Long Time, No Blog...

Well, another month has gone by in the blink of an eye, so I guess it's time to catch up...
Here's a photo of the Winter House exchange I sent to Missy:

She loves to read, as well as stitch, so I thought this would be a good way to combine both passions. The "book" has enough room inside to hold a paperback novel or a considerable amount of stitching supplies.  The design is "Snowy Pines", the fourth Ornament-of-the-Month by Little House Needleworks.  It's stitched with DMC floss on 30 ct Natural linen from Northern Cross, which was stiff enough to glue to the book, without having the edges fray [an easy, no-sew finish].

Great minds must think alike, because when I opened the package I received from Edgar this weekend, I found a wonderful photo album with the cutest snowman on the cover:

The Calico Station design was stitched on a piece of 28 ct BlueGrass linen using DMC floss, and the carrot nose button gives it that special touch...  Thank you, Edgar- I love it! 

LHN Exchange for Carol

Oops! In my hurry to get my exchange in the mail, I forgot to take a photo of it, so I hope Carol doesn't mind me using hers...

 I stitched Little House Needlework's "Season of Hope" design on 28 ct Country French Linen, using DMC floss.  I had originally planned to finish it as a pillow, like it showed on the pattern, but I wanted to do something a little different, so I went to a local craft store, hoping to find some creative inspiration, and found myself in the scrapbooking/photo album section.  I noticed some 8 x 8 replacement pages, and the wheels in my head started turning...

I didn't want it to be just an ordinary photo album, so I added a piece of Weeks Dye Works wool for a needle-minder, and a band of fabric to hold accessories.  I thought the top-loading pages would be a handy way to hold floss, charts, fabric swatches, sketches, photos, whatever...

I'm so glad Carol liked the way it turned out- she's been one of my favorite customers over the years, so I wanted to do something special for her.  

HOE LHN/CCN Exchange Received!

Just when I was feeling bogged down with a severe case of cabin fever, I received a wonderful gift in the mail. Becky K sent me this beautifully stitched piece called "Gardening" by Little House Needleworks.

 

The back is finished in a lovely print in perfectly co-ordinated colors.

 

She also sent me some comfy socks, a pair of gardening gloves, and lots of herb and flowers seeds. 

I can't wait for all this Michigan snow to melt, so I can go outdoors and start gardening- come on, SPRING!!!  Thank you for everything, Becky- you really brightened my day!

My Gift to Hazel

My "Stitch Red for the Heart" exchange partner received the piece I stitched for her, so now I can show it:

 

The design is "Austrian I" by Joelle Jeunemaitre of Bleu de Chine [featured in the Jan/Feb 2010 issue of Just Cross Stitch].  I used #815 DMC floss (over one) on 32 ct Antique White Belfast Linen, with cording made of the same floss.  When I started stitching, I hadn't yet decided how I was going to finish the piece- I couldn't make up my mind, whether I wanted an ornament, or a pincushion, or a floss-keeper of some sort, so I ended up just combining them all.

 

For the backing, I used a piece of Weeks Dye Works Wool in Louisiana Hot Sauce-Herringbone.  I used YLI silk ribbon to tie on a pair of 2-3/4" Premie scissors by Premax, and heart-shaped mother-of-pearl thread rings to hold some of my hand-dyed flosses. 

I'm so glad Hazel liked it!

Red Exchange Arrived!

I just received a lovely bourse from Sharlotte, along with a box of chocolates (yum!), a lucky little ladybug, floss, and a beautiful hand-made card.

Inside, she stitched LHN's "School Girl Lessons" on 28 ct cream linen, using DMC floss. I just love it!  Thank you, Sharlotte!

Stitch Red for Your Heart

I sent off my "Stitch Red for Your Heart" piece today- I hope my secret partner likes it!  8^ )

Happy New Year!

It's a brand new year, so I figured it's a good time to start a brand new blog.  I must confess, I've always been terrible at keeping a journal, so this will be a new experience for me...  I'd like to thank Carol S. for inviting me to join "Hooked on Exchanging"- I've loved needlework (especially cross-stitch) ever since I was a little girl, and I'm really looking forward to making many new friends and exchanging goodies with each other.    8^ )