It's Been a Rough Few Months ...

Hello to all of my friends, family, blog followers & fellow crafters. 

It has been a rough few months. First as you may have read on my previous post from back at the end of January, one of our furbabies, Kira passed away. We all still miss her very much. A couple of weeks after she passed away, I got a tattoo of her pawprint. I thought I'd share with you all. 

Not long after that, my 16 yr old daughter, who is autistic, had a huge seizure. She had never had a seizure before and it scared the crap out of me!!! Once the seizure had subsided, she fell asleep right away. We called 911 and the ambulance came. They ran tests, including a CT scan and the only thing they found was that she was really anemic. Since then there have been appointments at her regular doctor, the neurologist, the hospital, etc. So far they haven't found anything as to why she had a seizure. The neurologist did say that kids with autism have a 30% chance of having seizures and they'll either have them when they are young and their bodies are growing or they'll have them when they are teenagers and their hormones are going crazy. She also said that they could just have the one isolated incident, or could have them until they stop growing or the hormones balance out. So not much for answers really so far. They did do an EEG which said that there is a chance that my daughter could have more seizures, but they now want to do an MRI to see if they can determine more. So now we're just waiting for my daughter's insurance to preauthorize the MRI. 

Shortly after the incident with my daughter, my father in law passed away suddenly. He was a wonderful man and so kind to everyone who crossed his path. Everyone that knew him loved him. He always had a smile on his face, a hug to give and a joke to tell. He had 5 sons, all of whom were his favorite. He called me "mija" from the first time I met him and welcomed me into the family with open arms. One time, he thanked me for making his son so happy. He was my dad just as much as he was my husband's. My first dad passed away when I was 15 yrs old. My second dad passed away just 13 days before my daughter's first birthday. And now my 3rd dad passed away just 4 days before my son's seventh birthday. Yes, it has been a very rough few months. There certainly have been more downs than ups for us so far this year. And since things happen in threes, I'm hoping we have reached our three and it's nothing but good happenings the rest of the year. 

One good that has happened this year, my daughter received a letter for being on the principal's honor roll at school! My mom and grama bought her the letterman jacket & she now has a beautiful letterman jacket with her honors letter on it. She also lettered in varsity golf and should be receiving her letter for that soon so that it can be added to her jacket. We are all so very proud of her. 

So with all that has been going on I have gotten very little stitching done these past few months. But when I have stitched, it has been the square for the Shady Hook Elementary quilt. I still have a lot of squares that I need to complete for the families quilts. Here is where I am at the moment for the S.H.E. square ... 

So now that things seem to be calming down for the moment, I am going to be busy stitching to get these squares done. Once they are done, I can get back to my WIPs & UFOs. 

Until Next Time,

♥ Margie ♥

Progress on Sandy Hook Elementary School Square and Some Very Sad News

Hello Friends and Fellow Stitchers, Crafters and Bloggers! 

I hope this finds you all doing great and having an awesome weekend. This week for my family and I, has been a difficult one. On Tuesday, one of our furbabies, Kira, passed away. She was 12 years old, and a huge part of our family. We are all very upset. The hardest part was telling the kids after they got home from school. My son immediately got very upset. My daughter, who is autistic, took a little while to process what we had told them, and then was very very upset. They both drew pictures of and for Kira. Our other furbabie, Jack, who is only 2 yrs old, has although still energetic, has been sad too. He misses his friend. RIP dear Kira.

I have decided that I would like to stitch one of the pictures that we have of Kira. Here is an image capture of what I have come up with so far ... 

This is with the pattern being 250w X 340h, 90 colors, and stitched on 18ct aida. Please tell me what you all think. I know it's not the best of quality like some of the amazing cross stitch pattern designers. But it's what I came up with from using the PC Stitch software that I have and importing the photo. I just miss her so much and want to create some beautiful that our family will always have.

Even after creating the pattern of Kira, I have plenty of time to make any changes that may need to be done, because before I even start it, I need to first finish the squares for the Sandy Hook Elementary project and a couple of other small projects for family members.

Here is my updated progress photo of the Sandy Hook Elementary square ...



I think it is coming along nicely. I know there is A LOT of backstitching with the names, and even with all of that, I don't mind backstitching at all. I know a lot of people don't like backstitching. But I really don't mind it in the least. I just wish it would go a little faster lol.

