Everything is new....

Well not really. The house was built in 1951 I believe.

Anyway, I have not been able to do anything crafty due to all the packing and moving and cleaning and painting and carpet removal and electrical work and whatnot. We are almost entirely in the new house--we have a few things to get out of the garage at the old place. We are also awaiting the arrival of some of Grandma Phyllis's furniture so that we can properly put things away.

But it almost feels like home--sometimes I can't believe this beautiful house is ours. I can't wait to get the kids play area set up and my play--err--craft area established. Chas's play area will take longer to establish, but we have plans for that as well.

I love that new house sensation.

Other new things:

One of my favorite cross stitch designers (Martina Weber of Chatelaine of course) has a few new designs in the works: a classical mandala and a peacock mandala. I have two thoughts:

1. I can't wait until I'm done with boxes because my hands are so dry that I do not want to stitch and snag all the silks.
2. I will need more walls to display all the mandalas. Or maybe I just need to rotate them. Of course it would help if I would actually finish one.

Also, one of my favorite fabric designers (Lila Tueller) has a new line and is having a giveaway on her blog. I love her Santorini line--lavenders, greens, pinks and olives (not the color--actual olives), and the new Eden line looks pretty as well.

I can't wait until I can start being crafty again.

Popping up, err in, err, over?

Hello again.

I can't promise I'll be posting more regularly, but I'll try. I've been very busy trying to find a house, not getting calls back form lenders, trips to the er and an mri, unexpected dental work for Angie, I did some self defense and Tae Kwon Do classes--loved it but had to give it up temporarily for financial reasons, had some very stressful times at work, Chas had some stressful news too and we're gearing up for the end of the school year. That splat you heard was me collapsing in a puddle of exhaustion.

I had a friend and her family over on Saturday (and if you like animal stories you should read about her adventures with Zip--it is amazing and touching). She mentioned that she hadn't seen any wips in a while. So I'm going to try to post wips soon. All my wips--yes all of them. Perhaps I'll shame myself into completing one. No shame isn't the right idea. Perhaps I'll motivate my serial starter self to complete something so that I can start something else. I plan to do it by designer: Chatelaine, HAED, Teresa Wentzler, The Sampler Girl and Everything Else. Doesn't that just give you something to look forward too? And as you and I scan the far outdated wips list on the sidebar, we all realize what a monumental task this will be. But at least it will be fun and pretty.

Since the First Grade Quilt has been finished and my most recent Love Quilt Square sent in, I have happily stitched on all sorts of projects. I've dug out some old favorites for the sheer pleasure of stitching. I've stitched on the Frog Prince and Bedtime Stories, on the Tree of Hope and Hope Perches. It has been fun.

I'm hoping to work on a few quilts this summer. Angie got her first big girl bed--so she'll get a twin size story quilt. I need to obtain some fabric (believe it or not) with mermaids in addition to what I have. I wouldn't mind some wizards and witches too. We are in a bit of a budget crunch, so I don't know if I'll be able to do it soon, but I'll just work with what I have first. I also want to make a napping or wall sized story quilt for Angie's first grade teacher who has been wonderful. I'll try to have it done for the first day of school so Angie can give it to her next year. I also need to do a quilt for my clerk who is retiring. Of course she picked colors I don't usually have so I don't know how I'll manage that by August, but we'll see. It will be Love Beads by FunQuilts and I'll need reds, yellows and blues. I have some blues, but not much of the others. I have some fabric, but I don't think it is enough to to a full size quilt for her bed--she may just have to be satisfied with one for napping.

And to leave you with a random thought:

I was mentioning to Chas that if we won the lottery (and I mean a really big lottery), I would have my own cable channel. And then when my favorite shows are cancelled, I would obtain them and put them on my channel so that I (and everyone else) could continue to watch new episodes of excellent shows (or even my guilty pleasures) instead of hoping for a dvd.

To date, my dream channel would have:

Farscape
Firefly
Journeyman
Pushing Daisies
Life
The Class
The Adventures of Brisco County Junior
Space Above and Beyond
Babylon 5
Earth 2
Deep Space 9

Oh there are others that are escaping me right now, but you get the point. What would you air on your channel?

Happy New Year

I hope everyone had happy holidays. Ours were wonderful, time spent in the hospital aside and even that had a good result.

I had one late 2008 finish yesterday--my first of two Love Quilt Squares. Please forgive the scan--I'm still working out the kinks on the new computer. I just realized that the scanner and camera wizard I depended on and the Adobe Photoshop I loved are not on the new computer. The charts were taken from parts of patterns at Ludivine's blog. I used DMC 153, 340, 341, 553, 554, 600, 603, 604, 963 and 3689. I hope it makes the recipient happy. Angie thought it was pretty so I'll need to make her something similar someday.

2008 was not as productive as 2007. I didn't finish a single humbug although I started many. I had a few nice finishes, but my volume was down as I tried to juggle work, home and hobbies.

I think 2009 will be the year of the quilt as I focus on Angie's school project for the first three months. I will take some time for SALs at the Chatelaine and HAED message boards, but I have lots of lovely fabric to make quilts. I've seen lots of lovely modern quilts that I am itching to try. My hope for the future is that I finish one quilt per year in addition to my other hobbies.

As for cross stitch, I'm doing the new Challenge at HAED, with the hopes that the finished design will go to a charity project. I'd like to start the new Chatelaine Hanging Gardens of Semiramis (since it was my suggestion) and the new mini mandala non-mystery (it has trees--a favorite motif of mine). I still have one more Love Quilt Square, but that isn't due until May, so it will be a lunch and travel project. I'd like to finish the Wedding Present and the skulls projects. I'm not sure what else 2009 has in store for me cross-stitch-wise. I'd like to get back to the Spanish Sampler, Polar Lights, and start Paradigm Lost.

More than anything, I'd like to find and buy a new, slightly larger, home in 2009. We have truly outgrown our cozy little gray house, but it is incredibly difficult to get loans in the current economy. Hopefully, 2009 will be our year. as long as we can stay together, mostly happy and healthy, I guess it is all good.

I hope 2009 is good to all of you.

Bad day; pretty pictures

Just a rotten day at work. I was not surprised when Chas told me that the moon is full. Oof. I am really feeling like hiding under a rock. Nothing to terrible, just a lot of minor and medium annoyances that are pushing me too far. And I've had no down time at lunch this week. That just adds to my stress.

Here is a photo of the finished Stealing Oats by Brittercup Designs. I like the simple, but not cartoonish, lines. It is for a friend with quite a menagerie. I hope she likes it.



I am also posting my wip of Polar Lights by Chatelaine in anticipation of Chatelaine SAL this weekend. Of course it seems that there is only one other stitcher with me this weekend, but that is enough for a SAL.


Not much, but I finally acquired all the necessary fibers at the most recent Tour de Stitch so I am ready for anything. I think this will be my lunchtime project, even though I haven't finished the wedding gift from the August wedding. You can't tell from the scan, but I have turned the corner on the outside border.

Happy stitching.

Good Stitchy Month

In the midst of all the hoopla, I failed to mention that I finished the infamous tooth fairy pillow the night before the election. I do mean "finished" finished--in pillow form and everything. Angie was pleased to see it as she has two wobbly upper teeth.

Last night I finished Stealing Oats, beads and all. I'm under a bit of stress lately so it felt anticlimactic, but it is pretty and done. I hope the recipient likes it.

So with two nice sized finishes, will my serial starter ways pop up and lead to a new start? Stay tuned--I am hearing the siren song of several charts in my stash, but right now, there are so many of them they are drowning each other out!

The Chatelaine Board is undergoing some restructuring to make it a little less overwhelming. I am trying to establish some regular stitch-a-longs to keep us inspired and to motivate new stitchers to join in the fun. Please check out the Olympics forum for more information but here is a brief glimpse of the SALs:

Weekend Edition SALs:

1st Weekend: Marvelous Mandalas--Mandala Gardens of any type--Mini's, current classes, unfinished classes, freebies, magazine designs and older Mandala designs.

2nd Weekend: Bigs and Smalls--Quilts, mini mandalas, band samplers, freebies, any of the three month classes whether current or old. This will also include the Tree of Hope.

3rd Weekend: Sumptuous Samplers--Just what it says, the Lights series, the Illuminated Manuscript, Heritage Sampler, band samplers or any of the sampler classes (including the small cotton samplers) and charts.

4th Weekend: Boxes, Baskets, Toys and Other Designs--Everything from the Designing Ladies Series (Unicorn Box, Stitching Leporello, etc) to JOB. You could also stitch ornaments or biscornus using Chatelaine freebies or tryouts from your older classes.

5th Weekend (when we have one): Everything goes! Pick a favorite, pick a SWIP, or start something new. Whatever makes you happy so long you stitch!

Olympic Edition Sals:

Olympic Games: Sixteen days of stitching fun which coincides with the Summer or Winter Olympic Games. Medals will be awarded.

Olympic Trials: Themed or goal-setting SALs which appear throughout the year and may last for a month or more.

This coming weekend is the Samplers SAL and the first Trials, (With a Chatelaine Christmas/Summer/Winter theme) will run from November 19th through December 31st. There are only a few stitchers in both SALs so if you have a Chatelaine project that fits the themes, please consider jumping in the SAL so we can cheer you on!

I may have another happy dance or two this month. November seems to be a good stitchy month for me thus far, even with all the distractions.

So maybe it will be once a month

Wow. First grade is really keeping us on our toes here. She has homework and between that, karate and Chas's work season starting up, I've had precious little stitching or blogging time. I'll try to do better, but wow, I make no promises.

I managed to do a little at the Chatelaine Stitching Olympics. I managed to reach two of my over 15 goals. Of course I set lots of goals so that if my attention wanders, I'm still working on a project. But I did manage to earn a silver medal, so hooray me.

I finished one of those everlasting crane medallions on Japanese Garden. I decided to stitch the entire medallion over one, instead of part over one and part over two as charted. I think the finished product looks beautiful, but good heavens it takes ages to do. One down, *erp* three more to go. I hope to finish this some day. I will say that completing one medallion really inspired me to do the rest of them. I have started the second medallion, I'm going to try to do most of the black first to see if that causes the single stitches to lay better. Stormy said not to wait until the end to finish the medallions, boy was she right. I think I would be completely discouraged if that was the only part I had remaining. Somehow, now that one is done, doing the remaining three is not as intimidating since I can mix it with stitching other parts too.

