Prairie Schooler Ornament for Nicole

I heard from Nicole today that she received the ornament I stitched for her for the HoE Prairie Schooler Exchange.  It was really fun to stitch this Santa from an "ancient" leaflet (copyright 1988) - I truly like their older designs better than their newer ones, in many cases.  So glad Nicole says she likes this one.  Sadly, I realized after I took the pic of the ornament hanging from a huge honeysuckle bush/tree that is against my back porch that some bits from the honeysuckle are on his face in two areas...  if you see them, they are not boo boos - lol.  I just hope I didn't send the ornament to her with those bits of dried honeysuckle plant on it!

  St. Nicholas Ornament

Prairie Schooler

28 ct Riviera French Country Linen, DMC Floss

I also personalized the back a bit for her. The dove and mistletoe are from a different Santa in the leaflet...

Hope everyone is having a lovely late summer (or spring in the 'other' hemisphere) - happy stitching to all... I best get started on more of SV part 9, as I see part 10 is about to be released.... I am lagging behind...lol

Bat Buddy

I have heard from my dear friend Marie that she has received the little Halloween ornament that I stitched up for her new Halloween tree this past weekend. Marie is a very dear friend who is always so kind and thoughtful towards me. She understands my tinnitus as she has it as well. She is always there for me. And, she makes me gifties and I am a bit behind in gifting her! So... I made this guy for her.... now, I have only stitched on perforated paper but once in my life, and that was so many years ago. I found trimming the darn paper to be devilish...

Bat Buddy

Flowers 2 Flowers

JCS 2013 Annual Halloween Issue

28 ct Brown Perforated Paper, DMC Floss, Mill Hill Beads

Candy Cane Cottage... Distractions.... Friendship Exchange

At last, Candy Cane Cottage.  This one seemed to take me forever, even though it is a small cottage.  I feel myself dragging a little bit with this project, and need to get myself back on track.  I know that the main factor really is that my medical condition that was discovered 2 years and 4 months ago at this point, just is not truly improving.  My doctor did make what he calls a "radical" treatment change last week, but in all honesty, I feel no radical change (although today is not so terribly bad)...  my 50th bday is in two days and I told him I just wanted to wake up on that day and not have to think or worry about how I feel or what I have to deal with.... he grimaced and offered no hope of that... so, onward and keeping positive thoughts for myself, working towards acceptance.

And here is a general idea of how Santa's Village is looking now....  8 down, 4 to go!  The next is on its way to me now, so maybe I will get a start on it during this week off that I have.

Other than dealing with my pain and medical issue, I have had another serious distraction... my Kindle Fire HD just calls out to me every.single.day.  I have some awesome reads loaded up and deciding between reading and stitching, or just focusing on self care and good sitting position (neither stitching nor reading afford me that) so that I feel better are real daily challenges for  me :-)

Oh, and I learned earlier this week that Linda O. has received the HoE Friendship Exchange I stitched for her...

A Friend Pinkeep Prairie Schooler 32 ct Vintage Country Cream Belfast Linen, DMC Floss    

Christmas Tree Farm

This weekend brought the finish of House 7 of Santa's Village...

Christmas Tree Farm

And now here it is Houses 1 through 7, on my Q-Snap, therefore a bit wonky... Heard the next one will be here very shortly... lovin' this project! This particular house did seem to take me much longer than the others though. Not entirely sure I liked this one as much as the others.

Stitcher's Choice Christmas Ornament from Nicole

I have received this really wonderful little ornament from Nicole for the HoE Stitcher's Choice Christmas Ornament Round... I am so thrilled with it. Nicole personalized the back by stitching one of the little red gifts and her initials. This is the first time I have received from Nicole in HoE, and what a treat it is... I shall look forward to hanging this on my tree year after year :-)

Christmas Comes Ornament Vivian Bales Gift of Stitching Magazine, December 2007 32 ct Mushroom Lugana, DMC Floss

Stitcher's Choice Christmas Ornament for Lynn

I received a nice email from Lynn today, letting me know that the HoE Stitcher's Choice Christmas Ornament I stitched for her has arrived safe and sound at her home.... really hope she enjoys, I had a hard time parting with this one. I have wondered for a while now how the center portion of this cute sampler would look as an ornament. Now I know, and I love the results!

Merry & Bright Christmas Ornament Erynne Chard - free chart found HERE Silkweaver 36 ct Solo Linen, WDW, CC and DMC Floss Oh, and Happy Weekend to all - about to go enjoy my first taste of Moonshine - woot!!!!