That is all that I have for now.

Happy Stitching, Crafting and Blogging to One and All.

Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

Sandy Hook Elementary School Quilt Square Progress

Hi there Friends, Fellow Stitchers, Crafters & Bloggers ~ 

So I did manage to squeeze in some stitching today. I made a little bit of progress on the Sandy Hook Elementary square for the school quilt. It is not much, but definitely a start. 

And here is the progress that I have made for my Wednesday stitching ... 

I think it is looking pretty good so far. Please let me know what you think. 

That is all I have for now. 

Until Next Time,

♥ Margie ♥

Wednesday Stitching

Hello Everyone! 

Well it is UFO Wednesday and although I haven't stitched on a Wednesday for a while due to the holidays, I AM STITCHING NOW! As you have read from the previous post, I have put all other projects on hold while I stitch squares for the Sandy Hook Elementary Special Project. I am starting with the square for the school quilt. Also, remember that you can see my UFO Wednesday posts on the tab at the top of my blog.

Here is what the pattern looks like that I put together ... 

I know this is a short post, but it is already afternoon, and I want to get to stitching! Thank you for stopping by & reading my blog!

Happy Stitching, Blogging, and Crafting to One and All!

Until Next Time,

♥ Margie ♥

A Very Special Project

Hello Friends, Stitchers & Bloggers ~ 

I know it has been a while since I have posted. With getting ready for the holidays and then the holidays, I didn't get much time for stitching. Then on December 14th, a terrible, terrible tragedy happened. I'm sure all of you know about it. In the small town of Newtown, CT, a man went into Sandy Hook Elementary School and took the lives of twenty kids in two first grade classrooms, as well as women who worked at the school. Then, when he heard the sirens of police and emergency response teams, he took his own life. This was after he had killed his own mother in their home. One of the little girls in one of the classrooms, survived, because she laid on the ground pretending to be dead. Then afterwards, she ran to her parents and said "I'm ok, but all of my friends are dead." This is a devastating tragedy. As a mom of two kids, one in first grade, I cannot even begin to imagine what the families of these beautiful kids and women are going through. And it is my hope that I never have to. I, like many others, wanted to do something for the families and the school. Some fellow stitchers on Facebook came up with the idea of stitching squares that would be made into quilts. I signed up. There will be a quilt for each of the families, one for the little girl who survived, one for the school, and there will also be one that will be given to the brother of the man that caused this terrible tragedy, bcuz he also lost his mom. There will also be squares that will be made into pillows for the brothers and sisters of the kids, and other squares that will be made into something for the first responders and also the janitor of the school. I signed up to stitch squares for each of the family quilts, a square for the little girl's quilt, and for the school quilt. For the little girl that survived, I selected a pattern by Vee and Co Cross Stitch Designs, who gave her patterns out for free for this very special project. The pattern is snowman in a snowglobe that is holding a heart that says "You Melt My Heart". For the squares for the families, I wanted to do something more personal. So I put together patterns that have each person's name, birth flower and birthdate. And for the square for the school, I put together a pattern that has a heart bouquet in the middle, I made all but one of the hearts green and white, which are the school colors. There are hearts in each corner that are green and white. It says "Forever in Our Hearts" and has the names of all the kids and women that were lost in this tragedy. I just finished the patterns a few days ago and have started to stitch them. 

I wanted to share with you all what the patterns look like. And I will also post pictures of the finished squares as I get them done. I do hope that everyone affected by this tragedy does like what we are making. 

Here are what the patterns looks like ...

So this is what I will be working on over the next few months. I know that I have other projects that I need to work on and get finished, but I feel that this is more important.

If you would like to see the other squares that my fellow stitchers are working on for this very special project, you can find the Facebook group here.

I want to thank you all for reading my blog and supporting me and my art craft all of these years.

Happy Stitching, Crafting & Blogging.

Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

Election Day 2012 & Getting Ready for UFO Wednesday Stitching

Hello My Friends, Stitchers, Crafters & Bloggers! 

