A Final Finish for 2011 (The Year of Good Intentions)

Happy New Year's Eve!
It is hard to believe that another year has come to an end.  I've been incredibly blessed this year.  I hope that 2012 brings you many blessings and of course, lots of time to stitch.

I have been busy finishing the first of the Prairie Schooler Limited Edition Kits. 

I have long hoped to stitch the entire series. 

This is my final finish for 2012 and a great way to end the year.

The year 2011 was apparently the year of good intentions.  For years I have only stitched small pieces.  I have several larger pieces I have framed and hanging on my walls but I haven't started a large project for a long, long time. 

I think I like to stitch small things because I like to do my own finishing. 

This year I have broken my dry spell and started several large projects.

Take a look at what I've gotten myself into.....

This is the retreat piece from Jan at Tree of Life Samplings. 

It is absolutely beautiful and has a place reserved in my stitching room. 

Hopefully 2012 will bring a finish to this piece.

How well I remember my good intentions with this piece.  I ordered this early in 2012.  I fell in love with Rose Quaker and had my friend Karen go to the attic and pick out fabric and silk fibers.  This piece was my first attempt at over 2 on 40 ct. 

I fell in love and stitch mostly on 40 ct. now.

I made good progress on this piece but haven't worked on it in a while. 

This is another of my delusions of grandeur.

One Nation is absolutely beautiful.

I am stitching it over 2 on 40 ct. 

I started Gem Show 3 this Summer.

I didn't make very much progress but still have high hopes.

Here is my Lizzie Kate Halloween piece.  I've finished 3 blocks. 

I'm stitching it on 27 ct. stitch band with hopes of finishing it as a bell pull.

And.....my last big project of 2011.  Christmas Quaker Bellpull.

I started this piece late in November.  I haven't made a lot of progress on this one either.

The good thing is as I pulled these pieces out to take pictures I realize that I still love each one as much as the day I started it.  I see big accomplishments for 2012........

Here's to a productive, healthy new year,

Nan

I Made it Home in Record Time...

I didn't get a ticket, I didn't speed (much) but I'm pretty sure I made record time getting home with my stitched pieces.

The First Thing I Did...
when I came home with my framed pieces today was actually hang them on the wall. 
I have been waiting on these pieces since September and was so excited to finally have them in my hands that I couldn't wait to get them up so I could admire them every time I walk by. 
The two framed pieces are designs that I stitched this summer.  I started free bird at the OOE retreat and purchased Bless This House on the way to the retreat.  I think these two pieces are part of the reason I haven't had many blog posts this summer/fall.  It took quite a while to stitch them and then off to they went to the framer. 

La-D-Da 

Bless This House

Plum Street Samplers

Free Bird

The frame is actually a very deep red that matches the fibers in the design. 

The camera doesn't quite capture the real beauty.

~Thanksgiving~

Thanksgiving is a favorite of mine.  I love to stitch for Thanksgiving and

I am delighted to have finished Thankful Quaker. 

Bent Creek
Thankful Quaker

Bent Creek

Thankful Quaker

My holiday shelf is starting to fill up.  I've combined Autumn and Thanksgiving. 

One day it will be full for each holiday.  *Crossing fingers and stitching furiously*

I hope the upcoming holidays are joyous for you. 

 It is hard to believe that it is time to stuff the turkey and deck the halls.   

I came across this picture on a friend's facebook page and found it refreshing and hilarious. 

Every year I am amazed at how retailers try to out do each other. 

I notice that a lot of Black Friday sales are starting at midnight Thanksgiving night. 

Will you be joining the millions of people trying to grab the deals?

I'll be back soon with more finishes.  I dedicated most of the Fall to preparing for the Pals Fall Fling.  I have pictures to share of friends and finishes but they are on another camera and I can't find the cord. 

Until then...

Keep on stitchin,

Nan

Halloween Expressions

Hello Friends,

I'm sorry for the long absence, but any educator can tell you how packed the first few weeks of school can be.  I'm off to a great start at my new school.  The kids and teachers at the school are great!  It's hard to believe we've already got a month of school under our belt.

