Merry and Bright

Hi, stitching friends!

Grab a cup of joe or hot cocoa and cozy up in a warm blanket. I have so much to show you, starting with some awesome Christmas ornaments from friends.

Arlene from Nanaland blog sent me this adorable ornament – "A right jolly old elf." Isn't it cute? (And I love that...a right jolly old elf. How can you not say that with an English accent?!) I love the way she finished it with the sugared holly and the antique buttons and the coffee/tea-dyed fabric.

Robin in Virginia sent me three lovely ornaments. Joyeux Noel is stitched on country mocha aida and is finished off with the most perfect cording and bow. I love the pattern in the tree, don't you?

The second gift from Robin is this wonderful blanket-stitched felt ornament topped with an antique wood spool. I wish threads still came on wooden spools.

And the third ornament from Robin is this cutie. Have you ever seen anything so clever? I love it!

Carol from Stitching Dreams blog sent me a wonderful surprise. She stitched this nostalgic sleighing scene over one, which honestly just rocks my world. Carol is so good at tiny stitching, and she enjoys it. (I can do it, but it kind of stresses me out, to be honest.) This stitch in blue just makes me happy, and I love that horse. Carol finished it with a wool houndstooth fabric, a lovely ribbon, a delicate snowflake charm, handmade cording and a pretty organza bow.

I hung the ornament on the tree right by the Prairie Schooler Santa that Carol made for me last year. Aren't they lovely? (Carol, you spoil me.)

Conquering My Fears

Do you have any projects that you've stitched and put away in a drawer because you just don't know how to finish them? I don't mean the ones you're not sure what to do with, but the ones that intimidate you?

Years ago (more than five years ago, for sure) I finished stitching a stocking for my husband, Shawn. It was a Dimensions kit called "Here Comes Santa." It came with a flimsy piece of felt for the stocking back. After putting in hundreds of hours of stitching, I was not going to finish it with a piece of felt. You've heard me whine before that I am not confident when it comes to sewing, so I sure didn't feel up to finishing his stocking by myself.

I thought of all the people I know who can sew, and I thought, what if I mail this to her? Would she finish it for me? What if it got lost in the mail? What if she didn't want to do it? Should I just pay somebody to do it? Every time I thought about it, I got so overwhelmed that it was just simpler to put it back in the package and think, maybe next year.

But here's what happened...

My son bought presents for his girlfriend this year and he asked me to show him how to wrap them. I offered to wrap them for him but he said, "I think I should do it myself. I want the gifts to be totally from me, including the wrapping."

That got me thinking. I wanted the stocking to be totally from me, including the finishing. I kicked myself in the behind, hopped online and found some tutorials, and thought, if I take my time and work carefully, I can do this.

Well, guess what? I did! And the stocking even has a lining.... ooooooh! And I did royally mess up. When I turned the stocking right side out, I realized that I sewed the hanger on the front of the stocking instead of the back. Doh! So I turned it inside out again, ripped out the seams that needed to be ripped out, and fixed it. I won't make that mistake again.

Several years ago we received a Christmas card that had the exact same scene on it. Isn't that funny? I saved it in the package with the stocking.

The backing fabric is sparkly and fun. It glistens with tons of silver sparkles (which seem to be impossible to photograph).

I wrapped the stocking up for Shawn as a gift to open Christmas Eve, but I couldn't wait that long. I kept asking him, "Do you want to open your present now?"

"No, I can wait. It's OK."

"Are you sure? Don't you want to open it now?"

"No, that's OK. I want it to be a surprise."

"I think you should open it now....."

I think it was wrapped all of two hours before I convinced him to open it. I was so excited for him to see it, and he absolutely loves it. I've started stitching another stocking for my son, a Dimensions kit called "Santa's List." I've had the kit for years, and now that I know I can finish a stocking, I'm anxious to do another one.

Hopping on the Bandwagon...a Little Late

Several years ago, in 2018, it seemed like everybody was stitching the Farmhouse Christmas series by Little House Needleworks. I was, too. I stitched the first block, the sheep and barn, by itself, but then thought, hmmm... I think I'd rather stitch them all together.

