Category Archives: sewing

SAL Project Peacock Done!

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Woohoo!  I can do the happy dance because Mr. Salvador the peacock is complete. The only thing I would like to add to him is possibly some tiny beading to give him a little sparkle before I frame him.

I am still looking for the right frame for this project so I will post again when it is complete and I can give it to the intended recipient :).

Other than that, I consider this beautiful cross-stitch project done and I can’t wait to give it away!

Now I have to figure out what my next project will be. A gigantic new project or my own design project.

The above is a chart I had made of a photograph I took of my back shelf after I harvested these gourds and onions. I had the photo converted into a cross-stitch chart by an online company. It’s 10 pages long!  I think you all may get sick of looking at this if I choose it for the SAL though lol!

This other project is my own design. It looks simple right now but there is a lot I will be adding to it which will be fun to see.

What do you think?  Which project should I choose for the SAL?

If you are wondering what this SAL group thing is all about we are a group of stitchers that update each other every 3 weeks with an individual project we all pick for ourselves. I could not have finished Mr. Peacock as fast as I did without having that gentle push and reminder every three weeks from Avis and the rest of these lovely like minded stitchers.

This update we’ve added two new members too. Welcome Connie and Heidi!!

If you are a stitcher and would like to join the group please contact Avis via email which you will find when you click on her link below.  In fact I would encourage you to check out all of the wonderful stitchers in this group. Their blog links are highlighted with each of their names.

See you in three weeks! -MM

Avis,Claire, Gun, Carole, LucyAnn, Kate,Jess, Sue, Constanze, Debbierose,Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Helen,Steph, Linda, Catherine, Mary Margaret,Timothy, Heidi, Connie

SAL Project Peacock and New Project Update

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The last 3 weeks have gone by so fast and we have been so busy I only have worked on Salvador for a couple of hours. Sad I know but it is summer here in the US and busy is the name of the game for about another 2 months.  

I am slow finishing this project because all of the fun colors are done and I am left with the super light browns and creams and whites which are very unexciting.

I don’t know if you can see much of a difference but I did finish 3 more colors completely.  There is back stitching to do too.

Here is where I stopped 3 weeks ago:

And here is where I am today:

I have to admit I did start a new project and that took some of my SAL time.

I am learning to design my own cross-stitch designs and charts. For those of you that design your own I admire you greatly. It’s hard work and I have already modified and ripped a bunch of stitches out and restitched. It takes patience but I am loving it so far!

Here is a glimpse of what I have started to design:

It’s going to be an autumn tree with some sort of saying whether a Biblical quote or something else. Lots of red and orange and yellow leaves. I have already modified and ripped out the trunk once.

I have got to get a better chart drawn. When I asked the woman at Joanne Fabrics if they had any graph paper she had no clue what I was talking about. Sigh…

I can’t wait to keep going with both projects! Until next time… -MM

The members of the wonderful SAL group I am part of are doing some pretty spectacular projects. Click on the links of names below to visit their blogs and see what they are working on! 

Avis, Claire, Gun, Carole, LucyAnn, Kate, Jess, Sue, Constanze, Debbierose, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Helen, Steph, Linda, Catherine, Timothy

SAL Update – Project Peacock

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Salvador the peacock’s tail is finished! His whole body in fact is done. All I have to finish now is the background vines and some back-stitching on his body and this piece will be complete! Woo hoo!

Here is where I left off three weeks ago:

And here is what I have done as of yesterday:

I should have the whole thing done next update. Keep your fingers crossed!

I have to thank this wonderful group of stitchers for keeping me motivated otherwise I may not have gotten this project done as fast.

Please check the other members of the group out by clicking on the links of their names below. You won’t be disappointed!


Avis, Claire, Gun, Carole, LucyAnn, Kate, Jess, Sue, Constanze, Debbierose, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Helen, Steph, Linda, Catherine, Wendy, Timothy

My First SAL (Stitch-A-Long) Post

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I came across a group of bloggers here on WordPress who are part of a Stitch-A-Long group of stitchers. A SAL is a group designed to help motivate and encourage us to finish projects one at a time. How many of us have multiple projects, unfinished sitting in a drawer? This group is a great way to motivate everyone to get one project done at a time and I was so impressed by all of their work that I decided to inquire about joining them. To my delight I was accepted into the group so now I write my first SAL post! Thank you ladies for letting me join!

