Brenda's Stitching

March Cottage, A Finish and a Giveaway

2012-02-05T15:21:00.000-06:00

I hope you are all enjoying this wonderful Sunday. I've been doing a lot of stitching and organizaing of my stash:)) All in all a GREAT day.

This past week I finished Morning Star by Blackbird Designs. This is for a class I'm taking Friday night at Inspired Needle.

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March cottage arrived in my mailbox this week so I got started right away. I just LOVE the way the colors POP on this 32ct Amber linen.

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I've been organizing my charts and I found some duplicates:) (LOL) So I thought I would have a little giveway and give you all a chance to own these beauties. Since I bought two of each of them I must have really liked them:)) All you have to do is comment on this post only and I will pick a winner and announce it next Sunday.

Enjoy your week and if you are a football fan enjoy this last football game of the 2011/2012 season. I may live in Chicago Bear country but I also cheer on the Patriots! Go Pats!!!

Thanks for visting today and as always thank you for your comments.

BrendaS

My Second Finish of 2012

2012-01-29T11:15:00.000-06:00

Hello Stitching Friends --
I have my second finish of 2012 to share with you today. It's Quaker Garden by Blackbird Designs. I saw Ranae's all framed up in December and just loved it so I pulled it out of my stash and quickly got to it. I so enjoyed every stitch of this piece and can't wait to have it hanging on my walls. It looks washed out in this picture but it's really a very pretty pale green color (sorry for the wrinkles)

Quaker Garden

Blackbird Designs

40 ct Vintage Pear

Recommended Threads - GA and WDW

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Yesterday I started this little beauty. I am hoping to take a class on February 10th at Inspired Needle to finish this into a box. I'm stitching mine on 40ct Bisque with the recommended overdyed threads.

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I'm also still working away on Elizabeth Hancock and LOVING her! The border is pretty labor intensive but it will be a beautiful finish when complete.

Elizabeth Hancock

Little House Needleworks

40ct Meadow Rue w/Belle Soie

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I hope you are all having a great weekend and that you are enjoying the things you like to do. I will leave you with a picture of my sweet Fiona taken after last week's snow storm. Poor baby is looking to come in and warm up:))) Both of my scottie's love to play out in the snow and then come in and power nap on the sofa!

As always, thanks for all your encouraging comments. They truly make my day:)

Until next time ----

BrendaS

P.S. After I rearranged my stitching room last year I received several e-mails asking for updated pictures so today I updated the Slideshow for anyone interested.

Framing, A Finish and some WIP

2012-01-15T11:15:00.000-06:00

Good Morning Stitching Buddies --
It has been a busy week both at work and stitching wise, so rather than bore you with work stuff (taxes, etc) I will share the good stitchy stuff:) I have my 2nd finish of 2012 (WOO HOO) Here she is:

Rosey

Little House Needleworks

32ct Buttercream Lakeside

Recommended DMC/GA/WDW threads

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Yesterday afternoon I went to Welcome Stitchery to pick up two pieces of framing:

Poinsettia House

Little House Needleworks

Frame by Crescent Colors

and my FAVORITE:

Sarah Street

Little House Needleworks

It's hard to tell from the picture but the frame has a brown/black mottled look throughout and just looks great with this sampler. I came right home and hung this baby up:))

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Last night I decided to stitch on something new that I've been itching to start since I first got the chart and fibers -- Elizabeth Hancock by LHN. I am using the recommended Belle Soie threads on 40ct Meadow Rue. I just love this design and the threads are like heaven.

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Lest you think I abandoned Quaker Garden here is my progress. I'm still loving this one too.

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I'm always obsessed with stitching but there are times when the projects I'm working on are just so much fun to do that I can hardly wait to work on them. That's how I feel with both of these designs and I hope that feeling continues to the finish line:))

Thank you for visiting with me today. I always enjoy it when you stop by for a visit. Have a great week and find time to do the things you love.

BrendaS

February Cottage

2012-01-08T09:26:00.000-06:00

Hello Friends --
What a busy week this has been at work. I was so glad for the weekend to finally roll around and it was even a short week! I hope everyone had a great New Year's and that you were able to get a nice start on all your new projects for 2012:)

I finished the February cottage over the long New Year's weekend and did the sewing on it yesterday. I was so excited to find the perfect matching ric-rac at Joann's.

February Cottage

Country Cottage Needleworks

32 ct Amber w/recommended threads

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I didn't start anything new on New Year's Day but continued to work on a couple of projects that I would like to finish up soon.

Rosey Posey

Little House Needleworks

32 ct Lakeside Buttercream

Recommended Threads

Quaker Garden

Blackbird Designs

40ct Vintage Pear

Recommended threads

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As I mentioned this past week has been crazy busy at work and if it's any indication of what tax season is going to be like I don't know if I'm up for it just yet. Well after one of those awful days on Thursday I came home and in the mail with this beautiful pincushion from BeckySC. A wonderful RAK from the very generous Becky which just made my day WONDERFUL! Thank you again so much Becky:)))

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Yesterday my two squirrel hunting Scottie's finally caught a squirrel! They were so excited but the squirrel was NOT and bit my little Fiona. Off to the vet we went to make sure she was OK, which she was but they sent us home with some antibiotics as a precaution. Bailee and Fiona didn't learn their lesson because this morning they were back out in the yard barking and chasing those critters away! Just so you know the little squirrel that they caught was fine -- very scared but he got away unharmed.

Thanks as always for your wonderful comments. They always make my day brighter:)

Until next time.

BrendaS

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T13:34:00.001-06:00

I hope everyone had a very nice Christmas and that you are enjoying this long holiday weekend. We had a very nice Christmas and now I’m looking forward to a nice long New Year’s weekend filled with lots of stitching and football:)))) I did some finishing this morning and have a couple of things to show you:

January Cottage

Country Cottage Needleworks

32 ct Amber Linen with recommended threads

This was my first time sewing with ric-rac and I’m very pleased with how it came out. Not perfect, but good enough for a first timer (LOL) My goal is to stitch all the cottages separately and finish them as pillows to be displayed in a large wooden bowl. Big plans so check with me a year from now to see how I did………….

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I also finished this punch needle piece

Wool Farm

With Thy Needle and Thread

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What are you stitching plans for 2012? Are you participating in any Crazy Challenges? I hope to stitch more samplers starting with Elizabeth Hancock by Little House Needleworks. I received the chart and silks yesterday and OH MY they are GORGEOUS, I just need to decide on the linen.

Thank you for visiting my blog this past year and leaving so many wonderful encouraging comments. I can’t wait for 2012 and all the stitching adventures the new year will bring.

Until next time……

BrendaS

Some Finishes and a Wonderful Gift

2011-12-18T15:19:00.001-06:00

I hope you are all enjoying this last weekend before Christmas. Do you have all your shopping done, cookies baked and presents wrapped? We are slowly getting there and should be done before the end of the day:)

I have a couple of finishes to share. First is Poinsettia House by Little House Needleworks. This is the January’s Year of Smalls of 2012.

I also finished Sarah Street by Little House Needleworks.

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This past week I received the MOST wonderful package in the mail from dear BeckySC. She sent me TWO scissor frogs, a pair of Gingher Scissors and this beautiful stitched box. I was overwhelmed to say the least! THANK YOU so very much dear friend:)

Thanks for visiting with me and leaving me such wonderful comments.

I wish you all a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!

BrendaS

Some Finishes to Share

2011-12-11T10:09:00.001-06:00

Good Morning --

I hope everyone is having a good weekend. It was a VERY COLD Saturday in the Chicago area but today it’s supposed to be up near 40 which will be much better than yesterday’s high of 26! We haven’t really had any snow but I do hope we have a White Christmas:)

Yesterday I picked up a couple of finishes at Welcome Stitchery. This is a beautifully made Old Colonial Box with Drawn Thread’s Box of Stitches.

I also picked up Pear Tree by Little House Needleworks.

I haven’t had a lot of stitching time this past week so no finishes but I am getting very close on Sarah Street by LHN.

This afternoon I am going to Inspired Needle for the monthly stitching group. I can’t wait to see everyone and all the projects and stash they have accumulated in the last month! We always have so much fun stitching, shopping and laughing, although I usually don’t get much stitching done but always leave feeling very INSPIRED:)

Thanks for visiting and have a wonderful week! Only 2 weeks until Christmas!!!!

BrendaS

Works in Progress

2011-12-04T11:25:00.000-06:00

Hello --
I hope everyone is having a good weekend whether you are shopping, decorating, going to parties or finding time to stitch. Yesterday we decorated for Christmas which is always a trip down memory lane. My favorite part of the decorations is the tree. I tried to snap a couple of pictures but it's very hard to see all the handmade beaded ornaments and Santa's.

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I don't have any finishes to share but I do have a couple of projects in the works. First is Sarah Street by LHN. This was one I started earlier this year but never completed so a couple of weeks ago I was going through my unfinished drawer and saw this and pulled it out. I'm really enjoying working on it and hope to finish before the end of the year.

Sarah Street - Faithfulness

Little House Needlworks

32 Lakeside Buttercream

Recommended WDW, Crescent Colors and DMC

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I have also been working on Poinsettia House by LHN. Again a very enjoyable stitch and hopefully it will be finished before Christmas. I am planning on making it into a wall hanging.

Poinsettia House

Little House Needleworks

32 Vintage Exemplar

Converted to my own choice of DMC

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Have you see the new designs coming out by Blackbird and Little House Needleworks. I LOVE Elizabeth Hancock and Christmas Garden and can't wait to add them to my stash. They will be definite "must stitch" in 2012. Speaking of which, has anyone made any 2012 stitching goals yet? Any crazy challenges you are participating in? My plan is TRY and stitch more from my stash (LOL) and to do more samplers. I have a few kitted up and ready to go and one of which is Dorthy Walpole. After seeing Laurie's finish I knew I needed to add that to my stitching basket.

Thanks for visiting my corner of the world and for all the great comments:))

Have a wonderful week.

BrendaS

My First Exchange

2011-11-28T08:23:00.000-06:00

Hello Friends --

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend:)) I had a great time at home and then visiting with my brother and his family over the weekend. The icing on the cake was that MICHIGAN beat Ohio State. GO BLUE!!!:))))) It was a very exciting game!

I participated in my very first exchange over the last couple of months. I was very nervous since I had never done this before but my partner liked her piece and I just LOVE what she made for me. Here are a couple of pics of what I received

and the great extras:

If you go here you can see what I stitched and the extras I sent.

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I don't have any current stitching pics to show you. I am working on a couple of projects but no finishes yet. It's back to work today so it will be a busy week. This coming weekend we are getting our Christmas decorations out:)) My favorite part is the Christmas tree and I can't wait to get it all up and decorated.

Have a wonderful week and as always thank you for stopping by!

BrendaS

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T22:02:00.000-06:00

Hello Stitchy Friends --
I hope you are all getting ready to celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow with family and friends. We are just having a small dinner here tomorrow and then on Friday we are heading to St Louis to celebrate with my brother and his family!

I've been off work for the last couple of days and I've had lots of time to do some stitching and finishing. Here is some of what I've been up to. I did the finishing on this LHN ornament

Fa La La

Little House Needleworks

32 count Vintage Exampler

Recommended DMC and Crescent Colors

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Last weekend I did the stitching on these two Biscornaments by Victoria Sampler. I tackled the finishing today and boy let me tell you --these little buggers were very tedious. They measure less than 2" square and it was quite challenging to get them sewn together but I think in the end they came out pretty good:))

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Thanks for stopping by. I wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy the day and remember to count all your blessings -- big and small! Life is short and we need to enjoy each and every day to the fullest.

Have a good weekend.

BrendaS

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

2011-11-14T07:44:00.000-06:00

Hello Stitchy Friends ---
I hope you all had a fabulous weekend. I sure did! My youngest daughter came home to celebrate my husband's birthday and I was able to go to Inspired Needle on Sunday for stitching:)))

I finished the stitching on another ornament for Becky's Ornament Challenge:

Fa La La

Little House Needleworks

32 ct Vintage Exemplar

DMC

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Over the years I've stitched LOTS of ornaments for our Christmas tree. When my daughters were in high school they also stitched ornaments too. Well, our tree is very very full and there just isn't room for any more ornaments so my husband bought me this Spiral Metal Tree to hang up my new ornaments. I just love the way they hang on this tree and the fact you can see them from all angles. I ran out of hooks so I need to get some more so I can finish hanging all the BBD stockings.

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Yesterday morning I got out some of my Chritmas things to display in my stitching room. Here are a couple of snaps:

I had someone e-mail about wanting to see my Scottie's. Here is Fiona:

and Bailee:

Just a little side note about how much these fur babies mean to us. 2009 was a very bad year for our family, my husband lost his job of 20 years, our beloved 13 year old Lucy (our first Scottie) died and a month later my Mom died. By the end of July we needed something good in our lives. We found a wonderful Scottie breeder in Indiana (Shady Nook Scotties) and set about getting Fiona and Bailee. Bailee was born on 7/6 and Fiona was born on 7/8 (two different liters) my Mom died on 7/7. We just know that these pups were meant to come live with us and help us through our grieving. My Mom was a HUGE animal lover and this was just meant to be!!! Fiona and Bailee are lots of work but they bring us unconditional LOVE every single day:))))

Thanks for visiting and for all your wonderful comments.

