Christmas Challenge Update

I remembered to post this update!  Yea, me!

I finished another Mill Hill Charmed Santa Faces kit.  This one is San Nicolo.  I think this is the last one of these kits that I have.

Next up is a Dimensions Gold Collection Petites kit:  Peace Ornament.  I've already made a start on it but so far it's just blobs of red.  ;-)

Happy Stitching!

Stacy

La Belle Dame... progress update

Hey, Everyone!

I have an update on La Belle Dame... it's only a partial page but it's progress!

I've now got the top 3 rows of the pattern done.  Normally, I'd be at 75% completed (check the progress bar to the right) but there are partial pages across the bottom of the pattern.  These are tiny partials, too.  There are only 6 stitches high across the bottom.  Hmm, I may do pages 25 & 33 together when I rotate back to this.  I'll have to think about it.

Next up in my rotation is a new start!  It's a small pattern from an old issue of For the Love of Cross Stitch (I miss this magazine!) called Through the Storm.  I'll probably complete the entire pattern before rotating back to La Belle Dame..., that's how small it is.

Happy Stitching!

Stacy

WIP update

I know I've been "quiet" here on my blog lately.  Life seems to have a way of taking up time.  Nothing major, just little things here and there.

For instance, I would usually spend most of a Saturday afternoon/evening in my craft room.  Nope, last Saturday when we were expecting the "storm of the century", hubby and I headed south to Portland, OR for a trade show.  It was great to attend even a small, regional one finally.  We used to go to our annual convention in Las Vegas every year, but when the economy tanked in 2008, we didn't have the extra money to do it.

We got to look at the new machine we're planning on getting for our trophy shop and got to talk to a couple of suppliers so it was worth "braving the storm".  Since the storm was supposed to hit in the early afternoon, we made sure to get to Portland early so we could leave before the storm got to us.  BTW, the storm didn't make landfall here so we just got some significant rainfall:  3.04" (7.72cm).  We're used to that since we average over 65" (165.1cm) of rain a year.

Well, I finally got to do some stitching last night and I managed a page finish!  The piece in my rotation this time was God Speed.  Here's my progress photo:

...and we have a face!  Next time I work on this, I should be working on the top of the knight's helmet.

Now I'm back to my La Belle Dame...  I've already put in a few stitches on page 24 which is a partial page.  That means a row finish is coming in the near future!

I won't get much stitching done this weekend.  Hubby and I have a booth (indoors!) at the Fall Garage Sale in Chehalis, WA this coming Saturday.  If you're in Western Washington, come on by!  There are over 300 vendors inside the fairground buildings.

Happy Stitching!

Stacy

Christmas Challenge Update

I'm writing this a day early (gasp) because I'll be out of town tomorrow (Sat.) and even if I were home, we might lose our power.  We're experiencing a wind/rain storm at the moment but an even bigger storm is supposed to hit on Saturday.  It's the "remnant" of a typhoon that hit Japan and then made its way across the Pacific to the US.

I know I didn't do a Finish It Up Challenge update because, well, I didn't finish anything up!  I only have the one item left on my list:  finish my sister's Disney scrapbook.  I don't think I'm going to be getting to it any time soon 'cause "cleaning" is getting in the way.  Actually, reorganizing my craft room is wreaking havoc on everything except my cross stitch, of course!  It's pretty major "surgery" to my room, requiring new, custom furniture.  Hubby and I are going to build the bookcases that I've designed specifically for my stuff and the space I have.  In the meantime, my room is in chaos that's only slightly organized.

I have made progress on my Christmas Challenge though!  Here's the latest ornament that I've finished:

He's another of the Mill Hill Charmed Santa Faces Series II.  I've forgotten his "name" already - poor guy!  And guess what?  I've finished the hat for the next one.  I really don't know what it is with me and the hats.  Personally, I only wear a hat if I absolutely have to (burning sun protection) so it's not like I have a hat fetish.


Well, that's all for now 'cause the lights are flickering and I'm not sure how long my internet is going to last.

