Summer House Stitche Workes Retreat

I have been in long enough to do a quick pick-up and vacuum and have the  second load of laundry in the washer and now it is time for a settle into the sofa and review the weekend.  

Wow, what a great retreat.   Stitch by Stitch in Cape May,  NJ was the location.   Shop owner, Sharon and all her staff...Donna, Elana and Carol....were great and couldn't have done more for us.   It was fabulous from the time we checked in on Friday at noon until checking out this morning.  

On Friday, after a quick tour around the shop and picking up our goodie bag were were off to the classroom where we sat up for the weekend.

We chatted and caught up with old friends and met some new ones, then settled into stitch the afternoon and evening away.  

Is this the coolest pumpkin?   Janice of Noteworthy Needle stitched this as a present for Sharon of Stitch by Stitch.

Not a bad view for my morning wake-up and surprisingly it was not too terribly cold.   A good jackets was enough.

On to the class was with Beth Seal of Summer House Stitch Workes and it have a Thanksgiving theme.

 We stitched this candle mat.   The "1621" is the date of the first Thanksgiving.   I may take out the green and stitch it in the light brown to have it show up better.

Easy enough to do since this was finished off with a nun stitch boarder.

In keeping with the Thanksgiving theme, we stitched a turkey complete with a waddle.

The class also included this scissors fob with felt leaves and cranberries.

We also made the felt acorns with real acorn caps.     And see the Ron LeHays shaker box?   A gift from Sharon of Stitch by Stitch.

 And what does the shaker box have to do with the Thanksgiving project?    Well we are to mount the turkey on the lid.   I think I am going to try to fashion a way to do it with magnets so I don't put glue on the top of the beautifully finished shaker box.   I hope to be able to do the finishing this week.

There were giveaways and there were games (poor Donna and longest Bingo game in history), giveaways and fun all over and above the project.  Great class, good times, good food and a beverage or two.  I am already looking forward to next year's class weekend.

Thanks for stopping by and keep on stitching.

T-Minus 6 days

Oh no!  6 days to a class in Cape May and I don't have my pre-stitch done yet.   Better get stitching.  So many things have been getting in the way of stitching time but I sure hope this weekend I can eek out some time.  

I might be stalling on this a bit since I have changed it up from the original design.   I added the green to better suit the color scheme in my house and then I added a set of different colored leaves along each side of the border.   I kind of feel disloyal to the designer and certainly unworthy of questioning her skill when she created the design so I think I have a stitching block.    No fear, I need to charge through it this weekend.....and heaven knows if I will be able to stitch and finish a scissors fob for the exchange.   Thank goodness that exchange is voluntary.

On to what I have been doing, stitch wise, at least.   I have been devoting my morning pre-work hour of stitching to Halloween Quaker.   The way I am approaching the motifs may seem crazy but there is a method to my madness.    I know somehwhere in the middle I am off a couple (or more threads) so I worked the border across the top and bottom so I could do the right side (and it matched!).   And now I plan to work from the right side of the pattern back to the middle.

I won't be finished but Halloween but I am so much closer than I was.    My EGA Guild Challenge really helped me get so much done this past month.  It really is a fast stitch when I just put my mind to it.

Here's where I was at my last posting.

My goal is to finish the stitching by the time I have a long weekend with my daughters in November where I hope to finish/finish it.

So that's it for me.   Nothing spectacular going on.  Work drags on with new assignments and training new employees which keeps me from doing my regular work.  They are tempting me with dangling the carrot of a four-day week and a salary bump but I just don't know.  It's the workload that needs to decrease more than the hours do.  My brother's estate is also dragging along.   All the antiques from his house arrived this week and my living is piled to the ceiling.   The nieces and nephews better come make a pick and take it or there will be no Christmas decorating this year......hmm.....while I speak sacrilege and am conjuring visions of Byers Dolls with tears down their faces if denied their normal holiday positions no decorating could be a great time saver!

Almost forgot, I have the September AND October buttons of the month from JABCO to share.  

 It is such fun to get the little box each month and see what they have included.  When I was last at Salty Yarns I priced these individually and the month automatic shipment is about a 40% reduction in cost.

Thanks for stopping by and keep on stitching.

