Summer's End

 The end of August already.  Hard to believe.  In some ways time is flying by but in other ways it seems like we are going to be stuck in this 2020 rut eternally!

At least I have a finish for this month!

A Scottish Sampler by Downunder Designs

This is a design from 1990.  In fact, the DMC that was pulled for it was still in the black paper wrappers.  Since I probably would never have started it without the "incentive" of social isolation/quarantine I decided to go with the original 1990s colors and mark it with COVID.  Not that any of us will ever forget this year!

I also did a little finishing   I am so bad at it and I really don't enjoy it in the least.  I am exhausted by the time I get one thing done.  I don't know how all these stitchers finish their things so beautifully.  I have watched alot of tutorials, but simply don't have the patience or the talent.  I can frame things OK, but finishing all those cute this things....not so much.  When I earn my next million I think I will have all my projects professionally finished.  

I am going to be concentrating on a birth sampler for the month of September since the baby is due in October.  Nothing like waiting until the last minute.   I will post photos and information as soon as it arrives. (the chart, not the baby)

Thanks for stopping by.  I appreciate your visits very much.  I hope you are all staying safe and healthy.  

Summer Overwhelming

Linen & Thread 2020 SAL

Completed  Part 8.  I am amazed at myself for getting through all 8 months.  So far, so good.

 The Little Red Chair by the Scarlett House

I was really not happy with the red DMC tha was called for (498) It looked more fuschia than I wanted.  I went through the silks I have and was afraid I did not have enough....I had none of the Weeks Dye Works that were called for, and the Gloriana Silks are not available (probably a good thing since they are so costly).  So, I changed the red to GAST Buckeye Scarlet.  I like it better but it still is not as rich a red as I would like.  But I have several skeins of it and this is the odd dye lot that is more red than the other two so I am going to use it.  The blue that is called for seems odd to me.    I substituted 814 DMC  for the blue in the rose and used Toasted Barley (GAST) for the vase and seats of the chairs.   If I had it to do over again I would use a richer, darker blue.  Then again, I am so bad with color it is probably better than I go with what is called for.  

The Scotish Sampler

The colors are very "1990" but I am going with it anyway.  The photo did not look anything close to the actual colors that are called out.  It is quite a change of pace from all the brown and gold tones that many of my recent projects have included.  This one actually has light blue and light pink.....makes me think of a birth sampler.  But I do like it in a wierd sort of way.  I hope to finish it this month.  

Friends of the Heart

This project is a joy.  Not sure if it is the design, the color, the fabric or the blocks of color that are so much fun.  It is going to take alot longer than I originally thought but that is OK.  

Victoria's Garden by Heartstring Samplery. 

 It is one of those where the border is not a set pattern.    Have to really pay attention and follow the chart but I think I am going to enjoy it going forward.  I am using the called for threads (I must have bought them when I bought the chart) which are a combination of Gentle Arts and Weeks Dye Works.   

So, halfway through the year now I have had 20 starts and 16 finishes, some bigger than others.  On track for my 20 in 20 goal for finishes.  I must admit I am a little overwhelmed and need to stop starting new projects until I get a few more finishes.  We will see if that happens.

Meanwhile:

Life goes on here on the Bend!

This is the second little tank of destruction we have caught this year.  Last year I caught 10 or was it 12, I cannot remember now.  The Armadillo is not native to Texas even though it seems it has been adopted as a symbol of the state.  Who knows why.   Probably because they are everywhere it seems.

That is all the news for now.   Still staying home, still isolating, still avoiding the news at all costs so I feel kind of out of the loop.  Not sure it is a loop I want to be in anyway!!

Stay safe.

Thanks for visiting.

  

July

It is definitely July in Texas.   Hot and Humid; and back under a stay home order.    Good  reasons to stay inside and stitch.  As if I need a reason!!!

So far July has been a productive month if not a difficult one.

Finishes:

Willow Tree Sampler by Carriage House 

The Witch's Garden by Pinebery Lane  (Part of the Quaint County Ladies from Dying to Stitch)

A fun little stitch that came kitted with 36 count R&R Liberty Gathering Gre linen and weeks threads.  This came with the materials to make a little pin cushion pillow so I may do that later.  The fabric is wonderful to use.  

I kitted up the Garden series from BlackBird Designs (all 12)  with the called for 32 count linens instead of he 36 count I had originally planned.  Not sure when I will start it, but I will be using 2 threads over 2 on the 36 count.  I am kitting in DMC since the overdyed threads are so hard find and pricey.  My plan is to do them all and stitch them together but we will see how that goes.  Stay tuned.

