The Silver Needle and A Finish!

Hi everyone! Did you miss me? Let me warn you in advance, this is going to be a long and picture filled post! Ha!

This past weekend, I went with my husband to Tulsa, Oklahoma for a mini weekend vacation. He was riding in the Tulsa Tough bike races (two 100+ mile races in two days for him! Have I mentioned my husband is crazy? HAHA!), but I was most excited to get a chance to go to The Silver Needle in Tulsa!

Let me just say I know what Heaven to a cross stitcher looks like now! Ha! I'll let the pictures tell the story first.

4000 square feet of stitching goodness! It was overwhelming, honestly. From all of the patterns and fabrics and flosses and silks and the MODELS! Oh my goodness, there were models EVERYWHERE. If a space wasn't filled with something to buy, it was filled with a model. I could have spent so many hours there and never have seen it all. The staff was incredibly sweet and friendly, too. Some of my fellow Stitch Mayniacs and I are already plotting out a road trip in the future to go back! And I could have spent a lot more money than I did, but I did walk away with some stash. How could I not??

Aren't they lovely? They are...

1. Queen of the Needle by Just Nan - not at all my normal style but it was screaming for me and I love it! You all know sometimes you just have to listen to the piece calling for you the loudest!

2. Fairy Tales by Mirabilia

3. Queen of Freedom by Mirabilia

4. Miss New Year's Fairy Kit by Mirabilia - I already have Miss Valentine in my rotation and The Easter Fairy in my stash. Three down, three to go!

5. Peacock Alphabet by Just Nan

6. ABC's of Parenting Kit by Lizzie Kate - I'm seriously considering doing this one for the A to Z challenge next year.

Shopping and adding to my stash weren't the only thing I did this weekend! While hubby was racing, I was stitching! Friday started the week long Orange is the New Black SAL with the Stitch Maynia group. The "rules" were that you had to stitch on something that had orange and/or black in it, whether it was fabric, floss, whatever! I haven't gotten to watch the new season yet because hubby likes the show too, but I did stitch! I decided to work on Floss Daily by Wee Little Stitches and since I was on vacation, I only worked on this piece this past weekend instead of my normal rotation and I was able to finish it!

Floss Daily by Wee Little Stitches

Started: 5/19/15

Finished: 6/14/15

Stitched on 28 ct. Jobelan in Frosted Pumpkin from Hand Dyed Fabrics By Stephanie using flosses from Mo's Sale

This ended up having over 40 different flosses from Mo's Sale in it! The full list includes:

First Row (l-r): Merida, Omaha, Amy Pond, Rarity, Ariel, Gold, Searching for Elsa and Reef

Second Row: Dorothy

Third Row (l-r): Tahiti, Cotton Candy, Van Goth, Snow White, Rose Tyler, Pumpkin Patch, Hope and Tiana

Fourth Row: Daffodils and Peonies

Fifth Row: Magnolia

Sixth Row: Petunia and Mint Julep

Seventh Row (l-r): Sword, Hibiscus, Fire Pit, Berry, Jelly, Mardi Gras, Emily and Disco

Eighth Row: Pride

Ninth Row (l-r): Western Bluebird, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Iron Man, Hulk, Pinkie Pie, Bell Cay and Kristoff

I had a lot of fun with this piece! It was a fast stitch and I plan on finding a basic white frame to frame it up so it can have a place in my mom cave when it's done!

Whew, I think that's all for now! Time to start getting back into the swing of things!

Until next time!
~Katy

Stitch Maynia - Victorian Lady and Story Time Sampler

Happy June!! Yesterday saw my last and 35th start of Stitch Maynia - Victorian Lady by Joan Elliott.

I just love the colors on her, it's not necessarily something you would expect but just screams Victorian to me! Here is where I got to yesterday:

I'm stitching her on 28 Jazlyn in Strawberry Swirls from Under The Sea Fabrics. I really like the way the orange tones pops on the pink fabric!

