Wipocalypse 2012 wraps up

What a stitching year this has been.

I have completed 14 of the 24 things on my list. I consider that a roaring success. In addition to those 14 things a number of other patterns came and went through my hands.

Round Robins 2012

CCN - The Nutcracker for a 50th anniversary sampler

2012 RR's
Zodiac - Leo
EMS - Wild Rose
Maple Leaf Biscornu
Holland
Canada scenes
Christmas Morning
Nutcracker
Christmas Tree

BAND SAMPLER RR's
Indigo Rose
Rainbow - Celtic Bands
Sweetheart Tree - bands in purple
Sweetheart Tree - Sentimental Heart
Celtic Banner
Sweetheart Tree - Pretty Posies
Sweetheart Tree - bands in pink
Sweetheart Tree - Blueberry Heart

UFO RR
Dimensions Tiger

MIRABILIA RR's
Stone Roses
Poppy
Midsummer Night's Fairy
Christmas Elegance
Spring Bouquet
Reindeer
Lily of the Woods
Tiger Lily

TRAVELING PATTERNS
Tribal Penguin
Good Things Come to those who Stitch
Shepherd's Bush - Tending the Blooms
ABCD Traveling Pattern

Count Your Blessings

And if you are still with me - I stitched

Adoption Sampler
JBW Teddy Bear Birth Sampler
JBW 1997 Ornament
Night Before Christmas - ornament
Point Loma Lighthouse
Sister Stitcher x 2
LHN - Acorn Hill
Just Nan - True Blue Heart
Las Vegas Tree
Magic - ornament
Nutcracker from Jo
Prairie Moon - Merry Xmas
Sampler Aux Bouquets
Hooked on Lighthouses
LHN - Summer Splendor
Sampler aux Bouquets Part I
Malcolm the Moose
Traveling Stitcher
Maple Leaf

I completed Page 1 of my Etui
I made good progress on my Chatelaine - Desert Mandala..


On the sewing side
I made 5 aprons
1 spiral table runner
1 on point table runner
Christin's lamp bag
Mikaela's quilt
30 bibs

All in all, a successful year.

The most successful thing this year - time spent with my family.

Here are my two sons and their families this Christmas

and Poppa and I with our grandchildren. 

 

Next post - my WIPocalypse for 2013. I have signed up for at least three SAL's. What was I thinking! With all the stitching I expect to do next year I hope it will be a frog-free year.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

I want to take this opportunity to wish all my wonderful stitching and quilting friends a very Merry Christmas and warm wishes for a prosperous New Year in 2013. You have made my days more joyful when you stop by my blog - either for a quick read or taking the time to leave a comment. My life is enriched by having you be part of it big or small. Christmas hugs.

TUSAL, WIPocalypse, Sorry I'm late - Check-in

Well, really late but here. This is a busy, busy post.

First here is my TUSAL martini glass. It is very full. My fingers have been flying.

My very late Wipocalypse post is included here.

I finished LHN's Travelling Stitcher and Prairie Moon's Merry Xmas. This WIPocalypse has been a good thing for me. It has helped me to concentrate on some long overdue projects and I have knocked off at least half of my list. I see that it is being offered next year and I am seriously considering signing up. It keeps me motivated.

My stitches over the past two weeks.

Jo sent me this lovely pattern for my birthday and he is stitched and hanging above my computer. He makes me smile every time I see him.

I stitched bands from Butternut Roads - Celtic Banner on Laura's Band Sampler RR. I stitched the entire Celtic Banner a few years ago - it was my first blog post!

 

I stitched Dragon Dream's - "Christmas Morning" for Andrea's 2012 Facebook RR. She is going to make a series of ornaments from the contributions to her round robin.

 

Some of my friends are going to Mexico in March to help with an orphanage. They went last year and found it heartbreaking and yet rewarding. This year, they are going with boxes of supplies to help them out. Several of the women have been making aprons for the children. Me - I'm making bibs. Or rather, my friend Roberta and I are. As fast as I could cut them out, Bobbie was taking them home and sewing them together. We hope to make more before March but this what we have made so far.

My dear sweet friend Christin made me cry. Look what I received in the mail yesterday.
The ornament is so beautiful and the way she has fastened the ribbon is so very cool.
One of the chocolates seems to be empty??? It makes me miss home and my wonderful stitchy friends there.

