My Oldest UFO Back on the Frame!

Hello Fellow Stitchers, Crafters, Bloggers & Friends! 

One of the groups on Facebook that I am an admin for is having a virtual stitchalong event where we're bringing out our oldest UFO to work on and make some progress on. For those that don't know, a UFO is "UnFinished Object". My oldest UFO is Elemental Masks. It is a pattern designed by Tereena Clarke at Artecy. This is a design that is large, however it is by no means a BAP. And BAP is "Big Ass Project". BAPs are usually patterns designed by Tilton Crafts or Heaven and Earth Designs. In fact, Heaven and Earth Designs, or HAED, has come out with even bigger designs that they are calling "Super Sized" which are absolutely HUGE! Anyway, Elemental Masks is 167 stitches wide by 250 stitches tall, for a total of 41,750 stitches in total. And it is solid stitching. I started this pattern just over seven years ago and then put it away to work on other projects that were gifts for other people. And then more gift projects came up and so on. And eventually this one just sat in its bag waiting to be picked up again. Well then this stitchalong event came up and so I got it out to work on. When I took it out of the bag I was so excited to bring it back out and that I would be continuing my efforts to get it finished. And what did I find when I took it out of the bag? 

Yep, that's right, the fabric had stains on it, from what I have no idea. So I washed it in Woolite, cold water & hand wash. The stains were a little fainter, but still there. Then I tried using dish soap that some of my fellow stitchers had suggested. And the stains were still there. Now had the stains all been in the stitching area, it would have been alright. However, they were not. Some were outside of the stitching area and might be visible in the finished project even after framing. So with that, I decided since I was only about two thirds of the way through the first page, it would be better if I just restarted the piece on a new piece of fabric. And that is what I did. 

These are pictures of my progress so far ... 

The above picture was my official "restart" pic of the project. I don't think it is considered a new start really when it's a restart.

I am planning on continuing to work on this piece even after the SAL (stitchalong) is done. I will work on it until I receive the materials to start working on the George Washington project. If you'd like to know what the George Washington project is, click on the tab at the top of my blog to read all about it! It is a fantastic and awesome project that should be an incredible journey to making world history!!! ☺

Well that's all I have for now. I'll be posting an update to Elemental Masks soon! If you don't remember what the finished piece is supposed to look like, click on the tab at the top of my blog that says WIPs and UFOs. And thank you again for stopping by and reading my blog! I love hearing from you in the comments! ☺

Until Next Time,

♥ Margie ♥

It's a New Year & 2014 Will Be a Year of Finishes For Me!

Hi there Friends! 

Yes, I am still here. I have not done hardly any stitching since my last post, as my daughter started having seizures a lot. They now have her on 3 medications and we're hoping that will finally keep the seizures at bay. 

So as I said, it's a new year! And I want to get some finishes under my belt this year!!! I picked back up the WWS Tribal Penguin when I was finally able to go back to the local stitchalong this past Saturday. I didn't get a lot done, but I did have a good time. And I certainly needed that! I'm going to get that finished up and then I am going to stitch the Monopoly board that I have had for quite some time. Once I finish stitching it, we're going to build a table and put a thick poly coating over the top so it will be a permanent Monopoly table! I'm really excited about it & can't wait to see it all finished. 

So the fair will be here in just a few months. I need to get busy if I want to get my penguin and Monopoly table finished in time to enter them! The dates to turn in entries are April 11th-12th. I have never seen anyone enter a piece of furniture with cross stitch as a permanent part of it entered into the fair before. That could be a very good thing! 

I have some awesome news!!! I have opened up my very own Etsy shop! I am working on designing some cross stitch patterns. As of right now, I have one of my cross stitch patterns up for sale in my Etsy shop. There are more in the works and will be released soon! You can find my Etsy shop here ... 

4EverTreasrdKpsakes

It's a new day, it's a new year, and I'm feeling good!!! 

(yes, I know those aren't the exact lyrics, but they are MY lyrics!) 

Until Next Time,

♥ Margie ♥

August Stitching: A Finish, Progress, A Start, & Plans

Hello Stitching & Crafting Friends & Followers! 

So here we are, already 5 days into September! Only 111 days until Christmas, and I'm sure that will fly by! 

So I am very happy to show you the finished piece of Coffee Motto that I made for my Grama and her new husband. Here it is before and after matting & framing ... 

