Friday, February 3, 2017
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
A Different kind of "Dark Stitching"
One of the the things I look forward to the most is when dinner is done, kids are getting ready for bed and I can begin to sit down and stitch. Well, on January 10th, things didn't quite go as I had planned.
A 'lovely' wind storm was moving through our area. Our family just had dinner and finished cleaning up the table. We were getting ready to let the kids watch something on TV before we started bathtime. I was preparing my stitchy spot to start on Pinocchio for the night when, (Zhhooop) our power went out. It was about 8pm and now our kids were frozen in fear of the sudden darkness. Let me say our power nevers goes out. The only other time was during a lightning strike that blew out our motherboard to our furnace a couple springs ago and that's it. We figured the wind really must of blown something over. Now, since that lightning storm, we have kept a good supply of candles, weather radio, flashlights and extras batteries ready just in case. My husband calming gets the candles and flashlights out of the cupboards. I went ahead and lit the 2 tiny Yankee Candles I had on a small shelf, even though our power is out, we can still enjoy a good smelling home, right? My husband grabbed his new "tactical flashlight" he got for Christmas. MAN! that thing can light up a WHOLE room. The kids were already asking when the power was coming back on. I told them. I don't know. We aren't the only ones without power. I was already dialing the number to report our power outage to the city. We were informed they would send someone out as soon as they could.
Now the challenge.....keeping 4 children (and a husband) entertained until we got our power back. I grab a flashlight and collected some PJ's for the kids to change into. Nobody was getting a bath tonight, not in the dark anyways. Once dressed in their pajamas, they had a mirco "Random Blackout Dance Party" (thank you ICarly) with music from Daddy's tablet. They then decided they had to find anything they could that had batteries (ex. Tablet, DS or smartphone) and use them while they still had any charge left.
I still wanted to stitch. I had it in my mind to find a way no matter what. I remembered I had a battery operated OttLite . YEA! This will help. Now, what to stitch. Pinnochio was out of the question. Too many colors. I didn't want to have to frog just because I decided to stitch in the dark. I tried another project, but was in the mood to count a zillion times in the dark either. I settled on Little House needleworks- "Peter, Peter". Little counting. Big blocks of color. Easy to hold in hand. It did pretty well. I could see just enough of what I was doing not to feel nervous about frogging it later.
 |
| What it really looked like. Only glow coming from the Tactical flashlight |
 |
| Finishing our 'dancing' |
Now the challenge.....keeping 4 children (and a husband) entertained until we got our power back. I grab a flashlight and collected some PJ's for the kids to change into. Nobody was getting a bath tonight, not in the dark anyways. Once dressed in their pajamas, they had a mirco "Random Blackout Dance Party" (thank you ICarly) with music from Daddy's tablet. They then decided they had to find anything they could that had batteries (ex. Tablet, DS or smartphone) and use them while they still had any charge left.
 |
| Playing our DS |
 |
| Posing.....others are oblivious to the photos |
 |
| My ottLite |
 |
| Too much counting to do in the dark |
 |
| My version of "Dark Stitching" on Peter, Peter |
After about 2 hours, all kids asleep and still no power. But i was making progress on the pumpkin I was stitching. The candlelight and Ottlite was just enough for my Stitchy Bug. My husband then opened a podcast to listen to when we waited. We finally saw a utility truck in our neighborhood being escorted by police about 11pm. But apparently it wasn't going to be a "quick" fix. With no power even at midnight, we decided to head off to bed. We could only hope it would fixed by morning. So, we sat 4 different alarms on phones, and tablets to insure my husband wouldn't be late for work the morning.
Finally at 530am, our power was back. 9 hours of darkness. Longest we have even been without power. Thankfully it wasn't too cold out. Our house was able to stay warm most of the night on its own. I just know it would have been a lot more stressful and annoying if I wasn't able to do "Dark Stitching" (No October needed)
Monday, December 19, 2016
Finding Flosstube
As I'm sure many of us have thought at one time or another that we are alone in this cross stitching world, or at least I did.
For many years, I never ran into anyone that cross stitched. Rarely even see anyone shop down those aisles at Joann's or Hobby Lobby. After finding the Disney Dreams, I felt more comfortable in my craft. I knew I had found what I want to do throughout my life whether I was alone or not.
Snow White was taking a lot longer to stitch than originally expected. Stitching on 18 ct was new to me, plus working full time, 2 kids, and moving didn't help me speed things along. During our move, the fabric somehow got separated from the rest of the kit. That took me months to find. Once I had located all the pieces, I was itching to stitch on it again. I enjoyed catching up on TV while stitching with one hand and a hoop in my lap. I skipped around all the blended metallic parts, because they caused me too much frustration. I figured I save those for the end (whenever that might be)
In September of 2014, we finally decided to get internet through our house. Our cable provider mailed us a kit. Once I received it, I hooked everything together and was ready to get online. Thought the best way to test the speed of our connection was to stream a video. So here I am, staring at YouTube, wondering what to search. Then I thought about something I have never seen online before; Cross Stitching videos or tutorials. I was amazed to see any videos pop up, but here they are. JelliclesForever, Wonderfullyhopless, Tara C, TheLovelyArray, MrsMilkyBarKid, KittyKrew, StitchingMae, and more. Where have I been? WHERE HAVE I BEEN?!!! There's people talking online about cross stitch/showing videos and I never knew. I even found a handful of tutorials that were made years earlier.
