An ornament finish

Here is the "Yo Ho Ho Ho" Santa all finished into an ornament.

After I got it all done (and got all the glue off my fingers), I spent some time fondling my stash in search of a quick project that I can finish before the end of December. I've started on the March boot from Redbird Designs "Southwest Seasons."

I stitched January in '07 and February in '08, so I figured I'd better keep up the trend and do another one in '09. At this rate, I'll have them all finished in 2018. :-)

"The Boys Are Back in Town"

Here is the picture of "The Boys Are Back in Town."

I stitched it on the called-for Weeks Dye Works 30 count linen in gunmetal color. (Bleagh.) I used DMC, DMC Effects (940), NPI silks, a VC silk, and GAST - I did not use the called-for Weeks Dye Works or Crescent Colors floss. I also did not stitch the spider's web as I did not like the way it looked (and because spider webs creep me out). The buttons are stitched on with Nymo thread.

Next I'll be stitching a Sue Hillis freebie, the "Yo Ho Ho Ho" Santa face.

Name Tag FF

DH was happy to see that Texas Tech managed to win their game against Baylor yesterday. It was close.

I got my name tag finish-finished (FF). I used WonderUnder to iron it on some card stock. Here it is in the neck wallet.

I plan to get in some stitching this afternoon while DH putters in his shop working on bathroom cabinetry. I'll have to paint what he makes, but that's okay.

Fer cryin' out loud!

Yesterday I posted about my cute little name tag design. Afterwards, I sat down to continue stitching on it in hopes of getting it finished. At one point, I stopped and attempted to insert it in the neck wallet to see how it would look.

It looked too big. I tried again. Nope. Too big. Good grief! Did I measure the name tag area incorrectly? I got out my tape measure. Nope. I measured it correctly. Did I use the wrong dimensions while designing? I pulled up Pattern Maker to check. Nope. I used the correct dimensions.

Okay. It's not the neck wallet area and it's not the pattern. Therefore, logically it must be the fabric. So I pulled out my fabric gauge. Yep. The fabric measures 25.5 threads to the inch when it's supposed to be 28 count. Stupid fabric.

I stitch on Charles Craft Monaco a lot. I love it. And I also never check the gauge. I do all my own framing and rarely worry about dimensions. This time, it came back to haunt me. Or rather, it made me stitch something over. Fer cryin' out loud!

Not to be deterred, I spent the morning stitching. Here it is hot off the hoop. I stitched it on 32 count Lugana this time to be safe. I'll recommend that everyone use 16/32 count when they stitch it, especially if they have a long name. (Don't worry I35 Stitchers, your pattern does not include the Aggie emblem.)

I'll post a picture once I get it mounted in the neck wallet. It may be a few days as I've got Thanksgiving festivities to plan for and participate in.

May all y'all have a Happy Thanksgiving. Stop to reflect and give thanks for all your blessings in life.

The crab is in!

I finished the backstitching on "The Crab is In," so I started stitching on "The Boys Are Back in Town" yesterday after a prolonged floss-toss. I'm doing it mostly in DMC, with a bit of GAST thrown in. I don't know if my chosen colors are what the designer had in mind, but I don't care. If you don't provide a DMC conversion, then too bad. Anyway, I like my chosen colors.

After wailing over the state of our driveway after yesterday's durn young'un incident, I went to town today and stopped at Hobby Lobby during my many errands. I found some 6mm round plastic black beads for my crab's eyes.

After stitching them on, I finished "The Crab is In!" into the crab tuck pillow I bought recently. I use Pellon Wonder Under to hold the stitched piece in place when doing tuck pillows. He's done on 32 count white Lugana with DMC (the designer kindly provided conversions). Isn't he cute?

DH is going hunting tonight and hopefully he will get another deer. He's gotten one so far. Last weekend he got nothing and was mopey all week. A mopey hunter is a sad thing.

Finishes!

The Cowboys are certainly looking lackluster lately. 'Nuff said.

