This is going to take a while...

Part 12 and the center of the design were released today, so the mystery has been fully revealed - very nice! Martina did seem to pull it all together well. Not sure yet about all those extra silks, but I see now that the grey ones will be used. Anyhow, it is going to take a while to finish this up this month. She gave us quite a lot to do. I started tonight with the center design - it looked like more fun than the border - oh yes, we get to go all the way around the design again... and add stairs above each pool. There is something that I just love that is going to go in that very center area still - I worked my way in to it tonight - tomorrow I hope to stitch that special little thing that Martina gave us for our center. I love it! You'll see...

I am going to keep in mind that M9 is going to take a while when I set my goals this month -
November Goals:
1. Finish Part 11 of Mystery IX - yes
2. Work on Paradigm Lost SAL with Jo - yes
3. Work on An Emblem of Love SAL with Karen - yes
4. Work on Houses of Hawk Run Hollow SAL with Becky -yes, a little
5. Stitch some gifts - yes, finished 11 gifts this month
6. Work on Bordeaux Sampler SAL with Anne - yes
7. Work on Women of the Mayflower - yes
8. Work on Dianne's Neighborhood RR - sadly, no... still don't have a chart I like!
***I also put in some time this month on A Christmas Spirit and The Mermaid and the Sea

December Goals:
1. Finish Mystery IX
2. Work on Paradigm Lost SAL with Jo
3. Finish An Emblem of Love
4. Stitch some gifts
5. Work on Bordeaux Sampler SAL with Anne and Leslie
6. Finish Women of the Mayflower
7. Work on Dianne's Neighborhood RR
8. If at all possible, work on Houses of Hawk Run Hollow

Feeling a little better today - thanks to those of you who sent me get well emails :-)

Stitched on today: Started a gift, and Mystery IX

On the Homestretch with WOTM

I came home early from work today, struggling with a nasty stomach bug that much of my office building also has... we are like a cruise ship, everyone on board is falling ill. So, I spent most of the afternoon finishing up another birthday gift. But, after that, I pulled out Women of the Mayflower and finished up the names... I am on the homestretch now. I just need to finish the green border at the bottom, and then on each side. I think I got a better photo of it tonight since upping the resolution on my camera.

I got an email from Kath today - she received her little birthday gift from me. What a terrible photo I have of this one! I pretty much ignored all basic rules of photography when I took this photo. I know Kath is going to take a photo of it soon, so maybe she will get a better one. To understand this gift, it is important to know that Kath loves sheep. She is a true Kiwi :-) So, I decided to make a fob for her of a little shepherd boy to mind the many stitched sheep in her collection.... believe it or not, that white blob in the photo with the brown dot is actually a sheep (the dot is its eye) - figured I would tell you, since the photo is really that bad! Sigh...

Shepherd Boy Fob
Told In A Garden
Natural Quaker Linen
DMC floss
Stitched 11/19/06 - 11/20/06

Stitched on today: Finished a gift, and Women of the Mayflower

Finished Part 11

Just in time for December, I managed to take a few minutes to finish Part 11 of Mystery IX tonight.... it's anybody's guess now how this garden is going to finish up next month. I would imagine Martina will give us the center motif, but that will not be the entirety of Mystery IX. That is not how she did it with Mystery VI. I am thinking there may be some bits of border to add by each of the little pools now? Of course, there is the issue of several silks that have not even been used yet...

I heard from Cathy tonight that she received my little birthday gift - good timing, on the eve of her actual birthday. I have so enjoyed getting to know Cathy recently - she is my Gingher Designer Series Scissors Enabler - LOL!!! I didn't embellish this fob very much - I felt the design was too delicate to need or tolerate much fancy embellishing... Happy Birthday Cathy!

Poinsettia Basket Fob
Brightneedle
36 ct Cream Edinburgh Linen
WDW and DMC floss
Stitched 11/25/06

I got some great news when I got in from work tonight. I recently applied to be a mental health provider with another company recently contracted with Medicaid in Massachusetts. Tonight I came home to two copies of my new contract waiting for me :-) What a relief. This new insurance company is running an all out TV blitz for new members, and if any of my existing clients see it and decide to pick up the phone to join the new group, I will still be able to see them! Whew!!