You'll remember on my last post how I mentioned about one of the groups I am in on Facebook doing a different White Willow Stitching tribal pattern SAL each month. Last month (August) was the Tribal Cauldron. Since I was using the size 5 cotton perle black floss and had never used it before, even tho I am stitching it on 28 ct evenweave, it is proving to be quite the challenge to stitch with. But I am getting thru it very slowly. This is the only progress I've made on it so far ... 

The pattern that we are doing for the September WWS Tribal SAL is the Tribal Cat. Originally I hadn't planned on stitching this one, but once it was added to the SAL list, I thought why not. I still haven't decided what fabric or floss to use for it, so I'll keep thinking about it. This is what the Tribal Cat looks like ... 

Towards the end of August, I decided to start working on the Kincavel Krosses Rules for Life. My dear friend that passed away, Momma Anna, I showed this pattern to her after I bought it. All the many years we've known each other, she had never asked me to stitch her anything specific before. But as soon as she saw and read the Rules for Life design, she said to me, "I really like this one. Please stitch this one for me." I had never gotten to get it stitched for her before she passed. This of course saddens me. So I am stitching it. And I am going to give it to Momma Anna's daughter after it's finished. I am stitching it on 14 ct light oatmeal aida and using ThreadworX 10342 Earth Stones floss. I think the fabric & floss combination is looking really really good. I'm still doing the border of the design so I don't want to post an update photo yet, but here is what the design looks like, as well as the floss & fabric together right before I started it ... 

Also during all of this, I am also trying to completely revamp and reorganize my entire craft room. That in itself is quite a job & quite time consuming. But it's going to be so worth it once I have it finished. 

Well that's all I have for this time. I should be posting some update photos soon! Thank you, as always, for reading and following my blog! 

Happy Stitching & Crafting to One & All!

Until Next Time,

♥ Margie ♥

Election Day 2012 & Getting Ready for UFO Wednesday Stitching

Hello My Friends, Stitchers, Crafters & Bloggers! 

I hope that this finds you all doing well and enjoying the day and season! So today is Election Day here in the United States. Have you all voted? My husband and I will be heading to the polls right after our son finishes his homework. I honestly feel, that when it comes to politics, it's up to us to choose the lesser of two evils and vote for that person. I just hope whoever ends up in office, we can all just hope that they bring back this great nation to where we're all more economically sound. Time will tell. 

Alright! Now on to a much more fun topic. STITCHING! So, as you know from my last post, and the new tab at the top of my blog, I am part of a Wednesday UFO group on Facebook. With last Wednesday being Halloween (I hope you all had a very fun Halloween!), and my husband working that night, I did not get any stitching done. I thought maybe I could have a makeup day in the days following Halloween, but that didn't happen either. I did get a couple of stitches in, but really only about 20 minutes worth. So tomorrow is a new Wednesday Stitching Day! I'm looking forward to it, as I would really like to make some good progress on Transformation by Tilton Crafts. She is such a beautiful piece and with only working on the bottom left corner page so far, it doesn't look like anything yet. I can't wait till I can really see the design come to life as I stitch her.

Oh and I am really happy to report that Tilton Crafts will be creating patterns of my brother's, Brandon Salamone, artwork!!! Shelley really loves his drawing called, Drop Dead Gorgeous. So I'll be writing him and asking him to draw up some pieces that go along with that theme. Also, don't forget, you can find patterns of some of his artwork on the White Willow Stitching website, as well. I don't know if Jamie from WWS is going to be creating any more patterns of my brother's artwork or not. But for now, there are some beautiful patterns available. And soon you'll be able to buy my brother's GORGEOUS artwork in pattern form on Tilton Crafts!!!

Well, my son is done with his homework, so we are off to the polls! 

Happy Stitching, Crafting & Blogging and don't forget to ... 

Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

What I've Been Up to ...

Hello My Friends! 

So what have I been working on this past month. Well I must admit, stitching has been a challenge the last month and a half. I have been working on this ATC that should have been quick and easy. But when I selected the pattern, I didn't realize the TONS of french knots it had. Now normally, they don't bother me too much, HOWEVER, stitching french knots on 18 count aida, that are placed in the CENTER of the square instead of at the corner of the squares and that has been a big challenge. It is really hard to poke the needle from the bottom up into the fabric and then go back down thru the same hole. And like I said, there are a bunch of them. I also have a couple of coasters to mail out soon. 

Another project that I have started is a pattern called Transformation by Tilton Crafts. Shelley, the owner and designer of the pattern, asked if I would do this pattern as a model stitch for her. It's a beautiful pattern that Shelley did an awesome job on. The artist is Victoria Frances. So I have started working on this pattern. I just love it. 

Here is what it looks like ... 

Isn't she gorgeous?! I just love this pattern. The pattern is 300 x 435, so it's a larger pattern. I am starting in the bottom left corner.

So I made a decision. As some of you know, I have some projects that I have started and not finished. One of them, I was never really into. Another I liked the pattern, but was not super excited about. So I'll probably either never finish it, or it will be a long while before I ever go back to it. So I am putting them, not only on a back burner, but up in the back corner of a shelf, so to speak. Those two are Pale Rose and Hold on to Hope. Both were supposed to be stitch a longs with someone else and those stitch a longs never really happened. So I'd rather concentrate on projects that I really want to do. And I definitely have other WIPs and UFOs that I absolutely love and really want to get finished.

Speaking of WIPs and UFOs ... a friend of mine on Facebook has created a new group called Wednesday UFO Cross Stitchers. The object of the group is that every Wednesday we will all work on a current or unfinished project and we will all support and motivate each other so that we can get our projects finished. I think this is a great idea and I am really excited about it! To have a set day to work on these projects may be just what I need to get some good finishes under my belt and actually complete some of my goals that I list for myself each year. So if any of you are like me and need that extra motivation and want to share some fun and progress, and if you are Facebook, just click on the link above to request to be part of the group. There are a lot of very nice people in the group! I've added a tab at the top of my blog where I will post my Wednesday progress.

And with that (today is Wednesday!), I am off to get some stitching done!

Happy Stitching, Crafting & Blogging to you all!

Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

Where Does the Time Go?!

Hi Everyone! 

Wow! I can't believe that we're already about 2/3 of the way thru 2012 already! I don't know about all of you, but to me it just seems that time goes by faster and faster the older I get! I sure could use an extra couple of hours everyday. 

So I am still working on HAED's Hold on to Hope. I haven't gotten much actual stitching done. But I thought I'd give gridding a try. I see many others doing it. And it seems to me that it will make things go a little smoother when stitching. I posted in one of my Facebook groups, asking others what their favorite gridding methods are. There were several responses. Some said to use the already gridded fabric from DMC called Magic Guide. But to get that I would have to order from the UK, and I just can't afford that right now. Between shipping and the currency conversion, it would cost quite a pretty penny. A couple people said they just use regular floss to grid. I have tried that on smaller pieces, and I end up getting the gridded floss caught up in the stitching and it becomes a mess. Some use a quilting pencil that is supposed to wash out easily when the fabric is washed. This makes me a little bit nervous bcuz I worry that it will not actually wash out and all that stitching will go to waste. One person said they use the Crayola washable markers. She said it always washed out completely and works great. I do like this idea, however, just like with the quilting pencils, I am nervous about it not washing out completely. Another suggestion is to use fishing line to grid the fabric. Now this idea, I like. I don't have to worry about it not washing out or getting caught up in my stitches of the pattern. And once I am finished stitched the pattern, I just had to cut the fishing line knot and it will pull right out. So that is what I've decided to go with this time. I may try the other gridding methods later on. But for now, the fishing line seems to be the best method that will work for me. So that is what I am working on right now, is gridding the fabric for Hold on to Hope. I will admit, I had some difficulty threading the fishing line onto a needle. And not using the needle was more difficult. But I was able to finally get it on the needle and it's going along nicely now. It is a bit of a tedious task. But I do feel it will be worth the work. I bought the fishing line at Walmart. They didn't have much of a selection of color. I didn't want clear, bcuz I want to be able to see the grid lines easily. So I bought this transparent green. It's not too bad. But I think the next time I need to buy some, I will check the sporting goods stores instead of Walmart, so that I can find the red fishing line, or some other brighter, more visible color. 

Anyway, next topic. Do any of you use a method called "parking" when you stitch? I have seen several people using this method, and to be honest, it confuses the heck out of me. For one, I don't know how the floss colors don't get mixed up. I mean, there are so many floss colors that are so similar, so how do they not get mixed up? Also, if you do "park", how do you not keep from getting the "parked" strands of floss caught up in the strand of floss that you are stitching with? Please share your thoughts and feedback on this, as I would really like to know. 

