August Finally Ends

It has been in interesting month.  We have been busy, but I cannot really tell you what we have been busy doing!

Sing for the USA by Brittercup Designs

I changed the color of the bird house from the dark navy to a lighter blue that was used in the Lizzy Kate.  I also thought the leaves on the flagpole looked odd just hanging out there, so I sort of made it a "vine" by running the thread over and through the flag pole.  I am fairly happy with how it turned out.

I added jute around the border so it would coordinate.  Looks kinda plain, but what the heck.  And it was just a lucky coincidence that is turned out about the same size as the Lizzie Kate.....I certainly did not plan it!

I have one more Americana peace lined up.   Perhaps by Labor Day I will feel like doing it.


Ghouls Nigh Out by The Trilogy

Alas, another Halloween project.  It is pretty cute and fast.  It is on 32 count linen and I did it 2 over 2.

Oh Canada Sampler by Jeanette Douglas

I am really enjoying this piece more than I thought I would.  I took an on-line class through Craftsy that was taught by Jeanette Douglas, that helped me understand her chart and instructions.  This is the first time I have ever done a 1 over 2 piece and I am more impressed than I thought I could be.  There is some 1 over 1 which is another thing I have never done before.  The one over one is extremely tedius to me.  I suppose it is worth it but this is going to take longer than I originally thought.

Not sure if this is the way 1 over 1 is supposed to look, but I think I will keep going with it and make it my focus piece for the rest of August.


Mini Mandala 05 by Chatelaine Designs

This project is coming along.  For some reason I am not so fond of it.  But I am sticking it out.

Right now it is the only Chatelaine that I have in the works.  (and I have to say that feels so weird)   I have several kitted up and ready to go, but I am not sure which one I want to start since I sent the Old World Vinery off to my sister so she can have it framed.


Books Reading Books by Heaven and Earth Designs

Have decided that I need to put in more time on this project so I am going to try to do at least an hour or two a day.  It is very confetti heavy (as most HAEDs are) so it takes me a long time.  I do still enjoy it, however.

 Although I have whittled my WIPs down to about 8 I still had trouble organizing them while keeping them handy to pick up and stitch.  I found a canvas tote thingy and it is working out perfectly.

Handles on the side an two sections.  Works perfectly for the bags I use for most projects.  The one behind in the pillow case is the O Canada on its frame.

Thanks so much for visiting and I appreciate every comment, suggestion and hint!

Mid-August Starts, Updates and Finishes

Oh Canada Sampler by Jeanette Douglas

I got this pattern, threads and little pinecone bead at Traditional Stitches in Calgary.  It is kind of intimidating, but so far so good.  There are some areas what are one over one (I do not know which ones they are at this point) and part of me is afraid of it; part of me is looking forward to the challenge.  I am developing a new found interest in samplers.  They have never been my thing......all those letters, words, disconnected motifs.......but I am changing my mind after seeing all the beautiful work that was framed and hanging in the shop in Calgary.

It is done on the recommended 32 count Belfast Linen in Lentil.  I am loving it.  It is done using only one strand of thread.....have never done a project with only one thread and I am really enjoying it.  The stitches look so clean.  I cannot say much for the coveage, but I think that is a "sampler thing" so it is not a big deal like with some projects.  Who knows.  

I got a terrific book about Samplers and have found it interesting and amazing.  I feel another obsession coming into my life.  Oh Boy!

I "aged" a piece of antique white linen to use on one of my sampler projects using coffee (instant crystals) and vanilla.  I am really happy with the subtle color on it.  You will see this again when I start the new project on it.   I am tring not to start anything new until I finish something.  We will see how well that goes.

Old World Vinery by Chatelaine

I am doing this piece for my sister who saw it and wanted it to hang in her new house.  Well, in sharing the progress, she has decided that the entire piece will be way to big for where she wasts to hang it (about 30 x 30 inches).  So, she wants me to complete the middle portion (without the landscape panels) so it will be about 13x13 matted and framed.  At first I was reluctant to do that, but I figured, what the hey, I am doing for her anyway.  And, I can always do it again (thanks to PDF) and would probably just have to get fabric and the beads.  So I added all the crystals and embellishments and it is good to go.   She said she wants to take it to her framer so I will have to write out some instructions mentioning the need for spacers, matting and the fact that the threads are silk and will bleed.  I am sure it will be fine.

These design are so incredible with the beading and intricate stitching they are very difficult to photograph (for me anyway) to do them justice.

I still feel kind of funny about not fully completing the project.  But I suppose it means that I can start one of the Chatelaine Mandala's I have kitted and ready to go.  Which one is the dilemma!

Mini Mandala 05, Chatelaine Designs

Making decent progress on this project.  It is much more "pastel" than the other mini mandala's I have done.  I am pretty happy with it.  It is done on 32 count Belfast Linen in pearl grey.  

Books Reading Books, Heaven and Earth Designs

I finished page 13 and am on to page 14 so not quite half way through the 30 pages.  I have put this back in my rotation.   It needs my attention.  It amazes me how the photo make the picture more clear.

Fully Finished Projects

I did a little ornament finish on "Be a Witch".  I will probably re-stitch this at some point.

And here is the back






And I made the Freedome House (which I am sure you are sick of seeing) into a pillow.

This is the back







A pretty productive couple of weeks when I put it all on one page.  No wonder the house is a mess!   The weather should break soon and I will have to get busy preparing for fall visitors.

I would really like to figure out some kind of rotation to get caught up on all the projects I have in the works.  Perhaps I can hold off starting anything new for a month or so..........or not!

