Fair and Square exchange with Peg

Another Fair and Square exchange has arrived safe and sound. I heard from Peg (Lost in Threads) last weekend to let me know the squares I stitched for her made their way to Missouri.

Peg mentioned in her profile that she likes Quakers, so I thought this one would be perfect for her, and Peg says she really likes it.

Quaker Hill House by Anniebeez
Stitched on 32 ct. Antique White with recommended DMC threads

I'm especially pleased with how the over 1 stitching came out!

And these are the squares I received from Peg:

LHN's Schoolgirl Lessons stitched with Waterlilies Cherry

You should SEE the back of these gorgeous squares - Peg's stitching is picture perfect! Thank you again, Peg! I can't wait to finish these into something cute. Perhaps a pinkeep with red rickrack trim?

I can't believe I forgot to post this exchange!

I've been doing some catching up on my blogging, and realized I had forgotten to post photos of the Round #14 Fair and Square exchange from Nicky. Not only that, but I forgot to take photos of the squares before I finished them up into this no - sew cube.


The cube now resides on the bookshelf in my son Nick's room. Thanks again, Nicky!!

Two Fair and Square Finishes

I finished up 2 of 3 no-sew cubes I planned on making from some of my Fair and Square exchanges I've received.

First up is my Round #11 squares from Jeanie C (no blog). I knew as soon as I got them that they were destined to be a no-sew cube, trimmed in blue ribbon and put on display in our living room (our connected living and dining rooms are painted in several shades of blue that almost perfectly match the thread Jeanie chose.)
The cube is trimmed wtih a wide pale blue satin ribbon, topped with a thinner metallic silver one and pinned with some Swarovski crystals I pulled from my jewelry making stash. It's exactly what I had in mind when I received the squares and it looks perfect in our living room, displayed on the shelves.

I also finished the squares I received for Round #13 from Marie P (Creative Thread) into a no-sew cube. I had looked everywhere for a reddish gold plaid type ribbon I had in mind, but couldn't find anything I liked. Then I started playing around with other colors and stumbled onto this brown satin, which works very well. Getting the loops in the ribbon on top to line up was a little tricky, but it turned out very nice in the end.


For now, it too is on display in our living room, but I am contemplating moving it either up to our son's room, or perhaps onto the mantle in the family room once we paint it. (We're planning on painting the room a sage green to complement our brown couches, and I think the browns in this piece would really look nice against the green walls).

Autumn Squares from Daniela

Autumn 2009 Round from Daniela T (My Needle Art)

Brooke's Books Autumn Pantry

These lovely squares came all the way from Finland in a wonderful exchange with Daniela. Not only do I love the squares, but Daniela included a beautiful felted wool flower pin she made (it's going to look perfect on my winter wool coat) and a gorgeous handmade card. I always admire these handmade cards, and I've gotten some really cool ones through these exchanges.

A tiny part of me is a little envious of the talent these cardmakers have, but the realistic part of me knows I can't take on another hobby (and probably couldn't do it as nicely as some of you can anyway!) So instead, I will admire the ones I receive and see posted on other blogs, and restrict myself to drooling in the paper and card aisles at the craft store.

Thank you, Daniela!

Finally framed!

Safari Birth Sampler by Mary Stickley for The Coleshill Collection

Stitched with included threads over 2 on 28 ct. Antique White evenweave

Finally this piece is FRAMED!! It's been finished since last September and has been languishing in a drawer, waiting to be framed. I've even had the frame since last fall, and for some reason, it just took forever to get around to actually framing the piece (or rather, getting DH to frame it). I rodered the frame from American Frame this time, and was quite pleased with the price, quality and service from them.

DH did a great job framing - he has much more patience for this sort of thing and will fiddle with it until everything lines up correctly. Usually I frame with sticky board (horror of horrors, I know) but we went with mat board and stainless steel pins this time. I noticed there was much less frustration (and cursing) on DH's part as he framed this piece, so maybe that's the way to go from now on.

This was a gift for a childhood friend whose son, as you can see, is over a year old. (I even thought about trying to get it done for his 1st birthday in August, but being pregnant myself really put a crimp in my plans!) DH got it in the mail Friday, and I got an email from my friend yesterday that it's already been received!

Autumn Fair and Square Exchange with Daniela

Autumn 2009 Round to Daniela T (http://myneedleart.blogspot.com/)
Bent Creek's Snapper Sampler
Stitched with WDW Cognac and GAST Mulberry
on Wichelt Copper Penny 32 ct. Fabric
Accented with Copper seed beads

This was one the the last pieces I stitched while pregnant, as I wanted to get it out before I went into the hospital. I absolutely LOVE how this came out - it was hard to part with! And the Wichelt fabric was very nice to stitch on. I had been admiring the color for a while now, and jumped at the chance to use it.

Here's a close up of the beading I did on the piece.


The original pattern called for cross stitches where the beads are, but I thought some copper colored beads from my stash would add a little something extra to the piece.

I also included a skein of my own handyed threads for Daniela in an autumn color.

