March~Aesthetic Sampler

Hello all! It is February 1st and here on Gracewoods we're having our usual winter weather which means it changes daily. One day is cold and snowy the next warmer and rain, evidently it is a 'la nina' weather winter that always brings us such changeable days. One thing for sure is it is great weather to stay in by the woodstove and stitch while planning and dreaming what to plant this year. Some may love catalogs of clothes but I'm far more excited looking at seed catalogs, especially Baker Creek's!

I can hardly believe it but we're just a few weeks from starting seeds in the greenhouse.

It also seems to be a time of inspiration for creating designs and I've got lots lined up in my head at least, lol

This newest design,'March~Aesthetic Sampler', is something I've wanted to do for some time and was saving it for the March installment of the Calendar Collection. It is available on my Website

Bert & Nan are enjoying birdwatching under the feeders this time of year, the problem is they make themselves so obvious the birds disappear till the cats give up and come back wanting back in by the fire.

Hoping all stay well, happily stitching!

Calendar Collection's "February~Vintage Coverlet"

 Hello all!  It is a snowy December day here on Gracewood and I'm reaching for warm clothes, covers and cups of tea!  

The February entry in the Calendar Collection is Vintage Coverlet inspired by the colors and motifs of vintage fabrics.

February~Vintage Coverlet

I love the light and movement found in such textiles.

For sale at my Website 

Stitch count is 150 x 150 

Most of the stitches are cross stitch along with some 3/4 stitches.

May everyone who celebrates Christmas have a most blessed and Merry one and a Happy New Year to all!

New Design "January~Cozy Cabin"

 Hoping all of you and yours are doing well!

This will be a short post just introducing the latest pattern in the Calendar Collection and that is - "January~Cozy Cabin" 

It is for sale for $8.00 on my website  

January~Cozy Cabin

It has been a challenging year for all of us and I'm sure many have dreamed of a retreat to just have some peace and quiet and of course stitching time :)

While everybody doesn't have a place to escape to, all my life I've found my own 'retreats' in things like reading, stitching and watching things produced from great writing.  Just brought out my dvds of Anythony Trollope's gems.  Want a cozy night? Try stitching while watching the Pallisers series.  

Sending hopes you'll have a blessed Thanksgiving and lots of your own retreats.

Calendar Collection ~ May Design

 It took far longer than I'd hoped, but finally, I'm publishing the May entry in the Calendar Collection of patterns.

May~It's Raining Violets

Four shades of violet and stitch count of 170 x 176, Assisi style of stitching only the background.  It can also be stitched as needlepoint using a white or off white wool for violets and other vacant stitches.

May is such a beautiful month in our part of the world.  Usually wet and very green it is the time so many wild violets cover the floor of the forest.  

 And while the design is definitely for Spring, it is the first day of October and Fall fills the air.

Fall in the Selkirk Range of the Rocky Mountains

We've had our first heavy frost though we're now in a few days of 'Indian Summer' with warm days and chilly nights.  Definitely time for fall chores like firewood for winter.

Terry had one big chore for summer and that was building a new carport.  He did a craftsman like job on it too!

Have a lovely October wherever you are!

Still Here!!!

I can't believe the last time I posted was in February!!  And I can't let it be July before I post again, so here on June 30th, though I have no new design to share, I wanted to say hello and that indeed I am still here on glorious Gracewood ~

Why no new design?  Because I'm still having a very bad crash of ME/CFS as well as Fibromyalgia that has included such severe rib cage inflammation and pain - Costochondritis - that I can't hold anything in front of me so stitching is only a memory at the moment :(

'Eden' climbing rose and mad Honeysuckle

I'm also experiencing vision problems that these illnesses can bring with them, so I'm pretty much limited to ... well not much..lol

If nothing else it is all making me realize how much I love doing it and how much I miss it!

Knowing what all the world has been enduring I know I am not the only one 'confined' at home and I hope all of you are as well as you can be and using the time to do lots of stitching!  Hopefully you'll stitch lots of Christmas gifts!

Morning raindrops on cabbage leaves

Lots of mints that grow like this even when harvested daily

Heirloom May Queen butter crunch lettuce

Another heirloom lettuce - Merveille sooo buttery!

My dear dh, Terry, is not only taking care of all the things I can't do inside the house but has also planted a beautiful garden that is going great guns!  I'm so blessed to have him!

Please all stay well and remember all we have to be thankful for!

Hoping it won't be as long till next post and next design :)

Not One but TWO New Designs

How did this happen?  Not one but two new designs?

It happened because after trying my best to recover from the latest crash I experienced with both Fibromyalgia as well as ME/CFS I've come to the realization that sitting and stitching for any length of time is probably not going to be something I'm able to do any time soon. 

Up to this time I haven't released patterns until the model was stitched.  However, after talking with publishers who assured me it wasn't necessary I've decided to go ahead and publish new patterns as they are created. 

So, I've completed two designs recently, one is the next month in the Calendar Collection - and I've begun going in the opposite direction now, June to January - and I also took an older pattern, 'One May Night', and converted it to an assisi style. 

First up - 'June~Roses & Hydrangeas' which was inspired not only by the beautiful flowers that are brightly blossoming here in June, but by a vintage table runner type of textile.

'June~Roses & Hydrangeas'

The pattern is stitched with a background of squares in close shades of green.

The second design is 'Moonlit Garden', the older One May Night made into Assisi style.

'Moonlit Garden'

 As you can see, roses & hydrangeas are the 'theme' this month, maybe the big piles of snow still outside the window is making me dream of such things? lol

Gracewood in February

'June~Roses & Hydrangeas' is available on my website Here and
'Moonlit Garden' is available Here

Both are available on ICG's Everything Cross Stitch Here

There will be a brief delay in Creative Poppy's listing but should be listed there soon.

How I hope all of you are well and making some 'artful' stitches!

December Design for Sale & a Time Out

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year fellow stitchers!

December~Celebrate!

I know, it has been too long since I last posted on the blog and I'll tell you why I've been forced into a 'time out' when it comes to stitching :(

I also want to announce that for the first time I am putting a pattern up for sale on my website and with my publishers before finishing stitching the model.  I like to be positive there are no errors in a pattern and also to provide a photo of the stitched model before allowing any of them to be sold.

However, due to publisher's request since I have finished enough of the pattern to be as sure as possible that there are no errors in the design I'm listing it for sale now.  It is available on my website Here and through Creative Poppy Here 

I'd prefer not to go ahead before the model is done, but it may be some time before that happens.  I've mentioned in past posts that I live with a chronic illness that can be very debilitating and subject to cycles of getting some better only to then crash with symptoms that you don't know each time how deep it will go or how long it will last.

I'm thankful that I'm usually at a level that I can at least stitch, however, this crash has involved a very bad case of costochondritis, inflamed cartilage of the ribs.  I've experienced it before but this has been the worst and the longest yet with no sign of abating any time soon.  With such painful ribs I find it hard to even breathe and sitting holding something to stitch is literally impossible.

So I'm bending my personal rule and making December~Celebrate! available now.  Hope you find it worthy :)

And a photo to show how those two rascal kittens I recently introduced to you have grown... into much bigger rascal kittens!

Bert & Nan 'helping' dad at the laptop

Jasper overseeing the rascal cats!

May you all have a very Merry Christmas and most blessed New Year and may we all make lots of beautiful stitches in it~