WIPocalypse For October

The full Moon has come and in a month and a half the world is ending!  So I've been stitching my little heart out.  How about you?  As usual there's too much stash and not enough time!!!  Here's my progress since the last full moon.

Good Things

cLizzie*Kate

Stitched on mystery 32ct evenweave from a Silkweaver grab bag

Stitched using recommended DMC

First of all, I had a Happy Dance!  On Monday night!  This is a travelling pattern though one of my groups on FB.  I needed to finish by Tuesday so I could pass it onto Kathy in person on Tuesday.  Kathy is heading South real soon, and it has become tradition that we get together for dinner at our favorite restaurant, The Lone Star.  This time she also joined me at my stitching group, so it was more than a meal together but a few hours of stitching too!  I think I'll finish this piece to hang on the wall near my stitching chair next to my "Don't Bug Me I'm Stitching" piece.

I had a couple of other finishes I've already shown you such as:

Delightful Dragon Fob front & back Teresa Wentzler

Sun Dragon - Teresa Wentzler

I have two ornaments and one larger piece I still can't share with you yet as they're for exchanges in the near future!  I'm also working on another ornament exchange, again can't share!

I've also been very busy finishing!  I've finished:

 Pomegranates & Pears Needlebook - Jeannette Douglas

Count Your Blessings - Shakespeare's Peddler finished as a flat fold

French Country Scardey Cats - JBW Designs finished as a pillow

And I've picked up a few things I've recently had done for me:

My Friendship Quilt

Enchantment of Winter - Dimples Designs Framed

Finally my current WIPs (that I can share!):

Kathy's ABC Sampler 

 Cirque des Circles, finished my first "Cirque"

The Accolade ... almost finished page 3!

My Friendship Quilt!

If you are one of  my long-time readers my recall my posts from 2011 about the quilt blocks I and my stitching friends were working on.  Follow this link and it'll take you to my posts about the quilt blocks as they were being stitched.

All of the completed stitched quilt blocks

the last blocks were done in November of 2011

Yesterday I finally picked up my very special quilt.  The process for this started back in the late summer/early fall of 2010 when I saw something similar that was made by my friend Marie Paule who made a quilt for her daughter.  I was so in love with what she had done, and the colours used.  I wanted one of my own!  I am not a quilter so I was put in touch with someone who could make it for me (for a price of course but now that I have it, its worth every penny!)

On my bed (Queen size)... and its going to be used!

Marie Paule lent me the quilt pattern and the colour conversions to match the fabric colours.  In January of 2011 I actually started the stitching portion of this project.  I stitched 13 of the quilt blocks, however there there over 49 blocks that make up the quilt block centers.  I asked my very special stitching friends to help me out. Each person stitched anywhere from 1-4 blocks for me!

It didn't take long for Zeus to show up to help model my new quilt!

I am ready for my closeup...

Friends who helped me out with the stitching were: Adriana (my favourite 96 year-old stitcher!), Angie, Ann (owner of Knowledge and Needles), Anne & Naan (mother and daughter), Beatrice (Adriana's daughter), Bonnie, Christin, Clare, Dee, Judie, Kathy, Rebbecca, and Sheila.  With the help of these people, this ordinary project became extraordinary and very special.

 The quilt needed one more block so I did an initial block, its the center of the quilt!

Finally, a couple of years later its finally on my bed and its fantastic!!! (of course Zeus had to help with the modelling)

Serious Happy Dance!

At the Knowledge and Needles open house in 2010 a good friend of mine, Marie-Paule had this gorgeous quilt she had done where the center of each quilt block was a stitched quilt block.  It was in gorgeous reds, blues and greens.  I had to have it!

Roughly over the last year (probably slightly less) I've been plugging away at these blocks and I begged my good stitchy friends to help me out!  Between myself and my friends we have managed to get 48 quilt blocks stitched!  Thank you Stitchy Friends!!!

Vibrant Patchwork

by Mary Hicmott

Mary Hickmott's New Stitches no. 194

Tonight I finished up the last two blocks, after I finally found a skien of 3816.  Michael's didn't have any then I remembered the other day that one of the local quilt shops carried DMC.  Oh boy, I thought Michaels charged us too much?  Imagine $0.96/skien!  Ouch! I needed it, and wanted to get these blocks done!  Out of the 48 blocks, I stitched 12 of them.