Happy Stitching!

Stacy

Yes, I realize that I missed the last 2 months of this challenge!  I really didn't do much Christmas stitching those months, maybe 50 stitches, so you're not missing anything.

I did finish another ornament this past month.  It's another Mill Hill Santa - I love these guys!

Here's the latest one done:

Again, I have started on the hat for the next one, but haven't finished it yet.


Happy Stitching!



Stacy

Oops! Updates

Oops!  I forgot to do my Finish It Up update this month.  That's probably because I only have 1 item left to do on my list and I'm not likely to get to it anytime soon.  My list has stalled looking like this:

1. Bind my 4-patch quilt (poor thing's been waiting for over 2years)
2. Remove last of carpet in sewing room (it's really in the way and is hampering my crafts)
3. Finish my "Merry Christmas" framed set
4. Tidy up all my quilting scraps
5. Frame my Mother's Tree.
6. Clean off my scrapbooking desk so I can actually scrapbook!
7. Finish the Disneyland scrapbook for my sister
8.  List the rest of the items I have set aside to sell on Etsy. 
   
9. Re-starch/shape the rest of my crocheted snowflakes.

 I had finished #6 and had done some scrapbooking (though not on #7) but my entire office area needs a good tidying including doing #6 again.  (sigh)

I do have an update on my La Belle Dame as well.  I finished another page last night!  That means 23 pages down, 17 to go (8 are small partials).

I've also done okay at garage sales (car boot or jumble sale for my UK followers) for cross stitch stuff this summer.  I scored an American Dreams lap stand with scroll frame (and a needlepoint canvas!) for $5 (£3.75).  I also got a 9" x 21" Lokscroll frame for $1 (75p).  It is missing the "sticks" but I can get them for about $10 (£7.50) including shipping.

No I don't have projects on either of them...yet.  I'm working on it though! 

Happy Stitching!

Stacy

Another Piece Framed!

I got my QS Dragonflies framed last night!  Thankfully, I got it done in time to enter in my county fair.  I drop them off on Sunday.

Once I get this and my Mother's Tree back from the fair, I'll post how I did.

Happy Stitching!

Stacy

Storing Floss

I've written about this once before, but thought I'd do an updated post.
Please note, I do earn money if you buy through the links provided.  If this bothers you, just ignore them.

What might be hidden behind door #1:

This is the armoire that I finally painted.  The door is covered in chalkboard paint - I've just been too lazy to actually write anything on it.

And behind the door we find...

The top shelf holds my few paints and glues.  The next 3 shelves are the real treat:  floss!

The boxes are these:


I needed five of the thin ones to hold all my DMC floss.  If you click on the photo, you can see that I've added my own custom labels to show what numbers are in each box (engraved!  Ah the perks of owning your own trophy shop.).

The larger box holds my specialty flosses:  GAST, Wildflowers, Perle Cottons, etc.

The bobbins that I use are:

The smaller bobbins are for my DMC, the larger ones are for my specialty threads.

The DMC floss that I need for a project gets pulled from my master stash and put on rings.  I always store them in numerical order so that they are easy to find.

Here are the flosses that I'm using for La Belle Dame Sans Merci:

As you can see, I have 4 rings of floss for this project.  The first number I'm using is 154 which is on the leftmost ring and the last number is 3864 which is on the rightmost ring and all the other numbers are in order in between.

What I love about this way of doing it, apart from the fact that it works for me, is:

• They're organized
• Easy to find
• Take up very little room
• Easily accessible
• Easy to store with the project when it's not being worked on

Here are my projects that are being stored (photo is old, some of these are finished now):

I hope this helps you in your cross stitch endeavors!

Happy Stitching!

Stacy

Mini Wings In Repose Update

Ok, this post I nearly forgot to write.

I have an update on my Mini Wings in Repose (retired) from HAED.  I've finished the 2nd full page plus the 3rd partial page!

