Goode Huswife finish & my special birthday!

Here she is in all her glory!

(no there's nothing on my linen on the left - just some shadow that sneaked into the photo!)

I love this sampler! It goes great with the colors in my house. Doing the verse on top was a bit boring but hey that's usually the case with samplers isn't it? There usually is some boring part of it you've got to trudge on through. I want to thank Terri B for inspiring me with the one she did last year - I shamelessly (okay I do have a little shame...) did mine in similar colors after falling in love with hers. But hey isn't that what blogging is all about? We share with each other, we inspire others, we enable, we cheer each other on even when we're in a stitching slump. It's hard for me sometimes to find the time to update my blog and read everyone else's (over 200 of you!) but I would miss it very much if I wasn't a part of it all. Sure I can show my finish to DH but he just doesn't appreciate all the work that goes into stitching and how excited we get about our projects. (he just wonders why it costs so much LOL)

This one will go on the framing list ......I've made good progress this year on reducing that list down by 8 or 9 things but I've still got about 5 more to do. The trouble is, while you try to catch on the framing you're still completing things and adding on more! I keep hoping I'll win the lottery and can run (a) to the needlework store or nearest computer to start ordering, and (b) grab all my finishes and run to the framers!

And....all of a sudden it’s that time of the year again – how quickly those birthdays roll around it seems. Normally I don't talk much about my birthday on my blog updates but this year it’s rather special. My birthday is Saturday – the tenth day of the tenth month of the tenth year........10/10/10. And not only that.......but I was born in ’55 (adding up to 10 again), and I will be turning 55 this year (another 10). Hey, how did I get so old?? I don’t feel any different inside but the alternative to not getting older is a lot worse LOL. So I plan to celebrate my life and have lots of fun because I’m still young at heart. (and I have a LOT of stitching still to get done in this lifetime!)


My dear husband and I are heading to Disneyland/California Adventure for 4 days to celebrate. I can’t wait to go. We went there for my 40th birthday and that was when I discovered that I am the same age as Disneyland because of all the special decorating they had in the park promoting “40 years of adventure” for Disneyland. I felt that was an accurate statement on my turning 40! So of course we had to go again when Disneyland and I turned 50 together and we had a fantastic trip staying at the new and luxurious Grand Californian resort. Now we are going again to celebrate me turning 55 and I know we’ll have a great time. We have reservations for dinner at a restaurant at Disneyland called Steakhouse 55 - can you believe it? This is getting very strange – I’m going to buy lottery tickets this week - – since the universe seems to be aligned maybe I'll be lucky! Thank you dear readers for stopping by to visit me!

False starts....made better

Hi readers....here we are almost at the end of another month already! I'm juggling all sorts of things but sneaking time whenever I can for stitching. I got started on the SAL I'm doing on Blue Ribbon Designs' "It's Cold Outside". I had the recommended Lakeside Linen 'Winter Sky' in 40-ct and I put in about 2.5 hours on the project but it was totally frustrating! I was having a hard time seeing the threads and I just wasn't enjoying it all. I finally gave up and dug through my stash and found a beautiful piece of 36-count linen that looks great and in fact, I like it better than what I had started with. What do you think on my start so far?

It's Cold Outside - Blue Ribbon Designs

Stitched on 36-ct "Haven" linen by Picture This Plus

Part of the issue with working on that 40-ct original piece of blue linen was my wonderful Daylight magnifiying light broke a few weeks ago - I've had it 5 to 6 years and lately the spring in the arm had started to squeak badly and was actually ripping a tear in the metal arm. Then I stupidly turned the light too far in one direction and it broke right off. There was no way to repair it so I called my LNS and ordered a new one. These are expensive lights but if you need magnification (I really do because of my age and progessive lenses) they are THE BEST LIGHTED MAGNIFIERS I've ever tried. I had purchased the floor stand when I got my original light and luckily the replacement model will still fit my stand. It is worth every penny to me. I used my last one for over 5 years with hundreds and hundreds of hours of use for both cross-stitching and sewing and any other type of close work and I never even replaced the original bulb in it. I had a Dazor several years ago - it's also a good product - and I have a MightyBrite magnifier that I use out in our family room as it's less unsightly. In my opinion the MightyBrite doesn't hold a candle (no pun intended) to my Ultra-Slim daylight - the MightyBrite uses LED lights and they just aren't that bright. I'm so happy that I picked up my new light on Saturday and I'm back in business! Yeah!!

