoiled!! A bit speechless, to say the least!!

I owe a ton of replies to emails right now, and fell behind on reading blogs... Mike and I bought Eragon today and put it in rather late. It finally ended and I watched the weather and the sports... and now it is bedtime, so I guess I will try to send some replies from work tomorrow instead :-)

Stitched on today: Paradigm Lost

BEAUTIFUL PIF from Dawn!

It looks like I didn't work on HOHRH last week... I must have been working on Rachael's RR that night. I got back to it tonight, and finished all of House 2 now except for half of the border still needs to be finished - next week, for sure! One more block, and I will finally be half way done!

I just received this beautiful PIF gift from Dawn today! I love it! She sent me this wee little flat fold - and it looks so much like my Angus!! And, her work is just beautiful! Dawn also sent me a pretty pattern by Hearthside and a skein of some very pretty Ocean silk by Vikki Clayton! Thank you so much Dawn!!

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Also, thank you all for your kind words regarding Pookie. I let my Mom know how sweet you all have been. She is taking this in stride, has lost many pets over her 69 years of life... but now her house is empty, except for herself, for the first time ever. I am a little worried, despite her bravado. She says she will get another cat "someday," and knowing my brother a little red cat will show up there sooner than later! I just know him!!

Stitched on today: Stitched on an exchange, and Houses of Hawk Run Hollow

Over The Rainbow Bridge

Since I was so busy with Rachael's RR yesterday, And A Forest Grew was put aside from its normal rotation. But, I picked it up for a while tonight and here it is. I got to stitch the pear tree, which is by far my favorite on the sampler :-)

Thank you all for the lovely comments on Rachael's RR! You have no idea how much they mean to me - I am not terribly confident about the whole thing!!

I heard from my Mom today that our beloved cat, Pookie, had a seizure on Thursday. Pookie had to be put down as a result. He must have been about 20 years old. Pookie was rescued as a very wee kitten from under a car at Westboro State Hospital in Massachusetts during a severe rain storm. I worked at the hospital at the time doing juvenile corrections work. His mother and other kittens were found dead on the side of the road. It is not clear if any other kittens survived, but Pookie was the lucky one. He lived a long and lovely life. My father adopted him when I was in transition when Pookie was about three years old. He had to have surgery for a condition similar to Angus' - but not as bad. He lived long after that. My father never wanted to give Pookie back to me. He was too attached. After my father passed away in 1995, Mom kept and loved Pookie dearly. He is the last of about five cats I left with her during my younger years (Pete, the red head you see at the bottom of the photo, died a couple of years ago - well over 20 years old). Pookie was a wonderful cat and we will all miss him so much!!

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Stitched on today: Stitched on an exchange, and And A Forest Grew

Finished Rachael's RR

My time with Rachael's Neighborhood Round Robin has run out. To be honest, it ran out two days ago! So, I buckled down and finished it tonight. I ended up putting a little rooster in that big area that has befuddled me for days. Time ran out, he had to get stitched.... I ripped through my stash twice with no better options. I want to thank everyone who left me such wonderful suggestions for this block! You helped BIG TIME! I ended up using a myriad of charts by Liz Turner Diehl, Brightneedle, Elizabeth's Designs, Just Nan and The Drawn Thread. Monday it gets posted off to Annemarie in The Netherlands while I await Barbara's now from Su!

Here it is with its first five blocks stitched now!! I hope Rachael will be pleased with it :-)

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Stitched on today: Finished Rachael's Neighborhood Round Robin, and started an exchange

Little Ducks & Big News for Newman

Ryan Newman is on the pole for the race in Atlanta on Sunday!!! First time in 21 tries - is my driver finally making a comeback? I can hope! (As a big Red Sox fan, one might think I would be a big Roush-Fenway fan, but no - it is all Newman for me!)

Barnabee's Quest has now outgrown my scanner. I worked away on it for quite a bit tonight. I made a mistake though. When I put this down last Friday, I had stitched up through the first caterpillar and left a needle threaded with DMC 520 in the fabric. Tonight, I started with caterpillar two, a bit distracted by watching NASCAR Qualifying, and I forgot that the middle caterpillar is supposed to be stitched in DMC 522. I am not going to fix this mistake. I don't think it makes any consequence to the finished effect, and it makes it my own, right? Also, an uh-oh. I started further down on my linen than I should have. I think the whole sampler will fit, but not with the allowance at the bottom that I had wanted. Can't say this is the first time I have ever done that!

