Thursday, March 31, 2011

A finish, a WIP, and some floss tosses.....

I had the bright idea after hearing and reading about crocheted washcloths and dishcloths to make one. I can crochet, learned to knit SIMPLE...key word being simple...things while living in Germany but here I am going to show you my new mauve crocheted washcloth. I researched the web and found this simple washcloth pattern that can be used to make dishcloths. I mean....how hard can it be to do a single crochet and then edge it with a contrasting color. Here is my first one I've done but it won't be my last as it is soooo easy to make and wonderful to do while talking on the phone.


This was sooo much fun I think I will make some more but use them for dishcloths. Who knows.....I might make it even wider and make a dish towel to match!







The next picture is one of some HDF Cotton Candy premium mini spools I had purchased. I love pink so you can see why I bought these! No....I don't know what I will use them for but I'm sure I will find something to stitch them in.


Next is a FLOSS TOSS for my LK One Hundred Years chart. I will be using a 32ct Country French linen (can't remember the color) and HDF draped across the fabric. I won't be starting this now but hopefully soon.....when I'm needing a "new start fix"!




After going to the Lenten Luncheon at the chapel on base yesterday, I was inspired to come home and dig out a WIP that I had started back in Germany for my husbands office. This is MBT FAITH being stitched in HDF Gilded Cage on a 30ct Americana Red Tissage Gander fabric. He picked the colors out of my stash so now.....I just need to get it finished so he can have another xstitched piece on his wall at work. Sorry about the wrinkled fabric. I was in a hurry this a.m. to get the pics taken while I had good light outside.




And last but not least is my iStitch Sew le coeur de Paris to be stitched on Sassy's Fabrics 32ct Mocha Java belfast in the colors suggested on the chart with one exception that I want a red heart instead of pink but this won't be the last one I stitch. I might give this one away. Who knows?

That's it for today. I REALLY SHOULD HAVE BEEN in my sewing room cutting out those dresses which is where I will go now.

Have a wonderful day and thanks for reading my blog today!

Daniel's Hand Stitches....WARNING PIC included....

Ok......this is for that best friend of mine who is a nurse and wanted to see Daniel's hand stitches when he was stabbed with that brown colored pencil. Warning....if you are squeemish.....just IGNORE THIS POST and I'll post some fun stitching things in the next one. My poor baby!!!

But all I've heard from other people is "That's a boy for you." Wellllllll......it's still horrible what that kid did and the school nurse went around to talk with ALL the 5grade kids to explain WHY they don't do things like this. Granted the child did say he was sorry to Daniel and Daniel forgave him but it doesn't change the fact that this had happened.





Now after examining his hand even more, I see that we are going to have to really start putting the lotion on his hand because it was looking so dry this morning. Another reason is that we live in AZ and it's dry and HOT here which it not good for the skin.

That's enough about this subject so let's get on to other fun things to post about.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Stitching goodies arrived!!!

Oh what FUN it is to get a package in the mail. Am I the only one who really does stalk the mailbox??? No...not really if you are a xstitcher of any sort because we know that sometimes we have to order our supplies through the mail for our hobby.

On Monday, I received this wonderful little Floss Tag in the mail from a message board that I belong to. We were to xstitch a freebie chart and mail it to our partner. Shirl stitched me this wonderful Floss Tag over one thread. She also included a personal packet of Jelly Belly Jelly Beans with the floss tag and an adorable Frog Scissor Fob that I just now realized I had forgotten to take with the picture. I'll have to show that later on. I'm sorry Shirl for forgetting to show the fob and jelly beans with the floss tag.


Today was another exciting mail day!! From the same message board, I received my Easter Basket Exchange from Rae!!! She filled it with lots of stitching goodies and of course.....some chocolate!!! In my basket I got a package of floss bags (one can never have too many), some fabric, mother of pearl heart floss rings, a pink bead caddy (pink is my favorite color), a pair of ladybug scissors, a pink stitchers caddy to hold your counting pins, scisssors, and other goodies; a Whitman tin with a retractable pink tape measure, an egg sticky notepad, some xstitch charts and 2 skeins of threads. All this was in a PINK container that served it's purpose of being my "Easter Basket"! Which will be used later on for storage in my sewing room. Hopefully you can see these things in the picture.

I now have to start a NEW PROJECT to be able to use my new Mother of Pearl heart thread rings!!! Aren't they just the cutest thing? You can see them on the left hand side of the picture?? I have the perfect chart in mind. A With My Needle needlebook.


