I couldn’t resist

I had this all kitted up Sunday so I just had to start on it Sunday night.  My reward for finishing The First Thanksgiving and Stitchin’ Witches.    So I got a start on the border, which I started a bit too high but I’ll be framing myself so it will be fine – just looks off center on the fabric because it is off center – and stitched from top corner down to bottom corner before going back and starting on some fun stuff.  When I was looking at the chart photo I was thinking maybe I’d make that border a green – and then looked at the color code and it IS green.  My border doesn’t show up green in my photo either – its a dark green (and not in natural light) so it looks more black but it really is green.

For Sampler Camp 2022 (with Colorado Crossstitcher) there is a challenge to change something in the sampler you’re working on –  could be anything you change – so I decided to change the colors of floss for my initials where they show up in the alphabet.  I’ve done that on several other projects and like that I don’t have to find a place to stitch in my initials later because they are already sort of highlighted.  And it makes me weirdly happy that my initials show up in the correct order across the alphabet – DMR.  It’s the little things……

The Spy and my Sampler September Project

The spy –  well that’s Judy!   Once again, we’re doing/thinking about the same things.     I had taken my finished Stitchin’ Witches piece into the sewing room.  I was looking around thinking hmmm do I have anything I can finish this on in there – a basket, a box, a tin, a wooden piece.   AHA – I spied the foam bricks in the corner – those were large enough so I could do a brick finish!   As I walked back to the computer to email Judy telling her I was thinking I’d do a brick finish – I found this email from her that started out “How are you going to finish it?”   First I told her to stop spying on me!!!    It’s eerie the way we are doing/thinking about the same things so often. 🙂

So my Sampler September project, as I mentioned earlier, is going to be The Huntsman by Brenda Keyes.  This afternoon I finished kitting it up – got the floss all pulled and found a piece of 18 count Forbidden Fiber n the color Granite so I’m all set.  I actually may start on it tonight since I finished two projects in the last couple of days.   Colorado Crossstitcher, who did Cross Stitch Summer Camp, has a Sampler Camp running September thru December.  All of the info is on their store’s website under What’s New and in her latest flosstube.  We can include a Sampler we have already started for this year’s summer camp project so my starting a few days early won’t matter.

 

look at those lovely fall colors – I think they will all show up nicely on that fabric.

Another Finish – Stitchin’ Witches

If you’ve been reading the blog the past couple weeks you know the back story – Judy is the witch on the right in all her purple glory and I am the witch on the left.  This chart is so fun and was so fun to pick colors for since I changed them up a bit from the called for.  I also gave Judy and I a streak of color in our hair to match our outfits.  We are wielding golden needles and stitched our initials in each of our hoops to match our outfits as well and the screw on the top of the hoop is gold also.  I changed the color of the steam from the cauldron (used more colors – it was charted as just one color) and no, we are not brewing evil concoctions in that cauldron.  If I know Judy, she has that cauldron filled with gumbo simmering away. 🙂   I need fix the owl eye before I forget about it – I got the pupil in one in the wrong spot – he’s supposed to be looking over at the ghosts.   The other two changes – one intentional and one not but I’m leaving it as is — the intentional is the banner the ghosts are holding up with the year on it (there was supposed to be another star in that area between them but I love how the banner turned out) and to the right of the ghost I forgot to finish a star – there’s just the center of it but I’m leaving it because it looks like a giant crossed stich and I like it and it seems appropriate.  The owl’s beak also doesn’t show up well so I may go back and overstitch that with a bit brighter color.

I did have this frame in the stash but it’s not going to fit quite close enough from top to bottom as I would like and I’m not crazy about the gold edge with this piece – want something plainer –  so the frame will go back in the closet.

Hmmmmm now what shall I stitch on???

TA daaaaaaa

I just finished putting the final stitches in this piece so I did manage to meet my goal of finishing it before the end of this month and one large WIP is out of my project pile.  The stitched area of this piece, as I modified it, ended up being abou14″ x 16″.   I will probably always have a love/hate relationship with this piece.   I love it because its done and its pretty and my favorite part is that vignette and I loved the chart from the first time I saw it.   But then there with the issues previously discussed with things being mirrored images but not really spaced as mirror images (okay that may be my issue because to me they should be spaced the same – perhaps the designer really wanted them off kilter but really??), then the chart cover image not using the same flosses as charted, the chart image not matching spacing wise the actual chart – all that made me nuts and took lots longer to stitch this with having to move things about and respace them and made this some days  a chore to stitch rather than a relaxing pleasure to stitch.  But I persevered because I really wanted to finish it (with modifications) once I started it.  I may just have to rip that chart into little pieces tho and get my revenge on it that way. 🙂    The stitch will go in the finished pile until the next time that I decide to order frames.