I was hooked. I watched every video I could find for days. I was finding people from all over the world who LOVED cross stitch; Canada, England, Australia, Italy, Sweden, Philippines, Russia and more. I had no idea the popularity of cross stitch in other countries. So many in England. But wait, that's not even the beginning. I found out about hand dyed fabric and floss, needleminders, THE loop method, patterns online, Facebook groups, stitchy magazines, 123stitch.com and Etsy. Why haven't I ever look this up before? The amount of patterns, kits, floss, and fabric online is INSANE. My mind is being blown with each thing I learned. I was still using aida, while the world was using evenweave and linen.
Finding Flosstube has truly inspired my love of cross stitch even further. I have learned sew(see what I did there?) much. I started to make my own videos on YouTube. It is so neat to share what I've been stitching on throughout each month. Now, there are so many Flosstubers. If it wasn't for all the early Flosstubers, I wouldn't be the stitcher I am today. No, that is 100% true. THANK YOU! Thank you for showing what you love so much. Thank you to all the Flosstubers who came later because, now I know I am not alone in this world of Cross Stitch. I have friends all across this country and ALL over the world. You all have truly enriched my life.
I was hooked. I watched every video I could find for days. I was finding people from all over the world who LOVED cross stitch; Canada, England, Australia, Italy, Sweden, Philippines, Russia and more. I had no idea the popularity of cross stitch in other countries. So many in England. But wait, that's not even the beginning. I found out about hand dyed fabric and floss, needleminders, THE loop method, patterns online, Facebook groups, stitchy magazines, 123stitch.com and Etsy. Why haven't I ever look this up before? The amount of patterns, kits, floss, and fabric online is INSANE. My mind is being blown with each thing I learned. I was still using aida, while the world was using evenweave and linen.
Finding Flosstube has truly inspired my love of cross stitch even further. I have learned sew(see what I did there?) much. I started to make my own videos on YouTube. It is so neat to share what I've been stitching on throughout each month. Now, there are so many Flosstubers. If it wasn't for all the early Flosstubers, I wouldn't be the stitcher I am today. No, that is 100% true. THANK YOU! Thank you for showing what you love so much. Thank you to all the Flosstubers who came later because, now I know I am not alone in this world of Cross Stitch. I have friends all across this country and ALL over the world. You all have truly enriched my life.
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
Finding my stitching passion
After my early stitching years went by, I found it difficult to find a subject matter to stitch. I would find a kit here or there that interested me enough to do, but never one that stopped me in my tracks. In 2007, we (husband and myself) were expecting our first child. I knew right away that I wanted to stitch a birth record for the baby. I found one that was perfect for me; bunnies! I made few changes in order to have a purple ribbon instead of a blue one.
Then in November 2010, while shopping at Hobby Lobby, I found what my stitchy heart was looking for all this time. Thomas Kinkade painted Disney inspired artwork that was then charted for cross stitch. It was beautiful! Snow White staring at the cottage of the seven dwarfs. This was it. This what I want. This is huge! 12" by 16". I have never stitched anything this big before. Maybe I should stitch the smaller one. But you can't see where she's looking. You'll miss everything, the waterfall, the cottage, the castle, and the piles and piles of flowers. No, I have to stitch the bigger one. It's just prettier.
So, I bought her. I also saw that there were 3 more cross stitch kits available, Peter Pan, Cinderella, and Pinocchio. I thought I could try to complete all 4 in four years, maybe. Little did I know that Kinkade was working on was being called "The Disney Dozen" There's going to be more?! Now, I want them all. I just found my new life's work.
Below are some of the kits I stitched for birth records.
 |
| Sleepy Bunnies Birth Sampler by Janlynn |
 |
| My finished work with purple ribbon |
Not long after my baby was born, my sister was expecting too. So, I made the birth record for my nephew as well. Then I would be making another one for my son, and then my niece. I thought these birth records may be the only thing I would enjoy stitching. Maybe it was the fact that these would be passed down in the family for hopefully years to come. I still wanted more.
Later in 2010, I was working in a high stress environment. Stitching on my breaks and lunches was the only thing that got me through the day. I eventually turned it into a pillow the following year.
 |
| Goodnight Bears by Janlynn |
 |
| 12 x 16 |
 |
| 5 x 7 |
So, I bought her. I also saw that there were 3 more cross stitch kits available, Peter Pan, Cinderella, and Pinocchio. I thought I could try to complete all 4 in four years, maybe. Little did I know that Kinkade was working on was being called "The Disney Dozen" There's going to be more?! Now, I want them all. I just found my new life's work.
