Cross Stitch for Life

Bye bye Blogger, hello Worpress

2007-07-20T11:22:00.000+02:00

Yep I'm officially packing up and moving over to a Wordpress blog (finally!).

Here is my new link: The Floss Box

This is more than just a blog, it's also my album, my pages with my freebies nicely displayed, stitching and crafting blog rolls, and other content pages I will be adding in the future.

So come on over and visit me there!

Cupcake freebie!!

2007-07-18T14:12:00.000+02:00

Here is my latest freebie:

This one was a lot of fun, perhaps because it involved CAKE?! The pattern is on my sidebar. This one was a lot of fun! :) I stitched it on opalescent fabric, so it's nice and sparkly, but the photo isn't especially bright (as usual). So it looks MUCH better in reality. I will be finishing this into something in the next few days, and I will post a final picture then.

Blog tip

2007-07-16T11:08:00.001+02:00

Ever wonder how people get those little icons up there for their blog page? It's super easy. First you need the image uploaded someplace. Then you need this line in your template in the head section (after the <head> and before the </head> end tag).

<link href='put icon link here' rel='icon' type='image/jpg'/>

The image should only be about 20 x 20 pixels.

A lot of knots!

2007-07-16T11:03:00.001+02:00

This little heart is made up entirely of french knots!! I'm not quite sure how I will finish it yet. Have to ponder that a bit!

Sewing finishes

2007-07-16T10:51:00.000+02:00

I made these two little bags this past week. They were fun and easy. The red one is only about 4 inches tall. I have nothing in particular in mind for them, they are just fun to make, lol.

Online magazine link

2007-07-11T19:11:00.001+02:00

I found this link to an online magazine about crafting. In it there is an article and a few pictures of a German-sampler museum. Interesting reading. :) I'd love to visit a place like that some day!

Updated finishes

2007-07-11T19:03:00.000+02:00

Here is an updated finish of a freebie I stitched in May. I added a little embroidery in the corners and around the pictures. It isn't a lot but I think it adds a bit of visual interest in any case.

I wasn't quite happy with my 4 snowflakes finish:

So I added a bit of beading and some stitching around the border. I think it helps a lot. It was a bit dull. But I don't think I can "fix" the real problem, which is that stitching over 1 -- really requires that those tiny stitches have high contrast with the background fabric. I missed a bit there. Oh well. It's on ok piece now, I think. On to the next thing now!

Snowflake ornament

2007-07-08T15:17:00.000+02:00

Yet another snowflake design I have made!! (Posted on my sidebar, as always). I stitched this with DMC color variations and 1 strand 032 blending filament. I attached some beads in the corner for an extra bit of interest, but they and the blending filament sparkle are barely visible! :( Oh well. I love how it turned out and I am quite inspired to make more little patterns. I have far more ideas than just little houses and snowflakes!!!!!

Small houses wall-hanging!

2007-07-06T19:06:00.000+02:00

Here are my little houses made into a wall hanging. I am quite happy with how it turned out. I think it's one of the best finishes I have managed so far. The colors were a lot of fun to work with. The pattern for the house is on my sidebar.

Otherwise I am back to Revelation. It was nice to have a breather, but it's good to be back at it. At least in the third row there are some new colors joining the mix! And it won't be boring thanks to the gobs of confetti!!!

Pink Garden Fairy Progress

2007-07-02T19:57:00.001+02:00

Here she is at about 5000 stitches. She is turning out really well, and is a lot of fun to stitch. The colors are just great. I don't know if I will continue on her this week or give Revelation a try, but she will continue to be my Wednesday project if nothing else. I can't wait to see the rest of it! :)

Revelation picture --10 pages!

2007-06-26T19:43:00.001+02:00

Phew! I made it to the end of page 10! I have major burnout now on this one. I will work on Pink Garden Fairy now. Feels like a new start would be nice, lol. So much to work on though, already. We'll see :)

More little houses!

2007-06-26T19:41:00.001+02:00

Here is another little house I made! They are kind of cute, I think. The pattern is on my side bar. :) I think I will sew them together some how into a little wall hanging.

Fairy Day SAL!

2007-06-25T21:19:00.000+02:00

I have been busy with Revelation this weekend for Fairy Day. I made my goal to finish the 10th full page! So that means 2 full rows completed. I am completely burned out on the project now. It took some effort to get through the last 800 stitches. I have been struggling with this project the whole month. Most days I have had a hard time managing more than 300 stitches. I made an extra effort Sunday though. I will be taking a picture tomorrow when there is lots of light. I want to get an extra nice shot. :)

Revelation 9.5 pages

2007-06-16T13:45:00.000+02:00

Here it is at nearly 10 full pages! After a bit of a breather I am moving along nicely, although hardly super fast. I sure am looking forward to finishing this row! :) I should have no problem getting there by the end of the month. I will try to get a really good picture then. Most of my pictures just turn out really dark. I always have to adjust them in Photoshop.

Freebie WIP

2007-06-16T13:43:00.001+02:00

I have been working on this during the day. It's from My aunt's attic. I chose the colors myself, and it's over one. Very fun little project. I just have the border left, so I should have it done next week.

Pink Garden Fairy

2007-06-16T13:41:00.000+02:00

Here she is at 1/4 page. It's pretty fun to work on. Down this column I will hit the end of the eye, and the eyes in Vinson's artwork are great. :)

Sunday update

2007-06-10T16:01:00.001+02:00

The camera was held hostage last weekend and part of this week, so I have been extra slow updating. :( But here is what I have been doing this week. I took a breather from Revelation to do some small stuff, below are the results. I am back working on Revelation again. Hopefully by next weekend I can make another half page mark and post a new pic. :)

Cats!

2007-06-10T15:58:00.001+02:00

This is a section from a pattern posted in Anna magazine, Jan 2007 issue. My cats are missing eyes tho! I doubt I will do the whole pattern.. it's one of those where there are lots of diagonal backstitching, but they use whole crosses. Drives me crazy stitching "outside" the lines, and it's a lot of extra effort to figure out fractionals as you go. But this would make a cute finish on its own. :) I may do more or do parts of the pattern as individual finishes.

