Cross StitchTag Archives

Saturday PhotoHunt: Bling

This week’s PhotoHunt theme is *BLING*. Given my love of needlework, one of my favorite forms of bling is stitching designs with lots of sparkle and embellishments. This is the Letter M fairy designed by Nora Corbett. As you can see, she’s definitely blinged out.

I have a Flickr account that houses all of PhotoHunt photos. If you would like to view them all, you can find the set here.

Today’s assignment for the 30 Day Blog Challenge is posting about your dream wedding. Given I’m twice divorced, I think I’ll sit out on this round.

Until next time …

7 January 2012

Challenges, Photography, Stitching

11 comments

30 Day Blog Challenge, Cross Stitch, Nora Corbett, Photography, Photography

WIPocalypse & the Great Stash Diet™

Here we are with 2012 quickly approaching. In fact, in many parts of the world, it’s already arrived. I still have just a little over three hours to go until it arrives for me here in California. That gives me just enough time to outline my plans for the 2012 WIPocalypse and my own Great Stash Diet™!

Part of the WIPocalypse SAL is to post a list of the WIPs you want to work on during the year. I sorted through all of my WIPs (*gulp*) and then decided which pieces I want to focus on as part of the WIPocalypse SAL. With that, here’s my plan with links to my current progress photos on the existing WIPs:

Finish at least 12 pieces in 2012

Celtic Christmas – Lavendar & Lace (started 25-Sep-05)
Hannah Beeby 1816 – Timeless Designs [started 24-Mar-08]
Sophie’s Stocking – Shepherd’s Bush (started 16-Feb-09)
Lady Alexandra – Mirabilia (started 13-Aug-11)
My Mirabilia Round Robin piece – RR starting late February/early March
Debbie’s Mira RR
Jocelyn’s Mira RR
Julie’s Mira RR
Sophia’s Mira RR
Stephanie’s Mira RR
Tanya’s Mira RR
Tracy‘s Mira RR

As time allows, work the additional pieces below (in no particular order but listed by start date) as well as any other new pieces I start (must already be kitted and will be added to this list once started). I don’t have current current progress pics of most of these pieces. I’ll link the ones that are available and I’ll post the others if and when the time comes that I work on the piece.

Taj Mahal Garden Mandala – Chatelaine (started 1-Jan-07)
Le Quaker a 6 Mains – Broder Ensemble/Le 498/AMAP (started 5-Jan-07)
Moonlit Garden – Blackbird Designs (started 19-Jan-07)
Halloween Fairy – Nora Corbett [started 12-Aug-08]
Plum Blossom Kimono (canvas) – Margaret Bendig (started 20-Jun-09)
The Southwest (Sea to Shining Sea series) – Little House Needleworks (started 10-Oct-09)
Book of Spells – The Good Huswife (started 13-Feb-10)
Needle (Dictionary Series) – CherryWood Design Studios (started 01-Jan-11)
Snowed In (6 Fat Men series) – Lizzie Kate (started 22-Dec-11)
Royal Holiday – Mirabilia (planned Jan. 1 2012 start)

If you want more information, check out the FAQs here. If you’re interested in joining us, you can sign up here. Who’s taking part you ask? Check out the huge list of participants!

In addition to taking on the WIPocalypse, I’ve also decided to undertake my own Great Stash Diet™ for 2012. Since my stitching goals for the year are pretty clearly defined, there’s really no need for me to be spending lots of money on stash as I normally do. So, my goal for 2012 is NO stash buying, with the following exceptions:

Any fibers needed for the RR or existing works in progress.
Stash purchased with gift certificates.
Kit for a class I’m tentatively planning to take in June.
One birthday stash order in February from Drema using my birthday discount.
My auto-ship ornament of the month series from Little House Needleworks.

So, that’s it. That pretty much encompasses my stitching plans for 2012. What about you? Do you have any stitching, craft, or hobby plans for 2012?

Until next time …

31 December 2011

Stitching

4 comments

canvas, Cross Stitch, Great Stash Diet, Stash, WIPocalypse 2012, WIPs

Mirabilia Round Robin Planning

As I posted a couple of weeks ago, I’m going to be participating in a Mirabilia themed round robin on the world-wide round robin board next year. Since we’re going to be starting in late February or early March, I decided it was time for me to start earnestly making plans for my piece. I figure this will give me plenty of time to get my outlines done and my part stitched before it needs to go into the mail.

As a theme for my piece, I’ve decided to go with the lovely ladies from the Pixie Couture collection. I’m going to be using some 28-count opalescent Lugana for my fabric. These are the charts I have decided to use in my piece (as always, click to biggify):

We set a limit in our RR of no more than 2500 stitches per section to keep the sizes reasonable. I’ve opted to go with a 45×55 rectangle for each section. This photo shows the sections of each chart I’m planning to use as well as how they’ll be laid out in the piece:

I still need to decide what I’m going to include in the center area, but it will be something along the lines of the year and all of our names. For the outline around each pixie, I’m thinking of using the coordinating Kreinik braid that goes with each pixie. After all, one can never have enough bling and sparkle, right?

I know a lot of folks will be going offline over the next week or so due to the holidays. For those of you to whom that applies, I just wanted to take a minute in closing to wish you all a very safe & happy holiday season. Here’s to hoping for a wonderfully & healthy 2012 for us all! For those who will be around over the holidays, you’ll get another holiday greeting in a few days.

