Merry Christmas!!

Just popping in to wish you a very Merry Christmas from my goofy family to yours!!!!

It's been too long...

Hello all, it's been quite a while since my last post and soooo much has happened.  In a nutshell, new home, new town, new schools for the kids, new jobs, new friends, new adventures.  Everything in my world has been whirling along nicely. 
I haven't accomplished much stitching as of late, but I have been playing in my vast collection of yummy yarns.  Cool weather signals the knitting bug in me and the pic here shows Di modelling a few of my latest knitty finishes.  I've got a couple of scarves in the works and am going to try my hand at socks soon.  Since I am a leftie, the double pointed needles scare me.  I am motivated my all the gorgeaous knitty things that I have seen on my favorite blogs lately, and I am determined to advance my knitting skills.

On the home frint, I have tons of baking to get to before the holidays and between my two kids, there are five concerts to attend.  We have Christmas parties to attend and lots of new friends to make.  It's a mad, mad world and I love it! 
Even though I haven't been blogging myself, I've enjoyed following my fellow bloggers adventures.  Thanks for the inspiration!

Miss Mary Mac's French Red Pincushion

I just finished a new design!  This one is Miss Mary Mac's French Red Pincushion.  It's stitched on 40 count Confederate Gray Linen from Weeks Dye Works with Weeks Hand Dyed Threads.  I love the way it came out.  When I was pulling threads I had a very clear picture of what I wanted the design to feel like stitched, and I achieved my goal.  There are a few simple specialty stitches throughout the design, which look really nice on the 40 count linen.  I filled it with crushed walnut shells so it has that wonderful floppy feel and it will join my other long pincushions in their little display basket.  I listed the chart at my Etsy shop if you are interested in stitching it.  Smalls are addictive, not a lot of time spent and a really pretty result.  I do have a large sampler that I have been ignoring that I will have to get back to, but not until the school year is completed.  I hope that everyone is enjoying some Spring weather, after the ugliness of last week, some sunshine is welcome!  Take care and thanks for stopping by. 

Miss Mary Mac's Sew & Sew Sewing Roll

It's a rainy day here in TN, thunderstorms all night.  The echoing thunder kept me awake most of the night.  I love a good storm, as long as there are no tornado warnings.  It has gotten a little brighter outside, and I did manage to get pictures of the newest sewing roll and here it is.  Miss Mary Mac's Sew & Sew Sewing Roll, stitched on 40 ct. Examplar from Lakeside Linens with Crescent Colours, Weeks and DMC.  I have the pattern listed at my Etsy shop.
I tea dyed the backing fabric and I love how it changed the look of the fabric completely.  Now it's all I can do not to dump all of my bright bits of cotton prints into the tea bath to see how they come out. 
The Miss Mary Mac series is a group of prim designs that aren't too primitive.  You can certainly make your pieces more prim by giving them the coffee grounds treatment or a nice tea bath.  Or, as my son suggested, leave them on the driveway on a rainy day.  :)  Today would be just perfect.  Thanks for stopping by, enjoy your day!      

Miss Mary Mac's Sew & Sew Pincushion

I just finished something for Spring.  It has bunnies so my timing is pefect.  This is the second design in the Miss Mary Mac series, my prim without being too prim series.  It's called Miss Mary Mac's Sew & Sew Pincushion.  It's a long pincushion stitched on 40 count Examplar Linen with Cresecent Colours, Weeks and DMC floss.  There are lots of Cornflower blue Smyrna Stitches and some sweet lazy daisy stitches.  I am almost finished with the matching sewing roll, which I'll post as soon as it's ready.  I just listed the charts in my Etsy shop.  Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful afternoon! 

A new chart

 You may remember my bluebird ornament from the JCS 2008 ornie magazine.  Well, I have finally released it as a chart.  The chartpack contains two versions of the design, a patchwork bird, aptly named Patchwork Red Bird and the original Bluebird of Christmas Happiness.  I've listed them in my Etsy shop if you are interested or you can email me.  Have a great week!! 

