Happy Valentine’s Day

I hope you have a sweet day celebrating love, friendship, and all things beautiful.

Maybe some chocolate thrown in, too?

Some stitched pieces brought together for today 

Thanks for stopping by today! 

A Finish! Temperature Quilt

I am happy to have my first finish in over two years!

This is Stitchin’ Mommy’s Temperature Quilt.

Thanks for stopping by today!

 A bit of a wash and next will be a simple frame.

Stitching Along...

I have been busy stitching quite a bit lately.  It's been a great way to start the year, to be sure.

Here is a photo of the Fractal Bookmark. I have worked on it more since I took this photo, so there will be another update soon.

I have also worked on Sarah Braizear 1829.  I managed to finish the hart (deer) and also I started on some one- over- one lettering.  It is such a pleasure to return to this piece! 

I am also working on a 2020 Weather Graph piece using Stitchin' Mommy's weather chart.  I have just finished my 2019 Temperature Quilt, and I'll be posting that one soon.  Here is the Weather Graph that shows January 1- February 1 temperatures. 

Thanks for visiting here today.   We've had a lot of sunny days, and it seemed fitting to place some harvested lemons from our backyard tree into a vase for display.  These roses are the last of the season, to be sure. It's time to cut back those rose bushes soon.  

Fractal Bookmark- Progressing Along

I have so been enjoying this fantastic piece from Cross Stitch Collectibles. Sure, there's lots of confetti but that pays out in the amazing color combinations in the design. 

I've worked on it almost every day since the first.  This past weekend was filled with great family times at our home, so during those days the piece was set aside. This one demands more concentration than that situation would allow. 

Here is progress as of today.

The colors in the top right corner reminded me of butterscotch as I was stitching.  I really don't eat much sugar anymore, and since that dietary change I have noticed that certain colors and random items I see remind me more of sweets than before when I ate lots of treats.  Isn't that funny?

Thanks for stopping by today.   

WIPs for the New Year!

I am a bit behind in wishing everyone a wonderful 2020. I hope your year is full of things that make you happy and fulfilled.

Another year has come and gone, and it is hard to imagine that we are already almost mid-January.  It is a cliche to say it, but time really does seem to fly.

I want to share my WIPs as we begin 2020.  I haven't had a finish in well over a year, but that is okay with me.  I stitch as I love it. When I am in the midst of working on one project I might be called to start something new.  That is just how it is.  I currently have ten WIPs, and for someone who has done counted work for 37 years that doesn't seem too bad, does it?   How many WIPs do you like to have going?

A few of my WIPs should be done this year.  Time will tell, and I just may complete some of my WIPs by doing a smaller version of the entire pattern.

Here are six of my WIPs:

From left to right, top to bottom with the year started: Sarah Braizear 1829 from HATS(2018), Variegated Sampler from a 1987 CSCC magazine (2018), Lizzie Kate's Spirit of Christmas Mystery 2 Sampler (2017), Teresa Wentzler's Fruit Bellpull (2002) , Prairie Schooler's Summer Breeze (2019), and Carriage House Samplings' Houses of Hawk Run Hollow (2016). 

Here are the last four WIPs:

Fractal Bookmark 705 by Cross Stitch Collectibles (2020), 2019 Temperature Quilt by Stitchin' Mommy Sarah Hughes (2019), Seedy Pumpkin Cottage by Praiseworthy Stitches (2019), and  2020 Weather Graph I adapted from Sarah's Temperature Quilt Temperature Charts (2020).

I started the Fractal Bookmark on New Year's Day.  Oh, how I love this one! The colors are mesmerizing to me. 

  I am stitching diagonally and parking as I go, row by row.  I thank various folks I have found on Flosstube for steering me in this direction. 

 Here is a photo of that piece as it looks today:

Thanks for stopping by today, and I look forward to hearing from you regarding how many WIPs you have. 

~~ Sue 

Sarah Braizear 1829 WIP

I have been slowly progressing on several projects, and it has been wonderful having more stitching time in my life.

Here is Sarah Braizear 1829 as of a few weeks ago.  I am enjoying her a lot! She is a huge girl, that's for sure.

I have not been very active on this blog lately, but I vow to amend my ways.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Seedy Pumpkin Cottage WIP

Hi there,

I have another new WIP this summer. This is odd for me as normally I don't like to start things--believe it or not.

Last year I was fortunate enough to win a giveaway on Brian's you tube channel.  Brian does amazing work and has a great Flosstube channel.  It's always enjoyable to watch his videos.

So in his giveaway I won the Seedy Pumpkin Cottage pattern.  It's designed by Praiseworthy Stitches.

