In Loving Memory

In Loving Memory

Paul Keith Ingram

October 13, 1923 - 

February 16, 2010

Father, Father-in-law & Grandfather

We will miss you.

Callie

Her Royal Highness, Callie.

Wedding Sampler Progress

There are days when I don't think I will ever complete Grace and Anthony's wedding sampler.  Truth be told, I am anxious to finish so I can move on to something else.  I have made more progress, and am hoping to get a lot more stitched while watching the Olympics.

Happy stitching!

Wedding Preparations

Tonight I am excited because I found a dress for Grace's wedding!  Sarah and I went to nearby Eastview Mall, just to look at what was available, and I bought the first dress I tried on!!  I suppose, though, that I should back track.  My plan from the beginning was to make a dress.  Not only did I not like the mother-of-the-bride dresses I saw, but I didn't think I could afford one, even if I did find something that wowed me.  I looked at many patterns, and chose one that I thought would work with a shawl pattern I purchased.  I even found a similar dress online.  So I made a muslin, and finally tried it on last night.  It fit, sort of.  The princess seams weren't quite right in the front, and the upper armscye was too tight (which I still cannot figure out).  We decided that we'd see if I could find anything at the mall and, if not, I'd think further about making a dress.  Fast forward to tonight at J. C. Penney.  The dress is similar to the one here, but the jacket is shorter and a bit more feminine, and has a contrast band around it, as well as around the dress neckline.  The color looks identical.  The best part?  It cost me $41.17.  It was on sale, and I had a coupon which entitled me to an additional discount.  Oh, and it needs no alteration.  Not even hemming, which is amazing, given my short (5' 2") stature.

Also happening this week:  I put together 30 invitations.  What a time-consuming job, but they look great.  We also ordered all but four beads for the jewelry we're making for the bridesmaids; the four we didn't order are on backorder.  Sarah and I are going to learn some new beading techniques, which is always exciting.

Next up?  Working on the ring attendant's pillow, drafting a pattern for my purse, more invitations, more flowers. 

Oh, and I keep putting stitches in the sampler.  More on that next time.

Weding Sampler Update

Most of my late afternoon and evening were spent sitting on the couch, watching TV, and stitching, but not totally by choice.  You see, I had a run in with the dog's long leash in the backyard, and was in pain.  Kelly decided that my attempt to retrieve her tennis ball from the yard after we played was another invitation to play, and she wrapped the leash around the back of my ankles while running as only a large dog can.  Ouch.  (That's an understatement.)  Hence the couch.  And the TV.  And the stitching.

These pictures were taken early in the afternoon, before my unfortunate incident.    I stitched a great deal of the motif in the lower left corner tonight.

"Let It Snow"

Last night I put the final stitches in Let It Snow.  This delightful design is by Country Cottage Needleworks, and was published in the 2008 issue of Just Cross Stitch Ornaments.

Alas, I have no more excuses for not working on the wedding sampler, so as soon as I hit the "publish" button, that's what I'll be doing.  Happy stitching!

"Let It Snow"

The wedding sampler is supposed to be my stitching focus, but when I'm sitting in my recliner at night, trying to unwind from the craziness that seems to envelop every day, it's easier to work on a project that I can hold in my hand.  (I have the sampler on a scroll frame that fits into my lap stand, and it's awkward to position in the recliner.)  So I picked up Country Cottage Needleworks' Let It Snow, from the 2008 JCS Ornament Issue.  I am stitching this 1/2 on 28 count Monaco in the Tea color using DMC floss.  I found the fabric to be so tightly woven that two strands of floss looked heavy. 

The fabric is more yellow than I was able to make it, even by tweaking it in my photo editing software.

I have been looking at charts recently, and realized I am naturally drawn to winter designs.  I cannot figure out why, especially since winter is my least favorite season.  Of the six charts I recently purchased from 1-2-3 Stitch, half were winter designs.  Anyone else have the same problem?