I do have a couple of new starts in mind for this rest of this month and I have plenty of works in progress to keep me occupied in the meantime.

Thank you for visiting.

Stay safe, stay well.

Stitching the Summer Away

Well, June is not the finish palooza I had originally planned, but I did make headway on several projects thanks to the June stitching challenge by Embroidery.com where I stitch at least 30 minutes a day.

  

Linen & Threads 2020 SAL June installment done

Making progress on Catherine Sheppard and hope to have it finished this week.  And, yes, the berry bowl on the right is wrong, but I am leaving it.  I chalk it up to COVID brain.

Enjoying Willow Tree Sampler by Carriage House

New Starts:

Blackwater Hollow Sampler by Stacy Nash:  

Doing this for my sister so I will be making some alterations to the pattern.  Will be leaving off the wording at the bottom, also changing the house to make it look like her house and will be adding an animal or so and changing the horse to a dog (if I can figure it out.)  I decided since it is on a 30 count fabric (it is coffee dyed so that "stain" is supposed to be there)  I would use Sulky #12 threads.  So the colors will be very different.  I am not liking that yellow so I decided to do eveything around it and then decide on the color to substitute for "chamomile" by GAST.  I am a little anxious about all the changes as thing usually don't turn out to well when I try to create my own color way, but we will see.

I notice you can see where some frogging has taken place!

Just an FYI....

If you have not ordered or checked our Hobby House Needleworks, they have some terrific patterns and they have 37 and 38 count fabric that is simply stunning.  They are also extremely efficient and ship really fast.  Here is what I got this week:  A few charts that were on sale (just what I need, right) and two very beautiful fabrics.   I have several "gift" stitches in this group so I am pretty excited about starting a couple of these.

One more side note:  Blogger seems to have made alot of changes so I am having a little trouble until I figure it out.  Not sure why they decided to make things more difficult for us old folks.  I think it is a younger generational conspiracy to make me think I am loosing my mind.....HA

Please stay as safe as possible.

Thanks so much for visiting.

June Already

I am planning to make June the month of finishes since we are now halfway through the year.  It is hard to believe.  I say that every  month...that it has gone by so fast.  Truthfully, it goes by in its correct time; I just feel like I miss alot of it!   HA


Am only going to post significant progress and finishes for a while.  I look back at my posts and they look terribly boring!

Embroidery.com is having another "stitch 30 minutes a day" motivation thing for this month.  I am trying very hard to stay positive and motivated and I am sure this will help.

FINISHED

Vintage Birds by Jeannette Douglas

This project was pretty "fiddly" and I made a ton of mistakes and did alot of ripping out of stitches, but all in all, I still really like the project.  The colors are fantastic and there are alot of them.  This is alot smaller than I originally thought it would be....good thing as I think I would have run out of patience with it if it were much bigger.  I have to say that I am really glad I saved the eyelet stitches until the last.  It was really nice to sit and stitch those.

I outlined my initials in the alphabet so I am not sure if I will put something in the "blank space" where the initials are, or if I will leave it.  I kind of like the open space, but who knows what I will do by the time I frame it.







October Ride, Fancy Blacket by Pineberry Lane

Big mistake across the top but I am leaving it!  I have had this in progress since 2017...hard to believe.  Not sure why it took me so long to get it done.



I hope you are well and staying safe.  There is so much chaos right now it is kind of hard to concentrate on anything.  I have sort of cut myself off from the news, posts about the news and folks to like to talk about the news.   I think I am better off un-informed than ill-informed but who knows.  Just like alot of folks, I am doing whatever I need to do to get myself through each day.  Stitching, dogs and plants help!

Thank you for visiting.

More May Starts

Still in the "new start" mode for some reason.  I really need a finish so I gotta get going in these last few days of May.

NEW STARTS


Willow Tree Sampler by The Carriage House

40 Count Lambswool by Wichelt...DMC threads one over two.  I have had this kitted for a long time and am really enjoying it.  It is a relaxing stitch.  Seems like I just thread the needle, count the row and get after it!




Witch by Glendon Place

Am doing just the words for this piece as a gift.  I am using sulky #12 threads in two colors.  This is a piece of fabric that was purple.  I am not sure what I did to it to change the color.  Am using this for my "outdoor" project but it has been a little rainy for patio stitching lately.





Catherine Sheppard by Scattered Seeds

I am doing this on a piece of  36 count Platinum linen that I coffee and tea dyed.   The pattern calls for DMC, but I decided to use Soi dAlger silks instead and I am really, really enjoying it.  This is not a large project (127 x 167) so I hope to get it done by the end of June (HAHA) .  Was going great guns until I saw the one over one for the name and date...yuk....have to be in the zone to do that.


