Of Babies, Frogs, & Beads

The best news first: Debi M sent me the loveliest piece of stitching!

I saw this piece in her photo album, and when she said she would send it to me, I thought she meant the pattern. So I was quite surprised when the finished piece arrived!

I was drawn to it because I don't see many patterns related to the theme of stitching, and this one is really cute. Thank you so much, Debi!

Two baby carriages finished this month! I started the pink one in...*cue blushing*...2009!

My friend's favorite color is silver, which was a difficult color to match to fabric. I started on black, but it seemed very doom & gloom and required a change.


 I ended up with the pink & white striped aida out of sheer desperation. I simply couldn't think of another fabric to use.






The backing fabric, on the other hand, was a breeze! Perfect for any baby, don't you think?

Another friend of mine had her baby at the beginning of January. French Country Baby Carriage is the only baby pattern I have, so I made another! Plus it's cute. I used Carrie's Creation silk in Aurora.

I've started my Around the World in 80 Stitches SAL, and (so far!) I love it. The Lindisfarne stitch- the orange flowers- was a real joy; the Lazy Daisy flowers...well, they're stitched.

I did the second heart first because I'm a left to right stitcher.

The fabric is 28ct. Mushroom lugana, and I'm using these flosses: WDW Moss, Grasshopper, Guacamole, Cayenne, Aztec Red, Sweet Potato, Autumn Leaves, Marigold, Squash, Chestnut, & Hazelnut; GAST Chalk; & Rainbow Gallery PB49.

I'm contemplating changing the beads; while the blue is a lovely shade and I like the gold beads, I don't feel confident in this choice. I have some frosted beads in gold and purple that I am going to try out on the first heart. Compare the hearts; make a decision; live with it!

There is one small mistake- one flower is a half of a stitch off.

Can you see it?  
I CAN!

It will have to be changed. I just can't stand it!


If you do find it, email me (Anne.Sans.Tete@gmail.com), and I'll give you an extra entry in the giveaway [see below].

While planning this piece, I've relied on Ruth's sound advice about fabric count and arranging the color palette; while stitching, Carole's close-up photos of the various stitches have been of invaluable assistance!

At the moment, I am stuck on the Berwick stitch.  I find it, um, frustrating, to say the least.

I was on a frogging needle/scissor fob roll for the last part of the month. It was all set in motion by Jane, who saw my needle/fob offer and asked me to make her one.

She likes blues and seashells, so I created a beach themed needle for her: brown for the sand, blue for the water, and white for calm & simplicity. The beads are rather sparkly, which really adds to the feel in person.

Since I had all of my tools out, I decided to play around a bit, and these were the results:



I wanted something a little more fun & festive for the reindeer than the usual straight line, and I added the jingle bell for a little lightheartedness.

Definitely keeping these!

I made this needle as an extra, just in case the ladybug needle gets lost. Since I had a needle, I had to make a matching fob!

 
 
I made this chatêlaine last month, but I needed a scissor fob to go with it. After hemming & hawing about what to do, I finally settled on the grey squirrel with a mini jingle bell.

You may have noticed there are jingle bells in all of the pictures- I love the mini jingle bells!

To celebrate Valentine's Day, I'm giving away this needle & fob set to one lucky winner!


Just leave a comment with a way to contact you, and I will put your name in the drawing. International entries are more than welcome.







The giveaway will end on Valentine's Day, and I will announce the winner on 15 February.



Good luck to everyone, and thanks, once again, for reading my blog!




Best Stitches & Wishes,