It Never Fails

Just when you seem to get ahead, things get pushed behind.  We woke up at 3am this morning to water dripping from the ceiling in the second bedroom.  Our hot water heater is at it again, and it is less than 3 years old.  Honestly, I don't think that it is the water heater as much as it is the person who installed it.

So, now we wait.  I called this morning and we are supposed to have someone stopping by at 2pm.  It's now past 2:30pm.  I've more than surpassed my level of patience with this matter.  Once this is rectified I will be finding another HVAC person.

At least I have a fabulous mother in law that fed us breakfast and made sure that we had a nice shower today.  At this rate we may be there again tomorrow!

UGH!

Mouline Movement

Even though Summer doesn't officially start until June 21st, it looks like the start of the season is here.  I would like to wish all of you a happy and safe Memorial Day Weekend.  Be sure to thank those who serve and protect us!

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Things worked out for me last night and I was able to stick to my plan.  I arrived home from work a little earlier than normal because I needed to take care of my puppy and my parent's puppy (who is staying with us while my parents are on vacation).  Normally Hubby would have the honors, but he worked a double shift yesterday and that meant that he couldn't come home during the day.  So, I messed around with the "kids" a bit and we sat outside to enjoy the evening air. 

After tiring them out, I sat down for some "me" Mouline time.  When I picked her up, she looked a little like this.......

Upper right hand corner as we last left her



When I finally sat her back down last night, after a ton of tender loving care, she looked like this........

Almost done with the whole page!  Woo-Hoo!

Tonight the plan is to work on my table runner.  I need to have all the squares put together by class time and I haven't looked at it since my last class. (Oops!)  Hopefully I will also be able to sneak another needle into Mouline before the night is over.

Have a great weekend!

Happy Stitches!

Crazy January Update

First of all, I must thank you for all of the wonderful wishes yesterday.  Hubby and I had a nice evening out at our favorite sushi restaurant followed by a stop at Skinny Dip.  Yum, yum!  We enjoyed our time together and we look forward to many more nights like last night.

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With all the quilting and exchange stitching going on, I've been a little (ok, a lot) slack on my Crazy January stitching.  However, I have managed to cut down my list of fifteen starts down by two more.

On May 14th I finished this doozy........(Sorry for the bad snap.  It is hard to take a picture of something so long.)

2008 Living with Charm Flip Its
by Lizzie*Kate

After that monster I figured that I needed a "quick finish".  I managed to knock this one out a few days later on May 19th........(The picture doesn't do this one any justice!)

Pumpkin Stack
by Chessie & Me

My current plan is to get back to Mouline Rouge and finish another section before I move on to one of my other projects in progress.  After all, we are now halfway through 2011 and I'm nowhere near halfway through my challenge.  I guess my eyes were bigger than my needle this year!

Happy Stitches!

Emotions

Today I should be happy.  After all, it is my third wedding anniversary.  But, deep down inside I'm sad........today was supposed to be my little angel's due date.

Happy Anniversary Hubby!  (Happy Birthday Little Angel!)

Trying to keep my stitches happy,

New Adventure, Same Result?

As of last week, I've officially embarked on my quilting journey. I think this will take my serial starting to a whole new level.  I started a Baby Steps class at one of the LQS in my area and when I'm done I will have a beautiful 9 patch table runner that should look something like this:

Now, mine won't look exactly like this one because I have picked out different fabric.  I also haven't decided if I'm going to attempt to do the applique part either.  (That will have to be another class!)  And, mine won't end up on the table.  Instead, I've decided that I am going to use mine to cover the electrical box in my half bath/laundry area. 

I consider this wayward wall my "Blackbird Wall" because almost all of the Blackbird Designs that I have stitched have a home here.  Of course, that big bad electrical box really causes an eyesore.  It is surrounded by so much beauty and I really need to make the eyesore go away.  I've been trying to figure out a way to cover it for many years and this will be the perfect answer.  In fact, I've kept with the theme and I'm using Blackbird's newest fabric line "Antique Fair".