On Saturday, Mary finished her "Kokopelli Border Sampler" by J.M. Keeling (on 14 ct. Aida with DMC). We all happy danced with her. Actually, we celebrated with a trip to the snack table!

Even though I spent most of Saturday frogging letters I'd just stitched, I finally finished stitching "A Texas Garden" by Redbird Designs yesterday. Today I finish-finished it in a tuck pillow. It's stitched on 32 ct. linen with GAST and DMC.

Another finish

I would have had this finished yesterday, but I had a prolonged visit from the his royal greeness, a very evil frog indeed. Besides wreaking havoc with my stitching, he also brought rain early.

The forecast said it was supposed to rain today late afternoon sometime. We need the rain and that was fine with me; I'd have plenty of time to do errands in town in the morning and then park the truck down at the end of the driveway.

The rain arrived sometime after midnight and it is still raining. DH barely got out of the driveway, and there's no way I can get the truck out and go to town. Oh well.

Sunday night, DH and I stayed up to watch the Cowboys game. *sigh* We were disappointed in them. However it was fun to see all the previous Cowboys that were there in attendance at the first official game in the new stadium. Troy Aikman, Roger Staubach, and my all-time favorite Cowboy, Randy White (aka "The Manster" - part man, part monster). We really got a kick out of seeing Former President Bush sitting in a box next to John Madden as the two of them talked and laughed. John, of course, was waving his arms around while he talked. I really miss his commentating.

Okay. I finished stitching "nuqneH" and finish-finished it this morning and here it is! The sun is not out so this is the best picture I could get. This is a name plate that is now sitting on my desk.

Next, I will stitch on a Halloween ornament - "Mr. Bones" from JCS Sept./Oct. 2008.

Christmas Ornaments for the nephews

I finished stitching two more Christmas ornaments, but I haven't finish-finished them yet.

Here is my oldest nephew's ornament:

And this ornament is for my DBro and DSisIL. Our second nephew's name is really Zachary Keith, but DH and I started calling him "Zeke" while we were waiting for his arrival. Now that he's here, we call him Zachary or Zach most of the time. I meant to make this for them last Christmas, but my stitching stuff was still out in the P.O.D.S. then.

My oldest nephew's middle name is Paul after his grandfather and great-grandfather. My second nephew's middle name is the same as his dad's, who has the same middle name as our uncle (my mom's brother). I think this male generational naming thing is kind of cool. I myself was named after no one in particular; my mom just liked the name and my dad didn't object.

Now I have to go figure out what to stitch next...

WHEE-E-O!!

Yippee skippy! I put the last backstitch in on "The Alamo" this afternoon and it is finished at last! (Yeah, I know; I took the picture crooked.)

Next, I'll be stitching on a car for a Christmas ornament for my oldest nephew. It should go fast.

We had great plans for working on the house this weekend, but DH was attacked by his allergies and has sat around in a drug-induced stupor lamenting that he feels bad and can't do all the stuff he had planned to do.

But we did make some progress on the bathroom as our friend Billy was finally able to come out and do all the tape and bedding yesterday. Now if DH could just get the pesky plumbing done...

A puppy!

No, not a real puppy, but a stitched one.

I've decided that I can commit to stitching each of my two nephews one ornament every Christmas. I could probably stitch one for each of my two nieces, too, but I don't think they are into that kind of thing - I could be wrong. They are grown women now; one is in college and the other is a college graduate and working woman.

Anyway, the IH35 Stitchers asked me to do another demonstration and ornament finishing was of interest. Of course, I need a couple of ornaments to demonstrate with, hence the new commitment.

My youngest nephew just turned one year old in July, so he is not up to expressing a preference for ornament themes. So I stitched him a puppy.

My older nephew is six years old and likes anything having to do with cars. Or trucks. Or large work vehicles. Planes, trains, and automobiles. Basically anything with wheels. So I will stitch him a car. I only have a couple of car leaflets, so I enabled myself and got a few more "One Nighter" transportation leaflets in anticipation of upcoming years. And they were on sale, too!

