Holiday Samplings

Christmas Greetings Friends,

 

I hope this finds you well and in the Christmas spirit. 

 

The weather here is finally cold and I saw a few snow flurries this afternoon. 

Although I dislike cold weather I do think it makes it feel a little more like Christmas.

 

I've been doing a lot of stitching and I'll have lots to share soon.  It seems as though I would rather stitch than finish right now.  I did manage to find a frame for this piece today. 

One Christmas finish down....more to come.

 

 

Holiday Samplings II

Homespun Elegance

 

Thank you for stopping by. 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Keep on stitchin'

Nan



Halloween Greetings

 

BOO!

Happy Halloween Dear Friends,

 

I love Halloween with all the trimmings. 

Ghosts, goblins, jack-o-lanterns, everything Halloween-y.

I have been stitching quite a few Halloween designs and picked

them up from the framers today. 

 

 

 Sweeping Cobwebs by Prairie Schooler

 The frame for Sweeping Cobwebs is just gorgeous. 

It was hard to get a good picture on this dreary day before Halloween.

 

Trix or Treat by Blackbird Designs

 

 Her Wicked Best by Primitive Needle.

The fabric really is a very Halloween-y orange.

I haven't shipped this one off to the framer yet and can't wait to do so.

 

 

I also picked up a piece unrelated to Halloween.

I started this piece in St. Louis in September and it stitched up very quickly.

 

 Home Sweet Home by Pineberry Lane

Thank you for stopping by and spending a part of your day with me. 

I love to hear from you and share the love of stitching.

 

I hope Halloween brings you lots of sugar filled children,

cute costumes and a few good frights.

Keep on stitchin,
Nan

Ghost and Goblins

Hello Friends,

It is hard to believe that I am over a month into my school year.  Things are settling down and I am finding some time to stitch.  My stitching A.D.D. has kicked in and I'm jumping from  piece to piece.  I've mainly been working on bigger pieces but did stitch a couple of exchanges that I'll be able to show you soon.

I finished Bent Creek's Halloween Branch in record time.  Here it is framed and ready for the haunting season.  I am sorry the pictures aren't great but the frame is perfectly spooky.  The lines in the frame have a slight orange tint to them.  I can't wait to start decorating for Halloween.

My Friends Stitching Through the Seasons exchange arrived today.

Edgar always goes above and beyond to make it special for me.

He stitched Bent Creek's Autumn Row and Faye, the carolina stitcher finished it.

 Thank you Edgar!  I love this piece and it will always have a special place in my Fall displays.

Thank you for stopping by and your sweet comments.  I cherish everyone and jump every time I hear my phone notify me I have a new email :-)

Keep on stitchin'

Nan

A Little Color For My Office

 Greetings Friends,

Thank you all for your kind comments on my Frank N Boo finish. 

Finishing the WIP Frank N Boo motivated me to dig through the pile again. 

This is what came out of the WIP basket this time.  I started this piece months ago with the intent of putting the finished piece in my office at school. 

Here is color outside of the lines finished and framed. 

Just the splash of color my office needs.

Color Outside of the Lines

Ruby Slipper Needlework Designs

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lynn was the winner of my 2nd blogaversary giveaway.

I stitched a Glory Bee freebie and sent a few goodies. 

It is amazing how quickly time flies.  I'm looking forward to many more.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GO TEAM USA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am a big Olympics fan.  I've been glued to the t.v. all weekend.  I'm not sure what it is that draws me to the games.  I never watch volleyball, swimming, gymnastics, rowing or cycling but I've been captivated!  Maybe it is the symbolism or the pride I have in my country.  I hope one day in my lifetime the Olympics comes back to the U.S.  That is one thing on my bucket list I have to do.

I know many in blogland are happy the Olympic games are here.  Many have been pondering their Olympics project for weeks.  Until seeing this idea on blog posts it had never occurred to me that the Olympic games would be the perfect time to start a new project.  So, not to be left out, I dug through my stash and came up with

Blue Ribbon Design's A Little Quakeresque.

Here is my progress so far.  I started Saturday morning.  I have found that actually watching the Olympics distracts me from stitching.  Apparently I watch too many reruns because I never really stop to watch but that isn't the case with the Olympics.

I'm stitching Quakeresque on Tree of Life Linen using Bell Soie Maple Leaf.

Have a great weekend and happy Olympics!

GO USA!!!

Keep on stitchin'

Nan

Frank N' Boo

Good Afternoon Friends,

I hope you are well and finding time to stitch. 

I dug through the WIP pile and found Frank N Boo. 

I'm not sure why I put it down but now he is now complete.

 Frank N Boo

Bent Creek Photobooth

Super big thanks to Karen for cutting the boards and showing my how to do this finish.

Thank you for stopping by and your sweet comments.  

Keep on stitchin'

Nan

Happy Independence Day

Hello Friends,

A quick post to share my two patriotic finishes just in from the framer.

 

Liberty 1776

Little House Needleworks

 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Stars & Stripes

Blackbird Designs

I hope your 4th of July holiday is joyous and safe.

