Weekend Update

Here it is, Sunday already!  It has been a busy week.  I got one pattern finished earlier in the week posted here.

The only other stitching I worked on was June from the LizzieKate: A Year with Charm series.

Guess the big news?  We bought a house!  Now we have a forwarding address.  We have about 5 weeks before we are off the island for good.  Last night I got together my traveling stitching stash to have enough projects to keep me busy before our household goods arrive in Virginia in September.

Here is my Vera Bradley travel bag.

Opened up, you can see my supply zipper bags on top of individual project bags.  

Scissors in one, highlighters and pencils in one, boo-boo stick and stitch slicer in one, and needles, thread heaven, floss rings, and tape measure in the butterfly zipper.

This is the zipper bag carrying the Year with Charm series.  It has all the fabric, all the patterns and working copies, plus a pair of scissors, a highlighter and a snippet trash bag.  I will have to gather floss for the remaining months.

Next we have Snowed In, by Stone & Thread (which needs fabric and floss), Mill Hill Festival of Trees Snowflake Tree charmed ornament (complete kit), and Happy Thanksgiving Holiday Snapper by Bent Creek (one I stole from my mom this past trip to complete for her- it has fabric and has been started, I need to gather floss.)

Here we have Miniblock Daughter by Hinzeit (completely kitted), the LizzieKate: A Year with Charms fabrics and patterns (now moved to the previous zipper bag), and Wee One: little angel in the clouds by Heart in Hand (another one I stole from my mom- it has fabric but needs floss- I may keep this one when it is done!)

Finally, we have Land That I Love by Shepherd's Bush (completely kitted and promised to my mom!), "All Dolled Up!" Red House in Winter by Little House Needleworks (floss and fabric for 2 projects since Mom let me have this pattern on the condition that I stitch one for her as well), and the memorial ribbon pattern that I have yet to complete.  

I hope this is enough to keep me busy while we are packing, traveling, getting into the new house, and waiting for our household goods to float across the Pacific Ocean!

(c) 2010 There A Stitch

A May Update

I didn't have a stitching update to post last week.  It was Hubby's birthday, plus we tried twice (and didn't succeed) to buy a house in Virginia that week.  But I did get a little bit of stitching done this week. 

Here is my American Soldier Memorial piece.  It is coming along slowly.

Then I got this far on Spring House.  

I ran out of my grass color, so I ordered some more this weekend.  While I was getting something I really needed (ha, ha!) I decided to pick up some fabric for a couple of the Cup O' Tea patterns by Just Another Button Co. 

I started this piece on Saturday after I ran out of my other floss.  It is the January Flip-It by Lizzie Kate.  

I have come to the realization that I don't have any interest in stitching big complicated patterns this year.  I want to do things that are quick and easy!  Maybe it has to do with being distracted with planning a move, but I really don't have the patience to work on something complex.  So maybe this is  a year of  quick stitches for me.

Also, I posted another Christmas pattern at my design blog, Zippity Stitch.  I hope you stop by to check it out!

Thanks for stopping by!  

(c) 2010 There A Stitch

Stitchin' Update

Oops!  I forgot to do a weekly update last week.  With Easter, things were pretty busy.  My DDs were both in the Easter skit at church, so we had a lot of rehersals. 

For Easter, my mom got me this cool zipper bag set. 
Purple and butterflies- too cool!

This is what I have been stitching on this week. 

9/11 Memorial Ribbon for American Soldier Memorial

Faith Hope and Love (stitched over 1)

Snippet: Spring Sampler by LizzieKate (a pattern I stole from my Mom.)

Here is what Spring looked like on Friday.

I was doing a good job of being a stash-only stitcher this year, but I just had to buy some floss.  So of course, I could get a couple of patterns too.  I picked up three of the Just Another Button Company Cup O' Tea patterns, as well as Little House Needleworks RoseHill Plantation.

Thanks for stopping by!

(c) 2010 There A Stitch

A Short Update

This past week I did not get a lot of stitching done.  It was week two of a 2 week trip for my Hubby, so it was just me and the kids at the house.  The first week he was gone, both the kids got sick.  Then we had Tsunami Saturday, which was fortunately not a big thing.  Our house is outside of the mandatory evacuation zone.  This past week was long and tiring.  We were all tired by the end of it.  Hubby got home on Friday afternoon, which surprised the kids because they weren't expecting him until Saturday.  And that would be why I did not make much stitching progress.

Here is how far I have gotten on my soldier memorial piece.

I started a new pattern today.  It's  called Cabin in the Snow,  a Doodle's for leftovers. This actually on a blue fabric, it didn't turn out on the picture.

(c) 2010 There A Stitch

Updating My Goals

I have been back home for 10 days. I haven't stitched a thing. Not a thing! Nothing! Part of it is that I am feeling tired still, and I figure I would probably just make mistakes. The other part is that I didn't get to do any school planning for my two DD's in June. So the last few days, I have been planning and organizing our school stuff. In two more days we leave for our original trip home. So now I am in full packing mode.

