Tagged again!

I have been tagged with the Fabby Award from Barb at Stitching Again . I had never read her blog, so now I have another wonderful place to read about stitching! I Have to list 5 of my addictions and then pass this award on to 5 other bloggers. So here, in no particular order:

1. Samplers...I love them. If I am not stitching them, I am reading about them or dreaming of the ones i`d love to stitch.
2. Coffee...I am an addict, I freely admit it! I have an espresso maker, a drip machine, and a french press. I don`t ever drink instant...I buy whole beans and grind them myself. I love coffee cream chocolates...coffee ice cream...chocolate covered coffee beans...coffee granola bars...well, you get the picture!
3. The internet...I love bulletin boards...I belong to several Highlander fans BBs, as well as a lot of stitching boards. I even met my fiancee on line. Which brings me to....
4. My SO...I met him on-line, and hope to be back in Colorado this year for good. He is a wonderful, kind, sweet caring gentle man. This may sound trite, but he is truly my soul-mate.
5. Jewelery and gemstones. I love the history of them, and of course the sparkle. I collect them...one of my favorite stones is peridot. It is also my birthstone.
   I am passing the award to:

• Sharon B`s Pin Tangle
• Catherine Noon`s Knoontime Knitting
• Staci at Snippets and Stash
• Gio at Giovanna Stitches
• Alison at The Crafty Squirrel
  
  
  I tried to give the award to blogs that haven`t received it yet, but if you have, you now have it twice! *grin*
  
  
  I am still debating about the Sharon Cohen sampler kit. If I get it in the US, it is $52....here in Canada it is $76.45 because of the difference in the dollar. But if it is in the US at my fiancees house, I won`t get to see it for months! (I have no illusions I will start it anytime soon) I have started a new job, but don`t want to count my chickens before they are hatched. The big problem is, attendance is mandatory...miss three classes and you are gone. Travelling this time of year is tricky, at best. Our road isn`t cleared from the last storm, and it`s snowing again...So no grocery shopping today. This weather really stinks!
  
  Well, I have to get to work around here, so I can stitch tomorrow (hopefully)
  
  Keep stitching ladies!

Additional note on yesterdays post...

The kit for the Sharon Cohen sampler is available from Traditional Stitches (no affiliation, except for me being their satisfied customer). The kit contains 32ct Summer Khaki linen and The Gentle Art Sampler Threads. You can also have the two issues of Just CrossStitch that the pattern is in added to your order. I am soooo tempted. This is one of the most beautiful samplers I have seen in years. I start a new job on Monday, so I suppose I could afford it. Hmm....

Just CrossStitch...Just Gorgeous!

This is the new issue of Just CrossStitch. In fact, it is so new, I couldn`t find a pic of it on line, so please excuse the blurry photo...shiny covers are hard to capture accurately. I just could NOT resist this issue...Sharon Cohen has part I of a beautiful band sampler in this issue. The colours are spectacular, and there are lots of specialty stitches. It is stitched in colours from The Gentle Art Sampler Threads, with D.M.C substitutions listed. I LOVE it. I won`t be starting it anytime soon, but I can oogle it. Here it is in all it`s glory!

On the personal front, I got a new job working at a call center. There will be 5 weeks training, then I will be working 10 hour night shifts. It sounds rough, but I chose those hours so I could have three days a week off...so I will still have stitching time!!!

Sampler Update

I have been working on my sampler again...I felt in need of colour to brighten the dreary days here by the bay. I have sort of mastered the needle weaving in the chain stitches leaves, and done some passable chain stitch. I picked out some areas where I finished my threads on the back and re-wove them more neatly. I may remove the cream satin stitches at the top of the sampler...the night I put those in I must have been having a brain lapse or something...I didn`t start and end my stitches neatly at all, instead, I ran the ends under the pink crosses outlining them. I don`t think I am going to frame this one, i`m going to hemstitch it,make a bag for it, (instructions are included with the pattern) and roll it up in the embroidered bag. I want to be proud of the back if someone flips it over, instead of hoping they don`t and cringing if they do.

Next up are sections of hemstitching and weaving...one problem though. I don`t have my linen thread with me. I don`t have floss in the right colour to substitute, and I also don`t have beeswax. I considered pulling threads from the sides of the sampler material, but without beeswax, those kind of linen threads are not really strong enough for stitching (i`ve done that before). There isn`t a needlework store closer than an hour away on icy roads, so i`ll have to see what I can scare up on-line. Until then I guess i`ll just run a line of basting where the cut areas should be and start on the other rows...satin stitching mostly.

Keep stitching ladies!

