Friday, January 20, 2006

Weekend!

Finally got my line-up for Nashville releases done, I've waffled for so long I hope I haven't left it too late. I couldn't pick between four charts, finally got it down to two. Now I'll have to do photos and finish the charts ASAP.

Not much on the stitching front, what little I've done is finishing up a model, or trying to. I have an idea for what to make it into when it's all stitched, hope it works out!! As we all know I'm not a big sewer ;o) Also have just anout got my grandmother's very late birthday gift done, a tiny panda magnet on perforated plastic, I really think I should have finished this much faster!! Hope to have some photos soon, it's no fun to not have much to post these days :P

I've got some really good ideas going for new designs, hope they all keep flowing. Now I need time to get them down and see if they work--it seems being married and now co-leader of the Bear/Webelos den in cub scouts has taken all my available work time. I'm struggling to not feel frustrated but I can't figure out how to keep everything juggling without dropping several things. The kids are pitching in more on chores which helps a lot but still not enough. Whine whine whine! We did book our Nashville tickets AND will be spending a little R & R time before the show and after, including spending our last night at the gorgeous Opryland hotel! We had such a blast last year, even being incredibly sick. I'm looking forward to some good shopping, not just needlework stash but also hitting the outlet mall!!

Thursday, January 19, 2006

UFO

So (perhaps once again, can't remember if I posted this months ago?) here is one of my UFOs. This was something I worked on for my grandmother, a very large solid piece over one thread on 28ct. Sugar Maple Fabric Stormy Sky. My grandmother passed on before I could finish it so it has sat in a drawer for over a year untouched. I do hope on day to finish it, not sure what I would do with it though. I've had a lot of good suggestions, everything from give it to my grandfather to make a Christmas ornament out of it. For now it will stay in the drawer though.

Monday, January 16, 2006

Last set of 2006 maybes

This is a 9 part mystery sampler from a french site which is lovely but not my kind of thing. However, I read the "story" which spells out the symbolism and ways to customize each part to tell your life story, so of course I want to do it! It's quite large but I could probably do one part a month...(the mistake of every stitcher, and the quickest way to become a UFO, lol)
This one would be perfect to fill up a bare living room wall, I keep almost kitting it up. I have to remind my self how positively repetitive it will get though and how long it will take, plus then the framing cost. I have seen a version where the stitcher customized the letters done the side though, it was so pretty! And Vicki Clayton sells a silk thread pack for this one...
This one just makes me laugh, especially the "button boobies", as I am fond of saying. My DH thinks I'm ridiculous but I would love to fill the bathroom with various bare-bossomed stitched mermaids. If I stitch this one, in interest of the kids I will give her a shell bikini.
This was one I really wanted to work on last winter as I was going through the
divorce process to remind me to make better future choices ;o)

This may be the first project for me for 2006, I love the words on this:

"I pray that risen from the dead I may in glory stand A crown perhaps upon my head but a needlein my hand." A verse with a bird, death, AND about stitching, you can't get much better!


more 2006 possibilities




This one is so cool, the verse is so haunting and size and verse are perfect for the living room. It's also positively enormous with lots of blocks of stitches so I should never attempt it! But I'm so tempted...


2006 goals?

This is just so cool, and seeing as how my kids are struggling off and on with this I could simply refer them to the wall when they have questions...
I would edit the Merry Christmas from the top of this, this would be a great living room piece to dress up the white walls. Good way to fill up some space without years worth of stitching!
Looks like a nice little distraction in between things, perhaps a lunchtime project?
The colors are perfect for my living room, also the saying would go along with the other gloomy things I have planned "And the rain doth fall a weeping and a blessing."
Isn't this the cutest?? Would be great to do both of these, and these sentiments are SO true!

My complete Tombstone Angel

Abigail Adams, stitched about a year ago. I am wanting to do all of these for my living room (I know, very odd!). Should these be a focus for 2006?

Tombstone Angel series

My favorite one I think!
My second favorite!


There are 8 in all (and even though they are out of print I managed to track them all down), some done by Chartmakers (a joint venture), others through Carriage House Samplings. I hear that CHS has plans for more!!

Saturday, January 07, 2006

2006 goals?


Wow, it's been much longer than I thought since I last posted! Everyone in the house has been sick, some of us multiple times now. I think I'm finally OK, but John has headed over to the ER today because his newest fever just won't come down from 104 degrees.

No stitching because I've been so sick, so I tried organizing some of the freebies I keep and have done pretty well at that. I also have been looking through old stash (and some OOPs I ordered online for Christmas for me that just came) trying to decide what goals I want to set for the year. If I could hunt up my UFOs I would make those a priority (and then not stitch all year, LOL) but they seem to turn up rarely these days. The 3 I can think of that I have are an old country-style alphabet (still very cute in my opinion), an orange Dodge Charger that I'm almost finished with, and Stitching Bee's Angus that a friend of mine very kindly gave me. I changed the dog to white and black to match my Beanie boy, but I *hate* stitching with white so that poor thing may never get done.

I have been promising for years to stitch a hot wheels race car for my son Bryce, and last year I even custom matched the colors of his room to match the car AND bought the floss but didn't ever start it :/ So I suppose that should be a priority this year. I have to admit, I really want to be selfish and stitch for me all year this year ;o) I have so MANY projects I want to do!!

And now that Christmas is over I have to make good on my promise of getting the back yard in order, the garage tamed, and the rest of the house working like a well-oiled (and clean!) machine.

My "vacation" from designing has come to an end! I have to admit I was getting worried and feeling very down the last month or so hearing all the negative things about the industry and "cookie cutter" designers that has been going around. I started to wonder if maybe I was a cookie cutter as well? I got my latest distributor check though, and it made me realize that *someone* must like my charts because they keep selling in nice quantities. So I *do* need to keep my ear to the ground and keep up with industry advice and keep trying to make my own niche, but I can't let all the negativity force me out completely unless I stop coming up with (what I hope are) new and unique ideas. I've finally figured out what to release for Nashville and am pretty excited about it. I got my registration to go walk the show in just under the deadline (I was so depressed I had talked myself out of going). So this weekend I'll be working on new charts, etc. Hope to have lots to share!

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