Rolly Linen

I stitch in hand so the top of my fabric gets rolled up, the bottom too if it's long enough. This is not usually a problem on cotton, the roll lines fall out easily! Linen is a different beast. It trains itself into the roll and is stubborn about unrolling for photographs!

See how I'm holding it open with my needleminder and scissors? And all the fold lines? Such tenacity! 

If I let it go it rolls right up tight. Handy for stitching but obnoxious for photos!

I've made great progress on this ginormous pumpkin...my sister talking me into watching Breaking Bad and this fill-in is perfect for TV watching.

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Progress and Plans

Frightfully fun is coming along nicely. I am really enjoying stitching this! Here is a photo from Sunday...I did get more done at my Dad's house yesterday. I'm too lazy to take another snap.

I'm changing the design up a little, (a lot?) what else is new? Lately, it seems I'm always changing something! I'm leaving out the wording altogether, just continuing the pumpkin seams and filling it in. Easy, mindless fill-in which I find very relaxing. My Zen. Ahhh!

Since I am having such fun with these hand dyed cotton threads, I decided I might as well stitch another project with them. The design I have in mind is charted in DMC so I color matched to some Gentle Arts threads. No, I didn't mention which design this is for, did I? Guesses? Lots of purple thread there!

Then, I needed to dye a bit of fabric for it so I cut a 13-inch length of some 32 count Lugana and did some tea staining. I'm not sure if I want this darker yet so I'm mulling...

I also started working on a DMC conversion for Brenda Gervais' Summer Schoolhouse series. Why would I convert a DMC into hand dyed then turn around and convert a hand dyed into DMC? Cost! Goodness, I got lucky and already owned most of the colors for the project above but I only have one of the called for colors in this project. Either I spend nearly $40 or convert and since I already spent a lot on the 4 patterns, I, maybe, ought to be frugal somewhere, right?

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

New Stash and Old Stash

I went and spent a good bit of my piggy bank savings money on some fat quarters, a bit of Christmas yardage, clearance buttons and a roll of patriotic trim.

I was frugal and still have money left over though!

Nothing was tickling my fancy in the cross stitch pile that's labeled "want to stitch" so I dug through my stash and unearthed this great Trilogy kit called Frightfully Fun. It comes with fabric, a 32 count Natural Belfast Linen, Week's threads, and JABCO button. I seldom stitch with overdyed threads so I'm having fun with the changeup. 

The Dresden blocks are now sewn together and waiting for borders to be created.

Lastly, Miss Molly hasn't been featured in a while. We've been spending a lot of time with the undercoat rake, covering the neighborhood in dog hair. Adorably gap-toothed.

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Chicken

My Stacy Nash Primitives is finished! Can you call this Netty's Sampler Pinkeep when I changed so much?

I could live with the missing "J" but the OCD in me HAD to finish the alphabet. Thankfully the design lent itself to the intuitive charting of the missing letters. Since I didn't stitch Netty's name I didn't use her initials or date. Now, I've chickened out at trying my hand at finishing the drum! I can do it...I know it. I must first complete it in my imagination several times before I can make an attempt. Does that make sense?

Because I'm playing chicken, I cleaned up the studio and brought out another unfinished project. Surprise! It's the Dresden Plate quilt!

The blocks are all ready to be sewn together. Gosh, these are giant blocks! Once I have the body together, I can figure out a border. If it needs a border?  See? This is why it's sat unfinished...

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Totally Useless Friday the 13th

 What a lucky day to have the New Moon fall on! It's time for your Totally Useless Stitch A Long updates! My ORTs continue to grow:

I was quite excited to get to this little border. Not sure why it just looked like lots of fun to stitch.  Three stitches down, one stitch up and repeat. Very relaxing stitching this project.

Just finishing ORTs in my wood leaf bowl, no quilting ORT at all. That's okay. I have plans!

=^..^=

Now it is YOUR turn...we want to see your ORTs! Leave a comment on this post with a link to your July TUSAL post so we can come to visit! If I hold a Totally Useless giveaway your comment will earn you an extra entry.

