Saturday Stitch Along - More Progress on October

Some progress was made on the October theme from the Prairie Schooler leaflet

Spring and Fall

 

I had hoped to be done by now, but haven't had nearly the time to sit and stitch like I want to, that's a familiar refrain stitchers can empathize with right?

 

This is part of a Saturday SAL that I'm participating in with Debbie and Linda!

 



Finally, an update

Sometimes, despite your best intentions, you just don't get things done.  Such is the case with me.  I've actually made progress on my stitching but haven't had a chance to update the blog.

So, here we go. My Saturday SAL with Linda and Debbie is progressing - I admit to sometimes stitching on these projects on other days (bad me bad me) but they are a great size for taking along in a bag.

September is done - I really enjoyed this one, fun colors and a fairly quick stitch.  Now I am getting autumn fever and want to start decorating with pumpkins and hay bales! 

October is underway and it's a lot of 3371, a lot of it but it's not vexing me as the red-winged blackbird of June did!

I missed IHSW this time, but did take a photo of my ORT jar, switched from the glass of before.  Love the mix of colors! (I also think I need to dust - LOL)

WIP and Saturday SAL

I just want to share one work in progress, which also happens to be a project for my Prairie Schooler Saturday SAL with Debbie and Linda. 

This is from the Spring and Fall leaflet and I am having so much fun with each month's motif, and this one is no different.  The rich colors are making me feel positively autumn-ey.  Hopefully the next time you see the secret squirrel he'll be finished!

Opus Gluei challenge time! Are you working on something seasonal?

Any stitcher worth her salt is knee deep in

seasonal projects by now, right?

Perhaps you are stitching Christmas presents for friends and family?

Making home decor items for Autumn?

Halloween ornaments?

Well, join the club!

Over at the Order of the Opus Gluei, we're working with the theme of

SEASONS

(click to be taken over to the challenge)

And any art form - stitching, quilting, cross-stitching, multi media, paper, paint, and so on.... is welcome.

*****

No, I'm not like the department stores and already decorating for fall.

  I'm just sharing this for illustrative purposes.

But I have big plans to actually start in September to make my home looking Fall-ish.  I can add and subtract elements as the season goes on to take us from late summer into early fall and then Halloween and finally into Thanksgiving.

Last year I had stitched one lone Prairie Schooler owl and now there's some friends to share the curly willow twigs with him.

Dry run in the dining room.

Prairie Schooler - Fall Fields

(it's not on the cover but it is on the back page of the leaflet)

Prairie Schooler - Thanksgiving Comes Again

Prairie Schooler - Boo to You

Prairie Schooler - Thanksgiving Comes Again

A lot of fun finishes - felt backing, buttons, ribbon, what's not to love?

Intrigued?

Okay, so go over and share some of your creativity (and projects) with us!

July's IHSW - A Saturday SAL Finish and a Start

Well, it is already the IHSW time for July - I know, where has the entire year gone????

This weekend I am going to try and eke out a teeny bit of stitching time, I'm in the midst of a major clean, purge, and organize binge.  I have big plans for a home decor makover.  Woo hoo.

But I also want to stitch...a lot....

It's Saturday and that's when I work on Prairie Schooler projects as part of a SAL with Debbie and Linda, so let's see what I finished working on last weekend.  The August motif from the Summer and Winter Prairie Schooler leaflet is done.  Haven't made this into anything but like the way it turned out, this was fun with all the color changes and cute critters.

So, for the IHSW I am proposing that I'll make progress on a start - the September motif from the Prairie Schooler Spring and Fall.  This is what little I accomplished this morning.  Wayyyyy too early this morning. 

What?  You can't tell what it is?  I'm shocked (snicker).  It's obviously the flank of the little squirrel.  Still don't see it?  Okay, I'll sneak you a peek at what it is going to look like.

See?  Of course, you do.

Here's my helpful assistant, whom you can only see a glimpse of in the first photo.  His name is Taz and he's a Bengal and quite sure he is actually a Marine on temporary furlough.  He is short haired and quite a daredevil (some might call him reckless, but he believes he is simply very brave).  The ladies all love him too). 

 Thanks for coming by and I hope you are able to participate in the IHSW this weekend!

Opus Gluei challenge - Where do you get your suntan?

Over at Opus Gluei, a fun craft challenge blog in which we come up with a theme every two weeks and post it with our creations and then challenge YOU to create something the theme inspires in YOU!  We love to see a range of artistic creations - from scrapbooking, paper crafting, wood, blogging, cooking, and yep - stitching!

This challenge (#135), created by the lovely Gini, is asking you where do you get your suntan?  Oooh la la....this could get cheeky eh?

Well, perhaps you are a gardener and you've got the farmer's tan to prove it!  Well, take some photos and write a blog post and then link it up.  Do you have some summer birthdays you are making cards for?  Perfect.  If you're a stitcher and like to make fingertip towels with a summer/beachy theme - let's see them!  Everything and anything that you're inspired to make, we want to see...pretty please?

Okay, for the challenge, I used a little quickie pattern that was included with the main project - from the Cross Eyed Cricket entitled "Sams and Stripes."  Look at those cute Uncle Sams.  That's another of my someday projects.  I stitched the little angel pictured on the cover at the bottom right.  she's an August Angel and I like to call her Aggie. 

Here's a little better look at her - uh oh, look out for the crab!!!!

She's got a cute little look about her that reminds me of motifs my Mom made on guest towels when she was in high school.  Kind of retro-ish and she's got that old timey swimsuit on and real glittery (water) wings, and I really don't have that many non-Independence Day summery decorating items so there you go.  Selected, stitched, finished, and displayed.  WHEW!  All in a week.  voila

So, after all this, you just have to check the Order of the Opus Gluei out and see if you feel inspired to create something stitchy for us to see!

Prairie Schooler - Saturday Stitch Along - Progress on August

Been a long while it seems since I've posted.  More a matter of having time at night to be coherent in a post after a long day at work and then dropping over to the hospital to see Mom.  Good news on that front, the hyperbaric treatments are working and she is improved enough to have been released from the hospital (3 weeks, poor dear) and back into her orthopedic rehab facility.  Next stop - HOME!  She can't wait, she's ready to click her heels and get out of the medical loop!  It's been 11 months, eleven LONG months. 

On the stitching front, I have been working on my Prairie Schooler Summer and Winter leaflet with emphasis on August.  This is a cute one, lots of little critter motifs to stitch and plenty of color changes to keep your interest piqued!

This is part of my Saturday Prairie School Stitch Along that I participate in with Linda and Debbie.  We're all on different projects but they are all Prairie Schoolers and it's inspiring to see what we get up to!  I hope to have this finished up soon and I'm going to start going through the various completed stitching projects for this and see what I can totally finish (you know, put in a frame, make a pillow, a doorhanger, etc.).  Was inspired by finishing July up totally and actually displaying it!

What are you working on?  Let me know in the comments and I'll be by to check out your blog!

Happy Birthday America!

I've been hard at work on projects, some for home, some for work, and even some stitchy ones just for me (although they might end up at home or work).

I've been stitching a very pretty, ladylike sampler on linen but haven't gotten very far.  I tend to work on this in fits and starts.  It's from a leaflet (c. 1980's) from Pat Rogers - Hearts and Lace sampler. 

Since finishing my July Prairie Schooler SAL a bit early, I treated myself to stitch a Prairie Schooler Prairie Faery, a stitching fairy.  I'm already thinking of how to finish her once the stitching is done, she's going to adorn my craft area. 

Here in America it is our national birthday, our independence day, and I am sharing a lovely Fourth of July card made by my friend Anne and send all the way from Copenhagen.  She's so sweet and thoughtful.  If you would like to see more of her work; her crafts, thoughtful posts, and wonderful photography then check it out here.http://hotchypotch.blogspot.com/

I've even found a bit of time to stitch a little banner for this blog!

Saturday Stitch Along - July!

Well, I actually got one of my Prairie Schoolers completed and fully finished/displayed.  (and before the month is over, no less!)

This is the July motif from the Prairie Schooler's Summer and Winter leaflet.  It is part of a stitch along that I'm participating in with Linda and Debbie. 

It also, happily, works for the Order of the Opus Gluei, the craft challenge blog that I host with dear friends.  The Opus Gluei theme is America, America, or wherever you hold allegiance (okay a little wordy but fun) and we're asking crafters to share (in whatever media they choose to work with) their national pride.  Which is perfect considering that there is Canada Day, Independence Day, Queen's Jubilee, and the Olympics to name but a few of the national and cultural celebrations taking place.  Now's the time to share your hard work and stitched projects.  I hope you click on the link and do just that!

So, here's the finish.  I have never handsewn piping into a project.  It was a little unwieldy and I was a novice but I pushed through to complete it.  Now, I need to go out searching for videos on piping....

the stitching itself was fun, colorful and very quickly pulled together, I didn't feel rushed and I actually worked on another project during the week as well, so this wasn't an exclusive stitching project.

