RAK from Melissa!

I received this very nice 28ct evenweave in mushroom color from Melissa, since I was the first follower on her blog! She is stitching some beautiful items; a Raphael Angel, a cherub, and a Teresa Wentzler bellpull.  She also has some patterns and kits for sale. Pop over to her blog and encourage her to stitch away!

Golden Wedding Sampler - framed!

Wow! That was quick! Beth framed this at her shop the day after I gave it to her, and I picked it up tonight. I will take a pic with my parents holding this when I give it to them.

Tonight I stitched on Fairies for the WOCS quilt. There will be two fairies flying together.

Golden Wedding Sampler - finished!

Hurray!  Another finish on time!  I took it to my friend Beth, the framer, tonight.  She will work on it in the next few days.  It feels good not to have a deadline looming.  Now I can get back to stitching something for me that doesn't have a due date!

"Golden Wedding Sampler"
Bothy Threads
Started 8/1/2011, Finished 8/29/2011

TUSAL #9

My ORT jar filled up faster this month because I stitched like crazy on A Paris Kiss and finished it on time for my daughter's birthday! No more brown threads for awhile!

OK, I bought my first HAED!

Flaming June by Frederick Leighton

OK, I finally did it!  After thinking about this for months, I took the jump before the HAED 30% off sale ends.  I also went ahead and ordered the large print version to be mailed to me.  I'm just going all out!  It's nice that they provide the floss list so you can stock up before getting the pattern.  It will be 12"x14" on 25ct fabric, or 13.6"x16" on 22ct, or 16.6"x19.5" on 18ct.  That seems pretty big.  I will have to look at an actual piece of 25ct or 22ct fabric.  Maybe it's not so bad.

Golden Wedding Sampler update #4

I'm almost finished!  The only part left is some more flowers at the top by the hearts.  I have a gold frame with an old cross stitch in it that I made when I was 10 years old.  I hope this will fit in it, so I can take it to my friend Beth, who is a professional framer.  She will mount it on acid-free foam board with pins all around the edges and cut a mat for it.  She doesn't mind if I bring my own frame to save money, and she puts the paper on the back and a heavy wire for hanging, so it looks very classy!

Oops! Need to frog 11 stitches!

I misread the color symbols and stitched the woman's hair in metallic gold instead of brown! Should I just leave it? Haha!
I guess it's too late to be stitching at 1:45 AM.

Golden Wedding Sampler update #3

All that is left to stitch are the flowers across the top and the woman. I wanted to work on this all day on Saturday, but my dad brought over his brand-new digital camera tonight. He wants me to read the book and figure everything out and teach him how to use it tomorrow! They are going on a trip next week for their anniversary. I hope this won't take all day! LOL.

Two new starts for WOCS!

I am stitching a purple butterfly square for World of Charity Stitching.  The members all stitch the same butterfly pattern, but in different colors.  The squares will be made into a beautiful quilt!  You may think it's not centered in the Q-Snap frame, but I did that on purpose, since it will only be 6"x6" square, and then I can save the leftover Aida to make bookmarks.

I also started stitching Fairies, a chart from a book, Top 100 Cross Stitch Motifs by Michaela Learner.  I am stitching 2 over 2 on 28-count opalescent Zweigart evenweave and using DMC Pearlescent and Light Effects floss.  These fairies will be so pretty on a Fairy quilt to be donated to a child at a domestic abuse shelter.

The pretty Q-snap huggies are made by Christine Wilson and you can order them on her website.

Gracie suggested a postcard exchange and I sent and received 5 postcards from stitchers in Arizona, Pennsylvania, and the United Kingdom. My cat Billy wanted to be in the pic too!

My Flaming June choices

Six months ago, I got a chart for Flaming June designed by Karin's Cross Stitch Favourites.  Since I have been visiting blogs and finding more and more websites for cross stitch patterns, I see that this painting by Frederic Leighton has been made into a chart by several different designers.  But now I realize that they are all different stitch sizes with different numbers of floss colors.  I have never stitched a full coverage design before and I didn't want to go smaller than 18 count.  Before I start on this beautiful picture, I would like to have your opinion if I am making a good choice with this chart.  I've been thinking about it for months!

