Autumn Squares from Daniela

Autumn 2009 Round from Daniela T (My Needle Art)

Brooke's Books Autumn Pantry

These lovely squares came all the way from Finland in a wonderful exchange with Daniela. Not only do I love the squares, but Daniela included a beautiful felted wool flower pin she made (it's going to look perfect on my winter wool coat) and a gorgeous handmade card. I always admire these handmade cards, and I've gotten some really cool ones through these exchanges.

A tiny part of me is a little envious of the talent these cardmakers have, but the realistic part of me knows I can't take on another hobby (and probably couldn't do it as nicely as some of you can anyway!) So instead, I will admire the ones I receive and see posted on other blogs, and restrict myself to drooling in the paper and card aisles at the craft store.

Thank you, Daniela!

Finally framed!

Safari Birth Sampler by Mary Stickley for The Coleshill Collection

Stitched with included threads over 2 on 28 ct. Antique White evenweave

Finally this piece is FRAMED!! It's been finished since last September and has been languishing in a drawer, waiting to be framed. I've even had the frame since last fall, and for some reason, it just took forever to get around to actually framing the piece (or rather, getting DH to frame it). I rodered the frame from American Frame this time, and was quite pleased with the price, quality and service from them.

DH did a great job framing - he has much more patience for this sort of thing and will fiddle with it until everything lines up correctly. Usually I frame with sticky board (horror of horrors, I know) but we went with mat board and stainless steel pins this time. I noticed there was much less frustration (and cursing) on DH's part as he framed this piece, so maybe that's the way to go from now on.

This was a gift for a childhood friend whose son, as you can see, is over a year old. (I even thought about trying to get it done for his 1st birthday in August, but being pregnant myself really put a crimp in my plans!) DH got it in the mail Friday, and I got an email from my friend yesterday that it's already been received!

Autumn Fair and Square Exchange with Daniela

Autumn 2009 Round to Daniela T (http://myneedleart.blogspot.com/)
Bent Creek's Snapper Sampler
Stitched with WDW Cognac and GAST Mulberry
on Wichelt Copper Penny 32 ct. Fabric
Accented with Copper seed beads

This was one the the last pieces I stitched while pregnant, as I wanted to get it out before I went into the hospital. I absolutely LOVE how this came out - it was hard to part with! And the Wichelt fabric was very nice to stitch on. I had been admiring the color for a while now, and jumped at the chance to use it.

Here's a close up of the beading I did on the piece.


The original pattern called for cross stitches where the beads are, but I thought some copper colored beads from my stash would add a little something extra to the piece.

I also included a skein of my own handyed threads for Daniela in an autumn color.

Join the Sisterhood!

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pattern is moving on. Sara's offering her up to the next lucky stitcher on her blog, so head on over to get signed up for the drawing on Friday, October 16.

This is the journey she's been on so far.... will she visit you next?

Harmien in the Netherlands (November 3, 2007)

She sent it to Lili in France (June 17, 2007)

Who sent it to Barbara in Malaysia (June 25, 2007)

Who sent it to Tessa in Australia (July 16, 2007)

Who sent it to Lizzy in North Carolina, U.S. (February 26, 2008)

Who sent it to Barbara in the Netherlands (March 11, 2008)

Who sent it to Sarah (no blog) in Ohio, U.S. (April 11, 2008)

Who sent it to Anna in Pennsylvania, U.S. (May 28, 2008)

Who sent it to Wendy in Ontario, Canada (July 4, 2008)

Who sent it to Sue in Michigan, U.S. (August 2, 2008)

Who sent it to Jennifer in Pennsylvania, U.S. (September 2, 2008)

Who sent it to CJ in Texas, U.S. (October 25, 2008)

Who sent it to Claire in Nova Scotia, Canada (January 20, 2009)

Who sent it to Kathy in Arizona, U.S. (February 18, 2009)

Who sent it to Carol in Indiana, U.S. (March 15, 2009)

Who sent it to Carolyn in California, U.S. (May 20, 2009)

Who sent it to Sharon in Oklahoma, U.S. (August 8, 2009)

Who sent it to Jill in Minnesota, US (September 13, 2009)

Who sent it to Sara in North Carolina, US ((October 1, 2009)

Who sent it to.....

