I'm Baaaack!

I seem to have taken an unintended hiatus from blogging, but I am working on remedying this now. It's been too long for me to update on everything, so I'm kind of starting fresh. 

I did finish HAED QS Little Flutterby and got her framed. Love her!

I fell down the rabbit hole with Halloween At Hawk Run Hollow as well, but I'm not working on it much yet. I basically wanted to see what it was going to look like on the fabric, PTP Twilight.

And I'm back to working on HAED Curl Up With A Good Book again.

I started and finished (minus button, needs washing first) Stoney Creek's Ghostly Welcome, which one day I will have finished into a bell pull.

And, lastly, an ornament for an ornament exchange.  This is Country Star by Elizabeth's Designs from one of the Christmas ornament issues.  I changed colors a bit and left out the charm in the middle.

I was hoping to be updating from my phone now, but I discovered while doing this post that the mobile Blogger app sucks.  I was really hoping to be able to access my blog and my reading list from the app, but apparently not.  So, now I have to put this on my to-do list again and it may be hit or miss.  Instragram seems to be my go-to place now for my cross stitch updates.

Happy Stitching!

Tamara

Finishes

I finally have some finishes to share!

HAED QS Little Flutterby:

The 1999 Prairie Schooler Santa:

That is done on 25 count black lugana one over one.  Yes, I am insane.

And to celebrate, a new WIP for autumn:

Autumn Fur by Kit & Bixby.

It looks as though my stitching in the next few months may be curtailed a bit.  Or a lot, we'll see.  My work schedule is changing again next month and I'm losing my "weekend" and will be working a split week, which I hate.  Sigh,  such is life, I guess, but it still sucks.  I see a lot of retail therapy in my future to help me through the pain, lol.  But, I REALLY don't need to add to the stash!  It's getting a bit ridiculous as it is.  I was planning on doing a lot of smalls anyway, and so I might still have progress even with less stitching time, unlike with the BAP's.  Or we all may be blown away by Irma or Jose and it all won't matter anyway.  And with that happy thought,

Happy Stitching!

Tamara

Another Page Finish!

And another page finish on Little Flutterby.  I think this one's a record for me-approx 2 weeks.  I'm on the home stretch now!  Only two more pages to go.

The extra 2 or 3 days I've had to stitch this month really made a difference in addition to there not being so many color changes on this page.  So far, so good on my plan to stick with this one until she's done.

Happy Stitching,

Tamara

Page Finish!

And I have a page finish on my QS Little Flutterby!

Now just three more pages and a little strip under those left to do.  I will definitely get her done this year, and hopefully long before the end of the year.  And I have three extra stitching days this month, so I hope to get a page finished by the end of the month.  Fingers crossed.

Happy Stitching,

Tamara

Progress Report #162

Little Flutterby is coming right along.  I think I'm about halfway done with this page and with a couple of vacation days coming up in July, maybe I can make some real progress if I can manage to make myself sit down and actually stitch instead of watching Flosstube, reading Facebook groups, and shopping for cross stitch!

I don't remember what the last picture of my Peacock Band Sampler was that I posted, so this might be a repeat since I haven't touched it in a couple of months, probably.

Today's plan for the future stitching is to finish Little Flutterby, then move on the Peacock Band Sampler, then finish the 1999 Prairie Schooler Santa I have started, and then get back to my Trick or Treat Sampler. Then I can dig into my wanna-do pile.  I often think I would like to get back to being a one-at-a-time stitcher again, but then I look through the wanna-do pile and my best intentions go right out the window!  And mostly, I feel like I'm in a time warp.  I cannot believe how fast time whizzes by these days.  I'm very nostalgic for those long, lazy days of my youth.  Sigh.

Happy Stitching,

Tamara

Let There Be Progress

Not to brag, or anything, but I'm almost finished with another page of Little Flutterby.  She has most of her face now!

She's coming along so nicely, I don't want to put her down.  My poor band sampler is being neglected.  No progress on that this month.  I was planning on working on that on Memorial Day, but I was on a roll with cutie pie.  June is again looking packed with things to do, the calendar is bulging, but I'm taking a couple of days vacation time next month, so maybe I will get at least one stitching day, hopefully.  I'm beyond ready for life to be bland and boring again.

Happy Stitching,

Tamara

Stitch or Stash?

Both!  It's been a slow stitching month.  I haven't seemed to have too much trouble finding time to stash this month, though.  Those wanna-do piles just keep getting bigger and bigger.  Anyway.

