I know many of you are buried under snow or freezing your buns off in your part of the world, and I'm sorry. In Boise, we have "warmish" weather (highs in the 40s, lows in the 30s) and no snow. If I could, I would send our "winter" weather your way. But since I can't, I will send you a big virtual hug and my sincere wish that you stay safe on those roads and stay warm inside, hopefully with lots of time to stitch.
This will be a pretty short post today, as I have been doing a lot of stitching but not much finishing. I started "Halloween at Hawk Run Hollow" last week, and I have the LOFTY goal of finishing it in time to be framed before Halloween. In order to do that, I'm going to need to stitch three blocks every two months. Since January is over on Thursday, I have a lot of work to do to get and stay on schedule!
Here's my progress on block one:
(Don't you just love my needleminder? It's from Mad for Minders - lots more about that Etsy shop later on. Click on their name to visit them.)
I'm stitching Halloween at Hawk Run Hollow on 32-count tea/coffee-dyed Jobelan. The called-for fabric was too expensive for my budget at the time, so I came up with a solution. I bought white Jobelan and dyed it myself. I'm quite pleased with the fabric. Even though I've already made a major mistake that would require a LOT of frogging, I'm having a ball stitching this. I'm not going to rip out my mistake and start over (I don't have time) and I'm certainly not going to tell you where I messed up. If you can't spot it, I'm not going to help you! It's supposed to be a primitive piece, anyway.
🎉🎉🎉
Happy Birthday to Me!
If you've been reading my blog for a while, you might already know that January is my favorite month. When others are dreading the long, dark, winter days, I'm looking forward to the end of January because it's my birthday! Mr. Wonderful makes it extra special by pretty much giving me free reign to buy whatever my heart desires (as long as he doesn't have to go shopping or pick something out himself, which is fine by me). So, I've picked up a few new things...
Some new patterns, including "The Shores of Hawk Run Hollow" by Carriage House Samplings (and the fabric to stitch it, which has not arrived yet), "Hurray, It's a Snow Day" by Homespun Elegance, and "Liberty Hill Farm" by Silver Creek Samplers. I've also ordered "The Houses of Hawk Run Hollow." (I am ambitious, aren't I? Either that or crazy.)
And...another pattern (not saying which one!), in a book by Blackbird Designs, that I will be stitching this summer along with RJ and Mary of Stitching Friends Forever! It will be my first SAL and I can hardly wait. But I will be busy in the meantime for sure.
I ordered a project bag from DiddlyDaddleDesigns on Etsy, a grime guard from SewMuch2Luv on Etsy, and a blog book from Blog2Print, all of which are currently in the wind.
And these...
Needle minders from one of my favorite Etsy shops, Mad For Minders! Aren't they awesome? I am a total Trekkie nerd, and I love this retro snow girl.
Who's ready for a giveaway... or TWO?!?
My birthday would not be complete if I didn't share the love with you. I've put together a couple of giveaways that I hope you'll love. There will be a few hidden surprises with each one as well as what you see in the following photos. Please choose which giveaway you'd like to enter and let me know in your comment by using the phrase I give you. You must be a sidebar follower to win. I'll do the drawings on Friday, February 8.
Giveaway #1: Bless Our Home
The first giveaway includes Country Cottage Needleworks' "Bless Our Home," a cut of 36-count vintage country mocha Edinburgh, and a sweet Betsy Ross needleminder from Mad for Minders. (There will be a few extra hidden surprises as well!) If you would like to enter to win this giveaway, please say "I would like to stitch Bless Our Home" in your comment.
Giveaway #2: Snow
The second giveaway includes an out-of-print chart by Bent Creek called "Snow," a cut of 40-count vintage country mocha Newcastle, and this sweet, vintage Santa needleminder from Mad for Minders. (There will also be a few extra hidden surprises included in this giveaway.) If you would like to enter this giveaway, please say "I would like to stitch the Snow" in your comment.
Again, I will do the drawing and announce the winners on Friday, February 8. You must be a sidebar follower (and hopefully an email follower as well!) to win.
Good luck!
I hope 2019 brings you time with friends and family and lots of stitching time (and NO frogging!). Until next week, be well, dear friends. Thanks for stopping by.
