Fall Quilt Complete!

So, does anybody  else have the back-to-school-bug? Because my whole family has it. We all just look and feel miserable. My folks left yesterday (*sad face*) and my mom took it home with her. Sorry family in Arizona!

This last week has been busy! The house is all ready to be put on the market: it's cleaned and staged and ready to go. I'm feeling simultaneously excited and nervous. The only thing that is pressing on my mind is finding new schools for the kids and putting them through that transition. I know, I know. It's not a big deal to switch schools when they are this young. The only thing they are worried about is if all of their stuff is going to come to the new house as well. Thinking about it, that sounds pretty nice: selling the house "as is" and not having to pack as much and starting over at the new house. I guess if money was no object...... oh well, a lady can dream, right?

Moving on....

I finished the Autumn Sampler!  Here it is in all its glory:

I think it turned out quite nicely. It's amazing how the back stitching in the corners really bring out the quilt blocks. For those of you keeping track at home, this is called "Fall Quilt" by Stoney Creek. You can find it here.

Granted, it's not completely finished (as in to hanging quality) but at least it is all stitched. 

I started the next project to keep me busy while the house is on the market and I can't make a huge mess, i.e. no quilts. 

I'm about halfway done already. I really like fast projects! 

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Happy Sewing!

Kate

Happy Day!

Oh Happy Day! Happy Happy Day! I have finally, FINALLY, finished the map of the world that I have been working on since last Spring.

This is a minor miracle in that it took me less than one year to finish it. I have had many projects-some bigger and some much, much smaller-that took 2,3 and I daresay, 10 times as long to complete but this was becoming a weight around my neck.

I just have this one terrible picture to show you since I have already sent it off to be framed. Here it is, in all its horrible lighting glory:

I am really happy with how this turned out; believe it or not, the back stitching (or outlining) was not as intricate as I thought it would be. Don't get me wrong, the sails on the boat heard a few curse words but it went really fast once I had finished the counted cross stitch. I'm also happy I had the foresight to back stitch as I went along. I hate back stitching and to do it in smaller chunks helped make it seem less tedious.

The best part of this project being finished, is I get to move onto SOMETHING ELSE! This has been a weight around my neck; not letting me start anything new and I have been lusting after several different projects to start. So I am hoping that my next project is one that is really awesome (and maybe not so huge!).

On an unrelated note, I get the Stoney Creek Friday Flash email sent me to each week. Sometimes I glance through it and other times it goes straight to the trash can but for whatever reason I looked through it last week. Oh man, bad idea. In their Overstock and Closeout section there were a few  items that I felt that I just couldn't live without. The good thing was I didn't spend more than $10 on any one item but they will just have to get in the lottery along with everything else! They did speak to me since they were all things I would make and probably keep for myself-which is nice since about 75% of the stuff I make doesn't stay with me.

I'm trying to think of anything else I have worked on lately and the only thing I did do was make a basic Christmas tree skirt out of muslin for my friend Taylor--check her out over at Red Vine Spirituality. She has a love affair with burlap that can not be denied and decorates her house at Christmas with burlap and red that is super gorgeous. Anyway, at the beginning of December (or late November, I've already forgotten) we got a little Pinterest goofy and figured we could reproduce this beauty!  All I did was take some scrap muslin and make a basic skirt for her and she did all the rest. It was fantastic. She was kind enough to send me a picture:

Isn't her tree gorgeous and fun? I love the polka dots on the tree skirt. I am amazed at how fast she was able to get it done.

Well, now that this monkey is off my back, I'm on to other things. The first choice from the lottery will be picked tomorrow!

And, yes, I am sorry I haven't posted anything in quite a while. This blogging stuff is HARD! I'm amazed at the people who are able to do it every day or multiple times a week! Amazing. I will work to be more diligent in my blogging efforts.

What projects are you working on? Anything that you just can't wait to finish?

Non-Christmas part 1

Right now I am in the midst of potty training. I'm exhausted and I've only been at this for two days. So my drive/want/need/inspiration to write again has been lacking. Oh well, let's get to it, shall we?

In the last post I showed off all of the Christmas projects I have on my sewing table. Some have yet to be started, some are partially done and really some only need a few stitches and they are finished. It's sad, really. It's like I can't complete some things. Looking at my Christmas and non-Christmas projects I probably have many many more non-Christmas projects but in my mind it just seems like a lot less since so many of the non-Christmas projects haven't even been started.

One of my favorite cross stitch websites is Stoney Creek and many of the cross stitch kits I have came from here. They do a "Pattern of the Month" where you can get a free pattern once a month and you just pay for shipping. They usually have a couple of them going on at any given time but I really liked this one and have been working on it since this past January.

I really should have ironed the aida before I took the pictures but the deed is done. I was doing one a month but then 75% of my family came and visited me this summer (which was awesome) and it just kind of fell by the wayside. As you can see I am up to August but I'll be honest, I have no idea what I am going to do with them once I am done. I could mount them and then change them out each month from a little frame. I could make them into little ornaments and hang them from a knob but I think my house is knob free. I'll think of something. They're cute. That's all that matters.


Next I have some bigger cross stitch kits that I have purchased over the last few years. I really need to stop buying them. They are beautiful and I love them but more often than not they are just so big or intricate or I have no idea where I am going to put them that about half way through I get discouraged. I do have plans for these four, the map I am working on, but I'm not holding my breath that they will be picked first, you know?

I like these flowers; they will look nice in my living room.









I had this picture in my room growing up as a child. I thought it would be nice for the kids. I might also give it away. Depends on when I make it.

This is my mom's favorite picture of the Blessed Virgin. Here they call it Mother and Child but it appears to be modeled after Roberto Ferruzzi's "Madonna of the Streets."











That's pretty much it for the counted cross stitch projects I have going. The next post will discuss the quilting and sewing gems I have stashed away in my project laundry basket. My brain has suddenly decided to stop working so I'm going to call it quits while I am ahead.

Happy Sewing!

oops! I forgot to show where I am on the map project. That was also kind of getting me down this week. I was off by a few stitches and so I had to rip out about a 2 x 2 inch chunk of it. I hate having to do that but since I am constrained by a border I can't be sewing all nimbly bimbly. Here it is: