Weekend Stitching

I caught a cold last week, so I was feeling pretty miserable over the weekend.  I didn't go anywhere, I just sat on the couch and stitched.  I worked on a few different things...

40 ct. Vintage Sand Dune, NPI (1 over 2)

I finished the orange kitty and Eve on Charlotte Clayton.  I'm really loving this one!  It's such a fun stitch.

40 ct. Vintage Pecan Butter, AVAS and NPI (1 over 2)

Dorothy has been a little more difficult.  The lightest pink had very little contrast with medium pink.  I could barely tell them apart.  The dyelots have obviously changed since Glenna and Laurie stitched their samplers. I switched it out for a NPI I had.  It's not perfect, but it will have to do (since I tried just about every other pink silk in my stash). :)

40 ct. Vintage Lt. Examplar, Belle Soie (1 over 2)

I started The Scarlett House's "Mary Roe 1808" back in March, but didn't put it on my blog because I only had a little bit of the border stitched.  I decided to get it back out and work on it some more.  I love the colors in this sampler, they're so bright and pretty!!

I hope you all had a great weekend!  I'll be finishing up packing this week.  I really don't have too much more to do.  Just a few dishes and then our linens and clothes.

A New Start!

Whenever I have a lot of stress in my life, I like to start new projects.  And they can't be small projects - they have to be big!  The bigger the stress, the bigger the project.  I got it in my head that I wanted to start The Scarlet Letter's Dorothy Walpole.  I think Laurie's framed finish put me over the edge!  The only problem was that everything was packed away.  The linen, the chart and the threads.  Well, that didn't stop me for long!  I dug them out and started right away.

40 ct. Vintage Pecan Butter by Lakeside Linens, AVAS silks (1 over 2)

I'm loving it!  Unfortunately, I had to frog about half of the border I stitched.  Somehow I got off in two places.  I'm back on track now and am working on all those eyelet stitches on the bottom.  I can't wait to get to the pretty flowers!

Last Saturday I went up to Amy's to say goodbye (for the summer, or until Myrtle Beach in the fall).  We had a very nice visit.  I can never resist getting a little stash while there from Down Sunshine Lane. :)

Only one week until we head down to Florida.  I have almost everything packed.  I just have to do the kitchen and few other things.  I hope you all have a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend!

After seeing some great Christmas Garden finishes (Katrina, Lois and Marsha to name a few), I decided to get my Christmas Garden back out...

40 ct. Vintage Lt. Examplar, CC and GAST (1 over 2)

And I worked on Charlotte Clayton a little bit.  I have the outline of the orange kitty stitched.

40 ct. Vintage Sand Dune, NPI silks (1 over 2)

Speaking of kitties, I have to share a picture of Oreo, She was sleeping on a quilt my mom made years and years ago (all by hand).

Now For the Stitching!

I've been playing with some threads and linen for a few samplers I would like to stitch in the future. The first is "Lucy Redd" by Homespun Elegance. I love Elizabeth's version and she kindly shared her conversion to NPI silks.

The linen I'm thinking of using is 40 ct. Vintage Meadow Rue.

Next is "Hannah Pepper." I started Hannah last year using NPI and then I realized there was an error in one of the magazines, which said the stitch count on one side was 265. It was actually 365. Ooops! I'm glad I only stitched a little bit. Since then, I have decided I would actually like to use the called for Soie d'Alger silks.

And I had a cut of 40 ct. Lt. Examplar in my stash that was right size for the correct stitch count.

I got Blackbird Designs "Mother's Garden" from Down Sunshine Lane shortly after it was released. It's such a pretty design. I plan to use the same 40 ct. Vintage Lt. Examplar that I'm using for Christmas Garden.

Last, I got "Charlotte Clayton Sampler" in a trade from Andrea. I have loved this sampler for so long and was so happy when Andrea offered it to me.

I'm going to use the recommend NPI silks on 40 ct. Vintage Sand Dune. I decided to start it last night in honor of my new kitty, Oreo. I just love those big cats on the bottom.

I also have a little bit of progress on "Elizabeth Sheffield."

This little over one guy took me several hours to stitch!

Hope all you mom's out there have a wonderful day tomorrow! And thank you all for your kind comments on our upcoming move and Oreo. :)

A Lot of Changes!

Wow, where do I begin?? First, we are moving out of our condo at the end of the month. I never thought we would have stayed in the condo for four years - it was just supposed to be temporary. It hasn't been all bad, the only thing we've missed is having our own yard. My husband was offered an opportunity to go TDY in Florida for a few months and he accepted. He'll report to the Tampa office on June 4. The kids get out of school June 1, so it will be a little bit of a rush. We will stay in his parents house while we're down there and leave our things in storage up here. He's going to try to find someone that would like to switch with him and go to Charleston. If he can, than we'll stay down there. If not, we'll have to come back up here. So keep your fingers crossed for us!

Second, we have a new family member! I found a kitten meowing outside my door the other day. She was so scared and so hungry. I picked her up and it was love at first sight. We have been wanting to possibly get a cat or small dog for awhile now and I feel like it was just meant to be. The poor thing had so many fleas and three ticks! I gave her a bath and combed and combed her. I took her to the vet the next day and she got her shots and flea treatment. I'm happy to say she does not have one flea on her now!! I also put up a note to make sure she wasn't someone's lost kitten, but no one responded. She was definitely a stray! She has stolen the hearts of everyone. Even my dh, who is allergic to cats, can't resist her.

The vet had this bow on her when I went to pick her up. She said she was about 10 weeks old.  Oh and we named her Oreo, not very girly, but the kids love it.

I do have some stitching share, but I'll save that for another post!

Elizabeth J M Mears Finished!

I just put the last stitches in today! I can't believe it's finished! I never thought I'd see this day! :)

These zigzag stitches took a lot longer than I thought they would...

Queenstown Sampler Designs "Elizabeth J M Mears 1833"

Fabric: 40 ct. Vintage Meadow Rue by Lakeside Linens

Threads: Needlepoint Inc. Silk

Started: 1/1/2011 - Finished: 5/5/2012

Not sure what I'm going to work on now. I may get back to Elizabeth Sheffield or start something new! Hope you all have a great weekend!

Elizabeth Mears as of 5/2/12

Elizabeth Mears as of 5/2/12, a photo by Nicole's Needlework on Flickr.

I'm almost finished! I just have to do the zig zag stitches on the top!