WIPocalypse 2012 - Super Full Moon in May

Good morning!  I hope everyone is going to have a weekend full of beautiful May weather like we are anticipating here in Cleveland.

I am posting my WIPocalypse post early in the day in the hope that I will be able to spot that super full moon tonight.  I think they said the moon will appear 14% larger than normal and 30% brighter.  Gotta love that!

This month was mostly about BBD for me.  I finished Wild Garden (see earlier post).  I still have not had it framed.

I re-started Christmas Garden, after seeing Rita's beautiful over one thread start at WRSG.  I wasn't liking my start and decided to switch to the over one plan, which I am loving!!!  Not enough to show you yet...maybe next month.

I have a modest start to show on Spring's Song - Treasure Box.  I love this piece.  I don't plan to stitch the sampler in the Loose Feathers booklet, but will do the box lid and the little bird.  So far I have part of the quick and easy one third across the top stitched.  The middle section will take more time.

BBD Spring's Song Treasure Box start

Strawberry Bleu - The Purple Thread

And lastly I started a quirky strawberry pattern from The Purple Thread.  I changed the blue thread to purple.

I look forward to checking out a bunch of blogs from fellow WIPocalypsers Monday.  Have fun, stitch much, and don't forget to check out the moon tonight.  (Howl, if you must!)

April Hermits - Part II

I don't know whether it is me or blogger, 

but now there is some muttering coming from me.

Anyway, on to part two of our IHSW post.

Toni forgot her stitching (!) 

so we suggested that she start the patchwork lid

for the Treasure box in BBD's Weekend booklet, 

with the delicious Blueberry Crumbcake fabrics.

She had to leave early to go to a class that, 
upon arrival at the shop,
she found had been cancelled three hours earlier.
Muttering from Toni, too.

With a couple of last minute changes,
I was able to complete BBD's Wild Garden,
also with a little muttering
that seems to accompany unstitching. 

As noted earlier,
I decided to stitch this in memory of
my Mother who passed away
one month and one day before the completion of this piece.

 OK, here is the real eye candy.

Rose has been diligently working on her Button Book

from Patrick's Woods (Sherri Jones).

The class was last month.

Rose has been busy not only stitching
but collecting buttons
from ebay and other sources.

This is an amazing piece.
And all are unique because of the buttons that 
you choose to treasure.

P.S. Some muttering from Rose's corner of the world, too!

Yes, there was a lot of murmuring and muttering going on...

you know how it is when you seem to have forgotten how to count.

All this was outweighed by sharing time and laughs and stories 

with stitching gal pals.

Happy Stitching, All!

2012 WIPocalypse - Fourth Full Moon

Hi, stitch fanatics -

Another month with stitching ADD!  I keep having to adjust my WIPocalypse list to accommodate all the new starts I have made this year.  Will I ever learn?

This past month has been a sad and hectic one.  I have managed to stitch a little on the two projects my guild is working on for Christmas in July 2013 SAL, Victoria Sampler's Twelve Days and BBD's Christmas Garden.  I'll show those next month when the photos will, I hope, have more progress to see.

I also started BBD's recent limited edition pattern, Wild Garden, on which I plan to include my Mother's initials and birth and death dates.  Then Thursday I looked at my pattern for Spring Eggs III from Sandra at Homespun Elegance - Plain & Fancy Collection and thought, "I can get these three little eggs stitched by Easter, and just assemble them afterward."  That would have been an OK plan, had I not stitched the chick on the first egg in totally the wrong place, which, of course required unstitching and restitching.  Oh well, life goes on.  Here are my two photos for the month:

BBD Wild Garden using
specified fibers and
Picture This Plus 40 count Legacy linen

Egg #1 from Homespun Elegance,
Plain & Fancy Collection
using pastel 32 count linens
and silks of my choosing

Wishing everyone a Happy Easter weekend.  Be well.

