HAED Wicca Progress 2 ...

Hello My Fellow Stitchers!!!

Well here I am 3 days into this pattern and I am really loving it!!! I know this is going to take me a long time to get this piece finished. But it doesn't matter. It's so fun & exciting so far. As I said before, one of my online stitching friends & I are stitching this one together, so to speak. We both started on Monday. Now, technically it is Friday (after 2 in the morning however) so we're 4 days into it. But today doesn't really count so far. And my friend stitches soooooooooooooo fast!!! I was intimidated & nervous about stitching along with her bcuz of how fast she stitches, however I am beginning to think that her lightening fast needle is motivating me a little more. Hopefully other areas of my life won't suffer bcuz of it tho. LOL. As you can see it is after 2am in the morning and I am still awake. And don't have plans on going to bed anytime soon bcuz I just want to stitch & stitch & STITCH!!! I am loving stitching this pattern. Anyway, so my friend started stitching this piece in the top center of the pattern & I started on the bottom center of the pattern. So our pieces will each look different as we progress. I have finished all the black on the page that I am working on. And so I thought I would post an update!!! And I also wanted to show you just how fast my friend stitches & post a picture of her progress so far. She has already finished a full page and is working fast on the next page.

So here is my progress so far ...




This is a close up of my progress so far on the page I am working on which is the middle page of the bottom of the pattern. I have finished all of the black on this page.



This is my progress so far from further back. I thought it would be good to show both views.



This is my friend's progress so far. This is the middle page of the top of the pattern. She has completely finished this page, which obviously has more stitches in it than the page I am working on. This lady has 4 kids, three of which are in school. And the fourth is a 2 year old who is home with her all day. I also have a 2 year old home with me all day. However, she did say that her 2 year old likes to play by herself all day while her siblings are at school. So my friend apparently gets a lot of quiet time to stitch for hours where as I don't have that luxury with my 2 year old. So I'm guessing that is how she is able to get so much stitching done each day. I am just in awe at how quickly she is able to stitch!

So I will post both of our progress as we stitch this piece!

Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

HAED Wicca Progress 1 ...

Hi Again!

Well as planned, my friend & I started stitching Heaven and Earth Designs Wicca today (technically yesterday since it's now 2:20am on the 20th). I didn't get as much as I wanted to get done for the first day. I got a late start (my kids actually let me sleep in YAY!), and then there other things that I had to take care of. I also took time to go to Kinkos to get enlarged copies of the pattern. I started stitching it from the regular sized printout and I decided it would just be easier to enlarge the pattern. So I started stitching the design in the bottom center of the pattern. And here is my progress so far!



There is a lot of black in this pattern. And I was very surprised to see how many colors are in this pattern. It's funny though, there are 2 colors that have only 1 stitch in the entire pattern. And a few other colors that have 12 or less stitches in the entire pattern. I am so excited to have started this piece. And I can't wait to watch it come alive as I stitch it. Of course my progress so far doesn't look like anything yet. But eventually it will. I have no idea how long it will take me to stitch this piece as I've never stitched a pattern of this size before. And I am sure I will have days when I'm not able to stitch anything on it at all and others where I make a lot of progress. My family & I are going on vacation in mid March, and I already know I won't be taking it with me. I will take small patterns to work on while I am on that trip.

So that's it for now, my 1st days progress on HAED Wicca!!!

Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

Round Robin #1 Progress ...

Hi Everyone!

As promised, here is a picture of my progress so far on the angel for the first round robin. As I said before, this person picked angels as their theme. The stitching area allowance for this piece is 70x70. I chose to stitch the 1999 Lavender & Lace Christmas Angel. I think she is a very pretty design. And I love the use of specialty floss. I haven't done any of the stitching of the specialty floss as of yet. I like to save that for last.

So here she is so far!



I think she is coming along nicely.

Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

My First 2009 Finish!!!

Hello Everyone!!!