(Note: If you’re not familiar with the story of this traveling pattern, Lizzy has recorded the history of it here.)

Fair and Square Exchange with Nicky

I had the pleasure of being paired up with Nicky in Australia (The Little Needlecase) for the Round #14 Fair and Square Exchange, and in the course of our emails, she mentioned that her favorite colors were purple and green and that she liked flowers. I immediately thought of a Windy Willows freebie, Amitie, I had in my collection. A few color changes, and VOILA!:

Windy Willows Amitie
Stitched with DMC Floss, plus my own overdyed green thread
Over 2 on 32 ct. Antique White

I also sent off a skein of Blackberry Jam, a purple thread I dyed myself.

I'd post a picture of the super cute squares I received from Nicky, but they will have to wait for another post as I am in the process of finishing them into a no-sew cube. Pictures coming soon, I promise!

Help a girl out, please!

As most of you know, my husband and I are expecting our first child in October, and we've been getting things ready for his arrival. Sure, we've got the big stuff like the crib and the stroller, but what I am in need of is nearly impossible to find here in the suburban Philadelphia area.... Dallas Cowboys gear.

Yep. Dallas Cowboys stuff. I've been hitting Babies R Us, plus the department and sporting goods stores, and sure, there's a ton of Eagles (gack) and Phillies stuff, and even some Steelers stuff, but not a whole lot in the way of Dallas Cowboys gear. I'm guessing that most of these things are only locally availble in the teams' home markets, which is probably why I can't find them online either.

Yes, we have already purchased the Tony Romo Hallmark ornament on the condition that he not be placed on the tree until he gets his December act together... He may not join our collection of Cowboys ornaments until he can get through the playoffs without blowing it. LOL

I'd love to have his first picture taken in a Cowboys outfit (and bring him home in one), and of course, he's going to need a Cowboys outfit for Thanksgiving. I can order stuff online, but I've seen different things in places like Wal-Mart and Target, and I am sure they are probably way less expensive there than they are on some of these sites.

We're already expecting our boy to be over 8 lbs at birth, so newborn stuff isn't going to work, but 0-3 months and especially 3-6 months will. Mostly I am looking for some onesies (long or short sleeve), sleepers, or outfits like the warm up suit. We've seen a few jerseys around, but most of them seem to be too big (we're planning on getting him a Jason Witten jersey for Christmas).

I'm also looking for a few little Cowboy related things like pacifiers, a hooded towel, a picture frame, etc. And if you see anything cool that I haven't mentioned, please let me know. I know that there are usually things only available locally that I might not have even considered. So if you live in Texas or an area where you have access to Cowboys baby gear, I would be eternally grateful if you could help us out. Let me know ahead of time (so I can avoid multiples of the same item) and I will happily reimburse you for the cost of the item and the shipping to PA.

And if you happen to be looking for Eagles / Phillies / Flyers stuff, or Steelers or Giants, let me know and I can help you out (baby, child and adult sizes). Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

For Sale or Trade

I've updated my For Sale or Trade list, so be sure to check it out and see if there's anything you'd like. Postage is $2 for first class mail, unless you'd like me to send it a different way, in which case we can work something out. International postage will vary - contact me for details, but yes, I will send it international.

I'd prefer payment via Paypal, but again, don't let that stop you if you don't use it. We can work something out, and of course, I am always open to trade or a GC for an online shop.

I also have a list of Hearts of America and International Hearts by Victoria Sampler that I am looking for.

The Sisterhood is Moving On... Again!

My Needle and My Floss, They Comfort Me
Waxing Moon Designs #119

Stitched on 28 ct. natural linen with DMC, GAST and WDW threads

Our girl is packing her bags and getting ready for her next adventure, so head on over to Sharon's blog and get signed up for her drawing by leaving a comment. Sharon will be drawing the name of the next sister to join the sorority on Saturday, August 15, so make sure you visit her before then. Good luck!