I also managed to to finish the corner ornaments in the Tree of Hope. I love this design. I love stitching trees. I want to find a silk sub for the 3371 in the tree itself, but meanwhile, I'll resume focusing on the silk bits of the tree. Love it, love it, love it. I love all my Chatelaines really.

I also stitched a bit on Watergarden, the Christmas Mandala (freebie) and Polar Lights during the CSO. I am still being good and not joining all the classes screaming at me. I still want a house and I'm staying focused on that. Of course, I have roughly four or five unstarted Chatelaines. Hmmm quick count:

St Petersburg
Celtic
Midi Mysteries 2 and 3
Autumn
Stitching Leporello
Japanese Octagon Box
Illuminated Medieval Sampler
Christmas Mystery (can't remember which one though)

Okay, more than I thought. So really, I don't need to buy any more--darling husband would concur. I have the stuff to start the Leporello, JOB and Autumn right now if I wished. And I could start either of the Midi Mysteries if I made a fabric decision from my stash. I want to join some classes, but I should really finish something first. I'll probably grab the latest Midi before December so that I can maintain my set, but I will exercise restraint beyond that.

This month I've been focusing on Angie's tooth fairy pillow and on the Frog Prince 3 by HAED. A little Angie centric, but that's okay. I want to start one of the Lisa Victoria dragons in my stash and a Sara Butcher design is begging to be started too. I'm also thinking about doing some humbugs for the Holiday Store at school. I have a wedding present that is over due and some Halloween gifties that need to be finished. And I'm wondering if I should make a dress for Angie to wear in the holiday concert and if so, I should start it now so that there is a chance I'll finish it.

I'm full of ideas--I just need to start and finish a few.

Confetti all around; Streamers dance through the air

I finished colored pencils on Sunday as we returned home from our trip to PA.

And with that, I finished my first 25 project challenge, just a bit more than a year after I started it). Yes first, because I think I will dive straight in to a 50 project challenge. Yes 50. Because I want a house of our own. I'm tired of renting. And this cozy little grey house is just too small. However, I am reserving the right to purchase a few charts to celebrate my accomplishment, just not right now. But the official start of the new challenge will have to wait for it's own post--no worries that I'll have a happy dance before I start a new challenge.

I'll have pictures, oh yes indeedy, but I need Chas to download them on his computer because my computer is older than Angie and must be handled delicately in its advanced age. I have multiple floss tosses for Perphaeria's Spanish Sampler, and now I've found another silk that might work, so I'll need to take even more photos.

I need to thank Nicki because she gifted me with two HAED/Sara Butcher charts: Frog Prince [also here] (LOOK at how tall this piece is!) and Winter (I just want to dive right in those blues)

Sara Butcher is ending her license agreement with HAED so in a very short time her charts will not be available. Such a pity because I would love to have many of her designs charted (like anything on this page).

Martina has designed a series of mini mandala mysteries and I'm itching to join. I love her small designs. I want to see how much detail she packs into such a small area. I wonder how it compares to the Leporello?

Question about needle minders: how exactly does it mind needles? I love the dragonflies on this page, but if it only serves as a resting spot for needles, I should probably just make my own needlebook.

I am almost done stitching Angie's fairy for her tooth fairy pillow---now to add the words and assemble. It won't be done this month, but I hope it will be early in April.

Do you know that I have not completed a single ornament in 2008? And I've only participated in one ornament SAL. I did so well last year, but this year, I have no love for ornies. Maybe I only comfortably stitch ornaments in odd years.

Ooh, one question regarding the layout of this blog: do you see a lot of the background (green leafy bits) on the sides, or only a little? I've pondered tweaking the layout by either adding a thitd column, or by widening the columns I have. I hate to have wasted space. I'm also contemplating moving my website to save some money and reconfigure it. Not that I have a lot of spare time for all this, but it's nice to dream.

So Now It Is March....

Hmmmmm....

What were those February goals again? Oh yes. Finish lots of things.

That did not work out so well.

I managed a tiny bit of stitching even though everyone in the house was sick for at least part of February.

I started and made steady progress on Angie's tooth fairy pillow. I still need to finish the wings and skin, then add the backstitching. Then I'll need to do the back and the pocket for the tooth.

I added maybe seventy stitches to the HAED Challenge project during the SAL. I was lucky to get that much in I suppose.

I added a few more stitches to the teacher's gift and charted the letters for the kids names. organizing them into an attractive pattern will be the challenge.

For March, my goals are:

1. Finish the tooth fairy pillow. It would be too embarrassing if the first tooth pops out and the pillow isn't finished. My maternal senses of shame and pride are motivating me to focus on this project.

2. Finish the DMC and NPI parts of WG. This design must be done this year. There are too many pretty new mandalas calling my name. I'm trying to be good and not buy new mandalas until I at least finish one. Or at least until I win the lottery. I think the chances of either happening are roughly the same.

3. Finish Colored Pencils and then chart the names.

4. Add more stitches during the HAED Challenge SAL.

I know: very restrained goals for me. You're wondering if I'm still unwell aren't you?

I must finish that tooth fairy pillow. My credibility as a mommy is wholly on the line here.

And now a quandary: I have a gift certificate to the European Crossstitch Company. I've been eyeing Sampler Cove's Spanish Blue (just scroll down a bit). I have enough on the gift certificate to cover the silks and the magnolia linen as well. Would you just buy the complete Spanish Bleu supplies? Or would you just buy the chart and then pick some other pretty charts (there are always several things I like at ECC)?

