Weekend Adventures, Happy Dances & SBQ

It's been a gorgeous weekend here in my little corner of the planet. Friday took everyone by surprise though when in the late afternoon it became extremely dark (my solar lights came on a 4:30 in the afternoon because it was so dark) and very, very, very windy. I turned on the weather channel to discover that there were actually tornado warnings for my area and also for the areas where my parents were cottaging and my in-laws living. The heavens opened and deluged us with almost 1/2 " of rain in minutes. Then as suddenly as it appeared, it moved off. Lots of trees down or with large branches missing. We didn't lose power, but much of southern Ontario did for quite a while. Since then the weather has been gorgeous - sunny, warm and not too hot. I guess we're getting something back for that wretched Friday afternoon!

This weekend is a bit of a special weekend for the city of Brampton, where I live. It's called Open Doors Brampton and many of our architecturally interesting and historic buildings are open to the public free of charge. We rounded up the boys and spent some of yesterday touring our original courthouse and jail and our local Armoury. Here's a picture of the jail (currently undergoing some outdoor renovations). The jail also houses an art gallery that is presently displaying some amazing artwork done by local high school students. There are some talented students out there. I'm jealous - I can't draw stick people!

You can almost make out me and the boys in the picture too. DH is a bit of a picture-a-holic and we were all a bit annoyed with his endless 'stand together and smile' requests! LOL!

I did squeeze in a bit of time since I last posted to finish off two little projects that I've been working on. There was so little left to do on them that I just sat down and finished the darned things....

First we have my Small Spot Sampler by Timeless Designs:

Small Spot Sampler Copyright © Timeless Designs

Stitched on 32-count Belfast Vintage Linen - Autumn Field from Zweigart using a combination of Anchor and DMC.

For some odd reason I was procrastinating on the little row of eyelets. I like doing eyelets and am able to do them easily and fairly evenly, yet I drag my feet when it's time to actually do them. Silly, isn't it?

My second happy dance is the piece I wrote about in my last post, School Treats by the Trilogy.

School Treats Copyright © The Trilogy

Stitched on 32-count Vintage Antique Ivory from Wichelt Imports Inc. using a combination of GAST and WDW.

I really enjoyed this piece, but can't say anything good about the fabric itself. It felt like cardboard in the hands and was very stiff to work with. It actually has bends in it from the Q-snap - I can't recall ever having that problem with a fabric before. I have to admit, I'm kind of a Zweigart fan when it comes to fabrics. :-)

Finally to wrap up, here's this week's SBQ suggested by Ish (http://ishsuth.wordpress.com/):

What has been your most challenging project and why?

The permalink to this post is: http://blog.blondelibrarian.net/archives/2007/06/sbq-challenging-projects/

Hmmmmm - this is a hard one to say really. I've done a large variety of projects in my time using a variety of techniques. I can't pinpoint one that has been the most challenging as they all have had their challenges. I still vividly recall the wedding sampler piece I did for my BIL & SIL that I still refer to as the piece with the da** doves. It just about drove me loopy with all the shades of white/gray & BF. But maybe the truest answer to this question is that it'll be the project I haven't started yet..... I'm dying to try making a temari ball (I think I've collected at least 5 different books on the subject and many, many web links)... That will be the most challenging project, when I get around to it.... :-)

Back to the models!

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Whoops! Where did May go?

Well, I finally looked at the calendar today and did a double take. What the heck happened to May? I'm sure I had at least another week left!

It's been a terrifically busy couple of weeks for me - mostly with kid stuff. DS#1 had a class trip (which was fun, but hot!) and we also had a meeting regarding his middle school placement. After much tooth-gnashing, brow-beating and frustration, I've managed to get him into a contained gifted program for the next 3 years. It hasn't been simple and I've had to wade through an enormous amount of political school crap to get here. At least it's over!

This week it's the school's Jump Rope for Heart event and somehow I managed to get myself put in charge of the volunteers and freezies for the kids. I'm lucky that there are so many willing helpers around the school so things will go well. Now we just need to get the weather to co-operate. It's gotten downright cold here today and we've had a couple of downpours already this morning and it's barely 10AM! I'll likely have to bring in my hanging baskets and plants tonight as they're calling for frost. In June. I can't believe it. I'm not sure if I can remember ever having frost in June here where I am.

Stitch-wise, I haven't had a heck of a lot of time to stitch this last week. I proofread a fantastic Canadian needlework magazine called "A Needle Pulling Thread" (there's a link to ANPT's website in my sidebar over there). I had to proof the summer issue last week and it took up a good chunk of time. I so enjoy this magazine and it's a joy to be the proofreader for it. Every issue gets better and better. The summer issue is fascinating! Go buy it once it hits newsstands! :-)

I have worked on the models some more in the last couple of weeks and I have started a little piece that I'll finish into a flat fold for DS#2's teacher. I'm stitching a piece called "School Treats" by the Trilogy. I found it as a kit at my LNS. It's all stitched with WDW and GAST fibres and it very sweet. It's going very quickly too as it's a lot of blocks of one colour. (sorry it's not the best photo - it's so wet and dreary here today that there's no good light to be had!)

School Treats Copyright © The Trilogy

I'm behind on SBQ's as well. Here's last week's:

How many needles do you use during a project? Have you ever loaded up a needle for every color? Do you use a new needle for every project or recycle your favorite needle?

