A Stitch of This...A Stitch of That

Hello Everyone! Ahhh summer.  So many distractions, so little time.  I am still stitching away here in toasty warm Massachusetts, but I've sadly been neglecting all my followers and not updating you on the progress.  What can I say?  Is a picture worth 1000 words? Sorry to say the computer just doesn't make it down to the beach or the pool - sand, water, electronics - bad combination.  But, now that I'm back at my desk I can diligently share with you all the wonderful progress I'm making on my never-ending list of projects. Mill Hill Dragonfly Such a summery little guy.  Although a close up would be better you can kind of get an idea of the excellent teal and lime green colors on this one. Lizzie Kate Green Flip-It Save Water The third one I've finished in the series - I should have bought all 6 patterns!  I think this one goes in the kids bathroom.  Every little reminder I can get in before they jump in the shower for 30 minute...

Hello Friends, I haven't disappeared permanently, just on a brief hiatus due to start of summer activities.  I must admit my stitching has taken a big hit with visitors, travel and time outdoors, but I think those are all important items as well.  We entertained my father visiting from Las Vegas with a few of his grandchildren as well as my sister and my adorable nephew for a few days. It was so awfully hot while they were here so most of the time was spent out at the pool, but there was a quick trip into Boston to check that off the list and fortunately an early morning allowed us to get out and do some late-season strawberry picking! Then, quickly headed into the final figure skating competition of the season for my daughter, sailing camp for the boys and a whirlwind Fourth of July week of vacation.  We had a wonderful time visiting some friends at the Cape and returned home a bit too crispy for my taste so a few days indoors was required.  Fortunat...

I hope all of you celebrating with the fathers in your life have a wonderful weekend coming up.  We're just grateful there is some hope of sun this weekend.  It's been so cold and wet for June so far that even mid-70s sounds fabulous as long as there is some sun. I thought I'd try a quick pre-weekend check-in and quick update on some of the in-progress pieces. My little dragonfly is coming along nicely.  The turquoise threads and beads are beautiful on this little guy.  Hopefully if the sun comes out this weekend we'll see some of the real ones flitting around the garden! Green Flip-It Save Water (Lizzie Kate) This one is coming along nicely as well.  Just have to finish up that watering hole at the bottom and this can join my Eat Locally finish on the kitchen wall.  Although maybe it belongs in the kids bathroom right near the shower... Quartet of Penguins (Lanarte) Yes, there will eventually be 4 penguins on here.  Three in progress...

Two posts in three days!  Yes, I do believe this is a record.  I have been merrily stitching along and finished my little blue owl. Blue Owl on Branch (Cherry Hill Stitchery) He's just so adorable.  The lighting here gives this a pink/orange look, but it's actually a light gray Jobelan.  I really do like this fabric.  It's so soft that it works well whether I use the frame or just roll it as I'm stitching.  I imagine this might be more difficult with large projects, but for these small projects it's really great. As soon as I finished this up, I just had to go digging through my stash to see what new project I could start to fill in the space in my WIPs bag.  Of course I replaced one project with two new ones. First up. Dragonfly Ornament (Mill Hill) Summer themes continuing here. I think I put in about 30 minutes on this sorting thread and getting the basic stitches done. The majority of what remains is the beadwork and backstitch. ...

So, June 10th has arrived.  I'm officially 1/3 of the way through the month and I think I've got a whopping one post so far. Not really living up to my plans to keep regular updates coming...hmmm.  Seems like a good goal to keep working on.  In that spirit, here's the progress for the month so far.  There are quite a few pictures here so be warned. A few new finishes. Honey Pot (Mill Hill) What can I say?  It just feels like summer to me when I look at this design.  Love the little bee charm as well.  The only challenge was the crazy small gold beads with full cross stitches through them.  I had my doubts as to whether I would finish them - so frustrating sometimes when I can't get that second half of the stitch through the bead. Flip-It June (Lizzie Kate) Yep, another one.  So far that's February, March, April, May and June completed (I missed January so that's a 2014 project). Laundry Wahine Style (Silver Needle) This is...

Hello fellow stitchers! I hope you all had a great weekend.  It was toasty warm here in MA this past weekend.  Since I refuse to turn the A/C on in the house before July (it is New England after all), it was a whopping 90 degrees in our house on Saturday.  Quite warm. But, we are back to 70 degrees, overcast skies and some rain today.  In all seriousness, it was a great weekend to be outside sitting at the pool and the kids had a blast swimming this early in the season.  We were also busy with some other activities including my daughter's bridging ceremony for Girl Scouts up to Juniors.  I can't believe she'll be in 4th grade next year! Yikes!  All this is by way of explanation for the lateness of my May wrap-up post.  So I'm combining the wrap-up with a kick-off for June. In stitching news, May was in fact the biggest month for finishes this year for me.  Eleven in total!  Yay!!!  So, for the year the record looks like: January...

It was just so incredibly wonderful to have a 3 day weekend. Despite some lingering mild illness we were able to finally make some progress on a variety of projects at home, including the dreaded house-cleaning.  And on top of that I was able to continue on my stitching marathon for the month of May. First, I did manage to get a few pieces framed and hung.  So excited to see them up on the walls finally! Not the greatest of photos nor necessarily the best mounting job, particularly on the little ones, but it's huge progress for me so I'm very pleased. Also, a few new finishes this weekend (bringing the May total to 9 so far!). Fresh Watermelon (Little House Needleworks) Ok, so it took a year to finally finish this one.  I blame it on the very soft linen and lack of a snap frame (what an unbelievable help that was when I finally broke down and purchased one this month!). I am missing the little black bird for the top of the watermelon slice, but I thi...

Despite the busy weekend, I was able to finish a few more of the projects in my pile of nearly complete items. Mouse King - Mill Hill Nutcracker Series This the 3rd finish in this series for me.  I've got two more in my stash and I think I'm still missing one - the Sugar Plum Fairy.  Perhaps I need to add to my stash again... Love Notes Ornament - Mill Hill Another quick stitch/bead kit.  The picture doesn't really do it justice, but these are really cute little ornaments in this series. Welcome Guests - Three Needles And, finally, after 15 years of neglect in my pile of stash, this one is complete.  I can't wait to frame it and get it up in the guest room. Again, my photography skills leave a bit to be desired here, but you get the point. Now to see how many more I can wrap up in May.  I've got a few more projects nearing the finish line and a long weekend coming up.

I've got my first two finishes of the month! Yay! Flip-It May (Lizzie Kate) Quince (Eva Rosenstand) I'm still stitching along so there should be more to come shortly.  There's real potential for a record-setting month here.  My WIPs list is getting a little out of control so I'd like to wrap up a few more.  You know, so I can fill the pile with new projects!

What a week.  Last week all the way through Mother's Day on Sunday was just pure insanity.  This time of year is always busy, but this year it feels particularly so.  I guess having three kids still at home all with their own intensive activities is finally catching up with me.  My daughter and I did have a great first camping trip with our Girl Scout troop.  Despite some rain, we had a lot of fun, even me who is most definitely not a "camp person".  I spent yesterday recovering from pushing/pulling kayaks into the lake for three hours however.  I'm still a bit sore today, but definitely on the road to recovery.  Now today is officially take a breather day and get ready for the fun to start again in a day or two. As for my stitching, I guess I'm headed for my own little mini-version of a crazy May Challenge?!?!?  I just keep starting new projects.  I think I'm up to 9 new starts this month?  Not quite one a day, but darn close. ...