Finishes in August....

I have been plugging away on my 

#Stitch9Challenge pieces 

and added another to the finish pile.

This was a 2018 Stitchmaynia piece & I 

dated it 2018  with confidence that 

I would finish it last year....

didn't happen.

This is stitch over one on 25ct evenweave and 

I decided I didn't feel like fighting it by 

picking it out so 2018 it will stay.

Sheepish Designs "Betsy"

stitched with DMC on ivory 25ct evenweave

This one is destined to become a drum 

in the very near future.

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

I love challenges and have been participating on the #24HoursofCrossStitch over on 

Instagram.  They have had a monthly acrostic 

challenge with 10 letter tasks and you choose 

to count stitches or minutes to complete each 

task.  In order to complete the tasks, I have had 

to dig through my WIPS to find projects that fit.  

The great part is I am touching some WIPS that 

have been languishing for some time.

This sweet design is one of them.  

I pulled it out to put in a few stitches and 

then decided I was close to finishing so I did.

Blackbird Designs "Summer House Pincushion"

stitched on 40ct WDW Aztec Red with DMC

I actually finished the design into the model 

finish.  This little round pincushion was 

fiddly and deciding to use sawdust to stuff it

probably contributed to part of the problem!

It is a little lumpy but I am happy with the finish.

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

While I was busy finishing my pincushion I 

took the time to finish this sweet little freebie

from the Prim Stitchers Society Retreat

held this past May.  A dear friend, 

Karen Gutowski, provided this motif from an 

original sampler she owns.

Another sweet friend, Ann Dawes, gifted 

our stitching circle with these little brooms.  

Southern legend is you hang it by the door so 

that we "could sweep your troubles away."

The combination made the sweetest finish.

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

Well....I am still stitching on my last two 

#Stitch9Challenge pieces which happen to 

be 2 large Rosewood Manor projects.  I do have 

until the end of the year to complete so I am 

going to keep plugging away.

As always....thanks for visiting.

Happy stitching!

BBD The Winter Has Past....

June was a good month for finishing.

After finishing Quaker Family Registry 

I turned my attention to another 

Blackbird Design.

Blackbird Designs "The Winter Has Past"

stitched on Lakeside Linen 40ct V. Autumn Gold 

with recommended threads

Finished:  June 23, 2019

The photo is a little lighter than the actual piece 

and the colors do look a little more subtle.

Another PrimMaynia 2018 piece is done.

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

Thanks for visiting and happy stitching...

Hello Summer....

Starting fresh in an effort to keep my

blog up-to-date!

I have been stitching as usual and 

have lots to share.  Hopefully I will get it 

all blogged since I do like using my

blog as a "scrapbook".

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

My most recent finish is 

BBD's "Quaker Family Registry".  

I considered changing the initials and location 

for my family but decided to stitch it as is 

since I loved it so much with the 

"Bush River South Carolina" reference.

Blackbird Designs "Quaker Family Registry"

from And Blossom as the Rose

Stitched on 40ct V. Meadow Rue 

with recommended threads 

I love the muted colors in the sampler..... 

and the detail of the over one stitching

on the dates....

My favorite motif....

I love how the white is subtle against 

the color of the fabric but pops in contrast 

to the darker colors.

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

"Quaker Family Registry" was a finish from 

my 2018 PrimMaynia starts.  I decided not to do 

StitchMaynia this year which would 

be 15 new starts in the month of May so 

I focused on last year's projects in hopes 

of completing them this year.

I am also participating in the #Stitch9Challenge 

on Instagram and picked 9 WIPS 

at the beginning of 2019 and will stitch 

to get them finished this year.  I will 

be back to share that list and my progress 

since we are close to the 6 month mark!

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

Thanks for visiting and check me out on Instagram

@karenshandiwork

Stitchmaynia 2017....

I decided to participate again in Stitchmaynia,
where you have 15 new starts in the
first 15 days of May.  I decided
to tweak it to better suit my schedule

and have a new start every other day. 
I was able to get a really good start on my
projects and still have time for other stitching.

To make it even easier I decided to us the
club kits I have been accumulating the
last 3 years as my new starts.

All of the projects are small and this
will give a good variety to pick up
and go over the next year.

The clubs kits were included the
Colonial Gatherings Club, which I
have been a member of for 3 years. 
The designers are Plum Street Samplers and
Scarlett House so you know these will be good.

The third club is Silver Needle's
A Little Help from our Friends Stitching Circle. 
Each year has featured 5 different designers
so I have a good variety with this club.

I did have to swap out some of the fabrics
because of color or texture but I know I will
have some finishes I will treasure.