My last post on my peacock cross-stitch project was on weeks 1-3. This photo is week 4. It may seem like I am almost done but the entire plume on Miss Peacock has yet to be worked on. Wait until you see how big it is. Yikes! That will take me a while especially with spring gardening in my future.

I will be back April 2nd with another update and SAL post so stay tuned. I wonder what I should name this peacock? Any suggestions? -MM

Please check out the other SAL member’s blogs by clicking on the links below. They are doing some fantastic work! If you are interested in joining the group please contact Avis who is the very first link.

Avis, Claire, Gun, Carole, LucyAnn, Kate, Jess, Sue,

Constanze, Debbierose, Christina, Susan, Kathy,

Margaret, Cindy, Helen, Steph, Linda, Catherine, Wendy,

Mary Margaret

 

 

 

 

 

Poppy Remembrance Project

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I finally finished it! It took two years on and off but I finally finished my lovely poppy remembrance field. This cross-stitch project was my most challenging yet and at times made my eyes cross but it was worth it. Over 23,000 stitches.poppy

All that’s left to do is mount and frame it. I will post a pic when I get it all put together.

Meanwhile I have already started a new project. A pretty peacock which I hope to get done by Christmas. My hubby doesn’t think I can get it done by then but after just one week I am well on my way.

peacock

I’ll keep posting my progress so check back next week! -MM

From My Sewing Basket

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A pair of pants to hem, a button to fix, a hole to repair in a sock. I don’t know about you, but my sewing basket always has something in it to fix. And some things have been in it for YEARS!

One day, instead of mindlessly wasting my morning surfing statuses online, I decided to fix whatever was in my sewing basket that I was putting off.

I have a black, double-breasted peacoat that I stuck in my sewing basket 2 years ago simply because all three big, gold, buttons fell off. Before I put it in the basket for fixing I was holding the coat closed with my hands like a bathrobe and that really wasn’t working.

With my two cuddly companions keeping me company, in 15 minutes I had all 3 buttons sewn back on and re-enforced so they wouldn’t ever come off again. Viola!  It was like having a new coat!

Also in the basket were tons of pairs of socks with holes in the toes. Not the heel but the toe. They are perfectly good socks but they must rub just right in my sneakers because all of them had a hole in the same spot. My husband says I need to cut my toenails more often but I laugh and say that’s not why.

I spent that evening repairing the holes in six pairs of socks and put them right back into service. Heck at $15 a pair it’s worth repairing them instead of throwing them out, right?

Lastly I have a red, half zip, collared, cable knit sweater that would be my greatest challenge so I saved it for last. In fact I didn’t even know if I could repair it.

My skills in sewing are limited. I cross-stitch and can repair small things but I don’t know how to sew much beyond that and have only used a sewing machine a couple of times.

This sweater was completely shredded and ripped unevenly in the arm pit. Don’t ask me how it got that way because I have no idea. I like wearing it for work because it’s warm, but it got embarrassing having a gigantic hole in my arm pit so I benched it into the black hole of my sewing basket more than a year ago.

It took me a while. About 45 minutes but I did get it repaired. It isn’t perfect but I got it closed the best I could. Hey it’s a work sweater. I beat the heck out of my clothes at work so it doesn’t have to be perfect.

So to recap. Instead of throwing perfectly good clothes out, I repaired a coat, a sweater and six pairs of socks. That’s got to be about $150 I saved!

Also I wasn’t on the Internet or Facebook or in any other way connected to the cyber world while doing it. That made me feel wonderful!

Ok folks admit it. You’ve got stuff you have been putting off because you say you don’t have the time. However, you have time to check out your Facebook news feed or read what Kylie Jenner is wearing on an airplane or how Mariah screwed up on New Years Eve, right? I know, I am guilty too. It’s so easy to get distracted and lose an hour on the computer.

Now when I start to lose my personal focus I just ask myself “what else should I be doing?” Works every time! There is always something that needs to be done.

What have you been putting off? I bet there is something. -MM