Saturday Stitch Along - A Finish and a Start!

I have my Prairie Schooler stitch along that I'm doing with Debbie and Linda.

As you may have read, June has been vexing me....a lot.

Now I may rejoice - it's done!  It's really a cute design, and since it's done, I'm not NEARLY as frustrated.

In the spirit of this, I started July, I really would like to get one done in time to finish it completely and use it.  Is that too much to ask? (apparently)  I think you also have a pretty good idea of the July theme too...

Interesting little story to pass along, I was sitting in the surgical waiting area as Mom had another procedure and was stitching on the June piece when a Vietnamese man struck up a conversation.  His mother used to cross stitch and he operates a mechanical embroidery machine.  He went out and brought in samples of the logos he does, they were really well done and we had such a nice conversation.  I learned about the intricacies of machine embroidery and he was interested in learning how different fabrics yield different results - not unlike is own work.  The time passed so pleasantly and quickly.  I love how many conversations can be started with people expressing an interest in a stitching project.

IHSW - June 2012

The June design of the Summer/Winter Prairie Schooler leaflet is vexing me. I had made SUCH good progress at the start and then somewhere, and I looked and looked, frogged and restitched and then....just could not figure out what was going wrong.

(insert very cross words and potentially some cursing)

Whew, okay, regroup.  Ever been so frustrated that you either have to put the stitching away, throw it away, or restart.  I did all three in sequence. 

Now, I've restarted.  So, this past weekend I decided to make a new start of the chart.

Here's the progress I made.

So far, no pulling out stitches and no headaches. 

But I'll be very happy when this one is done, and I hope that is soon.

A Finish

Well, I actually did have the buttons in my kit to complete

the My Big Toe design

and they look good

(the ladybug looking crooked will be fixed).

Now, I just need to get the pile of finishes truly finished

by getting them framed!

What are YOU working on?

Works in Progress Wednesday

well, I have actually made some progress on my projects. 

Forgive the lousy photography, I am doing this past my bedtime...

First up is the project from My Big Toe - there are still buttons for it but I'm not
sure I'm going to get them - I think I like it this way, but hmmm....

and I'm making good progress on the June project from The Prairie Schooler's Summer and Winter, the colors are a little bland compared to May, but the design is pretty nice.  It is a red winged blackbird feeding a worm to her chicks.  Unfortunately, she doesn't have a mouth right now to be holding the worm...

What are you working on???

Saturday SAL - May is DONE!

Nothing like having a hurt back to

give you plenty of time to complete some projects.

In between muscle relaxants, ice packs, and heat, I focused

well enough to finish off the sweet little May robin.

This is part of my Prairie Schooler SAL with Debbie and Linda.

Now, if only I could get a couple of them done ahead of time

hmmmm...some finishes for my months are in my future.

Something new

For a change of pace, I took out something from

the to-do basket

and returned to stitching over 2.

Yep, a return to linen. (forgive the wrinkles)

and something new - using overdyed floss.

This is 30 ct. and it wasn't too bad to work with either.

It's not done yet, but it's nearly there. 

IHSW May 2012 and TUSAL

I have always wanted to participate in the

Interntional Hermit and Stitch Weekend (IHSW)

but there never seemed to be the time.

BUT, this month I did take time

and I worked on the May robin

from the Prairie Schooler Spring and Fall leaflet.

I also took a photo of my ORTs/TUSAL for this month. 

It doesn't reflect all

my little thread bits because I used to throw them away, but it's rather

nice to see a little reflection of the effort.  (besides the actual project)

So look, Debbie and Linda, I am making some progress!
(please, I'm lonely stitching this)

C'mon, get started on May!

Saturday SAL - May Progress

This is starting out pretty fun and it's going kind of quickly, which is okay by me.  My plan is to get a month's motif finished in time to actually make something of it and display it.  Will May be the first?  Hmmm....jury is still out.

Please to enjoy the following progress though...

So you can see the cover

and against the chart itself.

This is from the Spring and Fall Prairie Schooler booklet and is a stitch along that I'm working on with Debbie and Linda.

Free Advice Worth Every Penny is still around, but my stitchy projects will be over here now.

Needed to add a new blog to keep things straight

Well, it seemed about time to organize my blogging.

Let's hope I'm able to keep all of it straight!

This is going to be my stitching blog

Free Advice Worth Every Penny

will be my general craft blog (for now) where I can

also go off on a tangent (as I'm of a wont to do sometimes).

So, let's see what trouble I can get into over here.