PROGRESS



Home Sweet Home by Pineberry Lane

Am making changes to make the house look like the "house on the bend" and going to add "Est. 2012" along the top as soon as I get it charted.  This is going a little slower than I had expected.  This is on a piece of 40 count linen that came from Stitchy Box years ago and I am using DMC.



Isabella Uffindel by Hands Across the Sea Samplers

Not sure why this is going so slowly.  I enjoy it when I work on it, but it seems to be on the back burner for the moment.




Vintage Birds by Jeannette Douglas

Am so enjoying this...yes, there are alot of color changes.  I really is a great piece though and I am enjoying it.  The colors are fantastic.  For some reason, this project has caused alot of errors and much ripping out of stitches.....seems to be cursed!  ha.





Perfect World 

Finally finished completely and ready for framing.... I said I was using Raven, but it is actually "Black Crow" from gentle arts..  Because I live on a river I am pleased with the blueish variegation that this thread has but it does not photograph as beautiful as it really is.  This is one of those projects that looks better than it photographs.  I really like it.

Got two pieces framed and hung.


I painted a coffee ring over the motif that I thought was too light.  It isn't exactly what I invisioned, but it is close enough for me.  I like this little piece.





I am have a lot of trouble getting into Hannah Longstreth.  I think it is the fabric.  I really like the NPI silk but the 45 count Jersey Cream just isn't working for me.   So, Hannah is in time out.  I may or may not choose a different fabric and start it again, or I may choose to do it on banding.  I think I will take a good look at the pattern and see if there are any motifs I want to use for anything.  But for the time being she is put away.  I have not done this in a very long time.  Giving up on a project is hard for me but I just cannot get into it right now.

Hope you are well and staying safe.

Thank you for visiting.

Mid March Update

Wanted to get a post in before we head off to Texas for the year.

Had a finish early this month:

Home of a Needleworker by Little House Needleworks

Thanks to Sampler Sundays at the Little House/Country Cottage facebook challenge this has finally been finished.







WIP Progress:

Coffee Quaker by Heartstring Samplers

I gotta tell ya, this project is really giving me fits.  After stitching one of the motifs three times, I found out it was in the wrong place....so time number four a moved it to its proper location....then, as I was preparing for the far right motif, I discovered I had done the "problem" motif in the wrong color....I am leaving it and adjusting the colors as needed.  Holy cow this project has become a pain.  But I am sticking with it.





The Library by Little House Needleworks

This is not on the Sampler Sunday list, but I am still working on this on Sundays




Linen & Threads 2020 SAL

Part 3 for March all done (the bottom three motifs).  I have still not decided on the initials at this point.  Perhaps if someone expresses an interest in having it when completed I can put in initials that have meaning for them.  Who knows.

A Perfect World by The Scarlett House

This project has lead me to discover I am not so fond of stitching houses.  It gets alot of attention, but is slow going.





Tis a Lovely Bird by Homespun Elegance

Thanks to a couple of hours in a waiting room this bird is coming along nicely  Would like to finish it this month but we will see.



Frances Pool by Brenda Gervais

Once again I am finding the colors a little strange, but I am going to stick with it as charted.  Sage green birds seem a little off to me, as to Red Rock colored squirrels!!  I am enjoying this very much.  I like that is not a huge sampler as some of the projects I have in the wings.

l




Extras:

Another great find that my Mother-In-Law stitched from a Paragon kit in the mid 60's.  I feel so lucky to have it.  It fit perfectly in a frame from Amazon and hangs in the dining room with her other piece.






Most projects will be packed away during our trip and I will work on a select couple.  

We are planning a stop at The Attic needleshop in Mesa, AZ if time and weather permit.  Since I rarely visit an actual needle shop I am looking forward to it.  The last time I visited one many years ago I was so overwhelmed I did not buy anything!  

Thanks for stopping by.  I have still not mastered the "comments" section of this blogging thing so please know that I read the comments and I do reply, but my replies do not seem to show up!

WIPocalypse End of February

HAPPY LEAP DAY....

This is a long post with lots of photos!  I got on a roll this month for some reason so I have lots to share.

Be sure to check out 2020 WIPocalypse:  What do I listen to while I stitch?  Flosstube and/or some movie or true crime show.  And sometimes, nothing.

The Challenge from Embroidery.com was to stitch for 30 minutes a day (at least) and post progress daily.  That has really helped me get alot done on my projects.  I am going to try to continue the 30 minutes a day on a focus piece and see how it goes.

I have a goal of 20 finishes for 2020 so I need to average about two finishes a month.  I am on my way and have several pieces that are close.  Of course my goal of 20 starts is not a problem since I have so many kitted and ready.

