April 2020 weekly update, week 4

Hi everyone,
It's time to share what I've been up to this week. I'm a little late as we had another power outage Sunday evening.. got it back early hours on Monday morning. Had to run errands yesterday.

Stitching:
This week I picked up 2 projects.

I finished this freebie available here

Lemons ©2020 Karen Kluba Rosewood Manor
Fabric: 32ct Confederate Grey
Threads: DMC
Stitch Count: 70 x 70, 2 over 2
Cross Stitch, Back Stitch, Four Sided Stitch, Algerian Eyelet











A little more progress on this:

Christmas in the Adirondacks © 2003 Dimensions
Designed by Martha Edwards
Stitch Count: 90 x 122
strands vary over 1
18ct Aida
Cross Stitch, Half Cross Stitch, Backstitch, Blended
Color Chart








 Another treasure uncovered...




Northwoods Moose ©2002 Wichelt Imports
Fabric: 18ct proud Pine Afghan Fabric - pillow cut
Threads: DMC
Stitch Count: 64 x64, 4 over 2
Cross Stitch, back stitch, french knot



I have the pillow for it.. just have to find the right backing fabric.





Macey

Ah..the sights and smells of spring... More sounds  & smells from the pond...Our pair of ducks returned this week. Macey loves to run to the pond to watch them. (She hasn't even tried to go in- yeah!)

We've also been seeing the deer in the field.
The pileated woodpeckers are busy. A cardinal showed up in the upper branches of our blue spruce in the front yard this week.

Tuesday night when walking Macey it was snowing... we woke up to this! and we had more snow mix Sunday night/Monday morning.


Until next time,
Have a wonderful day!
Lisa M.

April 2020 weekly update, week 3

Hi everyone,
It's time to share what I've been up to for the rest of this week.

Stitching:
Since my post earlier this week, I continued with

Lemons ©2020 Karen Kluba Rosewood Manor  freebie here
Fabric: 32ct Confederate Grey
Threads: DMC
Stitch Count: 70 x 70, 2 over 2
Cross Stitch, Back Stitch, Four Sided Stitch, Algerian Eyelet

Drat... the mention of peepers last post... the frog came for a visit - I had to rip out the lower flower on the right..had my stitches off center. At least it was only the darker outline and I hadn't gotten too far.


Another older treasure that I came across
This one is a dimensions kit


Harmony under Glass Daydeams ©2001 designed by Hunter Brown


 






I've never taken part in Maynia.. but I think I might this year... I have been trying to decide if I want to do 20 different projects...or maybe stitch for at least 2020 minutes ( till doable as it is a little over an hour each day)...Or maybe I need to FFO 5 of my finishes (5 for the month of May) ?  Every time I plan ahead for something, I end up changing things along the way. I have more than enough stash of patterns and fabric.. not so many of the finishing supplies.  Good thing there's still another week to decide.



Sewing: 
I worked on my one of the  April floss club birthday girls peek a boo pouch today.. still have 1 more to get together and then mail out.

Until next time,
Have a wonderful day!
Lisa M.

April 2020 weekly update, week 2

Hi everyone,
It's time to share what I've been up to this past week and 1/2.

Had a nice Easter.. dropped off ham dinner to Mom & Dad...wind picked up and our phones / internet were out for a bit.  Had to catch up on a few things.. but finally had a bit of quiet time today.

Stitching:
This week I picked up 2 projects.

I started the week with

ChrisMoose Berry - The Silk Berry Collection© 2019 Erica Michaels Needleart Design
Fabric: 40ct silk gauze
Threads: CC (some crescent some classic), DMC
Stitch Count: 205 x 121, 1 over 1
Half Cross Stitch








Then I saw this wonderful new freebie  here and couldn't wait to start it...

Lemons ©2020 Karen Kluba Rosewood Manor
Fabric: 32ct Confederate Grey
Threads: DMC
Stitch Count: 70 x 70, 2 over 2
Cross Stitch, Back Stitch, Four Sided Stitch, Algerian Eyelet


It's very slow going - I have been having a hard time with the color chart -  it's so hard to tell apart the shades of green and yellows.Cloudy days are a bit worse. I altered the spacing of my initials as I would have had to change the border if I also used my middle initial, and I didn't want to do that.