Stitched on today: Finished a gift, Women of the Mayflower and Mystery IX, ... then started another gift

Paradigm Lost

And, here is this week's update of Paradigm Lost. I have begun the next really huge motif now. This one may take a while, it is a little deceiving. The stitching is pretty dense, but also has a good rhythm to it. So, it is hard to tell yet how long it will take. I got another email asking about the fabric for this sampler. I am using Silkweaver's 40 ct Purely Primitive linen. The silk floss is Vikki Clayton's Hand Dyed Fibers silk in Konini. Thanks for all the wonderful comments and emails about this sampler. It really is a special project, and it is wonderful that so many stitchers are expressing an interest in stitching this one too. I look forward to seeing the linen and fiber choices you all will be making for this one :-)

A really old friend of mine (she isn't actually old, but rather I have known her forever - LOL!) has decided to start up a stitching blog. I figured you might want to take a peek. I hope you will enjoy Carrie's blog :-)

Just as I wrote asking about the Sugar Maple Fabric TOTM, mine did come in yesterday - that does seem to be how fate works! Mindy sent me a FQ of Butterflies & Fairies belfast. Of course, I already put the pretty fabric away and forgot to scan it! I will have some nice hand dyed fabrics up for sale in my blog again soon... by the weekend, I would say :-) For now, these standard fabrics are available:

Zweigart 32 ct Dark Teal Belfast, 14" x 19", $6.00
Zweigart 32 ct Mulberry Belfast (discontinued), 13.5" x 18", $6.00
Zweigart 32 ct Willow Green Belfast, 18" x 27", $12 -sold
Zweigart 28 ct Steel Grey Cashel linen, 18" x 27", $12 - sold

Thank you for all of the lovely comments on the most recent fob finishes - I hope to finish something tomorrow, and it is NOT a fob this time! Gulp!

Oh, of course it is New DVD Release Tuesday! This week's selection: Superman Returns

Stitched on today: Stitched on a gift, Women of the Mayflower and Paradigm Lost

An Emblem of Love Monday... and reaching Singapore!

Here is this week's update on An Emblem of Love... I made my way to the right side edge of the sampler now (although it was a tight fit on the scanner tonight). Too tired to finish that half medallion tonight. Severe insomnia last night leaves me pretty exhausted tonight. I know I will sleep just fine when I go to bed in just a moment :-)

Meanwhile, I just got an email from Zohrah letting me know that her belated birthday gift has safely arrived in Singapore. I had to stitch this little fob for her, as Zohrah and her little boy Adam are in the process of buying their first house right now (well, pretty much Zohrah is buying the house, but I am sure it will be Adam's too!)...Zohrah says the fob smells beautiful like clean linen - how nice to hear, considering I am married to a smoker! LOL

Spring's Notice Fob
Blackbird Designs, freebie available here
32 ct Cream lugana, GAST, WDW and DMC floss, Mill Hill beads
Stitched 11/16/06 - 11/18/06

(***Anne, the fob is modeled on my new Jamie Ginghers... that guilty indulgence of mine... which, so very sadly, is now compounded by a) I bought some Alyssa Ginghers a few days ago, and b) now today I bought some Julia Ginghers thanks to sale at Joann's online store.... add to this the pair of Lanell Ginghers I got from Cathy recently... somebody has got to stop me! I don't need this fetish!).

Stitched on today: An Emblem of Love, and worked a little bit on the gift I have been stitching on for a bit now...

About online mystery samplers...

While I did again spend a bit of my stitching time today working on a gift, I then made time this evening to work on Part 11 of Mystery IX... I made good progress and now have very little left to do - one more small area of the green "meadow" border and the queen and eyelet stitches to make the flowers. I finally figured out (with Mike's help) how to up the resolution in my camera, so I am hoping the photo is better tonight?

A few people have asked me via email and via comments if I really like how the mystery is turning out. My answer is, yes. I like Martina's style very much. While a mystery may take a funky turn here and there on any given month, it somehow comes together in the end. I know these questions are primarily being asked by stitchers who are contemplating starting a mystery - many are interested in the upcoming Mystery X. I say, if you can afford the kit and online subscription with Martina, to go for it! As an example, here is the mystery I stitched in 2004:
This is the former Mystery VI, now sold as Indian Summer Reflections. (I apologize this photo is crap - you can see it better on Martina's chartpacks - LOL - I should take a better photo of it someday when I think of it). I did this one online on a monthly basis as well, and did keep up with it. It had many strange twists and turns, but I just love how it came out. All Martina told us was that it would be an autumnal themed garden following her mandala themed format. Other than that, we could peek at the supplies on her boards and Yahoo groups. The rest was a surprise. I like surprises, I have no complaints. The same goes with Mystery IX - what we knew ahead of time was that this would be a French garden. It turned out to actually be the King's Vegetable Garden, or Le Potager du Roi. I am looking forward to seeing what Martina will offer us to stitch in the center of Mystery IX - I love the wreath of leaves with the personalization that she gave us for Mystery VI, and I hope it will be similar, but following this theme rather than an autumn theme. So, long story short - I say, yes, try an online mystery! You don't have to keep up with it month to month. Many stitchers don't. You can do it at your own pace. It is just my OCD that keeps me driven (and many stitchers as well) to keep up with the monthly bits. (However, I am done with these monthly commitments - I am considering signing up for Mystery X, but taking it at my own leisure this time... won't even be buying the kit right away, no stress with that one, I have way too many other things I want to stitch - Now, I know many of my friends are proud to hear me say that!).