Almost to a page finish on Little Flutterby:

 

And even slower progress on the band sampler:

I've been getting an urge for smalls again, but I'm trying my best not to start anything new until one or two of the current projects are finished.  A friend of mine finished a lot of the Mill Hill Diamonds recently and, of course, I had to finish my collection when I saw how beautiful hers made up! Maybe 2018 will be the year of smalls again, who knows?  Then there are all those new goodies winging their way to me and I will be changing direction once again, lol.

Happy Stitching!

Tamara

April 2017 Update

And another band of the sampler is done.

Life got a little crazy this past week or two and isn't settling down anytime soon it looks like.  Hopefully, next month I can catch a little break.  Meanwhile, I'll keep plugging away when I can.

Happy Stitching,

Tamara

March 2017 Update

And we have progress!

A page finish on Little Flutterby:

A pair of socks completed:

Meadowcroft Dyeworks
Cross Creek Sock in
013 Wales-Welsh Slate

And the next pair started:

Now to go try to accomplish 25,000 million things today.  Sigh.

Happy Stitching,

Tamara

February Update

I don't feel like I have accomplished all that much this past month.

Peacock Band Sampler, still working on Band 6.

And an up-close shot:

Those Jessica stitches are killing me.

Then there is Little Flutterby.

Most of my week has been spent on my socks that were started last fall sometime, pictured here with the yarn cake for the next pair up.

Last month I had a needle minder craving and got the ladybug pictured with Little Flutterby above and these two, all from Gina's Unique Boutique on Etsy.

March is a busy month at work and I can't seem to get a quiet weekend to sit and stitch lately.  Spring is springing, though, and that makes things seem a little brighter at times.

Happy Stitching,

Tamara

Peacock Band Sampler

Hello, 2017!

I'm moving right along on the Northern Expressions Peacock Band Sampler.  My Trick or Treat Sampler ended up getting kicked off my stand, lol.  I do plan to get back to it once the band sampler is done.

I'm well into band 6 now where it's Jessica Stitchpalooza.

The weatherman's calling for anywhere between 4-9 inches of snow here Saturday, so maybe I'll get a snow stitching day.  I'm not counting on it, though.  Usually, when we have a weather event, I'm too busy looking out the window or looking at people's pictures on the computer to get anything done.  And then it's an hour or two shoveling snow and cleaning off the car so I can get to work on Sunday.  Blech.  Can't you Northerners keep your snow up there, please?

Happy Stitching!

Tamara

Trick or Treat

It's too hot to stitch or knit right now, almost 81 degrees in the house.  It will be back down to about 67 for the high on Saturday, so I refuse to turn the A/C back on.  At least there is a nice breeze to go along with the baking sunshine!  Better than the 60 mph winds and 12 inches of rain we got from Hurricane Matthew last week.  That was certainly one for the record books around here.  I was one of the lucky ones with minimal issues.  Anyway, on to the stitching!

I'm trying to get back to my Victoria Sampler Trick or Treat Sampler because I need to finish it so I can put a shiny new project on my stand.  More on that later.  I don't know if I will get it finished before I cave to the new one, though.  

The little trick or treaters were the end of me the other night and I just could not look at it any longer.

So, the next morning, I picked up my HAED Little Flutterby.

I started an old Prairie Schooler Santa that I've had for a decade or more.  I'm doing it on black 25 ct over 1.  Yes, I am insane.

The new impending project I discovered on youtube.  It's one of those where the model picture just didn't do anything for me, but seeing other WIP's put the WOW factor in it.  This will be Northern Expressions Peacock Band Sampler, specialty stitch version.  It will be on 32 ct Pearl Grey Belfast.  It also has several thousand beads, which are still in transit.

I started and finished a project my Mom wanted me to do for her.  It's a Linda Myers design on antique white 40 ct. 1 over 2.

And last, but not least, a recent yarn retail therapy purchase.

From Left to Right:
Three Irish Girls Adorn Luxe in Piazza del San Marco
Malabrigo Sock in 005 Anniversario
Meadowcroft Dyeworks Cross Creek Sock in Wales-Welsh Slate
Meadowcroft Dyeworks Cross Creek Sock in Treachery

I just wound the Wale-Welsh Slate and maybe I can get my sock knitting bug back with these beauties if I can ever get the last two inches and toe of my Pucker sock done.

I think that pretty much sums up my stitching antics for the last three months since I was last here.

Happy Stitching,

Tamara

The Happy Couple

Announcing the Happy Couple!

(Part of) Flight of Fancy
John Patience
HAED

Stitched on 25 count wedgewood lugana 1 x 1.  I'm not sure how I will finish it yet, but I'm thinking of having it done as a flat fold.

