I thought I'd  share a lovely finish that Linda P. had at our last meeting way back in April. I took a couple of pictures, this was the best of them, and asked her to send me some information on it and I'd post it for her. Well, she sent it and I apparently lost the email so I asked her to send it again, which she did and I'm finally getting around to posting it so everyone can see. I love how this one looks and believe me my picture doesn't do it justice. Linda always does a fantastic job and I hope you enjoy and are inspired!

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Title:  "Marie-Lucie 1920" Sampler

Book:  Petits rouges di ici et d'ailleurs

Author:  Muriel Brunet and Francoise Ritz

Linen: Gander 38ct nacre

Fiber:  ThreadworX 1089

The sampler was very enjoyable and I loved watching the variegated reds change shades.  Naturally I breezed through the first portion, but once the alphabet became bigger and more elaborate the pace slowed down a bit.  Although the border may look tedious, there was a nice rhythm to it.  I actually have one last "tiny" motif to completed on the sampler....and it will be done on my daughter's birthday next month (April), then dated.

Anniversary and Finishes

First the anniversary was my parent's 50th wedding anniversary. It was March 3rd,  I didn't quite finish their sampler in time, but since it's a surprise I'm not too worried. I finished the stitching on the 7th I believe and got it over to the framers where I'd already decided on the frame and they had it in ready to be put together. It should be all ready later this week. My pictures aren't great since I had to take them on the sly and was using my Dazor lamp for lighting.

An Emblem of Love, Designed by With My Needle

And a bit of a close up of the bottom, right hand corner.

It was stitched on 36ct Lakeside, V. Lt. Examplar with a single strand of Belle Soie in Eggplant and Florimell Silk Floss from Gloriana Threads in Old Gold. I couldn't have done this without two very special friends. First Melody (Woolwoman) who not only had the pattern in her stash and was willing to let me purchase it from her, but had the perfect fabric and the Belle Soie in her stash as well. "Shopping at Melody's" was wonderful and so helpful and allowed me to get started on it that much quicker. I knew I wanted to add some gold in, since this was for their Golden Anniversary. I tried two different silk fibers from my own stash and neither was right. Lucky for me Jackie (Jackie's Stitches) bought the perfect Gloriana silk while we were at The Attic in January and since I didn't need much and she doesn't need much for her project loaned me her skein so I could "get'r done". It's wonderful how great stitching friends are!

Speaking of Jackie, she's not the only one to finish Stacy Nash's Schoolgirl Linen Sewing Book.

Mine is a stained a little darker than Jackies as you can see, and the inside is probably different since I didn't like the pocket and decided to use some mother of pearl thread holders I had in my stash.

It took a lot of time to put together, but they look great.

I also finished a needlepoint ornament. I adore how it turned out and can't wait to see it on the tree next year.

And of course the back because...isn't this fabric just too adorable?

I was very lucky to be in just the right place at just the right time when I purchased this canvas. DF Jean and I were at In Stitches in Atlanta looking for a little something for me to work on while I was up there one time since I hadn't brought any stitching with me and we were going to stitch group that evening. I found this adorable snow bunny and of course had to have it but was having trouble deciding on fibers. As luck would have it Julia Snyder was in the shop just hanging around having gotten into town early for classes she was teaching at the shop that weekend. Since everyone else was busy she helped me put together a stitch guide and pick fibers. Of course that meant Jean and I had to sign up for her class the next time she was going to be in Atlanta, but that's a whole other post and picture.

That's all the finishes. I have been able to mark 2 more items off my list, the bunny was stitched last year. I'm slowly getting February's block of AotH finished. I did finish February's goal for Alphabets.

And with January's goal:

I'm not sure I'll attempt to take it off the scroll again any time soon. Maybe wait a few months. I'm hoping I can get March's goal complete, hint it fits in the blank spot you can see, fairly quickly. But first to finish up with Valentine Rose (AotH - February).

Hope everyone else if having a wonderful spring and enjoying time spent with needle and fiber!

Count them! Two Finishes!

So technically one is completely finished while the other is just stitched but in my book that's finished!

First it's the class piece from the trip Jackie & I took to AZ. From Stacy Nash it's a pinkeep drum.

Peacock Pinkeep Drum
Stacy Nash Primatives

I have to say that I'm excited that I started this piece and completely finished it during January. What a way to start the year! We had so much fun putting this one together. It's stuffed with sawdust and then "antiqued" with walnut crystals. Plus I made my strawberry pretty mangy looking all for the sake of authenticity. See...

The companion piece is being worked on with the hope of completing the finishing late February. We'll see if that works out!

Then there's this unexpected finish. I didn't have it on my initial working list of 15 items for January but I was looking for something else and saw that there wasn't that much left to do on it. So the before looked like this...

Really, not that much left. And let's face it, any project that is that close to being finished that was started in 1996 should probably be worked on and finished. So, I pulled it out and worked on it Saturday when I went to Sampler Guild and then that evening and finally last night I finished!

Simple Elegence
Stoney Creek Designs

That's it all finished, with beads and everything. The funny blue spot is the light showing through the crystal bead. Tried to take the picture several times and still kept coming up. This is a piece from WAY back when I went to Spirit of Cross Stitch. This was the Sunday Sampler in 1996. It was taught as a "round robin" where you sat at a table and different teachers came to you to teach the specialty stitches. I was looking at my book and that year both Ginny and Ken Thompson taught a stitch. How lucky I was to meet and be taught by such great stitchers!

I'm not taking this to be framed, it's not that large so I thought I'd do a cube/standup/thing. Oh heck, Geeky Heather usually helps me make them, but I'm fairly certain I can manage on my own if I can just find the perfect fabric for the backing and what I want to decorate the top with. I need the board you use to "build" your box which I keep meaning to go and get scraps from my framer for but haven't yet and I should be in business. I'd like to get it finished since it has a spring feel to it and would look lovely out somewhere in the house.

I've made some progress on other pieces as well. I seem to be really in a stitching mood so that's getting a lot of attention. Hope everyone has had a great first month of stitching/knitting/or whatever makes you happy!