Stitchin' and Finishing' Oh...and Grinnin"

Whew, I was in a quandary after I finished Anne.  I have so many things kitted ready to start stitching, but I have ... squirrel... a problem with focus.  LOL!!  I recently received something in the mail from a friend that I really want to stitch...but it's not kitted and I need to find time to go shopping.  So....I dipped my hand in my box of kits, and came up with Spring Basket Pinkeep by Stacy Nash.  I ordered this pattern during pre market sales a year or two ago along with all the materials to make it.  When I received it I put it aside and when I pulled it out today I found that they had kitted it wrong.  I'm missing a thread and have a duplicate of another.  *sigh*  That will teach me to really check things out when I receive an order.  Anyway...now I'm on the hunt for that one specialty thread.  

I debated whether to start or wait, and while I was thinking about it I decided to fully finish a couple of things I finished stitching.  Soooo...here is Holly Noel by the Mindful Needle from the 2023 JCS Ornament Issue stitched on 36 count mystery blue fabric over one.  It's finished in a tiny tart pan.  

The other finish I have is Snowman 2024 by Primrose Cottage stitched on 36 count natural over one.  I finished this on the back of an ornament I found in Hobby Lobby.  I took the bow from the front top of the ornament and glued it to the bottom of the finished stitching.  I think this is my favorite finish so far this year!  

So....after all that I decided to start the pinkeep, and stitch around the thread I'm missing.  Maybe tomorrow I'll see where I can get it.  Fingers crossed I can get it somewhere soon!  Until then, I hope you are having better luck with your stitching than I am!  We are enjoying some lovely weather, I hope you are too!  Happy Stitching!

April IHSW progress

I'm excited for this post!  From the last post you know that I finished Anne Thomas 1854 except for the personalization, still working on that.  Here she is again!  

While away on vacation I picked up this cute little snowman pattern.  It's by Primrose Cottage and is called Snowman 2024.  I had the container under the snowman stitched before the weekend and was able to finish him off on Sunday.  I used the DMC substituted floss and stitched it on 36 count natural over one.  I'm hoping he fits in a small tart pan, but I have my doubts....lol.  I'll show him when he's fully finished and let you know!  

I did have a few hiccups this weekend, otherwise I would have had something else stitched, I think.  BUT I try not to miss any time out with the family.  While I was out I found some fabric at JoAnn's so fingers crossed I'll have some more fully finished items to share soon!  I'm off to spend the day with Little Miss Sassy Pants today...can't wait!  I hope you all had a very productive weekend!  Happy Stitching! 

There was great rejoicing in the land!

I've been happy dancing this morning, though there is still one day left of the IHSW.  I have something else I am working on that I hope to get a lot of stitching done on today, but I couldn't help posting that ANNE THOMAS 1834 is FINISHED!  The next step will be to get her framed, but I'll have to put some thought into having that done.  Anne Thomas was stitched on 40 count Pecan Butter over two (with lettering done over one) using DMC floss.  I started this on January first of this year!  Working 5 pages a month, I was able to finish in 4 months thanks to a couple of IHSW weekend thrown in!  Now I'll have to put my thinking cap on to decide on my  next big project...I'm thrilled to have this one done!  

Ok, off to work on another project.  Wish me luck!  I'll post my progress later.  Happy Stitching! 

Getting Ready...

It's the start of IHSW (International Hermit and Stitch Weekend) and I thought I would show where I'm continuing with Anne Thomas 1854.  

I'm hoping to finish her up this weekend (fingers crossed because it's been a wild ride around here lately with unexpected things popping up).  This is a reproduction from Hands Across the Sea Samplers.  I've been stitching this on 40 count Pecan Butter over two.  I love the antique look of it as it has been emerging from the fabric.  I started this on January 1st of this year and stitched 5 pages a month hoping to finish by the end of April...I'm excited as I've been able to keep my schedule so far!  

I've had quite the month since April Fool's day (I should call it April Fool's month!!).  With a week away on vacation, then DH away for 5 days, and as I've said, stuff keeps popping up...but I've tried hard this month to fully finish a few things.  With a little luck (and some mind over matter determination) I hope to keep my New Year's Resolution and fully finish everything I stitch this year.  Since the last time I posted about finishing...here is what I've accomplished...  

Floral Magenta by The Heart's Content  

Let It Snow by Blackberry Lane  

Chubby Fox by Jeannette Douglas  

Chubby Bunny by Jeannette Douglas  

Secret Visitor by Ellen Maurer-Stroh  

Light Upon The Lawn by Blackbird Designs  

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year by The Heart's Content.  

I have a few things set aside ready to finish, I'll see how far I get with Anne this weekend.  I need some backing fabric for a few things which I will have to buy...so we'll see how far I get.  Once Anne is finished I'll have a big decision to make...what project will I start next?  Hmmm....stay tuned!  Until then, Happy Stitching!

April Gifted Gorgeousness

Hi fellow stitchers!  Welcome to my April Gifted Gorgeousness post.  If you are unfamiliar with Gifted Gorgeousness (GG) let me point you to Jo's blog Serendipitous Stitching (click here) where you can sign up to join in the fun, and also see what everyone else is stitching for this challenge.  Jo hosts this challenge, and keeps us in line!  Basically GG entries can be stitching with things that have been gifted to us (patterns, fabric, or floss), stitching something for someone else, or something we received.  So...let's get started!  

I've had a few finishes since the last GG post.  I finished Irish Blessing a free pattern from Herrschner's just before St. Patrick's Day.  It was stitched on 32 count ivory over two.  

I also finished Floral Magenta by The Heart's Content which was a from a kit that was gifted to me from a friend.  It was stitched on 36 count hand dyed fabric over one.  I truly love this one!  I was able to finish this one and the Irish Blessing during the IHSW!  

