My Goodness!!!!

HELLO!!!!

I really didn't disappear from the stitching world.
In fact, I just got back from a wonderful weekend retreat with my local guild, BASG (Bay Area Sampler Guild) and my other stitching group, Stitchers by the Bay.
The weather was lovely, the company super wonderful and the food was delicious. And we all did stitching all day long and into the night!
I think its like my 6th or 7th year.
EVERYONE should be so lucky!

So, this cute kitty you see at the top of this post was a Christmas gift from a friend of mine.  Her name is Janet (I sure love her!). Well, Janet isn't a stitcher but she somehow got a stitching catalog in the mail and she saw this kit and thought I would like it. When she told me she found me something to stitch I was a little bit apprehensive--you all know we don't always like or want to stitch what the next person does... but I really do love this cute kitty!

He actually had his whole long, tall, sitting body but I didn't think it was necessary to stitch it all. So I made him shorter and will see about making him into a zippered project bag. With cute Christmas fabric, I think he'll be great.

Anyway, I must run, lots to do--and I must walk my puppy now, whose not so much a puppy as she was!
She looks at me like this when she wants her walk. lol
Next comes the paw in my lap and after that, the BARK!

That's our 13 yr old Kuvasz in the background in protective custody. If Ruby had her way, she'd be all over the poor guy.

And here's our Ruby, caught doing something she shouldn't be doing!

Have a great day and have fun stitching  :)

BASG Exchange Gift

Each year our sampler guild (Bay Area Sampler Guild, BASG) does a gift exchange. And if you want to participate in it, you draw a name and keep it secret. You agree to make a stitched gift for the person whose name you drew and then give it to them (usually at the holiday party in November)

I got Dorita. When I first joined the guild (still now, actually), whenever someone would call out her name, I would think it was ME they were talking to. LOL  Apparently she does the same. haha

I just love gifts and things that have a PURPOSE.
So I came up with this letter D initial...found some really cute and colorful fabric...proceeded to change all the colors in my chart so they would match my fabric... and then added little French knots, scattered to mimic the fabric.

Tell me, WHO couldn't use (another) project bag?!

Do you know I've not picked up my stitching a single time since getting this sweet little, rambunctious puppy?!
I do plan to...
Really, I do.
I'm really starting to miss sewing!!!!
(I do believe she's figured out the housebreaking thing now and let me tell you, I'm sooo happy about that!!!!! )

Next week I am going to speak at the Women's Club luncheon in my town. I'm going to take bunches of my finishes and show them. I think the ladies will like seeing them because I believe that most of them aren't aware at just how lovely cross stitch can actually be. Especially nowadays with all the pretty variegated silks, tiny crystals and beads and colorful fabrics.

(if you're wondering, my puppy's name is Ruby and she is a 10 week old Dobie)
I don't plan to crop her ears. I love her just the way she is!

What I've been up to...

Oh my gosh!
I've not stitched a single bit lately!!!

Its because I knew I was going to get this wonderful little creature and I wanted to study up on everything I could possibly learn about her breed and how to take care of her and train her, etc.

Soon though, I'll be back in the groove (in between chasing my new darling) stitching up a storm!

My Fair Entries

I actually entered some things in the fair this year!

The last, and only other time I entered something in the fair, was 11 years ago. They were brutal! ...told me my "skill set" wasn't up for the design I chose. Wah!!
Hurt my feelers and made me not want to EVER do that again.

But in all fairness, it taught me to have what I coined, "Stitch Envy" for these other people that had these simply PERFECT stitches, and to learn just HOW they did them. (Which is Railroading, by the way) OF course I railroad every stitch now.  lol

A couple years ago I joined the Women's Club. Figured its the thing to do when one starts to get old...  HAHA

So last spring I offered to be one of the speakers during this next season, Sept. to May. There were 5 slots open and they had 13 to choose from. So, the members all voted for the speakers they wanted. I never heard anything back from the lady in charge of speakers for FOUR MONTHS. So I just thought they didn't choose me. BUT THEN! She called me and told me that YES, they DO want me to talk at one of the luncheons, in fact, she wanted me to be the speaker to start the year off on a nice note. I wasn't going to be able to come to that September meeting, so we agreed on November.

Then I started thinking, well...if I enter some things in the fair and IF I happened to get a ribbon for one of them, then it would be really neat to show the ladies in the Women's Club.

So I pulled up my big girl panties, got brave and did it!

Of course we went to the fair on the opening day. I wanted to see right away what the news was.
I was really nervous. Really nervous.
With me was my husband, a friend, and my dad and Dad's gf.  My husband was pushing my dad's gf in a wheelchair, so he was behind a bit. I couldn't wait, so I walked on ahead and was looking, looking for my things. We came in a side door.

THERE THEY WERE!
Right beside the front door.
People were gathered around them.

Oh my gosh! I saw "Flower Power"
THERE WAS A BLUE RIBBON THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I got tears in my eyes. I rushed back to tell my husband! Then I wanted to go see what that other ribbon was right beside it.
Oh wow, BEST IN SECTION!!!
And, wait! TWO MORE BLUE RIBBONS!
Ok,  so now I really have tears in my eyes.

So I rush back to my husband and start to tell him but the words wouldn't come out because I started crying. "What's wrong?! What's wrong?!" he asked me.
Nothing was wrong.
Everything was just wonderful.
They liked me!  lol

(all but the Christmas picture are mine)

I felt like the Fair Queen. HAHAHA

tree part

I've got a bit of an update on the guild sampler piece. (I really have a lot more done but, its in the frame and its such a pain to get it out!)

So here's a little something. I'm satin stitching over my X's to give more dimension to the fruit. (I know I'm going to need to add another X over the bottom branch areas where the fruit connects, its looking a little lost in there)

OH! And guess what, I decided to enter some things in the fair! The fair is in a couple weeks, so we will see then if anything good happens   :)

Just Nan Miss Kitty is finished!

 

I finished Miss Kitty!!!
And Vilma is going to be so happy because she was sooo sweet to send me the tinchart and little kitty pin and finally now she gets to see mine!
Vilma bought one for each of us. She finished hers quicker than I did, though.

Here's an extra little something I did to mine

OOPSIE!

I spy some of my "specialty fibers" lol  gotta love kitty fur on the Miss Kitty pin cube, right?!

So, what I did on this cute little cube that was different than "normal" are a few things:
I added Rainbow Gallery petite braid in gold ( I love gold)
I added Swarovski crystals (different colors each side)
I put French Knots in the centers
I stitched beads on the bottom to make into legs
I put pearl beads in each corner
I put some cardboard inside to make the sides stiffish
I put bunches of lizard gravel/walnut shells in for weight
There are a few layers of cardboard on the bottom to hold it firm
Also, I put 2  tiny silver magnets under the top center to help hold needles
(I actually stitched them into 2 pieces of wool felt so they wouldn't move)

Other than that, its all the same!

Thank you again, Vilma for the nice present!!!