Lil Stitch Devil is COMPLETE!!! I will be ironing & packaging him up to be sent to my friend in Canada so she can stitch the next section! Each person will stitch a different Lil Stitch Devil, although I won't know which one they are stitching until the piece comes back to me all finished with a total of 4 Lil Stitch Devils on it. There are a total of 8 Lil Stitch Devils designed by EMS. So there's no telling which ones they have planned. I am very excited about it & can't wait till my piece finds its way back to me in a few months.

Well without further delay, here is my finished Lil Stitch Devil with Bobbin!!!



At first I was going to do my signature in one of the darker reds. But I thought that with the location on the piece that I was going to stitch my signature, that it would look better to have one of the darker grays.

So now my Lil Stitch Devil is finished. Next I will be working on finishing the rest of the L&L 1999 Free Christmas Angel piece for the other Round Robin (aka Fat Bird) that I am in. Also on Monday I get to start my 1st HAED pattern!!! And of course I will continue to stitch my section of the Round Robins pieces that I get. Round Robin #1, Once the RR's are completely finished, I will work on stitching some holiday cards that I will be sending out in December to family & friends. It is such a cute pattern of a Sahuaro cactus with a Santa hat on top & xmas lights on it. Since we are in Arizona, I thought this would be really cute for holiday cards. It's a small & quick pattern, so it shouldn't take very long at all to stitch each one up.

Well that's about all for now! I'll post a progress picture of the Angel RR piece a little bit later on!

Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

Another Color of BackStitching Completed!

Hola Mi Amigos!!!

Well I had a dinner break then worked on the black backstitching. And I am happy to post another update with all of the black backstitching finished! And to my surprise while I was doing the black backstitching on the wings, I discovered a stitch where I had missed stitching the top half of that stitch! That is all fixed now! And here is my Lil Devil, nearing completion!





Just one last color of backstitching (garnet) and then I will add my RR signature & I am finished!!! BTW, garnet just happens to be my birthstone color! :~)

Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

More BackStitching Completed ...

Well as promised, I am posting after the next color of backstitching. I have finished backstitching the hands of the Lil Devil. And here he is!



Just two more colors of backstitching left ... black and garnet. I will do the black next & post when I am finished!!!

Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

Another Lil Devil Update ...

Hello Again!!!

I thought I would post some updates as I add the different colors of backstitching to this design. Since there was only a little bit of gray to backstitch, with this update, it shows all of the gray & blue backstitching. Then I'll show an update after the next color of backstitching & so on. This will just show how backstitching can drastically change the appearance of a pattern.

So here is the most recent update. Blue and gray backstitching are completed.



I can't get over the difference on the bobbin after the backstitching. I think it looks really good. The floss as well. Next I will do the backstitching around the hands. It's funny, there is no backstitching between the face & the hood of the devil costume. So 3 colors of backstitch to go and my cute Lil Devil is complete!!!

Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

RR Piece Update

Hi Everyone!!!

I would like to apologize for my absence this past week & a half. I have had some internet issues & was just able to get back online today.

I have gotten some stitching done & am just about finished with my Lil Devil!!! Only some more backstitching left to do! And here he is!!!



Since I scanned this picture in I have finished the backstitching on the bobbin & also the skein of floss. I will post another update very soon!!! :~D

Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

One of My RR Pieces

Hello Everyone!

So I will be starting the HAED Wicca pattern on January 19th. In the meantime, I am working on two different Round Robin projects. I am getting nearly done on one of them and wanted to post a picture to show my progress so far. It's my EMS Lil Stitch Devil with Bobbin piece. My son is so cute. He was a Lil Devil for Halloween, so when he looks at the pattern, he asks me "Is that me, Momma?" I think it's so funny that at 2 years old he is making those kinds of associations. Anyway, with this RR, there are 4 of us. Each person selected a theme. We stitch a pattern for that theme on one section of the fabric and then mail it to the next person. And then when we get the new fabric in the mail, we stitch a pattern for that person's theme on a section and so on. I don't know if this is normally how the round robins go with the whole theme thing or not, but this is how we decided to do it. I just love it bcuz by the time this RR is finished, I will have a finished piece arrive in the mail that has 4 Lil Stitch Devils that have been stitched by 3 of my friends and I, two of which are in Canada and one in Florida and me in AZ. On the other RR, when my piece gets back to me all finished, I will have a piece that has been stitched by 4 different people in 4 different countries, me being the only one in the US. I just think that is so cool!

