A new doll! Can you believe it!!

A basic sculpt in the early stages, but hey, its sumthin'!! LOL!

Merry Chrtistmas 2009!

I hope your Christmas is as joyful as ever!!

A finish and a WIP

I finished Primitive Stocking by CHS. The picture doesn't show the true color of the fabric.

Here is a close up.

                                                  This one shows the fabric color a little better.

Primitive Stocking by Carriage House Samplings

40 ct. Autumn Gold from Lakeside Linens

DMC

And here is my WIP of houses which I had a little time to work on over the weekend. I am loving this with the 2 strand coverage.

Happy Thanksiving!

Hey! Look at this!

Progress on my January release.

Stitcher's home

Don't you love to look at the way styitchers decorate with their stitching? I do! Here is the home of  Barb Hutson  the designer behind Queenstown Sampler Designs. I LOVE the mural her husband painted!

Barb Hutson's home

Highways and Hedges

Highways and Hedges

Model stitched on 40ct. Light Exemplar from Lakeside Linens

Stitch count: 239w X 159h 

Available NOW for sale at my website.

It will be available to your LNS within a couple of weeks, so please ask for it by name!!

Some close-up details:

 

An embarrassing finsh!

I pulled this one out of the drawer the other day and saw that there were only like 2 letters and the bottom band of water left to stitch. So I quickly finished it up in one night!
A Mermaids Song

Designed by Ruth Ann Russell

Published in Sampler and Antique Quarterly Vol. 22

32 ct. Belfast linen

DMC threads

Yes, the date on it says 2005! Isn't that pathetic! LOL!! I hate to admit how old some of my WIPs are. I began this year vowing to really make a dent in them, hence THIS embarrassing post! But, alas, I have only finished 3. Yes, sadly 3. *sigh* Well, theres always next year,(and/or my stitching guild's annual tag sale!)I do love the queen stitch in the mermaids tail, and the eyelets sea flowers.These over 1 letters were quite a "pain in the neck" but they are very effective here and I'm quite proud of them! So all in all a nice finish, can't wait to get it framed-it is the first piece in my future mermaid wall.

And on another note, last week was my birthday so I treated myself to the chart "Paradise Lost" by Plum Street Samplers. I know I know, as a designer I have no business even thinking about stitching for myself, but if I didn't love cross stitch and get excited about new releases, I wouldn't be much use in this profession, would I? So maybe I'll get a chance to put in a stitch here or there, and it will probably take me until 2014 to finish this one, but it does get me all inspired!And just to prove that I am not shirking my duty, here is a snap of "Folk Art Flowers" a future release!

I can't resist-one more tease!

Here are the flower girls and their baskets!

Tease tease tease!!!

In the Highways is on its way to the framer!Here is the house and hill finished!!!

Downloadable Patterns!

Hey guess what! You can now download my patterns from a website called Patternmart! You just pay through Paypal and then you can instantly download the pattern in PDF format! Isn't that neat! The advantage, besides the instant gratification of receiving the pattern right away, is that you don't have to pay shipping and the pattern price point is CHEAPER!!! Isn't that cool!
Just click the link below and it will take you there.


All Hallow's Eve Cross Stitch Pattern


Model stitched on 28 ct, Antique White Cashel Linen, with 2 strands of DMC floss over 2 linen ...

Price: US$7.00


Not all of my patterns are on the site yet, I am still in the process of converting my patterns to PDF, and getting them uploaded, so check the site often to see what is available. Some of the doll patterns will NOT be downloadable, due to the large size. How ever, I will be offering them there as a "mail only" pattern on a limited basis, at a lower price! You will just have to check and see what is available! Exciting, don't you think!

In the home stretch!

I am so close to finishing the model for my next release! I can't show you yet, but here is a sneak peek!Look familiar? I've shown this once before! But this is all you can see until it is all ready for release.

I will tell you the verse,
"In the highways, in the hedges, I'll be somewhere working for my Lord."
Its from an old, old tune by folk legend Mother Mabel Carter!
hehe!

Annie Beez Folk Art at the Online Needlework Show

Be sure to pop in and visit my booth at the Online Needlework Show. It opens tomorrow, Wednesday, Oct.7 at 2PM. see you there!click the banner to go to the show!

And the winner is....!

