HAED and other matters

So, I heard today that HAED is really hurting because of copyright infringement.  Sad.  A group of stitchers have come together and are trying to do a customer appreciation week for Sept 10-14th.  So please support them if you can.

I went and checked their website today and they are having a labor day sale.

Today I will be going to choir.  I haven't really sung in 3 years so we'll see how this goes.  I found a chorale in Gainesville that was looking for more people and they're doing Part 1 of the Messiah later this year.  And since the Messiah is one of my favorite pieces ever.  Whoo hoo!  The allergies have decimated my high range so I'll be singing Alto.

Getting closer....

First day of school tomorrow too!. MacBook is on the charger and ready to go! (the school district gave MacBooks to all the kids this year).

It was a big day for Em already as she got confirmed today as well.  And my DIL was nice enough to bake her a cake and stuff.

Only the toe to go!

Mostly not about Stitching

Next week is the start of school which means we had to go take Em to get her Macbook.  Her high school is handing them out to all the students.  It's the Macbook Air so it's really really thin.

Zoé had her first ever dental visit.  It went well and she was very good.

She was so good that her big brother took her out to have a Teacchino.  She really really liked it.

It's like a frappuchino but with tea instead of coffee.

Adèle is still not talking at 18 months.  So, we got her a nice first words picture book that she seems to be getting into.

I think she knows what a cat is.  The next step will be getting her to say it and she's not really wanting to cooperate with anything right now.

She is super cute though.

My poor finger is so bare.  I took my wedding ring in for its 6 month inspection (Kay extended warranty) and it had a loose stone so it's off somewhere getting fixed.  I keep panicking and thinking that I left it somewhere before I remind myself that it's off getting fixed.  [sigh]

And last, but not least, some stitching.  I got the personalization done and I just have to do a bit of finishing before I can move the qsnaps down to the toe and finish stitching that too.

A Prodigal Cross Stitch Returns!

So today, my best friend's Mom sent me a picture of a piece that I did for her about 5 years or so ago.  I hadn't taken a picture of it for some reason.  Here it is:

It's based on her favorite Bible verse which is why I stitched it for her.

THIS STOCKING MUST END!!!!!

I'm back to working on that blasted stocking.  This is the LAST time I ever do a CCS stocking.  I've only been working on it 2 years.  I charted the name this morning so I just have to figure out where to put it to center it after I do a little preliminary stitching.  Then I will go do the toe.

IT MUST END!!!!!!

Another finish

I finished my vinyl weave piece!

There's a tea shop that just opened up in Denton where everything is tea.  They have lots of different loose teas and they brew your cup right then and there.  They also have these teachinos which I'm going to have to try the chocolate one one of these days.  We go there quite a bit because the prices are reasonable and so I thought it might be cool to cross stitch her logo.

I uploaded the logo into KG Stitch, had to do a bunch of editing and I finished it last night.

So, I gave it to the owner today and she LOVED it!!!  Whoo hoo!  Here website is: www.amitea.org

On a mission

I'm trying to track down old cross stitch pieces that I don't have pictures of.  I know it will be a long and laborious task.  The Christmas ornaments I'm not even going to touch until Christmas is closer.  We'll see if I get any nibbles.  Wish me luck.

Vinyl Weave RAK

So, I designed my next piece for a local store owner who just opened shop.  I'm stitching it on vinyl weave which is actually very nice to work on.

Vino Rosso Completed

I got the last of the beads on today.  Almost forgot the button.  Picked up the frame for it at Goodwill for $2.07!  It was the nurse's prayer.  Now it's my cross stitch.  Hee hee.  The Goodwill near me has lots of frames at decent prices.

A Glass of Wine

Here's my progress on Vino Rosso.  The cross stitching is done.  Next up is beading.

Have been busy trying to potty train Zoé.  She's only 2 1/2 but she wears size 6 diapers so I need to get her started soon before she outgrows them.  I isolated us in the back hallway by her room so Adèle wouldn't get in the way and so I could see her at all times so if she started to go, I could rush her to the toilet.  Wasn't so successful.  Hoping for better luck today.

Vino Rosso Progress and a new Sola Scriptura Design

Here's what my Vino Rosso looks like right now:

I also finished designing my Reformation banner for Sola Scriptura

You can get the instructions for making it here:  http://solascripturaneedlework.wordpress.com/2012/08/13/new-design-reformation-banner/

I started something new

I was halfway through the Feburary teapot, when I decided I needed a break.  So, I picked up the Mill Hill Vino Rosso kit and I started it.  Here's my progress:

Here is more stuff I got at Scrap.  I really need to stay away, but my husband keeps driving me there!  Em found a nice box of erasable colored pencils for $2 so we'll see how she likes them.

My plan after Vino Rosso is to finish Kenny's stocking and then start on ornaments for the tree.