Daylight Ultra-Slim Magnifying Light - model U22020

I've been working hard on With My Needle too - I just have the rest of the work on the left side of the lady and I'll be done. I really love this little sampler. I hope for a finish in a few weeks!

Quakers & Quilts has been getting a little attention but not quite enough to bother taking another photo. Have you all been watching for new patterns coming out for Market? I haven't seen too much that blew my socks off and made me run down the street waving my credit card, but I'm sure something will come along. I've ordered the linen and silk pack from Attic Needlework for the conversion they did for "The Garden Glade" by CHS. (now to figure out where the money is coming from....) I've had this pattern already for awhile but when I saw how they were stitching it on a soft blue/green linen with some beautiful silks, I was hooked! You can read more about this sampler if you open the newsletter on this page from Sept 10th. (Attic Needlework Newsletters) I have no affiliation.....I'm just a customer who spends way too much money there! Here's a photo of how they are stitching up the model at Attic Needlework - I love the leaves on the tree:

I'm also liking the new Jenny Bean sampler from Shakespeare's Peddlar and might add it to my list. I think my stash is finally starting to catch up with me...I find myself not buying as many patterns because I already have so much...or at least I take a good look and decide if it's really any better or different than what I already have. I have so many things at home I'm just dying to start. I saw nothing that prompted me to buy the new JCS ornament issue either (well I did like the Sock Monkey ornament) ....I already have tons of ornie patterns and didn't see anything I couldn't live without. I'll just watch the rest of you stitch them LOL.

I got to meet a stitcher who lives near me in Phoenix on Saturday - she purchased some charts from me and we had fun chatting about our obsession. ( Hi Melissa- thanks so much for reading my blog and I enjoyed meeting you!)

Wow it's August already!

Hello dear readers - can you believe how fast the time is slipping by us? I've been stitching and stitching in between entertaining houseguests and all sorts of other activities. I hope you all are enjoying your summertime. I thought I'd post an update of some of my WIP's - I've been rotating among a few different things trying to make progress.

I got in a 'bag' mood a couple weeks ago and made a whole bunch of project bags with a Mary Engelbreit theme. I love the black fabric with the cherries which I found at Joann's of all places - in fact I went and bought some very similar fabric they had that I'm going to use to make some appliance covers for my kitchen (yet another project waiting for me). I even make little matching labels on my computer - yes I'm kooky! I tried my first 'snap' bag from a pattern I bought awhile back in a quilt store. It's just a fun little bag to make and use. The top has a casing sewn into it, and in there you insert lengths cut off from a metal measuring tapes like a carpenter uses. Then you use the side tabs to pull the bag open - sort of like an old-fashioned coin purse. I had no one here when I was taking photos today to hold the bag open so I propped it open for a photo. I sent a bunch of these bags to my sister who has some Mary Engelbreit themes going in her craft room/office and I kept the rest for myself. You can never have too many bags!

I'm a little late with my monthly update on Goode Huswife's "With My Needle". Heidi and I have been doing an SAL but with no timeframes attached. We are both coming along - this is a great sampler. I'm loving it but starting to get a little dizzy going around and around all the swirls LOL.

I also started Little House Needleworks "My Needle's Work" a little while ago - it's a nice easy stitch - good for TV watching as the count is 32 on this and bigger than my other projects. I decided to give my lady a teal dress instead of drab brown.

I've also been stitching a lot on my Pride & Prejudice sampler - will post an update the end of this week on that. Right now it' s a bit too wrinkly and I don't feel like taking it off my Qsnaps to photograph it. I'm excited that I scored something on eBay this morning that I've been wanting for awhile - this is one of the little Whitman tins I've been wanting but didn't have. I have all of Jane Timmers' patterns for the little sewing smalls that go with the tins but was missing this tin and the miniature Cloisonne tin which I hope someday to find as well. There was one more of these on eBay available if anyone is looking - http://cgi.ebay.com/Mini-Tin-Container-Whitmans-Sampler-Chocolate-Empty-/300431204426?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item45f318604a

Until next time may your stitching be fast and no frogs visit you!

Finally framed and this & that.....