I also finished the posies.

And I finished the first column of pages on my girl.

I've two new starts, one HAED QS and a quilt sampler piece for my mom.  I'm hoping to get some serious stitching in today, but first I must manage to tear myself away from this computer!

Happy Stitching!

Tamara

Whew, It's a Long One.

And another month disappears.  But there is progress.  Unfortunately, there has also been a bad case of startitis as well.

I have a finish, two actually, one for me I finished in Dec or Jan and one for a gift for my Mom.  I just gave it to her for Mother's Day so I can show them off now.  Blackberry Lane Designs Tools of the Trade V.

Nothing actually finished this month, but a couple of things close.  First is the Summer Wings Humbug by Just Nan.  All that is left is to put on the beads and the backstitched border and put it together.  It's currently in limbo now because I just don't want to pick it up.

Then there is Violet Posies over one on 28 ct.  It's over half done.

I'm 1/3 done with the current page on my girl.

There was a 50% off sale at HAED.  I got a few charts:

Mini The Witching Hour
Lisa Parker

Mini Evergreen
Tracy Butler

QS Little Flutterby
Jennifer Nilsson

QS Flight of Fancy
John Patience

I'm only doing the grasshopper and ladybug of the Flight of Fancy and started it as soon as I ordered some fabric.

And I CANNOT wait to get started on Little Flutterby!  She is so stinking cute!  I will finish the happy couple first, though.  It's a good thing they are stitching up quickly (for a HAED).

I've probably forgotten something, but I can't remember what.  Serves me right for not doing this weekly like I used to!

Thank you for your comments!  I do appreciate them, although I know I am the worst for responding.  I'm not usually signed in when I read blogs (which I used to do at work, but computer use has been curtailed there) so I am also bad about leaving comments.  In fact, I've gotten bad about reading blogs as that was how I passed the slow time at work, but there is no slow time to fill at home, so I tend to avoid the computer as much as possible, which is why there are fewer blog posts, too.  Vicious cycle.  And my gmail is not currently my primary email so I never check it either.  I really should not be allowed to have a computer license!  But I do love this community and I will continue to share and hopefully inspire.  Maybe I can help your slow day go a little quicker.  :D

Happy Stitching!
Tamara

Well, Flu.

Well, this year certainly is going by in a flash.  Not only is it the busiest time of year at work, which often leaves me too tired to stitch much, but I have been sick for the entire month of March and the end of February.  First, it was a cold or sinus infection something or other.  I was finally getting rid of that when I fell ill with the flu.  And what a nasty flu bug it is this year!!  I ended up with a lot of inflammation in my ribs and was in quite a bit of pain for almost two weeks, and that was in addition to the first week of the actual flu. I'm finally feeling improvement with that, but still sore and tender, especially if I do too much.  Didn't get much stitching, or anything else at all, done since any movement was a new experience in pain.  Just lay on the couch with my chest packed in ice.  Such a shame to have had all that time off work and not be able to have any stitching to show for it!  Easter Sunday I resolved to stitch if it killed me!

I had finished a page on my Dress in February, I think:

I am already halfway through the next page.  Then it's one more full page and a half page and I will be at the bottom!  My goal is to finish this column of pages by the end of this year.  So, what amounts to 2 full pages and 9 months.  Definitely doable.  Provided I don't get distracted.  Sooooo many wonderful new designs out this spring!  Sooooo many wonderful old designs in my stash!  Soooooo much temptation!  I'm doomed.

With any luck, I'll be back by the end of April with another page finish.  Fingers crossed!

Happy Stitching!
Tamara

Halloween Quadrielle

Another finish put together:

Halloween Quadrielle by The Sweetheart Tree.  Unfortunately, this is the only productive stitching related thing I've done in the past two days off!

Happy Stitching!

Tamara

Finishing Foibles

Over the past two weeks, I have finished some finishes!

This one is ready this morning, just in time for the big flight tonight.

Gingerbread Reindeer Mouse
Just Nan

A pillow ornament:

Taken from
Christmas Cross Stitch Favorites Magazine
Xmas 2015

And two flat finishes (my first):

On Left, Bliss by Seba Designs
On Right, Poor Jack by Just Nan

I haven't been working on my Dress of Day Dreams, but here is the last picture I took:

Besides getting the mouse put together and writing this blog, it doesn't look as though I will be getting much more done before going back to work on Saturday.  I'm hoping for a stitching marathon over New Year's, though!  Wishing everyone a peaceful holiday!

Merry Christmas!

Tamara