And now for something completely different....

It's a very grey and stormy day here in TN, they are predicting hail and possible tornadoes for this evening so I thought that I would post my brightest finish of late.  She is a lovely mermaid designed by Sandra Silberzweig, a Canadian folk artist.  When Di and I were shopping in Chattanooga a few weeks ago, we found a really neat bookstore with lots of folk art paintings displayed.  I couldn't stop thinking about the bright colors and fun style.  Then, while doodling around on Ebay, I found a seller that sells printed canvases based on works by various artists.  I went a little stash crazy and ordered several.  Printed canvases are a little harder to stitch than those that are stitch painted, colors print on top of one another sometimes, muddying the shades, so you have to think a bit more about your color choices.  However, they are a great deal less expensive than stitch painted canvases and I don't mind the extra color work.  Here is the entire design, it's 9" by 12", stitched on 18 count canvas, using mainly Rainbow Gallery Manderin Floss (a super soft bamboo fiber) mixed in with a bit of Kreinik Braids and black Rainbow Gallery Petite Very Velvet.  Soooo different, but so much fun to stitch!     

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I spend a lot of time stitching while waiting for my kids at their various activities and this piece received so much attention from others while I was working on it.  The teen girls at dance classes loved it, even some of the fathers commented on it.  The kids at orchestra thought it was neat as well.  I've had several young girls ask me where I get the "stuff" to make the things that I make, and I've painted up a couple of easy canvases and kitted them up for two young stitchers.  We had a mini class and they are both about halfway finished with their first pieces.  I'll get pics and post them when they are finished.  I do receive the occassional "Why would you spend time doing that?" comment and I've learned it's best to just smile pleasantly and keep stitching.  Taking the time to explain my love of the process just makes their eyes glaze over.  :)

Bottom line, for me, stitching is fun!  and this piece is a perfect example of my idea of stitching fun.

Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate your visits and your comments.  Enjoy your day and have some fun! 

A few finishes

A lovely weekend here, a little rainy and cold so I pulled out the sewing machine to do a little finishing.  First is my favorite, a needlepoint pincushion.  This is a Carriage House Samplings Cross Stitch design that I stitched on 18 count canvas (I changed a few colors).  I edged it with cording that I made using the thinnest hand dyed chenille from The Victorian Motto Samplar Shoppe.  Nancy sells handdyed threads, chenille trims, rick rack, vintage seam binding and even handdyed buttons as well as her own victorian inspired designs.  I filled the pincushion with crushed walnut shells and it will sit by my stitching chair.

Next, a little pillow with a Christmas design from Sheepish Designs.  I've had the design stitched for years and finally got around to finishing it.  I've seen quite a few Sheepish Designs on blogs lately and have a huge stash of charts so I am inspired to get stitching.   

This design is a freebie from My Aunt's Attic.  I stitched it using a lovely overdyed floss from Nina.  I ordered some of her beautiful threads when she first offered them and the color combos are so exquisite that I can't bring myself to stitch with them.  Silly, I know but that's the way it is.  I finished it with a piece of Blackbird Designs fabric and used a bit of antique lace trim to complement the design.

That's it for finishing.  I've barely made a dent in the to do pile, but I have been checking out all of the lovely finishing on the many stitching blogs that I follow and am going to try a few new things.  I'll keep you posted of my progress.  Until then, thanks for stopping by and happy stitching!!  

Spring is here!

It's a beautiful Spring day here in TN and Spring cleaning is in full swing around the Turley household.  My Spring cleaning motto is "Less is more" and I have been repeating it over and over as I sort through cupboards and closets.  I have even ventured into my stitching stash and will be posting lots of things on my ebay and etsy pages over the next several days.  

Colt and Di had their first Trap Shooting tournament of the year on Saturday.  Dale managed a good pic of Di, above (so not looking like my girly girl with her jean mini, black leggings and combat boots) but the camera wouldn't cooperate for a Colt pic so I snatched a recent one from his facebook.  Beautiful weather and everyone had a good time. 

