February ♥

Hi Everyone!

Thank you all so much for the kind comments on my previous post. I'm dipping my toes back into the blogging and stitching world. I'm back with my February post! Since I stumbled across my abandoned Anniversaries of the Heart in mid-January, I've been obsessed with stitching on it. I finished the Pink Hill Manor block. I haven't decided if I want to personalize this project or how. This block does not have much blank space but maybe it's a little odd that that basket of flowers is suspended in mid-air? Although, lots of samplers have odd little bits so maybe I shouldn't worry so much about it?

I also completed A Wish For You. This is the block that made me abandon the project in the first place. I wanted to put the full quote into the block and it's stitched over 1! I had to chart and re-chart and here it is! It's a little squished but I'm happy all the words are there. I added a couple of diamonds in the upper left corner instead of the date. I have now started Block 6 which is the Farm House. 

I'm stitching this project in hand so please excuse the wrinkles. I am trying to figure out how to fold over/clip the fabric so I can continue in hand. For the moment, I have it folded over with safety pins because all the clips I had felt too heavy or got in the way. What does everyone else do when stitching in hand on a large project??

And this next project is one I finished in 2015. It's Blissfully Unaware by Hands on Design stitched with the recommended fibers on the recommended linen by Hand-Dyed Fabrics by Stephanie. It was a fun stitch but wow, it was more stitching than I thought and larger than I thought it would be. Note to self: read the measurements on the pattern. That said, it will be a great addition to my Halloween decorating once I manage to get it finished. 

Speaking of finishing, I sent a few pieces to Joy of Finely Finished. I may have found my stitching mojo but I never had much finishing mojo and thought I deserved a little treat for myself. I sent her a Lizzie Kate ornie and she did a great job (ignore the crooked charm, I'm no photographer either :)) I love the little jingle bells at the bottom and the Christmas-y backing fabric.

 Front

 Back

I also sent her A Little Gray Hare by Lizzie Kate. This piece kept me company during my Dad's nine days of mourning. Joy did a great job finishing it up just like the model, down to the cute jute bow. I plan to rest it alongside my dad's photo. 

There is one more item I sent to Joy but you'll have to come back and see it in the next post. I'm off for a long weekend to Cancun so I will catch up on everyone's posts after I get back.

Until next time...
Valerie :)

New Year, New Hopes

Happy New Year Everyone! This is my first post of 2016 and I come into the new year with hopes of one better than 2015 and a new outlook.

It's no secret that 2015 was difficult. A lot has been untold in the blog because I was just too busy to take the time. 2015 saw a new job with a challenging learning curve, the death of my beloved dad, an engagement, a 40th (yikes!) birthday and dealing with an estrangement from my mother. There is nothing more hurtful than a parent saying the most terrible, hateful things and not being one bit happy for you especially when your biggest supporter and protector is no longer around. By the end of the year, I was a stressed out, anxious and incredibly sad shell of my former self who was trying hard to get back into the light.

So 2016 is about time...and relaxing. To let the little things go because too much time and energy goes into something that doesn't really matter in the first place. To rediscover those things that give me joy and stick with them. I don't have any resolutions but I have little goals.

Blog once a month.
Stitch at least one hour 3-4 times per week.
Reorganize my stash and sell off those things I no longer want or see myself stitching.
Declutter my apartment.

With the new year, came a new start. I've been wanting Chatelaine's Embroidered Elegance I for a while and when it finally went on sale I treated myself to the pattern and the kit for my birthday. I started it on January 12th and its a delight even though it's slow going.



I also had a few finishes this month. Mind you, most of the stitching was done last year.


My first finish was Lizzie Kate's A Little Grey Hare. This has sentimental value now. When my dad passed away, I had to pack in a matter of hours and grabbed the first kit I could find that just had everything in it. To keep my mind busy, I stitched on this during the nine days of morning and completed all the stitching. Since I had no beading needle, I had to keep those off and I forgot about it until a couple of weeks ago and I found a beading needle and the beads and finished it off in no time. I'm sending this off to a finisher to be made into a pinkeep like the model. Even though I have the want for stitching, I don't have the brain or energy for finishing work right now.

And I finished my Lizzie Kate Holly & Hearts Mystery Sampler which has been a WIP for a long time. I am glad this one is finished. In retrospect, I think it took me a long time because I prefer traditional christmas colors versus the pastel palate in this sampler. I think I would like it finished as a little quilted table mat in the future. For now, it will hang out with my larger finished projects in the closet.

I also finished a couple of other pieces but one is a surprise and the other I forgot to take a picture of.

I recently bought the new Jolly Happy Soul pattern by With Thy Needle and Thread. I just couldn't resist that cute snowman! The pattern calls for R&R Olde Towne Blend and I knew I had a piece with a project started on it so I could compare the color with fabrics in my stash for Jolly Happy Soul. So off I went looking for that project and unsurfaced my Anniversaries of the Heart. I set it aside due to the over 1 verse in Block 4 and just feeling overwhelmed about how I was even going to go about personalizing the blocks. Seeing it made me fall in love with it all over again so I decided to start Block 5 (Pink Hill Manor). Here is the progress on Block 5

and how it looks as a whole so far.

So this is my blog post for January! I made it! I am hoping to have more finishes in 2016 and will start a journal to keep track of my finishes as things got a little confusing last year.

I hope everyone has had a good start to the new year.

Until next time!
Valerie