And "The Alamo" is still driving me crazy. One minute I want to finish it, and the next minute I want to chuck the whole thing. Being a perfectionist can be such a burden. ☺

Stitching fun

Well, as usual, the IH35 Stitchtogether was a lot of fun. We had great food (Lynn brought Round Rock Doughnuts!) and great fellowship. Jennifer brought a TW piece she stitched "way back when" on aida before she learned to stitch on evenweave. She did over-one stitching on part of the piece on aida! It was gorgeous!

DH liked his "Deer Nut" no-sew cube and took up to work with him this morning to put on his desk. Here it is all finished. No, there are no ribbons, bows, or cutesy embellishments on it as this is a man decoration.

He spent the weekend on the bathroom - progress is being made! On Sunday afternoon, I had to help stab a pipe under the house. I laid on the bathroom floor and stuck my arm down through one of the holes to do it while DH guided it from under the house. I only did this after DH cleaned out the cobwebs. I HATE the feel of cobwebs on my skin - it makes me wonder where the spider is. ☺

The backstitching on "The Alamo" is driving me nuts. I am anal about straight backstitching and it is very difficult on this piece. At one point last night, I was about to chuck the whole thing in the trash. But luckily, it looked better to me this morning. I use a sharp needle and pierce the previous thread, but it's just not all coming out as straight as I'd like. I've undone and redone until I've about driven myself crazier. Poop.

Fourth of July Quaker freebie finish

As promised, here is a picture of my finished Fourth of July Quaker freebie. I stitched it on Charles Craft tea-dyed Monaco with GAST Presidential Blue, Cranberry, and Picket Fence. I'll finish it as a door knob hanger.

DH is out in the heat in our woods erecting a new tree stand for hunting next fall. He spent one evening last week using the riding mower to mow paths through the woods. He was very proud that he found and mowed over the paths already made by wildlife. He is having to use his new chainsaw to remove a dead tree before the new stand can go in a nearby live tree, so he is doubly happy. Or maybe he is simply getting heat stroke.

No cross-stitcher would go outside to do anything in 104 degree heat, even in the shade. Man hobbies are mysterious.

Providence and a finish

I am not a typical woman; never have been and never will be. For example, I can't stand diamonds. I think they're the ugliest rocks on the planet. They should stay buried. No, I don't have a wedding ring with diamonds. I have a plain gold band that I'm very happy with.

My preferred gemstones are blue in color. My favorite is the sapphire, followed by lapis lazuli and turquoise. I pretty much like any blue-colored stone.

I also rarely change the jewelry I wear. I have a pair of sapphire stud earrings that DH gave me for Christmas long ago. I have a necklace with a gold heart with a sapphire that DH gave me at another Christmas long ago. They are my favorites; I wear them all the time and rarely take them off.

Last week, I was particularly vexed when I thought I had lost one of my earrings. I've lost one three different times in the past, and DH has replaced it.

I was getting something off a shelf in Wal-Mart when it slipped and whacked me on the side of the head. On the way home, I realized an earring was missing. I put two and two together and figured I'd lost it during the head whacking maneuver. DH went by the store on his way home to look for it and ask in lost and found, but no luck.

I was really ticked off. I didn't want to spend money replacing my earring, but I really like to wear them. DH insisted. He figures my track record of three lost over a period of nearly 20 years isn't so bad seeing as I wear them all the time. Most women don't wear their jewelry all the time. He planned to go by a jeweler on Tuesday to see about getting a new earring for me.

This morning, as I was tossing a load of laundry in the dryer, I noticed something odd in the dryer lint filter. Yep. It was the missing earring! It must have fallen in my clothes and survived the trip from the laundry through the washer and then through the dryer! I was a very happy camper!