 

And then, I have this friend - Debbie. Now Debbie emails me and says she is tidying up her cross stitch magazines and would I be interested in a few. I replied "Hell YA". I need to supplement my AZ supply cause all my magazines are home in Canada. Well, look at the "FEW" magazines she sent me. She must have given the mail man a hernia. Me - I'm thrilled. Leo my DH - not so much. I didn't come up for air for a few days ROFL.

My Mirabilia RR has come home since I last blogged. - Isn't it beautiful. I think I am going to stitch a reindeer in one block, do some writing in the center block and icicle- snowflake the top.

I have a few purchases to show you.

From Silkweaver - on Facebook - this book. I had to have it.

From Stitch and Frog - the 2012 Santa's Village series from CCN. I have done a preorder of the entire 12 months. Marty is a sweetheart and will get in touch with me each month to know whether to ship to Arizona or my Canadian home. And this cute nutcracker (Erik Shipley) just jumped into the shopping cart.

From Leslie of Under the Sea Fabric I ordered this gorgeous piece of 32 count - Ice Princess - that I am going to stitch "Santa's Village" on. You can also find her on Facebook.

You know Facebook is a wonderful thing - First Erik Shipley of Ships Manor Designs, then Silkweaver, then Under the Sea Fabrics, then Stitch and Frog I have come to know.

I have had a few issues with blood pressure over the past few months. I was finally diagnosed as having "medication resistant" high blood pressure. After much trial and error, my doctors have come up with a combination of medications that work. Unfortunately, extreme tiredness is one of the side effects. Therefore, you don't see me posting to my blog, commenting on your blogs and chatting on Facebook as much. I'm tired, sometimes very, very tired. It will get better.

 Until next time - I will let my frog comment this post be my new friend Marty at Stitch and Frog - a very nice accommodating person who is okay with my mailing to me with my transient life and will make sure I still have wonderful things to stitch.

If I don't post again due to the Christmas rush - I want to wish you all the joys and blessing of Christmas. You have enriched my life and I appreciate each and every one of you.

MERRY CHRISTMAS ONE AND ALL!!!!

Christmas Advent Calendar Blog Hop - Stockings, Sack or Something Else

I have decided to participate in Joann's Advent Calendar Blog Hop and I'm December 1st. To follow the hop you can go to her blog Serendipitous Stitching

I have chosen to post this sweet ornament I made for an exchange.

We live in Arizona in the winter. But, we have three beautiful grandchildren that we want to share Christmas with and so we fly home to Canada for the holidays.
Watching the sparkles in my grandchildren's eyes as they open their presents and laugh with delight is indeed "Magic".

 

 Since we don't arrive home until a few days before Christmas, my DIL Cindy takes care of the family stockings. She has a wonderful time filling stockings for my son Adam, grandsons Jackson and Hunter, and Leo and I. It is my son's responsibility to fill her stocking.

I love digging into my stocking to see what she comes up with each year. It is always fun.

I found this photo from 2008 when the boys were much smaller. You can see the stuffed stockings on the loveseat in the background!

TTL - TUSAL - November

Totally, Totally Late - TUSAL

I am so sorry. Between packing up, the 10 day trip to Arizona and cleaning out the dust and unpacking here, time just got away from me. I will try to be better about blogging more often.

And so, this post will be full, full, full. Please bear with me.

First up - my TUSAL post
Here is my martini glass with the threads that I have. They are mostly from my trip down. I stitch in the car and what a great stitching trip it was. I have 3 - can you believe it! - 3 finishes.

My finishes.

I finished LHN's Travelling Stitcher.

Now to make it into a project bag.

I finished  Prairie Moon's Merry Xmas.

I loved this one. I smiled at the quirkiness every time I stitched on it. It will now go to be framed and then given to my DIL who loves this sort of thing.

Just as I was leaving town, I received this pattern from my friend Dani. This is a Facebook travelling pattern. It is Lizzie Kate's - Good Things.
Here is my interpretation.

I took part in the Stitched with Love Exchange for the first time. Here is what I stitched for my partner and the goodies.

 

  EDITED: I received the most wonderful thank you note from my exchange partner this morning. I am happy that the package was received and liked.

Here is the lovely package I received from Melissa. I LOVE!!! her choice.

 

 This is from the Fall Cross Stitch and Needlework magazine and I believe it is a Jeannette Douglas design. I looked at the specialty stitches for the pumpkin in the magazine and loved the pattern but didn't want to tackle the stitches. Now I don't have to. Melissa said this was her first time finishing this way and I think she did a beautiful job. I am very happy with my first exchange and will sign for another one. And I certainly acknowledged her lovely package.

