December 16, 2024 An Update on What I have been Up to.

 I thought I would do an update post since its been a while since I posted a video or blog post. I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season getting a lot of your stitching time in and managing the holidays with joy. I am preparing for my husband to arrive home from work in California tomorrow. Once he arrives, we plan to head out to Salt Lake City to bring our youngest home from college for the holidays. I miss them both when they are away, and the adjustment has not been easy. I am managing to stay busy with my stitching, homemaking, and other things to keep my mind occupied.

I did a video a couple months ago, but I didn't post it. I worked on a piece for my daughter in law over three months, so I did not really have a lot to share. My stitching is slow going this year. I am not sure why it took me so long to get her piece finished.

The pattern is called "Cabinet of Curiosities" by Cloudsfactory on Etsy.

I also stitched a custom version of Midnight watch for my daughter, because she really liked my finish which I think I shared in the video I didn't post. In her version she did not want the border. She just wanted the cat, the house, and the pumpkins. She found a really cute frame to put it in and has it on her dresser. I also finished another stitch but I don't remember the name of the pattern just yet. I went out of my comfort zone and finished it on a cutting board I painted from Walmart's wood craft section. I am really happy with the way it turned out.

I was also able to get  a fully finish on a free pattern I stitched and put back last Christmas. I found the frame at the dollar store and the pattern fit perfectly!

I spent some time this past week going through and organizing my flosses. I wanted to practice my painting skills so I decided to make a board to hold all the flosses I had left over from projects. I am super happy with how organized these flosses are for me now. When I start a new pattern or need a color I can just go to my board first to see if the one I need is already on a floss drop.

I had three cross stitch patterns (WIPs) I UFO'd. I had nearly finished Ann Tong by Hands Across the Sea when I just decided to not finish it because I cut the fabric really short and only would have about a half inch border on one side. I also decided not to finish the full cross stitch Mona Lisa because it wasn't something I really wanted and had started it on a whim. I am keeping the patterns which also include a Carol Manning pattern in case I decide to restart them in the future. I have both cross stitch patterns for the Uffindale sisters from Hands Across the Sea. I know I will start them again someday.

I made a couple quilts this year. I made a quilt for my new grandson who arrived in November! His mother had requested a quilt for his crib made of black and green checker board squares. I was super happy to make it for her/him. I also realized I made everyone in the family a quilt except my son, so I put a quilt together for him also this year.

My daughter is a minister and she preforms weddings for friends so far. She requested I make her a cloak for an upcoming wedding and I thought I would not be able to do it since she wanted to make it out of wool We found the perfect fabric for it at Joann Fabrics and also a pattern by McCalls which called for 7 yards of fabric. I had to lay the fabric out on the floor to cut out the pieces. But, the cloak came tougher and she was the only one warm at the wedding ceremony which was held up on the mountain in national park.

I decided to knit my grandson a hoodie and a beanie cap. I am really happy with the way they both turned out and fits him!

Well that is all I can recall doing this year since my latest video on Flosstube. I am sure there is more, but I feel caught up and hope to do a video before the end of the year.

Amy

September 30 2023

   

Wow, we are already at the end of September, and it's time for October stitching! Even though, this month seemed to be long for me probably because I worked mostly on samplers which always takes me longer than other forms of stitching. I think I tend to overthink what I am stitching when I work on samplers, such as the colors, the linen, how long I should work on this sampler or that sampler. As with other stitching, I tend to move forward with confidence.

    A few new changes in my life this month. For example, I got my hair cut and colored for the first time in a long time. I don't know why I procrastinate so much about getting my hair cut. I am suppose to go every six weeks, and I already missed two appointments since this cut and style! Also, this month I reopened my Etsy shop because I became inspired with all the different crafts I managed to find myself adventuring into. I spent a lot of time on playing with resin crafting which I think is something fun, so I may end up putting some of the things I make in my shop. I do have some project bags in there and honestly I don't know why I closed my shop except the real reason is that I was having issues with my shoulder and feeling overwhelmed after Mom's passing. Last year was a rough year for me as I not only lost my Mother but I also lost my sister to Covid. It is no wonder I was a little random and chaotic.

