Leap Year Day – 2024

Happy Leap Day!  Since it’s an extra day, since I’m on vacation, I have decided to declare a “no chores: day!  (I thought of that just as I was to start some laundry and do a few other things – just in the nick of time to avoid them! Very clever of me, don’t you think?)

When midnight arrived, I started my Leap Year stitch – Summer Schoolhouse by Brenda Gervais.   I was going to email Judy and say “It’s Midnight – what are you stitching on?” because I knew she would still be up, but I was too warm and cozy in my chair to get up and go to the computer.  This morning, I found a “it’s midnight!” email from her.   We think too much alike.  😉

Here is the small start I got on it at midnight.  I started with the section that will be the right edge of my stitched piece when I join all the charts together.

My initial plans for this section have been decided.  Because I’m stitching it joining all the charts into one long piece, there will be some adjustments.   That line above the bottom border (which I call the grass line since it’s green and at the bottom of each section of motifs) is not always in the same place on each block.  The blocks all differ in height and width – widths are anywhere from 63 stitches to 140 stitched, height from 71 stitches to 106 stitches – so that “grass line” is not the same number of stitches from the top of the block throughout.  And as charted (for separate pillows) each section does not have the same border.  I will be deciding what border(s) to use when I have all the other stitching done.

In my version, the “grass line” will be a continuous straight line through all sections across the piece so I’ll be starting my stitching with the motifs just above the grass line and working my way to the top of the block.  For this particular block (which I will likely want to add more stitching at the top of since it is 18 stitches shorter than the next shortest block) my plan is to stitch everything except the “W” and “X” at the top and not stitch the bird sitting on the leaf at this time.  That way I can move those two letters up to the space I want to fill in, and I can continue the vine/leaves the bird is sitting on higher and maybe add another flower or two before adding the bird at the top, depending on how much space I want to fill in.

That is my plan at the moment – which I have documented here because you know how I lose the written notes I have made (although I have a little notepad stuck in my project bag this time which includes these.  So, I won’t stitch the very top of this particular block until I have the other ones stitched and can see how much room I have at the top that I may want to add more stitching to.

And the Victoria Clayton silks are giving great coverage on this 20 ct aida.