Coffee and cross-stitch

Good morning!

Here's what I've been working on for the last 2 weeks. I started this during Stitchmaynia 2019, but with all my other wips I hadn't picked it up until last month. So I'm determined to get it done. Of course, I'm not stitching like I used to, so it's going to be a slow process.

I'm out of DMC 503, which is a blue-green that goes on the bottom of her dress. I'm looking at DMC 597 that could be a good substitute, it's pretty close. Hopefully I'll finish her dress today or maybe tomorrow, then I'll have the flowers left to do.

Frida designed by Barbara Ana Designs

Speaking of coffee, I found these cute coffee journal cards on the Lily-pad digital website. I brought them into one of my digital programs and made tags. These will be great for my cards or journals. The tags are sort of large, but I think they'll work just fine. I printed them on the back side of patterned paper that is light and is perfect for journaling.

Hope your having a relaxing day. 

Happy crafting!

A finish and some more wips

Yes, I have a finish to share, plus some other projects I'm working on.

I finished the August Cottage from Country Cottage Needleworks. I trimmed it with a ruffle I made. Actually, it looks like pleats. I wanted to use a blue gingham, but after making the ruffle, it was no way, it looked to babyish and I had to find something else in my stash. Since I already had the ruffle attachment on my machine (which is another story) I was on a ruffle roll. 

I spent the afternoon trying to get my ruffle attachment to work, I mean I've done it before many, many years ago, but this is a new attachment and a very different machine. But once I got it figured out, after trial and error, it was easy. I did a lot of practicing and viewing a lot of videos, and I did it! I know it would have been a lot quicker and easier if I made the ruffle by hand, but I bought this attachment a couple of years ago and I was determined to take it out of it's package and use it for the first time.

I have been working on two other projects this month. The Red Wagon with Tree from Home for the Holidays by Sue Hillis Designs, but I stopped because it was taking me too long and I was making a lot of mistakes. I don't know why I chose to stitch on linen, it's 32 count Belfast and my first time stitching on a smaller stitch count. I'll get back to it later, but I want to get some other ones done first.

And the other one I'm working on is Witch Ride? by Barbara Ana Designs. I started this during Stitch Maynia. I was hoping I would have it done today, but I got hung up yesterday with finishing the August Cottage. I love the colors of the cup, the layers of colors looks very cool. Maybe I'll have it done tomorrow. Then I can finish Field Mouse Hollow before Halloween. I know, I have a lot of  fall and winter projects to get to, yikes!

Have a great Monday!

Stitch Maynia Days 29, 30 and 31 and July Sew Sampler

The last three projects for Stitch Maynia are WIPs which one of them I started just before Christmas, it's small enough and I thought I would be done with it in time for Christmas. Well, it didn't happen. That would be Wintry Woodsy from Punch Needle and Primitive Stitcher Magazine.

Day 29 - Checking it Twice, Country Cottage Needleworks

Stitch on 28 count Monaco with DMC floss.

Day 30 - Wintry Woodsy, PNPS Magazine stitched on 28 count Evenweave with DMC Floss

Day 31- More Chocolate Bunnies, Hands On Design stitched on 28 count Monaco with DMC floss

It would be nice if I could get the Christmas ones done before Christmas, but I don't know. I think I took on too many projects!

I re-subscribed to Sew Sampler from the Fat Quarter Shop. I received my July box yesterday and I'm so excited with what was inside! There was a pattern for project bags and a cute sewing-themed fat quarter bundle, Blooms & Bobbins. Also a handbag zipper by Annie, which I wanted to try out. They're other goodies, too. I want to get started on the project bag, I was thinking about making some more anyway. yay! There is a waiting list, but it seemed to go by quickly. I think I waited about 2 months to start receiving my first monthly subscription.

Have a great day! I'll post more shares tomorrow.

Stitch Maynia Days 26, 27 and 28

Good morning! Yay, I completed another Stitch Maynia wip. I'm just so glad I finished it before the end of the month, because it's the August Cottage from Country Cottage Needleworks.

Continuing with my Stitch Maynia starts here's the next three from the cottage series stitched on coffee tea dyed Monaco with DMC floss. That completes the monthly series that I'm working on. Tomorrow I'll share the last three projects for May and what I'm stitching next.

