A Finish & Preparing for 2012

 Yeah! Timeless Tomato is finished!  I managed to fit in my initials in one of the designs. Next this goes to my finisher, Kathy.

She finished this one that I saw at the Goldbar retreat. Isn't it beautiful?

 I gave in and signed up for the 2012 Crazy January Challenge.  I learned some lessons from participating in the 2011 Crazy January Challenge.  Like don't choose more than 15 projects (the Ultimate Crazy January Challenge would not work for me) and be careful how many large projects to include.

So here is my 2012 CJC line-up (please forgive the crappy photos-it was a struggle)-

1) Renaissance Designs

Six Patchwork Stars Shimmering

2) Tree of Life Samplings

Penny America

3) Sheepish Designs

Alpha Bird, Alpha Menagerie and Alpha Sheep

4) Blackbird Designs

Prairie House Sewing Case

5) With Thy Needle

Miss Trenners Needlework Academy

6) Goode Huswife

June Morning

7) Little House Needleworks

Liberty Belles

8) Little House Needleworks

He Is Risen

9) Heart in Hand

Grateful Hearts

10) Blackbird Designs

Waiting for the Harvest

11) Blackbird Designs

Peacock Pinkeep

12) L'Atelier Perdu

My Christmas Stocking 2012-The Magic

13) Sewing Chest Designs

Porcelain Pincushion Doll

14) L'Atelier Perdu

Smell the Flowers

15) Brightneedle

Pretty in Pink

Did you notice that I am not quite over my pincushion fetish yet?  :)

Some of the projects chosen this year were passed over last year, so they are getting a second chance.

Also for 2012, I have signed up for Kimono Revisited with the Shining Needle Society. 

And I am doing Holiday Patches by Susan Kerndt with my local ANG guild.  See below-

Even though I've already stitched this mini sampler (Florentine Holiday) by Susan Kerndt-

Do you think I'm overdoing things for 2012?  :)

I will do another post to look back at my stitching in 2011. 

Have a Happy New Year!

Christmas Gifts

I have been blessed from many friends this Christmas season. 

Have you ever seen a Christmas cactus with both pink and white blooms?  This is my first time.  It is beautiful.  It was my table's centerpiece at the Evergreen EGA Christmas party last Sat.  I won it!

I also got a beautiful, large, and lined  project bag from my friend Lorrie at A Stitcher's Snippets. It already has a project in it :) Thank you, Lorrie!

At the top of the project bag is a little Santa face beeswax. It was part of my goodie bag at the Northwest Sampler Guild Christmas party.

I participated in two ornament exchanges. This is the ornament I made for the Sampler Guild exchange. It is an old Prairie Schooler design.  I received the adorable little red Santa at the top of the picture above. 

I don't have a picture of the one I stitched for the EGA exchange but the green needlepoint design on the bottom right of the picture above is the one I received. It reminds me of a Laura Perin design, but don't know for sure if it is.

Ruth over at The Musing Badger sent me a consolation prize from her giveaway. A Belle Soie silk and a Carries Creation cotton floss.  Thank you, Ruth!

The lady bug and the red jar are a thank you gift from outgoing EGA president, Carolyn.

And the two patterns were at my place setting at the Christmas party! 

I so appreciate the wonderful friends I have made in the stitching world,both locally and online.  Thank you for taking the time to stop by my little blog and leave comments. It means so much to me to read them.

Here is the latest on Timeless Tomato.  It is amazing how fast it is moving along.  I am trying to devise a way to add my initials and will work on that more today.

I hope everyone of you has a safe, blessed and peaceful Christmas. 

I'll post again in a few days with an update about my 2012 Crazy January Challenge!

Christmas is Coming To Our House

It is beginning to look like Christmas here.  We are a little later than usual about getting our tree up, but look at the results!

The train is up around the tree.  The Longaberger Christmas baskets are around the base.  My completed Gay Ann Rogers Angel Tree Topper is on the top.  My grandson got to put his ornaments up.  And I found 2 more strands of my favorite garland on etsy.  It is red foil-wrapped gift garland that my mother used on our tree in the 60's.  (I watched on ebay for over 2 years and only saw it once but missed the end of the auction :(  Now I have 5 strands and it makes my tree just right. Know what I mean?

Another 2011 finish-

Blackbird Designs Autumn Song

30 ct R & R fabric-don't remember the color

Called for threads

 The alphabet letters that go around the edge of box top are about 1/3 done.  And I have the box to finish it, but can't decide on what color to paint it.

Here is Debbie Stiehler's Timeless Tomato from the class I took in May or June??  I hadn't touched it since the class, but I saw two of these completed at the stitching retreat in November and fell in love all over again.  So this is what it looked like when I picked it up:

 Here it is now!!

As soon as segment 4 is completed, I'll flip the whole canvas over and finish it upside down. This is the project I will finish 2011 working on (unless I get it done sooner!) When this part is done, there are green leaves for the top of the tomato and the strawberry fob (see top photo)

My Christmas shopping is almost done.  I ordered something for DH last week online and it arrived FedEx the next day while I was gone.  The delivery man put it right into DH's arms!  Now he knows what he is getting :)

Another (edited) 2011 Finish!

Heartstring Samplery

Beth Twist

I Sew'd My Heart

32 ct Glennshee Natural linen

Called for WDW threads

This was a lovely and fun stitch!  I love the color of the threads and had all of them in my stash.  I substituted WDW Pomegranite for the initials of my great-great grandmother. And it was a good thing because there was only one 2 strand piece of WDW Cinnamon left when I was finished!