The permalink to this post is:http://blog.blondelibrarian.net/archives/2007/05/sbq-needle-mania/

For the most part, it depends. Most often I will only use one needle. I love Piecemaker needles (preferably their 26s) and have a good number of those in my stash. My couch gets hungry and must periodically be fed needles, so I keep lots about. If I have a project that has a lot of confetti stitching, then I will thread up some needles with a variety of colours. It helps things go faster so that I'm not constantly re-threading a needle. One of the current models I'm working on was giving me fits and I found I was having trouble working on it. Then I got out my magnetic needle card (the one that LoRan makes), threaded up a bunch of the colours that were driving me mad and off I went. I am lusting after the Pako needle organizer thing, but I'm not sure if I'll buy it or not. I don't know that I'd ever have that many needles threaded up all at once! I finished 3 entire pages of the model in record time after that. I do throw out needles if they've lost their finish or are just icky to stitch with. If one has an eye that keeps shredding fibres it's instantly tossed.

Well, off to stitch - have to head into school soon to work with my little Grade 1's with their reading!

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Exchange Received

Well, the mailman seems to like me this week.... Look what I received yesterday!

This is what I received in the Dragon Dreams Exchange over at the Rotation Stitchers BB. I have *loved* this pattern for years, but never got around to stitching it. I love how it has been finished and the butterfly charm at the bottom is simply gorgeous. Reading is one of my favorite pastimes (besides stitching, that is) so it fits perfectly. Thank you so much to my exchange partner Sara.

I've also been busy in the garden - here's a couple of pictures of some of the baskets & pots at my front door. I'll likely not do much else out front as we are hopefully going to be re-landscaping the front entry way. Currently the path is so narrow that folks have to walk single file to our front door.....

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SBQ and a little finish!

I might be setting a record here - another post in less than a week! :-)

Thanks to all the kind folks who posted comments about my Dragon Dreams Exchange. I'm glad Ruth liked what I sent. I've never given a stitched gift to another stitcher before and had a bad case of nerves that my stitching wouldn't be up to par - or that my finishing wouldn't be! I've stitched for a very long time, but I've only just recently starting finishing things in ways besides framing. It took me quite a while to get over the idea of preserving every piece forever.... While some of my work is handled with all the care of a good conservator, I've come to accept and be quite happy with the realization that every piece doesn't have to be that way. It's allowed me to get in there with glue with some fearlessness. (heaven help me now!)

This past weekend was a long weekend for Canada - a time to celebrate the Queen's birthday and get an extra day off work! I spent most of the weekend in the garden catching up on my pots and my veggie patch. If the darn onions would just die down already so I could pick them, then I could finish getting my veggies in. Ah well, soon....

I did get in some stitching time - mostly working on my two models. They're both coming along quite well and I hope I'll finish them soon. With a bit of luck the designers will think they're coming along well too! ;-)

I did squeeze in one little thing for myself though as this chart has been yodeling to me for the last 3 weeks and I couldn't ignore it any longer. Here it is:

Ink Circles May 2007 Freebie Celtic Knot

Stitched on 32-count Opalescent Lugana - Daffodil by Silkweaver
DMC: 550 (Dark Purple), 552 (Medium Purple) , 554 (Light Purple)

I have had the Lugana for a few years now and have been looking for just the right thing to stitch on it - it's such a pretty yellow IRL and sparkly too. This freebie seems perfect on it. I may just attempt a back piece for it and make my first biscornu out of it, but we'll see. I've had a real hankering to stitch something from Ink Circles as of late. My LNS doesn't carry their patterns (gasp!) but I've yet to bring myself to order Cirque des Cercles - it would end up shoving everything else I've got to the side! I may stitch the Bouquet for Cheryl freebie next if I can find a good fabric and fibre in the stash horde....

Time for another SBQ!

This SBQ was suggested Juls (http://afairyprincessdreams.blogspot.com/) and is:

If you could only stitch one more piece what would it be and why?

The permalink to this post is: http://blog.blondelibrarian.net/archives/2007/05/sbq-last-call/

Oh my is this a difficult question to answer. It would be so easy to say I couldn't possibly choose since there are so many I like, but somehow that feels like a bit of a cop-out to me.... So, what would I stitch? Well, I have to admit that I don't have a specific pattern in mind, but I would want to stitch a birth sampler for my youngest son, Bryce. I stitched this one for Cameron when I was pregnant with Bryce:

Note that I've blurred out the relevant details such as his full name and birthdate. I found this pattern in an old Cross-Stitch & Needlework (formerly Cross-Stitch & Country Crafts) and I loved it for its sentiment and elegance. So many birth samplers are so cutesy that they just don't appeal to me. I loved this one for its elegance. It's something that Cameron will hopefully want displayed in his own home some day.

I would love to do something similar for Bryce, but I don't want to stitch the same thing again - even if I did change the colours/linen/whatever it wouldn't be right to me somehow. He deserves his own special something, I just haven't found it yet.

So, in a very long-winded fashion, I guess my answer to the SBQ would be a birth sampler for my youngest son!

Time to get ready to head to school - it's time to help my Grade 1s with their reading!

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Exchange sent and I've been tagged!

Egads, has it really been over a week since I've posted? Things have been somewhat crazy in my neck of the woods this week. I've been busy with my book club, school stuff (pizza money counting & ice cream day), stitching (naturally) and gardening......

I was part of the Dragon Dreams exchange over at the Rotation Stitchers BB and I sent out my package to my recipient this week. She got it yesterday and sounds quite happy about it. I'm relieved! Being my first exchange I was quite unsure of just what I had gotten myself into and I was hoping my finishing would be up to par. Here's some pictures:

Moon Dragon

Copyright © Dragon Dreams Inc.

