TUSAL - March

Well folks here we are again, it's time for the March TUSAL report.  If you are new here and unsure what that means, go here to see the definition of TUSAL.  I use this as an opportunity to keep track of my progress from month to month.  So what's been happening this past month?

This month's contributor was:

"Chocolate Box" by Little House Needleworks (In Progress)

Still in WIP stage:

"Letters from Mermaids - E" by Nora Corbett to be made into an "L" (Didn't work on it this month)
"Mermaid Scissor Fob freebie" by Cross Stitch Happy (Didn't work on it this month)

I really have no excuse for not getting the scissor fob done.  I guess I just wasn't feeling it or something.  I don't have any idea what's my deal is with the Nora mermaid either.  So....

Since I only worked on "Chocolate Box" this past month, I thought you might like to see a progress picture.  I'm planning to put some beads on this instead of knots and confetti stitches.  I think the bling will give it some pizazz.  I've got the cream colored beads I want to use for the outer border (yet to be stitched) and will look for some pink ones (for the tops of a couple chocolate pieces) at a new-to-me shop I'll visit the end of the week.  More on that next time.

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So what has captured my attention if it isn't stitching?  Yep, you guessed it...knitting! I know this is a disappointment to the non-knitters in the crowd.  What can I say, I'm obsessed right now!  I've been learning so many new things, it's wonderful.  Anyone who knows me knows I have a thing for learning.  So I've really been having a lot of fun lately.

I finished my first sock ever!  I'm still in awe of that and I've started its mate.  I've also started another "pair," actually just one but it will be a pair eventually, using some interesting self-striping yarn.  I also started another cowl and some finger-less mitts.  Yes, my hands have been quite busy.

I need to get one of these finished because I'm not comfortable having this many things going at once.  Yes, that's the same way I feel about my stitching.  It's my own brand of crazy and I'm okay with it.  It works for me!

So, it's a short and sweet TUSAL this month.  I can hardly believe the end of March is here already.  I hope whatever you are working on you are enjoying.  I appreciate you taking time out of your busy day to spend a few minutes with me here. Hope your week is good!

More next time,
The Inspired Stitcher

TUSAL - February

Well folks another month has flown past us!  I'm back for the February TUSAL report.  If you are new here and unsure what that means, go here to see the definition of TUSAL.  I use this as an opportunity to keep track of my progress from month to month.  So let's get on with it, shall we?

This month's contributors were:

"I Sigh Not for Beauty" by C Street Samplers (DONE!!)
"Watermelon" charted by me (Bagged until summer)
"Letters from Mermaids - E" by Nora Corbett to be made into an "L" (Didn't work on it this month)
"Mermaid Scissor Fob freebie" by Cross Stitch Happy (Didn't work on it this month)
"Chocolate Box" by Little House Needleworks (In Progress)
"Flag Maker freebie" by Notforgotten Farm (DONE!)
"Happy Hearts freebie" by Little House Needleworks (DONE!)

I'm really happy about having some finishes this past month.  I'm especially happy to have "Beauty" finally done.  It really is a pretty sampler and it seemed a shame to not finish her up.  I'm hoping to have a couple more finishes soon too.  I worked on "Chocolate Box" all weekend and am seeing some nice progress.  I just love the pink fabric I chose!  I'll have to do a progress post soon.

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On the knitting front, I've had a couple starts and have made some really nice progress on them as well.  Here they are:

"Oats Cowl" by Tin Can Knits (In Progress)
"Adult Basic Sock" by Dierdre Wallace (In Progress)

I started knitting the "Oats Cowl" as my lunchtime knit.  I'm almost halfway done with it maybe more.  You know how Prairie Schooler patterns are comfort stitching, this one feels like a comfort knit.  It's a lot of straight knitting in the round with a bit of garter stitch thrown in for interest.  It's nice and squishy.

Can we just talk about the sock?  THE SOCK!!!  I cannot believe I am actually knitting a sock.  I owe much gratitude to Carol Fun, sock knitting extraordinaire, for her encouragement!  Girlfriend, you rock!  I am so in love with the yarn I picked too.  I'm doing this as a class at the LYS.  I can't wait for our next class session this Saturday.  We are going to work on turning the heel.  Can. Not. Wait!

