Catching up: May......

May can only mean one thing...

.......STITCHMAYNIA.......

If you watch Flosstube, then you
know exactly what I mean.

In the same vein as the Crazy January
challenge, you start 15 projects in 15 days. 
Some do more....some do less.

Once again, I was on the band wagon.  
Unlike most, I decided to do a start
every other day and spread it over
the entire month.  I kitted up 15 projects
and went on my merry way. 

Here is my lineup...

WTNT "Grand Olde Flag"

stitched on 40ct PTP Sand with

Victorian Motto thread conversion

***************

Kathy Barrick "Miss Martha's Potting Shed"

stitched on 40ct PTP Fog

with Victorian Motto thread conversion

These threads are just yummy!!!

****************

Notforgotten Farm "Bee Sampler"

stitched on 40ct Lakeside Linen Vintage Porcelain

with Victorian Motto thread conversion

and we had a finish......

This will soon have a place of honor on

my Bee Wall in my kitchen.

******************

Lila's Studio "Bee Sampler"

stitched on Lakeside Linen 40ct Vintage Porcelain

with my thread conversion

*****************

Drawn Thread "Free & Brave"

stitched on 32ct PTP Legacy

with Victorian Motto thread conversion

****************

Notforgotten Farms PSS 2016 Retreat kit

.......and finished!

****************

Plum Street "Pennsylvania Fraktur"

Colonial Gatherings club piece

************

Notforgotten Farms "Sepia Sampler"

stitched on 40ct Khaki linen

with recommended DMC

************

Primitive Needle "Hornbook Angel"

stitched on 40ct WDW Straw with

my DMC thread conversion

*****************

Lizzie Kate "Selfie Sampler" kit

stitched on 32ct WDW Red Pear

with recommended threads

....and another finished!  

I just love the fabric in this kit....sweetest color.

I was excited to have three finishes so that only

added 7 more to my WIP pile.   I now

have 20+ projects to choose from

so I shouldn't get bored anytime soon.

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

I still found time for my monthly
Prairie Schooler project.  These designs
take me about a week to stitch so that
did eat into my Stitchmaynia plans. 
No problem...just happy to have another done.

Prairie Schooler "S*R*T"

stitched on 40ct Lakeside Linen with recommended DMC

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

Well if you stuck with me this long,
thank you ever so much!
Happy stitching....

Catching up: April.....

I hope I'm not boring you with all

of the posts but it has

been fun to reminisce about

what I have been up to the last

few months.

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

Fifty Shades of Gray....

this took on a whole new meaning in April

as I celebrated my 50th birthday.

I tried to celebrate quietly but my

family and co-workers had other plans. 

I am just glad I was here to celebrate with them.

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

While browsing through my Blackbird Designs,

I saw this one and had to instantly

start it.  There is just something about

it I love so start I did.

Blackbird Designs "Button Box"

from In Friendship's Way booklet

stitched on  hand-dyed 40ct Buttercream from DixieSamplar

with Victorian Motto threads

I love the yellow tones to this piece and

do plan to finish as sewing box.....one day.

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

I had to travel to Denver for a conference

and decided to take something small for the plane trip.  

The Prim Society's retreat kit from

Summer House Stitche Workes was perfect.

Summer House Stitche Workes "Prim Tapestry"

PSS 2016 Retreat kit

I was a little unsure about the rusty star

included ...looked a little big.  Obviously

Beth knows what she is doing

because it was just the right touch.

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

And yes there was another

Prairie Schooler alphabet finish....

Prairie Schooler "S*R*T"

stitched on 40ct Lakeside Linen with recommended DMC

I loved this block especially the

measuring tape border detail.

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

That's it from my little stitchy

corner of the universe.
Not too many more and I will
be officially caught up.

Happy stitching....

Catching up: March.....

A few goodies from March.....

While at the Pals Stitching at the
Beach retreat last October, I discovered
Silver Creek Sampler's wonderful
designs.  This was one of my favorites
so it had to be stitched first.

The sentiment is a nice reminder
we are not alone....

Silver Creek Samplers "Shadow of My Wings"

stitched on 40ct PTP Fog with recommended threads

~    *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

March's Prairie Schooler alphabet
design was "L"....

Prairie Schooler "J*K*L"

stitched on 40ct Lakeside Linen with recommended DMC

I really like stitching on this monthly and

could see myself focusing on this one project. 
My fear is I will burn out so I am

restraining myself and sticking to one a month.