Stitched over one on 20ct. mystery fabric using recommended fibres

I mounted the finished piece inside of what started out life as a jewelry box. I tripped over this box at a second-hand shop and just knew it would make a fabulous home for a stitched piece. I took the box apart, sanded and painted it black, lined the inside with some pretty fabric and then mounted my stitched piece.

I finished my piece relatively early, so I got ambitious and also stitched this for my exchange partner:

Letter 'R' from Dragon Alphabet

Copyright © Dragon Dreams Inc.

Stitched over two on 32-count mystery fabric with recommended fibres

I thought it turned out kind of cute and was another first for me - I've never actually finished a scissor fob. Hopefully my exchange recipient will overlook all the deficiencies in the piece. :-) I had some lavendar that I had dried last year from my garden and I stuffed a little bit of it in the fob to give it a nice smell. Hopefully it'll help remind Ruth that stitching is supposed to be a relaxing experience!

Then it was time to fill the newly lined box with a few goodies......

I included some Dinky-Dyes and another hand-dyed fibre by a Canadian company, some pretty little notecards I found whilst shopping and a container of beads in a variety of blues.

I hope Ruth enjoys what I sent her and isn't too disappointed in what I completed. This was a huge undertaking for me but I'm glad I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and tried something new.

Now for the tag. Meari tagged me for the current meme making the rounds, 7 random things. I'm not sure I can come up with 7, but here goes nothing!

Here are the rules: Each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their seven things, as well as these rules. You need to choose 7 people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they have been tagged and to read your blog!

1. I'm adopted. I was adopted when I was 6 weeks old. I have met up with some of my birth family, but sadly both of my birth parents passed away before I could meet them. It's been interesting meeting this whole other family.
2. I speak a shocking quantity of languages. I can speak French, Russian, German and Danish with some fluency (although my Russian, German and Danish are decidedly rusty) and small smatterings of both Italian and Greek.
3. I really hate any vegetable that has a smell when cooked - broccoli is a great example of this. So is cabbage. Yuk.
4. I'm allergic to turnip. My mother tried for years to 'sneak' it into things like soups and stews, only to find me bowing to the porcelain god in the wee hours of the morning. I avoid it at all costs (and my mother has finally stopped trying to feed it to me!).
5. I'm a techno-dweeb. I love toys, technology and cool stuff to play with. I had the most fun when I worked for Wireless at Nortel - we got to play with all kinds of new wireless gadgets.
6. I met my husband when I was 14. We started dating when I was 16, got engaged when I was 18 and got married two weeks before I turned 23. Two kids and thirteen years later and we're still happy and in love. He's such a great guy!
7. I'm an obsessive-compulsive dead-header of flowers. If I see a flower that needs dead-heading, I have to dead-head it. I've been known to do it at restaurants that have hanging baskets near the table where I'm sitting. I do it to my neighbours and friends gardens. When helping my son deliver papers, I'll do it at those houses too. I do it anywhere I see a dead flower head. Someone stop me before I get arrested!

And that's all folks! I'm not going to tag anyone else as this meme has been floating around for a while now and I can't think of anyone who hasn't already done it. If you haven't done it and would like to, feel free. Consider it free tagging!

Off to shower and garden a bit!

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I won! I won! I won!

I generally consider myself rather unlucky when it comes to contests and such. Imagine my surprise, joy and all around giddiness when I was informed that I won the blog candy offered at The Sparklie Things Blog (don't you just *LOVE* that blog name???) last week. It looks as if there are some amazingly yummy threads coming my way. I feel so blessed. Now I need to decide just how I'm going to pass on my good fortune as I can't just keep this to myself. Keep checking this space, you never know what I'm going to come up with! :-)



My spot of good fortune came at just the right time as between still not feeling well (I think I'm actually going another round with this wretched cold!) and other stresses I've been quite down for the last little while. Both my little darlings are causing me no small amount of stress as of late, but it's neither of their faults - it's just life. My oldest DS is getting ready to go off to middle school next fall. It should be a simple process, but sadly for him it's not. Cameron has been classed as gifted (don't read too much into that, it's only Grade 5!) and as a result he has to go through this long, involved, STUPID process to determine what middle school he'll be attending next year. It's causing me no small amount of stress as I'm continually jumping through hoops to make sure he'll get into a school with a contained gifted program and neither his current school nor his school board is being helpful at all! With a bit of luck though the whole thing will be resolved at the next meeting I attend on May 31. I was happy when Cameron was classed as gifted, but now I'm not so sure about the whole thing.... *sigh* Oh well!


My little Bryce has come out with his own set of difficulties too. He's been struggling a little bit in school - nothing hugely major, but the school felt we should have it checked out by a professional. So, one psychoeducational assessment later and it turns out that Bryce has Inattentive ADD with the added bonus of a writing disability. It explains a lot of his difficulties in school, but I'm still unsure of what impact this will have on the rest of his schooling. The upshot of the assessment is that he is considered to be at the high end of average intelligence - almost gifted in fact. It explains why he's been able to cope as well as he has up until now, but as academic demands increase, he may struggle more. So, now we know. Next up is figuring out what comes next!

So, that's why the stitching is suffering slightly. The models are still receiving attention, but not nearly as much as I'd like. I haven't really picked up much else, although for my birthday weekend I did finally relent and let myself start a project that has been waiting for me for at least 5 or maybe 6 years - L&L's Nantucket Rose. I haven't got much done on it yet, so no point posting a progress picture and it's not going to get much needle time until the models get done - they're my top priority. But it was a nice birthday treat to myself to start a project that has called me for years.