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I'm finding myself having to choose how I want to split my time now that I've become a knitter too.  It's a good problem to have.  You know why?  It means my creative mojo is in full force and flowing strong.  I haven't felt this creative in a very long time and I'm over the moon about it.

I hope you all are having fun with whatever you choose to do in your creative world.  Thanks for stopping by today.  I appreciate your visits.

Until next time,

The Inspired Stitcher

The October WIP Experiment

I bet you were wondering how the experiment went for the month of October.  Well, since it is the last day of the month, I thought I'd report in.  So here goes!  It's been a month of discoveries.

So here's the tracker for the month.  I didn't stitch as much in a month as I thought I might but it's an improvement.  I'm beginning to see a pattern.  Sundays seem to be the day I do the most stitching.  I also seem to get on a tear with a project and work on it over the course of several days before moving on.  I didn't even touch the mermaid or the watermelon so we'll focus on the ones I did spend time with.  So lets take a look at them!

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"I Sigh Not for Beauty"

Progress as of 9/30/16

Progress as of 10/31/16

Well, it's nothing to get too excited about but it is still something, I suppose.  I did finally take it off the ginormous Q-snaps I had been using and switched to my 11 x 11" ones.  Definitely more manageable for couch stitching.  Now to get that plant it's match on the other side and more of those little flowers in and around the vine.

"Heaven Above"

Progress as of 9/30/16

Progress as of 10/31/16

As you can tell, this was one I got on a tear with.  It also helped that I attended the Tiara Club retreat a couple weekends ago and worked on this all afternoon that Saturday (I only went for the day this time).  I'm actually really into this one at the moment.  I may even work on it some more tonight.

Oh yeah, about the random "h" on the right, stitched purely for placement so I could stitch those rosebuds.  You know how it is when you still have a color on your needle and you want to finish the thread.  C'mon, you know you do it too.  Another random factoid, I have to stitch sentences.  I can't stitch partial or random words.  So yeah, the "h" is driving me nuts but I had to do it.  It's a quirk of mine.  Yes, I'm weird.  There, I admitted it.  LOL!  Moving on...

"Colonial Santa"

Progress as of 9/30/16

Design: Colonial Santa  (circa 1988!)

Designer: Homespun Elegance

Fabric: 27ct. unbleached brown linen

Floss: Medici wool and DMC as kitted

Started:  9/9/16

Finished:  10/22/16

Completed: TBD

Yep, I had a finish this month!!!  I finished this at the Tiara Club retreat.  I can't wait to do the finish finishing it.  I'll actually have a new one for the tree this year before Christmas even!  I know, shock of the world.  This one will remind us of our 20th anniversary trip we took to Williamsburg this year.  Yay!  So cute!

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I also did some finishing this month on a project I'd worked on earlier this summer.  I'll share it in another post since it doesn't relate to the WIPs I'm tracking. 

I've decided I'll continue this experiment in November too.  I'm all about whatever I can do to motivate me and this seems to be working.  Who knows, maybe there will be another finish.  I hope you enjoyed seeing my progress and maybe this will inspire you too.

Thanks for stopping by to visit today!

Happy Halloween!

More next time,

The Inspired Stitcher

  

Heaven Above...progress

This past weekend was a washout in my neck of the woods.  Don't get me wrong, we needed the rain.  It actually made for good stitching weather.  DH and I decided we'd do the weekly grocery run on Saturday in anticipation of the monsoon that was called for on Sunday.  This also meant we didn't have to leave the house!  Such a luxury when you work all week long.  I decided to dedicate the weekend's stiching time to "Heaven Above."

Progress as of 3/16/16

Progress as of 8/14/16

As you can tell from comparing the pictures, lots of progress has been made.  My goal was to get all the small motifs in and start on the sun in the lower right corner.  Friday night the peeps got together for a girls night of stitching.  I got a good many of them done then and decided I'd keep on rolling with it.