Have a great week:))

BrendaS

Ornament Mode:)

2011-11-06T15:19:00.000-06:00

Hello Stitchy Friends --
Well I've been in ornament mode for the last few days. I am participating in Becky's ornament challenge and have completed two ornaments.

He's a Flake

Little House Needleworks

Recommended DMC and Crescent Colors

32 ct Gray Belfast

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Snowy Pines

Little House Needleworks

DMC

32 Count Waterlily Linen

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I also finished this little gem by Little House Needleworks -- Pear Tree. It doesn't count as part of the ornament challenge because I started it on 10/29/11 and I'm also going to have it framed. I saw this done at House of Stitches in LaPorte, Indiana and I just loved the way they framed it in a tortoise shell type molding

I've got some more ornaments kitted up and now I just need to decide which one to stitch next. Thanks again Becky for hosting this challenge:))

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great week and hope you get lots of ornaments stitched!

BrendaS

Merry Merry Be

2011-10-30T13:17:00.000-05:00

Hello Stitching Friends --
I'm feeling much better this week after last week's cold and general "tired" feeling! This past week I picked out some of the ornaments I want to stitch in Becky's Ornament Challenge:

I've really enjoyed stitching the LHN ornaments this year so I'm hoping to add a few more. I saw the thread and fibers for the Shepherds Bush ornaments and LOVE them and want to add those to this year's collection too. Let's see how much I actually accomplish (LOL:)))

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I'm getting in the Christmas spirit and stitched this Shepherds Bush pincushion which I filled with crushed walnut shells instead of fiberfill to give it some weight. I really like the way they finish the edges with the ribbon and beads.

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In addition to stitching the ornaments I have hopes of stitching this SB design -- Glad Tidings. It's not very large and I just love the little girl holding a flute (it's hard to see in the picture but take my word for it -- it's lovely)

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Thanks for all your wonderful comments last week about my exchange piece. What you couldn't see in the picture was the fact that I used some fabric glue to put on the ric-rac and let's just say it didn't dry clear on the black fabric. I did stitch and finish something else this week and once it's received I will post a picture. I'm VERY HAPPY with how the second project came out.

Again, thanks for visiting my corner of the world and for all your wonderful comments:))

Have a great week.

BrendaS

Sunday the 23rd

2011-10-23T13:47:00.000-05:00

Hello Stitching Friends --
I always have a hard time coming up with good post titles. Do you have that same problem? Today I kept it simple! Simple seems to be the name of the game this past week. I have been fighting a cold and just feel tired so not a lot of stitching.

Earlier this week I received a most lovely package from the very generous BeckySC. I had sent her some punch needle kits and this is what she sent me:

Is this not GORGEOUS? I absolutely LOVE it:))) Thank you again dear Becky. I will treasure it and your friendship always!

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Well, remember this Drawn Thread piece from last week? I finished it into my first ever pinkeep. I am very pleased with how it came out. What do you think?

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I wasn't so lucky with this Prairie Schooler ornament. This was to be for my first ever exchange but it didn't turn out as planned so I am moving on to Plan B (I need to get stitching!)

This afternoon I plan on taking a nap and then I need to kit up some ornaments so that I'm ready to go for Becky's Christmas ornament challenge which begins November 1. This should be lots of fun and I hope to make some new ornaments for my tree:))

Have a great week and find some time to do the things you love!

BrendaS

Tending the Pumpkins

2011-10-16T14:39:00.000-05:00

Hello Stitchy Friends --
I've been doing some punch needle recently and this is the results of my efforts:

Tending the Pumpkins

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I also finished the stitching on this Drawn Thread piece:

My Treasure Box

The Drawn Thread

I think I will finish this as a pinkeep. Not sure yet so stay tuned........

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Yesterday I got together with a few girls from the stitching group and we painted our boxes for Blackbird's Cast a Spell. Now I need to get stitching the little pincushions for inside the box:))) They are quite small so I should be able to finish them in no time, right? LOL!!!

Short and sweet this week. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. You know how much I appreciate you!:))

Have a great week and I hope you find time to do lots of stitching.

BrendaS

Retreat Fun and a little Stitching

2011-10-10T08:09:00.000-05:00

Hello Stitching Buddies --
I had such a good time at the Inspired Needle Retreat this past weekend in Shipshewana, Indiana. We shopped, laughed, started new projects and ate some great food. It was a GORGEOUS Fall weekend with all the leaves changing which was just the icing on the cake. I took my camera with me but didn't take one single picture! Can you believe that? I'm just not used to being the picture taker! I did take some pictures this morning of some gifts we received and some shopping that I did.

I got some wool, trim, fabric and scissors from Lolly's Fabrics. I also got a scoopful of assorted buttons but need to find a glass jar to display them in! Lolly's is a great quilt shop right in the heart of Amish Country and if you are a quilter you could go nuts in there!

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At the retreat we had a small exchange which I participated in. This was what I received from Ranae! Isn't it the best? The little button is from her grandmother's collection. I immediately came home and displayed it with my Fall display. THANK YOU so much again Ranae:))

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Ranae, who is so generous and thoughtful also went to an antique mall in Shipshewana and found a couple of scissor frogs and gifted me with one. This is my very first scissor frog ever! Is this not the sweetest and coolest thing? I just LOVE it!

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Cathy also gifted us with some items too. When we arrived we were all given these little mesh bags with stitcher's hand cream, a neat specs cleaner and a little scissor fob. Also not pictured were some glittered acorns and leaves which she and her sister made for everyone.

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On Saturday night while we were having dinner Cathy placed a little package at each of our stitching spots and this is what was in the bag. A hand made wooden tote box complete with a engraved thread palette and our initial engraved on the little hornbook. What a gorgeous and thoughtful gift to give everyone:)) Thank you so much Cathy!

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I did manage to get a little bit of stitching done. I worked on an exchange piece (no pic) and this Drawn Thread piece from a few years ago titled Treasure Box.

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I had so much fun with all the women who attended. We talked, laughed, shared projects, picked out new projects to start and just had a wonderful stitching weekend. I also got to meet Katrina who came all the way from Colorado! I can hardly wait until the next retreat in October 2012:))!!!!!

Well that's it for me this week. Thanks for stopping by and all the wonderful comments. You always make my day!

Have a great week....

BrendaS

Let the countdown begin!

2011-10-02T11:40:00.000-05:00

Hello Stitchy Friends --
This coming Friday is the Inspired Needle stitching retreat in Shipshewana, Indiana. We leave early Friday morning for 3 days of stitching heaven! I can hardly wait:))) Today I finished up my exchange small and am in the process of picking out new projects (because you have to take NEW stuff, don't you know?!:))

This past week I finished this little Drawn Thread scissor fob which matches the box top I finished last week.

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I also finished these two Halloween ornaments. These are by Lizzie Kate and I punched them a couple of years ago but never finished them. I plan on hanging them on my Halloween Tree

Well that's it for me this week. Thanks for stopping by and as always a BIG THANK YOU for the wonderful comments. They always encourage and inspire me!

Have a great week:))

BrendaS

Happy Fall Y'all!

2011-09-25T15:55:00.000-05:00

Hello Stitching Buddies -
This past week I stitched up this little box top by The Drawn Thread:

I thoroughly enjoyed stitching this piece with all the different stitches. It's only about 3 1/2" squared and I'm going to put it in an Old Colonial Box Top.

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This morning I rearranged my stitching room. What a lot of work to move stuff, clean and then rehang all my pictures:))) I really like the way it looks now! After I was done I wanted to try out my new sewing area so I pulled out this Blackbird Designs stocking and finished it up to add to my Halloween Tree.

I'm having a case of startiritis today too! I can't find anything I want to stitch -- Halloween, Christmas, another Drawn Thread Piece, Sampler or what???? Decisions, decisions. I hate it when this happens because I am wasting precious stitching time! I'm sure I can find something in my stash.....any suggestions?

Until next time, have a great week:)

Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment:)!

BrendaS

Some Fall Punch Needle

2011-09-18T12:19:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone is enjoying this last Sunday of Summer. It's rainy and cool here -- a perfect Sunday for stitching.

This morning I framed these two punch needle designs by With Thy Needle and Thread. I covered foam core board with hand-dyed wool and then mounted the punch needle on top. I'm very pleased with how these came out. The frames were 50% off at Hobby Lobby!!!

This afternoon I plan on stitching and watching football. I've got homemade potato soup in the crock-pot so dinner will be easy peasy:))

Have a great week and thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. I always appreciate each and every one:)))

BrendaS

A Very Special Sunday

2011-09-11T16:41:00.000-05:00

Hello Friends --
I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend and remembering all those who lost their lives one decade ago. It doesn't seem possible that our world changed forever 10 years ago.....

Today I went to Inspired Needle for the monthly stitching group and had a wonderful time:)) Iwas finally able to meet Ranae and her friend Anna, what lovely ladies! They will be coming to the Inspired Needle retreat in October too:)) Can't wait... I know we will all have a great time stitching, laughing, shopping and inspiring each other:))

Cathy had two framing orders for me to pick up. Here is Plum Street's Halloween Hornbook. I am so pleased with how this turned out:

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Up next is Mary's Best Handiwork by Withy Thy Needle.

A close up of the molding. I think it just goes perfectly.

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I also finished this LHN monthly ornament. I used white rick rack to trim the sides and red to make the hanger.

My brother and his family came Friday for a visit and my12 year old niece expressed a great interest in learning punch needle so it was fun to show her some basics and to get her started. She is very creative so I know she will have some wonderful things to show me when I see her again in November.

Well, that's about it for me today. Thanks for stopping by and for all the nice comments. They always make my day!

Have a great week.

BrendaS

Framing and Stash

2011-08-28T15:43:00.000-05:00

Hello --
This past week went by so fast! Friday we went to see my youngest daughter to help celebrate her birthday:)) On the way down we stopped at Inspired Needle. I dropped off my Halloween Hornbook for framing and picked up Red, White, Bloom.

Here is my Halloween Hornbook finish with the hornbook frame laying on top. I'm so pleased with how this turned out. It is really a very enjoyable stitch, especially with the Belle Soie threads. It's like stitching with butter.

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Here is Red, White & Bloom in all it's glory! I absolutely LOVE the red frame. Cathy did such a beautiful job with this.

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Of course, if you know me I can NEVER go into a cross stitch store without walking out with a bag of stash! Here is my haul from this week:

A Schoolgirl's Work is just wonderful and I need to spend some more time reading it and enjoying all the old samplers and decide which projects I want to do from the new designs. This book is beautifully done and worth every penny.

I also got Penny America by Tree of Life Samplings. I need to do this one right away, along with about 100 other projects that I want to do RIGHT NOW! Never enough hours in the day so I will just ENJOY what I do get done and dream about all I want to do when I retire!

Have a great week and thanks for stopping by my little corner of the world.

BrendaS

Happy Sunday

2011-08-21T13:00:00.000-05:00

Hello --
I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend and doing some fun stuff! I've had a great weekend with lots of time for stitching and finishing. My kind of weekend:))

Here are the results of my efforts:

Simple Joys by Shepherds Bush

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Little House Needleworks

2010 Ornament collection

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Little House Needleworks

2010 Ornament collection

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I also did some more work on the Halloween Hornbook. Here is my progress so far. I've laid the hornbook on top so you can get an idea of what it will look like finished. Hopefully I will be having a happy dance this week:))))

Thanks for stopping by and I wish you all a wonderful week filled with stitchy goodness!

Take care.

BrendaS

Halloween, Christmas and some Stash

2011-08-14T16:47:00.000-05:00

Hi --
Yesterday Jayne, Barb, Linda and I took a trip to House of Stitches in LaPorte, Indiana. They were hosting the annual stash sale where several stitchers sell some of their stash to make room for more (LOL). What a fun day we had, we all got some great deals and we managed to buy a few things from the shop as well:))) Here are some of my bargains:

These two charts by The Needles Prayse were patterns I was very excited to find:

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Of course, I got some stuff at the shop and here are my favorites. Barb got the Bargello Sampler too along with the fabric and thread and the colors are just scrumptious!

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This past week I finished another LHN ornament. I am planning on making it into a little pillow ornament in the next couple of days.

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I've also been working on Plum Street Samplers Halloween Hornbook. I got the Hornbook when I was in Tulsa and I can't wait to see how it looks all finished up. This is stitched with Belle Soie on 36 ct Flax (1 over 2)

Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the world. I so appreciate all the wonderful comments you leave, they always make my day!

Have a great week.

