Better sit down as I have actual finishes to show you!

I guess this horrible heat wave is good for something.  Since I am trapped in my house, I am able to get some stitching and finishing work done - whooo hoooo!  I didn't get a lot done on my
WIP's for the WIPocalypse.  But I did add some finishes.  I just looked at my WIPocalypse page, and I have a ton of work and updates for it, but I just am not going to have the time to do that tonight.

First off, I have to show you that I finished stitching my needlepoint piece, and I loved every minute of stitching it.  I have already taken it to the framers because I can't wait to get it up.  I will have to wait, however, because my favorite framers have just moved, and haven't quite got the act back together just yet, so it will take them longer than usual to get it finished.  The other issue is that it is a seasonal piece, and so I was bad.  Yesterday I ordered the other three charts.  I didn't get the thread packs or the canvas, but I got the charts.  Partly because Nancy's Needle is closing and I am not sure how long her charts will be available.  I can always get the canvas and threads at a later date.

Now for my finished finishes.  I was able to finish two of the Lizzie*Kate Monthly Blocks that I had finished a while ago.  I have the July one kitted up, but I am going to have to do that when my eyes won't let me stitch on an 18 ct project I have going for my PALS Retreat in October.  The fabric that the pillows are laying on is the fabric that is their backing.  I really enjoyed stitching these, as I love Lizzie*Kate and monthly series. 

I also finished the darling little piece that Michele from Just Another Stitching Blog RAK'd me this spring.  I think it turned out really cute.  And, lastly, I finished my BEACH tree that I stitched while in Myrtle Beach in April.  I really love the backing fabric for this piece which I got at a quilting store in MB.  I am glad that I don't live anywhere near that place, it would break me, LOL!

I did something this weekend that I would have thought I would never do.  I registered to enter some of my pieces in the State Fair.  I didn't do it because I thought they were so good, but because the lady that owns the not so near LNS asked me to.  She said that even if I was the worst stitcher ever that I should enter something because that section of the fair is getting smaller each year because people are not putting anything in it.  I had noticed that it was getting smaller, but I didn't realize why.  She hopes that if people see different projects there that they might decide to do something.  I hope so because her business is suffering with this economy, and I know of several shops that are closing.

As I had indicated, I have started stitching for the Retreat.  The one that I am doing now is a Halloween piece that I am stitching on 18ct aida.  It was quite a adjustment after working on 12ct canvas for that last couple of weeks - LOL!  I am going to kit up some Christmas ornaments next weekend as we will be going on a mini vacation to Michigan the following week, and I will "need" something to do while I am there.

Well, I need to head to bed as I am working extra hours this week to cover for someone on vacation.  I do, though, want to thank you for stopping by my blog and for leaving such kind comments.  I do appreciate them very much.  So, until next time, have a happy, healthy, stitchy time!

Now that I am home, I can show you the stitched pieces I took to MB

I have so many pictures and stories to tell you
about the Pals Fall Fling, that I will have to do it in multiple parts. I have been telling you for a long time that I have had some stitched pieces that I could not share with you because they were going to be exchanges at the Fall Fling. So I thought I would start with showing you those finishes and then later telling you about my super vacation.

The first piece is the one that I put in the Halloween exchange on Thursday night of the Fling. It is a San Man Original called Did Someone Say Pie? This is the second time I have stitched this piece and given it away. I think I am going to have to stitch it again sometime, because it makes me smile. This is also may first pinkeep that I have ever made, and it would not have been possible without Vonna's tutorials. I also used as an example a pinkeep that Michele sent me earlier this year.

This next piece is also a SanMan Original, and it is called Autumn 1. I stitched it for the Fall exchange on Thursday night of the Fling. This was also my first no sew cube finish. I really liked this because I thought the fabric went really well with the design. Again, I have Vonna's tutorials to thank for showing me how to do this finish. I am going to do more of them in the future.

This is my Christmas ornament, also designed by SanMan Originals called Noel. We had our ornament exchange on Friday night after the grab bag exchange. Gosh, it seems like I only do SanMan, but that isn't really the case. I have a different designer to show you in a minute. I did this piece on gold luminescent 16ct aida, that I thought looked very Christmasy.

Lastly, I have my Finished Stitched exchange piece that I have been talking about having to do three times before I got it right. We did that exchange last night, and it was really a lot of fun. My piece is a Lizzie*Kate design called Gather Love. I stitched it on 16ct Natural aida that I have really fallen in love with, and will use many more times. I am not sure that you can tell it from this picture, but I finished this as a pillow.

Tonight I am really tired because we didn't break up the party last night until almost midnight, and I had to catch a cab to the airport at 5:45 this morning. So, I will tell you more Fall Fling tales and show you more pictures tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by and leaving messages!! Until tomorrow, have a happy and healthy day!!