Half-way to a Sampler Finish

I thought this little sampler would stitch up much faster than it has. It has tons of different embroidery stitches, and they go much slower than little x's. I have done most of them before, but not for a long time. Plus I did them on needlepoint canvas back in the day, probably on 12-count canvas.

But I'm really having fun with the stitching. I'm using 32-count parchment Jobelan. I always thought I'd hate synthetic fabrics, but I'm loving this.

The sampler is the Mystery Sampler from Anne-les-Petites-Croix. No mystery now since the SAL is long since over. I'm planning to make this as a stitcher's pocket, not a hanging. Now I just have to remember to invert the remaining two sections when I stitch them. I've already done too much frogging and re-stitching on this.

Countryside Spring has sprung

Well I never really believed I would finish all of the stitching on this piece, but lo and behold, it's all done! This is from the April, 2005 issue of Stoney Creek magazine. I believe I started stitching it in 2006 in hopes of having it done for my brother's 10th anniversary in 2007. I will probably still give it to my brother and SIL after I make it into a sofa pillow. For now, it's just a big sigh of relief and I can lovingly stare at it.



And a fun package arrived yesterday. You may remember all of the little heart favors I stitched around Valentine's day. Well I just got the sweetest thank you notes and little gifts from the recipients, the girls at St. John's in Michigan.



Cynthia is my connection to these girls. She volunteers at the facility and teaches them crafts. Cynthia is wild about all things apian (i.e bee-like) and she sent me this very sweet little bee charm too. Can't wait to find a project where I can use this little charm as a highlight.

King of Mini-Pop

For my own Michael Jackson tribute, I stitched 4 mini-pops as refrigerator magnets. All except the "Beat It" image in the red jacket are from Flip Flop Flyin. I drew the "Beat It" version myself using MS Paint, one pixel at a time.

Chronologically, we have the "Billie Jean" era:


Next, my version of "Beat It":


Third, from "Black or White":


And the most recent, the MTV VMA awards of 2002:



A lovely tableau on my fridge:


I danced with a local amateur jazz and tap dance company for many years. I joined the company when it was first established. The very first routine we performed in the early 80's was to Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop til You Get Enough". Here we have the archives from this era. These are from a performance at the Torpedo Factory Arts Center in Alexandria, VA. If you can take your eyes off of the beautiful blond in the front row for a sec, you can see a very much younger version of me in the purple leotard, second row on the right.

Jumping on the Bandwagon

Seems like every stitcher and her sister stitched this irresistible little design by Stitch-Creations and I am no exception. I went for a soft-sided version. And since I can't stand to see good stitching space left empty, I added a bird design by Pelin Tezer on the top and another bird design taken from the Special Quaker Six Mains by A Mon Ami Pierre for the bottom. All done in DMC Color Variations 4210 on 14 ct Charles Craft rustic Aida. A very fun stitch.