BrendaS

Christmas in August

2011-08-06T13:18:00.000-05:00

Hi --
Last week I met my friend Linda at Inspired Needle and she brought all her LHN ornaments that she made last year. WOW, they were absolutely beautiful! Well it inspired me to go home and stitch and then do some finishing. Here are the results:

I had fun stitching and putting these together. Nothing fancy but I'm pleased with the results. You can't see it very well but on two of the ornaments I made my own cording which I learned from Mona at the Silver Needle. I still need lots of practice but I'm pleased with my first couple of attempts.

I'm anxious for Fall and cooler weather. In the last couple of weeks we've had some rough weather in my little town and many of my neighbors had damage from flooding. Fortunately, we weren't among them but I'm tired of all the thunderstorms and the HOT and HUMID weather. Bring on FALL and COLLEGE FOOTBALL:)))

Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment. It makes my day and I appreciate every one.

Have a good week.

BrendaS

Back from Tulsa and lots to share (Picture Heavy)

2011-07-23T18:56:00.000-05:00

Hi --

I'm back from Tulsa and what a wonderful trip it was. It was a stitcher's paradise with wonderful classes, great stitching lounge and terriffic shopping! I have lots of pictures so I will spread them out over the next couple of posts.

First up is a scissor fob that was designed by Sue Ranier of Raise the Roof. We stitched our initial and then made a yo-yo out of it. We then attached it to a water bottle top with another yo-yo on the back side. The edge is trmmed with ric-rac that Sue had put on ahead of time. Very clever idea and we all finished on Friday night.

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Next is a Halloween pail that we finished in a class taught by Mona Bost. We did the stitching ahead of time and during class turned it into this cute Halloween Treat Bag. Great idea and you could use it for so many holidays -- Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving and Birthdays!

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Theresa Venette from Shakespeare's Peddler and Raise the Roof designed this needle case to resemble an Oreo cookie. Again, we finished this in class on Saturday. Theresa and Sue were absolutely wonderful and we all were laughing and having a great time.

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Next is a an Easel finish taught by Mona Bost. Again I did the stitching ahead of time and during class we made the easel and did the rouched ribbon. Very neat idea and so so easy:)))

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Lindy and The Silver Needle gals work very hard to make our experience a good one and part of what they do is provide gift bags on the day of the class. Here is what was in my gift bag on Saturday. This little tin, needle case, magnet and needle threader were all hand-painted. I just LOVE it!

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The last thing to share this week is the project taught by Teresa Layman on Thursday. Teresa does miniature knotwork and BREATH-TAKING doll houses, so along those lines she designed this English Cottage for us to stitch. We stitched the flowers (stem stitch, ribbon stitch, lazy daisy, french knots and colonial knots) and then all we had to do was assemble our own English Cottage. This was very "out of the box" for me and I'm so very pleased that I was able to finish it when I got home and assemble it this morning. Basically everything was already cut and all I had to do was some VERY careful gluing.

I first glued the stitching to the cottage and then put on the pre-cut windows and doors. Please click on the picture to enlarge it to see the detail.

The lace in the door is some antique bobbin lace that she found for us. (Theresa did a wonderful presentation on needle lace and bobbin lace making. It was just fascinating to me since I didn't know anything about this centuries old craft)

Well that's it for now. I will show more pictures on my next post of the models that Theresa Venette brought and the beautiful doll houses that Teresa Layman shared with us.

If you ever have a chance to go to the Silver Needle for their annual summer retreats, PLEASE do so. You will not be disappointed. I guarantee it:))))

Thanks so much for stopping by and stay cool during these HOT summer days we are having.

BrendaS

Tulsa Bound

2011-07-10T10:54:00.000-05:00

Hello --
This coming Tuesday my daughter and I leave for The Silver Needle! I'm so excited:))) I am taking 3 finishing classes from Mona Bost and the 2 classes from the designers, Theresa Venette (Shakespeare's Peddler) and Theresa Layman. It will be 5 days of wonderful stitching and great shopping!!!!!

I had homework to do this past week to get ready for the finishing classes. Here is what we will be finishing::

The other class had no homework (yeah!!!).

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I don't have any other stitching to show you so I will share a couple pictures of my pups. Fiona relaxing and Bailee looking out the window for squirrels (her favorite pastime)

Have a good week and thanks for stopping by! As always, thank you for your wonderful comments!

BrendaS

Truly Thankful

2011-07-04T07:35:00.000-05:00

Happy 4th of July! Today should be a great day in the Chicago area so I hope to be able to grill and eat outside this afternoon:)))

Last Sunday, I went to Inspired Needle for the monthly stitching group and boy did I have a great time! Linda and I picked out a 4th of July project to do this past week and this is what mine looks like. It's hard to tell in the picture but we used fabric that had blue and red mottling through it and it just looks gorgeous IRL.

Let us Be Truly Thankful

Heartstrings Samplery

40 Ct Heroic Fabric by PTP

1 over 2

WDW and GA as called for

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Here is a picture of my little patriotic display in my stitching room.

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I also finished up Red, White & Bloom by CCN. I will be getting this finished in a beautiful red frame by Crescent Colors. This was a very fun and fast stitch.

Red, White, Bloom

Country Cottage Needleworks

32 count Amber

2 over 2

Threads as called for

Thanks for stopping by and thank you for all the nice comments.

Have a safe and Happy 4th of July!

BrendaS

Red White & Blue

2011-06-26T10:27:00.000-05:00

Hello --
It's been a busy coouple of weeks and unfortunately I didn't get a lot of stitching done. Last Sunday, we (meaning my husband) took out our carpeting in the living room. What a job! We have wood flooring underneath but it's not in great shape so now we need to decide weather to refinish these floors or put in new wood flooring. Not sure what we'll do but I know that I won't put carpeting back in.

This past Tuesday we had very strong storms come through our area and our village lost over 1000 trees on the parkways, not to mention what residents lost on their own property. We lost a 30 foot tree on our parkway and fortunately it did not hit our home, however several of our neighbors were not so lucky and had damage to their homes and cars. There were no injuries that we know of (thank goodness). It looked like a war zone on Wednesday morning and there is still a LOT of stuff to be picked up by the tree services but we are slowly getting back to normal. We were without power for over 48 hours so no stitching (need my magnifier and light) and even though we have a generator it needed to run the sump pump and refrigerator. We are so very very grateful that we are all OK and that our home wasn't damaged and are ready for things to get back to normal.

On to stitching stuff. I did manage to finish this little LHN -- Bringing home the Tree. I think the little dog in this one looks like a Scottie.

I also worked on Red, White & Bloom by CCN. I am hoping to have this finished before the 4th of July. I already know that I want to frame it in a red frame (just like Linda's -- I hope she won't mind:)))

This afternoon I'm going to Inspired Needle for an afternoon of stitching and shopping (can't wait) I'm hoping to get the new LHN sampler that just came out. It looks wonderful.

I will leave you with a picture of my Wheaten Scottie (Fiona) just relaxing in my stitching chair in the family room. What a life my dogs have:))))

As always, thank you so much for your nice comments and for stopping by. I so appreciate each and every one.

Have a great week.

BrendaS

Perfect Sunday in June

2011-06-12T14:39:00.000-05:00

Hello --
Today is a beautiful sunny day in Chicagoland. It's a little cooler than normal but beautiful blue skies and what my grandma would call "a perfect Sunday in June"

I have lots of pictures to show you this week. I'll start by showing my framed Heirloom Stitching Sampler. It was really hard to get a good picture because it's about 36 inches long. I did take a close-up of the frame so you see what I chose and I'm very pleased with the results.

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Yesterday, I wanted a quick stitch and a quick finish so I chose this LHN design -- Be True.

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I am on the last panel of the VS Sweet Bag -- Happy Hearts. I am anxious to get this finished and then start in on the finishing! Wish me luck:)))

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A few stitches were put in JB Humble Servant Sampler. I am still really enjoying this. One month from today my daughter and I leave for Tulsa to take a class from Theresa Venette and Theresa Layman. I can't wait:)))

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This afternoon I started Red, White, Bloom by CCN. I saw Linda's framed piece last week and it was just gorgeous and I knew I wanted to stitch it for myself too. Just in time for the 4th of July!

Thanks for stopping by and for all the wonderful comments. I know it takes time to leave them and I so appreciate each and every one.

Have a great week and enjoy this beautiful Sunday.

BrendaS

Happy Hearts (Part 3)

2011-06-05T13:45:00.000-05:00

Hello Friends --
I just put the finishing stitches into Part 3 of my VS Sweet Bag. Only 1 more side to go (YEAH!!!)

I hope to be able to finish part 4 in the next week or so and then complete the bag before the end of June (that is being wonderfully optimistic because I'm very nervous about putting the whole thing together) There is also a biscornu, scissor case and fob to go with the set that I will eventually stitch in the near future.

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I was able to work some more on the JB Humble Servant Sampler. The colors are so pretty in this one and I'm really enjoying stitching it

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This past Friday, I went to Inspired Needle for the Mystery Sampler Stitch-a-Long and had a great time:))). I didn't get a whole lot stitched (so no pic) but spent an evening with some very fun women and of course we all shopped and shared ideas. Thanks ladies for a wonderful time.

As always, thanks for stopping by and taking the time to leave a comment. I appreciate them:)))
I hope you are all enjoying a good weekend. Have a great upcoming week.

BrendaS

Happy Hearts

2011-05-30T14:37:00.000-05:00

Hello -- I hope everyone is enjoying this Memorial Day weekend. We had some very nasty storms move through yesterday, but today it's sunny and very warm. Not normally my kind of weather but after yesterday I will take it:)))

On Saturday I took the first class of Victoria Sampler's Happy Hearts. This was a Stitcherama class offered online only and it was just wonderful. Thea was live chatting with us and showing all the different stitch videos for the various stitches used in the piece. All of the videos were very clear and very easy to understand.. I enjoyed the class so much that I am signing up for the next one which is in September (a Gingerbread Tree Etiu)

Here is the 2nd panel of the Happy Hearts Sweet bag we are making. I need to complete the stitches at the bottom and add the satin stitch border.

On Friday of this week, I am going to Inspired Needle to participate in a stitch-a-long for Brenda Gervais' Mystery Sampler. Don't the colors look wonderful?

But before that I'm taking a wool applique class tomorrow at Pieceful Gathering in Fox River Grove. This is the little table mat we are going to make:

Over the weekend I had a case of "startiritus" and finally settled on Jenny Bean's Humble Servant Sampler. The picture on the graph does NOT do this piece justice. It's much better in real life with all the purples and greens. I'm stitching this on 40ct Vintage Exampler with Sampler Threads.

I've enjoyed a nice long weekend and have lots of things to look forward to this week. Have a great week too and thanks for stopping by. I appreciate all the comments you take the time to leave:)))

BrendaS

Sunday Inspirations

2011-05-22T19:44:00.000-05:00

Hello --

Today I went to Inspired Needle for the monthly Sunday Stitching Group and met fellow-blogger Laura and a wonderful group of stitchers. What a warm and welcoming group they were and such inspiration they provided. So many different projects to ooh and aah over. Cathy was our host and I think everyone enjoyed themselves. Thank you ladies for a wonderful afternoon!!! I am already looking forward to the next date:))) Pop on over to Laura's blog because she was taking lots of pictures which I'm sure she will have on her blog soon.

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I did start a Victoria Sampler project which is for a Cyber Class that starts on May 28. There are 4 panels to the Sweet Bag and then you assemble the whole thing together. I can handle the stitching but I'm not sure about the finishing! Stay tuned......

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I will leave you with a couple pictures of my Scottie's. Bailee is the black one and Fiona is the Wheaten one. They are relaxing on the back deck after a busy day of saying hello to everyone who walked by. We are on a corner so they get to see a lot of people and dogs walk by!

Here they are on the look out for something or someone! Bailee is trying to sit on the foostool but Fiona isn't budging:)))

Thanks for stopping by. Have a good week and a very safe Memorial Day weekend!

BrendaS

A Finish, A New Start and some Stash

2011-05-15T11:08:00.000-05:00

Hello Friends --
I have a finish to share with you this week. It's Mary's Best Handework by With Thy Needle and Thread. I stitched this on 40ct Pearled Barley with DMC over 2. I just loved every stitch of this piece.

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I also started Feather Your Nest. I'm doing this on 40ct Maritime White with DMC over 2. That bird is one Big Bird:)))) The colors look more red in the picture but in reality they are more brown and rust.

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Yesterday, my good friend Bonnie and I went to Inspired Needle in Lemont. What a good time we had and of course I bought way too much but I couldn't resist. Here are some highlights of what I got:

I was so excited to see this new design by Emie Bishop. It's a Fall design and very different from what she normally does. I just LOVE it.

A few more charts I couldn't resist:)))

I already had the above two designs but didn't have the threads so I got those. Great colors and I can hardly wait to start them. I got so much inspiration yesterday that I wanted to come home and stitch everything at once!

If you are ever in the Chicago area I would highly recommend paying a visit to Cathy at Inspired Needle in Lemont. It's a great store and Cathy is very friendly and helpful!

Thanks for stopping by and for all the comments you take the time to leave. I appreciate every one of them.

Have a good week.

