Another Holiday Ornie--Finished!

Here is my second Laura J. Perin ornie--finished--from Holiday Ornaments, Series 1.

I chose the traditional bright red and green colorway.

 I think this one is even cuter

than the first one I finished

(which was pretty darn cute).

The variegated yarn is

Caron Collection's Watercolours "Holiday."

There are two more ornaments in the series.

Once I finish them, I will probably pick one

to stitch again.

Then I will have five,

enough for a cube.

(The bottom will be fabric.)

But that's a project for 2012.

Hope you're having a great weekend.

Thanks for visiting!

Happy Thanksgiving...

to all my friends in the United States.

To my friends in other parts of the world,

Happy Thursday!

Mail Order

Hey Blog Buddies,

Do you ever get your stitching supplies by mail order?  I use the term loosely, because sometimes the stuff comes by UPS or FedEx.  Maybe from one of the needlework stores which has a big on-line presence and a glitzy website?   I know I have, and you probably have, too.  And it's great fun surfing these sites, looking at the pretty photos of merchandise and putting an item or three into your virtual cart.  I have shopped at these sites in the past, and more than likely will continue to do so.

But let me tell you about my experience this past week--and I am going to name names.  A certain chart had caught my eye, and I also needed to price out some evenweave fabric for a class for next year.  So I called The House of Stitches.  I have gone to them before with funky requests, such as 30-count Onyx linen by WDW, and they have never not had the item in stock.  I prefer the telephone for two reasons:  I can instantly know whether or not they have the item I'm looking for and, quite frankly, their website is a wee bit clunky.  Within a minute of their answering the phone, I found out that they had:

...the chart that I was looking for...

...and they were able to kit it up for me...

...the called-for 36-count buttercream linen

and all the over-dyed floss

all wrapped up in a pretty ribbon.

They didn't have to do that.

But I was really impressed--

it's the little things...

...and I got a free chart!

I don't even get free charts when

I make a personal appearance

at my LNS...

...and the evenweave I was inquring about?

...they sent me samples

of all the different types

that they have in stock

(with pricing info) on a little card.

And yes, that's a handwritten

thank-you note next to it.

I get one of those

every time I place an order.

You don't get those

at the "big box" stores!

They usually ship the order

the same day that I call,

so I get my goodies

in 2 or 3 days, tops.

I have only one complaint

about the House of Stitches.

It's a 120-mile round-trip drive

from my house.

I'd love to go there

on a weekly basis

and be able to

fondle all their merchandise!

But this is the next best thing.

And they only add

the cost of the postage--

no "handling" charges.

And, no, I'm not related to the owner

or anyone who works there.

Now for a quick update on the

Laura J. Perin needlepoint ornament

that I started this week.

It's a quick and fun stitch.

Well, the metallic ribbon

does slow me down,

but it contributes a lot to the look.

If I were making an ornament

to hang on a tree, this would be a 

good stopping point because

it's a good size (about 3" x 3").

But I have other plans for it,

so I'll continue on and stitch the entire

4.5" x 4.5" ornament.

Hope you were able to stitch this weekend.

Thanks for visiting!

Odds and Ends

Hey Blog Buddies,

It's been awhile since we last spoke.  I've been working on a piece for a class I'm going to teach next year.  Unfortunately, I can't show it yet, but the good news is it's now finished and I'm itching to go on to other things.

What I can show you is this darling little ornament that I purchased at the Quilters Plus boutique earlier this month.

Isn't it just the cutest thing?

All those tiny prairie points--

I would never attempt anything like this.

But I don't have to because

this ornie is now mine!

I also had another little Hallowe'en finish,

unfortunately not in time for the day itself...

This is a little Mill Hill kit

that I picked up at a white elephant sale.

The photo is much larger than life.

I just need to trim the perforated paper

and put a hanger on it,

and it will be ready for next year...

...as soon as I find my "paper" scissors!

I got a call from my LQS earlier this week

letting me know that

 my Christmas wall hanging

is all quilted and ready to be picked up.

Woo hoo!  That was fast!

I really should pick the piece up

even though I don't have my binding ready.

It should inspire me to get

my binding ready.

Last but not least

I started a new piece yesterday

at my Wednesday needlepoint group.

This is the second of four in

Laura J. Perin's Holiday Ornaments,

American Quilt Collection.

I love them all!

That about wraps it up.

If it's cold where you are

(like here in the Midwest),

stay warm!

Thanks for stopping by.

The Boutique is Here!!

Hey Blog Buddies,
I just wanted to give you all a heads up about the Boutique that's going on today and tomorrow.  My quilt guild does this on the first Friday and Saturday of November every year, and it is really fabulous.

The members of our Guild make tons of stuff

for this boutique.

(Last year there were over 20,000 items!)

There are also several selected outside vendors.

The location is the Community Center

of the Flossmoor Community Church,

Carroll Pkwy. and Hutchinson Rd., Flossmoor, IL.

If you live within 50 miles of Flossmoor,

it's well worth a trip.

(Don't forget your checkbook!)

The website for the Guild is here.

Click on the Boutique 2010 link in the header

to get a sampling of what last year's Boutique was like.

Be patient, it takes a little while

for all of the photos to load.

My pathetically small contribution is below.

Two scarves, one knit and one crocheted.

A funky, little patchwork heart ornament.

I am not good at sewing curved seams.

Everyone was asked to make one.

There will be lots there that are nicer.

Finally, I whipped up a bunch of

little covers for travel tissue packs.

(I haven't had that much sewing experience, folks!)

But, don't worry, there are many sewing wizards in our Guild.

Some of the hand-made items for sale are:

holiday ornaments, table toppers, quilts,

knitted and crocheted items,

jewelry, dolls, purses,

the list goes on and on.

Hope to see you there tomorrow.

Have a great weekend,

and thanks for stopping by.

Two Finishes, and a Class

Hey Blog Buddies,

A month or two ago I showed you my NOEL ornie before it was sent off to Karen for finishing.  Well, I got it back yesterday and can't wait to show you how it turned out.

You take a scrap of linen with

some cross stitching on it,

give it to Karen

and she turns it into a work of art!

It was a little too big for an ornament,

so I asked her to finish in as a box.

At our Guild meeting last night,

there were about 20-25 items

for Show and Tell.

At least half of them

(including this beauty)

were finished by Karen.

She is one busy lady!

This is an Erica Michaels design

from the 2008 JCS Christmas Ornament issue.

Needless to say,

I'm thrilled with the end product.

This is a Lizzie Kate freebie

that I stitched up for Averyclaire

who is having a birthday tomorrow!

Happy birthday!

Last but not least,

this is an ornament from Chickadee Hollow Designs

that I finished last year

and taught at Guild last night.

It's basic surface embroidery,

stitched through two thicknesses of fabric:

the muslin with the printed design

and a piece of batting.

It was the first class I've taught.

Nineteen out of the 22 who signed up were there!

It was noisy, and a lot of fun.

Hope your November is starting off great.

Thanks for visiting!