26 - April

27 - May

28 - June

Have a great day and I'll be back tomorrow with more cross-stitching and hopefully my fully finished August cross-stitch project ready to be mounted on that little shelf.

Stitch Maynia: Days 21 to 25

Here's more recap of my Stitch Maynia 2019. I'm continuing with the Cottage of the month series. After that I'll be working on my wips from the last couple of months prior, there are just a few, but that's all changed now!

Day 21 November Cottage. This is stitched on 28 count evenweave, khaki. I've bought this fabric from Michaels years ago. 

Day 22 December Cottage also stitched on 28 count evenweave, khaki.  

Day 23 January Cottage, this is stitched on 28 count Monaco. I coffee tea dyed the fabric. This fabric will probably be my "go to" choice from now on. I really like it and it dyes really nice if you like the vintage look. DMC floss 3766, 869, 3790 and white.

Day 24 February Cottage stitched on 28 count, coffee tea dyed Monaco. DMC floss 605 and 3364. I didn't get much done, but it's a start. It must have been a busy day!

Day 25 March Cottage stitched on coffee-tea dyed 28 count Monaco. DMC floss 3347 and 435.

I'm on day 27 right now, I can't believe I stuck it out this far, maybe because I haven't cross-stitched in so long. Well, I started cross-stitching back in October, but it has been fun getting re-aquainted with an old craft I use to love. Oh, and I have three project bags cut and ready to sew, if I can just find the time, because right now I can really use them!

Thank you for stopping by and to my USA friends have a fun and relaxing Memorial Day. 

Stitch Maynia: Days 15 through 20

Yikes! I'm so behind on posts, but not on Stitch Maynia. I was trying to post daily, but lately it's been impossible and if I do, it would be a very, very short one. Anyway, if you follow me on instagram, I post daily with my starts for Stitch Maynia, my instagram is tweetysocal

Anyway, here is a brief run down on the past week of starts, I've been really inspired by looking at the other stitchers and their progress on Instagram. Oh, also on floss tube!

Day 15 is The Joy Santa, this is an old pattern, at the last minute I replaced this pattern for another Santa I was going to stitch, but I changed my mind. I'm happy to use this one that was just filed away for years. This is stitched on 28 count Monaco.

Day 16 Be Thankful, Country Cottage Needleworks. I love this, because to me it's a perfect Thanksgiving decoration. I think I might change one or two of the pumpkins to orange. This is stitched on 28 count evenweave, khaki. I've had this fabric for a long time, but I think it's perfect for this project.

Day 17 July Cottage, Country Cottage Needleworks. Now I've started the Cottage of the month series. I've started with July because I would like to get this done by the end of June, which it looks like no problem, it's small. I'm stitching this on 14 count white Aida. I'm not sure if I like stitching on white, but it's a change and we'll see if I switch to a darker color.

Day 18 August Cottage, Country Cottage Needleworks. Also stitched on 14 count white Aida. It's my husband's birthday month and it's perfect because his favorite color is blue.

Day 19 September Cottage, Country Cottage Needleworks. Stitched on 28 count Lugana. I coffee tea dyed this fabric. You can barely tell, but it was almost white before.

Day 20 October Cottage, Country Cottage Needleworks. This is stitched on 14 Aida, which I also coffee tea dyed. You can really tell, it's perfect for the month of October.

Okay, I've got more, but I need to upload and crop the photos. I'll be back with the rest of my starts. Today I'm working on day 26, I can't believe it's almost the end. I have some wips I'll be working on the last few days, but I'll have plenty of wips to work on once Stitch Maynia is over, yikes! I've never had this many projects going at once. Sometimes I think I've lost my mind!

Don't forget to follow me on instagram to see my progress at tweetysocal.

Thanks for stopping by!

Stitch Maynia Day 14, Babushka's Blossoms

I can't believe I'm sticking to my stitch mania plans. I thought I would have a big fail, but it's been very easy as long as I have my supplies ready. I have to admit that I don't have some ready until a few days until I start them. Some patterns I don't even have yet, but I'm still sticking to my plan.

For Day 14 I stitched Babushka's Blossoms designed by Paulette Stewart for Plum Street Samplers. I usually start in the middle by habit, sometimes I start in the corner, but this time I didn't. Anyway, this chart is printed on 4 pages, so instead of trying to piece it together, I'm going to stitch this by the page. As you can see, I'm working towards the right side then I'll go up. Maybe I should have started at the corner.