I saw this pattern on Peggy Lee's blog.  Beth at Heartstring Samplery is collecting photos of her blog header in different areas around the world. Check out some of the places it has been here.  If you send her a photo you can get this wonderful pattern also.

Have a great week!
P>S>I see my blog wallpaper has gone haywire.  Don't know why.

Christmas Exchange has Arrived

I participated in a Christmas exchange on the JAT forum.  My box arrived yesterday!  It is a wonderful batch of goodies from Kathy (MadStitcher).  Fabric, pink threads (my favorite color), travel size calculator and sewing kit, Kelmscott scissors and peacock magnet, 2 new projects (one designed by Kathy), and handmade scissor fob and accessories roll!  What a great start to the Christmas season!

Of course, I forgot to take a photo of the box I sent out. But I know it has arrived and if a photo gets posted, I'll be sure to let you know.  Have a great weekend!

Update

All this freedom to stitch is going to my head!

Here is what I have been up to-

Shepherds Bush Bee Scissor Fob

32 ct Antique Ivory linen (from the kit)

DMC threads (from the kit)

I added my name onto the back of the scissor fob instead of the word summer.

This little project was from the stash exchange 2 weeks ago at my ANG guild meeting.  I tossed the old cotton threads that came with it and pulled Vineyard Silks.  Oh, I love working with them!  It will be a pincushion.

Sampler Girl Christmas Eve Flight

36 ct Lakeside Linen Navy Bean (I think)

DMC 611, 931 and 3777

More things to put in my "to be finished" pile :)

2011 Crazy January Challenge Completed!

I didn't know if I would do it. But the 2011 Crazy January Challenge is finished!  This was my final project-Praiseworthy Stitches Tiny Pumpkin Etui.  These are the completed items--

Here are my unfinished but stitched pieces--

The bottom left is the scissor fob.  The fabric to the left of it is for the pincushion stem.

The bottom right is the needlebook.  I changed the background color on the right pumpkin side to DMC 712 (ecru) on every other square. The black was just too dark for me. And I used the dark green background thread on the left side the same way (every other square).

The top fabric and pieces are for a pumpkin pincushion. The green across the top is the fabric for the needlebook lining.  Don't know when I'll get to the "finish-finishing." 

I feel like I am free for the rest of the year to stitch on any project I want to!  Hurray for freedom! 

What about the 2012 Crazy January Challenge?  I learned a lot about what I can reasonably accomplish in the course of one year.  And I know that there are 2 or 3 larger needlepoint pieces that I want to complete in 2012. 

I'm working on a list :)

Stitching Retreat Part 2

I hope everyone had a wonderful day of Giving Thanks!  I did.  Lots of turkey and football, but dinner conversation was about what we are grateful for.

Here is our Trash to Treasure room.  It had been thoroughly picked over when I got this photo.  Everything that was brought was donated to the guild.  Then we could take from the room and give a donation to the guild for what we took.  Anything we brought that wasn't taken by someone had to be taken home.

 I brought home very little.

Here is what I got from the trash to treasure room.

Here is the goodie bag each person got. We were given a little wool applique project "A White Glove Envelope"  I didn't get mine done.

Ann from Gloriana Threads came on Friday afternoon and set up several tables of her beautiful silks.  Here is what I bought.  I have not used her silks before but am looking forward to it. They are lovely and I tried to catch the sheen of the thread in this photo.

A Longaberger basket party was held on Saturday afternoon. 

Our Longaberger rep is one of the members of our guild. She brought some Cash N Carry items and I bought the acorn shaped basket above.

A big surprise to me as a first-time attender was these little "gold bars"  Each time a project was finished at the retreat a gold bar was earned.  Lucky me, I took all small projects to work on and boy, was that the right thing to do!!  I ended up with 4 of these little bits of deliciousness.  My husband was the lucky recipient of these.  Why are there only 2 in the picture?  Well, 2 were gone before I could snap the photo  :)

Here was finish #1.  The Istitch mystery bonus pincushion pattern.

Here is finish #2.  Holiday Spirit ornament by Samplerbird Stitchery Stitched with Crescent Colours Cupid thread.  Love the overdye look to this piece. It still needs some beads.

Here is finish #3. The scissor fob in my Tiny Pumpkin Etui by Praiseworthy Stitches.  This is also a progress picture on this design.  The octagon will be a needlebook and the pyn piece will be a pincushion eventually (with more pieces added to it) .

Finish #4 I can't share because it is a surprise gift.

The rest of my photos are items in show and tell that were shared by guild members.

This is Debbie Stiehler's Timeless Tomato.  Yes, the one I started earlier this year.  It has taken a place of prominence in my 2012 list of items to be finished!

This purse was a prize winner at ANG National Seminar (not sure what year).  Gorgeous work with Splendor silks.  Included the Purdue ornament because my husband was raised in Purdue country.

Barbara Jackson's Cherry Tree Cottage

Rosewood Manor

Margaret Bendig's Plum Blossom Kimono in the center and some of her smaller kimono's are surrounding it.  Yes, this is also in my WIP basket.

Mystery Retreat project

Laura Perin's One Long Panel with custom-designed side panels

Susan Kerndt's Holiday Patches (I admit to ordering this design with my ANG guild and will have it in January :)

Next year is the 20th anniversary of this stitching retreat.  I'll be there!!