The Cottage Stitch~A~Long

March Finish

2012-02-23T09:23:00.001-05:00

I finished up March last night - and here is a snap...

The only change I made was with WDW "Pecan" - I changed it to GAST "Sarsaparilla." so that the brown popped a bit more. Now, just waiting for April. Thanks again to sweet Vonna for this great Blog!!!

edgar

CCN March

2012-02-22T20:24:00.003-05:00

All finished stitching. Still needs to be mounted for my calendar. Plenty of time for that. Threads used were -You know I love sparkle..... DMC Jewell Effects #E703, and 100% Lambswool by Broider Wul shade 090414 (had in my stash from over 18yrs ago, .25 cents. Had pecan saved in such a good place - still not been found as of today). Used all the rest of recommended colors.
Ceramic buttons - again in stash from 18 years ago, by Pineapple Patch. I had found these at Cal Expo Sacramento Craft & Sew Fair back then. I knew I would eventually use them:)
I still love the lambs in the pattern so I probably will stitch a needlecase for myself this week. I'll post as soon as its done. I had to have a lighted window. Thank you to the lady who started this trend and shared. I am very grateful to you. I looked back and couldn't find who!
Absolutely love all these cottages. I never tire of getting to see everyone's works. Off to order April. Annette - California

February Finish

2012-02-22T13:26:00.001-05:00

February Cottage, a photo by jenniferworthen on Flickr.

February is all done! I'm loving all the pinks. Time to get started on March! Woohoo!

February Cottage Framed at Last

2012-02-20T20:56:00.001-05:00

Last weekend I was able to get my February cottage mounted and in the frame! At least I had it ready in time for Valentine's Day. Now I need to start my March cottage but have been busy getting a birthday gift finished - pictures of that are on my blog.

Debra in CT

Finished!!!

2012-02-19T22:28:00.000-05:00

Yep, I have completed Jan. I loved each stitch I put in this little cottage.

I have never done a french knot before. After an initial phase of toying with the idea of using small beads instead of French knots, I somehow managed to gather enough courage to venture into trying my hand at it. Once I started, it was just the most beautiful stitch.
I think I have enough time (atleast a year) to figure out how to actually finish this now LOL.

Progress in Pink

2012-02-19T18:23:00.000-05:00

I wanted to share what little progress I've made on my February cottage.The PINK is precious. Love it!

I also LOVE my pin-cushion that my blog friend Vinniey gave me. Does anyone knows if there is a tutorial for making these?

Happy Sunday to you all. Check out my blog if you are interested in some fun there :-)

thewhispersofautumn.blogspot.com

2012-02-17T01:12:00.002-05:00

January and February - I am so pleased with how they look on this fabric.


February on it's own.

It took about 13 hrs to stitch Feb. I have now started on March.

Love looking at everyones. You are all doing a great job.

Also is it possible to add a follow by email to this blog - that way it makes it easier to catch all the updates. Thanks

Annette B

January - done!

2012-02-14T19:36:00.000-05:00

Finally I'm done stitching January cottage. Now I'm trying to figure out how to really finish it!

So long friends,
Evalina

1 down, 11 to go

2012-02-13T12:02:00.002-05:00

Finished January Sunday afternoon, then promptly started February. I finally decided to do the houses all on one piece of 28 ct Lambswool linen. I'm leaving 5 stitches between them. Might come up with some kind of bordering between them.

After working on February for some time, I decided to start the top of March to make sure that my counting was right and there was enough material on both sides. And, YES, plenty of room. Kinda big sigh of relief was heard in my living room.

Not changing any colors yet, i'm loving what they are......but i'm also loving some of the different colors that others are using. There are so many color coordinated people, i'm just not at all one of them!!!

Will be trying to take some pictures later tonight after work. Have to find my camera first.

Great work everyone!!!!

Joanie R.

January Cottage

2012-02-13T11:27:00.000-05:00

I'm still here LOL

I am about three quarters of the way through January (a few unpicking sessions I'm afraid)
Be back soon with some pictures!

Jan Cottage

2012-02-13T11:04:00.000-05:00

Well, I cannot yet say I have finished Jan. I just received the WDW and crescent threads required to complete Jan along with my Feb and March kits.
So, here's my progress on Jan.

And yess, the Feb and March cottages

Ooh, am loving this whole SAL. It's simply great to see so many finishes, yet at a calm pace :)

February Cottage

2012-02-12T19:33:00.000-05:00

Greetings everyone!!! I know many of you have been done with February and most likely March Cottage by now...But, I wanted to show you my finish....All I have to do is pop it in the frame!

Have a great week....

Faye

February Progress

2012-02-11T08:30:00.003-05:00

I started the February Cottage earlier this week and I am making slow progress, but it is progress. I love the colors of this one and can't wait to finish it. March and April cottages haven't arrived at my LNS of course, but just as soon as they do, I will pick them up. I am excited about both of them. This series is really, really cute!

February Cottage Built!

