Sunday, September 23, 2018

Cross stitch and dahlias and a bit of a rant on Slow Stitching Sunday....

It is noticeably cooler...and it was rainy...but right now it is gloriously sunny as I sit on my sunroom porch... and that is all I want to do... sit here and stitch...


The Dude is keeping a close eye on the birds and the squirrels and the chipmunks... and my stitching time has been productive... ta dah... a finish!!! Barbara Ana Designs Autumn Sampler...


Well almost a finish... I just noticed I forget to fill in the sign that says 2018... now this is not a great pic of this piece... I can't for the life of me capture the correct green of the linen... it is so much prettier in person... a lovely  rich mottled olive-y avocado-y green...I tried taking pics of it all over the house and just can't get it to register.

Now I did make a few changes...and yes the color in this pic isn't right either...grrrrr....


Any way... I worked in a big pair of scissors and I changed the cat to resemble Big Dude...  for a piece I started by accident I really am happy with this ...it is whimsical and life could use more whimsical...

Now I can't wait to start the piece I meant to do.... here is the linen I dyed for it...


I'm very happy with this linen... it used Rit Golden Yellow with just a tiny bit of Tan... and again...prettier in person...  but I may start something small first. I have been really obsessed with cross stitching lately...it is all I want to do ...even though there are quilting and sewing and knitting projects I want to do too.. and while Halloween is just around the corner...and I plan to get out my Halloween decor around October 1, I'm kinda Halloween-ed out on cross stitch. I prefer Fall over Halloween and I want more Fall pieces... gonna go root through my Lizzie Kate stash for a small or two...

One of the reasons I'm cross stitching so much is that I hate leaving the sunroom porch...it is  my very best super favorite place to be... I have nice views of some of my plantings....

dahlias here...


dahlias there...


and more dahlias over there...


Now those pics are through the screens...here are some closeups of these lovely blooms...


this is the front view of the first pic... a mix of pink and burgundy colored dahlias...and a close up...


and here is that apricot yellow one...



and some others I have in my yard include this one that looks like a peppermint...


and I have a ton of these pink ones...


and here's one I cut and brought in ...its sitting on the window sill above the sink...


They call these dinner plate dahlias and while this one isn't as wide as a dinner plate it is as wide as a Fiesta ware salad plate.  I planted a ton of tubers... something like 70...several varieties...and I've had pretty good success with them. I got them in late but I'm not sorry about that now as I have some lovely new color while the petunias and zinnias and marigolds are fading. I will plant them again next year but I will get out and stake  them waaay earlier. Most of these plants are over 4 feet tall and have huge stems. I bought some nice garden stakes...48" tall... should have gotten the taller ones... live and learn...next year I'll do it better.

And if you want to see more gorgeous dahlias check out this link on Garden Grumbles and Cross stitch Fumbles...I drool over these blooms!!!

And now for a bit of a rant... as you can tell from all the cross stitch I've been doing I've been purchasing a lot of charts...all online shopping...and for the most part I've had no issues. 123 Stitch is fantastic...good prices, quick delivery and when there is a problem (remember my mangled BBD charts) they step up and remedy the problem quickly. I've had good experiences with The Silver Needle too. But right now I'm ticked off at certain company (but I'm not going to name names at the moment.) The situation is I ordered a couple of charts and some pompom trim from this company on August 28... my credit card was charged immediately... when I got an email confirmation of the transaction it mentioned that it could be 7-10 days before my order would be shipped...okay... I can wait... but I don't remember seeing that info anywhere on the website prior to my making the purchase.  However it is now September 23... in 2 days it will be 4 weeks since I placed this order... and yes I have tried to contact the seller...once through their website and twice by email...and I haven't heard a peep... two of the charts I ordered were Halloween charts... running out of time for them... I will be sending another email tomorrow if nothing shows in my mail... I know this is a single proprietor business but in this day and age this is just not acceptable ... and oh  I forgot to mention that the shipping and handling for the order is twice what  123 Stitch charges.  At the time I ordered I was primarily interested in the pompom trim and added the charts to justify the postage ... that didn't work out well... think I'll be looking for white pompom trim and trying to dye it myself... and now back to stitching to make me happy...