And, this is just my desire to share some excitement here! I have seen many do this already, and this weekend it was my turn - I got an outstanding deal on a brand new pair of Gingher Alyssa Designer Scissors on ebay! Yay! I have been coveting these for a while. Now, to go camp out by the mailbox to wait for them. I think I want to stitch Brightneedle's Something Blue fob for them (whenever I get the free time to do so!).

Stitched on today: Stitched on a gift, and Mystery IX

More Progress on Part 11

I made more progress on Part 11 of Mystery IX late tonight, after I spent the bulk of today's stitching time making another gift (from start to finish, want it to get there on time!). I really like stitching the leaves on the trees, so I look forward to finishing those up really soon. And after that, I will only have to do another outside border of flowers with the green border. Should be no problem :-)

Kathy from Canada, thanks for visiting my blog :-) Paradigm Lost is by Long Dog Samplers. You asked where to get a copy, and you can get it at many places, but it is currently on sale here (click). Enjoy!

Is anyone else who reads my blog a member of Sugar Maple Fabrics' Treat of the Month (TOTM)? If so, have you received your fabric yet? It is November 25th, and still no sight of mine... I know sometimes Mindy's fabrics are late, but figured I would ask if anyone got theirs yet... thanks :-)

Stitched on today: Started and finished a gift, worked on another gift, and Mystery IX

Finally working the last corner now

I guess I was looking for every excuse in the book today to avoid working on Mystery IX yet again. So, I started and finished an entire gift today.... then got around to working on Part 11. I am glad I did, as I finished the third corner and have now made a dent in the final corner - with a week left to the month.

I heard from Bea today, alerting me that my gift to her also has made its trans-Atlantic voyage successfuly, and I grabbed her photo of it from her blog (the photo I took before posting it off was very overexposed and I was hoping I would not have to use it - thanks Bea, for a better photo!). I kept the construction simple on this one as it is a Prairie Schooler Design... there is a small primitive silver charm with a heart on it attached at the back of the fob's ribbon - you can sort of see it leaning against the scissor package. I wanted to give it a little something. I am really glad she has this now, as I totally missed her birthday back in September.

"B" from Christmas Alphabet
Prairie Schooler
32 ct Sage Jobelan, DMC floss
Stitched 11/14/06 - 11/15/06

I hit WalMart today - had to, needed shampoo and a condolence card for my FIL who lost his dog recently - and they had a big DVD sale - picked up The Omen for half price.

Stitched on today: Started and finished a gift, and Mystery IX

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to my US friends :-) I couldn't think of a better project to work on today than Women of the Mayflower. And, now I am coming down the homestretch with it. I realized I had a skein of Olde Willow Floss in Gratitude Olde Rose in An Emblem of Love's kit. It is a mucher darker skein than the one I had been using for Women of the Mayflower. I used it to stitch "Women of the Mayflower" and it looks great - I did not need to go with a different color after all. Granted, this sampler is truly impossible to photograph well. The colors are so delicate and do not show well in photos, but they are stunning in person. I will definitely try to get a natural daylight photo of this sampler when I finish it (weather permitting - it is late autumn and relatively gloomy most often now) - hopefully a photo in daylight will show it more realistically.

I also worked on the current gift today - for quite a while, I just hate putting that one down!

Mike and I had a quiet Thanksgiving at home this year - I got to stitch and watch football. How rare! It was his mother's year to host, but for some reason Mike declined that invitation and wanted a year without having to travel. Fine with me :-) He made his first turkey, and it came out just perfect!

Stitched on today: Sitched on a gift, and Women of the Mayflower

Thank you US Post!

I am so distracted today - I started another gift earlier today (wow, there really are a lot of stitching blogger birthdays in November and December!), and I am really enjoying working on the gift. But I put it aside to devote my attention to Mystery IX again. Well, I got more done on the corner, but I need to get a bit more dedicated to it within the next week... December is creeping up. (Blogger is acting up, so I used Photobucket to post the photos today)

I heard from Karen today that she received a little gift I had made for her - a RAK this time around, as she is very, very good to me! The US Post got this to her in only 9 days! I got her all interested in the Boston Red Sox in 2004.... she loves sports as I do! Sadly, her favorite player, Keith Foulke, is not likely to be returning to the Red Sox in 2007... The photo is poor, but if you click to her blog, you get to see a much better photo! There is a tiny silver heart charm on the back of the fob - along with our initials - because I wanted to girlie it up a little bit - I think you can see a hint of that charm in her photo -

Boston Red Sox Fob
Nomis
Opalescent White Cashel linen, DMC floss, Mill Hill Beads
Stitched 11/11/06 - 11/12/06

OK... off to put a few more stitches in on that gift!!

