Now I can show and tell...

For the past month I've been working on a sampler that I couldn't show as it was a secret SAL project on the Facebook page Prim Stitchers Society. It is a closed group so I'm not sure how much you can see, but you can ask to be part of the group and see all of the different versions of this...

May Day Sampler by Brenda Gervais. This was a free graph and every stitcher interpreted it in a different and beautiful way. I hand dyed the linen I used, which was in my stash, as were all the flosses. I used DMC, Gentle Arts, Weeks and Crescent Colors. I stitched 2 over 2 for all of the design except for the border which is one over two.

When I started the border I thought I'd go back and do satin stitches over the crosses but after I finished it I really liked the lacy look so I left well enough alone. I did use 26 different flosses to do the alphabet. Each letter is a varying shade of gold/yellow and I did the C and the N in more brown tones for my sons' initials. Oh the true color of the linen is closer to the first picture than to this picutre.

Part of the rules of the SAL was that the piece needed to be finished. Now usually I have mine framed and there wasn't time for that so I mounted it to a small quilted square I had and hung it on this table stand. My secret (which isn't a secret now) is that the linen is just folded back and is mounted with double stick tape... ohhhh... horrors!!! I still think I want to have this framed but before I do I think I'm going to restitch the bluebirds. My friend Marcella in California also stitched this piece and she turned the bluebirds into the most beautiful robins... I want robins! I'll have to see if I can show you a picture of Marcella's sampler... I'd call her but it is only 6am in California as I write this so I"m not going to do that. And the upside of my temporary finishing is that I can make the changes and then send it off to Bev to be framed...yeah!

And I can finally get around to showing the little Crops tablerunner I made for the chest in the living room.

And here is the little BBD piece August that I got back from Bev the other day. I'm very happy with this frame.

I really want to do more small pieces like this one... and even smaller ones to put in that large bird bowl I got at Pier 1.

I think it would be a lovely space to display smalls and I have a couple of ideas... some Prairie Schooler stuff and some With Thy Needle & Thread and of course more BBD...all birds and nature themed. Just like my quilting I will never run out of cross stitch piece to do!

Well I'm looking forward to a nice Sunday... the weather is gorgeous 80's but very low humidity...unheard of in August in Ohio. My son and his bride are coming for dinner, grilled chicken and salads and I've got the chicken marinating and the salads are prepped. I may even have some stitching time this afternoon... a great way to spend a Sunday.

I'll be linking up with Kathy's Quilts today and Super Mom- No Cape on Monday,

happy stitching-
carol fun

Some Summertime Stitching...

Last week included some of the nicest days we've had all summer... temps in the low 80's and low humidity... it was glorious while it lasted...and I helped me with some summertime stitching.

I finished up this little piece on a scrap of some linen I dyed myself. This is from a recent release by Lizzie Kate called Seasons...you can see them all here. I like all of them and plan to stitch them in due time. This one finishes out to about 3" X 4.5". I have an idea about how to finish it but haven't gotten to it yet.

And finishing up that little piece got me to thinking about another summertime project I had started a long long time ago...I think the last time this saw the light of day was 5 years ago! Glad I remembered it!

This it Magic Garden by Shakespeare's Peddler and you can see it here. Now if you take a moment and look at the sampler in the link you are thinking, huh? First off I stitched this on a linen I dyed myself in shades of yellow and orange. I did that because I changed at least half of the colors in this piece. I love the design and the layout but can't for the life of my figure out why certain motifs were stitched in the colors the designer picked. Those flowers on the left hand side look like daylilies to me, and when I think of daylilies I think shades of yellow and orange... they are charted in GA Onyx...okay I've seen dark purple daylilies but I've never seen any black ones. And the carrot on the right... it is charted in GA Raspberry Frost... which is a tiny bit raspberry and a whole lot beige... which makes it look like a dried out parsnip to me. The slice of what I think is watermelon in the middle was charted in GA Hyacinth...purple...again I didn't get it, so I changed it to pink.

So in thinking about this, the title is Magic Garden, and perhaps the designer had a mythical garden in mind, or a garden at midnight...I don't have a clue. I'm happy with my changes as it is certainly a bright summery garden! I think I've got all my floss changes figured out except for random speckles stitched all over the background. The chart call for GA Hyacinth which look good on the linen in the picture but not for my linen. I need to look in my stash for a nice mottled yellow/orange... something a little lighter than the GA Orange Marmalade I used for the daylilies... or perhaps I selectively cut bits and pieces from the Orange Marmalade and use those. Sheesh... sometimes the decisions take longer than the stitching!

Now I'm off to listen to the baseball game until it is time to work on dinner. The talk today is all about whether our star pitcher Johnny Cueto has been traded or not. Last night the story was he was told 10 minutes before the game he was traded, but the deal fell apart. He went out and pitched a stellar game. At lunch time the story was yes he was traded to the Kansas City Royals...but just a little bit ago the story was NOPE... no deal. I have to say the management of the Cincinnati Reds is looking like a bunch of amateurs. I hate to see Johnny go... before I moved to my little house I lived in the same cul de sac as he lives during the baseball season. He is a nice kid... the same age as my older son and he treats his mother very nicely. He bought the house so his mom could come and cook for him during the baseball season. I'd certainly be willing to do that for my son if he as making $10 million a year, wouldn't you? LOL

I'm linking up with Kathy's Quilts today and Super Mom-No Cape tomorrow.

happy stitching-
carol fun


happy stitching-
carol fun

A bittersweet Sunday...