I hope to stitch some things this month and actually post some pictures. I'm still thinking about adding herbs to Midi. It will wait for a bit, but I have this overwhelming desire to add "Mugwort" to the design.

The Midi Post

I should just let the photo speak for itself, but here are the basics:



Stitched on 32 count Raw Belfast linen.
Used Kathleen's diagrams for the partial jessica windows.
Herb names stitched with SNC Forest of Greens.
Hildegarde's eye is stitched with SNC Chesnut
Gown stitched with SNC Cerise Noir, Elephant and Castle and Gloriana Rosewood NPI's for the backstitching on the gown (full conversion may be found here).
The roses are stitched with SNC Cerise Noir (I modified the jessica stitch so that they weren't quite so open).
The sheaf stitches are done in SNC Forest of Greens.
The beads in Hildegarde's basket are 684.
The beads in the vines are 297 and 125.


These are all actual photos, rather than scans. They still don't do the colors justice. You'll just have to believe me that this is lovely in real life.

I am fond of this series and can't wait to stitch the others. I am a little sad that the fourth installment (Ancient Times) will be the last. Of course, at the rate I stitch, I should be good with stitching them through 2014.

Some favorite elements are shown below.

The large herbs (I wish I had thought to add a few more as Nicki has done):























One of the flower beds ( I thought they looked awful on the chart but they are spectacular stitched):

Lots of Little Pictures

I managed some quick scanning today! Still no photo of Midi yet though (sorry). I don't think I've posted photos since early November so you can go to the Ornie Blog and see my November ornaments (December will have to wait for my digital camera though). Here you can see my Progress on the HAED Challenge project after the November SAL. Just a tiny bit of progress in the upper right corner. I took a break from it in December so that I could finish Midi and work on ornaments. I think I was a bit burned out on the colors, which are similar to Midi, and are prevalent in QS Frog Prince 3. All the same, what you see is the result of 11 months of SAL participation. I'm hoping to complete another 2 and a half pages for 2008. It should be a little easier once I finish page two, which is a bit complicated.

The remaining scans are from my new WIPs, discussed yesterday. No new starts yesterday--Saturdays are tremendously busy for Chas. Although he works from home, he is glued to his computer and the t.v. all day (and yes, he truly loves his job) so I am busy chasing and entertaining the kids--fun, but very little stitching time for me.

This is Hope Perches. It was the first new project of this year because I wanted to start with some hope. I am using Thread Gatherer silks instead of the recommended fibers on 32 Count Pussywillow Lugana by Sugar Maple Fabrics (SMF). I hope Tanya doesn't mind the substitutions. It's even prettier in real life and I feel happy just stitching it.

Next is Colored Pencils which is being stitched on 32 count Daffodil Lugana by SMF. This will be a teacher gift for Angie's kindergarten teacher. On the first day of school, her teacher mentioned that her favorite color is yellow so searched my stash for a nice yellow to use instead of the cream linen that came with the kit. I am using the Danish Flower Thread that came in the kit and it stitches nicely. Then again, I am one of those strange people who really loves perle threads, whether silk or cotton or something else. I'm excited about how I'm going to finish it which helps me stay motivated--it is a little dull stitching the same shape over and over again (the design is twelve differently colored pencils arranged horizontally and vertically).

This is the start of Have a Cup of Cheer. The fabric is a lovely piece from a Dinky Dye limited edition pack. It's very cheerful on it's own and I found some festive skeins of Six Strand Sweets since it is a choose your own design. I mentioned frogging it and starting over on a different fabric, but on second thought, I think I like how this looks. Any thoughts? The fabric color is fairly true, but the cotton threads are a bit brighter in reality. I'm not sure how I will finish it, or even if I can finish it in time for the competition, but this is another one that just makes me happy to stitch.

Finally, if the other projects make me happy to stitch, this one makes me delirious with joy. It's Polar Lights by Chatelaine. The scan is a little dark and I couldn't tinker with it to get it right, so just imagine this, only a little lighter. I have had the chart for over a year and the fabric for over two years and I've slowly been acquiring the supplies. I'm still missing a few Weeks Dye Works, but I was so eager to start this now I figured that it wouldn't matter--I only need some of the darker blues and purples and I will have everything thing except the Mill Hill Treasures. The Fabric is SMF Shimmering Lilac Lane and in real life it is perfect. I am a little worried about the creases, but I'll just do my best to fix them. I'm sure that once I spend some quality time stitching on it, the creases will disappear.

I may not be able to start anything new until tomorrow, but I have two projects bagged up for my lunch break. Thanks to Janet, I have a more coherent diagram for the nun stitch, but I'm still not sure how it will work for the Autumn bellpull. I also have a Purple Passion in a Bag (thanks to a trade with Nicki last year) lined up and found a great diagram for a palestrina knot and I'm eager to try it. I'm also thinking about starting Graceful Lady for my Mom because it has far less backstitching and color changes than the Japanese Angel, which is lovely, but frustrating. Finally, I hesitate to say this because I may jinx myself, but I'm thinking about starting Paradigm Lost by Long Dog. I wanted to stitch it on 36 count, but I don't have any. Then I hit upon a color scheme I think will be great and I have some 32 count linen that will work. I toyed with the idea of doing it over one, but it would be too small. I just don't know what I will do. I may do floss tosses and post some more pictures, or I may just dive right in.

