Stitching Sisters

Scissor Fobs, Pear and Cars

2012-01-29T18:38:00.001-05:00

Today I made two Valentine Scissor Fobs. I purchased a few Valentine bracelets from Pier One, took them apart and added beads from stash and viola scissor fobs. Cannot wait for the Easter bracelets.
The "H" is finished except for the leaves which I will put in after I finish the background in that area. The "R" is still a work in progress.
Jake's cars are progressing along nicely. The street lights, traffic light and signs are done except for the beading. I will not do that until the sky is done. I should be getting all my extra threads for the sky and road this week so then I will be able to finish those areas and then move onto the really fun - stitching of the cars.
Linda

Cars for Jake

2012-01-23T11:59:00.001-05:00

I ordered this canvas two years ago from Amy for Jake. I was so caught up in other stitching that I never got to it. Jake is going to be turning two in March and I decided it was time that Nana stitched this for her little man before he got to big. Jake is going to be getting a big boy bed and his room will now have a car theme. This canvas is going to be perfect for his room.
I will be dividing my time between the Christmas Banner and the Cars canvas. This canvas is by Alice Peterson and I got the stitch guide and threads from Amy. Amy did a magnificent stitch guide for it and this is going to be a fun stitch. I have to call Amy's to get a thread I am missing for the sky and more of the thread for the
Road. Amy suggested having a continuous run of ZOOM in the red border.
I saw so many canvases that I liked but so far have only ordered the Perfume Bottles from Amy. I love the eat love stitch canvas by &More along with Sew Much Fun's three dimensional Rose Pillow and Painted Pony's Halloween and Christmas Dress for Success. So many canvases and so little time to stitch it all.
Linda

First Finish of 2012

2012-01-14T23:58:00.001-05:00

Yay!! I finished my "Little Drummer Boy" canvas. I saw this Sandy Jenkins canvas at my local store, Stitch by Stitch, already stitched & framed. Drummer Boy is one of my favorite Christmas songs, so I had to get this. It actually came with a stitch guide, but I knew that Tony Minieri could do some amazing things with this, so it was my project at our class just this past December.

I was right. This was fun to stitch, & Tony used some great threads & stitches.

Today was Stitch by Stitch's 7th anniversary. The store had a fun party, with prizes, snacks & special sales. I even won a prize & ordered a canvas from the upcoming TNNA show. I'm sure we're all looking forward to seeing the new treats the designers have for us; many of us have been following along with the hints left by the Needlepoint Group members.

On to the next project!!

Denise

Daylight for Stand

2012-01-12T18:56:00.001-05:00

I received a comment from Diane about the magnifier/light I use. I do not use a magnifier so I can only answer to the light. I use the Daylight Slimline Lamp,
Number U32107. This light slips right into the tray attachment for the K's stand and also for the tray accessory for the System 4 stand. I have both stands and it works perfectly with both. I am presently using my K's stand and you can see from the picture how it works. I absolutely love this light. I can move the light to shine on specific areas of the canvas if needed and can raise or lower the height also. Another great feature is that it is attached to your stand and you do not have another floor light around. I used the floor stand Ott Light before this Daylight and I never felt that it gave me enough light.
I do not use a magnifier because I
had special stitching glasses made. You have the bifocal made +0.50 stronger than your regular reading glasses. You now have the perfect glasses to stitch with. I found out about this on the ANG site.
Hope this helps.
Linda

Progress on Christmas Banner

2012-01-12T14:59:00.001-05:00

I have finally finished the "C". The last bead went in last night and then I immediately started the "H". This is such a fun and rewarding canvas to stitch. Each pear is truly a work of art. Amy has come up with such wonderful stitches and threads for each pear. I look forward to finishing one to see what adventure the next one holds. I am trying to stay on top of this project so I am not behind when the Thanksgiving House arrives in April.

The big birthday celebration has been booked. We will be going to the Saybrook Point Inn and Spa in Connecticut. The complex is spectacular and everyone is all excited about our spa/needlepoint adventure.
I cannot wait to share everything with you but as you know I have been censored so you will have to wait until the middle of July.

Linda

An Editorial Reply from the Censor

2012-01-05T09:44:00.001-05:00

I felt the need to reign in Linda's excitement so that she did not ruin the party surprise for the attendees! So, you will be surprised with the rest of us in July.

I now need to redirect her focus from working on her own party favor before the party begins. Since there were so many treats in this big box from Amy's, can I ask all of you to join me in encouraging Linda to work on the many new projects in this lovely box from Amy's OTHER than her party favor?

Personally, I would love to see those trees stitched.....

Denise

My Big Box From Amy

2012-01-04T20:12:00.001-05:00

Today the UPS man delivered my big box from Amy's. I was like Jake at Christmas, I could not open it fast enough.
The third lesson for the Christmas Banner was one item in the box. The next two pears are just beautiful. They are going to be such fun to stitch. My & More "give thanks" canvas was in the box and Amy really did a great stitch guide for this canvas. I also received Calamity Jane, a Melissa Shirley canvas, and the Christmas Trees by Sew Much Fun. Now I have to find the time to stitch all my new canvases.
The last picture is of a bag from Amy which contains the party favors for my BIG birthday this summer. We are all going to a spa in Connecticut for a weekend of pampering and stitching. I was planning on posting a picture of the contents of the bag but was censored by Denise. It is all her fault that you have to wait until July to find out what is in the bag. I can tell you that it is the absolutely best party favor ever.
I better get busy stitching if I want to get to all my new canvases.
Linda

Notwithstanding the Evidence

2012-01-03T09:06:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year! I am already starting 2012 a little bit behind schedule....

It has been a wonderful few weeks. I love Christmas, all the hustle & bustle & visiting & entertaining. A little chaos keeps the blood moving. I got to see lots of babies these past two weeks, including my very active Godson, Jake. How Linda has even an ounce of energy to stitch is beyond me. He's a powerhouse.

Last night I remembered how to update the blog background, so that we were able to move from the fall leaves (which long disappeared from my yard) to the snow (which we already had by Halloween & more of which is inevitable between now & May).

I have been stitching, albeit sporadically, and, as you know, I am reluctant to display unfinished pieces. So stand by, as I expect to finish something.....shortly. If I don't run out of thread.

Back to work today. And to prove that I really am behind schedule, I am holding my office Christmas dinner for my staff & their families on....Thursday. And Frank's office party is next Friday. I think that by then I will have put my Christmas sweater away ;)

Soon!

Denise

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T12:04:00.001-05:00

I wish you a Very Happy and Healthy New Year.
I cannot wait to see all the creative stitching we all do this year. Check out the wonderful stitch guides Amy has for the Kirk & Hamilton Poison bottle and the & More give thanks canvases.
Happy Stitching
Linda

A Touch of Spring

2011-12-29T19:33:00.001-05:00

I got this belt back from the finisher last week and just wanted to share it with you. It really came out great. Looking forward to wearing it this spring and summer.
Most of my Christmas decorations have been packed away. All the decorations are off the tree but we have not taken the tree down yet. Probably tomorrow the tree and mantel will be put away.
I always have to start the New Year off with my house in order. I guess it is my OCD.
Linda

Christmas Gifts

2011-12-26T14:15:00.001-05:00

I have always loved Whimsy and Grace's bees. When I saw the bee bag, I just knew I had to have. I then found the belt and had to have that too.
My husband said to order them and it would be part of my Christmas present.
I ordered them from Stitch by Stitch, my local needlepoint store and they arrived within a few days of ordering. I then picked out my threads, Vineyard Silk #C-008 and Kreinik #12 braid 002HL. They also came within a number of days. Now I had a really big problem, since I already knew about the gift do I wait until Christmas or start stitching it. I could not wait so I started stitching.
This is going to take awhile to finish since I have the Christmas Banner and then the Thanksgiving House but I figured that if I stitch for an hour every afternoon during part of Jake's nap I would feel like I was accomplishing something.
I received two absolutely wonderful gifts from my really good friends Karen and Melinda. Karen gave me a snap tray and a frame weight with my name on them and she also had a scissor fob made to match. They are just too die for. The scissor fob is such a perfect match. Karen also gave me a Vera Bradley hanging toiletry organizer for when we take our needlepoint trips. I guess she felt sorry for me since I put all my toiletries in ziplock bags.
My other good friend, Melinda, sent me the wonderful snap tray that says Stitching Stuff, I immediately snapped it together and put my scissors, thread pull, laying tool, etc. into and use it everyday. I just love it. Melinda also gave me cutest magnet, I saw this when I was Amy's and resisted buying it, I am now glad I did because now I will think of Melinda when I look at it. The magnet is a Queen stitching. Melinda also gave me the nicest stitch counters by Zecca.
I am the luckiest person to have such wonderful friends.
Today was Christmas again. My husband was hanging around and saw me looking at Amy's website and asked what I was doing. I told him that Amy was having a sale and I was looking to see if I wanted anything. He said order what you want. Now do you think I need to be told twice? I ordered two canvases with threads and guides. My box should arrive by the end of the week and I will show you what I bought.
Jake had a wonderful Christmas. Santa was very good to him. By the time he came to Nana' house he had the gift opening down to a science.
Jen and I both got him a Leap Frog computer. One is for home and one for
Nana' house.
Hope you had a great Christmas.
Linda

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2011-12-25T08:39:00.001-05:00

Wishing you a Very Merry Christmas!!!
Linda

Anginetti Cookies

2011-12-24T10:14:00.001-05:00

I made one cookie last night and today I will make shortbread cookies. I usually bake about 10 different cookies but having Jake all week does not leave me much time to get things done.
I have most of my prep work done for my Christmas dinner and will finish up today.
Very little stitching has been getting done. I am putting in the third step on the background of the Christmas Banner and hope to start the pear this week.
I wish you all a very Merry Christmas.
Hope Santa treats you good.
Linda

What A Difference A Year Makes

2011-12-13T13:44:00.001-05:00

Here are two pictures of my Jake. Can you believe the difference? He really has gotten to be such a big boy. When I picked him at nursery school this morning, the teacher was totally amazed that he knew all his letters. Not bad for a 20 month old. Jake not only knows every letter he also knows the sound for each letter. While I am bragging he can also count to eleven,
although he must have something about the number one since he starts with two.
Since this is a needlepoint blog, I felt I should post something needlepoint. This Christmas door is one of my favorite needlepoint pieces. I love it so much that I leave it out all year.
Hope you are having a great day.
Linda

Needlepoint Advent Tree

2011-12-12T23:59:00.001-05:00

This is a picture of my Needlepoint Advent Tree. I still have a few ornaments to add to complete the 25 needed. The Nutcracker tree skirt was purchased.
We put up our big tree yesterday and I have to finish decorating it. All the gifts are purchased and wrapped. I just have to make the bows for the gifts. I am waiting for my cards to arrive from Shutterfly. Once the cards are written , I just have to do some baking and then I will be ready for Christmas.
I am progressing very nicely on the Christmas Banner. Step one of the background is almost complete, I will then do steps two and three around the first pear. I did not want to stitch the pear until all the background was done around it.
Hope you are finding some stitching time in your busy and hectic schedules.
Linda

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2011-12-11T17:09:00.001-05:00

I love Christmas. No matter how much I gripe about being stressed & having too much to do & not enough time, I just love this time of year.

The trees are up; the little gingerbread tree my nephew & his wife gave us a few years ago, with Ashley's needlepointed gingerbread house under it. My needlepoint tree, which is now way too small for all my ornaments. And our big 12 foot tree in the living room, with all the pink ornaments that were purchased by my mother & grandmother the year I was born. My favorite part is unwrapping the ornaments, remembering the vacation we were on when we bought an ornament, or an ornament Ashley made, or one Frank bought for us.

Of course taking it all down is dreadful, but we won't think about that right now!

Hope everyone is getting the spirit!!

Wonderful Weekend

2011-12-05T19:55:00.001-05:00

This weekend Denise, Karen and I took a canvas embellishment class with Tony Minieri at Edwardian Needle. We had a fabulous time. We were all happy with our stitch guides and threads. Tony is very funny and kept us entertained with his stories.
The women in the class were all wonderful stitchers and we had a great time with them and are looking forward to seeing them next year.
I was having such a wonderful time that I forgot to take pictures for the blog. So the only picture I have is of my Christmas Taxi by Raymond Crawford.
This is such a fun piece to stitch. Tony did some wonderful stitches and there will be a lot of bling. I am going to finish this piece as a card holder.
The Christmas Banner border is complete and it is now on the 40 inch evertites. I have to get use to working on such long bars. Tonight I am going to start the background.
Have a great week.
Linda

Nativity Is On Mantel

2011-11-26T13:26:00.001-05:00

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with a day full of wonderful food.
The house is decorated except for the tree which we will put up on December 9. The first thing I did was to put up the Nativity. I just love taking out all the pieces and am always amazed at how beautiful each piece is. Amy really did an amazing job designing each piece.
I am so proud of my finished Nativity.