These are the choices (using 18 ct).  Which do you think would be best for me?  I already have the chart from Karin.  It seems like a good size to me, not too big or too small, and it has more colors than the HAED chart, so would that make the picture even more realistic?

Designer                            Stitches     Size (inches) Colors
Pinoy Stitch                         150x150   8 x 8              89
Mystic Stitch                        200x200   11 x 11           ?
Karin's Cross Stitch             283x265   15.7 x 14.7    90
Heaven and Earth Designs  300x351   16.6 x 19.5    50
Golden Kite                         500x586    27.7 x 32.5   199

Thanks for your advice and suggestions!

Everyday life at my work station!

Yes, I work at home! To the left is my personal computer and the work computer is on the right. My work assistants at the moment are Bubbles the calico cat, Teddy the Labrador puppy, and Billy the tabby cat. Not pictured are Blueberrie the tuxedo cat and Sophie the Sheltie/Shepherd dog.

Oh, I found Sophie on the other side of the desk and Blueberrie sitting in the kitchen window.

I love my job, don't you?

I've been RAK'd!

Judy Sisley Harris is a new member of World of Charity Stitching and she offered some Aida fabric on the WOCS Facebook page. I received this RAK (random act of kindness) of an awesome package with printed 14 ct Aida, 16 count white Aida, linen, 18 count Aida bookmarks, and evenweave border fabric. I'm so excited to start using these wonderful stash supplies! Thank you so much, Judy!

New cross stitch slideshows!

I stole this idea from Julie, since I saw that she has an album of progress pics on her Multiply site for each project she is working on. I made a Picasa album for each of my two big finishes in the past year, Wedding Ride and A Paris Kiss.  I love watching the slideshows to see the pictures come to life.  Hope you enjoy them too!

A Paris Kiss - big birthday smile!

She loved her birthday present! Happy birthday, Christina!

A Paris Kiss - framed!

Ooohhh, I'm so happy with how this turned out, exactly what I wanted! I will give it to my daughter for her birthday when she gets home from work. She is 23 today!

Beth (the framer) suggested rounding the top corners of the mat to match the picture. I used a frame and glass from an old Home Interiors picture that I had. What a bargain!

WOCS - Time for Tea - finished!

This cute little teapot square will be sewn into a quilt with other teapot squares for World of Charity Stitching. This quilt will be given to a senior lady at a nursing home. It's so nice to know that I'm part of something wonderful! This was a freebie chart from www.joannesanderson.com.

"Time for Tea"
Designed by Joanne Sanderson
Started 8/11/2011, Finished 8/18/2011

My Pets on Quilts Show entry

Here is my entry for the Pets on Quilts show!  This quilt was a gift from my mother-in-law 20 years ago.  My three cats are always found sleeping on the bed together.  Billy the brown tabby cat is my youngest and the most lovable. Blueberrie the black & white tuxedo cat is the boss of all the animals, including our 2 big dogs.  Bubbles the calico cat is the oldest and so shy that she hides from everyone.

I learned about this fun show on Bonnie's blog.  She sews quilts for World of Charity Stitching, and I cross stitch squares for the quilts. 

You can win a prize by entering a photo of your pets on quilts, or a pet-themed quilt!  You can also win a prize just by voting.  Last day to enter is August 19, and voting ends on August 21, 2011.

A Paris Kiss - finished!

Hurray, hurray! I finished it with two days to spare! I'm taking it to the framer tonight. Yippee! I'm so relieved! No more brown sepia colors for awhile. I want color!  The first pic above is from my cell phone, and the second one is from the scanner.  I also have a picture from my camera, but I have a problem with transferring the pics from the camera to the computer.

"A Paris Kiss"
Vervaco
Started 1/6/2011, Finished 8/17/2011

I bought this kit from The Stitchery catalog. It was imported from Belgium. This was my first time stitching on linen (28 ct stitched over 2) and I loved it!

