Catching up...

Hello friends!  As you probably noticed, I've been offline for a bit.  I really needed to recharge and just take a break.  This last year really whooped my tail.  Besides, holiday time is so good for that kind of thing.

There's so much I need to catch you up on since our last proper visit.  Let's see if I can recap without this getting too lengthy.

The guild had it's annual Christmas party on the 13th.  There was so much beautiful show and tell to drool over due to the guild's Quaker Challenge.  I'll let you read about it over at Ellen's blog.  She did a really nice recap post shortly after the event.

I do want to share a couple special things here with you though.  Firstly, my contribution to the challenge.  I started stitching "Quaker Faith" back in January last year as my New Year's start.  I'm pleased to share that it's now actually framed and completed.  Check it out!

 Sorry for the dark picture.  I was trying not to get a glare on the glass.

Check out the corner close up below!

Design: Quaker Faith

Designer: Little by Little

Fabric:  35ct. Jackalope

Floss:  DMC as charted

Started:  1/1/14

Finished:  8/10/14

Framed: 11/29/14

Special thanks goes to Melissa over at Words and Blooms for offering this as a giveaway and for pulling my name as the lucky winner!  Also, thanks goes to Nancy C. for suggesting the Quaker challenge.  It prompted me to pull this lovely out and work on it.  This challenge had the most participation we've had since I joined the group!  And last but certainly not least, thanks to Barb and Joe at Keepsakes for the beautiful framing.  You two make everything look spectacular!

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Keeping with sharing special things from the guild party, here's the ornament I stitched for my Secret Stitcher.  This was for the person I'd been sending to all year.

Design:  Faith (2014 JCS Ornaments)

Designer:  Nickyscreations

Fabric:  28ct. Natural

Floss:  DMC as charted

Started:  9/12/14

Finished:  9/26/14

Completed: 12/8/14

This year we didn't do the traditional reveal we usually do but did a more informal one.  Turns out my person sat next to me.  I expected she would be at my table anyway because my person was my peep Linda!  Yep, it was really hard to keep that secret all year long.  LOL!  She said she had no idea it was me.  Too funny!  Linda, I really enjoyed sending you packages this year.  I'm glad I was your Secret Stitcher.  Love ya!

Design: Merry Christmas (2013 JCS Ornaments)

Designer: My Big Toe Designs

Fabric:  32ct. Cream

Floss:  WDW & DMC

Started:  11/16/14

Finished:  11/30/14

Completed:  11/30/14

This is the ornament I stitched for the person who had been sending me my Secret Stitcher packages all year long.  I like to stitch something as a thank you for all her thoughtfulness.  Turns out my person was Pam S.  I just love that girl...she "gets" me.  Pam, I loved all the packages you sent me.  You made my day each and every time!

I'm going to do a separate post to share all the beautiful gifts I received at the party and during the holiday season.  They really deserve their own post!  Stay tuned for that.

The guild has sadly decided to do away with Secret Stitcher this year due to lack of interest.  However, that's not going to stop me.  Nope, I've decided I'm going to RAK (Random Act of Kindness) folks this year.  I love surprises and I figure other folks do too.  It's going to be so much fun!

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 This holiday season I had the good fortune of being able to get together with the peeps more than once for stitching and visiting.  The Friday before Christmas the peeps got together for a stitchy party.  We didn't do much stitching that night but more eating, visiting and exchanging of gifts.  It was such a fun evening.  Here's a picture of the table filled with the haul!

There was so much on that table, I couldn't fit it all in.  LOL!  I really have some thoughtful peeps.  More on that later...

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Then there was getting together with my quilty peeps the Monday before Christmas.  We've taken to going to a local BBQ restaurant for our get together.  That way nobody has to clean house.  Tee hee!  It was nice to get to visit with those girls too.  We still get together once a month at one of our homes to work on our current projects.  We are down to the four of us now and a couple of us don't really quilt much anymore but we still enjoy each other's company just the same.

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Then there was Christmas!  This year was pretty low key for us.  We did our traditional Christmas Eve with my honey's side of the family.  Always a yummy meal cooked by my MIL and SIL.  The actual holiday was really low key for us this year.  Just my honey, Shelby and I hanging at the house.  My folks were both sick with the flu that everyone is getting so we didn't see each other till my birthday/their anniversary.

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Then came my birthday four days later.  It too was pretty low key.  As I mentioned, my folks came down for a little visit.  It was nice to see them even though I could tell they were not 100% yet.

Oddly enough, this year I didn't get much in the way of stitchy things.  My honey did get me a gift certificate to Keepsakes for stash enhancement at the upcoming retreat.  He's a keeper, that one!