I don't have any unstarted Chatelaine Mandalas or I would start one (I'm awful I know). I think the only other Chatelaines unstarted are the Stitching Leporello, the Japanese Octoganal Box, the Illuminated Medieval Manuscript,Christmas Mystery 3 and Midis 2 and 3. No wait, I'm wrong: I have St. Petersburg unstarted, but I missing most of the supplies and I'm in Mystery XI, but I only have a few fibers. I'd love to start the Leporello, but I don't have enough fabric. I could start the JOB because I have everything I need, but I'm not sure it would be so satisfying to stitch all those black boxes. Not sure what I will do but I think I will allow myself one more Chatelaine start in addition to Autumn. Goodness I have a lot of Chatelaines.

Janet has asked a few times for my secret. I don't have one except that I do try to stitch whenever I can and I try to stitch for even a few minutes each day. Sometimes I feel like I'm going at a snails pace (at some point I will show you my plodding progress on the crane medallion in JG), but at least it is some progress.

Is anyone else stating the new year with new starts? I highly encourage you to start something new. I love that moment when the project actually starts. It is a wonderful feeling and the time away from current WIPS makes them feel fresh and new again too.

I Start, Therefore I Am.

I have attempted a new start everyday of this new year. The serial starter in me is giddy with the joy of multiple new projects.

January 1: Hope Perches by The Sampler Girl (Love it)
January 2: Colored Pencils by Scandinavian Stitches (my first use of Danish Flower Thread--nice) I figured that I should start my teacher gift now so that it is actually finished by the end of this school year. I want to avoid the stressful debacle that was the ornaments.
January 3: Polar Lights by Chatelaine (I try very hard not to squeal with delight every time I put in a new stitch I'm so excited to start this project finally)
January 4: Have a Cup of Cheer by the Sampler Girl (I think I'm going to frog it and start it on a different fabric--so two starts for the price of one!)

And no guilt yet!

No scans as I haven't had time to operate the scanner (unclutter it really). I'm sneaking this post in quickly before Chas has to start working in a few hours.

I attempted to start Autumn by Chatelaine on my lunch, but I've never done a nun stitch and the chart doesn't seem to have a diagram for it. At home I searched for nun stitch diagrams on the Internet, but after looking at several, I still don't fathom it at all. Since I'm not actually finishing this as a bellpull, I may just use a satin stitch instead and be done with it.

I have a few other new starts lined up and I'm contemplating a HAED start but don't know which project I want to use. Nothing is really screaming at me to start, but I'm generally thinking about either Found or Pirate Dragon by Lisa Victoria or maybe the QS for Fireflies on Parade by Stacy Tippin. Or maybe if I want to start a big HAED, I'll go with Bedtime Tales by Lisa Victoria. I'm tempted to start a new Teresa Wentzler and maybe an M Designs chart, perhaps a few other big things. We'll see--I don't think it is possible to have 31 new starts this month.

I'm having a good time. Can you tell?

2008: Stitching from My Stash

2008 will be my second year of WIP slaying--and this year, I'm concentrating on stitching from my stash and rather than obtaining more supplies for my stash. With some effort, I'd like to finish more big projects and finish more than ten wips, ufos and swips. I plan to keep the Ornaments SAL and the HAED Challenge SAL plus I hope to do at least two HAED QS SALs each month. I will also be running a Lenten SAL and the Chatelaine Summer Olympics at the Chatelaine BB. I may try to convince Janet to do a Taj SAL with me, but I probably should finish Japanese Gardens first, before Taj lures me away.


I would like to do another Love Quilt Square and would like to stitch a butterfly project for the Houston Holocaust Museum. In my perfect world, I'd love to do an RR, but my stitching time is inconsistent at present and that wouldn't be fair to anyone else. Maybe participating in an RR will be a goal in 2009, but how about I just focus on 2008 and not get ahead of myself?

So once again, from my current WIP and UFO lists, I hope to finish:

Chatelaines:
Japanese Garden
Water Garden
Tree of Hope
Amethyst Mystery
Christmas Tree Mandala

HAED:
QS Frog Prince
QS Buttercup Kitty Fae
2 pages of Bedtime Story
3 pages of HAED Challenge

Teresa Wentzler:
Diamonds in Squares
Tempest

Others:
Santorini
Japanese Angel
Antique Airplane
Stealing Oats

I'm hoping to start the following designs:

Chatelaine:
Midi Mystery 2
Midi Mystery 3
Polar Lights
Japanese Octagon Box
Leporello
St Petersburg White Nights
MXI
Autumn

HAED:
Bedtime Tales (Lisa Victoria)

Teresa Wentzler:
Millennium (Planets only)
Tapestry Dog (taking out the cat, inserting a black lab)
You Were Hatched

Others:
Graceful Lady
Long Dog Paradigm Lost
Ornaments for each monthly SAL
Sampler for a friend
Hope Perches

I know this post is a bit dull, but I'm going to put a list of musts too.