BrendaS

Happy Weekend!

2011-04-30T08:36:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone is enjoying the start to the weekend! It's cool and cloudy here but at least it's not raining anymore! My thoughts and prayers go out to those in the South that were affected by all the storms that moved through earlier this week.

I have a small finish to share with you. This is Let Freedom Ring by Little House Needleworks. It is attached to an exclusive pillow made by Impie Hattie and Bea. I think this turned out pretty cute and will look nice with my other patriotic finishes.

I've also made some progress on Mary's Handework by With Thy Needle and Thread. I'm doing this on 40 ct Pearled Barley with DMC. I'm loving this piece and all the red colors in it.

Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the world. I appreciate all the comments you take the time to leave.

Have a great week.

BrendaS

Giveaway Winner

2011-04-20T09:22:00.000-05:00

Just a quick post to announce that Lynn (Kearnel's Korner) won the giveaway:))))

Thanks to everyone for all your nice comments about my finish. I am taking it on Saturday to my LNS to have it framed. Can't wait....

Have a good rest of the week and a very blessed Easter!

BrendaS

BIG HAPPY DANCE AND A GIVEAWAY

2011-04-17T09:37:00.001-05:00

Hello Friends -- (****edited to add that the giveaway is already finished and ready for enjoyment****)
I have a BIG happy dance to show you. Last night I put the finishing stitches in Victoria Sampler's Heirloom Stitching Sampler:))) This is stitched on 32ct Natural Belfast with the recommended silk, over-dyed cotton and perle cotton. I started this on January 1, 2011 and so enjoyed stitching all the different bands with the many various stitches. I plan on taking it to my LNS next Saturday to have it framed.

It was so hard to take a good picture of the entire piece as it measures about 30" long but I tried:))))

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Now on to the GIVEAWAY. In celebration of my big finish, the end of tax season and EASTER. I am going to have a drawing for this FINISHED and FRAMED punch needle design. This was a small Pine Mountain design that I thought would be perfect for Spring and Easter. If you would like a chance to win leave a comment on this post with a way for me to contact you and I will draw a name on Tuesday, April. 19. Good luck!!!!

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I also have a new start. It's Mary's Best Handework by With thy Needle and Thread. I'm stitching it on 40ct Pearled Barley with 1 strand of DMC over 2.

I will be back on Wednesday morning to annuonce the winner of the giveaway.

Hope you all have a very enjoyable Sunday. As always, thanks for all the wonderful comments you take the time to leave as I truly appreciate them all.

BrendaS

Gathering Basket

2011-04-10T11:29:00.000-05:00

Today is a beautiful summer-like day here in Chicago. It's supposed to be in the low 80's! We go from Winter to Summer in one day. It won't last long though because tomorrow it's supposed to be back in the 50's.

I finished this Blackbird Designs Reward of Merit this week. It's called Gathering Basket and is stitched on Buttercream by Lakeside Linen with the called for threads. I used some old buttons that I had from my Mom to add something to the side.

Not much else going on here. Tax Season will be over on Friday! I can hardly wait to have a whole weekend with no work and to be able to take some days off. Big Happy Dance from me:))))))

Thanks for stopping by and for all the wonderful comments. I so appreciate each of you.

Have a great week.

BrendaS

5 Little Eggs

2011-04-03T10:27:00.000-05:00

Hi --
I hope everyone is enjoying their Sunday and it's Spring-like weather in your neck of the woods:))

I have one small finish this week. This is a new kit by Shepherds Bush that came out at Nashville. It's stitched on a hand-dyed evenweave that is so pretty with the colors of the silk.

Yesterday after I left work I made a trip to Inspired Needle in Lemont, Illinois for some retail therapy! This is a great cross stitch store and Cathy is so very friendly and helpful. If you are ever in Northern Illinois I would encourage you to go. I got some great stash and here are a few of the charts I bought:

I also found this cute little design that is just perfect for me because I have two precious Scottie's of my own.

Here are Bailee and Fiona just relaxing after getting up very early this morning. Tough life they have:)))

Thanks for everyone's comments last week about the qsnaps and scroll rods. I received some great ideas to use for future projects. I am continuing to work on Heirloom Stitching Sampler and see a finish in the next couple of weeks. Now to decide what large project to start next..... (Ann Grant, Plenty and Grace, Hillside Travelers or.....)

Have a great week and thank you for all the great comments. They always make my day:))))

BrendaS

Cheep Cheep and a two questions

2011-03-27T14:05:00.000-05:00

Hello Friends --
I hope you are all enjoyng a nice weekend. It's cold here in Chicago but the sun is shining and the sky is a beautiful blue.

This week I finished this punch needle design by With Thy Needle and Thread. It's called Cheep, Cheep. It's stuffed and I put some plastic pellets in the bottom to give it some weight to stand up.

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Last week I talked about starting a new project but I've decided to finish Heirloom Stitching Sampler first. I've tried to take some pictures of the whole project but it's so long so I've included a couple of pictures of the sections so that you can see it better. I only have about 4 bands left before I get to the bottom hardanger section YEAH!!! I've really enjoyed stitching this and I know it will look great framed and hanging on my wall.

Here is the top half:

Bottom half:

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I also got out my Easter tree and some of the beaded ornaments that I made years ago. I think it looks kinds of cute. I have to keep it in a place where my cats won't bother it:))))))

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Now I have a couple of questions for you. First one -- when you stitch a large project do you use qsnaps, scroll rods or stitch in hand? The reason I'm asking is that I've always used qsnaps if the finished design will fit inside the qsnap, if not then I will use scroll rods. However, Ann Grant (which is a sampler that I would like to be my next start) is HUGE. It won't work for qsnaps and if I use scroll rods they would be about 24" long., very cumbersome to hold and stitch. I've never used smaller qsnaps and then moved them around my stitching because I'm worried that my stitches will get crushed and ruined. Does anyone have any clever ideas? I am not an in-hand stitcher because I like the tension you get with a frame. I would appreciate any suggestions you may have.

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Second questions -- I have about 300+ cross stitch patterns that I no longer want. Most of them are old designs (80's and 90's) that are just not my style anymore. There are lots of Stoney Creek, Alma Lynn, Leisure Arts, Cross My Heart and many more. Is anyone interested in some of these? If there is a certain pattern you are looking for or would just like a bunch of patterns, please let me know. I'm looking to GIVE these away NOT SELL them.

Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the world. I hope you all have a great week and find time to do some stitching:)))

BrendaS

A Couple of Finishes

2011-03-20T10:23:00.000-05:00

Hello Friends --
It's been a very busy couple of weeks at work and I had a very bad cold but things are looking up and we're in the home stretch with the end of tax season in sight. With all that I was able to finish a couple of things.

The first being this LHN Needlebook. I decided to put my finished stitching on the cover rather than the inside so that you could enjoy it more. Very cute stitch and super-fast finishing:)))

And of course I had a punch finish as well. This is a new design by With Thy Needle and Thread. This is also coming out in a couple of weeks in cross stitch too! Isn't that great? I just LOVE Brenda's designs.

I've ordered quite a bit of stash in the last couple of weeks and am debating about starting something new -- Ann Grant (beautiful silk threads and gorgeous linen) or Plenty and Grace (Belle Soie silks which are absolutely scrumptuous). I can't decide but I should probably finish my Heirloom Stitching Sampler by Victoria Sampler since I'm about 2/3 done and I really don't want another big WIP, but those samplers are sure calling my name (LOL). We'll see.....

Also, have you seen Vonna's new start? LOVE IT!!! Maybe I'll start that one.... So many things to stitch and so little time!

Have a great week everyone and THANK YOU so much for visiting my little corner of the world. I so appreciate all the comments that you take the time to leave.

BrendaS

Something to Share

2011-03-06T11:38:00.000-06:00

Hello Friends --
I have a couple of finishes to share with you this week. The first one is a Blackbird Designs pincushion which was one of the class pieces from the Silver Needle last July 2010. It's now in BBD's new book - A Stitcher's Journey. I just love this little house and the little cardboard box it sits in. You can't see it in the picture but the box is painted, sanded and waxed to make it look old.

I also punched this design by With Thy Needle and Thread. I think it's called Land of Liberty.

I just received my order from Country Stitches and I got a couple of their new Spring punch designs and can't wait to get punching! Brenda Gervais does such a good job of designing. LOVE all of her stuff.

Work has been CRAZY busy and I've been stressed to the max. Not sleeping at night and picking my fingers during the day (bad habit, I know). I am hoping that this week will be better and I'm glad to be home today to recharge the old batteries:)))))

I did sign up for the Silver Needle retreat in July. I'm also taking 3 additional finishing classes from Mona Bost. It will be stitcher's heaven for a few days in July:))) Again, if anyone is going please let me know. It's a great time and you won't be disappointed, I promise!!!

Have a great week.

BrendaS

A Few Finishes and Some Progress

2011-02-27T09:33:00.000-06:00

Hello Friends --
I have some finishes to show you that I've done in the last couple of weeks.

With Thy Needle and Thread

Easter Egg Hunt

With Thy Needle and Thread

Flag Day

Shepherds Bush

Lucky

I've also been making some slow progress on Heirloom Stitching Sampler by Victoria Sampler. I couldn't take one decent picture so I split it into two. I am about 2/3 done and I'm still really enjoying working on this.

Yesterday, I got my Nashville Market order from Down Sunshine Lane. I got the new Blackbird Designs book -- A Stitcher's Journey. FANTASTIC book. If you are on the fence about getting this, I would highly recommend it. It's well worth the money. I also got the new Shakespeare's Peddler designs including Ann Grant. What a beautiful sampler. So much to stitch and so little time!

Is any one going to the Silver Needle retreat in July? Theresa Vennete is one of the designers that will be there. I am planning on going and would be interested to know if anyone else is planning on attending. Silver Needle always does a wonderful job and makes everyone feel welcome. A true cross stitcher's heaven:))))

I hope you are all doing well and finding time to stitch. Thanks so much for stopping by my little corner of the world, I truly appreciate each and every one of you.

Until next time....

BrendaS

Another Week Flies By

2011-02-13T11:05:00.000-06:00

Hello Friends --
I can't believe another week has passed by so quickly. We are just getting that much closer to SPRING!

This week brought a wonderful gift from dear BeckySC. I was so surprised to find this in my mailbox:

BeckySC is so very GENEROUS and thoughtful and I was a lucky recipient:)))))) Thank you again my friend.

I finished this punch needle design this week and finished into a little hanging. The design is by Brenda Gervais of With Thy Needle and Thread. Have you seen her new designs? She has some really cute Spring pieces and a couple of pretty large punch needle designs that are just beautiful.

I also finished this Nantucket pincushion by Indigo Rose. Great little design and easily finished in a day.

Well that does it for me this week. I am still continuing to work on Heirloom Stitching Sampler by VS but not a lot of progress so no picture.

Have you seen the new things coming from Kelmscott and Paulette Stewart? Fantastic! Is there anything you've seen that will be on your "must have" list coming from Market?

Have a great week!

BrendaS

Winner of Giveaway and THANK YOU

2011-02-10T06:42:00.000-06:00

Good Morning Friends --
A BIG Thank You to everyone who commented on my last post. It was wonderful to read about everyone's favorite pieces and to meet many new people to my blog. Your comments mean so much to me and I truly appreciate you stopping by my little corner of the world.

Now, on to the winner --

FAYE -- CAROLINA STITCHER

Congratulations Faye, please e-mail me your mailing information and I will get this out to you on Saturday.

Thanks again to everyone!

I will have a proper post update on Sunday. I have 2 finishes to share-- a punch needle design and a pincushion;)))))

BrendaS

Super Giveaway

2011-02-06T09:05:00.000-06:00

Hi Dear Stitchy Friends --
In honor of Super Bowl Sunday, my 1 year of blogging and my Birthday I'm having a little GIVEAWAY!!!

If your name is drawn you will receive a Bunny Punch Needle piece made by me, a complete La-D-Da "O Birdy" kit and a $50 gift certificate to my favorite online needlework shop, Down Sunshine Lane!

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post only telling me what is your favorite piece that you've ever stitched and why. I always love to hear what draws some people to a piece and what makes it fun to stitch!

I will choose a random winner from all the posts I receive prior to 12:00pm Wednesday, February 9, 2011 CST. It's that simple. Good luck to everyone. I will be back on Thursday to announce the winner.

Have a great Sunday and I hope you get to do something today that makes you smile:))))

BrendaS

Snow Day

2011-02-02T18:15:00.000-06:00

Hello Stitchy Friends --
This is what we woke up to today! Needless to say I didn't make it in to work and had the whole day to stay in and stitch. My wonderful husband did all the snow blowing and shoveling!

This is looking out my back door towards my neighbors across the street. The drifts were 3-4 feet with about 20 inches of snow on the ground. I am SO ready for Spring!!!

Have a good rest of the week.

Thanks for stopping by.

