Voila!!!! My first biscornu.....

Yes, I have finally stitched a biscornu. I am very happy with it. You will see pictures of it this afternoon.

My favorite parts of the biscornu other than the cross stitching are the buttons. I picked them out on sight. I did not have the thread or the fabric to guide me.

So until this afternoon......

Wishing you a stitchy day.

Sorry it has been soooooooo long

But, I am back to blog again. HI EVERYBODY!!!!!!

Lately I have been crocheting lots of scarves and have not cross stitched much at all. Last week I went to a shop that was selling its yarn to the bare walls and I picked up quite a few skeins along with a book of more than 60 crochet stitches.

As for cross stitching, I still do love it and hope to start cross stitching a bit more.

Today I remembered my Isa Vautier heart finish and really missed cross stitching. A few days ago, I purchased another Disney Cross Stitch magazine for my collection. Of course I am still hoping to get some of those stitched.

More than anything I have been purchasing cross stitch items and looking at them. I have been reading cross stitch blogs .... Ohhhhing and ahhhhhing .... noting which ones I like and making plans to puchase them. Still, my greatest hope is to sttich from my stash. I do have lots of stash that I would like to complete.

After reading and seeing lots of finished cross stitched items, I have decided to try my hand at a biscornu. I am halfway done with it and will post it soon.

A cross stitch related item that has me a bit upset is that the craft shops that I frequent have discontinued carrying the DMC Variegated threads. It seems that DMC will not be producing the Variegated threads and have replaced them with the Variations. I do like some of the Variations, but they are not the same as the Variegated. Why is it that the things I like best are always discontinued at some point. So, I am now on a mission to collect as many of the Variegated threads as I can..... especially my favorite colors.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!!!!!!!!!!!

Keep stitching.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS !!!!

It has been a while since I have come to blog, but today I come to say that I am alive and well. Life has gotten in the way of my blogging and just now I have been able to get started again.

This afternoon was dedicated to my going through countless cross stitch magazines in hopes of picking out many of my 2008 projects. So far there are a few which I hope to start and finish in 2008.

Still, no matter how many patterns and magazines I have, I still purchase more and that makes it a bit harder to choose which ones to stitch. On New Year's Day, one of the LNS' near me will have a sale and I will be there looking to see what to purchase. It is very exciting for me because our stitching community has gone years without an LNS.

I am sure that some of you are wondering how my stitching is going. Unfortunately, I made a stitching error on Provence Sampler and had to unpick many of the letters (let's face it, about 13 letters had to be unpicked). So, that project is going very slowly. I did manage to finish a NOEL for Christmas, but I did not sew it into anything, so it stays "unfinished" until I decide if it will be for a pillow or bellpull.

On the crochet front, I crocheted a beautiful brown toned scarf for the holidays. I wear it with pride. Like I have often mentioned here, crocheting for me is much faster and I happen to love seeing all of the progressing labor. In one weekend I can crochet a scarf, whereas it takes me months or years to finish a cross stitch picture.

I want to wish all of you a wonderful and happy 2008.

May your stitches be plentiful.......

A WIP Pic of Provence Sampler

I promised a pic and it is my hope that you enjoy it. As you can imagine all my stitching hours are devoted to "Provence Sampler" c. Butternut Road.

Summer is flying by here and all sorts of summer stitching ideas have popped into my head. So many creative projects on the wings and two dedicated hands to stitch them.

Wiahing you a pocketful of stitches......

Stitch by Stitch, Row by Row

that is how my sampler grows.....

Here is my update on Provence Sampler c. Butternut Road. I have continued stitching the Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y and Z on the second row. Continued with the E, F, G, H, I, and J on the first row. The second row of dashed lines is completed, all 54 of them and I completed 37 dashed lines on the first row.

Of the second set of letters, I stitched the A, B and J. So far sooooooo good. My estimation is that I am at least 20% into this project.

My goal is to finish Provence Sampler by the end of August 2007.

Picture will surely follow soon.

Off to count the stitches......

Christmas in July

There it is!! My first small. I have not decided what I will finish it as, but I feel great that Christmas 2007 will at least have a handmade decoration.

Cool, snowy stitches.......

Stitching update

After spending a few hours reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, I continued stitching on "Provence Sampler". So far, I think I may have about 5% completed. My progress consists of stitching half of the top row and the top A, B, C, D, and P letters. It is coming along very well.

Time to count the stitches....

In less than an hour and a half.....

I, along with countless other Harry Potter fans, will acquire and start to read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It's a very exciting time!! Maybe after reading it and finishing Provence Sampler I may stitch a Harry Potter sampler.

About to read and stitch......

A New WIP

Finally, the decision to start "Provence Sampler", c. by Butternut Road, was reached. Now, it's a WIP. I managed to choose 32ct Wedgewood Lugana as my fabric and one of the DMC blue Variation threads in place of the colors used on the model. Prior to starting I basted my fabric so it would not unravel. That, folks, is the extent of my sewing ability. My hope is that my hands will made speedy work of this artwork. Since I do not rotate projects, I need for it to go fast.

As I stitch, I am thinking of Christmas and the need to choose an awesome Christmas pattern for 2007.

Stitchin' and thinkin'........