And it's SBQ time!

Today's SBQ was suggested by Ish (http://ishsuth.wordpress.com/) and is:

How do you choose a project for an exchange? Do you pick solely onwhat you know of the taste of the recipient or are there other reasonsyou pick the piece you do?

The permalink to this post is: http://blog.blondelibrarian.net/archives/2007/05/sbq-exchange-choices/

Well, I'm participating in my first exchange ever, so I don't think I'll have a great answer to this one.... I'm just about to mail out my first exchange which is a Dragon Dreams exchange over at the Rotation Stitchers BB. Since the exchange is designer-specific, it was relatively easy to pick a project to stitch. I have to admit though that I had my finishing idea first and then chose the right design to fit the finishing. When I can post pictures that'll make more sense, really!

If I participate in another exchange then I would likely do my utmost to get a feel for what things my recipient likes and attempt to give them something they would like, even if it wasn't my taste.

Finally, here's a little picture of me with my boys with the birthday cake that they baked for me:

And yes, I'm grimacing in the picture. I was feeling quite awful at the time and really didn't want my picture taken, but DH insisted. At least the boys look cute (Bryce is at the front & Cameron at the back)! :-)

Anyway, I think I'll treat myself to some flower shopping for the garden - it's time to get a few baskets done!

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The Story of the Christmas Spider.....

At the Spring CreativFestival I was able to make an adorable little Christmas Spider at a make it and take it from Dragon's Lair Beads. I think I finally may have managed a halfway decent picture of my little guy, but I apologise for all blurriness. My camera and I are having a little bit of an argument over just what 'in focus' means apparently. Here he is:

He also came with this sweet story of why every Christmas tree should have a spider on it:

A long time ago a housewife was busily cleaning for Christmas. the spiders fled upstairs to the attic to escape the broom. When the house became quiet the spiders slowly crept downstairs for a peek. Oh what a beautiful Christmas tree! In their excitement they scurried up the trunk and out along each branch. They were filled with happiness as they climbed amongst the glittering beauty. But alas! By the time they were through climbing, the tree was completely shrouded in their dustry grey spider web. When Santa Claus came with the gifts for the children and saw the tree covered with spider webs, he smiled as he saw how happy the spiders were, but knew how heartbroken the mother would be if she saw the tree covered with dusty webs. So he turned the webs into silver and gold. The tree sparkled and shimmered and was even more beautiful than before. That's why we have tinsel on our tree and every tree should have a Christmas spider in its branches.

I'm afraid I cannot attribute this text to anyone as there was no information written on the sheet. If you know to whom I owe an attribution, please let me know!

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Here's this week's SBQ suggested Kathryn:

How many WIPs do you have? How many UFOs do you have? When does a WIP become a UFO?

The permalink to this post is: http://blog.blondelibrarian.net/archives/2007/05/sbq-wips-and-ufos/

Ummmmm - well, I don't exactly count them.... I'm rather terrified of the thought actually! In terms of WIPs, well right now I've got 2 models on the go and I usually have another smaller travel project floating about with me too (an ornament or something along those lines). I don't have anything else large on the go as the models require top attention, since they're paying jobs..... I'm not sure how many UFOs I have but I do make an effort to pull at least one out every few months and finish it up if possible. Many of my present UFOs are from classes I've taken and I just haven't had time to return to the project. I personally consider a piece a UFO if it leaves the stitching basket beside the couch where my stitching nook is. If it's in the basket it's being worked on, even if I may not have touched it in recent months.... :-)

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I'm finally starting to feel a little more human, but I'm still so stuffed up that I feel vaguely like I'm swimming underwater. I've done nothing useful with myself this week at all. Zero energy. I don't think I've even picked up a needle. That's how you know I'm sick!

Onwards and upwards from here, right? I've got to get better for Saturday - DH and my boys are baking me a cake for my birthday! :-)

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Oh bleck!

Why is it that as soon as we get some nice weather (shorts and t-shirt weather), I always (and I mean always) manage to come down with a cold?? Yesterday was gorgeous outside. What did I do all day? Laid on the couch and moaned for the most part. I hate colds. My head's all stuffy and my throat hurts and I hardly slept last night.... *bleah*

Enough whining! :-)

I have tried to take a picture of the crystal spider that I made at the Spring CreativFestival but my camera just isn't co-operating. Every picture is so out of focus it looks as if I took it while standing on the deck of a rolling ship. I'll keep trying, but I give up for the moment! Trust me, it looks really cute though....

When I wasn't moaning and groaning (and sneezing *achoo*, 'scuse me), I was busily working at finishing my exchange piece for the Dragon Dreams exchange coming up shortly. I'm almost finished the finishing so then it'll be time to package and drop in the post! I'd share pictures, but you know how it goes.... Soon! :-)

In the meantime, here's a piece I finished a couple of years ago:

This piece is from a class I took with Anna Marie Winter a few years ago at the CreativFestival. It's supposed to be made into a needlebook, but I've yet to get around to that. I just really like how this piece looks. It was fun to stitch, relatively easy and just looks pretty. The fibres are all silk serica and/or silk mori with some metallics thrown in for sparkle. I'd dig out the name of the piece, but it would require more energy than I have to expend at the moment.

Anyway, I need to go buy some groceries as the cupboards are looking quite bare this morning. Then I need to work on the models again.....

Oh, and Happy Birthday Mom!

