EEEEEEEeee!!! UPDATE!!!!

After 10 days...and just a handful of stitching hours (holidays interfered: shopping, wrapping gifts, opening gifts, eating-eating-eating... inching my way to spring cleaning my room).

Heck, for a slow stitcher, I'm pretty happy with myself. :D

Page 1 of HAED The Chess Match by James Christensen

28 ct aida, 2 over 1 tent stitch (continental). 

Hoard. Hoard. Hoard.

I spent the day of Dec 24 waiting for Christmas Eve organizing my stitchy stuff.

From various corners of my room and library came several yards of cloth, rolls of aida ribbons, bobbin cases, piles of books, pattern booklets and clear book binders.

My new threads went straight to my shabby chic lunch boxes, awaiting their time to be wound on bobbins.

Various sized hoops and keychains with aida went into the drawer along with bobbins, extra scissors, markers, pins and other miscellaneous stuff.

And of course, my bobbin cases... I graduated from small ones...to dime-store large ones...to giant ones from hobby stores (they were made originally for toy cars). Hmm... I think I have to devise a way of making the empty ones useful again. I love my giant bobbin cases too much to go to the smaller ones again. They ARE taking up space...

Last but not least... into my left drawer went my external hard drives will all of my downloaded cross stitch patterns. Nicely organized in folders and subfolders :)

There. My stitchiness is all in one cubby. It used to be my linen cubby where I kept my bedsheets and collection of pillowcases that don't match. (I like different prints on my bed). But I shoved all those on the bottom shelf to make room for my goodies on the top two tiers.

No stitching for me for now. I have to pause stitching for a few days until I get my room in order.  But I wanted to share and give you a peek into my little treasure trove.

It's not much compared to some. But my butt wiggles every time I look at it. (I have the doors open now as I gloat over my stash). :D :D :D

It is better to GIVE than to RECEIVE

That's true. And it felt soooo nice when my Panda's mum finally received and opened her giftie.  I was sorta feeling shy so I didn't look real hard, but my panda said her eyes were twinkling and that her face lit up... hope so. :) I'm going to have to ask for a copy of that pic of her holding this. :)

Living With Charm; nicely framed.

But I can't deny that receiving stitchy goodies felt great as well!!

A special shout-out of THANKS to Kuya Junie, Cora, Monchu and Miggy for my 365 days of stitchiness. :) LOADS of small patterns for me to make throughout this year. I've been thumbing through them the entire afternoon and have spotted stuff I'd want to stitch right away. :)
Thanks guys! I LOVE IT!

And of course....

a HUGE thank you to my sister for getting me a new floor stand that can transform from floor stand to lap frame and from large to extra large scroll.  It hasn't arrived yet from Korea but THANK YOU!!!

and last but not the least...

.....a big whopping giggly THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to my lovey Panda who gave and helped me complete my master kit of DMC skeins. :D

I love you... very BEARY much. Thank you for knowing what I really want and for spoiling me :) :) :)

236 colors...to complete my Master Kit. :) All from my panda. 

Another Christmas surprise: 2 meters of beautiful beige 25ct lugana and packs of 28ct tapestry needles!!!

I was expecting just 1 pack of needles. When I opened the tin that it came in, I was shocked to see these. He said that he knows I can go through needles fast so he "...bought everything they had in stock".

AWWWWWW!!!!!  (I just melted).

It's already such a sweet sweet thing to buy needles and the cloth for me.. but to say that he got all the 28ct needles in stock!!??!!!!

AWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D :D :D :D

CHRISTMAS HO-HO-HAUL!!!

My darling panda got me thread for Christmas. Lots and lots and lots of thread. I can now say, I'll have a "MASTER KIT" already. Meaning, I'd have ALL the colors of the DMC cotton floss. So I can pick up ANY pattern and stitch without having to bother collecting the colors. This way, all I have to do is replace the floss color when it runs out.