Here it is so far:

I'm doing this one in half stitches, 1x1 on 32ct. evenweave.

I don't know when I'll get back to it as it's not "officially" in my rotation yet.  I've used it as my project for the last 2 challenges hosted by the HAED FB page.

Now back to stitching on La Belle Dame...

Happy Stitching!

Stacy

Finish It Up Challenge Update

I know, I know, I'm late for my update.

I did have a reason for the delay, it's not that I forgot.  I knew that I was going to get an item on my list done but not quite by the 1st.

So here's my list:

1. Bind my 4-patch quilt (poor thing's been waiting for over 2years)  finished on 21 Feb 2016
2. Remove last of carpet in sewing room  finished on 10 April 2016
3. Finish my "Merry Christmas" framed set  finished on 4 May 2016
4. Tidy up all my quilting scraps not sure of the date, but they're organized!
5. Frame my Mother's Tree.  finished on 2 August 2016
6. Clean off my scrapbooking desk so I can actually scrapbook!  clean enough to work on 15 Jan 2016
7. Finish the Disneyland scrapbook for my sister
8.  List the rest of the items I have set aside to sell on Etsy.  finished on 7 Jan 2016
9. Re-starch/shape the rest of my crocheted snowflakes.  finished on 29 Feb 2016 

I got it framed!  My Mother's Tree is completely done.  The really great thing is that I finished it in time to enter it in my county fair - entries go in this Sunday.  Whew!  That was cutting it close.  Even closer?  I have one more piece to frame before then.

Here's the picture of the framed piece. 

As usual, I just popped it together without the acrylic (instead of glass) in order to get a good photo.  Then I took it apart, added the acrylic and finished off the framing.

The other nice bit was that this frame and the other one I just got were both on sale!  This one isn't small - the stitched area is 16" x 22".  The other frame is much smaller.  Both together with the acrylic and foam core pieces were just under $95US.  I also took advantage of a free shipping offer which probably saved me another $20-$25.

Happy Stitching!

Stacy

Waiting...

Hey All!

As most of you know, I've discovered digital scrapbooking.  Well, I finished a scrapbook of the photos from my childhood.  I've done it so that myself and my two sisters each have at least a couple of pages to ourselves.  Holidays, vacations, and pets we owned are each grouped together.

I ordered 1 printed and bound version.  I only ordered 1 right now, because I have never done this before and I want to see if it's worth the money before I buy 2 more of them.

The "waiting" part is, thankfully, only until tomorrow.  I just tracked it and it should be delivered then!  I haven't seen most of these photos in print since before I got married.  I've had the digital photos for about 5 years now but haven't been able to print them.  Most of them were polaroids and last time I checked, their size wasn't an option from some of the better quality photo printers.

Here's one of the pages of just me:

I ordered the album as a 12" x 12" hardcover with photo and lay-flat pages.  Here's the cover (using the only professionally photographed picture in the album):

I'm the tall one with my middle sister on the left and youngest on the right.  If the album is even half as nice as I'm hoping, you can guess what my sisters are each getting for Christmas!  My youngest sister doesn't have any copies of our childhood photos, digital or otherwise so I know she'll be thrilled.

There are some photos that I didn't use in the album but I'm going to put all of the digitals on a CD and include it with the album.

I've already got an album for my mother planned, showing her family tree, but I want to see the print one before I start work on it.

Well, now I can get back to stitching for a bit.

Happy Stitching!

Stacy

La Belle Dame progress and more

Hello out there!

Back on Friday, I had a page finish on La Belle Dame Sans Merci!  That makes 22 pages done.

I also got a new-to-me camera.  It's not great but the price was right and my camera had completely died.  Now I don't have to borrow hubby's camera!

Also, it's not on my "official" finish it up list, but I finally got my ribbons from last year's fairs hung up.  The photo is at a weird angle because these are hung along the staircase wall.  The very top 2 rosettes and the bottom partial row of blue/purple ribbons are the ones from last year.

