Stitch Gay Ann Stash

Bummer...

2012-01-08T03:10:00.000-08:00

I finally get back to stitching after all of the Christmas hustle and bustle. There I was, settled down last night in my stitching place, ready to stitch and listen to the GOP debate. As I finish up one of the borders around the inside lozenge on my Blue Sparkle Angel I look back at the instructions so that I know what to do next and I see...SOIE D'ALGER...oh, no...I don't have any....

When I had my darling husband kit up the 4 angel ornaments for me way back in December of 2009 my LNS didn't have the Soie d'Alger I needed. So much time had passed between the time I had him kit her up and now that I had forgotten about the problem.

So now I'm on hold until I can get to the LNS next week to pick up a skein. Good thing I have so many other projects hanging around here needing to be stitched!

Emerald Angel kit arrived!

2011-12-06T09:15:00.000-08:00

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!

2011-11-21T04:30:00.000-08:00

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....

2011-11-17T17:44:00.000-08:00

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!

2011-11-11T16:31:00.000-08:00

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...

2011-11-07T07:53:00.001-08:00

Just look at what you can do!

15 minutes a day...

2011-10-30T14:20:00.000-07:00

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?

test

2011-10-30T14:17:00.001-07:00

test

Gay Ann mail!

2011-10-26T19:21:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-23T20:09:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-10-20T10:30:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-18T01:18:00.000-07:00

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...

2011-10-17T07:09:00.000-07:00

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?

2011-10-13T11:54:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-03T05:20:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-07-01T04:15:00.000-07:00

Merry Christmas Heart is back from the finisher!

Another week of progress

2011-02-13T08:30:00.000-08:00

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

2011-02-07T08:22:00.000-08:00

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

2011-02-06T19:41:00.001-08:00

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!

2011-02-06T02:42:00.001-08:00

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

2011-01-23T17:55:00.000-08:00

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!

2011-01-17T03:16:00.001-08:00

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?

2011-01-13T19:32:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-10T08:58:00.001-08:00

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...

2011-01-03T03:41:00.000-08:00

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!

2011-01-02T04:03:00.000-08:00

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.

I've made a choice!

2010-12-28T03:54:00.000-08:00

I've made my choice for the first new project of 2011--and it's Green Sparkle Angel! My dear husband kitted up all 4 angel ornaments as part of my Christmas treats so it makes it easy to get started on her when January 1 rolls around.

The canvas has been mounted, the centers basted, and the supplies, chart, and canvas put into a project bag next to the sofa. Now all I have to do is wait for the new year to start!

So I'll be tent-stitching away while the football games are on...

Do you have a Gay Ann start planned for January 1? If so, what is it?

On the tree!

2010-12-19T03:00:00.000-08:00

Merry Kitty Christmas came home from the finisher yesterday, and is already on the tree! I love the way it turned out:

Finished!

2010-11-26T07:59:00.001-08:00

I finished stitching my Merry Christmas Heart yesterday while visiting with my husband's grandmother. Next week I'll take it to my local needlepoint shop to be sent out for finishing--no hope of getting it back in time to hang it on this year's tree, but that's OK. I'm still happy to have it completed. I'm going to send along the Anchor color number of the light lilac perle with the hope that the finisher can use that color for the cording.

(another lousy photo, but it's raining today)

Now, what should I pull out of my collection of Gay Ann charts to start next? I'm thinking Green Sparkle Angel!

A little more progress...

2010-11-23T02:29:00.001-08:00

another somewhat lousy photo

2010-11-15T08:07:00.001-08:00

It's another rainy day, so yet again my photo is crummy. But I did get to stitch on my heart on Saturday night for about 2 hours, so there is some progress to show:

I've set my goals for the second year of Stitch Gay Ann Stash. They are:

Merry Christmas Heart
Malachite and Pearls Heart
4 other ornaments

If I should finish all of this before eWeek 2011 then I'll start on the Redwork Cat Sampler. I know those don't sound like very challenging goals, but I've got a stack of cross-stitch WIPs that I want to whittle down in 2011 so I'm keeping my new starts of any type very small in both size and number.

Another date night

2010-11-07T05:31:00.001-08:00

And now the upper right quadrant of the hear is finished! I think I will achieve my goal of finishing this one before the end of the year.

And I've decided to ask the finisher to use the light mauve color for the cording. I think that color will make the ornament really pop when it's on the tree next year.

