Smalls SAL 2015 – October Check-In

Posted on October 28, 2015 by Heather

Happy Smalls SAL check-in day! I hope you’ve all found time to stitch up a little small for this month. If not, don’t worry! There is always next month, or even next year.

2015SmallsSALYep, the Smalls SAL will be back for 2016! Yay! I had a lot of really nice emails telling me how much the SAL was appreciated for all the encouragement and motivation it provides. And, to be honest, that makes me feel great. I started the SAL as a way to make sure I had at least one little finish every month, and I am so glad other people find it helpful too. I’ll post info and sign-ups by the end of November or beginning of December.

Now, this month I did have a bit of a hard time getting a piece finished. (You may have noticed that I posted the check-in a little later than normal.) I actually finished up the stitching at the beginning of the month knowing that Thanksgiving and the Creativ Festival would cut into my stitching time. But, I didn’t actually get around to doing the finishing until last night. And then I had to wait for some glue to dry. Oops!

Miss Witchy Mouse, designed by Just Nan

Miss Witchy Mouse, designed by Just Nan

Here she is, though, and well worth the wait. The design is Miss Witchy Mouse from Just Nan. She is stitched on some random natural colour linen, which is a little lighter than the fabric called for in the pattern. I used the threads called for and followed the finishing directions included in the pattern. Miss Witchy turned out so cute!

So, what did you stitch this month? Please use the form near the bottom of the post to link to your finished small. (It will remain open to new entries until about midnight Eastern time on November 5th.) And, if you have some time, please visit some of the other participants.

November Check-In: Next month’s check-in will take place on November 25th. I believe that is the day before American Thanksgiving. But, don’t panic! The list will remain open to new entries for a week, just like normal. Enjoy your turkey, take a break, and post when you can..

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11 Comments | Posted in Cross Stitch | Tagged , , , ,

Halloween Tree

Posted on October 27, 2015 by Heather

I love Halloween, but my husband doesn’t really. So, out of respect for him, I don’t decorate as early or as much as I would like. I actually didn’t get out the Halloween decorations until yesterday. And, I think I was pretty restrained.

My Halloween Tree

My Halloween Tree

This sparkly tree stands on our dinning room table. It holds all the ornaments I’ve stitched over the past couple of year, along with a couple of store-bought ornaments. I’m on the fence as to whether I need to make some more. Maybe that will be my Smalls theme for next year…

Speaking of smalls, tomorrow is Smalls SAL check-in day. I am so looking forward to seeing what you have stitched! The check-in post will be up early my time tomorrow morning and will stay open for new entries for a week. If you would like a reminder email, you can sign up here.

8 Comments | Posted in Cross Stitch | Tagged ,

Stitch From Stash – October 2015

Posted on October 24, 2015 by Heather

Oh, stitchy friends, it was not a good month. I went way over budget…

Stitch from Stash 2015 BMonth: October 2015
Spent: $80
Earned: $15

Let’s see. I bought Lizzie*Kate’s Halloweenie, the fibre package for X’s and Oh’s Spooky House, a scissor fob kit from Gingerbread Girl, a very expensive pattern from Gingerbread Girl, in addition to a few other things I can’t remember. That puts my total for the month at just under $80.

Santa's Journey Stocking, designed by Dimensions

Santa’s Journey Stocking, designed by Dimensions

I am so far off the monthly budget, and  I’m more than a little disappointed in myself. Even with my carry-over from past months, I’m over budget. So, for this one month, I’m going to claim some earned credit from finishing up Santa’s Journey Stocking.  It is about 230h x 180w, but it isn’t fully covered and there are some half stitches. So, based on Mel’s chart, I believe it earns me about $15 in credit. Which is enough to keep me going! Yay!

I do feel a little bad finally claiming credit when I haven’t done it all year. But, in the past Stitch from Stash, October was my free month because of the Creativ Festival, etc. I always overspend this month, and I would have saved this as my free month if that had been an option again. So, claiming credit is a way of sort of doing that. Thank goodness!

Now, hopefully November and December will pass with nothing new to tempt me. I have so many great projects to work on. What’s that? Just Nan just released another Gingerbread Mouse? Oh no…

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Buttonhole Conquered!

Posted on October 23, 2015 by Heather

I did it! I got all the way around (perfectly lined up), and finally, once and for all, have  the darn buttonhole stitch figured out. I added new thread the proper way, picked out stitches, and even made the end match up to the beginning so you can’t tell where I started. It is perfect, and I will never forget how to do it again… I hope.

Hardanger Pin Cushion, designed by Kim Beamish (WIP, front)

Hardanger Pin Cushion, designed by Kim Beamish (WIP, front)

I’ve moved on to finishing up the outer border with kloster blocks and algerian eyelets. I think it is looking pretty nice. Okay, I think it looks great. 😉 I’m overly proud of myself.

Hardanger Pin Cushion, designed by Kim Beamish (WIP, back)

Hardanger Pin Cushion, designed by Kim Beamish (WIP, back)

I know that the buttonhole stitch isn’t hard. I’ve done it before, lots of time. But for some reason, I just couldn’t get it to go right for this project. Sometimes it is the simple things that stump you. And, it can feel so good to finally figure them out.

Buttonhole stitches, klosters, and eyelets

Buttonhole stitches, klosters, and eyelets

Once I’m finished this project, I really should get to work on the next stocking, but I think I will work on a few other buttonhole stitch patterns.

Smalls SAL – October’s check-in is coming up very soon. The check-in post will be up this coming Wednesday, the 28th. And, information about the 2016 SAL will be posted in early November.