I feel soooo SPOILED!!! I love all my gifts I get in the mail. Now.....off to find that needlebook chart and see if I can get started on it.

Tomorrow I will be in my sewing room all day cutting out matching Easter dresses for my daughter and me! I've had the fabric and pattern for a while now but just motivated enough to get busy on them. Now I am and I want them done by at least this time next week. I'll keep you posted on how I'm doing on them.

Have a great day today!

Monday, March 28, 2011

A class at Attic Needlework

Guess what??? I was able to go last Saturday to Attic Needlework to take a silk gauze class. Yes, I knew how to stitch on silk gauze but I self taught myself. I just wanted to make sure I was doing it correctly. And I WAS!!!

I had sewn the silk gauze to a piece of muslin and then cut out the center for the design......LONG TIME AGO! But this time at the class at Attic Needlework, I bought a new chart, silk gauze mounted to mat board and three Belle Soie silks for Erica Michaels Random Threads chart. I also bought a Stitch Fixer because it was an wonderful tool to help remove threads! I soooooo much prefer stitcing on gauze when it is mounted to mat board so those 2 UFO silk gauze projects in my UFO bag will be now mounted to mat board in HOPES of them being finished.

I really enjoyed the class taught by Jean and she had a friend,Rhonda, who brought about 12-15 minature pieces that she had made. OH MY STARS!!! It was amazing. And wouldn't you know it.....I left my camera at home. Darn it! I am going to have to pack it in my purse when I know I'm going there and not thinking...."Oh I'll put it in my purse in the a.m." Well yes...I forgot it ...again.

But I loved the class and had a great time just browsing the shop afterwards. I bought the class supplies and that was it! I came on home and had great intentions of continuing on stitching but ended up taking a nap because I was really tired. I will try to show you pics of what I have done in the next couple of days from the class.

Until then.....KEEP STITCHING!

Monday? Again?

WOW! Where has the time gone? This time last week we had to take my son to outpatient daysurgery because he had been stabbed in his left hand on March 10 with a brown colored pencil by another boy in this classroom that he had asked to STOP kicking his chair. Now this is while his dad is gone TDY (temporary duty) to SC. Do these things always happen while dads are gone and we moms have to take care of these things??? OF COURSE!!! It always does!

The other boy kicked the colored pencil which ended up stabbing into Daniel's hand. Daniel went to the nurse but she was not there so he went to the front office and all they had him do is wash his hand several times and put a bandaid on it and sent him back to class. NO PHONE CALL by the front office nor his teacher and I was NOT A HAPPY MAMA when I picked him up that day.

Needless to say, the front office said they didn't think the lead was in there. I tried to get it out as I thought it was but then again....I'm no doctor ..... just a very concerned mom. I wanted to take him to the ER but some people didn't think it was necessary. If this ever happens again, I'm listening to my "mom instict" and forget what other people think. By the following Wednesday, March 16, I took him to his pedatrician and she referred us to a hand surgeon because Xrays showed the lead to be deep in the palm of his hand. So we went on Thursday March 17 to the hand surgeon who scheduled day surgery to be done on it on March 21. So we went to have his colored pencil lead taken out on Mar 21 but they also removed a very loose tooth as anathesiologist didn't want it to go down his throat or into his lungs. Thankfully, Daniel came through the surgery with flying colors, woke up easily, had some pain of course and we filled his medicine which was Tylenol with Codeine. Do you know that that didn't even make him sleepy!!?? We were shocked. But he did have 5 stitches in the palm of his hand and we went back this past Thurs to see the hand surgeon again. The dr said it looked very good but to come back in 2 weeks and he would take the stitches out.

So poor Daniel's baseball practice and games have been put on hold for now so hopefully he can get back into the groove here soon. I would show you pictures of his stitches but it might gross some people out and others, like my best friend who is a nurse, LOVES those gross things. We'll see if he is willing to let me take a pic to show you.

I got some stitching done during that week of spring break when the kids were off but I also did a lot of resting too! That was nice. Now that the kids have gone back to school last week, I tried to get back into my regular routine but with a hand surgery on Monday I still kept him home on Tuesday to make sure he was going to do ok. Yes....very overprotective mom I am. Now I'm just trying to get back into the stitching routine so I can have some things to show.

I have more to write....in another post.

Friday, March 18, 2011

Picture Time.....

I know you all have been waiting and waiting and I keep saying I'm going to post pics but life gets in the way sometimes. Sooooooo....here they are.

Our house because some of you keep asking for pics of it.



