Year end Review - 2010

In keeping with what is now tradition, it's again time for the year end review!  My first year blogging was 2008, so being new I didn't include photos. In 2009 I knew better. Click on the dates and you can see the previous years' work.  Here we go for 2010:

My Bethrothed Sampler by Birds of a Feather

Birds of a Feather, by Blackbird Designs

Be Kind and Be True, by With Thy Needle and Thread

A Very Fine Sampler, by Birds of a Feather

Hannah Lovina Joslin 1856, by Blackbird Designs

Mary's Best Handwork, by With Thy Needle and Thread

Salinda Dunwoody, by Sheepish Designs

Betsy, by Sheepish Designs

Olga, by Plum Street Sampler

Tis the Season, by Blackbird Designs

Isabelle Johnstone 1854  (SANQ, Fall 2010 issue)

Wash Day, by Carriage House Samplings

Soweth Sampler, by Birds of a Feather

Monogrammed Pinkeep, by Stacy Nash Primitives (Exchange for Goldie)

for exchange with Annemarie

I also have 3 items I just sent off for gifts so I can't show them here.  Since the last post, I did sneak in the Soweth Sampler. It was a fun stitch.  

After 'Soweth', I started the Silk Sampler by Birds of a Feather. Here's the progress. 

Another WIP I will take to 2011 with me is Elizabeth Easton, by the Goode Huswife. 
 

I've really enjoyed the pieces I stitched this year. One thing that's been painfully obvious to me as the year wraps up is that I have some physical issues to tackle in 2011.  I will let you know how it goes. I am committed to getting better because I want to keep stitching, pain free, for many years to come. 



For 2011, I hope to stitch mostly from my stash. I know I will buy new things but I will focus on kitting up existing charts. To that end, I will de-stash and sell some charts and linens so watch this space.

Some projects on my immediate radar are: CHS Garden Glade, BN Lo, How a Rose, PS Boris, SP Sarah Woodham.  I hope to stitch more Carriage House Samplings, Goode Huswife, and Prairie Schooler in 2011. I do want to stitch at least one reproduction sampler... One thing I do know, however, is I change my mind all the time, so who knows? ;-) That's half the fun!

Lastly, I want to thank you for another wonderful year playing here in Blogland, all your wonderful support for all the ups and downs, and all your efforts with your blogs and stitching as well. Wishing you Health, Love and Happiness in the New Year! Cheers! 

A Bath before Christmas!

The birdies are having their bird bath and getting spiffed up for Christmas!

 Wash Day

by Carriage House Samplings 

I want to thank Deb for showing this design on her blog in the first place and enabled us to harrass convince Kathy to sell it! I just love this sweet design.  I used silks from my own stash. I modified the design slightly in that I didn't stitch the alphabet.

If you want to see how it 'should' look, as per designed, go check out fabulous Cari's blog. She also just had it framed, along with other beauties, by Jill Rensel so they are all pretty awesome! See them all here. 

I received a sweet and beautifully decorated ornament from Anna this week. 

Wow, so pretty. Thank you Anna! I was amazed it arrived unbroken as well. Anna said in her note "if it arrives broken, just eat it! " ;-)

How are your Christmas preparations going? Ours have been very low keyed this year due to various reasons, which is just fine with me. We just went out this morning to get some groceries in our neighbourhood and the traffic! Oy, just let me get home and away from the crowds! 

Thank you for all your visits, for those who leave comments and those who are too shy to (maybe next year?).  I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday Season! (Now, please excuse while I indulge in a nap!)

Paperwhites

Pictures Happiness

While dealing with the neck/back issues and being generally miserable, lo and behold, a phone call from the framer's just perked me right up. I don't know about you but I always wonder at my choice of frames while I wait for the pieces to be picked up. This time, I was just jumping with H-A-P-P-I-N-E-S-S! 

I shall start quietly and let the crescendo build up! First is a very appropriate piece for the Christmas season. 

 

Tis the Season

by Blackbird Designs

The next piece was framed in quite a different way than I had intended. The original in the magazine was framed in black and many of you have done the same and they look beautiful! When I went to my framer's and tried to find a black frame, she gave me the "are you sure?" look so we played with other frames and I am so happy with what we came up with. 

 

Isabella Johnstone 1854

from SANQ

I love how the roses on the frame echoes the roses in the sampler! Love it!

Next is my framer's favourite and I must admit we took a long time trying to find the right frame and when we did, we knew it instantly! 

Birds of a Feather

by Blackbird Designs

Oh my oh my, I just love the frame. It's like an old piece of tin, if you know what I mean.

Last, my absolute favourite piece of all time. If a piece of stitching was to represent me, this is it! I have wanted to stitch this piece since it was first published, which was probably 10, maybe even 15 years ago? I was always intimidated by the size but my confidence level has slowly increased in the last 2 years and I'm so glad I was able to finish it this year!

 

A Very Fine Sampler

by Birds of a Feather

I love it, love it, love it! I can sit and just stare at it and it makes me feel happy!  Here it is hung up and will be the centerpiece of a new sampler wall that I will complete in 2011.

I will sign off now. I'm careful about how much time I spent on the computer and stitching. Right now my shoulders are yelling at me to quit it! ;-) 

Thanks so much for visiting and your kind words about my health. I will be back with another short post before Christmas. I do have a new small finish to show! Take care and stay healthy during all the pre-Christmas rush!

Muddling my way back ...

...to Stitching, that is.  After my last post, I took a week off stitching and did some very gentle stretches for my neck, shoulders and back. That seemed to help so I thought I could get back to stitching. Within the first half hour, my neck was complaining again! So, it's been  a see-sawing of ease off, ease back on. 

I decided to take a break from Elizabeth Easton and stitch some smalls for gifts. At the same time, I finally stitched this freebie for myself which I have wanted to do for over two years. I love this design and wish I could attribute this to someone but I had printed this off ages ago and I don't have the link. So, if anyone can help out as to who made this I will publish this here. (Edited to add link - Thanks to the ever talented KarenV, you can find this freebie and many more wonderful designs here.  Look under "Other". Many thanks to the wonderful designer, Isabel Grancedo!)

 

As you can see, I only did the Reindeer part. I think the top part of the design would make a nice skinny pincushion, don't you? I used the Belle Soie silks left over from stitching Isabella Johnstone. I really love the colours! They are Teddy Bear for the reindeer, Tortoise Shell for the bottom border, Attic Tea for the leaves and Poison Apple for the flowers.

Not sure how I will finish my smalls but I'd better get going if they are going to be Christmas gifts!

I've seen on many blogs the crazy winter weather that's already hitting the northern parts of Europe, and the US.  We had a week recently with two snowfalls, which was unusually too for our area. Fortunately the snow is gone now. 

I took some pieces in for framing so I will show them on my next post. It's true, isn't it, that we stitchers can measure our days by our stitching? Somehow the break in my stitching has made me a bit muddled as to what I should be doing with my time! I read more, I suppose, but I missed my stitching. Hopefully I will get back into it when the Holidays arrive and get a good long break.

Well, that's it for me.  For those enveloped by the snow, keep warm and cozy! Thank you for visiting and your greetings!  Have a great week!