Janet Reid 1835

 

Happy Friday Friends,

 

The end of the week brings a finish from the framer. 



 

 

 Janet Reid 1835

Chessie & Me

Called for Gentle Arts Simply Wool & Vintage Examplar Linen

 

 

 

I thoroughly enjoyed stitching this sampler.  I was a little leery of stitching it on 28 ct. linen with wool fibers.  My official report is I love stitching with wool.  I want to stitch everything on 28 ct. with a wool conversion.  I beg Gentle Arts to make all their colors in wool so I can convert other patterns I want to stitch to wool. 

A bit passionate, you say?  If you haven't tried wool I highly recommend it.  I used a shorter length than I normally would with cotton and a bigger needle to cut down on friction but all in all I really didn't notice the wool fraying.  I LOVE WOOL! :)

 

I hope everyone has a fun filled weekend planned. 

Lots of stitching and a trip to JoAnn's and Hobby Lobby for me in the morning. 

 

Keep on stitchin'

Nan



Needleworker

Greetings Friends,

 

Thank you for the kind comments on my last post.  I love hearing from you and appreciate you stopping by. The weather has been crummy this week so I've spent most of my time at home stitching.  We are stuck in a pattern of 2 gorgeous days in the mid 70's and the rest of the week in the 50's with rain.  This coming week will be the same.  That means more stitching time for me. 

 

Today brought a  finish to LHN's Needleworker. 

This design stitched up quickly and I loved every X. 

We will be off to the framer on Monday.  

 

 

Needleworker

Little House Needleworks

 

Thank you for stopping by.  Whatever your weather this

coming week I hope you find lots of time to stitch.

 

Keep on stitchin'
Nan

Chocolate Box

Hello Friends,

I hope that everyone is staying warm.  I read today that almost 70% of the United States is snow covered including the mountains in Hawaii.  I thought that was an interesting fact.  All I know is that I've seen enough snow this winter.  We are out of built in snow days in our school calender as of today.  That means any days missed now will be tacked on at the end of school.  I'm praying I won't be going to school in June.....

I wanted to drop by and show you how productive I can be on a snow day.

I finished stitching LHN's Chocolate Box last week but couldn't find time to finish it until today. 

Chocolate Box

Little House Needleworks

28 ct. evenweave I received from my friend Patti

Stitched using suggest fibers

I love how it turned out but forgot how hard it is to cut styrofoam.

Does anyone have any tips on cutting styrofoam?

I also want to thank everyone for your kind comments on the birth of Kayci. 

Kayci and momma are doing great. 

Thank you for stopping by to read my posts.  I appreciate you spending part of your busy day with me and it makes me happy to share my cross stitch finishes with you.

Keep on stitchin' on,
Nan



How To Waste a Sunday

...Mess up your blog. 

And boy did I ever.  I spent yesterday afternoon getting in the Christmas spirit. 

I put up Christmas trees, went through boxes of decorations and in general started the holiday "house" stuff.  This morning I sat down with my computer to browse the blogs I follow.  I decided my blog needed a little Christmas spirit.  Well one thing led to another and before I knew it my blog was totally messed up.  But I persevered (about 5 hours total) and finally got it back to the way I wanted it, Christmas spirit and all.

So now that my blog is back to normal I wanted to share my cross stitched Christmas trees.  Last year I finally had enough ornaments to hang on these small trees.  This year the trees are bursting with ornaments.  Hopefully next year I will have enough to graduate to a big tree.  Many of the ornaments are from my cross stitch pals, or ones that I have gotten from exchanges.  The rest are ornaments that I have stitched.  If you've been my partner in an exchange I hope you can see your ornament on the tree :0)

My Christmas Tree in the Living Room

My Christmas Tree in the Basement

The Christmas tree in the basement is my Snowman themed tree.

Every ornament on the tree is some sort of snowman. 

I've collected snowman ornaments for several years.

I switched trees this year and put my smaller one upstairs because it was getting too full.

I guess that means now that I have the bigger tree for my snowman I can buy more.....right?

Christmas Stitchin'

I took some motivation from my friend Faye at the Carolina Stitcher and became a weekend warrior.  (Thanks for the motivation Faye)  I have been busy stitching and finishing and will hopefully be able to share some with you very soon.  Lots of exchanges going on right now so I don't want to ruin the surprise for anyone. 

And last but not least.........
Another head for the basement.  My husband is an avid hunter and was overjoyed with this buck.  We always try to send 1 or 2 deer to the local food pantry each year so this one will be going there before he starts filling our freezer for the year.

Thank you so much for stopping by.  I appreciate you spending a part of your day with me. 

Here's hoping that you find your Christmas joy!

Keep on stitchin' on,

Nan

Back To School Giveaway

~Back To School~

Well my friends, Summer is officially winding down for me. So in honor of a new school year I've decided to give away this adorable Lizzie Kate pattern and scissor combo. The scissor fob was handcrafted by yours truly and the scissors are great for stitching.

To all the dedicated teachers out there.....Have a great school year and remember you have the most important job in the world.

If you are interested in entering this giveaway give a shout out to your favorite teacher in the comment section. (No matter how many years it has been :-)

Last Day to Enter is Saturday August 21.

Keep on stitchin' on,

Nan

♪ Fa La L a La La ♪

I've been on quite a Christmas stitching binge this Summer. I saw this cute design the last time I visited my LNS and of course, I'm a sucker for Lizzie Kate. This is the first cube finish I've attempted and I'm pleased with the way it turned out. As it turns out I had to do 3 cube finishes, quite a task one day. Vonna at The Twisted Stitcher has a great tutorial for cube finishes if you are interested in trying one.