Keep on stitchin'
Nan

Stars & Stripes

Greetings Friends,

I hope this post finds you all well and finding time to stitch.  Thank you to everyone who entered my 2nd Blogaversary giveaway.  There is still time. 

I'll be drawing a a winner Monday evening.

This week has been a busy week for our mailman. 

My Friends Stitching Through the Seasons exchange arrived.

My little black sheep spoils me once again with a wonderful exchange.

Thank you Edgar!  I love everything!

Here is the exchange I sent Michelle.

I stole Michelle's picture from the Friends

blog as I forgot to take one myself.

Karen and I always do a 4th of July exchange.

As usual, Karen spoils me with another great exchange.

I love it all Karen! 

Here is what I sent Karen for our 4th of July exchange.

While visiting Karen in March a came across the Long May She Wave

 piece in her WIP basket. Knowing we were going to do the 4th exchange

I whisked the piece back to Indiana with me to finish.

Although fun, now Karen thinks there is a WIP fairy and wants

 to know when she can expect the next one.  :-)

The Tree of Life Samplings retreat was this weekend.  Work commitments kept me from registering for the retreat and I was super bummed.  As it turns out, my schedule changed and Jan so graciously allowed me to crash her party for an evening.  It was great to meet some of my blogland friends in person.  I took my camera but wouldn't you know it....I took no pictures.  I'm sure everyone is on their way home and you'll start seeing some posts soon.  There are a few posts and you can find them here and here.

 

Thank you all so much for your kind comments on my Star Spangled Garden. 

You always make my day and as I read your blogs I find inspiration.

Keep on stitchin'

Nan 

Come To The Sea....

Greetings Friends,

This beautiful day in Southern Indiana has produced another WIP finish.

I started this piece in Myrtle Beach last October.  My dear friend Michele was stitching this and I fell in love with the idea of stitching this piece while actually at the beach.  Michele was kind enough to loan me some of the WDW's she was using and the rest is history. 

Thanks Michele! 

I finished this design into a quilt square and love how it turned out. 
I will probably finish more designs this way in the future.  This piece will always remind me of the great week spent with friends in Myrtle Beach.  I personalized the piece with 2011, DA (my initials) and MB (Myrtle Beach).  I'm starting to get a little better at stepping outside the pattern to make it personal. 

Thank you for stopping by and your kind comments on my last finish. 

Wherever your journey takes you this weekend I hope it leaves time for stitching.

Happy Father's Day to all!

Keep on stitchin'

Nan 

Star Spangled Garden

Greetings Friends,

Thank you for your kind words on my WIPs from the last post.

Your words of encouragements helped me keep the

needles flying to finish Star Spangled Garden.

Star Spangled Garden

Country Cottage Needleworks

Now...to get the rest of my patriotic designs out and decorate for the 4th of July.

Thank you for stopping by to spend a bit of your day with me.

Keep on stitchin'

Nan

My Own Throwback

Greeting Friends,

It seems as though school is winding down for the Summer.

The kids have been out for over a week but I've been working to wrap up the year.

I have been finding some time to stitch and have been working on the pieces below.

Ann Lockart 1842

Blackbranch Needlework

Star Spangled Garden

Country Cottage Needleworks

I hope to have Star Spangled Garden finished this week. Ann Lockart is my in between projects, project. I enjoy stitching it but don't mind when my attention gets diverted to another project.

I also have 2 pieces at the framer.

They should be ready this week and I can't wait to show them to you.

Karen of Karen's Handiwork is showing us some of her older pieces in her Throwback Thursday posts. I love looking at her bin of stitched pieces from way back when.

It is amazing how our tastes change over the years and how patterns evolve with the times.

Reading her blog started me thinking about the first piece I stitch.

I started stitching in the 80's when I was about 13.

I can clearly remember the first thing I stitched so many years ago.

Over the years I lost track of the piece and have often wondered where it ended up, which started to make me wonder if I could find the kit. So, to eBay I went....

Sure enough after a few search tries I found it, bought it and it was delivered today.

High Kick

Good Shepperd

I'm not sure if I will stitch it again, maybe....

But it does bring back a lot of memories of stitching it while my dad

watched IU and Celtics basketball games and mom worked her puzzle books.

I hope you are all finding your own time to stitch. I appreciate your visits and kind comments. They mean so much and keep me motivated to keep on stitchin'

Nan

Hello Friends,

Just a quick post to show you what I've been working on.

I finished a small Rosewood Manor alphabet sampler.  This piece stitched quickly and I really enjoyed it.  Not sure how I'm going to finish it yet.

I started A Quaker Study. 

I've gotten quite a bit accomplished and I'm really enjoying this one.

And...here is my progress on Spanish Flair.  

Lost a little mojo on this one which is probably why I got the urge to start A Quaker Study.

Thank you for stopping by and letting me share with you.  I appreciate your kind words.  Friday is a "no school" day for me so I hope to spend most of it stitching. 

Until next time...

Keep on stitchin'

Nan

A Finish & A Start

Hello Dear Friends,

I hope you are all well and finding time to stitch.  I find that with the nice weather we had today I spent most of the day dreaming of being outside.  Working in the flower beds, golf, tennis....

just about anything other than sitting inside in a meeting.  I'm sure you all have the same feelings.  Now that I am home and can do those things I only want to sit and stitch.  Funny how that works, isn't it?

