Home By the Sea is finished!

Home By The Sea by Designs by Pamela is finally finished!

Home By the Sea - Designs by Pamela
Stitched over 2 on 32 ct. with recommended threads

I started this back in June while on vacation with the family at the shore, and finished it up last week. It's my housewarming gift to myself and my husband for our first home. I knew as soon as I saw it at last year's Online Needlework Show that I had to stitch this piece - it's perfect for us. I did modify the original to include our family name (blurred for privacy) and the year we were married. The year I stitched it (and the year we bought the house) is stitched into the piece itself. I had debated stitching our house number somewhere on the house, but decided against it.

I plan to have my husband frame it similar to the model with the hooks in the frame so we can hang it by the laundry room door in the kitchen (we come in from the garage through the laundry room, so it's the perfect place for keys and such).

And this piece is extra special to me because my six year old niece helped me stitch a little on it while we were down the shore, and again this fall when we were all at my in-laws for a weekend. She can't do the stitching herself, and she had a hard time with the holes on such a high count fabric, but she did a good job pulling the needle and thread through once I got it in the correct hole for her. (Boy, does THAT slow the stitching down, but it's so worth it.) She asked me, "Aunt Jenn, are you EVER going to finish that?" but she's six. She has a short attention span. I can't wait to show her at Christmas that it's all finished up and just waiting to be framed!

I have a new LNS, and a whole bunch of other things

Yesterday, DH had to be at the hospital early for a test, so while he was having the test done, I was in the waiting room stitching. First, one of the receptionists came over to me and asked what I was doing. I showed her Home by the Sea, the project I brought with me. She was just amazed at the work I had done and asked if it was very hard. I said it wasn't hard once you got the hang of it, but the key was paying attention and rechecking your work every so often to make sure you were on track. She said she would be too anxious and impatient to stitch, and I told her it would probably help calm her down as the repetitve motion of needle through fabric can be quite soothing. She also said I could probably sell my work, but I told her that it takes too long and requires too much effort for many of the large pieces to make it worth selling (not to mention all the copyright issues!) I did say that there are some stitchers that worked on commission, and that many of my pieces are given as gifts, highly personalized to the recipients.

By the way, I must once again plug my Vera Bradley Little Travel Case. Sadly, the piece has been discontinued, but you can still find some on places like eBags, eBay, etc. If you don't have one and you like Vera Bradley, you might want to pick one up. My small size scroll frame fits perfectly, though my medium one doesn't quite get in there all the way. It keeps my charts flat and has plenty of room for my tools and threads. I've used this several times now - down the shore, weekend trips, and waiting rooms, and it's been fantastic. And since eBags has it on sale for $25, well worth it! (the color selection is limited though)

A little later on, another woman in the waiting room came over and asked if I had scissors she could borrow. She was using perle cotton to hemstitch some receiving blankets and had forgotten to pack scissors. She said she did a lot of traveling and got tired of having her scissors confiscated at the airport. I told her she could get a clover cutter, and she said she never heard of one! I told her any sewing store should have one, and if she couldn't find one, needlework shops would have them as well. And since the blade is completely enclosed and can only be used for threads, she should have no problems at the airport. As you can imagine, she was quite happy to know there was a solution to her problem and said she'd be going out to get one ASAP.

After our adventures at the hospital, DH was feeling up to it, so we dropped off a prescription, went for breakfast, then stopped by AC Moore. I wanted to pick up a linen tester that I had seen on several other blogs. A few people have had serious issues when they discovered the fabric they were stitching on was a different thread count than it had been labeled. I used my 40% off coupon, so for under $3, it's cheap insurance that I don't start stitching something only to discover I'm about to run off the end of the fabric.

We also wanted to look at some dollhouse things. Now that we've moved, DH is itching to start the lighthouse dollhouse we bought 2 years ago. When he was younger, he helped his grandfather build a house for his cousin, and has always wanted to do another one. When we spotted this lighthouse at AC Moore, we knew it would be perfect for us. (Now to obtain the keeper's cottage). We're still deciding on paint colors and how we're going to do the inside, but we'd like to keep them simple. This is a New England Lighthouse, after all! I'd also like it to reflect some of the lighthouses we've visited, so we'll flip through our photos and try to pick out details from our travels to incorporate into the light.

And FINALLY, my new LNS. I was sad to leave The Strawberry Sampler, as they always had a ton of great stuff there, and an incredible staff, but the 90 minute drive to visit them can really only be done occasionally, especially with the price of gas. I had to find something closer, and to be honest, the selection at the mass market stores like Michael's and Joanns has been disappointing. Sure, for DMC and some tools, they're great, especially with sale prices and coupons, but their selection leaves much to be desired. And the stores closest to me only have a bare minimum of the bare minimum. I have to go 20 miles to get to a half decent selection at a Joann Superstore as my local Joann's seems to only carry sewing items (fabric, patterns, notions) and seasonal decor. Their cross stitch stuff is some DMC, needles and Aida fabric. I don' think they had even 1/2 dozen charts in the store.

Anyway, short of ordering on the internet, the situation is somewhat dire, but we stopped by Just Cross Stitch in Royersford. It's on the small side - basically 2 rooms in a former house converted to commercial space, but they have a fantastic selection and the store is well organized. Everything is accessible, and while there's a lot to look at, it doesn't feel too crowded. And they have all the specialty threads I need, and a HUGE selection of fabric. Even better than the Strawberry Sampler had, plus they will cut and serge the fabric you need for a chart on the spot, a service the Strawberry Sampler didn't offer.