So tonight I may go back and work on Stitchin’ Witches.  Judy has finished hers and here’s where I left off.

It’s possible I could finish off this one tonight too unless I decide to start winding all the DMC I recently got and getting them set up on floss tags.  They were ordered for specific projects so I don’t want to forget which ones they need to get kitted up with.

Nearly there… bunting completed

That bunting is done done done!  WHEW!  I wonder how long the bunting would be if I had it lined up end to end all the times I stitched it, ripped it back, restitched it, ripped some again, etc.  I’m glad that’s done.  I added the border at the very bottom since I’m not going to stitch the lower part of the chart.  I do like the look of the table of thanksgiving and may some day do it as a stitch by itself but with all  the changing I needed to do to get things centered and not off kilter as charted, I didn’t want to have to figure out how to center that and more importantly, this stitch is big enough already so I’ll be ending it with that bottom border.   I’m working on the two pumpkins above the border and I think I’ll stitch my initials and year between them and call it done.  I may stitch a little something – star or something else to either side of the title words but I also kind of like that i’s blank in that area so will wait and see until I get everything else finished.

The lines down each side by the ladies are just basting lines so I could make sure my bottom border started and ended at the right spot.  And I also just noticed that one of the large urns of flowers looks like it might be missing some stitching in a flower so need to check that out too.    So I think my self-imposed goal of finishing the stitching on this by the end of August might actually be met by the end of today.  I’d better go get the cleaning done so I can get to the stitching.

That bunting!

Dang – I was stitching along on the bunting on First Thanksgiving and this time it was my issue and not the charts.  I couldn’t count!   I’m still debating if I rip out that section yet a four or fifth time – I have no idea how many times I’ve ripped out various bunting sections but it’s a lot.  Oh well.

I will likely be winding DMC for floss drops since it came today for the Sampler September stitch I plan to do.   And check out this cute little prefinished halloween easel.  I need to figure out what will fit on that.

 

First Thanksgiving Progress

I’m getting closer …….. here’s where I will pick up stitching tonight.

As you can tell by the hoop – I’m working on the bunting across the top and down the side.  Once that is all done (and I add in that one star in the flag I think I stitched over with blue not noticing it) then all I have to do is figure out how I want to end the bottom.   I think I will add a border line, to match the gold one below the Plymouth Plantation words, below the ladies’ feet and then figure out something to stitch in the space between that line and the bottom of the prayer.  There’s also a sort of corner border that goes above the ladies’ heads and show towards their shoulders but I’m leaving that off.   And I think there’s a motif on either side of the title of it.  If I don’t like what’s there, I’ll likely add something else in there but the end is in sight and I will be very glad to get this one done.

As for my Brenda Keyes Sampler September stitching (which may start a bit early if I actually get  First Thanksgiving done) will be…. drum roll please…………

The Huntsman.  This was the first Brenda Keyes sampler chart I bought which led me down the rabbit hole of her designs.  I love the color palette she uses in many of her designs – dark rich colors.  I don’t know if every chart she has is done in DMC but the few I have are.  I love overdyed flosses but I also dislike falling in love with the look of a chart only to find that the called for overdyed floss has changed shades, tones over time so when I get one it looks nothing like the chart image.  Don’t have to worry about that with DMC.   I especially love all her trees and bushes – very unique looking.  To be honest, I’m not a fan of peacocks in samplers so that may or may not be removed.  Since I have the Brenda Keyes sampler motif book I’m sure I could find something to substitute in there but who knows, I may decide to include it.  I’m also toying with the idea of changing the house color.  Many stitchers are all about the “red house” in their samplers – I like them but I like other colors too and as I want to do the Red House Sampler as well, maybe this one will end up a different color.   But those decisions will wait for another day after I go digging in the stash to figure out fabric and the DMC I ordered arrives later this week.