Happy Cottage Quilter!!! with the winning entry Patch a Boo!

So thank you very much and be sure to email me with your shipping address so I can send you a pattern and some goodies!
And just for fun here are some more close-ups now that "Patch a Boo!" is all quilted.

Halloween Quilt Progress and a contest!!

Edited to add: Here is my quilt all finished! I will pick a contest winner tomorrow(10-1-09), so you have 1 more day to enter your name! Good luck!
I have used just one "honeybun"(a moda pre-cut) to make this quilt, plus a little yardage for the embroidered squares, backing and binding.The fabric line is called "Gobble Gobble" by Sandy Gervais for Moda. Great colors in this fabric and I love the slightly modern flowers with a primitive twist.
There are 7 embroidered blocks and 2 pieced strips, or rectangular blocks. Super simple piecing anyone can handle it.
I really had a blast designing this. I'm just waiting for my extra yardabe for the backing and then I will get it quilted. Meanwhile I'm busy writing the directions.

So here is the contest part! I need a name for this quilt! Just leave your suggestions in a comment and if I pick your title you will win a copy of the pattern and some other little goodies!! So come on creative girls!! Help me out! Halloween Quilt is so boring!I need a good name!

We are so proud!

Here is Lucas and his roomate(and best friend since kindergarten) Miguel on move-in day at Marquette U in Milwaukee. He is in the bio-medical engineering program. It is really a challenge-he has tons of classes with tons of work. But he is loving it! We are so proud of him!Go Lukie!(ha!ha! don't tell him I called him that!)
(and yes! That long crazy hair and scruffy beard have got to go! Typical college freshman coming out of a Catholic high school-he can grow his hair as long as he wants for the first time in his life!)

A one-woman show

Here is my workspace, yes, that's right, also my bedroom! LOL!I don't have a seamstress working for me, or any embroiderers, or graphic artist, photographer, publicist, or even an editor!
During the day my bed holds my makeshift quilt design wall, and all of the things I need while I'm working.
I put my favorite music on the computer...
Rev up the old Babylock and I'm on my way!
So if you wonder why it takes me so long to get new designs out, or why I'm still working on Halloween the last week of September! LOL! It's just me here, wearing my designer hat everyday from 8AM until 2:30PM. Don't you think the school day should be longer? I do! :^)

A couple of close-ups

All Hallow's Eve~NEW CHART!!

Click on the image for an awesome close-up!
(Hey! I've seen that owl before!)

Sneak Peak!

I've got Halloween on the mind these days. Here is a peek at what will become a little halloween quilt.

Colonial Gardener is ready!

Colonial Gardener will be available to ship on Tuesday, August 25. Please visit my website for ordering information.

Oh gosh and golly!!

I am so excited by how great my pillow came out! I just had to share! I even did the quilting myself! I am inspired and happy! I will be pattern writing all next week, so look for this one soon!

Moda pre-cut sweetness!

I bought some pre-cuts for future projects. This is Mill House Inn by Fig Tree Quilts. I love these pre-cuts and I will have so much fun playing with them!

A little piecing going on

NOW, how do I quilt it?

To answer Nancy's question, yes this is my original design. Thank you for asking!

Edited to add:
Yes I will be marketing this design, and you guessed it, it is the first of a series of seasonal pillows. Thank you so much for your comments and questions, it really helps to keep me enthused as I work here in my studio alone. :)

A little stitchery going on...

LOL!

She said yes to the dress!

We started looking for a wedding dress for Chelsea yesterday. I did not expect to find anything-it was our first day looking. We tried one of those chain bridal stores, but then we went to a great little boutique and she fell in love with 3 dresses, and then finally chose one! I can't believe it! The very first day! Here are pictures of 3 of the runners up. I won't reveal the gorgeous dress she got, but let me just say it is stunning!! Elegant! Unbelievable! She looks absolutely radiant in it! You'll have to wait for the wedding pictures next June to see!
This is the first runner up at the first store we went to.

Here is runner up #3 at the 2nd store. The pictures really don't do this dress justice-it was really pretty.And finally the first runner up. It really ended up being a choice between this one and the dress she chose! This one was SO sparkly!

The very first dress she tried on, I got all choked up!It was really something to see my little darling standing there in a wedding dress! So awesome-we had a wonderful day!