2012-02-09T19:43:00.000-05:00

Stitched on 32 ct Mountain Rose (limited edition fabric)

Substituted CC Pink Champagne with CC Jelly Roll

CC Pink Posey with CC Cerise

CC Poblano Pepper

Substituted DMC 435 with DMC 318

Substituted DMC 437 with DMC 317

DMC White

Close up of my Red Bird

Close up of Rhodes Hearts

March's building materials arrived on site today. Only substitution is to use 32 ct instead of 28 ct. I think I will *copy* Deborah and have a light on in one of the windows! Hope she doesn't mind. Hope to begin stitching this weekend.

Happy Cottage Building!

Debra in CT

Slow going on February Cottage

2012-02-09T16:16:00.000-05:00

I am doing it on Dark Chocolate Linen, since when I think of February and hearts I think of chocolate. I changed all the colors except the white and the green. I kind of lost interest in it quick (so far January has been my favorite) and have done very little stitching on it. It is 28 ct and I think I would have preferred 32 ct but it wasn't available. Think I may put it away for a bit until the mood strikes me again to finish it. So this is my progress for now.

March is done and I am waiting on April!

2012-02-09T09:19:00.003-05:00

I had a couple of days off for my birthday and wasted no time working on my March cottage. I left pretty much everything the same with the exception of the fence, sheep and
windows. Remember that I am using a pretty pale fabric, so the whites simply do not show up. I still need to figure out what I will do with January and all the snow, but I am really loving these super quick stitches. I started this one February 6th and put the final stitches in on the 8th. A very quick stitch indeed!

My sheep are WDW Tin Roof and GA Black Crow. The sheep on our farm were never white, so I
actually like the grey sheep a little bit better. Additionally, I did not do the window panes as my stitches did not show up very well. I might order some premium white silk and see if it looks better, but I don’t mind the windows without the panes.

I am very excited about the April cottage as I love any and all shades of purple!

Happy stitching!

March cottage finished

2012-02-08T18:43:00.000-05:00

This afternoon I finished my Match cottage and I made it into an ornament right away. As you can see I changed the colors a bit (colors numbers on my blog), like the pink I change into orange.

The sheep I stitched with Wisper (mohair thread), I love this thread for stitching sheep :-)

And the flowers on top and bottom I did again stitch with a special stitch (this time the spiderweb stitch).

Carin

Blog

Evalina's update

2012-02-08T09:28:00.001-05:00

I see that many of you already finished February and March cottage, looks like April is out but mine January just arrived last week. I was working hard on the weekend and I'm almost done!

Just a few more stitches on the house, the tree and some snowflakes. Oh, and my snowman needs a nose! Instead of French knots I used very small beads.

January Cottage I ordered from 123 stitch and same day I ordered February cottage from Wasatch Needlecraft. I think I will be done with January before February arrives... Thank goodness March is on the way from Joanne at 123stitch... You have no idea how much I love leaving far, far on the north and waiting weeks for supplies...

february 7 - February's finished!

2012-02-06T22:26:00.003-05:00

I actually finished this in time to display it through the month...yay! I'm stitching these without the bottom borders so that they will fit in the frame I have, but when the months are done, I will add those borders and finish them off as little pillows for next year! I stitched this on a piece of Queen Anne's Lace fabric with the called for colours...except I did change out the little birdies...I love bluebirds and couldn't help myself! On to March!

lynda

April Cottage!!!

2012-02-06T17:03:00.000-05:00

Squee, went to the Country Cottage Needleworks Blog and saw this!

My Cottages Finished

2012-02-06T13:37:00.001-05:00

I love love love the pink fabric that I found in my fabric chest.

I turned the back fabric to the inside before I stitched it, to tone down the bright pink...it was a bit much front and back, and I like it.

This turquoise flower material is one of my favorites, and I have had it forever, just waiting for the right project. Unfortunately I didn't have quite enough so I added a bit of felt to the back....

And, since it's a January pillow, what could be more warm and snugly than soft and fuzzy felt!

I just love the colors on the cottages and find them very fun to stitch.

I am waiting for my "March Cottage" chart to arrive and then I will begin.

I love everyone's cottages, you are all so creative!

Ma Teakettle

January Finish (by Mel)

2012-02-06T13:33:00.000-05:00

I've been working on my cottages again and got January done.I used Krenik blending filament in the snowflakes, but I think it's hard to tell... However here's the final product for January, you can see that I've started February next to it:

March

2012-02-05T21:03:00.000-05:00

I received March the other day and couldn't wait to get it done. Love the colors. Sorry about the dark picture and the wrinkles. I did one of the windows in yellow. I like to think someone is either reading or stitching.

Until next month.....Happy Stitching! Deborah

February Cottage finsihed

2012-02-04T09:58:00.000-05:00

Finaly I finished the February cottage and made it into an ornament, just as I did with the January Cottage. After seeing the colors that fullnovembermoon used (some messages back0 I knew that I wanted to change my colors too. I also did the hearts at top and bottom with special stitches 9as I did with my Janaury cottage). All the way around I used wine red chenille.

Carin

Blog

March start and floss changes..

2012-02-03T19:36:00.000-05:00

I recieved March Cottage last Monday but didn't get to start on it till yesterday. I made a few changes to the called for flosses and so far they are working out.

