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.

New Month, New Starts

Am a little late with this weeks update.  Not sure what I have been doing, but I have been busy.  Did some stitching, of course.  Cannot believe it is already Friday!

New Starts:

I have had the start bug lately, so I just went with it.

Hannah Longstreth by Queenstown Samplers

I really had to resist tea or coffee dying the fabric ( 45 count Jersey Cream) because this project looks so stark.  It is a departure  from the other samplers I have been doing lately that are on dyed fabric.  I have to say, so far this 45 count has been a real challenge for me.  I am really enjoying working with the NPI silks.  I think this would be even more challenging with cotton thread.  I have found that I have to be in the "zone" to work on this and I have not been there for a couple of days!






Home Sweet Home by Pineberry Lane


Just a fun little smallish piece.  Am doing this on 40 count fabric so it will be quite small.  I am going to add some personalization on it so stay tuned.





Be Happy, Humble and Kind by Brenda Gervais, With The Needle and Thread


I have been wanting to do this one for a while but I made some changes.  Am stitching it from what I have on hand so the colors are different, and I moved all the words to the top.  As with most of Brenda's patterns there are large areas to be stitched.  There is a house on the giant flower vase and I am not looking forward to it!  Doing this on 36 count Rocky Mountain from JuDesigns one over two.  Not sure how I ended up with this fabric, but it is very nice.




Progress:

A Perfect World by

Decided to put the "black" on this project.  It is Raven by GAST rather than anchor or DMC.  Somehow I ended up with three skeins so what the heck!  It will be a good mindless stitch (as mindless as 40 count can be!).  I am really appreciating the blue tint in the "Raven" thread.  Not sure how I will personalize it at this point.



Isabella Uffindel by Hands Across the Sea Samplers

Started Page 4.  I am looking forward to getting the top completed, but that doesn't happen until page 5!  I am trying to take my time because I can be so bad at the counting part of counted cross stitch, but I do need to give this piece some love this week.



Vintage Birds by Jeannette Douglas

This is going well, but once again I am off in a couple of places by a little.  I am leaving it.    It is really a nice stitch.  I decided to back stitch the letters in the alphabet for my initials instead of try to fit them in.  As with most of her patterns, this one is so lovely, with lots of color changes that are somewhat subtle but really make the piece interesting once it is done.



Finished:

Coffee Quaker by Heartstring Samplery

I started this (well, honestly I had two stitches on it) when I was putting the year on the project first....I was pretty ambitious back then....perhaps I will just note that this is the start date and put 2020  somewhere else on the project.  The only thing I reallly don't care for is the yellow motif in the middle just above all the wording.  It just does not appeal to me and looks like there is a big blank space.  But, redo it....probably not.  I am even thinking of spraying or blotting it with some coffee to darken it up a bit. I am thinking, looking at the photo, that a coffee ring on that motif (as if I set a cup on it) would be perfect.  Yikes, what a thought.





That is it for this week's late update.

I hope you are well and getting along through this wierdness.

Thanks so much for visiting.

May (or may not)

Finish:

Out on a Limb by Scattered Seeds Samplers

This is the first of the Scattered Seeds club projects.  It was a nice stitch, but I don't think I will make a pin keep.  Not sure how I will finish.  I will probably wait to see the other pieces this year to make a decision.  That is the fabric that came in the kit for finishing, by the way.



Oh heck, I see a mistake.....lets just say it is a "customization".  I don't like stitching words so I left off the "Little" that is supposed to go at the top on purpose.

New Start:

Hanna Longstreth by Queenstown Samplers
May 1, 2020

This is a Stitch a Long with Gary and Vonna of Fibertalk.  I wanted to do a silk project and when I learned that all the proceeds are going toward the medical school expenses of the designers Great Niece who is related to and is named Hannah Longstreth....well, what can I say.

The challenge for me with this piece is that is is on 45 count linen....hello magnifiers...and the motifs are spread out with nothin in between....hello gridding.


Progress:

Coffee Quaker by Heartstrings Samplery


Not sure why this is taking so long.  I make alot of mistakes and need to do the gridding for some of the upcoming motifs to try to mitigate some of that.

Isabella Uffindel by Hands Across the Sea


Page 3 is complete....starting page 4 this week.


Vintage Birds by Jeannette Douglas


I am really enjoying this....the letters are very nice and the colors are beautiful.  Am waiting for one of the colors (Loganberry).


Elizabeth Jones by La D Da


I am not enjoying this, so may take it off the frame and put it in time out for a while.  It is not the fabric (although I don't like the fabric) but I just cannot seem to get into the groove so it needs a rest.
I think the photo coming out so wierd is a sign!  HA



The Library by Litte House Needleworks



Trying to work on this for Sampler Sunday, but it is going slowly.  Am using it to practice a couple of techniques so I am not whipping through it.


I am getting a little bogged down I think so I am going to pull some smaller seasonal projects that I can work on.

All the photos seem a little wonky today but I am sure you get the idea!  Will show ou what I choose to start next week.

Thank for visiting.

Stay safe, stay well.

April Finish and a New Start

Boy did I need a finish this months to keep myself motivated.  So, here it is:

A Perfect World by The Scarlett House

I changed some of the birds to match the ones in my yard better...and I changed the dogs trying to make them a little more like my own (whippets are hard to stitch I think)

All in all, I am pretty happy with how it turned out.  I have ordered some overdyed threads in various shades of black to see if I want to do the bottom.  It does look kind of bare without the bottom portion (where the large flowers are) being filled in.  And if I can find one, I would like to add a couple of bluebonnet looking flowers to it since I have sort of made it resemble home on the river.  The sentiment is me all over so that is why I stitched it.






A new Start on April 17 is a Stitch-a-Long with StitchingMae for her Birthday.


Vintage Birds by Jeannette Douglas

I enjoy her designs because I usually learn alot of specialty stitches (or refresh them).  Her instructions are very easy to follow.  Most specialisty stitches I know I learned from either Chatelaine Designs or Jeannette's designs.  This is not a big project so I should be able to get a finish in May.

Here is my small start



Progress made:

Isabella Uffindel by Hands Across the Sea Samplers

   I am making progress, however it is pretty slow.  I think I need to calm down about it.  This is a 25 page pattern and I am on page 3......


Out on a Limb by Scattered Seeds

I was wanting something small to work on since the rest of my WIPs are really big.  Am doing well on it.




Elizabeth Jones by La D Da

Just plugging along.  Still struggling with the fabric a little, but this is going well for the little time I spend on it lately.

Coffee Quaker by Heartstring Samplery

This is taking me alot longer than I had anticipated.  I seem unable to count some days and end up doing LOTS of frogging which gets a little frustrating




The Library by Little House Needleworks

I really like this project and I like the evenweave fabric.  It IS 2 over 2 which I have been avoiding lately, but it is relaxing to stitch.








For a while I was not sure all this COVID stuff was affecting me, other than not being able to get bleach for a week or so.  I am getting really, really disgusted with all the price gouging that I notice happening.  I decided to start a list of folks I will not longer frequent due to their current practices.  I am sure they won't miss me, but it will make me feel better.  Maybe.

The other thing that has just started happening for me is that simple things like some DMC floss is really, really hard to find.  I know GAST has stopped production.  It is not that I don't have enough projects kitted up.  I need to just be greatful for what I have and stop trying to support the economy by kitting up more and more projects.  I think it is stress that is making me get ahead of myself.  I am more than a little tense lately....need to focus on these projects and stop loooking for something else!

Our weather has improved and we have sunshine and warmth so I am sure that will be a help to my mental health.

That is all for now.    Stay safe, stay well.

Thanks for visiting.