Luck Truck and March Stitches

 I was looking for another St. Patrick's Day stitch to do and I found Luck Truck on Pinker N Punkin Quilting Blogspot.

https://pinkernpunkinquilting.blogspot.com/2022/03/truckin-along-in-luck-truck-st-patricks.html  It's about 3/4 the way down the page. Melisa gives out a lot of charts that she creates. This truck is really cute!

I started Luck Truck on Sunday, February 18, 2024 on 16 ct Fiddler's Cloth and the called for DMC.  The white sheep did not show up so I changed it to a gray color #3 DMC.  I finished stitching on February 20.

Then I started on March which I stitched on 18 ct Aida Morning Mint from Atomic Ranch.  The green is very light and the cloth is so soft. The threads I used were WDW Blue Spruce, CCW Chopped Chives and DMC Ecru, 500, 340, 973, 3799. I started stitching on Wednesday and finished on Thursday the 22nd.

I figured I needed to fully finish these soon.  

It was nice and sunny on Monday, March 11th and I went to work!

          I bought this piece from Hobby Lobby months ago and did not know what to put on it.  

I glued on a magnet so I will be able to use this backer for another project 

- maybe another truck by Melisa!

I think this looks real cute.  The ribbon came from Factory Direct Craft.com. 

The shank button was from my stash.

1-1/2" Brown and Green Taffeta Stitch Gold Wired Edge Ribbon - Ribbon and Trims - Craft Supplies - Factory Direct Craft

I decided to use this backer from Dollar Tree for March.

I used this fabric behind the stitching and finished with a yellow rick rack.

I glued right to the backer because I would not use it for another holiday piece.

The finished pieces on my display.

Luck by Bent Creek

 I saw this pattern on a flosstube by Helen D. So I bought it!

I started it on February 10th using an old piece of fabric - 30 ct Old Mill Java and a mix of Gentle Arts and DMC floss.

I'm looking through my calendar and remembered that we lost electric on February 13 at 9:43 am and did not get it back again until February 15 around 3:30 pm. That really sucked!  We live in the country and need electric for heat and water.  We could use our gas stove top but not the oven.  We melted snow to flush the toilet.  Really makes you glad when the electric comes back on and you can flush!

I finished Luck on February 17 and fully finished it on March 3rd.  I used a wood piece that I bought at Dollar Tree. I painted it Lime Green with the JoAnn Fabrics paint.

Then I went digging in my fabrics for backing stuff.  I made a couple of mistakes with this project.  I did not cut the batting to fit the sticky board. I could not get a smooth edge.  Next time I will!  

And I made my middle piece too large but I like how it came out.

                            I decorated with a few things I also got at Dollar Tree.

 

I also made a little shamrock for this holder.  I was in Michaels last week and 

saw this so maybe that is where I bought it and from Joann Fabrics. I used a scrap piece of 16 ct Fiddler's Cloth and WDW Curry and CCW Eve's Leaves.

Lovely Hearts by Textilly Crafts and Valentine's Day Quaker by Primrose Cottage

I was watching the flosstube of Handmade by Sarah W and she said she was 

going to do a SAL with this chart.  I had already started it.

I stitched both of these on the same fabric called 32 ct. Morganite by Fiber on a Whim.  When it's folded up you can see a blush color but it looks white when opened up.  I used DMC 321, 600, 603, 605 and 3689 for the Quaker.  I used DMC 600, 603, 605 for Lovely Hearts.

Here are my two finishes for Valentine's Day- Valentine's Day Quaker by Primrose Cottage and the Lovely Hearts.  I am very happy with these!

We lost power due to a snowstorm for a couple of days this week so I'm late getting this posted.

Progress on The Town of Halloween

Yesterday I had a terrible sinus headache from all the damp and rain from the last few weeks.  I did not get very much reading done.  So I am posting my progress on this cross stitch. Check here for my original post.
Boy, you can really chug along when you only have 2 colors to use.  I have not decided what I will do with this once it's finished.  I hope we will have some sunshine today so I can work on it.

Town of Halloween Cross Stitch

Last week I started a new cross stitch project from this Halloween magazine.  Town of Halloween is designed by Isabella Abbiati of The Primitive Hare. You can look at her fabulous designs here.  She has alot of patterns I want!!

Wings and Things

Way back in September I got a copy of Just Cross Stitch 2012 Special Collector's Issue Halloween.  Inside there are a ton of cross stitch projects that I want to make!
My younger daughter liked Wings and Things.  On a trip to Spring Robin in Salisbury, NC., I was happy to find that she had the fabric needed to make this, 32 count monster mash Belfast linen from Picture This Plus.  I was so excited.
 I used  different threads than the directions called for. I used a bit more than 3 skeins of (so get 4) Simply Shaker Sampler thread  - Black Raspberry Jam 7021 from The Gentle Art. I used DMC  Satin Floss S976 or 30976.