My birthday is this coming Saturday too. We're into heavy birthday season here. Next up after me is my MIL, then BIL, then DH and one of my nieces (and that only takes us to mid-June - there's more after that!). The fun never ends.....

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D'oh!

As Homer would say.............

I meant to say a big thank-you to the new commentators to my blog! So, thanks for your comments and I hope you'll keep reading!

I really need to find my head, I'm sure it's around here somewhere....

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Creativ Festival Stash, SBQ and Random Bits.....

Well, let's see - it's been a busy week since I last posted. I haven't been stitching too terribly much, but there has been a little bit of it here and there....

I have been dilligently working on my Dragon Dreams Exchange piece - the stitching is almost done except that I ran out of one fibre. I'm waiting for re-inforcements there... I did gather together just about everything else needed though, so just another hour or so of stitching and a little more for final assembly and it'll be done. Pictures will have to wait, 'natch....

I went to the Spring Creativ Festival at the International Centre in Mississauga last weekend with my 'new' stitching friend. We had a wonderful time. The Spring show has definitely improved somewhat since it's resurrection a few years ago. There still isn't enough there to keep me interested for more than one day, but I did enjoy that one day a lot. We shopped at the needlework vendors (although there weren't many of those), we made soap (terrifically easy), we made a jeweled spider with Swarovski crystals - neat and easy project, we got lost in the Lens Mills fabric bolts, we made neat art cards...... It was a fantastic day overall. Here's the main stash acquisition:

I didn't pick up a huge quantity of charts or fibres as there wasn't a heck of a lot at the show I wanted. I did grab "More Precious than Gold" at the festival and got to see the model IRL. It's really lovely and I couldn't resist. I grabbed a bunch of Dinky Dyes as well. I have a very serious fibre addiction problem. Some really pretty fat quarters of fabric just jumped into my hands as well - some dragons, asian fans, sewing-themed and butterfly-themed... I've been lusting after a magnetic pincushion for a while now - particularly after I dropped my entire pinbox on the kitchen floor some months ago. Luckily I found it on sale for a song. I couldn't resist another rotary cutter either - and this one comes with a blade that will do a wavy cut. Toys! Lots and lots of toys! Whee!!!!!!!! :-)

The rest of my little world just keeps spinning - it's been busy with pizza day at school, Primary Literacy (a program that helps Grade 1's with their reading skills) and various other things. The weather has started improving slightly as well, so I've been clearing up the garden too. I made the investment in a new landscaping plan for the front of our house and I've been dreaming of winning the lottery so I could execute the whole plan all at once.... Seeing as that isn't too likely, I may just have to settle for doing a portion of the work this year and work the rest in as time and funds permit. The plan is just lovely though and well worth the price. At least now we have a direction! It'll soon be time to take down the birdfeeders and I'll miss my little feathered visitors to my backyard - we've had tremendous variety this winter, including a Peregrine Falcon (who admittedly was hunting the sparrows that we had in the backyard, but still...) and the first Blue Jay I've seen in years. I have a little cardinal couple that has been hanging out all winter too - I'm hopeful they'll build a nest and have babies! Ah Spring! :-)

I'm very behind on my blogging and I missed last weeks SBQ, so here it is:

Suggested Danielle (http://scopist.blogspot.com/):

Are you on "The Wagon?" If so, how long have you been on and how"serious" are you about it? If not, have you considered it?

The permalink to this post is: http://blondelibrarian.net/stitching/archives/2007/04/sbq-the-wagon/

I admit that the whole concept of being on "The Wagon" is a relatively new idea to me and I've only known about it for less than a year. I have considered going on the wagon, but realize that for the most part, I've been on it for a few years! I don't buy stash with any kind of regularity and while I still possess more than I can stitch in 6 lifetimes, I'm not obsessively adding to it. I am trying this year to use more fabrics and fibres from my stash for stitching ornaments as I have a large number of small cuts of fabrics from Silkweaver's and Sugar Maple Fabrics and the like, so I guess that is wagon-ish behaviour.... How's that for a non-answer? :-)

Back to the land of the models!

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Well, I really am here............

I'm not sure where the last week and a half has gotten to. I can't believe I haven't posted in all that time. There's nothing awful or bad going on - I guess things just got busy over Easter and I'm still trying to get back on track.

I've been plugging away on those two models I've got on the go. I have also managed to squeeze in one little Christmas ornament. A few weeks ago I posted about a little spot sampler that I had picked up from an old class and I've made a great amount of progress on it. Mostly thanks to the time my little guy was in hospital. It was the perfect size for hospital stitching...

Anyway, here's some pictures and details!!!!

This is M Designs Peace Ornament from the 2004 JCS Ornament Issue. I did a fair bit of substituting on this one as I couldn't easily get the Silk 'n Colors called for in the design. I replaced it with some Gloriana Silk in Cranberry. The linen is a 32-count Jobelan called Star Sapphire (from Silkweaver, I believe) - a greeny linen IRL. I'm really quite pleased with how this piece turned out overall. I elected not to put the beads on it partly because I haven't the right ones to hand. I do have a star charm to put at the top but I see in true-to-me-form, I've forgotten to do it just yet.... Soon, soon....

Here's my Small Spot Sampler from Timeless Designs. It's coming along fine - just some over-one bits left, some strawberries across the bottom and another row of eyelets below the fruit basket and it'll be done. This is my present travelling project, so it's not getting huge amounts of attention right now. It'll get done. Eventually. Really. Sometime before the next millennium at any rate..... ;-)

In a completely unrelated event, I think the tooth fairy needs to move into my house. In the last week between the two of them my boys have lost a total of 5 teeth. For a while I was worried that the tooth fairy would forget where our house is since it had been so long since anyone had lost a tooth. Now I think she needs to move in to save herself some time. My littlest one has lost his two front teeth and has a lisp to go with it.... I guess my baby is growing up after all.....