Sewing: 
Altered the first mask I made for Dad... Had to rip apart seams and change out the elastic for ties.. then I checked the fit and made a second one ...slightly smaller and he's very happy with it. Tried a different pattern for me.. as the first one I made was too large. Made a second one using a pleat at the nose and I'm happier with it.. again fabric ties as I can't use elastic.

Our stay at home deadline has been extended to May 15th, and we now need to wear face coverings in public. So I've been getting things prepped to make some more face coverings for family and friends.

In the process I came across a few treasures of older cross stitching that I had never taken any photos.

This was a glass coaster kit I purchased from Herrschners. Not sure how old it is - couldn't find my pattern or info. 











I took some time to get my April and May birthday floss club peek-a-boo pouches prepped.


Stash: 
Happy mail day.. Part of my order came in...
The latest punch needle & Primitive stitcher magazine
Some Charts:
Alpaca Farm by the blue flower
Where Liberty Dwells By Hands on Design
Sewn in friendship by heartstring samplery
Summer Posey kit by Jeanette Douglas Designs

Also a few packs of needles and a few Dinky Dye Threads.. and a skein of CC Wilderness that I needed. I'm waiting for a few pieces of fabric and some pins.


Other:
I ventured our for groceries this past week. I traveled South to Price Chopper about 30 miles away.. bought groceries for us & Mom & Dad. The shelves were improved.. still no napkins or yeast.. but they did have flour on the shelf, and they had tp & paper towels. Got DH his orange flavored waters.. and picked up a ham for Easter. So I load the groceries in the car and drive 1 mile to drug store for another pickup. Before going in, I dig through my purse.. can't find my credit card that I just used.. drove back to grocery store.. no luck.. went back to drug store.. picked up the medicine.. and then came home. Tried to call to order replacement..message was can't recognize you.. . had to go online.. but at least the replacement card arrived yesterday.

Macey 
Has been investigating the strange sounds coming from the pond this past week. You guessed it! The peepers (frogs) are awake and beginning their delightful spring chorus. We had a few warmer days in the 50's.. most of the snow has melted except in the trees and along the building edges. This week is cooler so not so many active frogs. We've had snow flurries every day since last Friday.

Until next time,
Have a wonderful day!
Lisa M.

October 2018 update...fall was in the air..now it's winter!

Hello everyone,

The air is cooler, the daylight hours are definitely shorter. The sky is changing...not much more of the brilliant blues with no clouds.


Woke up around 5am on the 13th of October to see our driveway coated in the white stuff. Yup! Snow arrived... but then the sun showed up and it was gone. Just a tease of what's to come. The hunters have been busy as we've heard shots most days.


I'm a little late with my monthly update... I was planning to post before Halloween.. but I had a busy week at the end of October. Then I was all set to start this past Friday ..but Mother Nature had different plans. Our 1-3" of snow started around noon, turned into 8" snow with ice coating on top before ending early Saturday am...trees snapped...power and phone lines out. We are lucky though, we had power restored late last night.. and our phone line shortly after that. Parts of out town are still out today.

This was the start of the storm...
It does look pretty but I could do without the biting wind.














While I was waiting for my Jeep to be serviced last month, I took out this quickie kit -

Welcome Coffin #4603 (Halloween Hanger) ©NeedleMagic Inc.
Fabric: 18ct ivory Aida
Threads: floss included in kit
Stitch Count: 34x 44, 2over 1
Cross Stitch, Back stitch, French Knot

I didn't pay close enough attention to the two browns.. dark and light... so I mixed them up... but it still turned out alright.




 



Next up is this Freebie I've had for quite awhile:  I found this cute black pumpkin fabric and went searching for the chart...Just love how it finished up.

Halloween Witch © Annalee Waite Designs
Fabric: 28ct silkweaver solo
Threads: DMC

Stitch Count: 58 x 59, 2 over 2
Cross Stitch


Found these nice jingle bells while I was browsing in a craft store.. now to decide what to do with them....




And since I was in my sewing room finishing, I took out this rosewood manor that was in my finishing pile since (gasp) January 2014 (really?) and now it is finally finished.