I think it turned out well.

Christmas Stocking Finished!!

Here's a photo of Sophia with her stocking....she's hiding because she just woke up!!  It was extra dark because of the rain we got on Christmas!!  I think it came out ok.  But if I do one again I will finish it with double bias tape or quilt binding.  It is not stiff at all but Sophia liked it.

Something Wicked by LA-D-DA

I love this chart!  It did not take long to make.  I cannot wait to get it framed!!!  LA-D-DA has some really cool charts for sale!! Make sure you take a look.  I want to get The Raven next....

I did stitch it on 35 Ct. Havana linen and used only DMC threads.

Do you know where this saying comes from??? It's a favorite of mine!

I started a Christmasy type chart 2 days ago...next post!

Christmas Stocking Part 3

I could not realize how long it's been since I posted the latest on this  - since NOVEMBER!!  wow!

I haven't been working on it much since school ended....don't seem to have time since Sophia's always around!!  But a few weeks ago I got a pair magnifying glasses. I cannot see close enough to see where to put my stitches in the linen weave.
Before I was using a magnifying lamp which didn't work that well because it seemed as if everytime I got it in place that I could see the phone would ring or I would need to get up and I cannot place this lamp on a table because it is too small.  That's the problem with buying over the internet - you cannot see what you are buying!

The glasses are so much better but I get a headache for wearing them too long.

This is where I am with the stocking....

 

Christmas - Keep It Simple

As some of you know, we have moved three times since October 2009.  So we have very few decorations anymore.  What we do have is in our storage unit which is tiny.  I don't have the room to go through each box and look for things.

This is our tree.

I bought the tree and the trimmings at Hobby Lobby for about $18.  Everything was 50% off.

We live in a small apt. (on the 3rd floor - no elevators here) so we do not have room for a large tree. 

 Do we need a large tree? Not really. 

 It would be nice to have a real tree but I can't carry it up all these stairs.

Then having to buy all the decorations and carry them up.

And back down again after the holidays.

Why does our society always have to have the biggest and most expensive of everything?

Can we survive with just the basics?

Sure we can!

Easter/Pasqua

I hope everyone had a great weekend!
Check out Little P's blog for her Easter surprise! www.litlep.blogspot.com

St. Patrick's Day or Lá Fhéile Pádraig

Today is the day to honor my Irish ancestors. My maternal grandmother's grandparents came to America on the 1880's. I also have an Irish great great grandmother on my maternal grandfather's side.

I have my corned beef in the crockpot for later! I made Julie's Caramel Apple Cake. http://dinnerwithjulie.com/2009/03/13/sour-cream-caramel-apple-cake/ I will be making the potatoes and cabbage later.

I don't think we would be eating corned beef in Ireland though.

When I was a little girl, my sister and I would wear green on this day but our mom made us wear a little bit of orange because we are Protestant.

What do you know about Patrick?

From history.com It is known that St. Patrick was born in Britain to wealthy parents near the end of the fourth century. He is believed to have died on March 17, around 460 A.D. Although his father was a Christian deacon, it has been suggested that he probably took on the role because of tax incentives and there is no evidence that Patrick came from a particularly religious family. At the age of sixteen, Patrick was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family's estate. They transported him to Ireland where he spent six years in captivity. (There is some dispute over where this captivity took place. Although many believe he was taken to live in Mount Slemish in County Antrim, it is more likely that he was held in County Mayo near Killala.) During this time, he worked as a shepherd, outdoors and away from people. Lonely and afraid, he turned to his religion for solace, becoming a devout Christian. (It is also believed that Patrick first began to dream of converting the Irish people to Christianity during his captivity.)

After more than six years as a prisoner, Patrick escaped. According to his writing, a voice-which he believed to be God's-spoke to him in a dream, telling him it was time to leave Ireland.
To do so, Patrick walked nearly 200 miles from County Mayo, where it is believed he was held, to the Irish coast. After escaping to Britain, Patrick reported that he experienced a second revelation-an angel in a dream tells him to return to Ireland as a missionary. Soon after, Patrick began religious training, a course of study that lasted more than fifteen years. After his ordination as a priest, he was sent to Ireland with a dual mission-to minister to Christians already living in Ireland and to begin to convert the Irish. (Interestingly, this mission contradicts the widely held notion that Patrick introduced Christianity to Ireland.)

Go here to take an Irish quiz! http://www.history.com/content/stpatricksday/all-things-irish-quiz