To a lot of stitchers, they'd probably shrug. They've been at this far longer than I have and I'm sure they have the complete DMC line once, twice... multiple times over. But this is the first for ME to have the complete set. (at least I will by tom, when I get my giftie :) )

Anyway, my panda's only idea on cross stitch is from what I tell him or what he reads on my blogs. So I had to accompany him to DMC to pick out my thread colors. (*** thank you thank you thank you for my threads lovey!!!)

Of course, being the logistical OC that I am...I already printed out a checklist of the DMC charts and marked off the ones I had.

(** taking the time now to say THANK YOU to DMC Philippines!! :D )

I had loads of fun chatting with the DMC staff (who I think are uber friendly and would gladly sit down and stitch with you any time). My voice kept going higher and higher.... I was excited! All the pretty colors!!!

I was trying to do my best NOT to do my butt dance in public but my panda knew I was doing it inside. My feet couldn't keep still. My eyes were probably sparkling. And I know I had the goofiest grin on my face.

And the best part? Other than having my panda with me alllllll the way from singapore, and getting the complete line of colors?

THESE!!!!

I got 19 pcs!! You get one for every 12 skeins of floss.
(It used to be 1 for every 24 but with Christmas so near, they 'marked' it down).
I got the angel, the reindeer and snowman. Didn't go for the Santa... his beard covered his face too much.

Aren't they darling?!?!

Couldn't wait anymore and put them on my tree. 

I got this lovely couple a few weeks earlier. 

My complete DMC Christmas freebie haul.

Each goodie comes with a pattern that you can stitch on the bibs. I intend to keep the ornaments OUT of the box.
So I can stitch on them throughout the year. :) As a break from my giant HAED. :)

They absofreakinglutely complete my tree. They were missing little toys and now I got them.
Ooooooo-eeeeeeeee! I am HAPPY!!! :D 

I didn't get to decorate much this year... got too involved with stitching but at least this little corner of the house has Christmas cheer. 

AND.... with this post, I wish everybody a BEWITCHING STITCHY and WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS!!!!!


Hugs to all!!! :D

SHAME ON YOU!!!

You are all guilty of POLYGAMY.

Yup... all you married stitchers out there.  That's baaaaaaaaaddddd!!

Ok, I had to pause my stitching and laugh a few minutes ago. I was thinking of all the blogs I read last night and it just struck me. You guys are polygamous.

Just like Snow White, Rapunzel, Cinderella... all of you share the same husband!!!
In their case, it's Prince Charming.

In YOUR case, this guy called DH.

How is it possible you let this guy live?!?! And you guys KNOW you're all married to him by stating it in your blogs.  You guys condone it?!?!

SHAME. ON. YOU.


-----

LOL!

Ok, ok. I know DH means darling husband. And that it's as generic as it can go. Still, I had to have SOME fun from it. :)

Thank heavens to betsies (betsy's?), there's only ONE panda. And he's mine. :)

Why Stitch?

Just a random thought popping into my head... why do I stitch? I could easily just buy the poster or print out the picture if I just wanted to. Why slave away for months?

I've had people call me "weird" or crazy... sometimes they'd complement me with the words "How patient can you be" but you know there's that tone that meant "you're nuts".  Have you had that experience?

Some people find it weird that I got into cross stitching and that I'm so crazy about it. They think I'm weird. *shrug*. What's weird for me is NOT having a hobby or an interest.

I'm really not into shopping or clothes or going to parties. I prefer to watch movies, have nice dinners, or go home and stitch.

There's beauty in creating something yourself. It's an art. It makes me feel a connection with the ladies of old... when they made tapestries back when they lived in castles. It's an art form that I don't want to die. And if I can influence others to take it up, then I'll do so.

There's a joy in creating. Seeing that picture come together one stitch at a time. It may seem crazy to do it for some people I know. But for me, it helps me center. It quiets me down. Calms me.

There are millions of reasons I can come up with to say WHY I stitch. But I'll stick to those for now. Maybe in future, I'll have another random thought.