At first I was thinking I was going to make it into a pillow, but my measurements on my fabric were way off. The fabric, some cheap, rustic packaged thing I bought at Joanns, claimed to be 32 count, but it wasn't. When I finished stitching the border, it came to within 3/4" of the edge of the fabric! I had allotted 2" extra all around. Jean Farish, in her YouTube videos, stresses the importance of checking your fabric count by putting in a few stitches, then measuring them, before cutting the fabric (just to make sure your fabric is the size you expect). She is right.

So, plan B. Instead of making a pillow (which would require sewing and stuffing with lots and lots of fiberfill...ewww..... ugh), I decided to frame it. I wanted a barnwood frame but couldn't find one on Franken Frames, so I went with this rustic dark brown one. I love it!

Welcome Christmas

I stitched "Welcome Christmas" by The Drawn Thread on 32-count lambswool linen. I started out using the called-for colors but by the time I finished the W and half of the E in the called-for green, I decided I just didn't love them. It looked like an awful lot of green, and the ribbon and the bird seemed off, too. So I swapped them out for some Colour & Cotton threads I had on hand and chose my favorite blue and a bright, vivid red. I struggled with doubt and second-guessing my choices. Would it look good? Are these the right colors? (Do you do that when you decide to change things? Or is it just me?)

When I finished it, I fell in love. I'm glad I went with my instincts. For finishing, I chose an ornate frame from Franken Frames, an antique silver/gold. It's quite small, just about 4" tall, and it fits perfectly on top of the cabinet in our entryway with old photos of my son with Santa.

Here are some close-ups of the stitching and beading.

Those stockings were a bear! They are stitched over one (on 32-count linen). Lots of trouble, but oh, so worth it. The pattern comes with alternate stockings if you don't want to stitch them over one.

Goodbye (and Good Riddance) 2020

2020 has been a hard year, hasn't it? For me, it started at the end of December 2019 with a difficult surgery, with more surgery in May, lots and lots of radiation, physical therapy and trying to walk without a walker, crutches or cane. I sometimes waddle more than I walk, but I'm making progress.

Your friendship – your emails and cards and packages and prayers and good thoughts – have lifted my spirits. Thank you!

We have all struggled in some way or another this year, but I believe in the mantra "rough seas make good sailors." Think of the things you'll never take for granted again, think of the new skills you've learned (like Zoom!), think of how the people we've lost have touched our lives, think of how much more you will cherish the people you love. 2021 is right around the corner, and things will get better.

My mom gave me the best advice years ago, so I'll share it with you: When you have a good day, enjoy it. When you have a bad day, hunker down and wait for a good one.

Wishing you lots of good days this holiday season and in 2021!

A Good Day

Hi, stitching friends!

Photo from whalecoveinn.com

Today was a good day. Shawn and I slept in, watched some football in front of the fireplace, and had a nice breakfast (although we found out that our well-stocked vacation kitchen had no salt!).

We ventured out to Fogarty Creek Beach just up the road from our condo and walked on the beach. I took lots of pictures with my Nikon, so I’ll have to wait until we’re home to show you. (I don’t have a way of transferring them to my iPad.) I borrowed the above photo from whalecoveinn.com, and it shows one of the pretty bridges we walked on at Fogarty. It was a gorgeous day, temp in the mid 50s. We forgot our rubber boots back at the condo, so we’ll be back again with boots maybe tomorrow so we can get wet and check out the tide pools.

After Fogarty, we went to the Christmas store in Lincoln City and bought some pretty ornaments. This Jim Shore Celtic Santa is my favorite.

We stopped by Walmart to pick up a few necessities (salt!) and came “home” to have some salads and watch football. I love our week away and how we can take it easy every day. Lots of down time. The perfect vacation for us.

I brought several projects with me, but I’m currently stitching “Simply Winter” by The Drawn Thread. After this, I’ll just have the autumn one to go. I decided to stitch with two strands of thread rather than the called-for one strand because I wanted the colors to be a bit bolder.

The light in the condo isn’t good for stitching, so I’m happy I brought my portable stitching lamp from home. If you travel and have a hard time with finding good light, I highly recommend this lamp from Amazon; it disassembles and packs in a suitcase. Here is the link on Amazon.

