This year's ornament marathon

This years ornaments
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist

Hello all, well I was able to finish all my ornaments for this year (I might have one or two still to stitch). 13 total. Most of these you have already seen stitched up, and one you will not see till give it out for an exchange on HOE.

I was also able to finish my craft gifts (no you can't see those, some of you are the recipients!) and my advent calendar needs a few more details so I will post that in the next few days.
We had a quiet Thanksgiving at home just the 3 of us, and I did not shop for anyone yet!

But lets take a closer look at my ornaments shall we?
First up are some that I stitched YEARS ago..maybe the late 80's?:

Redone ornaments
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist

These were actually 4 separate motifs on one piece of aida, finished for me as a potpourri pillow by my mom years ago, but the corner of the pillow was eaten by my dog a couple of years ago. I cut it up and made 3 small ornaments. The 4th, a Santa face, I have not figured out how to salvage since the cut/chew is right next to the stitching.

The next 3 are ones I had finished previously, but updated a bit:

Previously Finished
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist

Amy Brueken's I Believe (08) I had stitched this last Dec, finished it in Jan, but added beading this last week. Casey Buonaugurio's Purple Penguin (09). Jeanette Douglas' Christmas Ball ornament (08) I added a beaded edge to this one.

The next 3 are all finished as pillow ornaments:

Pillow ornaments
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist

Angel Stitchin's Santa's Buddies (09), Stitched From the Heartland's Heaven and Nature sing (pattern), Bent Creek's Joy Angel (00) I actually finished stitching her in 8/08 poor thing been in a drawer forever!

And finally the Brittercup ornaments:


Brittercup ornaments
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist

Christmas centerpiece (08), Christmas Puppy (06), and Christmas Kitty (05).
these are more flat style ornament finishes. I learned alot during and since my last ornament finishing marathon in 08, that the flat ornament finishing instructions in JCS mag SUCKS...which basically reads sew like a pillow orn but insert board before you stitch 4th side...yeah I ended up with a bunch of crappy ornaments that way. These were all done by covering 2 boards, one with the stitching and one with the back fabric, then gluing together and then blind stitching the edges. much cleaner looking. I have also gotten ALOT better sewing on my cording (thanks Anna) but still wonder if it would be better to glue it. I have considered going back and redoing my old finishes but then I thought it might be cool to see my progress in a tangible form. What do you think?


Thanks and see you for the next marathon.

Thanksgiving here I come

Brittercup Britty Kitty 05
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist

For your viewing pleasure...Brittercup's Xmas Kitty from JCS orn. Mag. 2005. done in most of the called for threads over 1 on unknown grey linen

I am so excited for this coming week, since i am only teaching labs this semester i do not have any classes next week. Day care is closed Thursday and Friday for Thanksgiving, so A. will be there M-W instead of her usual W-F These two event combine to give me 3 whole days at home to get things done! Mainly sewing/crafts i have been putting off. I have at least a dozen ornaments to do, 4-5 christmas gifts, and an advent calendar to make since I finally found a design i like.

I will also hit the gym in a preemptive strike on Thanksgiving and go see New Moon, after all the screaming has died down.

Found a FABULOUS quote today "In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life, it goes on. " -Robert Frost

Poker face

I am stitching on some ornaments, but nothing to post yet.

I found this fun little blog and thought i would do the Friday Fill ins:

1. The last band I saw live was Trans Siberian Orchestra this time last year, fun once , but not again.
2. What I look forward to most on Thanksgiving is cranberries. (if you don't celebrate thanksgiving, insert your favorite holiday)
3. My Christmas/holiday shopping is just getting started.
4. Thoughts of prepping for next semester fill my head.
5. I wish I could wear high boots, but my calves are too fat, always have been.
6. Bagpipes rule.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to cleaning my room, tomorrow my plans include swim lessons with A and Sunday, I want to go to the Carolina Renissance Faire!

Best/Worst weekend ever

Pigeon Forge Haul
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist

It has taken me 3 days to recover from this past weekend and post for you. Now let me tell you why. I decided several weeks ago to get in on the annual pigeon forge retreat hosted by Katrina over at Crossed Threads. I got my mom to come down and watch A. so I could go. I thought I could get out of my friday obligations at work and leave early in order to have a whole 2 days up in the mountains to stitch.

It all began to fall apart about a week before I left, I found out that I had misread my schedule and that we had an anatomy practical on the friday I wanted to leave, and thatI had to stay till it was all cleaned up. So that meant instead of leaving around 8 in the morning I would be leaving at 4 in the afternoon. ugh. but what are you going to do? my job is worth more than my vacation. It is a 4 hour drive so I think I'll get there by 8-9pm at the latest. Fast forward to fri afternoon, So I am heading out making GOOD time when I discover that there is a rock slide on 40 blocking this highway at the border. I freak out cause I only had my mapquest directions with me (the trip involved exactly 2 turns) , there are detours posted but I have no idea if they will put me back on 40 before or after my exit. so I call my husband who tells me the detour will add another hour and a half to my trip, and in the middle of giving corrected directions my phone dies (my new phone that i did not get a car charger for yet!). I am very upset thinking about heading home, but by then i am in TN and about an hour away...I stopped in a rest stop and picked up a cheap map to get me the rest of the way there. arriving around 10:30PM. YAY but I am so agitated i cannot stitch for another hour or so.

Saturday was a good day, hung out with my roomate Shelley, shopped at Dixie Darlin, ate at the Old Mill, stitched till late, had a great time with the games, dirty santa gift exchange, and ornament exchange. Shelley and I decide that we are going to try the Apple Barn for breakfast early the next morning which I had never been to. But once out the door, I discover my car is DEAD, not reving, not not turning over, DEAD. So Shelley jumps my car (we both had jumper cables) and we decide to just get on the road and head our separate ways (she is in GA). I head home, but notice that my radio falters every time I turn on my turn signal. NOT good. So I decide I can't stop or my car will be dead again. I did pause for gas and some snacks (remember no breakfast) but i did not turn off the car while i filled up (it drove me nuts too, I was waiting for the gas cops to show up...) I got home by 1 and when i turned off the car in my drive way it would not start up again (as i had suspected) . I now have a new battery and my mom is headed home to PA. So while my trip was horrible I did get in 1 full good day stitching.

My Haul:
Sampler snowman by Homespun elegance, recipe cards, dinky dyes floss and other patterns not pictured here won in doorprizes and bingo.
Lots of fabric (can you tell i am out of natural shades of linen?), some NN floss, The Branch by Bent Creek, and Curlylocks by Silver Creek Samplers. all bought.

The ornament i got in exchange for my penguin is that cute snowman down in front, and I also got the Snowman photobooth kit from Bent Creek aquired thru the dirty santa exchange. He is so cute I started stitching it already, even though I have ornaments I need to do for 3 more exchanges coming up in Dec.

I am a selfish stitcher

Purple Penguins
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist

I have discovered I will not stitch an ornament for another if I haven't done it for myself too. Either in the past or at the same time. Above are 2 Purple Penguins from Casey Buag...Baguar...Buaginario? Damn I can't remember the name...If anyone has the newest JCS orn mag in front of them you can find it there. I stitched it some random cheap purple fabric i had around, and as you can see the fabric isn't quite square (the pattern is!) but they came out very cute anyway, and i used some tricks i learned finishing the mermaids to make the finishing look pretty darn good. One is mine, the other will be heading with me to my stitching retreat this weekend in Pigeon Forge TN.