But for now, let me say this. Some people are gifted that rare genius to paint. That rare opportunity to be discovered and become famous. They can call themselves artists.

I am an artist too. Instead of a brush and paint, I wield a needle and thread. I may not be a genius at it or an expert. But I am.

And if you're a stitcher, so are you.

There is magic in what we do. :)

HAED's RoLL OuT!!

I've started on my Chess Match!!! :D

Artsy-Fartsy's personal log. HAED. 2011.18. Dec
(alright, I was trying to sound trekkie but I can't. I'm a star wars girl). Sooo... to repeat:

HAED started: Dec 18, 2011
2 over 1; Tent Stitch
Substituted b5200 for the Kreinik 032
28ct Aida, white

I changed my cloth from the original 18ct aida to a 28ct aida.
That meant a completely new gridding job. Instead of the washable markers, I used ordinary sewing thread.
The washable marker tips were bigger than the 'squares' of the aida. 

Just to give perspective. That area is one page. Yup. The pin takes up more than half of the height of one page.
The squares on this aida are soooo tiny!!! I have to wear magnifiers or else I won't see the holes properly.

My first stitch on my HAED!! Taken Dec 18, 2011 1130am.

Just showing how I'm doing things. I've enlarged the printing of my pattern so it's easier for me to follow.
I've gotten a tiny magnet that hold my needle and my needle threader for easy access.

I need advice please. This is my tenting close up.... it looks soo... wonky/messy but that's the best I could do with 2 threads over 1.... am I doing it right????

I've NEVER done tent stitching before and I'm getting a bit worried with how it looks. It's hard to see since I'm stitching the sky over white aida. That's the white b5200 with a bit of light blue where the sky peeks through the clouds.

ADVICE please. Is it looking alright??? It all looks... wonky to me.

So far...
Dec 19: Over 900 stitches done.

Meet my latest Best Friend.

His name is Bugsy.

Because he makes my eyes look it.

Another local store here carries this. Dreams in Glorietta5. It cost me around 500php... approximately a little bit more than $10usd for you guys.

Now mind you, I have 20-20 vision. My doctor said so. Though I did get frames for a 0.25 grade on my left eye...which is basically negligible according to my doc. (Whose name by the way is Dr. Enrique Enriquez... crazy parents huh?). Anyway, I clipped Bugsy on my frames and voila!!! My fabbie is clearer...and bigger.

Which is perfect as I've finally decided to do my HAED Chess Match on a 28ct aida. :D I started gridding today and man! Bugsy helps. He really does. I could barely see the tiny holes or gridlines on this 28ct. But with Bugsy, they looked like a 18ct to me. (If you're wondering why I was insane enough to use a fabbie that I can barely see... follow my logic... I'd rather do a 28ct and see it as a manageable sized cloth rather than my original 18ct cloth and see it like a blanket covering my entire bed).

I've decided to grid my Chess Match fabbie using ordinary sewing thread versus my washable marker. Why? Especially as I've just finished blogging about how I love my markers? Well....

1. The washable marker disappears through time... sort of evaporates in air... so since I KNOW my HAED will take a loooong time. I didn't fancy regridding again and again every time the ink vanishes.

2. The head/tip of my marker is larger than the ridges of my 28ct aida. It would've been hell trying to stay within the line.

3. I wanted to. (*enter spoiled tone). I liked looking at all the other expert HAED stitchers and they have nicely gridded cloth. I wanted to have the same.

Kindly remember that imitation is the best form of flattery. So...if I get tips and tricks from you folks... it just means I'm flattering you. :)

LOL!

Heck, I need all the help I can get. :)

I've turned preparing to stitch my HAED into a journey all on its own. And I'm enjoying being OC about it.

Bugsy attached to my frames.

So nerdy. The clip ons FLIP up so I can look at things without the bug-vision. Last time I saw lenses that do this... a major scientific nerd was wearing it in the movies... never thought I'd end up wearing these...but I'm NEVER going to give Bugsy up now.  

