Horses, Dogs and Connection

A recent conversation with a friend got me thinking about the horses in my life, specifically this guy. And while this is a show picture, he meant so much more to me than just a show horse... Exactly the way that my dogs are so much more than agility dogs. I started thinking about how I taught him that different leg positions signaled different things and in showmanship how a move of my hand was a cue to speed up or slow down. It was that training that led to relationship and the feeling of being one when I would go ride. Then, it occurred to me that is the same kind of connection I'm striving for with my dogs, the feeling of one, the subtle cues that make things look effortless on the outside, the need to play together. I know now what is my next, and likely, forever goal. It is to cultivate that connection for my dogs in our lives together. Maybe in some tiny way it will also help us shine a little brighter in the ring too. 

Wise

There is something about the eyes of a Border Collie, when they let you in you can see their soul.  Jett is 13 months now and I'm starting to see glimpses of that wise look more and more where he stares into my eyes and we connect in the moment.  And then the next moment he is back to puppy running around screaming with the toy box on his head, making the teeter bang or some other such shenanigans.  But, it's there, and I am nurturing and enjoying it every chance I get.  Joe Sarr Jr. took this great shot and captured one of these moments perfectly, Joe Sr. and his wife Lisa have one of Jett's brothers.  If you're in the area and want some photos taken I can put you in touch with him.  And, now I must go, I hear the puppy playing with the vacuum cleaner attachment again!  LOL!

Forget Me Knot Sampler Finish

Well, I finished my Forget Me Knot sampler a couple weeks back but keep forgetting to post a photo.  The original is a bit brighter than it looks on my monitor but that's OK.  Now I just need to figure out what I'm doing for framing this one! 

I have the fabric all pressed and laid out to start Plum Street Samplers' Crown Sampler next.  But... did you see that she is offering a Sunday Mystery sampler called Mary's sampler on her blog?  She released the first part of the sampler last weekend and that is just about the amount of stitching I can handle right now with all my puppy activities.  I think it might be fun to go to puppy class and then come home and stitch the newly released parts of the chart each week.  Want to join me in stitching this fun piece?  I need to run upstairs and pull threads and find a piece of fabric before part two comes out. 

Forget-Me-Knot Sampler Progress

My progress on the Forget-me-Knot sampler is really coming along.  I took Monday off and got some time to stitch and I just can't put this down!  Still not a lot of time for stitching but in the evenings the dogs get some downtime with a bone and I've been able to pick up my needle and thread and stitch a tiny bit during those times which is a nice return to what is normal for me.

How fitting that on this day of remembering the worst terrorist act in our country's history to be working on a sampler that reminds us to remember the stitcher.  What an awful day that was and like many I'll never forget where I was when I heard, calling my sister to tell her to turn on the TV and watching the images that night when I came home from work.  Let's not forget those who died that day and in the war that followed. 

I was able to get all my old blog posts from my typepad blog moved over here so that one will be coming down soon.  Be sure to follow this blog instead, thanks for reading!!

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Summer Finishes and a New Start

This summer was not one for a lot of stitching.  Summers for me are usually a little light on the stitching time but this summer my time was taken up by this cutie.

 

This is my little man Jett. Jett is a Border Collie pup born back in April.  He came home with me at the very end of June.  The morning that I went to go pick him up I spent some time finishing up Peggy Shorrock by Plum Street Samplers. 

 

It may be hard to tell, but I changed the two dogs on the bottom to look like my dogs, Jett on the left and Sage on the right.  After I finished this I went up to go pick up the real Jett and thus ended my stitching for the summer.  I did manage a couple smalls that I had done the outlining on and that just needed fill in.  It was nice between potty/crate/leash training to be able to pick up a needle and thread from time to time and do a little mindless stitching work.  As Jett has gotten older I've been able to do a little more. 

 

I started Elizabeth Milner back in January and slowly worked my way through the stitching and recently began to have bits of stitching time again so decided to get her out and finish stitching.  I loved the eyelet alphabet but I changed her quite a bit.  I made color changes, centered the band with the big basket of flowers and added my initials using the eyelet stitch in the spot where I thought the sampler needed something.  So, my Elizabeth is truly my own.  Here she is all finished up and ready to go to the framer. 