Okay, that's it for today. I'm already stitching Day 15 and it's coming right along. I'll post my progress at Instagram later at tweetysocal, you can check out more photos over there.

Happy stitching!

Stitch Maynia Day 13, Pumpkin Hollow Farms

Today I have started (actually yesterday the 13th) Little House Needleworks Pumpkin Hollow Farms. Yes, another pumpkin to stitch. I'm using DMC and it's stitched on 28 count Monaco that is coffee-tea dyed.

I'm also making more project bags, which are fun to make but would you believe it! I sewed on the zipper and when it was time to trim my bag to stitch the edge, I accidently cut off the zipper pull, grrr! So there I was picking out that zipper and sewing on a new one. I don't know what I was thinking. These are made from scraps of quilts I need to finish, Lori Holt's Calico Days and Cozy Christmas fabrics. Now I have two more bags to store my cross-stitch projects. Sew cute!

Have a great day and happy stitching!

Stitch Maynia Day 12, Plum Pudding

Here's another start for Day 12. Plum Pudding by Brenda Gervais, it's got the mice again like Field Mouse Hollow. This is my first time using Classic Colorworks floss. I like it, it feels really nice and I feel like it doesn't twist as much as DMC and it's a little thicker. I'm using a combination of Classic Colorworks and DMC, because I don't have all the colors listed for Classic Colorworks. I wish we had a local needlework shop, but the nearest is a couple of hours away in traffic and it's just not that easy for me to get away. It would be nice to shop in a store and look at all the patterns, floss and fabric. Instead I have to shop online. At least if I plan ahead it doesn't take that long to get my products.

I feel like this pattern is going to go by quickly, even though I'm stitching on 28 count. I tend to stitch slower on evenweave. The colors are pretty straight forward, there's no jumping around to different colors, if that makes sense. I'm stitching on 28 count Monaco that I coffee-tea dyed. This will make a fun, whimsical Christmas decoration.

Have a great day and thank you for stopping by.

Stitch Maynia Day 11, Frida

Happy Mother's Day! Hope you had a wonderful day. Mine was quiet, but that's okay. I received this lovely plant from my daughter. We love succulents.

Anywho, here's my start for Day 11, Frida by Barbara Ana Designs. I didn't realize it, but I have four designs by her this month. I like her style and this one is going to be so pretty when I finish it, it's very colorful. I stitched on 28 count Monaco, which I coffee-tea dyed. I used DMC floss.

Sorry I have to make it quick. Hope you all had a nice day and thank you for stopping by.

Stitch Maynia Day 10, Happy Farm Girl

Hello, here's Day 10, Happy Farm Girl. Yes, my Stitch Maynia wouldn't be complete without a pattern from Lori Holt. I stitched on 14 count Aida, Oatmeal. This was definitely a lot easier to stitch than my usual 28 count. I used DMC floss. It's been fun to get up each day and look forward to a different project to work on. Once Maynia is over I will probably stick to one project to complete, unless of course if I get bored with it. I can see this one will go by quickly. I love the cheerful colors.

I'll be back with Day 11, which I already started. Enjoy your day! 

Happy Stitching! Happy Mother's Day, to all you Moms out there.

Stitch Mania Day 8 - Pumpkins for Sale

It's another pumpkin pattern. I love these. I only had a few hours to stitch, but at least it's started. This is Pumpkin 4 Sale from Little House Needleworks. Again stitched on 28 count Monaco with DMC floss.

It's been a busy day. I'll have more tomorrow and another start to share. 

Thank you for stopping by.

Stitch Maynia Day 7 Pumpkin Spice Farm

I can't believe it's already been a week with Stitch Maynia. I'm happy to do a fall design, because it's my favorite time of the year, I love all the colors. This one is Pumpkin Spice Farm by Hands On Design and I wished I was able to be further along with this. As soon as June is here I will be working on my fall projects. I stitched on Monaco 28 count with DMC floss.

