The Peacock's Feather

Dress Warm!!!

Isn't this a darling chart?  My friend Sandy sent it to me.  I owe her a thank you email!!  I actually think that I have the fabric and overdyeds already in my stash.  The stitched design only measures 1.8 x 2.5 inches, so this will be quick to stitch up.  I think I will dig through my stash this weekend for the supplies.  Even though it is winter, and it is a bit on the coolish side, we have experienced a very, very mild season here in Nebraska.  I can't say I am complaining.  While snow is very pretty to watch falling, it is not so fun to trudge through going to and from work!  So we'll see what will happen as we still have a few months to go before spring arrives.  Any ideas on finishing this one?  I wonder if it would be too small for a pinkeep?  I have some lovely white glass head pins I could use!  Or maybe a little fob.  It looks like this is a little series that Heart in Hand has come up with--very cute designs.  On the back of this card it shows a "Be Nice" chart as well. 

Lately I have been so busy at work, by the time I get home and get chores finished I don't feel like doing much at all, and lately about the only energy I can find is to update my blog.  So, if I owe you an email, or I haven't responded to comments, I promise I will get to them.  I am usually much better at staying on top of things, but not this month!  Maybe it is also partially the January blahs!  I hope to get caught up with things this weekend, and also get back to reading the blogs on my list!  I miss seeing what everyone else is up to!  Now I am going to try and put a few stitches in one (or maybe both) of my Valentine's Day projects.  My little stitching rotation is also way off, too! :(  Oh well, the lovely month of February is just around the corner!

Stitching Snags...

I have met up with a couple of snags in my stitching.  The main one has been a really good book, which I have been spending time reading rather than stitching.  I have spent the past few days completely engrossed in Jonatha Ceely's novel, Bread and Dreams.  It is a sequel to her earlier novel, Mina.  I enjoyed Mina, but I really loved Bread and Dreams.  They are historical novels, and I got so wrapped up in the second one that I couldn't even it put it down to stitch.  I finished it tonight, so I hope to get back on track with my stitching.  I read quite a lot, but I usually try and stitch in the evening (since I can read on the bus and while walking on my treadmill--activities not conducive to stitching).  The other snag I caught today while working on my Dainty Housewren.  It seems I did not place a line of words in the right place, so I had to pick out my work--ugh.  I am not sure how I miscounted so badly, but there is nothing to do but pick out those stitches and do them again.  Luckily there weren't too many letters that were off, but it is still a bit of a setback.  I am not sure what to work on tonight, but I guess I better get moving on my Valentine's Day project.  The eyelets (on my Peaches and Cream Sampler) will have to wait another day!

Peaches and Cream

Yesterday I started working on my Peaches and Cream Sampler by Victoria Sampler.  It is an online class that will last over four weekends. I still have lots of eyelets to do, but I did finish the satin stitches in the middle, smyrnas, and mosaic stitches.  There is also some backstitching as well.  You can see what it will look like, if you click on the link.  So far it is mostly ecru floss that I have used, so it is no easy to see.  I did use my Q-snaps to stitch this.  I think it is really a matter of taste and how everyone learned when it comes to using some sort of a frame. Thanks for all the input by the way!  I think I will likely stick with stitching in hand, but it is nice to use a frame for specialty stitches like eyelets.  I also started working on one of my Valentine's Days projects.  I am stitching on 36 count, and some of the design calls for over-one stitching, so I hope it doesn't take me too long to finish.  I won't be able to share these until later, but I think they will be very pretty if I manage to get them done in time!

The new Nordic Needle catalog also came in the mail today.  I have only taken a quick browse though it, but it looks like they have some nice things.  I see they are now selling knitting supplies as well.  I think I will take it to work tomorrow, and really look at it then on my lunch break.  I hope to get a few stitches in tonight on something!

Two Small Finishes

I haven't really gotten in much stitching over the weekend unfortunately.  But I did work on this small project and did a little finishing.  It seems to me that that part always takes much longer than I plan and expect.  This is the most recent Essy's Friends design.  It is by Shepherds Bush called Heartfelt Flower.  I admit that I have lagged behind on these designs.  I signed up for the automatic shipment for these, which I generally never do.  I think it was good in the end that I did so, as there is now a waiting list to get them.  I stitched the very first one (also a tin pin), and then let the next three or so go without even stitching them.  I am sure I will get caught up eventually.  This one was very fast going.  I only have problems with getting the linen all lined up nicely over the matte board, but I think it looks okay.  I am not one to wear pins, but I have them displayed on my shelf.  Next months design is by Sampler Cove. 

Here is my January cushion all finished.  It is by Prairie Schooler from the Pairie Year chart.  It took a little longer for this one as I decided to stitch a border on the back, and put the month, year, and my initials.  I wanted to be lazy and just put on fabric, but I am sure in the long run I will be happier that I took the time to make the back nice as well.  I plan on putting the month, date, and my initials on each month in some way or another.  I will get February's linen all ready to go.  I am thinking of finishing that as an eight corner pillow.  But I won't start that one for a few weeks still.  If you want to take a peek in my Picturetrail Album you can see the back of this as well as the two tin pins that I made together.  Now I am off to work some more on my Victoria Sampler class piece.  I am trying to use my Q-snaps, but I have to say it is odd working with them.  I guess I need to get used to them!