Stitched on today: Started a gift, and Mystery IX

Almost Thanksgiving

It's almost Thanksgiving now! Half a day of work tomorrow, and then off for four days! Nice :-) Good chance, perhaps, to make more progress on Mystery IX.... In the meantime, tonight's update of Paradigm Lost. I finished the big motif with the strange birds tonight, and as I cleared that one I realized I am heading straight on to another huge, monster sized motif! Not as frilly as the last one, though. It takes up almost a whole page of the chart, though. I get to stitch a little elephant first - neat!

Michelle, Jenna and I have decided to start an SAL of Barnabee's Quest starting on February 1, 2007. I am really looking forward to that! I stitched Lady Scarlet's Journey a couple of years ago, and it was recently framed by Bren, Karen's husband, for me. I just love it. It hangs in my bathroom (Mike and I have seperate bathrooms), and I look at it everytime I brush my teeth! (**Mike actually has Just Nan's Catnip Tea in his bathroom!).

My Yahoo albums are different now - Yahoo Photos changed its format. So, I will need to fix my links. I think all the links take you to the main page, and that is easy enough to navigate, for now...

New DVD Release Tuesday - You, Me and Dupree - very funny one, we watched it already tonight :-)

Stitched on today: Women of the Mayflower and Paradigm Lost

Weekly EoL Update

It was time again tonight to work on this delicate little sampler. I have almost made my way over to the right edge now - the scan makes it appear as if I have, but I haven't. There are some more partial medallions still to stitch along the side. Getting very close now :-)

I spent some time at the craft store today, after I went to pick up my new glasses (the prescription ones - not the "readers" yet, still resisting that for a few days!!) and I bought the supplies I believe I need to try out another finishing technique... gotta have at least two tricks up my sleeve!

Stitched on today: Finished a gift, and An Emblem of Love

Very, very little

That's what I have to show tonight - very, very little. I spent a good portion of the day starting another gift and got all of the cross stitching completed on it. I hope to get to the finishing in the next couple of days. In the meantime, I really didn't get an awful lot done on Bordeaux Sampler tonight. I did manage to get another cluster of grapes done, which is in and of itself something to consider to be an achievement! Better luck next week!

Stitched on today: Started a gift, and Bordeaux Sampler

I have to wear "readers" now :-(

This is the only bit of my stitching today that I can post - I put some time in this evening working on Mystery IX again - I got the leaves onto the trees in the bottom left corner, and added some swirls by the pool. The rest of my stitching time today, which was limited anyhow, was dedicated to finishing the gift I had going - and finishing it took longer than anticipated - but I just love how it came out.

I had an eye exam today - the general every 1.5 to 2 years deal - and while the doctor increased my prescription a bit in both eyes for my contact lenses (sigh), she noted that my up close vision is still very good. However.... while I can easily stitch away on 40 ct linen for hours without a glitch, it is now difficult for me to look up from my stitching and focus on a clock, or the TV.... so... now I have to go out and buy a pair of +1 "readers" to wear while I stitch - LOL! I have to laugh, or else I will cry :-) She warned me that eventually my needlework is going to catch up with me - well, I could just tell she is not a stitcher! LOL. Oh well, at 43 I would say my vision is still excellent for up close work.

I received such a lovely RAK from my pal Karen today! She sent me Drawn Thread's Boo Scissors Keeper & Scissors Purse chart pack! She knew I wanted to stitch this set, and suddenly it appeared today! Thank you so much Karen! I can't wait until my gift stitching and my PIF stitching is done, so that I can get right to work on this! Karen is the sweetest - she spoils me rotten!!! I am trying to get her to post a WIP of her South Seas Mermaid in her blog for us (hint, hint)....

Stitched on today: Finished a gift, and Mystery IX

The Mermaid and the Sea

I spent a while today working on the gift I started last night - it is belated and has a long way to travel, so I want to get it done. That included trips to a couple of crafts stores on my way home from work this afternoon to get just the right finishing materials. I will get it done this weekend, as I made a lot of progress. When I put that aside tonight to start my regular stitching, I easily talked myself out of Mystery IX. I wasn't in the mood to spend all the necessary time to remount it on the big Q-Snaps. So, I dug out The Mermaid and the Sea, which hasn't had any attention in about a month now. I just love stitching this one. I started on the border in the corner tonight, and realized it is not a tedious border at all.. which is good, because there is a lot of border that will need to eventually be stitched on this one.

I forgot yesterday to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who commented and emailed me about the By the Bay Needlearts freebie that I was looking for it. I have it now! Boy, did I get a lot of help from you ladies - thank you!!! If I can ever help you, please let me know!! Thank you also for the lovely comments on the Peppermint Rose fob :-) The chart was a GWP (gift with purchase) from CATS - directly from Nan who was a guest in Silver Needle's booth. It's not a freebie chart, but maybe it can still be obtained through Silver Needle? I got a few emails already asking about it.