    I was sick last week and did not get a video up but I did upload a video today if you are interested in knowing my progress on Sampler September. I really didn't feel I did much progress before doing my video, but I feel better after reviewing all my stitching while filming. I know I will make at least three or four days each month to focus on my larger samplers because of the progress I did make this month. Doing a little at a time even if it is one floss really does make progress.

This month I worked on Consider the Lillies by Heartstring Samplery. I finally made the choice to stitch it in Fancy Floss. I do feel the colors are more vibrant. In October, I plan on finishing the left side I have already begin stitching, and I definitely will fill in the windows on the house (I keep forgetting to stitch them!).

I also worked on Sarah Jackson by The Scarlett House! This sampler has sat in my WIPs for so so long. I am super happy I pulled her out for Sampler September because I am almost at a finish for it. I did not realize at the time I started her that she has over one writing, which I have not done a lot of over one stitching. However, I don't think it was all that difficult and found I don't mind over one stitching on 32 count! I will surely get her finished in October.

Finally, I had a new start in September! I had kitted up Let Love Reign by Theresa Kogut, but I wasn't planning on starting it for a while. I heard someone say its ok to start new patterns even if you have a lot of WIPs and what better time to start this one than Sampler September! I will continue to work on it in October, so check for updates. The pattern calls for DMC, but I pulled some fancy floss for it. I am using CC Hazelnut, CC Brandied Pears, CC Blue Jay, CC English Ivy,  CC Sticks and Twigs, CC Fool's Gold, GAS Old Hickory, GAS Endive, WDW Oscar, WDW  Putty, WDW Parchment. I decided to use Fancy Floss after stitching a few of the flowers so I will unpick those and restitch them!

I did work on some quilting this month, and I was able to finish my husband's quilt that I was hand quilting. I never hand quilted an entire quilt before this one! I am super excited to do more and I have another quilt I am planning on piecing over the next month, so I will be hand quilting that one too! He was super happy over it when I gave it to him, but he was impatiently waiting to get it. It took me about six weeks to finish stitching it, but I did not work on it everyday. So, I could have got it to him faster; however, hand quilting can take a lot out of a newbie. Maybe, I will get faster the more I do for sure!

I will be posting again in a week or so for my progress, so make sure to take care and I will chat with you then!

Amy

July 2023 Update

Episode #39

 Can you believe it's already the end of July? My goal this year is to keep a blog so that I can add stuff that I forget to mention in my flosstube. I really haven't done much in the way of writing much the last couple months; nor this month. Dustin, Sarah, and I traveled to Barstow California last week to check out the area where Dustin is accepting a job. I had the plan to visit any Needlework Shops in the nearby area and some of the thrift and antique shops. Unfortunately, there weren't many thrift or antique shops nor Needlework shops. 

I was not real excited with the area since it only has about 23, 000 residents; not many stores to shop! Apple Valley is about thirty more minutes West, so moving with him to his new work means I will have to drive I-15 when I want to shop. Again no local needlework shops (LNS) there. At least here in Utah, I can drive a couple hours to a NLS, if I so desire.

I am not excited to stay there, but I cannot imagine him going alone; which is what we usually do although his work usually takes him to war stricken areas across the world-lol. He promises me he will take me to Los Angeles anytime I so desire to go. Since we passed through Las Vegas on the way there, we decided to stop at Stitchers Paradise on the way back home.

I purchased a few patterns while Sarah and Dustin helped me collect the floss for Map of Hawk Run Hallow (Dustin ask me to stitch it for him). I also collected Christmas at Hawk Run Hallow, and Sarah had a couple patterns she liked for me to stitch for her, so I bought those as well.