Winter house freebie

2007-06-10T15:56:00.000+02:00

Here is my Christmas-winter house freebie I made this past week. The beads and embroidery don't really show up so well, but they are nice and shiny in person. :) I think this ended up a little too large for a pillow, so I will just make a little wall hanging thing out of it. The pattern is on my sidebar!

House finished!

2007-06-10T15:54:00.000+02:00

I made this into a little hanging pillow. :)

House freebie

2007-05-28T22:33:00.001+02:00

Here is my house freebie I designed. It's stitched on 25 ct Wedgewood lugana, over 1. I am quite please with how it turned out. The colors are a bit nicer in real life, of course. :) I posted this pattern as "house 2" on the sidebar.

Here are two color variations of this one:
Here is the pattern mock-up of "House 1":
And "House 3":I haven't had time to do stitch-tests of the latter two, but I think they should be ok. Of course these are all adaptable to someone else's color choices. :)

Revelation at 9 pages

2007-05-27T16:39:00.000+02:00

Here she is at 9 pages! :) Only one more page across this row left!!. I decided I needed a short breather from working on her though. Hopefully I will return by the 1st of June. In the meantime I am working on some patterns I designed. Hopefully more pictures will follow this week!!

Snowflakes finished!

2007-05-27T16:36:00.001+02:00

Here are my snowflakes finished into a little wall hanging. It turned out fine, but seems a little "flat". I will probably add some sparkle in the form of charms or beads or maybe buttons. It needs a little somethiing more. I debated about pulling it apart and doing something else with it, but it's better to just leave it and stitch new snowflakes. They don't really take that long. :) These patterns I posted on my sidebar.

QS progress.

2007-05-27T16:26:00.000+02:00

I 0nly managed a couple hundred stitches on her this week.. I will try to do more this week!

Snowflakes

2007-05-20T18:52:00.000+02:00

I designed and stitched these 4 snowflakes this weekend. I used DMC color variations floss on the white fabric and white floss on the colored fabrics. They are all done over 1 on 28ct. The pictures of the white stitching didn't turn out so well. Not enough contrast I guess. My idea is to finish them all into a little wall hanging, hopefully during the week. I left all the patterns on my sidebar if anyone is interested!

Thanks for the comments on Revelation! :) I have been working on it too a bit this weekend. Maybe by next weekend I will finish this page I am working on.

Sewing!

2007-05-17T22:35:00.000+02:00

Here are a couple little bags I made this week. The pattern came from ... somewhere out there! They are quick and pretty easy. The bag is lined. I did my own variation on the left one to make the cords come out the side to make the bag easier to close.
These little guys are called Dottee dolls after the person that came up with them. Mine are rather simple-ish. Despite that I spent a bit too many hours trying to think of clever embellishing before I just gave up and went with simple. They are cute and fun in any case. Haven't decided if I want to do more. I think I need to make my own variation to them if I decide to do more. Here is the link to her tutorial.

Revelation 8.5 pages

2007-05-17T22:19:00.000+02:00

Another half page completed! I am really looking forward to finishing this row, so I will just keep plugging along on this!

New start!

2007-05-17T22:16:00.000+02:00

Started Vinson's Pink Garden Fairy for the Wednesday QS SAL. :) I did about 400 or so stitches. I am mostly keeping this as a Wednesday thing for now.

Small finish!

2007-05-13T01:00:00.000+02:00

Small finsih this week :) I got this pattern from My aunt's attic. I finished it into a simple, little wall hanging. It's stitched with DMC color variations floss, don't remember which number, but it's the pink one (obviously! ;)).

I am sort of on hovering on the verge of retiring my Luna QS. I haven't had the urge to work on it at all, and well.. since this is all just for fun.. no guilt! I am just putting it on the side for now. I am avoiding "deciding" to officially retire it.

I am content for now plugging away on Revelation. I will soon make another half page mark, so I will get an update posted.

I acquired 2 new patterns this week as well! I got the new release Awen Inspiration as my month pattern (I just love the colors and the designs in it!) and QS Pink Garden Fairy by C. Vinson. The news of the supposed contract expiration forced me to take a long look at her stuff again, and well, even after HAED said they will keep the license, I still wanted this one, and since there is a sale.... I am tempted to start in on it very soon. :) Perhaps I could actually succeed in a mini rotation?

Revelation update

2007-04-30T19:32:00.000+02:00

Here is my current progess on Revelation. I have moved onto page 9! :) Lots and lots of hair on this page. I have slacked a bit this past week...(darn computer games distracting me!!) But I will be rolling along again soon!

2007-04-15T18:39:00.000+02:00

Here is my lastest progress on Revelation. I am nearly to the 8-page mark. I will easily make it there before the end of the month. Perhaps by the end of next week. :)

More bags!

2007-04-15T18:30:00.000+02:00

I made these two little ones this weekend. They are very quick to sew! These 2 are lined.
I made this larger one this week. It has two fabric panels as you see, but unlined. Bad planning meant the leopard heads got chopped off!! Oh well, I have some more of this style fabric, different colors though.

Minitotes!

2007-04-09T19:39:00.000+02:00

I sewed these two little totes today. :) The pattern is adapted from here. Mine are something like 8x12 maybe. They were fun and not too hard. I will do more. I have bags full of this type of drapery fabric. I want to try lined bags and ones with pockets too, as well as some different sizes.

Unicorn picture

2007-04-08T17:06:00.000+02:00

Here it is! I am very pleased with it, but I won't be rushing into another TW for awhile, I think. :)

Unicorn finished!

2007-04-07T23:38:00.000+02:00

Yay! I finished it today, much faster than I thought. It's late here now, so I will get a picture posted tomorrow. One thing I learned from this project is that black fabric >> me, and dark thread on black just owns me. I will avoid the black fabric for all but very small projects in the future. Thanks for the comments on it, btw!!

I am back with Revelation in time to join the Easter HAED SAL. :) I didn't think I would make it, but I should manage a little chunk in any case. I got a bit of a cold this weekend, so I am just taking it a bit easy, but so far I am not sick enough to not stitch at least. :)

I put a lot more effort into getting my new blog/website together than updating this one. :( I really want to get it live soon though. I made a new logo I want to use that I am testing out here for the time being. Too lazy to make all the text colors match it though, lol.

And since my post is completely lacking in visual stimulation, here is a great link dedicated to beautiful food photography!