On the Official HAED FB group, there is a stitching challenge going on right now.  It involves parking...not my favorite thing.  However, I am making progress so that's a good thing.  This project is Mini Wings in Repose (retired).

Happy Stitching!

Stacy

Finish It Up Challenge

I will admit that I nearly forgot to post this update.  To me, it's Friday - beyond that I don't care!  lol

I did make progress on my list, but no photos for it.

1. Bind my 4-patch quilt (poor thing's been waiting for over 2years)  finished on 21 Feb 2016
2. Remove last of carpet in sewing room  finished on 10 April 2016
3. Finish my "Merry Christmas" framed set  finished on 4 May 2016
4. Tidy up all my quilting scraps not sure of the date, but they're organized!
5. Frame my Mother's Tree.
6. Clean off my scrapbooking desk so I can actually scrapbook!  clean enough to work on 15 Jan 2016
7. Finish the Disneyland scrapbook for my sister
8.  List the rest of the items I have set aside to sell on Etsy.  finished on 7 Jan 2016
9. Re-starch/shape the rest of my crocheted snowflakes.  finished on 29 Feb 2016

My quilting yardage has always been neatly stored.  It was the small pieces of fabric that were the problem.  Well, now they are all in those plastic bins with drawers or shoe-box sized plastic containers.  I can't really photograph them 'cause I don't have room to get far enough away to take a photo!

The containers are all tucked away under my cutting table.  There's only enough room between the table and my design wall for me to work.

I have started back on a quilting project that was getting in the way but I find I need more maroon fabric.  I have plenty of red but none dark enough to coordinate.  Bummer, I need to go shopping!

Happy Stitching!

Stacy

Etsy Shop BIG update!!

Whew!  I really thought this update would never end!

I've just added 125 items to my Etsy shop, XedStitches! 

Just added are a bunch of kits, magazines, leaflets, a couple of books, a couple pieces of fabric...and more!

Now, I'm going to go take a nap.  zZzZzZz

Oh, for my readers, there is a coupon code:  BLOGREADER.  Spend $10 or more before shipping and get 5% off (shipping not discounted).

Happy Stitching!

Stacy

Christmas Challenge Update

I'll bet you all think I forgot!  I didn't, I'm just running late.

This is the busy time of year at my "real" job - owning a trophy shop.  With the end of school (sports banquets, graduation, etc.) plus baseball season, we're a bit busy.

I did finish my Mill Hill St. Nicholas this past month.  Here he is:

I also started another one and got his hat completed.  I don't know what it is with me and hats.  I get one done and then...nothing.  Well, not nothing because I have started on the new Santa's face.  I just seem to get distracted or temporarily lose interest.  Who knows?

Anyway,

Happy Stitching!

Stacy

Floral Finesse Update

Hi All!

This last turn in my rotation belonged to Floral Finesse.  Just a few minutes ago, I had a page finish!

I finished the page on the far left.  Everything from just to the right of the blue iris.  The leftmost couple of stitches on the tendrils above and to the right of the iris were on this page.  I would normally not have done the page to the right first, but it was the easiest way to line up with what was 3 small bits across the top.

Next up is, of course, La Belle Dame Sans Merci.  ;-)

Happy Stitching!

Stacy

Blog Hop: Thrift Store Treasures & Stories

I haven't participated in a blog hop in awhile and figured it was time that I jumped back on the wagon.

This one really made me think.  My town has 3 basic thrift stores:  Salvation Army, Goodwill, and a locally-owned one called Dream Secondhand Store.  Being from a small town and set in our ways, we still usually refer to it as "the old Linnenkohl's" after the original occupant of the building (it was a furniture store and the name was written on the roof).

I don't shop often at thrift stores.  Not 'cause I'm a snob but because the first two are mainly clothes and I'm really hard to fit, and the third one is a glorified junk shop.  I'm more likely to be found at garage sales around our county during the Spring and Summer.

