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Sunday, February 24, 2013

Union Fife & Drum Corps





To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, I will be stitching a few Civil War and Lincoln designs.

Here is my start, reflecting 10 hours, on “Union Fife & Drum Corps,” an old Jeannette Crews booklet called Portrait of the Civil War, stitched on 25 ct. Victorian Red Jobelan.

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Thursday, February 21, 2013

Elation Over Rotation !!

You may not have noticed, but there is now a tab at the top of this blog call "Rotation." If you do not know what a stitching rotation is, let me tell you. Many stitchers are also collectors and have what is commonly referred to as a "stash" of patterns and kits, as well as a pile of WIPs (works in progress), and the (need we mention) UFOs (unfinished objects).

Although it is close to heaven for a stitcher to browse (paw through) his or her stash, there is the inevitable feeling that we will never, and I mean never, live long enough to stitch it all.

One solution to try is a rotation, where you pick out a group of pieces you really want to stitch. You then stitch on one piece for a decided-upon length of time (say 10 hours), and then move on to the next. 

It gives the stitcher a sense of accomplishment and organization, and also offers variety in what you are working on.

I have tried rotation in the past, and have decided to return to this method.  So far I have been very successful. My list of projects is enumerated under the tab above. It is a mixture of WIPs and new projects, because variety is the spice of life, right?  This will also give me the added benefit of giving me plenty to blog about!

My first shift of 10 hours (my decided upon shift length) produced some real progress on my Angel of the Sea.

I should mention that I have joined a "support group," called Rotation Stitchers, and they are a very supportive group. You might want to check them out if this approach appeals to you.




I am also using the iPad app called HoursTracker. Here I can list all my stitching projects, and let it keep track of the time spent on each. So far it is working out great. The following shows the screen where it logged my 10 hours on Angel.



So, here is my total progress so far:



At this writing, I have moved on to my next piece, a Civil War design called "Union Fife & Drum Corps," because we are celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, and I am a history nut, so.....stay tuned for the next Rotation Progress Report !!

Monday, February 18, 2013

Where There Is Life ~ A Finish for 20 Years of Survival

2013 marks the 20th anniversary of my Breast Cancer diagnosis. To celebrate, I am stitching up all the Breast Cancer designs that I have collected around that time and since. This is Where There Is Life by Dragonfly Stitches. It was a really fun stitch!










Monday, February 11, 2013

My Grow Your Blog Prize is Here !!

Not only was it a blast to participate in the Grow Your Blog event, it was fun to come up with a “door prize,” and for it to be so sincerely appreciated.  Remember, MJ, I want a picture of your finished piece!

Well, as it turned out, I was the VERY LUCKY winner over at Cathy Habermann’s blog, Hands On Design !!  She promised a “Taste of Sioux City” package (which was great, cuz I’ve never been) and boy, did she deliver!!

Sitting on my first porch Friday night was a jar of Sue Bee Honey, two packs of Jolly Time popcorn, a pound of Jumpy Monkey coffee, four Twin Bing candies, and ……..


The Lizzie Kate 2008
 Special Edition
 Christmas Is Forever Kit.
ZOWEE !!


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Stitchers are great
 and those who blog about it are a special breed.

Friday, February 1, 2013

Grow Your Blog Drawing ~ We Have a Winner !!

Hello Everyone!!

The Grow Your Blog Party on January 19th was super fun. I gained 27 wonderful followers, and that makes me very happy. It's nice to know 107 followers are keeping up with my stitching. 

Today is my Cross-Stitch Blogoversary. I started blogging on this date in 2007! So,

Happy Blogoversary to Me!

Now for a drum-roll .......................................

Here's a little Valentine finish to celebrate February, with all the new followers' entries in my new Dunkin mug from Maine:




Here's my son, Nathaniel, stirring the slips up just a smidge:




And ........................ the WINNER is ..........................




CALAMITYJR !!!!!



CONGRATULATIONS !!!!!

YOU HAVE WON THE STITCHER'S VERSE CHART



THIS WAS SO FUN !!

HAPPY STITCHING!!