Stitchin' like the wind...

I am so excited with how much I got accomplished this weekend. First, I finished the second pattern in the Green Flipit series. I love the colors in this project. Perfect pattern to lift your spirits on cold, winter days. This series has 6 patterns, so I am a third of the way finished. FUN!!

Next, I finished this lovely piece. Little House Needleworks Winter Band Sampler. Isn't it beautiful? I love the fabric (Silkweaver Forest Haven). It is perfect. I finished it yesterday while Theresa was over. She is the fastest stitcher I have ever seen. I mean it is like she exists in a different time dimension. I can remember we were at a retreat one time and it seemed like every time I looked at my pattern, she was saying "Finished with that one!" So, it was great to finish this one while she was stitching right there beside me. Of course, she finished a project also. She is an incredible fast stitcher.

So this week I am working on the Sampler Thread Keeper, LK Green FlipIts series, LHN Sunflower Inn, and BBD Pink Hill Manor. I just might get one pattern finished this week, but I also need to work on that owl quilt. Oh, and I need to work at my real job. But, I have a feeling that this week will be productive on the stitching front.

Hope you have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

Some more finishes for January...

So, I am off to a great start, finishing some projects before the first month of 2011 is over. Yes, these are small pieces, but they are finishes just the same. I finished both LK Snowman '10 and BBD Rose Garden on the same day. I am not sure what I am going to do with the Snowman, but I know I am finishing Rose Garden as a pin pillow. I just love the colors on both of these.

I don't have a photo, but I also finished the 3rd part of BBD Anniversaries of the heart. My parents were married in March, 1966, so their initials are featured on this particular panel. I will try to get a photo posted soon.

Now, I guess I will be working on my applique quilt this week so I meet all of my January goals. Hope everyone has a great weekend and thanks for stopping by.

Last round of new starts...

So, I have started all of my planned projects and worked on the 11 WIPS. Not a bad start to the new year. First up: Day 10 New start: Lizzie Kate Snowman '10. This is such a pretty piece. I love the colors and really like stitching it, even though there is a lot of white. It is actually going pretty fast. The WIP is the letter I page for the Erica Michaels Sampler Surprise Book. These pages are really fast. I finished the whole page in one day, but still need to add the label at the bottom for the specialty stitch - Italian Cross Stitch. I really want to finish this book this year. It would be such a neat thing to add to my stitching displays.

Final day: New start is Blue Ribbon Designs Peppermint Twist. This is so pretty. I didn't have much time to work on it, but it is really. Great pattern for small ornaments as well. The old WIP is a design of my own. I don't have much done on this, so no pictures. It takes some time to decide on the colors. Hopefully, I will have something to show soon.

Now for a couple of finishes: I also want to stitch the Lizzie Kate Monthly Stamp series from a few years ago. I plan to finish these as magnets for my refrigerator. I can't find January, so I started February. These are really easy, but it is a finish. Also, I worked on and finished the first block in the Lizzie Kate Green Flipits: Plant a Tree. The colors are so vibrant and I love the fabric I chose. Another easy project, but a finish all the same.

Update on challenges...

So, these challenge pieces are coming along. Some are more fun than others, which you can tell by my progress.

Day 5 New project is Gingerbread Stitching House by Victorian Sampler. I don't have a picture because it is just white at this point. Eventually I will have something to share, but it is quite boring now. The WIP for day 5 is also quite boring, so no picture: Bent Creek Halloween The Branch. Needless to say, I wasn't much in the stitching mood on January 5th.

Day 6 New Project: Shakespeare's Peddler I Love the Birds. I am really enjoying this one. I made a bit of progress, but I also had some distractions. I spent the day at my sister's house and my nephew, Tyler, wanted my undivided attention. The WIP for today got a lot more attention. This is Bent Creek Christmas Mantle. I stitched quite a bit on the second stocking. Now, if you are familiar with this pattern, you will notice it is not like the original. I have 2 sisters and 2 brothers. When I saw this pattern, I was so excited. There would be a stocking for each of us. The only problem is the second and last stocking were out of order for my family, so I switched them. I am also personalizing the stocking, as you can see I added my sister's name to the first one. Very cute!!!

Day 7 New Project: Little House Needleworks Winter Band Sampler. I LOVE THIS PATTERN. I am stitching it on a piece of Forest Glade from Silkweaver and it is beautiful. I didn't have a lot of time to stitch, but this pattern is wonderful. The WIP is an old project from Leisure Arts: Mistletoe Ball. I have to stitch the same piece three times! It is a bit slow going right now.

Day 8 New Project: Little House Needleworks Sunflower Inn. Love the colors on this one. The WIP is A Quaker Christmas. It doesn't look like it but I have made some progress since I put this one down.