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Then the stitchy peeps had an impromptu sit and stitch the day after my birthday since the majority of us had the holidays off.  There were a couple that couldn't make it.  Although one kept our phones dinging like slot machines with her group texts.  LOL!  I decided to work on the Parrots that day.  I hadn't shown them any love for a while.  No, I didn't finish them before the new year.  I'm hopeful they'll be a finish in 2015.

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My final visit for 2014 was on New Year's Eve with one of my quilty peeps, Mary.  She invited me over for tea at elevenses.  She puts up three separate feather trees and wanted me to see them before she took them down.  One is a white tree she decorates with heart ornaments and leaves up until February!  Sadly, I didn't get a picture.  It never crossed my mind.  We were too busy visiting.

Later that evening, we rang in the New Year just the two of us...well and Shelby.  I was pulling floss and fabric for a couple new starts.   As well as winding DMC onto bobbins. I have a goal to get my entire stash of DMC wound eventually.  Yes, we really set the world on fire at our house...such partyers we are.  LOL!  And that folks, is how I ended my year.

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As you can tell there was a lot of socializing done during the holidays.  I am so blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful friends and family.  Thanks for sticking with me on this lengthy post.  Believe me, it could have been much longer.   I'll be back with more year end wrap up soon.  Gotta go download some pictures!


Happy New Year everyone!

The Inspired Stitcher

Merry Christmas!

From our house to yours,

Shelby and I wish you

a very Merry Christmas!

The Inspired Stitcher

Good Tidings - Exchange Received

Now that I know Shirlee has received the exchange package I sent her and opened it, I wanted to pop in and do a quick post to show what I stitched for her. Here 'tis...

Design:  Good Tidings

Designer:  Little House Needleworks

Fabric:  32ct. Natural

Floss:  Called for DMC

Started:  11/1/14

Finished:  11/7/14

Completed:  11/16/14

The fabric in the background is what I used to back the ornament.  I like that the organza ribbon hanger doesn't take away from the ornament itself.  Those little sheep...oh my, just so cute!  This is another one that I may have to stitch for myself someday.

I'm going to try to pop back in and do at least another post or maybe two before the end of the year.  We'll see how it goes.  It's tricky when you don't have a computer at home to use.  Hope everyone is further along than I am with the holiday preparations.  I keep telling myself "it will all get done."  I'm not convinced yet.  LOL!

Hopefully more later,

The Inspired Stitcher

Exchange Received

Oh. My. Stars.  This week has been quite the whirlwind.  Between holiday prep and general life craziness, a whole week has slipped right past me.  I had intended to post this earlier.  Sigh.  Enough of that...what you all really want to hear about is the exchange! 

Earlier this fall Shirlee from The Easily Influenced Stitcher contacted me and asked if I'd like to do a Christmas exchange again this year.  Of course I said yes.  Exchanges are so fun and especially when you know who your partner is going to be!  So like last year, we exchanged our ornament wish lists and away we went.

 I came home Monday to find a box with all these goodies in it and a super sweet card!

 Here's all the goodness unwrapped!  I know, right?  Can you even stand it?

 I just had to take a close up of this sweet floss ring.  It's just too hard to see in the picture above and you just had to see it closer.  Love the little scissors dangle on the bottom!  OMG, so stinkin' cute!

Here's a closer look at the charts she enclosed.  I do love me some Ewe & Eye & Friends charts. Seriously!

Of course I saved the very best for last!  I have admired this ornament on several occasions when stitched by others.  Now I have one of my very own!  Shirlee, your stitching is perfection!  I love, love, love it!

Thank you so much dear friend, for bringing some early Christmas cheer into my home!  I love each and every thing you sent to me.  I truly appreciate your thoughtfulness!

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I hope everyone has had a good week and I wish you all happy weekend!  I'm kicking mine off at the LNS with the peeps for the annual cookie get together.  Um..I probably should have salad for dinner.  I can foresee lots of cookie sampling tonight.  LOL!

More next time,

The Inspired Stitcher

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving today!

With thanks and gratitude,

The Inspired Stitcher

TUSAL - November

It's TUSAL Day!

(For those not familiar, click on the word TUSAL above or the link to the right.)

 

 

My TUSAL check in is a tad bit late but you know what they say, "better late than never."  Here's a look at the ORT pile with my Lizzie Kate turkey.

 

 

 

Here are this month's contributors to the ORT pile:

 

"Snooty Parrots" by Barbara Ana Designs (In Progress)

"Quaker Heart" freebie side two from Piecework Magazine (In Progress)

"Good Tidings" by Little House Needleworks (Completed!)