I have been working on the Christmas banner and am almost done with the border. Will post a picture when it is done. Cannot wait for lesson two. I am really looking forward to stitching the pears.

Linda

Twas the Night Before...

2011-11-23T16:03:00.001-05:00

Actually, it's the night before Thanksgiving, but close enough. This beautiful piece just came back from the finisher; I love it! It has a music box inside as well. All my Christmas pieces are now back for the holiday season to begin.

Tomorrow, I will give thanks for my wonderful family, my exceptional friends, my stitching sister, Linda, of course, the talented designers & the dedicated stitchers. Enjoy Thanksgiving!

Denise

Progress on Christmas Banner

2011-11-20T16:21:00.001-05:00

I have completed the border on the right side of the canvas. I have to move the canvas to stitch the left side of the border. My forty inch evertites have not arrived yet. I sure hope they arrive this week. I am not comfortable with rolling up the stitched area and just leaving it hanging is not any better. Right now I am just letting it hang with a pillow case over it.
I am thoroughly enjoying stitching this canvas. Amy's choice of stitches and threads for the border is perfect. The direction changes and color changes for the stitches really makes someone looking at the canvas think it is so complicated to stitch but it is so fast and easy. Looking forward to lesson two. I can only imagine the magic Amy will work on the pears and background.

Wishing everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving. I am so thankful to be blessed with my wonderful family and friends. I am especially thankful for my Jake. He brings such joy into my life.

Linda

Stunned!

2011-11-18T22:15:00.001-05:00

I have finished my African Safari Teapot, which was a workshop class I took with Tony Minieri at our LNS, Stitch by Stitch in Larchmont. I was challenged by this workshop, as, for me, this was the first project of this type on this canvas size. But classes with Tony are such a fun experience, that I just had to accept the challenge.

I am stunned with how beautiful the piece is, and Tony is really so inventive; it amazes me. If you ever have the chance to work up a project with Tony, do so; you won't regret it!

Denise

MERRY MERRY

2011-11-15T19:14:00.001-05:00

I am so happy that the Christmas season will be here by the end of next week.
My house will be decorated on next Friday. I cannot wait to get the Nativity out and on the mantel. I miss seeing all those beautiful pieces.
Today I received a box from Ruth with my holiday snap tray and walker bags. I am so excited to have needlepoint accessories for the holidays. I am already using my snap tray and the small walker bag. As you can see from the tray and bags, I am Merry Merry. This is truly the happiest time of the year for me. This year will be especially exciting because of Jake. When he saw my Halloween decorations and lights, he got all excited and I can only imagine his excitement when he sees all the Christmas decorations.
Amy has me in the Christmas state of mind with the Christmas Banner (which I am just loving), and next week Ruth will add to my Christmas spirit with her New Mystery Class. So many wonderful things to stitch.
Linda

Christmas Banner

2011-11-13T19:36:00.001-05:00

Oh, this is such a fun canvas to stitch. Amy has once again worked her magic. The border is just spectacular. I have not gotten that much done yet but when it is complete it is going to be amazing. Since I have not gotten the forty inch evertites, I mounted the canvas on 24 inch evertites that I had. I started on the right side and did all the gold work on the right side along with center gold stitches and center green and red. I am also finished with the upper right section and then onto the lower right section. I will then fill in both sections before moving the canvas over. Hopefully, the evertites will arrive this week so I can permanently set the canvas on the bars. I cannot wait for lesson two to see what magic Amy works on the first pear.
I have been thinking about how to finish this piece and I think I came up with the perfect way for me. I am going to have it made into a bolster pillow. I have seen some large ones at Ruth's and they are just beautiful. My finishing problem is solved.
Linda

Karens Amazing Needlepoint Adventure

2011-11-10T18:30:00.001-05:00

Our trip started last week with a Cook Up Class at Amy's. We had a wonderful time with great food, friends and laughs. Amy always amazes us with her amazing stitch guides. We all left for the airport on Sunday evening. Denise and I had a seven o'clock flight to New York and Karen had a seven thirty flight to LA.
On Monday Karen's amazing adventure began.
Karen first stopped at Aristeia Needlepoint and just raved about their new store and then she went off to the Ritz Carlton. The hotel is in the most perfect location with the most perfect setting and just beautiful rooms. Needless to say Karen felt she was in heaven. The next day started with a delicious lunch and then the best part began working on the needlepoint project. Karen has called me everyday with a report of what she is doing. I can tell you she is having the time of her life. The setting is perfect, the food is delicious and the class is fabulous.
Karen has meet so many wonderful people like Melissa Shirley, Carol Eix, the snap tray and frame weight lady, the BeStitched Girls and so many more. She is thrilled with the class loves the canvas and the teachers are great. She is already planning our trip for next year. I will be going for sure provided I get in.
The only low was that Wendy was not able to be there. Wendy is on the road to recovery and hopefully will be back soon. We are all praying for you Wendy.
This is a picture of the finished piece. It is a Melissa Shirley and is available
through Aristeia at 310-476-6977.
Linda

Finished Second Halloween Candy

2011-11-09T18:47:00.001-05:00

Last night I finished the beading on the second Kelly Clark Halloween Candy. This is a club that Ruth Schmuff is doing. The canvases are small and are a quick stitch. I am going to finish four before I send them in for finishing.
Linda

Where Did The Weekend Go

2011-11-07T22:31:00.001-05:00

This past weekend just flew by. I had such fun at Amy's Cook Up Class. Amy wrote a fabulous stitch guide for my tic tac toe board. This canvas is going to be spectacular when it is finished. All the canvases had such great stitches being stitched on them. Amy really worked her magic for us.
Here are a few detailed pictures of Karen' canvas.
I was very sorry to see the weekend come to an end and am looking to our trip back to Amy's in May.
Linda

Day Two With Amy

2011-11-06T01:08:00.001-04:00

What a wonderful time we are having at Amy's!! Amy is such a talented person. All the canvases are coming to life with the guidance of Amy and her amazing stitch guides. We are all learning new techniques and stitches and are having such fun doing it. I cannot believe that we only have one day left. The time just seems to fly by in class. Amy creates a no stress environment in class and hence we are all relaxed and able to stitch and really enjoy ourselves. The atmosphere in the classroom really lends itself to learning.
Here are a few of the wonderful canvases being done in class.
Linda

What Amy Has Wrought

2011-11-05T14:52:00.001-04:00

Today is day 2 of 3 at our Amy cookup class. I have been focusing on borders, as this canvas has some beautiful ones.

Here's what I've done so far.

Day One With Amy

2011-11-04T22:30:00.001-04:00

What a wonderful day we had in class today. Amy did a wonderful stitch guide for my Halloween tic tac toe canvas. I am going to have such fun stitching this canvas. Amy worked her magic with stitches and her choice of threads and beads.
Denise loves her giraffe canvas stitch guide. Amy did a wonderful stitch guide and Denise is thrilled with all her stitches and threads.
We have a lot of fun ladies in the class and are having a lot of laughs along with learning new techniques.
Off to bed so I will be ready for another wonderful day full of learning and laughs.
Linda

Amy Has A Faux Birthday

2011-11-03T20:13:00.001-04:00

Here we are in Memphis, having dinner with Amy. Our gracious hostess decided that Amy was having such a good time, it must be Amy's birthday, so she embellished Amy's desert.
We are having a great time, & are so looking forward to class tomorrow.
More tomorrow.

Witch Shoes Canvas

2011-10-27T19:24:00.001-04:00

Today I received lesson two from Meredith Willet for It's All About the Shoes canvas. In the package Meredith included two presents. One present is a really cute bag for Halloween and the second present is a scissor fob for Halloween. The best part about the scissor fob is that Meredith and her mother made them for all of us in the class which is fifty plus stitchers. I cannot thank Meredith and her mother enough for making me and all the other stitchers this absolutely stunning Halloween scissor fob. This is coming with me to Memphis along with all my other Halloween needlepoint accessories.
I am working on the second Halloween candy and should have it done before I leave for Amy's.
Now that I seem to have this iPad blogging down, I hope to post every day from Memphis.
Linda

Finished Name Tag

2011-10-25T10:13:00.003-04:00

Last night I finished the name tag that I had Amy's make up for me. I called Amy's and spoke to Jill and told her what I wanted and we worked out the canvas design together. Amy happened to be in the store when Jill was going to pull the threads and helped with the thread selection. I am thrilled with the colors and with the finished piece. Now I will send it off to be finished.
I just put the second Halloween candy on stretcher bars and will start it today.
Linda

Blogger On iPad

2011-10-24T14:59:00.001-04:00

Just got blogger on my iPad and hopefully I will be able to post from Memphis next week.

I just have to finish up the beading tonight and my name tag will be finished. Tomorrow I will try to post
a picture through blogger on the iPad.
Linda

What Has Linda Been Doing?

2011-10-16T19:11:00.005-04:00

As you can see I have been a very busy little bee. Today I made six scissor fob, two for Halloween and four for Christmas. I will be giving some away as gifts and keeping one Christmas and one Halloween for myself to use with canvases relating to the fob. I have decided to match my fob, magnet and snap tray to all my canvases. When I go to Amy's, in just about two weeks, I will have a complete Halloween theme for all my accessories. I will be stitching a Halloween Tic Tac Toe game board canvas by Liz of Tapestry Tent. I am even thinking of doing a Halloween frame weight.

The second picture is a name tag that I ordered from Amy's. Since I will be going to the ANG Seminar in Philadelphia and I need a name tag I decided to have one made for myself. I will post a picture when it is finished and then one when it is back from the finisher. Denise is having one made too but she is having her name tag made smaller.

The third picture shows my progress on the Summer Flowers canvas by Barbara Elmore. Denise and I are doing this canvas and we both have finished our backgrounds and stems for the flowers. We are planning on getting together to do the ribbon for the flowers and the beads.

We are going to have a fabulous lunch with wonderful cupcakes. It will be our BeStitched lunch at Denise's house.

The last picture is of my finished belt. It really came out great and has gotten use already.

I am taking it with me to Amy's with my leopard needlepoint shoes. I am so looking forward to this trip. It has been way to long since my last trip to see Amy.

My shoulder is coming along. I am able to stitch, which is really the most important thing. I still have restrictions and will be having a talk with the PT person tomorrow about my concerns. My major concern at the moment is that I still cannot blow dry my haiir. Going to get my hair done twice a week was a lot of fun in the beginning but it is really getting annoying now. It has been three months since my surgery and I am finding myself getting very frustrated with my limitations. Hopefully, tomorrow will bring some answers to my concerns.

Linda

Another Month Goes By

2011-10-02T22:57:00.003-04:00

It's been a busy month for the Stitching Sisters. Linda's back to Nana day care, enjoying her time with Jake but missing her freedom a bit. I have been absolutely crazed at work, and am busy at home on the political front as well, working on my candidates' campaigns for local offices. This keeps me out at night a lot, truly interfering with stitching time.

Notwithstanding life's demands, I've gotten a bit of stitching done. I am working on a large piece for which I have a Tony M stitch guide. It has a lot of my not so favorite stitch, the packed outline, so I find myself actually watching the TV, rather than just listening, just to avoid that stitch. I put it aside for a while, to do some prep work on a canvas that Linda & I will surprise you with, hopefully later this month. I did manage to finish up this little canvas shown above, which is the next in the series from A Stitch in Time. I am quite impressed with my ability to keep up with this club; there are 5 more canvases left.

This week, in between my meetings, I have a class with Tony M again at Stitch by Stitch. We are finally getting back to our African Teapot class. We've had to cancel this class twice already, because of inclement weather & illness. Hope all goes well for this week.

I am feeling a little stressed by the weight of all these canvases that I've started but haven't finished. I am not good having so may unfinished projects at one time. I really do want to finish these, and I have no problem disposing of a project I am not interested in any more. However, I find that as I advance and refine my stitching, though, I am less inclined to dispose of a canvas that I've started.

I guess there could be worse things than having too much stitching. On the bright side, I always have something to look forward to!

Have a good week!

Denise

Laughing Jack Crunch Bar

2011-09-25T15:51:00.002-04:00

I am back to stitching projects again. I am starting off working on small canvases and Laughing Jack was my first choice. This canvas is the first in a series of eight Halloween Candies. The canvases are by Kelly Clark and the stitch guides are by Ruth Schmuff. What a quick and fun stitch this was!! After stitching belts all summer this was a great project to start on. Ruth did a great stitch guide for Laughing Jack and her threads and embellishments are just fabulous.

My current project is a canvas by Barbara Elmore called Summer Flowers. BeStitched had this as a class and also offered it long distance. Denise and I signed up and are currently working on the background. Once the background is complete we will meet and do the ribbon flowers. It will be our BeStitched class at Denise's house with a wonderful catered lunch. It might not be the box lunch BeStitched caters but it will be delicious and wonderful.