And if you haven't been following her journey, here's a wonderful recap of her travels around the world, and how different stitchers made her their own.

Harmien in the Netherlands (November 3, 2007)

She sent it to Lili in France (June 17, 2007)

Who sent it to Barbara in Malaysia (June 25, 2007)

Who sent it to Tessa in Australia (July 16, 2007)

Who sent it to Lizzy in North Carolina, U.S. (February 26, 2008)

Who sent it to Barbara in the Netherlands (March 11, 2008)

Who sent it to Sarah (no blog) in Ohio, U.S. (April 11, 2008)

Who sent it to Anna in Pennsylvania, U.S. (May 28, 2008)

Who sent it to Wendy in Ontario, Canada (July 4, 2008)

Who sent it to Sue in Michigan, U.S. (August 2, 2008)

Who sent it to Jennifer in Pennsylvania, U.S. (September 2, 2008)

Who sent it to CJ in Texas, U.S. (October 25, 2008)

Who sent it to Claire in Nova Scotia, Canada (January 20, 2009)

Who sent it to Kathy in Arizona, U.S. (February 18, 2009)

Who sent it to Carol in Indiana, U.S. (March 15, 2009)

Who sent it to Carolyn in California, U.S. (May 20, 2009)

Who sent it to Sharon in Oklahoma, U.S. (August 8, 2009)

(Note: If you’re not familiar with the story of this traveling pattern, Lizzy has recorded the history of it here.)

Well look what we have here!

I was catching up on my blog reading the other day and when I got to Michele's blog, look what I spotted... These are the finished product from my F&S Exchange with Michele last year. Isn't it GORGEOUS?

Manuela's Sunflower by Châtelaine Designs
Stitched over 2 on 32 ct. Bone evenweave with DMC and GAST threads
Signature Square from Bread Cloth leaflet

Karen is responsible for the lovely finishing, which I think is an excellent advertisement for her finishing service, Finely Finished. While I haven't used Karen's services myself (yet, I'm sure!), Michele can't say enough good things about the finished products, so be sure to stop over Karen's blog and check out her services.

I have a really good reason for being behind on stitching

You see, my husband and I are expecting our first child, a son, in October. Yep, I'm pregnant. I've kept it quiet for so long because I have some complicated issues with my family and didn't need the additonal stress of dealing with that. But the cat seems to be out of the bag for the most part, so I thought I would share our happy news with my stitching friends.

So far, so good with this pregnancy, except for a ridiculous amount of exhaustion in the first trimester. I have never been so tired in my life! And dizzy to boot, but most of that seems to have passed, and I am into my third trimester now. Baby has been very active lately, and according to his ultrasounds, right on target for growth and development. We're very excited to meet him.

But being so tired and dizzy made it very hard to concentrate on stitching, and I really slacked off for a while, only managing to get in the bare minimum, which is why you haven't seen much from me lately. (I especially want to apologize to my two remaining PIFs - Deirdre and Tammie. I didn't forget about you ladies, I swear!!! I have your pieces stitched up, I just have to finish them!)

Since my DH and I both love the beach and lighthouses, we knew we were going with a nautical theme for his room. This is the bedding we selected, Nautica William.


We'll be painting the walls a light blue, coincidentally called Sailboat (okay, maybe the color name did have something to do with my selection) and going with cherry furniture, including the crib my in-laws bought for their grandson.

I, or rather my husband, did pick the sampler for the baby. It's from Seguin Designs and it's called A Fishing Village Sampler.

Maine is one of our favorite places, and this was the sampler that DH liked the best of about a dozen different ones that I had found. I'm making some modifications to the piece to include his name and vital information. I haven't started stitching yet, but I do have the fabric and the threads.

So if you've been wondering why my posting has been sporadic this year, now you know why. :-)