Fall is upon us

We seriously went from the A/C one day to the heat the next!  Better add pulling out the fall and winter clothes to my long list of things to do today.     No rest for the weary.

I was able to put in a little stitching on my EGA challenge piece.  This year's challenge is to select four pieces you wish to work on.   They can be new starts or WIPs or even the dreaded UFO's.    Each month a number is chosen and the corresponding project is what we are to focus on for the month.

Here is where I was when I picked this back up on Friday morning.

And here is what I have added since.  I am happy with what I've gotten done.   And as I stitch, I am wondering why I put this down.   I won't put the pressure on to finish before this Halloween....

The fabric is just perfect.   It is called "murky" from Weeks Dye Works.  I finished off the row of houses and the quaker motif on the right.

Then added the "frog legs" green spot motif and started the 310-Black motif.

I also have gotten a teeny tiny bit on my class pre-stitch.   I'm getting there.   Now I have to decide if I want to stitch and finish a scissors fob for the exchange we will have during the class.

The '1621' is the year of the first Thanksgiving.

This week I have interviews to hold and something to do 3 of 5 nights but I want to try to start planning for my trip to Boston in November.  Middle daughter will turn the big 4-0 and mom said you can't celebrate a big birthday  without your family.  No. 1 daughter is going with me and we are planning a 5-day sewing frenzy.   I think I want to concentrate on doing some finishes.  I need to go through my supplies and start assembling them on my craft table while making a list of what I need before we leave.

That's it for today.  Short and sweet.  Got to clean, do laundry, paperwork, yard work and about ten other things on my list.   Ugh!  I used to say I go to work to recovery from my weekends but work has taken a turn.  I had to add to my workload covering for two employees who are out on medical leaves to the list of already covering two positions for the last 12 years.......wonder how many people they will have to hire to replace me when I leave.  Counting the days.......

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner.....not

Just back from my semi-annual retreat at Salty Yarns in OCMD and I was NOT the winner of the contest of who spent the most!  I might have even won the least amount spent award.   Wow!   I showed restraint.  

But first, my stitching progress since my last report. I finished the halloween witch before I left.    I kind of don't like the like the moon.   It looks like of goofy to me; like it is backwards.  It might stay.....it might not.  

 The day before I left for OCMD, my pre-stitch for a class in November arrived.   This is a "candle mat" from Beth Seal of Summer House Stitch Workes.  I took it along with me to get started.   We're cutting it close but it looks easy enough to finish before the class.  

 For "Mend" from Hands on Design, I got in all of the tape measure, EZ-PZ

As for the tomato, tamoto.....not so EZ-PZ.    I stitched it once and frogged it to change colors; then stitched it and frogged it a second time because I was off from the start........third time is the charm.   I think I am on the right track now.  When this one is done, I have three more identical ones to stitch. 

As for the goodies I brought back fro Ocean City.    First up, our fabulous gift from Salty Yarns.  Brenda Gervais pattern, package of needles, linen, floss and box were all packaged up for us.  What an awesome gift.  They are so good to us.

For purchasing, I bought about a half dozen WDW flosses I needed, the Just Cross Stitch Magazine Christmas Edition and a Scarlett House pattern and fabric.   Like we have all said so many times, the flyer does not do the piece justice.   One of the girls brought her finished and framed piece for show and tell and I was sold.   I bought 36 count Mello from PTP to stitch it on. 

So that wraps up my weekend.  I've got a busy week ahead with a full calendar so maybe not much stitching time for me.   

Thanks for stopping by and keep on stitching.

Brought to you by Gate B25

I've got lots of progress to share this weekend.   In part because of the sitting in an airport to and from Atlanta last week; also a day off Friday spent stitching day with friends and then yesterday, one of the most beautiful days in like forever, sitting on the deck and stitching the afternoon away.   Awww.

So, compared to others, it may not seem like a lot but for little old me who seems to spend more time in driving a car somewhere then I do stitching, I am pleased with my multi-project progress.

First,  I finished my EGA Christmas Tree from the December 2017 NeedleArts Magazine.   This was done as a guild project.   A great way to introduce canvas work to those of us who haven't done it before

 It was supposed to have a different star but I put it in such a safe place that I now can't find it.  Maybe I'll do a little recon before finishing this.  I think I want to finish as an easel finish.  Just need an uninterrupted evening to do it.