Yesterday also saw the release of the June frame of the Story Time Sampler! We didn't get the hint until yesterday morning, so we didn't have too much time to guess:

Common guesses were Treasure Island and Peter Pan (I guessed the latter) and I was right! Here is Peter in all his glory:

I think the pirate ship is my favorite part of this piece, and once again my frame color choice was very appropriate with the trees and mermaid's tail both sinking into the frame, which I love. The clouds and Hook's hook aren't easily seen in the picture but they show up much better in person. Here is the full piece to date:

This is being stitched on 28 Jobelan in Melody from Hand Dyed Fabrics By Stephanie using all flosses and silks from Mo's Sale. I just love how this is turning out this year!

Today we will also see the Gemini portion of the Zodiac SAL. As a Gemini myself, I'm very excited to see how this portion comes out and will be eager to work on it today!

Until next time!
~Katy

Stitch Maynia - The Medieval Town Mandala

I am a Chatelaine virgin no longer! I have several of these gorgeous patterns in my stash, it was hard to pick just one! On Day Thirty of Stitch Maynia, I started The Medieval Town Mandala.

I will admit, I was intimidated before starting this piece. All the specialty threads, specialty stitches, beads and treasures, let alone the instructions that came with the design itself all made me a bit nervous, but once I got started, I loved every single stitch!

I'm stitching this on 32 Lugana in Truffle from Picture This Plus. This was my first time using Needlepoint Inc. Silk, Gloriana, Waterlilies, Silk 'n Colors and Rainbow Petite Treasure Braid, which are all in this picture. I absolutely loved it and this piece, among any of the others that I love in my rotation, would be one I'm the most tempted to just keep stitching on. Who knows. Maybe I'll work it in so I work on it more frequently. We'll see!

Today is the last day of Stitch Maynia! I'll be starting my final and 35th piece for the month and the next part of the Storytime Sampler will also come out today, so it'll be a two-for-one day! Yay! I've had so much fun with Stitch Maynia, I'm sad to see it end, but I will have 60 (ack!) WIP's to keep me busy!

Until next time!
~Katy

Stitch Maynia - Sugar Is Sweet Sampler

We're almost to the end of all of my new starts! I can't believe it! I'm anxious to get back to my normal rotation again but I think I'm going to miss starting something new every day!

Day Twenty Nine didn't see a lot of stitching. I wasn't able to start stitching until late in the evening and I had a headache so I didn't make a ton of progress, but I did get to start on Sugar is Sweet Sampler from The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery:

I really like this sampler, I think it's adorable. It is the second of the three alphabet samplers from The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery that I have in my stash. I started one earlier this month (Fibery Friends), the third I'm not sure I will do because I'm not necessarily a huge fan of the theme for that one, but we'll see. Here is where I got to yesterday:

Completely different from the model, right? The fabric I'm using is this month's fabric of the month from Hand Dyed Fabrics by Stephanie and it's called Highland Heather. This piece is 28 Jobelan, and when it came in the mail, I knew I had to get something stitched on it right away. And because I was in the mood tonight to do a little searching through my stash, I'm going to convert this piece to be all flosses from Mo's Sale (surprise, surprise), and I picked Gelato for the letters. I haven't picked out any other colors for the rest of the sampler yet. I'm just going to pick them as they come up and see what speaks to me at the time!

I did get some fun stitchy mail yesterday. My next Stitchy Box came!

There will be a second mailing from them for this box because one of the pieces didn't make it in time for the mailout, but here is what came in it so far:

There's an adorable owl shaped hand stitched bamboo thread keep from Red Gate Stitchery, a neat spool of a corded thread, a skein each of DMC 4124 (a pretty variegated orange) and Lunar Eclipse from Classic Colorworks, a stitchable canvas drawstring bag, a fat eighth of another canvas-type material that is opal, but I'm not sure of the count or what specific type of fabric it is, and then a fat eighth of 28 Opal Lugana in Winter Solstice from Hand Dyed Fabrics by Stephanie! I'm really excited about this box. I LOVE the thread keep - I've never used one before, but some of my smaller Mill Hill kits could definitely benefit from me using one, and it'll be fun to stitch it up too! And we all know I love Stephanie's fabrics, and the rest looks likes it will be really interesting to play with and explore! Another hit in my book!