And...I stitched yesterday and finished "Boo Y'all." I'm still not in the mood to stitch my MIL's HBP, so I've decided to stitch "The Alamo" by Art Ventures next. I've had it in my stash forever and it's calling me.

A finish

Jackie sent me my finish-finished eyeglass case in the mail yesterday. I did all the stitching at the stitching retreat, and then paid her to finish it for me. My sewing machine is pretty inaccessible right now, and it looked like something that I would NOT enjoy finishing anyway.

She did a very nice job of finishing. Now I have to decide if I want to keep this and use it myself, or give it as a gift. Hmmm...

A finish, a WIP, and a purple puppy

I had a great time Saturday at the monthly IH35 Stitchtogether. We had a good group with two new folks, one of whom was stitching a HAED over one! There were a lot of show-n-tell projects to look at, along with "lookie-what-I-got-at-stitch-camp" stuff to see, too. And of course, there was food!

We took Emma with us to Austin. The day was cool enough in the morning for DH to make his trek to Cabela's to look at man toys. Emma was fine waiting in the car. Afterwards, they went for a walk along the river in downtown Austin. DH says Emma had a grand time, and he had fun people-watching all the "unique" people. Once back at the library, Emma enjoyed the attention from all her "stitching aunties."

Gloria brought Emma a new toy. She loves it and has not yet killed the squeaker in it. She doesn't try to remove squeakers; she just squeaks them to death. She's been carrying it around all weekend and takes it with her to her food bowl when she eats. She's a silly dog. Her favorite toys - Froggie and Kitty, and now Purple Puppy - must be near her food bowl while she eats. Here's Emma with Purple Puppy perching behind DH's legs on the sofa.

I stitched a lot on my Santa on Saturday, but ended up finishing him yesterday afternoon. Whee-e-o! Now I am stitching on a little Shepherd's Bush Halloween kit that I got at the stitching retreat last weekend. It'll be a quick stitch and I'm halfway done with it already. I'm not big into Halloween, but this was kind of cute.

We have a softball tournament tonight. The weather will be cold and blustery. Yippee. We ended our spring season with a two out of eight record. Yep, we're a Charlie Brown kind of team (but we have a lot of fun). Summer ball starts up in late May.

And I have really come to loathe and despise the concrete countertops and the porcelain sink in my kitchen. The countertop is higher than normal (I'm vertically challenged anyway), and the sink is very deep and doesn't drain well because it is not set right. But mainly I hate them because if you drop something on either of them, it will break. I bought two new sets of glassware when we moved in last September. Our old sets were 20 years old and hard water etched. Anyway, I have half of one set left due to breakage, and I broke a glass from the other set last night. I am not happy. *sigh*

Whee-ee-o!

Yippee-skippy! I finished "Love's Journey!" Now I just have to find a frame and frame it. Here it is unwashed but slightly ironed for picture taking.

DH was ailing on the couch all weekend (he's feeling much better today), and I was able to get a lot of stitching time in. Next, I'll get going on my MIL's "Wild Things" HBP and work on it until I get it finished. I've done two out of 15 pages on it already.

And best of all - THE SUN IS FINALLY BACK OUT AND IT IS WARM AGAIN!!!!

First finish of 2009!

I finished my nephew's birth announcement last night. Now I just have to find out from my SisIL how she'd like me to finish it. Framed? Cube? Mounted and ready to go in a scrapbook? (I promise to take the backing off the WonderUnder this time.) Here's a picture of it unwashed and not ironed.

I'm plodding along through the photo album redo. Bleagh. What a bore. It doesn't help that some of the pictures are out of sequence as to timeline. I have to look several pages ahead before starting another page to make sure something isn't out of order.

I started the project for my parents' 50th wedding anniversary today. It should be a fairly quick stitch. Well, quick for me anyway as I'm a very slow stitcher. But I'm not entering any stitching races, so who cares? But I do need to have it finished by around the first part of May so I'll have time to frame it. It will be fussy to frame.