Jane, a Bee and a Fairy

Hello my lovelies!!

The coffee's on and I'm sitting here with a warm blanket and looking out the window at the tree tops, which are all askew.  You guessed it! It's blustery here again! Not too chilly, just super windy! I went outside this morning to see the hubby off on his bike and nearly got blown over! March definitely has been acting like the royal lioness that she is!! I'm really hoping for some warmer weather.  It's been 6 long months of cold.  I'm done! Bring on the sun!! Although I'm sick of the cold, it's kinda nice sitting here by the heater with my blanket and cup of coffee...thinking about stitching...thinking about new charts I want yet can't have...thinking of new smalls to make...finishes to be completed.  I think I'll whip up two today!

So, I have actually finished 1 of the Rak's and I have to say, it's adorable!! Now, after I finished it, I just couldn't decide who to give it to because, well, everyone is so lovely and supportive and I want to give gifts to all!! However, I don't have 8 sets of arms--SHOCKING I KNOW!!--so, I put names into a bowl and pulled one out. That way I let chance choose. I'm keeping the rest of the names in the bowl for the future. If you haven't sent me your addy, please do!  Now all I have to do is find a small box to put it into and mail it off. The hunt is on!!

Onto Jane, the bee and the fairy.  I have been having a bit of stitching ADHD lately, not really sticking to one project.  I stitched a bit more on Jane but put her down to do some proper finishing.  I finally stitched up Shepherd's Bush's Tiny Garden "Fob".  It's a bit too big to be a fob for any of my three scissors, so I have it displayed instead.  I love the little bee pin from my hubby's grandma.  I think it's the sweetest thing!!

Since the silk ribbon is so tiny, I found that the loopy effect that I wanted didn't work as I had hoped.  Next time I get silk ribbon, I'll get the slightly larger kind.  Plus this was so fiddly and took an age to stitch around the pillow!

Here's some progress of Jane.  I finally got Adam stitched in.  He's a bit shorter than Eve! I double checked the counting and well, he is shorter than her by a few! My hubby loves the little lion under the tree.  We also had a laugh at the skin tone of A & E! It's very bright! Like they've been in the tanning bed for too long and came out looking like lobsters!!!

Hmm.  Seeing this photo makes me think I should recount again, just to be sure!! Although, that gap by Eve's calves is where the snake is going to go.  So maybe that's why Adam is short? Anyways, I will try and satin stitch the snake in after I finish the tree.  I've done satin stitching a LOOONG time ago in Grade 12 when I took a textiles course.  My mom is really proficient at satin stitching, so perhaps when she comes to visit in a couple of weeks, I'll have her around to help me out! I'm pretty excited for her to come!!! YAY FOR MOMS!!!!

The fairy.  Remember my Tea Bath Fairy?!! Well, it's been since November that I picked her up and put in a stitch! I've been feeling bad about having her stashed away in a box.  So I pulled her out two nights ago and set about filling in more teeny tiny stitches! I used a hoop since Jane is sitting in the Qsnaps...too lazy to take her out! I forgot how long it takes just to do a small area. This piece will take me awhile, that's for sure.

Oh Titus!! I had to get him off after I noticed he tried to get in the picture! He started playing with the thread that was attached to the fabric!! Luckily he was gentle and no damage was done.

Onto other news.  The strike action last week wasn't too bad.  I "demonstrated" up at a school I haven't been to before, but knew two of the teachers.  They were a lovely bunch! It was nice to see lots of people honking and showing their support.  Plus, we had the nurses union and other CUPE members join us because their contracts are up in 3 weeks and it looks like this government will mandate a "Net-Zero" for them too. 

We wanted to make our own signs but were given these ones to hold.  They were really heavy to hold when the wind started up!!!

And just for fun, here's a couple of photos of one of my favourite secret places in Gastown, Vancouver.

Titus helping me find interesting vegan recipes to make for Lent. He loves to help out!!

Okay, I need to go and start sewing and finishing some things and find that box! I will end my post here and thank you all for your support and kind words!! I have been really blown away by some of the amazing stitching going on!