The woman working there was also quite friendly and helpful (I wish I could remember her name!). Apparently the owner just had knee replacement surgery that morning, so two of her friends were actually volunteering to keep the shop open for her - and being paid in charts and discounts instead of a salary. She also clued me in to a few local stitching groups and said that the shop sponsors a big "stitch in" in the fall at a local park that always has a good turn out and is a lot of fun. The shop doesn't have their own website, but they do have an email list, so I signed up for that, of course! And I picked up a grab bag of odd cuts of 28 ct. fabric in assorted colors. One of the pieces in the bag appears to be a hand-dyed piece in a gorgeously soft linen, so I am looking forward to finding something to stitch on that. It was $7.50 for the bag of about 10 pieces, all about the right size for ornaments / fobs / small pieces, so I think it was quite a bargain, and it will help me branch out a little with colors.

So it looks like the voting is coming down to the My Big Toe Designs piece and the Bent Creek "I Do". I hadn't mentioned it earlier, but DH picked I Do as his favorite, and it looks like I'm leaning towards that one as well. But I still really love the Big Toe one, so I ended up buying that one yesterday for my stash. The I Do wasn't in stock, so they're going to order it and let me know when it comes in.

I'm still alive!

Moving has sucked up much of my days (and evenings) and by the time I am finished for the day, I am too exhausted to stitch, so I've been spending some time trying to catch up with all the blog posts in my Google reader.

I've just about finished unpacking, or at least unpacking in the main part of the house. There's still the matter of the basement to deal with (more boxes down there, but they're storage items) and the garage (DH's domain). DH has been putting in time on a frustrating project at work, so when he gets home, he doesn't even want to think about dealing with the garage. And just as I finish UNPACKING, I have to start REPACKING as we leave for the shore tomorrow morning for a week long vacation. Don't get me wrong - we're desperately in need of a vacation, and I can't wait to see my little niece and nephew. It will be nice to live without boxes for a week!

C in DC has received her signed copy of The Hard Way, so I hope she enjoys it. Carolien, I promise I will get your copy out to you as soon as I find it. I swear I had my hands on it earlier this week, but heaven only knows where it is now!!! And if anyone else has picked up the book, please let me know how you liked it. Julie's friends and family have been reporting back "book sightings" at local bookstores around the country, and it's some pretty exciting stuff. She'll also have her first book signing at a Borders in her hometown in July, so I am hoping that goes well. I'm just so proud of my friend!

I have a new project to start down the shore, Home by the Sea by Designs from Pamela. I spotted it at the online needlework show and fell in love, so I'm stitching this for a housewarming gift for my DH and myself. I may even finish it as shown with the hooks for the keys, or rather, have DH finish it like that! And I already have the perfect hanging spot for it - right inside the door as you enter the kitchen from the laundry room. The laundry room connects the kitchen and the garage, so that will be the door DH and I use most of the time, and I'll be able to see it every day. I'm going to modify it to include our family name and est. 2004 (the year we were married) on the bottom. I've decided that whenever I do a housewarming gift for a married couple, I am going to use the year they were married instead of when they bought the house because IMO, that's when the family was established. I think I'll stitch the personalization in the same brown as the treetrunks.

Now onto the Friday Feasts. I'm not quite as far behind as I thought I was, even though I haven't done these in a long, long time! (or rather it seems that way). And once I am done with those, I am going back off the grid for another week. See you when I get back!!

From Friday's Feasts: A Buffet for your Brain: Friday Feasts #192 & #193

Feast One Hundred & Ninety Two

Appetizer: When you drink soda/pop/coke, do you prefer to drink it from the bottle, a can, or after pouring it into a cup?
Most of the time, I drink straight from the bottle, especially if we're on the road. At home, we usually buy cans of soda, so I drink directly from them. Really the only time I ever drink soda from a class is in a restaurant or someone's home and they make me drink from the glass.

Soup: What television show are you willing to stay up late to watch?
None, really. That's the miracle of cable television. Sooner or later they're going to repeat it. I have been know, however, to keep going with shows on DVD until we finish the disc, which could be very late indeed.

Salad: Name one person, place, or thing you think of as brilliant.
Hands down, my DH

Main Course: Would you be willing to work 4 10-hour days instead of 5 8-hour days in order to save gas?
Absolutely. I've done it before to have the extra day off, and it's not that big of a deal, especially since I like to be in the office early (7-7:30)

Dessert: If you were a superhero, what would you call yourself?
I'm Batman. (it's a joke)

~~~~~~~~~~

Feast One Hundred & Ninety Three

Appetizer: Do you consider yourself to be an optimist or a pessimist?

I used to be very pessimistic, but I've tried to be more optimistic lately. I'm still no Little Mary Sunshine, but I think trying to see the good side makes me a nicer person to be around.

Soup: What is your favorite color of ink to write with?

Black, preferably fine or ultra fine point.

Salad: How often do you get a manicure or pedicure? Do you do them yourself or go to a salon and pay for them?

Occasionally I will treat myself to a salon manicure. But I also have quite a collection of tools and polishes, so I used to keep up with doing my own manicures pretty regularly until we started the packing and moving process and my nails went to hell. I'll be fixing that this week while on family vacation. My 5 year old niece loves when I do her nails - I've even taught her to properly ROLL the bottle to mix instead of shaking it! We've made a family tradition to do manicures on vacation. As for pedicures, I don't care for them at the salon. I'd rather do my own at home, and my toes are almost always nicely painted.

Main Course: Have you ever won anything online?

If so, what was it?I won a sweet bookmark from Barbara.

Dessert: In which room in your house do you keep your home computer?

It's in our guestroom for now but may eventually move down to the craft room in the basement. Once we set up a wireless router though, we can really go anywhere.