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.

  

Midsummer Start-a-thon

It seems I have the start bug again and I have been kitting projects like crazy.  Probably because we are having record heat and I am staying indoors as much as possible.

Friends of the Heart by Plum Street Samplers

Started using Anchor 403 instead of the DMC 310 and I am not happy with it at all.   It seems fuzzy for some reason.  I am not going to re-do it, but not sure which black I will use going forward.  I am using basically DMC as I don't have the called for Gentle Arts threads, but am substituting a couple of GAST for the pomegranates because I like the variegation.  I am using Ruby Slipper that is left over from some project or another and am happy with how it turned out.  

Harvest Garden by Scattered Seeeds Samplings

I am not sure about this one as the entire alphabet is one over one.  I am looking at this as a discipline exercise although I have not started it yet.   The photo is so much different than in person.  The fabric is very dark.  Interesting how it photographs.  

A Scottish Sampler by Down Under Designs

I have had this for so long the DMC in it is in the black paper labels (some time in the 1990s).  Figured I better get going on it!  I am enjoying this more than I thought I would even through it is on that really stiff Wichelt fabric that likes to fray the thread.  This is a 40 count so I am doing 1 over 2.  

Of course I still have other WIPs hanging around, Isaella Uffindel; The Library and Blackwater Hollow to name a few.....

Kitted:

Garden Club Series by Blackbird Designs that I have been collecting.    I am going to do them on 32 count evenweaves from my stash using DMC 2 over 2.....my plan right now is to stitch them together once they are done, but we will see how far I get.

Am anxious to start these, but on the other hand, I really like to get some finishes done before I start even more.....

Little Red Chair Sampler by The Scarlett House

Fine Feathered Friends by Willow Hill Samplings

It has definitely been a strange and long summer so far.   I am ready, like everyone else, for this year to be over....on the other hand, in some ways it has been a productive year.  I hope I will look back on it with more positivity than I am feeling right now.

Stay safe, stay kind.

Thank you for visiting.  i wish you all the best whatever you are doing.

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.

Finally a Finish

So glad to finally have a finish.  

Catherine Sheppard, 1810 by Scattered Seeds

I wanted to get some experience in with silks before I started a bigger project with them.  I really enjoyed this project, although, as usual, I find that my sense of color and thus my conversion from DMC is a little off.  I like it anyway.  I used a piece of 36 count linen that I coffee dyed.

I learned that I need to really work on my cuticles before I start more silk projects.  Yikes

The Willow Tree Sampler by Carriage House

Halfway through this project and I am enjoying it.  I really like the blackbirds so I am gladl I did not change them to a different color....what WAS I thinking.     

There is one isue with this....the fabric is so stiff that it tends to fray the DMC....so I went to a size 24 needles and that is helping.  It is a 40 count Lambswool but am not sure of the manufacture or where I got it.  

Thanks for stopping by to check out this quick update.  

Stay safe

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.