I also want to send out my prayers to the people in the United States whose lives and homes have been affected by the terrible storms.

Hugs for all,

Anne

One done...more to go!

Hello everyone!

I have been debating whether or not to do a post today, sort of feeling under the weather, therefore I feel this post will not be as good as it could be.  The other reason is I am really not happy with my blurry out of focus photos.  Having a close friend and auntie who are both professional photographers, I feel the need to create half decent photos.  I have thought about getting a camera this year, but it is not a complete necessity, so we will look into one sometime in the future. As for stitching, I managed to sort out the frogging issues on both of my Sajou projects and am happy to say one is complete!! I cannot frame it until this weekend because I need a foam board for the backing.  The frame I am going to use I found in a thrift shop and it fits the piece perfectly!! I love how that happens :D

I loved how "MP's" turned out!! "M's" will be great as well once I stitch a 1 over 1 crown above the "M" and sew it with that lovely crown fabric I have.  I think they will both love their gifts!!  As for the rest of the sewing and stitching I need to accomplish, I will begin a couple of them this weekend as well.  The reason for the wait is I need to go buy some DMC threads that I don't have.  In one pattern, I have only two out of all the DMC threads I have?!!! Seriously, what's with that? Anywho, I'm looking forward to a trip to Michael's.  It's always a good time in a craft store!! My husband's stocking is still in parts.  I got the proper batting I need but I don't feel up to sewing today. 

I've really been loving everyone's posts and stitching for the holidays.  I love how our blogging community is so inspiring and kind with encouragement!! Thank you all for taking the time to visit me.  I will be barraging everyone's blogs this weekend...it's a bit too hard for me to sit up right now!

Off to eat some borscht...just managed to make some...and here's a progress on TBF (Tea Bath Fairy).

Love and hugs!

Anne

Tiny Rose Garden Finished!

Hello my lovelies!

Today I put in the last few beads in Chatelaine's Tiny Rose Garden Mandala!!! Hurrah! I'm so glad it's over.  Beautiful design, but the opalescent fabric drove me mad!! Although the sparkle is divine, the fabric made my stitches all wonky and the thread break multiple times.  Next time I get an opalescent fabric it will be linen!

Love that blur!!

Question: Do you make your beads line up the same way throughout a Chatelaine pattern? I found it quite difficult to do in some sections.

Regardless of imperfections, I think this design will look great in a gold frame over my stitching desk.  I may embark on a larger Chatelaine project next year...we'll see about that though!

Onto squirrels.  Thanks so much for the kind comments on my Chippy.  I know the ornament isn't perfect, but it's cute and no one will see the imperfections on the tree!Funny thing is that both Lynn and Carol posted pictures of squirrels this morning.  The squirrels seem to be popular! I think they're squirrels are adorable, unlike our city squirrels here.  One day, if I'm fast enough, I'll try and post a picture of our scrappy squirrels!

Okay, back to stitching.  I have been pretty busy the past week and weekend to actually start or finish my projects.  I am rethinking some of my Christmas gifts this year.  My mom will still get something stitched, but I think my sister will get something sewn up.  The need for fabric and sewing tools is dire! I ran to the fabric store yesterday to get a bunch of materials I needed for projects and came out only with a few things from my list.  That means I need to make another trip to the downtown fabric store, to get the rest of my materials.  This seems to be the story of my life: running around like a chicken with her head cut off while time runs out! Now my weekends are getting booked fast with upcoming parties: a stagette, a bridal shower, my mom's birthday, our Christmas tree party, etc.  Hopefully, I will create a twin of myself and she can go run around looking for what I need!!  We all wish that!

This is the materials I have for my hubby's Christmas stocking.  He chose the green and the gold/red fabric and he will be drawing his stocking, since he's the better artist out of the two of us. I think it will be a great stocking! Hopefully, I won't screw up sewing this...I am a bit nervous! Must not be scared, must not be scared......

Here's an update of TBF.  I will be working on her and other multiple projects this upcoming ISHW!!!!I think this is the last free weekend I have, so let's get hermitting!! You can visit Joyce's amazing blog and enter your details to join us!!