I hope that this finds you all doing well and enjoying the day and season! So today is Election Day here in the United States. Have you all voted? My husband and I will be heading to the polls right after our son finishes his homework. I honestly feel, that when it comes to politics, it's up to us to choose the lesser of two evils and vote for that person. I just hope whoever ends up in office, we can all just hope that they bring back this great nation to where we're all more economically sound. Time will tell. 

Alright! Now on to a much more fun topic. STITCHING! So, as you know from my last post, and the new tab at the top of my blog, I am part of a Wednesday UFO group on Facebook. With last Wednesday being Halloween (I hope you all had a very fun Halloween!), and my husband working that night, I did not get any stitching done. I thought maybe I could have a makeup day in the days following Halloween, but that didn't happen either. I did get a couple of stitches in, but really only about 20 minutes worth. So tomorrow is a new Wednesday Stitching Day! I'm looking forward to it, as I would really like to make some good progress on Transformation by Tilton Crafts. She is such a beautiful piece and with only working on the bottom left corner page so far, it doesn't look like anything yet. I can't wait till I can really see the design come to life as I stitch her.

Oh and I am really happy to report that Tilton Crafts will be creating patterns of my brother's, Brandon Salamone, artwork!!! Shelley really loves his drawing called, Drop Dead Gorgeous. So I'll be writing him and asking him to draw up some pieces that go along with that theme. Also, don't forget, you can find patterns of some of his artwork on the White Willow Stitching website, as well. I don't know if Jamie from WWS is going to be creating any more patterns of my brother's artwork or not. But for now, there are some beautiful patterns available. And soon you'll be able to buy my brother's GORGEOUS artwork in pattern form on Tilton Crafts!!!

Well, my son is done with his homework, so we are off to the polls! 

Happy Stitching, Crafting & Blogging and don't forget to ... 

Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

What I've Been Up to ...

Hello My Friends! 

So what have I been working on this past month. Well I must admit, stitching has been a challenge the last month and a half. I have been working on this ATC that should have been quick and easy. But when I selected the pattern, I didn't realize the TONS of french knots it had. Now normally, they don't bother me too much, HOWEVER, stitching french knots on 18 count aida, that are placed in the CENTER of the square instead of at the corner of the squares and that has been a big challenge. It is really hard to poke the needle from the bottom up into the fabric and then go back down thru the same hole. And like I said, there are a bunch of them. I also have a couple of coasters to mail out soon. 

Another project that I have started is a pattern called Transformation by Tilton Crafts. Shelley, the owner and designer of the pattern, asked if I would do this pattern as a model stitch for her. It's a beautiful pattern that Shelley did an awesome job on. The artist is Victoria Frances. So I have started working on this pattern. I just love it. 

Here is what it looks like ... 

Isn't she gorgeous?! I just love this pattern. The pattern is 300 x 435, so it's a larger pattern. I am starting in the bottom left corner.

So I made a decision. As some of you know, I have some projects that I have started and not finished. One of them, I was never really into. Another I liked the pattern, but was not super excited about. So I'll probably either never finish it, or it will be a long while before I ever go back to it. So I am putting them, not only on a back burner, but up in the back corner of a shelf, so to speak. Those two are Pale Rose and Hold on to Hope. Both were supposed to be stitch a longs with someone else and those stitch a longs never really happened. So I'd rather concentrate on projects that I really want to do. And I definitely have other WIPs and UFOs that I absolutely love and really want to get finished.

Speaking of WIPs and UFOs ... a friend of mine on Facebook has created a new group called Wednesday UFO Cross Stitchers. The object of the group is that every Wednesday we will all work on a current or unfinished project and we will all support and motivate each other so that we can get our projects finished. I think this is a great idea and I am really excited about it! To have a set day to work on these projects may be just what I need to get some good finishes under my belt and actually complete some of my goals that I list for myself each year. So if any of you are like me and need that extra motivation and want to share some fun and progress, and if you are Facebook, just click on the link above to request to be part of the group. There are a lot of very nice people in the group! I've added a tab at the top of my blog where I will post my Wednesday progress.

And with that (today is Wednesday!), I am off to get some stitching done!

Happy Stitching, Crafting & Blogging to you all!

Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

Surprise Gift FINALLY Delivered!

Hello Stitchers, Bloggers & Crafters!