Until next time!
~Katy

Stitch Maynia - Stardust Fairy

Day Twenty-eight saw another fairy added to my rotation! This time I worked on Stardust Fairy by Joan Elliott:

The best part about this pattern? It's free! If you want to add it to your stash, go here to download it! Joan's fairies are so beautiful so a free pattern of one is a major bonus! Here is where I got to yesterday:

I'm stitching this on 32 Jobelan in Bewitched from Hand Dyed Fabrics by Stephanie. The pretty purple and green shades remind me of a nebula and I think will be a beautiful background to this fairy!

Until next time!
~Katy

Stitch Maynia - Spirit of Cross Stitch Angel

I can't believe we're almost to the end of the month! All of these starts have made May just fly by! Day Twenty-seven was dedicated to Spirit of Cross Stitch Angel by Brooke's Books:

This is a neat three dimensional piece that is stitched as separate motifs on two different colors of perforated paper and then put together for the final piece. There are several different angels in this line done in a similar way. If this one works out well, I may do others! I figured this one was a good one to start with though, since it is all about cross stitch!

I was able to finish one motif yesterday, the little dog on silver perforated paper:

Wow, that is not a centered picture at all! Oh well LOL I will be stitching all of the motifs before I cut any of them out. Less likely to lose a piece that way!

Until next time!
~Katy

Stitch Maynia - Santa

Day 26 was Christmas themed as I started Santa by Jim Shore from Mill Hill.

This Mill Hill kit is different than the others I've worked on. It's a larger piece (5"x5" when done), and it's on fabric rather than perforated paper, but I love it! I adore Jim Shore's work and have several pieces in my home. This will be a great addition to my Christmas decor when it's done. Here is where I got to yesterday:

I couldn't get a good picture with the flash that didn't make all of Santa's beard look completely blurred. It stitched up rather quickly! I think the many, many, MANY beads in this will take the most time, honestly! But that's awhile off yet!

Until next time!
~Katy

Stitch Maynia - Rainbow Parfait and Robin Hood

I just have to attest to the benefits of stitching therapy. I was not in the best of moods when I woke up yesterday morning. I blame the non stop storming and icky weather we've had in Dallas this spring. I was just grumpy. I didn't want to do anything but stitch, so stitch I did and it helped improve my mood drastically! I worked on two projects, in fact, and this should be my last two project day for Stitch Maynia.

The first project I worked on was Rainbow Parfait by Glendon Place.

I just adore these dessert patterns by Glendon Place and the colors on this one are just gorgeous! Here is where I got to yesterday:

I'm stitching this on 32 Lugana in Mesa from Picture This Plus using the Dinky Dyes silks. I adore the colors on this piece, they're just so bright and cheerful!

The second piece I worked on was more muted, but I still like it! It's Robin Hood by Little House Needleworks:

I didn't spend as much time on this piece as I did the other mainly because I decided to stitch on it at the last minute when I realized I still had too many pieces and not enough days left in the month! But any progress is progress!

I'm stitching this one on 32 Lugana in Sand from Picture This Plus. This didn't take long to stitch at all. It's nice to have pieces like this that are less complex than some of the others. The variety definitely helps keep me from getting overwhelmed!

Until next time!
~Katy

Stitch Maynia - Princess Collection

Day Twenty-Four saw me stitching on another Soda Stitch pattern. This time, I worked on Princess Collection!

I just love this collection of princesses, even if my favorite of the Disney line (Belle) is sadly missing. I had debated stitching this up with the Prince Collection as well, but decided to hold off and save the princes for another time. This is how far I got yesterday:

I'm stitching this on 32 Lugana in Zephyr from Picture This Plus. The pretty sky blue color will be great for the princesses when they're done.

Yesterday I also got to celebrate my birthday with my parents and one of the gifts I got was a $50 gift certificate to my LNS. I can't wait to go and spend it! Yay!

Until next time!
~Katy

Stitch Maynia - Plum Pudding

Day Twenty-Three was a very purple day as I started working on Plum Pudding by Glendon Place!