Day 9 New Project: Blackbird Designs Rose Garden. I really thought I would finish this one today, but I spent the afternoon at my parents' house, so I still have some work to finish. The WIP is Blue Ribbon Designs Autumn Leaves and Sunflower Seeds. I stitched three of the five squash on this day.

So, I am plugging away and hope to have some finishes soon. Today, I am spending the day with a friend, but we will be stitching. Maybe I can get one of the projects completed today.

Challenge Updates

Okay, so I have 4 days of 2011 behind me and I have made progress on the "assigned" projects for those days. Some of these projects are just so much fun to stitch that it seems like I am just breezing though, while others seem like stitches are going in but then disappearing some how. It doesn't feel like I am making any progress on those. Anyway, time for the updates:

Day two: New start is LK Green Flip It. I am stitching all 6 together for a piece to hang in my office. Since I am a biologist and I work at a university, I thought this would be a great piece for decorating a rather dull room. This one is a lot of fun to stitch, lots of pretty colors. I just love the bird. As for the old WIP: BBD Anniversaries of the Heart part 3. I am so close to finishing this one and I just love it. I decided to stitch the entire series on a piece of 40 ct. linen and it is just beautiful. My parents were married in March, so this square has their initials and the date of their wedding. Just a few more bricks and the door and windows to finish this one.

Day three: New start is The Primitive Needle Witches Hollow. This is a good example of one that is slow going. I am stitching this on a piece of 40 ct. linen that I received as a Christmas gift from my husband. I love the colors, but it took me several hours to just do this much of the owl. It may have something to do with the fact that my friend, Theresa, was over this day and I was talking more than stitching. As for the the old WIP: Cherished Stitches A Quaker Halloween Sampler is slow going as well. I love the colors and the fabric, but it is a slow stitch.

Day 4: New start is BBD Midnight Watch. I just love this piece. I am so happy that I have started it and hope to have it finished well before Halloween. It is just too pretty, in my opinion. I had to watch my two nephews today, so I didn't have as much stitching time. But I did get the top border complete, so that makes me happy. The old WIP is Blue Ribbon Designs Afraid of the Dark. This is another one that is slow going, for now. I am working on the boxes, which is a bit boring, but next time I pick it up I am going to stitch the pumpkin and cat in the orange box. Can't wait... (Notice the kitten paw in the lower right hand corner.)

Today, I will start on Victoria Samplers Gingerbread Stitching House. It actually calls for lots of different silks, but I am substituted from my stash. This one will take a long time, but it is going to be too cute when I finish. The old WIP is Bent Creek Halloween The Branch. Hopefully this one will stitch up pretty quickly.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope everyone has a great day.

Happy New Year and New Goals...

Wow, 2010 just zoomed on by quickly, didn't it? It was a great year though. Stitching-wise, I completed over 20 projects!! I didn't complete all of my goal projects, but overall I think I was very productive this year.

Christmas was great at our house. We actually scaled back a bit this year. No major purchases, no huge electronic items. I received several stitching gifts. My husband and boys gave me 4 large pieces of 40 ct. linen, which are absolutely lovely. I also received giftcards to Shakespeare's Peddler from my parents and sister. And my friend Theresa gave me an absolutely wonderful box full of stitching things as well.

For the new year, I am modifying the current challenge of starting 15 new projects a bit. I am starting 11 new projects in the first 11 days of 2011. In addition, I have selected 11 WIPS that I will also work to complete in 2011. So, here are the lists of projects:

New Starts Challenge of 2011 (Start one a day in first 11 days of 2011 and complete before the end of the year)

1. Trousse A Tri Fils from A Mon Ami

2. Lizzie Kate Green Flips

3. The Primitive Needle Witches Hollow

4. Blackbird Designs Midnight Watch

5. Gingerbread Stitching House from Victoria Sampler

6. Shakespeare's Peddler I Love the Birds

7. Little House Needlework Winter Band Sampler

8. Little House Needlework Sunflower Inn

9. Blackbird Designs Rose Garden

10. Lizzie Kate Snowman '10

11. Blue Ribbon Designs Peppermint Twist

2011 WIP challenge (complete these by the end of the year)

1. Lizzie Kate ABC Christmas (finished yesterday)

2. Blackbird Designs Anniversaries of the Heart series

3. Blue Ribbon Designs Afraid of the Dark

4. Cherished Stitches A Quaker Halloween Sampler

5. Bent Creek Halloween The Branch

6. Bent Creek The Christmas Mantle

7. Erica Michael's Sampler Book

8. Leisure Arts Mistletoe Ball

9. A Quaker Christmas

10. Blue Ribbon Designs Autumn Leaves and Sunflower Seeds

11. My very own design!

I started yesterday and actually finished the LK ABC Christmas. I only had the last line to do, but it was still a WIP and finished in 2011.

Here is my very small bit of progress on Trousse A Tri Fils and my cute little baby, Elizabeth.

Hope everyone has a great 2011! Thanks for stopping by.