I heard from Julie today that she received my birthday gift for her. Julie has been so good to me, and is such a lovely woman. Her birthday is early next week, and I am so happy she likes this wee tiny little fob - which counts as freebie #3 for the Freebie Challenge on the FGBB as well:

A Bee C Fob

Glory Bee

40 ct Lambswool Linen

Gentle Art Sampler Threads

Stitched 3/12/07

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It's snowing, as was forecasted. Plenty of it, sigh... where is spring??....I hope to finish up Rachael's Neighborhood RR tomorrow and get it off to Annemarie in Monday's mail - I am never late mailing RR's, but I miscalculated with this one - I had no idea the blocks were so big and would take so long to fill.

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Stitched on today: Finished a gift, and Barnabee's Quest

Bejewelled

Dawn got her jewelry tonight! This is one of my favorite parts of the Passione Ricamo designs - Laura loves to put jewelry on the fairies! This one is amazing - some areas are all beads or are all Petite Treasure Braids (plain and blended with DMC). I am lucky that I actually have never found working with metallics to be difficult. I do see a lot of people complaining about them, though. I think the key is to keep your lengths relatively short and use a Q-Snap - you just cannot get good tension with metallic braid if you stitch in hand, especially in large areas. I have tried both ways many times, and the Q-Snap is the clear and outright winner - no bumps or bobbles like I saw on one of the fairy spirits a few months back - the stitcher stitches in hand and her stitches do not lay flat and nice. Some may disagree, but if you look at both, it is hard to dispute this.

Yay, a three day weekend for me! Good planning, as we will get a forecasted 6" or so of snow during the day tomorrow. It was 76F when I was driving home from work yesterday. I hope this is the end of the snow for the season, but in New England, you cannot be sure in mid-March! I hope to get a FAQ on how the Neighborhood RR works out to my groups while I have this time off - I do I hope I can get that done!

Stitched on today: Stitched on a gift, and Dawn, Fairy Spirit of Grace

Over-One Grapes

I worked on the over-one grapes on Bordeaux Sampler for about as long as I could stand tonight - and then a bit longer. Wow, cannot wait until they are done! Part 5 is a mirror reflection of Part 3, I think. I am looking forward to that - it was a more enjoyable band with no over one stitching (except in the verse band). I just keep plugging along, as I am anxious to see this one finished. The colors are so pretty on the fabric :-)

I caught this shot of Beau and Angus sleeping together on the sofa a couple of nights ago. How rare for them to lie together. Of course, it is near impossible to make out Angus' black face here, but you can see that the fur on his front legs is growing back in now.

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Stitched on today: Stitched on a gift, Rachael's Neighborhood Round Robin, and Bordeaux Sampler

Return of Paradigm Lost

Paradigm Lost is back tonight after a one week hiatus. I am very thankful tonight for online graph paper :-) I printed out a sheet and had my initials charted out to do the personalization in about three minutes today. Whew. Was kind of wondering how I was going to do that, and how long it would take. It was super easy, and now on to another of the huge motifs....!!

Other than that, nothing is new! There are several gorgeous hand dyed fabrics still for sale - see Saturday's blog entry (March10) for photo, descriptions and prices - Silkweaver, Kiwi Illusions, Stitches and Spice, Sugar Maple Fabric... nice!!

Stitched on today: Paradigm Lost, and started a gift

Gardening in the Cove

I didn't have as much time as I had hoped to stitch on Rachael's RR tonight, but here is what I have added now: I finished the sailboat - and, I added irises from Barnabee's Quest, a birdhouse from Brightneedle's Nine-Patch Village, several clumps of marigolds, and a pair of Sand Hill Cranes from Drawn Thread's Moon Hill School Sampler. OK, now what to do???? I will likely add some of the beach sand near the cranes so they don't look like they are floating around on the ground. Then what? Oh, yes, I do plan to stitch water! More than one person has asked that! I will do that soon, and will likely use a half stitch, possibly with one strand of floss... not sure about that. You see, the objects in the water are all stitched over one, and I fear too thick of a stitch for the water will make them look odd. Then the whale tails will be added. I have a cute bunny and a cute hedgehog that I can stitch over one and add... Rachael, your thoughts??

And, here is a big treat for me today - Dianne has finished her block on my RR (the bottom center, isn't it gorgeous?? Wow, Dianne!! Thank you!!) and is going to post it off to Veronica soon! It has been such a long time since I have had a peek at my RR, and I love it!

