Shout out to Faye (aka, Carolina Stitcher)

Well it has been far too long since I've posted here.  February ended up not being the best month for me, and March sure did seem to "come in like a lion" rearing his angry jaws.   But, now we're into double digits here already, and it's time I got out of this funky mood and back to my stitching!

First I really want to give a HUGE shout-out to Faye, whom many of you know as Carolina Stitcher from her wonderful blog.  If you haven't seen her blog, I encourage you to take a look!  (Better have some handkerchiefs ready, cause I promise you'll be drooling over her gorgeous finishing work!!)  

Here's a shot of the first project from Colonial Gathering Club.  This was suggested to be finished as a "Colonial Candle Pocket" by the designer, Plum Street Samplings.  However, I really knew I would probably not use it to carry candles, so I asked Faye if there might be a way to finish it as a pin keep. 

Well, she sure did not disappoint!   I absolutely love how she finished this for me - including a little pin all antiqued and rusted holding a little scrap of fabric.  I told Faye I think it's just too nice to risk keeping it next to my stitching spot where my Wheaten Terrier might mistake it as a TOY!  (He's not the gentlest of creatures when he has anything filled with stuffing in his teeth!)  So, for now, I have it sitting on a wall unit across from my stitching spot where I can see it and it's out of the grasp of Seamus.  

                                                 

And wait until you see Faye's work on the Little House sheep series! Or her Prairie Schooler Santa collection!  Honestly, her work speaks for itself, but I wanted to draw your attention to her blog in case you might have missed it before.  And if you happen to have any pieces that need finishing, you may just want to contact Faye yourself.  (Still can't believe I was actually toying with the idea of finishing this piece on my own - sans sewing machine or any finishing experience!) 

                             

Here's my latest "mini finish" of "A is for Anchor" by The Prairie Schooler.  I say "mini finish" because I now only need to stitch up B to Z to complete this project!  LOL!  I'm using DMC floss (one ply) on 36 count Fabric Flair Ivory evenweave for this project.  And tomorrow it's on to "B is for Blackbird" along with Jan and her group stitching this project over in Tasmania!  To give you an idea of the task ahead, take a look at the fabric I still need to fill! (Gulp) Time to get it back on the Q-snaps so I can pretend it's not that much stitching left.  ;-)  Happy Stitching! 

It's Hermit time again! Yahoo!

Here I was sulking earlier over a really Class-A CRUMMY week, 

when to my glee I happened to check out the blogosphere

and Bonnie so kindly reminded me... it's time for IHSW again!

Oh boy, do I need a nice weekend to crawl into my shell and just 

STITCH STITCH STITCH! 

For info on how YOU TOO can join in, check out Joysze's blog! 

I'm going to get started PRONTO!
Here's my very modest beginnings of The Prairie Schooler Alphabet series
I'm hoping to finish this first block during my hermitage!

"A is for Anchor"

The Prairie Schooler

DMC on Fabric Flair 36 ct Ivory

one ply over two

HAPPY STITCHING!

A wonderful idea from Shakespeare's Peddler!

I just finished reading a post by Shakespeare's Peddler designer, Theresa.  She has developed a place for all our UFO's to find an adopting stitcher to continue working on those pieces that might otherwise sit stuck in a dark closet or drawer for eternity.  I just think this is wonderful - and her rules for the program really have taken everything into consideration that one could think of.  Great going, Theresa!   I hope she won't mind, but I'm going to paste some of the information from her blog here so any interested stitchers can learn how they can join in.

Here is a portion of her original post, but PLEASE  stop by the link to Theresa's blog to read all of THE RULES of the program before you commit.  And maybe drop Theresa a quick comment.  I think she deserves kudos for arranging this Adoption Program for our stitching community.

http://shakespearespeddler.blogspot.com/2014/02/needlework-ufo-adoptions.html

"[Theresa] started a new group on Facebook to help these wayward orphans find homes.  I am including here the same rules I have posted on Facebook.  I may edit these rules as issues pop up.  I do not accept responsibility for any transactions (except my own) on the page, but am the administrator in that I will keep an eye on the goings-on.  I hope that you have fun participating in or just watching the group.  You can visit and join the page by going to this link:  www.facebook.com/needleworkUFOs.  Encourage your friends to like and follow the page.  The more people we have, the more fun it will be." (From Shakespeare's Peddler blog)

And we have a winner!

Woke up bright and early this morning, and completely forgot that today was the day I was supposed to pick a giveaway winner!  Debated about extending it through the weekend, but I ended up deciding to review your comments, jot down your names, and cut them into strips.  I put them all in my Shaker box and had Shirlee's snowman sled oversee the proceedings.  (Thank you, Shirlee!!)