Before I start, I want to show you a sampler that my Mother-in-Law did in about 1965.  Thanks to so many generous and knowledgable stitchers on facebook at Sampler World, I was able to find it (found a kit for it on EBay) and found that the original sampler is called Catherine Ann Speel worked in 1805 and is at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in Pennsylvania.  So amazing.  I just adore it.  I also found that the Attic in Mesa, Arizona may have the reproduced chart.  Might be interesting to do it if I can find the chart.  What a wonderful family heirloom this is.






February Finishes:

Elizabeth Poole 1838 by Threads of Gold



Good Luck Always probably from Cross Stitch Magazine



And I posted the finish of Easter Parade earlier in the month.


New Starts:

Frances Pool by With Thy Needle and Thread




I am enjoying this so much so far.  I am using the threads as suggested and the colors are a little odd to me, but that is kind of common for me and samplers it seems.  But I am still enjoying them and have many ready to start.

Learning Stitches



This is an on line class I am taking through Sassy Jacks.  These are stitches in a Jeanette Douglas book made into a band sampler.  I am too cheap to buy banding so I took a piece of fabric that was 36" long and created banding for it and am using variegated DMC threads that I have on hand.  I will never use them for anything else.  It is kind of ugly, but it is for learning, not display!  HA


Progress:These projects have my attention at the monent so there has been progress for this month.

A Perfect World by The Scarlett House



This was my 30 minutes a day focus piece for February and I am very pleased with the progress I have made.  I am still on the fence about doing all the black that is called for at the bottom.  I kind of hate to leave it off, but I might hate doing it worse!  Perhaps I will tent stitch it??


Coffee Quaker by Heartstring Samplery



This project was a frogging nightmare so I decided that I would "grid" the motifs before I start them to make sure they are lined up property

Tis a Lovely Bird by Homespun Elegance



My travel piece since it is on 28 count fabric (I can actually see it).

Still My Sunday Sampler Focus Pices from Little House Needleworks

Home of a Needleworker



The Library





Knotgarden by Chatelaine



I am not making any progress on this for some reason so the goals of finishing it before mid-March is definitely not going to happen.  Not sure why, but I am not feeling this one right now so I guess it will have to travel back to Texas once again.


S.L. 1862 Small Sampler  by Lila's Studio



I tried to do this little sampler with the DMC conversion andd the colors were just terrible to me.  I also was getting a little "browned out" from the samplers that I am doing so I decided to dig out the left over silk threads I had from the Chatelaine and other projects that calledl for various silks.  It is quite a variety of colors and I am just winging it.  Now, bear in mind that I am not good at putting colors together so I am just playing with these threads.   The bad news is that it has really made he remember how wonderful it is to stitch with silks.  Especially with a single thread.  Oh my how wonderful it is to have the thread just gliding through the fabric.....heaven on the needle.

2020 SAL from Linen and Threads


A very small start of Part 3



And finally, I framed one of last year's finishes.  I really like this piece and even with the alphabets (which I am not too fond of stitching) I did enjoy doing it.  I left off the french knots that were called for in the skirt and basket of which is supposed to be donuts...looks like flowers to me.  And this piece has a million "customizations" (my term for errors) but I still like it.  I got the frame from Amazon.

Coffee Saves Lives by  Heartstring Samplery



Thank you for stopping by.  Be sure to hop around to other WIPocaplyse posts.

Weekly WIP Update

Have made some decent progress this week on a couple of WIPs and have done a little more kitting.  I also inventoried my fabric (well, the  neutral colors for samplers that is) and added them to my XStitch Plus app.



A Perfect World by Scarlet House

Just prepared it for starting on the 20th of the month.  It is on a scroll frame and I think I am going to grid it....not sure.  Will share the linen choice when I get it actually started.

Linen and Threads 2020 SAL

January is done.  Am pretty happy with it so far.

Beggars Valentine

Really want to finish this before the end of the month so it is getting alot of attention

Knot Garden by Chatelaine Designs

I got some of the specialty stitches and beading done in the two upper corners.  Will begin to work my way down the piece hopefully this weekend.  I am trying to use Saturday for my Chatelaines....

Mary Oakley, 1818 by Pineberry Lane

A Finish!!  I changed so much on this.  I wanted to work it with threads from my inventory so the colors are not anywhere close to what is charted.  I like it anyway.  It is a wierd size so I will be trying to frame it in the next couple of weeks.

That is it for this week.  I will be participating in Sampler Sunday again this week and will be working on my Little House needleworks projects that day.

Thank you for visiting.