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

Some of my stitched goodies
have now become
framed goodies.....

BBD Sweetheart Sampler

BBD Sunflower House

Goode Huswife "Tree of Life"

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

The end of March was an exciting time

as I prepared to attend the

Prim Stitchers Society Retreat in Marietta.

It was a wonderful time packed with

classes, stitching, gabbing and laughing.

I did participate in the Exchange and

decided to try something new. 

Threadwork Primitives' "Bee Gathering"

was perfect to be finished as a drum,

my first, and I was so happy with the result.

Threadwork Primitives "Bee Gathering"

stitched on 40ct mystery linen with Victorian Motto threads

I had this fabric in my stash and it

was perfect for the mood and color of the design.

I took a lot of liberties with the finishing

but loved once done.

My most favorite detail was the little

bee pin I stuck in the top.

I received a wonderful piece with a
very unique finish in exchange.
  I am not sure if this is an old biscuit
cutter or butter mold, but it just
suited for this sweet design.

Perfect addition with all of my thread bobbins.

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *  ~   *   ~

As always thanks for visiting and

happy stitching.....

Catching Up: February......

Stitching commenced in January and

I had a few finishes from my Crazy January starts.

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

I have always loved this design and it was

just perfect as Valentine's day

quickly approached.  I did my own

colorway and just love the color combination

of chocolate and cherry on the linen.  

Yummy....

BBD "Sweetheart Sampler"

Stitched on WDW 30ct w/ Victorian Motto

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

One goal this year was to stitch more ornaments

so I joined a monthly SAL.  My first

finish was this older design from

a Shepherd's Bush newsletter.

SB "Be Jolly"

stitched on 25ct evenweave with hand-dyed threads

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~  *   ~   *   ~  *   ~

With Valentine's Day approaching, I

decided to stitch this sweet holiday

design from years ago.   I just loved all of the

Be Atitude series and am happy

to have finish added to my collection.

SB "Be True"

Stitched on 32ct white linen with recommended threads

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

Another goal I set for myself was to

stitch the Prairie Schooler's ABC series. 

I have had the designs for several

years and decided I wasn't going

to wait any longer.

I am stitching mine all together with three

rows of nine designs.  Even though

the chart indicates the design

size to be 70 x 70, a review revealed

this was not the case for most of them.  

I was obsessed with making sure

the alignment is even.  

I have counted, counted again,

sketched it out on paper, counted again,

and then counted again

to insure I have enough spacing between

them without running out of fabric.

Since the second row would be the longest

(few were 70 stitches wide) I decided

to start with "J", which would be the

first design in that row.  

Oh my goodness....I never thought that

pumpkin would end.  It seemed like it took

forever to stitch but I got it done.

Prairie Schooler "J*K*L"

stitched on 40ct Lakeside Linen with recommended DMC

If I had it to do over again, I would

have changed the color of the pumpkin

but I can live with it now.

I not very happy with the coverage even

though this is 40ct but I will wash this

once done and hope the weave will

tighten up a bit.

Since I planned to finish a block a month,

I carried on to catch up and stitched

the next one for this month.

Prairie Schooler "J*K*L"

stitched on 40ct Lakeside Linen with recommended DMC

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~  *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

And my last finish for the month was

another Crazy January start.

So glad I finally have this sweet design stitched.

CHS "Be My Love"

Stitched on PTP Legacy w/ DMC

She is now framed and ready to be added

to the George and Martha wall....

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

Thanks for visiting & happy stitching.......

Catching up: January.....

My least favorite part of stitching is

starting a new design.  I am always second

guessing my fabric choice and

thread choices so it makes it hard to put

that first stitch in.  I have found over the

years that "speed starting" a lot of projects at

once helps with this anxiety and I then

have a basket of delight to choose

from each day.   I know that it stresses some

people to have too many designs going

at once but I believe that having something

started is no different than having the

design sitting in my stash waiting

its turn to be started.   

So.....I decided to partake in the Crazy January

challenge again and I kitted up 15 projects

to start.  I did change it a little by "speed starting"

several projects over the first two weekends

in January.  I eventually only started 9 and I

am glad these were in my rotation.