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

Plum Street Samplers

Thistle Pocket

Cricket Collection

Autumn Blooms

Scarlett House

On Redware Road

Lizzie Kate

Stitch With Me

Plum Street Samplers

Fraktur Friends

Scarlett House

Nice to Meet Ewe

La D Da

My Friend

Shepherd's Bush

Heart of My Heart

Scarlett House

Strawberry House

Plum Street Samplers

Colonial Candle Pocket

The Drawn Thread

Threads That Bind

Scarlett House

Button Posies

Plum Street Sampler

Autumn Cottage

Scarlett House

On Stoneware Street

Blackbird Designs

Patchwork Pinkeep

Plum Street Samplers

Hurt Not the Earth

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

I hope to finish many of these this year. 
Some of these were hard to put down
so I will definitely visiting with them this month.
It will be nice to have a basket of smalls to
sprinkle within my bigger projects

I hope you are finding time to put needle
and thread to fabric.
Thanks for visiting my little space
on the stitching universe!

April progress....

April was a good stitchy month and  I

finished the next installment of my

Prairie Schooler ABC's sampler.

Prairie Schooler "G is for Gardern"

This was great stitch for April as the gardens

were so appropriate for the month. 

I only have 11 left to stitch and would love

to finish this one this year.   I just have to

double up a few months...easy peasy!

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

I was also able to finish two more on my

BBD Garden Series.  These stitch up

very quickly and I hope to finish this one

up by year end.   

BBD "The Gardener"

stitched with recommended thread

on Silkweaver 40ct Clay Pebble

 BBD "Lily in the Garden"

stitched with recommended thread

on Silkweaver 40ct Clay Pebble

Progress thus far....

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

I am taking part in Stitchmaynia 2017

and have decided to finally start all the

club kits I have been accumulating the

last 3 years.  All of the fabric and threads

are ready to go so it is easy to pick one

up and go.  Since they are all "smalls" I

am also going to challenge myself to fully

finish these so I can enjoy each day.

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

I am excited to be attending the

Primitive Stitcher's Society retreat this

weekend in Columbus Ohio.  I am so looking

forward to spending great stitching time

with both old and new friends.   I am off to pack

and hopefully get a few stitches in.

Happy stitching....

Stitching progress.....

Hope all are having a great stitching month....

I finally decided to start the BBD

Garden Series from this month after

seeing Nicole's beautiful finish.

I started in the bottom right corner which

meant the last one would be the first.

BBD "All in A Row"

stitched on Silkweaver Clay Pebble

with recommended threads

This was a quick sweet stitch but I have

to admit I was a little disappointed

in the colorway of the hand dyed threads.

I know the variegation of the threads can

cause the stitched piece to vary from the

model and I wish I had now changed the

threads to better match by taste.  I will

definitely do that going forward.

After finishing up my monthly PS Alphabet series,

I decided to stitch another in the

Garden Series. I just love the colors in

this one.  I can tell this one will

be a fun one to complete.

 BBD "Fairy Garden"

stitched on Silkweaver Clay Pebble

with recommended threads

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

Speaking of my PS Alphabet,  I have finished

my next installment and stitched

"F is for Friend".  This was a fun

stitch even with the solid blocks of color.

PS "F is for Friend"

stitched on 40ct linen with recommended DMC

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

Wishing you many happy stitches and

thanks for visiting.....

Out with the old....

 Time got away from me before year end

so I start 2017 reflecting on my

last finishes for the year....

"O is for Owl" was this month's stitch

for the Prairie Schooler Alphabet. 

Like the last two, this one had a lot of

stitches in brown but I persevered

and got it down before year end.

PS "O is for Owl" stitched on 40ct linen with DMC

Here are the last three stitched.  "N" and "O"

really tested my patience so I'm glad they are done.

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

I had a few days left in before we turned the

calendar page and I decided to focus on a finish

from one of my Crazy January Challenges. 

I have put a few stitches in this one here and

there and decided this one deserved my attention.

BBD "Quaker Garden"

stitched on PTP 40ct Legacy

with overdyed threads

This was finished on New Year's Eve with

the help of some all day football

and a little time to spare.

I did change the color scheme slightly

using WDW Caper instead of Palomino. 

My ivory thread is a little lost on the

fabric but I am very happy with the

way this one stitched up.

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

I think I have counted 10 WIPS I will be

carrying over to 2017.  As always,

I like the Crazy January Challenge

of starting 15 new projects the first 1

5 days of the month.  My least favorite

part of the cross stitch process is the

gathering of supplies and the initial stitches

in a design.  I guess I am always second

guessing my fabric or thread choices

(yeah....I like to make a lot of changes so I

guess I bring it on myself!)

so once the first stitches are done I am

pretty much committed and can relax.