Most of you have seen that my existing WIPs and UFOs are quite large patterns. So, I've decided that to break up working on these larger pieces, I am going to get back into doing the ATC exchanges that I used to do, as well as a coaster exchange. I am in groups for both on Facebook. And I think it will be fun to do the ATC exchanges again. And the coaster exchange I think will be lots of fun and exciting too. The first ATC exchange, is a fairy theme. And I must say, it is not easy finding a fairy pattern small enough for an ATC. The theme for the coaster this month is flowers. I came up with a cute idea for the flower, but I don't want to give it away here yet, as I don't know if the person receiving the coaster will see or read my blog. After she receives it, I will post a picture. 

Well that is all I have for now. I'm off to stitch and grid! Happy Stitching, Crafting and Blogging to all! 

Until Next Time,

♥ Margie ♥

It's 2012! Time for My 2012 Crafty Goals!!!

Happy 2012 Everybody!!!

It's a new year, so it's time for 2012 Stitching/Sewing/Crocheting GOALS!!!

 Let's start with the shortest list to the longest ... 

2012 Crocheting Goals

1 ~ Finish crocheting my daughter's afghan

2 ~ Finish the scarf that I started for my daughter

3 ~ Make a scarf for my son (if he wants one)

2012 Sewing Goals 

1 ~ Finish blanket for my father in law

2 ~ Make apron for father in law

3 ~ Finish aprons for stitching friend's kids

4 ~ Make stockings for sister & niece

5 ~ Finish blankets for two cousins

6 ~ Work on inventory of aprons and stockings

And now for the LONG list ... 

2012 Stitching Goals 

1 ~ Finish Henry for stitching friend

2 ~ Finish birth announcement piece

3 ~ Get back to & finish Red Rose that is artwork by my brother

4 ~ Finish Elemental Cosmos

5 ~ Stitch 3 versions of "Rules for Life" pattern

6 ~ Make some good progress on HAED Wicca

7 ~ Make some good progress on HAED Pale Rose

8 ~ Make some good progress on America the Beautiful

9 ~ Make some good progress on Elemental Masks (& maybe finish?)

10 ~ Finish the kids trick or treat bags

So there are my Crafty Goals for 2012. I would like to get at least one or two pieces stitched in time for the county fair in April, so we shall see! :) 

Happy New Year!!!

Until Next Time,

♥ Margie ♥

Time to Get Back to Henry!

Hi there Friends! 

Yes, believe it or not, this is my third post TODAY! I am so happy to report that my stitching bug is BACK and in full force!!! So now that my bug has come out of hiding and back with a vengeance, I have a plan to get some things done that should have been done long ago. 

First and foremost, ya'll remember Henry, right? If you don't remember Henry the Snowman, well here is a picture of what he will look like all finished ... 

Poor Henry has been in the works for way too long (about a year and a half) and it's way past time to get him finished. So I am taking full advantage of how strong my stitching bug is right now to get this piece finally finished and back to it's owner. I know she will be so happy to finally get it back and see it. :~) She is an amazing person and friend and has been so patient during everything that has kept me from finishing Henry up until now. I just hope she loves it. 

So the last updated picture that I posted of Henry was this one ... 

There is a bit more that has been done since this photo. But I want to get a lil bit more done before I post a new update photo. 


So this will be the last post for today and I'll post again really soon with a new and updated photo of Henry the Snowman!!! :~) 


Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

Getting Ready for the County Fair!

Happy St Patrick's Day to you all!!! Any special plans for anyone today? We won't be doing anything special, other than having our usual St Patrick's Day dinner of corned beef & cabbage. We look forward to it every year. Dinner is in the crock pot and will cook low and slow all day long! :~)

As for my stitching, I had to put Henry aside, at the orders of the person who will be getting that piece once he is finished, in order to work on my piece that I will be entering into our local Pima County Fair, called Elemental Cosmos. It's a piece that I had started a little bit on and put aside some time ago, but have always wanted to work on and finish. Now I have 23 days to get this piece completely finished and framed and turned in to be judged! Then in October, I will enter the piece into our state fair.

Here is what my piece will look like when it's finished, with the exception that I will be adding some iridescent clear and yellow beads where the "stars" are in the design.



Here is the little bit of progress that I had done before I started really working on it for the fair.



I got back to working on this piece last Friday night, and here is the progress that I made as of Monday afternoon.



I've done a bit more since this progress photo and will definitely have even more done over the course of the next few days. I have 23 days to get this piece completely finished, framed and then entered into the county fair on April 9th!!! I'm so excited!