Here's my progress photo:

Date night stitching...at night!

2010-10-31T03:43:00.001-07:00

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...

2010-10-30T05:45:00.000-07:00

"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...

2010-10-21T03:18:00.000-07:00

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...

2010-10-19T21:04:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-16T06:22:00.000-07:00

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.

2010-10-15T01:51:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-10-14T02:05:00.001-07:00

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!

2010-10-13T02:12:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-12T06:19:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-10-11T12:52:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-10T04:46:00.000-07:00

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?

FINISHED

2010-02-20T03:08:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted an update on this in forever--most of the work was done while watching the Saints win the Super Bowl--but I finished this one last night. I love it! Next up--Merry Christmas Heart (also from eWeek 2008).

I cannot say enough about how easy it is to follow Gay Ann's directions. If you've looked at her work in the past and found it intimidating, consider ordering something small--like one of the hearts--and give it a try. I think you'll find that her instructions are so clearly written, and her stitch diagrams so easy to follow that even a beginner can be successful!

Day 32

2009-11-22T20:51:00.000-08:00

It's almost Thanksgiving, and I'm busy getting the house ready for last-minute houseguests. But I did stitch Gay Ann today--the little trees are finished! So now it's just the bottom bands and the lettering. I'll be finished by November 30, right on schedule.

Day 31--setting goals

2009-11-21T23:55:00.000-08:00

Today was a day to map out my stitching goals for the rest of the year. I've got more stitching 'in motion' than just my Gay Ann project that I want to finish before the end of the year, so I needed to get myself organized. Otherwise it's easy to get sidetracked and let other people set your goals for you. Here are my goals for the end of 2009:

1. finish Merry Kitty Christmas heart
2. finish Caribbean Bird heart (German Marquoir Group)
3. stitch charity heart for Elke (German Marquoir Group)
4. finish Sampler Bonheur (Brodyzen)
5. finish LHN Unicef ornament
6. start and finish Merry Christmas Heart
7. assemble Sr. Dulce's ornament
8. begin Prairie Schooler ABC letter 'A'
9. finish Zentangle (German Marquoir Group)

Several of these projects are already underway, and are fairly close to being finished (Merry Kitty Christmas, Caribbean Bird heart) but some still need quite a bit of stitching in order to finish them on schedule (Sampler Bonheur, LHN Unicef ornament) and a few haven't even been started (charity heart, Merry Christmas heart)!

I'd better get busy stitching!

Day 30

2009-11-20T23:12:00.000-08:00

nothing to show today. did some stitching, but it was on a Christmas present for my sister-in-law, not on a Gay Ann project.

Day 29

2009-11-19T21:42:00.000-08:00

No stitching today. I've been running like mad--work, the funeral of a dear friend's mother, picking my DH up when he returned home from his business trip--all I want to do now is to go to sleep!

Day 28--organization day

2009-11-18T23:53:00.000-08:00

Today was a day filled with lots of activity and then the fundraiser for Sister's foundation tonight. I did manage to put a few stitches in on a non-Gay Ann project, so the day wasn't a total bust stitching-wise.

I did get some organization in place. I've made a list of all the sizes of stretcher bars I need for the various Gay Ann charts I have here, and a list of the cuts of congress cloth and other canvases I need for those projects. I don't need to make a supply run just yet, since the next project is already kitted up--Merry Christmas Heart was sold as a kit last year during e-Week.

Santa's going to get a long list of stretcher bars, canvas and congress cloth cuts, and flosses to shop for this year!

Day 27 and the final goodies arrive!

2009-11-17T19:36:00.000-08:00

Today's been spent stitching on a Round Robin--the second of three--that I must mail out this weekend. But...it's not like the day was without Gay Ann influence, after all, the postman delivered the last of my E-Week orders today!

Cranfield House and the Lovely Pussy Cat Sampler both arrived today. When I opened the package and saw the color photo of Cranfield House, well, what can I say? It's even more beautiful than I thought it would be. And the same goes for Lovely Pussy Cat--who looks so much like the never-ending string of gray tabbies my Dad had at the end of his life, all called Roscoe. He couldn't tell one from the other (due to his poor eyesight) so he never knew that the cat he fed in the morning and the cat he fed at night were two different gray tabbies, and that the one who came in the house and 'visited' every now and again was yet another cat...

