Legends of the Spellcasters

Does he look like Santa Claus? Because that's who Logan thinks he is. So cute.

This is my first progress pic of Legends of the Spellcasters. The design is a collaboration piece. This panel is by Black Swan. I still have the backstitching to do, plus beads, which will be after all the stitching is done. I'm working on this as part of a SAL on the TWBB in case anyone's interested.

When all I had seen of the piece was a small photo online, I wondered if those were wings above his head. Now I know they're supposed to be the eyes of a dragon.

Damier wall hanging

Yes, it's another wall hanging! This is Damier, which I finished the stitching on a while back. There's a sleeve on the back with a cafe rod, in case you're wondering. The finishing has a few flaws, but I proclaim it good enough. I think I'm getting the knack of this. My mom says I need a quilting foot for my sewing machine to do some of the stitches properly, so I may eventually look into that.

I have a few other things left to finish, but I think they're going to be flat folds or cushioned matboard hangings. This latest round of sewing has also given me the urge to work on a quilt, which I've never done. I've done some applique work, which I really like. But what to stitch...during my recent convalescence, I thought of doing a quilt for Logan with all the things he likes. Cars would figure in this prominently, of course.

Pics of Legends of the Spellcasters soon.

Sinus surgery: I survived my sinus surgery, though it was very unpleasant. With emphasis on the very. I managed not to panic myself, which I'm pretty proud of. These kinds of things can get to me if I let them (kind of like when I freaked over the thought of a C-section). Recovery included lying in bed propped up on many pillows, taking much hydrocodone, and suffering through some headaches, burning nose, and regular bleeding. I never want to go through that again. I'm guessing mine was worse than normal because they found out my deviated septum was about as bad as they get. I also had an active infection, which the doctor thinks I've had for many months. Several rounds of antibiotics never got rid of it completely. Now I just have a stuffy nose, headaches I can deal with with Tylenol, and regular spitting of nastiness. Oh, and weekly doctor visits so he can vaccum out my sinuses. Eaughhh!

In a couple of months, I hope (?) to have bariatric surgery, the LapBand since that's all my insurance will pay for. I was hoping to go with the gastric sleeve (basically they turn your stomach into a tiny tube), but it's not FDA approved and therefore not covered by my insurance. After this last surgery, which was worse than the doctor said it would be, I'm not terribly eager for another round of cutting, but it's something I have to do. The sooner it's done, the sooner I can recover and function like a normal human being!

Lady of Shalott progress pic

I've started working on Legends of the Spellcasters, so I figured it would be good to get a photo of where I'm stopping for now on Lady of Shalott. I'm enjoying this piece, but I'm letting myself stitch where I want for the break. I deserve it! :-)

Stitching goals for the new year

Since I'm not sure if I'll feel up to writing after my sinus surgery Monday, I'll take care of my review of goals now. I didn't seem to do too well on my stitching goals this year, but I did get a lot of stitching done on Teresa Wentzler pieces, which I'm excited about. I also read a lot more this year. I have one series of Mercedes Lackey books left to read, and I can say I've read all her books. Then it's on to other favorite authors I've been meaning to read! And then there are all the illnesses. I was sick a full half the year--every month I got a sinus infection, and they usually last two weeks. That wears you down, but the surgery should take care of that.

Here's how I did, stitching-wise, in 2009 and what I hope to accomplish in 2010.

Pieces I finished in 2009:

• Autumn Faerie
• Winter Faerie
• Spring Faerie
• Medieval Miniature
• Sun Dragon
• Futurecast (six TWs for those who are counting!)
• Royal Blossoms
• Stitchie Witchie
• Heart Throb
• Violet Bouquet NR
• Tulip Time NR
• Victorial Floral NR
• Sweetheart NR
• Strawberry Patch NR
• Wildflowers NR (finished all the needlerolls in the series!)
• Teeny Tiny 'Love' Bag
• My First Gray Hare
• She Sells Seashells
• Happy Jack
• Finishing of Goblins
• Zelda's Fancy Hat

Current WIPs:

• Lady of Shalott
• Legends of the Spellcasters
• Spirit of the Snow Angel
• Rose Quilt
• Maggie the Messmaker
• Magnificent Wizard
• Eternal Promise

Review of stitching goals for 2009:

• Autumn Faerie--done
• Chatelaine's Rose and Butterfly Quilt--nope
• Maggie the Messmaker--no, but I did make a lot of progress on it
• Magnificent Wizard (work some on it)--nope
• Work on more Teresa Wentzler pieces--yes, a lot
• Start an embroidered knot garden--nope
• Try doll making/polymer clay--nope
• Make more cakes--a little

Stitching/craft goals for 2010:

• Maggie the Messmaker
• Magnificent Wizard (make some progress)
• Legend of the Spellcasters
• Lady of Shalott
• Summer Faerie
• Finishing of two Just Nans pieces

Merry Christmas!