I had so much fun shopping for the materials to finish this project. Trying to decide on ribbon, bows, and just looking through all the Christmas craft items for ideas was a great was to spend an afternoon. I could not find a material I wanted at the usual places like JoAnn Fabrics and Hobby Lobby, I even looked at Wal-Mart. No Luck.

As I was driving to my favorite place in the world (Sonic) to get my afternoon slurpie pop I took the back way in and drove past the local quilt shop. Now, my caffeine starved brain must have been screaming keep going.........keep going.... because I almost dismissed my thought of stopping in lieu of the all mighty Route 44 Diet Cherry Coke.

Never having been in the quilt shop before I wasn't sure I would find much. Wow, was I surprised. Wall to wall material. $45 later I walked out with a bag full of remnants and assortments perfect for finishing my small projects. What a great find. They even carry some fibers. They will definitely be seeing me again, probably in the all too near future.

I have been gearing myself up for the approaching school year. That means my unlimited stitching time is coming to an end. I'm looking forward to a new year and a new batch of kiddos. I guess that means I had better prioritize my stitching projects....I think that will require more caffeine.

Keep on stitchin' on,

Nan

Retro Christmas Ornaments.........Finally!

Wow! I didn't think that a little set of ornaments would take so long to finish. In reality it only took 2 weeks but I had envisioned them taking a few days. I found the patterns in a Cross Stitch Christmas book I checked out from the library. They caught my eye immediately and I couldn't wait to stitch them. I'm not sure exactly what it is about them, but I adore the design. I think they remind me of a set of pink ornaments my mom had. My sister now cares for them and they are a favorite of ours.

I faced a hard decision when starting to stitch.....aida, perforated paper, plastic canvas. I had plenty in my stash to choose from but I pondered it heavily. I had started referring to myself as a linen snob after discovering linen several years ago. I love to stitch on linen and most of my current or just finished projects are stitched on linen.

So....back to my decision. 14 mesh plastic canvas it is. I had never used plastic canvas to cross stitch. But can you think of a better medium to use for "retro" work. I'm pretty sure that no other fabric would convey the feeling these ornaments bring about.

And the verdict is.................
I love stitching on plastic canvas. I've use perforated paper many times and have enjoyed the results but I think there is a noticeable difference in how the stitches lay on canvas.
I love trying new things in my needlework and I'm so pleased with the way the ornaments turned out. I will definitely use plastic canvas again for ornaments or that special project.

Now I have another difficult decision to make..........What to stitch next?

~Happily Ever After~

Before I end I want to wish my two good friends Marcus & Katie congratulations on their recent wedding. They married a couple of weeks ago on a beach in Hawaii and their mainland reception was last night. A good time was had by all. I know they will have a happy life together!

Keep on stitchin' on,

Nan

Trail Creek Farm Summer Pillow Giveaway

This super cute Trail Creek Farm Summer Pillow kit could be yours. Blog followers can enter to win by typing Summer in the comments section of this post. Don't delay................last day to enter is July 14th. New friends are always welcome so start following my blog today.

Have a great day!

Keep on stitchin' on,

Nan

This Ain't Your Grandma's Tissue Box Cover

While I was browsing through the library the other day I came across a section containing plastic canvas patterns. I was transported back to my younger years when it seemed like all things crafty involved plastic canvas. I can remember my mom making tissue box covers for all of her sisters one year for Christmas. They were made using an alternating scotch stitch in brown variegated yarn. I am not sure why I remember this after 30 years but I can remember wanting to help her make the covers.

I'm not sure what possessed me to look through the plastic canvas pattern books. I was pleasantly surprised at the projects I found and couldn't resist checking out a book that had some great summer patterns. After leaving the library I immediately went to the store and bought plastic canvas and yarn. I went home and obsessively started to stitch the tissue box cover. I was surprised at how quickly it stitched.
My tissue box cover is now in my guest bath, perfectly coordinating with my bathroom decor.

I'm not sure if or when I will start a new plastic canvas project but it was fun to try something new. I definitely have a new found appreciation for a craft from my childhood memories.
That makes me wonder what crafts from your childhood you have revisited as an adult. Is it something you crafted or saw others craft.

The tissue box cover is from the book Porch & Patio Plastic Canvas by The Needlecraft Shop 2006.

Keep on stitchin' on,
Nan

Welcome to Nan's Needlework Notions!

I have finally entered the world of blogging. I've thought of creating a blog for a while now and have finally taken the leap. I have found so many helpful ideas by browsing blogs that I am now inspired to share my love of needlework with others. I hope that you enjoy viewing my creations and please contact me anytime for information or questions if I can help in any way.

My needlework of choice has always been cross stitch. I can remember finishing my first piece when I was in jr. high. It was a bear with hearts all around it. I'm not sure what happened to that piece but would love to still have it in my possession today. Although I love cross stitch, I do occassionally dabble in punchneedle, plastic canvas, and needlepoint.

I have recently entered the work of alternative finishes. Up until a few years ago I always finished a piece with a traditional mat and frame. I hope that through my posts you will find new ways to finish your needlework.

There will be more to come in the near future. This is a new venture for me so please let me know of any helpful suggestions you "experienced" bloggers might have.

Keep on stitchin' on,
Nan