Snow Angels

I've told my younger son that making a snow angel and then getting up from making a snow angel without messing it up with a footprint or a handprint in the middle of it is an important life skill.  The cool part is that my entire backyard will be covered with snow angels - some better than others.  And, my boy will sleep well tonight.

This is my Giggles in the Snow finished into a wall hanging.  There aren't many cute boy designs out there so I really like this one.  I like the colors in the girl counterpart too so I'll probably stitch her at some point as well.

The Giggles in the Snow chart is from Mirabilia Designs and it is still available.  Here's a pic with both the boy and the girl.  You can get the chart at NeedleartsGallery.com.

Happy Stitching!

Happiness - a new Mirabilia release

The newest Mirabilia design is out and it is a big design.  Sleeping Princess is beautiful.  Lots of beads.  Not too much metallic thread - not that I mind regular metallic braids.  I'm not a fan of blending filament though.  The colors in this design are beautiful.  I really like this one.  I'm sure once we see a better/bigger picture of the model or a stitcher's progress it will be even more stunning.

Happy Stitching.
Kelly

Poppies biscornu finished!

I finally finished my Poppies Biscornu.  I rather like the way it came out.  It doesn't have a poppy button in the center yet.  I'll make that the next time I take out the polymer clay.

As I predicted, I didn't love stitching with the DMC metallic.  It wasn't awful but I wouldn't call it fun either.

Poppy Biscornu from Faby Reilly

Poppy Biscornu from Faby Reilly

I still need to massage around the fiberfill to even out the corners a bit.  But, otherwise, it's a finish!

Now - the big dilemma.  Do I really have to wait until next month to start August Peridot Fairy since I designated August as a finish month?  She is absolutely gorgeous and I want to stitch her even more than Dressmaker's Daughter (which has a lot more sparkle).  Of course, I still have to finish lacing my dragonfly and finish the cording for my Boo Club banner - but when it comes to actual stitching...

Here's August Peridot Fairy from Mirabilia Designs if you haven't seen it yet.

August Peridot Fairy from Mirabilia Designs

I hope everyone is enjoying their back-to-school preparations.  

Happy Stitching!

Kelly

Argh! Poor planning or no planning at all?

As part of my finishing month I pulled out Emerald Dragonfly.  The design is by Nora Corbett and she released it a few years ago.  I love the metallic threads and beads - I think this was the first time I used Magnifica beads so maybe it was more than just a few years ago.

So, I planned to lace it and frame it this week.  Here's where the problem comes in.

Yep, that would be the corner cut off the bottom of the fabric.  I'm not sure when that happened.  I suppose it could have happened after the stitching but I can't imagine how.  Which leaves either poor planning or complete lack of planning.

You'll also notice that it is cut in just far enough from the side to go beyond the left end of the stitching.  ARGH!  That leaves a grand total of 1 1/2" at the bottom margin between the lower end of the stitching and the cut.  So, I'm off to troll about for solutions to the "not enough fabric to frame" problem.

Finishing month was supposed to be a breeze - a relaxing month of stitching, lacing and sewing.

Heavy sigh---

No phone, no lights, no motorcars

After a week without power, we finally have lights, heat, internet, phone and cable again.  Since October 29 when we had a freak early nor'easter before the leaves fell from the trees, we haven't had power.  And we've been lucky - twenty percent of the folks in our town still don't have power.  The kids will finally go back to school tomorrow - but they have already had 8 snow days for this school year and it isn't even winter yet.

Unfortunately, I spent a good part of the week with a nasty cold - otherwise, there probably couldn't be better stitching time.   Just before this whole hullbaloo Nora Corbett released her new mermaid - Merchant Mermaid.  I know some people don't care for the new design but she has grown on me.  I think maybe if the lower advertisement part were either bigger and more clearly in the advertising style or that the upper 'MILL Hill' were smaller so that the advertising portion could be completely removed, more people would be interested in her.  The beads and treasures on her and the silk threads are exquisite.  I plan to stitch her starting with the main part of the mermaid.  I'll see how I feel about the emblem when I get there.  In the meantime I'll keep an eye out for other Merchant Mermaid Works in Progress to see how I feel about her.

She really is beautiful.

Here's hoping that the rest of the folks still in the dark have there power restored today!

Happy Stitching.

Good stitching weekend

It was a good relaxing weekend and I had a fair bit of time for stitching.  The rabbit on Mirabilia's Fairy Idyll is still coming along.  Now he has part of his belly and most of the gold ornament in his hands.  I think I'll work on some of the green garland that he's holding just for some variety.

After stitching that gold ornament for a while, I remembered how awkward it is to stitch with #8 braid on 32 count linen.  I guess I'm used to stitching with #4 braid instead.  If I hadn't already started with the #8 braid, I would have used #4.  Since the fatter braid is well, fat, and the metallic in it is abrasive, I don't want to frog it. I'm afraid it would really damage the linen.  Note for next time: Use #4 braid on 32 count linen.

For Christina who asked if this is the chart that was discontinued by Mirabilia - This chart is still available. We sell it at NeedleartsGallery.com if you are interested.  I think the chart that you mentioned or were thinking of might be Seaside Kingdom that had a boy and a girl building a sand castle.  That chart has been discontinued which is very sad.  It was a beautiful design and one of only a few with a boy in it.

Thanks for visiting.

New Mirabilias and Weeks Dye Works

The new Mirabilia Designs have arrived here. As usual, the actual pics on the envelopes look so much better than the scans that show up on the website - and, I am quite sure, that the true stitched pieces are even far better still. The Crystal Symphony design is especially breathtaking - a beautiful woman and lots of dripping beads. I will have to get started stitching this one right away (so much for New Year's resolutions). The Fern and Ivy patterns have also arrived and they look really cute. These are smaller designs - to give you a greater sense of accomplishment in a shorter time - and they are just the beginning of a new series from Nora. Be sure to check out Crystal Symphony and the new Fern and Ivy designs on our site.

We have also added Weeks Dye Works floss to the site. These beautiful threads are used in so many designs - Brittercup Designs, Glendon Place, Lynne Nicoletti, Raise the Roof and so many more. Be sure to check them out - Weeks Dye Works.

Here's a new project that I started over the weekend. This is one of Emie Bishop's designs - Sunshine and Flowers. I really like how quickly this stitching up.