In the meantime, I think I’m going to take my shower early so I get a long night of stitching in without interruption and hopefully get that bunting and stars finished off.  I may never stitch bunting again – I did previously have it almost all finished before realizing that many things weren’t centered so I ripped most of the bunting out in order to adjust all those things and left it to do now near the end because I couldn’t face restitching it right after I had ripped it all out.  I also changed up the center star in the top from what was charted.  Enough rambling – things to stitch!

Sampler September

Judy did a blog post about possible Sampler September plans earlier today.  I swear we have some wierd mind meld thing going on that sends subliminal message to each other as I was just thinking about what I had wanted to work on for Sampler September yesterday, when I moved the chart I had planned to start (when I made up the list of starts on the 2022 Cross Stitch page (tab at top of blog).  I had originally planned to start Red Cardinals from Owl Forest but was not in the mood for that right now.  I moved it back to a Christmas start but it may actually get moved to sometime next year.

As I was looking thru charts yesterday, I always keep going back to the Brenda Keyes Sampler Company charts I have.  I have three of them,  Each one of them is gorgeous and I love the rich colors she uses in her charts – all DMC.

So here are the three charts I’m trying to decide between.  The images may have a little glare on them because she uses actual photos on the front of her charts.

Plymouth Sampler.  I love that dark blue house, and of course the green one.  This one is definitely a good amount of stitches with all that ground cover.  And I so love the big trees.   I would likely do all of these choices on 18 or 20 count.  On 18 count (since that is one of the size choices with stitch size information provided on the pattern) it would be 14.25″ x 7″.

The Huntsman.   I love the shape of that house – well not just a house it’s definitely a manor house – very regal looking indeed especially if thereis a peacock on the lawn.   This one on 18 count would be 12.5″ x 8.75″

And this one is Red House Sampler.  Another great house and another fun willow tree.  I love the border on this – I’m just not fond of stitching elaborate borders but it is so pretty I would have to do it.  This one on 18 count would be 15.5″ x 13″.

So if you were to stitch one of those (or if you don’t stitch but had someone willing to make one of these for you – and no it will not be me!) which would it be and why?  And if you don’t like any of them that’s okay too because we all have different tastes.   I think I know which one I will start but haven’t made a final decision yet.  I need to see the flosses (some of which I am still waiting on to arrive) and pull some fabrics to figure all that out.

I likely will actually start it before September since I’m really hoping to have The First Thanksgiving done before the end of the month which is quickly approaching but I still think I can do it.  (If I get off the computer and stop planning new projects and stop digging thru my finished smalls to match them up to some new finishing pieces I got – which is what I spent quite a bit of tie yesterday doing).

A Rainy Saturday

It’s a dark and gloomy day here but I managed to step outside to snap a couple photos in what natural light there was.

Here’s my progress on The First Thanksgiving.  I had finished off the British flag and now have the  American flag finished and am working on some motifs next to it.

My pumpkins I ordered arrived yesterday  – so adorable.

The largest one will be perfect to mount the chart below on – I just have to remember to do it on the correct size fabric to fit.

And some fabrics from my favorite Etsy dyer.

She has a featured fabric color for the month and a different one for the week so I ordered the week of my birthday and the blue was the fabric color for that week.  The purple and green are for Halloween and Christmas pieces, respectively, the tan is called Buckskin and the gray, Revere Pewter. This was an indoor photo so I couldn’t really get the true colors.  The blue is so pretty as it has bits of purple in it and they all have great shading of lighter and darker colors in them.  And she always includes a couple of flosses.

Okay – my grocery order has been placed.  Among a few other things I have had a craving for a week or two for Raisin Bran muffins but no Raisin Bran in here so I remembered to add to that to the grocery list so I can have some fresh muffins tomorrow morning.  Time to get dressed and then clean out the fridge  I think.

Half a flag

I’m going to have to find something more exciting to watch on tv since last night I just kept dozing off (or it could have been that I hadn’t slept much the nite before).  So I didn’t get as much done has I would have liked, but I did get half a flag done.  Those diagonal lines are a bit trickey when trying to count them and get them stitched in the right place but so far so good.

I hope to get the rest of the flag finished tonight and move on to the one on the other side.