Hope your week is looking good... I've got a couple of lunch/dinner plans that will be fun... the weather is going to be cooler but rainy and then sunny... can't wait for the sunny cool part.

I'm linking up with Kathy's Quilts and then I'm going to put a few stitches in something new...

happy stitching-
carol fun

13 comments:

  1. The dahlias are absolutely gorgeous! I love the background green of your piece. Regardless of what shade it is supposed to be, it looks great on my computer. So sorry about the order being delayed. I had this happen two months in a row on a BOM and when I finally got hold of the shop owner I found out her father was in the hospital 30 minutes away and she was having to spend a lot of time there. I understood, but I was still frustrated.

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  2. Your finish is beautiful...and your dahlias are spectacular--what yummy colors.
    Hope your purchase problems get taken care of--that is so unacceptable and ANNOYING!! hugs, Julierose

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  3. Congratulations on your finish! I love the fabric you dyed for it and the golden piece you created. Your dahlias look fabulous. Sorry your order hasn't arrived. Here's hoping it comes tomorrow. Have a good week!

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  4. Your dahlias took me back to my Dad's garden. He always planted dahlias just for the pure joy of them.

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  5. Carol,your Autumn Sampler is sweet and I love the green fabric...though any green is A-Okay with me!!! I just had a bad experience with a shop too....ordered during their 4th of July sale, e-mailed and called several times when I never got a confirmation. A month later, I saw a charge on my CC and thought--yippeee!!! Finally got it a month after that and was charged a second time!!! Not happy!!!!

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  6. I just love the Barbara Ana design. Plus the fabric for the next one is wonderful. I have trouble photographing fabric too. It is never quite the way it looks in person. Have no idea why!! Your dahlias are just beautiful. It looks like you had a good year for them too. I feel your pain about the stitching order. While your description of the seller does not match the company I had trouble with but it was very frustrating. I waited almost a month. Finally I was able to contact them. I had ordered 3 samplers. They did send another order but one of the samplers was not the one I ordered. All very frustrating. I agree, I have never had any kind of a problem with the Silver Needle or 123 Stitch. They have both been very reliable. In the future, I will stick with them whenever possible.I hope you get your order very soon!

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  7. your flowers are beautiful...such a wide variety of colours. I hope your order arrives soon. Your autumn piece did not take very long to finish! Looks great!

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  8. Perhaps you should contact the cc company and have the charge removed. This may cause the seller to contact you. Be bold - after all,you are the customer. Mr. Dude is very handsome.
    >^^<

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  9. Your Dahlias are dazzling aren't they. Dahlias always put on a fabulous show. The Autumn cross stitch is a lovely finish. I hope the company fills your order very soon. The length of time it has taken is really not acceptable.

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  10. Love, love, love the dahlias!! Autumn Sampler is fantastic. I am looking at my own on display right now.😉 It is a great design.

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  11. Carol - your dyed fabrics are fabulous. What great bold colors. And your dahlias are wonderful too. Per my sister who shows dahlias - you can make the plants stronger by pinching them out as they are growing. Pinching out dahlias once they reach 40cm (16") tall encourages branching and more flowers. Simply pinch off the growing shoot just above a set of leaves. Dahlias can be pinched again once side shoots develop. For giant blooms however, it's best to only allow three to five flower stems to develop. They will stsill probably need to be staked.

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  12. Carol, Love, love love your blog. And I went back a year of your posts to catch more info on your fabulous quilts, stitchery and more. Thanks for all your inspiration. I have gone down the rabbit hole, and am using you as my excuse. I pinned on Pinterest some of your seasonal decorations and can't wait to make some of your quilt. Love the gourds especially for this season and am thinking about those grunge fabrics; they were perfect for it. Just wish I had your email, as I would have contacted you for more info. I kind of want to do some linen/aida painting for the cross stitch. I haven't done any for years. Again, thanks for all your fabulous ideas. Debbie

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  13. I love the Barbara Ana on the green and next up golden yellow. You always have a good eye for color. Your dahlias are gorgeous. I have always shied away from them but maybe I’ll give them a try. The blooms are so worth it.

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