My Neighborhood Is Ready To Go!

Well its taken quite a bit of work, between first the basting, next the outlining and finally stitching my block.... my Fantasy Neighborhood RR is ready to go in the mail for Friday's deadline!

I agonized for quite awhile how I was going to set up this RR. With there being 9 participants (including myself) there really wasn't too many options. At first I thought one long piece of fabric... well at 70x70 blocks that was going to be massive! My next thought... 3 rows of 3 blocks. Nah, too boring. Then it was two rows of 5 blocks... I was set on that for awhile. Then late one night I came up with the layout I used... I have my best thoughts at midnight! I came up with a great layout for Kathy at midnight last Friday, she's in a different group of the same RR that starts in a month and a half.

As I'm sure I've already complained, the outlining took forever! My piece is on 32ct Queen Ann's Lace Joblean from Wichelt (can't you tell I love this fabric). This piece is what's left over after I cut a chunk out of a yard for Paradigm Lost which I'll be stitching with Kathy, Christin and Beatrice starting in November. The outlining is all stitched in Needle Necessities 161 (fools gold I believe), which at first I wasn't sure about but now I'm very happy with my choice. In my center box I stitched the words "Once upon a time, in a far away land... " using the font from Teresa Wentzer's English Cottage Sampler.

Saturday I started stitching my castle for the RR, I would of finished it last night but our appointment with the insurance company lasted hours! So I finished up the last bit of backstitching this evening.

Build A Castle - Teaching Piece

c2001 Dragon Dreams

Stitched with DMC & Kreinik braid

Unfortunately Noah's Sub has been ignored for weeks and it'll be ignored for a little longer. I want to get Kathy's ornament RR stitched up (which I made a start on a few weeks ago). I also have Chrisanne's Band RR... depending on where I am with mail out dates I may take a day or two to work on my poor neglected Sub in between RRs!

Need I Say More???

I suggested at work we needed to show our support for the local team... They actually listened!

Photo Hunt #58 "Cooked/ing" & 59 "Colourful"

Well I got a little behind on my Photo Hunts... so here they are!

Cooked/ing (this photo was taken by Todd) - Bonfire at Mississippi lake

Colourful (taken by me of course) - Sunset at Mississippi Lake

Friends & Stitches

This weekend was another weekend on the road. I bet you're starting to wonder if I ever stay home? Well I do, but so many great excuses to visit friends have come up lately!

I was back down to Brighton again, my excuse ... well I had to be in Kingston for Christin's Dad's 60th birthday, also to bring Christin back to Ottawa. So why not make a weekend out of it right?

Soooo... Friday after work after a little bit of running around to find a DMC rayon colour for Kathy (which after three places I couldn't find it!) I hit the road. It was a windy day for driving, and the clouds constantly threatened to open up... but the rain pretty much held off. I got to Kathy's much later than expected but she was a sweetie and fed me dinner anyhow! I got to meet a number of Kathy's friends that evening, so there wasn't much stitching done. What little stitching I did, was done on my Neighbourhood Round Robin.

Saturday was a full and busy day! We stitched in the morning, Kathy on her project... which she'll be posting pictures of soon ... go on over and take a look she wants to see if anyone can guess what she's working on (if she's posted the pictures yet!). For me it was more of my RR, by lunch time I had finally finished my outlines and wording and was ready to start my castle (my neighbourhood is a fantasy one). For lunch we drove to a nearby chip wagon where we ordered ourselves lunch... also chips for Ann, Christin, Lynn (Christin's Mom), and Sue (Christin's Aunt). We drove over there with chips and it was so nice to catch up with everyone for a bit. Ann has finished a beautiful project ... I'm not sure if she's going to blog about it since its a gift.

Our next stop after lunch was to visit with Beatrice who had some serious surgery earlier in the week. I was so happy to see Beatrice, I didn't expect to see for for weeks! She was looking better, but still pretty tired (I can remember being the same way after my surgery a few years ago). We visited for a few hours and stitched... Beatrice did try, but I think she was too tired. Also we all know the results of stitching when we're tired/not feeling well... rip it-rip it! Beatrice is almost finished her Celtic Banner (by Butternut Road) and it looks wonderful!

After our visit with Beatrice it was back to Kathy's for a quick stop for me. Since Kathy and her hubby (who is kind enough to put up with my visits and our stitching talk that sounds like a foreign language to him!) had an even to attend. So I was having dinner with Ann and her wonderful husband/cook! Another stitcher I've met in the past was also over for dinner (Sue I believe... sometimes I'm horrible with names). Dan cooked for us while we visited, then we spent on evening playing cards which I haven't done in ages!

Today ... my last day on the road ... my morning was spent stitching with Kathy. I made it to Christin's parents just as they were pulling the hamburgers off of the BBQ for lunch. Do I have an amazing sense of timing or what? We managed to surprise her Dad later that afternoon with a small get together for his 60th b-day. All too soon it was 5pm and time for Christin and I to hit the road.

Sorry no stitching update pictures yet but I should have my RR done soon and ready to show off!

Photo : Finches feeding on the shore of Lake Ontario

Finished an Old Finish

Two weeks ago my Mum gave back to me an old piece I had stitched (actually it was my second finish). I gave it to her years ago to turn it into a pillow for me. She never got around to it. I guess now that I've got some sewing skills and my own machine she felt I could do it myself. So when I got home from work today I was inspired to finish it!

Pansy Pillow

c1987 Golden Bee

Stamped Cross Stitch Kit

SBQ time!

Q : If you could only stitch one more piece what would it be and why?


A : Enchantment of Winter by Terrance Nolan, because my Mum said my Dad really admired a model he saw of it years ago... he's been to Russia. Its also not like my Dad to pay attention to things like that.


Well on the personal stitching side, I'm plodding along very slowly with the outlines on my Neighbourhood RR. I just want to get that done... its sooo boring!

I'm glad this is a short week for us Canadians (yesterday was a statutory holiday for us), I'm realy looking forward to Friday. After work I'm hopping in my car and I'm going to visit with Kathy, with a Saturday visit with Ann. I love going down to visit Kathy and Ann!

Annual Garden Shop!

For the last several years on the Victoria Day Weekend (this weekend... which I've not gotten much stitching in) I hook up with my friend Chrisanne, her daugher Lindsay and Chrianne's Mom (I don't think I've ever caught her name LOL). We do the rounds of the garden centers in my area. This year we went to seven different places! I had a tight budget this year and came home with 3 new varieties of irises, a white bleeding heart and a cool purple clover!

I got some fun pictures of Lindsay today!

Tag!

I know while I was computerless at home, I got tagged by several people... its probably the same meme but I found the first official tag... from WhizGidget a second tag from Carolyn, a thrid from Heather.

8 Random Things - The Rules

1. Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves

2. People who are tagged write a blog post about their own 8 random things and post these rules

3. At the end of your blog you need to tag 8 people and post their names

4. Don't forget to leave them a comment and tell them they're tagged, and to read your blog

Hmmm...

1. I LOOOOVE pasta!

2. One of my favourite comfort food dishes is white rice mixed with a little ketchup

3. My current employer is the longest job I've ever had - 9 years

4. I hate buying clothes

5. I'm lazy

6. I procrastinate

7. I'm a closet Trekkie

8. In Grade 8 I played Jo in Little Women

I tag.... Christin, Ann, Kathy, Katrina, Carol, Wendy, Karoline, Concetta

Photo : The first iris in bloom in my garden 2007