Here's a closer shot so you can see it a bit better.  I plan to stitch the sun "in the round" so I don't get a stripey look.  I'm hoping the variegation of this floss will give a nice spiral effect.  We shall see!  Once I get the sun stitched in I'll be able to start page three of four and will be half way finished!  The bottom half is mostly all words.  I like words.

This is what was next to me the whole time I was stitching.  Shelby was quite the Velcro dog all day yesterday.  I couldn't resist a snap of this cuteness.  Two of her favorite things right there with her, that blanket and that bone.  Love that silly pup!

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Well good people, it's a short and sweet one today.  Hope you all are well and able to push needle through fabric today.  Thanks for stopping by to visit today.  Have a good week!

Until next time,

The Inspired Stitcher

What I've been working on...

I've had some requests to see my progress on a couple things so I thought I'd pop in and share.  The first one is Speak to the Earth.  Here's where we were when you last saw it.

As of 3/6/16

As of 5/12/16

Now the truth of the matter is that if I would just buckle down, I could realistically get this one done without too much trouble.  Um...yeah, I have no excuses.  Moving on...

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As of 3/6/16

Design: Pomegranate Pincushion

Designer: Hands on Designs

Fabric:  30 ct. Aztec Red

Floss:  As charted

Started:  1/1/16

Finished: 3/12/16

Completed: 3/26/16

Okay, this one I completely forgot I even finished it until I looked a couple posts back.  I'm a shameful blogger in more ways than one.  Ahem.   Seriously, I really enjoyed this finish and it wasn't nearly as difficult as one might imagine it to be.  I do have the linen and fabric to make the pocket...at some point.

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Design: From "Tokens of Love: Quaker Pinballs" book

Designer: Erica Uten

Fabric: 40 ct. Linen linen

Floss:  DMC 221

Started: 4/9/16

Finished: 4/30/16

Completed: 5/8/16

This one I made as a thank you for Mary Uhl Brooks who graciously shared the Quaker samplers with me at the Westtown School back in May.  I'll have to write more about that trip later.  Needless to say it was a morning I won't soon forget.  If you find yourself near Westtown, make plans to see the needlework.  You'll want to call in advance but it's very much worth it!

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As of 6/26/16

This one I'm calling a "do-over."  I'd started it originally who knows when, I'm thinking maybe 2011.  I could be wrong.

All I know is the fabric I'd originally used was definitely not made for cross stitch and I don't know what I was thinking.  I also don't know the designer on this or if there ever was one.  You see, I saw this in a friends sun room and fell in love.  She received it as a gift.  We don't know if it was a commercially made pillow or if someone actually stitched it.  All I knew was I loved it and charted it from the picture I took that day.

The original was done on large count fabric.  I suspect from looking at my picture, it was Tula.  That's what I'm using now.  The peeps have given me such grief over this one since I usually like to work on 40 ct. and this is 10 ct.  What can I say, I liked the chunky look of the original and that's how I wanted this one to look as well.  I plan to finish it into a pillow too.  It's going pretty fast.

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I've also started and finished a couple other things but can't show them until after this weekend is over.  I'm going to try to have a finishing day real soon so I can clear out some of the backed up stuff in the box o'shame.  I'm sure you all have one of those too where finished stitching waits to be completed.  LOL!

I hope you've enjoyed this quick little check-in.  I really wanted to make sure I documented these things.  I really didn't realize how much I relied on this blog to help me remember the things I've stitched.  I've got some more catching up to do!  If you've read this far, thanks for still being here after my long absence!

More later,

The Inspired Stitcher

It's all about the progress...

How did a whole month pass?!  Wow!  I can account for the past two weeks but I have no excuse for the two before that.  Our house has been cursed with the creepin' crud that seems to be going around lately.  DH gave it to me (he's sweet that way dontacha know) and I've had it for two weeks.  Yikes!  Thankfully the cough is gone for the most part and most of the congestion is too.  So I decided since I felt spunkier than I have in a good while, I'd pop in here for a progress update!  Go grab a cuppa.  Here we go!