Ever wonder who reads your blog? I sure do! It seems that new people keep popping up daily now.

Oh, I still have the following fabrics available for sale - $1.50 each for shipping in the US :-) Thanks!

Zweigart 32 ct Dark Teal Belfast, 14" x 19", $7.50
Zweigart 32 ct Mulberry Belfast (discontinued), 13.5" x 18", $7.50
Zweigart 32 ct Willow Green Belfast, 18" x 27", $12
Wichelt 18 ct Twilight Blue linen, 14" x 18" (great for Shepherd's Bush), $8.00 -sold
Zweigart 28 ct Steel Grey Cashel linen, 18" x 27", $12
Zweigart 25 ct Bone Lugana (great for HAED), 18" x 27.5", $12 -sold

Stitched on today: Stitched on a gift, and The Mermaid and the Sea

A Mystery IX Update

Back to Mystery IX, but I quit early tonight. Tired. But, working my way well around the third corner now... nice to have a month when this project does not cause a lot of stress just to get it done before the month ends. Still have a ton of unused fibers, though, and will they actually all get used up in Part 12?

I got an email from Dianne tonight letting me know that her birthday gift arrived safely...Dianne loves gardening as I do, so the choice was easy for her... here it is (surprise, surprise - a fob - LOL):

Peppermint Rose
Just Nan (GWP Chart at CATS)
Zweigart Putty Cashel Linen
DMC floss, Kreinik #4 braid, Mill Hill Beads
Stitched 11/9/06 - 11/10/06

Q. Do you stitch Christmas ornaments? If so, how many do you stitch each
year and for whom? If not, why not?

A. The answer for me is easy - not yet. I am just now trying to learn finishing techniques, and I am hoping that next year my friends certainly will be receiving Christmas ornaments from me!

Stitched on today: Women of the Mayflower, started another gift, and Mystery IX

Women of the Mayflower... Fabrics for Sale

I haven't had much chance to work on Women of the Mayflower, or any other stitching, at work lately - so I brought it home tonight and worked on it a bit... not too much further to go now :-)

Thank you so much to everyone who is leaving me such nice comments and emails about the little fobs I have been busily stitching. I feel so much like a one-trick pony right now - getting good at fobs, but nothing else - LOL! I promise you, I am working hard at learning some new tricks so it won't be quite so boring for you all!

Does anyone know how to access By the Bay Needlearts' freebie called Bay View Estate? I would love to get this, but cannot locate it anywhere... any help would be great, and am willing to trade for any freebie I have that you want, my stash is huge! Thanks!!

More fabrics for sale... everytime I visit my stash, I see more purging I can do! $1.50 shipping in US per piece (found out real cost of postage last time around) - if not in US, let me know and I will give you a good deal! PayPal highly preferred.

Zweigart 32 ct Dark Teal Belfast, 14" x 19", $7.50
Zweigart 32 ct Mulberry Belfast (discontinued), 13.5" x 18", $7.50
Zweigart 32 ct Willow Green Belfast, 18" x 27", $12
Wichelt 18 ct Twilight Blue linen, 14" x 18" (great for Shepherd's Bush), $8.00
Zweigart 28 ct Steel Grey Cashel linen, 18" x 27", $12
Zweigart 25 ct Bone Lugana (great for HAED), 18" x 27.5", $12

Stitched on today: Finished a gift, and Women of the Mayflower

Paradigm Lost & The World in Stitches

It's update day for Paradigm Lost - I mastered the huge motif in the upper right, stitched the crab and started another motif on the left by the acorns. Moving along pretty well. I have heard from one or two stitchers ( a while back) that this chart has several errors in it. I don't think I have come across any yet. It seems to be well charted. Jo, have you noticed any?

I got an email from Amanda tonight letting me know that her birthday gift from me finally arrived. Mike posted it to her on Thursday, and it only had to go to Maine. The postal holiday on Saturday slowed it down a bit, but I think it did get there before her birthday, which I think is actually tomorrow... I knew Amanda liked fantasy designs, and I had a lot of fun coordinating this one for her. Here it is:

The Runekeeper
Dragon Dreams
Starry Night 28 ct Jubilee from The Dye Shop, DMC floss, Kreinik #4 braids, and Miyuki Seed Beads
Stitched 11/3/06 - 11/8/06
I visited The World in Stitches today for the first time in many months. Every time I go there they have a stunning trunk show by a popular designer. Last time I went, they had Little House Needleworks. The time before that, they had Patricia-Ann Designs. Today, they had Rosewood Manor. Oh ladies, the model for And A Forest Grew is simply amazing! If you are near TWIS, you might want to stop in and see it (Littleton, Massachusetts). While I was there, I picked up Needleprint's Sarah Moon's Quaker Sampler. Randi had three of the Ackworth Samplers charts there today - it was impossible to make a decision!! But, I did finally choose this one. Now I have yet another huge sampler to put in my pile to do!! I think I really want the companion to the Beatrix Potter Quaker Sampler too.... next time... :-)

