One Stitch At A Thyme

Back in May I lost my stitchy bug and it still hasn't fully returned.  I've kept the stitchy embers alive by working  a few stitches here and there over the last 7 months on "Now I Lay Me..." by Paragon Needlecraft  (a stamped cross stitch) I finally finished it Nov. 26.


As for the SALs, WIPocalypse and TUSAL, I'm undecided if I'm going to continue with them in 2017, it all depends on how I feel (mentally) at the end of January.

I'm also undecided if I'm going to keep "My BAP Blog" as I haven't really posted anything to it and what's the point of having two blogs when I can barely keep up with one.


Jan
Slow as a snail stitcher....

A Stitch In Thyme Website
My BAP Blog

YEA!!! I can finally scratch off Christmas Mystery Sampler off the side panel of my WiPs category. And it only took me 4-1/2 years!!! {groan} I promised I’d get it finished by the end of June, I got close and only over shot it by 2 weeks. I don’t have the money to frame it, so more than likely it’s going to get turned into a bell pull. Don’t know when that will be though, as for the moment I’m sick-to-death of looking at it. I only made one major change in it, and that was not stitching the last part. I just didn’t like the Kreinik metallic gold fringe effect of part six so I ended the project with part five for a more uniform look.

And now for all the other info just in case you want to know…..

Name: Christmas Mystery Sampler
Type: Counted Cross Stitch
Finished size: Approx. 6.57" x 19.7" (16.68cm x 50cm) on 28ct. Lugana {Black}
Leaflet/Kit #: E-mail PDF Chart
Designer/Publisher: Pamela Kellogg, Kitty and Me Country Crafts / CraftSoft Inc. © 2003
Finshed: July 10, 2008
Misc. Info. : A free Stitch-Along Project in 6 parts (Oct. 29 - Dec. 14, 2003) created just for Pam's bulletin board group at http://pamkellogg.yuku.com/



I'll be working on part 6 of Il était une fois (Once Upon a Time...) next.
Well that's it for now.....

All rightie, I’ve got a finish and an update to share for this week. Sunday the 1st I finished the birthday present for my friend (towel and potholder) and managed to get it into the mail on Monday. They said it would take from 5-10 days to get to England, and since her birthday is this Saturday I’m hoping that the package is only a couple of days late. I was really pleased with the kitchen towel, not so with the potholder and that’s my fault I’m afraid. I took the thing apart so it would be easier to stitch, unfortunately I couldn’t seem to get it back together so it looked right. I ended up taking it completely apart and re-sewing the trim back on and somehow I didn’t have enough trim to make the loop at the top. I’m not very happy but there’s not much I can do about it.

The update is just a little mention. A couple of posts back I said I was going to catch up with replacing the french knots with glass seed beads for Il était une fois (once upon a time). Well I did that last night with part 4. So now all the sections that needed beads are up to date. I’ve posted a update picture of the 5 sections I’ve done so far.

Now I’m turning my attention back to the dreaded Christmas Sampler 2003 with the determined goal to get it finished this month. There’s only parts 5 & 6 to sew along with finishing it as a bell pull. Then I’ll have to figure out what to use for the hardware to hang it with.

Be sure to click on the pictures to get a better look.

Name: BlueBerries Kitchen Towel & Potholder
Type: Counted Cross Stitch
Finished Chart Size: Towel: 3.75" x 5.25" (9.6cm x 13.4cm) Potholder: 3.64" x 3.64" (9.25cm x 9.25cm)
Leaflet/Kit #: Fruit Tarts & Towels Book 244
Designer/Publisher: Stoney Creek Collection, Inc. © 1999
Finished: Towel: May 04, '08 Potholder: May 31, '08
Misc. Info. : The gold diamond backstitching is Glissen Gloss Spectrim




And here's Il était une fois (Once Upon a Time):



Well that's it for this Blog Blurb.....

I was going to post this Sunday but simply didn’t have the time, so it gets a quick little blurb today. My ordered supplies came in on Thursday the 1st and I finished the towel by Sunday afternoon. Now I’ve got 3 weeks left to stitch the pot holder. This is a first for me and proving very interesting as I have never counted cross stitched in-hand before. That and I had to dismantle the potholder down 2 of the 3 sides so I could work the stitches. I’m fairly confidant that I’ll get this finished in the next 3 weeks and mailed off to my girlfriend in England by the last Monday in this month.


Name: BlueBerries Kitchen Towel
Type: Counted Cross Stitch
Finished Chart Size: 3 3/4" x 5 1/4" (9.6cm x 13.4cm)
Leaflet/Kit #: Fruit Tarts & Towels Book 244
Designer/Publisher: Stoney Creek Collection, Inc. © 1999
Finished: May 04, '08



Potholder progress as of Sunday:


This will probably be the first and last potholder I stitch in a very long time. I find I don’t really like to stitch in-hand on pre-finished items.

Well, that’s all for this blog blurb.

Well I finally got around last night and finished my dragon needle book after 5 weeks of procrastinating. I think my check book design turned out excellent and with 4 pages I've got more than enough room for my needles. Also instead of marking the needle size numbers on the pages, I plan on using small paper stickers and writing the size on them. That way I can re-arrange the needles when necessary.

Here’s all the info from my finished projects page on my website.

Name: Needle Guardian Needle Book
Type: Counted Cross Stitch
Finished Chart Size: approx. 4" x 6" (10.16cm x 15.24cm)
Designer/Publisher: Teresa Wentzler - © 2007 TW Designworks / PatternsOnLine
Finished: Assembled March 14, 2008
Misc. Info. : I tried to take pictures up close of the Kreinik metallic braid and beads as they kind of get lost on top of the stitching for the head and tail. The bead used as a clasp is a stone - Tiger Eye.
Front Panel : Started August 14, 2007 - Finished October 7, 2007
Back Panel : Started February 3, 2008 - Finished February 7, 2008










I used waxed cardboard panels from an orange juice carton and 4 used Bounce dryer sheets as padding to make the front and back covers stiff. On the inside I used a white felt fabric square as pages.