Scarlett House "Coverlet Houses"

BBD "Quaker Garden"

Rosewood Manor "Old Glory"

La D Da "Peace House"

Carriage House Samplings "A Quaker Study"

Rosewood Manor "Cornwall Cottage Sampler"

Goode Huswife "Be My Love"

Silver Creek Samplers "Shadow of My Wings"

BBD "Sweetheart Sampler"

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

Our journey with our Clemson Tigers ended

in Arizona at the BCS National Championship

game. Realizing this was a lifelong dream

and an opportunity that may never come again,

hubby and I made the trek west to see our

Tigers play.   Although they didn't prevail,

we had an awesome time. 

Clemson fans have an awesome tradition that

began in the 70's when Clemson always

traveled to Atlanta for a match with

Georgia Tech.  To show the impact fans

have on a city's economy,

we stamp Tiger paws on $2 bills. 

It is amazing how many you will see

floating around while visiting the host city. 

Some rival fans are aware of the tradition and

will often ask for one as a souvenir.   We know I

t works because of the usual publicity it

brings once we have left.   This was the

case for Phoenix when several stories were

printed regarding the tradition and how

much money fans pumped into the

hotels, restaurants and bars during our trip.  

And that is your daily dose of Clemson history......

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

The best part of the trip was being to

visit The Attic Needlework shop again and

to visit with Tanya from The Scarlett House.

We had a short and sweet visit and yes....

I did leave some $2 bills at the Attic.

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

Thanks for visiting my small corner of

the universe and I will be back

soon for another update.

Happy stitching....

Catching Up: December .....

The thing I love most about my blog is the

historical timeline I create when I post my

finishes.   I use Instagram to capture

my daily stitching activities but it is nice

to come back here and reminisce about

designs, fabrics and threads.

With that in mind, I hope you won't

mind my next few posts

will catch me up with my projects so that

I can enjoy them down the road too.

Let's start with December....

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

I continued stitching a design from the

A Most Suitable Name series 

by Jeannette Douglas

over the holidays and finished this sweet design.

Jeannette Douglas "Devoted Dorothy"

A Most Suitable Name series

stitched on 40ct PTP Legacy with recommended threads

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

My hubby completed his Museum Certification

program in December and I decided to

stitch a little memento for him.

My love for Lizzie Kate and this powerful

quote made this a perfect gift for him.

Lizzie Kate "Promise Me"

stitched on 28ct khaki evenweave with my thread conversion

I did make the design a little more masculine

and replaced the flower motif under

"Promise" with a globe and some books.  

I was very happy with the result and a

wonderful reminder to my hubby

of his accomplishment.

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

I decided to finish up this Colonial Gatherings

club piece that I had started back in August.  

The designed border just didn't appeal to me

and I played around until I settled on this.

Plum Street Samplers "Goodness & Plenty"

Colonial Gatherings Club kit

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

With my hubby's interest in Colonial history,

I too am drawn to elegant ladies and

gentlemen of this era.   Some years back

I decided I would have a George & Martha wall

(which I think I actually stole from Paulette Stewart of Plum Street)

and have been stitching designs that

reflect this time period to add to my collection.

Plum Street Samplers "Pretty Pleasures"

stitched on 36ct Lakeside Linen with my DMC conversion

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

As some of my friends know, I am avid

Clemson Tiger fan and December was packed

with travel following the Tigers on the

road to the National Championship game. 

We started in early December with a trip to

Charlotte for the ACC Championship game. 

Following the win,

Dabo (our beloved coach) held true

to his promise of a pizza party in

Death Valley if Clemson won.

We then headed down to Miami to meet Oklahoma in the BCS Playoff game.  We celebrated a win there, which was memorable, but not as memorable as the fish and chips I had.

Holey moley...I still dream about this piece of fish. 

Yes....I ate the whole thing!

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

Thanks for visiting as always and hope to

see you soon with another post for January.

Happy stitching....

Where has the time gone....

I'm still here!  Once again I have let time

get away from me and neglected my blog.

I have been busy stitching in 2016 and will

be back to share some favorites.

For now I want to share some wonderful finishes

from the Carolina Stitcher. Last year

I stitched these wonderful designs

from Jeannette Douglas and decided to have them

finished into project bags.  All were stitched on

40 count PTP linen & were the perfect size. 

Now I can enjoy them all of the time 

while I'm stitching away.

Wool Willi

Devoted Dorothy

Humble Hilda

Alphabet Annie

Nimble Netty

Button Betty

Prim Penny

Modest Mildred

Thanks for stopping by and I hope to be back

soon with some more stitching.

Until then....happy stitching!