My Silkweaver FOTM came in yesterday - I am thrilled to bits that they sent Intrigue this month! I have been hoping for that one for quite some time now, and seeing it in reality was no disappointment! After two months of linens that did not appeal to my tastes very much (Autumn Sunrise and, I think, Sundown) this was a real treat. Thanks Silkweaver!!

New DVD Release Tuesday, and it was a big one - The Da Vinci Code - we already thoroughly enjoyed watching this one tonight!

Stitched on today: Started a gift, and Paradigm Lost

An Emblem of Love & Pay It Forward

As with all Mondays of late, it was An Emblem of Love night. I finished the entire left side of the sampler, and have a bit of the right side still left to do now... my scan is a little crooked, though.

I joined another Pay It Forward through Su's blog - so, here it how it works:

The first five people to respond to this post (via the comments section) will get some form of "art" made by me. It will be a hand crafted item made from sewing, crocheting, drawing, or of course stitching. I will try to make the item something special just for you. After you comment, please email me your snail mail address (carolsutcliffe at comcast dot net). I'm going with a personal deadline of 365 days. So, it will be a bit of a random surprise in the mail for you, but something you can look forward to. There is a catch, of course, the way this works is that if you sign up, you have to blog this as well and continue sharing.

Back to work tomorrow - I'm ready - it was a lazy long break with the rain keeping me from getting any yard work done...

Stitched on today: An Emblem of Love

Keeping Up with Bordeaux Sampler

I did manage to do those specialty stitches on Part 11 of Mystery IX today. I enjoy doing queen stitches, but last night it was after 1 AM when I put this down, and I couldn't have stitched another x let alone a queen stitch at that point. I thought I might stick with it and even started another tree on the third corner...(which points me past the halfway point now)... but then I realized I had not picked up Bordeaux Sampler yet this week...
So I did! I am determined to get back into the swing with this SAL that I am doing with Anne (and when I added the link, I just saw that she worked on this sampler today - very cool!). I love this delicate sampler, despite the over one grapes on 40 ct - those take quite a while to stitch (an entire episode of Without A Trace and an episode of Seinfeld to do the two clusters I did tonight!!).

Q. How many different brands of "complete" embroidery floss sets do you
own? How do you keep track of it? (i.e., spread sheet program, index
cards, palm pilot, etc.)

A. I don't think I own any complete sets of any flosses, including DMC. I buy tons of DMC, but I also use tons of DMC. I doubt my huge piles of it add up to a complete set - LOL! I might have a complete set of GAST, not sure... they release new colors often enough that I don't know if I am caught up... Oh, I do have a full boxed set of Silk Mori Milkpaints - not sure if that is the complete set or not?? My husband made me a very useable database using MS Access - very lovely job he did with it. I plan to use it as soon as I find time to enter my stash into it (that could take years!).

Stitched on today: Finished another gift, Mystery IX, and Bordeaux Sampler

Too tired to stitch those queen stitches

I almost made it to the half way point of Part 11 tonight, but I was just too tired to stitch those queen stitches on the flowers (or the algerian eyelets either). Maybe tomorrow... just maybe :-) I sincerely appreciate all the motivation from you all. Thanks :-)

Meanwhile, still stitching gifts, so can't show much of what I have also been up to...

And, of course, Happy Veteran's Day to all of the men and women who work so hard to keep our country safe!

Stitched on today: Started another gift, and Mystery IX

More Gardening

I spent most of my stitching time today finishing a gift (I am caught up with current birthdays now, but have some belated ones to address still). But after that, I put in some time on Mystery IX. I was able to put leaves on the trees in the bottom right corner tonight. Then I got tired. I am fighting off a cold or sinus infection, not sure which yet. Time to just relax and watch a movie or something.

Thanks to all who left sweet comments and emails about A Christmas Spirit. I really did enjoy working on her last night. If Mystery IX's final part is not too huge next month, I should be able to get her back into my rotation - wow, a rotation! I will finally be back to a rotation after Mystery IX concludes. I am really looking forward to that. I was also happy to learn that several of you have A Christmas Spirit in your stash - I hope to see you all starting her soon :-)

Stitched on today: Finished a gift, and Mystery IX

The Return of A Christmas Spirit

I wasn't really in the mood to stitch on Mystery IX tonight... or HOHRH... so, I dug into my WIP tote and found A Christmas Spirit. I had so much fun working on this one tonight. According to my photo files, I have not worked on her since 12/29/05! Tonight I worked on her fur collar of her jacket with Wisper. It worked out well, although threading Wisper onto a needle is not a whole of fun, now is it? LOL! Passione Ricamo designs make me feel a bit sentimental. I had a friend who loves these designs, and this stirred up memories tonight. I sure would like to find even more time to work on this and get it done sooner than later now...