Yesterday the postman brought me my 'jeweled' purchases--the dark version of the Malachite and Pearls heart, the Green Sparkle Angel ornament, and the pièce de résistance: Frosted Jewels!

Oh, the jewels on all 3 are so lovely, but the ones for Frosted Jewels are just breathtaking! I'm so glad that I decided to ask Gay Ann if I could possibly add it to my E-Week order. I just know it's going to be a joy to stitch, and that I'm going to love seeing it hanging in my home one day.

Day 26--AWARDS!

2009-11-16T23:32:00.000-08:00

For those of you who might be motivated by it, Gay Ann has announced that she'll be awarding certificates to those who complete their Stitch Gay Ann Stash projects as well as those who successfully meet the various challenges she's posting as part of her SNS classroom.

What, you aren't a member of the Silver Needle Society yet? Click on the link for Gay Ann's class room on the sidebar and join now! You don't want to miss out on the fun, do you?

No stitching today. Today was devoted to getting the linen stash in order--and I'm happy to report that the project is finished! Tomorrow will allow for some stitching time in the evening, and I plan to get one of the small trees finished before I put Merry Kitty Christmas away to work on some other stitching.

Day 25, back on track

2009-11-15T14:55:00.001-08:00

I am so happy with today's progress: the second kitty is finished, the hearts have been stitched, and the first tree is starting to take shape.

And I'm on target to finish this project by the end of the month, which is my personal goal. I would like to finish one of my Gay Ann ornaments or hearts every month until I have all of the ones in my current stash stitched.

I've got to decide what to do with the initials. I can always go with the standard AB, using my first and last initials--or I can go with AP, or PA, for Ann and Paul, or Paul and Ann. Or I may not stitch any initials at all, and simply sign the ornament on the back. What do you think?

Day 24

2009-11-14T23:54:00.000-08:00

Another day with no Gay Ann stitching. Most of the day was spent at a retreat (religious, not stitching). But I'm getting caught up on some of my other stitching obligations, so that will give me several hours of free 'Gay Ann Stitch' time on Sunday!

Day 23

2009-11-13T23:12:00.000-08:00

No stitching today--at least, no stitching on my Merry Kitty Christmas Heart. I've got a deadline on another project that I must meet, so it's going to take up my stitching time this weekend.

It's funny, but even with spending several hours stitching today, I missed not working on my Gay Ann project. It almost feels like I didn't do any stitching at all today!

Day 22

2009-11-12T23:30:00.000-08:00

I realized tonight that counting strands on a small project is darn near impossible--it's rare to have enough of a single color or thread type in an area to use an entire strand of thread. So I don't really know where I am on completing this weeks challenge. I do know this--I'm certainly on-track with my goal of finishing this heart this month! At least, I'll have finished the stitching. I've still got to find some instructions about how to 'finish' the heart into an ornament and practice using a few scrap pieces of congress cloth before before getting this one ready to hang on my Christmas tree!

Day 21--and some help

2009-11-11T23:55:00.000-08:00

Only 12 stitches today--it's a good thing DH is heading out of town tomorrow so that I can put in a few strands tomorrow night, isn't it!

Here's a progress pic--I'm still amazed at the difference that only 12 stitches can make in a project.

I had a question from someone who was having trouble getting the outline of the heart basted into place. A friend had mercy and stitched half of the outline, but now she's worried about basting the other half of the outline into place, especially since she's stitched much of the interior of the heart already!

I understand her plight--I must have ripped out the basting 6 or 8 times before I had it right. Ultimately I ended up stitching the left side of the heart first, from the bottom, and then I returned to the bottom to stitch the right side as a mirror image. I used some basting threads (in my case only the center vertically and horizontally) so that I could check myself as I stitched and catch an error before it started. So here's what I would do if I needed to stitch the other side of my outline now:

First, run a long basted thread in the vertical center top to bottom. Then do the same horizontally. After that I would start adding additional horizontal basting lines at about every 3 or 4 stitches (using the stitches on the left side as your guide). Once you've basted the heart completely then I would take a highlighter and mark those basting lines on your chart--the one that also shows the inside placement. (I know that seems odd, but because she's already stitched a great deal of the inside it will help with counting to mark that chart rather than the one with just the heart outline.) Now you have to start counting carefully (using the left side and the stitched motifs as your counting aids) to put each stitch in place, making sure that you match up each time you get to a basting thread. You'll only be putting in 3 or 4 stitches, so if you don't match up when you reach a basting thread you'll only need to remove 3 or 4 stitches to start over.

