Can’t Stop

I have been working on WIPS and have decided I need to just finished Emily Harben 1824 from 

Whilst Iris Naps.  

I'm stitching her in black silk and just love it!

It really wasn't a black samper but looked like it on the website.  The border had a square that might have been a bud but, is just a light yellow square.  I wasn't too keen on that.  I thought a honeysuckle flower but, it would have been too large for the spot.  I have a copy of Brenda Keyes Ultimate Sampler Motif Source book and found a leaf that would fit and be fitting for the sampler.  I have her name to stitch and then the crowns and that should go quick.  Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll be done by the end of the month.  

Close up of the leaf, sweet and simple.  I think it works rather well. 

I have gotten some stash.  Not pictured are the silks I'm collecting to do HATS Giant Pear and Rose.  I have frame my dad made that is nearly the right size but, just a little short so I may alter the sides or may do on 46 count so the 100/3 silk would be perfect.  I am missing three colors but, I think I may be able to work around it.  

Got my Schoolgirl Sampler Club kit from County Sampler.  It is going to be called something else next hear.  I do love this kit and it looks like it will be fun.  Scarlett House is always fun and always a great presentation!  

This came from Kendra at the Stitching Bee.  It is a Heart in Hand and came with the fabric and embellishment buttons.  I just have to find the floss in the stash.  Lots of colors but, looks like I only need a small amount.  

Close up fabric and buttons.  

Then I got my monthly club fabric and thread from Color and Cotton.  

Really wonderful fabric and floss.  They haven't disappointed yet.  

 

I also joined the Crazy Annie fabric club but haven't gotten that yet.  I may contact them and see if I can change the thread count.  I am a little apprehensive about this club because it is set up like the VMSS and they send you an invoice way before you ever see fabric.  I am not going to let it go too far and if I don't see the fabric, I am out of that club.  

We are moving along on the bathroom remodel.   The house is in pretty much disarray and driving us crazy.  Poor Henry just doesn't know where to sleep until we put his bed in the living room.  Nothing bothers Buster.

I had some difficulty opening a page to post on,  Fortunately there was an old draft I didn't use, so I was able to post on it.  If this continues to be an issue, I may not continue to blog and turn to Instagram.  We will see, it may just be a minor glitch.    

That about sums it up.  I want to get back to stitching and watching PBS All Creatures Great and Small.  

Have a great week, get vaccinated or boosted and stay safe.  Our positivity rate is over 30%, lots of sickness and I am hoping we can stave it off!!

Keep on Stitching

Monica

 

Moving Right Along

Been a busy weekend.  We are starting our bathroom remodel on January 17th.  I cleaned out the linen cabinet, the nonessential things.  Next weekend will be the stuff we use every day and will move into the other bathroom.  It is suppose to only take a week.  We have the new cabinets ordered, the vanity top and the tile.  It is all in.  The toilet won't take long.  Bob went to Home Depot yesterday and bought the faucet, shower hardware, towel bars and toilet paper holder.  I think he is going to Menards for light fixture and fan/light combo.  I trust his taste.  He has great taste, he married me!

Been moving all the extra stuff into the sewing room.  

I have made good progress on BBD Christmas Garden.  It is a very enjoyable stitch and love the colors.  I did sub the green and red:  Weeks Tarragon and CC Cherry Cobbler.  I will be rotating back eventually.  

I rotated to Stacy Nash First Snow Pinkeep, which was my New Year start.  I'll work on this for another day or so.  I do have to figure out an exact rotation.  I swapped out some colors because I didn't have the called for but, am happy with the switches.  They weren't that different from the called for, I think.  

In my sewing room I had a bulletin board and a chalk board hanging.  I really wasn't using the chalk board and Bob had a cup rack my dad made many years ago for his collection of coffee mugs from the Wisconsin Survey convention.  I thought I could put some of the needle drums and the what have you's on it .  Let me tell you, I am really pleased.  I moved the bulletin board behind the door, where the chalk board was and it works great!

That about sums it up.  Dinner is nearly ready.  

Have a wonderful week.  If you haven't gotten it yet, get vaccinated....it reduces the severity and wear the best mask you can get when you're out and about.

Stay safe

Keep stitching

Monica

 

Projects to Finish in 2022

I was going to post this yesterday but, my photos and Blogger weren't getting along  

New Year's Eve, I posted my finishes.  Today its my still happening.  Now the squirrel often visits bringing extra acorns to put in my path, so the best laid plans....you know how that goes.  

I have to finish Mary Braizear from Hands Across the Sea.  I have almost half of the satin stitching finished.  My plan for that is to do it when I'm on the phone talking to my daughter or sister because that is often a lot of time and I can get two inches done in an hour or so.    

