Fully Finished Gallery - April 2025 🖼

Welcome to Rachel's 

Fully Finished Gallery SAL for April 2025.

This is a great way to make sure I actually fully finish my stitched pieces! 

Please consider joining this monthly SAL, it just might inspire you.

This one has been stitched for years, and I finally officially finished it. I had a makeshift finish before, but I didn't like it.

I bought this little frame at our Joanne Fabrics store. I think it's one of the last ones to go in our area? It had a little mark on the upper left corner, but I decided to add these little buttons to represent Mia and Maverick and cover it.

You can find this pattern at Cross Stitch Happy

Mia doesn't seem all that impressed.

And Maverick tried to bite his representation!

Another sad month for finishing, but at least I did one!

Please be sure to take a look at what the others have finished this time.

A few lovely surprises!🥰

I still have to post about the Nashville Market, but here are a couple nice surprises I had there!

If you already follow Mary @Mary's Thread, then you know about this already!

I was in the Jean Farish Needlework room, when someone said my name, it was Mary, what a wonderful surprise! How great to see a fellow blogger there!

We got to chat a little bit, but I wish we could have spent more time together. If we both go next year, we'll have to set aside some time to really talk!

My next surprise was when Amy said hello/goodbye to Nicola as she was heading to the elevator.

Wait, Nicola, from Cornwall?! Yes!

She had a blog years ago, Stitching by the Cornish Seashore, and now you can find her at Hands Across the Sea Samplers. So that was cool!

My third lovely surprise was Rahenna @Crafty Rahenna gifting me her pattern for the Mill Hill Autumn Key. She finished hers and I had admired loved it! Here it is, looking great.

She even gave me some perforated paper and what was left of the kit, in addition to some extra pretty floss. Look at how organized she is with her threads! It will certainly make it easier.

I decided to try stamping it green, since I had seen it done before somewhere online. Not too bad!

So thank you so much Rahenna, for sharing this chart with me. After I'm finished with it (which might not be until the summer) I'll pass it along too, with a giveaway! 

Fully Finished Gallery - March 2025 🖼

Welcome to Rachel's 

Fully Finished Gallery SAL for March 2025.

This is a great way to make sure I actually fully finish my stitched pieces! 

Please consider joining this monthly SAL, it just might inspire you.

This is certainly an oldie, but a goodie!

This has been rolled up in my finished box for YEARS, and I finally decided to frame it. I'm still not sure about the frame, but it will do for now. And since Master Nathan won't have this in his bedroom 🙄, it will live in my craft room with all my other dragon treasures.

Dragon Dreams, Dragonlet's Birth Sampler

For our very own little dragon, such a cutie patootie!

So much for doing more this month, but it's better than nothing!

Be sure to see what the others have finished this time when you head to Rachel's blog.

Preqel to the Nashville Needlework Market 2025 🦫

And off we went!

Luckily, Amy came on Wednesday afternoon to spend the night before we headed out on Thursday morning, March 5th.

That took about 3.5hrs off of her drive, but we still had over ten to go!

Woot, woot, we finally made it to Tennessee!

With a stop before arriving to Market...

... to Buc-ee's! 🦫

If you've never been to Buc-ee's, you're missing quite a lot! On last year's band trip to Universal Studios in Florida, they had to take the bus (DH and I flew). The bus stopped there and ended up arriving late to the hotel because they spent so long there! The kids loved it and I just didn't get it, until now.

And hey, they had some cross stitch kits!

Here's a YouTube video about this location!

Did we go again on the way home? Yes, twice!!!

We finally arrived!

More to come, it was quite overwhelming. But in a good way! 😀

Trying to promote BLOGGING! 💻

Such fun, Mel @December Stitches interviewed me via Instagram a couple of weeks ago. 

It was so lovely to chat with her and I talked about my "old school" blogging!

You never know, maybe we'll get some new bloggers, Mel included!

You should be able to see it here... 

Interview by Mel at December Stitches

I

It's something she does pretty regularly on her Instagram page - December Stitches.

I met her at Amy's shop, Born To Stitch, on the first day she opened in November. She interviewed her there and brought a wonderful trunk show.

That post is here, in case you missed it.

Here are their new releases coming to Market.

Elvis

Mel also did a tutorial on how he was made.

Otterly Perfect

Naughty List

I'm thinking I really "need" this one!

Feathered Friends - May

I think that's it, but I'll find out for sure next week!

A WICKED Good Time! 💚🪡🩷

Off I flew,

back to NJ last Saturday to enjoy Amy's Wicked Stitching Party at Born To Stitch! 