Anyway, without further delay, here is my progress on my Lil Devil!



Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

My Mom LOVES Her Aprons!!!

Hi Everyone!!! Between Christmas and New Year's, my husband and the kids and I went to TX to visit my Mom and my Grama. I gave my Mom her aprons. She absolutely LOVES them!!! And she was so surprised! She said she knew I was making something for her but she had no idea that it would be aprons. She has been wanting aprons for a long time. And she was thrilled! She is so funny. She said she is going to take them to work when she goes back on Monday to show everyone. Maybe I'll get some orders! That would be so great! Anyways, here are some pictures of my Mom with her new aprons. Shhhhh ... don't tell her I posted these ... she would probably freak out and say they are terrible pictures of her.





I think she looks great! :~)

Hope ya'll are having a really great 2009 so far! Thank you all so much for your support!

Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

New Project That I Will Start 01/19!

Yes that's right! I am going to be starting a new project on January 19th! Well around that date. I am going to be SAL with one of my online stitching friends. We are both going to stitch the same pattern & keep each other motivated and everything. This will be my first HAED pattern that I will be stitching. I am so excited! I have my Q-Snap floor frame all ready with the 18 count aida on it already. I bought all the floss & have it ready to go. Pattern is printed. YAY! Just have to wait for my friend to get her supplies. She lives in Canada the closest Michaels is kind of far from her home. So she will be going there the weekend of the 17th & she will be home by the 19th & that is when we'll start!!! Here are some pictures of the pattern that we will be doing, the stack of papers which is the printed pattern, me with my floor frame & the aida on it, and all 90 colors of floss for the pattern!


Heaven and Earth Designs Wicca


Here is the pattern all printed out ... all 30 pages of it!


Here I am with my Q-Snap floor frame which also has the tilt kit.


And here are all 90 colors of floss, including the Kreinik #4 braid floss. There are 2 colors that only have 1 single stitch in the entire pattern. And a few others that have 12 stitches or less in the entire pattern. Crazy! LOL.

I am really looking forward to stitching this. I would love to start now, since the friend that I will be SAL with stitches SOOOOOOOO fast!!! But I promised her that I would wait for her to get her supplies before I start. I will be sure to post my progress once we start working on it!!!

Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

Happy 2009!!!

Hello Everyone!!!

I just want to wish you all a very Happy New Year! I hope all of your New year's wishes come true!!! I can't believe 2008 is already over. Seems like we just celebrated a new year not too long ago.

So what plans do you have for yourself in 2009? As for me, well my goals are as follows ...

1 ~ build up an inventory for my business so that I can sell items on either Etsy or Artfire.
2 ~ Get lots more stitching & sewing projects both started & finished, both for others as well as some for myself
3 ~ create my "shop" on Etsy or Artfire & begin selling
4 ~ shed a few pounds & get more active
5 ~ as always to be the best wife & Mom that I can be

Plans for next year include a trip to visit my Nana in Oregon whom my daughter & I haven't seen since 2003 and my husband & son have never met. Also my Mom & I are going to Northern California to pick up my baby brother & he will be moving in with my husband & my kids & I in September.

Again, I hope that all of you have an excellent 2009!!!

Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

Finished & Current Projects ...

Well after lots of frustration with the second apron, I am very happy to report that I have completely fixed and finished the apron! And it turned out really good, if I do say so myself! I can't wait to see my Mom's face when she opens her gift. We are leaving christmas morning after the kids open all their gifts. I have been working on a blanket for one of my cousins and I started a set of placemats for my Grama. The placemats I should have finished later on today. The first one turned out great, well except for the size. It's smaller than I wanted it to be. But I'm ok with that & I know my Grama won't mind at all. I just know that when I make the next set of placemats they will be larger with another row & column of squares. Included with the set of placemats is a centerpiece placemat that actually IS a bit larger. I'll post more pictures of the entire placemat set once they are all finished. But in the meantime, here are some pictures of the finished peach apron, the blanket that I have been working on, and the one placemat that is finished!




