I'm in Trouble Now...

I've discovered the art of making Temari!  I bought the book Japanese Temari about a month ago and while I've browsed through it a couple of times, tonight I actually sat down to make one!

The pictures aren't great but here's the one I made:

I made the mari or the core ball from scratch.  It's wrapped in black sewing thread.  For the surface stitching I used Kreinik #8 braid 001 (silver); DMC perle cotton #5 in 3041, 3042 and 414 (or 415, I forget).

Here's a link to the book that I used:

Happy Stitching!

Stacy

A Christmas Gift

I know I'm late with this post but needed a nudge from a friend (waves at Sue) to actually do it!

For Christmas, my DH made me a mosaic rose.  He even made the frame for it!

Ta Da, here it is:



The really ironic part of this is that I purchased a mosaic kit for him for Christmas!  Of course, I gave him the kit so that he could put it together.  A couple of years ago, I'd given him a mosaic of a bald eagle that I had put together.  I figured it was his turn.  lol
Happy Stitching!

Stacy

Heirloom Christmas Sampler - FRAMED

Yes, more shouting.  That's because Heirloom Christmas Sampler was one of my longest WIPs/UFOs and now it is framed!  Ok, ok, it's not completely framed.  I have to pop it out of the frame, put the acrylic (instead of glass) in, pop everything else back in, cover the back and add the hanger.  The hard part - the mounting, is done.

Here's a picture of it in the frame:

Happy Stitching!

Stacy

Woodland Violet Sampler - FRAMED!

Yes, I was shouting in the title of this post!  This piece turned out great, even if I'm the one saying it.  I took a chance on both the frame and the purple mat - I didn't have samples of either one.  The frame was on sale because it's been discontinued and the purple mat option is new enough that I didn't have a sample piece of it.

Sometime tomorrow, I'll probably be rearranging the cross stitch pieces hanging in my living room to better accomodate this piece.  DH will be out for a couple of hours so I can do it without him freaking out.  (For some reason, he worries whenever I wield a hammer.  hehehe) 

Happy Stitching!

Stacy

My latest WIP...

This round of my rotation was PTP Floral Arrangement from HAED.  To remind everyone, this is done on 40ct. linen, 1 strand over 1 thread (1x1), in half cross stitches.  As of now, I have 6 out of 16 pages done!

Next up in the rotation:  Mystic Garden - HAED BB SAL piece.

Happy Stitching!

Stacy

One Resolution Down!

I'm so proud of me!  (It doesn't take much, lol)

I finished my Stitching Resolution to list all my excess stash in my Etsy shop: XedStitches!

Thankfully, I've already sold a few of the magazines.  DH looks at me every time I put one out for the mailman and says "$3.00?".  To which I get to reply, "Yes!".  Don't tell him, but every sale gives me money for more stash!  ;-)

Happy Stitching!

Stacy

More Stitchy Mail!

Well, UPS and FedEx actually.  lol

My Herrschners order came yesterday morning via UPS.  Here's what I got:

• Hope Ornament
• Bells Ornament
• Japanese Temari Book

My JoAnn's order came yesterday afternoon via FedEx.  Here's what was in that box:

• Miter Ruler
• Ruler Rack
• 99 Snowflakes
• Crochet with Beads
• Christmas Sayings Ornaments
• Let It Snow Ornament
• Dressmaker's Pins
• Chaco Liner, yellow

Now I'm going to get it all put away!

Happy Stitching!

Stacy

Stitchy Mail!

When the mailman came today, all the mail was for ME!  Since DH and I have a home-based business, this is really rare.  The other cool thing was all the mail was stitching-related!

I got a magazine offer for a quilting magazine.  I like the magazine but since I'm already de-stashing a bunch of other magazines, it seems silly to bring more in.  Well, more than I already subscribe to.  ;-)

The next bit was a JoAnn's coupon card.  There's a couple of 50% off coupons that I'll have to see about using!

The last piece of mail was the yearly Nordic Needle catalog.  This one's going to give me at least a couple of hours of pure joy and that's without even ordering anything!  If I do order something, I'll be over the moon!

Happy Stitching!

Stacy

Stitching Resolutions

I decided that I'd post the few "resolutions" that I've made in regard to my stitching.

• Keep my stash organized.  I managed to organize my sewing/stitching room this past year and I'd like to keep it that way!
• De-stash the stuff I'll never use.  I've made a start on this by opening an Etsy shop.  Now I just have to get everything listed!
• Finish my SAL project.  This is from the HAED BB and just started on January 4.
• Make at least one gift during the year.  Not necessarily cross stitched but definitely handmade (crocheted or quilted are viable options).

I think that's all...well, at least I hope it is!

Happy Stitching!

Stacy

Blog Hop #14: 2012 in Retrospect

I'm a bit late for this blog hop but here goes.  The questions are:

What was your biggest stitching accomplishment in 2012?

I actually finished one of my UFOs!  Heirloom Christmas Sampler finally got completed.  It had been sitting for quite awhile 'cause the tree (band 1!) was so detailed I kept losing my place.  I added it to my rotation and made it through all of it (I did the long version).

When I finished HCS, I looked for a new project that would fit on the same scroll frame.  Since it's a narrow frame, the best fit was another band sampler.  I finished that one too!  Woodland Violet Sampler was my last finish for 2012 as I finished it on Dec. 31.


What was your favorite stash acquisition in 2012 and will you be using it in 2013?

Oh, gosh.  I'm not sure on this one.  I'll have to go with the side bars and knobs I got to complete another scroll frame.  Yes, I will be using them in 2013 - I've already got fabric on them!  I'm doing one of the SALs on the HAED BB and that's why I got the parts to complete the scroll frame.

Happy Stitching!

Stacy



Visit all the blogs in this round of the Stitching the Night Away Stitching Blogger Blog Hop:
Find the instructions on how to participate in this round by clicking here.

A Sale!

Ooh, the place where I but my frames Picture Frames.com, had a sale on some frame styles that they are discontinuing so I took a look.  For anyone interested, the sale runs thru the 7th.

I ended up ordering two frames - one for each of the band samplers that I've just finished.  My total was $128US which includes the shipping!  Each frame has double mats; clear acrylic; and foam-core.

Two projects are going to get framed for just a few dollars more than I'd normally spend on one frame!

I will be sure to post photos as soon as I can.

Happy Stitching!

Stacy