Yesterday was our class with Sharon G at The Nimble Needle. A BIG THANK YOU to Sharon G for a wonderful class, Missy Gray for the most delicious cinnamon buns and Karen for bring in such a talented teacher. Sharon worked her magic on every one's canvas and we all left very happy with our choice of stitches and threads. Missy baked the most wonderful cinnamon buns for us to enjoy. Denise had given me a heads up about the Missy baking so I did not eat breakfast so I could enjoy my cinnamon bun. We all were licking our fingers. We all had a wonderful time learning, eating, laughing and making new friends. After all isn't that what needlepoint is all about.

Linda

A Few More Finished Ornaments

2011-09-20T08:41:00.002-04:00

As I mentioned, my Christmas ornaments have been trickling in from our LNS's finisher. Here are a few of the Raymond Crawford series.

I recently reviewed my stash and realized that I still have four more of this series. Yesterday I received the next installment of my flower calendar series from A Stitch in Time. It has been quite busy at work, but worse, I have been very busy at night as well, and I am generally out at least 2 nights a week for work or business related activities. These seriously restrict my stitching time.

I am currently working on a large canvas for which Tony Minieri wrote a marvelous guide; this was a class I took at Stitch by Stitch last fall; I can't believe almost a year went by! It is the Euro flower stand. It will take me some time to finish this one, so I am glad I have finishing coming in to share with you.

Denise

No Denise, It's Halloween

2011-09-12T14:59:00.005-04:00

Yes, I am decorated for Halloween. I always decorate Labor Day Weekend. It just puts me into the mood for Fall. I was so happy to take out my three Halloweenies and amazed at what an amazing job Amy did on the stitch guides for them and also at my stitching of them. I have to finish up the rest of the Halloweenies.

I have a few new items for the mantel this year. The center Haunted House is from Pottery Barn and is just a perfect accent piece for the Hallowenies, the Halloween Apples are new this year along with the Halloween boy and girl candle holders . I have more needlepoint decorations placed around the family room and sewing room but I felt the mantel was the focal point.

Today I received the three Walker Halloween mesh bags from Ruth. I will be using them for all my current projects. I also ordered the Halloween snap tray. After all a girl has to have a complete outfit. Cannot wait to see what Ruth does for the Christmas bags and tray.

Today was a big day in our house - it was Jake's first day of nursery school. He just loved it and was so happy he did not want to leave. He goes three mornings a week from 9 to 11:30, just enough time to give Nana time for her errands, physical therapy, hair and now a new doctor for her neck.

I had my second post-op visit this morning and was told that I am doing very well and am just where I should be after two months since surgery. I told the doctor about me using my neck muscle when I lift my arm and just cannot break this habit - he told me I had to go and see a neck specialits who would work with me to stop using my neck muscle. I can now work on my stand when I stitch but only small projects. I still cannot blow dry my hair (a really major problem for me) and probably will not be able to for at least six weeks. The hair salon loves me. I go twice a week to get my hair done. If I could afford it, I would go everyday. I really cannot complain. I feel good and see improvement in my arm. Hopefully, I will be almost perfect when I go to Amy's in November. I will have to get a name of hair salon just in case I need it.

Linda

Christmas--already?!

2011-09-12T09:09:00.003-04:00

The Christmas ornaments I finished earlier this year are starting to trickle in from the finisher. These four little ornaments were the last of the "teeny ornaments" from Fireside Stitchery's club a few years ago.

I definitely have a lot of Christmas ornaments now, so I am going to try to refrain from adding any more to my stash. I probably have about another half dozen or so to think about. Oops. I just went to check my inventory. There are at least 20 more Christmas items. Ashley thinks we should put up the needlepoint tree next week. Still a bit early for me; haven't given up my flip flops yet.

I think I understand now, the fascination with Halloween needlepoint. It's the next holiday to obsess over once you've made too many Christmas items.

Off to work.

Denise

Quick Little Finish

2011-09-07T07:03:00.003-04:00

In between our scissor fob adventures last week, I finished up the next in the "Calendar Club" series from A Stitch in Time. This one is so pretty, and the background was quite different. Having completed this, I have passed the halfway point in this series of Raymond Crawford canvases. I have been enjoying these quick little stitches; instant gratification!

Linda gave me the missing snowflakes for my "Twas the Night" canvas & you can see the truly completed project here. Thanks, Linda! So pleased that this will make the Christmas finishing deadline.

The post-Labor day workweek started off with quite ferociously for me at the office and it's going to be a long, long short week for me. The highlight for me will be the African Teapot class tonight with Tony Minieri; I am hopeful that it won't be cancelled, but we have had heavy rains for the past 24 hours here & some roadways are already closed. Tony comes from northern NJ, which was severely impacted by Irene & I'm sure this latest deluge isn't helping.

Jake had his first day back in Nana day care, & I'm sure Linda will update you on their day.

Off to work.

Denise

Denise & Linda Take On a New Craft, & A Challenge for You

2011-09-01T20:08:00.006-04:00

Denise: I am on vacation this week. I didn't go anywhere. After two days of tanning in my back yard, I'm bored.

Linda: Let's go to lunch.

Denise: Let's go to your favorite restaurant, Cheesecake Factory.

Linda: Ok.

So, off we went to lunch. We had a lovely meal.

Linda: I wish our LNS was open. We could have found something to buy.

Denise looks at her Blackberry, wondering if there's a message from her daughter, who is 45 minutes late for lunch. Instead, she sees a Facebook post from Bestitched. About bling scissor fobs.

Denise: You know, there's a bead store near here.

Linda: Let's go. You know how to bead. We can make scissor fobs.

We went. We purchased. Linda went home to make dinner for Don. Frank was directed to purchase his own Chinese food for dinner.

Linda returned to Denise's house. The photos above are the results of our efforts.

We have no idea where we are going to fit beading in between all our other projects. But talk about instant gratification!

Challenge to our followers: Can you guess which fobs are Linda's, and which are Denise's?

Denise & Linda

Thank You, Irene, & Good Riddance

2011-08-28T22:49:00.003-04:00

Irene has departed. I will admit it was pretty scary last night; the wind howled, quite loudly, the rain pelted down, and it stayed that way for about 16 hours. Thankfully, we had little damage, a lot of yard mess, but nothing consequential. Linda unfortunately had some water entry which created a messy cleanup and will require some reconstruction, although Lord knows when that can happen. Many in the NY metropolitan area are without power and even under water; lots of roadways are closed, mass transit won't be functioning tomorrow. So all in all, good riddance to this pesky hurricane. She couldn't get lost fast enough.

On the other hand being stuck in the house since Friday has allowed me to get a lot of stitching done. Question to myself: in the winter when we get snowbound, I get the urge to cook; I had no such inclinations with this hurricane. Wonder what's so different in this season? I guess there are fewer summertime comfort foods.

In any event you can see the results of my efforts. I have finished the project that our local needlepoint store did as a group effort, this lovely Rebecca canvas, "Twas the Night before Christmas." Actually, I am not quite complete; I ran out of snowflakes and I need to wait for our local store to reopen to get about 6 more flakes. I am planning on making this a standup; I was going to have this be a music box, but I may not any more; we'll see as I send it in for finishing.

I will be moving on to this month's Raymond Crawford calendar canvas; I should finish it by week's end. Then I plan to resume the many canvases for which I have guides from classes with Tony & Sharon.

Keep all those burdened by Irene's path in your thoughts.

Denise

Spectacular Finishing on Eye Candy Fall Tree

2011-08-25T19:43:00.005-04:00

What a wonderful surprise the UPS man brought me today. I love the beautiful, magnificent, spectacular, stupendous and wonderful finishing that Ruth Schmuff did on Ada Haydon's Fall Tree. I knew that I would be happy with the finishing Ruth did for this tree but I never expected to be blown away. The base is just perfect with some bling. The ribbon is perfect with the bat and bling. The pink gusseted sides with the black velvet ribbon and bling are perfect and the fabric for the back is perfect. Yes, the finishing of the tree is just PERFECT!!! Can you tell that I really like the finishing. I am now really looking forward to doing the Winter tree and having it finished the same way. I can see all four trees on a shelf in my sewing room. I was unsure about not doing the single tree but now that I see how perfect it is finished I am glad that I did just the single tree.

Thank You Ruth for another spectacular job.

Linda

Choices and Stash Enhancement

2011-08-24T14:54:00.005-04:00

I am trying to decide between the Maggie Tiger Lilly dress and the Eye Candy Halloween Collage for the Sharon G canvas embellishment class that I will be taking in September at Nimble Needle. I will probably have to wait until just before the class to decide which to do. My decision will be based on the range of motion I have in my arm. If I cannot extend my arm that far, I will probably do the Halloween Collage but if I have full range I think I will take the Tiger Lilly dress.

Even though I can only work on belts at the present time, I have added to my stash. I could not resist Candy Rush by Ewe & Eye that BeStitched put together as a total package. You get the canvas, stitch guides, threads and custom made frame. I could not believe how reasonably priced it was. I just had to have it. When I receive the frame I will post a picture, so everyone can see how beautiful it is. BeStitched wrote a wonderful stitch guide for this canvas. I cannot wait to stitch it. The best part is that once it is stitched I will have the frame to put it in - immediate gratification.

Last month when I received the July/August of Needlepoint Now and saw the Whimsy In Bloom canvas by Mindy with stitch guide by Tony Mineri, I just knew I had to have it. I ordered the canvas from our LNS with all the threads and beads. Tony did a magnificent job on the stitch guide and it is going to be such fun to stitch.

I have two wonderful projects to look forward to stitch when I am fully recovered. I go to the Doctor on September 12 and am hoping that he will tell me that I can stitch on bigger projects again.

My summer vacation is coming to an end. Jake will be back in less then two weeks. I am looking forward to having my little man again and am very happy that he will be going to nursery school three mornings a week. This will give me some time for myself to get errands done, and any appointments I have to make without worrying about what to do with Jake. Jake has had a wonderful summer. Jen has kept him very busy with going to the pool (everyday), the park and play dates. Jen and Jake are going to miss their carefree days together, and Nana is going to miss her freedom too.

Linda

Finished Apples - First Haircut - Progress Report

2011-08-09T19:31:00.004-04:00

Today I received the Kelly Clark Halloween Apples back from finishing. I have to thank Kelly Clark for designing these wonderful apples, Amy Bunger for the wonderful stitch guide for the apples, and Ruth Schmuff for coming up with the wonderful finishing idea for them. We are truly blessed to have three such talented and creative needlewomen to help us create beautiful needlework. The apples are on display in my sewing room waiting for Labor Day weekend when the Halloween decorations go out. I cannot wait to see Stirha, Frank and Dracula again. Unlike my fellow Southern Stitch Sister, Melinda, I only finished three of the Halloweenies. Hopefully, I will be able to get a few more done for next year.

Here are two pictures of Jake getting his first haircut. He looks like a big boy now with his new haircut. In September, he will be going to nursery school three mornings a week. This will give me a little break so I can have some free time to get things done. I hope to have someone help me with him for a couple of months, until my shoulder heals.

I have started physical therapy and seem to be making good progress. I am still limited with the use of my arm but I can see improvement. I still cannot stitch from my stand and have to work on projects that are held in my hands - so I have been stitching belts. One is off to the finisher and I have about a third done on my second belt. I will be taking a Sharon G class at the end of September and hope to be able to stitch on a stand by then.

Linda

Kitty Cat Collars, Back from the Finishers!! UPDATE

2011-08-03T22:18:00.006-04:00

Cara & Mia are pleased to announce that their lovely needlepoint collars are, at long last, back from the finishers! Creation of these collars was a new challenge for Stitch by Stitch's finishers, but I am proud and thrilled with the result.

Cat collars, for those of you who may not know, MUST for safety reasons be break away. I did some internet research to find the correct hardware to create these collars for my girls. Cats have a tendency to get themselves into small spaces where they just might get their collars caught on something, which could have a very bad ending. Therefore, all cat collars must either be elastic (so they can come over the cat's head when pulled) or come apart easily when pulled (and not pulled that hard, either). Cara & Mia are small cats, neither of them weighing more than 7 lbs (Cara coming in at 5.8), so a collar mounted on leather would have weighed them down. You can see the special breakaway hardware in the photos.

I am so proud of what was done. The cats are thrilled with their new looks. The collars were specially painted for them, as I wanted them to be thinner than the usual dog collar; these are less than 3/4" wide. Cara's has a light green Vineyard Silk background, to match her eyes; Mia's has a beautiful blue background, to match her eyes. Neither one of them wanted to pose with their eyes open; in fact, Mia closed hers completely!

I have been told that there isn't as much demand for cat collars; somehow I find this hard to believe! In any event, I am so happy that Stitch by Stitch got this done with their efforts & that of their finishers! Excellent!!