Don't you just love kitting up and readying to stitch something new? I do. Gridding can be a little bit toxic but the anticipation of starting the project is already building up BIIIIIIIG time. It's like manually walking up the steep ramp of a roller coaster. I can't wait to "drop" and start!!

Can I just say, that I love finding new stuff to add to my stitching collection :) I also got magnets!!! But I'll save that for another blog after they've posed for me. :)

WASHABLE MARKERS really do wash off.

I've heard (or actually, "read") that some people are hesitant to use washable markers to grid their cloth. I've put together some pics to show that the one I'm using is absofreakinglutely reliable in terms of washability.

Unfortunately, I don't know what it's called. It's japanese.  I buy it from our local store here called Heavenly Stitching Moments. For 80bucks... roughly $2usd.


** unless you got the same pen I do, I highly recommend doing some test patches first. I went through a couple of other pens before I landed on this one. The sky blue color, I think, is the safest one. I got purple and pink as well but... I had to scrub to get those out. Blech. I tossed those out right away. I prefer this pen. :) ANYthing that lessens work, I like!

The gridlines actually disappear on its own thru time. I think the ink "evaporates" or something.... so since I'm a slow stitcher, I sometimes have to reinforce the gridlines (meaning, I do them twice).

The ink disappears upon contact with water. No need to scrub or anything. Just watch it disappear.

Bye-bye gridlines.

Hello unmarked fabbie.

This is the pen I use.

Butt-dance-of-joy!!!

Ok, wiggling butt and going wild over here. I finally finished my Living with Charm project.
Woohoo!!! It's done! It's done!

Uh-huh! It's done. Yeah! *insert happy butt dance of joy & flapping arms like a chicken*

This shalt be washed (to erase the water-soluble pen marks) and sent to the framers lickety-split.  It shalt be a giftie for Christmas! :)

Heck yeah! I finished it on time!!!

As my japanese anime shows go.... "Wa-ho!!!!!"

This approximately took me 2 months to finish. A couple of hours stitching at night and in the morning. As I said, I'm a slow stitcher. Still...one stitch at a time.... that's all it takes. WA-HO!!!! :D

(**heaven forbid I misspelled anything!!!)

Living with Charm

RIBBIT-RIBBIT

Lesson learnt in a big way... due to my eagerness to finish this current Christmas gift project, I sewed like a maniac the past few days... getting little sleep and really... getting dizzy with the lack of it.

I really really wanted to start on my haed already. Just 3 more words and a couple of metallic bling and I'd be done! (Currently doing LIVING WITH CHARM). 

But yes, lesson learnt. Idiot me. I already knew it from past experience but I was pigheaded. 

I was already yawning and getting very very very sleepy... no need for a swaying shiny object hypnotizing me to let me know that. Widening my eyes and keeping them open does not help in any way. 

I should remember... never to stitch once I start yawning. That's the sign I'm already sleepy. Duh--- yawning? Everyone knows that right? But as I said, I was pigheaded...and therefore, after one entire day of stitching, the very next day, I realize I had to ribbit-ribbit it all out. Waaaaaaaah!!!

photo taken from Mudfooted.

Rip it... rip it... ribbit-ribbit.... frogging.
I-can-yawn-do-this-yawn-must-yawn-finish = pigheaded.

Kermit and Miss Piggy definitely must never join me in stitching ever again. I do NOT like frogging.

On the other hand... at least ORT (my TUSAL jar) now has some very interesting curly thread in it's belly

Wanna sew faster? I do!!!

Have you ever heard of double-ended tapestry needles? I have. They're like a stitching myth to me. Can you just imagine...not having to twist your needle up after you've poked it in?? With the double-ended needle, you just poke in and out... less hassle, less stress on your hands and less twisting of your thread!!

