Two More Finishes

I'm always so happy when I've finished a project, and I recently completed two -- double the happiness!  Before I take them to my framer, The Crafty Ewe, here's a peak:

          A photographer I'm not!

This is Little House Needleworks' "Needleworker" which was a dream to stitch. I used threads from Crescent Colors (the company is now called Classic Colorworks) on 40 count Light Vintage Examplar linen.

Detail of the cute blackbird on "Needleworker"

My second finish:

This cutie finish is "A Red Cottage" from Plum Street Samplers. I've always had a soft spot for samplers with red houses--and this one had two--but then I fell in love with the giant circular flowers.

A close-up on the over-one tiny cottage

I am currently working on two Stitch-Along projects:  "Two Snooty Parrots" by Barbara Ana Designs and "Por Luciana Delgado" by NeedleWork Press.  Both projects have been divided into small, easy-to-complete sections by month, so I have plenty of time to stitch my other projects such as "Elizabeth Sheffield" by the Scarlet Letter.

FYI:  The group for Two Snooty Parrots SAL can be found on the Facebook page entitled "Sampler World Snooty Parrots SAL 2014".  For more information on the "Por Luciana Delgado" SAL, visit The Attic Needlework website at www.atticneedlework.com

 

I hope you all have a little time today to spend doing what you love.  For me, it's putting in a few stitches and seeing a little progress on my work.

A New SAL - and - I Won a Contest!

The Postman couldn't have made someone more happy than me this week.

On Thursday I received a package from Attic Needlework in Mesa, AZ, with the complete kit for stitching their 2014 Stitch-A-Long project, "Por Luciana Delgado" by NeedleWork Press.

The kit contains a beautiful chart with full color pictures and graphs, 40ct Vintage Light Examplar linen from Lakeside Linens, and 14 of the most gorgeous colors of Gloriana 12-stand silk.

The sampler is based on one purchased from a New Hampshire antiques dealer.  An interesting factoid is that it had no name or date, but when NeedleWork Press was charting it, infrared light showed part of the phrase "Por Luciana Delgado".  Spanish, perhaps?

The finished piece will measure 23" x 10" on 40ct, although I'm sure there will be some stitchers who use 45 or even 50ct linen to stitch their pieces.

I'm not sure when the SAL will start, but I'll be ready to begin.  This morning I basted the fabric onto a set of 30-inch scroll rods which Dear Husband made for me a few years ago for another large project.

A second treat from our Postman this week was the book "Common Thread / Common Ground" by Marsha Van Valin of The Scarlet Letter.  

As some of you may know, there is an international Stitch-A-Long of Scarlet Letter samplers which is on a blog entitled Nicola's Scarlet Letter Year found at http://scarletletteryear.blogspot.co.uk/

During Advent last month, Nicola sponsored a daily contest to win various charts and books from The Scarlet Letter.  Lucky me - I won this fabulous book:

The book, autographed by Marsha herself, is a series of chapters and essays on early sampler and historic needlework.  There is one particular chapter on "Early Samplers of the Netherlands" which really interests me.  I love seeing the illuminated letters, tiered-roof houses and windmills that are typical of Dutch samplers.

I hope your Postman is as nice to you all this coming week!

~Terry

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to All

I almost have enough hand-stitched ornaments to fill a BIGGER tree.

And wishing you all a wonderful 2014 with lots of time to stitch!

~Terry

Every year I make a few ornaments for our tree.  I think in about 10 years or so, I'll have enough for the entire tree!

The best part that I found all of the above patterns for free on Pinterest.  There is a large network of sampler stitching lovers who post pictures there.

I used leftover pieces of linen and DMC.

I hope you're inspired to make a few ornaments of your own this year.

My Dream Studio Come True

A few months ago my husband and I took a trip to the nearest IKEA store which is near Pittsburgh,about 1-1/2 hours away.  I was looking for a cabinet to hold threads and other necessaries.

As we strolled through the furniture floor, I spotted a desk & drawer set up that looked PERFECT for me:  two cabinets each with FIVE sliding drawers served as the base for a sturdy desktop.  And the pricing was very affordable.  

I bought two sets, a couple of bookcases and a cubby unit, a cabinet and some lighting and now, voilà:

Book case and cubby

Each Sterlite box contains a complete project to be stitched:  pattern, fabric and floss.

Computer area and stitching area

My current project and necessaries

There is still a lot to do to make my studio more comfy (and less messy).  My problem is that when I come into the room, all I really want to do is stitch!

'Til next time, I wish you good stitching.

Welcome, Dear Reader

I'm glad you found my first post to a very special blog.  It is finally time to record my stitching journey and I hope you'll join my on my adventures.

I love all things stitching:  cross stitch (especially samplers), needlepoint, embroidery.  Although I enjoy stitching designs by many different designers, I especially like to design my own pieces.  I promise to post FREEBIES here on this blog for you to download and stitch.

My design for our stitching guild's 20th anniversary.

Coming up next time:  a peek into my studio!