Denise

PS: A lot of you have asked, so I am actually putting my comment here too, for those who don't read the comments. It's for the safety of the beloved kitties:

To all interested in cat collars; check with your LNS. There are plenty of dog collars; see if you find one you like, & they can ask the artist to make it narrower & maybe longer if necessary (my girls are petite, I had them 1/2" & about 12" or so long). Depends on the size of your cat. Take into account that with breakaway collars there is some foldover.

It is IMPERATIVE that you get the collars finished with break away clasps. DO NOT use regular buckles. Your cat can be strangled by a regular buckle collar. Stitch by Stitch was able to get their finisher to make them correctly; I did send them an old collar to study.

Kitty Cat Collars, Back from the Finishers!!

2011-08-03T22:18:00.001-04:00

Zippety Do Dah.....

2011-07-25T22:33:00.002-04:00

As I watched our nation's leaders make total fools of themselves this evening, I finished up this latest in the calendar series. This was a very quick stitch, & I just love the ribbon work.

My theory for doing the backgrounds first didn't work out as well as it did in the last few canvases, as you can see that a few of the horizontal threads shifted askew. I got over it. My Nanny used to say there needed to be an error to make it yours. Besides, I think when it's matted & placed inside the calendar, we won't notice a thing.

Linda got a good report from the doctor today. Recovery will be slow but will happen; I know all of you are encouraging her to be patient with herself and not to push herself too much. She's being very good and I am looking forward to seeing her this week at our class at Stitch by Stitch.

Later....

Denise

Stitching Through the Heat Wave

2011-07-23T23:54:00.003-04:00

It's been brutally hot here & really throughout most of the US these past few weeks. I've had a busy July, what with the 4th of July holiday, a glorious wedding, work on the campaigns of two local candidates, Linda's surgery, a family BBQ, out of town family sleepover guests (twice), a christening and--oh, yes, work, too. Throw in my pulled hamstring (don't ask) and it's been a circus around here. This was my first free weekend in weeks, and when my husband suggested going to a movie tonight, I looked at him like he was insane.

Considering all this, there's been some stitching lately. Our class with Tony M at Stitch by Stitch was cancelled on Wednesday, so I found myself with a hole in my stitching calendar. I took the opportunity to finish the insert for my Lee's credit card case (sorry, no photo, it's already in use in my purse that's downstairs). I've started a new canvas for my Lee's bag as well. I finished up the 4th canvas in the Raymond Crawford calendar club from A Stitch in Time, & I've already started this month's canvas. Woo hoo! Big stash action!

Linda's recovering slowly; she's pretty limited in what she can do with that arm. Monday she'll see the doctor and start PT soon thereafter we're pretty sure. She's bored to tears, but is being a very good patient. I'm very proud of her discipline. I think she's going to heal up just fine!

It's going to be pretty warm here again tomorrow.....so I think stitching will continue. Next week promises the return of the insanity.....I can't believe the summer is half over!

Denise

Special Thank You and Progress Report

2011-07-17T12:38:00.002-04:00

I want to thank every one for all their good thoughts. A very special thank you to Denise, my sister, for clearing her calendar to be with me on surgery day and also to my Southern Stitching Sister, Melinda, for the beautiful bouquet of flowers that arrived Friday morning. Also I want to thank Amy and Ruth for their emails of support. I am truly blessed to have such wonderful friends.

I have been very lucky in that I have not had any terrible pain. The first night my arm was numb so I felt nothing but I was told to take the pain pills to stay ahead of the pain. On Friday, I had mild discomfort but nothing I needed pain meds for but Don and Denise said to take them. On Saturday, I really had no pain but took the mildest pill. Today I stopped all pills. I feel pretty good. I am still having blurry vision, which is a side effect of one of the pills, and, of course, limited movement in my arm. I consider myself very lucky after all the horror stories I heard from people who had the surgery. The only inconvenience is sleeping in a chair but the good thing is my hair always looks perfect when I get up.

Linda

A Linda Update

2011-07-15T20:35:00.002-04:00

Linda's surgery was successfully completed yesterday afternoon and she is home now resting as comfortably as possible after rotater cuff surgery. The report from the surgeon was that all went well and she recovered swiftly from her anesthesia. Last night, and again tonight, she has to sleep in a chair. This may have to ensue for a few days. She did her exercises today, as instructed, ate a little, made a few calls, looked at her newest Needlepoint Now, watched some TV & was generally bored out of her mind. She is taking her pain medication (begrudgingly), and fortunately is not feeling too much more than annoyingly uncomfortable, particularly because the arm's pretty unusable.

The pain meds make her too tired to stitch, so, naturally, she's a little cranky. I know all of you are thinking happy thoughts with me for her swift recovery, as her stash awaits her prompt attention!

I am in the midst of my crazy July, and will have a needlepoint update for you as soon as I can do some needlepoint!

Denise

FUN WEEKEND

2011-07-10T17:46:00.004-04:00

Karen and I left on Friday for our class at Bedecked and Bedazzzled. Our first stop on our trip was to Rittenhouse in Philadelphia. It is about three years since I was last at Rittenhouse. I was shocked when I walked in to see all the new and wonderful threads they had. The store is just filled with threads. Our next stop was Fireside Stitchery also in PA. They were having a Pische trunk show and I purchased one of the small tote bags. Karen also purchased one with flowers and butterflies on it.

On Saturday morning we headed out to our class. Julia Snyder was teaching a Raymond Crawford piece and we were really looking forward to meeting her and seeing how she brought the canvas to life. Julia is a lovely person and she did a wonderful stitch guide for this piece. I am always happy when I learn something new and Julia taught us several things in class. The one stitch that I really loved was the beaded Jessica stitch. I would have never thought of beading this stitch. It gives the stitch a totally new look. We had such fun in class Julia is very funny and
we had a lovely time.

Denise & I are busily working on our Rebecca Woods "Twas the Night Before Christmas" piece that is the Christmas in July piece that our LNS is doing this summer. I am about three quarters of the way through the sky.

Denise will keep you informed as to my progress.

Linda

Busy Weekend

2011-07-08T18:31:00.002-04:00

No photo from the Stitching Sisters today. Linda is on the road today, for a class at Bedecked and Bedazzled. On her road trip down with Karen, they stopped at Rittenhouse; Linda told me that I wouldn't recognize the place, it's just filled with threads and threads & threads! So glad they made this stop along the way.

Today I dropped off 14 ornaments for Christmas finishing to our local Stitch by Stitch. Can't believe Christmas finishing deadlines are looming ahead.

We have a huge family wedding this weekend; my cousin's daughter, Silvana is getting married tomorrow. The wedding's been in planning for over a year, and we are all so excited. My daughter Ashley is one of the 13 (!!) bridesmaids, so today was a big "beautification" day for Ashley and I.

I'll try to get up a wedding photo this weekend. Everyone, happy stitching!

Denise

Time to Catch Up

2011-07-03T12:30:00.003-04:00

Here is the most recent of the Raymond Crawford ornament's from Fireside's club. I have four left in this club. I enjoyed the effect of the Boucle in the chain stitch, as it makes for a nice, embellished curve. I love the accent of the sequins on these pieces.

I am going to take a break from the ornaments now. If I put my mind to it, I probably could finish up this series in time for the Christmas finishing deadlines. I've decided, though, that I have too many canvases from wonderful classes with teachers like Tony Minieri and Sharon G; I want to work on those, and finish them. And I have two more classes coming up, one with Tony in August, and another with Amy in November.

It's raining here in NY, which caused the cancellation of one of the two 4th of July BBQ's we were attending this weekend. I am going to try to make some real progress on....something.

Wishing all of you a wonderful 4th of July. God Bless America.

Denise

Perfect Weekend

2011-06-26T19:00:00.007-04:00

My perfect weekend began on Friday afternoon with the UPS man delivering three boxes from Amy's. Yes, three boxes. The first box had the last lesson for the Creche, &More canvas Happy Halloween with stitch guide by Amy Bunger and Melissa Shirley's Thanksgiving house. The second box had my new K's Creation Metal Floor Stand, and the third box had the arm attachment for larger canvases. I put my stand together that night and immediately feel in love with it. It makes stitching so much easier for me. I do not have the pain in shoulder the way I did with the System 4 and I can adjust the length of the arm to bring the canvas as close as I want when I stitch. I switched from the System 4 for a few reasons. My shoulder being the main reason and also the fact that when working on larger canvases they would slide out of the clamp after awhile. I was spending more time putting the canvas back into the clamp then stitching.

Saturday was a really special day. Denise was so excited to meet Sharon G, who she totally adores, and I was just thrilled that she was getting this opportunity to finally meet Sharon. As Denise said in her post, Sharon is just a wonderful person. I was shocked to find that the stitch guide for our piece, which measures 6 by 6 was 25 pages. Sharon writes a spectacular stitch guide. Every detail of the stitching of the canvas is full explained, her diagrams are large and very easy to understand and read. She went over every area of the canvas so that when we left we were all confident that we understood and knew exactly how to finish stitching the piece. Karen, the owner of The Nimble Needle, is such a warm and friendly person. She made us feel right at home and could not have been nicer. I was so happy that Denise finally got to meet Sharon. We had a wonderful time and look forward to taking another class from Sharon. If you ever have the opportunity to take a class given by Sharon, please take it you will be so happy that you did.

Today was a good day because I got to see Jake. Jen and Jake came by after his swimming lesson (he was the best student in the class) and stayed for breakfast. Nana Day Care is officially over until September and so I now get to enjoy the big guy. Jake now weighs 28 pounds and is 33 inches tall.

My next needlepoint adventure is on July 9, when Karen and I go to Ruth's for a class with Julia Snyder. This will be my last adventure until November when we go to Amy's. I will be having surgery on July 14 for my rotator cuff. I have all my small projects ready to stitch until I can go back to my bigger pieces. The surgeon told me that I could start stitching three days after surgery. I hope he is right.

The belt is one of my small projects. It is almost done and I hope to get it in for finishing before my surgery.

Linda

EDITORIAL UPDATE (from Denise)

I want to clarify on behalf of Linda that the System 4 stand did not cause her shoulder problems; these existed & were exacerbated this past year. The new K's stand currently makes stitching easier for her because of how she can position it. A floor stand is a personal choice. Linda & I have both used System 4's for years, and both the K's & the System 4 are excellent stands. The K's stand is supposed to work especially well on large canvases, and we are all looking forward to Linda being able to work on some of her large projects, such as her Nativity Creche after her successful surgery. I will keep you all posted. D

Wonderful Day

2011-06-26T08:53:00.004-04:00

Our day trip to The Nimble Needle was such glorious fun! I was so excited to meet Sharon G in person, and of course Linda & I love meeting new needlepoint shops & their owners. Linda, Ashley & I figured we needed to leave by 6:30 AM to avoid beach traffic going to the Jersey shore. We did well driving down, just a little construction congestion but nothing really difficult.

Haddonfield is a pretty little suburban town, with a nice downtown area ripe with plenty of little shops. As we drove through, searching for (of course) Starbucks, all of us found a shop or two that caught our eye. I brought my framed Ponza canvases to share with Sharon, Karen, the shop owner & our classmates; Karen quickly found a spot to display them during class.

As we were getting set up, Sharon arrived, with a trunk show in tow! Great fun! Ashley helped Sharon bring in the show, as the rest of us mounted our canvases on stretcher bars & sorted out threads; right away, I saw plenty of Kreinik, beads & silks.....oh, this was going to be lovely.

After Ashley left us to visit friends in Philadelphia, Sharon handed out the pieces as well as the 25 page stitch guide. What detail!! And Sharon's guides even include two beautiful color photos of the piece, one on the glossy cover of the guide.

Sharon started us off by explaining her guide & we set out to work on the dragonfly, the highlight of the piece. I am always impressed by the professionalism of teachers dealing with the various skill levels in their classroom, and Sharon was exceptional. Karen's shop has a terrific variety of stitchers, some of whom are real newbies, stitching less than a year, others who were lifetime stitchers. It's a real credit to shop owners who encourage their customers to learn, and our classmates were no exception. Couching can be a challenge, but Sharon walked us through & talked us through. As we began mastering the dragonfly, she reminded us that we could just make these beautiful creatures on our own, with nothing but canvas & the lovely, sparkly threads.

We took a little break mid-morning, where I & my classmates took the opportunity to shop the trunk show. I had to restrain myself to just two canvases, one of which I've had my eye on since its debut, the beautiful vases. I also scooped up a Tuscan landscape that I just called to me. After lunch at The Bistro, we set down to get into the rest of the piece. Sharon went through each of the ten areas, explaining techniques & threads & giving tips. Then we selected a canvas area & stitched, with Sharon coming around to lend some insight.

