A semi-finish

After about a year and a half the stocking is just about done!  I can't wait to finish this one for good.  I actually forgot that my daughter's name still needs to be stitched until I took it off of the scroll rods.  Hopefully that won't take too long. Aside from that, there's "just" the backstitching.  I'm always amazed at how much the backstitching makes a stitched piece pop.

I know I should be sticking with this and getting done, but I just need to set aside for a few days.  The idea of hours and hours of backstitching just doesn't do anything for me right now.  Does anyone out there actually like backstitching?

Well, I've got nothing else to share for now... so, 'til next time....

Karen

Giddy-up

The stocking is really coming along.  This last week, every spare moment was spent stitching a few Xs with the hopes that the cross stitching will be finished by the end of this week.  Unfortunately, since I work 12 hour shifts that doesn't add up to a whole lot of progress, but I did make some!  The horses are almost done!  :)

You can see the beginning of the carriage there as well.  It's so close to being done!  It would be so nice to get one big finish in before the end of this year.  With my little hiatus, this might be my only stitchy finish for the year. 

Well, I mustn't doddle..  I have to get back to stitching! 

I'm baaaaack!

I doubt there are too many folks out there still following my posts after this very long hiatus.  To those that are reading, thanks for stopping by!  Blogging, stitching and just about any other hobby has been put on the back burner for awhile now because things just got so busy.  We bought a house and moved a few months ago.  I now have my very own room for crafting!

So, through-out this hiatus, there was no stitching whatsoever.  About two months ago I started to get back into the groove a little bit, but still very little stitching was taking place.  I started quilting instead!

My daughter's quilt top

This is a quilt top I've made for my daughter.  She picked out all of the fabrics and I sewed the blocks together.   After that, we both arranged and rearranged the blocks to make the top.  It was fun, by my goodness it's definitely much more difficult than it looks.

I still have to baste it and quilt it.  I hope to have it finished for her for Christmas.

After getting this far with the quilt top, I started putting a whole lot of effort into stitching.  I've been working super hard the last few weeks on Donna Kooler's Winter Scene Stocking (also a gift for my daughter).  I'm so close to being finished it, I can taste it!  

This piece is on a scroll frame, so, unfortunately all you can see is what will be the foot of the stocking.  I added the picture below so you can see what it will look like once finished.

All I have left is the horse and carriage and one more little tree.  Plus, of course all of the backstitching and there is an enormous amount of it!  This is a piece I started back in 2012, so, if I can finish this for Christmas this year, it will be a huge accomplishment for me.  

With all of the stitching I've been doing, I figured a trip to my LNS was warranted to see the latest trends and of course, I didn't come home empty handed.

I bought all of the goodies needed to kit up the needlepoint kit (Holiday Tree IV) and the Victoria Sampler Accessory pack for the biscornus.  I've wanted this pattern for ages.  I've never actually made a biscornu and can't wait to try it.  I'm now on the hunt for some wooden sewing spools as well for the little hardanger ornaments.  

So, I'll leave you with a couple of pictures.  One of our new fur baby and another of a rainbow that we saw from our deck a couple of days ago.

 Meet Kino!

I'm still here

Hi!  I know, it's been awhile.  I am still around, but I have taken a blogging hiatus.  I've lost my stitching mojo and have no desire at all to pick up a needle right now. I haven't stitched since Christmas, really.  So, my blogging break will continue for awhile longer.  I have been looking through all of your posts and hope it will help inspire me to stitch again.

 Also, if you're wondering why my blog looks so bare it's because I've decided to remove my posts from public view on an annual basis.  It will grow again once I get my stitching mojo back and start posting again.  This is really just a pro-active way of downsizing my digital footprint on the Internet and taking privacy a bit more seriously.  I hope you all understand. 

Wishing you well,

Karen