Sampler Stitches

These are the satin stitches on my version of 17th Century Style Band Sampler that I subbed for the buttonhole variation that was giving me fits...I will have to try the buttonhole variation on a scrap at some point and try to figure out what I was doing wrong, but I think this looks fine on this sampler. I also gave the chain stitches another try...it called for them in an earlier band, but mine didn`t look neat enough, so I used something else...four-sided stitch I think. I have changed so many bands I can`t remember now.

This is interlacing done on chain stitch outline...where you see the diagonal dotted line of floss is where I wove to start my thread, which will be hidden by the lacing...to finish the thread I took the needle to the back and wove it again, filling in the gaps in the diagonal line. I am trying to find ways to end threads that are as neat as possible.

This is what the leaves look like with the needleweaving finished. The one on the right could be neater, but it looks worse in the pic than it does in real life. I may redo that leaf...

This is another shot of the needle weaving in progress, along with some blanket stitch.





I added these satin stitched hearts to fill in the end of the row...I think there is room for another one...or maybe a cross. Hmmmm...




This is a variation of a Rhodes Stitch I substituted for satin stitches...I love the raised texture it adds! I will show a progress pic of the whole sampler in my next post.

Moms Post...

My mom, in her lifetime, has sewn clothes for her three children, including hand smocked dresses for me that, unfortunately, I only have pics of, made my sisters wedding dress, outfitted all the bridesmaids and flower girl (me), knit more sweaters, mittens, hats, scarfs and socks than I can count....made baby clothes, knit dolls and stuffed toys, crocheted afghans, pillows, baby blankets...well, you get the picture. If it could be made on the sewing machine or with yarn, she has likely done it. She is crocheting squares for an afghan as I write this. She loves making up her own patterns, and I have seen her look at something and say "I can make one of those, I don`t need a pattern" and she did it every time!

She taught me to crochet, and while I have done some with yarn, I prefer crochet cotton. I don`t crochet much, mostly when I need a ruffle to go around a cross-stitched pillow. But I think I got my creativity from her, and my love of colour.

She has no idea how to use a computer, however, so I am posting this for her. These are some of her latest creations...they are toilet tissue covers. I think they are really adorable...there is just something about those poodle faces!

Needlework stand follow up

Awhile ago I told you I bought a floor stand to hold my scroll bars. I set it up yesterday, and put my 17th century style band sampler on it. The frame is lovely, easy to use and sturdy, but I need my magnifier lamp in order to use it. I just now found it, after looking all day. Since I am still at my moms, all my stuff is packed in boxes...and boxes....and more boxes.



I hate getting old. From the time I hit 41, my eyesight, which was never great to begin with, has gotten worse. I was always far-sighted and wore glasses, (they were really thick before thin ground lenses became available) but now I can`t see close with my glasses on, or far away with them off. I got a spare pair of glasses to wear with bi-focal strength lenses for stitching, but they don`t work well. The best way I can see to stitch is with no glasses holding my work really close, but that is hard on my eyes. I am going to give it a try stitching with the magnifier and floor stand. It is going to be difficult to get everything arranged with all the clamps, cords, and wooden arms in the way. Wish me luck!

Buttonhole Blues...

So, I picked up my 17th Century Style sampler again, needing a break from the multiple color changes of greys and browns of the wolves, and remembered why I laid it aside in the first place. Buttonhole stitch. Usually I don`t mind it at all...once you get a rhythm going, it is fun and goes quickly, but this was a buttonhole variation. Unfortunately, I didn`t think to get a pic of what I had done before I cut it out, but i`ll try to describe the problem.

The stitch is done over 2, 3, 4, 5, then six threads, then you reverse the order and repeat the sequence, with the 'looped' end of the stitch forming a wavy edge. No matter how hard I tried, I could not get the threads to lie smooth. Instead of the thread lying in nice straight lines, it always had a bit of a curve. I ripped and stitched it several times, and no matter how I adjusted my tension, it just looked messy. If you look closely at the pics that came with the pattern theirs also looks messy...the threads have the same curve, although mine was a little more pronounced.

So now I am staring at the sampler and wondering if I should try the buttonhole again, or just substitute a row of satin stitches in the same wavy pattern. I think i`ll go with the satin stitches. If something is wrong on my stitching, it seems to mock me every time I look at it, so I am thinking neat smooth satin stitches are the way to go. I will update with pics soon...keep stitching ladies!

Same book, different cover...

I bought the first book below after having borrowed it from the library. I then ordered some more books, among them the second book below. I was dissapointed to discover they are the same book! One published in England, the other in North America, different covers but word for word the same. Very annoying.

Wolves Update

I figured it was time to update my wolves. It seems to be going slow, but I am enjoying it. I am getting the itch to stitch a sampler though....I may go back to working on 17th century style sampler soon...maybe after this wolf is done. It is number three of five. The background should go more quickly as it isn`t full crosses for the most part, it is half stitches. We will see, I guess.