Yes, I'm feeling much better as long as I take pain meds, however my stitching is being hampered because I can't seem to finish the block on my Shore of Hawk Run Hollow (my challenge piece). This is so tragic as I loved working on this piece when I started it years ago and I'm sure if I hadn't lost it I would have finished it in good order. But several years later, half finished I'm not so thrilled anymore and there are so many projects piled up on my table that I want to do now and yet I have to plow through this. Well maybe since I'm feeling better I'll get more done. In the meantime, I did finish several pieces, some that were sitting here for a few months. So a big Whoppe for finally getting these off my table.
This is called Easter Sampler and comes in a kit. I absolutely love the designer, Kelly Clark who I only knew her from her needlepoint designs, as I have a couple of canvases from her. So I was thrilled when she came out with counted cross stitch. This was from 2018 which is the first time she came out with a line. This year she came out with the cutest Easter Eggs, but I felt i had to start here. While I normally stitch on linen, I decided to stay true to the kit so no one would be confused on what's in the kit. The kit includes 18 ct. linen, floss, chart and a needle. When the stitching was done framing became an issue because I couldn't make up my mind what I wanted. The model is shown finished in a country white frame so I asked West End Frames for a basic white frame which they questioned because I seldom if ever go there...but I held on to just basic white. However, when I got it home I just couldn't deal with so much white, aida and frame. So then I was going to embellish the frame, but couldn't come up with anything I liked with it. I was creating the tags for the event next weekend so I was in scrap paper hell, when I took the frame and started testing different paper on it and voila....I found the perfect solution for this piece. I decoupaged scrapbook paper on to the frame and it really is so cute. So I'm sure I'll be doing this again with something. Once I was done with that it was game on for the other pieces. Next up was a Shamrock piece that was suppose to be done for St Patrick's Day. Again, I thought I was going to finish it as a small pincushion, but couldn't make up my mind. Then I was going to hang it on the front of a basket filled with shamrocks. But I waited to long and gave the basket to someone filled with Easter candy. But I came up with a perfect solution anyway.
I like using hornbooks because it's an easy finish plus it gives you height in a display so your display will have pin cushions down low and then for height hornbooks...different levels always makes displays look more interesting, I think. Anyway, this is "Basket o' Luck" from the Pineberry Lane's, "Little Shamrocks" chartpack. Needless to say it was a quick stitch and a quick finish using just a green/white check fabric and Lady Dot rick rack. Initially I was going to finish this more permanently but when I was testing the hanger length I decided to just hang it and that way the hornbook becomes reusable for the different months or occasions. Here I used the colors shown on the chart. Fabric was a scrap piece of antique white colored linen. And then since I was working with hornbooks, I decided to finish the
"Year of Celebration" June, from Hands on Design. At this rate I have faith I will actually finish the entire series (something I think every time I start a series and seldom ever complete). This has been my favorite so far. Love the blues and reds (something tells me I'm going to love July's as well) however, I did make a couple of changes in color. I wanted more of a red, red so I used WDW Liberty, and then I thought the sandcastle was a little dark for our sand in Ocean City, so I used WDW Sand for that and I used the Terra Cotta for the starfish in place of the white. In my bead stash I had the turq. starfish which I used on the magnet. I had considered using a real starfish since we sell them in the Shell Stocked, but they are also delicate and sometimes my models in the shop get bumped and fall on the floor and the real starfish will break. The final finish for the week and month is another piece done for over a month, With Thy Needle & Thread's "Quaker Sewing Tray"