Join the Sisterhood!

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pattern is moving on. Sara's offering her up to the next lucky stitcher on her blog, so head on over to get signed up for the drawing on Friday, October 16.

This is the journey she's been on so far.... will she visit you next?

Harmien in the Netherlands (November 3, 2007)

She sent it to Lili in France (June 17, 2007)

Who sent it to Barbara in Malaysia (June 25, 2007)

Who sent it to Tessa in Australia (July 16, 2007)

Who sent it to Lizzy in North Carolina, U.S. (February 26, 2008)

Who sent it to Barbara in the Netherlands (March 11, 2008)

Who sent it to Sarah (no blog) in Ohio, U.S. (April 11, 2008)

Who sent it to Anna in Pennsylvania, U.S. (May 28, 2008)

Who sent it to Wendy in Ontario, Canada (July 4, 2008)

Who sent it to Sue in Michigan, U.S. (August 2, 2008)

Who sent it to Jennifer in Pennsylvania, U.S. (September 2, 2008)

Who sent it to CJ in Texas, U.S. (October 25, 2008)

Who sent it to Claire in Nova Scotia, Canada (January 20, 2009)

Who sent it to Kathy in Arizona, U.S. (February 18, 2009)

Who sent it to Carol in Indiana, U.S. (March 15, 2009)

Who sent it to Carolyn in California, U.S. (May 20, 2009)

Who sent it to Sharon in Oklahoma, U.S. (August 8, 2009)

Who sent it to Jill in Minnesota, US (September 13, 2009)

Who sent it to Sara in North Carolina, US ((October 1, 2009)

Who sent it to.....

(Note: If you’re not familiar with the story of this traveling pattern, Lizzy has recorded the history of it here.)

Fair and Square Exchange with Nicky

I had the pleasure of being paired up with Nicky in Australia (The Little Needlecase) for the Round #14 Fair and Square Exchange, and in the course of our emails, she mentioned that her favorite colors were purple and green and that she liked flowers. I immediately thought of a Windy Willows freebie, Amitie, I had in my collection. A few color changes, and VOILA!:

Windy Willows Amitie
Stitched with DMC Floss, plus my own overdyed green thread
Over 2 on 32 ct. Antique White

I also sent off a skein of Blackberry Jam, a purple thread I dyed myself.

I'd post a picture of the super cute squares I received from Nicky, but they will have to wait for another post as I am in the process of finishing them into a no-sew cube. Pictures coming soon, I promise!

Help a girl out, please!

As most of you know, my husband and I are expecting our first child in October, and we've been getting things ready for his arrival. Sure, we've got the big stuff like the crib and the stroller, but what I am in need of is nearly impossible to find here in the suburban Philadelphia area.... Dallas Cowboys gear.

Yep. Dallas Cowboys stuff. I've been hitting Babies R Us, plus the department and sporting goods stores, and sure, there's a ton of Eagles (gack) and Phillies stuff, and even some Steelers stuff, but not a whole lot in the way of Dallas Cowboys gear. I'm guessing that most of these things are only locally availble in the teams' home markets, which is probably why I can't find them online either.

Yes, we have already purchased the Tony Romo Hallmark ornament on the condition that he not be placed on the tree until he gets his December act together... He may not join our collection of Cowboys ornaments until he can get through the playoffs without blowing it. LOL

I'd love to have his first picture taken in a Cowboys outfit (and bring him home in one), and of course, he's going to need a Cowboys outfit for Thanksgiving. I can order stuff online, but I've seen different things in places like Wal-Mart and Target, and I am sure they are probably way less expensive there than they are on some of these sites.

We're already expecting our boy to be over 8 lbs at birth, so newborn stuff isn't going to work, but 0-3 months and especially 3-6 months will. Mostly I am looking for some onesies (long or short sleeve), sleepers, or outfits like the warm up suit. We've seen a few jerseys around, but most of them seem to be too big (we're planning on getting him a Jason Witten jersey for Christmas).

I'm also looking for a few little Cowboy related things like pacifiers, a hooded towel, a picture frame, etc. And if you see anything cool that I haven't mentioned, please let me know. I know that there are usually things only available locally that I might not have even considered. So if you live in Texas or an area where you have access to Cowboys baby gear, I would be eternally grateful if you could help us out. Let me know ahead of time (so I can avoid multiples of the same item) and I will happily reimburse you for the cost of the item and the shipping to PA.

And if you happen to be looking for Eagles / Phillies / Flyers stuff, or Steelers or Giants, let me know and I can help you out (baby, child and adult sizes). Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

For Sale or Trade

I've updated my For Sale or Trade list, so be sure to check it out and see if there's anything you'd like. Postage is $2 for first class mail, unless you'd like me to send it a different way, in which case we can work something out. International postage will vary - contact me for details, but yes, I will send it international.

I'd prefer payment via Paypal, but again, don't let that stop you if you don't use it. We can work something out, and of course, I am always open to trade or a GC for an online shop.

I also have a list of Hearts of America and International Hearts by Victoria Sampler that I am looking for.