I am stitching this piece on 28 count black evenweave, although in some areas it's more like linen than evenweave. And even though this fabric is one of the hardest to stitch on, I have to say that I am really having a lot of fun stitching this piece! I love all the bright colors and the way they POP! on the black fabric. Honestly, the progress photo doesn't do it justice.

With stitching on black fabric, lots of light is required. I have always wanted to get one of those OTT-Lite floor lamps, but they are so expensive, even when on sale, that I just couldn't afford it. But I was VERY happy to discover that Joann's now carries OTT-Lite light bulbs that will fit into any lamp now!!! So I bought an inexpensive floor lamp at Target that holds 5 light bulbs and you can move each one by bending the necks of each one, so that you can point the light where you want it to go. I bought two of the OTT-Lite light bulbs. In the floor lamp I put one of them and then I have this click on lamp that I put one in also. I put the other light bulb in my clip on lamp that I clip to my foot stool so that I have light behind my piece as I stitch on the dark fabric. Then in the remaining spots of the floor lamp I just put regular fluorescent light bulbs. It's great bcuz you can turn the floor lamp on with 2 lights, 3 lights or all 5 lights! It works perfectly for stitching! :~)

Well I'm off to get some more stitching done on my fair entry!

Happy Stitching Everyone!

Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

Happy 2010!!!

Happy 2010 to all of you!!! I hope you all have a very productive and successful and happy year!

So, very little stitching for me in the last quarter of 2009. But with the new year comes new stitching & sewing goals for me! I have a bunch of UFO's I would really like to get done in my stitching world, as well as some sewing ones and a crochet one. "Hello, my name is Margie, and I am a serial starter." I would like to concentrate more on finishing UFO's and maybe squeeze in a couple/few new SMALL projects.

Ok so here we go ...

2010 Stitching UFO Goal ~ I would like to finish at least four of my UFO's. I have many more than this, but since they are larger pieces (with the exception of the 2 RR pieces), I don't want to give myself an unreasonable goal. I'm not sure yet which UFO's I will work on other than the RR pieces, so below I've listed all of my UFO's.

2010 Sewing UFO Goal ~ I would like to finish all of my UFO's.

2010 Crocheting UFO Goal ~ I would like to finish my one and only crochet UFO. This project is a HUGE afghan that I started for my daughter a while ago, but I put it aside to work on stitching and sewing projects. I don't really crochet much at all (that's my mom's job lol). So once I finish this afghan, crocheting is done for me lol.


My Stitching UFO's
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1) HAED Pale Rose
2) HAED Wicca
3) America the Beautiful
4) Song in Your Heart
5) My Son's Trick or Treat Tote Bag
6) My Daughter's Trick or Treat Tote Bag
7) Elemental Cosmos
8) Elemental Masks
9) Sleepy Moon Birth Record
10) Angel RR Piece
11) Snowman & Robin RR Piece

My Sewing UFO's
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1) Placemat set for my Grama
2) Apron for my Daughter
3) Apron for my Son
4) Stocking for my Son
5) Stocking for my Husband
6) Stocking for my Sister
7) Train blanket for my Cousin
8) Pink Camo blanket for my Cousin
9) American Indian blanket for my Father in law

Now let's talk about new projects that I'd like to do this year ...

2010 New Project Stitching Goals ~ I have a cute little pattern of a holiday saguaro cactus that I would like to stitch a bunch of them so that I can make them into handmade holiday cards to mail out, so approximately 50 of them ~ I have a small back stitch only pattern that I would like to stitch for one of my uncles ~ I have a pattern called For My Husband that I would like to stitch "for my husband" :~) ~ for new projects I don't think I am going to put anymore on this list bcuz I really don't want to get myself in another serial starter year

2010 New Project Sewing Goals ~ now this is the list that could get very long lol ~ I have several apron and stocking fabric pieces already cut & ready to be sewn together that I would like to get done so that I can have a full inventory for our local Octoberfest as I'm hoping to have enough to set up a booth this year ~ i have an order for a UofA apron and queen size blanket ~ also I'd like to make ... a blanket for my husband, a blanket for my son, placemat set for my Nana, apron for my Nana ~ since the Octoberfest inventory needs to be such a large amount, this is all that I'll list for now here

So there are my craft goals for 2010 ... I am really hoping to be able to get them all accomplished! :~)

Again, I'd like to wish you all a very happy New Year!!!

Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