Emerald Angel kit arrived!

Once Gay Ann's E-Week ended, Kate opened up the Annex, selling supply kits for most of the designs offered during E-Week.

I ordered the supply kit for Emerald Angel, and the beading kit. They arrived last week:

I'm very happy with what I received. Kate did a lovely job packaging everything, both for presentation and for shipping. I'm glad that I made the decision to order the kits from her!

It was new-start week last week for me! Because Green Sparkle Angel is complete (except for the beading) it was time to prep a new piece of congress cloth, mount it on the stretcher bars, and start a new project!

I pulled Blue Sparkle Angel out of the Gay Ann chart box and started stitching. For most of the week I stuck to my 15-minutes-a-day plan, but once the weekend arrived (and I finished a cross stitch ornament) I devoted all my stitching time to my Angel.

So this photo shows quite a bit more progress than I would normally make in a week, and yet it doesn't reflect the progress I would have hoped to make given all the time I spent on it. For some reason the silver braid and I didn't get along well--I must have stitched-and-ripped, stitched-and-ripped, stitched-and-ripped each one of those sections a few times before getting the count correct. I don't know why I had so much trouble, but at least most of the sections are in now. The last two shouldn't be as much trouble since there's no counting to be done!

Here's a close-up of the border so that you can get a better idea of what it looks like:

I'll be back to the 15-minutes-a-day plan this week. But hopefully I'll have a good deal of progress to show when I return.

Could it be possible to finish this one before the end of the month--which is only 9 days away? I'm going to try!

Happy stitching, everyone. And a happy Thanksgiving, too.

the mail...the mail...the mail....

Today's mail brought a treat--the final envelopes I was expecting from Gay Ann's E-Week sale! In addition to the last of the charts that I purchased (Glittering Diamonds and both sets of the Perforated Paper Ornaments) I received this beautiful Carrickmacross Lace Doily from the Sunday morning sales:

Isn't it beautiful? No photo can do it justice--it's so delicate and elegant. I think I'm going to have it framed and have the frame turned into a tray to use on my dressing table. What an elegant place that would be to put my jewelry at the end of the day!

All stitched up!

Look what can happen in only 15 minutes a day! All stitched up except for the beading in the center which will wait until I get the beading kit that I ordered--or until I finish the other 3 angels. It might make more sense to do all the beading at once, just before they are sent out to the finisher.

So now...which angel should I stitch next? Blue, lavender, or red? (OK, it won't be the red angel. I'm considering changing her color so that she blends in better with the other angels.) I wonder if I can finish another one before the end of the year?

I hope you're all having fun stitching your Gay Ann stash. I know I am!

In just 15 minutes...

Just look at what you can do!

15 minutes a day...

WOW--this 15 minute a day thing is really working! Here's what my ornament looked like when I first started on this plan:

And a close-up of the center so that you get a better idea of where I really was:

And this is what it looks like after 11 days of working that plan (2 hours 45 minutes of stitching time):

Here's a closer view of the lower-right-hand corner--see the filling starting to appear?

See you next Sunday with another progress report! I wonder how many sections I'll have filled in by then?

And I wonder how many finishes I'll have next year if I only stick to this program?

Gay Ann mail!

Yippee! My first Gay Ann mail arrived today! Margaret Rose has landed, and she brought along the book on Bullion Roses.

I spent a very happy hour looking at them before putting them both safely away in the portable file box that I have dedicated to Gay Ann's charts. I'm sure I'll be pulling them out again to look at them while I wait for my next shipment.

It's so much fun to study new charts!

Oh, and I've been faithfully stitching for 15 minutes a day on Green Sparkle Angel. You're going to be amazed when you see the progress I've made! Look for the 'reveal' on Sunday!

Weekend update

Here's the result of stitching for 15 minutes a day on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Sadly, when taking the photo this evening I noticed that I've got an error on the starting point for the bottom right hand gold diagonal that I stitched today. So tomorrow's 15 minutes will be spent picking it out and re-stitching. Oh, well. That's the way it goes sometimes. But I'm still happy with the amount of progress I can make in only 15 minutes!

E-Week is over, time to get stitching!

Well, it's finally, officially over. E-Week 2011 has come to a close...here's the final tally of what I ordered and added to my Gay Ann stash:

Emerald Angel

Glittering Diamonds

Perforated Ornaments set 1

Perforated Ornaments set 2

Margaret Rose

Lace Doily

Now that E-Week is over it's time for me to get back to putting in some time with the Green Sparkle Angel ornament (from last year's purchases) so that I'll have at least one Gay Ann stash finish this year! I'm planning on spending at least 15 minutes a day working on this until it's finished, and then I'll start another Gay Ann project.

Here's what my poor, neglected Green Sparkle Angel looked like when I last put her away:

I wonder how long it will take me to finish her?

If you haven't been to Gay Ann's website today, please make time to visit and watch the video "Stitching Elizabeth". It's a wonderful exhibit of some of the Elizabeth's--both in-progress and finished--that were stitched when Elizabeth made her debut at Callaway last year.

Emerald Angel

One more item--I just couldn't resist her any longer. I think I can use her for a box top and store my most precious stitching item inside--my mother's stork scissors.

I still love Mystery in a Corner, but I think one geometric will have to be enough--for now!

And Cyn--I was seriously tempted by New Orleans, too. But I resisted! I hope I don't regret that decision...

Well, I caved...

With the best of intentions I placed my order with Gay Ann yesterday--Margaret Rose, the book about bullion roses, and a lace doily that was the first of the Sunday morning specials. I was so proud of myself--I had really limited my purchases!