In between the long work hours I've been trying to fit in some stitching.

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays for stitching. 

Here is my first Halloween finish for the year.

Halloween Expressions

The Stitcherhood

Stitched on 40 Newcastle Linen

Days Gone By ~ Zweigart

GAST ~ Onyx

These little halloweenies stitched quickly and I love how they turned out.  They make me want to get the rest of my Halloween decorations out.  Do you think it is too early?

I'm not sure what has gotten into me lately but I seem to have found a love for bigger projects again.  I've started several bigger pieces recently so I'll be back soon to show progress on them.

Thank you for stopping by!  I apologize for my lack of visits to your blog.  I plan to spend the afternoon catching up on everything you've been doing the last few weeks.

Keep on stitchin' on,

Nan

One Hundred Years

I picked up Lizzie Kate's 100 Years from the framer yesterday. 

It is now sitting in my office at school ready for everyone to admire.

Apparently I am a big fan of this frame.  When my husband saw it he says,

"How many pictures are you gonna have framed like that?" 

I was completely unaware that 2 other pieces I've had framed have the exact same frame.

I guess next time I'll have to step outside of my framing comfort zone. 

Keep on stitchin' on,
Nan

4th of July Finishes

 Good Morning!

In my last post I promised to show my 4th of July finishes for the year.  Well...I didn't make it back on the 4th.  An impromptu cookout stole my attention that day.  We had a very relaxing day with friends and I hope that everyone had a safe, enjoyable weekend also.   God Bless America!

So.....
Better late than never.  Here are the 4th of July finishes for 2011.

4th of July Bird

Heart in Hand



My dear friend Karen and I did a private exchange.  Look at the beautiful box I received from her. 

She included lots of patriotic stuff in her package. 

Before I could get a picture it seemed to disappear into my working stash.

This is what I stitched for her...

 Old Glory

Chessie & Me

Happy Flag Flag Day

the Trilogy

Patriotic Melons

Stitchy Kitty

This piece gave me fits to finish.  My original plan was to turn it into a wall hanging.  I don't seem to have any bell pull hardware laying around so I tried a few things that didn't work out.  After a few hours of ripping seams and a few naughty words I ended up turning it into a pillow.  Said pillow does not make me happy.  I'm not sure what it is that I don't like about it but I'm pretty sure I will once again start the seam ripping and therefore, the naughty words will probably follow.  Maybe today while I'm out and about I'll pick up some dowel rods to serve as bell pull hardware. 

Last week I was meandering through Hobby Lobby, lost in my world of crafty "what ifs"

when I stumbled upon this shelf.  I have looked for a very long time for a shelf to sit on a bare wall in my kitchen.  When I saw this shelf I knew it had to come home with me.  It will now be my centerpiece for my holiday stitching.  It still has plenty of room for more 4th of July pieces so I'll have to get busy and fill it for next year.

I received a call yesterday that my Lizzie Kate 100 Years is framed and ready for pick up. 

I am anxiously awaiting 9:00 a.m. so I can pick it up.

Thank you for stopping by to share a part of your day.  I love hearing from you and find I renew my enthusiasm for stitching every time I have something to share with you. 

Thanks for keeping me motivated. 

Keep on stitchin' on,

Nan

The Best Thing About Stitching Retreats....

Is seeing old friends and making new friends. 

I was so glad that Yvonne and Karen were able to attend this retreat. 

I met them last October and we've been stitching buddies since.

I had the privilege of meeting some wonderful new stitching friends. 

As you can see they were all busy stitching away.

As the days went on the pictures got goofy.  Seems as though I had a fondness for holding out the camera and taking lots of pictures of myself.  I've uploaded all the silly pics to my flickr account.  If you are interested in more silliness you can check them out here.

Another of my favorite things is acquiring stash.  Jan packed up lots of stash from her shop and had it set up in her suite for our shopping pleasure. 

I think it's safe to say I spent time in her suite each day. 

As you can see I'm not the only one who gains happiness from stash shopping.

....Look at the smiles.