It was based on this painting by Migdalia Arellano:

I'm so glad that you followed me along in my progress on this! Now my next deadline is August 31, my parents' 50th wedding anniversary. I am about one-third done with their cross stitch gift. I am also stitching squares for quilts for World of Charity Stitching. Those pretty little items cheer me up because they are quick to do and I know they will make someone happy!

New start for WOCS - Time for Tea

World of Charity Stitching (WOCS) is making a Teapots theme quilt for a senior lady in a nursing home. I am stitching this square to be included on the quilt. I found the freebie chart on www.joannesanderson.com. We can use any fabric for our square, and this design was the perfect size for 11ct Aida in my stash.

I'm using one of my new Q-snap huggies in a pretty floral print.  It feels nicer to hold this fabric instead of the Q-snap frame by itself, and it keeps the edges of the cross stitch project safe and clean.  I just love these!

I only need 1-2 hours to finish A Paris Kiss. I Googled "A Paris Kiss" by Migdalia Arellano and saw the painting that this cross stitch is based on. It's a beautiful picture!

A Paris Kiss update #12

The woman is all finished! Now all that is left to stitch is the railing. I would have had this done already, but my daughter was home all weekend, so I was working on the 50th anniversary gift and also a new start for WOCS (World of Charity Stitching).

I went to the framer on Friday (a friend of the family) and chose the mats and provided my own frame and glass from an old Home Interiors picture that I had. It looks like this will be my last update, and the next pic you see will be a FINISH, then the framed piece.

Happy Stitching!

Golden Wedding Sampler update #2

I worked on this all day on Saturday because my daughter was home, so I couldn't work on A Paris Kiss. My parents' 50th anniversary is in a few weeks. I already have a gold frame for this, but I need to get a mat. What color do you suggest? There will be more yellow roses across the top and on the other side, and a woman in an orange dress.

A Paris Kiss update #11

Hurray! I finished the woman's dress! Now the only part left to do is her side, her arm, and the railing. I included photos with and without flash. My mom's neighbor works in a framing shop, so maybe I can bring it to her this weekend so we can choose a mat and frame. That's the plan!

I included a pic of the chart, all marked up with my pink highlighter. I didn't even make a working copy. I'm so glad I bought this kit when I had the chance, because it's hard to find now.

Happy Stitching!

Golden Wedding Sampler update #1

I'm making this one for my parents' 50th anniversary in a few weeks. The man is done and I'm starting the yellow roses on the left side. See previous post about this one for a pic of what it will look like when finished.
My daughter just went to bed, so I'm going to stitch on A Paris Kiss for an hour or so. I will post a progress pic tomorrow. Good night!

A Paris Kiss update #10

I stitched about 6 hours today and just got part of her dress done. Oh boy, this is tedious! I hope my work week is pretty slow so I will have more time to stitch. Forget about housework until this is done!

A Paris Kiss update #9

My deadline is coming up in two weeks, so I hope to have it done by next week so I can get it framed. I'm going to tell my daughter to reenact this pose someday and send me a photo!

Traveling Stash going to a new home!

The box of Traveling Stash goes to....
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LINDA!!!!! from Stitchin With My Furbabies.

This is a massive collection of traveling stash and every stitcher it goes to will be sure to find something great. I picked some 14ct Aida, a scented floss, bookmarks, and Christmas ornie kits. Then I added more fabric, floss, Christmas ornie kits, and 3 pattern books of cats, birds, and hummingbirds. Watch Linda's blog for your chance to have the Traveling Stash box visit your house next! Happy Stitching!

Linda, please send me your snail mail address by email. Thanks!

New start - Golden Wedding Sampler

My parents got married 50 years ago at the ripe old age of 19, after being high school sweethearts. Awwwww. I searched the internet for just the right 50th anniversary cross stitch project to make for them and found it at Bothy Threads in the UK. I ordered the kit and it arrived in California in just a few days. Now I'm stitching on this when my daughter is at home, but when she's away, I'll be stitching on her birthday gift instead. Both of these events happen at the end of August. Here is a pic of my current progress and a picture of what it will look like when it's finished: