FlossTube #10 ~ Pam & Steph Suffer From Startitis

After our introductory comments, Steph talked about learning how to "railroad" her stitches.

Our WIPs were:

Be-Inkspired by Stitchrovia, on 28 ct. Dense Fog linen by Wichelt, for Steph.

and

Mothers Tree by Lavendar & Lace, for Pam.

We had some new starts since last week. They are:

Pam's Bite Night by Prairie Moon, on 28 ct. Tempest Lugana by Chromatic Alchemy

Steph's Be Your Own Kind of Beautiful by Lizzie Kate, on 32 ct. Ice Blue Lugana and Be Naughty, also by Lizzie Kate, on 28 ct. Candy Candy by Chromatic Alchemy.

After showing off some RAKs we received, we showed off our HAUL:

Steph got:

Surrender Peter by Prairie Moon

Tribal Clef by White Willow Stitching

Song of Solomon by Heart In Hand

Cat Treat by The Trilogy

You've Got This by Lizzie Kate

Favorite Hello by Needle Bling

and a few digital patterns from Fiddlesticksau (Etsy):

No Rain No Flowers

I Love You A Thousand Yellow Daisies

We Are All of Us Stars and We Deserve To Twinkle

True Love's Kiss

Pam got:

Lazy Days of Summer by Serenity Stitches

Pam also showed the Kynance 28 ct. Lugana from Sparklies Fabrics (UK), and the PinoyStitch cocktail designs she plans to stitch on them.

For our Christmas ornament stitching, Steph showed:

December 25 by Lizzie Kate (2010 JCS ornament issue)

Candy Cane Reindeer by Serendipity Designs (2010 JCS ornament issue)

***** Steph had a FINISH *****

Sleepy Hollow Sampler by The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery

***** Steph Came Back From The Framer *****

Wizardly by Fiddlesticksau (Etsy)

Our plans for the week include working on our Christmas ornaments for the month of August. Pam is waiting for her Artisan Design lapdesk stand to arrive. She will continue to work on Mothers Tree and Bite Night. Steph will work on Yarn Cats by Design Works.

Or.....we'll work on or start on some new projects!!!

In any event, you know both of us will

JustKeepStitchin'

FlossTube #9 ~ Pam & Steph Beat The Heat

Steph started off with showing her WIPs:

Sleepy Hollow Sampler by The Frosted Pumpkin Stichery

All Hallows Eve by Prairie Schooler

Cow by Bent Creek

Cookies for Santa by Val's Stuff

Be Ink-spired by Emma Congdon (Stitchrovia)

Got Candy? by Amy Brueken

Pam followed up with showing her progress on

Remembrance Day by Country Threads in Australia and

Game Board Sampler by The Drawn Thread

Pam showed some leftover Haul:

Fabric from Chromatic Alchemy called Tempest in 28 ct Brittany Lugana, on which she plans to stitch Bite Night by Prairie Moon

4th of July Bird (Wee One) by Heart In Hand

Anchor Down by Hands On Design

Turkey Bay by Plum Street Samplers

Steph showed her:

Sparklies fabric in Glacier

Tacky Bob bead holder

Be Your Own Kind of Beautiful by Lizzie Kate

Moon and Back by Heart In Hand

Flesh pack of DMC she won on Instagram

July/August 2017 issue of Cross Stitch Gold magazine, with a cat design by Lesley Teare

Bad Words In A Good Way by Amy Brueken

2003 Cattitudes Wall Calendar by Margaret Sherry

"S" Letter by Nora Corbett, and two cute needleminders

Cat bobbins

Nutcracker Ornament by The Frosted Pumpkins Stitchery

Pam showed off her Penny Jar, which she is using to save money for StitchAway Retreat at Hueston Woods State Park in January 2018.

We showed off our matchy-matchy tee shirts "I Don't Need Therapy, I Just Need To Go To Maine."

Pam plans to work on her Mothers Tree.

Steph plans to finish Sleepy Hollow Sampler, Cow, and All Hollows Eve.

Both will be working on monthly ornaments.

Thanks for watching. See you next week, and remember......

Just Keep Stitchin'   !!!

FlossTube #7 and #8 ~ Summer Stitch Day, then Pam & Steph Return From the Road

We attended the first of two consecutive Saturday Summer Stitch Day events, sponsored by Keepsakes LNS in Sharonville, Ohio.  Steph did a fantastic job cruising the tables, showing off the wonderful projects all the stitchers were working on. 