I took part in the ornament exchange with my friends from Knowledge and Needles. Here is the ornament I stitched and finished. It was won by my friend Judie. It is from one of the JCS Ornament magazines.

Now, for the extras.

I belong to the Sanman board and they were offering a special on tucks. Look at all the lovely little tucks I received!! What wonderful things I must find to stitch and put in each one.

I purchased these lovely fabrics from a new Fabric Dyer - on Facebook - Leslie of Under the Sea Fabrics. Aren't they gorgeous.

My birthday just doesn't want to end this year. I received this lovely gift from my friend Lynn - a door knocker. It is beautiful and I will hang it in the spring.

My friend Dani found this wonderful fabric for me!

I think my friends know me very well.

Can you believe that when we arrived in Arizona I did not stitch for 4 days!!! I couldn't believe it either. However, I have found my stitching mojo again. I have two round robins that should arrive in the next few days. Since I have three finishes I get to go through my stash and pick out two new starts! I try to keep 4 pieces in my rotation. I have my etui and desert mandala. I have added a nutcracker for my 3rd start. Now, what wonderful thing will be #4.

Until next time, take joy in your stitches and stay frog free!

Wipocalypse October and new treasures

It is Wipocalypse time again.

I have made some small progress but no finishes this time. As you have recently read, I have been suffering from an infestation of frogs.

You can see photos of my progess on Merry Xmas and Travelling Stitcher in my previous post.
I have completed my last Mirabilia RR stitching and sent it home to the owner.
My poor etui has not seen the light of day. Maybe in November?

The most significant progress and lack of progress has been my Desert Mandala.

As you know, I had to remove the black borders on my Mandala as the Black Marlitt just did not lay right.
I replaced the borders with DMC 310. I started stitching the feathers. One feather was in the wrong place and I cut the fabric removing it. I have since restitched that feather. With a couple of carefully placed extra stitches and back stitching, I was able to cover the spot. I added a dab of Fray Chek to the back of the fabric to secure the threads. I think it will be okay now. All the rest of the feathers have been stitched and are in the right place!

I added the beads around the frame of the inside and then all around the beautiful border. I love how the beads just make it pop. The spaces left are for larger beads or bicones and I have left them off as the threads get caught in them.

 

I started stitching  the top left corner. Those cacti are both stitched in Black Marlitt. I have one cactus stitched with a minimum of cussing.  The blobs in the middle are the beginning of a rattlesnake - a beautifully beaded rattlesnake. As I stitched that black cactus, I realized I have some more frogging to do. The black border to the right is off by 1/2 stitch. It cannot stay there as much as I would like to leave it. It will throw off the outer borders if I don't remove it. Can you hear me cussing again?

Have you seen the latest Country Cross Stitch magazine? I had to buy this one!

I have a couple of lovely gifts to show you.

From Marlene at Poppy Patchwork - this lovely Christmas design with thread and beads

From my BFF Beatrice - some wonderful lighthouse fabric. I think I may soon have enough for a quilt.

From my sweet cousin - a new flower frog. Have you ever seen one like this? I never have! It is beautiful. The flowers on the side are hand painted.

 

Well, that's it for this post. Let's hope my frog visit is short lived. If not, I will be tossing them out of my vehicle bodily on my trip to Arizona - two more weeks until we leave.

TUSAL Double for October

Better late than never right.

Here is my TUSAL frog. He is full, full, full and there is lots of fluff. Wanna know why?

My Chatelaine - I took out all the Black Marlitt and replaced it with DMC 310 - fluff.
I stitched a feather in the wrong place and had to remove it - fluff.

and I CUT the fabric!!! I hope I can stitch over it.

 My Merry Xmas - her head and hat were 1/2 stitch out and so I had to remove that - fluff

I stitched his suit in the wrong color. It was supposed to be red and I stitched it in green - fluff

The latest Mirabilia RR - I had to unstitch most of her neck and redo it - fluff!

Christmas Elegance - Mirabilia

My frog is happy but I am ready to retire from stitching.

This is my container after my 6 month stint in Canada. We are getting ready to pack up and head to Arizona for the winter. Back to the martini glass and a fresh start - hopefully frog free.

And I have a second TUSAL container.
This one comes from my sewing room.

 My mother who is 78 cross stitched these blocks for her youngest granddaughter and asked me to make them into a quilt for her. This is what I came up with. I designed it myself.

Mom's beautiful cross stitched blocks

Disappearing 9 patch

Well, that's it for this post. I have lots more to share - next time.