Unicorn Update

2007-04-02T22:13:00.000+02:00

Here is my Unicorn before I picked it up this evening. I am pretty happy with how it is turning out. I really hope to be close to done after the Easter holiday. I have 4 free days to stitch, stitch, stitch!!

April Goals

2007-04-01T12:31:00.000+02:00

Anyone else setting any goals for the month?

Here is what I would like to get done:

1. Finish The Unicorn.
2. At least 2000 stitches on Luna QS during the April SAL challenge.
3. One ornament.
4. Get back to Revelation sometime in the second half of the month.

I think they are pretty reasonable. :)

I have been working on The Unicorn exclusively since Tuesday. I should post a picture tomorrow or maybe today, soon in any case. I have done a fair bit since last picture, whenever that was.

Needlebook progress.

2007-03-25T15:39:00.000+02:00

Here are pictures of my crazy quilt needlebook. I have sort of limited fabrics at home to choose from, but I fixed that today! We went out to and collected loads of scraps and samples from my BF's mother's store. I made out with 2 large plastic bags, and 7 sample books. No shortage of nice fabrics and colors to choose from now!

Also I order a book on crazy quilts. I sort of realized now that I am not sure where to start with the embroidery and embellishing. And what color and styles of threads..oh dear, I am used to following pattern books! This is why I am trying crazy quilting tho, to develop my creative side a bite more. :) I have become very into personalizing projects and I think this will be fun to try.

Revelation - 7 pages!

2007-03-25T15:38:00.000+02:00

I have passed the 7 page mark now! This last page was quite fast, relatively easy stitching. I love how the arm looks! On to page 8 now!

March Ornament

2007-03-25T15:36:00.000+02:00

Here is my March ornament finished into a simple pillow :) The pattern is from Aurelle's site. It was easy and quick.

Tiny HD!

2007-03-18T20:27:00.000+01:00

I stitched this little bluebird over 1 on 28ct this weekend. It comes from Mary Engelbreit's Cross Stitch book. It's destined to be part of a needlebook. Back stitching over 1 is not so easy!! lol :)

I have been working more on my new blog. I am trying to get a "comprehensive" list of stitchers who blog. I have 180 so far. That is nowhere near everyone.. no way I will ever get everyone in any case, but I will keep hunting for links on boards and blogrolls!

Pi design

2007-03-17T22:32:00.000+01:00

Here is my design in honor of pi day! (What can I say I am still an MIT geek at heart). I have uploaded my design on my sidebar. It has some specialty stitches, but it stitches very quickly! :)

I am still chugging along on Revelation. Passed another half page mark. I will post a picture when I finish this page.

I have been surfing blogs and craft sites. I came upon 2 cool sites that have stitch dictionaries. One of them is http://inaminuteago.com/stitchindex.html and the other is http://www.prettyimpressivestuff.com/stitches/index.htm. Both have lots of nice pictures. Don't forget to join Sharon's Take a Stitch Tuesday challenge if you want to experiment with some new stitches. I likely be participating soon, perhaps this week! :)

2007-03-12T17:39:00.000+01:00

Here is my progress on Sara Butcher's Luna after the March SAL. I did something like 2000 stitches. There is lots of confetti around the heart, so I am taking a break instead of stitching through to Monday night! I'll be working on Revelation this week. I am starting to feel the need to finish the Unicorn though, so soon I will pick it up again.

"February" ornament

2007-03-04T21:44:00.000+01:00

Here is my February ornament, just a week late for the SAL. ;) I made the pattern myself, and stitched it with DMC 4030. The pattern is on the sidebar (snowflake 3), as always.
I am officially 20% through Revelation. 6 pages completed! I have been obsessed with stitching it these past 2 weeks. I did a whole normal-size page in 13 days! Despit e the confetti in and around the butterfies.I finally finished my little dino into a wall hanging. It is a very cute pattern! (from DMC freebies).

Revelation update

2007-02-27T00:04:00.000+01:00

Here is Revelation at about 5.5 pages. I haven't worked on anything else lately. Just have become a little obsessive about this one. :) Soon I will have this page done (maybe around the end of the weekend or something?). Maybe then I will feel like doing an ornament or something. I missed the SAL last weekend because I couldn't put this down. Perhaps it's because of the butterflies appearing? Loooooads of confetti in them! :)

Luna update

2007-02-15T12:09:00.000+01:00

Here is an update of Sara Butcher's Luna. I did about 2000 stitches for the February SAL. Not too bad. The picture isn't very accurate. The reds and pinks and purples in the wings are all very pretty. They look almost black here, and the blues in the background aren't really so blue, more greyish really.

I made my February selection for the HAED contest.. JE Bowser's Cathedral. It's rather large, but I just love the trees in it. The lady is probably going to turn out a bit small and darkish though, I bet. Hard to say if this one will be the next large one I start in any case.. Just too many to choose from!!!

This weekend is another SAL on the HAED board. I should be able to at least complete the page of Revelation I am working on, and hopefully get some progress on the next row!

New updates

2007-02-11T16:33:00.000+01:00

Didn't get around to an update last weekend or during the week.. so here is a better one this time.

First here is my Valentine's Day freebie. The pattern is on the sidebar, as always. It turned out pretty nicely, if I do say so myself! I like the colors I chose.
Here is just past the 4.5 p mark of Revelation. It's pretty fast going on the edges since there is little confetti work. I can't wait to start in on the second row.

And finally, I have been trying to get some time in on my Unicorn every week. It is coming along. I wish I could stitch faster!! I really want this done.

Just Believe finished!

2007-01-27T16:26:00.000+01:00

I am finally finished!! It's 275 x 275, 75625 stitches. It turned out really well, I think. I am glad I chose not to do the whole chart.. too many other things that need stitching also.

Here is a little ornament I finished today. It's by Debbie Mumm. Quick, easy and cute. :)

Another update

2007-01-16T13:42:00.000+01:00

Here is the start of Sara Butcher's Luna. It isn't a lot, but it's what I chose for the HAED board SAL challenge. I only got 500 or so stitches in because I have been concentrating on Just Believe. Here is an update of it:

I am nearly "done" with it, which is why I didn't want to let go of it. I will keep pushing along till it's done. Maybe in a week or so. I have some extra free time as I will be recovering for a gall bladder laparascopy.