On the stitching front, I finished the barn canvas by Workbasket.  It was a really fun stitch, I went very nontraditional with the background, using a lovely varigated silk, which gives it a patchwork feel.  I plan to finish it as a pillow. 

Then, I started on this lovely rose.  Hard to tell from the pic, but the entire rose is stitched, just the background and the leaves to do.  There is a tiny row of metallic gold to be stitched between the blue and the tan of the background, which should make the golds in the rose pop a bit.  This one will be one of a pair for my mom who loves roses and dislikes anything too fussy.  

In sorting through my stash, I've come across a few things that must get some stitching time, so, I feel a serious case of startitus coming on.  New project pics coming soon.

Hope that you are enjoying the sunshine where you are, thanks for stopping by! 

Something new...

I don't know if you've seen the latest Just Crossstitch Magazine, but I have a couple of new designs featured in it.  Spring Garden and Bloom Pincushion are bright, happy designs, perfect if you are itching to stitch for Spring.  There are several nice designs in this issue and I always feel like I am getting a bargain when the magazine I purchase is filled with "must stitch" designs.

In other stitching news, I have been on a needlepoint bender again, I have an almost finish and a couple of new starts which I'll take pics of as soon as I am home long enough to pick up a camera.  We have been running like crazy with Colt and Di's activities. 

 Last weekend was spent in Chattanooga, Colton had a East Tenn String Orchestra Clinic and Performance.  Wonderful performance, really talented 6th thru 9th graders from the eastern side of TN performed.  It's a yearly thing, you have to audition to get invited, I'm so proud of Colt for working hard his first year and getting selected to the advanced orchestra.  Colt plays the concert bass and Di has just started violin lessons and hopes to join Colt in our local string orchestra in the fall.  Solo and Ensemble is next, with Di's Spring dnace performance to follow and a couple of trap shooting tournaments as well. 

While Colt was at his workshop, Di and I got to do a little exploring in Chattanooga.  We had so much fun.  Chattanooga is a college community, with a really outdoorsy vibe.  We were surprised at how many joggers, walkers, bikers, etc. were out and about in the downtown.  It's a very foot friendly place, parks, walking bridges, etc., with lots of wonderful restaurants and neat places to visit.  The people are friendly and nearly everyone we passed said hello or gave us a nod.  We visited a lovely antique mall that made me wish for a bigger house, a needlepoint shop, a funky used book store with tons of modern folk art for sale, a mongholian buffet, a cupcake shop (heaven!) and a fantastic ice cream shop (it's a good thing we were walking).  Colt felt a little left out when Di told him of our adventures (mostly the food part) so we will be scheduling another Chattanooga weekend soon. 

Time for me to get to work, my studio needs a serious spring cleaning, ugh!!!  Have a wonderful weekend, maybe do something fun with someone you love. :)

Almost a snow day

Well, we had snow on the ground again here in TN, but this time just a two hour delay on school, instead of a cancellation.  Our school board has decided to add an hour to each school day for the next month and a half to make up for our excessive snow days this year.  The kids are less than thrilled about the whole thing and it's made a mess of after school activities.  Because of dance and orchestra practices, I'll be signing Colt and Di out early three days a week.  On the bright side, I won't have to sit in the pickup line on those days.

I've been a little lazy with my posting but I have been doing some stitching.  Since Christmas, I've been in a holiday stitching mood, must be the snow.  I've completed a couple of Christmas themed pieces.  Above is Ewe & Eye & Friends Christmas Sampler.  I changed the colors as I wanted to try some of the Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe threads.  I had ordered a set of Christmas colors and a set of reds and when they arrived I couldn't wait to play with them.  The shading is soft and they are very nice to stitch with.  So nice, that I used them on the below projects as well.

Here are Prairie Schooler's 2008 Santa and 2003 Santa, stitched on 18 count canvas.  I will eventually stitch the entire series on canvas.  They were fun to stitch and worked up quickly.  I used the Victorian Motto threads as well as Rainbow Gallery's Petite Very Velvet and a bit of DMC. 

