Russellville Retreat - day 3

On Saturday we spent the morning and afternoon happily stitching away on our retreat projects.  I got a good start on mine and mid-afternoon I switched to a WIP I'd brought along to work on since I was so close to finishing it.

Design:  Seasonal Mementos III - Uncle Sam

Designer:  Mary Garry's Sewing Cabin

Fabric:  28 ct. natural

Floss: DMC as charted

Started: 6/29/12

Finished: 7/14/12

I'm pleased to say I got it done!  Since I've been in an Americana mood lately I started on this just before the holiday!  I plan to make this into a pin keep.  I just love Mary Garry's designs.  I wish they weren't so hard to find.

After dinner, we did our exchange.  I wonder what's inside all the pretty packages?  Let's see shall we...

Would you like to see what I was lucky enough to receive and what I made for the exchange?

Here is the mirror I received!  Isn't it just so pretty?!  The colors are simply amazing and that black fabric just makes them pop!  I am one lucky girl to have gotten this one.  Thank you so much Kathy!!! 

Design:  Friendship Grows freebie

Designer:  Lizzie Kate

Fabric:  40 ct. cream (1 over 2)

Floss:  DMC as charted

Started:  5/9/12

Finished:  5/11/12

Completed:  5/28/12

This is what I made for the exchange.  It's what I was working on at my "one woman retreat" that I couldn't show you!  Now does it make sense from the front?  LOL!

I think it's so funny that my floss tag had that row of flowers on it and our retreat project is all about rows of flowers.  Maybe I'll add a row of these just because I can.  I love serendipity!

Here's the recipient!  I think she loved it as much as I loved making it for her.  I also included some of my homemade thread drops for her too.

Well this looks like a good stopping point for tonight.  I still need to share the show and tell with you and some random pics too.  Welcome to my new followers too!  I appreciate your visit and your lovely comments.


Even more later,

The Inspired Stitcher

Secret Stitcher Ornaments!

Hi all!  Sorry to have gone missing last week.  I wasn't feeling very spunky mid-week so I decided to take it easy.  I knew I needed to feel better for the guild's big Christmas party on Saturday.  Here are the ornaments I stitched this year.  I can show them to you now since the secret is out!

Design:  Let It Snow (2008 JCS Ornaments)

Designer:  Country Cottage Needleworks

Fabric:  32 ct Natural

Floss:  DMC as charted

Started:  11/28/11

Finished:  12/2/11

Completed:  12/5/11

So my Secret Stitcher this year was my peep  Marsha!    I had to laugh, I knew she knew it was me all along.  I just didn't know exactly when I screwed up and she figured it out.  Turns out it was when I stitched her birthday presents back in June.  Oh well, at least she was a good sport and didn't let on.

I had originally stitched another ornament for her but it just didn't feel right to me.  It really didn't reflect her tastes.  I decided to go through my old JCS Ornaments issues and see if something else flipped my skirt.  This one did the trick! 

I knew she liked this designer, it had a fair amount of blue which is her favorite color and I immediately knew I wanted to bling out the edge of it.  (Yes, Lisa S, there are your beads you've been wanting to see!  LOL!)  I felt like it was a perfect fit.  I think Marsha liked it too.

Design:  December-Santa Claus from Seasonal Mementos

Designer:  Mary Garry's Sewing Cabin

Fabric:  28 ct. Country French Cafe Mocha

Floss:  DMC as charted

Started & Finished:  11/23/11

Completed:  11/27/11

I found out that my Secret Stitcher was Linda K. (no blog).  I was super excited to know that too!  Let me just tell you that she totally "got me" all year long.  Every time a package arrived in the mail it contained the most awesome stuff.  I can't even tell you which one was my favorite.  They were all awesome!

I wasn't for sure she was my Secret Stitcher pal.  I thought it might be her but I wasn't for sure.  I chose this design because I love Mary Garry and this one has been on my "to stitch" list for a while.  I think she liked it too.  It was fun to stitch this for her.

Linda does awesome work!  I've bragged on her before.  She's the one who made all the stockings in the picture on that post.  I'll have to show you what she gave me for my ornament and my birthday.  I'll save that for another day though!  I've also got pictures of the other ornaments that were exchanged and all the Show and Tell.  It was a really fun day.

Until next time,

The Inspired Stitcher

Looking forward and looking back

I've had several people ask about Secret Stitcher so I thought I would tell you a little bit more about it.  It's an activity our Guild does for those who want to participate.

Sometime around the first of December we fill out a form that lets the person you are paired up with know your likes and special dates (birthday, anniversary, etc).  Throughout the year you randomly send your person gifts (floss, charts, fabric, embellishments, maybe something made by you, etc.).  You usually you try not to let more than a couple months pass between mailings but you can send more often if you wish.

At the end of the year we have the big "reveal" at the Christmas party by stitching your person a Christmas ornament.  I try to make sure to I stitch my name or initials on the back of my ornament.  The ornaments are hung on a special Secret Stitcher's tree separate from the exchange ornaments.

When the person in charge pulls your ornament off the Secret Stitcher's tree, she will ask "who made this ornament?"  You go forward and take the ornament from her and hand it to your Secret Stitcher.  This is how your Secret Stitcher finds out who has been sending her random gifts all year long!

I also like to make an ornament for the person who has been sending to me as a little thank you.  You don't have to do this but I think it's a nice thing to do.  This is the second year I've participated.  I'll most likely do it again next year if the guild still wants to do it.

***

Since I can't show you my recent ornament finishes I thought you might like to see what I stitched last year both for my person and for the person who sent to me.

This is what I made for my Secret Stitcher, who happened to be Jenny!

I added the words for Merry Christmas in Swedish to make it extra special just for her.

Design:  Scandinavian Julbok

Designer:  Unknown from JCS Nov/Dec 1988

Fabric:  28 ct. Lambswool

Floss:  DMC as charted

Started:  7/11/10

Finished:  7/11/10

This is my thank you for the person who had me as her Secret Stitcher, who happened to be Paula!

Design:  Christmas Heart

Designer:  Mary Garry's Sewing Cabin

 from JCS 2000 Ornament Issue

Fabric:  32 ct. cream scrap

Floss:  GAST Pine & Pomegranate

Started:  9/18/10

Finished:  9/24/10

Completed:  11/24/10

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You might be wondering what the looking forward part of this post is all about.  One month from today I'll be another year older!  I really can't believe another year has almost passed.  Where does the time go?!

Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit.  I really do enjoy each and every comment you take the time to leave for me.  They make me smile!  I hope everyone's week is off to a roaring start.

Until next time,

The Inspired Stitcher

P.S.  The looking forward part is also a hint reminder for a certain someone with whom I share a home and who is now reading my blog.  Ahem!