Tomorrow we plan more beach combing and exploring if the weather continues to cooperate.

Mr. Wonderful is sleeping now, pretty typical when Sunday Night Football is on and the fire is warm and cozy. It’s been a good day.

Wishing you joy and lots of time to stitch!

Hello Summer!

Hi, stitching friends!

Oh, lord, don't even get me started on how long it has been since I wrote a post. I procrastinated for a few weeks, and then my former employer reached out to me to see if I would do some at-home typesetting for them during their busy season. I agreed, and a few weeks went by with nothing, then BAM. One day I suddenly had almost more work than I could handle. Being a workaholic at heart, I told them they could send me even more if they had it (glutton for punishment). And they did. So I am taking a break from stitching, framing and typing to finally sit down and write to you.

First, and definitely not late yet, is June Cottage, by Country Cottage Needleworks. Like the others in the series, I stitched this on 32-count lambswool linen with the called-for threads. (Except for the green... somehow I managed to forget to order that one, so I substituted DMC.) I have to say, I am anxious to finish stitching this series. It is getting a bit repetitive!

I changed the two little ladybugs on the vine and the tree. I added little antennae to them. It didn't make sense to me that the flying ladybugs would have them and the walking ones wouldn't.

I started the series last October so I have July, August and September to go. I'm almost done!

Can I be honest with you? Summer is not my favorite season. I don't like to be hot and sweaty. I love fall, with the cool days and cold nights when a pot of stew warms our bellies and makes us feel good. My husband and son have gotten to the point where spring actually makes them feel depressed! For them, it's because that's when the days of ignoring the outside are over, and it's time to water, weed and mow. My husband has the added joy (misery) of getting water systems running and cattle ready to turn out on his mom's ranch in central Idaho.

On a positive note, I do love cooking outside and camping, so I will focus on that and stop complaining.

Yesterday, I put the final touches on "Simply Summer" by The Drawn Thread. I cannot tell you how much I love, love, love this pattern. From the one-over-one ladybug to the satin-stitched bees and bee skep, this was a joy to stitch. (OK... honestly, the bees weren't all that much fun to stitch, but look how cute!!!) If you click on the picture, it should open up a larger version that better shows the details. I stitched them on 32-count Wren by Picture This Plus with the called-for threads. I just adore this fabric, from the mottling to the weight and feel of it. I'm going to try to find more of it. The bee skep is stitched with TGA's "Brandy," and I think it's one of my favorite overdyed colors.

Isn't the bee skep pretty?

Beautiful bees!

This morning, while Thomas was in his math class at summer school, I finally framed "Love" by Bent Creek. I stitched this last fall, but it has been sitting in my "to-be-finished" pile. (I know you have one of those, too!) I substituted cross stitches for the plethora of French knots in the big heart at the top (life is too short...) and used the called-for overdyed threads and buttons. I don't recall the name of the linen I used, but I'm fairly sure it's 32-count. I found this sweet frame at Michael's.

I realized recently that I should change the title of my blog from "Live to Stitch" to "Live to Sit." When I first started staying home, I was a flurry of energy, going from room to room, decluttering and cleaning. Then came the June and July from hell last year, when I got really sick, started really nasty chemo, and lost my way. It dawned on me recently that I have been sitting on the couch most of the day, which really is not a good thing. So my new goal is to start tackling my "to-be-finished" pile. When I frame, I spend a good deal of time standing, so that's a good start, I think. I'm not running marathons, but it's a lot better than sitting all day.

I stitched "To every thing there is a season" sometime last year or maybe even the year before, and it has been buried in my to-do pile ever since. The pattern came from a back issue of For the Love of Cross Stitch magazine, I think, but I don't recall the designer or the actual name of the pattern. If you know it, feel free to mention it in a comment.

My mom bought me a great selection of thrift-store frames. This frame was a pretty gold, but it was a cheap plastic and was coated in 20 years' worth of the previous owner's cigarette smoke and grease. After a good cleaning, I painted it with a couple of coats of white chalk paint. I mounted the cross stitch on foam core, attached some cording (not my best work, but *sigh*... don't get me started) and mounted that on fabric-covered Davey board. A natural-twine bow and a paper flower in the corner covered up a less-than-perfect frame corner. Do you like it? I'm thinking of giving it as a Christmas present.