I did, however, score a really cute Prairie Schooler Santa at the junky shop.  I was really surprised!  It was stitched and framed and I got him for $1.  Isn't he cute?!  I see he got a bit smashed.  I'll have to make sure to store him better.

The past couple of weeks, I've done really well at garage/yard sales (car boot or jumble sales for the UK readers). I got a ton of cross stitch magazines for a song last Saturday.  When I say ton, it was actually 88 magazines.  Mostly Just Cross Stitch and Cross Stitch and Country Crafts.  I've also started "rescuing" completed pieces.  At the same sale, I got 4 completed and framed pieces!  I just can't stand the thought of all that work possible ending up in a trash heap somewhere.

Soon, there is going to be a section in my Etsy Shop, XedStitches, specifically for my "rescuees".  I'll make a little money on them but my main goal is to see that they go to a home where they'll be appreciated.


Visit all the blogs in this round of the Stitching the Night Away Stitching Bloggers June Blog Hop – Thrift Store Treasures and Stories
Find the instructions on how to participate in this round by clicking here.

Happy Stitching!

Stacy

FIU Challenge Update

Here's the way my list looks now:

1. Bind my 4-patch quilt (poor thing's been waiting for over 2years)  finished on 21 Feb 2016
2. Remove last of carpet in sewing room  finished on 10 April 2016
3. Finish my "Merry Christmas" framed set  finished on 4 May 2016
4. Tidy up all my quilting scraps
5. Frame my Mother's Tree.
6. Clean off my scrapbooking desk so I can actually scrapbook!  clean enough to work on 15 Jan 2016
7. Finish the Disneyland scrapbook for my sister
8.  List the rest of the items I have set aside to sell on Etsy.  finished on 7 Jan 2016
9. Re-starch/shape the rest of my crocheted snowflakes.  finished on 29 Feb 2016 

Here's a picture of my "Merry Christmas" set:

The frames I got years ago at Michael's in their sales bins.  I think I got them for $1 each.  The letters are Christmas Alphabet by Tereena Clarke that I purchased from PatternsOnline.

Happy Stitching!

Stacy

Christmas Challenge Update

This month, I did get some more Christmas stitching done.  I finished my Santa Jingles from Mill Hill!

I have also started another Mill Hill kit:  St. Nicholas.  I've finished all the stitching and beading on his hat but haven't trimmed it up yet.  I've also got most of the stitching done on his face.  No photos of him yet, 'cause my camera died and I'm too lazy to get my hubby's.  ;-)

Happy Stitching!

Stacy

La Belle Dame...progress update (revised)

Last night, I finished another page on my La Belle Dame...!  That makes 21 pages done!

Here's the photo:

It took me a couple of days, but I finally remembered to update the progress bar at the right.

Next up in my rotation:  Floral Finesse!



Happy Stitching!

Stacy

FIU Challenge Update

I did make some progress on my list this past month!  The one that I got to cross off really warms my heart!

1. Bind my 4-patch quilt (poor thing's been waiting for over 2years)  finished on 21 Feb 2016
2. Remove last of carpet in sewing room  finished on 10 April 2016
3. Finish my "Merry Christmas" framed set
4. Tidy up all my quilting scraps
5. Frame my Mother's Tree.
6. Clean off my scrapbooking desk so I can actually scrapbook!  clean enough to work on 15 Jan 2016
7. Finish the Disneyland scrapbook for my sister
8.  List the rest of the items I have set aside to sell on Etsy.  finished on 7 Jan 2016
9. Re-starch/shape the rest of my crocheted snowflakes.  finished on 29 Feb 2016 

Here is a photo after I'd removed 2 layers of carpet:

That ugly brown felt was the hardest bit to remove.  Oh, it came up okay but it was nailed down about every 4" and the nails stayed put.  Pulling them out was the toughest part.

Here's a picture of the layers I was dealing with:

The hideous green was laid on top of the beige.  The green was also held down with tack strips.  The beige was just lying there - no nails, tack strips, nothing.  The felt was nailed down.  It was also put down in odd sized strips.  You can see a seam in it in the first photo.  Every seam had many, many nails.  My hands ached from pulling the nails.