We had a wonderful day with all our stitchy friends. We laughed and stitched...well, probably laughed more than we stitched. It was a great day!!

The next morning we hit the road for Maine, hopefully to see my mom, Steph's gramma, who was in hospice. Sadly, she passed away that day, July 9th, at age 85. So the next week was filled with emotion and memories, and saying our good-byes. 

When we returned from Maine, we had LOTS (two weeks-worth) of stitching news to share!

Steph had stitched on her Tribal Hippo, aka Fiona, exclusively while "on the road" and during the week in Maine, and showed off her progress. And, yes, there IS room for Fiona's booty!

She also showed her progress on:

Sleepy Hollow Sampler by The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery

Cow by Bent Creek

Christmas in the Woods stocking by Stoney Creek

and

All Hallows Eve by Prairie Schooler

Pam didn't get a whole lot of stitching done during the trip, but managed a few stitches in:

Canada Sampler by Stitchrovia

Birch Point by Charles Wysocki

and her

Remembrance Day kit

Steph showed off her latest finish:  Live Simply by Lizzie Kate. She made some great color changes on this cute piece.

We also showed our ornaments. We are all caught up for July!

Steph stitched "Hot Cocoa" by M Designs.

Pam stitched "Yellow Penguin" by Casey Buonaugurio and "Snow Birds" by County Cottage Needleworks.

Next, Pam showed off the piece she had just picked up from her framer at Keepsakes, Lavender & Lace's Angel of the Sea.

Steph showed off the RAKS and haul she received in the last two weeks. Pam also had a little bit of haul, because, let's face it, she's doing Stitch From Stash.

We ended the episode with talking about our future stitching plans, so stay tuned and....

Just Keep Stitchin' !!

FlossTube #6 ~ Pam and Steph Announce a WINNER!

Pam showed her One Nation by ByGone Stitches, back from the framer.

Steph showed her Kitty String by Lizzie Kate, back from the framer.

Our finishes included:

Steph's No Place Like Home (aka Wizardly) by FiddlesticksAu (on Etsy)

Pam's "Snow Day" ornament by square.ology (2016 JCS Christmas Ornament issue).

Our progress report included:

Pam's Remembrance Day (kit from Country Threads in Australia) and Canada Sampler (by Stitchrovia).

Steph's Tribal Hippo (aka Fiona) and Tribal Cat by White Willow Stitching, and her "Not A Creature In Sight" ornament by Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery  (2016 JCS Christmas Ornament issue).

Included in our Haul was:

Steph's fabric for her boyfriend's Christmas stocking and CCN's Here Kitty Kitty

Pam's Bite Night by Prairie Moon (purchased on eBay), and the silks she bought for it locally. She also picked up the 2017 Prairie Moon Santa at Keepsakes

Steph also received a RAK from FlossTuber Ampu Stitcher (Amanda): Twisted Heart by Ink Circles (including Amanda's custom charting), Follow Your Heart Snippet by Lizzie Kate. 

She also received from an Instagram follower and non-stitcher Brittany: "Damn It Feels Good To Be A Gangster" by Grannie Panties (on Etsy)

We are looking ahead to a big stitchy weekend, with our monthly First Friday Stitch-In at Keepsakes on Friday evening, followed by the first of two Summer Stitch Saturdays, sponsored by Keepsakes.

We finally announced the winner of our 500 subscriber Give-Away......margaret !!!!!

She received a $50 gift certificate to www.123stitch.com. CONGRATS MARGARET!!

See you next week, and remember to.....

JUST KEEP STITCHIN'

FlossTube #5 ~ Pam and Steph Channel OPRAH

We've got over 500 subscribers, so it's time for a give-away! The winner will be announced in our next FlossTube episode, #6. You must be a subscriber to our channel, and you must answer the following question: If you came to our 4th of July picnic, what would you bring (excluding beverages)?

Pam showed her two finishes this week: Ye Olde Coffee House, by Little House Needleworks, and the "Not A Creature Was Stirring..." ornament by Casey Buonaugurio, from the 2008 JCS Ornament Issue. She also showed her progress on the "Snow Day" ornament by square.ology, from the 2012 JCS Ornament Issue. 

Steph is trying a daily rotation of her projects. She showed her progress on:

Tribal Cat by White Willow Stitching

Love Bugs by A Needle and Fred

Live Simply by Lizzie Kate

Tribal Hippo (aka Fiona) by White Willow Stitching and

Wizardly by FiddlesticksAu

We showed the very generous RAKs we received from:

Sarah from England

Annie from Crazy Annie's Stitching and

Our Friend Tiffany

The only Haul we had was Oberlin Sampler's Wine, which Pam bought off Staff Unload.

We told everyone about our play date with Nicole, whose FlossTube channel is Buckeye Stitcher. We had a blast!!

Our plans for the following week include working on all our WIPs

See you tomorrow for Episode #6, when we announce our Give Away WINNER!!!!

And, remember.......

JUST KEEP STITCHIN'  !!!

FlossTube #4A and #4B ~ Pam and Steph Climb The Wall Higher and Higher

We started off by thanking everyone for watching our videos, and leaving such wonderful comments. We also welcomed any new viewers out there.

Our BIG annoucement was that we had over 500 subscribers, and so it was time for a giveaway. There will be more details in FlossTube #5. Sneak peek: you will have to be a subscriber to win.

We showed two pieces back from the framer. Steph showed her very first FFO, Love by Hands On Designs, with the ingenious kickstand on the back, and Pam showed her Our Neck of the Woods from Nancy's Needle with the "shadow box effect" with the mat board.

We showed our finishes for the week: Taco Sampler by Casey Buonaugurio (always to be known as Taco 2.0) for Pam. I changed several floss colors, pointed out the aggravating specialties stitches, and the substitution of brown seed beads for the ground beef French knots. Steph showed her two Satsuma Street ornaments from Ornament Set 1.

Our Progress Report included Pam's Ye Olde Coffee House from Little House Needlework, her "Not A Creature Was Stirring..." ornament from Casey Buonaugurio in the December 2008 Ornament issue of Just CrossStitch magazine, and her start on Stitchrovia's Canada Sampler. Steph showed her start on Thoreau Upon a Pumpkin by Cross-Eyed Cricket, her return to Live Simply by Lizzie Kate, and her progress on Wizardly by FiddlesticksAU.

Steph showed her very generous RAK from Yvonne The Night Owl Stitcher, as well as the free charts we both got from our friend Anne Marie at Panera Stitch Nite.

As far as Haul goes, Steph showed her Sleepy Hollow Sampler from the Frosted Pumpkin, and the latest free installment of the Stoney Creek Halloween banner, Boo Tree from the Primitive Hare, Fables & Tales by Prairie Schooler, as well as some gems she'd picked up from the half-price box at Keepsakes. She also showed the freebie mini-cat charts from the UK blog Happiness Is Cross Stitching.

Once again, we got interrupted, so in the second half of the episode, Pam showed her two Debbie Patrick house charts, Steinbeck House, and the Kennebunk Maine Christmas House. Pam was enabled by Ali from Alis Stitching Studio FlossTube channel (somehow that got deleted from the video)

We gave another shout-out to Weasley Studios, about meeting Gigi, from Gigi's Cupcakes.

Our future plans include our playdate planned with Nicole, Buckeye Stitcher, who is coming over to stitch and talk about (what else) FlossTube. Can't wait for that!!

Also, Pam gave a plug for Keepsakes Summer Stitch Days, on July 8th and 15th. Phone number to reserve a spot is (513) 563-6845.

Next we filmed the wall behind us. If you missed it, here's the list.

Tour de Wall

Land That I Love by Lizzie Kate

America by Poppy Kreations

I’d Rather Be By The Sea by Ursula Michael

Liberty by Birds of a Feather

New England Sampler by Ginger & Spice

Summer by Angel Stitchin

Ivy Basket and Patriotic Basket by Margaret Lee (now on Etsy)

and a wonderful viewer solved one of the mystery pieces as:

Liberty Lighthouse by Erica Michaels

It was another fun episode, and we hope you enjoyed it.  See you next week, and remember....

JustKeepStitchin'

FlossTube #3A and #3B ~ Pam and Steph Are On Fire (No, Really!)

We thanked all of our viewers, commenters, and subscribers.

We did shout-outs to all the countries around the world (!) that we have received comments from. That is so awesome!

We listed a few of our favorite FlossTubers, namely

Bendy Stitchy Michelle Garrette  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuep-Fl6HVeUISvSJA0G3gA

Faerie Floss   https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCABsG2qjzV5MLrgpVZaUtIw

Farm Girl  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDHsgLcYmuLfdWR2H-6fYow

Ampu Stitcher  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJBxBI0slxM_lYcUrOnypug

Andrea Stitches in Colorado  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH4T1djY8oMKGSwuCoF6RAw

Buckeye Stitcher  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWcNBA5oy-M8daToxAKKcGQ

Weasley Studios  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh4NzFuLjokYT9wp87ekZ6A

Ginger Gerald Stitcher  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC11D22Kb6dJzxl9HAAcL3oA

McKenna at Every Stitch Counts https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFIhK76BACo9F1GJEmqKi1A

Kay's Cross Stitch  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCb8p8eFx3ovtVI1f3ibuWyw

MortuaryStitches https://www.youtube.com/user/fuzzyfrog100

Yvonne - Night Owl Stitcher  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO0p0p6x5BzYnnqNg_T-6eA


Steph showed her FINISH, "I Kiss My Cat On The Lips" by Amy Bruecken.

Pam's progress report included:

"Ye Olde Coffee House" by Little House Needleworks

"Mother's Tree" by Lavendar & Lace

"Taco Sampler" by Casey Buonaugurio, where she had a bit of an unusual detour!

Steph's progress report included:

An ornament from "Ornament Set I" from Satsuma Street

"Sugar Is Sweet Sampler" from The Frosted Pumpkin

"Tribal Hippo" from White Willow Stitching

Needleminder sellers we mentioned include:

Gina's Unique Boutique  https://www.etsy.com/shop/GinasUniqueBoutique

Mixing It Up with DBL  https://www.etsy.com/shop/MixingItUpWithDBL

Needle Minder Obsession   https://www.etsy.com/shop/Stitchinmad

Crafters Waypoint  https://www.etsy.com/shop/CraftersWaypoint

CrystalGifts  https://www.etsy.com/shop/CrystalGifts

Digital patterns came from:

Sugar Stitches  https://www.etsy.com/shop/SugarStitchesDesign

New Leaf Craft  https://www.etsy.com/shop/NewLeafCraft


Once again, we got interrupted, and had to tack on the conclusion of our video:

We continued to show our haul from the LNS freebie box. Steph showed a "cross-stitch save" from Barbara at Keepsakes.

We also picked up some orney scraps at Keepsakes.

Future plans include:  stitching up some ornaments. Pam is going to get off her butt and start Stitchrovia's "Canada." Steph's got her fabby picked out for her boyfriend's Christmas stocking, Stoney Creek's "Christmas In The Woods."

Thanks for watching!!

And remember.....

JustKeepStitchin'

FlossTube #2A and (OOPS!) #2B ~ Pam and Steph Come Out of the Shadows and Hurry Thru Their Hauls

We came inside from the solarium for Floss Tube #2, and found the perfect spot for lighting!

Lots of thank yous for the views, shout-outs, comments, and subscribers all around. When we hit 100 subscribers, we got our nails done, 'cuz girls gotta do what girls gotta do, right?

Show-Off

I showed my framed Lemon Meringue Sampler (framed by Keepsakes in Sharonville, Ohio) and to-be-framed Irish Cream Sampler by designer Casey Buonaugurio. I also showed my Prairie Schooler Bear and the Bees, stitched on a scrap piece of Fiddler's Cloth.

I also showed my Franken-Gothic by Erica Michaels, describing the modifications I made.

Steph showed her Plumpkin by Lizzie Kate, describing her modifications.

Her LK Kitty String is at the framer (Keepsakes), and we know it will be adorable.

If anyone would like to Pass The Stash (or Swap) for Plumpkin or Kitty String, leave Steph a comment!

Progress Report

I reported on my progress on Remembrance Day, Ye Olde Coffee Shoppe, Taco Sampler, 

I described my graphing names for L & L's Mothers Tree, for me and my LNS's owner, using PCStitch software.

Haul

We described the Queen City Sampler Guild stash sale, and shortly had a minor tech issue with our recording. My phone got too hot, and so the video stopped recording......

When we switched to Steph's phone, we began recording again. We resumed talking about all the patterns (many with embellishment packs!) we got at the Guild sale.

We showed all the patterns we purchased at the Hoop & Needle shop in Cincinnati, and Steph's Stoney Creek purchases, and my Jeannette Douglass Canadian Patriotic Snippets that the Because You Count shop in Moncton, NB, is auto-shipping to me in the States.

We were sort of rushed in the second part. But, all in all, great fun!!

We are hoping to film again in about a week, so stay tuned!

I will be posting to this blog "SHOW NOTES" for our Floss Tube videos.   

We've joined FlossTube !!

This was our first episode, and we had a ball!!