Market Bag

Look what I found in the current issue of Stitcher's World that I bought today!  It is a design by Charlotte Smyth and the design inside the bag is called Four Seasons.  I don't usually buy this particular stitching magazine, but I love these bags, so I couldn't pass this one up.  I thought it would be helpful to have another set of instructions, though I do have both of Slyvie's (Au Fil de Reves) Bourse kits.  I hope to stitch and finish both of those designs this year.  This one has a slightly different shape to it, but I believe the finishing instructions are both very similar.  This issue also has some canvas work designs, which I think are quite nice as well as some blackwork garden bookmarks that I wouldn't mind making sometime.  I am really beat tonight (I went to sleep a tad too late last night), but I hope to try and finish (or at least get close) my January cushion.  Off to stitch now.

My French Garden...

Here is my progress so far with Mystery IX - The King's Vegetable Garden by Martina.  I know it isn't much, but I am getting there.  I still have about two and a half weeks before installment #2.  Some ladies are already finished--speedy stitchers!  If I dedicated my stitching time exclusively to this I would be much farther, but you know I always have several things going at once.  It is a bit strange for me as this is stitched with silks and we are using two plies rather than the normal single ply.  As this is 32 count, it has a much fuller look, I guess with two plies.  I am so used to Drawn Thread and Shepherds Bush--they both use one ply for this count, so I have to get used to this.  The only problem so far are the very few little stitches on the bottom that are in blue that are using perl (silks).  They seem very bulky to me, and I think I will post to one of the Mystery groups and see if I am doing this correctly.  I am sure perl is used as it comes off the spool or card.  I may change that--we'll see.  I hope to work on this a bit over the weekend, but I have several things calling my name--I told myself I would finish up PS-January into a cushion, also the Victoria Sampler online class started today (so I need to go and download or print out the information), and I also need to work on a couple of Valentine's Day projects.  I have yet to start those!  The end of the month is coming up faster than I think, and they both need to be mailed.  I guess it is a good thing it is a three day weekend!

My Dainty Housewren

I pulled out my Dainty Housewren by Carriage House Samplings this week to work on at work.  This is another project from last year that I never completed!  I really don't have too much to finish on it now.  There are only the words and a few more geometrical motifs along with the border.  It will have lots of beads to attach after that, however.  I think what slowed me down is working on nearly black fabric which is also 40 count!  I really need good lighting for this one.  The lighting at work is pretty good--fluorescent lights, which makes stitching go faster.  Sorry the photo is not terribly clear, but you can see where I am at anyway.

I am curious--how many people stitch "in hand" (I prefer to stitch that way), or with Q-snaps or scroll bars?  I am going to be starting my online Victoria Sampler class tomorrow and in the initial instructions Thea strongly suggested that a scroll frame be used (or Q-snaps).  It is a problem for me as I take many things to work, and I ride a bus, so any additional supplies becomes a bit burdonsome.  I may try my Q-snaps for my online class though, as I think I will only stitch this at home.  Thea says that your stitches will look much neater when the linen is pulled taut.  Any thoughts on this?  Neater stitches are always a good thing.  I think with one strand of floss I am fine, but with two strands I could use some help making things neater.  We'll see how it goes!

Colonial America

I really love "Colonial America" themed designs.  I ordered a few charts recently and here they are.  I couldn't pass up the designs by Carriage House Samplings that appeared in the Washington Post.  As they are mainly Christmas related, I will probably just hold on to this chart until later in the year.  I think they will be quite nice all stitched up.  I also ordered Birth of a Nation by Designs by Pamela, and Liberty Hill Inn by Little House Needleworks.  I would love to stitch Birth of a Nation this year, but I know I need to work on a few other things first before thinking of starting something new.  I do know I want to stitch something by LHN this year, though for sure! 

A Little Clock for January

I have finished stitching January from the Prairie Schooler chart A Prairie Year.  I can't decide whether to just choose some plain fabric for the back, or use linen for my backing.  It depends on how lazy I am feeling, I guess.  It would be nice to stitch a border on a backing piece of linen and add the date and my initials.  Of course it would be a bit quicker to just use some nice plain fabric, too!   I want to do the finishing on this over the coming weekend.  This is for a SAL that I am in, and I would love to be able to keep up with one of my goals this year!  Next month the design has four hearts.  The design is nice and symmetrical, so I think I will use a 28 count linen and finish it as an eight corner pillow.  I loved making the one I gave away.  I think February is the only month I will be able to finish it that way--every other month the design is more of an object or an animal.  Now I need to get to work on Mystery IX!!!  It amazes me how quickly some people can stitch and get each installment finished so quickly!  Oh well, I still have three weeks to work on it!

A Little Redwork

Here is a little redwork I stitched for a friend's birthday.  I used one of the alphabets from Veronique Maillard's book, Alphabets Anciens.  I only wish that I had ribbon that was a deeper shade of red.  Unfortunately I had to get it in the mail, so I used what I had on hand.  The back has a red fabric which is a closer match to the floss I used.  I think redwork is really lovely, and I hope to stitch more of it this year.  By the way, this is my first finish of 2006!