Roxi's Dragon Dreams Ornament

This is my friend Roxi Lewis's Dragon Dreams ornament. It's different from mine (below) -- she uses rayon floss for the tail and comb and doesn't use Sampler Threads on the stocking. I think it's pretty cute. 

Silkweaver's Fabric of the Month Club!

I joined Silkweaver's Fabric of the Month Club this month. I chose the Aida option -- big pieces (18x28) which means I get two pieces of fabric every month. This is really cool because what I get is a surprise, and plus, it builds up my stash. I seem to be going through fabric lately!

My first shipment arrived last week and I am delighted with it. It is two Solos, which are one-of-a-kind hand dyed fabrics that Silkweaver changes every week. I got one 16 count which is predominantly blue with some pink in it, and an 18 count which is a pale rose. I am thinking that maybe I can use the pale rose for some Silver Lining roses I am going to stitch ("Baby Roses"). I will toss the threads onto the fabric and see if there is enough contrast to make a go of it.

I love Silkweaver fabrics anyway. They are such high quality and the colors are wonderful. I used Silkweaver's Strawberry Milkshake when I made Easter Kitty Moon a while back (it's in this blog near the beginning). I am in a Millennium Cats round robin in RoundRobinCrazy, and I am going to use Tutti Fruitie for that. I already have the fabric and will start gridding it up as soon as I finish the last Christmas ornament! Hopefully that finish will be on Wednesday...

Dragon Dreams Ornament: "Never Too Big"

This Dragon Dreams ornament, "Never Too Big," is from the Just Cross Stitch 2004 Ornaments issue. It has mallard Kreinik very fine braid, some blended threads, buckeye scarlet Gentle Art Sample Threads in the Christmas stocking and berries, and colonial knots for the holly berries. The pattern calls for 28 ct light taupe Lugana but I used 14 ct parchment Aida. 

Celtic Icon Framed

This, finally, is the St. John and Eagles Icon framed. The frame is gold and gray. There is no glass or mat -- I wanted it to look as much like an icon as possible. I am very happy with it. 

Awww, Pokey...

My friend Pokey deleted her blogs. How sad. I got all over her about that. They were really good. The good news is that she is considering starting up Pokey Points again, so I am leaving up the link. Go for it, Pokey!

Christmas Ornaments

It's November, and I'm stitching Christmas ornaments. My goal for November is to make three. Snow Flakes was the first one, from Donna Kooler's 555 Timeless Cross Stitch Patterns. It is also in issue #25 of Cross Stitch Gold, which I just picked up at Barnes & Noble. The other two are in the Just Cross Stitch 2004 Christmas Ornaments issue. They are "Never Too Big" by Dragon Dreams -- a dragon (of course) with the words "never too big to believe" -- and "Snow" by Glory Bee, a snowman done with Sampler Threads. I just set aside Snow Flakes until I finish Never Too Big and Snow, because of all the fractional stitches and French knots. I am too anxious to get on with Never Too Big anyway. I love the dragon!

Snow Flakes Ornament

A Christmas ornament I am stitching. It is from a Donna Kooler book. When I undertook it I didn't realize how many French knots there were, and that it had so many fractional stitches, so I stitched it on Aida. It has taken me two weeks so far. The blue horizontal and vertical lines are my gridding. 

Celtic Icon: Saint John and Eagles

Celtic Icon of St. John and Eagles. This pattern is inspired by illuminated manuscripts. Each of the evangelists was often symbolized by an animal or bird. John's symbol was the eagle. In this icon, John sits on a throne and holds a book in his hands, the gospel he wrote for the faithful. The gold thread around his head is a halo. It took me a couple of months to stitch this when it really should have taken me only two or three weeks, but I started it on evenweave and switched to Aida mid-course. I also didn't stitch on it consistently. I like it! 

"Hats off to Santa Claws" -- Margaret Sherry

This is Margaret Sherry's Country Friends Calendar for December 2003 from the Cross Stitcher (UK). I have decided to stitch this for Christmas. It is 66 x 66 and stitched on 14 ct Aida.  

Pokey's Blogs

My friend Pokey, from the About.com Cross Stitch Forum, just started two blogs -- Pokey Points and What's A Havus? It seems that I have inspired her blogging and she has mentioned me several times in her Pokey Points blog, so I'm getting back at her here.