Snowflake Trees II © Karen Kluba 2013
Fabric: 28 count Antique White evenweave that was part of a grab bag
Threads: DMC
Mill Hill Beads
Specialty Stitches: Algerian Eyelet
Stitch Count: 60 x 60, 2 over 2 and  1 over 2










Took my Jeep back to the dealer earlier this week for state inspection and a new muffler..so I took along this little kit:

Fall Harvest NMI Kit Item 4312 Turkey Gobble
Fabric: 18 ct Aida
Threads: floss included in kit
Stitch Count: 33x 41, 2 over 1
Cross Stitch, Backstitch

I found this cute maple leaf ribbon at the dollar tree and it was available in red, yellow and brown. Just had to try it with a small design to see how it looked.









Lastly, I finished my Christmas ornament exchange.. more about that later this month.

Stash: I picked up a few DMC threads that I was missing since my brother gave me a Michaels gift card. And a few days ago, my kit from Silver Needle Circle of friends (Plum Street Samplers) came in the mail (no pics- camera batteries need to be charged).

Our Anniversary was in early October... 20years... hard to believe it's that long ago.

We don't have any pear trees..so I can't show you a partridge in a pear tree.. but...How about a turkey  in a crab apple tree? ...Watched their antics - at least 2 or 3 at a time flying up into the tree and shaking out apples for the rest of their flock. They've come to visit almost everyday in October.. multiple times a day and flocks of 14, 16 and 31 at a time. The deer are still around.. just have to look at the right time to see them.Had an 8 point buck the other night but it was too dark for a picture.



Fall was rainy..much more than usual so we'll have to see if it continues now that the cold air has arrived.


Until next time,
Have a wonderful day!
Lisa M.

Stitch from Stash update for January

Hi Everyone,
Last post I mentioned that I joined Mel's group at Epic Stitching  of 130 stitchers who have committed to keep our stash spending to $25.00 or less each month. This idea sounded great to me as I have stash spread out in every room of our home, and we plan to renovate another room this summer to turn it into my craft room. Often I know I have something but just can't seem to find it - whether it is a thread I need or a pattern I know I purchased. So I am trying to put projects together, and make my shopping lists for those that are incomplete.

Part of this challenge is to  report our success or failure to stay within our budget on our blog by the 28th of each month.

This month I am happy to report as a success - mostly since we've had so many days of shoveling and chopping ice that I didn't get out to spend any money. I even managed to stay away from my Internet stash shopping - although I still have a December birthday gift card and a couple of Christmas gift cards to use up.

I did however get to do a small amount of stitching. Sorry my pictures are a bit dark - guess I forgot to turn on the flash.

First up is this Shepherd's Bush freebie I found here.

Happy Snowman © Tina Herman 2014
Fabric 28ct periwinkle colored evenweave from a grab bag
Threads: Called for WDW except for the linen color (I know I have it - just where is it?) substituted DMC ecru, and the called for DMC thread
Mill Hill Petite Beads
Stitch Count: 33 x 46, 2 over 2

I know I have multiple packages of snowflake buttons...hmmm...where did I put them?

So this is going into my finishing basket where hopefully I'll soon find the buttons I want so I can finish it up.

Next up is this lovely complimentary mini chart that I received last year with an order that I placed from Rosewood Manor.

Snowflake Trees II © Karen Kluba 2013
Fabric: 28 count Antique White evenweave that was part of a grab bag
Threads: DMC
Mill Hill Beads
Specialty Stitches: Algerian Eyelet
Stitch Count: 60 x 60, 2 over 2 and  1 over 2


I also worked a bit on my WIP HAED Forbidden Doorway - just not enough progress yet for another picture  (now at 12,222 stitches).

Until next time...
Have a wonderful day!
Lisa M.

Christmas exchange and plans for 2014

Hi Everyone,
Last month I participated in a Christmas exchange. My partner was Dawn. I read on her blog that she liked cardinals, so I searched through my older Just Cross Stitch Ornament issues, and found this one in the 2008 issue.

Snowy Night © 2008 The Prairie Schooler, Inc. published in Just Cross Stitch 2008 Special Christmas Issue
Fabric: 32 count Lambswool
DMC Threads
Stitch Count: 46 x 40

Here's the back...




















Here is the package I sent. I'm so delighted that Dawn liked everything.

My partner was Kay. She stitched me this beautiful Blackbird Designs Stocking.


















She also included some lovely extras. This was such a treat. 