We have loved reading all the wonderful comments from viewers, and we are thrilled with seeing how many subscribers we have. A couple of flubs/corrections: I have 8 GREAT-grandparents, NOT 8 grandparents. My genealogy friends would be pretty ashamed of me for that one.

And..... Not once, but twice, I failed to name our wonderful LNS, Keepsakes, in Sharonville, OH. If you are ever in the area, please seek them out. Barbara and Joe would love to meet you. As you can tell, they are very talented framers. You will see more of their framing in future videos.

See you next time!! Pam and Steph

Let's See Those WIPs!

Hello Stitchers!

I thought I'd show you what pieces are currently in my loose rotation. I really don't rotate my pieces on a strict schedule. Each of these fall into categories or designers. I've been stitching since 1987, and most of my stash is from the '90's.

Here's the breakdown ~

Prairie Schooler

I have a fairly, though not complete, Prairie Schooler, collection. To be honest, I prefer the older ones. So, I'm currently working on the four birds from Birds & Berries. You saw the cardinal in my last post. Here's the Red-Winged Blackbird (next up will be the Chickadee):

Cross-Eyed Cricket

I also have many many Crickets, one of my favorite designers. I am currently working on Three Gables:

Charles Wysocki

I love Charles Wysocki's Americana designs. Many are in kits. This one, Birch Point, is one of my oldest WIPs, and is stitched on the enclosed Aida. In future, I will replace the Aida with something like Lugana. I am so determined to finish it, I have designated every Wednesday as Wysocki Wednesday, and it's working!

Charley Harper

I became a Charley Harper fan when I relocated to Cincinnati 32 years ago. I have stitched Clare de Loon, and am currently working on Christmas Caper:

Mirabilia

I am most definitely not a princess/fairy stitcher, but there are some Mirabilia's that speak to me. I am currently working on Winter Maiden:

Canada

When I am not stitching, I am working on my genealogy. My maternal side, going back from my great grandparents, is Canadian. Two of my four sets of great grandparents were born in Canada, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. So, I think that makes me half-Canadian!  Last summer my sister and I traveled to New Brunswick for a huge family reunion, and made memories that will last a lifetime. This year Canada is celebrating the 150th anniversary of Confederation. I have several designs that mark this anniversary, as well as other Canadiana. I have started Remembrance Day, and am really enjoying it.

Ice Skating

I have very fond memories of ice skating  as a kid, outside in the wintertime, often from after school until the streetlights came on. So, it is a sentimental theme, and have collected quite a few skating designs. Here's one I finished in January (Winter Spots by The Trilogy), and the next one I plan to stitch, Encore une Pirouette:

Happy Hour

I often say that I stitch to keep from drinking and smoking, but the truth of the matter is that I've always enjoyed a good beer or a cocktail. The designs on this topic are abundant, and I love to collect them. I am finishing up this one, Fiesta:

Patriotic

As a proud Daughter of the American Revolution, with veteran ancestors who fought in the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the Civil War, I am always going to be drawn to patriotic designs. I recently finished Betsy Ross, and I'm in the process of kitting up my next patriotic project:

Game Boards

I love board games, and have been collecting gameboard designs for years. I actually have two pieces that I am working on in this category, Drawn Thread's Game Board and Halloween Parcheesi:

Since I've been retired for a little over two years, I get to stitch every day, which I love. I usually post my daily progress each evening on Instagram. I am pgsoap, if you care to follow me.

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Until next time, 

HAPPY STITCHING!!

Back By Popular Demand ~ No, Really!!

Prairie Schooler's Birds & Berries
No. 44
Cardinal

Yes, stitchy friends, three years ago on this date, on January 27th in 2014,

 I published my last post on this blog!

As I was approaching retirement, I immersed myself in another pastime, genealogy, and was unsure whether I could maintain two blogs. So, I let this one languish.

This did not mean I stopped stitching, however!

So, that means I have three years of stitching catch-up to write about, with pictures!!

And, as you know, our craft, during the last 3 years, has taken full advantage of social media, including:

 Facebook, YouTube (aka FlossTube) and Instagram.

Here are some ideas I plan to blog about:

Project of the Week

 Rotation

Home Wall Tour

Favorite Flosstubers

Facebook Groups

SALS

Back From The Framer

Stitchaway and Other Retreats

Stitch From Stash 2017

Stitchers of Instagram

Tips, Tricks, and Tools

Box of Pride

So, I hope you will add me to your stitchy blog roll (And let me know you have a stitchy blog, as well!)

I also hope to make to make some new stitchy friends, because, as we all know:

Stitchers Are The Best !!