After looking at a few of my other charts for Stitch Maynia, I decided I needed to change one of them. It was Santa Knows. I was gathering up my floss for it and then I looked at the chart and it's pretty big and the print was pretty tiny and I know I wouldn't have it done before Christmas. I really wanted to do a Santa and I remembered I had an old Christmas leaflet of designs with a Santa and this one looks pretty easy. I haven't stitched Santa or any of the patterns in the leaflet. I must have saved it for a reason. Yikes, I just looked at it, it's from 1986! Anyway, he's cute and I like it.

Thanks for stopping by and if  you're doing Stitch Maynia have fun!

Have a great day!

Stitch Maynia Day 6 Witch Ride?

Okay, for a little project this one was a little difficult for me. I'm glad I chose Aida, because I had trouble reading the chart. It's a pdf from Punch Needle and Primitive Stitcher magazine, so it's probably my printer that's messed up the print. I think I can just wing it by looking at the colors in the photograph. Luckily, it's not large and I shouldn't have any problems getting it finished. It's going to be so cute! This is stitched on 14 count Aida, also coffee-tea dyed, and i used DMC floss. This is from Barbara Ana Designs.

This morning I worked a couple of hours on my Day 7 project and I'll stitch some more tonight. Today I also sewed a little on my project bags. The zipper part is done. Hopefully, I'll have two bags done tomorrow. I love making those bags, it's just hard to squeeze in the time to sew.

I'll be back. 

Happy stitching!

Stitch Maynia Day 5

Day 5 and another start, Autumn Tree by Barbara Ana Designs. I stitched this on 28 count evenweave, which I coffee-tea dyed. I love these designs. I've also have another one that I did today for Day 6

I've been keeping pretty busy these days. I also have some project bags that I want to make. I have the fabric cut, just trying to find the time to start making them again. In the meantime, I'm still gathering up a few things for stitch mayia, I hope to get that done completely, because I want to stick to my plan. 

Have a great evening and I'll be back with Day 6.

Happy stitching!

Stitch Maynia Day 4

Yay, I've started Day 4 yesterday, I'm just getting around to posting tonight. I also started Day 5, but I want to quickly post this because I'm having issues with blogger, keeps deleting what I type. Anyway, I stitched on 28 count evenweave. I coffee and tea dyed the fabric, too, although I don't think you can tell in the photo. 

Have a great evening and maybe I'll have better luck writing tomorrow.

Thank you for stopping by.

I

Stitch Maynia Day 3

Today, actually it was yesterday I started Lizzie Kate's Snowy String. I used DMC floss and this is a light tan evenweave 28 count. I stitched for a couple of hours, doesn't seem like much done, but because I wasn't paying attention I had to rip out stitches, grrr.

Anyway, it's started and after May I'll work on getting it finished before Christmas. I can tell it's going to be really cute addition with my other Christmas decoration. 

This morning I worked on day 4, I'll post later today or tomorrow morning on my progress.

Here's more of my plans for Stitch Maynia:

7 - Pumpkin Spice Farm

8 - Pumpkins for Sale

9 - Field Mouse Hollow

10 - Happy Farm Girl

11- Frida

12- Plum Pudding

13 - Pumpkin Hollow Farm

Okay, I should have sent this hours ago. I'll post more tomorrow. Hope you all are having a fun Saturday and doing well. I'll be back.

Happy stitching.

Stitch Maynia Day 1

Yikes! I think I was a little over ambitious in choosing my cross stitch patterns. They all seem big, except for the Country Cottage Needleworks series that I'll be starting on the 17th. I'm hoping I can get all these projects completed by early next year. We shall see...

Anyway, here is what I'm working on today.

Farm Fresh Cherries by Little House Needleworks. I chose this because I love the little red truck, it's so cute! I also love the bright colors. This would look nice in my kitchen. Anyway, I was able to stitch a little bit early this morning. As you can see I didn't get far. I'll stitch a little more after dinner. I used 28 count Monaco and DMC thread.

And here's a glimpse of my plan for the next couple of days:

Less is More by Jardin Prive

Snowy String by Lizzie Kate

Cock-a-doodle-do by Barbara Ana Designs

Autumn Tree by Barbara Ana Designs

Witch Ride? by Barbara Ana Designs

The last three are pdf's, which I just quickly took a photo of. I'll share more of my list tomorrow.

Well, I hope you're having a great day and if your participating in Stitch Maynia, I look forward to seeing your projects. I hope I didn't over do it, wish me luck!

Have a great day and thank you for stopping by.