I am very happy to report that I was finally able to hand deliver the football helmets birth announcement piece to my friends! I was getting worried at first bcuz the frame that I had thought would be perfect was WAY to big. So it was a mad dash off to store after store to find the perfect frame and at long last, hiding in a corner, I found it! I was so relieved. Then it was home to get the piece framed and wrapped and then off to the baby's first birthday party! 

Here is how it turned out ... 

Here are my friends and Baby Audrey! 

And they loved it ... even with the Chicago Bears 'C' on it (lol).

I am both happy and relieved that they liked it so much. I wanted to create for them something very unique and special that they could always treasure. They are awesome people & I love them!

Well, that's all I have this time!

Happy Stitching, Blogging & Crafting!

Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

News, Updates & Progress

Hi there fellow Stitchers, Crafters & Bloggers! 

I hope you are all doing well today. I have been doing fairly well. I've been trying to find a part time job while the kids are in school. So far no luck. With my daughter having autism, I have to be home when she gets home. She is 16 now and it's not like she can go to after school care. So I can only be available for work while the kids are actually in school, unless my husband is off work, then I can work anytime on those days. I have applied at Michaels, Joanns, a few local stores. Nothing yet. There is a Hobby Lobby going to open up it's first location here where I live, but not until approximately the end of October. Another option, if they don't mind my schedule restrictions, is a seasonal store called Spirit Halloween. That one of course, if they hired me, would only be until maybe a few days after Halloween, of course. And it definitely would be a lot of work. It's so frustrating. I don't need much. Just 20-25 hrs a week would be great. It would be so helpful to our household income. That alone would cover enough bills to give us a little bit of breathing room. I have been given the suggestion of working at the schools so that I'm working only school time hours. And that is a great idea. But the school where my son goes, isn't hiring and there are all kinds of budget cuts in the school district that my daughter's school is a part of. Anyway, enough of that. 

As for stitching, I have taken part in a monthly coaster exchange, which I think will be fun. I have one finished and ready for the mail that will go out tomorrow. Found the pattern for the next one. And also I'm doing an ATC exchange. I have missed doing those so I thought I'd get back into it. Currently stitching up a cute pattern for that. It has a large number of french knots, which normally wouldn't bother me at all, except with this pattern, they are right in the middle of the square rather than the corners of the square. So it makes it a bit tedious. Stitching on 18ct with a 24 needle, makes it a lil bit hard to get the needle up thru the middle of the square and then back down thru it. Once it's finished, I'm sure it will look great tho. I don't want to post any pics of any of this as of yet bcuz anytime I post an entry to my blog, it posts an entry on Facebook, and they are on my friends list. So once they receive their goodies, I will post pictures. 

I haven't really had time to work on Hope lately. Once I get the ATC and coaster finished and mailed, then I'll work on it. I'm still working on adding all the grid lines with the fishing line. I really hope it helps make the stitching go at least a bit faster. 

On a side, and rather sad, note, today an amazing man and actor passed away today. Michael Clarke Duncan died at the very young age of 54. Two months ago, he suffered a massive heart attack and was in the hospital bcuz of it. It was said in an online article, that his fiance, Omarosa, left his hospital room for just a minute, and when she returned, he had passed away. So sad. Mr. Duncan was most known for his role as John Coffey in The Green Mile. He also had roles in Armageddon as Bear, Planet of the Apes as Attar, The Kingpin in Daredevil, Balthazar in The Scorpion King, as well as many other roles and voice roles for movies and video games. He grew up in Chicago's south side and resisted drugs and alcohol by constantly applying himself in his school work. He truly was a good man and will be missed by many. Whenever I watch The Green Mile, I always cry at the end. Now that sadness takes on a whole new meaning. My condolences go out to his family, friends and loved ones. RIP Michael. 

 

Well, time to get the kids ready for bed and then in bed and then get their lunches made for school tomorrow and get some laundry done. So that's all for this time! 

Happy Stitching, Crafting and Blogging Everyone! 

Until Next Time,

♥ Margie ♥

PS ~ I ALMOST FORGOT!!! My friends that I designed & stitched the Football Helmets Birth Announcement piece for are going to be in town this weekend for the baby's FIRST BIRTHDAY!!! As soon as they told me this a few months ago, I decided to wait until they are here to give it to them so that I can see them faces in person when they open it. I'M SO EXCITED!!! I'll post pics of them opening it and with it after Saturday!!! :)

Where Does the Time Go?!

