Is it cold enough for you?

This has been the popular conversation starter around these parts over the last few days. And yes, as a matter of fact it is cold enough for me! And my little Zoe agrees! We're both waiting for spring!

In the meantime, I stitch.

My New Year's Day start was Lizzie Kate's "Winter Alphabet." I finished it on the 16th so it is my official first finish of 2012! I enjoyed stitching this one so much: the colorful threads, the pretty little borders, and the sweet little motifs scattered among the letters. I made a game of strategizing what to stitch next to avoid changing colors until I had to at the risk of miscounting. It's stitched on 32 ct Natural Light linen with DMC and overdyed threads. (The colors are so much prettier and bighter than in this rather drab picture.)

 "Winter Alphabet" ~ Lizzie Kate

After finishing "Winter Alphabet", I pulled out "Meg's Bunny", a small sampler from Sheepish Designs. I'm using a piece of 36 ct cream linen that I vetoed from another project, hence the dark line of stitches along the top scroll. I'll frog those old stitches as I need more room.

 

"Meg's Bunny" ~ Sheepish Designs

Here's a peak at my work project, the project I take to work and stitch on during my lunch and breaks. It is my variation of With Thy Needle and Thread's "Needles and Pins Heart Pinkeep".

"Needles and Pins Heart Pinkeep" ~ With Thy Needle and Thread

I love this design and envisioned it with more of a Valentine theme so I switched the colors and instead of a bluebird and blue flowers, I'm stitching a cardinal and pink flowers. Easy peasy! I don't plan to stitch the scalloped border, I'll either edge it with lace or chenille trim.

My oldest cat, Sophie, pictured below, is annoyed and impatiently waitng for my undivided attention ("Why are you clackity clacking on that contraption when you could be adoring me?"), so I had better wrap this up and give Her Majesty a kitty massage before she starts her caterwalling.  

Thanks for stopping by!

Stay warm! 

And enjoy your day!  

Coffee to Dye For...

I did it! I coffee dyed my "Hoppin' Along Sampler" bunny-to-be linen. (Pattern from Country Stitches/With They Needle & Thread.) After seeing Deb's finished model adorning her blog, I just had to get over the apprehension I was feeling about the coffe thing. It turned out a little darker than I anticipated but I like it. Here's the before and after pictures.


Before Coffee:

After Coffee:

I bought a sheet of clear plastic template that I found in the quilting department at JoAnn's to trace the pattern. The instructions say to use a disappearing ink pen to trace the stitching line onto the fabric, but I'm leery about that since I won't be washing the linen afterwards. Instead, I'll trace the cutting line and use the guide on my sewing machine to stitch. Anyhoo, I plan to spend some time constructing the little bunny this weekend.  

In my travels through blogland this week, I came across a couple of noteworthy giveaways. Click on the ladies names to link to their respective blogs.

Pat is giving away another of her beautiful totebags. This one is in honor of her birthday, which is today, Saturday. Her drawing is this evening at 7:30 EST. Pat is my neighbor and a good friend and she does beautiful quiltwork (is that a word?). I was the lucky recipient of one of her previous totebag giveaways and I can vouch for the quality of her work.

Terrie is having a Jenny Bean Humble Servant Sampler giveaway and she is even including the floss pack as well. Terrie owns a cross stitch shop in Georgia called The Stitch Store and from the pictures she shows on her blog, I'd LOVE to visit. She also likes cats. What's not to love? Stitching and cats, sound like my kind of place!

Better get crackin' on the usual Saturday errands and tasks. I'll be working on my bunny this weekend and deciding which project(s) to place within reaching distance of my stitchy chair. Stay tuned...

Enjoy the weekend, whether it's cold, damp and snowy like mid-Michigan today or someplace that really feels like it is "spring"!

Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the world today!

My First 2010 Finish!

I finished "The Pink Hare Sampler" which makes it my very first stitchy finish of 2010. Here's a snap of my big, er...little finish. It's only 3 1/2 square. Very delicate and the colors are just so scrumptiously soft.

  

The Pink Hare Sampler

Ewe and Eye and Friends

Stitched on 35 ct. Hand Dyed LInen (unnamed, but I'd call it Bisque).

Used recommened GA and WDW floss.

(Exception: substituted Madison Rose for the Red Pear, which I didn't have.) 

I posted a couple of weeks ago that I was having trouble deciding if the pink ribbon that I used for the roses worked. Well, I frogged one of the roses and restitched it in the darker pink. I liked it so much that there just wasn't a question about which pink to go with. So I frogged the other two roses and restitched them in the darker pink as well. Actually, I had to frog and restitch those damn ribbon roses several times trying to get them to lay right.  The rose at the top is still kind of tight but I can live with it.

I expect my next stitchy finish will be "Hoppin' Along Sampler" by With Thy Thread and Needle (Country Stitches). I am nearly done with the cross stitching. Then it's on to "antiqueing" it with instant coffee and constructing the bunny. Which means I'll need to dust off my sewing maching. I'd really like to finish this by Easter. And, yes I do mean this year. Do I hear laughing???

A big THANKS to all of you who leave me a comment every now and then. I really apprecitate it. Your comments always brighten my day! I am loving the blogging world, it's wonderful connecting with people that share the love of needlework!   

Thanks for stopping by and visiting my little corner of the world.