New Prairie Schooler Designs - Buzz Buzzzzz Buzzzzzz

Edgar (Blacksheep) had a posting about the previews of the new Prairie Schooler designs; he couldn't remember where he'd seen them.  So, I did a little digging and found them on the Stitches 'N Things website - they're taking pre-orders for Nashville.  You can see the new designs (and others too if you fish around on the pages) HERE.  I'm glad that she's done May.  I've been waiting for that one.  My eldest son is a May baby.  My mother was born on May Day.  My middle name is May.  My husband and I were also married in May; so I have a fondness for the month of May.

There's also one that looks like it could be in the Weather Wise series called "As the Crow Flies", and a red white and blue ornament set called "Sunny Days". 

Something else that I told Edgar about was that I remembered that an issue of Gift of Stitching, last year, had psanky eggs (not sure if I spelled that right) and an article about how they went to the Ukraine, etc.  Pam Smith (Prairie Schooler) had three eggs in that October issue (HERE) that are different from the ones that are in the new booklet "Folk Eggs" that you can see at Stitches 'N Things.  So, if you're into the eggs, check out Gift of Stitching and order the issue.  

And, while I'm talking about the Gift of Stitching, I want to say that I ordered some of the thread winders from them at Christmas-time.  All I can say is WOW!  They came bigger than I thought they'd be (which was nice) and I think that they were worth every penny that I paid for them (the shipping is included in the price - that's INTERNATIONAL shipping my dears).

There really are a lot of previews available on the Stitches 'N Spice website of other designers, lots of new stuff to get our stitchy fingers on!  So be sure to check it out.  Hope you enjoyed.

More Progress on Spirit of Christmas Stitching

Went down to Strausburg, Virginia yesterday with my stitching friends.  We called ourselves the Stephen's City Hookers a few years ago.  We first got together hooking rugs.  We were really punch-ruggers, but Hookers sounded so much more dilettante.  Since our supply of rug wool from Paternayan has pretty much dried up (more on that in another post) we have just been stitching together for the last year.  We're good friends now - would call on each other in dire straights and you just can't beat that.

So anyway, they really enjoy the occasional road trip and have been hankering for one over the last few months.  So it was decided we'd go to Strasburg - which I always confuse with Staunton, goodness knows why.  One of the compadres had been to a restaurant there called CHRISTINA'S and said it was wonderful food.  I had a BLT on wheat with a cup of the soup of the day - Pumpkin with Roasted Red Peppers and I'm tellin' you, that soup was GOOD!  A BLT is a BLT is a BLT, but this one was large and yummy and went very well with that soup.  I was torn between the sandwich and the spinach - cheese quiche.  The lady behind me later ordered the quiche and it smelled divine!  One of my friends had the specialty salad that comes with candied pecans and cilantro dressing amongst other things.  She really loves that salad. 

Then of course, we had to have dessert.  On the table were red velvet cake, a chocolate brownie and I had the ginger cookies that were very gingery - almost on the edge of being too gingery.  But, I brought some home.

We exchanged some of our Christmas gifts.  I gave the girls thread winders from Gift of Stitching.  I ordered them all the way from Australia and think I got a fabulous deal.  The cost of duty and shipping are all included in the price of the tread winders for one thing.  For another, they are much bigger than I expected them to be.  I was thinking they'd be about the size of a 50 cent piece.  Nope, they're bigger than a silver dollar!  Well made too.  So, if you have been dithering on whether or not to get some, just know that I was satisfied and will continue to get them.

We also visited the Strasburg Emporium.  Found a nice selection of stitchy stuff in one of the booths.  Picked up some old issues of cross stitch magazines for $2 a piece.  If anyone's looking for an antique set of 3 sewing scissors, they have one there; in their own case; for $135.00.  They were pretty, but I didn't need them.  They also had some vintage buttons.  I saw in another booth a chair ticketed as a "French Wing Chair".  It had an unusual shape and beautiful carved wood on the wings, arm faces and legs.  It also had some unfortunate upholstery.  It was comfortable to sit in too.  The chair would be gorgeous reupholstered, but the price was too high to make that possible.