I now have all my deadline stitching done for next weekend!  My next finish will be the JBW Bear I started a month or two ago.  Once that is out of the way, I have ornaments to get stitched for the girls at work for Christmas.  Once again, Enchantment of Winter will continue to wait.

PhotoHunt & Quilt Block

I had every intention of sharing this post with you last night but by the time I wanted to put down my stitching I was just too tired to face the keyboard.  So here is my Saturday PhotoHunt a day late.

This week's theme is "Broken"

I took this picture this past February during my Dominican Experince trip.  I came across these boys in the slum of Simon Bollivar in Santo Domingo, they were trying to fix a broken toy.  People become quite resourceful when they have little.  I just love the happy smiles they gave me as I took their picture.

I stayed up into the wee hours of the morning Friday night so I had this Quilt Block Happy Dance late Friday/early Saturday depending on how you look at it.  This is Quilt Block #10 for me.

I've got a good start on the next one as you can see, but I've run out of two floss colours I need to complete it.  I'm being lazy and not going out today.  I think Tracey is doing me a favour and picking them up for me.  Of course I can keep working with other colours on this block and the next one for now.

Silence!

Silence! I Keel You!

As you all know I'm usually a concert goer, but last night Christin and I went to something completely different.  We went and saw Jeff Dunham, a comedian and ventriloquist!  He was absolutely hilarious and his characters are just out of this world.  Of course my favourite was Achmed The Dead Terrorist!  If you don't know who Achmed is, You Tube it and you'll bust a gut laughing!

Tonight I had two Happy Dances!  The first I can't show you because its for an upcoming exchange.  I will be able to reveal it later in November, of course I'll be able to share with you the great ornament I receive in return!

Also tonight I finished off yet another Quilt Block, this is #9 only 3 more to go!

Quilt Block #9

Vibrant Patchwork

c Mary Hickmott

Mary Hickmott's New Stitches no. 149

Stitching At Rebecca's

Roughly this time of year for the past few years, Rebecca has hosted a stitching weekend when her husband goes off moose hunting.  Lucky for us right?

Bonnie working on a scarecrow

Christin and I headed down after work on Friday, we did a little shopping along the way and stopped for a bite to eat.  We drove down in heavy, heavy rain for most of the trip.  It is so exhausting to drive in weather like that, white knuckling it for over an hour!  By the time we finally landed on Rebecca's doorstep I was too pooped to stitch.  Bonnie and Trista were already there, and more were going to arrive on Saturday.

Saturday morning we started bright and early as we stitched through the morning we were joined by Lynn, Tracey, Beth and Sylvia (Rebecca's Mom).  It was a miserable day, but a lovely group of people and perfect for stitching!!!

 Tracey putting her first stitches into a piece of Jazlyn

Tracey made her first venture onto evenweave on Saturday!  She picked it up very quickly.

 

Sylvia, winding bobbins

Staying onto Sunday were Sylvia, Bonnie, Christin and I.  We stitched late into the night and most of today as well!  We had several Happy Dances both days!  Rebecca finished up the four quilt squares she did for me.  She also finished a baby piece for her best friend!  Bonnie finished a girl scarecrow for her Mom and I finished up K is for Kitty.

Rebecca's fantastic finish!

I'm sure my usual photos do the talking

 Bonnie & Caleb

 Christin working on her Prarie Schooler block for Naan as well

 Lynn

Rebecca showing off her piece!

Between my visit with Beatrice a few weeks ago, and this weekend's visit at Rebecca's I've received a whole bunch of Quilt Blocks back from my friends!  I so appreciate their help getting these stitched up!

 Stitched by Clare

Stitched by Adriana

 Stitched by Angie

 Stitched by Anne & Naan

Stitched by Rebecca

Now that I'm done the Kitty I've moved on to the last 3.5 Quilt Blocks.  Here's where I'm at on block .5

My current quilt block (only 3 more after this!)

Of course you also want to see my Happy Dance right?

K is for Kitty

by Prarie Schooler

Stitched on 28ct Lugana

Stitched with DMC cotton floss