BBD Stockings

Green and Gold

August 9, 2010 by Michelle 21 Comments

Last week we had our monthly guild meeting, and since I’d just finished a little BBD stocking, I thought I’d start the remaining February stocking at the meeting. This one is called Be Mine. It was so nice to be able to get to sit and stitch and visit for a bit at guild. Lately, that hasn’t been happening at all and it made me so happy to be able to do it. It was nice also to get to visit with some friends that I don’t get to see very often too. So, here’s my tiny little start on Be Mine.

The rest of the evenings last week I decided to pick up my Where My Heart Blooms piece and work on it a bit. I’ve been stitching on that border and it’s really coming along. Lots of progress since I last showed an update. I love love love stitching with the Belle Soie, and if only the dyelots weren’t such a problem, I would stitch a lot more with it.

And finally, on Saturday after my 5k, I decided that I was in need of a good amount of couch time. So I started my new sampler (the one I’ve been teasing about). This is the Scottish Sampler by Needleprint that was in the Goodhart book. I fell in love with it when I first bought the book and decided to finally gather up the fabric and threads to stitch it.

Isn’t it lovely? It’s very delicate looking with those little curlicues. I’m stitching this with DMC on 36ct Lambswool. It’s my first time stitching on Lambswool, and so far I’m loving it. The whole top portion of the sampler is all done in green and gold, so it’s going to be awhile before the colors get interesting. I think this piece gets more interesting the further down you get on it. You can see a photo of the original here. I’m so happy to finally be stitching on another reproduction sampler (and an A&E to boot!). I think I’ll probably continue on with this piece a bit more this week. It’s too pretty to put down.

Well, I’m off to see what I can get into on this Monday morning. Have a great week!

I am grateful for my husband bringing me icepacks for my back all weekend. He takes good care of me!

Sweetheart

August 2, 2010 by Michelle 17 Comments

Sweetheart Sampler Stocking
BBD
30ct St. Valentine’s Blend by R&R
GAST Cherry Bark
Finished 7/30/10

Look, another finish! After finishing Margaret Pence, I decided to pick this little stocking back up that I had started right after Romeo died. It made me feel really good to have a quick little finish on this. And since Romeo was my little sweetheart, this stocking will for sure remind me of him. I only have one more of the February stockings to stitch. You may remember I stitched February’s Violets in remembrance of my grandmother’s birthday last year. So, I may decide to just go ahead and start that other stocking here soon. They are such fun little stitches, and so colorful. I love this St. Valentine’s fabric, it has the slightest pink hue to it that really looks so pretty with the Cherry Bark thread.

After finishing up the stocking on Friday night, I decided to pick my Anniversaries of the Heart piece back up. This piece is giving me such fits. I had issues starting and then set it aside, then I decided to pick it back up, stitched on it all weekend (got farther than this photo shows) and then spent all night last night ripping out everything I’d stitched since Friday. Bummer. There was no way to fudge it since my mistake was in the bottom border, which has to line up since I’m stitching these all together on one piece of fabric. I really wish I could get a better photo of this, but like I said, this piece is giving me trouble.

And I had thought I would start my new piece this weekend, I pulled together my fabric and threads. I’m missing a few threads, which I didn’t think was a big deal, but when I sat down to stitch, they were the two threads I really needed to start. Nice. So, no new start this weekend. But, here’s a little sneak peek. I’m missing a blue, a couple of greens and another gold.

So, other than my finish, stitching was kind of a bust this weekend. Oh well, maybe I can find a new groove this week.

Until next time, happy stitching!

I am grateful for my sweetheart.

Hexalicious

June 28, 2010 by Michelle 25 Comments

I’ve been struggling with my stitching this past week, not really feeling up to working on anything. So, I decided to do something completely different (I always hear John Cleese’s voice when I say that). For a LONG while now, I’ve been wanting to make a Grandmother’s Flower Garden, or hexagon, quilt. I was first inspired by the very talented Be*Mused and her Kaffe Fasset hexagons in 2006. How stunning are they?! And her more recent rendition of them is gorgeous too – a lot more pattern to them, smaller size and two rounds of “petals” for her flowers. Since 2006, I’ve been determined that I would make a similar quilt. I just loved the colors, loved it on the black, loved it period. I watched videos on how to make hexagons and even ordered some templates in a couple of different sizes. I think I bought 1″ and 2″ hexagons. But, then…nothing.

Recently, with the re-emergence of the hexagon hoopla, I decided I definitely need to finally take the plunge. Of course, my first thought went to needing to go out and and buy tons of pretty fabric, buy some new templates, etc. But, I’d been thinking about it for so long, that I couldn’t seem to get up the nerve to spend a big chunk of change on some fabric. What if I didn’t like it? What if I couldn’t find what I wanted? What if I hated hexagon making? So, again, I did nothing.

