~ Greetings and Warm Welcome, my friends ~
I hope this finds you all warm and snuggled in where ever you are....
We are a balmy -8 degrees this morning with the hopes of at least rising above the 0 degree mark on the thermometer. Good heavens it is cold! I love winter - I love all seasons - but goodness gracious when it is this cold it is almost mind numbing!
Yesterday our area was essentially "closed down"...
no school, my husband telecommuted from home, Jacob's college was even closed. . . so we all stayed in and did what we wanted to do (except for Daddy who was working - in his jammies - in the office). I got to work on a number of things yesterday - it was too cold to go down in the bat cave (holy smokes - I would have been a block of ice - I do have a small space heater, but it really doesn't do much other than keep the lower half of my body warm. We have a "walk out basement" which means one of the 4 walls is not in the ground...I have windows down there and a door that opens to our back yard - we live in limestone country so a completely in the ground basement is a rarity. Anyway....the concrete walls just literally radiate ice when it is this cold - our basement is "unfinished" meaning no air ducts blow down there. So...brrrrr in the winter. In the summer it stays relatively cool because three sides remain in the ground and the back of the house (where the wall to the back yard is and thus not in the ground) doesn't get sun until late in the evening and never at full force so stays cool in the summer even without air conditioning....heat rises so pleasant in the summer, in the winter...YOWZA!
Anyway, I digress...back to what I want to share with you....
January 2019 saw me tearing through my "at home" needlework shop and my WIPS (works in progress) and here is what I either started or decided to work on this month:
JANUARY 2019 CROSS STITCH
My friend Renee and I are hosting a stitch-a-long over on the Facebook group: Little House and Country Cottage Needlework Stitching Group. Our January/February SAL had 4 choices both seasonal and non-season from both designers. I have long wanted to have an entire Little House Needleworks Inns wall, so I chose Red Rooster Inn...
Little House Needleworks ~ "Red Rooster Inn"
stitched on 40 ct Vintage Examplar linen by Lakeside
Using called for Classic Colorworks overdyed cotton threads
*this shall be my focus on the finish for the very short month of February that is nipping at our heels
(why does January seem so long and February seems like here and gone?)
My Oldest WIP saw a little love this month...
Told In a Garden ~ "Song of a People"
this is so old (21 year long WIP) I have no idea the color of the evenweave, but I am stitching it with DMC.
I started this yesterday during the polar ice cap visit...
Teresa Kogut ~ "For Ewe"
I did my own conversion to Classic Colorworks and am using called for DMC
stitched on 28 ct. "Midnight" by Luminous Fiber Arts (owner: Misty Pursel dyes her own fabric line) this is a beautiful navy/blacky mottled fabric. You can find Misty on her own YouTube Channel and also buy her fabric and designs on Etsy at her shop of the same name: Luminous Fiber Arts
Last week I found myself falling deeper and deeper into a rabbit hole when I stumbled (literally) across a new to me designer: Modern Folk Embroidery
BEAUTIFUL designs, stunning work are done by the proprietor and designer: Jacob
I joined the 2019 Stitch-a-long there and here is my start:
Modern Folk Embroidery ~ "2019 SAL"
using DMC 115 stitching on 46 ct Heritage Silkweaver
Beth Twist of Heartstring Samplery is a beautiful person inside and out. She recently did a very heartfelt video, link HERE about a set of 4 designs that she has designed for some charities that she holds close to her heart. Her earnest appeal and striking design had me immediately. I have purchased all 4 and am hoping to do "one word" per day. Here is my start:
Heartstring Samplery ~ "Justice"
stitched on 40 ct. Picture This Plus "Legacy"
using Classic Colorworks Black Coffee
So that, folks, was my works in progress for January...here, are my:
January 2019 Cross Stitch Finishes
Little House Needleworks ~ "Monthly Thread Pack Series"
oldies but goodies...I have the entire series, have had them for years - purchased when they first released and did I stitch them? No. To remedy that I pulled out late spring/early summer pack and got "May" done!
Stitched on 28 ct. Clay Zweigart linen
using called for Classic Colorworks overdye cottons
Tanya Brockmeyer of The Scarlett House fame...
gave her loyal fans a beautiful complimentary pattern entitled "Love".
I stitched it up using my own conversion to all Classic Colorworks - my conversions are available at the TABS above but I can link you HERE
I finished it as a mounted flat door/knob/cuboard/wall hanger - tutorials are available to achieve the look if you are a follower and user of my tutorial blog where all of my many, many tutorials are linked to both WRITTEN and VIDEO tutorials available.
**a word about my tutorials, tips, conversions, techniques, etc***
I give everything I know away free.
Everything.
And I do it with a happy heart. I love to share. It brings me joy.
Some are really great about giving freely, especially if it will help sell their patterns or get their company out in the eye of the public. That's just good business sense, right? Right! And I'm all about having good business sense. However I don't benefit monetarily by anything I share. I just give. I feel strongly that what talent God has given me, I am to share freely. I do that and I ask for nothing in return except my NAME be associated with the item made, done, used, utilized, fill in the blank. Hundreds of hours, literally, have been spent by me making tutorials to share and help others learn to make their stitching shine. I love to do it! I truly do love to help and teach others. I do not like seeing things made (and I can tell when my tips and techniques have been used) and there is no mention crediting the help they received. We all have learned to credit designers - as we should - for their creativity and beauty they have created in a pattern that we have purchased from them to create for ourselves. The same holds (in my mind) that the tutorial or tip we use to make something of beauty in finishing, the author of that help should be credited too. Just a little seed to plant in your mind to be aware. That is one thing I always believe in strongly...giving credit, where credit is due.
JANUARY 2019 QUILITING
I made a quilt from Jo Morton's ~ "Jo's Little Favorites" book 1
It's a Log Cabin Quilt and I chose all my own colors using Jo's recommendation on tones.
It's using mostly scraps and I love a good scrappy quilt.
Here is the top...I have sandwiched or quilted it yet.
My idea is to use the "Baptist Fan" pattern for quilting.
Lastly and certainly not least....
I am now a regular contributor to Fiber Talk
and I will be chatting Gary up every 3 weeks on Wednesdays! WHOOP!
if you are not a subscriber, I recommend you go on over to YouTube: HERE
Click or Tap on that red SUBSCRIBE button and tap on the BELL so you are alerted when a new show is uploaded (twice a week one on Wednesdays and one on Sundays) and just sit back and listen and stitch. I love Gary and I love how he is bringing attention to the needlearts. Join us!
Folks...
that's it! Are you happy!? HA HA!
Until Next time...
love and hugs in stitches,
Vonna xxxx