More Halloween stitching...

...because I didn't get enough Halloween stitching while working on Witches Hollow!

This one is called Happy Halloween:

Actually, I had kitted this one up to start right before I found out I could borrow Witches Hollow; this one then got pushed back. Then, someone posted on the 123Stitch MB that they were looking for this design, and it is apparently very hard to find. It turns out that the designer, Curtis Boehringer, lost a lot of his cross stitch patterns in a fire at his printer's shop, and this was one of them.

Donna, who was looking for it, had seen this picture of it stitched up into an ornament:

She was looking for someone to stitch it using similar colors (the chart only calls for three colors), so I offered to do it if she could wait until the end of the year. I have it kitted up with PTP Haunted and over-dyed threads, and I'll stitch it for myself later; it lends itself to all kinds of color combinations with that border and wording.

I have spoken with Curtis, and sent him copies of both sides of this chart (the other side has a jack'o'lantern sampler). He is planning on starting a web site where his patterns will be available for download, and this will be one of them.

I should be done with this one in a couple of days, then I have a model that needs to be finished. I need to decide what project I'll start for myself in the new year...

Hope everyone has a happy, healthy and stitchy New Year!

Witches Hollow is done!!

I was doing some major happy dancing last night at about 11:20, when the last stitch went into this piece! Witches Hollow by The Primitive Needle, on PTP Haunted Edinburgh:

The stitch count on this is 197 x 395, so on the Edinburgh it measures about 11" x 22"; the size makes it difficult to get a detailed picture of the whole piece. Here are a couple of closer shots:

I played around with floss colors on this one quite a bit, both to add more color and because the different fabric seemed to call for it. I'm really pleased with the outcome.

Again, I have to thank Teresa for loaning her chart to me. I made a wish on the 123Stitch MB to borrow this chart, and Teresa actually trusted me enough to grant it, even though we've never met. Stitchers are the most amazing people! It worked out well as an incentive to finish it, too, because I didn't want to hold onto it too long.

Wishing those who celebrate it a very Merry Christmas!

Love this frog!

I've finally put the last extensions on my Q-Snaps, and am heading toward a finish on Witches Hollow. There is a cute frog on top of the tombstone:

Here is the whole piece so far:

I'm hoping to be done in a week or so, but this week I need to get the Christmas tree up and do some cleaning, so it might be close. On the other hand, my guys are heading to Iowa this coming weekend, which should mean lots of stitching time, so it's possible I might be done by next week; I guess time will tell.

Hope everyone has a great stitchy week!

I'm in love with this needlework stand!

I have to confess, I've never worked with a needlework stand, as I just didn't see how it would work with the Q-Snaps that I always use in a great variety of sizes. I also flip my pieces over a LOT during the process, both to tie off ends and to check for/fix knotted floss, and I thought this would be difficult to do with the piece attached to some kind of holder. So for 25 years I have worked at a table of some sort: kitchen, dining room, craft room, folding...I've worked at them all.

Well, now I have a stand that I can use and take with me when I travel, and it is beautiful. It was designed by Judy Odell, and she has posted a lot of information in her blog. I just received mine today, put it together in about 5-10 minutes (only five separate wooden pieces) and I'm ready to go!

Here is a picture of the whole stand:

A side view:

The part that holds the "arms" can be set at two different heights (I've got it at the higher setting right now), and can also be set at a large variety of angles to get just the right setting for your own taste:

The two arms at the top can be placed in a several positions, from very close together to far apart:

They can also be angled so that they are further apart at the top and closer together where you're working.

My Witches Hollow WIP is on Q-Snaps that are about 15" x 24", and it rests comfortably on the stand:

When I want to turn it over, I just pick it up and flip it, then place it back on the arms, where the little posts at the bottom keep it in place.

As I said, I've never used a stand before, so I can't compare this one to any of the others out there. I just think that this is a beautiful and easy-to-use stand at a reasonable price. And if you go to Judy's blog, you'll find she's offering this at a discounted price until December 24.

Hope everyone has a great stitchy weekend, and I'll be back on Monday with hopefully my last Witches Hollow WIP picture until the big finish!

Getting there...

I was hoping to have the fourth scene in Witches Hollow finished by today, but it was not to be. Here is my progress as of last night:

Hopefully I'll be able to finish the scene this week, but stitching time will be a bit limited as I promised my son I would get the tree set up this week. That means that I also need to wrap the presents I've already bought, so there's something to put under the tree!

