Halloween Party!!👻🎃💀

 

Happy Halloween!

Welcome to my Halloween party! Please help yourself to some candy, take plenty as I have more!😆

This Halloween is a bit different than past years here in Blogland. Jo of Serendipitous Stitcher has a link up to check out any other party goers:

https://serendipitousstitching.blogspot.com/2024/10/halloween-spooky-link-up-2024.html

The FFO bug bit quite hard and in 1 week I finally finished 8 pieces! Yes, 8 pieces. I would go and buy a lottery ticket or 2 because that may not happen again!

Anyway, here they are:

I'm pretty sure this is a Heart In Hand piece, one of the little patterns that come with the chart and beads. The frame I've had for a very long time. It's a second hand store find. 

Next is...

This is Crone on The Hill by Plum Street Samplers. I trimmed it with Chenille.

Onward...

On top is Salem 1763 by Willow Hills Samplery. It's on a pretty silvery grape color linen. I glued😉the black ric rac to the side. It sort of frames the piece. On the bottom is a design by Wild Violet. I just glued a bat charm to the front and wrapped black baker's twine around the bottom portion.

Four to go:

Here is Halloween on the Farm, from the 2023 JCS Halloween special issue. Love how it turned out! Used more black twine also for a hanging ornament.

Next is this Brenda Gervais piece...

Bittersweet and Broomsticks. A fun stitch, I used the black twine for trim just like the model on the chart.

Now we have Clementine!

A WIP for more than 4 years I'm sure! She is so cute! Lots of backstitch but worth it. My favorite motif is that skeleton🤣I tweaked him just a little. Racquel Blasco was the designer. She no longer designs.

And last but not least, and my favorite, is...

Wicked Night by The Primitive Hare. Stitched on 40ct linen because I wanted it smaller. I used a black pin and buttons for decoration. Love it!

That's it's for stitching.

Here's a little chuckle for you..

Hahaha! This one made me laugh! I don't get trick or treaters here. My street has mostly older folks but 2 families with children have moved to the neighborhood in the last year. 

Fall has finally arrived to the area. It was 30 degrees this morning so I jumped out and turned on the heater! The leaves are finally changing..

My hometown of Prescott, AZ.  Beautiful!

How about a picture of a spider!!!

Isn't he pretty?! I didn't get close for this shot because they can and will jump! This is a Blonde Tarantula. There are dark brown ones with lighter brown legs. They roam around during Indian summer looking for mates and they dig little holes into the ground for homes. They're harmless!

I hope you enjoyed your time at my party! Be sure to check out the link at Jo's blog to see who else is partying! Thanks Jo!👻🎃

Things That Go Bump in The Night

Hi everyone!🙋🏻‍♀️I'm back with stitching to show, a finish, and progress. Anymore I stick my nose into my stitching to escape the news, the constant bickering on social media. But sometimes it all comes to you! Here in my medium sized town of 49k people, the former president Trump has paid a visit. He likes it here I guess. I stitched and listened to helicopters fly overhead, the secret service or maybe the AZ public service. I'm not far from our former hockey rink which is used because it's the largest building that can handle a good sized crowd. 

That'll be the only time you'll see me mention politics! I promise!

Lets get to the stitching!

When October 1st arrived, I pulled out mostly Halloween stitching. The first piece I picked up is Jenny Bean...

All I did was stitch the rest of the branches of the weeping willow and the trunk. I just need to stitch all the leaves in the tree. 

After that, I started a Halloween ornament from the 2023 JCS Halloween ornament issue...

and I finished it! This is Halloween on the Farm. I used vintage stormy grey evenweave. It was a struggle to stitch on this fabric! It's 32ct and I did 2 over 2 but I fought to get the thread through the hole. The blue of the barn for some reason was the toughest. I left it for the last and just powered through it. Whew! I was glad to get it done. It's cute but ugh. What didn't help was I cut the fabric so small I had to use my smallest snaps, and the clamps had very little fabric to hang onto! 

Then I gladly moved to Clementine! Remember her?

Another piece where I'm using 2 over 2. This is much easier! Designed by Raquel Blasco, Clementine has been a WIP for at least 4 years. I have her skirt to fill in with a light green floss, her black boots, the vines on the pumpkins in her skirt, tombstones to the right of her legs. Then lots of long stitches and back stitches to finish her up. Up at the top next to that last diamond goes a spider web with 2 spiders dangling where the 2 black squares are. Below the orange moon is a skeleton that needs boney arms and legs. She's definitely not ornament sized! That left border is 6 or 7 inches long, maybe more. 

Next up is more FO pictures! We're almost finished, folks, so stay with me!

Here's 29 December by Myfanny at Etsy. I would love to have this framed, in a black chunky frame or a dark brown one. On my favorite 32ct Pearl grey linen.

Here's Song of the Seasons by LHN. Finished last year after 10 long years of living in the WIP pile. The fabric is 32ct WDW Straw.

Last but not least is...

These is My Words, also by LHN. Love that cabin😊

I have 8 more large finishes that I'll spread out on 2 posts and that'll be it. I thought of an FFO parade but I think I'll give us all a break from another parade!

Last Tuesday my daughter and I went on a short road trip to a mountain that sits on the eastern edge of where I live. She borrowed her boyfriend's truck because the road is rough. I had never been to the Overlook my entire life and we've lived next to this mountain for 5 decades! Anyway, it was gorgeous...

We had 2 thirds of my grand dogs with us, Gus and Rosie, sibling Aussie Shepherds. Rosie is deaf so my daughter uses hands signs with her.

They're the funniest dogs. They're low and compact to the ground and well behaved. 

When we drove up I could see the valley that I will be moving to soon waaay down at the bottom, it was dizzying. I'm afraid of heights so I stayed away from the edge...

We've had some wild land fires off to the east so it's been hazy lately. 

We admired the view while keeping the dogs away from the edge. Rosie had to wear a leash since she can't hear my daughter.

I took this picture of an alligator bark juniper pine...

See how it looks like alligator skin! It's a good wood stove/fireplace wood to burn. Full of pine sap, it burns hot but also leaves the chimney full of buildup which could catch fire. Not good. We goofed around up there for a little bit more and then came back down. It was nice to catch up with my daughter who has a different work schedule than me. We text but it's nothing like actually being together doing something.

Carol, I share your thoughts about BRD or Blue Ribbon Designs. The designer has a pattern in almost every JCS ornament magazine. They stitch up fast! Now I have to go through them from the very first issues I have to page mark her designs🤗

Okay, life update. I got probate going on the house. No ones gotten back to me so everything I turned in must've been correct. 

Weather-wise, we're still in the 80s but sinking to the 40s overnight so on goes a blanket! Next week, we finally cool way way down, to the high 60s. This year has been hotter and for longer than usual. 

I think that's all I have for today. Thanks for reading and commenting. BTW, this coming Friday is the day to buy tickets to the Jingle Ball 2024. Just $10 for entry and separate tickets for any classes you'd like to take. I'm taking the Tiny Modernist's class for her mini gingerbread house. It's super cute. I'm excited for that.

Take care, and we'll see you soon🙋🏻‍♀️