So this past weekend, I went to an amazing craft fair, Circle Craft, with one of my best friends.  She and I love to stitch and do crafty things.  Funny thing, is we have never done it together! I suggested to her, while we were browsing all the wondrous craft stalls, that we should get together and have a finishing day.  She chooses beautiful designs to stitch but has a hard time to getting them into a frame, box, ornament, you name it.  I think it would be fun to have a craft day: rum, treats, glue and away we go! Um, the glue being USED for projects, nothing else I swear!!!!!!! Here's some delectable cider jelly from the fair.  I'm going to keep the balsamic one for myself, and give the others away!

P.S. Wagapapa is having an amazing first year giveaway!! Click here for the link.


All of you have been so inspiring with your stitching and ornaments, I can't say it enough, thank you!! Hugs to all!!!

Anne

Oops, forgot to mention, I found the perfect fabric for that cute Plum Street Sampler ornie!

I want some wooden buttons, but guess what? I don't have any!!! Put those onto the ever growing list for my hologram to buy!!

Stitching Gifts...Freaking Out!!

Hello everyone!

So here we are in November.  I am sad to say good bye to October since it was such a lovely month of glorious weather, beautiful colours and not so much rain.  I still have high hopes for November though.  Yesterday it was a decent day, albeit blustery, but nice. 

With November beginning, so does the FREAKING OUT!! Eeek!! I feel as though there are FAR too many things to stitch up in time for Christmas.  Yes, I mentioned the "C" word! Maybe I should take a deep breath and focus on one thing at a time.  Perhaps I should set myself a schedule so I won't be freaking out!! I want to stitch ornaments for my mom, sister, Dad, friends, and of course for me and my hubby. The problem is every time I want to finish something, I don't have the materials?!! Yes I have some fabrics, like those cute reindeer ones I bought last week, but they don't match with any of my stitched pieces.  So what should I do with them? I've been wracking my brain thinking of how to use those darling fabrics.  I wish I was a master sewer, or at least have my mom around, since she's an amazing sewer.  If you have any ideas for simple/easy sewing projects, let me know!

Ok, freak out done...onto some stitchy stuff.  First off, since I didn't post a progress pic of TBF (Tea Bath Fairy) in the last post, here's one now.  I've managed to really tackle it over the past few weeks and am pretty pleased with the progress.

Yes! I can see the outline of the cup!!

Seeing as my eyes can handle only so much of teensy stitching, I began to work on two personalized gifts for my girlfriends.  I am using two of the Valdani threads I ordered and I really love the deep wine red colour a lot!! The threads aren't too bad, although I do notice a tad bit of fraying at the ends, but what thread doesn't?! I still have to put in an order for HDF threads and I asked my husband if I could buy some more "strings" that will only cost xx amount and he said yes, if the STRINGS are needed for a project...hehehehe!! And I also mentioned that I need a smaller Qsnap frame and if I could buy that too...you know to help out my wrists.  He's agreed! I love that he's become more agreeable!!

Valdani and DMC threads stitched on 32ct.Sandstone linen

The above design is from the Sajou alphabet.  J'adore SAJOU!!!  The second gift I won't bother posting a picture of because it only has a few stitches on it and is basic black on white.

Now  I started doing another cute Christmas ornament from the JCS magazine.  This one is from Victoria Sampler. It's the squirrel one.  Pause for a squirrel story:

