Winter Thread Keeper

Two finishes, Winter Thread Keeper and Winter fob. Winter Wonderland was what I was working on last post, and had lost the picture. When I got close to being done, I decided to postpone my blog post until I had the piece attached to the Winter Thread Keeper by Impie, Hattie and Bea. The fob was worked over one on a scrap of the same fabric, Raw Linen, I believe, and the design was from Winter Wonderland, by LHN. The front shows the snowman and the back, just one of the trees from the piece. Both pieces were worked as charted. I did "embellish" a bit by making a few of the single stitches Smyrna's, along with the little blue snowflakes. I backed the "pocket" on front with a grey blue dupioni silk that a friend sent me and hand sewed the piece to the front of the keeper. (I also lined the pocket with interfacing for stability.)

A word here. I usually hesitate to voice my opinion on anything, but a while ago, I voiced an opinion on the Impie, Hattie and Bea piece for LHN's Traveling Stitcher. I said that my piece was uneven and that I thought I could do it better. I still think I could have sewn the piece better, and probably could even sew 5 of them better. But, I recently found out that these pieces were all sewn by one person. I definitely could NOT have sewn 100 of them better, or 1000. (I get way too bored, find ways to cut corners, when I do more than one or two of the same items.) Long ago, I did sewing for a stitching store in Michigan, making pillow tops, finishing stitcher's pieces into wall hangings and other things. Almost all of these things were "one of a kind" and therefore didn't bore me. But, when you sew the 10th pillow top, or pin the 12th ruffle, etc, it does get somewhat boring. So, I deeply apologize for my "big mouth" on that post. In doing as many as she did, she did pretty awesome work. Now, with a red face, and a grimace, I will slink back to holding my opinion to myself.

The fob work was practice for all the PIF's I've been working on. I had an idea and wanted to see if it would work, so I practiced on my own piece. Now, on to finishing the other three pieces I've already shown you. I will post a picture when the three are completed. And in between finishes, I have been working on my Shepherd's Bush "Into the Night". I'm past the wording now so better than half done. After that, I'm thinking of doing LHN's "The Library". Just ordered the fabric today.

Autumn has come to northern Indiana, bringing more restful and cool nights. I hope all of you are enjoying the autumn colors which are rich and wonderful this year. Stitch on, dear friends, and thank you so much for your constant encouragement and comments. Until next time. . . . .

EDITED TO ADD: Terri asked for pictures of the inside of the thread keeper and the inside of the finished pocket, so I'm editing this post to add those pictures. Please keep in mind that it's rainy and very dark here in Indiana today, so I wasn't able to take these pictures outside. The dining room table had to suffice. Thanks for looking.

Americana Sampling

Didn't think it would take long to get this one finished up, so here it is, Americana Sampling. This was a limited edition kit for 2005. I changed the date to reflect the year I stitched the piece. This was a fun stitch--but I had to substitute a thread color. It used Crescent colours Bunny Honey but my skein was just too light--the alphabet faded right into the fabric color. I ended up using Country Lane, but even that was really too light. And obviously, my try for interesting photos was a total bust. Maybe one of these days, I'll get a good picture of something.

Haven't touched "Into the Night" lately so no update photo. I will get back to it soon. I've left it on my stitching table to keep it in sight.

On the home front, the animals are being more friendly towards each other, and Banshee is pretty much house broken now. There are still a few encounters with Spooky, the oldest cat, but somehow I think it's all friendly fun. (Spooky comes looking for Banshee, if you get my drift.) Banshee and Boo are such a Mutt and Jeff pair. I snapped this picture the other night--it was just too cute to pass up.

Last night I started LHN's Gentle and Kind, and I'm doing it twice. One will be two over two and one will be one over one. Both are likely to be gifts of some sort. Since I only managed to get a tiny bit of border stitched, I didn't bother taking a picture. There is nothing recognizable there but a line of stitching. Word of warning to anyone stitching any of these charts. The charts are computer generated, and with the alphabet at the bottom for personalization, the computer doesn't put the centering arrows in the correct spots. The same was true for her Traveling Stitcher, which comprised two charts, and the computer chose to put the arrows in between the charts and a lot of people, myself included, started on their linen in the wrong space.

While our weather here is still hot for the most part, we're having a bit cooler temps at night. A welcome relief. It will soon be autumn! Stitch on, dear friends, and thank you for all your wonderful comments.

WIPs and Finishes

Summer is nearly over, and I, for one, am extremely happy about that. Autumn brings cooler evenings, the kids are back in school, and for some, time seems to slow down a bit. I take much joy and solace from my stitching, so I'm happy to report, I have two small finishes and two WIPs.

First, the finishes: Pine Tree Hill by LHN. I think this one was supposed to be an ornament but I plan on framing one and making a scissor fob out of the other. (I thought it too big for a tree ornament.) I saw this design on artisticneedle's finishing album, thought I had the magazine it was in, and YES, amazingly, I did have it. When I started the first one, on 32 count Belfast, I didn't have all the recommended threads, so I substituted Manor Red for the Ruby Slipper I was missing. But, Ruby Slipper arrived soon after, so the second one was done with all the charted colors. I haven't done a lot of over one stitching but I think this one turned out fairly well. This little one will be part of a special project I have planned.