I posted more specific on my floss changes on my blog. I am so excited to start on this one since green is one of my favorite colors.

Received!

2012-02-03T11:05:00.001-05:00

Last night when I got home I had a nice package waiting for me!

February and March cottages were inside, along with a few silk threads for another project.

Yay!!

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February Finished!!!

2012-02-02T00:59:00.003-05:00

I finished my Feb Cottage tonight. I really enjoyed stitching this; love the colors. Now, off to March Cottage...lol

It's February!

2012-02-01T20:25:00.003-05:00

I have started my cottage - but no pictures yet - I have changed the fabric and most of the fibers! But I'm loving my February cottage and hope to have it finished with pictures by the weekend!

Debra in CT

About Time!

2012-02-01T09:01:00.001-05:00

It's about time I got a post on here since I started my new blog. oops

Here's my January cottage finish. This week I FINALLY got my February and March cottages. Guess I'll be busy. I just adore these patterns!!

I have loved all the progress shown and hope to find a chance to drop by your blogs. Thank you to Vonna for letting me part of this SAL! Blessings and happy stitching!

Autumn
thewhispersofautumn.blogspot.com

January.....

2012-02-01T05:53:00.001-05:00

January has flown in a breeze .... my embroidery is finally finished!!!

I'm still waiting for my fabrics for quilting..... :-(((

I used country vintage moka from Belfast linen 32 count,all floss indicated on pattern.

Now I started with February....

Have a nice day,Claudia from Italy!!

www.mycreationsroom.blogspot.com

Almost done...

2012-01-31T10:56:00.003-05:00

I'm almost done w/February Cottage; I have really enjoyed stitching this piece; LOVE the colors...can't wait to get started on the March Cottage.

Started

2012-01-31T06:01:00.001-05:00

I made a start on my January cottage some weeks back but as it was slow going as I'm stitching mine on one piece of 40ct lambswool and I'm not used to such small work. I now have some progress to show you all. I'm coming to like the 40ct now that I'm getting used to it although the white can be quite hard to stitch that small but I expect by the time I have December done I'll have mastered the 40ct !

Happy stitching,
Ruth
http://ruthsrunningstitch.blogspot.com/

Ready, Set, Stitch

2012-01-30T23:58:00.000-05:00

They're all here! Now, I have to finish one project for a baby shower on Sunday and then I'm going to be a Cottage stitchin' fool!

February Cottage all done..

2012-01-29T18:40:00.000-05:00

I like another poster left off the hearts on either side, I think it's fine with out them. The red turned out a lot better than I hoped, doesn't look too dark. The Rhodes hearts were so much fun, trying out a new stitch. I also changed the inner stack of "flower hearts" and of course the birds. I'm not a "pink" kinda person, but it was nice stepping out of my color comfort zone (blue, green, purples). I can't wait to start the March Cottage which is on the way.

Nancy M's February Cottage

2012-01-27T19:27:00.001-05:00

I did a bit of finishing today and my February cottage was top of the list!!! I bought some felt from the site that Vonna recommends in her flat felt tutorial and I finally got the right color green!!!It's so hard to get the true colors when you photograph cross stitch! The pink felt is much pinker. But here is a closeup and then one on the calendar. More photos of it can be seen here. Patiently awaiting for March to come. I already have an idea to change something in the pattern with all the changes I have seen since finishing this one. I really wish I had done the Rhodes Hearts!!!
Nancy M

February Cottage completed:)

2012-01-26T05:16:00.003-05:00

Enjoying every stitch on these Cottages. Stitched on Ash Rose 25 ct Luguna, used all recommended threads and added some. I love sparkle, who doesn't? Added Kreinik metallic threads I had in my stash, #12 Braid - 014, 024, #8 Braid - 092, and very fine #4 Briad - 032.
If you look at my blue birds, you will notice one is higher than the other! Well let me share with you. Amish quilters purposely make an error somewhere on their quilt. Why? Because they believe - only God is perfect. To honor him, they miss a stitch on their quilt on purpose. So for me? Oh no I don't make mistakes following a pattern, no matter how many times I checked.....Ahem.....So I am honoring the Amish quilting ladies and God in my February Cottage.
Also I am learning and relearning stitching with Crescent Colors threads. I really made an effort to stitch one X at a time. By practicing this I really can see more variations of the color on my project. I love this SAL. March pattern should arrive next week.

February Progress and specialty stitch

2012-01-26T02:31:00.000-05:00

Hi, thought I'd post this in case others were interested. I'm using an embroidery stitch called the Rhodes heart on the borders of my Cottage of the Month. I don't know if I'm doing them correctly but I like how this first one turned out. I also changed the lettering floss color to DMC variations 4210. Here is my progress as of tonight.

Kimberly's January finish

2012-01-25T16:37:00.000-05:00

I apologize, I don't think I've even introduced myself yet on here! My name is Kimberly, I live in Arizona, and I love cross-stitching! I am really enjoying this stitch-along -- it is certainly keeping me motivated to keep stitching! Plus I love seeing how everyone else is stitching their projects!