The challenge always becomes when do I work on these?  Do I stick with one until it is finished?  

I'm thinking of possibly a rotation mixed in there.  

These are the projects I have started, not kitted up.  I have probably a hundred of those.  

I started Mary Oakley not that long ago and made some stellar progress.  It is a wonderful stitch and great fun.  

I started this from the BBD Sewing Club as part of #bbdweekendsal last summer.  I have the box for this but, I probably will pick it back up once the weather starts getting a little springlike....so not for a while.  The colors are so pretty!

I started Hannah Pepper two years ago for Sampler September.  I really love this and want to work on it more than just September.  I would really like to finish this.  

I started Stacy Nash's House On Pumpkin Hill Pinkeep.  

I put this down when I started on Black November.  

There is the companion piece by Stacy Nash:  Jack's House that is on my to start list but, that I can say won't happened to next fall.  The fabric does this make it  a little tricky. 

Speaking of Black November, I don't want to wait until November to pick this back up.  I think there is a dark stitching 13th or something like that, that this would fit into.  

I started BBD Christmas Garden as part of #christmasgardenbirthdaysal.  This I do think will get worked on the first weekend of the month as part of  bbdweekendsal too and maybe more to be determined.  

I got his done yesterday in between laundry and taking down the Christmas tree and decorations. 

There are so many other projects I want to start but, I want to get some of these finished.  

I am sure you'll be seeing progress in the upcoming months  

Lets all hope that 2022 will be healthy, calm and productive   

Stay healthy

Keep stitching

Monica

 

The Year in Review

 Happy New Year ( or tomorrow)

I thought I would recap the year.  I thought I had finished more.  I did finish a lot, started a lot, kept working on quite a bit and of course, bought a lot.  There is no real order of finishes.  I always seem to mix large projects with the smaller squirrel projects.  

Just talking about the finishes here.  I finished Rest Thy Needle by Notforgotten Farms for my sister for her birthday

I finished Teresa Kogut's Pet All the Dogs.  I really love this project.  I stitched all the dogs to commemorate  the dogs we have or had:  Huck, Jake (the big black dog our first), Buster is in a sweater, Henry Ford and FD--Future Dog

October Sampler by Threadwork Primitives was another amazing sampler.  

This really didn't take long.  I worked on this at the Stitching Bee retreat.  

I do need to see if I have a frame to fit this or at least parts, or it may be a good one to see if I can order a custom frame online.  

Heart in Hand Tom Turkey.  Super fun, super quick I finished in a door hanger pillow for Katy.  She needed a fall, not Halloween piece for a new house.  

I also made her a Christmas/Winter display from Brenda Gervais Snow Ball.  The only one I didn't do was Fa La La....my least favorite one.  I was ecstatic that the bottle brush trees went so well!

For BBDweekend SAL I finished Rosehips and Ivy in the Sewing Club book.  While digging through my stash, I have this as a kit.  I still haven't decided to frame it or make a drum out of it.  

My January 1, 2021 start was HATS Martha Dawson.  I finished it in August.  This needs to get framed.  I may have a frame around here....just got to look but, I really want to stitch more than finish.  LOL.

BBD Pins and Needles.  It was a kit from a  Dying to Stitch Club.  Katy bought her buddy Bobby a scissors for Christmas and I stitched this up in two days and completely finished it. 

I don't do stuff like this, so fast for just anyone.  I really like Bobby.   

This was a Threadworks Primitive freebie I got with the October Sampler and really liked it's kind of quirkiness.  

I completely stitched and finished La D Da's Murder of Crows.  I love La D Da, and I especially loved the name of this one.  

This was a freebie from La D Da called Love Ya.  

Just a beautiful alphabet.  

From Sampler and Antique Needlework Quarterly Ann Pierce Brown that I changed the colors to match some beautiful egg colors in a dozen of eggs I got from a friend.  This I do have framed.  

Little  Deeds from The Scarlet House.  Just a sweet little sampler.  This was a very lovely stitch.  

I have several works in progress that I hope to finish this this year.  I get sidetrack by shiny squirrels.  

While doing this, I have heard Betty White has passed away. Rest well Betty, I have enjoyed your body of works!!!

Happy New Year!  Here's to a better and healthy 2022!

Keep on Stitching 

Monica

Christmas

It was a most splendid Christmas....well almost if Katy and Steve were here.  

We had them at Thanksgiving so we have to share,

Ed requested Beef Wellington.  I have my modified edition.  I use mushrooms rather than pate.  

The tenderloin was wonderful, melt in your mouth.  

