The Town Of Halloween

I finished stitching this pattern many moons ago, but finally got it put together as a pillow a few weeks back.

 

 I initially stitched the big spider web with the suggested 1 strand of black DMC, but I just wasn't happy with how it looked.  Instead, I decided to try the #8 black perle cotton that the instructions said to use for the blanket stitch on the edging of the pillow.  BINGO!... it gave me exactly the effect I was looking for :)

 

This pattern was a really fun stitch, and I'm excited to add to my ever growing Halloween collection. 

Even though November is just around the corner, the autumn hued trees are still putting on quite a show in our region.  This maple in our back yard is just glorious this year... I just had to share!

When we planted that baby tree all those years ago, I never thought I would see the day when it would be peeking over the top of our house like it is here...

 

While you're visiting, would you like a closer look at my front porch decor for this year?

Happy Halloween, everyone... thanks so much for stopping by!

  
Tracey 

 

A Peacock & A Dog

The hustle and bustle is over for another year, so I thought it was now safe to share the 2 stitchy gifts I gave this year for Christmas.  Of course they were both started a lot earlier in the year, but as a lot of us stitchers tend to do, they get put on hold for some reason or another, and then we are scrambling to get them finished for the "big day".

My daughter Chantelle is a lover of peacocks, so I always keep my eye open for things that have a peacock theme when out shopping.  When I saw this pattern, I thought it would be a fun one to stitch to add to Chantelle's collection.  

I wanted to change up the colours to personalize it a bit more, so while shopping for the threads, Bonnie suggested that I use the colours that Chantelle had used in her  wedding the year before.  (New to our blog, and curious about the wedding?... you can read about it here.)  These are the colours we came up with: Peacock and Purple Majesty by Weeks, black beads for the border, and Midnight beads (from Michaels) for the tail.  The fabric - China Pearl, 28 ct. Jobelan - I already had this in my STASH, which is always a bonus :-)

"Proud Peacock" - Châtelaine Design by Martina Rosenberg

 Grrrrr!!  I usually don't use glass on my pieces, so I forgot to take pictures before framing it and then had to deal with the glare!!

Trying to be as frugal as I could be this Christmas, I picked up the frame at Goodwill for $5.00, and I spray painted it a glossy black. I almost hated to take the frame apart... the person who originally framed it did such a beautiful, meticulous job!  It was 2 frames in one... almost like a shadow box.  That's why I decided to keep the glass this time around.

 I actually had the stitching all finished on the peacock quite a while ago, but was putting off the beading.  I have done projects before that had one or 2 beads added to them, but never this many.  Once I got started, and had a rhythm going, I discovered that I really liked applying the beads!  Ok... some of you out there may call me crazy, but I am one of those stitchers who loves to do french knots and now beading!!  Hmmmm... now maybe I'll get back to that Mirabilia (with the 100's of beads) that I started almost a decade ago!

Now this isn't stitching related, but it's in keeping with the peacock theme.  I also wanted to share a picture of  the gorgeous blanket that Bonnie found in her travels back in the summer.  She took the chance and bought it, hoping that I liked it and would want to give it to Chantelle as part of her Christmas gifts.  Well, you were right Bonnie... she loved it!  Thanks again for helping me with my shopping!!

Now, onto stitchy gift #2.  This one I made for Chantelle's husband, our son-in-law Martin.  He is a dog lover, and gravitates towards the smaller breeds... pugs, bulldogs, etc.  While we were visiting them in Toronto last year, Chantelle showed me a needlepoint pillow of an English bulldog in a shop window near where they lived.  She made the comment that Martin really liked it, but didn't want to pay what was on the price tag.  That's all I needed to hear to get the wheels turning!  We went back to their place, got on her laptop and started looking for patterns.  For some reason, at that time, I couldn't find any English bulldog patterns, so we settled on a "French" bulldog instead.  

I thought I would change things up a bit with Martin's too, so I decided to convert the DMC colours to Vikki Clayton solid silk floss.  Wow... gotta love stitching with silk threads!

