January Recap

January Recap:

Read:
1. Nine Rules to Break by Sarah MacLean
2. Dracula's Guest: A Connoisseur's Collection of Victorian Vampire Stories edited by Michael Sims
3. Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright
4. Honey Hunt Volume 2 manga by Miki Aihara
5. Honey Hunt Volume 3 manga by Miki Aihara
6. Honey Hunt Volume 4 manga by Miki Aihara
7. Honey Hunt Volume 5 manga by Miki Aihara
8. Honey Hunt Volume 8 manga by Miki Aihara
9. Library Wars Volume 3 manga by Kiiro Yumi
10. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
11. Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
12. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
13. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
14. Swan Volume 1 manga by Ariyoshi Kyok
15. Changeless by Gail Carriger
16. Momo by Michael Ende
17. The Mummy Case by Elizabeth Peters
18. Black Butler Volume 1 manga by Yana Toboso

Stitched:
1. Ichigo by Stitch Ideas Volume 8
2. Little Flower by Stitch Ideas Volume 12
3. Gingham Heart by UK Cross Stitcher Issue 232
4. Hearts and initials by Blue Ribbon Designs and Windy Willows
5. Heart motif by Anne Sohier-Fournel
6. Bunny motif by Anne Sohier-Fournel
7. Blue motif - bunny by Windy Willows
8. Tudor Valentine by Debbie Draper Designs
9. Happy New Year by iStitch Designs
10. Downton Abbey by The Sampler Girl

Finished:
1. Hearts bookmark
2. Tudor Valentine pinkeep
3. Happy New Year pinkeep
4. Sock - bunny doll
5. Sock - lucky cat doll
6. Bunny hanging pillow
7. Heart hanging pillow
8. Blue motif bunny pincushion
9. Downton Abbey pillow

Until next time ^____^

Downton Abbey pillow

Design: Downton Abbey freebie by Sampler Girl
Threads: DMC 3678
Fabric: 28ct antique white Cashel Zweigart
Start/Finish: 1/23/2011
Notions: red toile fabric
Finished as pillow: 1/30/2011

Bunny love hanging pillows

Design: Bunny motif by Anne Sohier-Fournel
Threads: DMC B5200 and DMC 150
Fabric: 32ct lambswool Wichelt-Permin
Start/Finish: 1/10-11/2011

Design: Heart motif by Anne Sohier-Fournel
Threads: DMC 600
Fabric: 32ct lambswool Wichelt-Permin
Start/Finish: 1/12/2011

Notions: pink ribbon and pink flower fabric
Finished as pillows: 1/30/2011

Blue bunny lace pincushion

Design: Blue motif by Windy Willows
Threads: DMC 334, 823, 824, 931, and 3755
Fabric: 32ct cream Belfast Zweigart
Start/Finish: 1/8/2011
Notions: white lace and blue flower fabric
Finished as pincushion: 1/30/2011

Hi, everyone! I spent the afternoon sewing some cross stitch items into pillows and a pincushion. While I was at Wal-mart yesterday, I bought some lace to decorate this blue bunny pincushion. The lovely Windy Willows has a picture of finishes that accompanies this pattern on her website and one of the motifs was made into a pincushion with lace. I thought it would be a perfect finish for my bunny. I apologize for the darkness of the photo O_o" I wish it was better as the blue flower fabric is lovely.

Until next time ^____^

Lucky Cat

Another attempt at Stray Sock Sewing. This time I tried an easier project, the lucky cat. I stitched him up yesterday afternoon while watching the Sherlock Holmes series with Ronald Howard and H. Marion Crawford that I received for Christmas.

Until next time ^____^

Downton Abbey

Design: Downton Abbey freebie by Sampler Girl
Threads: DMC 3678
Fabric: 28ct antique white Cashel Zweigart
Start/Finish: 1/23/2011

With the latest episode of Downton Abbey airing on PBS tonight, the talented Sampler Girl designed a freebie for all the Downton Abbey fans out there. I couldn't resist stitching this design while watching the 1960s Sherlock Holmes series with Peter Cushing and Nigel Stock this afternoon. Instead of using Sampler Girl's DMC colors, I chose a single color for the design.

