A Slow Sunday Stitching where plans change...

Well today is certainly a prettier day than yesterday... we had our 2nd snow fall of the week and it didn't amount to much...the streets and sidewalks were warm so it mainly stuck to the  grass and the rooftops but the way the local weather guys hyped it you would have thought it was the end of the world.  Forecast is for more Spring-like weather and I hope they are correct this time...Opening Day for my beloved and beleaguered Cincinnati Reds is Thursday...and one of my favorite garden outlets opens on Thursday too...I was there last year on the first day and it was fun... so many pretty plants and they sent me a $10 coupon...can't let that go to waste.

So I had plans last Sunday for how I thought all my home projects would play out...but plans change. Dan the handyman did get all my new blinds installed and I'm very happy with them. They do all the things blinds are suppose to do which the old blinds  didn't...like go up and down!  The installation was a brute of a  job...turns out all the window openings in my house have a metal framing behind the incredibly hard wall finish... the walls of my home aren't drywall or plaster ...they are a material that is like concrete...but it isn't concrete. I've heard it call glassrock and to hang a picture requires a drill ...using a hammer and a nail just gives you a missing chunk of wall and a mess. Dan had to drill a ton of new holes for the blinds which took hours but they look great. That job took all day Monday.

He returned on Tuesday to tackle the baker's rack (you can see it here)  I was so looking forward to having in my living room...and as he got it half way assembled I had a sinking feeling that it wasn't going to work... it did fit in the space where I wanted  it to go...but it was big... really BIG... overwhelming the room BIG... not the look I wanted. Soooo.... I had Dan and my son wrestle it to the basement and  stuffed it into the storage room. Good thing I cleaned out that room a bit about a month ago...I'll need to find another home for it eventually. I still love the rack but it isn't right for my house.

With this set back I decided a trip to Hobby Lobby was in order. That is where I had gotten the smaller shelf unit I had in the living room. Perhaps they would have something not too much taller (the other baker's rack seemed Amazonian) and a bit wider. I thought I had seen some other racks and sure enough they had something that fit the bill... and instead of being dark it is a rustic turquoise... added bonus of color!

My new display...

A tiny bit taller and about 10" wider...more room for displays!!!

Top...

A chorus line of egg cups with feet!!

A little more cross stitch added and a bouquet of mini-daffodils...

I'm very happy with this new addition... it is larger but doesn't over power the room.. and for $100 not a bad deal.

Now on the cross stitch front I worked a bit more on my In Santa Claus Land and thought about starting the Halloween  piece but then the mailman delivered some happy mail and my plans changed...again.

This chart by With Thy Needle & Thread caught my eye...

This is called Needle & Thread and look closely ...I love the pincushion and spools of thread perched on her ample hips...LOL. I love the chart but the colors are a bit subdued for me. I formulated a plan to paint some linen (32 ct) to stitch her on... a turquoise blue background with some olive-y green grass to stand on...and this is how it turned out...

I had to begin with the words at the bottom of the piece... I wanted to be certain they would show up and I wanted them to be more visible than in the chart photo...and they are. And an added bonus to using this fabric is I won't have to stitch all that solid grass... win win win!!!

I am so entranced with this piece I worked on it for hours yesterday and here is where I stand...

The tops of the  spools of thread mark how wide the piece will be...I'm waiting on the Valdani floss for the thread ..and look how wide her skirt will be... I plan on stitching the skirt in Crescent Colors Queen Bee...my favorite golden yellow... that will also pump up the color in this piece. I have a thread order into 123Stitch... hope it comes quickly.

My plan now...and it could change ...as has been seen last week...is for a summer display of prim ladies. This Needle and Thread piece will be an anchor along with this other one by WTN&T...

This one is called Good Deeds...and my plan for her is to be stitched a yellow linen with some tangerine accents. I also plan to pick threads for that basket of flowers she's holding to actually contrast with her dress.  These charts are a departure for me from doing samplers... and I'm really enjoying it... I have a new enthusiasm for my stitching ... can't wait every day to pick up my needle.

And I even stitched a little prim piece last week to add to this prim lady idea...

This is a selection from the pattern Tansy-Yarrow-Rue by Pineberry Lane...here's what the full chart looks like...