 

Seamus came over to see what all the fuss was about, but he couldn't be bothered choosing a winner.

"Nah, I'd rather have some chicken."

And the winner is .....

Congrats, Lisa V!  

Please email me your mailing address and I'll get your 

"I Sigh Not For Beauty" sampler and supplies in the mail. 

Thanks to everyone for your entries and comments - I really enjoyed reading what

  everyone will be working on this year!  Some exciting projects planned! 

Have a great weekend - and happy stitching!!

A GIVEAWAY, a Small SAL finish, and stitching By the Bay

Well here it is February, and I'm already slacking off on my promise to keep this blog updated more often.

First up, I've reached 200 followers, and I believe I promised A GIVEAWAY when I had ANOTHER HUNDRED PEOPLE join up as followers!   Since I've somewhat named 2014 as "The Year of the Sampler" I thought it would be appropriate to give away a beautiful sampler chart (plus a hand dyed linen and the flosses needed).

THE GIVEAWAY! WINNER ANNOUNCED FRIDAY, FEB 7th

This is C Street Samplerworks "I Sigh Not For Beauty" which was designed by Ruth Ann Russell and "inspired by late 18th Century samplers from the Boston, Massachusetts area."  It has all the things I love in a sampler design - a grand house, trees, floral border, and several birds perched here and there -- I think I even spy two butterflies.   (I apologize for this lousy photo.)

WHAT YOU'LL WIN:  the complete, brand-spanking-new chart; a 1/4 yard cut of 32 count Apple Brown Bindy hand dyed linen by R&R Reproductions; and the DMC flosses needed to stitch this.  I must confess (before I have a disgruntled giveaway winner on my hands) I didn't have three of the colors of DMC used in the model, BUT I dug my way through the boxes of STASH and was able to find some pretty close matches and all are full, unused skeins.  Yippee!  All you'll need to supply are a needle and scissors, and some lucky soul will be on their way to happy sampler stitchin' ! 

HOW TO ENTER - leave a response to this blog post BEFORE 1:00 AM Friday morning, (EST). 

Tell me YOUR plans for your 2014 stitching. You don't need to list specific goals, but tell me about a project(s) you hope to finish or start this year, or maybe a new technique you'd like to learn, or maybe a retreat you plan to attend - anything goes, really, AS LONG AS IT'S RELATED TO STITCHING. 

 I'll give each valid entry/response a number and pick one at random from a Shaker Box, and announce the winner on FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7th. 

As for me and my stitching, I did finish a "small" for the "2014 Small SAL" I signed up for (tap logo on left side for link.) I'm posting the pic several days late, but I did actually get the stitching on this finished before January ended. This is "A Colonial Candle Pouch" - the first project sent to those stitchers participating in the Colonial Gatherings Club via Dyeing to Stitch, the R&R Reproductions' blog. It was designed by Plum Street Samplers.  I haven't done the "finishing" on it yet -- I don't own a sewing machine - but I'll figure out something.  (Those Colonial stitchers didn't have sewing machines anyway, right?)

 Col. Gatherings "Candle Pouch" by Plum Street Samplers

Keeping true to my Sampler of the Year theme, I've been working on Cornelia Vanderveer by Scarlet Letter as well as Snooty Parrots by Barbara Ana.  (I'll post pics of them next time.)  I'm having a little By the Bay SAL with my friend Kathy, which we started a couple of weeks ago.  This is where I left off on By the Bay's "Tidal River."  It's a fun project filled with the blues and greens I love plus lots of little details to bring the bayside scene to life.  The fabric is 32 count Blue Dynasty and DMC threads. 

 I'm working on this between other projects, cuz that's just the way I roll! Ha ha ha.   Until next time - good luck on the giveaway, and happy stitching! 

DON'T you wish you were HERE - hanging in a hammock, and sipping a Margarita? 

1. 
   

I'm WEAK, I tell ya! WEAK!

Well, it was inevitable - sooner or later, I just knew I'd buckle and give in against my "promise" not to buy any new stash in 2014.

Ah yes ... There she is! That VIXEN! That SIREN! That Scandinavian temptress so lovingly batting her Nordic eyelashes at me and whispering softly in my ear, "Come on, Kevin....you know you want me."

Yes....yes...I confess -- resistance was futile!! Those 28 shades of the softest Au Ver a Soie -- those gentle hues of blue and green .. those luscious deep ruby red bands ... THE BIRDS! Come on - you know I cannot resist BIRDS! (It's so unfair the way she teased me, I tell you!) 

Sure, I had some caveats to my initial "no new stash" assertion - such as, I'd allow myself to continue my purchases of a couple of series of charts I had started stitching in 2013 (Blackbird Designs' Loose Feather series, SamSarah's "Winds of Change" series, to name a few) BUT I really thought I'd at least make it through the end of January without any other MAJOR stash enhancement. 