De-Stashing Sale

Hello Dear Stitching Friends, I have decided to do a bit of de-stashing... I don't want to get rich on this, so I am doing my best to post reasonable, fair...even cheap... prices on these items. I accept PayPal, but if you want to pay by check or well concealed cash, can negotiate lower price (as you know PayPal takes a good percentage of payments for themselves)... I strongly prefer to sell only to US address, as the US Postal Service has jacked up international rates to the point where they are beyond reasonable. As an example, I paid $8.55 to send the blue and cream fabric below to Canada... cluelessly, I only charged the buyer $3.50... not her fault, just a life lesson.... so if you want any of these, shout out - we will talk price and postage, sound good??

JBW Designs - A Family Record Sampler

Lavender & Lace - Angel of Mercy (new in package) - SOLD

Fanta Cat  Designs - ...and other things (new in package) - SOLD

LHN - Blessed Ornament (new in package)

Just Nan - OOP - Christmas Joy

Cinnamon Heart Needlworks - Cranberry Village Sampler

Teresa Wentzler - Egyptian Sampler

Fanci That - Fall Harvest Time

Indigo Rose - Georgia Stewart

The Sweetheart Tree - Hearts 'n Hardanger

The Sampler Girl - Louisa's Sampler

The Stitching Parlor - Once Upon an Island

Cinnamon Heart Needleworks - Rabbit Garden

Valerie Pfeiffer - Special Branch - SOLD

Marjolein Bastin - Spring Bouquets - SOLD

HAED - Waiting for Neptune

Lizzie Kate - Talk Less Say More from larger Less = More - accidentally bought twice - has charm too

OK friends, if you want any of these, leave a comment or email me carol sutclife @ comcast . net (and just delete all spaces).... let me know what you think these are worth ;-)

Silkweaver Fabrics for Sale

I have two beautiful fabrics that I am selling - I just have too much.... going to start liquidating some....  First up is a 24" x 27" 28 ct Silkweaver Solo which is simply marked as an evenweave (do not know if it is lugana or jobelan, but feels like lugana) - lovely shades of blue and cream.  There is one tiny little pink dye spot very near the center - a Mirabilia or PR design would cover it...  so tiny, did not know it was there until I took it out to take the pic.  Will part with this for $15 plus postage. sold....more coming soon....charts too

The other is a stunning stone colored Silkweaver 32 ct Jobelan FQ - also a solo, and a great neutral color. Will part with this for $12 plus postage. stone fabric sold

If interested in either or both, let me know!  I will have more coming....

And They Sinned Update

Happy Weekend Friends!

It has been raining here for days (off and on, mostly on!), so what better to do than stitch and watch sports, Game of Thrones, etc...  Getting in chores and exercise too - lol.  Today I am posting my first official update of And They Sinned...  Santa's Village has been my focus piece, but as I wait a few more days for part 7 to arrive, I figured I would put a few more stitches on this humungous sampler - which I truly love stitching on, and I pray it will not take 9 years as Houses of Hawk Run Hollow did!

Hope you are all well - Happy Memorial Day to all of my US friends!

Reindeer Stables

Happy Sunday dear blogging friends! Last night, during another of DH's Game of Thrones marathons, I was able to finish out Reindeer Stables. I picked this chart up at Celebration of Needlework in Nashua, NH earlier this month... now when I look at this block, I will remember that fun event. This house took a little longer than usual to stitch.... it appears the next block has a big house too... And here it is on the big Q-Snap.... really loving how this is coming out. It really is a fun stitch. And, for some spring cheer... I picked up these beautiful Bachelors Buttons for my rock garden yesterday... just LOVE the color combo!!

Nine years in the making...

It took me nine years, but I finally did it. Last night, somewhere close to midnight, I put the last stitches into Houses of Hawk Run Hollow. I started this way back when the chart was first released in 2004. I naively ordered HDF's very first silk conversion pack for this sampler. I figured it would look a lot like the original... oh, so very not! I present to you what I call the "watercolor version" of Houses of Hawk Run Hollow. I have had a love/hate relationship with this sampler from its earliest stitches. But today, I am pleased. I now know better than to "assume" that silk conversions by other manufacturers can be relied upon to be close to the original. I know HDF changed the conversion at least one time since I bought my silk pack. After what I spent on this silk, there was absolutely no going back after I started. So, after languishing for long periods in my projects chest... here it is...in need of a press, but at least two dear friends want to see this now, so... Houses of Hawk Run Hollow Carriage House Samplings Lakeside Linens 40 ct Pearled Barley Linen, HDF silk conversion #1 Started mid 2004 - Finished 5/3/13

LK Ornament from Mylene :-)

Let me tell you, I am just loving this LK Christmas Ornament from Mylene for the HoE LK Christmas Ornament Exchange - this sweet little thing was waiting for me when I got home yesterday. Adore it, will treasure it always! Thank you Mylene :-)

Coming Soon...