Framing and Scrap

Not a lot of stitching going on here but I did get a good haul from scrap and I have some preliminary framing.

Some Oatmeal-ish colored Aida, love it for Christmas ornaments

A Daydreams kit for $3 with everything included and I believe the glass is intact

Another Mill Hill kit

I also stretched two of my cross stitches.  Not perfectly stretched mind you because I'm not the greatest at stretching but it's passable.   My hubby spray painted the frame.  It just needs a back and it'll be on the wall.

The black frame was not going to work with the wedding sampler so I'm going to try this one.  Need to pull the staples out of the back.

I missed a bunch of blog hops

Awhile back, I did Stitching the Night Away's blog hop.  I intended to do more of them, but somehow missed a bunch of them.  So...better late than never.


Also, did you get your Chick-Fil-A today?  I did.  It was tasty and it was still crazy busy at 9:20 pm.


Prompt #2: Do you use a stand when you stitch? If so, tell us about it and share pictures if you’ve got them. If not, would you like to try using a stand? Do you have any tips or tricks around using a stand versus not using a stand?


Answer: I do own a Ks Creations Z Frame stand.  I really do like it.  It works well with the Q Snaps.  I don't use it as often as I would like because of the girls.  I use it on larger projects because they get harder to hold.  I used it fairly often on the whitework piece.


As for tips, make sure that you buy a stand that is adjustable in several places (mine has 3 places I can adjust) as this will give you optimum comfort.  There is also one screw to adjust to flip the piece around which is handy when switching colors.  Also, when doing a larger piece, use hair clips to keep the fabric out of the way.  


Prompt #3: Do you set stitching goals for yourself and how do you plan them out? (Weekly, monthly, annually?) What are your current stitching goals (if you don’t mind sharing)?

In addition to setting goals for yourself, do you have a special reward that you reserve for when you reach a stitching goal?

Answer: I generally set yearly goals.  You can find the goals for this year in the sidebar of my blog.  I don't really have a reward for finishing something.  I just am happy that I actually got the piece finished.  Right now, I have 2 of my goals completed and 2 to go.  I am fairly certain I will have at least 3 done by the end of the year.

Prompt: #4: Do you experience this same assumption from society in general that just because you’re being crafty you’re also driven by some unseen force to be in constant 1950s housewife mode? and then…. Who actually does the cooking and the cleaning in the household? I’d also really like to hear some words from the men in the crowd who stitch on this topic. What sort of societal reactions do you get and what ridiculously wrong assumptions do people make towards you when they see you working on needlework?

Answer: I used to bring my stitching to work.  For the last 3 years, I've worked in a cell phone call center.  The general reactions were "That's gorgeous," "you have way to much time on your hands," how do you have the patience for that" along with a few people that thought I was born in the wrong era.  

I never had a problem with people thinking that I was a 1950 housewife.  Until June 22, I was working full time while my husband stayed at home with the 1 and 2 year old and did the cooking and cleaning.  It's actually my husband that takes the flack for that.  We chose to do one income because if we had two, one income would pay for childcare and the other would pay everything else.  Why have someone else raise our children?  

Prompt #5:Do you find yourself stitching seasonally or do you just stitch what moves you at the moment? What’s your favorite holiday or season to stitch for?

Answer: I don't really stitch seasonally because Christmas pieces generally have to be started in summer to be finished by Christmas (ie stockings).  The exception is Christmas ornaments which I will do in November and December because they are small and can be finished quickly.  

I mostly stitch for Christmas.  I hope to expand but we don't really decorate our house for the seasons except Christmas.  

Prompt #6: Some of us have a favorite chair that we sit in to stitch, others prefer to enjoy a steaming mug of tea while they stitch. Maybe you need to get comfortable and put on your pajamas before you pick up your needle or you simply must rearrange all the sofa pillows before you sit down. Sometimes the ritual is in the clean up when we’re done and everything must go in a certain place. What sort of stitching rituals do you have when you sit down to work on your projects?

Answer: I used to have stitching rituals.  They've kinda been thrown out.  When I was in college, I would move my little lamp over to my bunk bed and use my little backrest and stitch while watching something on TV.  When I had my own apartment, it was the same thing except on a couch.  I don't eat while I stitch as that gets things messy but I might have a glass of water nearby. 

Now, I just try to get in a little stitching in between keeping the girls out of trouble and out of my needlework.

Prompt #7: What do you do with the floss, thread, beads, and other elements you have left over from full project kits?

Answer: I used to keep the pattern and the floss from the kit in a little expandable file.  Then one day I threw it all out.  I normally toss the floss as I don't do a ton of kits anymore but if there are beads left over, I will keep them.  Same with any specialty items that I might find useful.  I just finished a mill hill kit so I put the beads in my bead keeper and used my Dynmo label maker to put the number on them so if I do something else with those, I have them.

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