Here is my January finish - I was totally inspired by Nancy M's finish, so it might look familiar (though I don't have the beautiful wooden calendar to display it on!):

I changed some of the colors - I wanted the turquoise to be a little brighter - so I used DMC 597 on the darker side of house (but I kept 598 for the flowery-thingies on the border) and I changed "January" to DMC's variegated 4025. Also I changed out the green for a more mellow-looking green - used some of my DMC Linen floss, L3012. For the snow on the ground, I used DMC 4015. I used white for all the other "snow."

I stitched it on 32-count Vintage Navy Bean linen (Lakeside Linens). I do wish I'd found a darker linen, though - the white didn't show up very well.

I covered chipboard with batting and fabric for the finishing, and glued the trim around the edges. I think the white trim helped to bring out the white threads! I used Vonna's tutorial on finishing flat ornaments for inspiration on how to do this!!

I covered the back with matching fabric and attached the ribbon/button with glue.

I'm waiting for my February and March patterns to arrive in the mail -- can't wait to get started on those! Thanks for everyone's sharing!

January Framed!

2012-01-24T20:55:00.001-05:00

At last, I stopped by Michael's to pick up my framed January cottage tonight after work. I have chosen a frame that I hope will work with all the cottages and plan to change them each month - once they are stitched! The pictures aren't great as it is evening and the lighting isn't the greatest. The bright spots are from the under counter LED lights in my kitchen they aren't beads!

Close up of frame

Debra in CT

January Finish

2012-01-24T20:31:00.000-05:00

January Cottage, a photo by jenniferworthen on Flickr.

Finally finished with January! I've already started February. I'm loving these cottages more and more every day!

Wrinkles!!!!

2012-01-24T19:47:00.000-05:00

How does everyone get the wrinkles out? Even with a steamer, it is not perfect!!!

HELP!!!

January Finished

2012-01-24T18:02:00.003-05:00

Yahhh I finally got my thread and now January is finished. I have pulled all the threads for February and have ordered March. I can't wait to start February.

32 count Alantis

Annette B

February Complete - With Changes

2012-01-24T09:35:00.003-05:00

I finished up February Cottage and made some floss changes along the way

- here is a snap of it with the my choices...

I did use some of the called for floss - I saw that others had changed the birds from white to blue and liked that idea. March is on order and I'll get a start on that as soon as it arrives. This is turning out to be a great stitch!! edgar

Jan Progress

2012-01-23T23:26:00.000-05:00

I am really happy to show some progress on the January cottage.

I did not get the WDW and the crescent floss along with the "kit". So I plan to complete the remaining portions while I wait for my Feb and March kits to arrive.

I am sooo enjoying stitching this up. Thank you so much Vonna for putting this together and allowing me to join :) It is a pleasure to meet so many like minded people and yet so many different ways of putting these up together.

February is done!

2012-01-23T19:56:00.000-05:00

Hi all - I finished my February Cottage this past weekend and I'm looking forward to starting on March this weekend - if it arrives in time. I do have a frame to pop these in and out of, I just haven't gotten around to doing it yet. I need to get on that! Here is my February:

32 count Lambswool Linen
Called for Threads

It sure has been fun seeing all the progress! Until next time....

Finished February

2012-01-23T09:34:00.000-05:00

I do so love this one!

I stitched "February" the same as I did "January" on Tea Dyed Monaco using the charted floss. I have decided to stitch all of the cottages on the same fabric.

This week I have both January and February on my stitching table, along with some perfectly chosen fabric, ready to be finished. Look for a picture to come soon.

I adore everyone's progress and finishes.

Ma Teakettle

February is Finished

2012-01-22T15:13:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone,

I finished February yesterday and framed it today. It looked easier but seemed to take me longer than January. I hope to start March soon!

Wade

Febrero terminado, finish

2012-01-22T13:58:00.000-05:00

Hace solo 5 minutos que he terminado febrero. Hace ya dias que compré el siguiente, pero tardará, entre otras cosas porque lo suelo comprar en Estados Unidos, y a veces pasan dos semanas para poder tener aqui mis pedidos. Me esta gustando mucho el resultado.

January cottage finish

2012-01-21T19:59:00.002-05:00

Well, at last I can join those who have finished the first adorable cottage! It was a fun stitch. I did my own conversion to HDF silk on 32 count Amber linen (which I read about on Vonna's blog--thanks Vonna!) and plan to do each month separately. Not sure whether I will get one frame and change them out or what. Love seeing the creative ideas shown on this blog!

Harriet

At Last!

2012-01-20T15:29:00.001-05:00

I just found my January and February cottage patterns in my mailbox...just in time for my hermit weekend. This is the first time I have signed up for the IHSW (is that what it is?) so I think I will change my plans and start these cottages this weekend. Have to pull some threads first, as I am doing my own color scheme. I hope I can find some good choices fairly quickly.

With luck, I will finally have some progress to post next week. Have a warm, cozy, stitching weekend everyone.