BrendaS

A Little Progress & Some Framing

2011-01-30T15:06:00.000-06:00

Hello Stitchy Friends --
Another week has past by in a flash and unfortunately not a lot of stitching progress. I did stitch everyday but I didn't seem to accomplish a lot. Here is this week's progress on VS Heirloom Stitching Sampler

Not much huh? So I thought I would share some more older finishes. This is Lavender Hearts by Victoria Sampler. You really can't tell in this picture but the purple is so pretty with the beads and drawn thread work.

This is Perennial Garden by Drawn Thread. The inside of the piece is all done in white which I think makes the perennial border really stand out.

Last we have Tocactta 2 by Drawn Thread. This has lots of interesting stitches and used a fiber that I will never use again -- Japan Gold metallic. In my opinion the end result just wasn't worth the frustration of working with the fiber, lesson learned.

That's all I've got today. Please stop by again next week -- it is Super Bowl Sunday and I'm having a giveaway to celebrate that, my birthday and 1 year of blogging. I promise it will be worth your while:))))

Have a great week! We're supposed to get a big snowstorm on Tuesday/Wednesday, oh what fun we will have:))) Maybe I will get to stay home from work, NOT (it's tax season).

Thanks for visiting today. I truly appreciate each and every one of you.

Brenda S

Big Football Sunday

2011-01-23T11:49:00.000-06:00

Hello Stitching Friends --
This week passed in a flurry but I did finish the punch needle from last week. I took Ranae's advice and finished it on a little pocket hanger. Maybe in the Spring I will stitck some little flowers in there.

I was able to completet a couple of bands on Heirloom Stitching Sampler. I am thoroughly enjoying stitching on this. Having a variety of stitches keeps the sampler interesting and makes you want to hurry up and finish one band because there is something new to try on the next one.

I also stitched some more on April by PS. This is just a nice piece to work on in the evenings while watching TV. You can never go wrong with a Prairie Schooler Design.

I enjoy seeing other stitchers homes and where they hang their framed designs so I thought I would show you a few of the collections I have hanging in my home. The first is in the living room. Sorry it's not a super great picture, they are all framed with glass and I didn't want to get too much glare. The top row is Sanctuary and Tocatta 1 (Drawn Thread). The bottom row is Skyler Wayne (Indigo Rose) and then Random Thoughts, Sunflower Sampler and My Favorite Things (Drawn Thread) and Homecoming Sampler, I think (The Victoria Sampler)

Again in the living room are 3 Prairie Schooler designs that I stitched over 1 on 25 lugana. My favorite is the one on the bottom right because of the verse -- the flowers appear on the earth, the time of the singing birds is come.

Here are 4 that hang in my family room next to the back door. The top left is Town House Sampler (The Sampler Company) Little House Neighborhood over 1 on 25 Lugana (Little House Needleworks). The bottom is a Blackbird Designs (the name of the design escapes me right now) and a little piece that my daughter did in high school.

Also, in my family room I have these 4 hardanger pieces by Emie Bishop (Cross N Patch)

My last piece today is another by Emie Bishop and it is one that I am most proud of. There is a lot of hardanger in there and at the time I did this I didn't really know what I was doing but just read the directions over and over and gave it my best shot. There are a few things that I would do over if I could but I still think it came out pretty good.

Thanks so much for visiting my little corner of the world and for all the Birthday wishes last week. I truly appreciate each of you for taking the time to comment. This afternoon I will be stitching and watching the Bears beat the Packers (I hope)!!!!! I also hope the Steelers beat the Jets!

Have a great week!

BrendaS

My Birthday, 2 finishes and some progress

2011-01-16T11:03:00.000-06:00

Hello Stitchy Friends --
Today is my Birthday! Both of my daughters are home and we celebrated yesterday since one of them is working today. Today will be a very low key day with football (GO BEARS and PATRIOTS) and hopefully lots of stitching.

I have 2 finishes to share with you. I did another Birthday Needleroll by Victoria Sampler. I would love to have a basket of needlerolls by the end of the year. I've seen so many of you with a nice collection of them and I just LOVE it!

I also finished this Spring punch needle design by With Thy Needle and Thread. I'm not sure how I'm going to finish it. Any ideas?

During the Christmas holidays, I got this book by Amy Bruckerman. It is a new book about vintage craft projects, cooking and little short stories of times gone by. It's a great book and provides lots of inspiration that we can apply to our everyday lives. I would highly recommend it for your bookshelf.

I've been plugging away on the Heirloom Stitching Sampler by Victoria Sampler. Not a lot of progress but some is better than nothing. This is such an enjoyable stitch and I'm not in a race with myself to finish. My goal is before the end of the year..... hopefully:))

I did start a new Prairie Schooler design -- April. I haven't gotten very far yet but I so enjoy Prairie Schooler designs and this is great to work on while watching TV. I did change out the white bunny on the front for the brown bunny that is on the back of the chart.

I want to thank everyone who stops by my little corner of the world and leaves a comment. It means so much to me. I am planning on having a little giveaway on Super Bowl Sunday to celebrate my Birthday and my one year of blogging. YOU have made it all worthwhile and I want to do something for ONE of YOU!!

Have a great week and ENJOY your everyday life. Time passes so quickly and we must always enjoy EVERY SINGLE DAY to the fullest:)))))))
BrendaS

A New Start and a Small Finish

2011-01-02T12:03:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a nice New Year and that you were able to do the things you wanted to.

We stayed home and ordered Chinese on Friday night. I love college football so yesterday was pure heaven -- stitching and watching football! We just had finger-food all day so it was easy, peasy:)))

On that note, I was able to start a new project and got quite a bit done. It is the Heirloom Stitching Sampler by Victoria Sampler. I don't know if you can see it really well but the vine on top and around the sides is all over 1 on 32 ct. I'm glad that's done:)))

I do plan on doing smaller projects in between getting this large one done. I need the sense of accomplishment along the way:))))

My small finish is this January needleroll. It is a kit put out by Victoria Sampler.

Tomorrow I go back to work and gear-up for Tax Season. I have so enjoyed the last 2 weeks (mostly) being at home and getting lots of things done around the house that normally don't get done on a weekly basis. I also had LOTS of time to stitch and be with my family.

Thanks for taking the time to stop by and comment. I so appreciate each and every one.

Have a great week! Stay warm and do something special.

BrendaS

The Day After and some finishes

2010-12-26T11:27:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! At our house it was very quiet since it was just me and my husband and our 2 daughters but we had a great week just being home together. I was able to get a lot of stitching done and here are some of my finishes.

Shepherds Bush -- Take Joy

Berries and Cream -- With Thy Needle and Thread

Prairie Schooler -- Snowman & Santas

Lizzie Kate -- Bunny design

I hope everyone has a great week and a very Happy New Year. Thanks again for taking the time to stop by and comment, I truly appreciate each and every one of you. I hope that 2011 brings everyone health and happiness.

BrendaS

A Beautiful Gift and a Small Finish

2010-12-20T06:57:00.000-06:00

This week was extremely busy and I didn't get a lot of stitching in. On Monday, I received the most wonderful gift from BeckySC. This Sampler Roundy and Prairie Schooler Santa Pillow. They are both stitched beautifully and the finishing is top notch. Thank you again Becky so much for your thoughtfulness and your generosity!!!!

Last Sunday I was able to finish the stitching on this Prairie Schooler snowman. However, I have not had the time to do the finishing. I only work 2 days this week so I plan on doing it this week.

A couple of weeks ago I finished punching this spring design by Stone and Thread.

Last night I went through some of my stash to decide what I was going to start on New Year's Day. These are some of my choices:
     1. Drawn Thread Alphabets
     2. Victoria Sampler Heirloom Stitching Sampler
     3. Blackbird Designs piece from the Honeysuckle Manor book
     4. Memorial Design Tribute for my Mom
There were several others but I can't remember them right now. Well, what do you think based on the above choices? What would you stitch? Do any of you choose a new design to start on New Year's? How many of you are doing the 15 WIP challenge? I'm not doing that but I will cheer any of you on that are participating:)))))

I want to thank all of you who have stopped by my little corner of the world this year. Blogging is still new to me and I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know so many of you and I look forward to another great year in 2011. Have a very Merry Christmas and enjoy being with your friends and family. Life is so short and we need to make every day count!

BrendaS

The Stockings

2010-12-12T11:57:00.000-06:00

Hello --

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. It's VERY VERY COLD and WINDY here in the Chicago area. The Patriots are in town to play the Bears and Soldier Field is going to be FRIGID!!!

It's a good day to stay home and stitch! I had some errands to do this morning and have one more to do this afternoon and then I'm home for the rest of the day (YEAH!!!). This week was pretty busy so not much stitching was completed. I have been working on this PS Snowman ornament. As you can see I wasn't able to finish it but hope to this week. I want to finish it as a pincushion rather than an ornament when I'm done stitching it.

I finished up SB -- The Stockings. I so enjoy working on their designs. After seeing Nicole's finished SB Holly and Ivy Sampler, I decided that would be my next stitch.

A couple of weeks ago when I went to the Inspired Needle I bought this Blackbird Designs cupcake. It was a very simple and FAST stitch. I think it turned out pretty cute.

I hope you are all enjoying this Christmas season and keeping WARM. Have a great week and remember to do something special for yourself.

BrendaS

Winter Wonderland

2010-12-05T13:35:00.000-06:00

Hi Everyone --
Yesterday in the Chicago area we got our first snow fall of the season. It was great to be home and enjoy it. The only downside was that we were supposed to go see our youngest daughter but had to cancel because I don't like to drive in the snow. Since we didn't go I had the whole day to stay home and stitch!

Here are some things I finished this week:

Lizzie Kate design

Theresa Kogut design (these 2 cats remind me of my Howie)

I also started this SB design and hope to finish it today and then make it into a pillow! We'll see....

Earlier this morning I spent about 3 hours rearranging my stitching room. Lots of furniture moving, rearranging and cleaning. I really like the new arrangement (there are times when I move stuff around that I don't like it and then end up moving it all back) Now for the rest of the afternoon I hope to stitch!

We only have a couple more Christmas presents to buy/wrap and then we are done! We can enjoy the season and our family and not be frazzled with all the shopping, etc. I usually order as much as I can online since I don't like going to the Malls and shopping. Don't you just love AMAZON?!!!

Thanks for stopping by. I so appreciate all your visits and your comments.

Have a great week and enjoy this wonderful time of year!

BrendaS

A Great Week off and Some Finishes to Share

2010-11-27T15:41:00.000-06:00

Hi There --
Well my week of vacation is drawing to a close but I did have a wonderful week off and enjoyed being with my family. We got all our Christmas decorating done and the house looks great. I'm just about finished with my Christmas shopping (yeah -- I don't like to shop so I'm glad this is done). I also had time for lots of stitching and finishing.

Here is my first finish of the week:

These are 3 designs by Lizzie Kate which I finished into little pillows. I love the fabric that I got for these, it goes with the designs really well. These are for my youngest daughters Christmas box.

I also finished this Emie Bishop ornament. I really enjoy doing hardanger and haven't done it for quite a while and this was a nice little design to do.

While we were decorating this week I found this old Santa that had previously been framed (in a yucky oval frame that I did years ago) so I pulled it out of the frame and finished it into a pillow.

Of course, I had to do some punch needle too and finished this jolly Santa Claus.

Last, but not least my week was not complete without a trip to the LNS. I went down to Inspired Needle in Lemont, IL and got some great things. One of which was this spool pincushion kit. It is super cute and only took about 1/2 hour to put together. What do you think?

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. It's back to work for me on Monday but it will be a good month in December since I get to use up more of my vacation time:))))))

Have a great week and do something special for yourself:))) As my husband always tells me and my daughters -- "remember to always smile"

BrendaS

Happy Thanksgiving... a few days early!

2010-11-21T13:33:00.000-06:00

Hello --
I am off work all this upcoming week and can hardly wait!!! It's been over a year since I've been off for a whole week. I plan on doing some Christmas decorating, stitching and being with my family. Who could ask for anything more?:)))

I have a couple of finishes to share. The first is a Lizzie Kate design. I took a class at the Silver Needle this past summer on finishing this design into a cube. I loved making this for my oldest daughter. Every year for the past 10 years or so I have stitched something for Christmas for each of my daughters. The items go into a Christmas box so when they have a home or family of their own they will have some hand-made items from me. It's so much fun to get out the boxes each year and remember what I made them.

I also finished this ornament by Plum Street Samplers from the 2010 JCS ornament issue. I stitched it on Lakeside Linen with DMC. I decided to finish it into a pillow instead of an ornament. I think it turned out pretty cute.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week and for my U.S. friends -- HAPPY THANKSGIVING! I feel very blessed to have gotten to know so many wonderful people through this blog in the past year. I truly appreciate everyone who takes the time to stop by my little corner of cyberspace.
Happy Stitching!

BrendaS

Pincushion Finishes

2010-11-14T10:30:00.000-06:00

Good morning --
This week I finished 4 pincushions. The first 2 are from a design by LHN. This was going to be a picture but I never finished it so I took it apart and used these 2 little designs for pincushions. They are stitched over 1 on 25 Lugana.