Ahh... yesterday was lovely... there was this big ball of light in the sky...I think they call it the sun...today...its no where to be found...ugh! We've had a couple of rainy weeks here in southwestern Ohio and the forecast is for more of the same. Wish we could ship some of the rain to the west coast, as this pattern of rainy, dreary days makes me one lethargic pile of plump. I have been doing some cross stitch but I can't show it. I'm working on the May Day Sampler Mystery SAL on the Facebook group Prim Stitchers Society. The rules are you can show any sneak peeks and it has to be finished August 1. I'm making pretty good progress and I'm motivated by the fact that I have several new projects taunting me from the table next to my stitching chair that want to be stitched...NOW!!!! They are kitted up and ready to roll...wish I could stitch faster.

So instead of work in progress I want to share a framed finish. Ta-dah!!! This is Blackbird Designs Bittersweet September that I received from Dyeing to Stitch's Ladies Prim Society.

Bev at Joann's did a lovely job on this one too. I added a gold filet again but a simpler one as it suited this frame better. I love that in addition to a great border (I love when the sides are similar yet different), this piece also had an alphabet. I personalized it by stitching the C and the N in a different color of floss as they are my sons' initials.

There have been two releases from the Ladies Prim Society by Blackbird Designs called Bittersweet something or other.

In fact as I recall both of these were originally called Bittersweet September but when the realized they had two charts with the same name they changed the second one to Bittersweet Lane... either way they are both pretty little pieces.

So on another gloomy day I will sit and stitch some more, at least that will brighten my outlook until the sun appears again...boy I hope it is soon.

I'll be linking up with Slow Stitching Sunday on Kathy's Quilts and with Vintage Embroidery Monday on Super Mom - No Cape tomorrow.

happy stitching-
carol fun

I never noticed that...

Hope everyone had a lovely 4th of July... I spent mine relaxing and stitching and finished this... Blackbird Designs Easy Morning Read from the book Weekend which you can see here.

My photography doesn't capture the loveliness of this piece... the linen is a peachy color that almost glows...the flosses include Gentle Arts Tennessee Red Clay, Calico Kitty, Cinnamon Toast, and Perfect Piecrust (why am I suddenly hungry?). I started this on Mother's Day and as I am never monogamous with my projects I worked on a few other things since then, but that is a pretty quick completion for me.

This is my favorite section... I did the heart in giant Smyrna crosses instead of Algerian eye stitched (I will NOT do them and you can't make me!)...and I added some French knots for eyes on the birds...who wants blind birds? LOL

So I stitched the whole sampler and it wasn't until the end that I noticed something about this piece that I never noticed before...look at it... what is it missing? Let me know when you see it.

I'm linking up with Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching and I'll link up tomorrow with SuperMom-No Cape's Vintage Embroidery Monday & Stitchery... you'll see wonderful projects on both to these blogs.

Also if you have time check out the Facebook group Fans of Blackbird Designs and Prim Stitchers Society. You have to ask to join the group to post but as far as I can tell they accept all stitchers...hey, they took me! Great stitching and great inspiration.

And another thing...if you are on Instagram you can check me out there too carolfun53 ... I've just started posting bits and pieces there...lots of times it is works in progress. Everyday I find new people and sites to follow... it is a wonder I get anything done at all!

happy stitching-
carol fun

Something unusual for Slow Stitching Sunday

Isn't this a pretty little sampler? It measures a petite 3" x  6".  And what pray tell is so unusual about it? It is FINISHED - LOL!

I haven't finished a piece of cross stitch in eons and it is a great feeling. This sampler is from a new series called the Quaker Bookmark from The Workbasket. This one is for August and I got it as a kit which includes silk floss. I've never used silk floss before and I was quite impressed. Such smooth stitching! Now I did learn that I have to be judicious with the amounts of floss they send in this kit. I got it from The Strawberry Sampler and they do a great job. However I screwed up a section and had to frog it and re-stitch it... and then Big Dude sauntered off with a piece and before you know it I just squeaked it out. There were 2 shades of floss in the kit and I had to change some of the motifs to the darker shade from the lighter shade it was charted, but no one will ever know... except you and I know your lips are sealed.

Anyway the kit also came with a plastic sleeve that you use to make this into a bookmark, but it met an unfortunate demise in the fact that I sat on it... and it got folded in half... and quite mangled. Oh well, I have feeling that each kit will include a plastic sleeve,but I'm not sure that's how I want to finish these. I'm thinking of making it a little cushion filled with sawdust. Could be cute.

I'm linking up with Kathy's Quilts Slow Stitching Sunday.

I think I'll go work on another little sampler and maybe I'll have something to show again next Sunday.

happy stitching-

carol fun