Once I have all started, I enjoy having some

many stitching options and can choose

as my mood suits.

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

I hope to be back later to document my

lingering WIPS and their current status as

well as the projects I have slated to go. 

With so many WIPS, I am changing my

plan and will start a new project every

other day in January.  This will allow me

to have some extra time on each project. 

I also plan to devote at least a few stitches

each day to one of my WIPS.  By the end

of the month, I will have at least touch all

of my projects with either 1 stitch

or 100 stitches.  Wish me luck!

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

I hope everyone had a great new year

filled with many stitches!

Tis the season....

The Christmas season is upon us as we

begin the wave goodbye to fall.

I had a pretty good stitchy autumn since

last we spoke.

October's installment of the

Prairie Schooler Alphabet

was a mermaid.

Prairie Schooler "M is for Mermaid"

stitched on 40ct linen with DMC

Honestly I was not looking forward to

this block due to the large

chunks of color.  I was surprised to

find the blues and greens were a

nice change of pace from 3371. 

This is one of my favorites thus far.

Yes...November is over and I should

have the next installment, N is for Nest,

finished but I am can't find my

motivation to stitch finish it. 

Good thing about being an adult is

I can stitch a little bit at a time

until it is done.  My goal is to finish

N and O is for Owl by December's end.

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

A favorite finish in the month of October

was Heartstring Samplery "Proverbs 8:11".

This is a three-part series and I stitched

the other two parts in 2015 and decided I

really wanted to finish this one this year also.

 

Heartstring Samplery "Proverbs 8:11"

stitched on PTP 40ct Legacy with recommended hand-dyed threads

I loved this series from the first time I saw

them not only for the messages but for

the softness and beauty of the designs.

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

I decided to throw in two more Christmas ornaments too.

Summer House Stitche Workes "Barn Star Ornaments"

stitched on PTP 40ct Ale with Victorian Motto Red and WDW Bark

I love these little ornaments and hope

to finish as bowl fillers.

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

Who doesn't love Lizzie Kate and I was

gobsmacked as soon as I saw her

"String" snippets.  Is this not the cutest?

Lizzie Kate "Merry String"

stitched on 28ct over one with DMC

I wanted to one to be small for an ornament

and I envisioned this one to be in a drum fashion. 

It turned out to be the size of a

Christmas tree ball which was perfect.

Oh my.... cuteness overload!

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

As Thanksgiving neared I couldn't

resist these two cute designs any longer.

Homespun Elegance "Turkey Tyme"

stitched on 40ct mystery linen with recommended threads

Lizzie Kate "Sampling Thanksgiving"

stitched on WDW 30ct Straw with my own thread conversion

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

Holding on to fall a little longer, I stitched

this Blackbird Design from last year. 

 BBD "Bittersweet September"

stitched on 40ct mystery linen with Victorian Motto threads

I just love the burst of orange on this

design....the over one stitching

for the alphabet not so much.

My friend Charlene shared a tip to

use a #10 beading needle for the over

one and I will say it did go a lot quicker.

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

Thanks for visiting today and

happy stitches....

Some stitching and some cardmaking....

I finally jumped on the bandwagon and stitched the Blackbird Designs freebie and honored my mom. I plan to frame and hang in my craft room since I spend 90% of my free time in there. Even made a little card to send to my Mom to let her know I am thinking about her.


2 Sketches 4 You.....
Finally got a chance to participate in the challenge over at 2S4U. A pretty simple card, but it was nice to do some papercrafting for a change.

Use It challenge....
Also decided to participate in the Use It challenge. I only got 2 of the 3 items....forgot the chipboard...oops!

Oh well...simple but it was fun to play with paper again! Thanks for looking and happy crafting....

Some finishes...

Hope everyone is having a great new year! I have been able to finish a couple of things since the new year. One is for an exchange so no pics at this moment, but it is a JBW design that I think I am going to stitch again for my self.

Blackbird Designs' "Sunflower Sampler" was my last finish for 2008 and finally framed it today. I love this design and had to stitch it as soon as I received it in December.



I finished this freebie Thursday night and wanted to finish into a small pillow today. I couldn't find a fabric that I liked in my stash so I will have to wait until I can get back to Joanns.



I had planned to start PV "Teas, Roses & Romance" on Jan. 1st, but realized my fabric was not the correct size, which I was able to pick up today, so I hope to start it soon. Tonight I have a Christmas ornament ready to for tonight. DH gave me the BBC "Sense & Sensibility" DVD for Christmas and I thought I might watch it again. I just love Jane Austen! Oh well....better get to stitching!