With the St. Charles Market that happened in August I decided that I didn't need a ton of new samplers, smalls or other stitching projects.  I have so much in my stash and so little time to stitch right now.  But, like all stitching stash is concerned I couldn't help but adding just a few things to my must stitch list.  On Labor Day I started Forget-Me-Knot by With thy Needle & Thread.  When I saw the design I knew it was a must stitch for me!  Once Elizabeth Milner was out of the WIP pile it seems logical to start this little cutie next. 

 

I'm still working on figuring out Blogger and still trying to get my old posts to import here.  So, stay tuned while I work on all of that, I hope to be fully moved over here sometime this month. 

 

Jen

 



 

 

Welcome to my new blog, Black & Blue Borders!  Borders because I like to stitch and usually finish the border first but also because my new pup, Jett, is a Border Collie.  My adult dog, Sage is an Aussie, she's blue and he's black... hence my new blog name!  Here they are on August 1 playing with Jett's sister Parker.  Welcome to my blog! 

April TUSAL

Well, I'm woefully behind on posting but I have been stitching a bunch as you can see by my April TUSAL jar, it's practially overflowing.  Time to squish those threads down and keep filling!  I'll be back soon with more of what I've been stitching lately!

Borders and TUSALS

I'm a few days late for my TUSAL post but had good intentions to post over the weekend, just got busy with a few dog events (including a long hike, watching an agility trial and a fun Mardi Gras party) and our Sampler Guild.  So, here's my February TUSAL picture. 

If you would like to play along with the TUSAL game you can jump right in and join us, just click on this link to Daffycat's blog to sign up and play! 

I'm also playing along with Nicola's Scarlet Letter year challenge which has been a lot of fun so far!  This is what I'm stitching my Ruth Bacheler sampler for and I'm loving stitching on her!  I had planned to stitch on Dorothy Walpole for this challenge but Ruth was just calling to me so I decided to start on her instead.  I am very, very tempted to start on Dorothy but not until I finish some of these other samplers first!  I have three going right now and have decided to set them all aside to finish the stitching for the box top for our year long project for the Sampler Guild of the Rockies before going back.  Once I finish one or two of the samplers on my list I'll start Dorothy, or maybe Lucy Redd or maybe something new from market.  I sure have an issue with there being too many things to stitch and not nearly enough time.  I think many of you can relate. 

So, here are my three samplers and my current progress on them, or progress as of a couple days ago when I took these photos.  Ruth Bacheler by the Scarlett Letter.

Ruth Bacheler

Elizabeth Milner by Shakespeare's Peddler.  I am loving the algerian eyelet lettering and once I finish the vine border I just have started there will be three more lines of it.  Maybe I won't love it then but right now I do!

 

Elizabeth Milner

And, I started Ann Bowers as part of the Attic's stitch along on this pretty sampler.  I'm not caught up yet but hopefully will get there, she's such a pretty stitch!  I'm stitching her in silk on 36 ct. Vintage Lentil linen. 

Ann Bowers

That's all for today (as if it's not enough already).  Thanks for stopping by to visit my blog and happy stitching!

January Starts and Finishes

Well, I had planned to post some progress pics over the last couple of weeks but just never got around to it.  Part of that is that I've been busy, but then again I'm always busy.  I think most of it is that I'd rather be stitching, playing with the dog, stamping, etc. than updating the blog.  So, forgive me if my posts are a bit hit and miss.  Since I haven't had an update in awhile I have two finishes for the month of January to show you.  After the holidays were over I turned my attention back to Christmas Garden by Blackbird Designs for my first January finish. 

Christmas Garden by BBD

Then, I picked up Frances Pool again by With Thy Needle and Thread.  She was such a fun stitch and I just love those colors!  She was my other January finish.  

