September Cottage

I finished this cute little cottage schoolhouse on Friday. I'm so excited that it's done, it is so cute.

I saw another stitcher had changed the cottage to an old fashioned schoolhouse and I fell in love. That is what made me want to start this project.

I changed up some colors as well and switched up the borders. The same stitcher who changed the cottage also did the ABC123 which I loved but then I thought what's a schoolhouse without books? So I added some tiny bookshelves and books for the bottom border.

I also decided to add a second color for the apples, to add some subtle dimension. I darkened the roof color and switched out the darker brown in the basket to match the roof.

It turned out so cute, I'm very pleased with it. The whole piece is starting to take shape. The next cottage I'm going to work on will be July, which will go on the other side of August.

Changes:
- Changed the cottage (obviously) to a schoolhouse
- Roof and basket uses 433
- Omitted floating flowers around month name
- Secondary apple color is 347
- Bookshelves uses 920, 825, 552, 986, 581, 351, 728, 433 and 3829 for back stitch/details


Pattern: Cottages of the Month by Country Cottage Needleworks
Fabric: 14 count Aida in Vintage Country Mocha found at 123stitch.com
Threads: all DMC

You can see my progress through the cottage of the month series here

August cottage

I recently finished the August cottage in the cottage of the month series from Country Cottage Needleworks. I'm so happy with how it turned out.

I made a few changes to the original pattern:
- I flipped the clouds
- I used DMC 3022 instead of 3023 for the shutters (I liked the subtle green better)
- I used DMC Variations 4230 for the waves
- I came up with my own sand castle design to use in place of the seashells. Here's a better close up of the sand castle:

If you remember, I'm doing all 12 cottages on one fabric starting in the middle and working my way outward. I'm doing 3 across and 4 down. Here's a look at the two middle cottages all finished.

I've already started working on the September cottage and there will definitely be some changes to that cottage. It's going to be cute!

Pattern: Cottages of the Month by Country Cottage Needleworks
Fabric: 14 count Aida in Vintage Country Mocha found at 123stitch.com
Threads: all DMC

You can see my progress through the cottage of the month series here

Embroidery Floss Organization

I thought I'd share with you what I've been doing for my growing floss stash, in case you need to organize too. :)

Bobbins
When I first started out I used cardboard labels but I've found they aren't very good for long term storage. That's when I switched to plastic bobbins. The DMC brand is pretty expensive and to be honest, not all that  great. I've found that my floss unravels easier because the little slits are not very tight. I ended up buying 250 generic plastic bobbins for around $5 from here and I like them so much better. The slits are smaller which means the floss stays put. I've been putting all new floss on the plastic bobbins and I'm slowly switching over the floss on cardboard.

Labels
I originally bought the little DMC number sticker labels when I was using cardboard bobbins, but I've found that they don't stay very well on the plastic. Can't have a number label go missing when working on a project! You could of course write it on with a fine point permanent marker but I liked the look of the printed numbers. So I've been using my label maker to type up the numbers. If you want to do the same here's a few tips:
- Use the label tape that is plastic coated, the paper tape will smudge over time. It comes in white or clear, either color will work.
- I use the smallest font size possible. It's actually the same size as the DMC stickers.
- Between each number I put 4 spaces to allow for cutting and trimming.
- I do large batches of labels at a time to not waste any tape. I keep typing numbers until the machine tells me it can't fit any more, then I print.
- After the numbers are printed and trimmed I put them on the bobbins right away so I don't lose anything. Then whenever I have a few minutes I wind up the floss on its corresponding bobbin. It will take me a few days to get through a big stack but since it's mindless work it can be done while watching a movie.

Storage
I originally had 2 plastic bobbin cases that can be found at any craft store. But I needed more space and I didn't like the idea of having stacks of these cases. But I'm so glad to have come across some fellow stitchers on Instagram who get just as excited over organization as I do. I saw someone's stash in this double sided case on their Instagram and knew that was the answer. Apparently it can hold the entire collection of DMC floss (#stashgoals ;) ) You can find the case on Amazon for $15 but I recently found this case at my local Meijers on sale for $6.50!! I may have squealed and done a little happy dance in the craft aisle. So if you happen to have a store in your area, hop on over there and get yourself one. I've barely filled one side, so there's definitely some room to grow.

Hope this helps some of my fellow stitchers out. If you have any questions please feel free to ask. :)

Hand stitching while I wait

We had a cross country move at the end of April and the last stitch I made with a sewing machine was for my dad's quilt. Since then I've been doing a bit of hand stitching until the room where my machine will go is painted. I've been working on my cross stitch cottages of the month. After seeing others on Instagram I got the itch to finish what I started. I finally finished May (only took a year!) and moved on to August. I plan on doing a few changes to August. I already ordered the next two I'll be working on, July and September, and I'm really excited to keep going. These cottages are so cute.

For embroidery, after I got my summer pattern done and framed (I got it framed right before we moved) I started working on the winter pattern. I'm hoping to have it done by the end of winter but we'll see. It took a year to get summer done so eh...I'm not holding my breath. ;) I already purchased the spring and fall patterns so I'll be able to start on them whenever I get done with winter.

I'm hoping my sewing machine will be set up soon because I've been feeling the itch to sit at my machine again. My poor Farmer's Wife has been calling to me and I really want to get back to it. And I finally found a backing for my son's twin size quilt so I really want to get that one finished as well.

Needlework update and secret sewing

In addition to sewing I've also been making progress on my embroidery and cross stitch projects.

The house on my May cottage is finally done and now I'm working on the trees.

The garden is complete and now all that's left are the raspberries and the final border.

I did end up purchasing the custom blocks from Sweetwater's First Crush block of the month. But this is secret sewing for Christmas gifts. All I can tell you is that there are quite a few of them and I need to get to stitching! :)

New Project: Cottage of the Month

I couldn't help myself, I started a new project. It was too cute to resist. I saw a few of these cottages floating on Pinterest and thought they were too cute. And then I saw someone put all 12 onto one piece of fabric and I knew right then I would have to do it too.

I decided to start with the center cottages and work outward. I bought my fabric and two cottages (May & August) at 123Stitch.com. After seeing some of the great personalizations others did, I plan on doing a few of my own as well. I want to include a little symbol for each person in our family for their birthday month, and then I plan on putting some wedding rings in our wedding anniversary month.

This one is going to take awhile and with 3 other embroidery projects going, I have a feeling it may take a whole year to get done. But I'm enjoying the process along the way.

Fabric: 14 count Aida in Vintage Country Mocha
Patterns by Country Cottage Needleworks

Some great examples of what others are doing found here

Cross Stitch

When I found out I was pregnant I decided that I wanted to do something for my child that would hang on the wall. My aunt did a cross stitch birth announcement for me when I was born, so I wanted to do one for my baby. I found this adorable kit at Michael's and the kit comes with everything you need, including the paint for the footprints. A word of warning, the design does not come pre-printed on the fabric. You actually have to draw it out yourself which can be quite tedious but the end result is so cute.

I didn't get it finished until after my son was born, so I ended up scanning the footprints that were done at the hospital and turned them into a iron-on transfer. But you wouldn't be able to tell from far away so it all works out. I got it framed at Michael's and now it hangs above my son's crib.

You can purchase this kit here or here