On the way back to our meeting place, we drove a two lane road instead of the highway.  Drove right under Signal Knob - made famous in the Civil War.  I decided I like the way that mountain looks.  Mountains, you may or may not know, do something for me.  Some people it's the sea, some people it's valley's or fall trees or ski slopes.  But, for me, it's mountains.  I just get this visceral emotion looking at some mountains.  There's a gap when you come from Frederick, Maryland toward Harper's Ferry, West Virginia.  It always does it to me.  Yesterday I had that feeling when I looked at Signal Knob.  Sometimes I wonder if it's something like a genetic memory - some of my ancestors passed that way in their migration south and west.  I don't know what it is, but the thought in my head yesterday was that I could look at that mountain for the rest of my life.

Had a meeting that kept me out last night until nine and fell into bed when I got home.  However, up at 4AM because I've been waking up too hot and can't get back to sleep.  This has got to stop.  Anyway, came downstairs and stitched while I finished watching Helen Mirren in The Queen.  Fabulous!  And, here's my progress on the Spirit of Christmas Stitching.  Hope you enjoyed.

Challenge Results

I'm thrilled that I came in among the top six of Gift of Stitching's first Creative Challenge. The wining design by Sylvia was really pretty and very well finished. Check out the results HERE.

The Gift of Stitching Creative Cross Stitch Challenge #1

I have completed my entry into The Gift of Stitching Creative Cross Stitch Challenge #1. I'm calling it "Patriot's Pincushion". I've been trying to put together a Christmas gift for a friend who is a Patriot (not a Pinhead!). It wasn't until I decided to enter the challenge though that the idea for what to do came to me like a flash! My interpretation of the motif is on 28 count "French Blue" linen by Wichelt. I particularly like this linen color because it seems very denim-looking to me; especially when juxtaposed with red. I used DMC 336 (navy) and B5400 (snow white) as well as Color Variations 4210 (red) for the stitches. Stitches used are cross, satin and whipped stem stitch as well as a little star that I just finagled. And the stitching was FAST 100% - I did it all in three days (i.e., three evenings); took a half hour on the fourth day to finish it.

Gift of Stitching - Prairie Schooler Ornament Complete

I loved, loved, loved the PS ornament in the November 2009 issue of GOS! Could not wait to stitch it up. But had to be a little different. Mine is stitched on Wichelt, 28 count, Country French Cappucino linen. I like to call this color Hot Cocoa myself, but it is what it is. And, I used overdyed threads in place of the recommended DMC. Replacements are as follows: The white is Crescent Colours Snowball; 646 (chimney smoke) is Weeks Confederate Grey; 738 (windows and jingle bells on harness) is Crescent Finley Gold; 815 is GA Cranberry; 895 (trees) I used two colors of green to give better dimension to them. One I used is Crescent Steamed Broccoli and the other is Weeks Lucky. 927 (icy blue in the snow) is Weeks Morris Blue. Not sure, but that color may be discontinued - I just pulled it out of my stash and love it for its icy blueness. I wanted to be different on the harness, deer's eye and door so I used a peacocky-turquoise from Needle Necessities that I had on hand. For the reindeer itself, which was supposed to be 3371 I used Crescent Bramble Bush. Ooooh - forgot to mention - I've done five of these and I'm so bad a counting that I haven't done one of them completely correct yet!

As far as finishing, it is on a small piece of foam core. The pearls are Darice pearl headed florist pins. The backing is Weeks overdyed felted wool in "Merlot" and the hanger is a piece of matching satin ribbon. Could not be simpler.

Like I said, I have stitched five of these and as I ran out of Bramble Bush after three of them, I used other overdyes for the deer instead. One was Crescent Cocoa Bean and the other was Weeks Sassy Brass. Neither of these worked as well as Bramble Bush, so I've ordered more of that. A good replacement for 3371 is Swamp Water (made by Weeks?) if you want to go that dark. I also changed up the eye, harness, door combo and did two of them with Crescent Rainy Day. This color was too dark. Doing it again, I would try different colors in the midrange.

I have also ordered this year's PS santa as well as the sampler Christmas Eve. I'm thinking about doing that one big - using my Country Mocha Tula and Caron Watercolors threads.