Christmas gifts...

When I was visiting relatives my sister picked some cross stitch ornaments that I will make for my nieces and nephew. So far I have the youngest girl's completed and started on my nephew's Teddy Bear Santa. As I have never really used special thread or beads before, they are both in the ornament for my oldest niece, I am going to start on her's be the last one that I start on.

Starting On The Letters....

for this cross stitch project, that once complete it will be hung up in the kitchen. There will be a rooster and the saying Good Morning. I hope to work on this more in the next month.

Any Progress On Crafts Is Good

I haven't gotten too much on this cross stitch gift for my sister, but I figure any progress is better than none. Here are the pictures below from the last time I posted. I have also worked quite a bit of work done on the EPP hexagon quilt I am working on, but will post about that tomorrow.

Progress, New Projects, and Organization

So this post has you can probably see from the title is a little bit about everything. After making a few EPP (English Paper Piecing) projects, I have found that for me it is easier and faster for me to put the hexies into rows before attaching them together. Here is my latest progress, I know only one small row complete, but at least it is now a complete flower (assuming you don't count the sashing).

This is a new project that I started while on retreat, it is a embroidery panel I purchased for $7.50. The panel has various flowers and baskets on it. The one thing I like about this is that they already have the colored pattern on it. I need a little bit more thread since I don't have all of the colors in my stash, but only need a few as I have most. I tried to get close up pictures, as from far away you can't really tell what work I have done since the pattern is so bright.

 In trying to get more organized I decided that I needed to go through all of the embroidery/counted cross stitch floss that I currently have. Normally what I do is get all of the thread and put it with the corresponding pattern (with copies of original and copies) in a big ziploc bag. In deciding that I needed to know what I have and needing to put thread away once I completed a project, I decided I needed to have a better idea of what thread I currently own. I already had one thread organizer box full, but quickly found out I needed to another one. I still have a big ziploc bag full of thread that I need to place on bobbins and reorganize in the boxes by number. I went on the DMC thread website and printed a free list of all their threads. I mark away the ones I own, then I know what I do not have in stock for a current project. On each box I will list on a piece of paper what numbers are in the container. I think it will help in not wasting time before starting a project by going through big ziploc bags to see if I have the correct thread or not. I still have a long way to go, but think this organization will be worth it.

Upcoming Quilt Retreat

Every year I go on a retreat with several ladies from the quilt guild I belong too. They have about three a year but I only go to one. Planning what to bring is always I think an issue, the  first year I had no idea what to bring, so I brought lots of projects with me. I didn't think that much ahead and should have pre-cut fabrics. Last year I did precut some fabrics and brought only a few projects with me. My original plan for this year was to bring two pillowcase projects, bring a quilt that I need to complete the backing and then quilt it, and precut fabric to make a small child's quilt. Yesterday, I was using my sewing machine when I ran into issues with it, I think it needs to be serviced and given a tune up. Every project I had thought about bringing has now changed.  I will now take all handwork and even some counted cross stitch work with me. I have precut several fat quarters and even half yards of fabric into 2 inch squares so I can work on a English Paper Piecing project that I have started. I will also be taking a small applique wall hanging with me. The only other projects I am taking are counted cross stitch items, the Good Morning with the rooster and the Music Is Love, Love Is Music (previously shown about two posts ago). I was thinking about bringing another quilting or applique project with me, but then thought I might not focus on them enough. I really want to get quite a bit done, especially since I have not even basted that many hexagons for the English Paper Piecing Project or even cut the fabric from the applique wall hanging kit.

Spring and Counted Cross Stitch

This is the first signs that Spring has arrived here.

You may have seen this counted cross stitch project before, I haven't worked on it for quite awhile. I made the mistake of just wanting to work on one color, so I was skipping places on the pattern and lost my spot. I finally figured out where I left off and now I will only be cross stitching row by row.

This is what it looked like before:

Here is some progress I did today, not that much of course but at least a start.

I did start on a new project today, and here is the small about completed.

It will end up looking like this, and will be put in the kitchen near a farm painting we have.

2015 WIPocalypse Signup

 I haven't participated in this monthly stitch-a-long really since 2013 and even then I wasn't able to due that much because of physical therapy then. I am slowly getting back to crafts trying to accomplish a little bit at a time, so not sure how much I will get done. The project that I have worked on the longest and will be working on until it is completed is below, which will be a gift for my sister, I am about halfway to the rose (I don't have a current picture). The last time I worked on this I had lost my place, eeeek!!! So I hope to get back to it and find out where I was!




Depending of course how long it takes me to complete the above, I hope to work on the following below (I may add another one as well):

Random Things.....

I can hardly believe it has been over a month since my last post. Recently,  I took a class by Bonnie Hunter called Virginia Bound, and am only halfway done with one block (I think the finished size is 15 inches). Over this weekend I hope to complete the first block, not sure if I will make more, and then I will post a picture. I finally was able to find a frame for a Tinkerbell counted cross stitch gift I made for one of my nieces. The background was already done in the kit, so I just worked on Tinkerbell. When I was making this years ago (it took me awhile to make and then I put this up in a "safe place" and then thought I had lost it), it was the biggest project I had ever worked on at the time. The picture was an odd size so it was really hard to find a frame, who knew?

Tomorrow I plan on making homemade pasta sauce, I did this several months ago and it was really good. Unfortunately, I thought I had saved the recipe, but now can't find it. I hope another one I have found will be just as good. I will be making some homemade parmesan reggiano and pecornio romano bread to go with it.

This week it has been warm here, so Dexter and I are just hanging out (literally in his case) in the nice AC.

IHSW May 2014

 I haven't been able to participate for a long time in the International Hermit and Stitch Weekend, so I am excited to be able to have enough time for counted cross stitch. I will only be working on one project, which is a gift for my sister, she is a lover of music.

Here is the before this weekend.....

I hope I get quite a bit done, but I think I have gotten a little bit off on my counting with the leaves. The finished design will have more piano keys, roses, and a flute. Will you be doing some cross stitching or other type of craft over the weekend?

What have I been up too?

I haven't been on here lately, but here are a few things that I have been busy doing:

Making quite a bit of homemade bread and mini rolls as you can see below

I have been getting back to doing some crafts;

For those Doctor Who fans, it reads Books are like Tardises, Bigger on the Inside.

I have actually gotten more done on this music cross stitch, but haven't taken another picture yet. 

I am currently reading these books:

Any good projects?

Have you purchased or started any good craft projects lately? I recently purchased this one, and plan on starting it later this month. It will be for one of my grandmothers who love's birds. I thought it was pretty cute, and it is a small counted cross stitch project only 6 inches by 6 inches.