Love is in the Air!

I recently fell in love with the monthly stockings series by Blackbird Designs. But, as is my cautious nature, I wanted to see one of them up close and personal before I committed to buying more. So I placed an order for the By the Chimney with Care January stockings. Turns out that particular month was back ordered, so I went with the Love is in the Air February stockings instead. I received it in the mail this week and was not disappointed! They are so adorably cute that I will be placing another order for the January and March stockings.

Now I was on a mission to buy the supplies. I am typically not one to stray too far from the materials list. I knew that my odds of finding 30 count R&R Reproductions linen in St. Valentine's Blend and Irish Cream at my LNS were not good. She did sell me on some gorgeous 28 count fabric called Autumn Field that really popped with some of the Gentle Art threads. I placed a special order for the Irish Cream fabric. I also picked up some Mill Hill beads for the stocking hangers instead of the Czech glass beads from the supply list (gasp!). But I really didn't want to run all over town trying to find these beads when the Mill Hill one's seemed just as good. So here is what I ended up with -


Then last night, the more I thought about it, the less satisfied I was with using both 28 ct. and 30 ct. fabric for the stockings. I would have to adjust the stocking template to be a bit bigger for the 28 count. Finishing projects is not my strong point, so I need all the help I can get. Having to adjust the template, although not that difficult, is certainly not helpful.

I made up my mind after talking to my boyfriend (OK, common-law husband, OK husband really :). He said that I should definitely not make different sized stockings. I think he thought it was a no-brainer. :) Although the size difference would be hardly noticeable, I do think that I wouldn't be happy with it. So, that meant I could either stitch it all on 28 count or on 30 count. If I went with 28, that meant I would probably have to select several other colors of fabric. I didn't really see any other 28 ct. fabric at my LNS that I liked for the stockings so, at long last, a decision has been made! 30 count R&R fabric it is! And that, ladies & gentlemen (?), is my somewhat muddled thought process. Aren't you glad you stopped by? LOL. Of course, that means that I can't start stitching these stockings until I get the fabric. Boo hoo! I also still need to get a few skeins of Crescent Colours and find some backing fabric.

While I was at my LNS, I bought the June needleroll by The Victoria Sampler. I had so much fun with the first one, that I thought I should stitch one for my mother-in-law. It will probably be a Christmas gift.

Yesterday I received Willeke's RR in the Friendship Sampler RR. I doubt that I will have time to stitch on it this weekend. I have to get some spring cleaning done and I'm also in the process of painting the upstairs hall.

That's all for today folks. Enjoy your weekend!

Confessions of a Cross Stitch Addict

Hello Everyone!

Welcome to my newest blog - Confessions of a Cross Stitch Addict! My name is Donna and I believe that I suffer from a fairly common affliction, namely an addiction to cross stitch. OK, so maybe it's not "suffering" in the true sense of the word. And there are definitely worse addictions to have! Regardless, I was growing envious after visiting other stitchers' blogs. I want to show off my work too, so this blog is where I plan to do that.

This year I have big plans to finish off some of my unfinished projects. The first item that I pulled from the unfinished pile was a birthday needleroll by The Victoria Sampler. I had a blast with this one because of all of the specialty stitches. I also enjoyed finishing it into a needleroll, which is an accomplishment in itself because usually the sewing machine and I are not on speaking terms. However, I am happy to say that the September Birthday Needleroll is my first finish of 2009! Here are photos before and after I finished it into a needleroll.

September Birthday Needleroll
by The Victoria Sampler
Fabric: 28 ct. Antique White Quaker Cloth
Fibers: DMC, Kreinik

After the needleroll, I fished out another UFO. This one is called Each Day is a New Beginning. It is a design from Donna Kooler's Cross Stitch Inspirations book. I am almost finished with the stitching and hope to soon be moving onto the backstitching. Here is my progress as of today -

Each Day is a New Beginning
by Kooler Design Studio

I am also currently participating in an international Round Robin. The design is called Friendship Sampler by Carriage House Samplings.

Friendship Sampler
by Carriage House Samplings

The premise of the Round Robin is that each person picks a heart to stitch in colors selected by the owner of that particular RR. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of mine before I sent it out, but I do have a picture of the first one that I received. For Danielle's RR, she gave us free reign on everything, so I stitched a peaches and cream heart using one strand over two threads (click on the picture for a better look).

If you're interested, please check out my other blog, Cross Stitch Confetti, where I blog about new cross stitch releases.

Happy stitching!