I think It's time I got back to working on my WiPs and to that end it's going to be a toss-up between “Christmas Sampler 2003” and “Summer's End”. Oh, I'll still be reading my romance books but I think I'll keep it to a Friday/Saturday 12 hour reading marathon. I have a tendency to read a book cover to cover in one go.

Other News:
I’ve decided to start looking for a new job. The company I’m at now was suppose to upgrade me to permanent full-time hours. Instead I’ve been down graded from full-time temp to on-call status. Which means I’ve only had 4 weeks of work so far this year, and since I’ve got bills to pay *now* I can’t afford to wait around for them to call me. Looking for full-time work really sucks when the only thing out there seems to be 4 hour-a-day part-time jobs. It’s also hampered by the fact that I don’t own a car and have to rely on public transit.


Well that all for today's blog blurb....

Name: Needle Guardian Needlebook
Type: Counted Cross Stitch
Finished Chart Size: approx. 4" x 5.75" (10.16cm x 14.61cm)
Designer/Publisher: Teresa Wentzler - © 2007 TW Designworks / PatternsOnLine

Started: August 14, 2007
Finished: October 7, 2007

As usual my skill with a camera is less than average and the pictures are slightly out of focus.




I tried to take pictures up close of the Kreinik metallic braid and beads as they kind of get lost on top of the stitching for the head and tail.




I haven’t decided as yet how I’m going to finish it. I’m not just going to fringe the edges. Maybe a checkbook type of flat fold with either a bead or ribbon closure. I did a Google search on needlebook finishing techniques and found a few ideas to get me started. Anyway, it will be awhile before I get that part of the project done. But when I do don’t worry I’ll be posting it to the blog.

Rotational Stitching: Well I’m back in my stitching groove, now that I’ve actually finished something. So it’s back to my side bar WiPs and I’ll be pulling out the French Mystery “Once Upon A Time”. Of the 16 parts Annick has posted up through 11 and so far I’ve only done up through part 3 so I really need to get moving. It’s free if anyone’s interested in stitching it – check it out!!

WAHOO!! DONE, DONE, DONE!!!!

Name: To Love and Cherish
Type: Counted Cross Stitch
Finished Chart Size:
11" x 14" ( 27.9cm x 35.6cm ) on 28ct. Jubilee by Zweigart [Antique White]
Finished Frame Size: 17" x 19"
Kit #: 023-0139
Designer/Publisher: Sandy Orton/© 2004 Janlynn Corp.
Finished: May 29, 2007

Misc. Info: Started March 19, 2006. Faces have been covered to provide anonymity. The frame is polished aluminum, the mats are Off-White Linen and Very Lt. Antique Violet ( DMC 3743).


Me and digital cameras just don’t seem to get along. Case in point these pictures. If you were to see it in person the Antique Violet matt really makes the (DMC 3743) shadows under the roses and banners really pop giving it a 3-D look. I’m really happy the way the stitching turned out. I would’ve preferred the sepia couple that came with the chart. To tape a photo in the center just seemed wrong to me. But that’s my taste and my sister insisted, and well, it’s going on their living room wall. (click to see larger pic)





Other Stitching News: Well I’m going to be starting up my monthly rotation schedule again. And since there’s only a week left in June I thought I’d put some time in on “Christmas Sampler 2003”. Working on black fabric can really be hard on the eyes. But I need to show some progress on it, so it gets a week and starting next month it’s on to TW’s “Camelot Sampler”.

Today's SBQ was suggested Jennifer and is:

How do you store your WIPs and other projects that you have kitted up?

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

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I have 3 types of project storage. The first is 2 gallon Ziploc plastic bags. Next I have 2 navy blue DMC heavy-duty travel bags. They have a 3 ring binder that holds stitchbow transparent inserts, my charts, working copies, plus fabric and supplies. The last one is a quilted scroll frame tote bag that I purchased from Nordic Needle.

Once the projects are kitted up in 2 gallon Ziploc plastic bags, they are stored beside my chair in a green file folder box. That way after they become WiPs it's easier to rotate them from the front of the box to the back. When we use to have an LNS I would use the different travel bags to drag my projects to the store for stitch-ins evenings & weekends.

Other News: I finally managed to get to Crafter’s Warehouse today and purchased a double mat (off-white linen/lt. purple), glass, and ordered a silver wood frame for “To Love and Cherish”. The frame order won’t go out until next Monday and the framer assured me that this particular company had a quick turn-around time and I should have the frame by the end of the week. I made sure not to leave my stitchery there, 1) because I don’t want anyone but me touching my work. And 2) they would have charged me a service fee for putting it together. Besides, I was already gagging at the $155.75 (us) I was putting out for just the framing materials; and I’m quite capable of putting the pieces together myself – for FREE!!

Well that's it for this blog blurb...

I’ve been sick for the last 3 days with a sinus infection, so I haven’t had the chance to take a picture of my finished work. Mind you this is just the needlework half. I still have to get over to my sister’s house and get a copy of their wedding picture to put in the middle. It was officially finished last week, so the date in the corner with my initials says 5 * 2007. I’ll put the exact date and all pertinent information on a sticker on the back of the foam core, after I wash and lace the needlework later today. [click pic for larger image]




It will be closer to the end of the month before I can get a picture of the finished project all matted and framed to post to the blog. In the mean time I need to decide which WiP to get started on next.