I want this to be a small pillow/pin keep and I may stitch the plant pieces too. Again I love the prim look but not so much the prim colors. I brighten up her dress and her hair and the flowers.  The little robin and the confetti spots are my additions too.  I got this chart as a digital download from PatternMart.com....  instant gratification!!

I can hardly believe that next week is Easter... this year has flown by so far... I just want some days to stay home and stitch and sew and knit...preferably sitting on my new enclosed porch...but temps above freezing would be nice, along with blinds for all those windows. The blinds are on order...hopefully in 2 weeks Dan can come back and install them. Oh I have plans...we'll just have to see how they pan out.

I'll be linking up with Kathy's Quilts today and after a quick trip to the grocery store I'll be making meatballs for dinner tonight and maybe sneak in a bit more stitching... that would be the makings of a great Sunday. Hope yours is a good one too!

happy stitching-
carol fun

Slow Sunday Stitching where almost everything is a work in progress...

Well that was a busy week that just whizzed by... it took 3 days to install the windows and enclose the porch... and I LOVE IT!!!  I've gained 70 square feet of living space with the porch enclosure.  Now to move onto putting up the new mini-blinds in the house (starting tomorrow when my handyman comes over)...and looking at new porch furniture (saw something I think I'll like at IKEA) and a new rug for the floor of the porch...maybe this carpet tile ...click here... at Flor... and need to order mini-blinds for porch...will measure tomorrow.

So here is a before shot of the house taken last summer...

and here  is now...

porch enclosed and new windows in first and second floor.

Another view of the porch where the front door is now located...

Side view of house...

New back door creating a breeze way. I got the same storm door on the porch and here since you can see them both when looking at the house from the side. I really like the door...it feels solid and I like the grid in the door which repeats the grids in the windows. See that rectangular panel at the bottom of the door?  I'm going to have my handyman paint that cream so it will mimic the garage door and the shutters.   Hadn't thought of that when I picked out the door but as soon as they installed it I knew I wanted it painted.

So it the house is still a work in progress but that's ok... I just realized I bought this house 5 years ago... it doesn't seem that long ago...time just flys!!

I had installers in and out of the house M/T/W... Thursday I spent at the car dealer having new brakes put on my car... Friday I ran around catching up on errands... Saturday I took my son and his friend to an anime convention and dinner.  Which may explain that I didn't get near as much stitching done as I would have liked...but then I would always like to get more done than I do, so I guess this past week wasn't any different than any other... oh well.

Here's what I worked on...

With Thy Needle & Thread's In Santa Claus Land... I got Santa's suit and pants filled in...that took quite a while but I'm happy with the blotchy-ness of his suit. Now I have a phantom deer to fill in...he must be Rudolph cause he has a red nose.  Good work to do while I watch college basketball... at this moment I still have 3 teams to root for...University of Cincinnati, Xavier University (I got a degree from both of these schools) and Purdue (my older son went to Purdue for undergrad and to Univ of Cincinnati for law school).  Keeping our fingers crossed that they go far.

And as I went to photograph Delivering Posies by Homespun Elegance I realized that not only does it need its button wheels but I need to fill in that band at the top of the cart... I'm planning on doing a satin stitch...

I've been dithering about what to stitch next... I've got a couple...several...ahem...a whole LOT of new charts coming my way.  I got a couple of Lizzie Kate's and some With Thy Needle & Thread and some Blackbird Designs and other assorted pieces. Part of me wants to be stitching Spring-y stuff but another part want to jump ahead  to Summer, Halloween and Christmas...and I have charts that cover ALL of those bases.   Tonight I'll work some more on In Santa Claus Land because I've convinced myself that I have more than half finished with Santa and the deer... but I may be conning myself.  I have 2 Halloween pieces I want to play with... this one from Lizzie Kate

 and this one from WTN&T...

I painted some linen for the WTN&T piece but I'm not sure I like it... I used the green/purple/orange tones I did last year but used a more golden yellow than light yellow and now I'm just not sure that's what I want for this piece.  Perhaps I'll just concentrate on the Santa piece and wait for a nice day to get outside and paint more linen...Spring has to come soon, doesn't it??? We had snow squalls while they were installing the windows and while today is lovely the forecast for the upcoming week is nothing to brag about. I know it is waaay better here than on the East Coast but if I didn't complain about the weather...well.... I wouldn't have anything to complain about...LOL

And I have one project to show that isn't a WIP...this wreath I made for my new front storm door...