If it's easier, think about using a slightly deeper color to stitch the outline. I would recommend using a good silk floss for this, as I find it doesn't leave fuzzies when you remove it. (I use Vikki Clayton's silks from Hand-Dyed Fibers for this and haven't had a problem.) First you would go back and overstitch the outline on the left side (so that you can see it) and then you would follow the same steps (as listed above) to stitch the right side.

I really need to learn how to make a video and post it here--this would be much clearer if I could simply show you rather than trying to tell you what I would do!

And check with Gay Ann. It may be that the outline is only there to make a template for the backing. If that's the case, then you won't need to stitch the right side--simply make a template for the left side, turn it over, and create your template for the right side!

Day 20--12 stitches

2009-11-10T23:36:00.000-08:00

Today was one of those days...so I only got 12 stitches done today! Oh, well. Maybe I'll find more time to stitch tomorrow. But even just 12 stitches shows up as progress. Sometimes 'slow and steady' does win the race!

Carla, it's so late that I'm not going to try to do the basting project tonight. I'll do it tomorrow and post photos for you tomorrow evening (Wednesday).

Day 19--Strand #2

2009-11-09T05:48:00.001-08:00

Day 18--a new challenge

2009-11-08T10:00:00.000-08:00

Today Gay Ann sent out the new-and-revised stitching plan for her Silver Needle Society Classroom. In addition to our 12-stitches-a-day now we are to add an additional 5 strands of stitching this week.

Never one to hesitate where my Gay Ann project is concerned, I jumped right in. Here's a photo of my '12-stitches-and-a-strand' progress for today.

One strand down, 4 to go!

Day 17

2009-11-07T04:18:00.000-08:00

Another day of stitching 'a few more' than 12 stitches. Today I think the count was 18, again for the same reason as yesterday. Even with my reduced stitching pace I believe I'll have this one finished by the end of the month. I'd love to finish one of my Gay Ann ornaments every month!

Day 16

2009-11-06T17:58:00.000-08:00

I put in a few extra stitches today because stopping at 12 would have caused me to stop part of the way through the long vertical stretch of stitches--something I hate to do because it makes it so easy to mis-count and mess up the entire outline. I've checked and checked, and so far everything is lining up exactly where it should, so I'm happy. No ripping in sight!

Day 15

2009-11-05T02:59:00.001-08:00

Another 12 stitches...and I think, in retrospect, that I would have liked to have stitched the outline of both cats before I did any of the interior work. It would have made it much easier to check myself and make certain that I didn't have a counting or placement error.

Day 14

2009-11-04T07:02:00.001-08:00

OK, here we go. 12 stitches, and 12 stitches only for the time being...I tell you, it was hard to pack this one away after only 12 stitches...

Day 13.5--we have a face!

2009-11-04T03:31:00.000-08:00

It seems that this project is about as addictive as caffeine! Last evening I had some stitching time and what did I pick up? You guessed it!

Now I've got one completely stitched cat--minus the bead, which I'll attach at the end with the other beads.

For the time being I must limit myself to 12 stitches a day on this project so that I don't neglect my other stitching. After all, there are WIPs to finish, and non-Gay Ann stash to stitch!

Day 13

2009-11-03T05:21:00.000-08:00

Today I stitched a bit more than 12 stitches--I was half-way through a strand of perle cotton, so I decided to keep stitching until I finished the strand. I did have to remove and restitch yesterday's work when I noticed that I had the stitches facing in the wrong direction! (What can I say--I started stitching traditional needlepoint as a child so I always think that the stitch runs from bottom left to top right!) Looking at the photo they still look wrong, but I've double and triple checked them and they are now slanting in the correct direction!

Yesterday I wrote to Gay Ann and complimented her on the way she has written her directions--both the thoroughness of the directions and the well-drawn stitch charts. I know that her background isn't that of a technical writer, but it could have been just based on the thoroughness of her directions and her writing style. It certainly makes trying a new stitch or a new technique much less stressful.

Day 12--Here Kitty Kitty...