"Name-Tag" class piece by La D Da (Completed!)

"Merry Christmas" by My Big Toe Designs (In Progress)

I'm glad I've finally started on some of my Christmas ornaments.  However, the Parrots are suffering for it.  Oh well.  I did manage to put a few stitches into "I Sigh Not for Beauty" this month so there's that.  I'm hopeful once I get the ornaments out of the way I can pick them both back up and finish before the end of the year.

I also dropped off "Quaker Faith" to the framer's a week ago.  I'm hopeful it will be done in time for the guild Christmas party.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed.  The holidays are about to get into full force.  Yikes!  Are you ready?  I'm not!

Thanks for stopping by on TUSAL day.  I hope everyone has a great week and a Happy Thanksgiving if you celebrate and if not, take some time this week to be thankful.

Until next time,

The Inspired Stitcher

Auburn, Indiana Getaway

Last weekend eight of the Russellville girls got together for our second annual retreat at the Inn at Windmere B & B.  We enjoyed ourselves so much last year that we decided to make this an annual thing.  Susie and Paul spoil us rotten and this year was no exception!

Our trip north started out before breakfast so I decided we'd stop at a childhood favorite of mine!  I was going for a blueberry muffin but they were sold out already so I got the pumpkin instead.  Yummy!

This little mom and pop bakery has been in business since before I was born.  Most of my birthday cakes came from here.  See those cookies, those were my treat when I went to visit my Granny and Grandpop.  We'd walk to the bakery and I'd get to pick one out.  Sweet memories!

On our route north, we ran across this cute cheese shop in Berne, Indiana right in the middle of Amish country.  We couldn't resist!  I saw this F.R.O.G. jam when I was buying my honey his surprise present of blackberry jam. F.R.O.G. stands for Figs, Raspberry, Orange and Ginger.  No, I didn't get any but you can contact them and I bet they'd ship you some!

Our next stop was the Busy Brush Cafe, in downtown Auburn, Indiana for lunch with the retreat peeps!  This year we all were able to meet before heading off to the Inn.  It was so yummy!  I had half a chicken salad on a croissant and half a ruben!

Rose's tea was brought in this cute pot.  You know what a tea crazy girl I am.  If anyone knows the pattern name for this little beauty, please let me know.  I should have looked on the bottom but of course I did not!

On Saturday morning, we all piled into a van and drove down to Ft. Wayne to visit Stitch n' Frame's shop again!  I'm still so amazed that they do all the framing for Just Cross Stitch magazine!  Just look at all those molding choices.

This is the shop's Christmas sampler wall. This year we all seemed to be in a Christmas kinda mood as several of us bought holiday charts and supplies.  I couldn't resist the latest issue of JCS.  I didn't get a lot of stash this time since I'd been a wee bit naughty in Utah.  However, a couple girls who don't have a local shop enhanced the economy rightly.  Love it!

Speaking of Christmas, I finally got started on my ornaments!  I had been working on this one at home and decided to bring it with me to try to finish it.  I'm so pleased I was able to do just that.  Now to ornamentify it!  I actually need to do several more ornaments right now.  Oh if only I could buy myself some time.

I also had a completion while I was there too!  When we last saw this one all it lacked was the binding edge being attached.  Yes, it's been a WIP since April and that's all it lacked.  How embarrassing!  I guess you just have to be in the mood.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

While we are talking about embarrassing WIPs, I took another one with me to see how far I could get.  Yes, this one is going way back since it last saw any attention.  I can't believe it's been so long.  I remember getting distracted by Christmas ornaments that got me off the SAL schedule and then I'd pick it up occasionally.

There's so little that needs stitched!  I decided to do the top row of flowers since I still need to chart my signature.  I'm going to try to do that this week so I can work on this again at the guild's stitch-in on Saturday.  Wish me luck!  You know how those good intentions go.

I also took the Parrots with me as well.  I've gotten off this SAL schedule too.  I knew I would.  October's assignment included a big house and lots of grass.  I'm not especially fond of stitching houses.  I know some folks are and if you have any tips, please share.  So now I'm playing catch-up.  Maybe by the end of the year I'll get it done.  We'll see!

The weekend went by way too fast!  I really enjoyed the trip and the company.   It's always so inspiring to get together with creative sisters of the floss.  We laughed, we ate, we stitched and repeated!  Just a perfect way to spend a weekend.

I hope everyone else had a good weekend and will have a good week!  Thank you so much for your visit today.

Until next time,

The Inspired Stitcher