I saw this idea on Tatertots & Jello's blog...you can see it here.   The wooden bunny and the wreath are from the Dollar Spot at Target... bunny was $3 and I think the wreath was $5... now the gal on Tatertots & Jello didn't paint her bunny but I thought it made it pop... just used some inexpensive craft paint... the ribbon is left over from some pieces I Priscilla-fied and the button was in my stash.  Now I did hot melt glue the wreath on the back so it would stay put and I made a hanger from a soda can tab to attach a string and get it on the wreath holder.  She said her project took 5 minutes and if you didn't paint or hot melt glue I think that is all it would take...but even my version hardly took any time at all.

I'll be linking up with Kathy's Quilts today...and maybe on Friday I'll have some knitting stuff to show... I have two pairs of socks going using my Opal Advent Calendar yarn...and I have 2 socks done...except they aren't a pair... but I'm close to making them each a mate... keep your fingers crossed.

happy stitching-
carol fun

Catching up on Slow Sunday Stitching...

Well things have been busy but I don't have much to show for it... last weekend was the memorial for my brother and it was a lovely event. Estimate was over 75 vintage and classic cars were displayed and over 200 people paid their respects. It was a party...and  my brother  would have enjoyed himself immensely. I saw and talked to people I haven't seen in 50 years...gosh I feel old old old... I was exhausted after it was all over and took a couple of days to just putz around the house. I did a little knitting...got one sock done...did a little sewing... worked on a foundation pieced bunny but it still needs to be bound...and cross stitched a little.

I have one finish and another piece in progress... let's start with the finish...

This is 2/3 of the Blackbird Designs  "Breath of Spring"...

I left off one bunny and one basket ...the basket I left off looks identical to the one on the left. I finished is ala Priscilla. The frame is a chalkboard that I covered with the fabric mat...and old old Debbie Mumm piece...and the ribbon was a bargain from JoAnns.  I stitched it on 32 ct. linen I painted with Rit dyes and I used the called for over dyed threads...had them all in my stash. I think it is a very nice "Springy" piece.


As for the work in progress...

This is "Delivering Posies" from Homespun Elegance. I painted this linen too and I'm using most of the called for threads. I did substitute Weeks Curry for the flower centers and the butterfly... but I might re-stitch the butterfly...not a lot of contrast there. I did little Smyrna crosses for the centers instead of the bajillion french knots it called for... I still need to finish the grass and add the little lady bug and find some buttons for the wheels on the cart.

I'm a bit discombobulated today. My handyman came bright and early (and it was early for me because of the time change...do not get me started... I hate, abhor, loathe, detest the time change...just pick one and stick with it...leave the clocks alone...we will get more daylight hours eventually no matter what the damn clock says)...anyway where was I ...oh  my handyman Dan came this morning to help take down the drapes and the mini-blinds as my new windows are to be installed starting tomorrow... bright and early again... yes I'm crabby and cranky...I am sooooo NOT a morning person. I've trained my friends not to text/call before 10 am... I'm a much nicer person after 10 and now that I'm pushing 65 I can live my life on my  schedule...for the most part...anyway I got sidetracked again..oh..discombobulate...yeah... well with all the drapes and mini-blinds off the windows it is very bright in here. I think I have some Transylvania/vampire ancestry cause I'm not comfortable...and I feel like I'm living in a fishbowl/department store display window.  My little house is on the corner...stop sign slows down traffic...lots of people walking...lots of eyes...not that I'm anything much to look at.  And along with taking down all the window covering I've had to take down all my decorating knickknacks... I have a lot of  knickknacks...and the house looks bare...ugh...and every room is messed up. Furniture is moved away from the windows...the drapes are all in my downstairs  sewing studio... I feel like I'm getting ready to move in or move out and that is the last thing I want to do.