Started in 2004....  will finally have its reveal soon!

Santa's Stocking Store

Last night I was able to put the final stitches into Santa's Stocking Store, part 5 of CCN's Santa's Village... want to thank my friend Karen for inviting me to SAL with her, this has really gotten me back into stitching again and ignoring the medical issues that have prevented me from stitching for about two years now... good therapy. Here is part 5 all on its own. I am stitching my french knots as I go along, but since I am using 40 ct am not using the buttons. So glad the charts come with alternatives for us to stitch if you are using fabrics higher than 32 ct... love the floral border above the door instead of the holly button anyhow. And here is parts 1-5 all together. Now that it is very spring-y here in New England, it feels weirder stitching snowflakes against a the color of winter sky... and with luck the rest of the sampler will be stitched in better weather! Cannot wait to finish and hang this one for this Christmas. I have made progress on ATS as well, but no picture taken yet... Thank you to my new (and old) blogging friends who have said such kind words!

Mrs. Claus' Cookie Shop

I finished up Part 4 of Santa's Village this afternoon... just in time, have Part 5 ready to go and hope to start it this week while I am on vacation.

Mrs. Claus' Cookie Shop Part 4 of Santa's Village by Country Cottage Needleworks

Santa's Village Parts 1-4 Lakeside Linens 40 ct Misty Rain Linen, DMC, WDW, GAST and CC - called for floss Pardon the wonky upper edge, it is in my QSnap in the photo

And... I started And They Sinned last month. I am stitching it with the called for threads on 35-36 ct Sandstone Linen.... I am posting this primarily so that I can go back when I am finishing and be able to recall when I started it. This sampler calls for month/year of start be stitched in the personalization near the end... Note to self: Started 03-13

Lizzie Kate Christmas Ornament for Amy

I heard from Amy a couple of days ago that she has received the Lizzie Kate Christmas Ornament I stitched for her for the HoE Lizzie Kate Christmas Ornament Round

Friends Lizzie Kate 32 ct Vintage Autumn Field Belfast Linen, WDW and GAST Floss

Santa's Village 1-3

Tonight I finished the first three parts of CCN's Santa's Village.  I always say this, but I really mean it...  I need to learn how to take better photos.  This is the best in a series of four tries...  dark at one end, overexposed at the other...  And since it is dark out and I do not have a light box, this photo was simply taken on my kitchen table.  The snowflakes do show up quite nicely on this Misty Rain linen (Lakeside Linens, 40 ct)...  I couldn't resist the linen because this is the color or our winter sky here in New England... so anyhow, looking forward to Part 4 now - that's not here yet, so off to stitch on something else tonight!

I actually finished something that is not an ornament...

Hard to believe, yet it is true. I finished stitching something that is not a Christmas ornament... I had started Earth Sampler in early 2011 shortly after its designer, Lisa Roswell, died tragically. I wanted to stitch this in her memory. I chugged along and was making rapid progress, and then the dreaded (and still ever present) tinnitus set in. I struggled through the numbers at the bottom and part of the hand, but just could not focus and stitch when the tinnitus was so new, so loud, so painful and causing migraines... Almost exactly two years later, I have come to some level of acceptance and it has improved some (no more migraines thanks to neuromuscular dentist) - I came across this sampler earlier this week and all I had left to stitch was four fingers! So, I got right on that... and now I actually have a finish to share.

Earth Sampler The Primitive Needle Lakeside Linens 40 ct Pear Linen, WDW and GAST Floss Sadly, I cannot seem to get a photo that shows the true, beautiful color of the Pear linen. It is still "winter" here despite meteorlogical spring.... no chance to get any good natural daylight yet.

Shepherd's Bush Ornament for Karen

I awoke this morning to read that Karen has received the Shepherd's Bush Christmas Ornament that I stitched for her for the HoE Shepherd's Bush Christmas Ornament Exchange.  You are very welcome Karen, it was such a pleasure to stitch for you!  So very, very glad that the USPS helped to have it arrive safely with you in Oz :-)

Tropical Quaker

I am trying to get my stitching legs back....  Last night I dug out Tropical Quaker by WDC Designs from an issue of The Gift of Stitching Magazine.  I had done the first three motifs at some point last year.  Was able to get quite a bit done last night.  I had to put Santa's Village aside for a little bit to let my SAL mate do some catching up.  I am using Weeks Dye Works 30 ct Parchment Linen and the called for HDF silk package for this....  loving the colors so much.  My iPhone pic does not do it any justice at all...

Happy Monday, folks.  I am taking a mental health day today.  Probably off to luch at Olive Garden with Mike, relax, clean the hardwood floors in the kitchen and dining room....  later read or stitch...  hope you are all well!