I was so excited when I went to the fabric store and started digging through the remnant bin and found the perfect fabric to back the pillow with... it was exactly what I had pictured in my head right from the beginning :-) 

Being stitched on the white fabric, I felt it was still missing something.  Out came Nana's button tin and I started digging.  I think adding the 4 metal, slightly distressed buttons was just what it needed!

It was so much fun to stitch both the picture and the pillow, especially when I know that both Chantelle and Martin really appreciate all of the love and time that went into making them.

Time to go dig out that Mirabilia...

Tracey

Friendship

About a month ago, I got the news that my cousin's wife was facing her second bout of Malignant Phyllodes breast cancer after just 18 months of getting her first diagnosis. It is a very rare type of breast cancer, and she and her family are having to travel 3 hours from their home for her appointments and treatment.  There are also several underlying medical conditions she will need treatment for, and needless to say, they are really feeling the stress with these additional expenses and the ones yet to come.  When we heard that a group of their close friends were planning a benefit for the family, I just knew that I wanted to cross stitch something to donate for the silent auction.

Since I didn't have a huge amount of time, I needed to choose a pattern that wasn't too large, and would appeal to a wide variety of people.  I went searching through my patterns, looking for something with a "friendship" theme, and decided on this chart from Heart in Hand appropriately named - Friendship the Trilogy. 

 

 I first saw this pattern stitched up, when our friend Jayne made the 4 of us each a flat-fold using this design (you can read about it here).  Following Jayne's lead, I also changed up the colours here and there since I wanted to use threads I already had on hand.  I'm so happy how it turned out, and it was an extra bonus when I realized that it fit perfectly into a pre-made 5"x7" distressed frame!

I also decided to add this ornament I finished a little while back.  I felt it needed a bit of sparkle, so I added a tiny red button from my Nana's button tin.

The benefit was held last night, and it was a huge success!!  A fun time was had by all, and the outpouring of love and support by those who attended and contributed was overwhelming.  We hope that the funds raised will help to lessen the financial burden for the family as they go through this difficult time.

Tracey

More Fall and Halloween

Before we reach the end of this month, I wanted to give you a peek of what I've been stitching the last month and show you my Fall/Halloween mantle/decor for this year.

As soon as I saw the pattern of "The Town Of Halloween" by the Primitive Hare in the Just Cross Stitch magazine, 2012 Special Collector's Issue, I knew it was a must stitch!! 

I thought I was going to put in on hold until next year, but one day last month when I was going through my craft cupboard, I stumbled across some forgotten fabric that was just perfect for it!  Many moons ago, I bought a Mill Mini-Afghan in Golden Wheat, to use for this Santa wall hanging.  I didn't need the whole thing, so I tucked the extra away...

 

Since the Halloween pattern was so primitive, I thought - why not give the fabric a coffee bath to age it up a bit?  Well, it changed the colour a bit, but not as much as I would have liked.  (I figure this fabric must have some polyester in it and that's why it didn't "take" very well.)

As I worked on this, I saw a few others out there in blog land doing it too.  When I had a closer look at these, it seems that I should have been doing the backstitching (especially the big spider web) with just one strand of floss instead of 2.  Now, it could just be me - but I found the instructions a bit confusing... what do you think??

The fabric shows way lighter here than in real life!

  

This year I was not in the mood when it came to decorating for fall, so I can't take any credit for what you are about to see.  My daughter, Chantelle was home for a visit a couple of weeks ago and she was more than willing to help me out!  :-)

Grrrr... I find it so difficult to get a true colour of my green walls!!

Love this plaque that I got at Hobby Lobby last year...

... I had to laugh, because on closer inspection this year, I noticed that the letter "S" was missing...

... and also forgotten here too! lol

Thanks so much, Chantelle!!  

By any chance, do you also happen to be coming home for a visit when it's time for my Christmas decor to go up???  :-)

Tracey

"Sew" Lucky

A while back, Anita and I made a date to spend the day together at her house finishing some of my cross stitch pieces.  Years ago, I had made a cross stitch for Halloween and put it together as a small hanging to put on my front door.  I liked it so much, that I recently thought- why not stitch a bunch of different pieces to change up with each season?  (I have more details about it here in this post.)