On Friday I went to Inspired Needle in Lemont, IL and discovered a great little shop! They had quite a nice selection and some beautiful models. One of the things I bought was this little kit for a Strawberry Emery. It's made from WDW wool and comes with the pins. It came together very quickly!

I also finished this Blackbird Designs cushion. It's from the Loose Feather booklet titled Winter Wonderland. I had wanted to add some beaded trim but my lack of sewing skills and an uncooperative machine made me give up before I ruined it. I think it came out OK as is.

I will close with a picture of Howard, my big fat orange cat. He LOVES to be down in my stitching nest with me and here he is sitting on the back of my chair.

I hope you all have a wonderful week. Thanks for all the great comments --- I truly appreciate them.

BrendaS

Happy Sunday

2010-11-07T11:15:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone is having a good weekend. I had a great day yesterday, I went to my LNS and picked up some thread and a few charts. Then I can home and did laundry and stitched while watching football. It was a GREAT day.

This morning I finished this punch needle design into a pillow. I've now done all the seasons (yeah!)

This week I started stitching these little Lizzie Kate blocks. I hope to finish the last one today and work on finishing them next week. The colors are very different from traditional Christmas ones but I think they look good.

I also stitched a little more on this LHN (Faithfulness) design. I just love her patterns and this one is no exception. Stitching it on the Lakeside Line is wonderful too. I just love that stuff, don't you?

The threads I picked up yesterday are for Plum Street Samplers Dust of Snow. I am chomping at the bit to get started on this. I just LOVE that design. How about you? Have you started stitching any special things for Christmas?

Thank you all so much for your sweet comments about my stitching room. You can all come over anytime to stitch, shop and visit:)))))

Have a great week.

BrendaS

Happy Halloween Weekend

2010-10-31T11:42:00.000-05:00

Hapy Halloween Everyone --

I hope everyone is enjoying a beautiful Fall weekend. Yesterday I got a new camera so of course I had to play around with it so I decided to take some pictures of my stitching room to share. This is my personal HAVEN! I LOVE to be in this room with all my 26+ years of stitching and stash collecting! I have framed stitchery in nearly every room in my home but all the extras and seasonal are on the walls in this room. It's very crowded but I love it. I waited a long time to get a room of my own and I feel very fortunate every day. Hope you enjoy the tour:)))

Walking into my room

Childhood bookcase under the window

Dresser holds supplies and the yellow cabinet holds charts/books

My sewing area

End of room (my husband made built-in cabinets when my daughter had this room -- they work great for me now too!)

My stitching chair

Looking towards the doorway

Looking out to the hall

I started a new project this week. (It's not like I needed another new project but this one was
calling to me) I used to feel guilty about starting something new but life is too short and we need to do the things we enjoy. This is Little House Needlework's Faithfulnesss.
Yesterday while watching football in the afternoon I finished this little punch needle Santa. I think I will make him into a door hanger this afternoon.

I hope everyone has a great week and finds time to do the things you love.

Thanks for stopping by and for taking the time to comment. It truly makes me smile:)))

BrendaS

2010-10-24T13:23:00.000-05:00

Hello --
I hope everyone is enjoying a fabulous weekend. The temperatures are in the upper 60's here and the trees are just gorgeous with their beautiful fall colors.

On to some stitchy stuff. I finished Belle Pepper by LHN and made it into a pillow with pom-pom fringe. I had never tried this trim before but I'm pretty pleased with the results. What do you think?

I also finished Peppermint by LHN. I thought it was too big for an ornament so I made it into a little pillow.

I've been doing some punch needle lately and I finished this design by Lizzie Kate. This is pillow which I stuffed with the poly pellets.

I am not sure what is next up for stitching. Do you ever have too many choices and don't know what to stitch? I have that happen often and then don't do anything for a few days. What a waste of time. I need to decide today since I have the most time rather than during the work week.

Thanks for stopping by. You always bring a smile to my face with your comments:)))))

Have a great week.

BrendaS

Progress Sunday

2010-10-17T12:02:00.000-05:00

Hello --
Another week that quickly passes by. My brother and his family came for a visit this weekend and we had such a nice time. The weather cooperated and we enjoyed each other's company.

I have just a couple of progress pictures to show. Up first is Belle Pepper by LHN. I'm doing this with the recommended fibers and fabric. I am really enjoying this.

I also decided that I needed to get stitching the monthly ornaments from LHN. I put a start in on Peppermint. Again a very easy stitch. I think they are too big for ornaments so I will probably make them into little pillows or door hangers. We'll see..... (blogger isn't cooperating with uploading pictures so I will show the ornament next time)

Have a great week and thanks for stopping by.

BrendaS

Merry Fifteen

2010-10-10T12:27:00.000-05:00

Hello --
This week I finished Merry Fifteen by Just Nan. I am so pleased with this way this turned out. It was very fiddly to assemble but the end result is gorgeous.

I also finished this LHN design into a pillow.

On Friday, I took the afternoon off from work and went to my LNS to see what she brought back from Market. WOW -- a lot of great things. One of my favorites is Jenny Bean's Friendship Sampler and Dust of Snow by Plum Street Samplers. I bought way too much but it was a great afternoon:)

Yesterday, I started Belle Pepepper by LHN. I am thoroughly enjoying stitching this and will post a picture next week. I love the colors in it.

I will close with a picture of my big cat -- Howard. He snuck into my chair when I wasn't looking!

Have a great week and thanks for stopping by.

BrendaS

Some Things to Share

2010-10-03T15:23:00.000-05:00

Hello --
It's been a busy 2 weeks since my last post. We went to the Big House last week and watched Michigan play Bowling Green. What a great game! GO BLUE!

Again, I haven't been stitching as much as I would like but continue to plug away on Just Nan's 15 Sided Biscornu. This was a Silver Needle exclusive that came out last year. I have 5 more squares to stitch on red fabric and then I have the task of putting it all together! It looks better IRL, it's stitched on opalescent fabric with DMC and gold metallic braid. Lots of color changes but it will be worth it when it's all put together.

For the last 3 Wednesday evenings I took an Extreme Beginner Quilt class at Pieceful Gathering in Fox River Grove. The teacher was great and this was the end result:

I have to take the next class which is making this flimsy into a quilt and binding it.

I also finished a couple of Christmas punch needle designs today:

I hope you all have a great week and find time to do some stitching!

Thank you for all the wonderful comments, I appreciate each and every one.

BrendaS

Some Finishes to Share

2010-09-19T18:45:00.000-05:00

Hello --
This weekend I was able to finish "finish" some things I've had done for a while. I made this LHN design into a pillow. I think it turned out pretty cute.

Next I finished 2 punch needle designs. Both of these are by With Thy Needle. I did them a couple of years ago and didn't know how I was going to finish them until recently.

Last is a design by Little House Needleworks that I stitched for my Mom a few years ago. She had it framed in a large antique frame that wasn't my style. When I picked it up in Michigan last week I decided to take it apart and just finish it as a little wall hanging. I put rick-rack around the edges and added a bow and loop at the top. I think it turned out pretty good, thought I don't know if I will leave it like this or change it out.

I am still stitching on Just Nan's Merry Fifteen (15-sided biscornu) and a Victoria Sampler Christmas design. Sorry no pic's of my progress.

Thanks for visiting and your continued nice comments. I really do appreciate each and every one.

Have a great week!

BrendaS

Something Different

2010-09-06T17:01:00.000-05:00

Hello --
I don't have any stitching to show this week. It seems that there wasn't as much stitching taking place as I would have liked. Oh well that happens sometimes.

This past week we had new countertops installed and then on Saturday my husband put in a new tile & glass backsplash. He still has to do the grouting but the kitchen looks totally different. It will take a while to get used to.

I meant my very good friend Bonnie on Friday and she made 2 beautiful things for me. One of which is this wool applique table runner. Bonnie made this to go with the Franciscan Apple Dishes I inherited from my Mom last year after she died. To say I was overwhelmed was an understatement. I absolutely love it!!!!

(you can see a small portion of the kitchen too in this picture)

A couple of weeks ago I got some great sampler fabric at a quilt store with no idea what I was going to use it for. However this weekend I decided to make a curtain to hide my plastic fabric drawers and to recover a wooden table top I use on top of a plastic storage cabinet which is next to my stitching chair. I think both things turned out pretty cute. I just love this fabric and I am going to have to get some more to have in my ever-growing fabric stash!

Well that is about it for me. This week is going to be very busy at work with the September 15 corporate tax deadline looming. We also have to make a quick trip to Michigan on Saturday. I'm going to miss watching the Michigan vs Notre Dame game:((((( GO BLUE!!!

Have a great week and I hope you find time for lots of stitching! Thanks for all the wonderful comments they really do make my day.

BrendaS

Quick Post

2010-08-30T07:55:00.000-05:00

Hello --
This past week flew by. I finished a couple of things that I put away a while ago. First is another Blackbird stocking.

Next I finished a Prairie Schooler ornmanet. This is stitched over 1 on 25 ct Lugana with DMC. I am going to be sending this to Vonna so that she can do her magic and turn it into a beautiful ornament.

I didn't do a lot of stitching this weekend but I did do a lot of cleaning. I did some rearranging in my stitching room and sorted through a lot of stuff. It's amazing what can accumulate.

We are also getting new kitchen countertops tomorrow so we had a lot of work to do in the kitchen. I am very excited about the upcoming changes. I usually have a hard time with change but this is a good thing.

Have a great week and thanks again for all your nice comments.

BrendaS

Good Morning

2010-08-23T07:45:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone --
This morning I finished up this six-sided Biscornu by Victoria Sampler. I really enjoyed stitching this. It has some hardanger, ribbon work and plain cross stitch. The directions were wonderful and this is the final result.

Last week, I finished the Autumn bellpull by Victoria Sampler. I backed it on Red Felt to show up the drawn thread work. Again this was a great stitch and wonderful directions.

Last but certainly not least I got back a couple of finishes from Vonna and this is one of them. It's the Sampler Lady by Little House Needleworks. Vonna did a terriffic job, as always, of finishing this into a flatfold.

This summer has really flown by and I'm SO ready for Fall. I like the cooler weather and the beautiful colors that are displayed in the trees. I also am a huge college football fan and I'm very excited for the opening game! GO BLUE!

I hope you all have a great week and get time to do some stitching.

Thanks for stoping by.

BrendaS

Victoria Sampler and Stockings

2010-08-08T17:20:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone --
This week I finished the Victoria Sampler's Gingerbread House biscornu. I am very pleased with the results. The instructions were quite clear and I can see some more biscornu's in my future.

I also worked on one of the Four Seasons by Victoria Sampler. This piece has some drawn thread work in it which I haven't done for a couple of years but I LOVE the look. I should be able to finish this up this week.

I also was putting some stuff away in our crawl space and came across this old dowel tree that I used to use for Halloween. I thought it was the perfect display for the Blackbird Designs ornaments.

Well it's still HOT here in Chicagoland and today I've been staying indoors. Yesterday we went to my bosses' lake house and it was gorgeous out there. The lake was beautiful and the breeze coming from the lake made it quite pleasant being outside. My husband and daughter jet skied and also tried to water ski. They are pretty sore today. Oh well, it was worth it. We all had a great time.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week and gets some stitching in. Thank you again for all your comments they really make my day.

BrendaS

Finishing Weekend

2010-08-01T12:07:00.001-05:00

Hello Everyone --
I hope you have all had a great couple of weeks. Mine have been fairly busy but like always I have found time to stitch.
Yesterday I finished a few things for fall/halloween. First up is the Lizzie Kate punch needle design that I finished into a little door hanger.

Next I finished a Heart In Hand Design into a pincushion.

I also made a little pillow for a Lizzie Kate design.

I decided to try my hand at making a biscornu so I am stitching the one from Victoria Sampler's Gingerbread House. This is how far I've gotten:

Well that's about it for me. I hope everyone is keeping cool and enjoying their summer. As for me I am SO ready for Fall and the cooler weather. Thanks again for all your wonderful comments, they really make my day. Have a great week!

BrendaS

Blackbird Weekend and some Finishes!

2010-07-20T07:36:00.000-05:00

Hello --

This past weekend I traveled with my daughter to the Silver Needle in Tulsa to attend the Blackbird Designs weekend. It was absolutely FANTASTIC!!! Barb and Alma were so much fun and the Silver Needle put on a wonderful weekend for us. I did LOTS of shopping and got got so inspired by all the wonderful models that were on display in the shop. A feast for the eyes! I also met some fellow bloggers -- CathyB, Joan, Karen and Michelle. If you ever have a chance to take a class from Barb and Alma you really must. Here are just a few pictures of some of the items they brought with them.

This last picture is a sampler they found in France that was the idea for their latest Christmas book put out in 2009.

This pincushion was an extra design that they kitted up for us, complete with thread, linen, buttons and rick-rack. I didn't take a picture of the class projects but you can see them over on Cathy's or Joan's blog.