But, with the need for something mindless to occupy my hands, I decided to just do it already. I pulled out my jelly roll of Moda Madeira by Blackbird Designs. I had purchased this in the tin and used the tin and part of my jelly roll for my Jane Timmers class back last September. My original intention for the remaining jelly roll was to make the quilt pattern that came with the tin. But, again, it would require buying additional fabric for the background, borders and backing. So, my jelly roll had been sitting in the closet with no use. What better use than to make hexagons? I downloaded the free hexagon template from Texas Freckles thanks to Siobhan’s direction. So, no additional money spent, all supplies on hand and voila I was in Hexagon Heaven.

I spent all day Saturday making hexagons. And by the end of the day, I had forty. That was all the templates I’d cut out, so I thought it was a good stopping point. So much fun though.

And you know what, even if I only make a little wall-hanging and not a full-size quilt with these, I really enjoyed every minute of making them. I will definitely be making more as soon as I cut out some more templates. I’m so glad I took the plunge, and I think it maybe was a bit therapeutic too. I found myself able to read a bit over the weekend, and I enjoyed that. And I even enjoyed a bit of stitching.

I was inspired by this tree at Seminar…

So, I decided to pull out the supplies for one of the February BBD stockings that I had on hand. This one seemed to be pretty mindless, with no color changes, so it was a good choice. This is Sweetheart Sampler from the February stockings. I’m stitching with the recommended GAST Cherry Bark on 30ct St. Valentine’s Blend by R&R. I love the combination. So pretty.

Yesterday, I actually pulled out And They Sinned to work on, as is the Sunday tradition. I’m working along on the left side of the cloud, which is mostly mindless stitching. I stitched on it all afternoon and evening, and managed to finish the left side. I did send a progress photo to my PIC (partner in crime) to prove that I had actually worked on it, since I’ve been such a slacker with it lately. I came really close to sending her a photo of Missy’s ATS and saying “look how much I’ve gotten done!” but then I decided that she might actually recognize Missy’s brilliance and call me on it. I just lack filling in the little motifs in that left side of the cloud and it is completely finished. Then, I promise to post a progress photo (yes, my own progress photo).

I am grateful for handwork.

On to September

August 31, 2009 by Michelle 25 Comments

The last of the birthday weekend finishes…

Happy Birthday Stocking
Blackbird Designs
Weeks, Crescent Colors & GAST on 30ct Irish Cream by R&R
Finished 8/20/09

February’s Violet Stocking
Blackbird Designs
GAST & Crescent Colors on 30ct Irish Cream by R&R
Finished 8/26/09

For my birthday, I usually have a new start. This year, I decided to just start something little. I’d been wanting to stitch up some of the BBD stockings, and the Happy Birthday stocking seemed like a perfect choice for birthday stitching. My grandmother’s birthday is near mine too, and when she was alive we always celebrated our birthdays together. She used to grow African violets, so stitching February’s Violet was a natural choice once I finished my birthday stocking. I had a piece of Irish Cream linen cut big enough for two stockings, and that’s what these both called for in the pattern. Fortuitous, no? So, that’s the last of what I got done on or near my birthday weekend of stitching fun. And let me just say, for the record, the more I stitch with them the more I love Crescent Colors threads. They are so pretty and squishy and I love them.

Oh, and I also meant to share with you a little finishing tip. The thing I stumbled upon that made the finishing on my peacock piece so much easier – a curved needle. I’ve never used one before, but that thing was the best! Usually, I am fighting with a straight needle to stitch something down, but that curved needle was the absolute best. I found a package of them at Jo-anne’s with the sewing tools. Just thought I’d pass it along!

And having finished up stitching both those little stockings, I went back to stitching on Simple Things. I’ve finished the flowers (except for that bud in the corner), and have moved on to leaves. There are a ton of leaves, but I’m stitching with thread called “Guacamole”, so how can I complain?

I think adding the Red Pear (pink) in there, made all the difference. The colors on this really work together now. I didn’t stitch at all yesterday, even though I was hoping to get a lot of stitching in. I did go to the quilt shop and pick up some fabric for the baby quilt. I think I’m going to use some 30s repro fabric with muslin. I love that combination for baby quilts. I think I’ve got a pattern picked out too. But, yesterday my allergies were getting the better of me, so I wasn’t feeling so hot. I really just wanted to spend the day curled up under my quilt reading my book. Which, I did primarily. So, no stitching.

Tomorrow night is guild night (has it really been a month?), and we are having our annual stash sale. I spent some time yesterday going through my stash and pulling out and pricing stuff to sell. Funny how our tastes change over time, huh? Anyway, I pulled a bunch of charts and some fabric to sell. Anything that doesn’t go, I’ll post for sale/trade here. But here’s hoping I come home empty-handed.

I am grateful for lemon meringue pie.