Don't forget Summer Knit on Monday, August 7th...

 In searching for new summer related projects to stitch I came across a gem somewhat hidden on the rack and it became my next stitch.  The chart is called "Nautical Mittens" and it's from Frony Ritter Designs and the chart retails for $5.00.  

These are the 6th sets of mittens Frony Ritter has published but the first ones I've seen for some reason.   I started stitching the sandcastle first. Several of the other mittens are Christmas related, but I've got Sara ordering some of those.  Stitched on 14 ct. Plastic Perforated Paper (the shop is on a never ending list of back orders which includes white PP)...anyway, the plastic works as well, in fact a little better since it does bend or tear.  Don't forget you can also use Aida or linen.  Anyway, since I stitch many hours a day I can finish stitching 1 mitten/day.  Winner, Winner!  But seriously these are really well designed and cute as a button because of the finished size of them.  They are approximately 1-1/2" wide and 2" high (not counting the white 1/8" ribbon which I cut a 5" piece and glued it to the back of the ornament and covered with navy scrapbook paper.  Because of their small size I decided to stitch them all. Seriously cute for your summer tree.  Can't wait to get some Christmas mittens.  

So now that I've finished this project I have to find another summer project.   I know just what I'm going to stitch.  New designer for the shop, Serenita di campagna and the piece is called  "Giochi

d'Estate"  Beautifully done summer scenes.  Below is a picture of it

It's so hard to believe July is almost over.  When I lived in O.C. the summer felt like it was a year long, and today I realized we have only one more month before it's over.  Of course with the heat, well let's just say I don't do well in heat and humidity, so I'm really looking forward to fall.     I hate to even go outside now.  I also love the fall designs so come on fall!  

On the home front Solomon, one of my grandsons, is working with me this summer in hopes I'll get the house completely furnished, pictures hung, boxes, emptied and yesterday we measured the room that will become my stitching room, so I've ordered a desk.  Once that gets in place I'm assuming the rest will fall in line, I'll get all the boxes out of the 2nd guest room and get it finished.  The desk is due to arrive on Thursday, so hopefully Solomon will be able to accomplish that next week since this week he's only working Tuesday and Wednesday.  Thursday he goes to get his learners permit, so that's exciting for him.  Anyway, we spent a couple of hours hanging pictures today.  Up until today the walls were bare.  It's so exciting to have something on some of the walls, and one brought back so many memories of events gone by.  In 2012-2013,  73 stitchers worked on a Blue Ribbon piece for Sara, Mary and me and I am the one who took it with me to hang.  I remember the day or night I should say, they presented it to us at Jamboree and how shocked I was to receive such a fantastic and gorgeous gift.  The remarkable part is not only that they gifted it, but how many people worked on it.  73 stitchers stitched part of this sampler, Quilted Garden, and not while they were all together at an event, but it had to be mailed around to everyone.  One wonders how they accomplished this and get it framed beautifully and presented to me in time for Jamboree.  But ladies it's hanging in my kitchen/dining room so I can look at it while I'm relaxing over a meal and marvel at the fact that 73 stitchers pulled this off without  the three of us finding out.  I've also hung the 70th birthday gift which was matted with the signatures of everyone that attended the event that year.  I have such wonderful memories of my times with the stitchers.  So again, thank you for making my day all over again.  I loved them then and I love them even more now.  

The desk arrived a day early so Solomon decided he would haul all the parts upstairs himself and start the construction.  Haven't heard a word from him since, except he did come down for a soda and had a smile on his face and said it's cool he can do it.  Fingers crossed although I know he can't finish it today but at least he knows what he's going to be doing next week.  This week we took over 2 cartons as donations to the Methodist church, made 2 trips to recycling as well as cleaned out the utility room so I can actually use the fabulous work bench that Bud had in there.  We got several bins out of the garage along with the boxes of samplers to be hung.  Although I know there are more because I haven't found my grandmother's yet.  So it's a slow roll, since I've lived here since last October, and the movers brought the rest of my stuff in April, but I'm O.K. with that.  I'm enjoying every moment but now with my stitched pictures, etc. being put up it looks so much more like a home.  And best of all, Solomon is a joy to have here and we are getting so much time together now.  His parents trained him well so he's polite and respectful....yes a joy!

I've got to get back to stitching so I'll end here.  Have a great week and hope to see you at Summer Knit on Monday, August 7th.  I missed Stitch 'n Bitch on Thursday as 2 men arrived at my door as I was getting my stuff together to leave and when I asked if I could help them they informed me they were here to put the new unit in my summer room so I now have better a/c (the portable unit didn't cool enough) and it also gives me heat in the winter.  Yea!!!  I've been sitting out there during the 94 degree days perfectly comfortable.  Win, Win!

Talk to you soon.

I am ashamed to say, "I am the epitome of lazy"

I have a room upstairs that I intend to make my stitching room, however, before that happens I've been stashing everything around the downstairs.  The bedroom walk-in closet on the first level has become my go to when I need to stash anything stitching related.  So that is where all the DMC is and that closet is less than 20 steps away from the room I stitch in.  For me it might as well be 100 feet because I never seen to be willing to go there to get thread I need.  Now I keep my overdyed threads in the room I stitch in, stashed on a shelf under the T.V.  That makes those threads about 5 steps away from my stitching chair.  When I started "Nautical Tier" from Erin Elizabeth Designs, I looked through my pile of DMC sitting on the table from a just finished project and not put away, and when I didn't find the called for threads I pulled out the Weeks Dye Works bin and substituted for the DMC.  How lazy is that.  And the time it takes to figure out substitutes, well, if there's one thing I've got now it's plenty of time so obviously it would be less timely if I just got up and got the DMC. Anyway, here is my version of the Nautical Tier and the 2nd picture is the original.  Under the pictures you will find the substitutions I made.  I left off the starfish and sanddollars around the base as I liked focusing on the 3 tier tray.  