I managed to finish the witch's dress and add a bit of her flaming red hair.   I've had lunch meetings and lunch dates this week and since this it is my lunchtime stitch, not much time has been devoted to her.  Hopefully, this week I can finish her up and (maybe) start the fourth of the series.

 Lastly, this is Hands On Design Block Party "Mend"   This is what I took with me to Atlanta.   I managed to get a boatload of the tape measure done since there was no thought or counting involved. Five stitches up, five stitches down.  I am including this in my EGA Rotation Challenge that starts in October.    Since the projects can be WIP's or new it doesn't matter that I started it.   It is going really fast.

I passed on working on the tomato pin cushion as it would need a little more counting and concentrating than the airport setting allowed.

Now while in Atlanta area of course I needed to find a fabric store.   The Scarlet Thread in McDonough GA was awesome!    Here's (some of) my haul.    Got fabric and a pattern for a quilt.

 I am drawn to civil war era prints.   I laid it out above, from the top down the binding, the outing border, inner border, then background.  The fat quarters were prepackaged and there were about 20 different Cutie Patterns to choose from.   You then select your complementary fabric.  This store was so big that while shopping my sister and I were separated.   Only at the cutting table did we realize we both picked the same pattern and same bundle of fat quarters.   She chose a different background and borders and binding so we are going to look very different.   I am sure she will be done within the next year, mine, however......date unknown!  Too many started and half finished quilt tops already!

 Got fun fabric for pillow cases for my grandson.  Pattern looks so simple.   I bet I could whip up two in an evening with no problem even doing the french seams....or do I pull out the serger?  Just need to find that evening to dedicate the time to them.

Got some fun little wool kits to do.   Love the strawberries.   When finished, the piece is above 3 inches  by 7 inches and I already have the stand it hangs from.  

So that's it for me.   This week the suitcase is coming out again for me to start packing.   I am heading to Ocean City MD Thursday morning for my semi-annual guild retreat.  It is always fun, good times, good friends, good food, adult beverages and being at the beach.  Hopefully, I will not be 'the winner' AGAIN! with my tally of purchases from Salty Yarns.   For now, today is the second day of absolutely gorgeous weather here on the east coast.   I am heading outside to deadhead some plants, pull out other plants and get the yard ready for winter.

Thanks for stopping by and.....keep on stitching!

*Update*  hmmm, that safe place I believed I put the star for the Christmas tree.....uncovered.

I don't know if I will take off what I put on originally or not.   I like the shiny gold start but I don't know if the size of it is the right proportion.  There's time to decide.   Finishing is not on my list this week.  

EGA Challenge

We have a 2018-2019 Challenge starting next month at my EGA Guild.   We are to pick four projects to focus on.   They can be WIPs or new starts.   Well little old me is always looking for an excuse to start a new project.  

The 'challenge' is to select four projects.  We number them one to four.   Each meeting a number is called and the associated project becomes our focus piece for the next month.  If we finished a project, we get to add another to replace it and round out the foursome.

Project bags all filled and ready to go.

First up, from Hands-on Design, Block Party Mend.   I am missing one floss, so it is on my list for Salty Yarns in two weeks.  I changed the fabric from Dusty Miller to Cappachino.

Second, another Hands-on Design, Stitch Every Day.   Both of these have been in my stash for a couple of years.   I didn't dare start them because of all my other WIPs but now I feel like I have permission.  I changed the fabric from the suggested WDW Chickpea to Garden Slate Java.   I might have to change the green floss because of the green fabric.  hmmmm.

Pieces three and four, are WIPs.   The best of both worlds...something new and something old.

Third is Halloween Quaker from Lila's Studio.   Heck, I'd better get going on this one if I want it for this Halloween.   Was going like gangbusters and got derailed.   Time to get back on it!

Fourth is another Hands-on Design limited edition My Stitcher's Heart.   This is an exclusive pattern in association with Elegant Stitch.   It is a box and with smalls.  I fell in love with the colors.   Can you tell I like Cathy Habermann's designs.

I've finished two of the three smalls and will be working on the top and the third small.. 

So wish me luck that I get some of these stitched, finished and I'm able to roll some additional projects in the mix.   Could be a good way to get a WIP of two moved to the completed column!

Thanks fo stopping by and keep on stitching.