More than just Cross Stitchin': fall

Showing posts with label fall. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

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

Thursday, September 20, 2012

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

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Progress on Falling Leaves

I was just sitting down to stitch, so I thought I'd share my progress on Falling Leaves. I started this almost three weeks ago, and I'm really loving the colours.

Even though it seems like this pattern would be a straight-forward simple stitch, believe it or not I've had to do my share of frogging on this one :^)

Hope everyone is enjoying their last weekend of September 2011!

Tracey

Monday, September 12, 2011

Inspiration

Fall is my favourite season. I just love the crispness in the air, and all the beauty that surrounds you when you look outside at the ever changing colours in the landscape.

I was getting the urge to stitch something autumn related, so I had a look through my patterns. I came across this free chart from DMC called Falling Leaves that I have always loved, and thought it would be the perfect choice.

When I looked at the colours that were recommended for the pattern, I just knew I had to change them. Even though the leaves aren't true "maple" leaves, those maple leave colours are what I envisioned when I first saw this pattern.

So outside I went, to the maple tree in our front yard and chose this leaf as my inspiration...

Gentle Art Sampler Threads: Avocado, Burnt Orange and Gold Leaf

It has been a fun, quick stitch so far, and when it's complete I will have a little piece of autumn inside with me year round.

Tracey

Charlie Brown

Growing up, I had a pet monkey named Charlie Brown. Actually, he belonged to my sister and he came to live with us in 1966. You were actually allowed to have monkeys as pets then and if you can beleive it, he was ordered from an ad in the back of a magazine. Charlie Brown was a squirrel monkey (just like the ones in the Telus commericials).

Everyone in school loved when it was my turn for 'show and tell'. You will see in some of the photos (if the slide show downloads for me...) that he used to wear diapers. Eventually, he learned how to take them off. We had a rope strung across the kitchen from end to the other. We kept a piece of papertowel on the floor at the end of one rope and that's where he did his business. His rope provided many hours of entertainment. At bedtime, if mom and dad were not home when it was bedtime, he would sit on his roap and cry out until they returned.

If I was crying, Dad would put him up to my face to lick away my tears. He would dangle from my hair and lick from one eye to the next. It alwyays made me stop crying. He would play outside and every once in awhile he would swing from tree to tree and end up down the street at the neighbours.

Often you would find the monkey lying in the cast iron pan on the stove. The pilot light from the gas stove provided him a warm and comfy spot. He would also sit on top of the lamp shade for warmth, and if you ever heard a 'pop' - you knew he peed on the lightbulb. It happens...

Charlie Brown used to sit on the wall phone.... until it rang. That was always funny. He brought many years of amusement to us all and I miss him and his antics.

Bonnie

Warm hearts ... and warm toes!

Well since we are talking winter, let's talk about warm hearts ... and warm toes.

A few years ago at Christmas we had a gift exchange. Ironically, both Anita and myself had the exact same idea for a present. We always open our gift bags at the same time, and it was really hard for me to keep a straight face when I saw that Anita had had the same gift idea as me and while she explained that she thought slippers would be a good idea, that way we could carry them in our bag with us at all times. Anita had knit slipppers for everyone and made a little draw-string pouch, with our names embroidered on it, to keep the socks in.

Then they all opened my gift bag and we burst out laughing. I knew how much everyone loved snowmen, so I had stitched faces on white slippers and added a carrot button for the nose. Well we weren't finished with the laughter because I thought we should get a picture with our slippers on. So then we were all sitting on the floor trying to get different positions in order to get everyone in the picture at the same time. We tried sitting up against the wall and taking the picture of our toes all pointing up to the ceiling and then I said, nooooo - that will show the snowman's face upside down. Someone said... (and I won't say who...) "Good point, let's think of something else. What if we lay on our back with our feet in the air - you know... like if our feet were ON the ceiling"

Well then the faces would still be upside down wouldn't they. Spontanious Laughter.

We had to think of something else. It was decided that we would just stand toe to toe in a huddle and we would take the picture from above in order to get everyone in the picture. Sounded like a good plan right?

Well... not if you have a protruding belly and/or big boobs. After the inital light-headedness subsided from sucking in our bellies, we had to deal with the shadow from the boobs.

So we stood in our huddle, adjusting, wiggling and laughing with our arms around each other while we tried not to tip over. It was about that moment when Anita's daughter walked in on us, which of course added to the laughter when we saw the look on her face.

Finally the photo was taken and our toes are doubly warm.

Bonnie

It all started with a tea towel...

Quite some time ago when I was perusing the Dollarama, I came across the cutest autumn tea towel with a teddy bear dressed up like a scarecrow. It immediately reminded me of Jody and I thought 'I'm going to get that for her', and then I thought... why not get one for everybody? And so I did and it was a hit.

From that point on, it's no surprise to any of us if there just happens to be an occasional 'mini gift' exchange on Cross Stitch night. Once when Jody hosted in February, she gave us all a tiny picture frame with a 1" x 1" opening. I had no idea what to do with mine, but Tracey knew immediately. Because it was Valentines day, Tracey stitched a heart.

Mine sat for a good number of months before I could figure out what I could stitch in such a tiny area and not copy Tracey's idea. And then one day it hit me; Jody loves snowmen. I would do a snowman in the frame that Jody gave me. But.... do they make snowman patterns for less than 1" x 1"? I couldn't be bothered looking, so I winged it. And voila! A happy smiley snowman face. I think it took longer to write this posting than it did to stitch that happy face.

We'll have to get a picture of Tracey's heart posted after her renovations are complete as I expect it's packed away for now.

p.s. I wasn't allowed to Blog today unless I cleaned my house. It's half cleaned; consider this half a blog.
Bonnie

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

The Town Of Halloween

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Some Spookiness and a Bit of Fall

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Progress on Falling Leaves

Monday, September 12, 2011

Inspiration

Christmas 2016