2009-11-02T05:16:00.001-08:00

It worked out that I got some extra stitching time on Sunday, so I continued stitching on my Merry Kitty Christmas Heart. I've finished the tree, except for the beads. I still need to make a run to the store to pick up some beading needles and proper thread to do the beading. I'm guessing I'm likely to just wait and do all the beading at the end. So this is what my kitty ended up looking like when I put him down on Sunday night:

And here's where I am after today's 12 stitches:

For the next week or so I'm afraid that Merry Kitty will be relegated to the status of '12 stitches a day' while I finish up a few other projects.

Gay Ann's instructions have been flawless. I'm not having any trouble understanding what I'm to do, the stitch diagrams have been a great help. I'm very surprised at how quickly this is working up.

Day 11--A Tree Grows in Baton Rouge

2009-11-01T03:59:00.000-08:00

I woke up far too early this morning, I'm guessing because of the time change, so I went out to the living room and started the day's stitching.

First out of the bag...of course...Merry Kitty Christmas heart. My tree is now ready for her star, and her beads. According to the directions the beads are the next step. I don't have any beading thread so I may skip ahead to the next step and add all the beads at the end. Before I do that I'll read all the way to the end of the instructions just to make sure I'm not creating a problem for myself later!

I had the most trouble with the tying overstitching, finding the right spot to 'come up' from the back was sometimes difficult. But it looks good to the naked eye, and that's what counts, right?

Here's today's work, step-by-step.

filled in with skipped padded gobelin stitch

with overstitching added

with tying overstitching added

Day 10, a Halloween treat!

2009-10-31T19:38:00.000-07:00

I just couldn't stop at only 12 stitches, or even one strand! I'm loving the way this is stitching up--it's so much fun!

Day 9, and the outline is done!

2009-10-30T12:29:00.000-07:00

I couldn't stand it any longer--and I thought it would be so quick to finish stitching the outline--WRONG! Lots of re-counting, but now I've got it in place and I'm ready to start seeing some color appear on this canvas tomorrow! And hopefully then my photos will be more interesting!

Day 8

2009-10-29T22:48:00.000-07:00

(another rotated photo--what is going on?)

12 more stitches outlining the heart--ecru pearl cotton really doesn't show up much on the congress cloth. If I didn't have so much other stitching to do I'd race ahead on this part of the project, but the discipline of the 12 stitches is at least giving me time to work on my other stitching!

Day 7, and a new start

2009-10-28T10:08:00.000-07:00

It's hard to see the progress, I know, but there are actually 12 stitches on that canvas--I promise! I've changed my first project to Merry Kitty Christmas Heart and since today (and the next several days) are very busy all I'll be able to do is get 12 stitches into the canvas. But enough days of 12 stitches will result in getting that heart border outlined eventually!

Day 6, an important lesson

2009-10-27T20:05:00.000-07:00

Size does matter. Or rather, it counts.

I've had to abandon my start on the Redwork Cat Sampler. The 28 count fabric I was using just wasn't right for the project. Several of the stitches just wouldn't work, and the floss looked too heavy. Gay Ann actually posted some information about this very subject on her website today and it really helped me to make the decision to abandon this attempt.

I'll have to start over, which requires making a trip to the local needlepoint store to get the proper size stretcher bars and some canvas cloth. And since I'm starting over, I might as well order silk floss and silk perle from Vikki Clayton.

My problem is the congress cloth. I really like the color scheme I was using, but the local store is only going to have congress cloth in white or black. As I see it I've got 3 choices here:

1. change the color scheme
2. learn to paint the canvas myself to change the background color
3. find a good on-line source for colored congress cloth

Any suggestions?

This is an important issue for me, as I not only want a mushroom color canvas ground for the Redwork Cat Sampler (which I am stitching in black) but I also want a moss/sage green canvas ground for the Redwork House Mystery (which I want to stitch in blue) and a yellow canvas ground for the Redwork Friendship Sampler (which I want to stitch in green).

I've decided that this year I'm going to concentrate on my Gay Ann ornaments and hearts. So far I own 10 patterns in this category, many of which are already kitted up. Tonight I dug out my 8x8 bars, an 8x8 square of congress cloth, and the plans and thread pack for Merry Kitty Christmas Heart. I've got to get some masking tape to tape the edges of the canvas and then I'll be ready to start. Maybe I can finish all 10 of these projects this year since none of them are large (or even medium-sized) projects. And still have time for some of my other stitching.

At least, that's the plan (and the goal) right now!

Day 5

2009-10-26T16:19:00.000-07:00

(I don't know why the photo is rotated...but I don't have time to try and fix it.)

