finishing frenzy and a giveaway

Well, as the title indicates, I have been finishing off things like crazy--quite out of character for me since finishing is my least favorite part of stitching. Since my last post, Matter's Choice, the Bent Creek houses, the Partridge and Farmer's Alphabet were all framed and have gone off to the auction. I would like to show pictures of them in all their framed glory, but that would require a level of forethought that I am apparently not capable of (which is to say, I forgot to take pictures before sending them off). They all looked good in my humble opinion, despite my mediocre framing skills. The one that I could not bear to part with was Christmas Tea by Plum Street Samplers. This is now being added to my own stash of Christmas decorations.

Also finished (but not re-homed) was some of my recent Halloweeny stitching. I think this Blackbird Designs one is my favorite, I loved this design from the moment I saw it.

This is another design from the Trix or Treat booklet which I used for the top of one of my multitude of little wooden boxes.

Another wooden box, not yet finished. I stitched this from a design in a cross stitch magazine years ago.

My DS spotted the perfect frame for Scared Silly at Michael's.

Finally, I turned another piece I stitched a long while ago into a needlebook.

My sewing skills are not even on a par with my framing skills so I

will be keeping this one for myself too. This design is Corn Crows and Cats, an old one from The Goode Huswife.

Which brings me to my first-ever giveaway in celebration of DD's (and her mom's) birthdays. This is not something you would be likely to find in your local LNS (at least I don't think so) since it's been out of print for quite a while, and I don't think the designer has re-released it-- The 1824 Penny Rug Sampler from The Goode Huswife. Penny rugs seem very cozy and Christmas-y to me, so I figured this would be a good choice for the season. This will come to the winner fully kitted up--the chart calls for DMC with no suggested conversions, but I know some of you like to work with silks, so if you want silks instead, let me know and I will try to figure something out. I may add some random Christmas things as well (just don't ask what 'cause I haven't figured that out yet).

To keep things simple, in order to enter just leave a comment on this post, one entry per person. You don't have to be or become a follower (unless *you like me...you really really like me* as the Flying Nun once said) and you don't have to advertise my blog on your blog. I will draw a winner in one week on Halloween!

Until then, happy stitching! Thanks again for all past and future comments!

(*I wanted to add...this chart is "used" in that I have stitched this design, but it is completely unmarked and has been sitting in a plastic baggie for the past few years.)

giveaway alert

Hi folks,

Jaz over at Octoberfarm (http://www.octoberfarm.blogspot.com/) my favorite non-stitchy site, is having a terrific giveaway. Whether or not you enter, her blog is well worth checking out for the awesome pics of her trip to Salem!

I decided to jump on the bandwagon and have a giveaway myself to celebrate DD's birthday and my own (which are 3 days apart) so stay tuned!

farewell Jasmine and other news

Well, dear Jasmine has gone on to her new home. I had quite a time getting her there, however. The weekend following my last post, with about a week to finish this project, I became deathly ill with some horrible flu-like illness and spent about 3 days literally unable to get out of bed, much less stitch. When I finally emerged from my mental fog, I looked for Jasmine and could not find her. Anywhere. Rest assured I do not have a cavernous house to search--it's more the equivalent of a shoebox--and all my WIPs are kept, in separate baggies, in one large basket. I started to worry that I would not be able to use my favorite mommy line on the kids--"Well, (fill in the blank) didn't disappear into thin air..." since my stuff was, in fact, disappearing into thin air. Then finally late Wednesday night I found her, in her baggie, wedged into the space in between my bed and the wall. I still have no idea how she got there. I suppose in my flu-induced delusional state I took her to bed with the idea of stitching in between bouts of throwing up? Somehow I managed to finish her in the remaining two days before the party--I left out some of the backstitching, which I didn't like the look of anyway, some beads and some details on the dress, but she turned out O.K. anyway--at least she has legs now. Unfortunately, since I was still stitching until within about half an hour before we had to leave for the kid's party, I only had time for one photo, which is not that great, but...it's all I have to show!