Hope you're enjoying your Sunday afternoon!

Until next time ^____^

It's an alien!

At least that was the thought that ran through my head when I finished sewing the final stitches on my rabbit last night. A friend of mine bought me a copy of Stray Socks Too for my birthday last year and I finally got around to making one of those projects from the book. Sadly, my rabbit looks nothing like the baby bunny in the book as it is suppose to be small, pudgy, and cute....mine looks like an alien!!

I definitely need some more practice and I really think that the term 'baby sock' is subjective. I'll have to look out for some nice toddler sized socks for my next venture as baby socks didn't really work for me for this project.

My rabbit has found a home with my mother as she loved it despite its 'alien' looks. But you know, I think mothers must say they like something that their children make. It's a habit ingrained in them since their children were in kindergarten!! And here I thought it was gone :P

Until next time ^____^

Year of the Rabbit pinkeep

Design: Happy New Year by iStitch Designs
Threads: DMC 3608
Fabric: 32ct cream Belfast Zweigart
Button: JHB 312 Rabbit
Notions: pink ribbon, white pearlized pins, and Asian flower fabric
Finished as pinkeep: 1/19/2011

Another pinkeep using notions in my stash of goodies! I used some fabric with Asian style flowers that I've had in my container of fabrics for about three years now...I was waiting for a design that would work well with the fabric ^___^

The ribbon is the same type I used for the JBW Flower box that I 'finished' in February of last year. Sorry for the dim lighting in the photos, I'm definitely not the best photographer of finishes!!

I have a few more things that I want to finish this month, but I'll have to enlist the help of my aunt Snowbird with the sewing as I'm not sure how to go about doing what I want to do since it looks a bit complicated!!

Until next time ^____^

Valentine pinkeep

Design: A Tudor Rose Valentine by Debbie Draper Designs
Threads: DMC 321
Fabric: 32ct cream Belfast Zweigart
Notions: white braid, red pearlized pins, and heart fabric
Start/Finish: 1/9/2011
Finished as pinkeep: 1/17/2011

A little improvising with this pinkeep as I had only a small scrap of red fabric in my stash and decided to go with the varying hearts fabric for the backing material as a substitute despite its pink color compared to the red of the cross stitched design. I think perhaps I should have made the pinkeep a bit smaller, but it will do ;)

I've gotten a lot quicker at completing pinkeeps as I've taken a hint from BeckySC and started to lace the fabrics at the back and on the sides instead of using glue, which can make using pins a trial.

I hope you are enjoying your Monday!

Until next time ^____^

Year of the Rabbit

Design: Happy New Year by iStitch Designs
Threads: DMC 3608
Fabric: 32ct cream Belfast Zweigart
Button: JHB 312 Rabbit
Start/Finish: 1/13/2011

Heart

Design: Heart motif by Anne Sohier-Fournel
Threads: DMC 600
Fabric: 32ct lambswool Wichelt-Permin
Start/Finish: 1/12/2011

Bunny

Design: Bunny motif by Anne Sohier-Fournel
Threads: DMC B5200 and DMC 150
Fabric: 32ct lambswool Wichelt-Permin
Start/Finish: 1/10-11/2011

Tudor Rose

Design: A Tudor Rose Valentine by Debbie Draper Designs
Threads: DMC 321
Fabric: 32ct cream Belfast Zweigart
Start/Finish: 1/9/2011

A lovely dreary day for stitching! I found this little freebie online and thought it was perfect for Valentine's Day. What do you think? I omitted the heart borders on the top and bottom and I absolutely love it ;)

Hope you are enjoying your Sunday.