Progress as of 9-6-15

Progress as of 3/6/16

Excuse the wrinkles.  I took it's glamour shot straight off the q-snaps.  I can't believe the last time you saw this one was last September!  As you can tell, I've worked on it a bit since then and I'm getting really close to the finish on it.  I'm hopeful it will be soon.  I just love all the little animals at the bottom.  There have been a couple peeps who have finished theirs.  I'll have to get a snap of all of them together when I finally get mine done.

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Progress as of 7/11/15

Progress as of 3/6/16

Okay, I'm almost embarrassed to show this one.  The last time I shared progress was back in July.  Really?!  Oh good golly...can we say slacker?!  Anywho, you can tell I have worked on this one quite a bit since then.  I'm almost to the point of finishing page two!  Next up will be the words in the bottom section.  I love words.  I also love all the little spots in this one too. And the night sky and well...pretty much everything about it.

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I've also had a couple new starts I haven't shared here yet.  It's funny, I used to be a "one-at-a-time" girl and that went out the window now didn't it.  LOL!

Progress as of 3/6/16

This was my January 1st start.  I'm doing it as a SAL with a certain someone who reads this blog.  Winks!  I haven't worked on it much since the middle of January.  I'm sure my SAL partner already has hers done and is just being polite by not telling me.  I'm really looking forward to doing the finishing on this one.  I think it's going to be interesting.  I'm loving the red fabric! It's 30 ct. Aztec red in case you were wondering.

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Progress as of 3/6/16

This is my second new start this year.  I picked this one up on Valentine's Day, right before I got sick.  It's charted as the letter "E" but I plan to lob off the top and the middle parts and turn it into an "L."  I'm stitching it on 30ct. Morris Blue with the called for floss.

Our friend Leslie of Under the Sea Fabrics has one someone made for her and it inspired me to do one for myself.  This is my first Nora!  I figured I should stitch one since I'm going to the Mirabilia Minions Retreat for the first time this year.  I'm looking forward to it!

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So there you are folks, even though I have been absent in this space I really have been stitching.  Between being sick and work still being crazy, I haven't had much time to pop in here to catch you all up.  I do, however, appreciate all the emails checking in on me.  I've tried to make the blog rounds and visit when I could.

Thanks so much for stopping by to visit with me today.  I appreciate each one of you!  I hope your day is good.

Until next time,

The Inspired Stitcher

P.S. Is anyone else sad that tonight is the last episode of Downton?  Can't wait to see what happens!

Speak to the Earth progress

I can't believe how quickly time flies past!  I meant to pop back in sooner with my progress update but as we can all see it didn't quite happen.  So I'm here today to share it with you now.  Let's have a look at where I was when we last visited.

Progress as of 7-31-15

Progress as of 9-6-15

Here it is as of last week.  I worked really hard to get this month's assignment done early as I knew I would be going out of town for our anniversary.

I'm really happy we've finally gotten to the section with the animals!  That cow is just so cute.  The snake was a bit tedious with all the color changes but it turned out really neat in the end.  The day I worked on the words was a nice bright sunny one.  I have to be in a special mood and in the right light to be able to do the over one on this high of count.

I decided to do the grass under the cow as far as I could get before I needed to change colors again.  You can just see the outline of the cat's tail between the tree trunk and the cow's back hoof.  Stay tuned, there will be lots more cute critters to come!

I'm contemplating posting about the trip.  There wasn't much stitchy-wise on this one since it was hubby and I.  I did manage to find a shop but I'd visited it before and that's why I wanted to go back.  It's a good one.  They were celebrating their 40th anniversary of business and marriage the same week we were there for ours.  How fun!

Well, I know it's a quickie today.  I hope all is well where you are.  Thank you so much for sticking with me as my posts have unintentionally gotten fewer.  Have a great weekend everyone!

Until next time,

The Inspired Stitcher

Speak to the Earth progress

Hello friends!  As promised, I'm back to share my Speak to the Earth progress for July.  I worked on this quite a bit one night when I was at the Getaway in Russellville.  Then I worked on it some more in the following weeks.  Here's a peek at where it stands now and where it was when we visited last!

