The Peacock's Feather

More Quaker Garden

It's been a while since I posted anything here, so I thought it was about time to share some more Quaker Garden.  I am at about the half way mark.  I have had to go back and frog a bit, but I think I am back on track.  I had hoped to get in some stitching time today, but I ended up going to a cookout instead, so I didn't get anything done at home that I had planned on doing.  Maybe the end is in sight in terms of finishing this?  I'm getting closer anyway!

Something Different

I thought you might want to see something different today.  I feel like I only show you progress on about three samplers and the progress is always S-L-O-W!  This design is from Prairie Schooler chart #77 called Summer Samplers.  It has long been a UFO!  After seeing June's wonderful finish, I had to pull mine back o ut again.  Besides it's nearly summer, what better time to work on it?!  I am planning on working on it tonight.  By the way, the color of the fabric in this photo is off--I am using a natural color fabric.  I also feel like going through my chart bin and looking for a possible exchange project. The next birthday is coming up in July that I will need to stitch for.  Although there is still plenty of time it would be nice to actually have one gift arrive on time! 

More Quaker...More Backtracking

I thought I had made a lot of progress on this until I looked at my last photo.  Still a little progress is better than none at all.  Actually I managed to fill in gaps on the left hand side, so really I did stitch more than it appears.  I discovered a problem with three motifs, so I had to pick them out and I have started to restitch those.  Luckily I hadn't continued on with the alphabet as I would have been picking out lots more otherwise.  Just a few threads off and everything after it is thrown off.  I think I am back on track though.  I have been concentrating on this sampler this past week--I have enjoyed working on it so much I hate to set it down.   I should pull out Ann Kirby soon as well.  Definitely this weekend! 

Eight Random Facts Meme

I was tagged for this meme on my book blog, but I thought it would be fun to share it here as well.  The idea is to share eight unknown facts about myself:

1. I don't own a car or a cell phone. Considering the expense of both, I don't mind.  I feel progressive enough just owning an answering machine and a computer.
2. I don't like mayonnaise.  I know, that sounds weird, but I have never liked it. 
3. I don't like wearing high heels.  As a matter of fact I never wear them.  I prefer my feet firmly planted on the ground.  Besides, I walk too much and they would be completely impractical.
4. I don't like to cook and am totally unimaginative when trying new dishes.  I have a repertoire of about half a dozen meals that I feel comfortable making.  I don't mind baking, though.
5. I have two older sisters and no brothers.  I have always wondered what it would be like to have a brother.
6. I'd like to live in Europe again.  I'd also like to live near a large body of water.  I would be quite happy combining the two!
7. Sometimes I flip to the back of the book I'm reading to sneak a peek at the outcome.  I try not to do this, but sometimes I can't resist.  Is that terrible?
8. When I was in middle and high school I had lots of pen pals.  I actually met five of them (they were from Ireland, Britain, former Czechoslovakia, former East Germany, and Finland).  Unfortunately I lost contact with all of them, which is a pity really--I am curious what their lives are like now!

The instructions are to tag eight more people, but as I have been noticing this meme popping up all over the place, consider yourself tagged if you haven't already shared your eight facts! 

A little Bit More of Ann

Sorry--horrible photo!  The color of the linen is completely off, and it has that shiny look to it, that I can't seem to avoid when I am taking photos of my stitching.  But here is a bit more progress on Ann Kirby.  I received the missing instructions in the mail from The Scarlet Letter today.  They are much what I expected, but it is nice to have them just in case.   Although it doesn't look like much progress I have been working on this--switching back and forth between Ann and The Quaker Garden.  As this is a reproduction, I am not sure whether to stitch it exactly as Ann did, including her initials and date, or (as the instructions suggest) replace them with my own.  I think I would rather use Ann's since she designed this.  I would like to add mine somewhere, but not in the place of prominence.  I wonder what the norm is?  The inner border is made up of clovers (that is what the instructions call them), and there are twelve across the top.  I am almost halfway there.  I expect I will be working on this one for a rather long time! 

Remember this one?

Not a ton of progress, but still every little bit adds up.  I have been working on Ann Kirby, but I need to work on rotating my three bit projects (this one, Ann Kirby and Toccata).  It's late and I am abosolutely beat, so I will just leave you with this progress photo!