Below are some of the kits I stitched for birth records.
 |
| Farm Friends Birth Record by Dimensions |
 |
| Frame a Name by Dimensions |
 |
| So Sweet Birth Record by Dimensions |
 |
| Baby Squares Birth Record by Dimensions |
 |
| Noah's Ark Birth Record by Bucilla |
 |
| Moving On Birth Record by Bucilla |
Tuesday, November 1, 2016
My Beginning
Whoo hoo! my first blog post!
I want to share with you my adventure with cross stitch and other crafts. I hope you will see my passion, enthusiasm, and craving I have for cross stitch. I love cross stitch, but I enjoy doing other crafts as the suit the need for holidays and birthdays and so on. To me, cross stitch is more than a craft or hobby, it's an ART.
As every adventure has a beginning, here is mine.
My start into cross stitch is a little muddy, but I remember how it made me feel. I have always loved to color and create anything I could get my hands on. My mother has told many that "I was born with a crayon in my hand." I thinking I was 11 or 12yrs old. Maybe 1994. My mother was home for a couple of rare days off work to heal a wound on one of her legs. She needed to keep her feet pro[ed up, so that lead to little she could do. I found her later with a small cross stitch kit in her chair. I remember being so interesting on how she would create the image on the fabric. X by X with a strand of color, she added to the fabric. A image started to appear. How neat, I thought. All she was doing was following the instructions and a chart full of symbols and this image would just "show up" I'm thinking this is a foolproof craft. I can count out the squares of color. I can tie a knot. I want to try cross stitching!
Someday later, not sure exactly when, I sneaked into my mother's drawer of crafty things. There were mostly random things and a few small cross stitch kits. I pulled out one that I like best and started it. To this day, I could tell you what it was or if I ever finish it. However, I fell in love with the process. I enjoyed separating the colors. I loved reading the chart. (Later, this would show for my love of maps in the future.) Once my mother found out what I had done, she wasn't he happiest of people. I can understand now. She didn't want me possibly ruining her new kits, by starting them or losing pieces to them.
As my middle school and high school years went by, I always looked for kits I would be interested in doing. I was finding it so hard to find anything that fit my personality. As I shopped JoAnn's or Hobby Lobby, most of the kits seemed to be "flowers in a vase", "eagles and flags", "beaches and adirondack chairs", or "1990's folk country stuff". Perfectly fine for anyone else, but not a whole lot for a new generation of stitchers like me. Though, I found a few (very few) disney kits. They were very small and only had a character or two and some tiny motifs to create a frame around them, These were fun little kits to do. (until you find yourself stitching over 400 red crosses for Ariel's hair) I completed a few kits like this and gave away most of them as gifts. I hoped one day I would find something to stitch that had ME written all over it.
I want to share with you my adventure with cross stitch and other crafts. I hope you will see my passion, enthusiasm, and craving I have for cross stitch. I love cross stitch, but I enjoy doing other crafts as the suit the need for holidays and birthdays and so on. To me, cross stitch is more than a craft or hobby, it's an ART.
As every adventure has a beginning, here is mine.
My start into cross stitch is a little muddy, but I remember how it made me feel. I have always loved to color and create anything I could get my hands on. My mother has told many that "I was born with a crayon in my hand." I thinking I was 11 or 12yrs old. Maybe 1994. My mother was home for a couple of rare days off work to heal a wound on one of her legs. She needed to keep her feet pro[ed up, so that lead to little she could do. I found her later with a small cross stitch kit in her chair. I remember being so interesting on how she would create the image on the fabric. X by X with a strand of color, she added to the fabric. A image started to appear. How neat, I thought. All she was doing was following the instructions and a chart full of symbols and this image would just "show up" I'm thinking this is a foolproof craft. I can count out the squares of color. I can tie a knot. I want to try cross stitching!
Someday later, not sure exactly when, I sneaked into my mother's drawer of crafty things. There were mostly random things and a few small cross stitch kits. I pulled out one that I like best and started it. To this day, I could tell you what it was or if I ever finish it. However, I fell in love with the process. I enjoyed separating the colors. I loved reading the chart. (Later, this would show for my love of maps in the future.) Once my mother found out what I had done, she wasn't he happiest of people. I can understand now. She didn't want me possibly ruining her new kits, by starting them or losing pieces to them.
As my middle school and high school years went by, I always looked for kits I would be interested in doing. I was finding it so hard to find anything that fit my personality. As I shopped JoAnn's or Hobby Lobby, most of the kits seemed to be "flowers in a vase", "eagles and flags", "beaches and adirondack chairs", or "1990's folk country stuff". Perfectly fine for anyone else, but not a whole lot for a new generation of stitchers like me. Though, I found a few (very few) disney kits. They were very small and only had a character or two and some tiny motifs to create a frame around them, These were fun little kits to do. (until you find yourself stitching over 400 red crosses for Ariel's hair) I completed a few kits like this and gave away most of them as gifts. I hoped one day I would find something to stitch that had ME written all over it.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)