Progress as of 6/7/15

Progress as of 7/31/15

I'm really loving that strawberry band!  You know how I love my strawberries.  I got that put in while I was away.  Then I did the left side at home.  I'm thinking I've gotten myself ahead of our assignments.  It's easy to do with this one!  We should be starting some animals soon and I know there's some more over one words right below those strawberries.  Stay tuned!

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Speaking of strawberries, I just have to show you the sweet thing Peg over at Kentucky Sampler sent me!  She's doing some downsizing.  She said she found this at a the Peddler's Mall a while back. 

Here's the pretty paper and the card inside the box she sent!  Oh the suspense!

Just look at this sweet strawberry make-do!  It's sitting atop an old wooden spool with wire tendrils hanging down.  It's made of the softest velvet with cotton gingham leaves.  It's also pretty good size.  I'd say around six inches tall!  It's sitting on my mantle where I can see it from my stitching nest.  Thank you so much, Peg!  I'm happy to give it a new home and will think of you always.  What a treasure!

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Well folks, there you have it!  I hope your July has been good to you.  I can't believe summer is winding down already.  Soon it will be back-to-school time again.  I'm going to enjoy every last scrap of summer I can get between now and then.  LOL!  Have a great weekend!  Thanks for stopping by to visit.

Until next time,

The Inspired Stitcher

Russellville Recap part 3

So, back to the recap.  I had way more to share than I first imagined.  You know how I love to take pictures and share things with you all.  So let's get back to it!

Saturday afternoon the peeps from Post and my peep, Evie and I all piled into the car and went into town.  The Post girls had spied an antique store Evie and I didn't know about and we visited the one just down the street from our old location.  

Here's my haul.  I got the glass flower frog and the scarf at our first stop and the two tins at the second.  The rectangular tin is the perfect size for scissors and the square one was a mini cigar tin.  Who knew there were mini cigars?!  I just liked the color.  Right now it has buttons in it.

Progress as of 7-11-15

Since I finished the retreat project early, I worked on "Heaven Above."  This is where I left off on Saturday night.  I also worked on "Speak to the Earth" but not enough to show any progress yet.  I'll do an update on that at the end of the month.

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So lets get to the grand finale!  Our exchange this year was no less awesome than last year.  Seriously, I know I say this every year but we are one super talented group.  I'll let the pictures tell the story.   You are going to love this!  Go grab a cuppa, you are going to want to spend some time looking at all this goodness.

 This was the little cutie I received from Kathy!  OMG, how I dearly love this.  I had wanted this when it first came out and waited too long.  The LNS sold out.  Now I have one of my very own and it is even more special because a dear friend made it for me.  I loved it so much that I went online and hunted down the companion piece.  It should arrive on Monday!  Thank you again, dear friend.  I will treasure this forever.  Your stitches are perfection!

 

Design:  Count Your Blessings

Designer: La D Da

Fabric:  36 ct. mystery fabric gifted to me by Linda

Floss:  DMC as charted

Started:  6/12/15

Finished:  6/13/15

Completed:  7/5/15

This is what I made for the exchange.  My friend Rosie got it and it now lives in the southwest.  She's the one who made the tatted bookmark above.  She gave us a demonstration on how to do tatting after the exchange.  So fascinating!

The design has a special significance to the group.  Every year the Queen Bee sings this song to us and we all join in.  It's a wonderful reminder of all the good we have in our lives and how lucky we are to have each other.  I might just have to stitch this again for myself.

Our return trip across the Ohio on the ferry!

Sadly our time together had to come to an end.  We only had the extension office facility till Saturday night so we said our goodbyes at the hotel on Sunday morning after breakfast.  I always enjoy this getaway.  We've all become so close to each other and it really does feel like a reunion of my extended stitchy family.  I'm already looking forward to next time. Miss you girls already!

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Well friends, that's the recap.  I hoped you enjoyed the visit as much as I enjoyed sharing it with you.   I hope your weekend has been good as well.  Thank you for being here.

Until next time,

The Inspired Stitcher