The day just flew by, and before we knew it, everyone was packing up. Linda & I had a terrific time. I was so looking forward to meeting Sharon in person, and she was just such a joy to be with. And Karen, The Nimble Needle's owner, is so lovely and gracious; I think her shop reflects her dedication to the craft & I was duly impressed.

Denise

Revising the Schedule

2011-06-19T13:35:00.005-04:00

You can see here the latest Raymond Crawford Christmas canvas that I completed last night. I am glad to have this ornament completed, as I was a bit disenchanted working it up. It was filled with things I do not love to do: encroaching gobelin, couching, stitches where you alternated threads every other stitch. Tedious. I did get to do the newest beading technique, stringing the beads for the leaves. Now that's it's done, though, I see it is very pretty & glittery. And I do love the way the beaded leaves look.

Our recent Tony Minieri Safari Teapot class was cancelled, which has revised the summer stitching schedule. We won't be having our next class until July 20, and we'll be finishing up the teapot in the fall. Since I am always planning my next stitching project, I am currently going to focus on four more ornaments from the Fireside Vintage Ornaments club from last year; I would really like to finish these last four, & be able to say I have completed the entire set.

But there are a few other stitching events in the way: Stitch by Stitch is starting the "Twas the Night Before Christmas" class next week; this class is scheduled to meet about every other week until late August. And this Saturday Linda & I are going to The Nimble Needle to take a class with Sharon G (so excited!!!!).

And my social, business & personal calendar is insane until the end of July. So stitching opportunities look.....slender. But I will work to fit it in--I need it!

Enjoy the day outside, if you can; it's supposed to rain here all week. Ugh.

Denise

Taking an Opportunity

2011-06-11T08:53:00.003-04:00

Here you see the latest Raymond Crawford canvas which is part of the calendar series from A Stitch in Time Needlepoint. I am proud of myself for staying caught up so far with this series.

This was another fun canvas. The nasturtiums were all in satin stitch, with beautiful Splendor & Neon Rays +. Kreinik & some an imaginative darning pattern in two different directions makes for a pretty cool bucket. Those bullions....well.

The one thing I've changed from all the stitch guides is that I do the backgrounds first. That makes it easier for accuracy & to keep the pattern of the backgrounds which have all (pleasantly) been quick, open stitches.

Our Teapot Safari class at Stitch by Stitch in Larchmont with Tony Minieri was cancelled this week due to an apparent gigantic traffic jam which kept Tony trapped in Jersey, on the other side of the George Washington Bridge. I had actually (as you know) finished my homework, so now I have a gap in stitching time which I was going to use to do the homework for the next, & last (for this canvas) Tony class in July. So I have two weeks before the Sharon G class at The Nimble Needle to stitch up some Christmas ornaments that were in the lineup. Last night I started one up that I should be able to show you in the next few days.

Today it's gloomy outside, but I am going to Larchmont to visit with my stitching friends and pick up a finished piece. I think what came back is either something of Ashley's or a Christmas gift for my niece. If it's Ashley's I'll put up a photo.

Am enviously watching the blogs for news from Columbus, as I am sure you all are as well. After all, we wouldn't want those stashes to get too small, now would we?

Have a great weekend!

Denise

So excited!

2011-06-06T11:45:00.003-04:00

I am so excited! I am finally going to take a class with Sharon G!

I learned on Chilly Hollow that the Nimble Needle in Haddonfield, NJ was having a Sharon G class in a few weeks---& there might be an opening! I immediately sent off an email, & was thrilled when Karen, the proprietor, happily advised that there was a spot! I'm in!

We are hoping that Linda will be coming along for the class as well, as soon as she has her doctor's appointment next week.

Can't wait for this!

Here's a link to the blog post about the class.

http://thenimbleneedle.blogspot.com/2011/04/sharon-g-dragonfly-class-saturday-june.html

And & nudge & a wink & a thank you to the master enabler, Jane....

Denise

Doctor Is In The House

2011-06-04T19:08:00.004-04:00

On Wednesday I received a HUGE box from Amy's. Dr. A was one of the things in my box. I forgot how much I liked him. Amy's finisher did a spectacular job finishing him. I am thrilled with him and he will be put away with Frank and Stirha until Fall. Also in my box was the third Kelly Clark Halloween Apple that Amy did a stitch guide for. What a great stitch guide Amy did for this apple. Cannot wait to start but I will have to wait awhile since one of the threads was back ordered. I also got the Landscape book by Little Shoppe. What wonderful little book this is. Congratulations on your first book! Also in the box was the red Dovo scissor case. I love it and have my Dovo scissors in it. The third lesson for the Creche was also in the box and the last thing in the box was Jake's stocking, stitch guide and threads. Robin did the stitch guide and did a spectacular job. Jake will have to wait until next year for the stocking.

I have not posted lately since I have been having a lot of problems with my right shoulder and have not really accomplished much in stitching. My arm gets tired very quickly and I have a hard time reaching on large canvases. I have finally finished lesson one (the night sky) for the Creche and was going to start lesson two but think I might have to wait. I am having a hard time reaching up to stitch. Amy has done such a wonderful stitch guide for this piece I am so looking forward to stitching and finishing it. I really wanted it for this Christmas but do not know if that is going to happen

I will go to the doctor on June 14 and see what he says. I am hoping he feels that physical therapy will do the trick but I am prepared for him to say surgery is needed. I am able to basketweave with my left hand and have taken out some belts that I bought and have never gotten around to stitch. I hoping that I will be able to stitch them. I purchased threads that I do not have to ply or lay since I will be stitching basically with one hand. I will keep you posted and I am sure that Denise will also keep you informed.

Karen and I are planning on going to Ruth's to take Raymond Crawford's Christmas Ornament piece that Julia Snyder is teaching. I am so looking forward to this mini needlepoint trip (just a quick overnight). If surgery is needed and can be scheduled for when I get home, we are going but if for some reason the only opening I am given is for before the class then we will not go. I really hope that we can make this class.

Linda

Halfway to Africa

2011-06-01T22:47:00.003-04:00

I am about halfway done with Tony's African teapot. I was pleased to finish up with the giraffe ( I LOVE giraffes---can't stitch enough of them!); my homework is done for our class next Thursday. Good thing I finished up, as I am out every night next week & will have little time for stitching.

Just got started with the next canvas in the calendar series, hoping to work that up quickly. Summer has landed here in NY, hazy, hot & humid already. I got all my planting done one evening last week, hoping to spend some time on the patio over the weekend. Sadly, the Memorial Day weekend weather proved too hot to stitch outside.

Talk to you all soon.

Denise

Two

2011-05-21T08:37:00.004-04:00

I finished two canvases in the past two weeks. They are both Raymond Crawford's, both from clubs. The first is a Christmas ornament from a club Fireside was doing last year, called Vintage Ornaments. Aren't these sequins fun?

And the second is the 2nd canvas in my perpetual calendar club that I started this year, with A Stitch in Time. So far I am keeping up with this, having finished last month's project a full 72 hours before the this month's envelope arrived.

We had our class with Tony Minieri on Thursday at Stitch by Stitch for our African Teapot class. Although Tony said we don't have to finish what we learned this week before our next class in 3 weeks, I know that if I don't at least try, I will never finish this lovely project. It is really fun seeing the animals come to life on this hand drawn canvas.

I have a busy social calendar this weekend so there won't be much stitching done. Talk to you soon!

Denise

What I've Learned About 24 Count

2011-05-11T09:11:00.003-04:00

It's small.

This is the first time I've worked a 24 count canvas. This is Tony Minieri's "African Teapot" that I am doing at Stitch by Stitch for the next few months. We had our first class about 3 weeks ago; our next class is next week.

The stitches themselves are not overwhelming; a Hungarian variant for the helmet, some ribbon stitching, outline & encroaching gobelin for the elephant. I can understand why people love working on this count canvas; the detail you can get is pretty amazing.

On the other hand, for a person who needs instant gratification, this count can be challenging.

Needless to say I am loving taking a Tony class, no matter what. And there's a giraffe on this canvas, so I love it. For me, it's a lesson in patience.

Now that my homework is done (Tony suggested finishing the elephant), I am jumping into the next canvas in my perpetual calendar series.

And I have something fun to tell you about that we are doing at Stitch by Stitch this summer, but you will have to stay tuned; I have to get to work!

Denise

The Bunnies Are Back

2011-04-22T22:02:00.005-04:00

The bunnies arrived home just in time for Easter. The finishing is just spectacular. I love the filled baskets and all the ribbon and trim. Ruth and her finisher did a wonderful job on them.

Rhett and Scarlett were all excited to be home and just hopped out of the box. They were all excited to tell me that they met their twins (Karen's bunnies) at the finisher and had a wonderful time together. I have to thank Ruth and her finisher for getting them to me in time for Easter.

They look perfect on my mantel and I will have to leave them out for awhile. They are just too cute to put away after Easter.

Happy Easter

Linda

First Flowers Calendar Club Canvas Completed

2011-04-22T08:44:00.003-04:00

You might recall that I surreptitiously enrolled in a club a few weeks ago, a Flowers Calendar Club offered by A Stitch in Time. At the end of the club, if you do all the flowers in the series, you will get a perpetual calendar into which your canvases can be inserted. I am always intrigued by perpetual calendars; we used to have one when I was a kid, but I don't know where it ended up. You can see all the flowers here: http://www.needlepoint-knitting.com/raymond-crawford-flowers.htm.

I finished the first one last night. The shop's owner, Alison Hodges wrote a nice little stitch guide, & the kit comes with complete threads. I am wondering how I will mat all of these at the end, but I will cross that bridge when I get to it. At this point the next canvas just arrived on Wednesday; I am putting it aside for a little while.

I signed up for the Tony Minieri Safari Teapot class at Stitch by Stitch; you can see the completed project on their blog. This is the first project I've ever done on congress cloth; I think I was so intimidated by the thought of it; the reality is that it's fine & fun. I love taking classes with Tony, so of course I am thrilled to be taking this. And the teapot has a giraffe. And a lion. Oh my.

I also have a lot of other WIP's going; my last two Tony Minieri canvas embellishment classes; a collar for Mia (Cara's collar is completed); my last three stitches for my current stitching notebook class, Christmas Stitches II, Stitches For Effect; my push to finish last year's club from Fireside. Oh, and of course, my flag & my kimono.

Isn't this a hobby? Thank God I love to do this!

Best wishes for a Blessed Easter.

Denise

Halloween Apple #2 and Finds in Baltimore

2011-04-21T21:51:00.008-04:00

I finished the second Kelly Clark Halloween Apple with stitch guide by Amy Bunger last Thursday night. Amy did such a wonderful stitch guide for this canvas. The composite stitch she picked for the icing was such a fun stitch. I am always amazed how complicated the stitches look and how easy they are to stitch. I gave the apple to Ruth to work her magic for finishing.

I cannot wait to see how Ruth's idea for finishing the apples comes out.

Here is the picture of my yellow Coach bag. I know that it is not needlepoint related but I just love the color of the bag. It does now show too well in the photo but it is the softest shade of yellow and the leather is so soft.

This is the stumpwork book that Kelly recommended. It just arrived and I have not had a chance to check it out. Will let you know what I think.

I always try to bring home a remembrance of my trip and chose to buy this cute tray from Ruth's. I use it every night when I stitch. I put my scissors and thread puller in it and they are always right within reach. Great stitching accessory.

The two topiary trees are from the Kelly Clark trunk show and since I love pink and green I had to have them.

The last canvas was purchased at The Waste Knot and I feel in love with it immediately and I just had to have. I was so happy to see that they carried the new Egyptian Cotton thread. The color line for this thread is just gorgeous. I knew that this was the perfect thread for this project just because of the colors. I have not stitched with it yet but when I do I will let you know how it is. The last thing I purchased for this canvas were little pink buttons from Ruth's. She has the absolute best selection in notions. I can always find a fun button to put on a canvas.

Karen's bunnies arrived today. I hope mine arrive tomorrow. If they do, I will post a picture of them.

Off to work on the sky for Creche. This is such a beautiful canvas and a feeling of peace and calm comes over me as I stitch it.

Happy Easter.

Linda

BIG MISTAKE

2011-04-20T20:39:00.002-04:00

I am so sorry that in my haste to do this post that I forgot to give credit to Kelly Clark for her stitching of Elvira. The pictures of Elvira are Kelly's beautiful stitching. Sorry Kelly.
Linda

Wonderful Stitching Weekend

2011-04-20T19:22:00.008-04:00

Karen and I started our trip at 6:30 A.M. on Thursday morning. We stopped in Arlington, Va at The Waste Knot. We both bought things for our stash enhancement (will talk about that tomorrow).