Hope everyone has a great stitchy week!

It didn't look that big when I started...

...Witches Hollow, that is; maybe because the chart picture is so small. The stitch count is 197 x 395, which means I'm using a full fat quarter of the Edinburgh linen. I've extended my Q-snaps for the third time now, and am almost finished with the third scene:

I spent the weekend stitching grass, and I still have two rows of it to stitch across the width of the design--ugh! But then I get to move on to the fourth scene--yay! Still hoping to have this finished by the end of the year.

Hope everyone has a great stitchy week!

More Witches Hollow

On Saturday I finished the second scene (which I think will be my favorite):

Yesterday I started on the third scene (there are five total):

Teresa, the kind person who loaned the chart to me, commented that she liked that I had a different needle minder each week. At first I was using a witch hat, which I had picked up at my LNS. Then I received a big, blingy bat in the mail, so I had to use that one for a while. But both of those were large, so they only fit  when I could put them at the top of the fabric; now that I've extended the Q-snaps, I need smaller minders that fit along the side. Besides, it's always fun to switch things up a bit!

For those in the US, I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving; to everyone else, a great stitchy week!

More Progress...

... on Witches Hollow by The Primitve Needle:

I'm hoping to finish up the second "line" this week; then I'll be about 2/5 finished. :)

Stitching will slow down around Thanksgiving, as I can't spend as much time in my craft room when there's cleaning, cooking and visiting to be done. I've got a small project kitted up that I can work on in the kitchen while my mom is here (hi Mom!!).

Hope everyone has a great stitchy week!

Progress on Witches Hollow

I'm working steadily this piece, and have now completed the top "line":

There are four more "lines" like this one in the pattern; if each one takes about a week and a half to stitch, then I should finish this one around the end of the year. Although, it might be a little longer because holiday preparations take a bite out of my stitching time this time of year. I am really enjoying working on this, though; it's hard to put down!

As I've mentioned before, I spent several years stitching models for Karen Kluba of Rosewood Manor. Part of the contract is that once she is done with sending the models to trunk shows around the country, I will get my pieces back, already framed. Well, I finally got a couple back, and they are gorgeous!

The first is the first model I stitched for Karen, called My Token of Love:

I stitched this right before my husband and I celebrated our 20th anniversary, and I was allowed to personalize it, which makes it even more special.

Having passed the "test" of my stitching abilities, the next project Karen sent was Past & Present, which I absolutely love:

The last model I've gotten back is My Heart's Desire Needleroll, which appeared in the February 2011 issue of The Gift of Stitching:

That's all for now from my little corner of the crafting world; hope everyone has a great stitchy week!

Stitchers are the best!

Every year about this time a wish list is started on the 123Stitch MB, in which people post any stitching wish and grant wishes, either from their stash, by ordering items or sending a gift certificate. It's really a mood-booster to see the generosity of stitchers, as some pretty hard-to-find charts/items are gifted.

My wish this year was a long-shot, as I wanted to borrow someone's Witches Hollow by The Primitive Needle. This chart is hard to come by, and sells in the $150 range on eBay, which I just couldn't bring myself to pay. I'm not even a big fan of primitive designs, but something about this one really struck my fancy; the motifs and colors used just called to me. :)

Amazingly enough, a fellow stitcher offered to lend the chart to me (thanks Teresa!!), and it arrived last week. Here is my start on it:

With a close-up of the owl:

I think part of the reason I don't usually care for primitive designs is that so many of them are stitched on brown/tan fabrics; I barely have any of that color range in my stash. For this one, I pulled out a piece of my favorite Halloween-stitching fabric, PTP's Haunted on Edinburgh. I'm looking forward to seeing how different the design will look on this fabric; I think the colors will pop nicely.

Speaking of colors, this chart calls for a lot of over-dyed flosses. Luckily, I had about half of them in my stash, and I ordered and received the rest last week. However, last night as I was finishing the owl, I was thinking that it had used a lot of floss, so I looked at the instructions and, sure enough, I was supposed to be using one strand of floss instead of two! That's probably another reason I don't like prims; even on 36ct fabric, I'd rather use two strands of floss, because I don't like to see fabric through the design.

So, I am going to continue to use two strands, and just raid my stash for more floss in colors that I like. This will definitely be a one-of-a-kind finish!

As far as my previous WIP, Lightning McQueen & Friends, it has now been put away until this one is finished. I was able to finish Mater before I put it away, and he is just adorable:

Hope everyone has a great stitchy week!