Another finish

I forgot to post the pic of my Mosey 'n Me finish!
It was a hoot to stitch! I love the colors on this fabbie.

I've also made some progress on Dead Man's Chess. I bought everything and started stitching it in February 2007. Here's as far as I got:


It was making my eyes go wonky by doing all the over one so I put it up for awhile. I picked it up again this past weekend and made some progress on it. I need to go upstairs and use the magnifier on the standing Ott lamp that I have, but the best stitching chair is in the living room. Here is my progress:

The entire piece is stitched, with a good portion done over one. I'm trying to not even think of that!!

Needlepoint finish

TA-DAH!!! I just love this little needlepoint ornament I bought on Tuesday! I'm also so very pleased that it's finished!!!

The design is by mindy and I was captivated by its simple charm. The black stars are a big plus, too! I used DMC Perle Cotton #5. Very easy to use and a nice shiny finish.

Now back to cross stitch!

Fair: Note to self

It occurred to me that I can use this blog to remind myself to take my Montgomery County Fair entries to the fair by leaving the house at the start of take in time (4 pm). It takes about an hour to get there so arriving at 5 pm is perfect for swift entry. No lines at all!!

Christmas ornie finish: the first!

I finished this cute tree ornament by Jeannette Douglas from the October 2007 issue of Just Cross Stitch (JCS). It's the preview ornament issue and I've already started the ornie by Brightneedle. That one is stitched over 1 so it'll take a while!

Here's the tree ornie:
I decided to not do the background stitches...I rarely do them. This was a lot of fun. I used DMC and 28 ct (it was designed for 32 ct so it would fit in a cute gold frame). Now I'm really looking forward to getting the annual ornament issue in September!!!

Green, green, green...it's not easy stitching green

With apologies to Kermit the Frog! LOL I've been working on Mosey 'n Me's Costume-What Costume? design of a green-faced witch and it's taking FOR-ever! Green, green, green! Thank goodness it's a rather lime shade of green and not a sick-green. Her face is almost 4 inches square. At least she has a huge turquoise nose so it's not all green. I'm so looking forward to stitching her dress. It has lots of different bright colors. Her charm (which I was smart enough to buy when the pattern was released) is of Frank as Frankenstein's Monster.

I'd like to get it done in the next 2 weeks so I can take advantage of the framing sale at Joann's Fabrics ETC: 60% off! It's a great deal, especially if the project is on the small side and the frame is not very expensive. I'd like a shiny black metal frame for this witch.

My stitching plan, now don't hold me to it, is to stitch some of the patterns I've had for ages. If I've liked them this long then I can feel confident I'll like it stitched and on the walls. The Mosey 'n Me I'm doing fits this category. I have a ton of Bent Creek, Trilogy, Brightneedle, needlerolls, SanMan, Drawn Thread, Prairie Schooler, Chatelaine, Shepherd's Bush and Long Dog (just to name a few) that I would love to finish. Many of the designs are kitted up already just waiting for me to get around to them. If I were smart, I'd make a list of fair categories and stitch for the different classes rather than several of the same theme. Sounds like a great idea for a lunchtime project!

A surprise finish

I saw a tote bag I hadn't looked in for a while and found an almost finished piece by Cherished Stitches. It was supposed to be the tape measure cover but the tape measure it's supposed to fit doesn't exist any longer. Apparently it was taken off the market at about the same time the design was released. Although I suppose "things happen" I'm not pleased that I spent my time stitching something pretty for a clever idea that can't be completed. I started sewing it together with the idea of making it into a scissor fob, but stopped over a year ago with the stuffing to add and one inch left to sew closed. When I found it again today I decided it would be better to use it as a pin cushion. I liked the idea of stabbing this failure with pins! :)

Ten minutes later I have this cute pin cushion:


Best of all I think I like it again.

However, I won't be purchasing any more designs by Cherished Stitches. Although I like the designs a lot, this one didn't work as designed and a friend bought another chart, it was missing a page, and after being assured the page was in the mail she STILL hasn't received the missing page. I don't need the headache, especially when there's so much else to stitch.

I picked up my entries from the nearby county fair today and a little check for premiums! My Mill Hill Midnight Silo entered in the Home Arts Department theme competition "silo" won 4th place. My Shepherd's Bush (SB) Bunny's Fill, SB "L" is for Lamb, and Heart in Hand (HIH) whimsey's all done on one piece of fabric all took 2nd place. WAHOOOOO!!!

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to go to the fair while it was on and didn't see the competition. I like to see the other entries because I always get an idea for something to stitch or how to frame or finish.

I have some things entered in my county's fair, too! I finished a needlepoint bracelet by Dimensions in May while at the beach this spring. I entered it, two pieces by Bent Creek (Here Comes the Sun and Bad Moon Rising) as a pair, a punchneedle farm design, and SB My Heart's Garden. I'll be volunteering as a cross stitch demonstrator on Thursday and Friday so I'll find out then how I did. I was judging another department on Saturday and wandered by after judging was long over, but the designs weren't displayed so I couldn't see my items much less see how they did. Patience is a virtue......

Another quick stitch done!

This cutie by Sisters & Best Friends was calling to me earlier this week. The fabric is 14 ct Grasshopper from Charles Craft (in a tube at Joann's Fabrics). Perfect for Halloween, I thought.
I want to make it into an ornament for my Halloween tree.

I'm now using the 14 ct Lemon (that may not be the whole name) by Charles Craft (in a tube!) for Mosey 'n Me's "Costume--What Costume?" I have the turquoise nose, green lips and white snaggley teeth done.

Pic of Nathan's Sampler

The piece is bigger than the scanner! Here's a good portion of Nathan's Sampler showing the wonderful quilt square border in the vibrant colors.

I still love it after all these years!

It amuses me greatly that the fruit basket on the right took 3 hours to stitch in 2007 and the fruit basket on the left took 5 years to finish!

WAHOOOOO!!!! I FINISHED!!!!

I'm so excited that I finished Nathan's Sampler a Bernat kit I bought brand-new-out-of-the-box in 1984 and started that night. I finished it on August 1, 2007 after working on it every summer (plus odd times in between) since 1984.

I'm amused by the back of the piece. I started cross stitching in 1980 so I was still relatively new to it in 1984. Now, 23 years later, I'm quite accomplished at many counted thread stitches and "expert" at cross stitch. ;) I had some cherries and stems left to do and I did them as I would do any isolated stitching by tying the threads off after each motif and not dragging the DARK RED and DARK GREEN threads from one cherry to the next. However, back in 1984 or so I was not fettered by such constraints! LOL Drag-drag-drag away! I considered "fixing" them, but it is visual proof of my journey in stitching, even if I'm the only one who knows after it's framed.

I'd show a picture, but webshots wasn't uploading pics quickly last night. I'll try again this weekend. In the meantime, here's a link: http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/ViewPhoto?u=4026843&a=32420222&p=75751214