This is the official start of a 4 day weekend for me now - I hope to get a lot done around the house and yard, as well as stitching.

Stitched on today: Women of the Mayflower, started yet another gift, and A Christmas Spirit

Started another corner

I spent a while tonight doing the finishing work on yet another gift (it is a really busy birthday time for stitchers right now!!), so I cannot show yet much of what I did today. But after I finished that and packaged it up for mailing, I did get back to Mystery IX for a bit. I didn't do a whole lot, because I also spent a bit of time on MSN Messenger with Karen tonight - a rare treat for us both to be on MSN Messenger at the same time.
I still have two fabrics available for sale, so I figured I would show a photo of them... I imagine not everyone is familiar with them, and they are hand-dyed. Let me know if you want either or both of them - shipping is $1 each in the US, otherwise contact me. You can either email me or leave a comment here.

Stitches & Spice Ghost Gum 32 ct Belfast, 18" x 27", $15 (on the left) - sold
Wichelt African Daisy 28 ct Jobelan, 18" x 27", $12 (on the right)- sold

Stitched on today: Finished another gift, and Mystery IX

Paradigm Lost and Great New FOTM Membership

It's Tuesday - wish I didn't have to work so late and had to squeeze in time to stitch. Still working away on that monster motif in the upper right, but almost there now.
I just received my first installment from the new FOTM offered by Enchanted Fabrics. With the closest LNS to me closing now, it made sense to find another way to get a good supply of these pretty fabrics. I believe I found the solution. Lori sent me a fat quarter of one of her new releases, Magic's Kiss. It is belfast linen from her Flair collection. Super pretty! Only $23 for the first month, and then only $20 each month after that - can you beat that??

OK... so now that we are back on Standard Time here in the US, I am trying to figure out what is happening with the evening commute. Since Standard Time started up and we are now driving home in the darkness for the evening commute, it is just amazing how many accidents I am encountering on my way home - something I rarely ever saw driving home in daylight hours during the spring and summer. Not sure why I have never noticed this before, but it sure is obvious this year. Do people lose their ability to drive in the darkness during the evening commute?

New DVD Release Tuesday: Cars and Little Man (not my choice!).

Stitched on today: Paradigm Lost

An Emblem of Love

I worked on An Emblem of Love again tonight, as I now do on Mondays. Almost done with the left side now. It shouldn't take too much longer to finish.

Happy 15th to our niece Nicole :-) We spent time with her on Saturday - wow, she is growing up fast!

Stitched on today: Women of the Mayflower, a gift and An Emblem of Love

Women of the Mayflower Update/Fabrics for Sale

I finally tackled the rest of the ship on this sampler tonight. It really took a while to stitch it using the diagonal satin stitch. It was a little tricky to get into the rhythm and count it correctly to get those little flower-like motifs within the diagonal satin stitch. I have been avoiding it, but decided to do it today. Now the rest of the sampler will be very quick and easy.

I saw in Jenna's blog today that she has received the belated birthday gift that I stitched for her - I wish I had taken a better photo of the fob... it is modeled here with my silly pink bunny scissors by Dinky Dyes - they matched the colors of the fob well :-)

Flower Girls
Just Nan
Liberty Street 28 ct Angel Twinkle Linen
DMC floss, RG Petite Treasure Braid, Mill Hill Treasure, Mill Hill Petite Beads
Stitched 10/26/06 - 11/1/06

More fabrics for sale - please email me or a leave comment here if you want one. Shipping is $1 each in the US. If out of the US, let me know :-)

Country Stitch Kiwi Illusions Mithril 32 ct Lugana, 18" x 27", $17 - sold
Stitches and Spice Ghost Gum 32 ct Belfast, 18" x 27", $15 - sold
Lil' Bean Creations Age Old 32 ct Hand Dyed Linen, 18" x 27", $15 - sold
Wichelt Babbling Brook 28 ct Hand Dyed Jobelan, 18" x 27", $12 - sold
Wichelt African Daisy 28 ct Hand Dyed Jobelan, 18" x 27", $12 - sold
Crossed Wing Collection 28 ct Autumn Oak Linen, 12" x 13.5", $10 - sold
Silkweaver Sunshine Sparkle 28 ct Lugana, 18" x 26", $12 - sold
Wichelt Lambswool 18 ct linen, 18" x 18", $7 - sold