Now, I could have attempted this finishing on my own; but between my ancient, finicky sewing machine, and my limited sewing skills it would have taken me forever.  Anita has the most perfect sewing/craft room- not to mention amazing sewing skills- plus all the right gadgets to get the job done.

I also had a couple of Christmas ornaments to finish, so we thought that would be a good place to start.  No sewing involved with these ones... so even I was able to help!  We headed over to Vonna's blog, where she has a list of  tutorials for numerous finishing ideas.  We decided on the flat ornament and with the easy to follow instructions we had these done in no time at all.

Time to get busy with the wall hangings!  Now, I did bring some fabric to use, but Anita insisted I go through her fabric stash to see if there was anything different I would like to use.  What fun going through all the drawers of fabric...there was every colour of the rainbow!

What a lucky lady to have this view while sewing!

We Anita had a very productive day, and I was more than thrilled how everything turned out!  I am "sew" lucky to have such a special friend that is more than willing to help me out when I come begging calling.

The next week, I was hosting cross stitch night and Anita was the first to arrive.  We lined up all of the finishes so we could show Bonnie and Jody when they came over... Anita even brought 2 of her own pretties to share!

Notice the bit of sparkle I added to my ornaments?  I added old buttons from my Nana's button tin.  They both have a clear crystal in the centre.

I love how Anita changed up the colours of Lizzie Kate's "One Hundred Years From Now".  The recommended threads didn't quite work with the rustic fabric that she chose.  Here's a closer look:

Another by Lizzie Kate... don't you just love the frame she picked for the "ABC's Of Parenting"?

After seeing all of our finishes, Jody said that she can't wait to gather up her own cross stitch pieces and have her own "sewing day" at Anita's! :-)

Tracey

Some Spookiness and a Bit of Fall

Time to share some finishes!!  I was on a roll, and I managed to get some seasonal pieces framed and ready to add to my autumn decor for this year.  I didn't get these 3 finished in time to share with everyone in 2011 (far as having them framed), so when the mood struck this week, I got busy!

The first I'd like to share is a DMC Freebie called "Falling Leaves".  If you'd like to find out the details about it, you can have a look at this post here from last year.  The little wooden frame I've had sitting around for many moons, and it was the perfect fit!

Now on to the spooky...

"Fright Night" is a cute little pattern by Lizzie Kate.  The frame for it was picked up at a second hand store for next to nothing, and I actually tweaked the pattern by adding a border to accommodate the frame (you can read about it here).  I also switched out the recommended beads for french knots.  I didn't have on hand the petite beads they asked for, and I was too cheap  frugal to buy a whole pack for just 8 beads, so french knots it was.  I dry brushed a bit of black paint on to the frame, and it was good to go!

Last but not least, we have "Witches Stitch Too!" (Here's the info for it in this post here.)  It was so much fun to stitch and put together!!  I really think that it is one of my all time favourite pieces... not just as far as Halloween goes, but maybe of all I've ever stitched. Well, for the time being, anyway... :-)

It's amazing what a little black paint can do to transform a $2.00 frame from hunter green and honey to black and primitive.  Gotta love it!!

Can't wait to show you what I'm stitching now to add to my Halloween collection... you'll just have to wait until next time to see!

Tracey

Meet Gigi!

People that are non-stitchers often ask me; when I see a pattern, how do I know that I want to stitch it?  That can be a difficult question to answer, but I guess I'd have to say that I follow my heart... that the pattern often "speaks" to me.

Well,  I recently saw one of these patterns during my first visit to Linda Lee's blog over at Cross 'N My Stitches.  That's where I met Gigi a.k.a. "Gigi's Garden" from By The Bay Needleart.  

Linda Lee had just finished stitching her, and I commented on how much I loved the finished product!  I had done a search for the pattern on By The Bay's site but didn't have any luck finding it, so I also asked Linda Lee if she by chance knew whether or not it was OOP. Linda Lee replied to me by saying that if I sent her my address, she would send her used pattern out to me in the mail!  Her reply caught me completely by surprise and brought tears to my eyes.  I thank you again Linda Lee -  from the bottom of my heart!!

Linda Lee added a sweet hand written note along with the pattern.