Hopefully they will make enough progress tomorrow so I can put my house back in order. I'm hoping they will start with the windows on the house and then move on to the porch enclosure project and the back door breezeway.  Once the house is done  I can bring some semblance of order back. My new mini-blinds haven't arrived yet...fingers crossed they get here by the end of the week. Dan has time late this week and early next week to come back and install them...timing works out well for that. And I have a baker's rack I want him to assemble. I purchased the rack 4 1/2 years with plans to use it in my living room or dining area but I failed to take into account the height of the rack combined with the wood cornices on the windows and the mail slot in the wall.  It has been languishing out in my garage un-assembled all this time.  However,  now that I'm getting the porch enclosed the mail slot into the house has to be sealed up and I think I will have the space I need for it.

This is what it looks like...

Look at all that glorious space  for seasonal decorating and plenty of room for quilts on the bottom...and drawers...I love the idea of little drawers to store stuff in.  Keep your fingers crossed that it does fit in the living room, next to the front door, directly in the line of sight from my stitching chair...insert little clappy jumping...LOL

So next week is full of stuff to do... window installation, porch enclosure, dinner out with quilty ladies, anime convention to take my son and his friend to, dinner with my older son...and the more stuff there is to do the more I want to become a hermit... Amazon Prime is one of my best friends...they even deliver groceries now... and there is Uber Easts and Grub Hub and Diner Dash to deliver from restaurants...hardly any reason to leave the house...but I will...and I will enjoy myself even though I'm grousing today... I'm telling you all this light is having an negative effect on me...LOL

Hope you have a great week ahead of you...I'll link up with Kathy's Quilts today and we will see if I have anything to post later in the week...maybe the bunny wall hanging or perhaps I'll get the borders on the quilt top on my design wall... maybe ...maybe.

happy stitching-
carol fun

Some fiber for Friday...

Well this is a rare occurrence... a post on Friday and it is filled with fiber-y goodness...yarn that is... as you can probably tell from my meager postings I haven't been knitting a lot ...I've been cross stitching...but I did finally finish two pairs of socks.


First is this pair... the yarn is an old Opal...it is Antonia and it was a hand-dyed from Opal...the only time I've seen a collection like that. I bought 4 or 5 skeins and they flashed and pooled...some better than others. I LOVE yarns that pool ...now this skein is pretty typical of what  I've seen before...the first sock (the one on the right)  pooled ...  the second sock  (the one on the left) striped...

Second finish is a scrappy  Frankensock... bits and bobs of assorted Opal yarns... I'm particularly happy with the green cuffs/heels/ toes...

And since I finished two pairs of socks, and that freed up two sets of needles, I did the only thing I could do and  started two more pairs of socks... this may be why I rarely have an empty 2.75mm circular needle and to fix that problem I just buy another set... hey when you are gonna dig a hole, dig a deep one...LOL


So both  of my new projects use those adorable mini-skeins from my Opal Advent calendars...the first sock is dark and dramatic (ohhh...I love alliteration ...LOL)...

And  the second sock is  soft and Spring-y....(yeah, I've gone over the edge)

I'm knitting both of these in big chunks of one skein and then the other. It is always interesting  to see what patterns and stripes emerge  with Opal yarns...keeps me  interested.

And a little new yarn snuck in through the mail slot...and it might be the last skein to do that....(No I'm not going to stop buying yarn but the mail slot  into the house will be sealed off when I get the porch enclosed with new windows, and a  storm door, and installation is scheduled the in  about 10 days).   

This yarn is from an indie dyer I saw on Instagram... The Sheepyshire ... which you can  find here.  The colorful skein caught my eye and then I saw the name...Rusty Fender...well I had to have it...it reminds me of my brother, the car nut, and lover of old rusty stuff... and the speckly sparkly one called Rainbow Sprinkles  jumped into the envelope for  the trip...safer to travel in pairs, right???
Not sure what I'll knit with them...probably shawls...need to ponder patterns...(oh no more alliteration)

So today is a beautifully sunny day and  tomorrow is forecast the same...which is very very good. Tomorrow is the memorial/classic car cruise in/party celebrating my brother's life. It will be a bittersweet day filled with tears and laughter.   We  are putting out a  spread with all his favorite foods.. a Chinese buffet,  some sushi, deviled eggs, peanut brittle and Killian's beer...quite eclectic...but just his style.

Hold those you care about close to you and let them know you love them...


happy knitting-
carol fun