I did manage to have 2 additional finishes this past weekend. A punch needle design by Lizzie Kate and Windows Sampler by Prairie Schooler.

Thanks for stopping by and all your wonderful comments. I truly appreciate them. Enjoy your week and get lots of stitching in.

BrendaS

More of the Same

2010-07-11T14:44:00.001-05:00

Hello --
I finished a couple more of the Blackbird Halloween stockings. Are you tired of seeing them? I have really enjoyed stitching them and then doing the finishing.

I also worked a little more on PS Windows Sampler. Again, I am really loving this piece. Plain old DMC on Lakeside Linen. LOVE IT!

I also finished 2 more of the Just Nan ornmanets. I am so grateful to Vonna that she showed us this on her tutorials! THANK YOU VONNA!

Well that's about it for this past week. This Thursday, I leave to go to Tulsa. I can hardly wait! I signed up for a bonus finishing class that is being taught by Mona Bost on Friday. I will take lots of pictures and share them with you when I return.

Have a great week and get lots of stitching in.

Thanks so much for all your wonderful comments. They make my day!

I almost forgot -- Deb has a wonderful give-a-way on her blog. Go check it out!

BrendaS

Happy 4th of July!

2010-07-04T15:24:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone --
It's another hot day in Chicagoland so I'm trying to think about cooler weather and what better way than to stitch some Halloween/Fall designs.

These are 2 of the Halloween stockings by Blackbird Designs. The fabric that they are laying on is the background for one of the stockings. I hope to make a few more and than hang them from a black feather-type tree.

Speaking of Blackbird Designs in less than 2 weeks I will be going to the Silver Needle's Blackbird Designs weekend!. I can hardly wait. It's been 2 years since I've been to Tulsa and I am very excited.

I also made a start on this Prairie Schooler Design. I think it's called Welcome Sampler and is in the "November" chart. I'm stitching this on my new favorite linen -- Lakeside!!! If you've never stitched on this before it's HEAVEN.

Nothing exciting planned for the rest of the weekend. I'm not sure if we will go to the fireworks or not. We haven't been in a few years. I always say I'm going to go and when it rolls around I'm usually too hot or too tired to go.

Here is a picture of my two Scottie's. The black one is Bailee and the Wheaton one is Fiona. Their 1st birthdays are next week so we will celebrate on the 7th.

One of my husband's hobbies is gardening. I will leave you with a couple of my favorite pictures from our yards that were taken a month of so ago.

Have a safe and Happy 4th of July!

BrendaS

Another Hot June Sunday

2010-06-27T15:30:00.000-05:00

Hello --

It's another HOT day here in Chicagoland, so it's perfect for staying inside and stitching. I finished up The Sampler Lady by Little House Needleworks. Her skirt took a LONG time to stitch!

I went to the Goodwill Thrift store on Friday and found these two bowls that are perfect for displaying my scissors. I've seen so many flower frogs in blogland but I haven't been able to find any. I think this works pretty good and for $3 total you can't beat it!

Over the weekend I've gone through my stash and pulled out some fall/halloween designs to stitch. Some "smalls" and a couple of Prairie Schooler pictures. Fall is my favorite time of the year and I know Summer just started but I am SO ready for some cooler weather!

THANK YOU so much for all the kind comments you have left. I truly appreciate it.

Have a wonderful week and find some time to do some stitching!

BrendaS

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-20T15:57:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone --
This has been a great weekend. After bad storms moved through Friday night (fortunately we didn't lose power) we've had a very nice weekend. I started this little design by LHN yesterday and finished it into a pincushion today.

Then I finished this Just Nan 12 Days of Christmas into an ornament using Vonna's tutorial. Thank you very much Vonna for being so generous and posting these tutorials

I also worked a little bit on Pink Hill Manor. I didn't get very far but something is better than nothing.

On Tuesday night I took a class at Welcome Stitchery. This is Rain Forest by Needle Delights. It's done on 24 ct Congress. It's very different from what I normally stitch, but I love the colors and it's been enjoyable.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great week and get lots of stitching in!

Brenda S

Go Cubs Go

2010-06-13T14:47:00.006-05:00

Hello --
This week has been pretty productive. I finished off two more punch needle designs into pincushions. These are both by Lizzie Kate.

Here is my fall basket so far. I plan on stitching some more fall designs to add to it. Fall is my absolute favorite time of the year.

I also worked a little bit on Pink Hill Manor by BD. I am LOVING the colors in this one.

I also started The Sampler Lady by LHN. I am stitching this with the recommended fabric and threads. A very enjoyable stitch.

Tonight my family and I are going to see the Cubs play the White Sox at Wrigley Field. I am very excited and I hope the rain holds off until the game is over.

Have a great week and get lots of stitching in.

BrendaS

Basket of Pincushions

2010-06-06T16:30:00.006-05:00

Hello Everyone --
I hope you are all enjoying yourselves this weekend. Mine has been pretty low key. Normal chores around the house, a few errands and lots of stitching.

I took a picture of my "Patriotic" basket. These are all items I have shown earlier but I arranged them all together. I really like the way this looks. BeckySC has inspired me so much with all her wonderful stitching displayed in all different ways around her home. I finished 3 old Halloween punch-needle designs into pinchions. I mounted them on WDW wool and stuffed them with crushed walnut shells. I will put these all in a basket this fall with other fall/halloween designs.

This is another old punch-needle design that my youngest daughter did several years ago. It is also mounted on WDW wool and stuffed with crushed walnut shells.

Last Sunday I started this Blackbird Designs "Pink Hill Manor" I LOVE the colors in this.

I also finished stitching another BD stocking but haven't sewn it yet. I will show that next time.

Thank you all for your wonderful comments. They sure make my day.

Have a great week and get lots of stitching done!

BrendaS

Happy Memorial Day

2010-05-31T14:28:00.009-05:00

Here is Howie my stitching buddy. It's been very hot this week and since my stitching room is downstairs he LOVES being down there. He is always trying to sneak in and sleep in my chair when I'm not looking. This has been a 5 day weekend for me and it was absolutely WONDERFUL. I got lots of stitching done, a little shopping and enjoying spending time with my daughter. I was able to stitch and finish 3 pincushions. Here they are:

I always enjoy looking at other stitcher's collections of stitching items, so I grouped all my pincushions in a basket and have it on the table next to my stitching chair.

I hope everyone enjoyed a nice long weekend! Thanks to all who serve our country and their families.

Have a great week and get lots of stitching done!

BrendaS

Hot Sunday

2010-05-23T15:35:00.007-05:00

It is a very HOT and HUMID day here in Chicagoland. A great day to stay indoors and get lots of stitching done. I had a 3 day weekend and this is what I accomplished. Shepherds Bush Scissor Fob. Just in time for Memorial Day and 4th of July. I love how this turned out. I used pellets instead of stuffing to give it some weight.
I also finished the May Sampler from LHN. These little designs really stitch up quickly.
I also stitched this little flag design by SB. I finished it into a pincushion. I used crushed walnuts for the stuffing. That stuff is wonderful!
Last I sewed this little pillow to mount a punch needle design by Lizzie Kate on.
This coming week I am only working 3 days so I will have a nice 5 day weekend. My youngest daughter is coming home on Friday. It should be a nice LONG weekend! Hopefully it will cool down. I like summer but not when it's too HOT to enjoy being outside.

Thank you for all your nice comments. Find time to do something for yourself this week!

Happy Memorial Day!

BrendaS

Lots of Pictures

2010-05-16T16:05:00.001-05:00

Hi Everyone ---
I have lots of share this week. On Monday I finished this Shepherds Bush flag design. It was nice piece to stitch. Different specialty stitches as well as cross stitch. I am planning on sending to this to Vonna to finish as a flatfold.

Up next is an old Lizzie Kate punch needle design that I punched last year but never finished until this weekend. I made a pillow-type door hanger.

Here is another old punch needle design that I mounted on WDW wool. I love these folksy designs by Brenda G. of With thy Needle.

Next is my latest finish. I stitched and finished this needle roll by Shepherds Bush today. However, when I went to press it some water from my iron leaked out and it made the WDW run in a couple of areas. It's not too bad so I didn't want to try to make it worse by getting the whole piece wet so I just left it. I will need to be more careful next time.

I also had time yesterday to finish a couple more stockings from Blackbird Designs.

I am currently working on the May sampler month from Little House Needleworks. I hope to have it finished next week. Thanks again for all your nice comments. They make my day.

Have a great week and I hope you all get lots of stitching time!

BrendaS

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-09T16:43:00.001-05:00

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mom's out there. Both of my daughters were here this weekend which was very special. I also spent a lot of time stitching, finishing and doing some shopping at my LNS. All in all a great weekend.

I finished 5 more Blackbird designs stockings. I got some more backing fabric at a quilt store and have really been on a roll with these. I am actually liking the sewing machine! I am using #6 beads from Mill Hill for the hangers. I think they add a little bit of sparkle to the stockings. I also loved Siobhan's idea of rick rack. I might have to try that too!

I got some crushed walnut shells and finished a couple of pincushions. This is a punch needle design by Lizzie Kate.

This is a Little House Needleworks design that I had orginally made into a Pin Keep (that was a disaster) so I took it apart and made a pincushion out of it. I think this is much better.

Well thank you again for all your wonderful comments. They mean so much to me! Have a great week and I hope you all get lots of stitching and/or finishing done.

BrendaS

A Busy Couple of Weeks

2010-05-03T07:38:00.001-05:00

Hello Everyone --
We have had a busy couple of weekends and there hasn't been much time for stitching. Last weekend my husband and I went to Michigan for what turned out to be a 4 day weekend and just this past weekend we went to St. Louis to see my brother and his family in their new house.

I am looking forward to the upcoming weekend and getting in some good stitching time and sewing up some more of the BD stockings. Up first is a May stocking that is about 1/2 done. It has more color changes than some of the other stockings so it is taking a little bit longer to finish.Next is also a May stocking that I was able to finish last week. I love the simplicity of this design and with just 2 colors it went really fast.

I also thought I would show you a couple more pictures of my stitching room. Here are some fobs and "smalls". I am hoping to add more to this over the summer. I see lots of "smalls" in my future!

The last picture is my sewing area that I set-up. It's rather small but it serves the purpose of having the sewing machine handy to use.

Well that's all I have for today. I hope you have a great week and get lots of stitching in. (that's my plan for the week)

BrendaS

What a Wonderful Weekend

2010-04-18T14:42:00.001-05:00

Hello Everyone --
I've had a great 2 day weekend and I hope you all have too. I started out yesterday morning by going to my LNS in Crystal Lake since they were having a SALE. I got a few things and then picked up 3 framing orders. Everything turned out so nice and I will show you 2 of the pictures. The 3rd was a long Victoria Sampler Design that I can't take a very good picture of so I will ask my husband later to take one for me and will post that picture next week. I also stopped at a quilt show to get some little fabric pieces so I could finish some of the Blackbird Designs stockings. I actually SEWED again! I finished 4 of the Stockings. I think they turned out pretty good if I do say so myself. I am feeling a little bit better about the sewing machine. I set up an area in my stitching room so the machine is always available and that makes it a lot easier to practice rather than dragging the machine to the dining room table all the time. Here are some pictures:

I used large Mill Hill beads to make the hangers. I have 11 more stitched that need finishing and 21 more to stitch. Do you think I will get them done before the end of the year? My goal is to have them all on their own special tree this Christmas.

Up next is Free Bird by Plum Street Samplers. I just love this design. I stitched it on 36 count Lakeside Linen Basketweave with the recommended NPI silks.

Last but certainly not least is My Mom's Garden by SB. I just love the frame on this one and have it sitting on an easel in my family room where I can see it everyday. I just LOVE it. (sorry about the glare)

It's been a beautiful weekend in Chicago. A little cool but wonderful sunny weather and beautiful blue skies. It was great to have 2 whole days away from work!

I hope you all have a wonderful week and get lots of stitching in!

BrendaS

Only 4 Days Left

2010-04-11T17:00:00.001-05:00

Hello Everyone --
Only 4 days left untill the end of tax season! YEAH!!!!!

I finally pulled out my sewing machine today and was determined to make a little pillow. Well here are my efforts. It didn't exactly turn out as planned but it's a start. I don't know why I'm so afraid of that stupid machine but I really need to get over that because there are lots of little things that I would like to make but I need to feel more comfortable with the machine first. Up next is my current WIP. It's GLORY by SB. I'm really enjoying this and hope to have it finished in the next couple of weeks. I would like to have it framed before Memorial Day.

Well that's it for today. I hope you all have a great week and get in lots of stitching. I'm looking forward to having a 2 day weekend next week!!!

BrendaS

Happy Easter

2010-04-04T15:47:00.001-05:00

Hello Everyone --
I hope you are all enjoying a beautiful Sunday and a wonderful Easter. Both of our daughters came for an early dinner so that was very nice.

I got back my finishes from Vonna. Up first is the Easter Egg by SB. This looks so much better IRL than this picture shows. Vonna did a superb job with the finishing. I LOVE it! I went to Welcome Stitchery yesterday and I was able to pick up a couple of framing orders. The first one is this tray finish for the monthly LHN sampler designs. I will be able to switch out each month. I just think this tray is just a real different way to display these.

