'Tis the Season

Good morning everyone!  I hope this finds all of you feeling the approach of the holidays.  It's been a very full week for me between getting ready for a state audit at work, a trip to the movies yesterday, the arrival of a beautiful early Christmas gift, the appearance of 3 Santas....and a stitching finish! 

As a family, we tend to be very passive when it comes to seeing movies.  Sooner or later, just about any movie there's an interest in seeing tends to be forestalled until it eventually turns up on Pay-Per View or is released on DVD.  In all honesty, I do think the last time I saw a movie in a theater was one of the Harry Potter movies.  How pathetic is that?!  But having grown up in small town Illinois and being the avid history nerd that I am, I knew when Daniel Day-Lewis was first seen scoping things out in Springfield that Lincoln was one we'd have to go the extra mile for.  Jim and I took it in yesterday morning, and my head is still full of it. This summer, I listened my way through "A Team of Rivals", which is vast in scope.  Steven Spielberg's telling of Lincoln's last final accomplishment is even more compelling.

After dealing with craziness all week at work, it was so much fun to find a lovely early Christmas gift  from the amazing Faye at Carolina Stitcher waiting for me on Friday afternoon. I was so thrilled to be one of the winners of "2012 Giving Back Giveaway".  Here's what was inside the beautifully wrapped package:

• One of Faye's signature fully lined project bags in warm cranberry shades and a tiny stork scissors suspended from the zipper pull.
• A  holiday pillow, with Faye's lovely stitching and finishing details done to perfection.  Faye, I'm so in awe of your work!  When I grow up, I want to finish just like you.
• A piece of Tree of Life hand dyed linen with the tantalizing name of Almond Creme.  Now to find the perfect project for it....

Thank you, Faye!  I feel so very fortunate to receive these pieces of your creativity.

Friday really did turn out to be a big stitching day for me, because after receiving this delightful package, I settled in for an evening of stitching and accomplished a finish!  Here is Jean Rattray, in all her glory:

 

 Jean was started as a New Year's project, with the goal of having her completed by January 1, 2013.  Well, I did make good progress on her through the spring and summer but was blown off course in  September when Atocha arrived on the scene.  With the end of the year lurking on the horizon and Nicola's Scarlet Letter Challenge making me crazy to start Ann Grimshaw, finishing Jean seemed like the prudent thing to do first.

This urn and a little bit of the ground beneath it was the only thing left to be done.  Yay!  Another finish for ther 2012 books, and I can get a start on Ann whenever the first chance comes along.

As for the visit from not one, but 3 Santa's, look who turned up in my stitching closet.

These guys were also stitched during my Prairie Schooler Santa days, but since they were done over 4 threads on 18 count Davos, I finished them as stand ups.   They're probably my greatest finishing accomplishment, which no doubt says something else about my skills in that area.  Still though, they make me smile and it's fun to pull them out each year after Thanksgiving is over.  Now it feels like the holidays are really here.

Two Anns and a Jane

What fun it's been to see the choices being made for this great stitch along!  As soon as I saw Nicola's posting about it, I knew it was something I'd just have to do.  There have been several SL charts in my stash for a long time, with vague plans for doing at least one of them .....someday.....!!  But I think this is finally the push I've needed to make a commitment.

Krista, it looks as though you and I can be partners, because I have also decided that I'll be starting Ann Grimshaw just as soon as I have a few other little projects tidied up.

I also wasn't feeling the black and wanted a subtle variegated blue.  Turns out, I've been hoarding a skein of Silk n' Colors with the intriguing name of Finnegan's Fog for years, just waiting for the perfect opportunity to use it.  This is most definitely it.  Seems to me there's a big piece of vintage 40 count in the linen box with no specific purpose that ought to just suit this perfectly. 

At the risk of waaaaayyyy over-committing myself, I've also decided to at least make a start at some point on Jane Atkinson.

Yesterday's rummage through the stash boxes wasn't quite so productive for this one though.  It would break my heart to stitch it in anything other than silk. But after a quick scan of what was called for, I saw I only had 3 or the 26 shades of Au Ver A Soie on hand. Once all the silk has been acquired, I'll get going on this wild beauty too.

I'm so looking forward to reading more about each other's choices!

Thanksgiving Birds

Happy Thanksgiving to all!  I've been up since 5:00 am this morning.  Not cooking, but savoring the time and making plans. Being up so early, I was able to head out for my usual morning walk shortly after sun up. 