Our next stop was to Ruth's. Ruth has a beautiful store called Bedecked and Beadazzled in Lutherville, Md. Ruth was as happy and excited to see us as we were to see her. I bought two canvases from the Kelly Clark trunk show ( will also talk about that tomorrow). Our next stop was the hotel. We stayed at the Townson Marriott Convention Center. This is a great place to stay. We always get a two bedroom suite and it works out perfectly for us. For dinner we went to Cheesecake Factory. We had a great dinner and then went off to shop. Karen did not buy anything but I bought the most beautiful yellow leather bag from Coach. I have been looking for a yellow bag for over two year and finally found the perfect one (will post a picture for you all to see tomorrow).

On Friday morning we wereup bright and early to get ready for our big day with Kelly. Kelly is one of my favorite needlepoint designers and I was so excited to meet her. I was not disappointed. Kelly is such a lovely person. She is very a warm, friendly and caring person. Kelly was every thing I expected her to be, a wonderful person and great needlepoint designer. The first thing we did was pick our twig for the handle of the broom. We stitched Elvira's bodice and skirt next and before we had lunch we did (or tried to do) Elvira's fingers and hand. Ruth had the most perfect delicate fingers while the rest of us had fingers of all different sizes. Kelly told us of a good stump work book with excellent diagrams and directions (will tell you all about that tomorrow). Of course I ordered one for Karen and myself. After lunch we tackled the hat and brim. It is not hard to do but you could not really see what you were doing working with black velvet. Of course, Ruth's hat was perfect (even though she complained that she could not see anything) and the next morning she had a brainstorm of adding fuzzy stuff to the brim. I must say it was stunning.

On Saturday and Sunday, we worked on the Package Topiary, which is an exclusive design for Bedecked and Beadazzled. We started with the leopard package on Saturday morning and after lunch Kelly was going to teach us basket needleweaving. I did mine on a scrap piece of canvas I brought with me since I knew I wanted the feel of metal for the planter and did not want to do the needleweaving. The last picture shows my planter. Ruth picked out the threads and stitch for my planter. It is perfect and I am so happy with it. The stitching of the planter took up the rest of the day. That night Karen and I took Kelly and Ruth out for dinner. Kelly being the sharing soul that she is showed us some of the new canvases for the Columbus show and even showed us line drawings of future canvases. I was totally blown away. Karen and I were able to order some of the canvases and Ruth will get them for us. You are going to love all the new things that are coming out. I wanted to order everything but held myself back.

On Sunday, we discussed how to do the top of the planter and the idea of beads was being discussed. I am going to wait to see the stitch guide that Kelly and Ruth come up with before deciding how I am going to work that. Karen and I left early since we had a long drive back to New York.

It was a fun weekend and I came away meeting some wonderful new stitching friends, two beautiful canvases and getting the inside scoop on some of Kelly's designs. What more can a girl ask for.

Tomorrow I will post a picture of my completed Halloween Apple (which I left with Ruth), and all the things I bought.

Linda

John the Picture Hanger

2011-04-16T11:32:00.005-04:00

Today, John the picture hanger came to hang the Ponza pictures. I was so excited for him to come over. He also attached lights to each frame, to highlight the picture. My friend Annmarie, who I consider to be my personal shopper, purchased the lights for me on one of her shopping jaunts. John was hesitant at first, he thought the wall was too big, & the pictures might get lost. I was impressed, John measured & measured & measured before he put a nail on the wall. If my husband & I had done this, we would have ended up divorced. Phil the framer knew this, hence he provided John's name and number.

I am terribly lonely without Linda, even though we've spoken frequently since she's been away. She will have a lot to talk about here on the blog; I hope that Jake is easy on her in Nana Day Care this week, so she has time for herself, the blog & her stitching (not necessarily in order of importance).

The weather here is just not so nice, so I am grabbing my stitching & settling onto the couch in the family room. I am going to listen to a podcast about ABC's decision to cancel two of its three daytime soap operas in favor of a reality show & a cooking show. They could have felt free to use the spots occupied by The View (which I despise) & Oprah (thankfully almost off the air). I don't even watch either All My Children or One Life to Live, but I think it's horrible that ABC cancelled these. I do watch GH & they better not even think about it.

Enjoy your Saturday.

Denise

Ready For My Great Needlepoint Adventure

2011-04-13T12:11:00.002-04:00

My bags are just about all packed except for the last minute items and I am ready to go. Karen is picking me up bright and early tomorrow morning for our wonderful needlepoint weekend. We will probably stop at a few stores on our way to Baltimore and then we will go to Bedecked and Beadazzled to check out the Kelly Clark Trunk Show. I am so excited about meeting Kelly Clark and taking three days of classes from her. Kelly is one of my favorite needlepoint designers and I cannot wait to meet the person behind the canvases. I do not know who is more excited about this trip Karen or myself. We have been talking about and planning our trip for months and it is now finally here. After doing Nana Day Care for the last eight months, I am really ready for a break. I am looking forward to spending the day stitching, going out to dinner with friends and stitching again at night. I am just sorry that Denise will not be with us to enjoy this experience. I will try to post every day from my iPad if I can figure out how to do it. My husband is going to see if he can help me figure it out. You will have to wait until Monday for pictures since I do not think I will be able to post them from my iPad. The second Kelly Clark Halloween is just about finished and will be coming to Baltimore for finishing along with the Fall Tree and the first apple. I will post a picture of the second apple when I return from Baltimore. Linda

UPDATE FROM DENISE:

Linda probably did not master the blogging from a distance on her ipad. We will all have to wait until she comes home.

Denise

A Little More Tony, & A Little Christmas House

2011-04-13T09:20:00.004-04:00

Here's a few more photos from Monday's class. I always love to see what people are working on, & the ideas Tony has come up with for bringing those canvases to life. We had a nice mix of students in this class, & some really nice canvases. Our new friend Chris was working on this top canvas, the vase, & mastered a number of new techniques in a few days. The second canvas, called (I think) Kitchen Ballet, is just too much fun, AND it has a cornice that goes over it that's a separate piece. Oh. That one seems quite interesting to me.....

Tony's intensely working on this Moose canvas, & calling for a needle, I think, in the 3rd photo. My daughter, a LaSalle alum, loved the 4th canvas, of the Philadelphia Boathouses.

The last photo has nothing to do with the Minieri class, but was last night's completion, the little Melissa Shirley that will be made into a music box. I haven't worked on a Melissa Shirley canvas in a while; this one had a lot of detail & packed a lot of punch into a small space. I think my niece will love it.

I am bracing myself for Linda's absence for 4 days while she is at Bedecked. There will be whining on my part.

Denise

A Day with Tony

2011-04-10T17:04:00.006-04:00

Today Linda & I had a canvas embellishment class with Tony Minieri at our LNS, Stitch by Stitch. As expected, it was a wonderful day. I sent a Liz canvas to Tony to work up a guide; it is a cute canvas of mice playing amongst the books. I really love it, & I knew Tony would do an amazing job. Of course, he did not disappoint. You can see my canvas with the guide & the threads.

The only section of the canvas I actually got accomplished was a section of the book where the mouse's tail comes over the book. Tony has the tails done in a technique called Repousse', where you wrap thread over a diminishing core. It is quite effective.

The side of the book under the tail is done in an outline stitch; I think it does look like pages, don't you think?

Linda will only be able to take the first day of the class; she will not be in class tomorrow. She could not get a day off from her day care duties. She submitted a cute Shelley Tribbey witch; Tony did a great guide for her, too; the background will be a pumpkin face darning pattern. I could hear Linda's gears turning, trying to figure out how to rearrange her stitching lineup to fit this one in. Here's the link to Linda's canvas; it's number H308.

http://www.shellytribbey.com/otherseason/Halloween/pages/H308.html

I will try to get a little bit more stitching done tonight, so I can be sure to ask Tony all my questions tomorrow.

Denise

So Many Things To Stitch

2011-04-03T14:28:00.005-04:00

The Halloween Tic Tac Toe Canvas is a Tapestry Tent canvas by Liz. I ordered this canvas in September when I was at Ruth's for a Brenda Hart class. Ruth was having a Tapestry Tent trunk show while we were there and I ordered this canvas. I also ordered the playing pieces. The pumpkin and witch are just perfect for this piece. I am thinking of sending it to Amy for the November Cook-Up Class that I am going to. I can only imagine the magic that Amy will work on this piece.

I finished the Witch's Hat Halloween Apple by Kelly Clark that Amy did a stitch guide for. This was so much fun to stitch. The stitches and threads Amy chose for this canvas were spectacular. I especially love the beading around the bow. It was done on wire and was really easy to do. Amy always surprises me with something new that I have not done before. I am now stitching the Candy Corn Halloween Apple and hope to have it done by next week. I plan on taking the two apples and the Fall tree down to Ruth for finishing when I go down on April 14.

The Creche arrived on Wednesday and is going to be a spectacular backdrop for the Nativity. I hope to get it started before I leave on the 14th. I will not take this piece with me since it is to big to travel with and I will probably only get to stitch on it on Thursday night. Having done the Nativity pieces already the sky (which was the background for all the Nativity pieces) for the Creche will not be difficult for me to do. Once you get into the rhythm of the stitch it goes fairly quickly. You just have to be careful with your counting.

Karen and I will be leaving on Thursday, April 14, at 6 A.M. to head down to Baltimore. We will be stopping at needlepoint stores on our way down. We always like to see new places and can always find something new and fun to buy. I am so looking forward to this trip. Karen and I have a great time together and are both easy going and basically just go with the flow. We are so excited about the three days we will be spending with Kelly Clark and are looking forward to seeing all our needlepoint friends. I am sure that I will have lots of pictures and stories to blog about when I return.

Hope to post a picture of the finished Candy Corn Apple before I leave for Baltimore.

Linda

Half Dozen Completed

2011-04-01T09:18:00.003-04:00

I've now completed the sixth of twelve ornaments in the Fireside club. Each one of these is more fun than the one before. Honestly, doesn't this one just remind you of a circus! Marina Ketterman of Fireside writes all these guides, and for me they are just the right blend of stitches & threads to keep me interested.

I am going to take a little break from these for a bit. I want to do that Melissa Shirley canvas, & then I want to do the first canvas from my calendar series. I am taking a Tony Minieri canvas embellishment class next weekend at our local store (I am SO excited, Tony is so much fun & I learn so much). And then right after that (Wednesday!) I am also doing another class with Tony at our local store, it is my first project on congress cloth. I will post a photo as soon as I can.

I'm sure many of you are like this, with the list of your projects, canvases and schedule cycling through your heads! It's a good thing I have a job to blame for my time spent not stitching.

This weekend a good friend's son is getting married, and we are all looking forward to the fun ahead. There will be little stitching though! All of you keep your fingers busy for me!

Denise

A Quick Update

2011-03-30T09:06:00.002-04:00

No photos this time. A trip to my LNS, Stitch by Stitch resulted in another stash increase, this one a little canvas that will be a Christmas gift (disclosure: I actually had wanted this little canvas for myself but my daughter, ever alarmed that my stash will overtake the entire house, pointed out that I "really did not need another Christmas canvas." So I used my mental energy to figure out a way to get the canvas anyway). This is the Melissa Shirley canvas:

http://melissashirleydesigns.com/galcol/index.cgi?index=1095385795_27927&col=35

Cute, right? I picked up a music box at Stitch as well, playing Silent Night; I will make a little stand up house.

Ok, need to get to work. Gotta pay for that stash one way or the other ;)

Denise

The Fifth!

2011-03-26T07:20:00.003-04:00

Here's the fifth Vintage Ornament. This one took a little longer to complete; it was a tiring week at work, & I skipped stitching quite a few nights. There were really only two stitches here, a cashmere checker for the background & a chain stitch for the swirls. The swirls, worked up in boucle', look pretty but I didn't love working with all that Boucle'. Another sacrifice for beauty.

I signed up for a club last week, & the first canvas arrived on Monday. The past few months, ever since January's TNNA, a ton of designers, shop owners & stitchers have come over to Facebook now, especially thanks to Jane of Chilly Hollow, who created a Needlepoint group for us to hang out. Last week, Alison Hodgkiss, owner of A Stitch in Time posted up finished products of her latest group, some adorable witches from Kelly Clark with custom stitch guides by Alison. I am not a Halloween fan, and these tempted me (you-know-who was also tempted). However, wandering around the site for Alison's store, I discovered a DIFFERENT club she had started just this past January. This one is a set of 12 Raymond Crawford flower designs (are we seeing a pattern here?) which can be used for a perpetual calendar. Here's the link for this club:

http://www.needlepoint-knitting.com/raymond-crawford-flowers.htm. Since I love needlepoint projects like this, you can see why this grabbed my attention.

So now I am really feeling the pressure of my stash, as I want to get started on this right away. Truly not enough hours in a day.

Have a great weekend!

Denise

I Love My Framer

2011-03-20T18:31:00.005-04:00

I have to admit that I love my framer. He's quite a character; he's been framing my needlepoint for over 25 years. I used to live right near his store, & my husband & I literally stumbled upon him & his store on an evening walk one night after we first got married.