My mom gave me the little fob shown above. I don't usually like fobs on my scissors (though I like to admire them), but this one is cute and doesn't get in the way. Now helping me "never lose my scissors again" as the card promises? Ha!

We had a very good day today, me, Matt, Mom, and Logan. Logan is old enough to understand presents, so he went nuts opening them. He loved the train set my mom gave him and all the Duplo blocks and cars we bought him. (The dinosaurs weren't a hit, at least not yet). He didn't know what to play with first. He haven't given him is trike yet because it's been too cold to go outside with it. This being Texas, we just have to wait a few days for warmer weather.

For Christmas, I received one of my cross stitch pieces framed (my idea) and a car stereo (Matt's idea). My stereo has been out for years, and it's driven me nuts the entire time, especially when I have to take the long drives in to work. I just need to get it installed now! My husband is tricky and clever.

Matt received assorted CDs and DVDs he requested, plus the Maglite he wanted. I bought him two T-shirts he says he likes. It's hard to judge how much he liked them, though. My mom bought him an RC helicopter that seemed to go over well, though it's steering isn't great.

My mom wants something for her sewing machine, so I'm pitching it for that. The one thing I bought that was a surprise didn't work--a key finder. You clap and it's supposed to go off. Not so well actually.

Right now I'm taking steroids and antibiotics in preparation for my sinus surgery Monday. That, of course, is keeping me awake all hours. I catch up on my sleep during the day, which is wreaking havoc with my schedule. But at least the meds are making me feel better when I'm not dead tired.

So an enjoyable Christmas with family and simple fun. I also got to stitch in the living room with my floor stand. Logan played with a few knobs, but when he didn't get anywhere with them, he left it alone. So nice to be able to stitch with my stand again! I've been working on Legends of the Spellcasters. I figured that since I had a break from work until January 4 and was having surgery next week, I deserved a new start. I'm also participating in the stitch-along on the TW bulletin board--just getting a head start.

And lastly, I had one of my best friends from school write me on Facebook. She was my best friend from kindergarten through junior high. We had a falling out and then never talked again. It always made me so sad and resentful thinking about it. I thought I would reject her friend request if she ever sent me one. But when she did, she apologized, and that released the flood in me. I never thought it would be such a relief to hear that. She and I will never be best friends again, but that's just a little more resentment I don't have to hold onto. Yes, I'm stubborn, and it's hard for me to give up on old wounds.

I hope you all had a good day too!

Lady of Shalott progress pic

Here's my progress on Lady of Shalott by Teresa Wentzler. Lots of wrinkles, huh? That's what happens when I use a small set of Qsnaps. I've started on the image in the mirror. We'll see how it comes out on this light-colored fabric.

I also received my fabric for Legends of the Spellcasters, my little splurge for the new year. I can't wait to do the floss toss and see what the colors look like.

If you're on Facebook, there's a group called Teresa Wentzler Cross Stitch SAL if you're interested. If I knew how to link to it I would. :-/

Finishing of Goblins

I finished the stitching of Goblins by Patricia Andrle in 2003 and always planned to get it framed. But now that I'm rethinking what pieces to get framed (because of the cost and lack of wall space), I decided to finish some of my smaller pieces as wall hangings and such. This piece I did all myself, with only a little consultation with my mother, the expert seamstress. To some this may be easy sewing, but to me it's quite an accomplishment since I've never been much for sewing. It's growing on me. I've even thought about making a quilt. Maybe someday.

Matt hung this for me in our office. He got to decide on the paint job in this one room. It's light grey with a darker grey stripe around the room. It looks pretty decent, in case you were wondering.

I've been working on Lady of Shalott and plan to take a progress picture maybe tomorrow.

Sinus surgery: I go in for sinus surgery next Monday. I haven't gotten too scared yet. What worries me right now is not eating until after the surgery. I tend to get nauseous and have stomach pains when I don't eat. But then I'm sure I'll have worse pains after the surgery to think about.

Right now we're dealing with getting ready for Christmas while we're all sick. We have the crackling lungs, and Logan at least has had to take breathing treatments. His breathing is sounding a lot better now, though. Getting the boy to sit still with a mask over his face has been challenging. Bribes of candy work wonders, but it's probably not the best thing for him.

Incidentally, I had an allergy test and am officially not allergic to anything. I had very mild reactions to cats and timothy (not that I've ever noticed), but they weren't bad enough to qualify me as allergic. That's pretty surprising because I thought I'd be allergic to something. Awesome.

End of the semester: Matt finished another semester, and that leaves only three to go (plus a summer session). He passed all his classes, which is a relief since some classes were in question. We're getting closer to that goal of his getting an electrical engineering degree and a good job! I can't wait!