Also, I heard from Kendra today, and she received my little birthday gift for her (there is a much better photo of this fob in her blog) - it arrived a day after her birthday, but I guess an extended birthday is a good thing! Kendra, I am glad you like it! Happy Belated Birthday! (This is completed freebie #2 for the Freebie Challenge on the Friends Gather BB).

Bloom Fob

Lizzie Kate

Silkweaver 32 ct Jobelan Solo

Gentle Art Sampler Threads

Stitched 3/5/07 - 3/6/07

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Stitched on today: Stitched a gift (start to finish), and Rachael's Neighborhood Round Robin

Welcome to Mermaid Cove

Here is 7.5 hours worth of work today on Rachael's Neighborhood Round Robin. Unfortunately, I still have a long way to go. The blocks on this RR are HUGE. I decided to use a whole lot of ideas from you, my blogging friends. I put scrub pine trees between my block and the one to the right, and that is working out well. I added a couple to the left as well. I then dug out several Brightneedle charts, yet another suggestion, and added a chaise and umbrella, as well as a mermaid and a sailboat (the boat is still under construction). The beeskeps are at Rachael's request. I added three to really fill in the area, so my lighthouse keeper is working two jobs now - she is also a beekeeper! More sand as I try to figure out what to do next... and that is 7.5 hours! I don't think I will ever do a RR block again without consulting you here in my blog - what great ideas!! Now, to find time to finish this before the next mailing later this week! I will put HOHRH aside tomorrow and see how much more of this I can get done...

There are still several gorgeous hand dyed fabrics for sale... if you are interested, please scroll down to Saturday's entry - lots of blues and greys available - great, useable fabrics at good prices!

I heard from Missy today that she received her birthday gift in time and that she is enjoying it! I dug around for a bit, and then came across this freebie from The Sampler Girl that seemed to say "perfect for a Treehugger's Wife"!! Sorry my photo is blurry. I didn't catch that until the fob was already sealed up in its package for Missy.

Tree Farm Fob
The Sampler Girl
40 ct Lambswool Linen
DMC Floss
Stitched 2/25/07 - 2/28/07

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Stitched on today: Finished a gift, and Rachael's Neighborhood Round Robin

Lots of Hand Dyed Fabrics For Sale

Saturdays are good days too :-) I really enjoy working on And A Forest Grew. Tonight I finished that very colorful tree that I started last week, and I have decided that it must be some kind of hybrid citrus tree that grows both oranges and grapefruits... well, at least, that is what I decided. Almost through Section 6 now.

Tomorrow morning after I get up and make my coffee, I am heading straight into my room of stash and pull charts to get some serious work in on Rachael's Neighborhood Round Robin - thanks to all of the wonderful ideas you lovely ladies have given me!! I think this is really going to come together now! You'll see... ;-)

And, well, the monthly installment will come due soon on Angus' surgery and hospital bill (Angus' 6th birthday is Monday, by the way - he is very chipper lately too). So..... I will let go of even more fabrics yet again this month. Let me know if you want any of these. PayPal is preferred, and if you are outside of the US, then PayPal is the only payment that works for me. Shipping is low - we will chat about that when you contact me - I hope you see something you like! Thanks!

Top Row:
Sugar Maple Fabrics Dolphin Dance (disc color) 28 ct Jubilee, 13” x 18”, $13
Stitches and Spice Dawn Light 28 ct Cashel, 18” x 26”, $20
Kiwi Illusions Alpine Spring 28 ct Cashel, 18” x 26”, $20
Sugar Maple Fabrics Gnome 28 ct Jubilee, 18” x 27”, $20
Middle Row:
Silkweaver Jelly Bean (limited edition color) 28 ct Lugana, 18” x 26”, $20
Silkweaver Solo 28 ct Annabelle, 25” x 26”, $21
Sugar Maple Fabrics Guenivere 32 ct Belfast Linen, 18” x 27”, $20
Heaven Lee Creatins Mummy’s Delight 32 ct Jobelan, 18” x 26”, $18
Bottom Row:
Stitches and Spice Unknown Color 32 ct Lugana, 18” x 26”, $18
Silkweaver Solo 32 ct Belfast Linen, 26” x 36”, $30
Sugar Maple Fabrics Indian Summer 32 ct Lugana, 9” x 13”, $3
Enchanted Fabrics Unique 58, 32 ct Belfast Linen, 10” x 12”, $4
Silkweaver Dolphin Island (disc color) 32 ct Belfast Linen, 18” x18”, $15

*****OK, blogging pals, you came through for me solidly last time! I am seeking another Prairie Schooler freebie. I am looking for one that is of the four seasons in a square... sun, leaf, pansy, snowflake... at the bottom of the wee card it says "For additional designs see our new Book No. 50 'Prairie Seasons." Does anyone have this?? I will happily negotiate. I have a very large freebie stash or will trade for another chart, if you like! Thank you!!

