August BJP completed.

"On the Beach"...


Given the weather this summer, that is where I would have liked to be but...

It came out more like a British "shingle" beach than an Floridian white sand beach but that's OK. Any beach will do!

Not perfect but...

"Purrfect", design by Marilyn Robertson, kit by Design Works, completed August 13, 2011:

WIP myself into shape, Week 32

All the cross-stitch on "Purrfect" is complete. Only black backstitching and some French knots to do now... since I decided to leave off the border and the name/date wedding sampler bit!

Then I can move on to August BJP *AND* the five bargello pieces I have waiting for the Janet Perry 2011 Bargello CLub (HOW did I let them sneak up on me like that?)

WIP myself into shape, Week 31

"Purrfect" didn't get my full attention this week, thanks to GIrls' Night Out and volunteering at the fair but I did get in a couple of colors on the boy cat:

Reporting in on the fair... UPDATED

I entered 12 pieces in all into seven categories and won.........

six ribbons! And made back my fair entry fee with $4 to spare!








A third place for my Marilyn Robertson Art deco black cat set (four of the pieces)

a second place for my Michael Powell "Greek Window"


 and first places for "Witches Wheel"


"Harvest Sampler"


"Garden Stars"

and "Fountain Mandala"



The last three pieces --- a trio of Christmas ornaments --- well I couldn't find them anywhere so I'm assuming they didn't win anything (although I didn't see a blue for any cross-stitched ornaments so I really don't know. The blue I did see was for three cute little snowmen but they weren't embroidered, so should have been in a different category...

We went back this afternoon and found my ornaments. They hung them on a tree about ten feet away but they were there!


And another blue! So make that $7.50 profit! LOL

All but two were in glass cases, and so there is some glare... Apologies! My husband took more pictures so I replaced my really glarey "Fountain Mandala" photo  with his...

WIP myself into shape, Week 30

I'm doing another Marilyn Robertson cat piece --- this one is called "Purrfect"... if you squint, perhaps you can see the pale pink outline of the two cats!

Finished it...

"Tea by the Sea", designed by Sandra Murray, chart book by Needle & Frame, stitched in Kreinik's silk mori (5104, 4044, 5103, 5102, 4196, 4163, 5105, 4043 and 4193) and very fine #4 braid (044) on Zweigert 28 ct linen Melrose.



Got interrupted not only by heat but also a power failure on Saturday which not only made it impossible to stitch (in the dark) but fried my DVR as well (And I stitch with television on in the background! So this piece will NOT have good memories associated with it, I fear...

I got out three possible kits last night to start and was overwhelmed... The sampler I bought at Needle in a Haystack ("Time Well Spent" from Sampler Cove) does indeed use NPI *and* 1/3 is white work, including hardanger! I have NEVER done hardanger before... so this will have to wait until the kit I ordered from Gift of Stitching's close out sale comes (a hardanger course).

Then I pulled out a Candamar kit called "Sewing with Mama" (I liked all the embellishment stitchery) but my gosh --- the chart is so hard to read: very tiny symbols and very faintly printed... can we spell overwhelmed?

So I think I have settled on another blackwork mandala from Elizabeth Almond that was in GOS... I have it kitted so...

Of course, there is always August BJP --- and I have finally gotten around to printing out three more bargello patterns from Janet Perry's Bargello Club 2011...

Decisions, decisions, decisions!