Me and Squirrels

Ever since I was a young girl, I have been know as the squirrel whisperer.  It takes time and patience to become one and only a few are called to this. (Insert sarcasm here).  Anyways, one day, as I was traipsing around the woods behind our home in Prince George, I heard a squirrel chatter nearby.  The squirrel seemed to be trying to tell me something.  Perhaps a secret he wanted to share with a 10 year old girl? As I strolled back to the house, the chattering followed me from behind.  I slowly walked up the stairs,  grabbed some of the chickadees seeds and held it in my hand and crouched down low. The chattering stopped.  There he was, Chippy.  Me: waiting quietly, patiently. Him: unsure, skittish.  Slowly he climbed the stairs to check me out.  I flinched! He skedaddled!!  Sigh...I suppose I'll try again.  For the next few weeks, we played this game...but with each day, he approached closer, and closer, until one day, he ran up to me, grabbed a seed and took off!! Serious patience here for a young girl of 10!! It wasn't until the second week that Chippy found his courage and managed to take seeds from me and NOT run away!! I was ecstatic! After a few more days of building trust, Chippy let me pet him! Then, after more days of gently petting, he let me pick him up!! We became good friends, Chippy and me.  When I would walk around the house, I could see him following me around.  Of course it was just for the seeds I was giving him, but as a young girl I thought he just really wanted to be my friend.  Ever since then, I have been able to feed and pet wild squirrels, not the city squirrels that we have here in Vancouver.  Those squirrels are a different breed altogether.  Like they are part of a squirrel gang called the Tuff Nut Gang.  Those squirrels I wouldn't mess with!!

So with that, I leave you with a picture of The Victorian Sampler's squirrel, which I started yesterday and made me think fondly of Chippy and the other cute squirrels I have fed and petted.

Finally, here are my photos of the pin cushion I stitched for Valerie.  She posted pictures of her package on her blog, so now I can post mine!!

Stitched on unknown 40ct linen with Waterlilies thread Amethyst

I kind of went NUTS with pictures since I LOVE purple and have a lot of purple things to take photos with!!

Take care and happy stitching!!

Anne

ISHW Progress!

Bonjour!!

I hope everyone had a successful stitch and hermit weekend! I managed to have a decent one.  I did go out on Friday night to a friend's art show opening, which was a lot of fun.  It's always good to see all her friends and family come out and support her.  Yay for the arts!! Luckily I didn't have any plans for the rest of the weekend, so I got to set up my stitching station and go to it.  While I was stitching, I decided to pop in the first two extended movies of the Lord of The Rings.  I felt it was that time of year to take a trip to the Shire and travel with the fellowship.  I didn't really get to 'watch' the films because I was focused on my Haed piece.  It was sort of like radio! A lot of my time on Saturday was spent trying to figure out a mistake I made in the TBF pattern.  Sigh...did that take an age to work it out.  I had to quickly make little 10 x 10 blocks with thread and count and recount a rather big section.  Luckily, the mistake was a small one that I stopped from following me around the pattern.  I didn't frog it, since frogging 1 over 1 is not a good idea, so I worked with it instead of fighting it!!

Thanks to all those who gave me tips on whether to wash now or later, and I think the general consensus is to wait till the end.  I did test wash a piece of the evenweave and I noticed that the fabby sort of shrunk a bit which means if I wash now, my piece will be distorted.  I will also be adding some fabric bits under my Qsnaps so I won't soil the fabric as much as before. 

As planned, I started a new Christmas ornament!! I chose "Yuletide" by Plum Street Samplers because I had the threads already! I used a different fabric than suggested though and I think I like my choice better.  It is a khaki colour, unknown count, although I think that it must be 36 ct or 40ct.  It comes from my wonderful friend who gifted me with all her fabbies that she will never use! So thanks again dear friend!!

To finish off this post, I am happy to say that I found the perfect fabric for Valerie's pin cushion and have begun the process of putting it together.  I won't share any photos of the cushion though until she gets her package.

Here's a couple of fall photos I took of me and my hubby's walk around a park on a beautiful crisp, autumn day!

Take care and happy stitching!!


Anne

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Wow has time flown by! I can't believe it's already time for turkey!! Tomorrow night I will be partaking in some yummy turkey, stuffing, candied carrots and pumpkin pie at my Auntie's house.  I can't wait....my tummy is growling right now!! Usually I take off to Prince George to visit my parents and siblings, but since I visited them in the summer, I will have to wait till next year to visit again (plane tickets are expensive!) I really love Prince George at this time of year.  All the poplar trees are orange and there's a really nice crispness to the air.  Plus the smell of autumn around my old house makes me happy and nostalgic of the times I spent traipsing around the woods as a child.  Vancouver is pretty too at this time of year, yet PG steals my heart.