One thing is for certain about life in Florida, you never know when you'll have an unexpected encounter with wildlife.  It was such a thrill to be trekking along the usual path, only to be surprised by a gaggle of sand hill cranes stalking along behind me.  A speedy dash to the car, a short sprint home, quick, grab the camera! and repeat in reverse back to the park and along the walking path..  Of course, they were long gone by the time I got back, probably laughing at me all the way out.  Oh well, as my photographer husband always says, some things in life are meant to be experienced, not captured.  Today I should be thankful to have this bit of wisdom.  But mostly I'm just happy that in spite of missing the cranes, the dash to capture them forced an extra lap and a speedier pace into the usual morning walk.

And even more in keeping with the day, I found a few more unexpected birds in my stitching closet, just in time for sharing. 

I stitched these guys years ago, probably even before my Shepherd's Bush days.  Note the huge klostern this dude is worked on.  That should date him a little?

This fellow was found along with the ravaged Prairie Schooler Santas I'm trying to refurbish.  Please ignore the blob of craft glue on his tail.  Well, I've already said finishing isn't my strong suit, but even I have enough sense to know better than that now!  Maybe a good New Year's resolution for me will be to improve my skills in that area.  Either that, or just to quit trying and hand them off to a finisher.

So last off, I thought I'd share a quick update on progress with Atocha.  Here's where I am, though further changes are going to happen.

I'm having so much fun with this, but have decided that a few things have to go.  Jim pointed out that there would never be a sperm whale cruising around in the Gulf of Mexico.  Of course, he didn't mention it until after the big guy was finished.  Same thing with the little seal floating under the manatee.  So as soon as the smaller stuff on the left side is in place, I'm going to make that whale into a pair of swordfish, which  I think I can pull off by adapting the dolphin design.  As for the seal, he's going to mutate into a stingray.in the same soft brown as the ships.  When all that is the way I like it, I'm going to give it a rest before putting in the big ship in the middle.  Back in September when I started this, I promised myself  I'd go back to Jean Rattray (remember her?)with enough time to finish her before the end of the year.   The clock is ticking and poor Jean still lingers on...

Our Thanksgiving celebration happened last weekend so that Jim could have some time in Illinois with his elderly parents today.  I'm thinking of them and having fun with  Halley and the dogs this morning.  I'm grateful for all the richness in my life and the time to appreciate it.  Here's wishing that for you too!

And They Sinned, Framed At Last!

Good morning everyone!  I'm so happy and excited to share the big news - my And They Sinned is finally framed and displayed!!

My birthday was a few weekends ago.  Jim asked if there was anything special I would like as a gift and the words "I want to do some framing!" flew out of my mouth so fast I didn't have a moment to even think about anything else.  Since ATS was at the top of my finished pile, that's what we decided to take in to the frame shop.

We've had many of Jim's photographs framed at this shop before but this was the first time I'd taken any of my stitching into them.  The lady there said it was by far the biggest piece of needlework she'd ever had the opportunity to frame.  Wait til she sees my Sarah Tatum!

You can see in this detail how perfect the frame molding is for the piece. It's rustic looking, but not too weathered.  And I love how the scrolly detail on the outer edge mirrors the vine around the borders of the stitching.  The subtle gold band on the inner edge just adds a little polish, don't you think?

 

I knew we'd have to wait for two weeks while the work was being done. But when I headed off to the office yesterday morning, I had to make myself stop from getting my hopes up that there would be a call from the framer when I got back home.  Little did I know, she's actually finished it earlier in the week and had been in touch with Jim already.  So when I did get back from work, it was already home and hung in its place of honor at the end of the hallway.  What a thrill!  It was the perfect birthday gift from start to finish.

 

Anyway, thanks so much for taking a look at my long in process masterpiece,  What is it about seeing your stitching finally framed and displayed that makes you want to stitch with even more diligence?  All I know is that withe the long Thanksgiving weekend approaching, my needle will be flying!  I hope each of you has the chance to spend the day with the people and things you are most thankful for.

Repurposing Santa

Good Sunday morning to everyone and happy November!  Hard to believe, isn't it?  I was delighted and thrilled early this morning to be be awakened by the distinct, eery hooting of a great horned owl somewhere out in the oak trees of our swamp.  While I'm sure they're  there all year long, it's only during the fall and winter that we seem to hear them calling in the early mornings.  To me it's a sure sign that the seasons have changed at last.

Now, on to stitching news, something I hope I can figure out in time for the upcoming holidays.

While rumbling around in my stitching closet this summer, I came across a bag of old Prairie Schooler things I'd stitched so long ago I didn't have the slightest clue about how to turn them into finished ornaments.

The best I could come up with at the time was to simply seam them together with a piece of synthetic felt, stuff them with a little polyfill and tie on a ribbon.  What was I thinking??

This abuse wasn't limited to just Santa....

As Christmases came and went I dutifully stitched a new Santa.

But never figured out a better way to give him the finish he deserved.