7 Comments | Posted in Hardanger | Tagged , ,

Creativ Festival Fall 2015 – Day 5

Posted on October 19, 2015 by Heather

I’m sorry that I’m so late in posting my day five recap. I got home around dinner time on Saturday, put in a load of laundry and collapsed. Sunday was spent getting caught up on housework and also a jaunt out to do some pumpkin picking.

A little pumpkin for a little man.

A little pumpkin for a little man.

It was very, very cold on Sunday. We even saw a few snowflakes. While I really do love snow, the middle of October is just a little bit too early.

Back to day 5 of the Creativ Festival… I spent the entire learning from the wonderful Kim Beamish. If you read Cross-Stitch and Needlework magazine, her name may be familiar. She was the featured designer and cover project designer for the fall issue.

Look: it is the start of a tatting project!

Look: it is the start of a tatting project!

The first class of the day was needle tatting. Now, I have tried to learn tatting, both needle and shuttle, at least four different times over the past 20-ish year. I have never been able to get it. But with Kim teaching, and a few small hints from the lady next to me (who took an even more basic needle tatting class the day before), I picked it up in a matter of minutes. I’m not kidding. Kim worked some sort of magic in that class, and ever single one of us were tatting away very successfully by the end of the class. It was amazing.

The &$%^ buttonhole border started

The &$%^ buttonhole border started

Unfortunately, some of that magic dissipated in the next class, Hardanger Pin Cushion. Kim provided great instructions, and the design was lovely. But, at the end of five long days, we all struggled doing buttonhole stitch on white fabric with white perle cotton. I’m a little embarrassed that I found it so hard. To be honest, I don’t really like button hole stitch, but it is personal now and I’m going to finish the darn thing (and a couple other projects that I’ve been putting off because of the stupid buttonhole stitch) and take it next year to show Kim that I’m not a dunce. 😉

And with that, yet another Creativ Festival is over. This year wasn’t perfect: dearly missed teachers, fewer vendors (partly due to the new, and one time only, location), getting caught in the rain without an umbrella, etc. However, it is always great to see friends that I only see for those few days every year, and I feel so inspired and in some ways totally re-energized.  I can’t wait to dive back into all my projects and get started on some new ideas.

4 Comments | Posted in Hardanger, Tatting | Tagged , , ,

Creativ Festival Fall 2015 – Day 4

Posted on October 16, 2015 by Heather

Today was day four of classes for the Creativ Festival, and the second day that the shopping floor was open. I started the day with a regular cross stitch class with Maria Gollek of MarNac Designs.

Christmas Owl Ornament, designed by Maria Gollek of MarNac Designs

Christmas Owl Ornament, designed by Maria Gollek of MarNac Designs

Right now he doesn’t look like much (I made a mistake and was too tired to correct it and move on), but eventually it will be a cute little owl with a scarf and sparkly hat.

Heirloom Needlecase, designed by Erla Wilson

Heirloom Needlecase, designed by Erla Wilson

My second class was with Erla Wilson. She taught a lovely little hand embroidered needlecase. It is a bit freeform, and hopefully I will have the courage to be creative with it. I did take several pictures of her model as inspiration. The best thing I got out of this particular class was sure knowledge of how to do blanket stitches. Hopefully I will never have trouble with them again.

I may have bought some yarn...

I may have bought some yarn…

Once my classes were done, I finally had a chance to go shopping. Sadly, a few vendors that I really wanted to visit were absent this year. But I still managed to find a few things to buy. 😉

I hate to say it, but I am glad that the Creativ Festival is starting to wind down. I’ve had a great time, but I am missing my own bed. Still, I am looking forward to tomorrow. I’ll be taking classes on needle tatting and hardanger.

Also, tomorrow should be the last day of terrible cell phone pictures. Yay!

3 Comments | Posted in Cross Stitch, Hand Embroidery | Tagged , , , ,

Creativ Festival Fall 2015 – Day 3

Posted on October 15, 2015 by Heather

I’ve survived another day, but just barely. I had a full day of classes, from 9am all the way to 8pm, with just two one hour breaks. And there is still two more days to go. *dies*

Broomstick Lace Sampler

Broomstick Lace Sample

My first class of the day was broomstick lace with Marsha Lipsius. It was a little bit difficult to manage my crochet hook and a “broomstick” (a US50 knitting needle) at the same time, but eventually I got the hang of it. I managed to almost complete the sample piece, which is a smaller version of an afghan pattern we were given. Mine is a little wonky, but I definitely understand the technique.

Keepsake Case Pieces

Keepsake Case Pieces

My second class as the Matryoshka Keepsake Case with Michelle Cheong. (You can see a picture of the finished project here. It was featured in the Summer 2014 edition of A Needle Pulling Thread magazine.) We learned how to put it together, and practiced some needle-turn applique. I’ll be taking time to do the face and the rest of the front of the piece properly at home, with proper lighting. 😉

Lilies Biscornu, designed by Kathryn Drummond

Lilies Biscornu, designed by Kathryn Drummond

I finished out the day with Kathryn Drummond again, this time for the Lilies Biscornu. I managed to make a fair amount of progress, and I really love how it is turning. And, to make it even nicer, my nail polish exactly matched the linen I was stitching on. It was meant to be!

Tomorrow I have just two classes, both needlework. Keep checking my Twitter feed for pictures throughout the day. I’m also planning on heading up to the show floor to go shopping. Yay!

6 Comments | Posted in Crafts, Crochet, Cross Stitch | Tagged , , , ,