He's got such a good eye for color enhancement, putting frames & mats together so well. But you need to have a tough skin---he doesn't tolerate a lot of chit chat and the indecisive truly irritate him. When I went to pick up this Positano canvas, there was a couple at the front table, arguing with each other about frames & mats & shades. I looked around for Phil, who was working with another customer at a back table. He called out to me "Ward---you know why I'm back here, right?" I know that bickering couple must have gotten on his last nerve.

I just waved & grabbed my work. No need to watch those fireworks! I do believe in letting the professionals do their work. Ognuno al suo misteri--to each his own specialty.

Denise

Wrapping Up Jakefest

2011-03-20T18:13:00.003-04:00

The final celebration for Jake's 1st birthday was a family brunch. The guest of honor took his morning nap a little later than usual, so he kept us waiting a bit. We toasted him with mimosas while we waited.

He seemed to enjoy the gifts we gave him; a few books, a fun spring outfit, a mower that made all sorts of surprise noises. I tried to open it up for Jake to enjoy, but was foiled by safety packaging. I hope he plays with it at Nana's house so that she can carry him a little bit less, & save her shoulder a little.

We had a great time with the little guy and it's amazing how quickly he grew this year. I know the years will fly by even faster now.

Denise

Fall Tree Is Ready for Finishing

2011-03-19T13:37:00.003-04:00

Last week I finished the Fall Tree by Eye Candy with stitch guide by Ada Haydon that appeared in Fall issue of Needlepoint Now. This tree was such a fun and quick stitch. I chose to do the single tree for two reasons. First I do not have the patience to stitch the same thing three times and second the way I envision it finished does not require the three trees. I am going to keep the finishing a secret of now. I will take this tree with me when I go to Ruth's for the Kelly Clark class in April. I will tell Ruth all about my ideas for the tree and I am sure that Ruth will have some suggestions that will really be totally awesome. I enjoyed stitching this tree so much that I plan on stitching the three remaining trees. I already have the Winter tree and will pick up the Spring tree when I go to Ruth's.

I am presently working on one of Kelly Clark's Halloween Apples with stitch guide by Amy Bunger. Amy did such a great stitch guide for this canvas. I am having such fun with it. I am so happy to be working on small projects. It is really nice to see a finished project at the end of one or two weeks. I hope to get the second apple that I got from Amy done before I go to Ruth's so that I can give the two of them to Ruth for finishing. I cannot wait to get my third apple and the wonderful Kelly Clark Bats that Amy is also doing stitch guides for.

Before I know it the Creche will be arriving and that will be taking up most if not all of my stitching time. I want the Creche for this Christmas and that means I have to have it completed by the end of August. Hopefully, I will not need surgery because that will really put a halt to all my stitching for awhile. So far physical therapy seems to be working and I am really hopeful that PT will be my cure. I can see Denise rolling her eyes as she reads this - she is saying that Linda lives in a world of denial. I really don't live in a world of denial - I just have a lot a faith in my PT technician and myself.

In just a few short weeks, I will be going to Baltimore for the Kelly Clark class at Ruth's. I am so excited about meeting Kelly and seeing the wonderful canvases she has chosen for the class at Ruth's. Karen and I have been counting the days until we go. I do not know who is more excited about this trip. I think it might be me since it will be a little vacation for me from my Nana Day Care Job. I love the little man but could really use a break.

Enjoy your weekend of stitching.

Linda

And another one....

2011-03-16T22:19:00.004-04:00

After 14 months of B-I-G canvases that I have loved, loved, loved, but which I worked on for months......

Here's number 4 of these little ones. I am really dashing through these. I'm starting to get a little scared about my finishing bill :)

Robin asked who painted these canvases. These are Raymond Crawford canvases with stitch guides from Fireside Stitchery. This was a club from Fireside last year. It is not shown on their web site any more but I imagine the canvases & guides can be obtained.

Jake is feeling a little better & I hope to see him this weekend to wrap up his first birthday festivities. The brunch last weekend was cancelled due to his tummy.

Tomorrow I plan on doing my SNS Christmas Stitches II homework & moving on to number 5. Frank has been out doing taxes every night, so I've been getting a lot done.

And the Third Vintage Ornament is Completed

2011-03-13T20:54:00.004-04:00

I am zooming along through these, aren't I? Love these quick projects. I have a bunch to drop off for finishing soon. Actually almost finished with number 4 now.

Linda has finished her Eye Candy tree but is too tired to post. Jake's been a little under the weather with a stomach bug so he's been knocking Nana for a loop since last week.

I Need a Bigger House

2011-03-13T09:58:00.005-04:00

All of the Ponza canvases have come back from the framer, together with their corresponding photos. I had the photos that Sharon G worked from to paint the canvases enlarged & framed. The eight framed pieces have not been hung yet; I am actually getting a professional picture & mirror hangar in to hang them.

My husband commented that these may take up the last available wall space in the house. I told him, then I guess we need a bigger house.

Denise

And the Second Vintage Ornament is Completed

2011-03-09T23:10:00.004-05:00

But before I go on to that topic, was my Godson just the absolute cutest or what? I can't wait to see him this weekend.

Wrapped up this ornament on Wednesday evening, but held off posting so you could all enjoy Jake's party. Wish I could have been there, but it was another wonderful day in Tinseltown, as they say. Sometimes I just want to throw the phone out the window.

Am starting up the next Vintage Ornament right away, the Golden Bell. What I love about these is that I can finish them up pretty quickly, in a week or ten days.

The hycianths are peeping up through the soil. Spring must be thinking about coming, right? Today at Bed, Bath & Beyond I bought k-cups for my Keurig coffeepot to make Vanilla Iced Coffee. My family laughed at me. Harumph. What do they know?

I keep dreaming about stitching out on my patio on Sunday afternoons, one of my favorite things.

Denise

PS: It is storming big time outside. We are expecting 4" of rain before noon tomorrow. Will my patio be there in the morning? Sigh.

Jake's First Birthday!!!

2011-03-09T19:16:00.006-05:00

It is hard to believe that a year has gone by already. It seems just like yesterday Denise and I were sitting in the waiting room of the hospital waiting for Jake to be born. He was born at 7:15 P.M. on year ago today. I have really bonded with my Little Man. Watching him everyday has taken its toll on me but I love every minute I spend with him. The first picture is of his birthday cake, which I ordered from a new bakery in Bronxville called Chantilly. The cake was vanilla with lemon filling and butter cream frosting. It was very good. I would get another cake from them but only for a special occasion since they are very expensive.

The second picture is of Jake showing us how big he is. Jake shows you how big he is and then clamps his hands. He is walking but when he really wants to get someplace fast he crawls.

He loves his books and will sit for long periods of time just looking at them. As you can tell he is the love of my life.

I started PT for my shoulder in hopes of avoiding surgery. I hope it works and I get some strength back in my arm. I have four more weeks of PT twice a week and then will go back to the doctor to see what my options are.

I have been working on Ada Hayden's Fall tree and am having such fun stitching it. I should have it done by the weekend and will post a picture of the completed tree.

Hope you enjoyed Jake's Birthday Pictures.

Linda

A Visit to Positano

2011-03-01T21:31:00.003-05:00

I think I've mentioned that I really love Positano, a lovely village on the Amalfi coast. I've enjoyed this Sharon G canvas, which very vividly evokes images of this pretty place. I started this canvas last June, when Linda & I went to Amy's. Amy wrote a fabulous stitch guide, and I was challenged by her creativity. There was one technique which I did not follow; Amy wrote the guide with Sorbello knots on the potted tree. I struggled with these, and did master the technique but was not happy with the look. I'm sure I missed something. In any event I did the tree in french & colonial knots, & I think it looks lovely. The flowers on the tree are a cup stitch, another new technique. I can see why Linda loves those Home Study projects, as Amy challenges you but does not overwhelm you.

Our LNS, Stitch by Stitch has a Tapestry Tent trunk show going on, so I added to my stash this past weekend. I got a pretty pansy canvas that I intend to use as an insert to my Italian leather Lee handbag. I also got a tiger belt that I want to do as a strap for another handbag. And I am working on collars for Cara & Mia. These are my basketweave projects.

But I intend to stick to my plan to stitch up some Christmas canvases. I had signed up for a Raymond Crawford monthly club last year and did not even one in 2010. I have completed one canvas so far and want to get as many of these done as I can before this Christmas finishing cut off; the snow is barely melted here & I am already thinking of Christmas cut off dates---what is WRONG with me?!!

Happy Stitching!

Denise

Scarlett's Finished -- Nana's Helper

2011-02-28T14:25:00.003-05:00

Finally Scarlett is finished. I felt like I was stitching this piece for an eternity. Scarlett and Rhett will be shipped off tomorrow for finishing. I am not hopeful about getting them in time for Easter but at least they will be finished.

Jake decided to help me today with stitches. He was going through my Halloweenie notebook and telling me what to do. Jake loves books. He will sit for the longest time just reading his books. It is hard to believe that next week he will be one year old. He is starting to walk and is talking up a storm. Everyday we work together on flash cards and he is learning his colors. As you can tell, all the time I use to spend stitching is now spent on Jake.

I started the Fall tree by Eye Candy. It looks like a really fun stitch with great colors and stitches. I think it will be a very fast stitch but then I think that about everything.

Linda

Spring - Winter - Wonderful Surprises

2011-02-23T19:39:00.004-05:00

As you all know from Denise's blog post on Sunday, I decided it was time to bring Spring into my home. I put out a few Easter decorations on Sunday and on Monday we got 6 inches of snow. I guess Mother Nature was trying to tell me something. This has been a very bad winter for us and I was really feeling hopeful that the snow was over when we had sixty degree weather last week but I was mistaken. I still have the feel of Spring in my heart and am very happy every time I look at my mantel.

Today I got a wonderful box from Amy's. The last lesson for the Haunted House arrived and I am sorry to say that now all the Characters and House are complete. I am even more upset that as of today I have only finished three Characters. Life has really gotten in the way of my stitching this year. Hopefully, I will be able to have more time to stitch soon. Also in my wonderful box is a picture frame canvas for Jake with a train and his name on it. I also found in my box the new book Shapes of Needlepoint by Sandra Arthur. This book is perfect for me to find stitches for Jake's frame. It is the perfect book for the train. Cannot wait to sit down and pick out stitches for this project. I also got the wonderful new book by Sharon G, Simply Essential Needlepoint Stitch Explanations. What fun I am going to have exploring this book. I also got my threads for my XOXO canvas and the most wonderful part of the box are the two stitch guides Amy did for Kelly Clark's Drizzled Witchy Hats and Hallowed Candy Corns. The stitch guides are amazing, but what else would you expect from Amy, the threads are great and Jill and Peggy did a spectacular job stitching the samples. What fun they are going to be to stitch. Now all I have to do is find the time.

I just have the basket to do on Scarlett and then Rhett and her will be mailed off to Ruth for finishing. I do not know if I will see them for Easter since it is so late but one can hope.

Tomorrow I will be going for my MRI for my shoulder. I was supposed to have it done on Monday but with the snow I rescheduled. I will be one happy person when this is over.

Linda

Linda has decided that It's Spring

2011-02-20T16:49:00.004-05:00

And, therefore, the blog has been appropriately modified for the new season.

Let us just ignore the forecasted snow & wintry mix anticipated for my day off tomorrow. I decided to follow Linda's lead & get my car washed after the gym this morning. What a difference to be able to see out the side windows! That's as far as I'll go in optimistically anticipating better weather.

Linda, on the other hand, is happily decorating her home for Easter. The snow finally melted enough here (5 miles from Linda's house) last week for my husband to take down most of the Christmas decorations (there's still one decoration buried under a pile of snow that he can't get to). We did have a few more outside decorations up than Linda (despite his complaining endlessly about it, my husband loves how people comment about our Christmas lights), so I can let my husband off the hook about leaving them up until now. Linda took her wreath down the week after Christmas. I took mine down last Sunday--and only because it was dead.

Linda is busy working on Scarlett, when her shoulder allows. I am very nervous about her shoulder. I hope she gives it some rest during this week off from my Jake duty; we both love him to death, but he's a big boy, and carrying him around can't be good for her shoulder.

I have managed to finish another Christmas canvas. This is a Raymond Crawford canvas that was part of Fireside Stitchery's club last year; this was the first in the series. I was so excited to see how this turned out....I think it's very pretty and I am looking forward to the rest of these. Sequins & beads! Very different & elegant. I love the way the Frosty Rays looks like snow or fur on the ornament.

And I am now back to working on Positano. As you can see, I have the wall, the tree, the flowers on the tree all undone. I've decided this is coming to my office, as Positano is one of my favorite spots in Italy.