Each year my husband gifts me the magazine Just Cross Stitch, so I feel anything stitched from those magazines fall into the GG category.  Since last month I've stitched this ornament, Peace on Earth by Punochka from the 2023 JCS Ornament issue.  This was stitched on 40 count Vintage Country Mocha over two.  I love how this turned out!  

Next is Light Upon the Lawn by Blackbird Designs.  This pattern was gifted to me from Ms. Mouse over in England.  This was stitched on 40 count Hogbristle over two.  I really enjoyed this stitch!  

Last is Christmas Ball 8 which is a collaboration between Atelier Soed Idee and Twin Peak Primitives.  This was a free chart during the 2023 Advent event that Atelier Soed Idee promoted.  There were 8 Christmas ornaments in the pattern.  I thought this one was really sweet.  It's stitched on 40 count raw natural over two.  I hope to do a few more from this pattern when I get the time.  

I've made a little progress on Anne Thomas.  I know this isn't part of GG, but thought you might like a little update.  I thought I would have a lot of time while DH was off on his work trip.  What is it they say?  We make plans, and God laughs?  I had no idea how busy I would be while he was away.  Between household chores, and some unexpected time with my granddaughter, all that stitching I hoped to accomplish just didn't happen.  Oh well...that's life.  And I did get to spend a lot of one on one time with Miss Sassy Pants.  That was definitely worth it!  So....I finished off page 16, only 4 more to go!

That's all I have to show this month.  I'll be back to working on Anne Thomas until I get her finished.  Wish me luck!  Till next time, stay safe and healthy, and Happy Stitching!    

Time for an update!

It has literally been a whirlwind around here lately.  Thankfully I have managed to stitch a little each day, but it's been a busy time for the family lately.  I'm not going to show what I'm going to post for Gifted Gorgeousness yet, though I did finish a few things that fall into that category.  I have been trying to stitch from stash this year, and what I'm going to show is from stash, but I must confess, we took a week to ourselves and I found a little needlework store that was just too tempting to pass up.  More on that later.  

First let me show you a few stitches... this one is Singing Sparrow by Sweet Wing Studio.  I have always loved this song so couldn't resist picking it up a looooong time ago.  It's stitched on 32 light blue over two.  For me, it's a good reminder that no matter the circumstances, He is always watching over us.  

The next two are from Jeannette Douglas, these are Chubby Fox, and Chubby Bunny.  I've stitched the bunny before over one, and even though I display him, I wanted one a little bigger.  These are both stitched on 40 count Vintage Country Mocha over two.  Now to get them finished...  

The next three are from the same chart pack, this is called A Walk Through The Garden Pin Keep Stack.  All three were stitched on 36 count Mayflower by Fox and Rabbit.  I dearly love how these came out!  Also more for my finishing box, but I need to find some backing fabric...  

That's all I'm going to show for now.  I think I'll be back to stitching on Anne Thomas soon, I've missed her and with a little luck I'll finish her this month.  Only 5 more pages to go!!  

I mentioned we've been busy...well my dear husband will be away this week.  I was supposed to go with him to Spokane, Washington but I've had some health issues that need to be taken care of before I go wandering around airports...lol...so I decided to stay home.   More time to stitch, right?  So...as compensation I guess, we planned a trip back to Pennsylvania.  A few days in Hershey where we attended Mamma Mia at the Hershey Theater.  What a lovely place!  The cast of the show were amazing and we had such a fun time.  The encore at the end was fabulous, we didn't want it to end!  

Then we traveled to the Lancaster area where we found a little needlework store (what a fun time we had touring that place!).  Here are some pictures of my haul and of the store...their wall of color was amazing!  This is the Hodge Podge in Strasburg, Pennsylvania.  14 East Main Street.    

Then went to see Daniel at Sight & Sound Theater.  I've been to productions there before and they were fabulous, but this one was truly astounding.  The costumes, and the set designs, I can't even begin to describe how truly wonderful it was.  The firey furnace  was amazing, I could feel the heat!  And the lion's den, I don't know how they made those lions look real though I know it was some sort of video magic.  It was truly a fabulous production!  

We came home on Saturday, quickly shopped for groceries, did the laundry and went to bed early as we were up at 3:30 AM to take DH to the airport.  Thankfully it's only 20 minutes away.  I came back, went back to bed, then got up to watch Miss A while her parents went to a concert.  My day ended just after 11 PM where I fell into bed exhausted.  It took reading 10 books and about 50 choruses of "You Are My Sunshine" to coax her to sleep....but it's always a joy to spend time with her one on one!  I'm going to miss my husband, but I'm looking forward to the next few days of peace and quiet.  

Before our little trip, we also attended opening day for the Orioles baseball team.  Always a fun day, especially with Little Miss A who always keeps us (and those sitting around us) entertained.  From high fiving the ladies sitting behind us, to accepting the prize from the Cracker Jack package from the guy in front of us!  Not to mention....they won!!

Then there was Easter, we attended a lovely brunch at Matthew's 1600 which had an amazing spread!  It's always nice to spend the day with family!  

So now you know where I've been, here there and everywhere it seems.  I'm ready for a few days break with some time to rest my aching leg, sort through my stash, organize my house, it's a wreck as we've been in and out and not been able to really straighten up much.  BUT I do hope to take a few minutes this afternoon and search the skies for the eclipse.  It's supposed to be cloudy, and we are only getting about 80% coverage of the sun, still it's something to see!  The last partial eclipse I saw was long before our son was born and we were living in Arizona.  I'm a sky watcher from way back...so this is right in my wheelhouse.  I hope you all are safe and healthy wherever you are.  Happy Stitching! 

He Is Risen!

A day late but still true!  He is risen, indeed!

Have a Blessed Easter!