This month I have done quite a variety of stitching, and I plan to do a Midyear WIP parade soon; hopefully this week! Funny thing, I looked at how many WIPs I started with this year which was fifteen. I also had fifteen new starts this year, and I finished fourteen. So, I have one more WIP than I started with this year. I also ordered several patterns that Ive kitted but haven't started this year; about nine in total. 

I also worked on Dustin's Veterans quilt this month. I was embarrassed when I realized I am a quilter and he doesn't own one. So, I set out and got a top made, but I did not want to machine quilt it. I got the inkling to hand quilt, but I do not own a frame. Unfortunately, I saw an antique frame for sale on Facebook Marketplace for only $50, but I waited too long to decide to buy it and it was gone. There were several for sale, one was the Grace Frame someone was selling North of us but she felt it was too awkward to ship and I was not willing to drive the six hours to buy it. The only thing left for me to do is build one. So, I did.

My first plan was to add the gears to the poles, but my goal was to have it complete by Tuesday, July 25th. So, I did finish it this morning which is the 25th just making the poles sit inside the stands. I can add the gears later. You can see the quilt I made him on the wall just behind the frame. I am super excited to use the frame.

There is probably more I want to tell you about this month but I cannot think of it right now. One reason, I did not journal this post throughout the month, but I will make sure to do that next month!

Laters,

Amy

A Cross Stitch WIP update June 2023 and Flosstube #37

 Hello Stitchy Friends. I just uploaded Flosstube Episode #37!

Here are some closeups of the WIPs I share in this episode!

I worked on Consider the Lillies one day, so I didn't get much progress on her but I am loving the colors that DMC is bringing to the table for this one!

May 2023 Life Update

 Wow! It is the last day of May! Where did this month go? Although, I look back and see all that I accomplished this month in stitching, furniture refinishing, and sewing leads me to believe I was just busy and time slipped by me. Audrey went on her long wished for journey to Alaska via the Alaska Canadian Highway. I was very anxious for her to make such a journey by herself, and I am grateful for her successful trip there and back home again. She did get to see bear, moose, and deer, and she says she would love to do the journey again! 

Sarah was able to establish a dorm for the Summer, Winter, and Spring. I spent  a couple weeks helping her move out her old dorm and into the new one. She says the new dorm feels very "homey", and she believes she will enjoy her stay. She enjoys being on her own, and has made a close friend that lives nearby in the same dorm. 

Robert has busied this month building a furnace for molting metal using a propane tank, melting successful copper as well as aluminum. I had to leave the workshop as he and Dustin lit the fittings for the first time!

Episode 35

April 2023 Life Update

Another month past, and I feel I am doing well on keeping up with my stitching plans or goals. There were a couple days I feel I maybe overdid the amount of stitching I forced myself to do, but I survived and I am on track to complete my Spring Stitching Goals. I am due a Flosstube soon, and I know I am overdue actually.

I picked up another cabinet the Monday after my previous Flosstube, #33, and worked on her diligently for about a week and a half. She is resting in the garage, and I haven't worked on her this week due to me picking up my stitching playing the catchup game. Not many things will take precedent over my stitching, because I stitch at night. Of course, family events, birthdays, etc. will take precedent, but you know what I mean. Unfortunately, working on furniture requires a lot of energy and effort, so I am usually exhausted by the time stitching time rolls around. I do try to stitch, but I more than most times can not hold my eyes open and have to go to sleep.

This is what she looks like after I took a break from working on her. I am naming her Penelope! I like to name furniture I flip, and I use all the furniture I makeover. Most of the time, I find pieces at the thrift store that are not name brand pieces. My dream is to be able to afford some antiques that I can refinish and leave to my children. I think antiques makes a home have character and I believe it will bring me and them comfort throughout the years. My husbands mother use to own an antique shop, but I have always loved antiques. My grandmother was in her 70's by the time I came into the world, so she had so many beautiful pieces sitting throughout her home. Unfortunately, she passed and others went into her home and took most of what she left behind, I do have a six legged table that belonged to her; I digress. The reason I started telling you all this, I usually only come across pieces that are not "heirloom" pieces, but to my surprise this cabinet is a Basset Furniture Company piece! I could tell the difference in quality from other cabinets I finished. Such a wonderful find!