22 December 2011

Stitching

5 comments

Cross Stitch, Holiday, Mirabilia, Round Robin, TWRRB

A Finish & A Start

I hope everyone here in the US had a lovely Thanksgiving holiday yesterday. I had a nice day and got to spend some time with the outlaws (my former father-in-law and sister-in-law) which was really nice. We went out to Mimi’s Cafe for a traditional turkey meal, so no one had to do any cooking or cleaning. It worked perfectly for us. I think the funniest part of the day was that my FIL, and not me or my 30-something SIL, was playing on Facebook on his cell phone while we were waiting on our food.

In stitching news, I did get in another finish for the year. I finished this piece on Wednesday night and love how it all came together. The design is a freebie I found on Brenda’s blog. She designs under the name With Thy Needle & Thread and runs Country Stitches. I love Halloween & Autumnal designs, especially samplers, so this one was a must stitch for me as soon as I saw it. Pardon the wrinkles, I haven’t ironed it yet.

Design: Indian Summer
Designer: With Thy Needle & Thread
Fabric: 40-count Maple Sugar Lakeside Linen
Fibers: Various over-dyed cottons
Finished November 25, 2009
Stitched 1 over 2

I also couldn’t resist a new start. It’s one of the designs from my recent stash haul that I posted about earlier in the week. I did make a couple of color substitutions. Instead of using red & pink for the dress and flowers, I opted to go for Indigo for the dress and Spring Violets for the flowers. Everything else, including the fabric, is as charted.

Design: One of Those Days
Designer: Miss Crescent’s Crowne
Fabric: 36-count Strawflower Lakeside Linen
Fibers: Belle Soie silks
Progress as of November 26, 2009
Stitched 1 over 2

That’s it for now. I hope everyone has a great weekend! Until next time …

27 November 2009

Misc., Stitching

2 comments

Cross Stitch, Family, Finishes, Miss Crescent's Crowne, Thanksgiving, WIPs, With Thy Needle & Thread

Wow, nice RAK!

Before I get to the RAK, let me start by apologizing for not blogging much lately. I was down for a couple of weeks with a severe staph infection in one of my eyes. Since that cleared up, I’ve been caught up in a new book series I’m reading, but more on that later.

Now, on to the topic at hand … I’ve been a very lucky stitcher lately and have actually received two RAKs (Random Act of Kindness). One of them was received from Anne S. a couple of weeks ago, but I’m woefully behind in updating my blog, so I’m just now getting around to posting about it. I did thank Anne when I received it though.

She sent me a couple of gorgeous colors of Carrie’s Creation Threads over-dyed cotton floss, some needles, a beautiful Melbourne photo postcard, a couple of pieces of glorious chocolate, and a lovely card from Anne. I will admit that the chocolate didn’t last the day after getting the package.

Then, a couple of days ago, I was one of several recipients of a beautiful bookmark made by Annette.

They were inspired by the mutual ~~appreciation~~ obsession that we all share for the Black Dagger Brotherhood book series by J.R. Ward. In Annette’s words, which I completely agree with, the series is Crackilicious! I started the series 13 days ago and I should finish the 4th book in the series tomorrow. Yeah, it’s definitely book crack.

With all the reading I’ve been doing, I’ve not been doing quite as much stitching. I have still managed to get some done though. I’ve had three small finishes this month. I will share pictures of two of them, but can’t share the third as it’s for an exchange and I’ve not mailed it yet.

Moon Witch (photo is a bit over-exposed, sorry!)
Designer: The Primitive Needle
Fabric: 28-count Days Gone By linen
Fibers: Belle Soie, GAST, and WDW

Noel Naturally
Designer: The Cat’s Whiskers
Fabric: 32-count Lambswool linen
Fiber: Threadwerx

I’ve also finally had to admit to myself that I’ve failed miserably at my 25-project no stash challenge. I made it through 12 projects, but I’m totally off the wagon now. On the upside, I have some great new stash. I’ll share pictures of what I’ve purchased recently in my next post.

Until then …

20 November 2009

Stitching

7 comments

BDB, Cat's Whiskers, Christmas, Cross Stitch, Halloween, Ornaments, Primitive Needle, RAK

Halloween Squares & A Finish

Jeanie in Singapore received the Halloween squares I stitched for her as part of the Fair & Square exchange, so I can share a picture of them now. The design is by Prairie Schooler from their Boo to You chart.

I received my squares from Jeanie last week. She choose a couple of small motifs from San-Man Originals. She did a great job. I think the squares are adorable. Thanks, Jeanie!

I also have another little finish to share. It’s actually a partial finish of an ultimate larger piece. It’s from the Sea to Shining Sea silk thread pack series from Little House Needleworks. The whole piece is made up of five regional squares and a border pack. Since they are each packaged separately, I’m counting each thread pack as a finish. So, here’s the West Coast:

I have one last picture to share before I finish this up. I’m a week late posting it, but here is my monthly photo of my orts jar for the Totally Useless SAL:

I also want to add a note for those of you who are following my weight loss journey. I registered a new domain name for that blog. The new URL is http://www.melgetsfit.com. ~~If you have the old URL bookmarked, it will still continue to work.~~ Edit: Turns out I was wrong, the old URL apparently doesn’t work any longer. It will get you to the site, but the blog entries are no longer displayed. I just ask that if you link that blog elsewhere that you please use the new URL. Thanks!

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