Frances Pool by With Thy Needle and Thread

Having finished two samplers, it felt like time to go back to my Ruth Bacheler by the Scarlet Letter, a piece that I started stitching for Nicola's stitch along.  I was able to finish the top row of irish stitch pennants and then got frustrated with her again so set her aside once again.  Here's my progress to date.   

Ruth Bacheler by the Scarlet Letter

When I set Ruth aside again I needed something else to stitch.  I signed up for the Ann Bowers stitch along through the Attic but haven't finished playing with my thread colors for that yet.  So, I started Elizabeth Milner by Shakespeare's Peddler.  This was the piece that you could get in sections last year by ordering from SP.  I ordered in each of the six months and have the completed chart (I hear that Theresa is going to release it this year so if you like it you can buy the chart soon).  The silks I had ordered for this were pretty brown and I didn't want an all brown sampler so I've made some changes based on the photo on the SP site.  Here's my start on Elizabeth, this is actually the first month's chart complete.  Yay! 

Elizabeth Milner by Shakespeare's Peddler

Thanks for dropping by!  Happy stitching!

January TUSAL

Here's my TUSAL start for January.  Not much to show (yet).  I dumped out my TUSAL jar on the first of the year and decided to use the same jar so I can compare the number of ORT's (old ratty threads) that I rack up each month compared to last year.  Will I actually compare?  Who knows but I wouldn't bet on it. 

Anyone can play along with the TUSAL game, just go to Daffycat's blog to sign up and then save up your ORT's and post a picture on or about the new moon each month.  You also need to post a link onto Daffycat's montly TUSAL post and you can be entered to win.  I signed up last year mostly because I figured I was tossing all those little threads so maybe it would be more fun to save them in a jar and see the pretty results at year's end. 

Before I found the TUSAL challenge and started playing along I used to do this on my own.  Since I tend to be a one at a time stitcher I'd gather up the threads from a project and then at the end of the project I'd empty out my little jar into a plastic baggie.  Somewhere I have that baggie filled with ORT's from when I stitched ATS, hardanger projects and more.  I had intented to put them out for the birds to use to build nests with but then heard that was bad.  I don't know if that's true but I sure don't need a baggie of old ratty threads cluttering up the house.  So, when I come across it again I'll either put them out for spring nest building, stuff something with them or toss them out! 

I've made some more progress on my Christmas Garden since my last post.  Here's my latest progress, all I have left is the the pinks on the last two motifs and all the initials and dates. 

It's been such a fun sampler to stitch!  I'm really enjoying the stitching and also using these silks!  The conversion I came up with is a combination of Belle Soie and Gloriana and I'm really happy with it on this light colored linen!  And, more reds/pinks for a potential red wall, especially since I stitched it with the alphabet so it could be hung year round.  Yay!! 

I thought I'd also leave you with a quick snap of my progress on Frances Pool. 

This is where I was on Frances when I last set her down, I missed a stitch somewhere in the border but was able to compensate so nobody will be the wiser.  I am loving the colors in this sampler, they are just so soft and I love the motifs in this sampler, I think the one motif I have done would be so fun as a pincushon.  It was really hard to set it aside to go back to Christmas Garden but this is what is waiting for me a few days from now when I am able to finish CG.  Talk about a fun carrot to look forward to!!

Thanks for dropping by to visit my blog! 

Scarlet Letter Year Update

I posted my first entry on the Scarlet Letter Year challenge this week for my start on Ruth Bacheler.  You can view my post by clicking here.  While you're there you should follow the blog, it's going to be fun to see everyone's progress throughout the year!  I'm also including a shot here from my Instagram page that shows my floss toss.  Although, I "Instagramed" it to age it a bit.  I have all the DMC pulled as charted and love the way it looks on the 40 ct. Buttercream linen but I may play with that bright blue to tone it down just a teeny bit before I commit to that.  I started this to make sure it worked on 40 count and then promptly set it aside in favor of other projects that are closer to completion.  I'll be back to Ruth soon I hope! 