Lady of Shalott progress pic

I finally finished the border. I think there may be some errors in the chart on the leaves since they were inconsistent. Not that anyone would notice. As you can see, I've started working on the drapes at the top. I still need to pull the rest of the floss for the piece.

I've also been working on the finishing of a wall hanging and managed to get it done this evening. I did the binding myself and everything! I am so proud since I'm not much of a seamstress. I need a dowel rod and some hooks and then will be able to hang it (somewhere...the walls are getting full). Pics soon!

Lady of Shalott progress pic

I've been making pretty good progress on this. It's fairly easy to tote around the house. Logan's letting me stitch while he plays with his toys, so I can stitch while looking after him now.

I plan to join a stitch-along in January with Teresa Wentzler's Legends of the Spellcasters and then Legends of the Dragons. If you're interested, check out the TWBB.

Sinus surgery: Since I've had 10 sinus infections in 10 months, the ENT ordered a CT scan and then determined I need surgery to clear out my sinuses and fix my deviated septum. I'll be having it right after Christmas, which means my birthday on December 31 might be spent recovering. Oh well, it's not like I was looking forward to turning 40!

Lady of Shalott progress pic

Not the greatest picture, but it shows my progress on Teresa Wentzler's Lady of Shalott. Progress has been slow because there are a lot of color changes and I haven't been using my stand.

I'm going to try to take a picture of all my needlerolls, but I need a bigger basket first.

Sick again: This is the 10th sinus infection in 10 months, so the doctor has referred me to an ENT. I really hope he can fix this without having to cut me. A few years ago I had a doctor comment that he was surprised I didn't get sick more often and they could scrape out my sinuses. I don't think I'd be as quick to say no now, but I still wouldn't be eager.

Last two Sweetheart Tree needlerolls done

I finally got the last bit of ribbon I needed to finish up these last two needlerolls (Violet Bouquet and Sweetheart). I am so happy to have these all done. I started the series at the beginning of 2008. It feels like I've been working on them a lot longer than that.

Now I've been working on the Spirit of Snow Angel by Brooke Nolan, but I'm having second thoughts about the perforated paper. I've already ripped a square out when trying to tuck a tail in (fixed it, though). I'm wondering how long this paper's going to last. I don't need it to last hundreds of years, but just through my lifetime would be nice. The angels are a fair amount of work and money, so I want them to be around for a while. The paper's also taking a bit of bending with all the stitching, Kreiniks, and beading. I could switch to fabric, but then I like the paper-doll quality of the pieces. Hm.

As you may have heard, TW Designworks has closed. This makes me very sad since Teresa Wentzler is my favorite designer. I still have lots of her designs to stitch, but there won't be any new pieces, not even Illuminata, which was promising to be something spectacular. This economy really sucks.

Halloween exchange received

Chris sent a beautiful Just Nan piece for the HoE Halloween exchange, plus a whole bunch of goodies. The piece is Fraidy Frog from the Sept./Oct. issue of Just Cross Stitch. She finished it as a really cute tin and did an excellent job with it. It's one I probably would have stitched for myself eventually, and now I don't have to!

She also sent the chart and a frame for Moon Riders. I've admired this chart for a while. She also sent some orange TicTacs, but they inexplicably disappeared. They are my favorite, so they didn't last long. They remind me of baby aspirin from when I was a kid. Yes, I liked them!

Not much stitching going on lately, which is so unusual for me. I pulled out Skeleton Crew and hope to put in a few stitches. I noticed the fabric's gotten warped, undoubtedly from my Qsnaps last time I worked on it. The Wichelt fabric is so loosely woven that the strands move around a lot. Bleh. I hope I can get the fabric back into shape. It's not motivating me to stitch.

Sick, sick, and more sick: We've all had a few rounds of illnesses lately. The latest one is Logan's pink eye, which had been going around daycare. The drops the doctor gave him yesterday have really helped. I'm hoping the rest of us don't get it.

Finishing of Gray Hare

This morning I put the bow on a second pinkeep, My First Gray Hare by 4 My Boys. Let's see what other items I can pull out to finish up.

Finishing of Stitchie Witchie

I completed the finishing of Stitchie Witchie by Brooke Nolan as a rather large pinkeep. I used some fabric and ribbon that I received in an exchange too!

Remember Zelda's Fancy Hat I was selling in a charity auction at work? It sold for $26, and the minimum bid was $25. Rather disappointing.

I'm still searching for the right colors of ribbon to finish the needlerolls. So far Wal-Mart, Joann's, and Hobby Lobby have not had what I'm looking for. I even looked online and haven't had any luck yet.

Almost finished with all the needlerolls!