Stitched on today: Worked on a gift, and Women of the Mayflower

First Corner Finished

Tonight I finished the rest of the first corner of Part 11.... now this has to be done three more times... it's getting prettier. The trees will get a whole lot of beads in them when this is finished... the whole garden, actually, will be getting a whole lot of beads!

and....I have joined the Pay It Forward Challenge:

The first five people to respond to this post (via the comments section) will get some form of "art" made by me. It will be a hand crafted item made from sewing, knitting, drawing, or of course stitching. I will try to make the item something special just for you. After you comment, please email me your snail mail address (to carolsutcliffe at comcast dot net). It will likely take me a few months to get them all made up for you... so you will have something to look forward to :-) If you sign up, you then need to post the challenge in your blog, though :-)

Stitched on today: A gift, and Mystery IX

And so it begins...

I started Part 11 of Mystery IX tonight. Now we are adding little tiny trees in the gaps under the hedges from last month. And, each corner pool gets extended a bit more... this is the first half of the first corner for this part. I figure on getting the second half of the first corner stitched tomorrow. That will be little flowers and some green that Martina calls "the meadow." But, this part does not call for the fibers that are still untouched in the kit. Could it be possible that we will need all of those just for Part 12?

Got this song running through my head tonight - LOL!

"The drinkin' bone is connected to the party bone
The party bone's connected to the stayin' out all night long
And she won't think it's funny
And I'll wind up all alone
And the lonely bone's connected to the drinkin' bone"...Tracy Byrd

Stitched on today: Started another gift, and Mystery IX

For Anne...

I had originally planned to start Part 11 of Mystery IX tonight, but I ended up working late to see a young girl I've been treating for a while now, who is really struggling right now. So, instead of dragging M9 out when I was ready to finally stitch, I decided it was time to stop being such a lousy SAL mate for Anne - I dug out Bordeaux Sampler (which was a trick - for a few minutes, I had forgotten where it was!) and got right back into it. Yay, I am glad I did. Other than the tedious one over one on 40 ct for the grape clusters, it is a fun stitch! I have decided that having it as an "at work" stitching project was why this was not working out for me. Right now, Women of the Mayflower is great as my "at work" project, so I am rotating Bordeaux Sampler back in for at home... so maybe this SAL can pick up some steam again? This sampler is soooo delicate, I love it - and it makes me feel so good!

Q. How did you decide on the title of your stitching blog? Was it random, or does it have a special meaning to you or about you?

A. You know, I cannot even remember what my blog's original title was!! Seriously.... no clue! I changed it after a few months to reflect my equally combined interests in stitching and gardening.

I have received several emails asking if I have anymore fabrics to sell.... yes, I do. To respond to some requests, I will post some more over the weekend, so if you are interested, keep an eye out.

Stitched on today: Women of the Mayflower and Bordeaux Sampler

Goals

I decided to work on Houses of Hawk Run Hollow tonight, for the first time in almost a month. I achieved a mini-milestone by finishing House 3 (upper left), and now I am 1/3 finished with HOHRH. Finally, a reasonably sized fraction.

Part 11 came out for Mystery IX today... and finally, I think this part is going to really help to pull the design together. I will probably start on that tomorrow. I can't really guage how long this part is going to take, but it doesn't appear to be as large as Part 10 was.

The new issue of The Gift of Stitching (see sidebar to left) also came out today - another pretty good one. Kirsten is doing a great job with this huge task of putting out a decent online stitching magazine every single month! I love the little wren box top by The Cat's Whiskers.

Goal Review Time -
October Goals:
1. Finish Part 10 of Mystery IX - yes
2. Finish Mermaids of the Deep Blue - yes
3. Work on Paradigm Lost SAL with Jo - yes
4. Work on Houses of Hawk Run Hollow - yes
5. Work on Bordeaux Sampler SAL with Anne - no
6. Work on Blessings Be Thine - yes
7. Work on Emblem of Love SAL with Karen - yes
8. Start Violet and Lace Sampler SAL with Katrina - yes, and finished it
9. Work on Women of the Mayflower SAL - yes
10. Work on Dianne's Neighborhood RR - pick charts - yes, I picked the chart, but no I did not stitch on it yet - mailing date was delayed to January now
11. Work on Mermaid Heaven - no
12. Work on Angel of Love - no
13. Work on Mermaid and the Sea - no
***I did stitch three fobs that were sent and received as gifts this month

November Goals:
1. Finish Part 11 of Mystery IX
2. Work on Paradigm Lost SAL with Jo
3. Work on An Emblem of Love SAL with Karen
4. Work on Houses of Hawk Run Hollow SAL with Becky
5. Stitch some gifts
6. Work on Bordeaux Sampler SAL with Anne
7. Work on Women of the Mayflower
8. Work on Dianne's Neighborhood RR

Stitched on today: Finished a gift, and Houses of Hawk Run Hollow