I also noticed that Nicola is giving away her chart for the Blue Ribbon Sampler that she recently finished.  I entered to win the chart and you can too just by going to this link, leaving a comment and posting the link to your own blog.  Good luck to everyone but I still hope I win.  :) 

I'm really getting close to finishing my Christmas Garden, here are a couple of snaps from two nights ago.  I've been busy this week with not much time to stitch but I am hoping to finish this piece over the weekend and get back to Frances Pool and Ruth Bacheler! 

That's all for today, I'll be back shortly with my first TUSAL update of the new year and hopefully a finish shortly after that!!  Thanks for dropping by!

I am thankful for remote controls. 

My TUSAL Jar Overfloweth

Here it is, the end of 2012.  I've had a very busy but fun year and the past couple of weeks have been no exception.  I went home to visit my family in Wisconsin over Christmas which was wonderful.  We had a very nice holiday together!  I've also been working on some projects around the house during the time I've had off.  I didn't get quite as far as I had hoped on some of them but I did make a lot of progress! 

You can also see that my TUSAL jar for the year is quite literally overflowing!  It's been a year full of stitching too and as I look back at the pieces that I've finished and framed it's really fun to see.  I have no idea how I managed to finish all that I did though.  With as busy as I've been with work, the dog and friends, I certainly don't feel like I've had a ton of time to stitch.  Tomorrow is a new year though and I will be emptying this jar and starting fresh collecting ORT's for 2013.  If you'd like to play the TUSAL game in 2013 just visit this link to Daffycat's blog. 

I've also been stitching a little over my break.  I worked on Christmas Garden, which was my Thanksgiving start.  Here's my current progress on it. 

 

I'm almost done so am tempted to go ahead and pick it back up and finish it, there are probably only a few evenings worth of stitching left here so perhaps this will be my first 2013 finish!  When I was in Wisconsin my Mom and I visited the Country Sampler in Spring Green.  They had this hanging on the wall, and it is such a difference to see it stitched as charted (huge) and mine that is tiny on 40 count linen.   

I probably would have finished this already except that I've been totally distracted by Frances Pool, the latest release by With thy Needle and Thread.  This was my Christmas start this year. 

 

I started this piece on Christmas Eve day and was able to get the flowers, red border and part of the outer border done.  Now that I'm on the border I will probably continue until it meets up and then go back to Christmas Garden.

Or... Maybe I'll work on this...


This is Ruth Bacheler by the Scarlett Letter.  I'll be stitching it on 40 count Vintage Buttercream linen.  I joined Nicola's Scarlett Letter Year challenge so this fits right into the challenge.  Plus, I was completely enabled by a few friends who are also starting this piece.  This is supposed to be my New Year challenge, only I read in the pattern that the Irish stitches and Satin stitches are all done with 2 threads.  I panicked a bit so started with one pennant and found that the cotton floss on 40 count linen using two threads is no big deal!

So, that's that, I have these three projects plus the smalls for my SGR project going for a total of FOUR projects at once!  That is a new record for me!! 

Thanks for dropping by to visit my blog, may you and your family have a safe and prosperous New Year!!

Jen

Merry Christmas Garden!

Here's my latest progress on Christmas Garden.  She's coming along so nicely if I do say so.  After I finished the strawberry border, I went ahead and stitched the alphabet at the bottom and now I'm back to just stitching away at the various motifs. 

Christmas Garden

I've started to think a little about frames for this piece and what I might want.  That means I'm also thinking about where I might hang it.  Since I didn't stitch the words Christmas Garden and instead used Katrina's idea of putting an alphabet in it's place it can hang year round.  But, that means I have to decide where it will go.  I seem to have a growing collection of samplers with red in them so I'm thinking that I may create a samppler wall with all red samplers. 

Thanks for stopping by and may you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Done with Strawberries

Yay, the strawberry border is finished!  I must say that I'm really enjoying this piece!  It's so fun and easy to stitch since you can work one or two motifs at a time and then set it down.  That's nice during this busy time of year to have a fun and easy piece to work on! 