Hi Everyone! 

Wow! I can't believe that we're already about 2/3 of the way thru 2012 already! I don't know about all of you, but to me it just seems that time goes by faster and faster the older I get! I sure could use an extra couple of hours everyday. 

So I am still working on HAED's Hold on to Hope. I haven't gotten much actual stitching done. But I thought I'd give gridding a try. I see many others doing it. And it seems to me that it will make things go a little smoother when stitching. I posted in one of my Facebook groups, asking others what their favorite gridding methods are. There were several responses. Some said to use the already gridded fabric from DMC called Magic Guide. But to get that I would have to order from the UK, and I just can't afford that right now. Between shipping and the currency conversion, it would cost quite a pretty penny. A couple people said they just use regular floss to grid. I have tried that on smaller pieces, and I end up getting the gridded floss caught up in the stitching and it becomes a mess. Some use a quilting pencil that is supposed to wash out easily when the fabric is washed. This makes me a little bit nervous bcuz I worry that it will not actually wash out and all that stitching will go to waste. One person said they use the Crayola washable markers. She said it always washed out completely and works great. I do like this idea, however, just like with the quilting pencils, I am nervous about it not washing out completely. Another suggestion is to use fishing line to grid the fabric. Now this idea, I like. I don't have to worry about it not washing out or getting caught up in my stitches of the pattern. And once I am finished stitched the pattern, I just had to cut the fishing line knot and it will pull right out. So that is what I've decided to go with this time. I may try the other gridding methods later on. But for now, the fishing line seems to be the best method that will work for me. So that is what I am working on right now, is gridding the fabric for Hold on to Hope. I will admit, I had some difficulty threading the fishing line onto a needle. And not using the needle was more difficult. But I was able to finally get it on the needle and it's going along nicely now. It is a bit of a tedious task. But I do feel it will be worth the work. I bought the fishing line at Walmart. They didn't have much of a selection of color. I didn't want clear, bcuz I want to be able to see the grid lines easily. So I bought this transparent green. It's not too bad. But I think the next time I need to buy some, I will check the sporting goods stores instead of Walmart, so that I can find the red fishing line, or some other brighter, more visible color. 

Anyway, next topic. Do any of you use a method called "parking" when you stitch? I have seen several people using this method, and to be honest, it confuses the heck out of me. For one, I don't know how the floss colors don't get mixed up. I mean, there are so many floss colors that are so similar, so how do they not get mixed up? Also, if you do "park", how do you not keep from getting the "parked" strands of floss caught up in the strand of floss that you are stitching with? Please share your thoughts and feedback on this, as I would really like to know. 

Most of you have seen that my existing WIPs and UFOs are quite large patterns. So, I've decided that to break up working on these larger pieces, I am going to get back into doing the ATC exchanges that I used to do, as well as a coaster exchange. I am in groups for both on Facebook. And I think it will be fun to do the ATC exchanges again. And the coaster exchange I think will be lots of fun and exciting too. The first ATC exchange, is a fairy theme. And I must say, it is not easy finding a fairy pattern small enough for an ATC. The theme for the coaster this month is flowers. I came up with a cute idea for the flower, but I don't want to give it away here yet, as I don't know if the person receiving the coaster will see or read my blog. After she receives it, I will post a picture. 

Well that is all I have for now. I'm off to stitch and grid! Happy Stitching, Crafting and Blogging to all! 

Until Next Time,

♥ Margie ♥

Finished the Xmas in July SAL piece

Hello Everyone! Not a whole lot to report today. I am still working on HAED Hold on to Hope. But I would like to finish the page I'm working on before I post an update. However I have finished the Xmas in July SAL piece that I have been participating in. We did one square per day for the 25 squares and today is July 25th, so we're finished. Karen at Sunshine Stitches made such a pretty pattern and I really enjoyed doing this SAL. It has been a lot of fun. It was exciting waiting each day for the new square to be added to the pattern. And each square was such a quick stitch that it didn't take anytime at all to get it done. I do highly recommend checking out Karen's blog here, Sunshine Stitches. She has some great patterns that she has designed and are for sale also. 


And without further ado, here is my finished Xmas in July piece!