Until next time ^___^

Little bunny

Design: Blue motif by Windy Willows
Threads: DMC 334, 823, 824, 931, and 3755
Fabric: 32ct cream Belfast Zweigart
Start/Finish: 1/8/2011

Hugs and Kisses

Design: Heart bookmark with motifs from Hugs and Kisses pattern by Blue Ribbon Designs and alphabet by Windy Willows
Threads: DMC 151 and 899
Fabric: 18ct white Aida bookmark
Start/Finish: 1/2-3/2011

Little Flower

Design: Little Flower by Stitch Ideas Vol. 12
Threads: DMC 321
Fabric: 32ct cream Belfast Zweigart
Start/Finish: 1/2/2011

Gingham Heart

Design: Gingham Heart by Cross Stitcher UK Issue 232
Threads: DMC 321
Fabric: Red and white gingham
Start/Finish: 1/2/2011

Ichigo Love and Review

Design: Ichigo by Stitch Ideas Vol. 8
Threads: DMC 347 and 367
Fabric: 32ct cream Belfast Zweigart
Start/Finish: 1/1/2011

A small start and finish for the first day of the New Year, but a cute one. I took some time yesterday evening to look through my stash of patterns and books for designs that I would like to stitch during January. I found this little ichigo design in one of my favorite Japanese cross stitch publications, Stitch Idées. I always keep a lookout on eBay for the newest issues of this magazine as they have some cute designs and always include lovely photographs of finishing techniques.

In other news, I went through my reading/stitching journal and came up with the following numbers for 2010: I read 162 books, stitched 43 designs, and 'finished' 31 of them. I started the year off with a renewed interest in steampunk literature and fell in love with the world of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. I finished it with many fairy tale books and rereading of the series Vampire Diaries, which I hadn't read since 1993, two years after it originally came out.

My plans for the New Year in stitching include hopefully finishing a WIP called Salem Witch House that my sister bought me in MA earlier last year. I also hope to finish alot more of my stitching whether it be framed or as some sort of decorative item.

Just in case you're wondering, I am at the point of stitching the blue border on the LHN Rose in the Morning design. I have been lazy over the last couple of days with a lot more watching of Korean dramas and reading and less stitching as I've never been fond of stitching borders.

I hope you are having a great New Year's so far!! ♥

Until next time ^____^

December Recap

December Recap:

Read:

1. Beauty by Robin McKinley
2. With the Light Vol. 3 by Keiko Tobe
3. Vampire Diaires: The Struggle by L.J. Smith
4. With the Light Vol. 4 by Keiko Tobe
5. With the Light Vol. 5 by Keiko Tobe
6. With the Light Vol. 6 by Keiko Tobe
7. With the Light Vol. 7 by Keiko Tobe
8. Vampire Diaries: The Fury by L.J. Smith
9. Mr. Darcy, Vampyre by Amanda Grange
10. Prétear Vol. 2 by Kaori Naruse
11. Mrs. Podgers’ Teapot by Louisa May Alcott in Classic Christmas Stories: Sixteen Timeless Yuletide Tales edited by Julia Livshin
12. The Story of the Goblins Who Stole a Sexton by Charles Dickens in Classic Christmas Stories: Sixteen Timeless Yuletide Tales edited by Julia Livshin
13. Christmas Storms and Sunshine by Elizabeth Gaskell in Classic Christmas Stories: Sixteen Timeless Yuletide Tales edited by Julia Livshin
14. The Blue Carbuncle by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in Classic Christmas Stories: Sixteen Timeless Yuletide Tales edited by Julia Livshin
15. The Good Witch of the West: The Girl of Sera Field by Noriko Ogiwara
16. Cinderella: Pop Wonderland Series by Michiyo Hayano
17. Chinese Cinderella: The True Story of an Unwanted Daughter by Adeline Yen Mah
18. My Life in France by Julia Child with Alex Prud’homme
19. Prétear Vol. 3 by Kaori Naruse
20. Prétear Vol. 4 by Kaori Naruse
21. Vampire Diaries: Dark Reunion by L.J. Smith

Stitched:

1. Let It Snow by Country Cottage Needleworks (JCS 2008)
2. Christmas Bells by Heritage Series (JCS 1989)
3. Christmas tree by Heritage Series (JCS 1989)
4. Blackwork Flower by Mary Hickmott Designs
5. December 25 by Lizzie Kate (JCS 2010)
6. Merry Christmas by Glory Bee (JSC 2003)

Finished:

1. French Country Star pinkeep
2. Christmas Tree ornament
3. Christmas Bells ornament