Christmas Garden

 

December TUSAL

Here's my TUSAL update for December.  This is a top view of my TUSAL jar with ORT's from all year.  You can tell that I'm stitching with silk because the ORT's are straight.  When I use cotton those bits of threads tend to be curly.  Just something interesting that I've noticed by doing this challenge this year. 

You can read more about the TUSAL challenge on Daffycat's blog here.  You can join in at anytime and I'm hopeful that she'll host another TUSAL challenge for next year!

This darling pincushion shown in the photo with my TUSAL jar is a gift from my good friend Katrina.  Earlier this year, I stitched several Mary Little pincushions, one of them was for Katrina and at our sampler guild meeting last weekend she brought me this sweet sampler pincushion for my basket!  I love it, thank you so much Katrina!  This makes me want to get out a couple little pincushion projects that I have kitted up and stitch my brains out during my Christmas break from work! 

I've been plugging away at the border of Christmas Garden over the last couple of days and here's where I'm at with it, over half way done with the strawberries.  Yay! 

Christmas Garden by Blackbird Designs

And, here's a close up of my Christmas Garden with my Sexy Black Dovo Scissors for scale.  I originally bought a conversion to silk that used this linen, the linen was in a bag that said 36 ct. Vintage Navy Bean but this is so tiny that it must be 40 count.  And, the silk conversion was all to shades of brown so I changed the whole thing to be pretty bright colors more in keeping with the original colors of the sampler.  That will teach me not to buy a conversion to silk sight unseen!! 
Lastly, here's a close up of the pincushion, I just had to show it to you again.  Isn't it sweet?  I just absolutely love it! 

A Christmas Garden Update

Just a quick update on my Christmas Garden progress.  I've made quite a bit of progress since my last post, finishing up the border vine and gold dividing bands. 

Having the border partially done is stressing me out so I'm thinking of working on all those little strawberries in the border to have the border done and have more pink in the piece. 

I've jumped around a bit but am enjoying stitching this and I think that once I get the border done and can focus on the motifs I'll really enjoy it!

I'll be back later in the week with a TUSAL update and will iron the wrinkles out of this piece to show my progress then.  Thanks for stopping by! 

Spring Mini Catalog Is Here!

A Thanksgiving Start

Here is my new start for Thanksgiving, this is Christmas Garden by Blackbird Designs.  I didn't used to be someone that needed to mark an occasion with a new start but I was ready for a new project so saved it for Thanksgiving day. 

I'm stitching this with silks on 36 ct. Vintage Navy Bean linen by Lakeside linens.  I originally purchased this as a silk conversion but changed three of the four colors to suit my tastes so I think I'm calling it my own conversion now.  So, since I was playing with colors and ripped a brown and a gold before settling on this combination I needed to do more than just the border.  I'm happy to have done so too, it's fun to work on the motifs as well as the border. 

I will probably continue like this, working to finish the border but popping in some motifs from time to time too. 

I hope that everyone reading this had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  My parents were in town for a few days over the holiday and we had a really nice visit and holiday weekend!  I just didn't even think about taking a photo of us all together!  Oh well!  Thanks for dropping by, I'll be back with more progress soon! 

JM Gardner Finish

JM Gardner stitched on 35 ct. R&R Abecedarian Blend Linen

I've finished JM Gardner, a super fast, super fun sampler from With thy Needle and Thread.  I absolutely loved this sampler when she came out and she was such a joy to stitch!  I really should have been doing some stitching for my sampler guild's ongoing project but am so happy that I snuck this little girl in here first.  Isn't she pretty?? 

I've also been doing a little framing and home decorating lately.  A few weeks back I framed my Paradise Lost (finally, I've had the frame since Mother's day).  I've hung her in the guest room over the headboard that I made from two old shutters.  I am thrilled with how this came out!  I just bolted the shutters together and then mounted the headboard on the wall using hardware to hang a chalk board or dry erase board (I found the hardware at my local Home Depot).  It was super easy and I'm so proud of doing the project myself and so happy with how it all turned out!  Now, I just need to make the quilt I'm thinking of for this bed and paint the wall.  :D

Thanks for stopping by!  Jen