I must finish:
2 Chatelaine Mandalas
Amethyst Mystery
QS Frog Prince
Santorini
Japanese Angel
Antique Airplane
Stealing Oats
Love Quilt Square
Butterfly project

I must start:
Sampler for a friend
1 new Chatelaine
Graceful Lady
Millennium (Planets only)
Tapestry Dog

I will:
Stitch at least one ornament each month
Stitch at least one Pickmachinchose each month
Stitch 5 pendibules during the year
Do a 50 project Challenge when the 25 project Challenge is done
Assemble finished ornaments

I'd like to throw in a motif a week project, which would either be Paradigm Lost or Polar Lights. I may start Midi 4 in July, but we'll see if I can finish either 2 or 3 first.

2008 will definitely be a Stitch from My Stash year. But now, I'm wondering, do I dare indulge in a guilt free January?

2007: Year of the WIP Review

Well back in January, I declared that I would be a WIP slayer and I set some goals for myself. So let us see how well I did (try not to chuckle too loudly).

Of the WIPS and UFOS I had specifically identified as finishing, I managed to finish only Midi 1, Snow Crystal, QS Ballet Pigs and Stretch. Not bad, but I had hoped for more progress. Of course, I did bring a tiny life into the world and he certainly kept me hopping this year, so four finishes isn't terrible.

Of my proposed new starts, I only actually started the Mystery HAED project and ornaments each month. For a serial starter that is just fantastic.

I managed to stitch at least one ornament for every ornament SAL and I stitched during eleven of the twelve HAED Challenge SALs.

As 2007 closes, I have finished 23 projects of my first 25 project challenge.

I had 29 happy dances this year and that is so much better than the measly three from 2006. I think I am up for more SALs and goal setting to keep me motivated. I completed 18 ornaments and 11 other projects. Of those 11, only the Love Quilt Square, Tea with Jane and the Halloween Tuffet were new starts, so eight finishes is attributable to WIP slaying.

Of things projects not finished, I put needle and thread to fabric in all the projects I had hoped to finish so at least progress was made.

I'm pleased with what I was able to accomplish. A few more big finishes would have been good, but, there is always next year!

Done and Dusted.

I am pleased to announce that Midi 1 is complete as of December 25, 2007. My beloved husband allowed me roughly 42 minutes of stitching time last night to finish the final jessica windows, bottom border beads and all the bi cones.

I wish I could say that I am thrilled at the moment but it feels a bit anticlimactic at the moment. Maybe because I've been struggling to finish her for the last three months. I just have an overwhelming sense of, "Finally!" and a deep sigh of relief that at least one of my big projects will not be carrying over into 2008.

No photos right now. I didn't take a picture at work today (it's usually too dark when I return home in the evening for a decent picture so I take photos on my lunch break. She is lovely and I am looking forward to showing her to you.

I'm working on a few ornaments at the moment (well obviously I'm typing now but your get the idea). They are for Angie's teachers--how tacky is it that I didn't finish them before the break (be honest, I'm actually soliciting your opinions). We did contribute to the group gift for the teachers so we didn't completely ignore them, but I just wanted to make them something as well to show how much I appreciate their work with my daughter. I'm also trying to stitch ornaments for Kian and Angie. Right now I feel that I'm in ornament purgatory and stitching is losing my love at present.

I would have liked to have completed my twenty five project challenge this year, but I suppose I will endure if I don't finish the last few projects until the new year. Poor Amethyst is languishing for the want of a few crystals. Perhaps she'll be the first finish of the new year. With Midi complete I am pondering a new start, or should I just focus on another WIP and knock it out as well?

It's the end of one year and the start of another so I'm contemplating goal setting very soon. 2007 was very successful as I can see many finishes in the sidebar--especially when compared to my paltry three finishes in 2006. The goal setting and this blog have been enormously helpful in motivating me. I'll try to maintain both in the coming year.

I'm wondering if I should add other tricks to my stitching repertoire to fool myself into finishing more projects:

Should I use some variation of Nicki's one motif per week?
Should I have a focus piece?
Should I try a regular SAL on one project (yes Nicki is a huge inspiration to me)?
Should my next challenge be larger or smaller?
Should make 2008 my Stitch from my stash year?
Do I craft a new rotation? (and can my serial starting ways allow me to stick to it?)

I have lots of ideas tumbling around in my brain, we'll see where I land in a few days. I might try to mix it up a little bit to maintain my excitement about stitching.

December Stitchy Hopes and Ponderings

Well I had high hopes for November, but Thanksgiving and then being ill really took a lot of time from stitching.

But I did manage to stitch on Taj, WG, Midi, and the Christmas Mandala. I don't think I stitched any other Chatelaines. It was nice to focus on them for a bit. I'm disappointed that I didn't finish any Chatelaines this month, but I'm more bothered by the fact that I didn't start anything new. I love starting things.

I'm back to a more varied stitching regimen this month.

1. Finish Midi 1
2. Finish Amethyst Mystery
3. Stitch a bit on WG
4. Stitch a bit on Stealing Oats.
5. Stitch a bit on Taj
6. Stitch a bit on Tree of Hope
7. Stitch a bit on Christmas Tree Mandala (freebie)
8. Start and finish the teacher gifts. (I hope I receive the materials soon).
9. Stitch a bit on Japanese Lady

I think I'll hold off on new starts (except for the teacher gifts) until the new year. And by typing that I realize that I will probably give in to temptation and have multiple starts this month. Maybe I'll just hold off until Christmas. I'm also hoping to do an out with the old/in with the new year SAL at the Chatelaine Board. And then I'll try to do another Lenten SAL there in preparation for the Chatelaine Olympics next summer.

