Tree of Stitches & other Stitching

I finished part 12 of the "Tree Of Stitches" last week.
Still lovin' this piece, just wish the parts came out sooner.

"Tree Of Stitches"
Part 12 finished 06-25-2011

I designed this little piece with all specialty stitches to play with.

I turned it into a mini needle roll/pin cushion.
I think it turned out kinda cute.

Mini Specialty Stitch Needle Roll
Finished on 06-29-2011
Stitched on 28 ct. linen using Wildflowers "Blue Spruce".

Just a short update today, nothing exciting ever happens in this little town.
Thanks for stoppin' by and leaving your thoughts behind, I really do appreciate each and every one.

Take Care & Happy Stitchin' Everyone
Hugs, Sandy

Little Lace Hardanger & Tree Of Stitches

I want to thank everyone for the wonderful comments you left after my last post and for all the great advice on ways to deal with it. I did do a copious amount of rinsing on the piece, but when I posted about it, I had already removed all of the beading and cut my signature out of the piece, before sending it on it's way to "stitch disaster Heaven" aka; the trash.

Little Lace Hardanger

I finished the second version of "Little Lace" by Abi Gurden of The Stitch Specialists
yahoo group. It turned out much better after washing than the first one, just not as colorful.

"Little Lace" by Abi Gurden
Stitched on 22ct. white Hardanger using DMC #5 & #8 in 931
and Mill Hill beads in "Gun Metal"
Finished: 25 May 2011

And here is the finished Needle Roll.

Finished: 26 May 2011
I did a pulled thread area for the ribbon to be woven into, and finished the ends with a pin stitched hem. It finished out at 10 inches so it's fairly big for a needle roll, but I just love it.

Tree Of Stitches

I finished part 10 today and am still loving this piece.

"Tree Of Stitches" by Abi Gurden
Being stitched on 28ct. evenweave in a marbled light blue.
I'm using threads that I have hand-dyed myself.
"Walnut" for the trunk is a medium dark chocolate brown,
"Burnished Leaves" for parts of the foliage is an olive green with hints of golden orange,
"Winter Sage" for parts of the foliage is a gray green &
"Sunshine" is an orange.
I'm using Delica beads in "Bronze Luster" & Bronze Gold Luster" so far unless I change my mind like I did today.

Take Care & Happy Stitching
Hugs, Sandy

Stitching In The New Year

I posted the stitching finish of "Tranquility" from The Sweetheart Tree back in August of 2009.
This is what it looked like then.

And last night I finally got around to finishing it off.
It is now officially a Needle Roll.

Design: Tranquility
Designer: The Sweetheart Tree
It was stitched from the kit, I tied it off using a smoky purple and a white 1/4" satin ribbon. The Hardanger is lined with very light cream satin.

2nd Memory Ornament for my MIL

Here is the second "Memory Needle Roll Ornaments" for my MIL.
This one is in Memory of her father.

Design: "Memory Needle Roll Ornament"
Designer: Sandy In Montana
Stitched on 28ct Zweigart linen hand-dyed by me in a light tan rinse. Using DMC, GAST in Evergreen & Kreinik threads. Tied with 1/4" brown satin ribbon.

Merry Christmas to All
Happy Stitching ... Sandy

1st Memory Ornament for my MIL

I decided to stitch up "Memory Needle Roll Ornaments" for my MIL for Christmas. This is the first of two.
In memory of her mother.

Design: "Memory Needle Roll Ornament"
Designer: Sandy In Montana
Stitched on 28ct. Zweigart linen hand-dyed by me in a light wine rinse. Using DMC threads #'s 500, 501, 915 & 917, Mill Hill beads in white and two swarovski crystal butterflies in wine/magenta. Tied with sheer white 3/8" ribbons.

Wishing all of my readers a
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Happy Stitching Everyone .... Sandy

Our 2009 Christmas Ornament

I finally got around to designing our 2009 Christmas Ornament for the tree.
I've fallen in love with these mini needle roll ornaments, so it was only natural for me to make one more. I decided that holly leaves and poinsettia's were a good combination, although it took me quite a while to get the leaves just right.

Designer: Sandy In Montana
Design: Holly Christmas 2009
Stitched on 28ct. white Lugana by Charles Craft using Caron Wildflowers in Holiday and DMC Color Variations in 4045 & 4210 and Mill Hill petite beads in Red Red & Victorian Gold.