As ny stitching tastes moved more to samplers and larger projects, I eventually stopped the annual Santa mauling and relegated these poor guys to the back of the closet.  There they stayed, shabby as ever, for more years than I'm willing to own up to.

But then I started following all your amazing blogs and got a glimpse of all the clever things being done with Prairie Schooler Santas.  So when I found the bag o' Santas in the stash closet this summer, I spent a very sad afternoon carefully trying to trim the cheesy felt backing off of them without ruining the stitching completely.  The raggedy edges you see on all these are the end result.  To prevent any further fraying - these guys are all on 18 count jobelan, and you know what that's like - I stablized the stitching with some iron-on interfacing.  But now I'm stymied.  What to do with them?

You can see, like in the one above, that there's next to nothing beside the edges of the stitching. Obviously, finishing has never been my forte - that's why I'm in a constant state of awe when I see how wonderfully some of you can whip your smalls into little finished gems.   

Does anyone have a thought as to refinishing these little beauties with the little- to- no borders that are left?  Suggestions, ideas, prayers......all will be welcome!
..

As always, thanks for stopping by and for steering other bloggers this way.  Maybe there's hope for these guys yet!

Sarah's Cigar Box

After a rushed week back at work, Jim and I decided to pass on a trip to the beach yesterday.  I knew as soon as we changed our plans that it was my chance to finish my Sarah Seifer cigar box project.  What a fun way to spend the afternoon!

Even if I do say so myself, I couldn't be more pleased with the final result.  Everything from the colors of the floss and linen to the pattern in the fabric and the tone of the box wood seemed to work together. 

Mounting Sarah to fit inside the box lid was a little tricky.  Besides the usual considerations for making sure she was centered and stretched over the mounting board, I also had to allow enough space between the stitching and the side of the lid for the lip on the box bottom to fit inside.

After that, I lined the sides of the box bottom and mounted the padded fabric bottom.  It did take some fiddling to make sure everything was stretched and glued without gaps, but I do think it worked out well.

I'm thinking now of stitching some matching smalls - maybe a scissors fob or case and a needle pillow - to go inside.  And the perfect place to display it is on top of my cherry wood floss cabinet in the hallway.  Anyway, it feels good to have another finish under my belt.  I do have a few more cigar boxes on hand, so maybe I'll do another one as a blog give away....hint, hint!

Hope all of you have found some time for stitching on this brilliant October Sunday.  Thanks for stopping by for a look!  

Sailing Along

Hello everyone!  At long last, we're finally getting a glimmer of cooler weather to come here in the Sunshine State.  Ruby and Molly have been enjoying it thoroughly.

As you can see, Aussies have a very thick, shaggy coat, a lot like Collies do.  It makes playing in the back yard on summer days hot. buggy and messy for all involved.  Needless to say, when the first breath of cooler, dryer air blows in during October, these girls are overjoyed and more than a little rambunctious!

October has also brought a lot of employment changes for me as well.   Thank goodness, I'm now back at work full time.  Income issues aside though, my biggest fear in returning to a real job was that I would lose all my quality time for stitching.  So far, I've managed to keep my priorities in order!.  Let me show you what I mean.  Here's progress as of this morning on Atocha....

I've loved every stitch of this so far, even those that I've pulled out more than once. 



This little ship is my favorite motif to date.  I had my doubts the sails would have enough contrast on the linen. along with reservations the reddish brown tone I chose for the ships was going to work with all the blues and greens of the sea life.  But now that the first ship is launched, I'm tickled to pieces with it.

Then there are the sea creatures ...

And this little dude was a joy!  He looks exactly like the crabs we find at the Canaveral National Shore.

Last off , there's the manatee.  How Florida is he?



You're probably wondering what those two skeins of gray floss are doing beside him.  Well, I've never been quite satisfied with that orangish brown shade I worked him in. When you spot manatee  floating along in the Gulf Stream, they're just not the shade of sweet potatoes!  So he's coming out and will be reborn in the darker, more natural gray.  There's going to be a big whale at the center bottom so I'm guessing this color change will pull it all together in the long run.


A finish on Sarah Seifer - or what will probably be all I'm willing to put in - has also been reached!  Here she is...

Sarah may still end up  inside the lid of one of my cool wooden cigar boxes, but when Jim mentioned getting her framed, I had to reconsider.  If we do this, I probably would want to finish her all the way with the border from the original design  So my dilemma is "Do I turn her into a really cool cigar box?"  or "Do I put in the time and expense of turning her into a real piece of art?"  What would you do?

Anyway, I'm in a very good place these days - things seem to be sailing along smoothly on all fronts.  Hope this finds you in calm seas too!  Thanks for stopping by...I love your comments...