Wednesday, July 28, 2010

A Finish and Some Works in Progress

A new blog post, shocking, huh? Always the unexpected around here. The Monkey Sampler
Midsummer Night Designs
28ct Sandcastle Lugana
DMC


According to my records I finished Midsummer Night's Monkey Sampler on July 21st.


This has been my take along project for a LOOOONNNNGGGG time. It was pretty much the only project I worked on while I was at my momma's since it's stitched on 28ct and I could see the holes in the fabric even in the poor lighting. That green yard just about did me in but I perservered and now it's finished! It always feels so good to put those last stitches in a project. Then again, it takes me forever to finish a project so a lot of life happens while all that stitching is being done. This project has been to Tennessee twice, once when I went home for my dad's memorial service and the second time most recently when I went to stay a week with my mother when she was released from the rehab center. She has COPD and had to learn how to breathe again, and also to learn how to live with her new best friend, her oxygen tank. This particular project has also seen a lot of time at Panera while I wait on kids to do whatever it is kids find to do at the mall for hours on end.

Liberty Sampler
Hester's Needle
32ct Natural (or maybe Raw) linen
DMC

My new take along project can be seen above, Hester's Needle's Liberty Sampler. I really thought I was farther along on this than I am. Let's keep our fingers crossed that there's a lot more quality Panera time in my future.
When I started this piece a few years ago I wasn't quite ready for the satin stitched band so I just did good old cross stitches. I debated frogging this band and stitching it as charted and then my sanity surfaced and I decided I liked the little Xs just fine thank you very much.



Rachael Holmes
Heartstring Samplery
32ct dyed by me linen(more aged actually)
A Potpourri of fiber from the stash

Heartstring Samplery's Rachael Holmes is seeing a lot of stitching time at the moment. This is a fun sampler and I got over myself and just pulled threads from the stash to see what would work with Beth's color palette. It's kind of liberating to pull out the handy dandy DMC color card, a fiber conversion lists and dig through the stash and find what works.



Black'd Skie
The Primitive Needle
40ct Vintage Pear
Pure Palette Silks

This is my progress on Black'd Skie. It's been a bit slow for me but it's due more to having the wrong magnification of readers, I was using 2.00 and that's just way too strong. I had misplaced my 1.50 and those 2.00's gave me a headache every single time I tried to stitch. So I found my 1.50 and now I'm back to happy headache free stitching.
I love the Pure Palette Silks. I am not an expert on silks, I rarely use them, but I really love stitching with these.




Halloween Queen
Notforgotten Farm
28 or 32ct fabric from the stash(it was unlabeled)
DMC


A few weeks ago I started a project that's been on my to do list for a year or two. Notforgotten Farm's Halloween Queen. I found a piece of linen in the stash and gave in to the urge and made a good start on the Halloween Queen.



In the Garden
La D Da
36 or 40ct Lambswool(that's a guess)
DMC


And another project seeing a lot of needle time, La D Da's In the Garden. This is another project I've had the chart for for ages and decided to see if I had a piece of fabric that would work and dug around in the old fabric drawer until I came upon this piece that I'm pretty sure is 40ct lambswool but it's possible it's 36ct. I did a floss toss and decided this could work. I had thought about using GAST but didn't have all five colors so decided to go with DMC.

Last week I made my first trip to Needle Delights, my LNS, in ages. It felt like coming home. I dropped off three pieces for framing, my Cape Cod Girls(changed to Gulf Coast Girls), Salem Remembered and my 13th Colony Bay. I ended up bringing my 13th Colony Bay home with me for a bath. I had no idea it was so dirty until Tonia put it under the light on the framing table. OMG! I wanted to throw up it was so dirty. I was extra, extra glad I stitched 13th Colony Bay with DMC because washing it was no problem and I was mortified at how dirty it was. I thought I had been careful, kept it tucked away in a baggie in a drawer but I did stitch on it forever and I stitch outside when it's nice. I enjoy stitching outside but this piece was definitely a wake up call that only DMC projects will be worked on while sitting on the porch or in the backyard from now on.

That's all the news from here at the moment. Hope everyone is managing to stay cool this summer because the air down here along the Gulf is a force to be reckoned with.



14 comments:

Margaret said...

What a post! Full of eye candy!! Congrats once again on your Monkey Sampler finish. Love that Liberty Sampler -- not sure if I've ever seen it before. Actually, I love every single thing you're showing off. The colors in Rachael Holmes are to die for!!! Wow! Great conversion! Hope your mom is doing well. And that you get lots of Panera time. I love Panera time no matter what. :D

Sharon said...

Great finish and your wip's are wonderful! Looking forward to seeing your framing.

Anna van Schurman said...

Look, folks! She stitches! It's good to see what you've been working on and your fabulous finish. :)

MamaLadyBug said...

How could I have missed that you have so much going on? Amazing! I don't think I've even seen your finish. Did you bring it over with a kitten today? Did I miss both???

Katrina said...

Everything is gorgeous!!!! Love it all and I can't wait to see your framing :-).

Deb said...

I just love your finish. I don't think that I've seen that pattern before but think that the monkeys are great. And love all the rest of your WIPs too. I can't believe how many you have to work on! They're all great!

Glenna said...

So pretty, all of it. But especially the Monkey sampler--the perseverance of that! I also like the Liberty Sampler--I agree with Margaret that I don't think I've seen it before.

Melissa said...

My goodness, what a lot of wonderful stitching. I've never seen the Monkey Sampler. It's really cute!

What an inspiring post!

Missy Ann said...

Thinking about it, I think it was your blog that made me the Monkey sampler. God, I love that design; but I admit the grass is scary.

Jealous of the Black'd Skie start, I just bought the chart this spring.

Michelle said...

Monkey Sampler is one of my favorite all time charts. Love your finish of it!!! And wow - lots of gorgeous things you're working on too!! I really really want to start Black'd Skie. It's such an awesome piece.

Blu said...

Congrats. Monkey Sampler is very pretty.
And wow, you've got a ton of projects going on!

Chocolates4Breakfast (Terri ~ Boog) said...

Your Monkey Sampler is spectacular - I just love it!! Awesome projects you have going, too!

I hope your mom is doing well.

MyLifesAStitch said...

Great post!! Wonderful finishes (love the Monkey Sampler), and progress, too! I really love the look of the Halloween Queen sampler. I don't think I've ever seen that one. I've got Black'd Skie and am hoping to start it soon... soon in my stitchy world being sometime this decade, lol. :)

Have a great week!

Charlene ♥ NC said...

Oh, Wow - you DO have a lot going on, and all great! When I got back in to cross stitching a few years ago, yours was one of the first blogs I read and added to my blog roll. Here we are, still stitching happily along and watching your beautiful finishes!