Tables were set and ready for stitchers.

(Balloons were moved later)

And this was all done before I got there!

Not everyone made it due to the iffy weather, but still a great crowd!

Plenty of room for all. And such great lighting, no need for any lamps.

It didn't take too long for silence with everyone stitching and watching the movie. It's the quietest I've ever "heard" in a stitching gathering! 😆

We chose our colour! 💚🩷

Amy did a great job with the goody bags.

No surprise, I got green!

And what's a party without dessert?

I made the brownies and mini chocolate cookies, Debbie made the iced sugar cookies.

We had pizza before this, although I would have been happy with just dessert!

Thankfully, there were also green cupcakes, just not opened yet.

She even decorated the water bottles!

For every $25 you spent, your name was put in a raffle for these two charts and accessories. 

They are also available to purchase, I think I need to get the witch... you know, if I don't win!

Even the bathroom was Wicked!

Because some people didn't come due to the weather, Amy offered another Wicked event this past Saturday. Darn it, if only I wasn't three hours away, I would have gone again!

Our next adventure together will be to the Nashville Needlework Market. Amy asked me to go with her to help. From what I've heard, we'll be running here, there, and everywhere!

If you haven't seen all the amazing new charts that are coming out, take a look at what she's been posting at the Born to Stitch albums.

Has anyone ever been, or maybe you're going too? Please let me know! Or do you have any tips?

Fully Finished Gallery - February 2025 🖼

Welcome to Rachel's 

Fully Finished Gallery SAL for February 2025.

This is a great way to make sure I actually fully finish my stitched pieces! 

Please consider joining this monthly SAL, it just might inspire you.

I've had this sweet koala stitched since 2020. It's from The Blackberry Rabbit and it was for the Australian Bushfire Appeal. The profits went to the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital.

I had the frame and thought it would be nice in it.

That's it for this time, hopefully I'll do better next month!

I'm a little behind on my blog reading, but I will be catching up to what the others have fully finished. I hope you check them out too.

Super Bowl Retreat 2025 🏈

Bring on the Super Bowl... Retreat!

My setup for the weekend.

Of course we needed our candy/snack area in the middle of the table.

Brenda's birthday was on that Thursday, so I gave her these framed photos as a gift. The bottom one is a shadow box and it has a little frog on top - keep that frog right there and nowhere else! Her favourite colour is pink, so I had to add that pink floss.

We went to The West Essex Diner one night for dinner and brought back dessert for later.

There were sooo many to choose from, from cakes, cheesecakes, pies, and pastries. I had to get the peanut butter cheesecake, delicious!

Our goodie bag, minus the Super Bowl pin which I added to my lanyard. One of the attendees made the cute frog coaster for everyone - adorable!

On Friday, Brenda, Claire, and I went to see Amy at Born to Stitch. It was only about 20 minutes away from the hotel, how could we not go?!

She's still working on getting her online shop open, but I love being there in person!

Some of the goodies I bought, although I forgot to add the beautiful floss. She ordered the Frony Ritter and Mill Hills for me, so they were waiting for me when I got there. If you ever need anything, give her a call and place an order!

It snowed/sleeted on Saturday evening, which had quite a few of the attendees leave early. Since we weren't leaving until after noon on Sunday, I wasn't too worried.

Because of that, the pajama/slipper contest was pretty slim! "Mickey" and I tied so we each won a huge insulated football tumbler. I think you could fit a bottle of wine in it, I'll let you know... 🍷🤣

This chick loved seeing it snow!

One of the stitchers brought a huge stash from a friend who was downsizing due to moving to an assisted living facility. She is also suffering from dementia, so she's really not stitching anymore. So terribly sad.

She brought finished pieces, partially finished pieces, fully kitted charts, books, charts, and other misc items. Charts were going for $1, kits were various prices depending on how big and what was in them. All the money was going back to her friend.

I think I spent about $60 or so? This is what I got, I think I took a photo of everything?!

I just love that sweet little owl!

All the Santa's Closet charts together were $15, with everything included.

What a treasure to find these two witches, especially after Brooke's recent passing.😥

So sweet!

I think all I have to do is put it together.

More fun finds. The bigger ones all came with fabric, and one of them with variegated floss.

This one didn't come with a pattern and I'm wondering if the witch's face was supposed to be left out. I'll have to look for this online. Unless maybe you've stitched it and can tell me?

More finished pieces that just need to be put together.

And all the ones she's finished are stitched beautifully.

The group, before fleeing the snow/sleet!

Our table, these girls are fun as always!

I'm already looking forward to our next stitching event!