I chose my free pattern for the month too! (I won the HAED contest!) I chose Josephine Wall's Spirit of Winter. It's so pretty. Loooots of blues.

Pictures!

2007-01-08T22:34:00.000+01:00

Here is my New Year's freebie I made. It's very simple and quick to stitch, but I think it turned out alright. :) I like making patterns to commerate occastions.

I have passed the 4-page mark on Revelation. This project is just very enjoyable to stitch. I think it's because there is lots "going on". No time to get bored of endless background or anything. I really want to move down to the second row to get to the next butterfly. :) But patience. I am giving Just Believe the greater portion of my stitching time right now.

In other news, I am at work on a new blog. One that will be both blog/album/freebie page/assorted other stuff all in one place. Hopefully it won't take too long to get it going. Moving all my pictures will be a bit of a job tho.

Cool stuff: Found this link on Slashfood. I thought it was cool. :) Good to know you can eat 3.5 lbs of celery and not be overeating. ;)

New Freebie done

2007-01-07T15:39:00.001+01:00

I posted a Happy New Year freebie on the sidebar. A picture of it will be along later today, I hope!

Happy New Year!

2006-12-31T23:26:00.000+01:00

So 2006 is over, and on to a new year. How has your stitching gone in this past year? What goals do you have or which projects are you planning to work on / finish in 2007?

I'm pretty satisfied with my list of 2006 completions. I managed to finish a number of projects that I already had. :) I'd like to work on getting some finishes the first half of 2007. I have 3 that I think could be done in the next few months. I just wonder which to focus on first?

I finished page 4 of Revelation. Hopefully a picture will be posted tomorrow. The camera is full of holiday pictures, lol. Maybe I'll take a quicky foto with the old one even if it isn't as nice.

More updates!

2006-12-19T14:38:00.000+01:00

I've been working on Revelation this past few days. I have done about 3.5 pages so far. I am hoping to make the 4-page mark next week. There should be plenty of time for stitching since I have over a week free. :)I have picked up Fairy Flora again. I work on it here and there a bit. I want to get this one done next year too. It really isn't all that large of a project, just loads of beads!
And finally another view of my ornaments for this year with our new camera. They look lots better than my picture with the old one. I hope to do lots more next year!!

Two updates!

2006-12-16T12:08:00.001+01:00

Above is my progress thus far on TW's Unicorn. I will finish this next year! There are some TW's in the new fantasy book I would like to work on, but this one must be finished first.
Here is Just Believe at 9 pages. Just about 1.5 left till I am "done". I am taking a break from it to work on Revelation for a bit. The colors are great, but it's good to take a break from all the purples and blues.

Ornaments!

2006-12-09T18:11:00.000+01:00

This is another snowflake pattern I made myself and finished this week. It turned out pretty well. I attached little silver stars to help give it a bit more sparkle. The pattern is on the sidebar for downloading.
I did a ornament-finishing marathon today. Finished 8 altogether. My blue snowflake I finished the other day, but I wanted them all together in the picture :) Not bad for a day's work!!

Just Believe update!

2006-12-02T13:22:00.000+01:00

Here is my latest progress of Just Believe. I took this picture earlier in the week. I am quite pleased with it. I may just keep at it and finish it. After I pass the arm and dress it's mostly just background remaining. Not so exciting, but it does stitch quite a bit faster.

Update!!

2006-11-26T14:32:00.000+01:00

I finished an ornament I designed myself :
I'm pretty happy with it :) Of course I need to finish it also, hopefully by next weekend. The pattern is available on the sidebar under Freebies. Of course the beads and border are optional, and the colors are up to the stitcher. :)

I'm working my way through another page of Just Believe, (very sllowly). I should have a mid-page update soonish.

2006-10-22T08:53:00.000+02:00

Eeps.. almost a month has gone by :( It hasn't been a great stitching month since I am adjusting to long days, and have been quite tired. Plus this past week I got hit with the flu. But in any case, I managed to finish an freebie for October. It's TW's peacock ornament:I have been working some this week on The Unicorn, so here is a progress picture of it. I am planning to keep working on this one for awhile.

Update

2006-09-24T22:10:00.000+02:00

Hit the 8-page mark for Just Believe. I am making this my last row of pages. I think it will be a nice picture still... just too many other nice designs to work on now!

I finished this witchy freebie from Cyberstitcers today, and made it into a little wall hanging. It was fun and quick. :)

I also finished this ornament into a little hanging thing too. I painted the beads myself. And these are the 2 fabrics I dyed on my own as well. They are both really nice colors. Can't wait to play around some more!!
As usual formatting pictures is a nightmare on Blogger so excuse the wierd layout. I don't have enough time to spend a few hours making it pretty, lol. Looks like since I didn't save my flight picture with different names I have it posted 2 times in a row, oops, lol. Blogger is being sloooow today, so sorry, the pic I posted last weekend had been the unfinished version.

September freebie finish

2006-09-21T18:17:00.000+02:00

Here is my freebie-finish for the month. It's from here. It was very quick and easy. And this is on the fabric I dyed myself. :) I will probably finish it into a pillow ornament, maybe sew on a yellow star or 2 also.

This could be addicting...

2006-09-18T12:15:00.000+02:00

I dyed 2 small pieces of fabric this past week. What fun. I ended up with 1 piece that was about the color of DMC 159, and another that is tan-colored. I am "dying" to try more colors, but I am not quite ready to get in deep on this, but I might try small pieces here and ther.

I started a freebie on the blue piece, so hopefully it will be done in a day or two and I will have a picture.

Revelation - p 2 done

2006-09-13T10:21:00.000+02:00

Here is my progress at 2 pages + a tiny page. It took me just about 9 days to do a regular size page, even with a substantial amount of confetti. It looks pretty nice in RL. My camera is a bit old, and it will just never do justice to any project. I am taking a break from this one to do a page of Just Believe, about 1000 stitches in so far.

HAED just put out a chart for Sara Butcher's Crown of Creation. It is sooo pretty, but hmm how many BAPs can one person handle. I am pondering that now.

Oh well.. still I waver on will to keep a blog.. feels silly sometimes. I think I must have 0 readers, and I am not so sure a blog for my own sake is all that interesting. Must ponder that also. hmm hmm

Still stitching away..

