Where Did I Put That?

Good Sunday to you all! It has been a beautiful day here. The kind of day that you just don't get much done because you want to be outside.

In my quest to finish projects that have languished since, oh, I don't know, 2008 or so, I had pulled out "How Does Your Garden Grow" by Papillon Creations. Problem is, I couldn't find the chart. This was a stitch-a-long done on their website some years ago, and I had started it with my 6 colors of DMC. Besides not being able to find the chart, I couldn't find the floss for it either nor the paper on which I had written it down on. Seems I had put it where I would sure be able to find it...NOT!

I had emailed Papillon Creations and asked if they would be so kind as to send me the chart again.  She was so very kind and did so promptly.  So I had the chart again but no thread or key. But last night I went out to the garage to look through some cross-stitch bins, and low and behold, I found the floss and the key!! I was ecstatic. 

I am so glad that I found it because way back in the day I had decided to use a Dinky Dyes silk in it. Had I tried to match up the colors with DMC, I would have been banging my head against a wall. I would never have found a floss to match that Dinky Dyes thread.

It looks like I might have gotten through about part 4 of the design, so after Lady of the Mist, I believe I will try to pull that out and see about finishing it.

Here is what it looks like right now -the  point I stopped stitching years ago...

It's a sweet little design and easy to stitch. It does have beads but there are no specialty stitches.

So it was a good weekend after all. The sun was shining and I found something I thought I had lost. God is good!

It's a quiet Friday night here in the mitten state. The weather here has been cool but pleasant. We did have a little rain this week but not much. Helps to clean things up a bit after a long winter. I love the spring rains and gentle thunderstorms we sometimes get here. Seems to make everything pop. The trees are starting to bud, and you can see tulips peeking through the ground.  A few really warm days, and everything will probably burst with life and abundance.

I promise that I honestly don't have many more finishes for 2016 so far. I am currently languishing in Lady of the Mist by Mirabilia and that gigantic skirt she has! My Lord if the woman really had to carry that around all the time she'd get a true workout. LOL. But I am trying to persevere here.  I just keep telling myself (in the voice of Dory from Finding Nemo) "Just Keep Stitching, Just Keep Stitching."  I will give an update on her soon.

But here is another 2016 finish I had that was a long-time WIP.  It is Recipe of Love by Ursula Michael and is stitched on a white jobelan.  I was on a cherry kick when I started this piece. I am happy with how it turned out.

The colors are very vibrant on the piece.

Well I am off to bring needle, thread, and fabric together for a few stitching moments. I trust you will all have a beautiful weekend.

The Itch to Stitch

I am lucky enough to have a cross-stitch store about 40 min away - The Rocking Horse. Since the beginning of the year, it has been a trek I have made about every two weeks with my daughter.  We strayed out that way on Saturday as I had to pick up the third installment of Nora Corbett's Wherefore Art Thou. And yes, it is Juliet if you were wondering.  Haven't started it yet, but the colors intrigue me.

Anyway, I love to watch my daughter step in the door.  She immediately becomes enthralled with all the stitched pieces, and suddenly, she has an itch to stitch. LOL  She hasn't picked up a needle in two weeks, but she walks in the shop, and suddenly, she wants to stitch everything.  She even told me Saturday she wasn't going to look around for fear that she would see something she wanted. Wonder where she gets that from? LOL

Anyway, in continuing on with my finishes in 2016, I present Remembrance by Cross-Eyed Cricket. I'm hoping to finish it into a pillow so it can be on my mantle at Memorial Day and possibly 4th of July beneath my Lady of the Flag by Mirabilia.

Thanks to anyone who has stopped by.  I am new at this and am not sure I have my settings correct for people to follow or leave comments.  I apologize if you cannot do that.

Enjoy your evening.

Is that sunshine?

The sun has lent us some rays this afternoon and evening after such gloomy and rainy weather the past week or so. It isn't called the mitten state for nothing!  Temp today is 55, but we've been about 20 degrees below normal.  Honestly, I don't think a single flower has started peeking through the ground. The trees did start to bud, but then stalled.  But it is good to see the sun shining through the windows this evening, although, um, those windows could use some washing. LOL. Will have to schedule that spring cleaning!

When I started back into stitching in October 2015 after an 8 year hiatus, my plan was to finish my WIPs.  I had quite a few of them. I started this gem in October and finished him the first week in January 2016. I did not do the poem at the bottom; it just didn't suit me.  It is Secret Santa by Lavender & Lace and is stitched on Cashmere Glitz, an opal fabric by Silkweavers. He is beautiful in person, although that tree was something else!  I do plan to frame him before the holidays this year.

Enough from me for today.  It's about time for me to pack the lunches and get ready for work again tomorrow.  I hope you have an enjoyable evening.  Thank you for stopping by.

I began cross-stitching in my early 20s.  I was taught by a couple of ladies I worked with when I got out of high school. I don't think they realized just what they were passing on. The needle arts have been around for so long, and to pass it on to someone young is so important. I am so glad that my daughter "teethed" on this stuff so to speak. After she was born, I'd have 6-7 projects going in every room of the house. She never touched my needles or threads. She was taught to have a respect for them. At 9 years, I tried teaching her a simple project, but of course, she lost interest. Then in September 2015, she asked for a project and flew through it. She went from aida to linen in a matter of weeks. Now she sits and stitches just like I do. I love that she is doing something that isn't electronic. Here is her first  project - made for her choir teacher. It is by Ink Circles and is called Treble Trouble. Stitched on a white jobelan.

Nora Corbett's Sunflower Fair

Since this is my first blog post, I'm going to start with one of my 2016 finishes. This was from a magazine, and is by my most favorite designer, Nora Corbett (Mirabilia). It is on a hand-dyed limited edition by Dinky Dyes. Picture doesn't do the colors or beads justice.