Finish, Two Finishes and Some Shopping

 Thought I'd share this photo with you.  I stitched this back in the early '90's.  It was from a book that was published every year.  They had great projects and recipes in every issue.  Its stitched on paper Aida probably 14 count.  Its just sitting on my mantel right now.  I wish I could have gotten a better picture but the flash on my camera was giving me fits so it was close with a big flash blob or farther away.

These are my newest finishes.  I love the little mouse at the mail box.  I'm not sure who the designer is off hand.  It was in one of the magazines from Great Britain.  I'm not sure how I'm going to finish it but I think its going to be one of the boxes.  I found some really good instructions for finishing it and want to try it.

This is a UFO that I finished several months ago.  I started cross stitching in 1985. In 1986 my husband and I got married and we loved all the Mr and Mrs Claus charts that were available.  So every year I stitched a Mr and Mrs for our tree.  Then I started finding small kits (this one is 5X7).  I never finished it but kept it.  So now its completely done.  The frame is from Michale's.  Its stained reddish and works really well.  I bought 2 of them.  In all I purchased 8 small frames 5X7 and smaller.  It had a red plastic frame that was shaped like a house.  The shape was perfect but not so much the plastic.

 

On November 16th my husband took me over to The Northwest Quilt, Craft and Sewing Festival.  It was over in Puyallup, Washington which also means a drive to close to Seattle for my liking.  I think this is all I bought from Bobbie G. Designs.  I was so excited to see a needlework booth.  I did check the vendor list online before we left to be sure.  Last time we took the 2 plus hour drive (one way) there wasn't a single needlework booth.  The Santa top left has buttons on Santa's beard.  I got 2 extra kits free.  So I chose 2 more of that one.  One for my sister and one for my sister in law.  It didn't come with the buttons for the beard so I went into my mom's old button jar and put some into little Ziploc bags for them.  I marked the bag so they knew where the buttons came from.  Since they both cross stitch I'm giving them as kits.  My Mom passed away on Christmas Eve 1997!  It was a bitter sweet Christmas.  I had a brand new granddaughter born 4 days after my Mom's birthday (December 10th) and then I lose my best friend.  It was a hard year - 1997.  My friend moved from Bakersfield, California to Reno, Nevada.  We were putting on a seminar for 200 plus women and she leaves me.  We did get the seminar done long distance.  The rest of the year is a blank until November.  My Grandmother Britain (Mom's Mom) passed away in November. That same week my precious Doxie Molly's back went out.  She was so sick until we were able to get her to Fountain Valley for back surgery.  I missed my grandma's service because we couldn't travel with Molly.  Six weeks later my Mom's was gone.  I was standing in the parking lot of the funeral home looking at my Aunts and trying to decided who I should feel sorry for.  Me because I lost my Mom and Grandmother in 6 weeks or my Aunts because they lost their Sister and Mother in 6 weeks.  Then my favorite cousin Larry came up to me and hugged me tight.  That really helped.  Some!!!

Wow - I'm sorry you all got to read that but it does seem to help.  So anyway these are the kits and charts I got.  I may have missed one or two.

 

We're heading to California this year for Christmas.  To my Sister's first for Christmas.  Then on the 26th we head down to Ventura to see our newest great niece Alana and her older sister McKayla.  We'll see my husband's sister and husband.  Then to the nursing home to visit my mother in law who has the final stages of dementia (sp).  And to top it off we'll be spending time with the couple who introduced Mike and I some 27 years ago this Month.  We've renewed that friendship last March.  Its so nice to be spending time with Jim and Kristi again.

 

I can't decide if I should put up a small tree and a few other things or not.  I was pretty excited about doing some decorating at Thanksgiving and now I'm not sure.  I still have time-I guess.



 

Well Let's Try This a Second Time!!!

I can't believe I that I haven't posted in nearly a month.  I have been stitching some little charts and kits.  This is a free chart from one of the blogs I follow.  I can't remember how many I received but this is the only one I got stitched.  I think it was stitched with Weeks Dye Works "Noel" thread.  I still have no idea how to finish this one off  I think it will be about 5x7 inches when finished.

This little stitch was a little kit I bought last year.  I bought a few different ones and I really don't know why I bought them  I think I will finish this one off as a little pillow ornament.

