Back from the framer!

I just picked these up from my framing friend!  This is Quaker Moon by Bent Creek.  I found the perfect black square frame at a thrift store for $1 and she only charged me for mounting it.

Quaker Moon - FRAMED!

This is Mary's Sampler II by Plum Street Samplers.  This is another thrift store frame for $1 that I thought matched the colors perfectly and I only had to pay for mounting and the gold mat!

Mary's Sampler II - FRAMED!

This is I'll Get You My Pretty by Sue Hillis Designs.  I did pay for this one to be custom framed because it was an unusual size, 7" x 12".

I'll Get You My Pretty - FRAMED!

Beth at Wilson's Frame-Up has framed 17 of my cross stitch finishes so far!

Theme-A-Licious March Madness (week 4)

The theme for this month is March Madness, "Work on something different every day... it's madness... of the funnest possible kind."  I used the Random Number Generator to pick a number from 1-95 for a WIP from my WIPocalypse list to stitch on each day.  I'll post an update every weekend with the choices for the prior week.

March 22 - #51, Yo Ho Ho Ho:  I stitched the pirate Santa's hat.

Yo Ho Ho Ho update #3

March 23 - #46, Christmas Ark:  I stitched more of the elephant using Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe overdyed floss.

Christmas Ark update #2

Christmas Ark update #2

March 24 - #87, Best of Friends:  I stitched a little more in the lower left corner. This whole design is printed on the Aida so I don't have to look at a chart. It's so easy! The colors will all wash out with water when I am done.

Best of Friends update #1

Best of Friends update #1

This is how it will look when finished (some day):

Best of Friends

March 25 - #78, Spring Sampler:  I stitched a row using lemon-lime Perle cotton.  All the floss is from Dinky Dyes.

Spring Sampler update #1

March 26 - #85, Believe:  I stitched more of Santa's red coat.  This is on 28 ct black linen.

Believe update #1

Believe update #1

March 27 - #26, Christmas Sampler:  I stitched another reindeer on this Prairie Schooler design.

Christmas Sampler update #3

March 28 - #35, Easter Hang-Up:  I finished the basket and stitched the background using Dragonflylotus Handspun Handpainted wool thread in Sunlit Quackenbush, but the 5-yard skein (1 ply) wasn't enough with only 6 stitches left at the bottom to do, so I'll just change the border design a bit, unless anyone out there has a little 6-inch piece to spare?

Easter Hang-Up update #2

My final Theme-a-licious blog post will be on April 1, with the last 3 days of the month and all the March Madness links.  Happy Stitching, everyone!

Crazy January start #27

Day #27 of the Ultimate Crazy January Challenge is Santa's Cuisine by StitchWorld.  I bought this kit at a thrift store for $2.50.  I started in the center with the lid of the pot and steam coming out.  I wonder what Santa is cooking!  This is on 14 ct oatmeal Aida and will be about 10" x 13"

Santa's Cuisine

I found another Santa on my WIPocalypse list that I started last January, Yo Ho Ho Ho by Sue Hillis Designs.  This pirate Santa has a candy cane hook for a hand, a candy-striped peg leg, and an eye patch!  There are 3 different shades of terra cotta in his coat.  I stitched more on his coat and beard today.  This is on 14 ct gold-dusted Stardust Aida and will be about 4" x 6".

Yo Ho Ho Ho update #2

Crazy January start #23

Day #23 of the Ultimate Crazy January Challenge is Boo-gie Fever by Sue Hillis Designs.  I finished one skeleton.  I'm using glow-in-the-dark floss by DMC, which is so much nicer and softer and easier to stitch with than the glow-in-the-dark from Kreinik.  I highly recommend it!  I'm stitching on black 14 ct Aida and it will be about 7" x 9".

Boo-gie Fever

Boo-gie Fever

Since I'm stitching skeletons, I pulled out another skeleton from my WIPocalypse list, Skel on Bike. I bought this chart from Witch Stitch 'n' Bits but the designer has retired and the website is closed now.  I started this in 2012 and never touched it again after the first day.  Today I stitched more of the bike frame.  This will be 12.25" x 13" on 22 ct evenweave that I dyed black (but not very dark).

Skel on Bike update #1

Crazy January start #17

Day #17 of the Ultimate Crazy January Challenge is the October Witch Snowlady from The Vermillion Stitchery 2008 Snowmen series.  All these designs are so cute! Which one is your favorite?  I'm stitching over 2 on 28 ct Ivory Jobelan.  There are tons of quarter-stitches in this design, so the 28 ct makes it so much easier!  It will be 3-3/4" x 4-1/2".

October Witch Snowlady

Another snowman from my WIPocalypse list is Shiver Me Timbers by Sue Hillis Designs.  I started this last January and never touched it again.  Today I started stitching the snowman and his buttons, just like the snowlady above!  This is on 18 ct light blue Aida and will be 7" x 5-1/2".

Shiver Me Timbers update #1

Crazy January start #13

Day #13 of the Ultimate Crazy January Challenge is Boos Brothers from the Halloweenies chart by Sue Hillis Designs.  I've only stitched their hats and sunglasses.  Do you think I should use glow-in-the-dark floss for their bodies?  This is stitched on 14 ct black Aida and will be 3.5" x 5.5".

Halloweenies (Boos Brothers)

Looking through my WIPocalypse list, I found Boo! Club hasn't been stitched on since last July.  Today I started "Fright" which is part 8 of this 12-part design.  I stitched part of the border and the yellow moon.

