The Peacock's Feather

Surprise Stash!

My mom went to visit my sister in Virginia this past week, and she stopped in a little cross stitch store called,  Everything Cross Stitch.  I have been there before, and it is a lovely little store.  While it is small, it is crammed with charts, floss, fabric, books, and lots and lots of stitched models!  It is so amazing how different a design can look all stitched up rather than on the chart photo!  Sometimes they don't look like something you want to stitch, but when there is a model on the wall....what a difference! 

Since I didn't get to go, my mom bought some new charts for me.  As always she was very generous in her purchases!  For regular cross stitch she picked up "Heart of the Home" by Homespun Elegance, "12 Days of Christmas" and "CrowJackers" by Just Nan (I asked her to look out for these last two),  and a design I have not seen--"Petite Mexican Sampler" by The Samplar Workes.  I am really taken with this last design!!  I want to kit it up and work on it soon.  It calls for AVAS and 48 (!!!) count Napery "Light Examplar" by Lakeside Linens.  I didn't realize that there was such a count!  The initials in the corner are even stitched over one!  Any ideas where to find this linen?  The charts on the bottom are all punchneedle designs.  I have a book checked out from the library with color illustrations--now must give this a try!

Now I am off to do the finishing on my needlecase.  This is my first try at it!  Fingers crossed it goes well!

Dragonflies are Arriving

I have stitched the first of four dragonflies on my "Miss Kitty's Dragons" project.  I was a little slow stitching this, but I love how it looks!  It is amazing how lovely something as simple as backstitching can look!  I'm not sure whether I will keep working my way up or go on to the next dragonfly.  I am really enjoying stitching this!  I hope to work on it more this weekend, though my main goal is to finish my friend's needlecase tomorrow.  Now I am finally off to check the fabric bin.    Have a lovely weekend everyone!

A Change in Plans

This year I was meant to be stitching the ornaments in "A Prairie Year"--the first chart (on the left). You will see it paired with "A Prairie Year II", which is also in my stash.  I did very well for the first three months.  Not only did I get them stitched on time, but I also finished them.  Then in April I started fizzling.  I managed to stitch July, but I didn't get it actually finished into the little cushion I had planned for it!  So now I am rethinking this whole SAL.  Honestly I don't really like all the designs on that first chart.  I do like the ones I stitched (which must have been what kept me motivated).  Some of the other designs are okay, but do I really want to spend precious stitching time on something that I am don't really love looking at?  So I am contemplating either completely abandoning the whole SAL (which I feel like I practically have anyway), or stitching from the chart on the right as well as the left.  I would still like to have a year's worth of ornaments.  I love Prairie Schooler, but there are so many charts that I have that I would love to stitch, I think it is sort of silly to force myself to stitch something I am not enjoying.  So, for August it is either the watermelon or the cool little beehive!  I think I will have to opt for the beehive!  I have yet to complete a year long (monthly installment) project.  Perhaps it is not yet time to abandon ship on this one!

Sigh of Relief!

Huge sigh of relief.  I put in the last stitches on my "Tulip" needlecase tonight!  How long has this taken me?  Let's not count back!  I will be pulling out the sewing machine on Saturday (actually still considering sewing by hand--sometimes the sewing machine ends up being more work than hand finishing!).  Despite the awful photo it really does look fairly nice.  The color here of the fabric is more grey when in actuality it is slightly more brown.  I will share a photo of the finished needlecase after my friend gets it (finally!).  Whew.  Tomorrow it is back to my Just Nan and I think it is time to get back to work on the VoHRH!

Still Working....

Sorry no updates in a couple of days.  My afternoon off turned out not to be as productive as I had hoped.  I didn't even get to stitch until later in the evening.  I have been working on my Beardie "Tulip" needlecase, so I haven't bothered to photograph it.  I only have a few smyrnas left in the corner motifs to stitch (should finish on my break later) and then the little backstitches in those same motifs.  Whew.  This has been a hard project to stay motivated on!  I hope the designs I chose for the last three birthdays of the year will be easier going!  I still need to pull out my fabric bins.  I discovered that I don't have the right color DMC for the cording, so I will have to pick that up over the weekend.  My revised plan is to do the actual sewing on Saturday!  And mail on Monday!  YAY.  I will show you the piece as soon as I finish putting in those last stitches.  However I will wait until my friend gets it to share the last photo of it finished as a needlecase (fingers crossed it doesn't turn out all lumpy!--LOL).  It will feel good to get back to my own projects once again.  As my husband is working out of town for a little while, I might be able to get in a bit more stitching time in the evenings.  Maybe I can actually show some progress on something!!

