New Start - Gift Stitching

Tis the season for gift stitching! I've got 3 gift stitches going on right now. 2 for Christmas and 1 for February deadline. 

This new start is the February gift (yes I should work the Xmas ones first, lol). It's super cute pattern by Cherry Hill Stitchery. Being stitched on "Iris Garden Morning Glory" 28ct lugana (even weave) that came from my stash. I think it's a Picture this Plus fabric. Amazingly soft and vibrant. Very glad I had it in stash!! Being stitched with good ole DMC also from my stash. 

 I'll share snippets of the gift stitching over the next few weeks. I'm unsure who of my "real life" vs "online" friends frequent this blog so I have to be moderately careful. Lol!! 

In some unfortunate news: I've learned today that Love Thy Thread, a company with (mostly gothic) artist rendered patterns (like HAED) is closing their shop on Dec 1. Check out for yourself before Dec 1 at:  www.lovethythread.com I bought 2 patterns after much deliberation. 
A steampunk themed one called "Lady Mechanica". You can see it here: 
http://www.lovethythread.com/lady-mechanica-colour.htm (their photos are locked up so couldn't repost)
And another called "Bare" that I won't post as it involves nudity (gorgeous and tasteful but just to be safe). If you want to see click here: http://www.lovethythread.com/bare.html 

Dragons is progressing. It's a bit boring with mostly solid white and off white to stitch. But that does mean it stitches quick which is never a bad thing!!

Dragons - The Head!!!

Well, it feels like my one dragon has been headless for so long he's likely made friends with Ichabod Crane... And then one day he suddenly has a head.

This is the second last page of dragons which included the last dragons head. There is still lots of basic white and some yellow stitching to finish the page. But that stitching goes by sooo fast when there is almost no color changes. Please excuse the scroll bar lines and indents I did not bother to iron it. Here is the second last pages detailed area, the Dragon head:

That is the majority of the detail of this piece. Like I said a bunch of the sky/sun stitches in the rest of this page. Then last page is the remainder of the tree and branches on a yellow sky. 

So I have a goal. My hope is to try and have this done by mid-January 2015 for my Uncle's birthday (whom this epic piece is for). Or alternatively by March 2015. I'd like to enter it in the Needlework Competition in July here in Calgary (and it needs to be framed for that) so May is my "drop-dead" deadline.
My Uncle first requested this piece back before I was even dating my man and while I still lived by myself. It's crazy to think how much has happened to me, this blog and this piece in the last 7 years. I sometimes think that Dragons holds pieces of me over those years. I will be delighted to give it to my Uncle (who is like my older brother and only 9 years older than me) and have him proudly display it in his home. When he first asked for it he had no lady and no family. Today he has a wife, toddler and 2 step kids! How the world changes in a short few years.


Coming Up: I have a new start that is super cute, easy and fun to stitch! It's a gift and has a timeline but it's stitching up fast so I'm not worried. I also have some 'secret stitching' for holidays to get done (but need to order the patterns lol). I'm also wanting to bring out Metamorphosis by Ink Circles as I'm over 50% done it as well. Lots to stitch and never enough time!  :) 

Ornament Finish & October Stitch From Stash

Whew! Thank you so much to everyone for all your wonderful comments and excitement surrounding my inclusion in CSN Magazine. I realized only a few days ago that it was the edition that has Joan Elliott's Cinderella piece(s) in it and am overjoyed that everyone who gets the magazine will have such a gorgeous pattern in their hands!! 

It's that time for October Stitch From Stash.
I can't believe we're down to only 2 months to go in the year, and therefore less than 2 months until Christmas *gasp* better get on some gift making and purchasing!
I spent $19.96 on a couple sale patterns this month and NOTHING on EBAY!!! I'm most proud of my avoidance of eBay. :)
My hubby decided on a Halloween/Year End bonus for everyone in the group of $50 to spend anytime between now and Dec. 31. I think he was feeling bad when he saw the spreadsheet and that many ladies, including myself, were down to almost no budget left (lol). So I have that "cushion" but darn does it go away fast. I'm going to try and hold onto the bonus as long as possible until I really *need* to spend it. (need might not be the right word...)

Joy Ornament
I decided to print out some of the patterns from the latest edition of Just Cross Stitch Ornament Magazine (2014) as I now get my mags from them digitally and seem to forget about the great things I want to stitch from them.
So I had about 5 printed for a couple weeks and kept thinking I should at least stitch one or two new holiday ornaments before December. In the end I chose this tiny cutie "Joy" from My Big Toe Designs.

I changed the threads to over-dyed I had on hand from stash. The brown is a Weeks Dye Works and the blue/green is a Carrie's Creations thread (all cotton). The fabric is as a leftover ornament sized piece. I believe it's a 32ct linen.
I stitched this little joy up in only a few hours which was wonderful!

Dragons update: The head is sooo close to being done... I want to get all the colors done around it before the giant blocks of white start for the background before showing it. By the end of the weekend I should have it all done up. Watch for a post next week!