However, today I did look over my current WIPs. I think I am going to be adjusting my 2009 goals as well.

2009 Goals- Modifidied May 2009

* 1. FINISHED! Leisure Arts Heirloom Nativity Angel
* 2. FINISHED! Leisure Arts Heirloom Nativity Shepherd #2
* 3. FINISHED! 1 page of Masquerade
* 4. FINISHED! Surprise miniblock #1
* 5. FINISHED! Surprise Miniblock #2
* 6. Leisure Arts Heirloom Nativity Wise Man#1
* 7. American Soldier Memorial
* 8. Eagle Sampler
* 9. Christmas present #1
* 10. Christmas present #2
* 11. Gift #1
* 12. Christmas present #3
* 13. L&L Angel of Spring 1 page

The surprise gift isn't going to happen now. I am disappointed about that one too. I am only planning on two Christmas gifts now. Plus I am reconsidering the L&L Angel of Spring. I am balking at stitching it over 1. I think I will need to get some new fabric for the whole set, and use my other fabric for something different. That will change my goals for the rest of the year.

I have reduced my WIP rotation to include four other projects besides my current unfinished goals.

1. Home of A Needleworker



2. Star Sampler, by Blackbird Designs using Cranberry Bog material by R & R Reproductions and ST Banker's Grey floss



3. Home Sweet Home on the Welcome Friends by Karen Hyslop, The Cross-Eyed Cricket, on 32- count Belfast linen in driftwood, and DMC floss 221 and 413.



4. Uncle SnowSam, by The Stitchworks. Sorry don't know the fabric count, using DMC blanc, 311, 321, 433, and 783.

One More...Almost

I have had some stitching time while hanging around the hospital. I have mostly finished the soldier memorial piece. I would call it finish number 16 1/2. I will finish the lettering when I go home next week.

June 19th Summary

I have had a lot of stitching time here at the hospital. Both my parents slept most of the day yesterday, so I had a lot of quiet time to be able to stitch and stitch. Here is my progress since getting here on Saturday.

This is the Eagle Sampler. I finished the eagle last night and started on the flag.




This is the Easter block that I am stitching for Mom. The fabric has some pretty bad folds in it. I hope they come out!



This is my newest start, Home of Needleworker (too), by Little House Needleworks. I saw this one on several blogs and just had to get it. I have changed some of colors. I am using ST oatmeal, cherry wine, pumpkin patch, cocoa, sable and evergreen. They are close to the colors in the original patern picture, and I didn't have the ones it called for.




This is my progress on the soldier memorial. I am about to run out of blue again! What a dork I am sometimes.



An update on the family front: My Dad had his surgery on Wednesday morning. He was pretty out of it the rest of the day and we were having issues with controlling his pain that day. Thursday he was doing better. Now Friday he has been up a couple of times walking today. He is still having some pain and tenderness. Fortunately my brother will be spending the night here at the hospital tonight, so I won't have to be up every 2 hours.

Thanks for your prayers and concern.

(C) 2009 There A Stitch. All Rights reserved.

End of the Week Report June 14, 2009

I am on the mainland with my parents now. To get off the island and get to my final destination I had to make 2 connections. The flights were uneventful, which was nice. I did get some stitching done. Here is my summary update for the week.


First off, I worked on the wise man from the nativity set. I finished a lot of his sleeve and hat. I left this pattern at home, so he won’t get worked on for a few weeks. I am scheduled to be here with my parents until July. So he will be neglected for the next couple of weeks.



I did some work on the Easter block pattern. Stitching it on the airplane was causing problems so I had to put it away. But it is pretty mindless stitching, so I expect to make some progress on it while I am here.

Finish number 15 for 2009! I got it done this morning at the hospital. Bet you can’t tell where I had to change thread lots- on the “W” and on the tree.

I made some progress on my soldier memorial. I am hoping to have it finished in the next week.

I am planning to have some easy stitching projects to work on while I am at the hospital. Thanks for stopping by, and for your prayers and good thoughts.

© 2009 There A Stitch. All Rights reserved.

Sunday Sunday

Well, here we are at last. The end of the week. I did not get a whole lot of stitching done. It was so hot this week, and I wasn't feeling well. We actually had to break down and turn on the air conditioner. We got home from church on Wednesday night and it was 89 in the house!!!!

So I did get a little stitching done. First up is the current American Soldier Memorial piece. Unfortunately, I have almost run out of blue! I tried to get an order places with 123Stitch.com, but for some reason my computer was having issues, so almost half the threads I needed didn't show up on the final order. I decided to cancel that order, but did not get around to re-ordering this week. I will have to do that, since I need the fabric for my surprise gift also!



I have been working mostly on the Joy to the World pattern. It is on Aida, so I don't have to work hard to figure out the stitches. But, Arrrrrgh! Now it looks like I don't have enough Amber to finish the "W"! Why can't I figure out how much thread I need for a project???



Finally, I decided to start another new project. This is the Henzeit Easter block pattern. It has been sitting in my stash for I don't know how long. It is actually one I was supposed to stitch for my mom, although she has probably forgotten about it by now. I didn't get very far on it.