Pokey Points is a stitching and "whatever" blog. So far the whatever has been spiritual, political, computer-oriented and personal. Now, Pokey, that crack in the diatribe about how great Bush is...we all know who your friend who works on the Kerry campaign might be! And that thing about "borrowing" my HTML code...no, I don't mind. You did give me proper attribution! LOL! But after all that hard work of trying to decipher the code in the template, we both managed to add our links to the sidebar, including reciprocal links to each other's blogs. We also managed to insert that Stitching Bloggers link. Boy was that a bear to figure out.

Pokey's second blog, What's a Havus?, is about Jimmy Buffett. She said something about needing a place to complain about not getting tickets.

The good thing about Pokey is that she stitches a lot, all the while answering tons of email and working a full time job. Pokey, thanks for all the great advice on the About.com forum!

The Overwhelming Number of Mike Vickery Designs

I am so discouraged! I was just at the Vickery Collection website rereading the "about us" blurb, and for the first time I realized I will never be able to collect all of Mike Vickery's designs. I don't know how I overlooked this, but it says that during MV's freelance years he published hundreds of designs in magazines, leaflets and books. Now how am I going to find hundreds of designs in magazines, leaflets and books?

Imagine how much more money I can spend on eBay than I already spend. My friend Valerie and I dug up a relatively short list of Vickery patterns in magazines from the Cross Stitch Magazine Database . The list has 27 items on it. I have 11 of them already, but of course I will not rest until I find the remaining16.

Now this is what gets me. TW seems to have a finite number of designs, and everyone seems to know what they are and when a new one comes out. Even non-TW stitchers seem to know the difference between the Fruit Bellpull and the Tapestry Cat. And I was over at the Margaret Sherry group, where they have a list of her designs that you can scroll through without thinking, "Will this never end?". These are finite lists. They are for people who think they have a chance of stitching some of them.

As far as I know, there is no list of MV's designs. I asked Amy Vickery about it and she said they were thinking about doing one. We need a list.

All this is, of course, S.A.B.L.E. -- Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy. I don't even know what MV I'm going to stitch after the Scarecrow. All I know is that there are too many choices.

Progress on the Celtic Icon

I haven't made much progress on the Celtic Icon since my last post.

First off, I haven't stitched on it in a week. I've been busy with other things -- volunteering for the Democratic Party for example, and Camille starting back at school. I also started up the Mike Vickery Cross Stitch Group three days ago, and I've been more involved in that than anything. Playing around on the computer keeps me most from stitching. I love to spend time chatting with my friends. It's ironic though. I chat about stitching and it keeps me from stitching!

Second, for the last week I've been a bit irritated with the friend for whom I'm making the Icon, and thus less enthusiastic about stitching on it. I only have two weeks to finish it or it won't be framed in time for his birthday. I am so unenthusiastic I am thinking about kitting up my next project, Vickery's Halloween Scarecrow, and doing a rotation with the Icon. I really need to be stitching on something.

Margaret Sherry's "Purrfect Harmony"

Margaret Sherry's "Purrfect Harmony" -- Catafiddle, Cataflute and Catacello.

Margaret Sherry's Designs

I recently discovered Margaret Sherry's designs. I started off with her darling "Dog Dinner," five spotted puppies eating out of a bowl. Then I found out she had done other dogs and cats, and I went to the Heritage Stitchcraft website to view them. There were also hedgehogs, ponies, and Musical Cats. Turns out she has published a whole lot of patterns. There are many in the UK Cross Stitcher, including a calendar series for 2003 and 2004. A nearly complete listing is at Margaret Sherry's Designs.

There is a Margaret Sherry Cross Stitch Group on Yahoo that has about 85 members.

Vickery Cross Stitch Group on Yahoo

I just started up a Mike Vickery Cross Stitch group on Yahoo. The goal is to bring together cross stitchers who want to discuss Vickery designs. The website address is:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vickerycrossstitch/

Or email me and I will send out an invite! By the way, I sent an invite to Mike & Amy Vickery. I hope they join!

Progress on the Celtic Icon

I am now stitching the border of the Icon. The border is dark gray and dark gold. In fact, the entire piece is stitched in various shades of gray and gold. I wonder how I will feel after stitching all these grays and golds on gray fabric!

Gridded Fabric

Several people have asked me about gridding, so here is a picture of a gridded piece of fabric. This is 28 ct dove gray Monaco gridded with ordinary bright turquoise thread. The grid lines are spaced 20 threads apart because I am stitching over two threads. On 14 ct where I would stitch over one, the grid lines would be 10 threads apart. The grid lines follow the grid lines on the pattern.

I like to have as much thread on the front of the fabric as possible, but my friend Valerie runs the grid lines 20 spaces apart front and back too, so that she has squares on the face of the fabric. When the piece is done, the thread pulls out easily.