(You say "hoarding," I say "stash enhancement" - Let's call the whole thing off!)

And so, making her way here to South Florida along the great continental USPS route from EBAY to my eagerly awaiting mitts, may I introduce to you: Miss Anniken Simensen of The Scarlet Letter collection of reproduction samplers. She wears that emblazoned "A" so proudly. 

"Another Hundred People"

First up this morning, I'd like to thank everyone who sent birthday wishes my way.  Between the blogosphere and Facebook, I felt like Mr. Popularity on the 17th.  I also appreciate your comments regarding my first finish of 2014.  I'm still working my way through replying to my blog comments, and if I missed you, I do apologize and thank you for taking the time to stop by and/or comment.  I promise I'll do a better job of responding to comments in the future.  

And speaking of comments, it looks like another "milestone" is approaching my little piece of CYBERSPACE - I have almost reached 200 followers.  (Hence, the title of my post this morning.)  And, what better way to celebrate a milestone than ..... a giveaway?  

That's right, folks - when I eventually reach the "200 followers" benchmark, I shall host another giveaway here on Cabbages and Kings.  I'm not sure exactly WHAT I shall give away, but I promise it will be something nice and definitely stitching-related.   Stay tuned in the coming weeks for more info.  

Here's a bit of "Broadway show" trivia - does anyone know the name of the show where today's blog title hails from?  A bit of "Kevin" trivia -- I was in a production of this musical back when I was in college.  Yep, that's right - at one time before the back issues plagued my every waking hour, I was a bit of a "song and dance" man.  Well, maybe more of the "song" and less of the "dance," if truth be told!  My singing is now saved for the shower or when I'm alone in the car.  You're welcome! 

Have a great day, and I wish you lots of happy moments filled with needle and thread this coming weekend. Stay warm if you're in a part of the country dealing with those horrendous sub-zero temps! 

    

First 2014 Happy Dance

Lizzie Kate's "Hearts and Holly"

My first finish for 2014, and my first cross off my WIP-ocalypse and Turtle Trot lists. 

My first International Hermit Stitch Weekend approacheth

This Friday is a special day.   For starters, it's my 49th birthday - the start of my last year of my FORTIES! Yikes - where did they go?? Seems like only yesterday I remember hiding in the living room of our house in Monmouth Beach waiting to surprise my mother on her fiftieth birthday, and before I know it I'll be hitting the big five-oh myself in 2015!

Secondly, this Friday begins the first 2014 International Hermit Stitch Weekend, and I cannot think of a better way to enjoy my birthday than locking myself inside with my pile o' WIPs happily stitching away and listening to Audible or "watching" some Netflix while my needles ply the linen.  :-)
If you're interested in joining me and my fellow hermits, click the link above and input your information on Joyce's blog post.  The more the merrier!

Here's a pic I took a few days ago of my WIP of Lizzie Kate's "Hearts and Holly."  I'm almost done with the third and final section.  Here are parts one and two - I edited part two a bit in order to capitalize the word "Christmas."  (I knew it would drive me batty with the lowercase "c" as it was charted.)  

Happy stitching, and think about joining me and the other hermits this weekend! 

A new start and The Turtle Trot Ten 2014

Well I promised myself I'd work on more SAMPLERS in 2014, and I started the New Year with Barbara Ana's "Snooty Parrots Sampler."  I'm happy to report that I finished the January section of
this project (I'm doing the SAL that's located on Facebook) and I now can devote the rest of this month to focusing on WIPs.  Here's the update on Snooty Parrots:

In my effort to keep up with my plans for this new stitching year, I've joined a couple of  groups I think will help me stay on task with whittling down my WIPs.

WIP- ocalypse and Turtle Trot are two that I'm most excited about.  I have a pile ( yes PILE) of WIPs tottering precariously next to my stitching spot, and after taking pics of each today, I can see that I IMAGINED I was further along on most of these than I thought,  and I better get a move on stitching a bit of each one every month if I ever hope to finish any.  Here are the ten I'd like to focus on in no particular order:

                                                  1. Blackbird Designs "Away We Ride"

2.  Drawn Thread "Tocatta No. 2"

3. Lizzie Kate "Very Scary" 

4. Lizzie Kate "Living with CharmDouble Flips"

5. Lizzie Kate "Hearts and Holly"

6. Blackbird Designs "My Hearts Desire"

7.  Blackbird Designs "Forget Me Not" 

8. Quaker Christmas II 

9. Scarlet Letter "Cornelia Ann Vanderveer 1835"

10. Scarlet Letter "The Sampler"

Thanks for stopping by! 

Have a great weekend and happy stitching!