This is the top front of the apron. I thought it would look cute to add a little lace to it. My Mom's favorite color is orange/peach.



This is the top back of the apron. I love having these cute little tags to add to all the items that I sew! :~)



This is the entire front of the apron.



This is a close up of the pockets on the front of the apron, which also have the lace.



This is a close up of the front and back together.



This is the entire back of the apron.



This is the blanket that I am working on for my cousin. He is only 5 years old and absolutely LOVES trains. It is not a christmas gift, so there's no rush with getting it finished. I am also going to make another blanket just like it for my son who also LOVES trains. The stacks of squares on the top of the picture are sewn together in rows which will be added to the two rows that are already sewn together on the bottom half of the picture.



This is the first of the placemats that made for my Grama. Her favorite color is green, and the little pictures on the blue squares are bumble bees which have some green in them. So I think that the green squares & the yellow squares make a great contrast.

So there we are! Things are really coming along nicely!

Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

SOOOOOOOO Frustrated!!!

OMG! Have you ever had a project that you've been working hard on, you're so excited about working on it, and you're so close to getting it completely and totally finished, only to discover that you screwed up and have to take it apart in order to make an attempt to fix it??? Well, that is EXACTLY what has happened to me with the second apron I am making for my Mom. You see when I make the aprons, I put batting in them in order to give them a little bit of padding. And with this apron, when I layered the front panel, back panel & batting together so that I could sew them all together, I put the batting in the wrong place. So when I went to turn the apron right side out to do the finishing stitching, that's when I saw it. The batting would be on the OUTSIDE!!! So now I have to rip all the stitching out around the entire apron, and piece it back together & sew it again. Only the overall size of the apron will be a tad smaller since I had already trimmed all the excess fabric after sewing all the way around it. I am hoping it all comes together and doesn't look too bad after all of this. But since I have now made this mistake, I know that I won't ever do it again. Every time I piece together an apron now, I will be sure to pay closer attention to the order I place the panels. Guess that's what I get for trying to rush to get a project finished.

Anyways, I thank you all for "listening to" my venting and rambling. I feel better now. LOL.

Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

Latest Project ...

Hello Everyone!

Hope this finds you all doing healthy, happy & smiling! With the holidays quickly approaching, I have had to put aside all of my cross stitching until after in order to complete projects that we will be giving as gifts to family & friends. I have several blankets that I am & will be making. Also my Mom's birthday is coming up. She has been asking for a couple of years for a handmade apron for when she's cooking & baking & such. So this year I decided to make not one but two for her! I've made one that is a festive Christmas theme. And the second one is going to be in her favorite color orange/peach for her to use on an everyday basis. I have finished the Christmas one, and posted pictures here for you all to see. The second apron I am still working on, and should be finished with either tonite or tomorrow. I will post pictures of the second one as soon as I finish it. It has been so much fun making the aprons. And I can't wait to hear how my Mom likes them. She lives in TX and I am in AZ, so as soon as they are finished I will mail them priority to her. I have already told her that once she receives the box in the mail, she is not allowed to open it until she has me on the phone so that I can hear her first impressions of them! I'm so excited!!! These are the first aprons that I have ever made, and I really feel the Christmas one turned out great! And the second one will be really nice also! Let me know what you think! :~)

Hope you are having an excellent Friday nite!

Happy Stitching/Sewing/Crafting!!!

Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥




Whole Front of Xmas Apron



Whole Back of Xmas Apron



Top Front of Xmas Apron



Top of Back of Xmas Apron



Close Up of Sewing on Top Front of Xmas Apron



Close Up of Sewing on Top Back of Xmas Apron



Picture Showing Front & Back of Xmas Apron