My brother in Colorado has been going through some very difficult challenges lately. I worry about him a lot. For his birthday in April, I asked him if there was anything I could send him to make life a little easier. "Just something you made," he said. He is so sweet. My mom and I pitched in and sent him some gas cards so he wouldn't have to worry about that, and I have been working on a project for him ever since. Reaching back into my to-be-finished pile, I found this stitch by D. Morgan that I had done 20 years ago (holy moly!) in 1998. It came from a back issue of For the Love of Cross Stitch magazine, but I don't recall the date. It just seemed perfect for him.

I mounted it on foam core, added some handmade cording, and mounted it on a simple wood box I bought at Michael's. To finish the box, I sanded it (and sanded it and sanded it!), then painted it with gray chalk paint. Then I sanded it some more and painted one side at a time with Elmer's glue. When the glue was tacky, I painted white chalk paint over it. As the glue dried, it shrank, revealing the gray paint underneath and giving the box an aged look.

I love how this turned out! My brother has been building a tiny house, so I thought this little box would work better for him than something he'd have to find wall space for.

A couple of weekends ago, we went with our good friends Rob and Kristin to their family cabin in Crouch, Idaho. Rob loves to explore, so he piled us in his pickup and took us to Placerville, Idaho, a ghost town. I'd never been there before, so it was a great adventure! Placerville has a population of 53, but in its hay day in 1863, the population was 5,000! A fire in 1899 nearly destroyed the entire town. Several buildings were rebuilt, but 10 months later another fire burned many of those as well.

One of two volunteer-run museums in Placerville.

The coolest part of Placerville, in my opinion, was Pioneer Cemetery on a hill above town.

The cemetery is a hodgepodge of some of the most unique and beautiful headstones I've ever seen and newer headstones - as new as June 2018.

Many of the residents buried here came from Ireland and Scotland.

We saw far too many graves of children. Life in Placerville in the late Nineteenth Century must have been very hard on families.

Heartbreaking.

These crosses that were made to look like wood were stunning.

That's it for now, dear friends. I hope to post again soon and share with you some things that have gone neglected far too long!

I'm so lucky to have met you.

Oregon Coast, April and a Freebie!

Hi, stitching friends!

First, before anything else, I wanted to share with you another little pattern I designed. I know Valentine's Day was SO yesterday, but this is more of a love note to my husband and my son. It is for every day. I wanted to design and stitch something to show them that no matter what happens, I will be in their hearts. You can get the pattern here.

"Keep Me in Your Heart" stitched on 32-count country French cafe mocha linen with overdyed and DMC thread.

We're back from our Oregon Coast vacation, and I am just now starting to feel like myself again. We had a wonderful time with our friends Rob and Kristin, and we toured, ate, shopped, ate, walked on the beach, ate, and relaxed. And ate. But after just a few days of go, go, go, I was zonked!

When we left Portland and started our drive to the coast, we were hit with a huge snow storm! We left Idaho to get away from the snow! It was bad for just a couple of miles, though, but we did see someone stopped in the middle of the road putting on chains. Quite the overreaction, and definitely not safe. Rob did the driving, and he was a champ.

One of our first stops was Canon Beach. Some lovely beach photos.... but it was SO friggin' cold. We had rain every day except for a couple of hours one day. I'm glad I brought a hat, scarf and my wool coat.

Haystack Rock at Canon Beach

On the left, waaaaay out there, is the lighthouse, perched atop a lonely rock

The seagulls were feasting at low tide

On the way down Highway 101, we stopped at the Tillamook Cheese Factory for ice cream. Then, just south of Tillamook, we spotted the huge air museum (rather hard to miss, as you can see in the photo). The museum is housed inside a blimp hangar that was built in 1942. It's 15 stories tall and covers more than 7 acres inside. You could have 6 football games going on at once inside.

The Tillamook Air Museum just south of Tillamook, Oregon

The hangar is 15 stories tall. Those doors (6 total) each weigh 30 tons! The plane parked out side is a "mini guppy" cargo plane designed in the 1960s. They told us they call it the pregnant guppy. The back part of the plane opens on a hinge.