Brian sent a package to me with the pattern, and he also included the fabric and embellishment pack for this large beauty! What a wonderful surprise it was, indeed.  How generous is that?  Thanks so much, Brian.  I wanted to get it out and start it sooner, but I waited for the school year to end.

I was able to kit it up last month, and I also was able to start the piece as well.  I am itching to return to it soon as I have since given some other projects a little bit of stitch time. More on those projects another time.

Below you will see the fabric, beads, pattern, and a better look at the embellishment pack that I WON.  Stichers are so generous, aren't they?  The fabric is a 32 count one from Picture this Plus, and the color is Echo.

I love the colors of the beads!

It's a big pattern, isn't it?

 Look at this embellishment pack!

Here is my progress so far:

Here are the threads. I am using a combination of DMC and overdyed flosses. Aren't these colors wonderful? 

I hope you too are enjoying a lot of stitching time this summer.

Thanks for stopping by today,
Sue

New WIP- Temperature Quilt

I recently started Stitchin' Mommy's (Her flosstube is here.) Temperature Quilt. Her chart is available on Etsy.

It is fun to watch the strip of colors grow each day with the ongoing changes in our local weather. When July arrives it will be a new strip of colors adjacent to this one, and so on with each passing month. 

I am stitching it on 28 count light blue evenweave, and I am using the 'hot' weather chart she provided with the purchased PDF pattern.

It's really a fun little stitch, but I have a little over 11 months left to go!

Thanks for stopping by today,

Welcome, Summer! A WIP and A New Season

I have been working on Sarah Braizear 1829 for a year now. I am so enjoying her!

Nonetheless, I decided to start two new pieces and I will share those here another day soon.

I have recently retired and am elated to have a new, more relaxed lifestyle.  I loved what I did, but I am now loving this new phase of life. The last month of work was very intense and busy, so it's been refreshing to unwind for the first few weeks of June.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Each end of May and early June we await the blooming of the jacaranda trees in our area.  I took this photo while on a morning walk last week.  They are so wonderful to behold!

Here is a group of photos taken of Sarah B.  This represents the last few months' work.  I have done some satin stitching in the last few months which has been a nice change from the usual stitches. 

Thanks for stopping by today.

Happy Stitching,

Sue

Welcome, Spring!

Spring is a great time of year.  For me it is extra special this year as it is during this season I will retire from my job as a classroom teacher.

 I  do work through the end of May, but I am looking forward to a new, more relaxed lifestyle.  I will miss my job, I have no doubt of that. However,  I am hopeful that I will have lots more time to stitch!

I  have been working on Sarah B here and there since my last post.  Here are a few update photos of her. 

I have completed the border except for the satin stitches and filling in of some of the flowers.  It is great to be done with these 64 posies.

Part of me wishes I could switch to another project, but I just don't feel like trading this one out for the time being.  

Thanks for stopping by today, and I will update again soon after I remove the piece from the Q-snaps. 

Sarah Braizear 1829 Update

I have been working away on Sarah, making some very slow progress. Usually I only have time to stitch about 1/2 hour per evening, but that is better than no stitching at all, right?

Here are a few photos I took of the sampler this morning.

I hope to work on the sampler some this evening. 

The photo above shows a bit of the size of this sampler.  The Q-snaps I am using are 8 X 11 inches in size. I love my little lap stand! 

Thanks for stopping by today.

The Kindness of Stitchers and the Amazing Gift I Received

I enjoy watching Flosstube from time to time.  It's fun to see what others are up to in their stitching life.  Instagram is also a great way to catch up with stitchers.  I have an Instagram account myself, but have never ventured into making a video, nor do I plan to do so.  Nonetheless, I do enjoy watching others' videos and adventures via YouTube.

While watching various videos I have enjoyed videos from Brian, or Blitstich as he is known on Instagram.  He has a great tutorial on diagonal parking if that interests you.  You can find that on his YouTube channel, along with so many other great ideas.

On one of his videos awhile back he announced a giveaway that included the Seedy Pumpkin Cottage pattern by Praiseworthy Stitches.  I submitted a comment to enter it, and lo and behold I won the giveaway! His generosity is amazing as he sent me not only the pattern, but also the corresponding hand dyed fabric and buttons /beads pack.  What a great surprise that was to receive such a package!

This amazing piece is definitely on my list of future stitching endeavors.  Our youngest grandson has always been thrilled by Halloween, so this would be a piece he would thoroughly enjoy seeing come to life.

Thanks so much, Brian, for your generosity.  Brian also has a blog so if you have the chance, please check it out along with his YouTube channel and Instagram  He does beautiful work, and he is a very generous person!

Here is what I won:

Thanks for stopping by today!

Happy Stitching to all of you.