The weather has been rain and ice for the past week, so I took advantage of that and started to clean up some of my stitching areas. I have found a few more duplicates, as well as some treasures that I had forgotten about. I thought that I would put together some new starts as this year  I joined Mel's Stitching from Stash 2014. Hopefully this challenge will help me sort through my stash before this summer when we plan to renovate another room, and I will have to box up some supplies.






Cath received my  giveaway package - so now I can share  the lovely fob that I included.










Peace Bird © 2013 Rosewood Manor  published in Just Cross Stitch 2013 Special Christmas Issue
Fabric: 28 count antique white Cashel
DMC Threads
Mill Hill Beads
Thread Count: 21 x 30






Until next time...
Have a wonderful day!
Lisa

Some Patriotic Finishes

Hello Everyone,
I finished off a few patriotic smalls this past week. First up is an oldie from The Prairie Schooler Book No 100, American Strawberries.

Pinkeep © 2002 The Prairie Schooler, Inc.
Fabric: 32 ct Antique White
Threads: DMC
Stitch Count: 30W x 48H, 2 over 2
I used 4mm Bicone Crystals to add some bling.








Next up is another Prairie Schooler Design. This time from  Book No. 154, July.
Inset Ornament © 2009 The Prairie Schooler, Inc.

Fabric: 32 ct Lambswool

Threads: DMC

Stitch Count: 28W x 36H, 2 over 2
Finished as a floss tag.

And finally, I made some twisted cording to finish last month's Rosewood Manor Ornament.
Land That I Love © 1999 Karen KLuba.

Fabric: 32 ct Vintage Sand Dune

Threads: DMC

Stitch Count: 38W x 46H, 2 over 2
I backstitched around the stars to make them  'pop'.



Have a wonderful day!
Lisa

Frogs and a little stitching

Hello everyone! It's been a long few weeks, and I haven't been able to get much stitching done. Why? Well because my normal time for stitching is very late at night when it's cooler and everything is done. DH is usually on the computer and I am stitching. Anyhow, the dreaded frogs have been visiting me - and not just these tadpoles that have been swimming around in our pool cover until earlier this week when they were relocated to the pond.

And it's all because of the black flies. This time of year the black flies are small enough to get in the house through the screens.  And they seem to prefer my blood donations to that of my DH. So I am stitching away, they land on my stitching -I can't kill them there (because I don't want the mess on my linen). I have to wait until they land on me. Feel the bite, thwack the nasty little insect and find I've not only gotten bitten again, but that somehow I've stitched in the wrong place. Then I have to take medicine for the allergic reaction; and it seems after that I don't focus as well. Normally that's okay; but I've been busy stitching away on my HAED 1 over 1 on 28count!

I did get some time in my sewing room to finish this lovely ornament from the 2011 Just Cross Stitch Ornament Issue. Christmas Tree 2011©Rosewood Manor

Fabric: 28 count white Cashel

Threads: DMC, Kreinik Blending Filament

Mill Hill Beads

Nicole Bugle Beads

I'll leave you with a few pictures from the gardens... This little azalea we planted last year. I wasn't sure if it was going to take.. winter is sometimes brutal...and the deer seem to love my azaleas and rhododendrons.

 

Have a wonderful day!  

Lisa

Pine Snowflake Ornament

Hello everyone!

Today was a dreary overcast day with sleet that showed up late this afternoon. So, I spent part of today working in my sewing room finishing up this freebie from Rosewood Manor that is available for download as part of the 2010 ornament issue at the social part of The Stitchers' Village.

Rosewood Manor Pine Snowflake Ornament ©Karen Kluba 2010

28ct Antique White Lugana
DMC Threads
Mill Hill Beads

Stitch Count: 58W x 58H, 2 over 2

In the winter of 2010 through the spring of 2011, we had a problem with water seepage in our finished basement caused by our drain pipes separating. Anyhow, I was lucky enough to catch the problem when it began, but we couldn't repair it until late spring of last year. I quickly packed up all my stitchery projects and supplies in various bags, boxes and whatever else was handy, moving them all out of harms way. I am slowly getting re-organized and coming across some more projects that have to be finished, and some that were almost finished. It looks like I'll be spending more time in my sewing room.

Have a wonderful day!

Lisa