2006-09-10T00:30:00.000+02:00

I'm almost done with p. 2 of Revelation, and I picked up Fairy Flora again for a little break from the tiny stitches and crazy number of colors. Doing a couple hundred stitches all in the same color was a nice break. I should have a picture update early next week!

Here is a meme:

Do you collect (and stitch) any patterns with themes or designs?

Hmm, short answer is not really. I like the idea of collecting patterns of a certain theme, but I can never decide what is cool. I am drawn to butterfly patterns, but I don't really own any. Santas and snowmen are fun, but again, I don't own a significant number of them. I am definitely a sucker for collections of seasons. I have the Mira queens and am slowly working through the L&L celtic ladies.

2006-09-02T20:39:00.000+02:00

Here is my progress so far on Revelation. It's a bit more than a page. I'm pretty happy with how much I got done this week, being back in the lab and all. I'm continuing on ahead with it while I have some momentum going. :) Probably by the time I finish this page I will need to look at something else for a bit, lol.

Here is a cross-stitch meme:

Do you usually set monthly goals for stitching, and if so do you write them down anywhere?

I often make goals for what I think I might like to get done, but I don't always bother writing them down. ;) If I meet any of the goals is a whole other problem.

2 finishes

2006-08-26T15:58:00.000+02:00

I finished A Lady's Heart from Just Nan this week. It was a very quick project.

I finished this freebie from DMC as well.

2006-08-22T00:17:00.000+02:00

Here is Just Believe post-SAT. I did 6317 full stitches. Quite a lot, but it hasn't dulled my interest in working on this! I'm still at it today, but I'm spreading my time around to some other projects. Almost have a Just Nan project finished, just some beads left now, and Mondays I put at least an hour in on The Unicorn for the TWBB SAL. The black fabric is a big challenge. It's alright if I don't get it done fast, but I do want to eventually!

Back in blog land!

2006-08-20T21:34:00.000+02:00

Ho! I have returned after a summer break. I finished Summer Breeze too about a week and half ago.. 4 day of backstitching at the end, despite doing some of it as I went. It was good to have this one out of the way.

In other news, this week has been a stitch-a-thon at the HAED BB. Today is the end of it, and I am stitched out! Tomorrow I will do final tally and post a new pic. Feels great to have made so much progress.

The Cross Stitch Meme blog is shut down. It got to be too much effort to write new questions everyday, so I deleted the whole thing. I want to post questions here instead, as I still have lots of ideas for topics. I hope they make it around a bit! Always fun with some topic to write about.

Oh well, going to see if I can manage a few more stitches before the clock strikes midnight. More updates soon!

An update!

2006-06-28T13:29:00.000+02:00

I am still alive and stitching, although a bit slowly these days. Had to take a break for an exam, and I haven't gotten back into things again. Oh well, little Just Believe update, since I took a new pic, not that I have done a lot since last pick. I have noticable progress on Summer Breeze, but I haven't taken a new pic yet.

Another freebie finish!

2006-05-28T11:08:00.000+02:00

Another freebie finished this weekend! This own is my own design again. The pattern is available for download on the sidebar.

Just Believe Update

2006-05-23T15:46:00.000+02:00

Grab your needles and your Q-snaps. Thursday is the beginning of the holiday weekend SAL. I don't have Monday free, but I do have Thursday and Friday free, so should be quite a bit of time in any case. Here is my progress as of today. I should at least make it to the end of page 5, and with some luck a start on page 6. The background is quite fast stitching, but those letters... lol.

Update

2006-05-23T15:43:00.000+02:00

Here is another week or so worth of progress. It is coming but hardly fast. Too much tiredness this month and bad cold this weekend.. Oh well! I will keep at it, of course. ;)

Meme

2006-05-15T10:18:00.000+02:00

A few days late.. sigh. I didn't even realize it was tuesday since the last question. Oh well, I will keep trying to stay on top of things. So now my weekend question is past tense instead of future, lol. Oh well it works.

Weekend stitching

How was your weekend stitching?

It was pretty good for me. I managed 4 hrs a day on Summer Breeze, plus managed to get in abou 700 stitches on Just Believe. I will soon be at the 5 page mark! I even managed to finish one of my freebies into something!!

"Finished" a finish

2006-05-15T10:17:00.000+02:00

Made my little octopus freebie into a little hanging ornament :) I have it hanging on the wall now here by my computer. It turned pretty nicely I think.

Summer Breeze Update

2006-05-15T10:13:00.000+02:00

Here is my progress after another week. This pattern is a bigger than the picture looks, I think. Most of the bottom section is solid, so there is quite a bit left to be done. Finishing by the end of the month seems unlikely, but we shall see how far along I make it!

New meme!

2006-05-09T23:16:00.000+02:00

Startitis?

Have a case of startitis?

What projects are you dying to start? Which would you start today if you "allowed" yourself?

I got a serious case of it. ;) I'm holding back for now. Really want to finish at least 1 thing first. Right now there are several TW's calling to me.. Fortunate traveller, storyteller, castle sampler..... Resisting for now though :))

I'm trying to put in at least 4 hrs in on Summer Breeze everyday, and some time in on The Unicorn too if there is any left over.

I have a new freebie ornament done. I suppose I should stitch it first before posting to see if any adjustments are needed. Probably will start it on the weekend.

Update and my first design!

2006-05-07T10:48:00.000+02:00

Here is finally an update of Summer Breeze. It's coming along now that I am focusing on this project. Looots of shades of green in here to deal with.

I finished a freebie last weekend from Brookes Publishing. It's probably over-cute, but that's alright. I was looking for something smallish, and

it fit the bill.

Now here is my Christmas ornament I designed myself! It took an hour or so to design and something like 3-4 hours of stitching. I think it turned out pretty well for a first attempt. I hope to try more in the future. My main problem is I'm not an artist, but I can be a little creative if I feel some inspiration. So here's to more inspiration!! The pattern is available on the sidebar as a pdf file if anyone is interested. Please give credit to me and send a piccie if you ever stitch the pattern. :)

And here is a new MEME!

Ok last monthly question:

1. What do you think of the new May releases? They are veiwable here at stitching bits and bobs or here at hoffman's.

Today's other question is:

2. Do you visit other stitching blogs? If so how often and do you ever leave comments? Name anything you have seen on other blogs that you like or think is well-done.

