More Black Belt Stitching Wizard Stuff

Saturday, April 25, 2015

PhotoHunt - Fix

This week's PhotoHunt theme is "Fix".


Are you getting tired of me using pictures from this year's Dominican Experience Trip for my PhotoHunts?  While we were walking around the Colonial Zone in Santo Domingo, we came across this bride getting her wedding pictures done.  They had stopped so she could "fix" her hair.

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Belated WIP Wednesday

Were you looking for my WIP Wednesday post last night or today?  Sorry I didn't get anything up on my blog, I was too tired to blog.

I'm still not settled 100% on any one project, this week saw me working on three of my WIPs.  My friends and regular readers know that's very unlike me to flit from one project to the other!  I am certainly a one at a time girl!

I've put a few more thread lengths into Arabian Woman, a Lanarte Kit.  I think I'm going to really look forward to focusing on her at some point.

I've also put a few hours over the weekend on The Big Red by The Silver Lining, I think I missed working over one!

I think I've spent most of my stitching time on Peacock by Alessandra Adelaide Needleworks.  On the up side, I finished all of the dark outlining and now its time to fill it in with all of the gorgeous blues that remind me of the beach in the Dominican Republic!  Also I'd say the end is in sight with this piece!



I was determined to do a little finishing this weekend, its certainly piling up!  I finished up these three motifs from Red Threads by Rosewood Manor.  These are all whip stitched together with a beaded edge.


Next out of the to be finished bin was this Primitive Hare freebie.  I've done a flat finish on this and embellished it with a red/white polka-dot ribbon bow on the top and a pearl head pin.  Ideally I'd like to get a few pieces finished each weekend, we'll see how ambitious I am this weekend!

Saturday, April 18, 2015

PhotoHunt - Ball

This week's PhotoHunt theme is "ball".


This is my girl Romy, she is a special needs kid who goes to the school we support in the Dominican Republic.  She and I played catch with this football when I was at Todo los Santos on Batey Margarita this year.  She's a special girl, and I count myself as lucky getting to know her in the last two years since our school has been open.

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

WIPWednesday, Small Finishes and What's Next?

Happy Wednesday fair readers!  Which means its WIPWednesday and one of my blogging days!

As usual I like to start with the happy stuff, and I've had two small Happy Dances since my last post.

Red Threads
Rosewood Manor
Stitched with NPI Silk
Stitched on 32ct Natural Linen

This first little guy, was already well under way, so there wasn't much left to do.  This has been my "purse project" and I've been dragging it around with me most places but not really working on it.  So I finally put the last stitches into it.

French Country Star
JBW Designs
Just Cross Stitch - Ornament Issue 2010
Stitched with WDW Garnet
Stitched Over One on 25ct Sand/Gold Lugana

Next up is this month's ornament, I had a hard time settling on which one I wanted to stitch.  I finally picked up this sweet little stitch by JBW which was in one of my Just Cross Stitch Ornament Issues.  If I can, and it may be rather ambitious I'd like to finish this star-shaped!

I haven't settled on a new focus project yet, and really that's okay.  This week I've picked away at two different projects.


I kind of have it in my mind to finish up my January 1st start from this year, Peacock by Alessandra Adelaide.  Christin and I started them together, but she's been done hers for awhile now. Usually I'm the first to finish!  I've had a hard time getting "into" this project.


When I haven't been able to get "into" Peacock I've pulled out an oldie, but goodie Arabian Woman a kit from Lanarte.  I fell in love with and bought this project a long time ago, and it cost me a fair bit.  A few years ago I put some stitches in it to make myself get back to it.  I've enjoyed working on it this week.  The fabric on this piece comes painted and there's a little "+" where to start so I've slowly worked my way from that start point, to my happy place, the top left hand corner.

As promised last week here are the other projects I have started in my stitching basket... Which project would you like to watch come to life?  Leave me a comment!

Mini River Cottage - Michael Powell

The Big Red - The Silver Lining

 Cirque des Carreaux - Ink Circles

Fortunate Traveller - Teresa Wentzler

Saturday, April 11, 2015

PhotoHunt - Yet

This week's PhotoHunt theme is "Yet"


"Are we there yet?"  I took this photo in the bus during my DR trip this year.  We tried something different and flew direct from Ottawa to Punta Cana, in the past its been Ottawa-Toronto-La Romana.  Though the drive from Punta Cana was longer it was sure worth it!!!  (not having to round out 16 teenagers when you change planes)

Wednesday, April 08, 2015

Happy Dance Wednesday!!!!

I know its Wednesday which means its WIP Wednesday, but what's better than a HUGE Happy Dance instead?  Like a huge, epic, mega happy dance???!!!???

Last night around 10PM (and the internet was down) I put the FINAL stitches in on The Accolade!!!!!  If you look back to last week's post you'll see I kept my promise and did nothing but stitch Good Friday-Easter Monday!  My hands were actually sore by the end of Monday night.  It was hard to go to work on Tuesday morning knowing that I was a matter of hours away from finishing this long-term project!!!

The Accolade
by Timeless Designs
Stitched on: 25ct Lugana over one
Stitched with: DMC, Anchor and Kreinik #4 braid

I've gone back through my pictures and I put the first few stitches in this piece in 2006 and then I never touched it again until 2010.  In 2010 I took like 4 porgress pictures of it.  It wasn't until 2011 when I started to slowly work on this piece with more regularity.  Of course in the last 6-12 months I just started motoring along with it!

Doesn't it just look awesome?

What's next I don't know... I need to recover from my marathon sprint to the "finish line".  Also that makes an excellent additional blog post in a day or two!

Saturday, April 04, 2015

PhotoHunt - Aging

This week's PhotoHunt theme is "aging"


Here's yet another photo from this year's DR trip.  This one was taken in the slums of Simon Bollivar in Santo Domingo.  Poverty doesn't discriminate against age.

Wednesday, April 01, 2015

WIPwednesday, B-Day Surprises and Arizona

Happy Wednesday stitching friends!  This week Wednesday finds me relatively cheerful as I have a 4-day weekend coming up so tomorrow is technically "Friday"

I'm trying to keep myself as engagement free this weekend as I can so I can stitch my heart out and my butt square!  I am finally seeing the home stretch on The Accolade!  I even took it into work today so I can stitch during my lunch hour!

I have finished page 11 and I'm moving nicely into page 12 on The Accolade.  I have absolutely no other stitching to show you this week... for obvious reasons!

Friday I celebrated my birthday.  This year I was spoiled by my friends and at work.  Lets just say there was almost too much cake!  I received two lovely stitchy surprises from stitching friends (as I always say the kindest, most generous people in the world).

My friend Janice happened to be popping into Stitcher's Garden on a trip back home.  I asked her to pick up two charts and a thread I couldn't get while I was at The Attic.  Janice gifted me with the March/Arpil Year In Chalk charts and a skein of GAST I was missing.  She also added a beautiful piece of 40ct linen!

Annette of the blog California Stitcher so kindly sent me this handmade birthday card, Ink Circles chart (which could only be gotten with a donation) and nice threads!  Thank you so much Annette!

Finally here's a few pictures I took while in SW Arizona a few weeks ago.