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In my last class I learned how to properly cut the fabric and then I learned how to sew the strips together. Oh yeah, I'm that much of a novice when it comes to sewing!  Thankfully, I'm just as OCD about this as I am about my cross stitching.  The teacher said that my OCD will make me a great quilter.  (Woo-Hoo!)  So, by the time I left class I managed to sew together six strips (two groups of three, one dark and one light).

For my homework this week, I will need to cut these into smaller strips and then I will sew those together to create four nine block patches.  After that I will sew each patch together so that they will look like the inside of the finished piece.  Hopefully, when I'm done each block will turn out looking something like this....

Now for the "same result" that I mentioned in the title.  You see, I already have everything waiting in the wings and I will be starting a lap sized strip quilt once I gather up a little more confidence.  Then I have plans to put a few more together for Christmas/Hanukkah gifts this year.  While attempting those gifts, I also want to take the intermediate class that is being offered after this one is over.  Oh, and I forgot, I also have the kit that I purchased last year before I even began quilting!  (See what I mean about the same "serial starting" result??)

Happy Stitches (which ever kind you do)! 

Partial Fulfillment

As promised, here are a few pictures of my newest estate sale rescue.  There were others at the sale that needed saving, but this is the one that called out to me the most.

This is draped over the stair railing.  The part you can't see looks exactly like the bottom.

I don't think that this is too old because there is some variegation to the fibers in the border.  Hopefully this is just DMC!

Another border close up.

There are a few stains along the creases, but hopefully I will be able to clean her up a little.  The piece is rather large, so I'm thinking about displaying it on our dining table.  We don't really use the table that much for sit down eating, so I wouldn't have to worry to much about things being dripped all over it.   Plus, if I can't get the stains out, the centerpiece that would sit on top of the linen should get covered up.

Hopefully I will be able to post some finishes tomorrow.  (I forgot to take a picture of one of them and the other picture didn't turn out at all.)  Maybe I'll also have some quilting work to show as well.  I'm attending my second class tonight and I don't know if I will have something picture worthy by the evening's end......

Happy Stitching!

Family Time

Boy, this weekend has flown by so very fast!

Thankfully, Hubby and I spent lots of time together this weekend (for a change).  We started Saturday off by going to an Estate Sale.  He found a pair of almost brand new golf shoes for $8 and I rescued a cross stitched table linen.  (No picture right now, but I promise to post one soon.)  Then, since we were in the area, we headed to my alma mater.  It was amazing to see how the campus has grown since the late '90s.  I stopped at the bookstore and picked up a few items including a new coffee mug and a t-shirt so I could show my support for our football team.  Then we had lunch at one of the local college handouts. Yum, Yum!

I ended up spending most of the evening cleaning house while Hubby went to work.  I don't know about you, but sometimes I find it is easier to clean when my husband is not under foot!  After getting the house straight I set everything up for a Sunday Family Cookout.  Once that was done I finally sat down with my needle and thread.

Sunday morning was spent at a local Jubilee.  Hubby had never been to this particular Jubilee, so I figured it might be fun to go.  We ate Bbq'd pork sandwiches and drank freshly squeezed lemonade.  He even took me for a ride on the ferris wheel!  I've never been on one before and neither had he.  A first for both of us!  Then we headed home to get ready for my brother and his family.

We had an impromptu cookout with them and boy was it fun.  I'm lucky to have my brother live so close to me.  In fact, all we have to do is basically jump a fence.  (He lives in the neighborhood beside us.)  Anyway, we had a great time and we were sad to see the weekend fly by.

I did manage to get some more stitching in tonight, but it is for an exchange, so I can't show it off quite yet.  I do have some other finishes to show on my next post so stay tuned for those.  (I'm blogging from my phone right now, so pictures aren't always easy to do from here.)

