Since I’m stuck at home most of the time right now due to a bum knee, I’m getting in some good stitching time.  It gives me a much welcome break from studying for finals for school!

After finishing Sunflower Fairy recently, I decided to go through my WIPs and pull out a couple of smaller projects that I thought I could get knocked out before year’s end.  Pear Tree is part of the ornament of the month series from Little House Needleworks.  We won’t discuss how long ago I started it.  All that matters is that it’s finished now.   Here is a pic of my finish followed by a close-up view that shows off the beads.  As always, click to biggify.

After I finished that piece on Saturday.  I pulled out It is Never Too Late from Primrose Needleworks.  I love the saying on this piece!  It’s a quote from author George Eliot (who was actually a woman in case you didn’t know).  I’m thinking of framing it and hanging in my office after I finish it. Anyway, I think I made really good progress on it.  Here are pics of before I started stitching on it this weekend followed by the after pic showing how much I got done on it. I hope I can finish it this week as well, but time will tell since I’ve got finals.  It would be really nice to mark another WIP off my list.

I also signed up for the WIPocalypse 2012 that Measi is coordinating on her blog.  There are lots of familiar faces on the participant list, so it’ll be fun to see how we all fare.  I’ll be spending time over the Christmas holiday coming up with my list of projects I want to focus on for the challenge.

I’ve also made some progress in my decision-making for the Mirabilia round robin over at TWRRB (The Worldwide Round Robin Board).  Sign-ups closed a few days ago and we ended up with eight stitchers in our group. I’ve decided to use the Pixie Couture collection for my theme.  Now that I know exactly how many stitchers will be in the group, I can get more serious about figuring out my exact layout and which of the pixies I want to use for it.  Our first mailing date isn’t going to be until late February/early March, so I’ve still got time to sort it out.

Well, that’s it for now.  Until next time …

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I finished my Sunflower Fairy a few days ago and I love how she turned out!  Here’s a pic of my finish followed by a close-up view of the glitter and bling.  As always, click to biggify.

This is a design by Nora Corbett (of Mirabilia) that appeared in the September 2009 issue of Cross-Stitch & Needlework magazine.  I stitched her on 32-count Copper Penny linen from Wichelt using the recommended Valdani cotton floss.  The only change I made was substituting Creamy Peach from Crescent Colors for the skin because the recommended Valdani seemed a bit too fair to me.

I was on a business trip last and got in a bit of stitching time on another Nora Corbett magazine design.  This time is was her Halloween Fairy (a.k.a. Trick or Treat Fairy).  It’s also from Cross-Stitch & Needlework magazine in their September 2008 issue.  Here’s my progress thus far on it:

Given I’m on such a Mirabilia/Nora Corbett kick lately, you probably won’t be surprised to learn that I’ve signed up for a Mirabilia Round Robin that’s starting up in February.  It’s being coordinated through TWRRB (The Worldwide Round Robin Board).   It seems like a really great group of stitchers and Kathy is moderating our group which should be fun, too. Now I just have to figure out my theme and layout.

I’m currently work on the Pear Tree ornament from last year’s ornament of the month series by Little House Needleworks.  I don’t really have enough done yet to show a progress pic.  Since it’s an ornament, you may not see a pic until it’s actually finished. LOL

Well, that’s it from me for now.  Until next time …

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I’ve really been enjoying working on Lady Alexandra from Mirabilia lately.  She’s the only piece I worked on this week.  I got kind of side-tracked away from stitching when I learned on Thursday that my uncle suddenly wasn’t doing well due to complications of his Parkinson’s disease.   He ended up passing away on Friday and I just been out of sorts emotionally since then.  So, I didn’t get as much done as I would’ve liked this week, but progress is progress, right?    As always, click to biggify.

Fabric: 32-count Ice Blue linen (Wichelt)
Fibers: Recommended DMC & Mill Hill Beads
Progress as of 20 November 2011

Until next time …

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I headed out to southern California’s wine country for a stitching retreat this weekend that was arranged by Margaret Bendig, a needlework teacher based here.  It was a completely no-frills retreat weekend and was absolutely wonderful!  There was no class piece, no goody bags, etc.  Everyone just brought whatever they wanted to work on, some snacks, and enjoyed a wonderful weekend spent with other stitchers.

Our group of about 30 ladies and one gentleman (Hi, Ray!) stayed at the Viña de Lestonnac  in Temecula which is not only a retreat center, but also a convent for the Sisters of the Company of Mary.  The grounds were absolutely stunning and overlooked a beautiful valley and part of the vineyards of the Danza del Sol Winery.

There was plenty of food and wine to go around all weekend.

There was an abundance of amazingly beautiful pieces being stitched as well.  I meant to get photos of everyone’s stitching, but it just didn’t happen unfortunately.  Below are some of the pieces the ladies sitting near me were working on during the retreat.

Darla was working on My Stitching Treasures by Jeanette Douglas Designs.  She started it on Friday and had all of the border completed by the time we left on Sunday.  She’s one speedy stitcher!

Wanda was working on Autumn at Hawk’s Run Hollow from Carriage House Samplings.  She’s almost finished!

There were also plenty of stunning Mirabilia pieces being worked on this weekend.  Sarah is on the downhill side of finishing her beautiful Autumn Queen.

Debbie was working on Elizabeth, one of the newer Mirabilia designs.

As for me, I worked on a couple of different pieces from Nora Corbett/Mirabilia this weekend.  The first piece was Nora’s Sunflower Fairy which appeared in the September 2009 issue of Cross-Stitch and Needlework magazine.  I didn’t work on it that much, but here are my before & after progress pics for the weekend.

Before Retreat

After Retreat

I actually ended up spending most of my stitching time (which was vastly less than my socializing time LOL) working on Lady Alexandra.  She’s such a fun piece to stitch and was just calling my name this weekend.

Before Retreat

After Retreat

While I didn’t get quite as much stitching accomplished this weekend as I would have liked, I still had such a wonderful time.  Margaret is already tentatively planning to hold two more of these no-frills retreats next year in Temecula again (June 15-17 and Nov. 9-11).  She is considering offering an optional flag-themed needlepoint class at the June retreat since it will be Flag Day weekend.  We all got a sneak peek at the piece she’s designing for it over the weekend.  If she offers it, I’m definitely interested in taking the class!

If anyone is interested in more information about the retreats for next year, just drop me an email using the envelope icon under my photo in the sidebar.  I can then put you in touch with the organizer.  She’s current putting together a no obligation interest list with names and email addresses.  She’ll use the list to contact everyone who expressed an interest when she has more information regarding costs and is ready to start taking registrations.

Until next time …

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Between my blog and the Mirabilia Facebook group, the result was overwhelmingly in favor of Conifer for my Royal Holiday.  Luckily, that was my favorite, too!   I did come up with one other option that I really like and thought I would throw it into the mix with Conifer for your input.

Picture This Plus Conifer

Sassy's Fabbys Spruce

So, once again, could you please leave a comment and let me know which you think looks better?  I’m still leaning toward Conifer because it’s seems to say “Christmas” to me more, but I think the Spruce is really pretty, too.  Decisions, decisions ….

Until next time,

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