1. I looked through the May listings, but I didn't see anything that completely grabbed me.

2. Yes, I often peek at other stitching blogs. I only leave a comment if I feel some inspiration to do so. I probably should more often. I think it's nice to let people know someone is actually reading what they put up. I like well-written text and nice pictures. Good layouts are also appreciated. Unfortunately the tendency to write looong paragraphs makes it a bit hard to stick out to the end of what they are saying :( I can only devote so much time to looking at a blog.

Weekend is here!

2006-05-06T11:54:00.000+02:00

Yay! Weekend stitching plans include lots of work on Summer Breeze and maybe hunt down an ornament to work on for a little break. If I am super motivated, I will start working on finishes for my 2 freebies.

Here is today's meme!

Here are some recurring questions:

1. What WIPs did you work on last month?

2. What WIPs do you plan on working on this month?

3. Did you have any finishes or starts last month?

4. Do you think you will have any finishes or start this month?

As always feel free to elaborate, post pics, etc. Please link back if you use these questions in your blog or elsewhere!

1. I worked a little on Summer Breeze, but mostly Just Believe, and of course my fishy freebie.
2. I plan on going for a finish on Summer Breeze but I am not sure it is possible this month, but early June otherwise. I don't think I will start anything else this month, but never say never!
3. Hmm I started and finished a freebie.
4. I already finished 1 freebie, piccie inc soooon. I will do an ornament, I think as well.

Stash!

2006-05-05T11:25:00.000+02:00

Wee, bought a pattern this week from Sew & So and it I received it in 3 days. A new record. I got Fish City from Stoney Creek. It's 18 pages!! I would love to start on it, but I need to finish something and I need to see about gathering some floss together for it. I don't want to start and have to get floss and worry about dye lots and all. I also got a few odds and ends: needles, floss bobbins and a piece of white jobelan, 28ct.

So I am back focusing on Summer Breeze since it is the nearest finish for me now. Would be great to get it done! I'll get an update posted on it sooooon!

Cross-stitch meme's are back in business again. April was just too tiring to have much mental energy left over for blogs. But anyways, here is a new meme for the meme fans!

Goals for May

A few days off, but write any stitching goals you have for the month.

I slipped thru April without writing any goals so I will this month.

PV's Summer Breeze is in the focus again. I'm near the half-way point. I'll just keep stitching on it everyday, not sure I will make a finish with it in May though.

2 freebies are ready for finishing this month.

Stitch 1 ornament.

Freebie finish!

2006-04-29T14:21:00.000+02:00

Finished this freebie from DMC last night. It was pretty quick to stitch, despite the lovely DMC metallic floss in it. I'll finish it into something
soon.

I also made the flip-flop freebie into a little wall hanging last night. Was up till about 3 getting it finished.

Still going along on Just Believe. Have about 4.25 pages done now. I'm trying to get in at least 400 stitches in on it a day. I am going to just do a 300x300 section of it instead of the whole picture. I think that will be sufficient.

Just Believe page 4 done!

2006-04-26T22:16:00.000+02:00

Yay finished p. 4 a few days ago! I have kept on to p. 5. I also decided to start Waiting for Neptune. I might have a blob for photographing by the end of the weekend. I love this picture, so it should be fun. Unfortunately my other projects are suffering from neglect. :) Oh well, I am sure at some point I will want a break from these huge projects . I also found a freebie I am working on too. Should be finished this weekend. Gotta have some kind of finish for April, no matter the size. :p

new meme!

2006-04-16T00:19:00.000+02:00

The questions keep on coming...

Have you ever ...

1. stitched a sampler? Yep a few, but it's been a while. They aren't really my thing.

2. stitched the same pattern 2 times? No, I don't tend to do that. Too many new things to do than time as it is!

3. designed a project yourself and stitched it, or even had someone else stitch it? Nope, never have designed anything. Might be fun to do some day, but I'm not horribly artistic :p

4. managed to get anyone else hooked on cross stitch? No, never have. It would be fun to, as I know no one in real life that does cross stitch.

Stitching away..

2006-04-15T01:16:00.000+02:00

So far I have done around 1200+ stitches on Just Believe.. and 3 more days left! I have only done maybe 200 or so on the dragon fae though. I'm getting caught into pushing to finishing page 4 on Just Believe.

Here is a new meme for today:

1. Do you use any other cotton floss brands than DMC? If so what's your opinion of them. Hmm never used any of the other brands, but I would be happy to try them out.

2. Have you tried stitching with silks? I did one Just Nan project with silks. I think I missed why people like them so much. They didn't seem so very different from DMC, just more expensive.

3. Have you ever done any projects with overdyed floss? I have done a couple of the TW free ornaments with some overdyed. They are fun to stitch with. MLI's Summer Sampler used quite a bit of overdyed cottons too.

4. Which are your favorite brands of overdyeds? Hmm.. haven't tried enough kinds to get an opinion. I'd like to try making my own some day, just for fun.

Easter break!

2006-04-13T10:27:00.000+02:00

So I have been extremely tired this week from lab work, but now I have 5 free days, so there will be loads of time and energy for stitching! I'll be joining in the HAED board Easter SAL, so we'll see how much I am able to get done these projects. Here are the starting pics:

And here is my blob from Dragon Fae 2. Looks like Blogger decided to resize it for me and make it even grainier. :p

My over 2 projects have suffered a little lately, since I got the itch to stitch on these a bit. I am trying to do a few lengths of thread on Summer Breeze everyday though, so progress isn't completely halted. I am sure I'll get back in the mood for it soon again.

Update

2006-04-08T00:37:00.000+02:00

I finally finished page 3 of Just Believe. I worked on it almost exclusively this whole week, in between the sniffles and sneezes.

I'm very pleased to have made it this far, despite the pauses that I took from it. I'm hoping the breaks will be a bit more reasonable now. But there are more patterns I am dying to work on too, so more stitches to spread out.

This weekend I want to plug along on this some and another HAED blob I have going, but I really want to get back to Summer Breeze, so I can get it finished by early May or so. It would be nice to have it out of the way.

Today's meme:

1. Are you backs neat or messy?

2. Post a picture or 2 of your projects backsides.

I'll answer it tomorrow. Almost 1 am and it's been a tiring week.

Winning against the flu!