Memory Ornament for DH's Dad

I finished another memory ornament, this one is in memory of my DH's dad.
I chose to design pine bough's and pine cones for this one as his dad worked for the National Forest Service for many years and also had a logging business back in the 50's.

Before finishing.

Design: "In Loving Memory" (Mountain Rustic version)
Designer: Sandy In Montana
Stitched on 32ct. Raw Linen by Zweigart using DMC in 500, WDW in 1269 - Chestnut, GAST in 0110 - Dried Thyme and 1110 - Sable & Delica Beads in 127 - Gold Luster. Tied with dark brown 1/4" satin ribbon, twisted cord hanger made from DMC in 500 & 898, ends are Hem Stitched using two strands of DMC 898.
Overall finished size is 4.5" long by 4" around.

Memory Ornament Chart

Here is a chart for making the "In Loving Memory" needle roll ornament. I chose not to list the colors I used so that you can make this a custom piece using your loved ones favorite colors. The black dots are for french knots or beads. The long black lines are for name and date placement only, do not stitch them. The alphabet is for personalization and is not part of the design. This chart uses a Half Diamond Eyelet.
This site has great instructions for doing specialty stitches: http://www.fidella.com/webstitch/needle_stitch.html

(just click, print and stitch)

All I ask in return is that you stitch this up and post a picture on your blog or photo album so I can see how yours turned out.

Two More Stitching Finishes for 2009

Hello my sister's in stitching, I hope everyone is getting in at least a little stitching for your soul's.

I want you all to know that I do read every little note you leave behind before I add them to my blog, so I have been paying attention to what you have to say.
I'm trying to figure out how to export a few of my original charts so that I may share with the rest of you here on my blog, but it's taking a bit of time to get it worked out.
For those of you that fell in love with "The #1 Reason Not To Clean" I found the saying on a plaque in The Stitchery catalog and just charted it out, stitched it and added whatever buttons I thought looked cute.
And yes Lee ;-) I've heard your request wanting to learn to make the mini needle roll ornament and I'm trying very hard to put what I see in my head into words that will make since to someone trying to follow them, I have the pictures, just need to get the words right.

Now, on to my latest finishes!!

This has been my favorite saying for year's and year's and I've finally gotten around to charting it out and stitching it up. It now hangs on the door to my stitching/craft/sewing room and boy o' boy is it ever appropriate. I try to ignore the voices of the stitching imps telling me to go in "and "just look" at all the pretty floss and fabric". Of course they always seem to win. Maybe that's why I've gotten so much stitching and designing done this year ;-)

Design: "In My Own Little World"
Designer: Sandy In Montana
Stitched on 32ct. hand-dyed (by me) linen, using DMC Color Variations #4135 Chilean Sunset. Embellished with buttons from the Jesse James Co's. Dress-It-Up collections and two tiny gold stars. The hanger is made from braided jute twine and it was turned into a mini pillow hanger.

Here is the last of the memory ornament's that I have made for my family. This one is for my sister.

Design: "In Loving Memory"
Designer: Sandy In Montana
Stitched on 32ct. cream linen from Zweigart using DMC threads and Delica beads.

Needle Roll Ornament #3 Finished

I finished the third ornament in Memory of my Daddy last night, only one more to go. That will take care of my sister and two brothers.
I think I will send the green one to my Mama instead of keeping it, then I will stitch one for myself and one for DH in Memory of his Dad. That should take care of my family, unless one of them has a special request for another departed family member. Then, of course, I would gladly stitch another. This one will go to my brother in Colorado.

Designer: Sandy In Montana
Stitched on: 32ct. cream linen by Zweigart
using DMC Rayon threads and Mill Hill beads.

In Loving Memory" Ornament #2 Finished

I finished my second "In Loving Memory" needle roll ornament yesterday in honor of my Daddy. I made this one for myself and stitched the shamrocks motif from one of my other designs that I have yet to stitch up. I used the shamrocks in honor of my fathers Irish heritage. The little heart in the center is from an old abalone earing that I cut the post off of and attached with a permanent glue dot.

Designer: Sandy In Montana
Design: "In Loving Memory"
32ct. ivory linen from Zweigart, DMC threads, Delica Beads in #127 Gold Luster,
24" of 1/4" ivory satin ribbon & one old pierced earing.