Bobbi

The "Key West" Cottage is finished :)

2012-01-20T12:05:00.001-05:00

When my hubby saw the finish of February's cottage, his first words were, "Good luck finding an HOA that will allow you to use those paint colors". LOL Our son said, "Hey, that looks like a Key West House". So....I give you my February "Key West" house. I have to admit these colors were a little bright for my personal preferences. I changed out the recommended green for a softer Weeks Dye Works Color. In retrospect, I wish I had done the same with the pinks, as well. I also left off the extra couple of hearts that were floating just below "February". I don't know why exactly, but they just didn't "float my boat", so to speak.
Anyway, I look forward to adding this to my Valentine display.

Keep up the great work, all!!! :)

Hugs,
Sharon

February is done

2012-01-18T14:08:00.001-05:00

Yea, February is done. Looks great on natural linen. Could not be happier.

Vonna's February Cottage...

2012-01-18T13:37:00.002-05:00

Hello Cottage Stitchers!

This weekend I started and finished February's Cottage. I changed the thread colors only because I didn't have the called for colors. The Dark pink is Crescent Colours: Orangena and the Light Pink Color is: Spun Sugar. Other than that I used all the other called for colors. I'm stitching mine on 32 ct. Toasted Almond Linen.

And here is January and February together: You'll notice that I screwed up the bottom branches and flowers, by putting it 1 stitch away (It really should be 3 stitches away), so that is what I'm doing right now, I've frogged and am currently re-stitching the bottom vine.

Bring on March!

Vonna

http://thetwistedstitcher.blogspot.com/

I have started...

2012-01-17T09:53:00.000-05:00

It's been about 10 years since I have done any cross stitch, other stitching projects have taken over... I am really enjoying the January cottage, here are my first few pictures!

Do you like my little owl scissor keeper?

He keeps me company as I stitch, Happy Stitching all!

Progress

2012-01-16T14:06:00.000-05:00

Here's my progress on my January cottage for the Cottage Stitch-Along. This pattern is a bit bigger than I expected (ok, a lot bigger than I expected). It's not a problem, but for some reason it was smaller in my head. I really like it though, more with every stitch. It's definitely one of the cutest patterns I've ever stitched.

And now a question for all you stitchers. What do you do with your extra fabric hanging around your hoop? I've always used a hair clip from middle school (haha!), but it seems like there must be a better way to keep that extra fabric under control. I don't like it flopping around and getting in the way. What do you use to corral your extra fabric?

January Cottage finished

2012-01-16T10:49:00.000-05:00

Finaly I have the January cottage finished, the flue got in the way :-) I made it into a hanger which I will do with the other months too.

The little blue flowers in the border I made with a special stitch instead of the cross stitches that where on the chart.

February is done.

2012-01-16T00:43:00.002-05:00

February is done. Pictures to follow. It is a blast doing these. They are really fun to do.

Jan & Feb

2012-01-15T12:17:00.000-05:00

Here are my versions of the January and February cottages.

I hope to be able to finish them all this way and have a big bowl of twelve little pillows by the end of the year.

Thanks for hosting this blog Vonna. It's been fun to see everyone's progress and finishes:)

BrendaS
brendastitching.blogspot

Feb Cottage Finished

2012-01-15T07:49:00.002-05:00

Here is February Cottage all stitched up. It took me 13hrs 25mins over two days and I used the suggested threads as pink is just my favouritist colour ever :)

Getting Ready for February

2012-01-15T01:23:00.005-05:00

I'm in the midst of January's cottage, and I'm loving every second of it. The colors are perfect! I'm looking forward to February now, and while I love the pattern, I decided I needed to tweak the colors a bit to make it my own. So, I went to my LNS today, and picked out my own palette. The color I kept was Crescent's Poblano Pepper. I replaced CC Pink Champagne with CC Sweetest Heart, and CC Pink Posey with Weeks Charlotte's Pink. I'll do the roof in either DMC 3862 or Weeks Hazelnut and Sand, and the birds in GAST Old Blue Paint - thanks for the brilliant idea to make them blue, Ginger! I especially like the idea of including "bluebirds of happiness" in this February design. You know how it is with new starts - I can't wait! - but I will hold myself back from starting until I'm done with January, which will hopefully be by the end of this week. With three small boys keeping me busy, I never can tell how much stitching time I'll have. Every second seems like a gift! Happy stitching, all!

All Done

2012-01-14T15:24:00.000-05:00

All finished with January and it was so much fun to do. I really like how the snowflakes turned out, just a few stitches and they look so pretty. There is a more detailed post on my blog at

February is done!

2012-01-14T14:54:00.004-05:00

Well, I put the finishing touches on the February installment of my "all-in-one" Cottages piece. I did learn a thing or two about white thread when I stitched the January snow. As a result, I have little bluebirds on my February installment as opposed to white ones. They show up much better than white ones would have appeared. (I did actually consider restarting the entire piece on a darker piece of fabric, but obviously decided against it.)

Now I am waiting for the darling March piece to be shipped. Hopefully everyone is having as much fun as I am with the cottages and I am looking forwrd to reading about your February installment!

January is done!