Teresa Wentzler for the Girls!

Somebody said TW separates the women from the girls! Well, here's some TW for the girls -- Daylilies, Plums, Duck Family, and Thistle Sampler. I haven't stitched any of these yet, but I would like to do Duck Family and Thistle Sampler.

Easy TW #4 -- Thistle Sampler

Easy TW #4 -- Thistle Sampler. This sampler is 5 1/2" x 5" if stitched on 28 ct fabric. The model was stitched on 32 ct Belfast cream linen over two. There are only 13 colors.

Easy TW #3 -- Duck Family

Easy TW #3 -- Duck Family. This is my favorite easy TW. I have even bought fabric for it and plan to do it at some point when there is a lull in my stitching schedule. The model was stitched on 14 ct pecan brown Aida. It is 3 1/8" x 5 3/8". There are 11 colors.

"Easy" TW #2 -- TW's Cloisonne' Fruit Ornament

Easy TW #2 -- Plums. This ornament is 2 1/2" x 2 1/2". The model is stitched on 25 ct antique white Lugana. It actually looks easier than it is, but it's a small project that should take less time. I count nearly 60 colors. There are also gold glass beads that outline the fruit and the circular border around it, along with Algerian eyelet stitch and eyelet stitch. The fruit is stitched over one.

Easy TW #1 -- Daylilies

Easy TW #1 -- Daylilies. Daylilies is awfully pretty, and the only one of the four patterns I have here that has Teresa Wentzler's name on it. However, the other three are obviously hers, while this one is slightly different. This model was stitched on 25 ct cream Lugana. It is 4 7/8" x 2 3/4". There are 15 colors. I almost want to stitch this one.

Progress on Saint & Birds Icon

I planned to start stitching on the St. John and the Eagles Icon on vacation in Florida, but all I ended up doing was gridding. I didn't get much done either, because the light in the hotel room wasn't very good, and it was too hot and bright outside. The chart calls for 14 ct pale gray Aida and I decided to do the Icon on 28 ct dove gray Monaco, so I complicated my task a bit. But now that I have a good light, the task is considerably easier. The Icon is going to look great on the Monaco. I can hardly wait to get stitching.

My La D Da Charts

Here is the current list of my La D Da charts.

Angel Cat
A Puppy's Posies
Ark
Bo-Peep
By Her Hand
Eagle's Wings
Ever So Humble
Gentle Spirit
Glory Sampler
I'll Fly Away
Kentucky Snow
Leaping Cat
Little Red House
Love is Patient
Marion the Librarian
Marriage Sampler
Noble Wife
Red Heart Sampler
Rooster
String of Birds
Sweet Dreams
Three Dogs-A-Leaping
Watchful Eye
White Cat

From what I can tell, there are at least 36 more La D Da charts. So far I've just gathered them up cheap on eBay and haven't decided which one to stitch first. It might be Eagle's Wings, although I like Leaping Cat a lot. I'll have to see how I feel.

Saint and Birds Icon

This is the Celtic icon of St. John and Eagles I plan to stitch for a friend whose confirmation name is John and who loves eagles. St. John is symbolized by eagles. It is from a book called Celtic Cross Stitch by Anne Orr and Lesley Clarke. I will start this Icon in the next week, while I am on vacation in Florida.

Easter Kitty Moon

This is Stitchy Kitty's Easter Kitty Moon. I finished it on Easter, 2004. I stitched it on 14 ct Strawberry Milkshake Aida from Silkweaver. There is a lot of blending filament in the eggs, and the cat's belly and face are stitched with Rainbow Gallery Wisper. The design is missing a couple of buttons because I can't find my beading needles!

Bless the Graduate

Bless the Graduate is my first attempt at stitching on 28 ct linen. The name and date are stitched over one. I made it for my son Mark's high school graduation. He loves it.

Eagle's Wings by Lori Markovic (La D Da). The words on this chart are from a song called "On Eagles Wings" written by Michael Joncas. The first line, "And I will raise you up on eagles wings," is from Exodus 19:4. Lori Markovic stitched this on 36 ct linen, but it could be stitched on lower count fabric.  

Chalk & Cheese

Chalk and Cheese! I love these little guys! Somebody actually designed a couple of cute rats. These were designed to benefit the RSPCA. I'm glad somebody else besides us appreciates rats! 

Leaping Cat by La D Da

Leaping Cat by Lori Markovic of La D Da. One of my favorite La D Da charts. I would like to do this one someday.