This morning diaster struck. It seems that Gay Ann (kindly, I guess...) decided to make the Saturday and Sunday sales available throughout the day today so that those members of her Yahoo SNS group who missed the weekend sales (there seems to have been some confusion about exactly where the sale was taking place) would have the opportunity to purchase some of those designs.

Well, there went all of my resolve. Suddenly I'm looking at MIAC, Glittering Diamond, New Orleans, and the perforated paper ornaments...

Before I know it, I've sent Gay Ann an email ordering Glittering Diamonds as well as both of the perforated paper ornament sets!

Oh, well. I'll enjoy stitching them over the next year. And who knows--maybe next year I'll have a bit more willpower!

Where has the year gone?

Here it is, EWeek again, and I've finished NOT ONE SINGLE PIECE of my Gay Ann stash! How shameful...as soon as I finish Celtic's hallowe'en ornament I've got to get back to stitching Green Sparkle Angel. I'd like to finish stitching her this year, even if I don't get her 'finished' and on the tree until Christmas 2012!

There are some beautiful designs being offered as part of EWeek this year--and lucky for me, only one that I consider a 'must have'. Gay Ann is selling "Margaret Rose," a design I've wanted since the day she showed it to us, so I'll be ordering her (but not the sewing case, I'm not really a sewing case kind of girl...) before the sale ends.

I'm looking forward to the early-morning sales on Saturday and Sunday, too, to see what might pop up. Who knows...there just might be something I 'need' behind one of those windows!

date night progress

Oh my gosh! I had forgotten how painstaking it is to stitch with the white pearl on the white canvas! I must have stitched partial rows and then ripped them out a half a dozen times. I cannot believe I once thought that I was going to get all four of these stitched this year!

So here's a photo of my progress from last night. I finished up the gold border around the center green lozenge and then started on the white border that runs outside of that gold border. As you can see, I'm half-way finished with that white border. Next week I should be able to get it finished up on date night--I'm not sure that this is a suitable project for '12 stitches a day' work. It's too easy to lose your place on this one!

See you next weekend with a new update.

Christmas in July!

Merry Christmas Heart is back from the finisher!

Another week of progress

This week I faithfully put in my 12 stitches a day on Green Sparkle Angel, and then I spent Date Night with her last night. I've finished those three blasted rows of white tent stitch (man, do I need practice with that!) and I'm half-way through the first row of the interior borders. I'm so happy with this project--good thing, since I've got three more of these to stitch (other colors) this year!

This week I plan to follow the same stitching plan: 12 stitches a day, plus a few hours on Date Night (Saturday night).

So here's what she looks like now:

12 stitches a day

Gay Ann wants us to find 12 stitches a day...so instead of only working on this project on the weekend, I'm going to add 12 stitches a day to my routine. This week's 12 stitches will be the boring white tent stitch (3 rows of it) that go around the outside border of the ornament. Here's a close-up of where I left off last night--I wonder what it will look like at the end of the week?



Of course, I do other stitching during the week, it's just not Gay Ann Stash stitching!

a weekend of progress

Finally, a weekend of stitching! Here's my progress on Green Sparkle Angel--the outer border has been completed, and I've begun the tedious work of stitching the three rows of white tent stitch around the outer border. I'm going to put in 12 stitches a day on the tent stitch this week, maybe it won't be so tedious in small doses!

Finally! Back to stitching!

Between the flu and the lingering exhaustion from the flu I didn't get any stitching of any type done over a week. But last night...oh, how good it felt to be back stitching away on my ornament!

I finished the first 2 rows of the border, and I started on the third row. Today's going to be another good day for stitching so I'm hoping to see finish all of the outer borders before I pack my angel away for the week. Look for a photo tomorrow of my progress.

no stitching this weekend

It was a busy weekend with lots of activities--as well as DH and I celebrating our 6th anniversary--so no stitching. But next weekend is already scheduled as border weekend! See you then.

On to the borders!

As you can see, I managed to finish stitching the center shield this weekend. So next weekend I'll get to start building the borders and the ornament will start taking shape.

Tree-top Angel on Congress cloth?

I'm starting to think about stitching Gay Ann's wonderful Tree-top Angel on Congress cloth instead of using 18 mesh canvas. Suggestions and comments welcome, especially from those of you who have already stitched her.

well, darn, not much progress

Well, there wasn't as much stitching this weekend as I had hoped there would be. Saturday got eaten up by 2 events--one happy, one sad. I spent the morning burying the husband of a friend and former co-worker, and the evening at a party celebrating my sister-in-law's 40th birthday. The party went on until the wee hours of the morning, so naturally I slept in on Sunday morning, waiting to go to Mass until Sunday evening. I didn't touch a needle until after dinner Sunday night!

(my tension needs work!)

But at least I got a few stitches into my Green Sparkle Angel ornament. I hated putting her away last night, but I've got a program going here and I need to stick with it. But this coming weekend I should get that green center field finished! And then it's on to the decorative borders!

And I finally got Merry Christmas Heart dropped off at the shop for finishing. I don't have any idea when it will be back, but I'll post a photo when it does.

That's it until the weekend...

I've finished the bottom half of the center green field, and I've put my Angel away until next Saturday. I'll be looking forward to pulling her out again on Saturday to see if I can finish the top part of the field before I pack her away again!

Happy New Year!

It's a new year, and time to start stitching on a new piece of Gay Ann stash! Here's the progress from the first day of stitching on Green Sparkle Angel:


I didn't make a lot of progress, but then I didn't stitch all day. We went to Mass, I fixed brunch for DH and I, puttered a bit in the kitchen, took a nap...you get the idea! I'll be stitching on her today during the Saints game with the hope of finishing this quadrant of the green center and making darn good progress on the third quadrant.

I hope you had time to pick up your needle, at least for a few stitches, while you celebrated the start of a new year.