I haven't had much time to myself recently(my mom's away on a trip, and Matt's been studying nonstop), but I did get a little time to work on these needlerolls here and there. I just have two left to finish up. I'm missing some 1/8-inch ribbon in colors 503 and 3041/3042. I'll have to check around for them. Then I can say I've finally finished this series of Sweetheart Tree needlerolls! What an effort it was. I also need to find a bigger basket for my needlerolls. (The rest of the series is on my Sweetheart Tree page.)

I've been more in the mood for finishing than stitching lately anyway (very strange for me). I have a few other pieces I'd like to finish off as pinkeeps. Stay tuned.

In other news, my Zelda's Fancy Hat is about to go up on auction for my work's charity event. We set a minimum bid of $25. I've already had one person tell me she'll bid on it. We'll see how high it goes! I'm very excited.

Halloween exchange

Marie received my Halloween exchange package, so now I can show it off. I stitched Happy Jack by Knotted Tree Needlearts from the Just Cross Stitch Halloween issue. I found this cool paper mache box at Michaels, and it's just perfect. Even the colors match the piece. You can see more pics. I had already sealed up the envelope, but I have some stickers and a cool card in there. Matt found the card for me at the grocery store. It's one of those that you tilt to see different pictures, and a cute little pumpkin turns into a big scary jack-o-lantern. The extras are a little sparse this year. I usually go nuts for Halloween, but really I didn't find anything I liked much this year.

So I'm sick again with a sinus infection or something. I went to the doctor last Friday and got antibiotics. I was feeling great. Then I started feeling bad again. Poor Matt has it too, and his eardrum ruptured. So, since I'm feeling so bad, I decided I'd better stay home this weekend. Yet another stitching get-together that I'm going to miss, this one at Jo's in Houston. I'm really disappointed. I had been planning to go to this for months. I'm going to try to make myself feel a little better by spending some money on stash tomorrow. Still, not happy about this and feeling sorry for myself. I may need to go to the doctor again Monday for more antibiotics.

Stitchie Witchie HD

While looking through the Just Cross Stitch ornament preview issue (July/August), I fell in love with Brooke Nolan's spirit angels! I'm not usually one for angels, but I love these. I ordered a few from her website. I joined her Yahoo bulletin board, where she has some free charts. Stitchie Witchie is one of them. I just couldn't wait to stitch her! I'll turn this into a padded matboard ornament, I think.

Halloween argh!

That's all I can call it. I was working on my Halloween exchange piece, Halloween Spot Motif Shoe, from the Just Cross Stitch Halloween issue, which I finally received after Nordic Needle was out and Ginger's delayed shipping on me twice. I stitched it on some large-count fabric I had on hand, over one. Bad idea. I put interfacing on it, sewed it together, and tried to flip it inside out. It was too bulky, and all my attempts just shredded the fabric. So the entire stitched piece wound up in the garbage, and I threw away that fabric just so I wouldn't be tempted to use it again. Argh! So now I have to figure out something else to stitch, but I think I'm going to take a break. I'm too annoyed to enjoy it.

Family outing: Yesterday Matt, Logan, and I went to the Austin Children's Museum. It was...mediocre. The baby section was too boring for Logan, and the other areas were mostly too big for him (as in he couldn't understand them or wasn't tall enough to see them). He eventually started to enjoy what he could do, but it took a while. At least I don't have to keep wondering if he's missing out. Also, he's been babbling up a storm lately, giving a good try at saying most words. There are many sounds he can't say yet, but he's giving it a go at least.

Zelda's Fancy Hat finished

Here's Zelda's Fancy Hat finished! (Click for bigger pics.) I'm donating this to a silent auction at work. I was going to show pics at every step, but with everything going on, I didn't get to it. No worries, I'm going to do a second hat, so I hope to take pics then. I learned a few things along the way, so maybe this will make my own hat better!

Whole bunch of sick: As you can tell, I haven't blogged in weeks! But then I've been sick with a sinus infection for about three weeks now (Levaquin to the rescue!). Matt wound up in the hospital with rhabdomyalosis, which means all his muscles were breaking down. They gave him IV fluids and bicarb, and his levels eventually came down. There are two theories: drug interaction since he was taking meds for severe back pain or a virus (the catch-all). He's all better now. Oh, and Logan got a stomach bug (fever, diarrhea, etc.). My mom caught something the other day, fortunately after we were all on our feet. Everyone's on the mend now. Matt just needs to catch up on a week's worth of schoolwork, poor guy!

Zelda's Fancy Hat pieced together

Sewing the pieces together was really easy. The owner of the local quilt store gave me the idea of putting a piece of thick tape on the 1/4-inch mark on my sewing machine to help guide the fabric, and that worked really well. Much better than buying an expensive foot for my sewing machine! Next is basting these onto large pieces of muslin. Then the stitching can begin! I'm looking forward to that part.