Here is a photo of all the carpeting gone!!!

Okay, okay, the carpeting still exists...under the bookcases.  Until I get or make a cabinet to replace them, that bit of carpet stays.  Thankfully, it's not big and will come out quickly.

I did put down a lovely area rug but I'll wait to post a photo of that.  I've been cleaning and organizing the entire room in small stages.  I'm going to share photos of my entire room once I've finished.  It might be awhile, because until I get rid of the bookcases, I won't consider it finished.

UPDATE:  Lenore asked, "Why was the carpet there in the first place?"  I honestly don't know. It was there when we bought the house back in 1997.  It might have been there just as a way to keep the room warmer.  It's the only room upstairs and the house wasn't insulated...at all!

Oh,  I did attempt to make progress on my Merry Christmas set.  The first frame that I picked up had broken glass!  (sigh)  I will need to keep one of them undone so that I can get a new piece of glass cut.  I may work on the other letters in the meantime.

Happy Stitching!

Stacy

Cross Stitch & Scrapbooking Updates

First of all, I added Mini Wings in Repose to the progress bars at the right.

Next, I've got an update on PTP Floral Arrangement.

I've got 10 pages done now!

I do have to say I thought the orange/white flowers at the bottom were going to be the death of me.  While I do make mistakes in my stitching, usually it's just a stitch or two that are easily dealt with.  Not on these flowers though!  I made some sort of mistake near the top of the cluster that I just couldn't identify properly so that I could fix it.  I ended up doing some over-stitching (literally stitching over incorrect stitches) and some "This color is close enough" stitches.  They look fine now so that's the ultimate result.

Now I am truly back to my rotation so I'm back working on La Belle Dame...

As you may have read in a previous blog post.  I've discovered digital scrapbooking!  OK, I'll admit it, I'm addicted to it!  As my family's genealogist, I've certainly got enough photographs to work with - 1,001 just from one set of grandparents!

I've just completed my first book but saving my pennies to get it printed.  It's really quite a bit less money versus using real papers and an album but a bigger lump sum.  With "traditional" scrapbooking, I've purchased bits & pieces at a time so I've usually spent $20 or less per purchase.

Anyway, I thought I'd share a couple of the pages that I've put together.  I'm still a novice at this but I can only get better!  Just to be clear, I'm the child in all of these photos (I'm currently in my 40's).

Here is a list, with links, of some of the designers whose wonderful talent made these pages possible:

• Correen Silke
• Sheila Reed
• Scraps by Jessica art-design
• Jeanine Baechtold

Happy Stitching!

Stacy

Christmas Challenge Update

Well, I did some Christmas stitching this last month, but not much.

All I managed to do was Santa's hat and a bit of his face:

This is another Mill Hill Charmed Santa Faces kit:  Santa Noel.

I'm looking forward to getting a larger Christmas project added into my rotation.  I seem to be more motivated with larger projects.  For some reason, I tend to lose interest in small ones...go figure.

Happy Stitching!

Stacy

More Progress and...a Page Finish!

In the last couple of days I've made progress on my challenge piece for the HAED FB page challenge.  Here is the last non-blurry progress photo:

...and here is the finished page:

I finished last night around 11.  That's a bit later than I normally stitch, but just had to finish the page.

Project details:

• HAED Mini Wings in Repose (retired)
• 32ct. white evenweave
• 1 strand over 1 fabric thread
• half stitches

Now I'll go back to my rotation which means I need to finish my page on PTP Floral Arrangement.  Mini Wings in Repose will now get a slot in my rotation.

Happy Stitching!

Stacy

Some more colors!

Here are some progress pictures on my Mini Wings in Repose (retired).  This is from what I did this weekend.  These aren't after a single color this time.  Some of those photos came out blurry, plus there have been two colors that only had 1 and 2 stitches on the entire page..

Happy Stitching!

Stacy