Well, I suppose I had better spend some energy on those models again - they're calling out for some time and attention.

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The Scream Heard 'Round the World

Yes, that was me last night in the wee hours. Wondering why I was screaming? This is why:

Notice anything funny? Yes, there's one little flower that isn't complete. Why isn't it complete you ask????? Because the little kit that came with all the floss didn't have enough freakin' floss. Naturally it wasn't DMC, but WDW's begonia. I ran out with 5 half-stitches to finish, plus another 3 stitches the row below. I'm not buying a full skein for that few stitches. I could complain to the shop where I bought the kit, but then again I did find the kit in the 50% off bin, so it seems a bit unfair to grumble too loudly. It was just annoying to be *that* close...... *sigh*


So, I ripped out the last flower and substituted plain old DMC. It doesn't look quite as nice, but it's not too bad, is it?

I guess I have to chalk it up to just one of those things. I still like this little piece from Lizzie*Kate. It's very pretty. I'm going to have to give it away soon though - that last flower is just staring me in the face. It's supposed to be the same as the second one from the left. IRL they're not even close now. But I don't want to rip out the other flower. Heck, flowers aren't all the same colour in nature, right? That's my excuse and I'm sticking with it. So there. Phooey! It'll have to leave my house or it'll slowly drive me stark staring mad. Wouldn't that be fun? Hmmmmm - maybe not.


In other news - I've started preparing for the Dragon Dreams exchange over on the Rotation Stitcher's BB. It's my first exchange ever and I'm very grateful to the kind folks over at the Rotation BB for being so welcoming and permitting me to join them. I would share more details on just what I'm planning, but then you never know who might be reading! :-) Suffice it to say that I'm very hopeful my recipient won't be disappointed. I don't know precisely who I'm exchanging with just yet but I need to start stitching now so that it'll be finished in good time. Working on my models is my first priority but I usually eke out a bit of time here and there to work on small things for myself.

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And here's this week's SBQ suggested by Heather http://theneedlesbewitchingeye.blogspot.com/):

How do you decide which stitching blogs are worth repeat and/or regular viewings? Are there certain things you look for in particular?Are there things you wish there were more of? Less of? Is your blog a good example of what you like to read?

The permalink to this post is: http://blondelibrarian.net/stitching/archives/2007/04/sbq-blog-criteria/


This is a tough one to answer, or at least it is for me.... I have been watching and reading blogs for a number of years now but only seriously started my own a few months ago. I found the ones that I like to read mostly by tripping over them as I web-surfed. If I enjoyed what the author had to say, I subscribed to the feed and kept on reading. About the only thing I dislike in blogs are ones that play music that I can't turn off! I can't pinpoint anything in particular that I look for in a blog - I just want to enjoy reading it. I love seeing other people's WIPs and completed projects. They keep me inspired and hopeful that someday I'll finish something too! :-) I have found recently more blogs that show different and unique finishing techniques and have actually tried a couple. That has helped me to do more than just frame....


Is my blog a good example of what I like to read? I'm not really sure. I started blogging seriously mostly for myself. I wanted some kind of record of what I am doing stitching-wise and blogging seemed to fit most easily in my life. It seems to be motivating me as well to take more pictures of things as they are finished. I have many, many pieces that I gave away and I have no picture of them. Since I don't sign or date any of my work, I really do need to be better at keeping a pictoral record of my things.

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Back to model-land for a while.

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Little Happy Dance and a needlework survey!



Well, I took a few moments away from my models last night to finish up my Christmas ornament for the month of March. I fell in love with this design when I first saw it and I was really happy with how quickly it stitched up:

This piece is from the 2006 JCS Ornament Issue. It's by Patricia Ann Designs and it's called Christmas Poinsettia. I used all the recommended fibres, but changed the fabric from an antique white linen to a Lt. Mocha Quaker cloth. I really like how it turned out. I still need to get a snowflake charm for the center. I didn't have the right thing in my stash, so I'll have to do a little shopping... Boy, that'll be a hardship! :-)

And, if you haven't already done so, go fill out the TNNA questionnaire about needlearts:

http://www.HartBusinessResearch.com/needlearts.htm

They'll donate a dollar to charity and it's a great chance to voice your thoughts on the needlework industry in general!

Back to the models!

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New stash!

What a fun week I've had! I have recently discovered someone else who stitches and not just from kits from Michaels! Yay! She hadn't been to my favorite LNS, Gitta's - which is just a short drive away from my home. So, needless to say, we were off an an afternoon's adventure! It's been too long since I hit the LNS, as my smoking credit card will attest!!! :-)

Here's what I got: DD's Proof & Dragon Alphabet, TW's Knotwork Bookmarks II, a freebie from A Stitcher's Hands called Garden Square, and I got lost in the wall of fibres..... It seems that a whole pile of fibres just jumped into my hands - some RG Fuzzy Stuff, some Kreinik #4 in mallard (DS#1 insists it's the colour of dragon scales!), some WDW, some GAST (okay, a lot of GAST), some Gloriana silk and some Dinky Dyes. I also bought the cool bag as through it's purchase I'll save 10% off all regularly-priced stuff for the next 2 years. I already saved half the cost of the bag with just the stuff pictured above! I think this bag is a good thing! Plus it's pretty.