Last but not least, my latest start.  A beautiful canvas from The Workbasket.  The colors are still a bit Christmasy but the design is not.  If you can't tell from the picture, I've only completed the red on the barn and the willow tree leaves.  I love all the little creatures in the design and can't wait to start stitching on them.  This piece is going to be very hard to put down.

That's all for today, thanks for stopping in.  Enjoy your day!

A finish and a new start

It's finished!!  And I enjpyed every single stitch!  If you haven't been by lately, this is Laura J. Perin Designs Color Study: One Long Panel.  Counted canvas is sooo much fun!  They are like a puzzle, you have to build the design layer by layer.  I have a really pretty frame up in the studio that I think will fit this perfectly.  It's a bulky, burnished gold, hope it fits.  I don't have another counted thread project picked out yet, but I'll be dong that very soon. 

In the meantime, I have started a new cross stitch piece.  It's a BOAF and uses just six colors.  Fun stitch so far, I've been meandering around the bottom of the design, dropping in the colors.  It's going pretty quickly.

I also found another BOAF that I forgot to post.  It was a quick little needlepoint design.  Stitched on 13 count with Soy Luster threads.  I plan to finish it as a pillow, with a ginghan fabric that I found in my fabric stash.

Well, that's all for today.  I'm off to run some errands, the snow has stopped and we've actually seen some sunshine so the kids and I need to get out of the house.  With no dance classes, no school and no music lessons this past week, we've been homebodies (really unlike us).  Hubby gets in from CA really late tonight so I'm planning a relaxing family weekend.  Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your weekend!!!

I got a little distracted...

While looking through my collection of charts yesterday, I came across The Prairie Schooler's Angels chart.  I brought the chart down from the studio to put into my "to-do" pile, but within minutes I was pulling threads to start stitching it.  I finished it last night.  I stitched it on 18 count needlepoint canvas and chose my own colors, which are brighter than the photo shows.  It's my first ornament finish of the year.  I'll get back to my work in progress this evening, after a little productive break.  We have another snow day here in TN and the snow is falling steadily, it's so pretty.  Enjoy your day!

Moving right along

I made quite a bit more progress last night and this afternoon on the counted canvas piece.  I stayed up late last night determined to finish the 3rd large section, which I did and today just finished the 4th large section.  So, just one more large section to go and then the border.  I tried to get the sparkly parts to show up in the pictures, but am having very little luck.  We've had a snow day called for tomorrow already so I'll stay up late tonight and continue.  Maybe a finish to show by tomorrow night. 

A little more progress...

Snowy day here, ground is covered and more snow to come. I love the snow, makes everything so cozy.  I have a little more progress to show on my latest project.  It is moving along nicely and I am loving every stitch.  Each section is stitched in layers so it's like a little puzzle.  I'm so glad that I decided to start it.  I have a couple other projects going right now but I suspect that they are going to be ignored for a few days. Back to work, more later.

A new project

I was looking around the internet on New Year's Day weekend and I found a new to me online shop that specializes in counted canvaswork.  The shop, Scarlett Thread, features many counted canvas designs kitted and ready to go, which is great for me.  I found a couple neat designs and promptly talked myself out of them, reminding myself of my current stash situation.
The next day, I checked out some of my regular blog stops and found that the Spinster Stitcher had started this design.  It's LJ Perin's Color Study: One Long Panel.  It's a gorgeous, sparkly design.  Spinster's pictures totally sunk my resolve and I immediately went to the Scarlett Thread and ordered the chart kitted up and ready to go.  Super helpful shop, with a living person available at the shop number to answer my questions, really quick shipping, careful packaging (no affiliation, just my observations).  The kit arrived yesterday and it is lovely.  I took it to Di's dance class last night and started on it.  My progress is above.  Lots of careful counting needed, I've had to do a little frogging already.  The instructions are well written and the diagrams are very clear, I just have to remember to stop and look at them every now and again.  Can't wait to get back to it.