I received the name of my Monochromatic Exchange recipient for the SBEBB exchange today - I am so happy and excited, so many ideas in my mind right now as to what I want to make for her! Thanks Paula - I appreciate you setting up this fun exchange!

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Stitched on today: Stitched on a gift, and And A Forest Grew

On To Part III

Ooops! Crooked! Sorry! This is, I think, Week 6 of the Barnabee's Quest SAL. I moved on to Part III tonight. Caterpillars time! It was a super busy night here at our house (the car sale, getting it prepared for its trip to Iceland... so much to do!) - my stitching time was a bit more limited, but here is where I am at now...

Thank you for all of the nice comments on the biscornu yesterday - I agree, its lacy, not "old ladyish" :-)

Ah, finally the weekend and finally some warmer temps are due in here starting tomorrow! This has been quite a week of arctic temps around here. And, can you believe Daylight Savings Time actually starts on Sunday here??

I hope all of my friends are feeling well ;-) I am thinking of you!

Stitched on today: Stitched on a gift, and Barnabee's Quest

A butterfly is born

It is Dawn night, and here she grows again :-) It is hard to put this one down on Thursdays. After working a little more on her wings, I decided I was tired of looking at what appeared to be a small clump of cabbage in her hand... so I backstitched the butterfly! Oh my, is it pretty! It is backstitched with the Petite Treasure Braid PB16 - the black with pink, blue and yellow highlights. Stunning! After that, I figured it was time to start her right arm now too... so I am working towards that now. Dawn will be moving to the large Q-Snap very soon now. I want to do the Petite Treasure Braid and the beading as I go along, since there is so much of both in this design. Dawn is plenty small enough to fit in the large Q-Snap with tons of extra room, so there is no reason not to start beading now.

And, now that Vonna has received her PIF gift from me, I can share it. I was going for the antique lace look, but when I showed this to Mike before I posted it off to Vonna, he said it looks "old ladyish." OK, he's a guy, what does he know, right?? This biscornu is the first of the four freebies I hope to stitch this month as part of the Freebie Challenge over on the Friends Gather Bulletin Board.

The Three Emblems

Papillon Creations

Dirty Belfast Linen

DMC Color Variations - Desert Sand

Stitched 3/1/07 - 3/4/07

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Stitched on today: Started a gift, and Dawn, Fairy Spirit of Grace

Visiting Bordeaux

It is Bordeaux Sampler night again. Due to my sinuses bothering me, I really didn't stitch as long as I normally would, and I also spent a lot of time mulling over charts to figure out the next gift I will stitch (without success tonight) - but here is Bordeaux now - more boxers and another basket, plus some grapes in the right side border. Now I know I am at the halfway point, because the grapes in the border are now pointing up instead of down!

Thank you so much to everyone who left a comment or emailed me with a suggestion for what to add next on Rachael's Neighborhood Round Robin! I am so glad I posted the plea last night! I received the greatest ideas - each and every one was fantastic! Some ideas have already gelled together for when I stitch on it next! Thank you! The whale tails from Brightneedle's Nantucket Sampler are definitely happening!

I am getting a little worried. Some of the gifts I recently stitched and posted off may not have reached their destinations yet. I feel a bit impatient :-)

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr... it is so cold here! It barely broke 20F here today, and tomorrow should be about the same!

Stitched on today: Bordeaux Sampler

A Trip to the Sea, and Thank You Sonya!!

I received the most beautiful package of goodies in the mail today! There was no card or note in the package, but the Scotland return address suggests that this is the PIF package from Sonya! If this is indeed from Sonya, my gosh, she went above and beyond! Not only did she send this gorgeous paperweight - isn't it amazing?? - she also sent goodies! A cute chart, some Weeks Dye Works floss, stork scissors and a lavender sachet! Oh my! I feel so spoiled! Thank you Sonya! Your stitching is immaculate!