2012-01-13T17:39:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone ~ I finished January a week or so ago and am finally just getting to posting it here. These are such fun little stitches. I'm really enjoying it. I stitched mine on 32 count Lambswool linen with the called for fibers. So here it is ~

I just received my February chart, so I'm off to start on that!

wooo hoo I've finally started :)

2012-01-13T13:10:00.002-05:00

Hi every one :) I've finally managed to get the January Cottage started :) I am stitching it on a piece of hand dyed Sparklies fabric called Barely Bronzed and the recommend threads for CC but a mixture of DMC and Anchor for the normal's :)
started it on Wednesday this week but did some more at my stitching group last night .... so with our further ado here you go :)

Mouse's start :)

looking forward to getting some more of this done soon as I absolutely love these colours :)
love mouse xxxx

January started

2012-01-12T18:41:00.000-05:00

I found a beautiful fabric in my stash called Atlantis - It is a Belfast 32ct. The cottage will be without a roof until my parcel comes from 123.

The fabric has a beautiful pink tinge to it. I am getting lots of stitching in watching the Tennis

Annette B

Finally got January done!

2012-01-11T22:38:00.000-05:00

I changed just a few of the colors as I wanted to add some purple and stitched it on fabric I've had for probably 20 yrs! February chart is on its way, can't wait to start it!

Finally

2012-01-11T13:48:00.000-05:00

...My parcel arrived yesterday!!

I can't wait to start on this. Can you all hear me hoot and dance with joy :d

A Brighter note

2012-01-11T13:17:00.002-05:00

I finally recevied my patterns for jan and feb and 1 yd of 28 ct. lambswool linen. The LNS substituted some threads, Using suggested threads..love the differences with them. so have to order elsewhere.
Tonight I plan on cutting my individual pieces, but going to see how big it will look if on one piece and see if I want to change my mind and make it a wall hanging. Now or never! How many stitches are we leaving between patterns to make it look right? Is there any chance someone will be coming up with a border to put between all of them to blend them together???
Got my serger all threaded up and ready to use....the one needle is a b...h to get threaded. Took me almost an hour of fussing to get it! Then I serged up all my projects that I have started over the last 6 months...no mention of number here now...too embarassing.
So, hope to post in a few days my January start.

Joanie R.

By the way, I have been loving all the pictures...you are all doing so well!!!!!

Time For A Happy Dance

2012-01-10T19:44:00.000-05:00

My January cottage is stitched. I don't have any felt at home and no store nearby but I plan on making my cottages into felt ornaments to hang.

I'm loving seeing everyone's progress. Way to go!!!!!

January Cottage finished

2012-01-10T13:38:00.003-05:00

This was so much fun to stitch. Saturday, my friends and I got together to craft and eat, so I started the January cottage. The fabric is 32 ct. Boo Belfast Linen from Silkweaver. What a quick project! I finished it this morning while watching Tabitha's Salon Takeovers. I am leaning towards the calendar finishing, but may change my mind. We'll see. Now, as soon as the February cottage arrives at the shop, I will get started on that one.

January almost-finished

2012-01-09T18:15:00.001-05:00

What's a almost-finished piece look like?
Well this...

It's missing snowflakes as I'm waiting for some Krenik to come in and it's missing french knots as I will put any items like that on at the end of the year so that they don't get crushed on my scroll rods (as I am doing all 12 together).
Still loving this and can't wait for February to come in the mail!! It's been sent today I think, so if I'm lucky I'll be starting it at the beginning of Feb. (yep Canadian mail is that darn slow!)
Thanks for looking!
Mel.

First Finish

2012-01-09T16:14:00.000-05:00

I adore it!

I stitched this cutie on Tea Dyed Monaco using the charted floss. Next will be to finish it into a pillow....pictures to follow!

I am off to start on February, and being the pink gal that I am, I cannot wait to get started.

I am in love with everyone's finishes!

Ma Teakettle

January Cottage

2012-01-09T14:26:00.000-05:00

Picture belongs to NIKKI at CCN

So I got the kit and I purchased the 28 ct linen...uh yeah...I've got old eyes I can't see the holes. I bought one of those magnifiers you hang around your neck. My husband laughed and laughed. Even at that I had to close one eye to see the holes. Ha ha! Well I'm going to have to go larger. I went with 14 ct. Aida. That's going to slow me considerably because I have to wait for my supplies to show. Meanwhile, I ordered February and I see March is already on the horizon and I've made an appointment with my eye doctor. Hopefully, once my stuff comes in I'll be able to see through your dust and catch up a bit. Till then! Here's mud in your eye! ;)

February colors

2012-01-09T13:01:00.000-05:00

Has anyone changed the colors on February's cottage? I'm ordering it in the next day or so and definitely want to tone down some of the pinks. I like pink but not that much pink. Don't want to look at my stitched piece and think Pepto. Know what I mean? Thanks for sharing any insights!

Laura
My Blog

MARCH Cottage...

2012-01-09T11:47:00.002-05:00

Winner, winner Chicken Dinner, I say! :)

Finished up January..

2012-01-09T09:27:00.000-05:00

I finished up January over the weekend - and am now awaiting February's arrival... here's a snap...

edgar

January Finished

2012-01-08T22:27:00.001-05:00

Complete with my attempts at french knots! Yay!!

