Weekend Progress

Well it only took me 20 years and a mangled finger to finish my Christmas stocking! I used to subscribe to Cross Stitch & Country Crafts Magazine back in the 80's when they started their annual Christmas stocking editions. I put this one aside as I always wanted to stitch it for myself. I started it about 2.5 years ago and finished the stitching this past January. I finally did the finishing work this weekend on it. YEAH! It's finally done! Unfortunately the sewing machine and my finger had a collision - I'm kicking myself as I have been sewing for over 30 years and though I've nicked my finger a few times, this one was pretty bad. The needle hit my finger as I was sewing a tricky part and I jerked away creating quite a bad tear. Luckily for me, my doctor's office is about 3 blocks away and they have limited Saturday hours for urgent care. They fixed up my finger with some epoxy type of glue and special bandages. Luckily it's not my stitching hand so I can still stitch although typing is a bit awkward. I'll be back to normal in about 5 days. I was a bit reflective as I photographed the finished stocking. The theme of this stocking (Stitcher's Studio) fits me so well as I stitch, sew, quilt, knit a bit etc. I still own my Grandmother's Singer Featherweight, and I learned to sew on my mother's Featherweight. When I first saw this pattern and planned to stitch it I was single and living in Chicago. Now I am married, living in Arizona, and my life is very different than I could ever have imagined back then. So here is the finished product, plus a picture of my stocking and DH's (which I finished 2 years ago), and the mangled finger ha ha.







I also finished up my first Prairie Schooler Santa ornament for my grapevine wreath and am nearing a finish of a small Shepherd's Bush piece.


I watched several episodes of "The Deadliest Catch on the Discovery channel, plus 2 movies - A Tale of Two Cities and GWTW. All in all, I had a great weekend!

Yes, 2 posts in one week!

Ha - yes it's unusual for sure for me to post 2 times in one week, not because I don't want to but finding the time is always an issue. I wanted to post a picture of the exchange piece I stitched for Carol S in New Hampshire even though it's cross posted on Carol's blog and the SBEBB board. Carol likes bunnies (like me) so I stitched "Happy Bunny Bunny Day" by the Trilogy for her. I did my very first flat fold using Judy Odell's little booklet. It turned out pretty good although I wasn't sure how to attach the tassels to the cording. Of course, as things go, today I found a link to Judy's site that shows how to do it! Doesn't it just figure? Anyway, I think it turned out cute and I'm glad Carol liked it.





I also got a small start on my first Prairie Schooler ornament for the PS Wreath SAL. My pattern is about 20 years old (one of my first PS patterns) and I had to substitute some of the colors called for because they seemed dull compared to the pattern photo. Maybe DMC shades have changed some over the years, or perhaps the color palette from the 80's was just more muted. I wanted a brighter look. I will post a picture as soon as I get my first one done.

I have a guilty little secret - DH is taking his dad on a trip back to Chicago & Wisconsin tomorrow for a week to visit relatives. This means I can stitch to my heart's content in the evenings and this weekend, while watching my favorite movies! No cleaning, no cooking, no sports on TV constantly. :) It's nice to have some quiet time to myself. I'll miss him after a few days but I get so much done when I can get some extended time in my sewing room without a lot of interruptions. Woohoo!! I'm already planning out all the things I hope to get done. I probably won't get to them all but I'm going to start making a list here to motivate myself.

1. Finishing on Christmas stocking (I have procastinated terribly on this and it probably won't take more than 2 hours)


2. Finish Shepherd's Bush July monthly


3. Finish first Prairie Schooler wreath ornament


4. Put in a few hours on English Sampler


5. Put in a few hours on Plymouth Sampler


6. Remove the seat covers from my dining room chair seats in preparation to recover them


7. Work on blog and online photo album which I've been meaning to do for months

Okay now I'll see how much I actually can do!

Exchange received from BeckySC!

I received the most wonderful exchange from Becky this week. She is so creative! She lined a wooden box inside and stitched a cute bunny picture from Homespun Elegance which she mounted perfectly on the lid. It is just perfection! She also treated me to several stitching accessories you can see in the pictures - a needle threader, needle holder, chatelaine with scissor holder, embroidery scissors, and a thread cutter. And no, it doesn't stop there! I also received a cute journal and a new kit from Sweetheart Tree called "B is for Bunny". This exchange was all about creatures and the recipient could choose what they wanted. Bunnies have always been a favorite of mine, I have bunnies I've collected around my house so this is perfect for me. I also love boxes and have them all over my sewing room. I think I will be storing my collection of Gingher embroidery scissors in this beautiful box. Thank you Becky! You really made my day. Below are some photographs I took this morning outside - I actually had to darken them a bit as the sun is so bright today.

I will be posting a picture of what I stitched for my exchange partner after she receives it. It had to travel a ways so probably not until the end of the week at least. This is my first exchange with SBEBB and I am really enjoying it. It was so much fun to come home to presents!

I have not posted any progress on my projects lately , hope to get some stitching time in tomorrow. I have joined an SAL for Prairie Schooler ornaments and must go through my linen stash this weekend and get set up for that. This should be fun. Visit or join our SAL on the Prairie School Wreath SAL!