June Stitch from Stash Report

Hey Blog Buddies,

Mel from Epic Stitching is hosting a SAL this year where the participants try to keep spending on new stash to $25 or less per month.  This is the last day to post progress for June, so I'd better hop to it.

I spent a grand total of $6.25 for the month on this quilting book:

It was on sale, and I had a $10 gift certificate.

This little pattern from the book caught my eye...

The blocks are a combo of Log Cabin and Courthouse Steps designs.

I like everything about it.

 I did finish piecing the top to the Semaphore lap quilt

that I started earlier in the year,

but do not have a photo.

I'll show it to you once it's all quilted and bound.

No new starts (other than the workshop last weekend),

and I'm still working away on Mates, 

my hardanger table topper and 99

for the Turtle Trot SAL.

I spent the better part of June catching up

with the Nordic Needle Canvaswork Club piece.

I hadn't worked on it since February,

when it looked like this...

We get the instructions for this piece

in monthly installments.

I decided to do all four month's worth of instructions

that had been accumulating

in the project bag,

and it now looks like this...

The piece is Laura J. Perin's Nordic Panel.

I believe it's a little over half done now.

That's it from here.

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Thanks for visiting!

Inspired Summer Seminar

Hey Blog Buddies,

How has your weekend been going?  Seems we've had more than our fair share of rain here just lately, but that didn't dampen the spirits of the attendees at Inspired Needle's Summer Seminar with Paulette Stewart of Plum Street Samplers.   I know, I know--yet another seminar/workshop?  Don't I have enough to stitch?  Well, I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to meet Paulette whose blog I've been following and designs I've been stitching for some time--and it was just a 30-minute drive. There were 50 of us at the Ruffled Feathers Clubhouse, and the entire day was delightful!  Paulette was very friendly and lots of fun and she designed a wonderful new patriotic piece for us to stitch!

Laura, who blogs as Maude & Mozart is on the left in this photo.  I was glad to finally meet her in person after knowing her "virtually" for several years.  (You should go to her blog and read the highly entertaining exploits of her "posse" at this event!)  Paulette is on the right--she really didn't need to wear her name tag!

 

Here is the project we stitched--Liberty Inn.

Everyone oohed and aahed when they saw the entire project--

Paulette had given us only a sneak peek ahead of time.

She also gave us pins, crushed walnut shells and six fabulous pieces of wool...

 

...to make a few of these lovely strawberries.

The designs on many of them are done entirely in pins.

Paulette gave us complete instructions

on how to finish these.

Cathy (who is Inspired Needle)

gifted each of us with a  nifty project bag.

 You can see that I have the Seminar project

stuffed into my new bag already.

If you're me, you can never have too many project bags!

She also gave each of us this super cute thread holder,

which was inspired by one of the motifs

in the Liberty Inn piece.

Cathy, you're the best!

The kit contained 36-count linen,

and Paulette recommended that

the piece be stitched using only one strand of floss.

Since I am a bit of a maverick (and a coverage freak),

I chose to stitch it using two strands.

 Here is the difference between my two strands on the left

and my friend Joyce's one strand on the right.

I've got to admit that I really like the way

the colors in her piece seem to have more contrast,

but it's too late for me to start rippin'!

Here is where I am so far.

I'd really like to continue on with this piece,

but I was in the middle of getting caught up

with four months of a SAL before the seminar,

and feel I should pick that piece up where I left off.

So I'll put Liberty Inn away for now.

Such problems!

Hope your weekend went swimmingly.

Thanks, as always, for visiting!

June Turtle Trot--More Turtle than Hare

Hey Blog Buddies,
Claudette over at BAP Attack is hosting the Turtle Trot SAL.  At the beginning of the year, we were to choose 10 of our WIPs, and then do progress reports on them on the 10th of each month.   This year many of the WIPs that I chose were BAPs that I really wanted to make significant progress on this year.  I worked on five of them this month which, for me, is really good.  We'll start with the "Turtles":

 Here is Ink Circles' 99 as of last month.

And here's my progress this month.  Yes, only one bottle!

And it's the simplest bottle so far.

I'd love to get the second shelf finished by next month,

but I make no promises.

The wolves are back!

Here's where I was last month with Cross My Heart's Mates.

 And here's my progress this month.

His second eye is started,

hiding in plain sight among all the confetti.

I didn't get much time to stitch on this piece this month,

hopefully more substantial progress will be made next month.

 Here is Cindy Valentine's Pristine hardanger table topper

as of last month.

This is actually white, as is the background of Mates, above.

The eyelets in the triangle on the right

were all I did last month.

Here's the progress this month,

another small triangle of eyelets...

...and a start on one of the large triangles of eyelets.

Here's the entire piece, to give you a sense of scale.

There are over 1,100 eyelets in this piece!

If all I do is finish stitching the eyelets by the end of this year,

I'll be happy.

Ah, yes, our old favorite Needle Delights Originals' Winter Logs.
I was pretty close to a finish last month.

And I did finish it.  Woo hoo!

No surprise there, as it's already been documented.

Last but not least, Debbie Stiehler's Autumn Pumpkin Patch.

Here's where I left off last month.

A month ago I decided to spend
the vast majority of my time and effort

on this piece and went straight into "Hare" mode.

Yay--another finish!
I'm really glad this one is done.
All of the smaller sections were 
repeated five times,
and there was so much laying of
4, 5 and even 6 strands of floss
that it was driving me crazy!
If you've never had to lay threads,
I'm here to tell you that it really slows you down!

One last close-up.

It's at the finisher's as we speak.

Hopefully I'll have one more photo, that of the finished pumpkin,

to show you next month.

That's it from here.

Hope you're getting some stitching time in.

Thanks for visiting!