The hangar is built of wood. Lots of wood. There is enough timber here to build thousands of houses.

While the hangar typically housed 2-3 blimps at a time, it could hold up to 8. The blimps were used during World War II to patrol the coast and spot enemy submarines.

Inside the hangar today, you will find lots of cool planes...

trains...

and automobiles!

I loved the drive along Highway 101. There were so many beautiful, old barns, and the daffodils were blooming everywhere - in yards and in the forest. One of my favorite things to see were a couple of free-range chicken farms. Chickens everywhere! Cluck, cluck, cluck!

After a long day of touring, we checked into our condo in Depoe Bay. Our view was amazing! We watched the whale-tour boats go out every hour, and while we did not see any gray whales up close, we could see them spouting about a half mile out.

Our view right off the balcony in our condo

We took Rob and Kristin to see the lighthouses in Newport. The first one is the Yaquina (pronounced Yuh-quinn-uh) Bay lighthouse. It was the first one built in Newport.

Yaquina Bay Lighthouse, built in 1871 and decommissioned in 1874

The other lighthouse in Newport is Yaquina Head Lighthouse, built in 1872. It took more than 370,000 bricks to build! It is still operating today.

Yaquina Head Lighthouse, built in 1872, still operates today.

We also took Rob and Kristin over the Yaquina Bay bridge, just south of the Yaquina Bay lighthouse.

The Yaquina Bay bridge in Newport

We went for a long walk on Nye Beach, and we found something....

Poor little guy washed up on the beach during low tide! He looked so sad and helpless (and a little gross), pleading with us with those beady little eyes to help him. I think I heard him say, "Don't eat me!" I wasn't going to touch him, but Rob wasn't afraid.

As soon as Rob picked him up, he came to life (and thankfully didn't pinch Rob).

Shawn, my husband, is such a big softie, that he walked the little fella out into the waves. I kept hollering at Shawn to get back - one of these days my dear husband is going to be swept away by a wave, I just know it. But he is stubborn! He saved the little crab, at least for another day.

On our way back to Portland, we stopped in Corvallis so I could visit Friendship Crossing, a cross-stitch store recommended to me by sweet Beth, a friend I've made through this blog. The shop was heaven on earth, and the owner, Ann, was so sweet. I could have spent the entire day there. Shawn promises me that it will be a regular stop on future trips. Yay!

Since it's finally spring (hooray!), I finally got around to framing a spring piece I finished last winter, while I was dreaming of spring. It's "Simply Spring" by The Drawn Thread. I stitched it over two on the recommended fabric, with one thread, and I have to tell you, that was a weird experience for me. I'm so used to stitching over two with two threads. I wasn't sure I liked it at first, but now I do. I picked up the perfect frame on Amazon. What do you think?

"Simply Spring" by The Drawn Thread. Frame from Amazon.

The little buds on the tree are made with satin stitches.

While we were in Oregon, I spent a lot of time stitching the April cottage from Country Cottage Needleworks. When I got home, I realized that after stitching the parallelogram (math!!!) part of the roof, I had somehow turned my fabric 180 degrees and stitched the cottage upside down!

I had stitched the entire cottage and the tree before I realized my mistake (I was getting too close to the edge of the fabric - that's when I noticed). I had to take out all the stitches except for the roof and start again. That took nearly three hours (just pulling out stitches). Three loooong, hard, heartbreaking hours. I rinsed the fabric in cold water and pressed it to remove all the holes where my thread had been, and I started over.

And you know what? Several more times I made mistakes that required a lot of "unstitching." For a simple design, this thing sure threw me! That shows you how tired I was after our vacation.

April cottage by Country Cottage Needleworks, stitched on 32-count lambswool linen with called-for threads

I love that little bunny!

When I learned to cross stitch, I was taught to start in the middle. I notice that a lot of you start in a corner. Were you taught that way, or did you change at some point? If I had started in the corner, I would have saved myself a lot of work!

Happy April, stitching friends. I have another design in the works that I'm anxious to show you. It's a Christmas ornament, and I think you're going to love it. Until next time... Happy stitching!