Here is the SB's fob that Vonna finished for me. Again, just wonderful finishing. I need to find the Americana scissors that go with this.

I finished the LHN scissor bed last week and did the finishing myself (YEAH!). It wasn't hard at all and I love the way it turned out.

Finally, here is a picture in my dining room of several Prairie Schooler samplers that I stitched years ago. Prairie Schooler is another of my favorite designers.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful week and get lots of stitching in.

BrendaS

A Mixed Bag Today

2010-03-21T16:22:00.000-05:00

Happy Sunday Everyone --
We started the 1st day of Spring with SNOW. We got about 2 inches but right now the sun is out and melting all the snow.

I had the first class for Cranberry Pinafore (SB) yesterday and there were 8 students. It went pretty well. We didn't get as far as I hoped but I think overall everyone was pleased.

My first picture today is an old Just Nan pattern titled Rosewood Manor. I stitched this several years ago. It was a large piece to stitch but I really enjoyed it. The framing was done at Welcome Stitchery and it really showcases the design.

Up next, is my progress on SB's Sail Away. I started this a couple of years ago and only did the top band. I pulled it out this past week and here is my progress. I am enjoying it so much more now than I did before.

I also started LHN scissor bed and it's a great little project. Very easy and I think I will even be able to do the finishing.

Last, are two pictures of my Scotties. The Wheaton one is Fiona and the Black one is Bailee. It's very hard to photograph Bailee because she is all black. They are both just wonderful little pups and are very spoiled!

Have a great week and get lots of stitching done!

BrendaS

Happy Sunday

2010-03-14T18:15:00.001-05:00

I have been very busy at work but have still managed to have almost 2 finishes this week. First up is Shepherds Spring. This was a very cute band sampler to do. I just have the little sheep at the bottom to finish and then add some beads. Next up is Land and Liberty. I started this last year but got distracted by something else so it didn't get finished. I pulled it out a couple of weeks ago and again I'm almost finished. I just have to add the girl's shoe and a flower on the right. I am just loving SB designs lately.

I think my next 2 projects will be Sail Away (again I started this back in September 2008 but never finished it) and the new LHN scissor bed that just came out. After seeing BeckySC's finish I really want to stitch this for myself and I think I can do the finishing!!!LOL!

My last picture is an embroidery picture that my Mom made. I'm guessing it's from the 70's. The frame was made by my Grandpa from old driftwood. I'm very blessed to have this piece from my Mom. It hangs in a special place in my stiching room.

Well only a month until tax season is over and I can take some VACATION!!! YEAH. I just want to have a couple of long weekends to stay at home! I am such a homebody and when I'm working 6 days a week for 14 weeks it's very hard.

I am going to the Silver Needle in July to take the class from Blackbird Designs. I have been to Tulsa to take classes over the last several years and they put on a top notch event. If you have the chance to go you really should. The shopping is FANTASTIC and Lindy and all her staff always make you feel welcome. The models at the shop are just WOW WOW! Can you tell I'm excited?

Hope you all have a great week and get lots of stitching done.

BrendaS

Almost Spring

2010-03-07T18:38:00.000-06:00

Happy Sunday! This week just flew by. I was very very busy at work and we had some home repairs being done so I didn't get a lot of stitching in. However, I did start this little SB piece titled Shepherds Spring. It is only 2 1/2 inches by 8 and it is done on a beautiful lilac piece of linen. It is moving along nicely. I hope to have it finished before Spring comes! Next is a picture of my cat, Howard. He was a stray that showed up on my Mom's doorstep back in 2004 and she gave him to me. He is the most loving and affectionate cat I have ever had. This picture was taken down in my stitching room. He was sleeping in my chair waiting for me to come down. LOL!!!

I hope you all have a great week and get lots of stitching done. Only a couple of more weeks til it says Spring on the calendar! Now we just need to get rid of all our snow!!!!!

BrendaS

A Day late

2010-03-01T19:06:00.001-06:00

We had some unexpected home repairs needing to be taken care of this weekend and I wasn't able to post yesterday. I also didn't get to stitch as much yesterday as I would have liked. I always try to stay at home on Sundays and do things around the house and try to get in quite a bit of stitching. Oh well maybe next week.

I did finish my class piece --- Cranberry Pinafore by Shepherds Bush. I am teaching this at Welcome Stitchery on March 20th and April 19. I really enjoyed stitching this. This is a pretty crappy photo but you get the idea. I also finished My Mom's Garden by Shepherds Bush. This was a very enjoyable stitch.

This past Friday night I went to Market Nite at my LNS. I bought way too much but had lots of fun. A couple of my favorite things are the new Shepherds Bush "My Land" and the Americana Pincushion. I think I will be stitching those in the near future.

Have a great week and get lots of stitching done. Thanks always for your wonderful comments. They truly make my day/week.

BrendaS

Wishing for Spring

2010-02-21T16:45:00.001-06:00

Happy Sunday! I am anxious for Spring and looking forward to having my windows open and fresh air blowing in.

This week I worked on My Mom's Garden by Shepherds Bush. This is a great little piece, lots of little designs and it's been very nice to work on. I've been on a real Shepherds Bush kick lately. I have LOTS of their kits and charts and have started to pull them out and get them stitched up. I'm starting with some of the smaller ones before moving on to the larger pieces. Next up is a finish I got back from Vonna a couple of weeks ago. She finished this into a beautiful flatfold. I just LOVE the cording around the design. It matches the colors perfectly.

I finished the February Sampler by Little House Needleworks this week. I will be taking January and February to my LNS to have stretched and put in a black tray that I can switch out every month. I also received the March and April installments this week so I should get going on those. I would really like to have all 12 done by the end of the year.

Tonight we're expecting 4-6" of SNOW! I am so sick of snow, especially if I have to go out and go to work in it. If I was at home stitching away I know it wouldn't bother me at all!

Have a great week! Thanks again for all the wonderful comments. They really make my day.

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T14:11:00.000-06:00

This week was a very productive week for me. I had 3 finishes! First up is a Shepherds Bush design. This will be become a scissor fob. It's supposed to go with the Americana scissors put out by Ginger a few years ago. Next up is another Shepherds Bush design titled My Pins. It will be made into a pincushion. This was a super fast stitch. I did it while watching the opening ceremonies of the Olymics.

Next up is another Shepherds Bush design. It's an Easter egg and I hope to have it made into a little ornament. I did this last Sunday while watching the Super Bowl.

Then, finally here is a picture of the class piece I am stitching at Welcome Stitchery. It's called Cranberry Pinafore by Shepherds Bush. The top part of the sampler is mostly whitework and it doesn't show up very well. I am about 2/3 done. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks I can finish this up.

The last picture are 2 finishes I got back from Vonna. The biscornu by Just Nan and the pinkeep which is a design by Emmie Bishop. Vonna's finishing is absolutely FANTASTIC!!!

It felt good to have some finishes this week. None of those projects were on my "to do" list but when I was going through my stash last week I saw them and thought "why haven't I done these?". Life is too short to not stitch what you want when you want. We all have enough things we have to do everyday and stitching shouldn't be a "chore", it should be enjoyable!

I hope you all have a wonderful week and enjoy some "Happy Stitching"!!!

BrendaS

Super Sunday

2010-02-07T16:21:00.000-06:00

Today has been a beautiful day in Chicagoland. It's cold, but at least the sun is out and blues skies are shining. We're supposed to get a big snow storm tomorrow night. I sure hope it misses us. Oh well, on to stitching.

First up is the January Sampler by Little House Needleworks. I finished this last Monday and have started the February Sampler. These are great little designs and work up relatively quick. I got some finishing back from Vonna and one of the items is this flatfold. It's Queen Bee and it's also by Little House Needleworks. I absolutely LOVE the finishing that Vonna does and this one is my most favorite that I got back. I will show the other 4 in the next few weeks.

Last but not least is a punch needle design that I made for my Mom several years ago. This was designed by Little House as well. This was fairly large piece for punch needle, but I love how it came out. My mom died last year and this is one of the many, many pieces that I made for her that have come back to my home now.

Today I started a little Shepherds Bush Easter egg and I'm almost finished with it. I will post a picture next week.

I also went to my LNS for a SuperBowl Sale and I got a floor stand magnifier. It's the Mighty Brite Lite Magnifier and all I can say is -- WOW! What a difference it makes. I've never used magnification before but lately my eyes could use some help. This is just a great little lite/magnifier and it was very reasonably priced compared to some of the more expensive DAZOR lites and magnifiers.

Well THANK YOU again for all the wonderful comments. It's nice of you to take the time to stop by.

Have a great week and Happy Stitching:)

BrendaS

Blue Skies are Smiling

2010-01-31T16:06:00.001-06:00

Hello --
Do you ever have one of those days when you just stay home and putz around the house and enjoy changing things around and just doing a whole lot of nothing? Well today was one of those days for me and I loved it. I got out a few of my spring things and changed some things around and just had a great day. I think just having the SUN out made a big difference. Of course I also got stitching in so that always makes me smile:)

The first picture is my January Sampler by Little House Needleworks. I hope to have it done by the end of this week and move on to February. I think March and April are out at my LNS now too. Today, I also pulled out some old punch needle projects that I did quite a while ago. I think I will make them into little door hangers. Nothing fancy since finishing isn't my thing. This little bunny is by Lizzie Kate.

The Spring house is also by Lizzie Kate.

This last picture is of a quilt that my very good friend Bonnie made for us when we moved into our house over 14 years ago. I just LOVE this little quilt!

Well, I hope all of you have had a fantastic weekend and had lots of time to enjoy doing what you love to do. Until next time -- Happy Stitching!

BrendaS

Gray and Dreary Weekend

2010-01-24T16:22:00.000-06:00

Well it's been a very rainy, dreary weekend here in the Chicagoland area. I hate this time of year. It's all dirty outside with the snow melting and our 2 puppies who love to play in the yard and get as dirty as possible. Oh well at least my stitching is cheerful. The picture above is Fiona (wheaton) and Bailee (black) our 6 month old scottie pups.

I continued to work on the class piece that I'm teaching at Welcome Stitchery. I try to do at least a couple of bands in morning before going to work. It's a Shepherd's Bush piece titled Cranberry Pinafore. I didn't take a picture again since it's tone on tone right now and won't show up very well.

I did pull out the Blackbird monthly stocking designs. This one is from July. These are nice quick stitches to do in the evening after work. I am stitching them on the recommended fabric with recommended fibers. I don't know if I will finish them myself or possibly send them to Vonna at the Twisted Stitcher.

Today, I felt like starting something new so I pulled out the Little House Needleworks monthly Samplers and started January. They are about 5" square. I saw one finished already and it was mounted in a small black tray. Very nice and you could switch it out each month.
Thanks for visiting and your nice comments. Hope you get lots of stitching done in the next week.

BrendaS

WIP and some Hardanger

2010-01-17T18:18:00.001-06:00

Good Evening --
Another busy week at work has passed by and I didn't get as much stitching done in the evening as I would like. Sometimes I'm just too tired to stitch by the time I get home, make dinner and then do any little chores that need doing. Oh well, it's tax season and it will be over by April 15th. YEAH!

The first picture tonight is one of the first hardanger pieces I did. This is called Quilter's Garden by Emmie Bishop. I completed this in September of 2007.

The next picture is called Dreams and is also by Emmie Bishop. I completed this in May of 2009. This was probably one of the hardest hardanger pieces I've done. Last by not least is my progress on Husbandry in Honour Sampler by The Sampler Company. Not as much progress as I would like, but something is better than nothing.

I started the class project that I'm teaching at Welcome Stitchery http://www.welcomestitchery.com in March. I did 3 bands but it is all tone on tone so I don't think the picture would show up very well. Maybe next time.

Hope everyone has a great week and gets lots of stitching done.

Brenda

Sunday Update

2010-01-10T15:23:00.000-06:00

Hello --
I thought I would start this post with a picture I finished last summer and just got back from the framer's a couple of weeks ago. This design is by Little House Needleworks and is stitched with the recommended linen and fibers. I hung it on my stitching room door. The next picture is a sampler I stitched 1/1 on 25 ct cream Lugana. The design is by The Sampler Company. I think it's titled Town House Sampler. I picked it up yesterday and hung it in my family room.

The last picture is my progress on Husbandry in Honour Sampler by The Sampler Company. I've been doing a lot of stitching today while watching football. I've got a big pot of chili in the crock pot so dinner will be super easy tonight.

Bonnie -- thank you very much for the tip on loading the picture first before typing. It worked like a charm!

Busy week ahead at work but I try to stitch each morning before work and for a little while in the evening. I am teaching a class at Welcome Stitchery in March so I need to start that. It's called Cranberry Pinafore by Shepherds Bush. It's a narrow band sampler so it should be a lot of fun to stitch.

Have a good week and hope you get lots of stitching in.

BrendaS