Wondering what a TUSAL is and why all these people are posting pictures of rubbish? Click here to learn more and join the fun!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Piggy Bank Challenge

Val reminded me it was time to count our Piggy Bank Challenge savings. My jar wasn't nearly as full as it was last time. I was working then and was out spending money more often! At least I remembered to take a picture before I emptied it this time:

My jar sits on top of my embroidery floss cabinet where I can see it every day. Once I emptied it, I took the change to our credit union and they gave me dollars for it:

Grand total was :

$145.74

two Canadian dimes

one car wash token

The teller that cashed me out kindly donated a penny to round me up to 75 cents...which is now back in the jar for next year.

Wow, I have $145 to spend on my hobbies! I'm going to buy fabric! You can join in for next year! Val will be posting a sign up today on her blog: Val's Quilting Studio. 

How much could you save?

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

ABC's

I made a bit of progress on the Stacy Nash Primitives Netty's Sampler at my Dad's house yesterday. He had a doctors' appointment for mom on Monday so I went on Tuesday instead. Dad and I had a laugh when I noticed Netty dropped the "J" on her sampler and then ends the whole alphabet with the "V." 

I got these templates the other day. It did not occur to me to take a picture of them before peeling off their backing paper. I've never done curved piecing but I'm eager to try. 

These templates make the blocks for Winding Ways quilts. I fell in love with the illusion circles created with this block. Oh, so much fun! 

I have a couple of quilting projects ahead of this, of course! I don't want too many things left half finished...

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

This, That, and the Other

When I bought that basket to display smalls in, I happened to check Hobby Lobby's embroidery floss to see if they had the newly published DMC colors. They did! I've been checking every place I go that sells floss and it's finally happening here.

I got them bagged up as soon as I got home. If you are new here, I have a detailed post about how I store my floss here - Embroidery Floss. The Bagged floss gets stored in my Cabinet.

I finished this Milady's Needle Partridge in a Pear Tree design from the 2012 JCS Ornament issue. Waiting now to be finished.

I also finished USA Squared by Lizzy Kate. Just needs finishing. I've stitched this one once before but I RAK'ed it to Karen.

I was going to "new start" another Bent Creek design, Happy Flag Flag Day but when I got out the chart I thought it looked too familiar and a quick search of my blog revealed I had already stitched it. So I had to go dig the finish out of storage in the basement and add it to my patriotic basket. Are ya'll sick of seeing this basket yet?

So, for my new start, I needed a change of pace and chose this Stacy Nash Primitives Netty's Sampler Pinkeep Drum. A very small start so far!

Okay, so how many of you have gone to start a new project only to realize you've already stitched it, finished it and forgot about it?  I hope I'm not alone here...

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Red and Blue

I was able to finish two more patriotic pillows for my basket. One in red:

Design ~ Celebrate Freedom

Designer ~ Bent Creek

Fabric ~ 32 count tea dyed Lugana

Fiber ~ DMC

The second in blue.

Design ~ Wave

Designer ~ Bent Creek

Fabric ~ 32 count tea dyed Lugana

Fiber ~ DMC

Funny, but I stitched both of these in 2013 and wrote about them both on this post. Now I'm finish-finishing them and posting both again on the same post. Weird, huh?

I found a bigger basket...with room to grow! 

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Patriotic Passion

I've made a good start on my patriotic basket but I'm going to need to find a bigger basket...I still have pieces to finish and others I want to stitch! I have two more finishes to share today.

These were such fun to finish! Both pieces have been waiting for years in the finishing pile, it's about time for them to shine!

Design ~ 4th of July
Designer ~ Lizzie*Kate
Fabric ~ 28 count tea-dyed Lugana
Fiber ~ DMC

That one was started in 2013 and had been waiting for finishing since 2014!

Design ~ Tin Pin USA

Designer ~ Twisted Threads

Fabric ~ 28 count Monaco

Fiber ~ DMC

I can't find where I posted about this one if I ever did. I know I stitched this once before in 2008 for a Fair and Square exchange. I enjoyed adding beads along the edge.

I poked all my patriotic pieces into a basket. The tuck pillow in the front is bugging me, looking sloppy. I may need to rehab the finishing on it before it makes me crazy. Tucks are cute but inexact. I'm a sucker for perfection...

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox