The Peacock's Feather

A Few Updates

I've added a few more rows on to my Band Sampler.  Sorry the photo is a little dark, but I was too lazy to take another picture.  Usually I like stitching letters, but there are several alphabets on this one, so they might turn out to be a little tedious.  Still, I'll be able to juggle between rows once I start them. 

 

I decided I really need to try and finish "Rain, Rain" by Prairie Schooler.  I'm working on my least favorite part of the design--the letters at the top are stitched in Ecru.  I don't like stitching with really light colors like ecru and white--I always feel like my work looks sloppy when I use these colors.  Sometimes it's just the way the linen is--narrow threads, but the stitches often look uneven.  It will be better when I can get the gray clouds stitched and then I'll be nearly finished!

 

And what do you think about this sampler?  It's also in the Brenda Keyes' book, Traditional Samplers.  It's a reproduction called "The Mary Elizabeth Nicholson Sampler" originally stitched in 1892.  It's stitched on 25 count Dublin linen, though I'm not sure if it is still available?  It measures 17-1/4 x 17-1/4 when finished.  As it looks like a white or ivory color (stitched with plain DMC), I should easily find a subsitute if I can't find Dublin linen.  I should really not be thinking about kitting up anything new, but you know how  it goes!

And I've not forgotten my Mystery Sampler.  I need to figure out a rotation now that I have several projects I'm in the mood to stitch!

Band Sampler Progress

I've decided that I do indeed want to stitch Brenda Keyes's "Band Sampler", which appears in her book, Traditional Samplers. 

 

I started it over the weekend.  Although the first rows are not the most exciting they do seem to go fairly quickly.

 

I'm hoping that with the repetitive nature of the rows this will be something I can work on a little every night, even if it is only for fifteen minutes before bedtime.  I need something simple yet addicting to stitch.  I still love the Mystery Sampler, however, and will keep working on that as well.  Sometimes it seems like it's just a matter of getting those first stitches in and then seeing progress that makes me want to keep going and look forward to (even make time for) my stitching.

New Stash & Samplers

Many apologies for not being around much, though this is hardly new.  Apologies mostly for not having replied to comments left on my last couple of posts.  I do read comments daily, but I have been remiss in answering.  I do appreciate them, however, so please don't think they are ignored.  As I am taking a long weekend this weekend I hope to get caught up on a few things finally.  I thought I'd show my latest stash.  I've not bought anything in ages, but as I'm afraid Carriage House Samplings charts will be quickly going OOP, I thought I'd better fill out my Hawk Run Hollow collection.  Not that I've actually finished any of these designs yet.  I have the first two on the go, the third one partially kitted up, and these two should round things out.  Needless to say I will wait to buy fabric and most likely will use plain DMC floss to stitch them, but who knows, maybe when I finally get around to stitching them, I will be able to afford silks again!

 

I'm on the third house of the original Hawk Run Hollow, which I pulled out of my UFO bin and am contemplating working on again.  Wouldn't it be nice to finish at least one of these by the end of the year?  Not that I will, mind you, but it's nice to think about!

 

I've been thinking I'd like to stitch a nice, traditional sampler and pulled this out of my stash today.  It is called "The Contented Mind Sampler" by The Sampler Company/Brenda Keyes.  I think I must have seen someone stitching it and loved it, but I'm not sure what I think of it right now.  It looks like I bought Lambswool and DMC for it.  Has anyone stitched this?

 

But this Band Sampler, also by Brenda Keyes, also came to mind.  It is in her book, Traditional Samplers, which I have owned for a long time but never stitched anything from it.  I do like the look of it and am wondering if at some point I kitted it up.  I will have to dig through bins once again, though maybe I've only thought of stitching it before. 

I have worked a bit on another project, but will see if I can make some more progress and share a photo of it later. 

Have a great weekend everyone and many thanks for your comments--they are always appreciated! 

Stash Diving

I mentioned last weekend that I did a little stash diving--searching for something to work on stitching alongside my Mystery Sampler.  I dug out several projects, though I haven't really decided which to work on.  Most are either related to summertime or the Fourth.  I love Birds of a Feather and started this one (actually most of what I found have been UFOs for years!) quite a while ago. This is called "Land That I Love" and would probably stitch up pretty quickly if I would just give myself time working on it.

 

Not sure why this one was set aside as I seemed to have been making good progress on it.  It is "Early America" by Little House Needleworks.  I love their Colonial America designs and am very much in the mood for something like this.  The rest of the verse reads: "Early America: Sampler, pewter, patriotism, faith, candlelight, gardens, handmade quilts and family".

 

I know why this one was set aside.  Another LHN design called "Sweet Little Berries" that I decided to stitch on 40 count Lambswool.  I am using one ply of DMC floss and was thinking the covering looked scanty.  Here it looks pretty good.  Maybe it does just look 'delicate'.  In person the coverage isn't quite complete, but I have so much stitched it seems a shame not to finish it.  The saying reads" "Deep in the field under bright sunny skies grow sweet little berries for jellies and pies".

 

I have a horrible track record with LHN.  I love their designs and have several WIPs/UFOs, but I'm not sure I have actually finished anything by them!  This was the project I started last weekend.  I'm using raw Belfast linen, but I am not sure I like it.  What is my problem with raw linen?  This is called "Summer House" and I bet if I could just more of it stitched I would like it.  I was thinking I could finish it as a pinkeep.

 

One more.  I love this chart.  It's by Goode Huswife and is called "With My Needle".  I would love to finish this one and frame it.  The thing is the fabric is a 40 count linen and it is so tightly woven there is not any space between threads.  I've had this one quite a long time.  The linen color is 'daily grind', but I am not sure who made it--am guessing R&R Reproductions.  As long as I have my magnifier glasses I might be able to work on it.  It looks great stitched on that sort of linen, but it's a challenge to work on it!

Whatever I end up working on, I really do hope to actually stitch a little this weekend.  Last weekend I managed to do a little finishing, but that was it aside from the tiny bit I stitched on "Summer House".  A vacation would come in handy about now.

Happy July Fourth

I didn't get to stitch anything new for the holiday, but I dug around in my bin of stitched projects and pulled out these two designs by Bent Creek.  Both were stitched years ago and I thought it was time to finally finish them properly.

 

I had already pulled out the fabric when I did my last batch of finishing a while back.  I probably should have looked for some other fabrics for variety, but I was too lazy to pull out my fabric bins and search for other fabrics that might work.

 

And another close up of "Pop" (at least that is what I think this is called).

 

It's been cloudy all day and raining off and on, so the holiday has been a bit of a washout.  Also my iron died on me halfway through my sewing session, which means I didn't get to press this linen as much as I would have liked to.  It looks better in person and I am hoping over time any wrinkles will straighten out.  I wonder if others use a fusible backing on the linen to give it more support?  I need to think about that next time around, though I think I want to work on finishing some smaller things--preferably by hand and not using the sewing machine (which I think I've mentioned before sort of scares me!).

 

One last close up.  I think I must have stitched this about 8-9 years ago!  I went through a huge Bent Creek phase, and while I still like her designs I don't often buy them anymore.  Still, something nice and quick to stitch is nice now and again. 

By the way, I did do a little digging through my other bins and have pulled out a few designs I might work on--mostly they are UFOs--I'll share them soon.

A Start on Part Two

I think I finally have enough stitches put in on part two of my Blackbird Designs "Mystery Sampler" to share a progress photo.  This is a slightly narrower section, so it seems to stitch up fairly quickly.  And as I have a long weekend this weekend I hope to get in a bit more stitching time than I've had in the past couple of weeks.  This is on the stitching agenda, but I also want to work on something else--either try and finish my Prairie Schooler--Rain, Rain design or maybe even start something new.  I may have to dig around in my stash bins to see what I'm in the mood for.  Actually I think I am in the mood for a proper, traditional sampler, or maybe a Quaker design.  Or, who knows, maybe something entirely different.  I'll let you know what I decide.

As July 1 has come and gone, Carriage House Samplings is no longer in business.  At least no longer producing new designs.  Anything that is left is now only to be had from Kathy's Etsy Shop.  While I completely understand her wish to move on to something she feels more inspired to do, I am very, very sad to see her designs go out of print.  I've been a great fan from the very first and have a nice stack of charts from her earliest days.  As I haven't been stitching as much in the last few years, I've also stopped buying new designs, so sadly I probably won't be able to own many of her more recent charts. 

I did break down, however, and request "Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow" and "Autumn at Hawk Run Hollow".  I have the other charts in the series, and though I've yet to actually finish stitching any of them, I couldn't bear the thought I might not have the others later on when I do get around to stitching them.  The thing is the shop where I tried to order them is sold out as are her distributors.  Panic!  I lucked out and there were still a few copies through her Etsy shop.  I wonder how long before the rest of the designs become scarce?  The thing is I am making myself budget in order to pay off my credit card (am determined to finally do it), which means no purchases on whims as this is what keeps me from paying the darn thing off.  I made an exception with these (and of course they had to be the more expensive designs) as I'm not sure how easy they will be to get later secondhand, and I don't want to pay twice the cost.  Is anyone snapping up her work before it disappears?  As for anything else I was tempted by, I will just have to content myself with the charts I already own and have not yet stitched (and there are plenty of those in my stash)!

If you are celebrating the Fourth of July this weekend, have a safe and enjoyable holiday.  And if you aren't, have a great weekend, too.  Mine will hopefully be spent doing lots of reading and stitching and maybe even watching a movie or two.  Happy Stitching everyone.