Thanks for visiting.

Oh, to Save a Few Bucks

As many of your know I tend to be a little on the overly thrifty side.  I get most of my frames for projects from thrift stores, Goodwill, etc.  I do not always check carefully to see if they are all wood.

Well, I got a $2 frame for the Blue Heron projects that I did and it was a reddish deep mahogony color so I decide to paint it in a Driftwood paint/stain that I had on hand.  It was a little "sticky", you know how varnish can get when it is old, after I washed it so I decided to sand it down.

I grab my hand sander and start going to town.  Now I am beginning to like this distressed red color that I have going on and thought I could use it in my red, white and blue guest room and get something else for the heron.  Well, I got a tad carried away (really carried away) and ended up destroying the finish completely which was, of course, just applied to a press board frame.  It was so roughed up by the time I quit  messing with it that I thought it was going to be a total loss.

Not one to give up easily, I decided to spray paint the whole thing (rough parts and all) with some spray paint that I used on the brass bathroom light fixtures and mirror frame several of years ago when we finished fixing the house.  So here it is in all its rough glory!

It now hangs in the guest bathroom.  I sometimes amaze myself.  Thanks to Tara C. and her videos I am able to frame using foam core and bridal pins.  I am pretty happy with it.  (Oh, this is it sitting on the floor.  My walls don't look this good!)

Am working away on a couple of the large projects that did not get to go on our recent trip.  I have a little change on Old World Vinery by Chatelaine that I will save until the next post when it is all worked out.

Thanks for visiting.

August Finishes

Had some finishes since we got back.. Hot weather and the Olympics on TV give me plenty of time to stitch.

Freedom House by Little House Needleworks

I enjoyed this piece.  I just used a "scrap" piece of 32 count ivory jazlyn that I did a light stain using coffee.  The fabric is not as "aged" as I would like, but I am pretty happy with it.

  I will probably do a flat wall hanging for this one.  I do not think I really want to frame it.

Wicked is as Wicked Does by Waxing Moon

This is on 32 county linen in Copper Penny.

I did a little bit of backstitching on the hat where the grey was and I changed the cat to a darker grey and added whiskers.  He looked a little naked without whiskers. I backstitched the spiders on the bottom with a darker grey as they were not standing out too well.    I covered a stretched canvas that I had in orange fabric, put the piece on a peace of foam board, glued it all together and think I will be sending this off to my niece who is in college in Illinois.  It looks a little plain jane, but I have never claimed to be a good finisher!

I have to give a shout out to Vonna Pheifer, the Twisted Stitcher,  for her tutorials that gave me the courage to give it a try.

Am working on framing the Blue Heron piece and will share that when I get it done.  Had a little snafu with the frame, but that is another story.

Thanks so much for visiting.

August in Texas

Landed in Abilene, TX after what seemed like a very long trip.  Lots of road work on the way South that slowed us down a bit.  Other than the heat, it is good to be getting back home, although I am kind of sorry to see the trip end.  I doubt we will have a chance for another trip this year other than to head back to California for the winter, but we will see.

I am looking forward to getting back and going through all the "goodies" I got along the way.  I picked up some finishing items during my latest Walmart stop.  Blanco is about 45 minutes from any kind of fabric store other than the local quilt shop.  I just picked up some thread and a few fat quarters of material in standard colors.

I work on my "Freedom" piece today.  It went a little slowly since it is really not easy to cross stitch and travel at the same time.    Doubt I will finish this piece before we get home.   I am wondering what those brown (Chestnut color) star looking things are between the houses.......birds perhaps?

I let Jasmine have the front seat today so I stayed in the back until it got too hot for me to stand.

We should be back in Blanco early tomorrow afternoon so I will go back to blogging every couple of weeks.

Hope to have lots of new things to post as we head out of summer and into the holiday season.  I will be back working on my large Chatelaine projects and hope to finish at least Old World Vinery this year. 

Thanks for joining me on our journey.  We had a great time and are already planning the next one.  Everything on the RV and car worked perfectly and we could not be happier with our first long trip in our newish RV.

Short Update about Shorter Trip

We decided to head back home because the weather is not so great.  It is wierdly hot (perhaps not so wierd for August) all over the central part of the country, and storms are cropping up in the evenings making it hard to decide where to stay.  We originally were going to head a bit East on our way back into Arkansas and Oklahoma but decided we would rather be hot at home and miss some of the storms.

Comments are not showing up embedded in the blog like they are supposed to.  Please do not think that I am not getting them or reading them, I just cannot answer them.

I enjoy every one of your comments and email.  Will post progress this evening when we "land".  I think Abilene, TX but who knows.

Yes, Toto, We ARE in Kansas

We made it to Liberal, KS.  It is kind of funny.  We had a head wind all the way which, according to sweetie pie, cost some gas mileage!  HA

Just in case you have not been in Kansas.  Here it is:

I have to say there is NOTHING, and I do mean nothing, in the middle of Kansas but cows and corn......oh, and wind.

Even Ty is bored and hot!  It was a long day

This RV Park is nice, clean and there is not a tree within 10 miles.  Of course, it is hot.  Glad we have great air conditioners.

I did get everything I could do on the Needlepoint project, Inside the Box done.  I now have to wait for the additional threads, as well as for our next RV trip to get it finished.  It will be this fall.

And finally, the wind is something.  There is nothing to slow it down or stop it so it just blows like crazy!

That is it for today.

Back in Texas tomorrow ---- hurray.  I think we will be in Abilene tomorrow night.

Thanks for visiting.