I Could Stare at This One All Day!

You might remember that I was a little apprehensive about choosing and mapping out the colors on this piece since it was charted as a monochromatic one. Well, after a few minor adjustments as I went along, it is finished and I love it! Don't have any idea when I'll get around to framing it but when I do I'll have to rearrange the 35-40 samplers in my living room/dining room to find just the right place to hang it.

It is an original design by Ute Scheer, Studio of Historical Samplers,  inspired by photos of Moroccan samplers in a book of samplers from the V&A museum. I stitched mine on 40 count cream linen using Splendor silk floss. The finished design is 11" x 23.5" (17.9cm x 59.7cm)

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Ready to Move On!

I just love it when a sampler seems to almost stitch itself! "Hetty Child 1842" by Brenda Keyes is DONE!

Hetty Child went so quickly, I'm ready to indulge myself in a BIG project now. So I've chosen a Moroccan sampler by Ute Scheer-Studio for Historical Samplers,  inspired by a photo from a Victoria & Albert Museum catalog. The model was stitched on 35 count natural linen in a cream floss (finished size 11" x 24"). I'll probably do something similar although when I think of Morocco, I think brilliant color. So I think I'll do a little research and see if I can come up with something culturally representative.

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Something Different for Me

As you may or may not know, I'm a sampler fanatic. More specifically, I really love band samplers. Probably has something to do with the logical, sequential way my little brain works. I enjoy all sorts of samplers, but I don't stitch a lot of samplers with borders or motif samplers. Having said that, my latest start is "Hetty Child" by Brenda Keyes.

As you can see, I haven't gotten very far, but it took a while to find the right Soie d'Alger conversions for the DMC that's used in the chart. I'm stitching it on 35 count cream so it will be about 9"x9" when completed.  I will be paying close attention to my counting since I really don't want to frog that border!

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Abigail's Wisdom

This is the kit that I took with me on our trip and barely got started before we got home. LOL But since we've been home I've been stitching every night and really enjoying it. I've decided to give this "Abigail's Wisdom" sampler to my mom for her birthday. She expects one now! I used some Chestnut 32 cnt linen that I had in my stash and I was a little worried that it was too dark, but the silks in the kit are brighter than I expected and I think it's working out nicely. Even though the alphabet and verse are tent stitch over one, it goes quite quickly. I should have it done by the weekend, if not sooner. Then I plan to go back to Shores of Hawk Run Hollow ... we'll see.

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Stash Enhancement

Facebook is evil. I am tempted every day by something new that one of my many friends "shares". In today's mail I received my most recent fall from grace...a fat quarter of 40 count hand-dyed linen by Lauren at Sassy's Fabbys. Snickerdoodle is the color and it was the color of the week this week. It's a classic example of a linen perfect for reproduction and antique style samplers. Check out all her wonderful fabrics and then try to tell me you weren't tempted.

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Mary Wigham weekend

Well, this was the weekend for the July SAL on one of my Facebook groups, so I worked on Mary Wigham all weekend. Unfortunately, there were several unstitching incidents so I didn't get as far as I wanted to. But I am almost caught up with the downloads. Maybe I should slow down so I don't get ahead...NOT.

For those who haven't seen it before, I'm working on 36 count Flax linen with Splendor 833 (dark green). I may have to go into a third skein...not sure yet.

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Rainy Days and Productivity

It is a gloomy day outside so I'm going to need extra caffeine today. Or maybe a nap. Lester and I went for an early walk to avoid the heat. It's a good thing because now it's dark and I just heard thunder.

Anyway, it's not like I have nothing to do. My mom and one of my sisters are coming to visit, so I really need to clean. I'm a member of the Housework is Evil group on Facebook so you can guess how high cleaning is on my to-do list. I'll probably find a way to go play with my beads by rationalizing that it's business related.

Speaking of which, I made a prototype beaded needle threader yesterday. I took it to stitch group last night and got rave reviews. Apparently, I'm the only person in the world who doesn't mind threading a needle. So I guess I'll be adding it to my inventory. But they are so tiny to work with that I have trouble manipulating them easily. So my friend, Donna, suggested that I use a vise/clamp that fly fishermen use to tie flies. Say that fast three times! I may have to check that out. Anyone out there have any advice?

I also finished my model for the Beginning Cross Stitch on Linen class that I'll be teaching at Angelwing Needlearts (my LNS). Hopefully, I'll be able to convince somebody that stitching on linen is easier than they think. Most people come to realize that the holes are larger than the ones on Aida, but it's a big psychological hurdle to overcome. They find it hard to believe that the only way I will ever stitch on Aida again is under threat of torture. In fact, my preferred thread count is 36 or 40 count! But I will admit that a good light is essential. And don't assume that I have eagle eyes. I'm basically as blind as a bat. I wear bifocal contact lenses and uses readers when I stitch. But I'll do just about anything to stitch. As I've said before, I need to stitch to maintain some semblance of sanity.

Having said that I'll sign off now and do something productive...Wait, gotta go get Lester. He's outside chasing the lightening!

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