As for stitching, I have been working on Valerie's pin cushion and am loving it so much I think I need to make myself one!! I can't show any pics yet because I don't want to give away the surprise.  Now last time I mentioned I wanted to buy some threads--furtively looks around to see if hubby is nearby, phew he isn't!---and I bought some! Woot! I ordered some Valdani threads, just to try them out.  One is a luscious wine red which I will be using to stitch some Christmas designs and a friend's present.  I also ordered a chart from Birds of a Feather and I can't wait to get it!  Now I have been thinking about starting Jane Philpott, and I am having a hard time resisting buying the silks for the sampler.  I decided that since it will be an epic venture, I should stitch with the best of threads.  I noticed HDF has a Jane set so I may put that on my Christmas list, along with BBD's a Schoolgirls Work. My list is getting large!!

Photo courtesy of theSilverNeedle

As for the Tea Bath Fairy, I've been working fairly steadily on her and have almost completed 3 pages!! I can't believe that I've only stitched half the SAUCER!!! I thought it was the tea cup! I seriously give props to those who have stitched more than one HAED.  They truly are intense!

A quick question.  If you look closely, you can see my evenweave is a bit soiled from my fingers holding the Q snap frame, even though I'm constantly washing my hands.  Should I wash now or after the whole piece is done.  If I do, should I use a delicates soap like Dove? I've been using DMC threads, and I think they are okay and won't bleed, but before I do I would like to ask your opinion.

Some filler pics so my post isn't totally boring.  Here's a needlework piece my husband's grandmother made ages ago. She passed away two years ago so this is pretty special to him.  It's missing a frame and finding the perfect frame for it is difficult.  I really love this picture.  It's so pretty.

Pretty Sunflower

 Here are some lovely giveaways people are having (click on their name).

1. Cucki's giveaway
2. Lisa's giveaway.  She's having her 3rd year blogoversary and is hoping to get to 100 followers! So pop over and join her!

Now, as always, I'm behind on my commenting.  I was going to do it after this post but I really want to stitch.  So tomorrow morning I'll be popping around!

Love in turkeys

Anne

ISHW and Update on Gray Cat

Hey all!

Thanks to all who joined my blog and entered my giveaway.  It was fun reading all your colour choices and what teas you like to drink.  For those who don't like tea, I can throw in some cocoa or whatever you like to drink!! I added a link to the side of my blog so people can still join by clicking on the picture labeled "My Giveaway".  Good luck to all and thanks again for joining in on the fun!!

Okay, onto stitching news.  I managed to get some stitching done.  I started on Friday night and watched, for some reason, the Notebook again.  This movie makes me cry like a baby.  I think it's because it makes me think of my grandparents, and their undying love for each other.  About 7 years ago, my beloved grandfather, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's.  He was a professor of economics and the most loving, humble man in the world.  Now that he is in a home, my Nana visits him daily, making sure he gets his fruit and sees that he is  being properly looked after.  Her dedication to him is unfailing and I know it pains her to see her husband fade away.  So you can see why this movie moves me to tears, especially in the end. 

Honestly, this weekend should be called, for me anyways, The International Frog Weekend!! I worked on Tiny Rose Mandala, and I think I did more frogging than stitching!! For some reason, I find Chatelaine designs really difficult to follow and I ALWAYS make mistakes!! Not sure why, but maybe it's the symbols and symmetry of the piece that my brain just doesn't get.  I still love her designs, but am worried about trying one of her bigger pieces.  They are pricey, way out of my range, and involves an inordinate amount of time. If I started frogging those silks and specialty stitches, I would cry!!

 After working on Tiny Rose, I moved onto the Tea Bath Fairy.  Guess what I started working with? Kreiniks!! Yay!! Super sarcasm here.  It actually wasn't that bad, but it is a slow process so I didn't get as much done as I wanted. It is such a cool design though and I really love how the picture is coming together.  Can't wait to start working on the fairy!!

Late last night, I decided to start another small, an easy one!! It's the BBD freebie design "Now I know my ABC's" and it has been one that I wanted to stitch for awhile.  I really love stitching the alphabet and making mini samplers. I chose 32ct. Belfast Platinum linen with DMC threads.  This is such a soft linen and I wish I had more of it!!