Mind you, since I discovered this, I've been doing the unorthodox. I've been inserting my needle point-end first and poking butt-first up. Mimicking the double-ended needle. Heck, it works! It cut my speed in half. (errr...did I say that right? I meant, my sewing time in half).

I can't WAIT until Christmas! I ordered a set (just 5 needles). I wanna try them out! I have a feeling they'll become my favorite stitching needles... I'll treat them like the crown jewels of england... MUST find a nice, safe home for them..hmmm.... I guess that means I have to have a needle box or something.

So far, I keep my needles inserted in a tiny piece of foam... it works! Pincushions sorta EAT up and swallow my needles. I'd never find them again unless I accidentally grab the cushion too hard and voila! I'd make any vampire weak in the knees with the tiny drop of blood that'd balloon out of the pinprick. (yes, I've still been listening to Twilight audiobooks... I'm at the part where Bella finds out Jacob imprinted) (I've read through the books before but it's nice to re"read" again).

Anyway, I'll post again once I have my double-ended needles... I'll let you know how that fares. :)

(side note: seriously, does NOBODY think the terms for stitching a little bit... errr.... green??) (c'mon, frogging, parking, poke in...poke out... pin prick...   I'm laughing my head off here).

Just in case you're interested in getting your own double-ended stuff, I found mine here:
 DOUBLE-ENDED NEEDLES Do any of you know where else we can get them? Has anyone used them before?

My butt's doing my personal dance of joy..wiggling and booty-shaking in anticipation of the goodies I'll get at Christmas. :D wheeeeeeee!

GLEEP-GLORP my ORT!!!

My ORT Jar

Ok, I went and hunted and came home with my prize. Got a nice simple, vintage-y kind of jar for my ORTs. It's absolutely empty. But hopefully it'll fill up... I do plan on stitching a lot this year.

Makes me sigh to think of ALL those threads I threw away the past few months. Heck, how was I supposed to know they had some kind of use??

Hmmm... seeing other peoples ORT jars makes me think of those colored sand-in-a-bottle things.

I wanted to "pose" my ORT JAR somehow. Decided to place the two books I'm currently reading behind it. Maybe in a week or two, I can post my jar with something else AND with something in it's belly. I can easily just imagine my ORT jar as being an alien..and it needs thread to survive. And it's saying "GLEEP-GLORP-ORT". Probably means "FEED. ME. NOW"

Now THIS is the stitch-a-long I can easily join with... just collect your little piece of thread and throw them in here...then post updates. Cool. Sooo easy. :) My ORT jar will probably go "Stitch woman...and feed me". Heck, that's another kind of motivation... (grasping at straws in order not to chicken out of the HAED).

Oh and... if you still don't have an ORT jar...you should get one. So you can start filing it up when the new year starts. :) Let's see how full I can get ORT to be.

Yeah, I named him ORT. Not O.R.T. but just plain ol' ORT. How original right? LOL!

ORT JAR NOW

Acronyms?  Sorta.

My stitching vocabulary is growing by leaps and bounds.

ORT - Old ratty threads
JAR - place to put my ORT's
NOW - as in today.

... I needs to find one...

If you don't have one... you should. :)  Click here to see the root of it all: TUSAL

2012 WIPocalypse List

In 2012, the end of the world will come (supposedly) (depends if you're asking Harold Camping I guess)(it could happen more than 3 times in a year then... and maybe yearly).... anyway, where was I?... I lost my stream of thought...

Oh yes...

... if the end should come in 2012, the world of stitchers would not want to have any unfinished  business left behind. Hence, this gigantic stitch-a-long that will enable, encourage and egg us on to make sure we have no unfinished stitchness left behind.

So.. here's my tiny list of WIPS for the WIPocalpyse 2012.

James Christensen's The Chess Match. HAED.

12 Days of Christmas. Margaret Sherry. (hoping to make them into christmas ornaments)

Photographer Cat. Margaret Sherry.

Cat bookmark. Margaret Sherry.

Angel Wings. Margaret Sherry.

Panda Bookmark.