I also managed to get through the first round of the LHN exchange, and the exchange piece was received by my partner, but...can't show that either, since I forgot to take a photo, and said piece is now in Belgium. But this is what I received from Jennifer. Is
cute, no?

I think I am addicted to exchanging. I signed up
for the second round of the LHN exchange, joined a BBD exchange and a biscornu exchange which should be interesting since I've never made a biscornu before. Hopefully my partner for that one will have a sense of humor.



I finally have some Halloween stitching to show as well--Scared Silly by Birds of a Feather, done with the recommended Weeks threads on Silkweaver Starquest laguna. I also broke my stash diet and picked up some Halloween charts







one of which I could not
resist starting. I definitely need some more Primitve Needle charts.







I got a start on Hallow's Nigh by Notforgotten Farm too, but this one has come to a crashing halt as I misplaced this pattern--seems to be a recurring theme with me these past few weeks. If my senioritis continues to progress at this rate I'll be in an assisted living facility by Christmas, lol.


Anyhow, as you may have surmised by my last post, my kiddies and I love their school. Around this time each year the school has its one and only fundraiser, an auction of various items donated by families & friends. I see this as a prime opportunity to re-home some of my finished items--these are the ones I am thinking about donating this year...

Matter's Choice (Carriage House Samplings)







Farmer's Alphabet (Prairie Schooler)





Black Bird and Blue Bird (Bent Creek)





Quaker Heart (Ink Circles) Christmas Tea (Plum Street
Samplers).









and Partridge (Designs by Pamela). I don't have any very large pieces finished so I thought I would pick 3 or 4 of these & have them framed or otherwise suitably finished (by which I mean I will probably take time to pick off all the cat hairs).

That's all my news for the time being. Thanks all for visiting!

ladies I love and some who annoy me, and some changes

I guess I shall start with the obvious. My repeat visitors (if any there are) will notice that I changed the name of the blog. This I did because I belatedly thought of a name a liked better, but was too lazy to set up another blog. Also, A Twisted Stitcher was too close to the name of Vonna's blog, The Twisted Stitcher (not that Vonna seemed to mind too much, she was very gracious about the whole thing, but I was rather annoyed with myself for my unintentional lack of originality). OK, The Pumpkin Patch Stitcher is not terribly original either, but it suits me better because:

1. I grow pumpkins

2. I stitch pumpkins

3. I decorate with pumpkins

4. I cook with pumpkins; and therefore

5. I occassionally look like a pumpkin (but I am not putting a picture of that on the interwebs).

That being said, if anyone out there in blogland knows of another Pumpkin Patch Stitcher, please don't tell me.

On to the ladies. The first is my newest finish, The Sampler Lady from Little House. She was part of my recent and very self-indulgent stash haul (please forgive the pics. I am camera-challenged today).

I switched out some of the colors for the GAST threads I had on hand--I'm trying very hard to stick to the stash diet by avoiding the LNS at all costs (there are a ton of new Halloween-type charts out which would be just too hard to resist). I didn't do the border because it seemed a little boring but I thought about putting a row of spools (not boring) along the top to balance it out a little. What do you think?

I actually finished another WIP last night right after The Sampler Lady

instead of immediately starting something new--Trix or Treat from Blackbird Designs (it's actually a few stitches away from completion in this photo, but I was in a rush this morning--still haven't figured out why I have less time for stitching, and everything else for that matter, now that the kids are back in school, than I had when they were home in the summer). True, it was almost finished, but still--I don't often have two finishes in one day.

Unfortunately I now have to do something with a lady I'm not too crazy about.

I started Jasmine over the summer, and as I mentioned in a previous post it was intended for a friend's daughter's birthday. Well, said birthday is Sept. 27 and although I have only about a week to get it finished and framed, I just can't get into it. I suppose I'll force myself, otherwise it'll be sitting around for another year.

And here is the final lady who's giving me fits, Mary w.