Cara & Mia felt they hadn't been adequately represented here on the blog & so I present them for your viewing. They are sisters, both Tonks, not Siamese. Cara is on the right, Mia on the left. They certainly are hoping Aunt Linda is right; this winter has been long enough!

Denise

UPDATE:

We got 7 inches of snow last night. So much for Spring.

Three Evenings

2011-02-15T23:34:00.003-05:00

Three evenings. That's all it took to do this canvas. I started it Saturday night; worked on it Sunday evening, had no time last night, & finished it up tonight. Cute, right?

Well, it is for me. For those of you who don't know, I am an estate planning attorney. I plan on making this into a pillow for one of my office chairs. Sometimes, my clients spend too much time & energy worrying how to get their estates to their children, instead of enjoying the fruits of their labors a little bit. I try to help them find a balance if I can. This canvas fits my personal philosophy, and, frankly, the reality I see regularly in the children left behind. Sad, sometimes, how it all ends up being about the money. I have no surviving parents, and sometimes I wish those children clutching for their parents' money could realize what it means to never be able to call your mom or dad again.

Ok, enough of that. I found this canvas in the sale bin at our LNS, Stitch by Stitch. I had wanted to stitch this up in either the new High Cotton or in the Vineyard Silk Merino wool. But I couldn't find the cotton in the two stores I went to, and the Vineyard Merino did not come in the right shades. This canvas was not actually these colors, but instead was in a brighter red & green. The burgundy color matches the colors of my office chairs--& there's no green in my office. Basically, I changed the whole color scheme, and the shape of the borders, too. In any event I had a fun time stitching up this canvas, which was on 13 mesh--no magnifier needed! I will drop this at our LNS on Saturday to send off for finishing.

I have a business meeting tomorrow night so no stitching will occur. I will be going back to the Christmas ornament I started last week, planning on finishing that up as quickly as I can. My threads for the Positano canvas came on Friday, so I will finish that up next.

Plans, plans plans.

Denise

Linda Is Not An Only Child

2011-02-05T11:31:00.008-05:00

Linda keeps reminding me that she is not an only child.

I present to you evidence that I exist, & I actually have been stitching.

I had wanted to finish the Sharon G Positano Door, which was the canvas that I did at Amy's last summer. Amy did a magnificent stitch guide, & that canvas was the second to last "large" canvas that I wanted to complete. I really wanted to get that posted up for you to see. Unfortunately, I ran out of two threads, and am waiting for them to come to me from Amy's. In the meanwhile, I jumped into my 2011 plan, which was to finish as many small pieces from my stash as I could.

So, I am presenting some of the canvases I've completed in the past two weeks.

Except for the last photo, these are all from the "Teeny Ornaments" club from Fireside Stitchery. I loved working on these, as they came with stitch guides, threads, beads & any other embellishments. Because they were so small, they generally worked up in a night or two. What instant gratification, especially since I've come off a year of canvases that generally have taken months to finish. I really enjoyed this club; it was reasonably priced & just made me happy. These ornaments do look adorable on my needlepoint tree.

The top canvas, still shown on bars, is almost done; I have about another 45 minutes of work left, but I think if I didn't post something soon I was going to be disowned by my Stitching Sister. I worked for the first time with DMC's memory wire on this canvas; it was used for the pom pom. What an innovative idea! You just coiled up the memory wire & couched it down with three different threads that you had used elsewhere on the canvas, & it looks like a pom pom.

The last canvas is something I grabbed for Ashley when Linda & I took a ride to Gone Stitching in New Jersey this summer. It's a pony tail holder. It's the first time I've worked a canvas "in hand" in years. This was also fun to do & putting it together to be used right away is even more fun than sending stuff in to the finisher!

I actually have a few more photos to show you, but I will save them for another post. Since there are no blizzards predicted for tomorrow, Linda & I are planning on going to the Super Bowl party at Edwardian Needle. My husband is confused by my attendance at a Super Bowl party where there will be no TV & I will be home before kickoff.

Men. What do they understand?

Denise

Dev L Mann and Surprises

2011-02-04T20:46:00.002-05:00

Today I received my monthly and last Character for the Halloweenies along with some wonderful surprises. I had ordered a few new items that were at the TNNA show from Amy and did not know what if any would be in this box. I was thrilled that I received the three books I ordered along with the & More XOXO canvas and stitch guide by Julia Snyder. I also ordered the new hand lotion that was in Amy's newsletter. I just tried it and was very happy with it. I might order another one to keep in my sewing bag. I have a few more things coming and will be surprised every time the UPS man arrives since I do not know what will be in the box.
I have not had time to look through my new books yet but will tell you about them when I do.

It is hard to believe that a whole year has gone by since the first Halloweenie arrived. Each canvas that Amy did was more spectacular then the other. How one person can have so much talent is just mind blowing. I will be anxiously waiting for the first lesson of the Creche for the Nativity to arrive in April. In the meantime, I will try to catch up on the Halloweenies.

Linda

Progress on Scarlett and Stash Enhancement

2011-01-30T19:24:00.003-05:00

Progress on Scarlett is slow but steady. I have not had a lot of time to stitch but try to stitch at least for an hour a night. What I have done this week is finish up the grass and Scarlett's skirt.

My shoulder is slightly better. I have to go for an MRI to see if I have a tear in my rotator cuff. I hope to be able to go to physical therapy to see if it helps. My right arm is very weak and hopefully it will help strength it.

Yesterday Denise and I went to our LNS. They had gotten in some new canvases, and of course I had to look. I bought three ornaments, one Melissa Shirley and two Kelly Clark. I have absolutely no idea where in my line up they will be going but they were just too pretty to let go. I really have to make a better plan for stitching. Having Jake really limits my time stitching and now my shoulder is not helping. I think that I might try working on something small like an ornament while he is playing. I do not know if it will work, since Jake is very curious about everything that goes on around him, but I will try.

My goal is to have Scarlett finished and mailed to Ruth for finishing by the middle of February.

Hope I can meet this deadline. Denise is really knocking out her little Christmas ornaments. I asked her to post pictures of them and hopefully she will soon.

Linda

Progress On Scarlett

2011-01-23T16:43:00.002-05:00

Scarlett is progressing slowly. I am having a lot of trouble with my shoulder on my right arm and have not been able to stitch for any length of time. Going to the doctor on Tuesday and hope to have this problem taken care of. I have done Scarlett's hat, face, part of her left sleeve, stockings, shoes and part of the grass. I found that if I work on the lower part of the canvas my shoulder does not bother me as much. I have to put in all the embellishments on her hat but am going to wait until the stitching is done. Hopefully, I will be able to get more accomplished this week on her so I can go back to the Halloweenies before the Creche arrives.

Linda

Mangia

2011-01-12T17:02:00.004-05:00

I thought you would like to see how much Jake enjoys his food. He has decided that he does not like you to feed him any more. He wants to feed himself. Needless to say pasta and meatballs was not a good choice for him to feed himself. We had to change his clothes and even wash his hair when he was done. At least he looked like he enjoyed it.

I put the handle on the basket so it is completely done. I am working on Scarlett and if I like her basket better Rhett's will be coming out and redone. If Scarlett's is no better then I will just ask the finisher to have things drape over the basket to hide its imperfections.

Last night I went on Kelly Clark's website to see if it was updated. It was and what wonderful new canvases she has. I love the tassels, the Halloween apples and the bats. Wish I had more time to stitch.

Linda

Progress on Rhett

2011-01-09T14:31:00.002-05:00

I just finished the basket on Rhett and am undecided if I should take it out. If I do not take out the basket I only have the handle left to do. If anyone else is working on this canvas I would recommend not to put the pants legs in until the basket is done. You keep catching the neon rays with the needle when weaving the basket. Now I feel that I also have to replace the purple neon rays on the left side.

I love the background with the carrots. Rhett was a fun easy stitch. The basket itself was not hard to do. However, I did find the wire difficult to work with. Rhett will wait for Scarlett to be done and then the two of them will be sent down to Ruth, Bedecked and Beadazzled, for finishing. Their baskets will be filled with all sorts of goodies that only Ruth can imagine.

I just checked out the Needleworks and Needlepoint Study Hall blogs and there are so many wonderful new canvases coming out. Kelly Clark's Noah's Ark it just spectacular and the Melissa Shirley's pears finished as topiaries are magnificent. So many new canvases calling my name. If only I had the time to do them all.

Linda

Jake's Music Box Back From Finisher

2010-12-21T20:22:00.005-05:00

Jake's music box came back just in time for Christmas. I am so pleased with the finishing.

I hope Jake likes it. This is a Princess and Me canvas and is supposed to be finished as an ornament but I wanted it as a stand-up and then decided to make it into a music box. I know the perfect spot in Jake's room for it (providing his mother approves).

I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Thank you for coming to visit us and for all your comments. I am especially thankful for the friends I have made through my stitching and the blog. I have been blessed to have been able to take classes from the most gifted and talented teachers - Amy Bunger, Tony Mineri and Ruth Schmuff. I look forward to all my upcoming classes with Amy, Tony and Ruth. I hope you get everything you wish for this Holiday Season. I have been blessed with the best present this year, Jake. He brings such joy into our lives. I can be having a bad day and he just brings a smile to my face and makes me remember what is really important. The only gift I want is more stitching time. I have so many wonderful projects that I want to work on and just wish for more time to stitch them.

Linda

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2010-12-18T23:53:00.005-05:00

Hello. I am the other Stitching Sister. You may recall having heard from me from time to time.

This is indeed the most wonderful time of the year. I love Christmas, it has always been my most favorite holiday.

Tonight my family and Linda's family shared our Christmas party. We had dinner together, I got to spend some time with my Godson (see him above, chasing after another Christmas present).

I have, like everyone else, I am sure, been terribly busy, what with work (out of control), getting ready for Christmas, and the usual mania of life. So I once again apologize for being incommunicado. I provide above what I am stitching, another lovely Sharon G canvas, the Positano door, one of my many Sharon G favorites. I adore Positano, so this is just a pretty canvas bringing back lots of fun teenage memories of Amalfi coast adventures in the summer sun.

This canvas, like the Ponza door canvase before it, has plenty of french & colonial knots. I may not want to do any knots for a while after this.

Best wishes to all of my cyber-stitching friends, for a wonderful merry, love filled Christmas.

Denise

Jake's Stocking Canvas Arrived

2010-12-09T19:24:00.002-05:00

I ordered this perfect stocking for Jake from The Needle Works in Austin, Texas. They are having a 40% off sale on all in stock canvases. I could not resist a sale like this. After Jake's experience at the Train Show, we decided that this was the perfect canvas for him. When it arrived on Tuesday and I took it out of the box, Jake got all excited. I will be mailing it off to Amy's for Robin to do a stitch guide for it.

Things have been very busy between taking care of Jake and getting ready for the holidays. I just have to put the decorations on the tree and I am all done with the decorating. Shopping is another matter. Planning on hitting the stores when they open on Saturday and hopefully will get it all done. Jake has been done for awhile. He was easy. Did most of his shopping online.

Work on Rhett is coming along slowly. I have not been able to sit down until around 9 at night and am exhausted so not a lot of stitching is happening. Would love to have him done within the next two weeks.

Linda

Christmas Frame, Mini Stocking and Rhett

2010-12-02T19:32:00.003-05:00

I finally got a pretty good picture of Jake to put in the Christmas Frame from Ruth Schmuff. The frame is a Raymond Crawford canvas and was a Mystery Class given last year by Ruth Schmuff. I am so happy with the way this frame came out and could not wait to put it out. with a picture of Jake. Jake likes it too. Jake just loves looking at himself.

Jake's Mini Stocking came back from the finishers and I picked it up today. It already went home with Jen and Jake so she can hang it up for Jake. Hopefully next year there will be a bigger stocking to hang. The Needle Works in Austin Texas is having a 40% off sale on painted canvases. I purchased a Strictly Christmas stocking from them. The stocking is perfect for Jake. It is a Christmas tree with trains going around it (like garland). After his trip to the Train Show, we felt he should have a train stocking. I will be sending the canvas to Amy's for stitch guide and threads. Robin will do the stitch guide. Will post a picture of the stocking when I get it from Needle Works.

I know it is not even Christmas yet and I am stitching for Easter. Unfortunately, the deadlines for finishing forces us to get things done months ahead to guarantee having your finished piece back in time. Rhett is a Needle Deeva canvas and the stitch guide is by Debbie Bowers of Needle Orts in Altamonte Springs, Flordia. This is really a fun piece to stitch. Debbie's stitch guide is easy to follow and clear. She is using a wonderful selection of threads and embellishments and the stitches are really making the piece come to life. I think Rhett has the most handsome face.

Well off to do my bookkeeping work for my husband and then hopefully some stitching.

Linda

How did this get here?!?

2010-11-30T21:21:00.001-05:00

The video speaks for itself......

Jake's visit to the Bronx Botanical Gardens to the Train Show this past Saturday.

Denise