My next goal is to finish this piece into a cute no sew cube!

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January Cottage at the Framers!

2012-01-07T18:49:00.000-05:00

Today I went to my local Michaels with the intent of getting a frame for the cottages that I could use each month by just popping in the next cottage. I picked out, with help from a great person in framing, a frame that has gold/silver/black swirls - as I write this it sound terrible - but it is really pretty and I think will work for all months - but I did find a couple of others that I liked and have the item numbers so that I can look at them again if I don't think a cottage will work with the frame I picked out. I was planning to mount my own needlework but the framing manager was there and she is a CROSS STITCHER! So I have entrusted my cottage to her. After talking with her I felt confident that she would mount my piece properly and I wouldn't have the stress of doing it. I won't have my cottage back for a couple of weeks but it will be ready for January 2013!

Patiently (not) waiting for my February cottage to arrive so that I can hire the builders and landscapers again.

Enjoy your weekend.

Debra in CT

ready for January, finally

2012-01-06T09:42:00.000-05:00

My chart and floss pack arrived yesterday. Now to grid off the fabric and get started on January! I've been enjoying everyone's progress photos.

Happy stitching.

Debbie B

The Builders and Landscapers are Finished!

2012-01-05T18:57:00.000-05:00

My January cottage was completed on Tuesday evening, with the last stitch put in about 10:15 PM. So happy to have the builders and landscapers gone! I hope to find a frame this weekend. This was a fun piece to stitch and I am looking forward to receiving my February cottage. I love seeing everyone's progress and the changes that some are making.

Debra in CT

It has Arrived

2012-01-05T14:37:00.002-05:00

I am so relieved and so excited. January has finally arrived. Just before Christmas a Postal truck caught fire and burnt to the ground. I was so worried that my parcel was onboard. I am missing a colour but that is in my cart so I can stitch all around the area. I have all the floss for February cottage for when it comes.

Annette B

Started with sparkle.

2012-01-05T13:36:00.000-05:00

I have started January Cottage and am having so much fun stitching this pattern up. I love all things glittery and wanted to add some sparkle to mine. Rainbow blending thread #000 pearlescent white did the trick. I'm only making the snowflakes sparkly as I didn't want to over do it. Photos are up on my blog, however I need to put up some with my camera my new phone takes the worst pictures. I've got February and supplies all ready to go as well. I can't wait to see the March pattern.

Finishing with Felt?

2012-01-05T10:58:00.000-05:00

Hello stitchy sisters! I'm loving seeing all your starts and some finishes. Here's my progress so far. It's coming along quickly...which leads me to a question for you more experienced stitchers.

I've decided not to frame these. Instead I think they would be cute finished with coordinating felt and ribbon to hang them. I assume I should stiffen the felt before trying to cut it with pinking sheers for a decorative edge. What's the best way for that? Also, should I use regular craft felt or is there something better to work with?

Thanks in advance.

Parsley
seasonsofmymind.blogspot.com

Can't wait to start

2012-01-04T22:19:00.001-05:00

Hi, my name is Sue, I signed up just before Christmas and ordered the pattern and the threads for the January and February cottages, still waiting for them to arrive.
I used to cross stitch all the time about 10 years ago. I am looking forward to starting the cottages and posting some pictures.
Happy stitching!
Sue

January start!!

2012-01-04T19:01:00.001-05:00

I got all my supplies in the mail last week and got right into my January cottage.
I gotta tell you I just love it!!!

I'm doing it on an ivory linen at 40 ct, over two threads, using one strand.
It's just such a pleasure to work on, the linen is great and the pattern is nice and easy but still fun.
You'll see that I changed some of the colours, that's just me, and the fact that one was sold-out.
Here she be so far:

Mel from Calgary, Canada
http://epicstitching.blogspot.com

Almost Done

2012-01-04T13:37:00.001-05:00

I had a day to myself at home yesterday. As a result, I got some good stitching time in and am almost finished January!

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January is complete :)

2012-01-04T06:48:00.000-05:00

I was so pleased to be able to get January finished yesterday. Roll on February :)

A Start!

2012-01-03T23:15:00.000-05:00

My cottages are on Picture this Plus Legacy linen (36-ct). I'm also participating in Heather's Theme-a-licious for 2012 and as the January Theme is "Gardens/Flowers" elected to start with the February cottage and it's simple garden.

Sadly, this cottage seems to have more than its share of frogs in the garden, so I haven't made it to the flowers quite yet. I'm going to give it a rest for a few days and hopefully scare the nasty greenies away!

One down, eleven to go! :)

2012-01-03T19:41:00.000-05:00

I know, I know - this little beauty needs to have a "meet and greet" with my iron...all good things in time. :)
This was such a fun stitch! I used the DMC and specialty flosses recommended on the recommended fabric. I can't wait to start on February. I'm doing the cottages on individual pieces of fabric and will pop each one in and out of the same frame. I have the "perfect" spot all picked out to display my monthly goodies. :)
Happy Stitching Ya'all!!
Hugs,
Sharon in FL

Finally started! :)

2012-01-03T14:13:00.000-05:00

So, now that the holiday finish rush is over, I have been able to start on my Cottages. I received my package with January and February last week. I was a little concerned about stitching on linen, as I have never done it before , but I can honestly say I believe I like it better than Aida.