Nearly There!

I feel like I am nearly there!  Last night I finished the outer smyrnas and worked on the tulips.  Then it will just be the little motifs in the corners.  I stitched one of them to see how they will look.  Tonight I hope to look through my fabric bin and find a suitable fabric for the inside.  I am taking Tuesday afternoon off, and if I get the stitching completed, I plan on doing the finishing.  Finally.  This has been hanging over my head for too long.  It will feel so nice to get it completed!!  I am sort of Beardie'd out, though her designs are very pretty.  I do hope to get back to my "Elegant Accessories" eventually, too.  I may have to work on some other things for a while, though, first. 

Project UFO

Even though I have been stitching away at my newer projects I really have not forgotten about my poor UFOs.  I have a list of them somewhere.  Most of them are in the smaller bin on the right, but I know there are a few lurking in the two bigger bins as well.  This weekend (hopefully today and tonight) I plan on scanning or photographing them all and adding them to my Picuretrail album.  Maybe if I have a visual record of them somewhere I will be more apt to choose one to stitch on?  So, in the next few days you can take a peek at my Picturetrail album and in my UFO album--you can see all the work I have ahead of me.  I know eventually I need to go through my stash and do some weeding, but I am just not ready for that yet! So, camera ready...off I go to work...(no doubt I will spot a few that I want to pull out and stitch on again, too!).

Another Must Have!

Have you seen the weekly update at Elegant Stitch?  Suffice it to say that I am going to have to get on the list for his wonderful little box!  And the strawberry, too.  I stitched "This Too Shall Pass"--the scissor case (love the shape on that one), and have "This Too Shall Pass II", which is a pinkeep, which I really need to work on.  So, of course I need "This Too Shall Pass III".  I might as well get them all.  I have a feeling that this is actually not very large, and it is similar to the MC Shaker Box (that I only ever talk about stitching, but never actually do so--LOL).  It doesn't come out until next month, and really the cost is actually pretty reasonable!

I am still contemplating getting the JCS Christmas Ornaments Anniversary Edition.  I hate to spend money on something when I have the charts already in the yearly ornament issues.  I need to see the contents first, but I don't think I will be getting it.  Perhaps my public library will get it, and I can just borrow it! 

The Fear of Eyelets

I tend to have this little fear of eyelets.  I'm not sure why, as once I get going on them, they are really fine to do.  Maybe it is just a laziness thing?  This is my updated photo of Just Nan's "Miss Kitty's Dragons".  I am not sure total how many eyelets I will have to stitch, but so far I have done four.  I think this is progressing nicely.  Even though so many color changes can be a pain, once you get a small portion stitched it really starts to pop out at you.  This makes me want to drag out some other Just Nan designs, but I am only in the thinking stage still!

I know I should be working on my Merry Cox "Shaker Spool Holder" (how often do I talk about this!), but I think one of the things putting me off, now that I think about it, is all those eyelets that it calls for!!  And all those tent stitches.  I guess lately I am just too lazy to put too much effort into my stitching!  Hopefully that will change soon.

A Lovely Suprise...

These lovely things came in the mail today--very kindly sent by Annemiek (who is now vacationing in Scotland--lucky duck!).  She had offered an extra copy of Goode Huswife's "Anna's Bird", which of course I couldn't pass up on (I love GH designs and tried to get as many as I could when she announced she was letting all her charts go out of print).  This is one that I don't have in my collection.  I love the penny rug feel to it!   Annemiek also surprised me with the V&A Peacock Scissors Case.  I have the companion pin cushion.  I really have to pull that chart out and stitch it, as I was so obsessive about getting a copy of it (it is also out of print).  The little kit has Aida, which I plan on substituting with linen.  I already have the pin cushion kitted up (I only have the chart for that one).  Anyway, I had just been thinking that I am not going to be getting anything fun in the mail for a while, and how depressing that is, and then this shows up.  Thanks, Annemiek!!