Hi Friends & Followers! I've been waiting on some pieces that have been at the framers awhile but I've given up the idea of sharing all 3 of them in one post as it's taking so long. At least I've gotten one back so far. This was from an SAL last year - I still love it. I like taking my pieces to my LNS to frame but it always seems to take forever!

My Quaker Lady

stitched with Needlepoint silks on 40-ct Vintage Sand Dune by Lakeside Linen

I haven't been very good about answering questions...Jennifer asked where I got the pattern for my Pride & Prejudice Sampler. It's not really one pattern Jennifer, it is modeled after those "neighborhood" round robin samplers that have been popular. For inspiration I collected all sorts of photos off of the internet from the A&E version of the movie (it's my favorite). Then I put together a rough design and sizing on sheets of graph paper taped together. I pulled all sorts of patterns from my stash for various things, as well as "acquiring" a few more! My plan is to do all the major homes in the story - Longbourn, Netherfield Park, Pemberley, Rosings Park, and the parsonage & chapel where Mr Collins lived. Then I'm adding trees, gardens, people, and some of my favorite quotes. The Bennett house I designed myself. Most of the other houses I'm taking from the samplers that The Stitching Parlor has published. I wanted to do the story in one sampler. It's going to take me a while though with all my other projects going. Thanks for asking!

I haven't really had much time for stitching lately and that is making me very cranky! I sometimes get totally overwhelmed when I look at my stash and the list of what I want to get stitched or quilted but then I put it out of my mind because there' s not much I can do about it. I have thought about shutting down my blog as I don't have nearly as much to show as so many of you and I feel bad and frustrated about that but here I am plugging away. I can't even keep up with my blog reading - my numbers in Google Reader were up over 700....I finally got it down to about 175 but it's creeping up again this week. I don't understand how they figure that number - it can't be the number of posts but maybe number of lines or something? If anyone knows, let me in on the secret!

Here's my progress on 'With My Needle' and 'Plymouth Sampler' -not a lot but I'm inching along slowly.... Getting the border on Plymouth Sampler makes me feel I am closing in a finish...must be a an optical illusion huh? And 2 more lines of verse to go on WMN -I'm sick of stitching letters. (Oh I didn't really say that did I? I've got The Gettsyburg Address kitted up to go so I better get used to it!)



I did finish up a tote bag recently made of a "Bali Pop" - that's a set of batik fabric strips. I'll be using this to haul stuff when I go to my quilting retreats and sew days. It's really sturdy so you can pack a lot in it - even an iron. I'm calling it my 'Mary Poppins Carpetbag'. Remember that carpetbag Mary had and she would magically pull all sorts of things out of it? That's what I thought of when I finished this. Not only am I crazy for pincushions but I love making bags and can't resist buying more bag and purse patterns that I don't have time to make!

My quilting buddies and I recently had a great get-together with another quilting group. We had a wonderful day - shopping at a new quilt store, lunch at a winery/restaurant and then dessert and show & tell on a friend's patio overlooking the golf course. The weather and company were perfect! I'd like to share with you just a few of the great quilts we got to see - these ladies do some fantastic work.

Cherry Applique Quilt - wish I knew who did this pattern - I love cherries!

The one above was made with a couple thousand 1" squares!


This Mariner's Compass quilt was pieced and quilted entirely by hand by the lady on the right! It was awesome!

This is a "Seven Sisters" quilt-in-progress -it's done using English paper piecing.

Thank you for stopping by and I really appreciate it when you take the time to make a comment - I know it' s hard to keep up with everyone!

Stitchin' & Sneezin'

Well it's spring here in Arizona and everything is blooming! Claritin and I are best friends and although everything is beautiful right now I'm looking a little forward to when the pollen dies down and I don't have a continuous sore throat and spend a half hour every morning clearing my head.

