Is it too soon to start looking forward to February? I'm ready to put January behind me (and all this snow!). And it'll mean it's one month closer to spring! I decided to take advantage of the link Annemiek shared and have started stitching Piecework Magazine's freebie 'Quaker Heart'. Here are my first few stitches from last week.
And I made a little progress over the weekend. I am using my very favorite linen, Lambswool. I love the stiffness of the fabric (which is easy for me to work with) and how it becomes nice and soft/flexible with handling. I had a variety of colors set out to choose from but in the end I chose red as it seemed to look the best against the fabric. It is pretty predictable, so I might stitch another one using a different color. It depends on how fast the stitching goes, though it seems to work up pretty quickly.
And I've pulled out a couple of Valentine's Day charts, too. I am not overly fond of the actual holiday, which seems really commercialized, but I will admit to a fondness for Valentine's Day-related needlework designs. This is an older chart by Sheepish Designs called "Valentine Wabbit". I ordered my supplies--well, some of them. I need to read the materials' lists a bit more carefully. I didn't order enough beads/treasures, but I should still have enough materials to start work. And I am also missing a few floss colors and the ribbons (am not sure where I can order those). I think I may change the phrase in the heart--what's there seems a bit cutesy to me (or maybe I am feeling especially cranky this winter). Any ideas? I could just stitch 'love'---something simple.
I stitched "Valentine Holiday" by Birds of a Feather before, but I gave it away in an exchange. You can see a photo in my Picturetrail album in the 2005 Finishes section (scroll down). It's not a great photo as I used my scanner. This was before I owned my trusty little digital camera. I didn't use the fabric that was called for, but did I bother to note what I used? Of course not. This time around I am using the fabric as listed on the chart. It seems very red, but I am sure it will work just fine. I think I will start with this one. I am excited to finally stitch this for myself!
I'll still be working on my GH "Sampler Farm", but I really like having smaller projects on the go as well and being able to switch back and forth. ...And after these I will start thinking about some spring designs! But first things first!