Boo! Club (Fright)

We had two earthquakes the last two nights, at 1:35 a.m. and then 1:50 a.m. the next night.  The epicenter was less than a mile from my home so they felt a lot bigger than they actually were, 4.4 and 3.2 magnitude, actually bouncing the bed off the floor!  It's also been very windy and hot in the 80s.  A wildfire started this morning, grew from 50 acres to over 1700 acres in a few hours and is burning down houses.  This is about 25 miles away.  How is the weather where you live?

Crazy January start #1

Happy New Year!  It's time for the Ultimate Crazy January Challenge and starting something new every day in January!

Day #1 is Wicked Witch by La-D-Da.  I decided to use 14 ct Rustico Aida in Meadow Green by Zweigart.  I'm using Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe Medium Gray floss for the border and black DMC 310 for the letters.  The finished size will be 3" x 13".

Wicked Witch

Just to make sure I'm not leaving my other WIPs and UFOs lost and forgotten, I'm going to pair up each new start with one of my old starts from my WIPocalypse page. This is the page where I keep current photos of all of my works in progress (WIPs).

A perfect match for Wicked Witch is the witch herself in I'll Get You My Pretty, a freebie from Sue Hillis Designs.  This is one of my Crazy January starts from 2012.  I haven't stitched on it since June 2013.  Today I finished stitching the witch.  All that is left to do is her broom, the moon, and another bat.  This is stitched over 2 on 32 ct Voodoo Belfast linen by Picture This Plus and will be about 4" x 10".

I'll Get You My Pretty update #3

These two designs will look great in my Wizard of Oz collection!

Happy Stitchy New Year!

August TUSAL and Stitching Santas!

Oh fun!  It's time for another themed blog post!  Here is my progress on my WIPs of Santa designs!

On Sundays, I stitch on Santa's 12 Days of Christmas by The Prairie Schooler, a SAL with Linda and Kaye.  I work on Sundays and it used to be slow so I could stitch at my desk, but now we're busy every Sunday, so no more stitching on company time!  I stitched the four calling birds.

Santa's 12 Days of Christmas (Day 4) FINISHED!

Santa's 12 Days of Christmas (Day 4) FINISHED!

"Santa's 12 Days of Christmas" (Day 4)

Book No. 125
Designed by Pamela Byrd Smith
The Prairie Schooler
Started 1/21/2013, Finished 8/5/2013

I also stitch Santa Hang-Up by Diane Arthurs for an every other weekend SAL with Linda.  These X's are so huge, because I'm stitching over 2 on sparkly 20 ct Valerie fabric.

Santa Hang-Up update #3

I started Yo Ho Ho Ho by Sue Hillis Designs in January for the Ultimate Crazy January Challenge, but haven't touched it since the first day.  Now I started stitching some red of Santa's coat and pants.  This is on 14 ct gold-dusted Stardust Aida.

Yo Ho Ho Ho update #1

I also started Out for a Ride, an Imaginating chart by Diane Arthurs, in January, but only stitched the carrot nose on the snowman.  This time I stitched the red trim on the snowman's hat and his face.  This is also on 14 ct gold-dusted Stardust Aida.

Out for a Ride update #1

The next WIP with a Santa is Christmas Sampler by The Prairie Schooler.  This is the smaller design in booklet #167, And to All a Good Night.  Linda and I extended the UCJC 2012 last year into February and started something new everyday.  I've only touched it once since the first day until now.  Today I stitched another reindeer.  This is on 28 ct Antique White Jobelan, stitched over 2.

Christmas Sampler update #2

It's also time for the Totally Useless Stitch-A-Long (TUSAL) where we share a picture of our ORT (Old Ratty Threads) jar each month.  Check in on Daffycat's blog with your August blog post, too!

TUSAL 2013 #8

I bought the Christmas Q-snap cover from Christine's Q-Snap Huggies!

Now I think I'll get back to stitching Halloween designs and beer bottles!  LOL

Stitching crows, ravens, and bats!

Just for fun, my blog post has a theme today!  I worked on some of my WIPs with crows, ravens, and bats!

I stitched two crows and the tree on the Lizzie*Kate Very Scary Mystery Sampler, then rewarded myself by stitching more crows/ravens/bats on my other WIPs instead!  I'm stitching over 2 on 30 ct Weeks Dye Works Tin Roof linen.

Very Scary (Part 1) update #6

I'm stitching this Edgar Allan Poe inspired design, Quoth the Raven by Kincavel Krosses for my nephew.  This is a free chart.  I finished the word "more" and now all that is left to do is the border.  I'm stitching on 14 ct red Aida.

Quoth the Raven update #3

I stitched the bats on Quaker Moon by Bent Creek.  Isn't this one cute?  I'm stitching over 2 on 28 ct tan linen.

Quaker Moon update #4

There are also some crows flying around Picnic Area by The Prairie Schooler. This is on 14 ct dark green Aida.  The flash makes it seem brighter than it actually is.

Picnic Area update #2

Here are a few more bats on I'll Get You My Pretty by Sue Hillis Designs.  This is a free chart.  I'm stitching over 2 on 32 ct Voodoo Belfast linen by Picture This Plus.

I'll Get You My Pretty update #2

I finished all the backstitching on the top window and stitched the bats on Halloween House.  Check out the Halloween House SAL page!

Halloween House update #35

This sure was fun to get a little bit done on lots of different WIPs.  Happy Stitching, everyone!