Thursday, December 27, 2012

Christmas Update

This Christmas I went to Amarillo to visit my husband's family.  I came back with a wicked cold and a canvas from Pocket Full of Stitches.  Pictures to follow in a few days......

Sunday, December 16, 2012

My Christmas Tree

This year, I set up my Christmas tree and decided that I had a respectable amount of needlepoint ornaments to make a blog post.  I have been stitching Chrismons (Christian symbols) in tent stitch with Perle cotton and Kreinik since I started needlepointing in 2006.  I also have a few mini socks.  Enjoy!



My all- time favorite ornament!!  



My first piece after my sampler.  




Kathy Schenkle mini sock.  The first piece to go on my A&M tree that I WILL start next year.  








This is another one of my first pieces.  It's now a door hanger which hangs on my laundry room door.  


Sunday, December 9, 2012

Estate Sale

This is definitely a hard post, but I think it's necessary.  In every needlepointer's life, we realize that we have a LOT of stash and that we may not be able to finish all that we have purchased.  Eventually, all of us will be called home, and what survives us on earth will have to be sorted through and given away.    A few months ago, a very prolific needlepointer in Houston passed away.  She loved to needlepoint and spread her love of the craft to everyone.  No one who has spoken of her, has spoken ill of her.  And everyone has spoken of her great love for all things needlepoint.  One thing that really struck me, is that this needlepointer was not stuck in "tent stitch only" mindset.  She explored new stitches and classes, and had lots of modern canvases in her stash.  She even had a sign in her needlepoint room that said "She who dies with the most needlepoint wins".  Everyone in our guild agrees that she won!  One day, her son and daughter-in-law set up a "shop" in their home, and for about 8 hours, all of the guild members could come and purchase what they wanted from her stash.  I think there was enough inventory for a store.  There were clothing racks and boxes of categorized canvases, racks of books, a whole table of threads, and a stack of stretcher bars.  I was fortunate enough to be able to take my lunch  hour and "go shopping".  Stash wise, I purchased a lot of great canvases, which I will show soon, but I realized that in my own life, I want to make sure that I use what I buy and that I don't buy too much.  I am sure this needlepointer was happy that others got to enjoy her stash and will stitch each canvas with love.


Kathy Schenkle mini sock


Petei squares- which will make great framed Christmas decorations




Melissa Shirley October Angel with threads


Kathy Schenkle Santa with threads



Petei Nativity 

Thursday, November 15, 2012

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....


I LOVE the holiday season!  No matter which holiday you celebrate, joy is in the air.   I love going Christmas shopping (full disclaimer- I actually do 99% of my shopping online so I usually only have to go to the mall once per holiday season) and I love Christmas needlepoint.  This year, I finished the Cardinal Acorn rather quickly.

The pine cones are actually held on by bobby pins!  Yikes!!  I am going to see Carolyn tomorrow and will get actual clips to hold them in place.


And then I moved on to a piece I had in my stash from a few years ago.  It's Kelly Clark's Present Topiary.  The red is a Planet Earth silk- three strands.  Honestly, I got about this far and lost my needlepoint mojo.  I need to get it back.  




The reason why I lost my drive is two fold: the time change and a weekend trip.  I know it sounds silly that the time change can affect someone so much, but it's really thrown off my rhythm this year.  I normally run after work, but now after work, it's getting dark.  Luckily my office has a gym, so I change at the gym and go run on the sidewalks.  I've gotten about 3.5 miles in on one run, which is good.  I am glad that the shortest day is actually December 21st.  All the days get longer after that.  I am definitely a daylight person!!!  This weekend I didn't blog or stitch because I was visiting Tuscaloosa, Alabama for the A&M v. Alabama game.  Whoop!!  I had soooo much fun with my dad and sister.  We stayed with my dad's friend and saw my sister as much as possible.  I couldn't pass up a trip to Serendipity Needleworks and these lovely canvases.  





They are both Kathy Schenkel designs.  

The canvas selection at Serendipity was out of this world!  Loved it!!  Lots of Melissa Shirley, school canvases, and Raymond Crawford.  The threads were mostly knitting yarns with some Bella Lusso, floss, and Vineyard silk.  I keep getting disappointed with the thread selections outside of Texas, but from the stores I have seen outside of Texas, I would put this one up there with It's a Stitch of Charleston.  Definitely worth the trip!  I can't wait to go back.  

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Candy Cane Finish

I finished the Candy Cane last week!!




I beaded the "Bama" and used Kreinik ribbon on the thin stripes. Patti Montgomery Phillip, who is a member of the Needlepoint group on Facebook, inspired me to turn this in and have it backed with houndstooth fabric!  I can't wait to see it!  I am not sure if any of you all do this, but I am REALLY bad about finishing a piece but not turning it in to have it finished in final, usable form. Along with my canvas challenge, I will start turning in one piece as soon as I get one back.  That should really help cut the stack down- pieces from 2009 are in the pile.  Yikes!

