Stargazer is Finished!

I was able to complete all of my cross stitches when I was in the hospital for a few days due to a blood clot. 

I was happy with how the colors still showed up on my dark fabric. Now time to add the beads! It was pretty easy adding the beads to the dress, but once I had to start adding them out in the "sky" it was sooo difficult with no frame of reference to work from! Counting was already hard on the dark linen, but I had gotten used to it. What complicated the counting when attaching beads was that I was using an "invisible" thread to attach the beads! I finally came up with a perfect solution that made the counting monumentally easier: a head lamp! Family teased me of being a miner while I sat stitching on my corner of the couch, but hey, it worked!

I completed attaching the last bead on Saturday, July 26, 2014: 376 days after beginning the project. I usually would just say it took me a year to complete if asked, but with this project I kept track of the actual hours I spent. The final tally was 166 hours. That averages to be about 3 hours of stitching each week for just over a year. 

The following Monday found me anxious to find a frame for my piece so I could enter it into the upcoming county fair and local Peach Days. I didn't have the time to get it custom framed in time for the fair, so I came home from the craft store with a 16x20 frame that fit it okay, but that I didn't totally love. I had forgotten to bring my phone with me to the store and when I arrived home I found my husband completely distraught with the news that our 5 year old niece had been killed in a tragic accident. We spent the rest of the evening in shock, crying, praying, and pondering. I kept looking at my finished cross stitch piece and in my heart I felt moved to give it as a gift to my sister in law. It was no longer mine. It now has become a symbol of love and of the importance of holding on to hope, faith and trust in a plan of a loving God who desires our growth throughout our lives, especially through the darkest moments of mortality. A few weeks later my mom came to visit and when she heard that I wanted to give the piece to my sister in law, then she insisted on taking it back in to be custom framed. As such a gift of the heart, it deserved nothing less than the best. 

Lighthouse

I just finished stitching this lighthouse which is the first in a series of four that I am going to be putting together as a quilt. It took me about four months to do this piece. There were a lot of french knots in this, but they were kind of fun to do... proof that I've finally mastered how to do them! 

Dimensions Beacon at Daybreak

stitched area 5" x 7"

Tiger Chilling Out

I love tigers!! I had so much fun doing this piece. I love how the stitching looks on black. 

Interesting story with this one: I had finished all the tiger and was working on the water. We took a trip up to a friend's cabin and I had taken my cross stitch with me. After arriving home and wanting to work on it again, I couldn't find it anywhere! I thought surely I had left it up at the cabin. The friend checked all around the next time they were up there and it was no where to be found. I couldn't find it anywhere in my house. I was so sad to think it was lost! All that work... my beautiful tiger! About five months went by and then one morning in December, when we were packing up our house to move, my husband woke me up out of bed with a surprise. He had found my cross stitch! Somehow it had gotten caught in the crevice of the back seat of our car and was only visible when he had laid down the row of seats as he was loading it up to take stuff to our storage unit. I was sooo happy to have it back again! Now this project is finished, but I don't have it framed yet. It will be the next one I put up on display.

Tiger Chilling Out by Dimensions

Stitched area 9" x 14" 18 count

Queen of Peace

This was my favorite project to do! I loved doing all of the beautiful beadwork on it. I stitched it on 32 count linen. For Christmas, my dad and stepmom paid to have it custom framed for me and it is hanging up in our dining room. Every day I see it and it makes me want to do another one like it!

Queen of Peace by Mirabilia

Stitched design 10.5" x 20"

Mother and Child

I finished this piece a few years ago and it had been sitting wrapped up in a storage bucket. Finally, this past weekend, I decided it really needs to be framed. I took it in to have it put together in a custom mat and frame and I am sooo excited to get it back! It should be ready in about two weeks. 

Mother and Child by Plaid/Bucilla

Stitched design 9" x 11.75"

Good Fortune

I'm pretty much in love with anything Chinese after being able to spend 5 months there teaching English, so I was excited to do this little project. It is framed and hanging up in my bathroom.

Good Fortune by Sunset/Dimensions 

Stitched design is 5" x 7"

Hang in There Kitty

This darling little piece is called Hang in There Kitty by Dimensions. I love it, but never framed it! So I ended up giving it away to a cousin on the spur of a moment about a month ago. I'm glad to see it go to a good home.

Stitched design 5" x 7"

Lazy Afternoon

This piece is called Lazy Afternoon by Lanarte. I stitched it on 28 count white linen. Stitched design is about 12" x 12".

I do have this piece on display in our home with a custom mat and frame that my husband made for me.