Life interfered today and I didn't get to do as much stitching as I had hoped to. I went to a long lunch with some friends, to celebrate the 96th birthday of my friend Mike's mother. A good time was had by all!

I did finish the first pass on my Plaited Stitch Adaptation, and I started the return pass. Even the adaptation is proving difficult, and I'm still wondering if the fabric is going to work after all, or if this is going to end up needed to be a re-start...I think I'll know by the time I finish all of the steps to this band. But I'll certainly work the Redwork House piece on Congress Cloth, and most likely that's what I'll use for the Friendship Sampler, too, when I get around to working on them. I need something with a more open weave.

Day 4--Adapting the Plaited Stitch

2009-10-25T14:07:00.000-07:00

Today I'm working on the first row of Plaited Stitch--step 3B--and I've run into a problem which I believe is related to my decision to stitch my sampler on 28 count evenweave rather than 24 count congress cloth, as the instructions call for. The holes on the evenweave are considerably smaller than the holes on the congress cloth, and the Plaited Stitch calls for me to insert the needle into the same hole several times--and I'm having trouble finding the right hole.

After quite a bit of practice, and rather a great deal of frustration, I have decided to adapt the band somewhat. I've anchored a thread on the right side of the fabric and I'm working the row in two steps. Step one, I'm working all of the bottom-left-to-top-right part of the stitches (the bottom leg), and then I will return and working from the left side of the fabric I'll work all of the bottom-right-to-top-left part of the stitches (the top leg). I'm sure it will give a slightly different look to my row, but I don't find it to be at all noticeable to the naked eye.* And the decision has kept me from becoming so frustrated with the project that I put it away until I could get new fabric and start over. Which, realistically, might not happen for...well...who knows?

It's been a good exercise for me today--and based on today's experiences I may make some changes in my plans for the other redwork pieces in my stash--the Friendship Sampler and the Redwork House Mystery. Originally I thought that I would work them on evenweave also, but now I'm reconsidering that decision, at least until I look at the instructions for those two charts more closely to see if there are any stitches that might not work out on the evenweave.

I'll finish the right-to-left pass before I put this piece of stitching away for the evening. Tomorrow I'll stitch the left-to-right pass to complete the row.

But first, I'm going to go cook dinner for my dear husband!

*Remember-- I'm not stitching this on congress cloth. If you are and you choose to follow this adaptation of the Plaited Stitch your results may vary considerably from mine!

Day 3--Horizontal Bands Appear!

2009-10-24T05:49:00.000-07:00

Today I started stitching on the first of the horizontal bands that really help to make this piece. The first three have been simple--the next one appears to be a bit more challenging. I'm going to practice steps 3B (Plaited Stitch) and 3C (Cross Stitch Variation) on some waste fabric either tonight or tomorrow before I go any further! (You'll notice that I've anchored my strand for step 3B already--I don't want to lose my place.)

This is the last strand of floss from the first length of floss that I cut, so I've used roughly 5 strands (or lengths) of floss so far. You'll also notice that I've cut away some of my basted center channel--I needed to place a stitch into the same spot on the fabric as one of my basting stitches and I didn't want to risk splitting the thread and creating a problem later, so I just cut away a little section of the channel.

Day 2

2009-10-23T05:43:00.000-07:00

Another strand-and-a-half. Still lost count on the vertical band, so I've decided to move to the next part tomorrow and I'll finish up the band as I move down the sampler--less counting that way--and I'll close up the bottom as the very last step in the project.

Day 1

2009-10-22T23:48:00.000-07:00

This is about 2.5 strands of floss (single strands). The hardest thing so far is counting the number of stitches I need to make on the vertical borders--both on the chart and as I make them. I've lost the count of the vertical stitches made so far, so I have stopped working on those rows and started on the upper interior band of the border. I'll get the count back when I start working on the interior vertical band.

I'm going to end up with extra fabric at the bottom, the result of the length of the q-snaps and also the difference in the count of congress cloth (24) and my fabric (28). I'm sure I'll find some use for the extra, but I do wish I had started down a bit further.

I'm very happy with my fabric and fiber choices so far.

Red Cat Sampler is ready to start!

2009-10-21T20:27:00.000-07:00

I'm using DMC floss and perle cotton (310) on 28 count mushroom evenweave fabric, all from my stash.