Growly Gray Cat Update

Um, so on Saturday night, as I was a bit tipsy from a night of dancing with my GF, I was walking, in my heels, towards my apartment, when the fellow who lives across from us was going outside for his smoke.  I decided to ask him if he has seen the big fat gray cat and if he belongs to anyone.  He said "Ya, he belongs to a lady in the building next to us.  She works for the SPCA." I replied "Aw that's too bad because we were thinking of taking him." So there you have it.  He is someone's cat.  I have to say I'm a bit sad about this, because after some thought, I really wanted this cat.  He's pretty cool and his growling is the best. 

I'll leave you with a few photos of some great thrift finds I bought awhile back.

Blue wine glass to add to my blue collection, found for $1

Hand painted Russian bowl found for $1.00!!

Take care and happy stitching!!


Anne

New Start on My First Ever HAED!!

Hello all!!

I have to give a big warm thank you to all who commented on my Tanglewood as well as those who have given me their condolences on Lucy's passing.  It has meant a lot to me to receive hugs, thoughts and prayers from all of you, so MERCI BEAUCOUP MES AMIES! I am still trolling around looking for frames for Tanglewood, but I may have to take it in to a framer to make a frame for me, then I'll do the framing myself.  Perhaps.  I don't know.  On such an epic piece of stitching, I don't want to make any mistakes!!! My indecisiveness can get the better of me. 

Also a big hello to my new followers!! I have been trying to add people who join my blog, but sometimes I don't know where their blog is.  If you want people to know about your blog, you can link your blog to your profile page:    1.Click on your "Edit Profile", which is beside your picture
                      2. Click "select blogs to display" button
                      3. Add your blog! 
Voila! Now I can find your blog and become a follower! There have been some blogs that has taken me almost a year to find and add myself as a follower. Now some people may not want to do this, and this is fine, but I thought I might give out a helpful tip to those who may not know about this feature.

Alright, onto stitching news.  After finishing Tanglewood, I began a new big project, or BAP, which I think means Big Ass? Project.  I can't think of anything to substitute the A for other than that word, so now its stuck in my head when I see BAP. Now that I think about it, maybe it means Art?  Anywho, I began Tea Bath Fairy. Wow.  Loads of confetti.  Tiny stitches.  Endless pages. My eyes hurt.  Needle is bending.  My husband shakes head.  Whew, what did I get myself into?!! That aside, I kind of enjoy the pain of the project.  I think I made it more difficult on myself by choosing to do 1over 1 on 28 ct. Evenweave.  I fiddled around with different counts and ways of stitching, and settled on 1 over 1.  Now I'm deep into it and I can't go back! To top it off, I was looking at starting the Jane Philpott Sampler and thinking of buying 40 ct linen!! I'm mad!! PS, this sampler with the threads and fabric is pricey...may have to save up for it for awhile.

ACK!

A few more thoughts to add here. My auntie was cleaning out her basement and found a never used sewing basket, and guess who she gave it to? ME! I was elated to have this basket as it looks just like my mom's and my Nana's.  Yesterday I spent a lot of time organizing the basket and loved that my stash was no longer hanging by the wayside on my sewing desk. I also was given my grandma's retro cigarette bowls, which I use for decoration of course! I love the bright orange colours!!

So beautiful!

Look at it all neat and tidy!

 

As for the autumn pattern, I found the designer!! Yay!! Its from With Thy Needle and Thread, and I think I'm allowed to post a link to her website.  I may have to edit the last post and take off the picture because I'm not really sure about this comment: IMPORTANT ~ this chart is for your own personel use. Chart may not be printed and sold, shared electronically via email, websites or blogs, or used as a free hand out.  Hmm.  Can someone clarify that for me because I just wanted to find out who the designer was and I don't want to be doing something illegal.  I never take a pattern that isn't posted as a freebie from the designer, and I always send a picture of the finished work to the designer, because, well they ask for it and I like to show them what I did with their design.

Some stash I've been meaning to post.  Thinking about a quaker design with the threads.

The Jane Philpott 1837 Sampler

I think I have stitching ADD.

Cheers and Hugs!!

Anne