We had homemade wine and mushroom sauce,  butter horn rolls, fresh asparagus, cherry jello with mandarin oranges and Molten lava cake for dessert.  

We ate early because Ed had to work at 3:30 but, I was glad we could do that!

Of course a little red wine.  

I have a Christmas start, BBD Christmas Garden.  

I've been adopted into a SAL called #christmasgardenbirthdaysal.  

Not my birthday but, it was Jesus'. 

I'm using VMSS 40 ct Parchment and CC Cherry Cobbler, Ye Olde Gold, GAST Heirloom Gold and Weeks Tarragon.  The Red and Green are substitutes, I wanted something a little darker.  The golds are designed colors.  

I needed to order a few more skeins, way more than I need because I'm only using one thread.  

Good colors, won't go to waste.  Since I was ordering, I ordered a couple of patterns....LOL  

 

I have a bit of a start.  I may not stitch the words so I can leave it up all year round.  

It is so beautiful.  

I have been a member of the Colour and Cotton thread of the month, I was able to get a fabric spot.  

I'm on the 40 count and this month was Tuscan.  

It is very beautiful.  I thought about using it for the Christmas Garden but, was afraid the golds would be lost.  So I went lighter.  

I better not go blind before I use up the 40 count fabric.  

I may have signed up for another fabric club but, never got a confirmation letter.  

Its okay if I did, I can always use fabric. 

My progress on Mary Oakley 1818, nearly a third of the way done.  

I really need to do a rotation  of sorts.  

My basket of WIPS.  

I figure I will work on Christmas Garden on the 25th of the month and BBD weekend SAL.  

Next post I'll figure it all out.  

Streaming recommendations:  Netflix:  Clickbait, Don't Look Up and Emily in Paris.  

I hope you have all had a wonderful, peaceful Christmas without too much controversary.  Stay safe, get vaccinated/boosted, things are going to be bumpy for a few months I'm afraid.  Best to have stash!

Merry Christmas

Keep on Stitching

Monica

 

Doesn’t Scream Christmas

We have run the gamut of weather in the last week.  

Last Friday night to Saturday morning we had 11 inches of snow on top of 10 inches.

Snow this time of year is a good thing.  

It helps insulate the water mains especially if the temperature starts to really drop. 

Then the temperature starting going up into the 40's-Tuesday 

Then it got so foggy on Wednesday it was very dangerous!

Then the rain started and the winds were 50-60 miles an hour, downing trees.

Thursday we didn't have power from about 4 am to 8 am.

Fortunately, the power came on so I could bake the Cranberry Orange Bread.  

The snow melted from about 21 inches to four inches.  

Its snowing now but, hasn't been too much.  

I got Snow Ball by Brenda Gervais and decided to make it for Katy as part of her Christmas.

What a fun stitch and really was a quick stitch.  

There was one I didn't do because I ran out of time but, it was my least favorite.  

I got them all stitch up, finished.  

I had picked a galvanized tray and battery powered candle.  

I found the cutest bottle brush trees at a local store Mully and Mo's.  

I don't think I have the tags from the trees.  

There were an excellent match to the colors of the floss.  

Had to put some cardboard to raise things up but, covered with tissue paper with gold stars on it.  

I wanted to start something that didn't scream Christmas but, still had a Christmas vibe.  

This Pineberry Lane Mary Oakley 1818 seems to fit the bill.  

Someone is also working on this on Instagram.  

I am using 40 count Heritage Sampler from VMSS and called for threads.  

I have made a minor adjustment in thread.  

The lighter color is suppose to be GAST parchment but,  it was too much like the fabric, it got lost.  

I tried a couple of different colors but, decided that whitewash showed up and didn't conflict with Pebble  

The Pebble is a grey.  

Shakespeare's Peddler just published Red Letter Day and collection of red samplers.  I had to get it and while I was perusing that, I also ordered Fanny's Flowers.  

I did get some red Au Ver a Soie when I was at Lynn's of Madison...just incase.  

Some really beautiful red samplers I think will be so much fun!

Not pictured, another stash acquisition, Butternut House Pinkeep came in the mail from the Stitching Bee.  

Bob picked up my 2022 Book of Days on his way to Milwaukee to the eye surgeon.   

I'm pretty much ready for Christmas.  

I would like to bake some cookies but, not sure if I will get to it....maybe Thursday or Friday.  

I'm not doing Christmas cards anymore.  That is the one tradition I really have never liked...to me its painful.  

I hope you aren't too stressed with the holiday season.  My house is a wreck...tomorrow.  

Get vaccinated, get boosted, be part of the solution not part of the problem.  

Keep on Stitching.

Monica