I was recently inspired by a post from our dear friend Faye.  She is stitching the Prairie Schooler Santas.  Loving the idea, I hopped right on the Santa bandwagon.  Of course that meant tracking down some of the older Santas.  I've had quite a few of the patterns for years but never got around to stitching them.  After some fun on eBay I tracked down the ones I didn't have.  I'm pleased to have my first one finished and I have started on the next.   Now I have to decide how I'm going to finish them.....decisions, decisions.

Prairie Schooler

1984 Santa

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

While visiting The Attic I came across a design that I had to have.  It is a big design but I've loved every stitch so far.  Here is what I have accomplished so far.

Here is a picture of the complete design.

Lady K's Needlearts

Spanish Flair

The complete picture is in red & black.  The model hanging in The Attic was stitched in bright pink & black which I think it captured my attention. 

 My picture doesn't quite capture the bright pink I'm stitching with but it is stunning in person.  

I think I'm going to need some serious stitching mojo to finish this one.

Thank you for stopping by and sharing a part of your day with me.  

I love hearing from you and appreciate your kind words.

Happy Hump Day!

Keep on stitchin'

Nan

Lots of Spring Up in Here.......

Hello Friends,

Thank you for your kind words on my trip to Arizona.  It was great to get away.  After a week of back to reality, I'm ready to hop back on the plane. 

It has been a busy Spring around here.  I've been busy stitching for several exchanges.  The exchanges have all arrived at their destination so I can now show you all the goodies.

 

Michele and I did a St. Patrick's Day exchange.

Michele sent a great pot 'o gold.

Here is the stitched pieced I sent Michele.

I forgot to take a picture of the goodies I sent along.

Thanks for a great exchange Michele.  I feel like a very lucky girl ;-)

Next up is my traditional Easter exchange with Karen. 
Look at the bunnelicious goodies "Easter Bunny Karen" sent.

 The Easter basket was full of goodies but I dismantled it before I took a picture.

The chocolate was calling to me...

Here is the piece I stitched for Karen. 
I forgot to take a picture of the goodies I sent.

Miss Lapin

The last exchange I have to show you is the friend's

a small group does every year.

Michelle (no blog) is the person I send to.

Here is the stitched piece I sent to her.

I forgot to take a picture of the goodies I sent with the exchange.
(Are you noticing a pattern here?)

For this exchange Edgar sends to me.

He sent a great stitched piece finished on this gorgeous box.

And all the goodies.

Thank you for a great exchange Edgar.  I'm looking forward to a great year.

I've been stitching quite a bit.  I'm back to working on some bigger pieces.  Currently, I'm working on Prairie Schooler's Sweeping Cobwebs.  I hope to have it finished and off to the framer soon.  While in Arizona I started Ann Lockart and Blackbird Design's Tis the Season.

I'm enjoying them all and have a hard time deciding which one to work on when it comes stitchin' time.

Thank you for stopping by and your sweet comments.  I appreciate them so much.

Have a great week!

Keep on stitchin'

Nan

Arizona 2012

 Greetings Friends,

I officialy arrived home from Arizona last Sunday late in the evening.  I have been trying to post pics on blogger all week and finally gave up.  I thought I'd try again tonight.  I've had better luck but can't seem to get all of them to upload. 

So, here is a snapshot of my Arizona Trip 2012.

I arrived in Phoenix Arizona on Tuesday morning. 

Karen met me at the airport, we picked up Yvonne and away we went. 

We spent Tuesday bumming around and stitching at the hotel.

On Wednesday we took a trip to The Attic in Mesa Arizona.  The Attic is the "Taj Mahal" of stitching shops.  If you if ever get the chance to visit plan on hours and hours.  As you can see in the pictures, this shop has everything.  The shear pleasure of looking at the models can take hours and hours.  I also spent a great deal of time with the linen and fibers.  I know I'll be visiting again one day and will plan on spending more than one day at The Attic.  The ladies who work in the shop were great.  I think they got a little tickled at a first timer like me.  I just walked around repeating the phrases, "Holy Crap!", "Wow!" and "This is unbelievable!"

 The Attic

Mesa Arizona

 Karen

 Yvonne with her "goodie" bag.

The three of us after making our purchases.  We are worn out but happy!

On Thursday we made the trek up into the mountains to the cabin.

The scenery was amazing.

As we drove the scenery changed from cactus and rock to pine trees and snow. 

 I loved seeing all the cacti.  ;-)

The mountains were breathtaking.

 The cabin was a treat.  It was a beautiful, rustic cabin. 

Perfect for 3 stitchers to hide away. 

On Friday we headed to the Grand Canyon.

 Beautiful scenery along the way.

 Me at the Grand Canyon

On Saturday we spent the day stitching away. 

The week went by very fast.

Thank you Karen for being such a great host. 

I had a blast and can't wait to get back to your "neck of the woods."

Thanks for sharing my Arizona trip. 

Thank you for stopping by.  I so appreciate your visits and sweet comments.

Keep on stitchin'

Nan