Speaking of exchanges, I managed to get in touch with my BBD partner and I let her know that her package was waiting for her at the post office.  She said they have weird hours.  I just hope she gets there before they send it back to me!

I'm going to leave you with a cute picture of my nephew and my pup from earlier today.  He was playing a video game and our pup jumped up beside him and decided that he would make a great pillow.  (Hopefully this will show up ok.....)

Happy Stitching!

Variation on a Theme

I never thought I would say this, but I'm quite upset about my latest exhange and I'm just about ready to jump on Ma Teakettle's bandwagon regarding said exchanges. 

It is so very fustrating to put so much love and dedication into a piece only to find out that it hasn't been picked up from the post office.  Yes, I know, I was a bit of a bad girl and sent my package two days late, but I sent it via priority mail with delivery confirmation so that I would know it arrived quickly and safely.  I've been checking the USPS site regularly and found that my package reached its intended destination. However, it remains in the dismal back room of the post office (accoring to the USPS site).  All my hard work is wasting away in the dark back corner of a dingy mail room!  And, if for some reason the USPS is wrong and the package was picked up by the reciepent, I haven't heard a peep from said receipient. 

I have been in several exchanges and I've never had any problems until this exchange.  I think from now on I'm going to stick to RAK's and private exchanges!

Sheesh!


Sorry for the rant.........

Blackbird's Cross-Stitch & Needlework

Do you subscribe to this magazine?  I believe I started my subscription when one of Nora Corbett's(Mirabilia) fairies appeared in it.   After the first year I was reluctant to keep the subscription, but then another Mirabilia pattern appeared. 

Now, lo and behold, my favorite designer duo, Barb Adams & Alma Allen have appeared in the latest issue!



Just look at this beauty!  It is full of Belle Soie (my favorite)!  What two better things than Blackbird Designs and Belle Soie?

And, I even get to learn a new stitch!  Have you ever attempted the chain stitch before? 

As if I don't have enough in my work in progress basket........UGH!

Happy Stitching!

RAK'in Robin

Earlier this year Robin (no blog) gifted me with not one, but three OOP Blackbird/Loose Feathers charts that have been on my wish list.  (See here and here.)  She was more than generous and I felt the need to repay her kindness.

So, needle in hand I created this:

And after a quick lesson on my sewing machine I turned that into this:

Rose Garden by Blackbird Designs

Robin sent me the sweetest thank you note.  I've already put it in my 2011 stitching journal to remind me of the generosity and camaraderie of fellow stitchers.

Happy Stitching!

Create

Ahhhhh, yes......that's exactly what I'm trying to do.  You know, create a finish.  However, between exchange stitching and catching up on some "hubby time", I haven't been able to cross that ever elusive finish line.

Hubby works tomorrow night, so my needle and I should be able to have some time together.  That is, as long as my sewing machine stays quiet!

I'm An Emotional Wreck (or "Why My Mom Made Me Cry")

Let me just preface this post by saying this:  I LOVE MY MOM!  She is not just my mother, but my very best friend.

This past Sunday I had the opportunity to share some quality time alone with my mother.  We talked about a host of things from childhood friends to the health of my stepfather.  The next thing I know my mom is telling me that she had something special for me.  She jumps up and runs off into the other room only to come back with a small white box.

Perplexed, I opened it up.  It contained a pair of silver hoop earrings from Pandora.  I looked at her with a quizzical look on my face and said "What is this all about?".  She said "Happy Mother's Day" and the tears just welled up in my eyes and fell freely (just like they are doing right now).  She went on to say that she knew that May would be a hard month for me since Mother's Day was the 9th and since our little angel's "birth" day would have been the 25th (the same day as our Wedding anniversary.)  She wanted me to know how much she loved me, that she was thinking of me and that she didn't forget our angel. 

I haven't been "right" since I opended that gift.  Still.....

I LOVE YOU MOM!

Happy Stitching!

In Pictures: Best Lack of Stitching Excuse Ever!