Ann Kirby It Is.

Although I did want to start all of them (and who knows, maybe I will start another one or two in the near future...), I decided to stitch Scarlet Letter's Ann Kirby Sampler from 1790.  It is a pastoral scene, which apparently was quite fashionable to stitch at the time.  This design has a shepherd and shepherdess surrounded by a white clover meander border.  I am missing a page of the instructions.  I have emailed The Scarlet Letter to see if they will send me the missing page, but another stitcher kindly sent me a brief list instructions.  My kit came with two copies of instructions #8-10, but none of instructions #1-7!  You can see the entire sampler here.  It is stitched on 35 count fabric and will measure 15-1/4" x 22-1/4" finished.  I opted for the cheaper kit with DMC, though of course it would have been nice to stitch with silks.  Still I think I am going to enjoy working on this!  It seems as though the 17th-century is as far back as samplers seem to go (at least in terms of reproductions to stitch).  Surely there must be samplers from the 16th-century?  I know Mary Queen of Scots was a needleworker, but perhaps samplers did not come into vogue until later.  Wouldn't it be nice to have a sampler stitched from each century?  And one from each country as well?   Hopefully my attention will stay on this one for a while, though! 

Sampler Possibilities

Thanks for suggestions on samplers to stitch!  I have the charts for Marquoir de Justine, and Dorothy's Garden (Michelle--are you using silks to stitch that?  I would love to kit it up, but I know I can't afford so many silks--does it give conversions?  I must pull out my chart!).  They are both gorgeous and both are tempting.  I looked up all the suggestions--more temptations!  I think I would like to stitch the Sampler Company's (Brenda Keyes) Contented Mind Sampler.  Unfortunately I don't own it.  On the up side, I could use Lambswool (my favorite fabric--nice and stiff and easy to stitch on) and it calls for DMC.  I was hoping to choose something from my stash.  I have been pretty good about not buying anything new this year (only a few things--a few for myself and a few to be added to gifts for exchanges). 

So to my stash I finally went.  I know I could look through my charts, and no doubt I have other samplers kitted up that I could choose from as well.  But here are the majority of what I have.  Now to choose one that jumps out at me.  I need something to keep my interest!  I'd like something not too large and not too complicated. 

Top Row (left to right):

• Manvela Peres (Mexican Sampler) by Threads of Gold (this calls for white linen, which you dye with walnuts when you are finished stitching--I have never tried that--do you dye after stitching or before?)
• Spanish Wine by Wild-Hearts Designs (great idea LauraB--this is gorgeous and tempting, it also looks sort of complicated--there are so many eyelets!)
• Dames Boarding School by Examplar Dames Design (I am leaning heavily towards this one.  I have the called for uneven weave linen--I wonder if it is hard to stitch on?)
• Jane Turner (1668) by The Essamplaire (this one is recommended for Very Advanced Stitchers--I wonder if I could do it?  Maybe to complicated right off the bat--it calls for double running, satin, seed, trellis, spiral trellis, bouillion, detached buttonhole, couching, chain, montenegrin and marking cross)
• The Fishing Lady by The Scarlet Letter (a design adapted from 18th-century American samplers)

Bottom Row (left to right):

• Spanish Sampler by Threads of Gold (I don't have the right linen for this, but I do have silks!  It calls for church linen,which I understand is no longer made.  I need to look for a substitution)
• Spanish Geometrical Sampler by The Needles Content (this is a UFO--I have a tiny start on it.  I'm sort of not in the mood to stitch this color scheme at the moment, though, as it is similar to the needleroll I just did.  Lovely colors, but I am in the mood for something different)
• The Amanda Lavealliere Sampler by The Essamplaire (not too large, easy to stitch, but again that lavender color scheme)
• Elizabeth Tice (1810) by The Essamplaire (this is another fishing lady sampler--lots and lots of words to stitch)
• Ann Kirby Sampler (1790) by The Scarlet Letter (shepherd and shepherdess, and lots and lots more words)
• Maria Ignacia Olivera (Mexican Sampler circa 1850) by The Scarlet Letter (yes, I am very fond of Spanish Samplers!)

So, which to choose.  This is always the hardest part.   I guess I need to pull out the charts and see which one really hits me.  Has anyone stitched any of these yet?