Not only do I want to refinish some fabulous antiques, but I am watching online shops for antique samplers! I would love to reproduce an antique sampler. I recently purchased Eliza's French Birds - 1849 reproduction sampler by JBW Designs and so inspired I want to reproduce a beautiful sampler. I feel finding antiques and refinishing or reproducing them is similar to a journey of life, and I so want that experience! I have other haul I would love to share, and I will share all of what I purchased since Easter with you on Flosstube, but I want to share here a couple things I bought in April that I feel you really may feel inspired to also purchase.

The first thing I want to share with you that I purchased this month is my new Lowry Stand. For about a year (you may see my review on Lindy Stitches website), I contemplated whether to invest in a Lowery Stand. I heard many stitchers say how amazing these stands can be for those of us that like to use two handed stitching. Can I just say, I finally bit the bullet as they say and purchased one. Yes, they are a little pricey, but you will be able to justify the price after using it one time! They are sturdy stands, easy to maneuver, and works with my setup on my sofa which is a plus for me. I struggled for a long time, and I didn't need to because these stands have been around for a long time! Another thing is that I would have waited for however long it needed to ship this marvelous piece of work, but it shipped immediately! I received it in less than a week, and using it within 30 minutes of opening and putting it together.

You will notice also the green hoop in the stand (I am hoping to finish This I Know by Paulette Stewart this month...only three days left in the month so I may blend it over to May). I also purchased one of the Turkish hoops from 123stitch. It is affordable and unlike any frame I used in the past. I use scroll frames a lot, but you know or maybe you know some patterns just aren't big enough to go through the effort to scroll rod them. I am hooked! This frame is amazing! It is easy to setup stitching and no slippage. You have to try one. As a matter of fact, I love this frame so much I am ordering two more this evening.

Well, this is all I can think of that I want to note for April 2023. We did enjoy a wonderful Easter and we even colored Easter eggs. Can you believe I did not take photos? Sigh. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the Holiday and Earth day, and I will see you soon at Flosstube.

March 19 2023 Stitchers Notes

 Wow, I can't believe its been almost 6 months since I posted. I made a plan to start making notes on my blog and only made one post! Time can really get away from me, but I also know that in order to be consistent with anything, we have to make it a habit. You pretty much have to make an appointment to get started making a habit of something, and don't be late! I know this from experience, that once you are use to doing something consistently, you will feel awkward not doing it; which is why bad habits are so hard to break. We can actually make bad habits without even knowing that we are making them; but easily corrected if we make an appointment to do so!

Anyway, its March already and nearly almost over. We had my middle daughters birthday this past week, and we were not able to go to dinner for her birthday because she worked on her birthday. But I was able to make her a cake that she seem to like very much. She wanted a "really chocolate" cake, so I made it as chocolate as I could. I am learning how to decorate cakes, and I had a hard time getting the sides smooth, because I did not have my padded ring to bake around the side of the pan. So, I had to cut away the rough parts which made it really difficult to smooth out without tearing the cake! It's fine, because I feel I made it pretty anyway. I can do better!

I do have a finish this week, so I will be sharing it on flosstube next Wednesday on March 22, 2023. I plan to film on that day but it may be the next day before it post since it is taking a long time to upload videos lately. When I add photos to my video it seems to make longer upload time. I have a lot of new subscribers this month, so I want to say an extra thank you to all of you sharing my channel and giving me a shout out! Without sounding ungrateful, I never intended to have a lot of subscribers; but I am so thankful for each one of you!

I did some pattern collecting this past couple weeks, and I seem to be on a role which I bought some more pattern this evening; mostly spring patterns since I did not have many to stitch this Spring. Next year I will have plenty to choose from and I will share those also in my next video.