Along with the Aggie Santa, I have started this Melissa Shirley cardinal acorn.



For a canvas finishing update, I have finished the squirrel cracker, the Shih-tsu, one side of the feathers, and the candy cane.  In honor of finishing 3 pieces, I did buy one.  This is a Shivering Sheep 3-D pet house.  It says on the roof "in a perfect world, every home would have a pet and every pet would have a home."  



So now I have to finish two more before I can get another canvas.  This challenge is definitely making a dent into my stash, which is good.  Until next week!

Casey


Sunday, October 14, 2012

Silk Lame

Last week I pulled out all of the Fyre Works and changed the thread to SL08, which is a Silk Lame.  It is so much better.  It matches the painted canvas rather than being darker.  The smaller stripes are still in the Kreinik Ribbon, couched with Accentuate, and the white is stitched in Splendor.  "Bama" will be beaded.  I am hoping to finish this piece this week, but I am going to have a busy first two days with the Junior League- my placement and then a Prospective Member Open House.  Wednesday and Thursday nights, I will be in stitching class :)  I can't wait!



Last Wednesday, I started the Aggie Santa.  It actually went quite quickly.  



For now, I have put the Turkey aside, at least until I finish a few more small pieces.  This is my latest progress picture.  I actually messed up the beige feather to the right of the green feather, but I am going to keep it the way it is.  I really like it better.  



Until next time...

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Turkey and Candy Cane

The Turkey is almost done!  One side of feathers is complete!!  Now on to the last side and then I will finish the last 2 sides to the breast.





As a bit of a breather from the Turkey, the next project is a Candy Cane!  An Alabama one!  I really need to get more A&M pieces....



After looking at these pictures and the color of Fyre Werks that I used, I am not convinced that I like it well enough to continue.  I am thinking about changing to SL08, which is a Silk Lame that matches the red paint on the canvas more closely.  I will decide tonight and post pictures soon.

We decided on a new place to live... one floor up!  It has more natural light and we won't be on the first floor anymore.  We missed the Summer inventory because of the timing of our lease, so there were really slim picking with rental houses.  Next year, our lease will expire during the summer, so we will either buy a house or rent a house.  


Sunday, September 23, 2012

Progress on the Turkey

I am almost done with the first half of the Turkey feathers...only 3 feathers left.  It is coming together really well, and I am very excited to almost done with this project and move on to others.  I have really enjoyed the Turkey, but I am definitely ready to be finished.  I have lots of Christmas projects and Football season projects that I want to tackle.




This weekend, I was supposed to go to Austin with a needlepoint friend to take Tony's Back to Basics 1. The class would have been Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.  Because of a new assignment at work, I had to cancel with the Needleworks.  My friend wound up not being able to go either, so it worked out well.  I am sad to miss the class but also glad that I do not have to miss two days of work at a very important time.

Still pending is our living arrangements for October on.  Our lease is up and we gave notice to move out, but we still have not found a place!  Yikes!!  Got to go and get moving on the Turkey and a new place to live!


Sunday, September 9, 2012

THE LIST

Every once in a while, I have to keep myself honest and post a list of canvases that I have.  I like to do this in order to make stitching goals/new year's resolutions and to show myself that I do NOT need to be purchasing any more canvases.  I mentioned in my last post that I would like to do a challenge similar to Stephanie's where I completed 6 canvases and buy 2.


Henry
Ann
Katherine
Queen Elizabeth
Statue of Liberty
Liz Basset Hound
Blue Rug
Melissa Shirley cardinal
Melissa Shirley Madonna
Marie Antoinette
Louis XVI
Kelly Clark Texas basket
Kelly Clark stitching Santa
A&M Santa
George and Martha
Liz Lab
Kelly Clark present topiary
Christmas lab round- 2
Roll Tide Round
Bama Girl
Lilly Dress
Ewe and Eye Coral Lady
KS Dog Bone
Deux Amis wedding rings
Ewe and Eye Big Pumpkins
DJ Designs Blue Lab
DJ Designs Yellow Lab
Bama Candy Cane
Rebecca Wood Stocking
Stitch-its Lab Sweater
KS Washington DC ornament
Melissa Shirley Acorn
Melissa Shirley Witch
Turkey
Cooper Oaks Lab
Black and White Cow
Chrismons- 2-3
Massachusetts Scene
Ben Franklin
Santa's Favorite Dog
Prairie Schooler


I donated two of my previous canvases: the Easter Rabbit and the Counted Canvas Heart.

42 canvases total.  sooooo.... on my quest to finish 6, I have completed the Melissa Shirley squirrel cracker and the DJ Designs shih tzu.  






I am currently working on the Turkey, Cooper Oaks Lab, Bama Candy Cane, and the DJ Designs Yellow Lab.  I think I will swap one of these out with the A&M Santa for football games.  :)  Back to stitching!