 Nautical Tier  - Changes I made

Erin Elizabeth Designs 

Stitched on 30 ct. WDW Blue Jean linen 

Threads used: Weeks Dye Works & DMC 

1st Tier Nat 

Starfish –WDW Cornsilk 

Piling – WDW Grape Vine & DMC White 

Lighthouse – WDW Louisiana Hot Sauce, 

DMC White, Black, 745 

Ships Wheel – WDW Chestnut – DMC 3862 

2nd Tier 

Sailboat – Sails – DMC White & #932 

Pail & Shovel – WDW Navy & Louisiana Hot Sauce 

Anchor – WDW Pelican Gray & WDW Cornsilk 

Life Perserver – DMC White & Louisiana Hot Sauce 

3rd Tier 

House – WDW Navy, & DMC 932 & DMC 310  

 Roof DMC 3862 & WDW Chestnut 

Crab – WDW Louisiana Hot Sauce & WDW Driftwood 

Sandcastle – WDW Driftwood & DMC 3862 

Shovel – WDW Louisiana Hot Sauce 

Seagull – DMC White, Black and WDW Pelican Grey,  

DMC 745 

3 Tier tray – DMC white 

On to the next summer project...although I found another WIP that I might just finish and get it out of the closet. Have a great weekend and I'll be talking to you soon.

Now on to summer stitches...

 The 4th is now behind me, and I reached my goal for patriotic stitching when I finished the final ...  Threadworks Primitive, "Uncle Sam."  Loved stitching this one as it is small but full of motifs along with the main character.  So here he is...stitched on 32 ct. Helix linen from Picture This Plus using the recommended threads.  

Wherever I go, Michaels, etc., I look for display pieces that I think I can use in the future, therefore when Uncle Sam was completed I went to my display store facility (right now my walk in closet since I still haven't finished the stitching room, hell I haven't even started it yet.) and came across a small sized hornbook.  It was just plain so I had to paint it or something.  I had just received some July 4th scrapbook paper and couldn't resist using it as well.  That's the background you see here.  It's so much easier and less messy than painting.  And I finished stitching it July 4th so I just had to put the 4th of July paper button on it as well.  

Once July 4th was behind me it was time to start my summer stitching. Do you have a schedule for stitching certain things?  I do and it helps me keep current for model in the shop.  So June is Patriotic pieces, July is for summer stitching, August is Autumn stitching, September is a continuation of Autumn or school, October is for Thanksgiving, November is Christmas, January is Valentines, February is St. Patricks or Irish, March is spring and Easter, April is spring and Patriotic, May is patriotic as well or floral pieces. 

 I usually start choosing my next project while I'm still stitching the previous project but nearly at the end.  This time I pulled out a WIP from a couple of years ago that I had only done a little on but had stuffed it back in a tote which I continually open to see what's in it so I decided to get it out and finish it.   It's from an Erica Michaels chart pack called Summertime Berries, and there are actually 3 berry charts inside.  But I loved this one because it is done in Monochrome and every so often I just want to stitch with one color of overdyed thread.  So I used the called for color from Classic Colorworks, "Deep Blue Sea," and proceeded to finish the stitch.  I got to the big M and noticed there was over one stitching involved.  My problem and I'm sure the reason I never completed the darn thing was I had started it stitching over one.  So I stopped stitching

and started over stitching over 2, so I could have the over 1 stitching as well.  While I love my over 1 berries, this was so much easier to stitch, but looks enormous to me.  

 

Good ole Summertime is what it says.    I topped it with Weeks Dye Works Blue Jean Wool and Snowball Wool.  Love my berries, so I'm sure you will see more coming from me.  

More good news out of Salty Yarns...

 Sara has Ann Strite-Kurz coming in September to teach, "Beachcombers Booty".  All the info is on the Website under events.  But here is a picture just to give you a glimpse on what I'll be stitching in September where I'll be learning the open blackwork pattern.  

I hope to see you there.

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July everyone.  It came down to the wire but I was able to get the American Momma strawberry finished and I love it.    

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While the two smaller berries were stitched on 32 ct. linen, the Momma berry was stitched on 18 ct. Lambswool linen over 2 threads.  All three berries are from Prairie Schooler's American Strawberries.  The large berry was stitched using DMC Perle Cotton and the smaller ones were stitched using DMC floss.  I have one more patriotic piece to finish by tomorrow (hopefully) and then I'll be moving on to summer stitching.  While I patriotic stitching, I'm ready to move on.  And after that one of my favorite 

themes, Autumn stitching.  

As we all celebrate another 4th, I hope you have a safe and fun filled day filled with family and friends and good food.  Perhaps you will even find time to stitch...I know I will.  

Also don't forget to stop in Salty Yarns on the 1st Monday and the 3rd Monday from 1:00 -3:00 for knitting or crocheting (or bring your stitching it really doesn't matter) and the 2nd and 4th Thursday for Stitch 'n Bitch (or bring your knitting we don't care).  Just time for like minded stitchers to get together and see what everyone is working on.  Plus bring your show and tell.  Hope to see you there.