2006-04-06T00:13:00.000+02:00

I'm doing better this evening, though the first half of the day was pretty miserable. Managed to get some nice stitching in on Just Believe in :) Trying to hit 3 pages around this weekend or so.

Here is today's meme:

1. How many WIP's do you have?

2. How many UFO's?

3. Do you prefer small, medium or large projects?

4. Do you consider yourself a rotator or a OOAT'er?

5. If all your projects were completed (magically) right now, what project(s) would you start next?

Sick today :(

2006-04-04T19:25:00.000+02:00

Got the flu today, so no fun stitching probably. Just can't focus on little stitches when you have to keep a kleenex in one hand the whole time.

Found a meme that is off-topic today to use instead of a stitching meme.

Today's meme comes from Tuesday Twosome:

1. How many computers are in your home? Are they for personal or business use? Err we have 6 here at home. 2 are "mine", 2 are my partner's (aka mr. slack), 1 is his laptop, and 1 is the network computer. None are for business, but since for my partner, computers are both hobby and work, the line is a bit blurred.

2. How many cars does your household own? What are the colors of the cars? We own 1. It's silver.

3. When was the last time you did a thorough cleaning of your home? Did you find anything that you thought you lost? I plead the fifth on this one.

4. Do you generally get along with your neighbors? Is there one neighbor that really gets on your nerves? 1 neighbor that lives in the other side of the house is almost never home, so that's cool. The other neighbor that we share a walkway with, is a witch. I guess she doesn't like us too much because we didn't much care to get out the edge trimmers and cut the grass that hangs over onto her precious flowers. urk!

5. Are you basically content with your living situation? Why or why not? Yeah, mostly. It's pretty quiet up here. We are on the edge of town, so the forest begins close behind the house. It's a 10 min walk to the lake with a hiking path . Walking around the neighborhood you get nice views of the other lake in town. Just need a little bigger place so the computers and all the cables can be contained better. ;)

WIP update

2006-04-03T22:39:00.000+02:00

Here are all my WIP photos after a long weekend of stitiching. I worked most on Summer Breeze, made something like 2500 stitches, all in the tree. It gives depth to the picture but the colors are kind of dull to work with.

My Fairy Flora is progressing beyond blob stage slowly :) I can see it's going to be a lot of hours beading later on, lol.

I did the least amount of hours on my Unicorn. I usually

work on it Monday/Tuesdays, but I got the flu, so I just couldn't put the energy in. I finished up the Unicorn last week and started a bit more of the tree today, but it's back to dark on dark, and it's a real strain spending too much time at once on that.

And finally, my HAED WIP, Just Believe. I have had a bit of a break from it lately. I am pushing to hit the 3 page mark soon. Then I will switch over to a page that has a lot more picture on it than background. Too much background gets me down after awhile, so I take a break, unsure if I will return, but I always seem to. I suppose I am addicted like the others. I have an extremely hard time getting a nice picture of it. They all come out quite grainy for some reason. I blame the camera.

Formatting 4 pictures in Google's blog post window is a night mare, lol.

I have the flu, so I'm going to go wind bobbins or something in front of the TV, but before I go...

Here is today's cross-stitch meme:

What was your last..

1. finish?

2. new start?

3. pattern purchase?

4. fabric purchase? color, size, amt (all the details, please)

5. project that you finished or framed?

6. floss color you stitched with?

Still Stitching like crazy

2006-04-02T12:37:00.000+02:00

The stitch-a-thon is continuing today :) I am sneaky because I have tomorrow free, as well. So it's 4 days altogether. I will be forced to take a little extra pause for some school things that need to be out of the way before Tuesday though.

I think I will hold off till Monday night or Tuesday and do picture updates of everything at one time.
So here are some questions from memes for stitchers (updated daily!)

Have you ever..

1. given away a finished project to someone? Yep but I don't give away many of my projects. I am too worried it won't be appreciated.. But I have given away quite a few ornaments. Those don't bother me as much if they end up in a box. (Of course, if I found out they never came out, that would be the last one they ever got from me.)

2. sold a project? Nope

3. hidden how much you spent on stash from your partner? Nope, lucky enough to have someone that understand my addiction :)

4. "disguised" how much stash you own to fool your partner? Never had a need to.

5. started a project and immediately regretted it? Almost regretted Celtic Summer a bit. Started her on a whim, and at first I thought the colors were odd and 28ct felt "big". I wasn't sure if it was the right fabric color either, but it all turned out fine.

6. gotten so fustrated with a project that you threw it away? Hmm no. I did throw away 1 UFO because I lost the pattern to it. I didn't have all that much done on it, and it was on Aida cloth.

Freebie Finish!

2006-03-31T20:25:00.000+02:00

Here is my finished freebie. :) It's from Janlynn's homepage. I really like the colors on it, which is the main reason I chose this pattern! I'm doing a stitching marathon this weekend or till my eyes give out, so back to Fairy Flora..

More Summer Breeze Progress

2006-03-30T21:37:00.000+02:00

Wee, making some nice progress. The tree is starting to appear. Looks a little weird now, partially done, but another week and it will look good. It's a good project. The fold-out color chart is a bit awkward, and the color codes are easy to mess up too, but it's ok otherwise.

Anyways, more memes.. does one ever get tired of them? :p lol

1. Which designers/design companies are you favorites? I like Teresa Wentzler and Mirabilia, and HAEDs, but those are a bit special because of their hugeness.

2. What do you like about them? I like TWs because they are a bit complex and a bit of a challenge. The shading and coloring is amazing because of all the blends. Not to mention the specialty stitches in some patterns provide a nice change and add visual interest. Mirabilia's-- they use simple colors to create amazing shading and of course the sparklies :) I can't say I love to stitch on a zillion little beads, but the effect is beautiful. HAEDs-- they are indeed a challenge. Mine has been on a break, but it's coming out some again :) Closing in on the 3 page mark.

3. Which others do you like? Hmm lots really.. Some Stoney creeks, L&L, Paula Vaughn, Shepard's Bush, and many others that I can't all name.

4. Do you have any patterns on your to-do list that are from designers you haven't tried before? Yep, I do. Just a little example :p This is on my wish list. Would love to stitch it this year:

Anyways, weekend starts early for me, and is 4 days long. I am hoping to get loads of stitching done!