 This is a Stoney Creek ornament that I purchased a few months ago.  They had a free pattern that I wanted and I didn't want to pay shipping on a little free pattern so I bought 3 kits and a couple patterns.  I think it would have been cheaper to just pay the shipping.

This is the other Stoney Creek Ornament kits.  They came with little tart pans. They'll be cute when finished.

This was a kit I got at www.crazyannies.com
 I purchased two sweet snowmen.  They came with this pretty linen fabric and weeks Dye Works thread.  There was a piece of wool and 2 or 3 square buttons that were supposed to be appliqued to the center front and the buttons on top of that.  I'll put 3 tiny black buttons on the front before I finish it.  I thought the wool took away from the cute snowman.  I still have to stitch the second one.

And this is now a UFO!  Its a Dimensions kit.  The thread was just awful in it.  Full of lumps that seemed liked knots.  I had an awful time following the chart for the back stitching.  I was so darn careful when stitching it but it seemed to have tons of mistakes when I started to back stitching.  It will get finished one day or I will match the thread colors with DMC and restitch it.  Its a pretty chart.  Its to be finished as a bell pull and came with a metal hanger. 

When I get them all finished I'll post pictures again.  My husband took me to a Rusty Barn Quilt, Craft and Needlework Show last Friday.  The only stitcher there was Bobbie G.  She had lots of cute kits and leaflets which I bought several.  I also got 2 extras for my sister and sister in law's stockings. 

 

It seems that every year right before Thanksgiving we get a huge storm.  This year is no different.  One town in south west Washington got 7.5 inches of rain in 48 hours.  We have lots and lots of flooding around Western Washington.  I'm very fortunate to have a house that's located where it can't flood.  We are on a hill. 

 

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday with your friends and family.

 

Sandy

Another Finished UFO

This is another of the UFO's from my box of left overs from my earlier cross stitch ears.  When I picked it up a couple of weeks ago all that was started was the Mrs. hair and a little bit of the box around the chart.  My goodness there are so many mistakes in this thing.  Counting and color mistakes.  But its out of the box and onto the ironing board for some kind of completion.  What's left in my UFO box!  We'll on more Santa which is an ornament on perforated paper which is about 1/3 of the way stitched.  There's also a sampler on linen over 2 and a set of hand embroidered wool felt ornaments.  I think I'm going to finish them off on the sewing machine.  I think I will start my old routine as my New Years Resolution which is to finish UFO's before I can start anything new.  I don't think I'll include the sampler but I will be adding the Lizzie Kate Summer Mystery and a fall basket that I've started and set aside.

I hope you've all had a nice weekend.  It was sunny most of today but yesterday we had a crazy hail / thunder storm.  It getting cloudy again and I think we are due for rain next week too!

The Six Fat Men are History!

Lizzie Kate's 6 Fat Men

 This isn't a very good picture but  here they are.  The frame is red but not a Christmas red.  It has just a hint of pink to it which makes it work.  I tried white frames which I thought was what I wanted.  Then browns etc until the gal helping me picked this one out.  Then I had her pull some green.  Christmas green  - NO!  Next a kind of lime which I was really wanting to work but it didn't work either.  So I went with this one which was the best over all.  I was really worried that I wasn't going to like it but when I picked it up last Friday it wonderful!  The reddish frame picks up the Begonia colored thread.  I didn't get the expensive glass this time and I wish I had of now but I suppose I can always to and have it changed later.  Its so dark here that it won't really matter as far as glare goes.

 

About 6 weeks ago (more or less) my Bernina 1630 died.  I finally took it to the Bernina Dealer last Friday to see about having it fixed.  Its almost 20 years old so the computerized boards for it are not longer being made.  Anyway the cost to repair it was around $1,00.00 so I decided to look at the new machines.  I didn't buy the top of the line this time.  I never used most of the features on the 1630.  I still haven't taken it out of the box but everything but the machine is now out.  I decided that I needed to get all of the parts bagged up from the old machine first.  Haven't decided what to do with the "boat anchor" as its now called.  I thought I would put the walking foot, dozens of bobbins and feet on eBay and see if I can sell them and get something out of them.  I'll post a picture when I finally get it set up.