Next up are my work in progresses: Into the Night by Shepherd's Bush, and Americana Sampling by LHN. I'm enjoying both of them, but I had to step away from the Shepherd's Bush piece because I just couldn't concentrate well. Hubby is home, has been in and out for the past week or so. I needed to get stitching on something that I could "sail" through and still be stitching. After Americana Sampling is done, I might be able to get back to Into the Night.






We finally had two days of thunderstorms and while still humid, it's not quite as hot as it had been. In fact, today is positively marvelous. Too bad I'm stuck inside doing laundry, LOL.


Thank you all for the lovely comments left. Our stitching community sure knows how to show love and encouragement. And you all have kept me very entertained with your blog posts lately. Happy stitching everyone!

More finishes, well, sort of.

Its been a strange summer so far. The new truck has had troubles a plenty--boo, hiss, but the hubby keeps keeping on. He's passed the frustration on to me--which is my job, to keep him as cool headed as possible--and I pass the frustration on to my stitching. I wonder how many of us do that? Deal with all the negatives in our lives by stitching? Sure does keep me a lot calmer. How about you all?

First up, GOODWILL by LHN. I stitched this one because of the lovely colors and because it was a thread pack. I didn't have to hunt down any of the threads, just a lovely piece of linen to stitch it on. And I didn't even have to make a frame up--I have two large tubs of frames I've bought over the years and I had a perfect size to use. (I actually had 4 the perfect size but wrong colors.) There was a lot of mindless stitching, stitching without having to count very often, and that made it absolutely perfect for my purposes. I was sad when I got it finished, but today, very happy that I could stick it in a frame and hang it on the wall. I'm thinking, for the time being, that the wall is finished. (I did think of doing LHN's The Rose in Morning and doing it over one, for a tiny horizontal piece.) Does it seem that I was in a hurry to get that wall done? Absolutely, hubby should be home in the next day or two.

The next piece isn't really finished. The stitching is done but not the finishing work--and I'm a bit nervous about doing this finish. It's Witch's Hat Scissor Case by Historic Stitches. It was really easy to stitch, but would have been much easier to stitch on a different color linen. Done on Black Belfast, I couldn't believe how much difficulty I had in seeing the threads. I think it took me twice as long as it would have on a lighter color. My picture turned the fabric gray but it really is black. The chart called for two pieces of Black Belfast, 11 x 11 inches--I stitched it on one piece of Belfast, 11 x 11 and still have two large squares left over to do a scissor fob or biscornu. But, I've hesitated starting the finish process as I don't think I have enough skill to do it justice. I'm going to try anyway and I'll let you all tell me what you think of it.

I spent most of the past weekend watching Harry Potter movies and stitching on Shepherd's Bush "Into the Night". Didn't really have enough done to take a picture of it. Hopefully, after getting the top part done, the specialty rows will go quickly enough so it actually looks like I stitched something. Of course, eldest son has already said it's going to be his one day--and I think I'll surprise him and give it to him when he buys his first house. (He's looking.)

It's hard to believe that summer is half over already, and the grandkids go back to school next month. What's up with that? Am I the only one who remembers going back to school right after Labor day, in September? I shudder to think of all those young people sweltering in classrooms during the hottest part of the summer.

And with all the heat, the problems with finances, truck troubles and all, we have a new member of the family. Banshee is some kind of terrier, very small, short, with these tiny short legs. We are having a terrible time getting her housebroken but she's finally getting the idea. She is Chad's puppy and he's doing most of the work with her. She really is adorable, and I'll have a picture of her next post. But, do you see a theme here with pet names? We have Boo, Spooky, Shadow and Banshee--two black pets and two gray ones. Shadow has finally taken to the new puppy but Spooky is still hissing and spitting at her. Boo has become her protector, though she's not too fond of Banshee using her tail as a toy. As you can see from the photo above, Spooky seems to spend all her time sleeping on our bed--its a high four poster and the puppy can't reach her there.

I've had a lot of fun reading everyone's posts, and I am amazed at those who can post nearly every day and show pictures too. How on earth do you do that? Debbie, if that was your first framing job, how talented you are. You did a super great job. And Terri Boog, that sampler is to die for. Coni, I love your newest LJP finish--its super spectacular! It would make a really lovely pillow with some patriotic fabrics--or a great wall decoration. Nicole, as always, I'm amazed at how much lovely stitching you do, and with three small boys to raise. Cathy, I love seeing pictures of those grandchildren just as much as seeing your stitching. Deb, busy as always but when do we get to see the pics that are hidden behind those smiley faces? Kath, been missing you and don't think my emails are getting through to you. And to anyone who has been waiting for an email from me--I probably already sent it, but our ISP has been having problems the last few weeks, and most of what I send out is not getting where it should go. Anyway, I love reading all your blogs, it's nearly like visiting in your home and stitching with you, without the drive.

Stitch on, dear friends. Can't wait to see what you stitch on next. Enjoy your summer, and Terri, watch out--that was a lovely looking and very appetizing table you set on the deck. Made me ready to jump in the car and come for a visit. For those that don't know, Terri lives in my old 'neck of the woods' and there are times that I sure do miss Michigan. Until next time. . . . . . . .