Date night stitching...at night!

We got home early from the party last night, so I did get to get in some Date Night stitching at night! I think I made a pretty good amount of progress in the hour or so that I was stitching. Here's a look at my heart as it is today:



I know, another dark photo. That's what happens when you're photographing needlework at 5:30 in the morning!

There will be no more stitching this weekend--I've got a research project that due by Tuesday morning so today will be spent typing, typing, typing and editing, editing, editing!

Date night stitching...or rather...

"Date morning" stitching! Tonight will still be date night, but since Napoleon is playing in a charity tennis tournament this weekend (the Aquinas Classic, with the proceeds going to Unlocking Autism, a cause near and dear to my heart) we'll be at the tournament Halloween party tonight. I woke up early and did some stitching on my Merry Christmas heart--the left lobe is now finished, and I've started on the right lobe.

If we get home early tonight I might get to put in a few more stitches...but if not, I'm pleased with what I've done today.

But I'm not pleased with the photo--it's just too dark! Maybe the next photo will be better.

Happy Halloween, everyone.

E-Week is over...

E-Week is over for another year...but it was fun while it lasted! I always enjoy the opportunity to see designs that Gay Ann taught at seminars and in classes in the past, and this year was no exception.

And of course I love the opportunity to add a few patterns to my own collection. This year I purchased her wonderful Strawberry Girl, the Fleur de Lis sampler, and the 3 remaining Sparkle Angel ornaments (red, blue, and purple). And a fob that Gay Ann designed to go with her Echos of Elizabeth needle case. I don't have the needle case, but I thought that the fob was lovely and since it had an attached needle threader it might be handy. I've never used a fob before--my scissors hang from a cord or ribbon or even a piece of yarn around my neck usually--so I'm looking forward to giving it a try.

Now I really need to get stitching!

No stitching this week...

Well, it's been a busy week here. My research project has been taking up all the free time I have, so I haven't picked up a needle to work on stitching Gay Ann stash--or any stitching--since lunchtime on Friday! I'm starting to experience NDS...

Tomorrow I'm going to get some stitches in on Merry Christmas Heart...somehow, sometime...I promise!

Lunchtime progress

These small Gay Ann projects are wonderful carry-around projects, because once you've established the pattern for a row you just continue stitching without needed to refer to the chart. I took Merry Christmas Heart with me to work yesterday and spent my lunchtime working on it. I'm very pleased with the progress I made!


Here's a closeup so that you can see what the bands look like:


I think I'll get this section of the heart finished this weekend, even with the other projects I need to get back to and the work I need to do.

I spent a few hours working on Merry Christmas Heart last night and I'm pleased with the progress I've made. All three colors of braid/floss have now shown up on the heart, and the light lavender color doesn't look so washed out when it's used in a bolder swath of color as seen below:


While practicing with the digital macro zoom I found one error that I didn't notice last night, now I have to go back, rip it out, and re-stitch it. Fortunately it's close to the edge so I won't have to rip too much out.


So, have you made your e-Week purchases yet? I haven't. I'm waiting to see if Strawberry Girl shows up in the early morning sales on Saturday and Sunday before I order.

Some color shows up!

I managed to get both the left and right sections of the heart outlined last night before I got too tired. This was a kit, so I'm using the DMC perle cotton and the Krenik braid that came in the kit, but I'm not really sure about that very light lavender. I'll have to see how it looks once the design progresses...

It's E-Week!

Hurry over to Gay Ann's website to look at this year's stunning collection of designs available for purchase!

My favorites are the Fleur de Lis sampler and Sampler with a Pearl.

Which ones do you like best?

The prep work is the hardest part

It's not much to look at, I know, but it took me over an hour to stitch the bottom half of the heart outline! Some of that time is spent checking each stitch against the mirror stitch on the other side, something that drives me crazy as I'm working it but something that I know will make all the difference in my success at following Gay Ann's directions later.

So here's a quick look at what I've accomplished last night:


Can you even see anything? I barely can. Tonight I'll finish the top half of the heart--I hope. At least I'll get one side finished. And once that's done the fun can start! I'm hoping to finish this heart this month, and then I'll take it to my local needlepoint shop for finishing. I'm not silly enough to think that it will make it home in time for Christmas...but then, I don't take my tree down until January 6th, so maybe...

Back on track!

I know it's hard to tell, but I did get started on my new ornament yesterday. I found the tool that tightens my stretcher bars, so I decided to go buy more thumbtacks and get started. I didn't get too far--all I did was baste the center channels--but at least I started.



And I decided that my tightening tool and my thumbtacks needed a new home, so now they live in the top of the file box that holds my Gay Ann charts, never to be lost again. If only the masking tape would fit in there, too!

Not much to show for this year

E-week is upon us, and I'm embarrassed to say that I haven't stitched a single project out of my Gay Ann Rogers stash since finishing Merry Kitty Christmas. (By the way--I did get Merry Kitty Christmas to my local needlepoint shop to be sent out for finishing on Oct. 2. I'm hopeful that it will be back in time to make it on my tree this year!) Such a shame...

But at least I finished one thing.

But I plan to start to remedy that sad situation today. I have pulled out all the supplies I need to start stitching Merry Christmas Heart, and later this morning I will begin outlining the heart with ecru perle.

So perhaps I can have 2 Gay Ann finishes for the year, even if the second one won't be on the tree this year.

Here are all my supplies at the ready:




Wait, has anyone seen my tacks? Where are my tacks? Let me go look...darn it, I can't find the tacks or my tightening tool. Looks like I've got to make a trip to the needlepoint store for replacements before I can start stitching. So much for starting today. Since I've got to make the trip across town I might as well pull out another ornament and get it kitted up, too. Now which one should I pick?