 

My new Bernina 550QE

Finishing Projects

 Today I decided I'd get a couple of projects finished.  The santa was stitched by my sister in law Peggy and I offered to finish it for her.  Its such a cute little stiitch.  Before it was made into this banner I thought it was going to be big enough to hang on the wall.  I actually did finish it a coouple of threads (I know thats not much) wider on all sides and its pretty small.  I was sweating bullets as I worked on this.  When you have to cut something theres no going back.  If she doesn't like it as finished (its finished as she wanted it) I can still take it part and refinish it.  I'm sure she will be pleased with it.

Finally Finished 6 Fat Men

 

 

Today I put the final stitches in 6 Fat Men by Lizzie Kate.  I'm so happy to have this finished.  I was stitching it in a SAL but finally had to stitch more to get it finished.  I was loosing interest in it and didn't want to put it away.  I've already put Lizzie Kate's Summer Mystery away after stitching a quarter, maybe a third of the first part.  Now to get it framed.  I'll be taking it to a small framing shop in Mount Vernon (WA) tomorrow and seeing what they will charge.  I'm hoping that I can still get in on the summer sale.  I heard the sign was still hanging outside.  I was so surprised that I used almost 5 skeins of Whitewash over dyed floss for the snow.  I never stitch anything twice but  I was to stitch this again I would use DMC white.  The snow with the over dyed floss is a little dirty.  I hate dirty snow.  When we get snow I don't want anyone to walk in it or disturb it.  I love pure white snow.  After Christmas I put out my snowmen for a month.  I'm looking for fabric to make a mantel scarf that's snowflakes.  I have the pattern (I think) but can't find any fabric that I like that is plastered with glitter!  I'm jut not into that sparkly stuff!

 

I have my next project ready to start tonight.  I'm wondering if I shouldn't do a small project but this one is about 8 x 11 so its not to bad.  Its called Autumn Cardinals by Diane Arthurs (Imaginating).  There are 4 in this series of seasons.  I probably start the Christmas chart but I have lots and lots of cross stitched Christmas pictures and ornaments that I think I'll stick with the fall chart!  Fall is my favorite season after all!

Its been nearly a month since I've written.  The reason being I didn't have add a post in the box across the top of my header thingie.  I have no idea how I figured it out but I did.  Bad thing I won't remember. 

Anyway I'm still working on the 6 Fat Men (Lizzie Kate).  I'm stitching on the last chart.  I'm about 1/3 of the way finished with it.  I still have some additional snowflakes to stitch.  I've lost interest in it.  I really need to get it finished so I can move onto another project.  I signed up for and got the Lizzie Kate Summer Mystery.  I barely started part one and lost interest in it too.  Its so cute and I love it but just don't seem to want to work on it either.  For my next project I'm going to stitch a chart of a basket, cardnal, fall leaves and acorns.  I love acorns - I love fall.  Its my favorite season.

We got back last Friday from our week long camping trip in the new travel trailer.  We had a great time.  I took several things to do while we  were gone.  The first night I took all th DMC floss that I had not wound onto bobbins ad wound them.  I think there were way over 50.  The next 2 nights I crocheted 2 red potholders.  Next I'm going to machine embroidery some redwork on a few towels.  In June when my sister and I visited our cousin Helen in Missouri she gave us quilts from our great grandmother.  The trip before (4 years ago) she gave us potholders that she made.  So I wanted to make something and send to her.  Anyway back in track!  The rest of the time was to be spent on the 6 Fat Men.  I did stitch several nights but the light in the trailer wasn't very good for stitching at night.  I'll have to get a good light to keep in there for camping.

Today I was up before 7AM (that's real early for me)!  I had to be out the door by 7:30 to take my Chihuahua Belle to the vet in Mount vernon a 30 to 40 minute drive.  She is an awful barker and keeps everyone wound up so after some talking I decided to have her debarked.  She should be healed in a few days.  Its been very quiet here tonight.  She also lost 3 teeth.  She's resting on my lap and get to sleep with me tonight.

Tomorrow I head over to my nieces house to spend 2 days with her Mom my brothers wife.  We're going to cross stitch and visit.  We've never done that before because we live almost 2 hours apart.   My niece lives about 45 minutes from me.  My brother will b there and he'll cook our meals and take good care of us.  He's doing so repairs to their daughters house while they are on their honeymoon!

That's about it for now.  I'll have some pictures next time I post!  I think I said that last time.