2006-03-29T19:39:00.000+02:00

2 tests done this week, think I passed them both (I hope), so I'm a little tired tonite. Kinda just doing some easy work on Summer Breeze this evening. Might put in a few stitches on Fairy Flora and of course, my freebie :) Should have something to show by Friday.

I added thumbnails with click links of my projects done so far this year. With a little luck I will have too many to keep them all on the side bar, lol - a person can dream anyways. Also fixed a typo in my title bar.. lol not cool mistyping the first words guests will read.

Today's Meme is (click for link):

Find and post a nice picture of spring or summer. Preferably it will be from your own life, but the net is fine too. Feel free to make any comments or leave a description about the picture.

I found this one I took a couple years ago here outside the house. I like it when the bushes are full of the white flowers. They last such a short time. In Sweden everything just explodes in color early June from the very long daylight hours and all the spring rain. It's just the best time of year to be here.

2006-03-28T00:31:00.000+02:00

Another day another meme :)

1. what is your favorite count and type of fabric? I like 32 ct over 2 best. Haven't tried 40ct, but I would like to. I have used linens, jobelan and lugana. I like them all really, hard to say which is my favorite. I like the feel of belfast a lot, but I appreciate the evenness of jobelan and lugana.

2. Do you use hand-dyed or tried them at all? I have bought 3 pieces, but none of them were quite what I thought they would be, so I haven't stitched anything on one yet. But I am still open to it, just need more inspiration, I think.

3. Any favorite fabric colors, hand-dyed or regular? Hmm.. I like a clean, fresh white to stitch on, lol.. I don't really have a favorite color.

4. Have you tried opalescent fabrics and do you like them? I have tried opalescent lugana. I have only stitched ornaments and small things on it though, haven't found the right big pattern for it. I like the look of it though, it's fun, but it's a bit stiff and harder to push the needle through, so not sure I will jump at the chance to stitch a large project on it.

Stitching-wise.. I have stitched on all 3 of my big projects the past few days while still focusing on Summer Breeze most. I like them all. I wish there was more time to get more progress on them all. My freebie will hopefully be done by the end of the week! I love the colors of it. ;)

cross stitch meme for sunday

2006-03-26T13:17:00.000+02:00

1. How old were you when you started stitching?
I was about 9 years old

2. How many years have you been at it?
Hmm.. That would have been 25 yrs ago, however I was very intermittent about any needle work until about 15 yrs ago. I did a few projects in college, but I didn't get going until I found L&L and Mira patterns :) I have been more or less full steam for 10 yrs.

3. Self taught or did someone teach you?
My mother showed me the basics. Details about beads and fabrics and specialty flosses I picked up on the web.

4. What was your first project?
It was a stamped sampler my sister started for a school project but abandoned. She did a small part and I did the rest of it.

Click here if you want to know more about memes. (they are essentially questions to blog about :) ) Feel free to grab the questions and post them in your blog with answers :)

Summer Breeze Update

2006-03-25T12:57:00.000+01:00

Here is my progress again. It's coming. Just got a tiny start on the backstitching. I think I would cry if I had to do it all at the end. Got all the leaf area done by the house. It took longer than it ought to have.. kept making little mistakes the whole way through :p Oh well, off to do some reading before I pick it up again.

New Mira!

2006-03-24T11:16:00.000+01:00

Yep, a new Mira has been released, Bliss Fairy. She is very cute, and would be a nice companion to Petal Fairy. The fabric isn't that nice though. I still don't understand her fascination with drab brown fabrics - they just don't do it for me. A nice hand-dyed fabby would work. The flowers seem a bit overly strong too.. feels like they pull too much away from the fairy, but it may simply be that the picture is unfair and would be nicer in real life.

I got a visit from the floss fairy this week too! My mom is my floss fairy, as floss in Sweden costs over $1 each. Just silly expensive. It wasn't a huge haul this time as I didn't request a lot.. must not abuse the fairy after all ;)

I started a new freebie last night! I am on a major freebie roll lately :) For so long I only wanted to do large projects.. couldn't spare time for little ones. Now I sort of appreciate them better. It's nice with quick finishes and many of them are so cute :) I think I will wait till it's done before posting a pic, don't want to give it away before hand!

Freebie Finish and other stuff

2006-03-23T12:01:00.000+01:00

Yay! Finished this freebie from the Brightneedle. The pattern came in the mail with an order a few years ago. It seemed to fit the mood I am in here... Wishing spring would begin :)

WIP Update with pictures!!

2006-03-22T13:12:00.000+01:00

Got out the camera today and took a few pictures of my projects.

The first picture is Paula Vaughn's Summer Breeze. I have been making this my focus piece lately. It's coming along nicely. Lots of nuetral shades in the house though. Really looking forward to the flowers in the picture :)

Here is a photo of Teresa Wentzler's The Unicorn. It's coming along very nicely :) Stitching on black is certainly a challenge, but it is worth the trouble!

And here is Mirabilia's Fairy Flora. Lots of pretty pinks in this pattern. I only have a small start now, and I think it might stay smallish :( I'm not much of a rotater so having more than 2 projects gets me antsy.

Midweek update

2006-03-21T21:58:00.000+01:00

No pics today but soon I will have several, I hope. Time is a little tight this week since I have 2 exams next week, but there is still time over for some stitching. Mostly I have been focusing on Summer Breeze. I think if I keep this one as a focus it could be done in April.

2 finishes!

2006-03-17T00:32:00.000+01:00

Finished Celtic Summer the other day and here she is. She stitched really quickly although the doing the beads was a bit trying :)

Here is another quick finish:

Another freebie from cyberstitchers. I plan to make it into an ornament for my dad and his wife.. they live in Florida so I though they might appreciate it.

In other news, I have 2 new starts, PV's Summer Breeze and Mira's Flora Fairy. Summer Breeze is making it past the blob stage slowly to actually being a shape, but without backstitching done it has no definition. After only about 1 hr of stitching, FF is still in major blob stage. Progress pics incoming soonish in any case :)

I'm on the hunt for another small project or freebie, we'll see what I come up with. Ideally something springish since I am getting impatient for the cold to go away.

Freebie HD!

2006-03-10T23:57:00.000+01:00

Found this on cyberstitchers and thought it was cute :

Took 4-5 evenings working on it in between Celtic Summer.. which is coming along, doing just bead now.