On Saturday it came time to total the "pile" of stash I accumulated during my visits to Jan's room.  As you can see it was quite a total and although it appears that I'm sad in this picture I soon got over it when I carried my bag out and got to play with it. 

I came home with lots of Tree of Life Samplings designs and fabric. 

As I wrap up the Only One Ewe 2011 retreat I want to leave you with 2 more pictures.

Below is the finished box from Vonna's class.  Inside the box everyone attending the retreat signed their name.  This is definitely a keepsake that I'll always cherish.

 

And last but not least.......

I have had my LHN traveling stitcher finished for a couple of

months but had yet to make the pocket.

My new friend Brenda had her traveling stitcher with her at the retreat.  After eyeballing her pocket during the weekend, I was confident that I could make my own.  So, after returning home I got busy and this is what I came up with.  I'm so happy I finally finished it. 

:-)  Thanks for the inspiration Brenda.

 

Thank you so much for stopping by and letting me share the retreat fun with you.

I love hearing from you and appreciate you sharing a part of your day with me.

Tomorrow I'll be posting my patriotic designs I've completed this year.  Until then.....

Keep on stitchin' on,

Nan

Only One Ewe Retreat 2011

Good morning!

I've been a busy girl the past week.  Last Thursday I headed to Terre Haute (Haute rhymes with coat), Indiana and attended the Only One Ewe Retreat.  The retreat was hosted by Jan from Only One Ewe Needleworks and Tree of Life Samplings.  Jan's Tree of Life Samplings pieces are absolutely beautiful and pictures do not due them justice.  She not only designs but has a great line of yummy hand dyed fabrics.  If you haven't discovered Jan's work you definitely need to stop by and check it out.

Jan designed this piece and it was kitted and given to us in a fabulous fabric portfolio.  Vonna already has this piece stitched and ready to frame and she has some wonderful pictures of the piece on her blog.

Everyone who attended the retreat was excited that Vonna would teaching a finishing class.

Jan sent this exclusive retreat piece to us ahead of time and everyone stitched it in their favorite color. 

When is was all said and done we ended up with a beautiful wooden box.

Vonna is not only a talented stitcher and finisher, but a very patient teacher.

One of my favorite things about cross stitch is exchanging. 

We had a Christmas ornament and smalls exchange. 

I managed to get 2 ornaments and one small stitched and finished for the exchanges. 

I stitched Oh Joy in the top right corner.

...and the needlebook in the bottom of the pic.

...and Merry Xmas in the top left corner.

Here I am proudly holding the three pieces I received in the exchange! 

 And last but not least I leave you for today with a picture of our fearless leader Jan.  Jan worked so hard to bring us all together she deserved to put her feet up for a bit.  :-0

In the next installment I'll share some of the silliness that went on and introduce you to some wonderful people I met.  I've also got lots of pics of exchanges I've stitched and finished that are reaching their new homes so I'll be able to share those with you soon.

Thank you for stopping by and I so enjoy your comments.  Until next time.....
Keep on stitchin' on,
Nan

And the Winner is.........................

natalyK

Thank you to everyone who stopped by to enter my blogaversary giveaway.

I also apologize for taking so long to draw a winner.  I've been off to a wonderful stitching retreat and I'll be posting pics soon.

Congratulations natalyK!

Keep on stitchin' on,

Nan

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful Dads out there!

Father's Day at our house will consist of lunch with my stepdaughter and the baby!  Then I will so kindly allow him to lay around and watch racing and golf (while I stitch of course).

Last week I received this lovely Summer exchange from Faye.  As always, Faye knows how to spoil a girl!  I love anything ladybug so this Summer design is just perfect.  THANKS FAYE!

Below is the Summer piece I stitched for Jennifer.

Summer by the Stitcherhood

28 ct. Evenweave

Stitch with my choice of fibers

I didn't think to get a picture of the goodies I sent with the exchange

 but you can check those out on her blog if you so desire.

It is only 4 days until my Blogaversary so don't forget to swing on over and sign up for my giveaway.

I'll be drawing a winner on my Blogaversary!

Keep on stitchin' on,

Nan