I anxiously awaited Gigi's arrival to Canada and couldn't wait to choose some fabric from my stash, and gather up the needed DMC floss.  Once she had reached her destination, I did a floss toss and decided that this 28 ct. Cashel hand-dyed linen called Meadowmist was "Gigi worthy".

 

 As you can see, I'm not very far on her yet, but what I've completed so far has been a very fun stitch indeed!  I need to work upwards a bit on her though and get her face stitched... I will then have someone to "look at" while stitching :-)

You may be wondering... why did this specific pattern speak to me and touch my heart when I first saw it?  Well, it reminded me of my beautiful, red-headed, blue-eyed daughter Chantelle, and her love of gardening and nature.

Now, thanks to the kindness of a complete stranger, whenever I put my needle to thread while working on this pattern, I feel that Chantelle is physically closer to me than the 3 hours away that she actually is...

...and that truly makes my heart sing.

Tracey

Attention All Stitchers... Any Takers??

Sometimes when we get so engrossed with a certain hobby, we tend to eat, live and breath it... which can often lead to getting burnt out and then we move on to something new.

Well, that just so happened to a dear friend of mine.  She used to be a stitcher... but now knitting/crocheting is her craft of choice.  Last week she gathered up all of her cross stitch stash and brought it to me.  While sorting through, I came across a couple of patterns that I would like to pass on to a fellow stitcher out there in blog land.

The first item is a pattern by Living Faith, Hope, & Grace called October - "The Vine and the Branches".  The majority of this is already stitched (on a 32 ct. linen) - with the exception of the bunches of grapes, a few other stitches here and there, and the backstitching.  The design area is quite large - 11"x16.5" - with a substantial border of fabric that leaves more than enough for framing.

It was hard to get a photo that captured the richness of the colours used.

A close up of the grapes that she started.

All the floss is included to finish this project... including this gorgeous thread called Amethyst by Wildflowers by Caron.

It would be so wonderful to find someone who would love to finish stitching this piece for themselves, and give it a new home.

The second item is a Bucilla kit called O' Holy Night.  This kit has been opened, but never started... so everything is in tact and ready to go.

 I will leave this give-away open until September 1st, 2012, and if more than one person is interested in taking both of these items, I will do a drawing the morning of that day.  If you are a follower of our blog (new or old), please leave a comment, and be sure to leave a way for me to contact you.  Thanks!

Enjoy your last week of August and Happy Stitching!

Tracey

Spring & Summer

 With each new season I like to change up what I put on my front door, but sometimes I find it hard to find something other than the traditional wreath.

 At the beginning of this year, I got the brain wave to stitch something different for each season to display on the front door.  Years ago I had made a small Halloween hanging for that spot and have always really liked how it looked.  So back in March, I dug through my stash of freebies to look for a Springtime stitch.

I decided on a pattern called "Robin on an Egg" by Little House Needleworks. I found that the recommended colours for the robin itself didn't really represent how the robins look in our area, so I changed things up a bit.  I used one strand of Primitive Black silk combined with one strand of Soot (GAST) for it's body, and Burnt Orange (GAST) for it's belly.  I changed the border to a green called Scuppernog (Weeks) and I'm really happy how it turned out!

The following month, I was wanting to do a "quick fix" stitch, and went through my patterns again, this time looking for something Summer-y.  I found a pretty butterfly...not sure who the designer is though, since there wasn't any info on the pattern.  I didn't have the perfect colour on hand for it, so off to the Thread & Eye I went (and Bonnie came along too!).  So many choices!  I finally decided on Delphinium by Gloriana.  

As I started to stitch, I noticed that the sides of the butterfly weren't symmetrical, so I had to do quite a bit of re-charting (and frogging!!) to get it just right.  In the end, it wasn't as quick of a stitch as I had originally thought, but I am happy with how it turned out too.

Now, I do have all of the fabric I need to make these into wall/door hangings... I just have to get busy and get it done!  The robin will just have to wait to go on display for next spring, but if I want the butterfly up for the summer, I will have to get the sewing machine out really soon!!

Have a happy weekend everyone!!

Tracey