I did make a small change to the snowflakes - I'm using DMC 4025 instead of white.

Progress so far!

2012-01-03T10:16:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone, it's so lovely seeing everyone's progress and finishes, it really does help to spur me on!

I finally started January Cottage on the 1st of January - I really am loving stitching this and can't wait for February's chart to arrive.

Here is my progress so far:

I am stitching the whole series on one piece of 32ct Permin Lambswool Linen with the suggested threads :)

Can't wait to see March's cottage - hope Nikki posts it soon!

L x

Finished...

2012-01-02T19:40:00.002-05:00

I finally finished; now I have to decide how to "finish" it...:)

January cottage........in the snow!

2012-01-02T18:14:00.000-05:00

January's Cottage was so much fun~~~ As you can see, I am stitching them individually and framing them....I am using 40 count fabrics, this one being Lakeside Linens Exemplar...I am also converting to silks....A mixture of those I have...this one has npi, Glorianna, Gumnuts and HDF... Email me if you are interested int he conversion.....

Well, I suppose I had better get busy and get the February Cottage on order....

Happy New Year everyone....

Always,

Faye

carolinastitcher

Finished: January Cottage

2012-01-02T15:22:00.002-05:00

January's Cottage is done! Even using 3 strands of floss, the snowflakes aren't really very visible. I probably should have used a darker fabric but darn it if I didn't want that sparkle. I didn't really do much finishing on it. I just ironed under the edges and put it in a frame. I'll probably finish it properly on foam core in the future, but for now just ironing it will do. I found this 8x8 frame at Michaels and I'll be using the same frame and switching out the cottage every month. I had so much fun getting back into cross stitching and I can't wait to stitch up February's Cottage!

~ Melissa ~
Made-By-Melissa

Cottage Building Has Finally Commenced!

2012-01-01T20:10:00.002-05:00

The cottage builders finally arrived yesterday, they said the delay was due to the fact the roofing color did not arrive until Wednesday! Yesterday and today they built the cottage, today the roof, windows and door were installed and the landscaper showed up to plant the tree but has not planted the flowers. I played in the yard and built a snowman but need to get his hat and carrot, as well as eyes and buttons in place. Hoping that will happen tonight. Tomorrow the landscaper said he would be back and I'm really hoping the sign man will make his appearance too!

The fabric I am using is 32 ct Silver Mist, which Maeann at Bush Mountain Stitchery chose for me. I wanted a wintry sky, and I think she nailed it. The picture isn't showing the true color. Hopefully I will be able to get a picture in natural daylight which will show the color better. I am using the DMC/WDW/Crescent Colours as charted.

I hope to find a frame that I can use to just pop the cottages in each month. Of course, that also means that I need to find a storage place for the months not being shown! Off to stitch some more, while enjoying my time off from work. Only 1 more day :( !

Debra in CT

A Start...finally

2012-01-01T17:16:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year Everyone!

So after three weeks when my supplies arrived, I finally got to stitching on this cute design. I went with 32ct Lambswool Linen and used all recommended threads. I'll be stitching this individually as I'd like to use one frame and change them out monthly.

Stitching this puts me in the mood for some snow. Would like a little of that this month. Love me some snow days (and no school!).

Happy Stitching!

February

2012-01-01T12:14:00.000-05:00

February is finished! The design is nice but I must say that I think the pinks are too bright. I wish that I had changed them so they were softer in color. Sorry about the lousy picture. The weather here is very sunny and with the colors being so bright, I couldn't get a good shot. I look forward to March.

I Can Relate

2012-01-01T02:50:00.001-05:00

I can relate to the freaking out post. I still haven't received mine. (I live in Aust) It could be just held up with all the Christmas rush. Just before Christmas when the order was due a postal truck in our area caught fire and all the mail was destroyed. I have a really bad feeling about this and I am hoping that my parcel was not on that truck.

I guess only time will tell.

Hello. Sorry for the delay.

2011-12-31T13:45:00.003-05:00

Wow, I am so excited about this stitch along. I have the January pattern and thought I was going to stitch these all together, but after seeing Annette post, I have changed my mind. I love the calendar idea. So, that is what I will do. Thanks, Annette, for sharing.

My name is Jen Regan. I have been stitching for quite a while and absolutely love it. My blog is Jen's Stitching Projects. I am married to Hobbie and we have two boys (16 and 13). I am on faculty at the University of Southern Mississippi (Biological Sciences). Though life can be quite busy sometimes, I find time to stitch. Hopefully, this year I will find even more time since we have that extra day if February.

Happy New Year everyone!!

Am freaking out

2011-12-31T13:21:00.000-05:00

I know that my Jan order was (finally) shipped on the 17th and I am yet to receive it. ABC say that the normal shipping is 2-4 weeks. Though I still have time, am beginning to freak out!! My earlier orders have always reached within 10 days. Please pray for me friends