New Stash, Oh, My!

A new month, and a new order from House of Stitches . It arrived today, and to say I'm thrilled would be really understating things.

I received a blend of old and new. From Val's Stuff, "home is where my cats are". I had to get this chart--it shows a picture of two cats, a gray and a black one. Both of which, we have. Then from Blue Ribbon Designs, from market, "It's Cold Outside". I really like this chart. I'm not sure that I'll ever do the large sampler but I have many uses for the smaller designs. Snowmen, and who doesn't like snowmen? Penguins, my daughter in law loves penguins! Then there are snowflakes, presents, a gingerbread guy, ice skates, a bunny, trees, you get the picture. And I do so love smalls! I also got all the Crescent Colours that the chart required. Might as well have it on hand, eh? Also in that first picture, something called the Buddy Case. It's a faux leather tool case for my stitching bag. It has an inside tray so I can keep some things secured, and still have a place to keep my good scissors safe from scratches. I think it's gorgeous. Mine is in the color Saddle but it does come in tons of other colors, even Eggplant.

Little House Needleworks--truly a blend of the old and the new. The old would be Peach Tree Cottage (which I thought was cute and thought I had but didn't) and Goodwill thread pack. Of the new, East Coast (from sea to shining sea) the last installment, Liberty and Justice, In the Beginning, State Fair and the first design in the new Women's Virtues "Gentle and Kind". Gentle and Kind is a thread pack with Crescent colours Belle Soie and this first one is gorgeous. And before you ask, no, I didn't buy any linen this time. I have a huge cabinet full of linen and it's time I started using what I have before I buy more.

As mentioned above, I did receive the last chart pack for From Sea to Shining Sea, East Coast. Yesterday, I finished that border, completely, and started in on the middle design, Mountains. It was so nice stitching something other than border; new colors, different shapes. Now my only problem will be continuing to work on this project when I so want to start one of the new charts, like "home is where my cats are".

Well, back to my stitching chair and afghan, as it's plenty cold outside and it's been difficult keeping the house warm enough without spending a ton on heating. Keep stitching, and smile! It makes people wonder what you're hiding, LOL.

A Tiny Finish

Yes, indeed, a tiny finish. This is "Where there is life", a compilation kit from Elegant Stitch, designed by Diane Williams of Little House Needleworks, with the threads by Sharon Crescent of Crescent Colours. I loved this piece but after seeing Lois' finish over one, I decided I just had to stitch it that way. I was a little bit disappointed in the colors used--my "clay pot" looks nearly the same as the "second-hand rose", and the colors used in the house, "country lane" and "bunny honey" seemed to be reversed on the chart. (I always use the darkest brown for the roof.) Those problems were simple to fix, and I love that Lois is always doing these Breast Cancer awareness pieces. I know my picture is pretty poor--I just put it on the scanner but I'll take a better picture when I have it framed. I made the frame this afternoon, and if I can decide on a color for it, it will be ready in a flash.

This is not the first time I've done an entire project 'over one' but with my eyesight, I do find it difficult to stitch. I'm very proud that I actually finished it. (I had second thoughts about the over one while I was doing the border, which was the first part I stitched, but as I'd cut the fabric in half, no going back.) And there was that "perfect timing" about the finish--yesterday, my new Shepherd's Bush kits came: Winter Sampler and 2009 Fob. I was determined NOT to start the fob until this piece was done--so now that it is done, on to the fob. My project to start tonight. Very thrilled I am. And the icing on the cake? Mr. DH is finally home after being out on the road for 17 days without a home visit. Can you say dirty laundry? Ick.

Until next time, dear friends, keep those needles flying, and only stitch what you enjoy stitching. Life is way too short to waste time stitching on something you don't like.

Little Women "Quilting"

She is finally finished, Little Women Quilting. She took longer than I thought she would, even with being a quick stitch. I had a lot of trouble getting her eyes the same size, but after a few tries, this is what I ended up with. I love her quilt and am planning on stitching it again, just the quilt, for a scissor fob. I will be changing the colors to something with blue in it. She is stitched on Antique white Belfast linen, with Crescent colours overdyed cottons. I finished her yesterday, just before supper and got her all ironed up. I think she turned out very nicely.

Next up will be Morning Berries to finish. That should come tonight. Just have the 7 berries at the bottom to get done. This one should have been done last night, but I got side tracked playing around on the computer, reading blogs, checking updates for online stores. It's very hot outside so I'm staying inside with the air conditioner, getting laundry done and stitching.

Happy stitching everyone, and I hope you all have a great 4th of July.

A Small Start and an Even Smaller Finish

Here is my small start. It's Morning Berries by LHN, and it is indeed a very small start. I'm working this on the recommended fabric, 28 count Natural Pearl Linen by Zweigart. I'm really loving the look of this linen and it's wonderful to work on. I am not using the recommended threads. I have substituted Belle Soie silk for the Crescent Colours overdyes. Of course, the substitution isn't a perfect one. For example, the berries are supposed to be done in Blue Moon, a lovely periwinkle, sort of lavender blue color, and I just couldn't find the perfect blue to use. Instead, I used Spring Violets, a more lavender color. I'm also using: Icing, Tumbleweed, Cinnamon Stick, Lily Pad, and Sandy Beach. Some are very good matches, some not quite so good. But I'm happy with how it's turning out. I've stitched the entire border, though it doesn't show in the picture, and have a pretty good start on the top part. I did realize something important when I started stitching the berries at the top; the Belle Soie made the stitches look soft and full, while the Crescent Colours overdyed cottons look crisp and full. I wanted the soft look for this lovely piece. Oh, and if you look very closely, you can see that I'm frogging the row beneath the bunnies because I blended two "v's" into one large one right at the beginning. So, that's what I'm doing tonight, reworking that row.
Next up is my small finish. And it is truly small. This is a piece that is going to Laura, for our Smalls RR. It is Drawn Thread's Holiday Halloween and I used the silks that came with the kit. This was the second time I've stitched this, so I was lucky to have enough thread. The big change is that I stitched this one over one, and it came out really small. I didn't have enough black to work the words so I used the dark olive green. The little buttons that came with the kit were just too big for this tiny piece so I worked tiny spider web rosettes in the corners instead. And just how small is this piece?
This small. I don't think it even measures 3 inches square. I love the detail which seems to show up more on the over one than the regular stitching. Had a great time working those spiderwebs. So, what do you think? Laura wanted Halloween, and I think this is small enough for a scissor fob, or ornament, right?

On the home front, the truck is back on the road, my house is clean again, and I really miss my dh. That's always the problem of having him home for long periods of time. I get so used to him being here, even when he annoys me, that it's twice as hard when he leaves again. And to those inquiring minds who want to know, YES, I did help him with taking out the radiator, and putting the new one back in. (Oh, and that baby weighed like 300 pounds!)I took him up to the truck parts store to pick up special anti-freeze. And I cooked for him. Can you imagine, the man wanted three square meals every day! Big departure from being home alone, and grabbing whatever is available. He's planning on working the weekend through, and won't be home until next Wednesday night so keep a watch for me--I'll be wandering through all of your blogs, trying to keep busy.

Until next time, happy stitching and I hope you all keep cool.