This picture is of a few things I pulled out of the 50% off wall - a nice little linen cut, Lizzie*Kate's Friendship blooms, all kitted up, Lizzie*Kate's Welcome Tooth Fairy Snippet, another kit from the Trilogy called School Treats (for DS#2's teacher at the end of the year!). Definitely got some good deals here and had to work very, very, very, very hard not to buy more! Darn that wall of fibres! ;-)

I had a fun afternoon and just know we'll be doing it again, but hopefully not until the credit card cools down a wee bit! ;-)

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Here's this week's SBQ suggested Cindy (http://didimr2.blogspot.com/) :

Do you have a system for organizing freebie charts in your stash? If so, what is it? Do you print out copies of all of the freebies thatyou find on the web (that you think you might actually stitch) or doyou maintain electronic copies of them until you are ready to stitch them?

The permalink to this post is: http://blondelibrarian.net/stitching/archives/2007/03/sbq-freebie-organization/

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System? What system? :-) I tend to print out many of the freebies that I like a lot and then file them in file folders by designer. Ones I'm not sure whether or not I'll actually stitch I tend to download and file away on the computer someplace logical. I do bookmark sites that have freebies that change periodically, but often forget to check them unless I see someone else has stitched a 'new' freebie...

Off to play in my new stash for a bit - then back to work on the models!

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Spring is here - I think...

Well, today it's supposed to warm up to a balmy 8C (46F for the non-metric folks)... At least it should get rid of the last of the snow. Wandering in my garden this morning revealed that my daffodils and many of my tulips are all poking their heads out of the ground. I hope it warms up instead of cooling down - I'm not sure what it'll do to the flowers if it gets cold again! I am so ready for some warm weather!

In my stitching world, not much is going on really - I've finally gotten back to work on my models now that Bryce is on the mend and back at school. Things are moving much more slowly than I'd like, but isn't that the way it always is when you're stitching??? :-)

I realized I've missed a couple of SBQ's - I guess I have a pretty good excuse! Here's the catch up:

SBQ - March 7, 2007:

Do you use your needle, a seam ripper, or something else when you have to frog stitches? Why do you use the method that you do?

The permalink to this post is: http://blondelibrarian.net/stitching/archives/2007/03/sbq-rip-rip/

I usually use a needle since it's right there and handy and all. And it's usually fitting punishment for that baaaadddd needle! :-) I have actually cut stitches out with my hardanger scissors a few times when I was just off by one stitch but would have needed to frog half the world to get to that one stitch. Then I usually need to locate my boo-boo stick (basically it looks like a mascara wand) to clean up the mess. My boo-boo stick has vanished recently (I'm hopeful the couch fairies who steal needles have it and will give it back! They recently returned my Clover cutter...)... Maybe I'll just have to buy another one!

SBQ - March 15, 2007

If you had $500 to spend on stitching-related items, what would you buy?

The permalink to this post is: http://blondelibrarian.net/stitching/archives/2007/03/sbq-shopping-spree/

This is a tough one to answer as I'm not sure what I'd buy. There's just too much out there! I guess I'd end up buying all the speciality fibres I could manage (Crescent Colors, WDW, GAST, Dinky Dyes, etc.) and fabric and patterns..... Maybe a lap stand (I have a floor stand already) for when I'm taking classes.... Or maybe I'd just put the whole lot towards going to an American stitching festival as I've never been to one.

Then again, maybe the money should go towards hiring a cleaning lady so I wouldn't have to do it and then I could stitch more! ;-)

Off to work on the models again!

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Surfacing at Last....

It's been a crazy week since my little one had his surgery and this is the first time I've really felt like blogging much. His surgery went quite well - only 2 hours (it was scheduled for 3) and we were able to come home that evening. He had 3 doses of morphine in the recovery room which was handy for pain control, but gave the poor kid a bad case of the barfs for the next 24 hrs. Morphine really doesn't agree with him, but it did help us to get him home with minimum pain - he actually slept the whole way! It's not a terribly long drive, but we left Sick Kids right at rush hour, so what should have taken half an hour took a little over an hour.

Today Bryce is pretty much back to normal, although he's still walking around as if there's a basketball between his knees! Hopefully the swelling will continue to go down and he'll be back to walking normally soon!

It's March Break here, so the boys are home from school. We've had a fun time so far playing some video games, building some things with K'Nex (we've just about finished a roller coaster) and generally hanging out. It's difficult to do too much as Bryce's mobility has been relatively limited.

Stitching-wise I haven't really been doing much. Bryce needed a fair bit of help for the first while so my time was quite consumed with that. Now I'm worn out and find myself napping in the middle of the day! Hopefully that'll stop soon as I've got models that really need some attention!

Off to bed, I think!

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What pretty little fabbies....





I'm starting to think that Canada Post doesn't hate me as much as I think it does. Not only did it finally bring me the necessary floss to keep progressing on a model I'm working on but it also brought me some beautiful fabrics that I ordered from Sugar Maple Fabrics. SMF was having a sale on some 9X12 fabrics on e-bay and I just couldn't resist. I have a hopeless addiction to these small cuts of fabric and an even larger addiction to hand-dyed fabrics. I'm already contemplating what I'll stitch on these.....

From left to right the fabrics are: Ice Pops (28 ct.), Gilded Majesty (28 Ct. and much greener than in the picture), Treetops (28 ct. and really, really sparkly IRL), Water Sprite (32 ct. and a deeper green) and In the clouds (25 ct.). I've spent a good portion of my evening fondling and dreaming. I love good fabric.