Now to share some pics of a gift from a friend to my daughter. Carol, of iStitch, http://istitchaholic.blogspot.com/, made this wonderful fob for Grace's scissors and made it in Grace's favorite color! As you can see, Grace was THRILLED with the fob! Poor thing had naked scissors for the longest time and we can't have naked scissors! haha


Here is an iStitch chart WIP that I'm working on when going to different appointments and having to wait. This is iStitch Sew French Blue chart being stitched in Hand Dyed Fibers Ocean Breeze which you can see in the following picture.


Now some new finishs and WIP. Here are 2 SB finishes from the Nashville Market that I just HAD to do immediately. In fact, the SB Keep Love was finished the night I got the little kit. I know it is in the black round box but I've ordered another white round box as I like it framed in it better. This black round box will go with the SB Take Joy WIP that you see in the first picture but I hope to finish it up today.


That is all for now. Today is the last day of my kids Spring Break so we will definitely be making the best of today. Then there is an airshow at Luke AFB here this weekend but we will only be going on Sunday for the show. It is open to the public so it will definitely be crowded but a lot of fun!

Thank you for taking the time to read and look at the fun things I've been able to do.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

PAJAMA DAY!!!

Yep.....just like the title....Today has been pajama day. I was trying to be creative in what to do this week during our spring break. So I came up with PAJAMA DAY! No.....I won't share pics of all of us. It has been a very lazy day here none the less and I think everyone should take at LEAST one day off to just lay around and do nothing.

I have been stitching on a very special piece. I think I've mentioned it before on here but I definitely can't show you pics of it yet because I never know when that person may have a look on my blog and the surprise would be spoiled!

Tomorrow....I'm GOING to make myself post some pictures. I know I know. I've said that before but that is on my agenda of TO DO tomorrow. Do you do that? Make a TO DO list? I do most days so I will know what I need to get done.

I did finish the xstitching on SB Snow Fall needleroll but I still need to pull the threads for the ribbon row and the hemstitching roll. I need to do those 2 items on 3 other SB needlerolls so maybe I'll just have a SB finishing day! That would be great then I'd have 4 new needlerolls to display in my house!

Now.....back to my regular stitching time this evening....

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

BUSY day today....

Wow....once I got the kids off to school this morning, I was off to do my errands but I realized I had forgotten my cell phone when I left the house. HOW DID THAT HAPPEN I don't know (must have been the headache I woke up with this a.m.) But it did so that meant I couldn't shop leisurely at Michaels. I got the yarn I was wanting to make more crocheted washcloths and then ran on to Walmart to finish my other errands of a few things there. I'll try to post a pic of the washclothes soon. They were fun to make.....a no brainer project when watching TV late at night.

I came home and started cleaning/organizing in my sewing room that I've been meaning to do but just haven't felt up to doing it since moving in. I had so much energy this morning that I almost forgot to eat lunch. I got rid of things that I didn't want anymore like a bunch of cross stitch charts that are going to be donated away because my tastes have changed now. I threw away TONS....T-O-N-S.....of freebie charts that I had collected from xstitch shops or printed off long ago or over the years. Well...I really just recycled them but I couldn't believe.

I also UNKITTED A TON of things, sorted through my old UFOs (unfinished objects) and prioritized them to getting done. Most are either 1/2 done or 3/4 done but WE ALL KNOW what it's like when that next NEW XSTITCH CHART comes along that takes up our fancy and we just have to start that. That is what has happened in the past. I've gotten better in my older age of trying to finish them as I start them. Then again....I tend to have at least 3 going at all times especially when I'm working on a HUGE project.

One great thing though of all the things that I unkitted was that now I have all these pieces of fabric that has a little bit stitched on but I will not waste them at all. There was only one piece of fabric that I could not salvage and I just threw it away.

I hope to finish cleaning and organizing more tomorrow and then maybe....just maybe I can take a picture of my sewing room. I just don't like the bright red wall that is in there but I can't paint it because our house is a rental and the homeowner doesn't want it repainted. Oh well...so goes life.

I hope you have had a great and productive day today!

Monday, March 7, 2011

More Stitching time.....

Yeah!!! I can say that I did finish up SB Keep Love the day that I got it!!! It was one of four my new market purchases from Needlecraft Corner that I used my xmas gift certificate on. I've got SB Here's Hope ready to start but I did have to get 2 small gifts stitched up for 2 different exchanges coming up. I will post pictures of my stitching here hopefully in the next couple of days.

I hadn't realized it had been so long since my last post so I HOPE to not let that happen again. Also....to post more pictures too.