Things are moving along with my stitching. I passed the halfway point with Plymouth Sampler - woohoo! I think the second half will go faster as the stitching is not as solid as the first half and a little more interesting. Frankly, I was getting a bit tired of houses and windows. In case you're rusty on your Roman Numerals - MDCXX translates to 1620 which is the year the Mayflower set sail for America.
I sort of set aside Plymouth Sampler for a week or so and worked on With My Needle. I got 3 lines of the verse done but wasn't happy with the coverage of the silk. I'm really picky about coverage and hate when it looks 'sparse'. Mostly this happens with dark colors - I don't like when I can clearly see the X's for some reason. This doesn't happen on 40-ct but I'm using 36-ct so it makes a little difference. Anyway, I experimented with adding an additional half-stitch on top and it looked better so I went back over the 3 lines I had done. It is taking me longer to stitch now with the extra cross but I'm happier with the results so all is good. I'm getting anxious to finish the verse and get to the more enjoyable part of the lady and flowers.
I got back the two quilts I had sent off to be quilted. I tried a new person to do the longarm quilting and she did a great job. She did swirls on my nine-patch quilt which I really liked.

It's now on the guest bed and I need to go shopping to find some nice fabric to make a new bedskirt. Most of what I have seen in stores I don't like - they seem to be making them cheaper all the time and most often it's just straight fabric without any pleating or ruffling - it's like how cheap can we make it instead of how nice it looks. So I plan to make my own and some matching pillow shams when I get the time. The other quilt below was quilted in a beautiful variegated thread of pinks and yellows - perfect choice for these fabrics.

This quilt has joined the stack in the linen closet - I have no more room to hang quilts and we only have 2 beds in our house, but I keep making more quilts anyway! I really need to find a quilt ladder or a piece of furniture where I can display them.

Over the weekend I got out my French Alphabet Sampler and put in a few hours on it. I have so much guilt over this sampler - I don't really like the linen or the threads...and it's so big...but I spent a lot on the pattern ($45 was a lot for a pattern back in 2003) and the supplies so I feel obligated to finish it. The Gloriana thread fuzzes and leaves a little shadow of red fuzz on the fabric. It will get finished someday but no time soon!

As far as stashing - I've been stocking up on Carriage House Samplings patterns - so bummed to hear she is going to quit designing but when you look at the volume she has produced it's no wonder she needs a change. I already had many of her patterns but have been picking up some more here and there to make sure I get all the ones I want to stitch before they are unavailable. As I tell the husband - I'm actually SAVING money because later I'll have to pay high prices on eBay, right?

I'll leave you with some photos of our backyard in bloom. My dog Abby is always watching the pool vacuum - she thinks it's possessed. Hope spring is arriving soon to all of you as well - thank you so much for stopping by!

New start....finally!

Well I'd held off on any new starts since November but I finally caved in! I have had "With My Needle" by The Goode Huswif kitted up for a couple of months. When I saw Heidi was kitting up the same pattern I thought it would be fun for us to do an SAL together. I absolutely love this pattern and fell in love with Terri's last year. (Terri of Chocolates for Breakfast). I think Heidi will surely get done before me but I am enjoying it so far even though I've only got the top band done.

"With My Needle" by Goode Huswife

Stitched on 36-ct R&R Antique Cotton with Needlepoint Silks

I'm making progress on my latest applique quilt too called "Winter Memories". Now that I've got it up on my design board I can see how it's starting to come together. It's a subtle quilt but I'm really liking it. That's the border fabric hanging on the right side.

And look at my latest purchase below!

I have been looking for some sort of curio cabinet to hang on the wall in my sewing room for awhile with no success. I have way too many little knick-knacks and tsotchkes I've gathered here and there and nowhere to put them. When I got my latest Pottery Barn catalog I finally found it! It was a bit too expensive but I had to have it. It's supposed to look like the cubbyholes they used to have in hotels years ago where they would keep the keys and messages for the guests. The funny thing is, when it came it had a little ding in one side and the varnish wasn't as nice as it should be, so I called up Pottery Barn and they gave me a 25% refund. Woohoo! Mr. Helpful Husband hung it up over my cutting table and I put some scrapbook paper that looks like antique postcards in half of the cubbies. Now I need to get busy and finish up some more pinkeeps to display in the empty spaces. You can see in the closeup my very first pincushion - the orange/brown/yellow one. I was into needlepoint for a bit in high school and I made this for my grandmother and stuffed it with sawdust from Dad's table saw. When my grandmother passed away it came back home with me and I've had it ever since. (If you're old enough you'll recognize the decade when I made it from the colors I used! LOL)

I've reached the halfway point with Plymouth Sampler and will get a picture of it up soon. It's so exciting to turn to the second page of the pattern!