HAPPY EASTER!

Here is my first dishtowel. Just in time for Easter, sort of, lol! I can hardly wait to make another one! Hope everyone is having a wonderful Easter today =)

And the Winner is...

Hubby drew your name, Marie! Please email your address to me and I will mail you a goody box along with your pin cushion set that you won. Congratulations =)

A few of you asked questions so here are the answers:

• Hubby is home for good now. At least it will be a while before they would send him somewhere else, but he is done with the remote in Korea.
• Natasha - You can find directions for the dish scrubbers here.

• Patti - I purchased the Mary Arden Needles from Shakespeare's Peddler, and thank you for the compliments on my needle case. I hope you will share photos of yours when you get it made up =)

A very big THANK YOU to everyone who reads my blog!!!

I have been admiring Staci's beautiful embroidery project and even had the good fortune to win a drawing on her blog for this lovely piece. I have decided to expand my horizons and try more embroidery. I want to make some of those adorable old-fashioned Days-of-the-week dish towels and maybe a few other things. I have even signed up for two embroidery classes and I can hardly wait but they aren't until next month. I also joined the Tea Towel Club at the same shop and will share photos of those projects. I bought the project from last month and will show the photo later today, I hope. Once I get the ham into the oven I will sew the ric rac onto it and attach the bows and pompons and then I can take a photo. I want to have cutesy dish towels hanging in my kitchen! Maybe I will find some way to display my collection of vintage crochet pot holders too.

Have a great day!

Blogiversary Drawing

Here is a photo of the pin cushions sets that I stitched two of. One for me and one for you. Some lucky person will get this mailed to them along with some other goodies, which I am keeping a surprise until the package is received. Please enter the drawing by leaving a comment on this post only and I will have my dear hubby draw a name one week from today! Yep, he will be home from Korea the day after tomorrow!!!

I am off to my finishing class and should have photos of my projects tomorrow, maybe. I am likely to get a bit scatter brained (more than usual), as I have lots to do before Monday. I am even a little late to post my drawing since my blogiversary was yesterday, lol!

Have a great day!

More Finishes!

Here is a floss tag I stitched using patterns from Blackbirds newest book. I decided to use it as a bag tag for the floss I am using to stitch up their little stockings.
















Now, I don't know what came over me, but I actually did the finishing on this needle book all by myself! I usually avoid any machine sewing unless it is for an exchange and that is because I put it off until the last minute and end up having to do it myself, lol! This time I was blog surfing and saw this free pattern and thought, I might be able to do this one. And sew I did. I am sew pleased with how it turned out. Mind you, it isn't perfect, but then again, neither am I =)

Now, keep checking back. I will be having a give-away for my Blogaversary, which will be April 3rd, of something I stitched. No, not the needle book. It's mine too, lol. I will give a hint though. It's a little something from Blackbirds new book. I had to stitch two so I could keep one for myself. My goodness I am a greedy girl this year! And I love it...

Have a great day!

The Ultimate Needlebook

At long last, here it is. Completely finished! This is the Ultimate Needlebook by Judy O'Dell. It was a SAL at my LNS last year. I really loved stitching it and even took the finishing class with hopes of doing it all myself. Talk about overwhelming! I gave it to the shop finisher and she returned it to me last week. I just love how this turned out and it is one of my most favorite things I have ever stitched.
















I added the verse from the Just Nan Sampler Winter Blues. I have a piece of the same linen left over that I just might use to stitch the sampler.


Needle page covers closed. I don't know if you can tell but there are a few tiny beads sewn on and in person they look like little tiny snowflakes or ice crystals. Just the effect I wanted!









I added the nun stitch needle pages to the inside and filled it with the John James Ultimate Needle Collection, of course.











I am currently working on a quick piece for the finishing class I am taking on Saturday, and then I will be working on the BBD stockings and another pin cushion challenge pattern from my LNS. Part 4 of Alla Turca will be out this week too and I am really looking forward to stitching on it again.

Have a great day!

Blackbird Stockings

MINE! All mine =) I am stitching these little pretties all for myself. I didn't think I could love these more than I already do, until I got these first three back from the finisher. They are lined just like a regular stocking so I can add stuff to them for decoration. I don't know what kind of stuff, but who cares. I just have three more to stitch, two from the March leaflet and the one from the JCS Ornament issue, and then I will be caught up. I find I am already very anxious to see what will come next! I am really into Blackbird right now. I have given my collection their own special box, kitted up several designs, and still wish for more, lol! I still need to do the finishing on the Autumn Song Loose Feathers I stitched last year, as well as the retreat projects from last summer. I have a couple other small finishes that I can't show just yet. One of them just might be a give-away for my blogiversary ;)
Have a great day!

PIF's & SAL's

I have stitched part three of Alla Turca and am really loving it. It will seem like forever for the next part now, lol!

I started the alphabet book some time ago and only stitched the first page before setting it aside. Now our guild has picked it up as a group project and we have a goal to get one page (two letters) done between each meeting. Here is my page for this month. I am using Splendor silks and they are stitched on cream Belfast linen. I purchased all of the kits at my LNS so I have no excuses not to finish it!

Finally, my PIF's are done and sent, except for one person I am still waiting for an address. I am going ahead and posting a photo because the two that were sent have been received and maybe if my third person see's this she will send me her address, lol! If I don't hear something pretty soon then I will have a drawing for it.

I have been working on several things and will post more photos when I get stuff back from my finisher. She has a Blackbird Stocking and a couple of pin cushions and I can hardly wait to see them done. I plan to stitch all of the stockings and stitched another one yesterday. They work up really quickly and are soooo cute!

Have a great day!