Another Original Design Finish !!

I finally finished one of my "Memory of Daddy" ornaments after scrapping the original one I started with a couple months back (didn't like the Carolina Linen I used) and designing a whole new chart. I like the new one much better and will be making the other three in the same way. I may need to work on the finishing a bit more I think, but am pretty well satisfied.

Here is the finished stitching.


Design: "Memory of Daddy" - Ornament
Designer: ME!!
Stitched on 32ct. cream linen by Zweigart using DMC Satin Floss (and lots of Thread Heaven), and Mill Hill beads.
Specialty Stitches: Half Diamond Eyelets, Small Rhodes Hearts, & Rhodes Diamonds. Also used cross stitch and running stitch.
Edge hemmed using the hem stitch (first time I tried this stitch).
Tied with satin ribbon and hanger made from DMC Satin Floss.
The ornament is 3-1/2" tall and 4-1/2" in circumference not counting the hanger which is another 1-1/4".

A Stitchy Experiment

Now ever since I made my first needle roll a few weeks back I wondered if it would be possible to make a mini needle roll fob. I checked on the net and only found one design with a not so great picture, so knew they were out there.

I didn't give it much more thought until I saw Meari's latest blog post at Meari's Musings and saw her two little fobs hanging from her scissor/spoon display rack. Needless to say I got on my pattern maker program and started playing around with it until I came up with the design you see stitched up below.
I still need to work on some of the finishing if I plan to do more, but I don't think it's to bad of an out come for my first attempt. Maybe it should be smaller?


I stitched it on 28ct. white Monaco by Charles Craft with DMC threads and Mill Hill beads. I used Rhodes Heart's, Tent stitch, cross stitch and back stitch. I made the cord and tassel from DMC thread and tied it off with 1/16" purple ribbon. The design was only 2" square.

So, what do you think? Please be truthful, I can take it. I really appreciate all of the comments you leave behind after your visits. Thanks a bunch and Happy Stitching.

The Post Rottie Shamrock Needle Roll

Thought I should finally share a picture of my Shamrock Needle Roll after I re-finished it from the rottweiler attack/playtime fiasco. So here it is with new green ribbons instead of white and a green scroll-work heart instead of the four white beads (one of the beads was missing but I didn't notice right away). I think it looks better withe the green accessories.

An Autumn Needle Roll Finish

I finished another needle roll by The Sweetheart Tree, that makes 3 finishes in two weeks, HOORAY!!! That's a lot for me.

"Bountiful Acorns Needle Roll"
by "The Sweetheart Tree"
Stitched on 32ct. linen using DMC threads and Mill Hill beads.

I didn't have the amber cabochon heart for this one so I substituted the little acorn instead.

Another Sweetheart Tree Finish

I finished stitching the Shamrock needle roll, companion piece to my Baby Shamrock's Fob that I finished yesterday. There should be an Emerald Cabochon Crystal Heart in the middle but I didn't have one so there are a few white seed beads there instead.

Design: Shamrock Needle Roll
Designer: The Sweetheart Tree - Sandra Cox Vanosdall
Stitched on 32ct. linen by Zweigart using DMC thread's and Mill Hill beads

Right after I took this picture and went to the computer to download the camera, my rottie, while my back was turned, grabbed the needle roll and started chewing on it, tearing up the ribbons and getting blood on it (from her rock chewing experience the other day). Fortunately I was able to untie and remove the ribbons, remove the stuffing and re-wash the piece getting all of the blood and dirt out. The same thing happened to my first fob I made some months back, it is now a small pin cushion. She is 1-1/2 years old and has a thing for all of my stitchin' stuff.

"Hope" is finally finished !!

The third time was definitely the charm when it came to stitching the Hope ornament. I changed the fabric from 28ct. Carolina Linen to 28ct. Monaco and it stitched like a breeze.
Here it is before being turned into the Needle Roll ornament.
I used DMC, Kreinik, Mill Hill beads and a thread I hand-dyed myself it is backed with a dark purple satin.
I stitched this in memory of both mine and my husband's father's, and stitched the Cure ornament in memory of my Grandma.

Here it is after being finished. They will be sent off to Donna for her "Stitching for a Cure" tree for the American Cancer Society. Now I need to make one's to hang on our own Christmas tree.