Midi would go faster if I would just stop tinkering with the design. I keep trying different things, some of which don't work and then I frog. I changed the dress, which I love, but then it caused me to change the roses in the archway, which led to a change in the beads serving as the buds on the arch, which caused me to think that I should change the beads in the bush immediately to the left of the arch. But I didn't like it (too bright--it drew the eyes away from the center of the design) so I frogged the beads and re-beaded with the original beads. I didn't like the color used for the sheaf stitch so I went with a different color silk, which caused me to re-think the greenish bead used on the vines. I've selected a substition for the original bead, I hope. Then I decided to go with Martina's original chart for the partial jessica windows, but I don't like the way it looks. I'm not sure I want to use the substitution offered by another stitcher because it moves the center of the window by one square. I think I'm over thinking this design. Sigh.

I just can't believe it's December already.

Awwww--I needed that....

You Are a Gingerbread House

A little spicy and a little sweet, anyone would like to be lost in the woods with you.

What Holiday Food Are You?

Very nice considering I feel that my personality has taken a nose dive due to being sick. Have I mentioned that both kids were running low grade fevers while Chas was in West Virginia with the boys?

(I pulled the quiz from Janet--Thanks.)

The materials list is out for the Celtic Mystery by Chatelaine. Allow me to say a heartfelt, OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

I have not peeked at the screenshot because I enjoy the slow unveiling of the design. As usual, I'm debating fabric choices--no white for me. I'm leaning toward a bit of green. I'd like to get the kit with my gift certificate, but I'm not certain I have any hope of keeping up with the parts. I have a fairly poor track record as indicated in the sidebar.

End of the Month Update

Just brief bits from me:

I've been sick this week so no posting and very little stitching. Midi is not done, nor is Amethyst. Bummer. I did stitch two ornaments but I'm just not up to scanning or tinkering with photos (heck I can barely spell "photos" at the moment). I don't think I'll be able to stitch anything for the Holiday Bazaar which is next Thursday unless I have a remarkable recovery in the next twenty four hours.

I did make some progress on Taj ( can I tell you how much I love Taj? Such beautiful colors and I love my fabric) and on the Christmas Mandala (hate the gates, hate the plain white fabric I'm using but I just want this one done) so I'm glad I did the Chatelaine SAL. I might see if anyone wants to join me at the end of December for another week long SAL.

My computer is really misbehaving so if you don't hear from me for even longer, you'll know this antique I use for internet is not cooperating.

In happy news:

My dear friend Cathy gave birth to the handsome, squeaky Myles. Yay!

And from our household: Kian had the "watershed" Cardiology appointment today (Doctor's words not mine). He had both an ECG and an ultrasound/echo thing (very cool--the ultrasound technician let me breastfeed him during the ultrasound to keep him calm. She told me that she had breastfed too and so she understood.) He is basically at the same level as he was immediately following surgery! At this stage, if things start to go wrong, it will most likely be a gradual change that we can detect by our monitoring appointments, instead of the rapid changes immediately after he was born. We will always need to monitor him, but for now, she is very pleased. We are overjoyed.

And from the crazy me file:

Because I am such a good wife, I'm allowing to go on the trip to see his friend this weekend (which was originally planned as a family trip to see his friend's family). I, in my current unhealthy state, will be staying behind with the kids. Heaven help me. I honestly don't know how hubby is going to make this one up to me.

That's it for now--I'm bone tired and need to brace myself for the coming weekend.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend.

I'm so good!

How evil are you?

I received that result even though I selected "lawyer"--amazing isn't it.

Thanks for the Birthday wishes. I had a nice day. Angie made me a card and drew a picture of me. Chas gave me the Heroes Season 1 on DVD and a Firefly graphic novel (see how well he knows me?) Kian gave me big smiles even though I had to take him to the nurse for a flu booster shot. And I received gift cards to Barnes and Noble and Amazon from my Mom and a good friend. We had salmon, salad, and rice for dinner and instead of cake (with all those milk proteins), I had a birthday soft pretzel (Beloved husband had a chocolate eclair in honor of my Birthday--golly that is so nice of him. I won't mention how long it is taking for him to eat the durn thing...).

A few posts ago, I asked whether I could stitch some freebies an give them to Angie's school to sell at their fundraising craft fair. Faye wisely suggested I contact the designer. The only problem is that the designs I want to stitch for the school are from this site. My French speaking and writing skills are no longer merely rusty, they are unintelligible. (And my French grammar books are lost somewhere between last year's flood and last year's house fire). I have no idea how to compose an e-mail in French explaining the situation and requesting permission to sell the stitched designs at the craft fair. I shudder to think what babelfish might do to such a request. Anyone know french well enough to help me write an e-mail?

If you haven't done so before, you really ought to peruse her site. The pickmachinchoses are incredible--I'm itching to stitch several of them for Angie. I think the kids at her school would just love them. Even if I can't get an e-mail posted in time for the holiday craft fair, I'll still try to obtain permission for the spring festival.

I was unable to finish Midi today. I need to frog some beads --I made a switcheroo that didn't work so I'll go back to the original beads. I have to finish a little more than half the sheaf stitches and all but one jessica window then only the beads remain. If I had to guess, I'd say that I'm under ten hours to completion. I can't wait to show her to you. I tried to take a few photos at work, but I don't have time to upload them tonight.