Hermits in March

Well, I never expected the March IH&SW  to have record setting warm temperatures!  I haven't heard exactly what our high temp was today in Cleveland, but I know northern (and probably southern, too) Ohio has broken dozens of records today.

My stitching for the weekend is off to a slow start.  I hope to get some in tonight, and then I have some stitching pals coming to join me for stitching/cookout tomorrow.  That will be fun.

So I can't wait to see what everyone is working on.  So far my entire stitching time for the weekend, which isn't too much, has been devoted to BBD's Limited Edition Wild Garden.  It really is a pretty little piece.  I hope to have a lot of stitches to show you on Monday.

Happy stitching, everyone!

HoopLa

Saturday we had our HoopLa get together to work on our Embroidery Hoop Stitcher's Box and Embroidery Hoop Scissors Pin Keepe, ala Vonna .  We had soooo much fun.  All of our projects aren't finished, but we made some headway on Saturday.

It was a great day.  Everyone pitched in and helped others in their own special way.  It was heartwarming to experience that and just have fun and laugh.  Six years ago I didn't know any of these gals, except, of course, my daughter.  Three years ago I still did not really "know" a couple of them.  Now they are all very special friends.  I know that all the stitchers who might read this must have very special stitching friends as well.

OK, on to the photos.  Rose received her Certificate of Accomplishment 2011 from Western Reserve Sampler Guild for completing Anniversary Roses, the beautiful sampler designed by Lauren Sauer.
I mention that here because this piece was also voted Members Choice for 2011.

A happy Rose!

Great accomplishment.
This sampler is magnificent...
and big!

Now, on to the work of the day!  I have to include the first two photos for several reasons.  Toni is one of our unofficial cheer leaders and great helper.  She spent much of her day cutting out mat board and covering buttons and other helpful things...for others.  Toni has decided to stitch a different piece for the top of her stitching box, so most of her time was spent on our projects.  She gifted all of us with a little note pad with the cover stating that Arts and Crafts Keep you Sane, from Mary Engelbreit.  I immediately questioned that statement.  So, looking at these two photos this morning had to make me laugh.  BTW Toni is dressed in some left over Mardi Gras regalia, just for the fun of it!

OK...she looks sane and is having fun.

Well, maybe not so much on the fun part!

OK, finally some pictures of our projects:

These are Linda's finishes.
The photo does not do her stitched top justice;
her fabric choice absolutely set this piece off perfectly.
Thanks to Linda for encouraging us to have a day for hoops!

This is Lenore's hoop stitcher's box
and her coordinating prairie point pincushion.

A close up of Lenore's stitched box lid.
Really nice.
I love the charm she chose for the center.

Oh, I am so mad.
Blogger is not cooperating and 
will not allow me to add any more photos
to this post, so I am going to 
end this now and make a 
part two post.  
So sorry!

2012 WIPocalypse - Second Full Moon

So, where does time go?  I can't believe a month has passed since our last WIP post.  The night before last the almost-full moon was magnificent, especially while on the rise.  I definitely am a Moon Child.

I've stitched a little on a couple projects during the past month, but the only thing worth showing is my first little finish for 2012.  This is BBD's Summer House Pincushion.  This will be used as the top of a project I am planning to do over the next three weeks, Vonna's Embroidery Hoop Stitching Box.  Instructions for this project can be found here:  http://tts-learntofinish.blogspot.com

BBD's Summer House Pincushion
Stitched on 32 count Antique White Belfast Linen
HDF:  Steelies 2449, 2451, 2453
I used "premium" fibers for a bolder look on 32 count linen

I chose the thread colors to coordinate with BBD's Blueberry Crumbcake quilt fabs which I plan to use for a pincushion and maybe some other pieces.  Hope you like it so far.

Being part of the WIPocalypse group is having a good impact on some goal setting for me so far.  Now, if it could only make me a faster stitcher!  I look forward to wandering the web to see what all of you have been up to over the past month.