I Bought a Needlework Shop

Lifelong dream realized!

Nah.

I bought it at Michaels.

After years of saying I didn't want to get started on a Christmas village, I broke down and bought this piece. And maybe a few little things so it wouldn't be lonely like a stone bridge and some kids playing hockey.

As for the end of 2013 - what a difference a year makes. Last year at this time I didn't have a daughter-in-law or a granddaughter.

I'm sure I didn't stitch as much as I intended to. Will 2014 be any different? I doubt it.

Spending tonight with two girlfriends. Dinner and stitching. My Map Guy is still in NH with his parents.

Stay safe everyone and have fun.

Miss Cuteness

My little princess likes to fall asleep with a hand on her face.

She loves everyone and will smile at you just for saying her name.

Feeling blessed at home in New Hampshire.

Finishing for Christmas

Merry Christmas to all. We are four generations in one house here in New Hampshire. It's snowing this morning and the baby's dressed in a holiday outfit. Big smiles all around.

I haven't been updating here, but trust me I have been stitching. I finished some ornaments - the Navy one is a birthday gift. The two Raggedy Andy mittens are for the twins whom we will meet today.

My finishing is not perfection, but I'm happy enough. I think I just need more practice.

Baby photos later!

Half and Half

While at my daughter's for Thanksgiving, she brought something to my attention. That I'm stitching a lot of canvas these days. And a lot less stitching on linen.

I used to be maybe 70% linen and 30% canvas. Now that ratio is probably flipped. This was happening before I started working in the needlepoint store. 
I'm enjoying my canvas more and it shows. 

But never fear linen lovers. I have dragged a project out of the past - the Tsunami Charity Sampler. 

 Here's when I started it - Feb 2006

Not much attention paid to it - progress as of Sep 2008.

By March 2009. It's a big piece on a large scroll frame. I can't just casually take it anywhere.

April 2009

By the end of April 2009 - I guess I got in the groove.

Maximum progress - November 2009

But this isn't where I was when I picked it back up, because I had to frog a huge knot on the back of motif on the bottom left. And I lost a lot of that motif.

I uncovered this piece from its hiding place when I was readying the china cabinet for shipment to daughter. It was living there along with two other forgotten beauties. I immediately felt guilty. It's a beautiful Quaker sampler. I changed the fibers to Crescent Colours (by the way, did you know that Sharon Crescent has sold her business? Just in case you missed this news -  Crescent Colours hand dyed threads will now be manufactured by Classic Colorworks, a brand new company in the cross-stitch industry. 

Ronny Williams, the son of Little House Needleworks founders Diane and Ron Williams and brother of Country Cottage Needleworks founder Nikki Leeman, is the sole owner and will oversee dyeing and shipping operations for his new company. )

I took my Quaker off to stitching with me today. There are some people there that have never seen it. Yikes. But my cold made my progress very slow. The medication fog coupled with the interrupted sleep. There's not much to show, so no photo yet. 

And that brings me back around to what kind of balance do I want in my stitching? 

Right now I'm completely enjoying hand painted canvas for the freedom it gives me. No need to follow a chart! Not sure if I want this to be 50/50. I'm guessing I will always have a foot in both worlds. Maybe I'll just stitch on whatever calls my name and keeps me captivated.  

Smallish Update

I'be goth a cold. But I think it's getting better.

Meanwhile things that need to be done are piling up around my feet.

Got my models done for a 2014 class. Got an ornament stitched for an exchange. And started Give Thanks From Nancy's Needle.

The drive to Massachusetts was one long, horrid day. The drive home was better, but I was sick, so it was still horrid.
I'm a tiny bit further along with the stitching. I have 9 or 10 of these pieces of Nancy's to do. Most of them are kitted.