As I expected, I loved working on this piece yesterday and I am so glad I chose to use the called for Dinky Dyes silks. They are amazing to work with, I just love them! Here is where I got to yesterday:

The purples in this are so much richer in person. I'm stitching this on 28 Lugana in Whimsey from Picture This Plus and I just love the purple on purple and the subtle variegation of the silks I've used thus far! It's going to look great when it's done!

Until next time!
~Katy

Stitch Maynia - Pin Up Girls

Thank you everyone for the birthday wishes yesterday! I had a great day, including spending time on my next start, Pin Up Girls by Soda Stitch!

As usual with these Soda Stitch patterns, I absolutely adored working on this one! Here is where I got to yesterday before birthday dinner and date night took over!

I'm stitching this on 32 Jobelan in Pixie Kiss from Hand Dyed Fabrics by Stephanie. It's a really pretty pink fabric that I think is perfect for these pin up girls!

Until next time!
~Katy

Stitch Maynia - March 2015 Sampler Motif Club

Day Twenty-One had me working on the March 2015 pattern from Carolyn Manning's Sampler Motif Club! This is one of those pieces where the example picture is the pattern, so there isn't a completed model to show for this piece either. I can, however, show you how far I got yesterday!

This is another one of those happy color pieces that was just a joy to stitch! I'm doing this on 32 Opal Lugana in Ocean from Zweigart. It's a really pretty sky blue color that is just washed out in the picture. I also decided to stitch this entirely in Caesar silk from Mo's Sale. I love the bold, bright jeweled colors and every stitch made me smile. When this piece is done, I plan on mounting and hanging it in my Diva Den and using it as the background for my needle minder collection. I think it's going to be perfect!

Today is my birthday and thus it's my giveaway drawing day! I'm waiting until my kids are home from school and will let them draw the winning name, so stay tuned!

Until next time!
~Katy

Stitch Maynia - Jeweled Apple and Letters From Nora - T

Day Twenty was a two-for-one day! The first piece I worked on was another Mill Hill kit called Jeweled Apple.

This piece will likely end up as the suggested magnet when it's all said and done. I just love the patterns on this, it's so unique! Here is where I got to yesterday:

This is another one of those pieces I think will have more beads than crosses by the end of it! I could have continued, but I was excited about piece number two for yesterday, which was Letters From Nora - T by Nora Corbett.

My daughter's name starts with T and it is my hope when this is done that this can be a piece she keeps for the rest of her life. It's whimsical enough to be good for an almost nine year old to enjoy, but mature enough I think she could keep it with her when she's an adult and out on her own. This is where I got to yesterday:

I'm stitching this on 28 Jobelan in Willow Wisp from Hand Dyed Fabrics by Stephanie using the suggested Classic Colorworks threads. I'm looking forward to when it comes up in the rotation again!

And one last reminder, tomorrow is my 35th birthday (yay!) and the day I will be drawing for the winner of my giveaway (double yay!) so make sure you sign up if you haven't had a chance! You don't want to miss out!

Until next time!
~Katy

Stitch Maynia - Floss Daily

Day Nineteen saw a fun, simple pattern from Wee Little Stitches called Floss Daily.

I decided I was going to have fun with this pattern. Bright fabrics, raid my stash of hand dyed flosses from Mo's Sale, follow the general color palette but make it my own, and I'm so glad I did! Here is where I got to yesterday:

This was just so much fun to stitch, though honestly I had probably as much fun picking out the colors as I did actually stitching the piece! I am doing this on 28 Jobelan in Harvest Pumpkin from Hand Dyed Fabrics By Stephanie and I'm working on the list of Mo's Sale flosses as I work on the piece. My only requirement with the floss I choose is that I don't want to have used it in another piece. I have such a large stash that really, I should have more than enough to find flosses to use for the first time. The white is the only color I didn't change because all stitchers know, bobbins are white!

I already know how I'm going to finish this - in a bright white frame, no mat, just the pretty orange fabric and it will have a prominent place in my mom cave (or Diva Den as a friend of mine named it - I like that name more!) when it's all said and done. Can't wait!

Until next time!
~Katy