Project Completion

Yes! I finished a project. Well it was a few weeks ago, but I can't go around rushing these updates or it would seem too much like work and too little like hobby.

 So, this is Live By the Sun. It's a Mill Hill beading and cross stitch pattern. I have a few more of these and am looking forward to doing them all. It was really fun and actually quick to stitch.

The nice thing about this is that I thought I wouldn't be able to stitch because I recently had rotator cuff surgery. It turns out it was pretty good therapy to keep my shoulder from seizing with the lack of other mobility. I had to really focus on keeping my stitching sessions short and trying to only use the hand under the fabric without moving it too much. I'm happy to report that my followup appointment went swimmingly today, so I'm planning to keep going with the stitching :-).

I have been working on the Bramble and the Rose from Ink Circles a lot lately. I don't have an updated photo of it right now, but I have made a huge amount of progress on it. I haven't done much in the last couple of weeks because the summer is heating up and I actually don't like stitching much in the warm weather, mostly because I feel like I'm sweating all over my project. I am planning to do some work on that project tonight if it cools off a little though.

WIPs Update

Last night I finally got around to getting some photos my my current WIPs. I didn't really want to stop stitching, but I needed to take a food break so I got them while I was chomping on Girl Scout Cookies (so evil!!).

I decided I wanted to work on something with vibrant colors this week. So, of course, rather than pulling out something that's already started, I grabbed a new kit. I received "Live by the Sun" just a couple of days ago and this is what I have done so far...

Not bad for a couple of hours of work. There are beads on this one, so it slows me down a little, but they're going to be quite pretty.

I also made huge progress on the Yei project while I was on my trip to Thailand. Not that I've touched it since. But hey, it's my travelling project and I haven't really been traveling (and thus is my justification).

I'm planning to work on the project from the A Stitcher's Garden retreat over the weekend a bit and into next week. I've made a little progress since the event, but not a huge amount.

Finally, in the interest of being a good little stitcher, I completed the 2012 retreat sampler and jammed it into the pincushion form from the event. I probably (might) should make a better effort to make this look nice and actually "finish" it in the stand, but hey, it's stitched!

And this is my idea of spring cleaning!

A Couple More Finished...Maybe WIPs Tomorrow

Just thought I would toss out a couple of other finishes that I have. The WIPs aren't within arms'-reach so I'll get to them a little later...or tomorrow.

The first is my name tag from the retreat...not so much a winner, but a fun little project that I used to fill time on a long plane trip.

And the second is the same pattern I used for the small, white, square box. This is the pattern with the packaged threads using the buttons and key charm included.

2015 Finishes So Far

It's nice to be back to stitching again. After a couple of years without doing much (apparently due in part to a VitD deficiency - Public Service Announcement: get your levels checked if you're feeling tired and achy at all), I'm back in business!

I started off in February by finishing a little project that I'm planning to send to a friend as it is a bit of an inside joke. Not that I'm likely to get around to making it pretty for another couple of years, but hey...it's progress.

Then I, shockingly, assembled the Polychrome Palooza knotwork kit that I finished in November 2011...see: right on time. Considering sewing isn't my strength, it didn't turn out too horrid.

Then there was the recent retreat. We started the event with a little project on Friday night. It was quite fun to whomp together the strawberry fob/pincushion as a starter for the event.

The next day we received the retreat sample that goes along with this fob. I've gotten a good amount completed on this project, but haven't gotten a photo of it yet...so you'll just have to wait on that WIP.

It's a lovely piece and is very fun to stitch. There are a lot of little thing going on to make it interesting. This was designed and taught by Kim Nugent of Samplers Not Forgotten (she doesn't currently have a website, but your LNS probably has her stuff if they're worth their salt ;-D).

I should post my nametag from the retreat. I just remembered that counts as a finish also!

Finally, I was poking through the patterns I bought the other day and discovered that one of the pincushion patterns would work perfectly with a box I bought a while back. I just needed to fiddle with the dimensions a bit...and the fabric and the colors. So I shrunk down the Key Keep with Fob from Jeannette Douglas Designs and used it for the box lid.

Now I just need to get around to posting where I'm at with various projects. That might be another year or so!

The Stitching Retreat Weekend

This past weekend I attended the A Stitcher's Garden stitching retreat. This was my seventh time at the retreat, and I had just as much fun as always. The retreat committee (Gail, Sue and Pat) always knock our socks off with the work they do for the event. Between the goodie bags they put together, the awards handouts, the little bits and bobs that we find at the dinner table, we walk out with more lovely projects than one can do in a year. Then there is always the boutique, which is filled with goodies that Jan (the shop owner) picks out from the Nashville show, where it's impossible to walk out empty handed.

On top of all that the retreat teacher they select is always incredible! This year we had Kim Nugent from Samplers Not Forgotten. She put together a lovely needle book project for us to work on. I'll be posting some photos of that in the upcoming days. I haven't gotten quite so far as to go through my photos from the retreat...I've been too busy stitching!

For now, I've posted all of the lovely charts that I received from the retreat and that I purchased from the boutique on my Pattern Stash page. This weekend I might actually have some free time to catch up with posting my finished, WIPs and even work on the retreat project a bit more!!

Thank you to all of the ladies from A Stitcher's Garden and happy stitching to all of the retreat attendees! Plan to see me at the next retreat!

A Freaking Finish

Yay. That's all, just yay:

Spring Is Coming

I love winter, but this year I'm ready for spring! And to celebrate the upcoming season I picked up a new chart when I was at the A Stitcher's Garden stitch-in last Friday. I'm looking forward to working on this lovely piece from The Drawn Thread.

While I was there I also picked up a new pair of scissors, a needle magnet and my mom's birthday gift (I can't tell you what that is because it's a secret) :-).

I enjoyed catching up with the ladies at the stitch-in and made some good progress on the finishing I'm doing for my needle case/fob/scissor case set - that I finished stitching in 2011 :-/. It's been slow going because the finishing part of projects is not the fun part for me.

 Front

 Back

Still in Progress

This weekend I also spent some time working on my Hopi project. I should be getting a lot done on this in the upcoming weeks because I have a trip to Thailand with tons of airplane time. Nothing like being a human sardine to get one in the mood to stitch!