So what do you think? I still have to get a frame for it and everything. But I really like how Karen let us choose whatever colors that we liked. It was nice to have that creative freedom to help make her design our own. I don't know if I am completely happy with the colors I chose. But I do have the pattern saved so that I can stitch it again and again if I want.

Well, that is all I have for now.

Happy Stitching, Crafting and Blogging!

Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

Some Great Changes to My Blog!

Hello My Friends and Blog Followers! 

Thank you to some wonderful Facebook friends and my husband who is great at finding resources online, I have been able to make some changes on my blog that I am really happy with! 

As you can see, I have changed the whole look of my blog to a new template. I have added tabs! Super excited about those. :) And I have learned how to change the font of the body of my blog posts to something that is NOT listed in the very limited 7 fonts that Blogger has available. Even more excited about that than I am about the tabs! :) 

So please have a look around, click on the different tabs, and let me know what you think! :)

Happy Stitching, Crafting & Blogging!!! 

Until Next Time,

♥ Margie ♥

Current Projects ...

Hi there Friends and Blog Followers! :) 

So I've been working on a couple of things. One is a "Christmas in July" pattern that looks like quilt blocks. Those participating stitching one block each day from July 1st thru July 25th. One of my stitching friends on Facebook, Sunshine Stitches, designed the pattern and she posts the pattern for each block, one per day, on her blog. We are on Day/Block 18. It has been really fun since it's a small quick stitch each day. We get to select our own colors for the pattern. I have selected a few colors both solids and variegated. 

Here is where mine is after stitching Day/Block 18 ... 

Only seven more days/blocks to go!


The other project that I have been working on is, well, I've finally started HAED's Hold on to Hope! :) I've started in the bottom left corner of the pattern. I am having fun with the piece. Although it seems I always forget about how much confetti stitching there is in all of the HAED patterns. I have no idea what I'm going to do with this piece once I am finished. I don't know if I'll keep it for myself, or give it away to someone as a gift. But I do have plenty of time to think about that as I stitch it. I am stitching this one as an SAL with one of my online stitching friends. She is awesome & such a great friend. I wish that we could meet in person, as she is one of my best friends. 


Anyway, this is what Hold on to Hope will look like when finished ... 





And this is where I'm at after finishing my first page ... 





Still, obviously, have a lot to go, but at least it's progress. :) I'm already working on and making progress on the next page. I am moving to the right and then will move up. 


Well, that is all I have for now. 


Happy Stitching and Crafting Everyone!!! 


Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥
 

A Finish & One Stitching Goal DONE!

Hi Friends and Blog Followers!!! 

YAY!!! I have my first stitching finish of the year! It only took me half of the year to finally get it finished lol. 

But here it is ... my very unique Football Helmets Birth Announcement for my very dear friends! :) I am so excited about this piece and cannot wait to hear how my friends like it. I'm going to include a note attached to the wrapping paper that they have to call me before they open it so that I can hear their reaction. Or they can use a webcam or a video chat app on their phones lol.

I still have to wash, iron & frame it. I have a really pretty white frame that I think it going to look really nice with this piece. Once I have it washed, ironed & framed, I will post another photo. So what do you think? :) 

Now I can get busy with HAED's Hold on to Hope. I started it this past Saturday afternoon while we were at a party for my son's baseball team. But I was only able to really get in a few stitches. 

Well, that's all I have for now! 

Until Next Time,

♥ Margie ♥

Another Update on My Football Helmets Piece!

Hi there Everyone!!!

I just wanted to post a quick update on the Football Helmets Birth Announcement piece. I have finished all of the back stitching on the Packers helmet! All that's left is the rest of the names and the baby's info!!! I am so excited to be so close to finishing this piece! My goal is to finish all of the stitching before I go to bed tonight, which may be very late tonight. But I really want to get this piece finally finished. 

So I have an update close up photo of the Packers helmet with all of the back stitching done. And here it is ... 

It's a little bit hard to see all of the back stitching in the darker areas of the helmet mask, but if you look closely, you can see it pretty well, I think. Once I got this part finished, my adrenaline really started pumping as the excitement of being so close to finishing took over! And now I'm nearly done! I'll post another photo as soon as I'm finished and before I go to bed! :) 


See you all in a few hours!


Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