I certainly needed this little stash boost to distract me today. We're only 2 days away from my little one's next surgery. I'm trying not to focus too much on it, but it's hard. It may be minor surgery, but it's minor surgery on my little boy! I'm such a mother sometimes! :-) I just remind myself that we're lucky he's so healthy and normal and that everything will be just fine.

Off to stitch a bit before bed!

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Random thoughts and musings........





Well, March certainly decided to come in like a lion today - although not until about 1 PM! Snow began coming down in a surprisingly hard fall this afternoon. DH has already shoveled once and no doubt will need to shovel again before long. We're in for some decidedly odd weather as later this evening it's supposed to change to freezing rain (joy!) and then in the wee hours of the morning tomorrow it's supposed to rain. I'm sure that tomorrow morning will bring an odd assortment of school closings, bus closings and we're-not-sure-but-we're-closed closings. Buses were cancelled today but we live within shouting distance of the school (I can hear the bell ring if I open my front door at the right time), so my boys were off to school today. They loved all the snow this afternoon. My oldest DS took almost an hour to walk home (it usually takes between 5 and 10 minutes!) - he was having too much fun playing in the snow with his friend. :-)





I'm starting to feel relatively stressed out. My youngest DS is heading into Sick Kids next Thursday for his 7th surgery to correct his birth defect. I won't go into the gory details here (it would likely give me a R rating). It's called hypospadias (the birth defect, not DS! :-) ) and is thankfully not life threatening, but necessary to repair. This round of surgery is relatively minor in comparison to some of things he went through in 2005 but I still stress out. I know it'll be fine, I just seem to need to put myself through this stress. I think I'm losing my mind. If anyone finds it, could you please return it?





The up side to the stress feeling - I stitch more when I'm stressed. :-) So my models are getting some goodly attention. I also picked up an old piece from a class I took at the CreativFestival a few years ago. It's a lovely little spot sampler and is just small enough that I can enjoy picking it up for those brief times when I'm not working on models. Plus it has some repetitive-ness about it that is very soothing at the moment. Here's a little picture of it:

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And I've neglected to answer this week's SBQ suggested by Danielle( http://scopist.blogspot.com/):

Do you find yourself stitching faster when you are getting to the endof a design?

The permalink to this post is: http://blondelibrarian.net/stitching/archives/2007/02/sbq-smoking-needles/

I think I do stitch faster when I'm nearing the end, but then I do stitch pretty fast in general (just ask anyone who has taken a class with me - I'm known for having electric needles!). When I'm nearing the end of a piece (particularly if it's a large piece) then I'm desperate to get it done so I can start something new or just bask in the glow of having finished something!

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Little Happy Dance!





With our electricity being so flaky yesterday I really hesitated to pick up my model as I was sure I'd just mess it up - who knows what I'd accidentally do when the lights went out! :-)





So instead I picked up another ornament that was just about finished and decided I'd polish it off. It's from the 1997 (?) JCS ornament issue. It's from JBW Designs and it's entitled "Hearts of Joy". I'm not sure what fabric I used - I've had this sitting in my project pile waiting to be stitched for at least a year. I used the recommended fibres (it was all DMC) and beads. It's such a pretty little ornament. IIRC it's at least the 3rd time I've stitched it.... Anyway, here it is:

I really need to spend some time ornament-ifying some of the ornaments I've finished so far this year. Maybe I'll get some time soon, but who knows?

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Of Snowy Days, Pizza Days and Power Cuts!

Woke up this morning with my children informing me that the power was out. Sadly it was still a good hour before I needed to be conscious.... Luckily for them they're so gosh darned cute! :-)

The power flicked off and on all morning. DH managed his shower but the power shut off before he could shave. It came on again just after he'd managed to get dressed (in the dark) so he jumped in the loo to shave quickly. It went out again not long after he finished that. He had to have a breakfast of cold cereal poor guy.... I managed a shower and got my hair dry before the power went out again. It came back on in time to make breakfast for the boys and myself (I got a cup of coffee! Yipee!) and went out again just as we sat down to eat. I feel like a human yo-yo.

As we were eating our breakfast (in the semi-darkness - sun was coming up by then), it started to snow these great big fluffy flakes. It was so pretty - all the trees and branches were covered in this pretty, pretty snow. The boys made snowballs the whole way to school.

And I spent my late morning helping out with pizza day - I guess the hydro stayed on for long enough for the pizza guy to bake 61 cheese pizzas and 35 pepperoni pizzas for us. We divided, conquered and served the entire school population in record time. I *so* don't want to see pizza again anytime soon. :-P

And just to finish off (just so that there's something needlework related here!), here's this weeks SBQ:

Suggested by Kathryn(http://threadsofdesire.blogspot.com/) :

What is the smallest count fabric you have ever used? Did you stitchover one? Conversely, what is the largest count fabric you have ever used?

The permalink to this post is:http://blondelibrarian.net/stitching/archives/2007/02/fabric-count/

Hmmmmmm - let's see the smallest would have to be a 40ct. over-one piece I did. Not sure where the heck that piece ended up come to think of it. I may need to have a stash rummage. Largest is probably a 10-ct waste canvas used to stitch some motifs on some onesies when all my friends were having babies. I'll stitch on just about any size, any count, over one, over two, whatever - just give me a needle and floss! ;-)

Back to working on my models - although one is just sitting as I've run out of fibres and am (im)patiently waiting for more to arrive. Canada Post hates me. :-P

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