While I haven't done it yet, I'm going to do a fob, needle keep and perhaps a couple of other pieces to go with this by taking motifs out of the sampler. It was an easy stitch which I did on 32 ct. Wren linen using the recommended threads. The glitch for me on this was the painting of the tray, which is sold as a three pack of trays, this is the smallest, then the next size would need a 6 1/4 x 6 1/4 design and the largest would take a 7 1/4 x 7 1/4 swaifn. So While it may be daunting to find that the trays are only sold in a pack of 3, the other sizes will be easy to find designs that fit, plus you can always do a smaller design and use wool as a mat under a smaller design and it would still look great. Anyway, I didn't have the called on Barn Red for painting but I had red and black. I must have about 5 coats of paint on this as while I only used a few drops of blackpaint in the red it was always too dark. In the end, the last coat I just added red and called it a day. But I think it looks good with the mix. After it was done and the design inserted I realized one corner was a little too red and thought I'd fix it, only I got the red on the stitched piece so I sad the hell with it. Looks good enough and when I get the smalls int here I'll make sure they are in the corner so it doesn't show, plus the mark on the linen in down on the side so you really don't notice it. Since I was on such a roll, this morning I pulled out the Pastoral Sampler by Drawn Thread which was finished (stitching only) in 2016. I attached the wool, sewed on some beads and was very impressed with myself and then I goofed when I read the directions for finishing , which makes no sense since I had blocked this out according to the directions, and when I went to cut off excess linen on the top and bottom read three times before cutting and then the sides I read 16 threads out from the last stitch, only I think it meant not from the stitch but from the basted line so I think I've cut too short on the sides. I have 1/2 inch on each side so I know I can finish it, but it's taken the wind out of my sails now and I'm on the computer whining about it. I'll pull up my big girl pants eventually and finish it. I just need time to get over my mistake. Or course I'm also working on a few pieces My most recent is Festive Fobs- Americana Edition. I should have it done in a few days and I'm loving it, as I have all of these Festive Fobs. I've also worked on the Plum Street Heritage Sampler, but it's no where near completion. Perhaps I'll be able to show it in 2020. As for my October challenge piece, I've gotten a reprieve. Jan Hartman was in Ocean City about a week ago and we met at the hotel and discussed our pieces. When I asked how she was doing, She's working on A Summer Place by Cross Eyed Cricket. She too is struggling. So after deliberating, after all this is suppose to be fun, challenging at times, but still enjoyable, we decided to move our finish date to 2020, however, the challenge is still on somewhat in that we know where each of us is at this point and by October 2019 we have to show progress, so I'm still working on mine as is Jan, but it's not a life or death stitch so I can somewhat enjoy working on it when I do. I plan to stitch on it a couple of times a week and perhaps I can hopefully finish at least 8 of the blocks, out of the total of 12. Now I had 3 all done, 1which is 3/4 done, one I have to rip out as it was half done but I don't remember what the colors were and I don't see anything that matches it in the bag of threads I found, so I have to begin this block again. I'm working on the 2 center blocks in the middle of the 2nd row and there is one other block to do there and the 4 blocks on the bottom, one of which I'm changing, have to be done. So there is plenty to do here. Fingers crossed I pick up speed. We both had the complaint of too much of white needs to be done. I'm working on the sails of a ship and her beach cottage is all white. So I have the better part of the white battle, but ugh, it doesn't make me feel any better. I love monochrome designs, but just blocks of white is so uninteresting. But if I do a little everyday I shall finish this once and for all and what a good feeling that will be. I've been geariug up for the next event, Betsy Morgan's weekend, next weekend, so tags are ready and now I just have to do the cookies. I haven't turned on my a/c yet so I've been holding off dealing with that, but today could be the day I give in. I've also been resting my foot so hopefully I'll be in better shape to help out at the shop. I've been worthless there up to this point and Sara isn't very excited about me being there getting in the way, so I've gladly stayed home and rested my ankle. This is the first week where I've experienced several days of relatively pain free moments. I've slowly let go of the meds and at this point since I've run out of Motrin I'm only taking Tylenol's once or twice a day. I'm so excited to be getting better, although a big help I think is the fact that I still use the wheelchair at home. And of course to get to the shop I have the mobility scooter which I love. So I'm going to end here and see what the day brings. Hope everyone has a lovely weekend and I pray you get to put a few stitches into your projects. Talk to you soon.
No comments:
Post a Comment