I still love this project but the vastness of it is overwhelming sometimes. This is why I so admire those of you who tackle HAEDs or the like that take years to complete. Anyway, I did decide on a recipient for it, which will hope will keep me on track. I plan to change "Ackworth School" to the name of my kids' school and gift it to said school when they graduate. We will have been at the school for about 13 years by the time my youngest graduates from 8th grade, and they love the school (originally a Quaker school when it was founded many years ago) so I figured it might be a good "thank you". Or, I'll finish it and stuff it in a drawer to be company for my numerous other finishes.

Speaking of finishes, and since I am very wordy today, I thought I would show a few of my finished finishes. Sometimes these things sit around for years before I decide what to do with them, but this week I completed some older pieces...

I found these small unfinished wood trays at Michaels, painted or stained them and fitted a few smalls inside. These are now in my kitchen. Finally, I stuffed Ida Mae Crow (the Goode Huswife) which I stitched at the beginning of the year into the top of my floss storage box.

For those who have managed to stay awake this long, happy stitching! Thanks in advance for comments, I do appreciate them.

back from vacation and I need a stash diet

Well we are back from Amish country where it was green, cool, crisp, autumnal and generally very lovely, and arrived in California to 100+ degree heat and wildfires. Woohoo!

We saw lots of farms and barns in various states of repair, covered bridges many beautiful old stone and brick houses....

tons and tons of corn...

and even some of these...



O.K, the tiger was in the Philadelphia zoo, not roaming the countryside.

But one of the best parts of the trip (for me, not so much for the kids) was discovering a truly fantastic stitch shop and blowing my budget there--Stitch N'Stuff in Reading (http://www.stitchnstuffpa.com/). Tons of charts, fabric, floss of all kinds, gorgeous models on the walls. I said goodbye to my self-control and bought..




Of course I had to start some Halloween stuff. I finished a few smalls, including one which I made using some of the Carrie's floss received in the recent exchange,






and started some others.






.


Now I am overwhelmed with projects (like I wasn't beforehand). Of course, since I got back home, my stitching time is virtually nonexistent. I am going to try to plow through the majority of these projects-and revisit my neglected WIP's-before I spend again. If I forget, please reach through the computer and slap me!




I leave you with a picture of this handsome guy who is 10 years old today. Love you Gabriel!


Happy Stitching until next time.

it's halloweeeen!

OK not really. But by mid-August, in addition to beginning my Halloween stitching, I drag out my boxes of fall and spooky decorations. The kids are into it and DH just looks and me and shakes his head, at which point we all remind him that the Great Pumpkin is going to leave him nothing again.

I haven't actually done any Halloween stitching yet, though I have plenty, since I'm saving it for vacation in a few days' time--the kids and I are leaving the land of brush fires and strip malls and spending a few weeks in quaint and idyllic Amish country with the grandparents. The only problem with this (for me anyway) is the 5 + hour flight. Ah, flying--the joys of (simultaneously) attempting to be calm and reassuring to an 11-year-old who has expressed concerns as to the safety of air travel, and mentally cussing out the flight attendant who is taking FOR-EVER to make it down the aisle with the cart of alco-beverages.

Aside from planning what to stitch, I have done some actual stitching. I finished a piece for an exchange and put a few (very few) stitches into my Mary Wigham. Still on Part 1 of 9. I have resigned myself to the fact that I will probably be the last person on the planet to finish this project.

Sibley Hall is limping along--actually not too far from completion. I just have to finish the alien-looking sheep creatures on the lawn.

I even took out the Carriage House creatures, two of my older WIPs, Frederick and Spot the Horse, thinking that I might actually fnish something before we leave, but it was not to be.

I also wanted to show off what I received in a floss exchange on ILCS from Lisa. These are Carrie's Creation threads--I had never used them before but they are beautiful. I love getting stuff in the mail!

And lastly, but cetainly not leastly, I felt the urge to brag on my DD a bit. She is exhibiting some of her artwork at her school tomorrow. I think she does pretty well for a kid still a few months shy of her 12th birthday.

I don't think I'll be blogging for a while...I'll be lucky if I can beg for a few minutes on my nephew's computer to check e-mail. I do appreciate everyone's comments though, they inspire me to keep stitching. Until next time!