It felt really strange not to be stitching on Paradigm Lost tonight, but I did work on Rachael's Neighborhood Round Robin again instead. I finished up the fences and the anchor gate. I added sand to the beach (Liz Turner Diehl had grass amongst the sand, but I went my own way with this, partially because Rachael has asked for no overdyed or non-washable fibers in her RR, and Liz used Colorwash silk in this area). OK, I have some good ideas of what to add below the lighthouse in the open area - most especially, at least one beeskep as Rachael has requested. However... I admit I am a bit perplexed as to what to add in the rather obvious blank area to the right between the lighthouse and the next block. I want to have these two blend together somehow. The sailboat in the next block is a bit large, so there will be no perfect blending - any boat that would fit in my ocean would be quite smaller. So, I need something to break the area up yet appeal to some perspective. This will be the tricky part. Any suggestions? I am limited to what I have in my stash - which is huge. I know a tree would help, but it won't fill the whole area well... hmmm....

Stitched on today: Finished a gift, and Rachael's Neighborhood Round Robin

Houses Update

This is my Monday update of HOHRH. I didn't really get all that much done. A quick glance at the calendar this morning revealed that I needed to get a little giddy-up in my step and start another gift that needs to get posted off within the next couple of days. I had great success with that and need only do some finishing work tomorrow... HOHRH had to take a little bit of a back seat tonight, but at least I did get to it! I feel like I have been working on this house block forever (all of the blocks feel that way).

Thank you for all the nice comments on Rachael's RR - I was especially happy that Rachael commented that she likes it already - there will be another update tomorrow, as Jo and I won't be doing the Paradigm Lost SAL this week. She is travelling in the southwest for business right now and we decided to let the SAL go for the week. That will give me a chance to work on the RR tomorrow instead.

Some good news - Mike finally sold the Chrysler 300 SRT8! Good bye huge car payment! The buyer is, of all things, in Iceland! Wow, the logistics now to get the car picked up, driven to NYC and put on a plane - glad that is the buyer's issue and not ours!

Blech! It is going to be a cold week around here. The chipmunks are already awake and running all over the place. I think they might be happier if they go back underground until Saturday!

Stitched on today: The Mermaid and the Sea, started a gift, and Houses of Hawk Run Hollow

**********I am searching for an older Prairie Schooler freebie of a porcupine, and beneath him it says "stick it here" - does anyone have this? I would love to negotiate with you! Thanks!!

Finally Finished Part 1

It was a quiet Sunday around here, and I had the chance to get quite a few stitching things done. Not the least of which, I was able to finally finish Part 1 of the Long Dog Mystery Sampler.And, I made some more progress on Rachael's Neighborhood Round Robin. The lighthouse and keeper's house are backstitched now and I began adding some of Liz Turner Diehl's fencing... I love it, and now my plans for the entire block are starting to gel a little bit in my mind. That odd shape in the bottom center will be a gate with an anchor motif on it - very cute. I look forward to picking this up again soon. My only dilemma is how to add water of some sort to this and not run into the block to the right, which has very different looking water. So, I left some space to the right of the upper fence to add a tree or something to break up the horizon line... we'll see what happens :-)

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Stitched on today: Finished a gift, Rachael's Neighborhood Round Robin, and 18th Century Band Sampler

Mermaid and the Sea for Barbara

Here is this week's update of And A Forest Grew. I put it down early tonight. I just wasn't in much of a stitching mood, although I did get a lot done earlier today on a gift :-) The tree I am currently working on is pretty funky - you can see it partially stitched on the far right of the sampler. I think it influenced my decision to quit early.

And, this is for Barbara. Barbara has asked me a couple of times to show an updated picture of The Mermaid and the Sea. I work on this in little bits here and there at work. It is not exactly flying along at a lightning pace, but it is making progress.

I found things on the internet today that have me really wanting to save up some stash money! I found this pretty garden sampler on Liz Turner Diehl's website this morning. It is 17th Century Dutch Garden, and this will be a must stitch for me! Mike and I adored our travels to Amsterdam a few years ago, and we visited the tulip gardens there as well (OK, I don't think I can spell it, but it is something like Keukenhoff - help Annemarie or Barbara!!). Anyhow, Liz talked about designing this sampler last year at CATS.... I love it! Very colorful!

And then.... I got an email from Stitcher's Hideaway about this! This is Jeannette Douglas' teaching piece for the Sturbridge, Massachusetts retreat this summer! Born in Massachusetts and my family still lives there, this is also a must stitch for me! Jeannette really incorporated all that she could about the state! The zig zag line down the middle is the Freedom Trail and the Mohawk Trail, with Boston Common joining them. I cannot afford to go on this retreat. But, I will anxiously await its release to the public. Jeannette only waits about a year before she releases her teaching pieces. I will start saving up for this now - I imagine the embellishment and floss pack for it will be pricey.

Stitched on today: Stitched on a gift, and And A Forest Grew