I am having a problem with pattern overload- LOL. I have kitted up several other patterns, and now I am having trouble deciding which one I should work on. Of course, if I were thinking ahead, I would be working on the surprise and the Christmas gifts instead of a bunch of patterns for myself. Oh well. Tomorrow is another day. I will get back on my rotation schedule.


(C) 2009 There A Stitch. All Rights reserved.

Finish number 14 for 2009

Another finished project! I completed Thankful Heart today before I made breakfast for the fam.



Turned out pretty cute, huh?

If you have checked out my homeschooling blog, Meadow Musings, you know that we are officially on summer break! Woo Hooo!!!! With finishing up school this week, I didn't get a lot of stitching done. The only other WIP I worked on this week is my new pattern for the American Soldier Memorial project. This one is coming along pretty quickly. It is my #1 priority for June.




I have a new pattern that I am going to be starting . It is going to be a surprise so I can't post any pictures or tell you about it, because the guilty party (or parties) may be looking at the blog. That will be my #2 priority for the next few months. But you will just have to wait and see what it is.....

Update to Duffman Memorial

Several weeks ago, I mailed off my completed memorial to Scott Duffman's family on the east coast. I sent it signature confirmation to make sure that the family received it. To date, I have not received my confirmation postcard, although the post office on the island can be a bit slow.

I finally contacted the family again to make sure they had received the package. Scott's mom was very kind and sent me some pictures. She has a room dedicated to her son, and has placed my memorial to him there. She has graciously given me permission to post a picture here.

Thank you, Scott Eric Duffman, for your service and your sacrifice.

From a grateful American.

Weekend Update May 24

Well, it is finally the end of the week. This was a slow stitching week for me. I decided to take a couple days off since I had been stitching like a crazy person for the two weeks prior. This was also the second to last week of school for my oldest DD, Miss Twinkle Toes. We are trying to get all our loose ends tied up so we can both enjoy our summer break. Then Friday night was our women's retreat at church. It was a very nice time. They asked me to share my testimony, so I had to get up and talk in front of the group. It was my first time talking into a microphone!

I did get some stitching done. First up is the nativity wiseman. I am working on his beard and trying to get up to the top to finish his face and hat first.


I also made some progress on Thankful Heart. It is a really quick stitch, I don't know why I have been putting it aside. I would like to finish it in the next week.



Finally, the memorial pattern is coming along. I committed to this project in early May. They typically ask that you finish the project in 6 months, I would like to have it done no later than the end of June, so I will be increasing its rotation.

Weekend Update May 16

Here is my end-of-the-week post for May 16, 2009.

I got one finish, the Children are a Gift pattern by Lizzie Kate. I got two starts. One is the Eagle Sampler from the Cross-eyed Cricket. The second pattern is the new memorial for the american soldier memorial group. This is the pattern I am doing for this one.



And here is the start on the pattern.


The only other stitching I got done this week was on Grandparents are Grand. This one is almost finished. Hopefully I can get it done this weekend.



I am feeling a little stitched out, so I may take a break a couple days next week. We have 2 more weeks of school, and then I will have to put together my oldest DD Miss Twinkle Toes' portfolio to show annual progress. That is due in June. I will be completing my lesson plans for next year for both girls (BearLover will be in kindergarten next year) in the coming month as well.

Duffman Memorial

I have framed my memorial piece for TSGT Scott Eric Duffman. I am very pleased with how the piece has turned out. I will be sending it off to the family tomorrow.

An Important Finish

I have completed my American Soldier Memorial piece. I am very pleased with how it has turned out.




This piece has been a quiet joy to work on.

Summary Sunday

This week, after we managed to get everyone healthy again, I got some stitching time in. I did a little bit of work on the patriotic flag pillow.


Here is my start with Angel of Spring.



Here is my American Soldier Memorial piece. I am very pleased with how it is turning out.



A close-up shot of the star on the ribbon. I decided to back-stitch the star to emphasize it a bit more.

More New Patterns

Shhhh! Don't tell Hubby, but I have been ordering cross stitch patterns. All sorts of patterns! Of course I _had_ to get the patriotic pieces for the american soldier memorial project. But then, I found all sorts of pretty patterns that I want. My mom would claim victory, that's for sure! She finally got me buying lots of patterns. As she always says, "The one who dies with the most stash wins!" Not exactly...but it is still fun to collect'em.

Here are the new ones that came in the mail today.

Quaker Seasons by My Big Toe Designs, A Grateful Nation by Cheryl A Granda, and Americana Welcome by Poppy Kreations.



And I got another box in the mail, the finishes of my completed goals. A friend in Las Vegas did the finishing for me, and they turned out great! I can't post all of them just yet, but soon....

Here is Friendship Knows No Season. It is finished as a flat-fold. It looks great!



The last one I can post a picture of is a patriotic heart. It is actually a piece my mom finished. I have had it for a long time because I was going to practice framing with it. Instead I asked my friend to finish it for me. I think it looks great!