Introduction

Hello everyone! 

I was invited to this blog by dear Joyce awhile ago, however, I didn't have enough time to post anything about myself until now.  I am an elementary Learning assistance teacher and work like crazy all week and weekends when it's report card time.  Thankfully, I am finished the reports and am now on Spring Break! Woohoo!! Now I have a wee more time to stitch and blog.  

Chatelaine's are just magnificent aren't they?! I have admired Martina's creations for about 4 years now when I discovered her designs.  I've only stitched two of her freebie designs and have one on the go right now, Knotgarden.  Once I am finished with Knotgarden, I hope to start with Hummingbird Garden, a SAL with Joyce, for my mom.  I stitch a lot of other designs, especially old samplers.  I've finished 2 samplers thus far and am working on another.  My aim is to stitch one a year.  I also stitch a lot of smalls and make them into all kinds of finishes and lately, I have been on a big crochet kick.  Something about crocheting in the evening works better for me while I am working.  No need for counting or looking at a pattern, just hooking!!  My blog, Doll's Musings, started 4 years ago and have met and been inspired by many wonderful people along the way.  Without further ado, here are my humble Chatelaine's I have stitched.

Debbie's Roses finished as a biscornu

Tiny Rose Garden Mandala - framed

Knotgarden - WIP for my husband

Looking forward to watching everyone's Chatelaine's grow and become magnificent creations, a feast for the senses!!

Take care!

Anne

A brief introduction

Hello all! My name is Sherona but I'm probably better known as blackmageheart, and I'm an avid gamer and stitcher and...gamestitcher...? Yeah, that. I'm 32, I'm from Durham in the UK and I live in my little house with my 5 year old daughter Ivy, my sister Dolly and our cat Lulu and dog Yuna.
I found out about Chatelaine Designs through the beautiful and talented Joyzse and her Random Ramblings. I had been wanting to stitch one but never got around to it until the idea of the SBCC popped up. So off I went to find me a mandala. I'm dipping my proverbial toe in the proverbial water with the Tiny Rose Garden Mandala and here are a couple of pictures to show you all where I'm at with it!

My Tiny Rose Garden so far!

A close up of the centre

I'm stitching it on a lovely green marble-effect aida, and when I'm done I plan to get myself started on one of the big designs!

Lovely to meet you all and great to be involved with yet another awesome stitching event! Toodles!

Mini Finishes

Hi everyone

Just thought I would drop in and show you my latest Chatelaine finish... Mini Mandala II "A".

I started this at the beginning of April 2013 and finished it mid May 2013. It really was a quick stitch and so enjoyable to stitch.

The colours that appeared while I was stitching this design are so gorgeous...  so much prettier than the photo on the chart pack!  Unless of course I have stitched it with the wrong colours!

Mini Mandala II
Finished May 2013

This design was the first time I had stitched a "Jessica" stitch... and it took me a wee while to get them done... even now I am not sure if they're right....

I haven't as yet started the second one in the series but I am hoping to start the next one very soon.

Mini Mandala II is my second Chatelaine finish.  I thought that I had already shown you my first finish but it appears that maybe I didn't...

My first ever Chatelaine finish was the Tiny Rose Garden Freebie in May 2012.

Tiny Rose Garden
Finished May 2012

I love looking at all the wonderful designs that you are all stitching and I am hoping very soon to tackle one of the larger designs.  I love the designs that Martina creates and reading all about your progress via this blog is wonderful.

Hi y'all! Here to share my Chatelaine obsession!

Hello fellow members of the Chatelaine Collective! Thanks to Joyce for the invite as well, since I have so many Chatelaines going at the present (tho' I'm sure I'm not the only one!). I thought I'd share a little bit about myself and invite you all to visit my StitchinKat's Pawprints Blog. I am a married homemaker and mother of one daughter, almost 17 (she's taking finals this week for her junior year of high school). We live in my home state of North Carolina and I have been stitching for over 30 years, only becoming obsessive in the last 15 however. I discovered Martina's designs when a stitching friend was working on one of the early mysteries, and was facinated! I first tried a couple of her freebies, before jumping in feet first in 2005 into the Egyptian Garden. Next I did the Tree of Hope for New Orleans (now a Cotton Sampler). I have a couple of long standing WiPs, Evening in the Park and Holland Landscapes, and started Hummingbirds earlier this year. I have the Winter Watergarden kitted and ready to start, but got totally distracted by the new Chinese Garden Mandala and had to start it as well! Plus I'm doing the Micro set, having stitched the first two and kitted the third. The fourth and last is due out in August. Also own the Misty Meadows kit (the unicorn box) that I'll get to someday, and have a bunch of the freebies waiting as well. Here is my lineup of finished and framed Chatelaines....the pics should be clickable.

Christmas Tree Mandala

Tiny Rose Mandala

Tree of Hope

Egyptian Garden on SW Days Gone By

These are finished but not framed....

Micro 01

Micro 02

And now the WiPs!!

Evening in the Park through Pt. 8
on SW Blue Mystery Opalescent

Holland Landscapes through Pt. 7
on SW Dreamin' (working on this one right now...
filling in the last window!)

Hummingbird Mandala Pt. 1 on blue opalescent

Chinese Garden Mandala Pt. 1 on black belfast

Feel free to ask any questions about these as to fabric, etc. Working on the Holland piece this week and hope to go back to Chinese Garden next month and get caught up. I am rotating these and a couple of other large pieces this year, sprinkled with smalls in between. So far so good!


--Kathy, aka StitchinKat

My Very First Châtelaine Finish!

I was so inspired by everyone's pictures, I just had to finish my Tiny Rose Mandala Garden!  It's a freebie, and it's small, but it's so pretty!  Now I think I am ready to tackle a full size mandala garden!!!

I stitched it on a purple Opalescent Silkweaver Solo I had laying around.

Rachel's Intro

First, I need to say everyone's Chatelaines are just GORGEOUS!!!

My name is Rachel, I have been stitching for 21 years! I taught myself when I was ten years old.  I am a stay at home mom to an 11 year old and an almost 6 (in 2 weeks!) year old. My blog is Come Stitch With Me.  I am just starting to get into Chatelaine though.  I started a freebie awhile ago, but substituted DMC.  I will try to get it done soon, I think I am close to being halfway through it. 

Right now I am in the process of kitting up my very first full sized Mandala Garden - Medieval Town Mandala.  I also just got the chart for Egypt Garden, and DH told me to go for it and order the Chinese Garden!!!

Thanks for letting me hang out with you all! I am sure I am going to have a lot of questions for you very experienced Chatelaine stitchers!! :)