We are heading to PA to see my in-laws tomorrow and I will probably pack Midi for the trip, but I might not have a chance to stitch her. Beading really only works well at home or on my lunch hour.

I'm also packing Taj for the trip and I'm hoping to finish part 1--so please join me Janet (and anyone else)! I'm only a little farther along than the photos here. I think you can see the square shape. WG will go with me as well. Perhaps, JG and maybe Autumn for a start in the car. Maybe Tree of Hope as well. Do you see why I am having a Chatelaine SAL at the BB?

I won't have much time to post this week so I hope everyone has a wonderful week and a lovely Thanksgiving.

Tuffet to Be and Midi Stitchery

Here are teaser scans of my soon to be finished tuffet--some assembly required. The pattern is the lovely bat pattern from My Aunt's Attic and is stitched over two on a 36 count linen Silkweaver solo. I so rarely stitch on 36 count but I must say the experience was exquisite. The fabric was much softer than Belfast (32) or Cashel (28). I 'd stitch on it more frequently but the Chatelaines call for Belfast and I don't think the Delicas would fit on anything smaller. However, when I stitch my Paradigm Lost by Long Dog, I'm seriously considering 36 count.

The fibers are all Dinky Dyes two silks and a cotton. Eungella, Bickley Valley and Burnt Orange (which is from one of her Autumn Limited Edition packs). The orange is much brighter and more cheerful and pure than the scan indicates. Be warned though: I am a very frugal stitcher and I used almost an entire skein of the Eungella (I have maybe a ten inch length of two strands). Lovely isn't it? It is so Halloweeny! My hope is to complete it by Tuesday.

In the pursuit of Chatelaine Month, I've stitched Midi 1, Christmas Mandala and Tree of Hope. I have a long way to go on the tree, and I'm still debating whether I should find a replacement for the DMC 3371. On the Christmas Mandala, I'm cruising along, but I've lost one of the colors. I can even picture the plastic card on which it is wrapped, but I cannot remember where I put it. It is so frustrating because with this being Chas's busy season, I have no time in which to perform a thorough search. Too bad---I could probably finish the Christmas Mandala this month as well. I can buy another skein, but I've already stitched from the skein I've lost and I've had trouble with DMC dye lots lately.

Midi should be finished within the next week. I only have a handful of stitching and then most of the beading. I need to do the jessicas, the special stitches in the bottom border, the vines and flowers on the arch, the basket and some of the flowers in the beds. I would love to show you a picture, but I'm enjoying stitching her. I'm caught up in the joy of having the end in sight.

I should stitch in the HAED challenge SAL, but I almost hate to put Midi down for anything else at the moment.

In other Stitching news, I received my chart from the Tea with Jane contest. I picked #3 of the Literary Littles collection: Hope Perches. It's such a pretty little design, that I'm itching to stitch it right away. Unfortunately, I have absolutely none of the necessary fibers, but I think I could find some credible substitutes in my stash.

I am probably too focused on my stitching this month, but the siren song of the potential Happy Dance is too powerful to resist.

November Goals

Because I really want to:

I declare November to be my Month of the Chatelaine(s)!

1. Finish Midi 1
2. Finish Amethyst Mystery
3. Stitch a bit on WG
4. Stitch a bit on JG
5. Stitch a bit on Taj
6. Stitch a bit on Tree of Hope
7. Stitch a bit on Christmas Tree Mandala (freebie)
8. Stitch a bit on CHG (finally picked up the Tapestry Green--Yay)
9. Start Autumn
10. Stitch a bit on MX
11. Start JOB or Polar Lights

Wildly ambitious I know, but these designs are so neglected overall. I'm ridiculously close to finishing Midi and Amethyst Mystery that I will be seriously disappointed in myself if I don't buckle down and finish them this month. I didn't list MTM because, as much as I love the design and the fabric I chose, it is my lowest priority Chatelaine.

I also plan to stitch during the HAED challenge SAL and the Ornament SAL so I won't be exclusively focused on Chatelaines. Let's face it, even at the best of times my stitching focus is a bit blurry.

In other stitching news, last night I finished the top of my tuffet, but since I haven't assembled the whole thing, it doesn't count as a finish. I'm focusing on it until it is stitched. It may be put aside while I search for the perfect bead or button though. I'll post a picture of it soon--it is so cute (but my computer time is very limited tonight so no scanning for me).

I had a very emotional few days at work and to my delight, I came home and discovered that I am one of the winners of the Sampler Girl Tea with Jane Contest. Funny because a few days ago I stumbled across a perfect finishing technique for the design and was convinced that I wasn't going to win (even though I was drawn at random). I may need to stitch it again. Anyway, I get a free chart! Chas was teasing me that this means I'll next be saying that I need to buy more supplies. Who Me? Seriously, I'm in awe of the other talented stitchers who also won charts. Their finished stitching is lovely.

There are some great sales right now and I've been good for a long time. I think I'm due for a little retail therapy--just supplies--I promise no charts. Do you see how close I am to reaching my 25 project challenge? Which reminds me, my October ornament can be found here. If I do well this month, I should have four happy dances just before the holidays--the tuffet, Midi, Amethyst and an ornament. Maybe, just maybe, I'll complete the 25 project challenge this year!