We still have cold weather so my hubby and I have not been able to resume our walk in the afternoon. Next week, we are expecting even more rainfall, and I have to say we received more rain this year than all the years we lived here so far. I love the rain very much though, and I miss thunderstorms back home. I started a new pattern today for my granddaughters birthday coming up next weekend. She and I share the same birthday which is so amazing that my first grandchild shares with me the same birthday. The name of the pattern is "Little Ballerinas Warming Up" by The Little Stitchery on Etsy. I hope to finish it in the next couple of days for her and get a frame for it. I should be able to share it with you before I send it to her. Well, that is really all I can think of at the moment, but I will add more if I think of something. Have a wonderful stitchy day, and I will see you in my next flosstube!

Happy Stitching!

Amy

October Stitching Notes

I kept a website for over 10 years and decided I wouldn't pay the small fee each month since I wasn't maintaining it. So, I found blogger and decided to setup a blog here, so I can report at least once a month what I am up to. This past month has been a lot about making various quilt block designs out of scraps leftover from making project bags. I managed to get a lot of 5 inch blocks, ten inch blocks, and numerous blocks for making a quilt block I found online.

I have a really hard time throwing anything away, since I am a experienced quilter. I know that even the smallest of pieces can be used to make gorgeous quilts. A variety of colors and designs, but I seem to have a hard time putting the various colors together into something cohesive and worth while completing. I did enjoy exploring how to mix and match and what size print works with miniature blocks.

Here is one quilt top I put together based on the pattern "potato chip block." It is called this because its difficult to just make one; hence potato chip block. I had a lot of fun cutting up small scraps to fit the 2 1/2 inch by 4 1/2 inch pieces and sewing them together. The measurements seem to work well at fitting together as you place them in the order they need to be in to make the block. You can see the different fabrics that were just sitting around in my studio waiting to either be thrown out or sewn into something.

I visited Stitching it Up in Cedar City this past weekend, and noticed a beautiful punch needle Finish, and I was desperately enabled. A couple years ago, I bought a punch needle on Amazon, and so I thought I would give punch needle a go when I got home. Unfortunately, my needle tip broke; so I won't be able to do anymore punch needle until I get another needle. I plan on ordering the Ultra Punch needle since I read its nearly the. best on the market. BUT, I am obsessed with punch needle! I drew out a squirrel to practice on, but I did not get a chance to finish it; yet. Once I get my new punch needle, I will be able to finish the design.

We had a couple birthdays in October, one of which my youngest turned 26 years old! She wasn't really in the birthday mood, and she didn't want to celebrate this year. I had to convince her all the reasons she needs to celebrate her birthday. After all, we celebrate "us" when we do something special on our birthday. Even if we just buy ourselves something good to eat! So we enjoyed cake, and I made her a favorite "country fried steak" made out of cubed steak with mashed potatoes and gravy. She loves ice cream cake, so we bought her a cute one and her brother decorated writing her name on top! I adore making birthday cakes for my family, but I have yet to make an ice cream cake.

Another birthday we celebrated this month, my husband turned 54 this year. Him and I had taken some junk to the dump last weekend and decided to journey to a small town we were passing on the way back home. As we were driving into the small town, we noticed a turnoff to another little town we had not heard of till then. So, we purposed to come back on his birthday and enjoy a little journey of discovery. So, we did enjoy a small journey into some beautiful country side not knowing if the small dirt road we were on would lead us to blacktop and another normal town. It did, but along the way we discovered beautiful scenery and some wildlife. A beautiful time well spent, since him and I are new at doing things just him and I without the kids riding along with us.

I was thinking about making a flosstube video to share my stitching this month. I have a few finishes, but my goal was to follow Dark October 13 stitching. I was only able to find a few patterns that would fit into October stitching, but I am almost finished them all. Maybe, I will do a video soon. Well, that's all to report this month for what I have been up to. I know that Stitch West was happening this weekend, but I couldn't miss my husbands birthday. Perhaps, I will be able to attend next year. Happy Stitching!