2013 Finishes

There were only 9 finishes in 2013.

Here they are:

Freelove Hazard - The Scarlet Letter

My Beloved - The Scarlet Letter

Harriot Boardman - The Scarlet Letter

Art Nouveau Needlepoint - Lee

Mary Hart - The Scarlet Letter

Mary Baker - The Scarlet Letter

American Sampler Quilt

Autumn in New York - Primrose Needleworks

Mary Eaton - The Scarlet Letter

The Cardinal Sampler - Patricia Andrle

Happy New Year!

I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday season!

Our holidays were a bit subdued this year, Keith had surgery on December 21st, so we were mostly preoccupied with that.
The surgery went well, and he is now slowly recovering.

I did finish the Cardinal Sampler, my final finish of 2013.

The Cardinal Sampler - Patricia Andrle
32 ct antique linen, DMC, and metallic threads

I combined some metallic thread with the DMC for the border and illuminated initial to give it a little sparkle.
It didn't show up too well, but you can see a little of the shine in this close-up.

I want to get it framed for next Christmas!

My next project had to be something really simple. I decided to knit Keith a scarf. I worked on this in the waiting room during his surgery. It had to be a really mindless pattern because I was totally mindless that day!
I picked a "self striping" yarn that I saw on ebay. It is a "slow stripe", and is just suited for things like scarves.
I am knitting the scarf longways so the pattern is more subtle.
The pattern is really easy. First knit in a garter stitch for 4 rows, then purl 2 rows, knit 2 rows all the way across. Finish with 4 rows of garter stitch.
I believe the color is called "Sherwood Forest". The colors. greens, browns, grays, are favorites of Keith's. I hope he will like it.

I have a ways to go, so I doubt that is will be finished in 2013. I was also thinking about knitting a matching hat.

When I get a chance, I will be back to re-cap the 2013 finishes.

Hope everyone has a very Happy, Healthy New Year!

Mary Eaton finished, Cardinal Sampler begun

Mary Eaton has been finished for several weeks now, but due to multiple problems with multiple cameras, I have not been able to post a photo.

I finally managed to take a few, but the color is not right.
As soon as I can get my hands on a decent camera, I will replace this photo with a better one.

For now, here is Mary:

Mary Eaton  1763 - The Scarlet Letter
Stitched on 30 count natural linen using au ver a soie.

For my next project, I chose something that has been in my stash for years, the Cardinal Sampler from Patricia Andrle. I love her designs. I have stitched several of them.

I took this photo last week. I have made a little more progress since, but I am waiting to solve my camera problems before I post an update.

Unfortunately, the photo is a little washed out. The colors are much richer in person. I was going to stitch this design using silks, but there are a lot of blended needle stitches so I decided against it. I did make a few changes by adding some metallic threads to the border and the large A. It is not too noticeable. It just gives it a little sparkle.
Although it is not a large piece, it is slow going because of all the outlining. Almost every stitch is outlined.

If anyone is interested in stitching this piece, it can be found in the BH&G Cross Stitch & Country Crafts magazine Nov/Dec. 1994.

Well, I intended to post my December TUSAL, but the photo seems to have gone missing.
I will try to hunt that down for next time.

Long overdue Mary Eaton update, Autumn in New York

This is a very long overdue update! Among other things, I have had a lot of trouble with my camera, but I did manage to get a few shots finally.

I worked on the tree which is stitched in a vertical stem stitch. The little bird at the top was a bit of a challenge!

Next I continued working on the hills.

Here is a close-up of the bull. He was a fun stitch!

I continued to work on the sampler until I ran out of three colors. There definitely wasn't enough silk in the kit, as I was not even close to finishing.

Here is where I left off.

While I was waiting for the silk to arrive, I decided to work on a new project.

This was a fun, quick stitch! I finished it in a couple of weeks.

Autumn in New York - Primrose Needleworks

I stitched it on 32-count Sandcastle, and used the suggested Sampler Threads and DMC.
I will have to find a nice little frame for it.

. . . Well, I have since received the silks in the mail, and I have already started stitching Mary again. I finished the tree on the right, and I am working on the second bird. I will post photos just as soon as I can.

The American Sampler Quilt is finally quilted!!

I can finally count it as a finish! I finished it by turning under the top as per the instructions, but it really looked bland, like it needed something else.

My solution was to add a blue binding to it to  pull it together a bit more.

The color didn't show up the best here. It is a soft, hazy, denim blue.

I was determined to use what I had in my stash for the backing. I came up with a light blue gingham.

It is very lightweight, sort of a springtime quilt.

I am very glad it is finished because now I can go back to making x's!

I continued working on the Mary Eaton Sampler. Here is what I have so far:

The Mary Eaton Sampler - Au ver a soie on 30 count linen



I have had this in my stash for years. Although I love the pattern, I was a little hesitant to tackle it because of the freehand stitching, There is quite a lot of it in this pattern. Actually, there are two graphs that come with it, one with the freehand stitching, like the original, and one that is all cross stitch. Of course, I have to do the freehand!

The trick with doing freehand stitching is to try to keep it contained to the allotted area. It seems to grow quite easily. LOL!

Long overdue post

I have been MIA this spring! In so many ways, this has been a weird time for us. All of my normal routines have been torn asunder!

I did manage to finish Mary Baker. Here she is in all her glory!

Mary Baker Sampler - The Scarlet Letter
DMC threads on 30 count linen

I love the bold graphic look with the reds, blacks and greens!

After finishing Mary Baker, I took a break from samplers to work on a long-standing WIP, The American Sampler Quilt. I managed to finish the motifs, but I still have the borders to do.

I am not too happy with the way this one is turning out, but I am going to finish it anyway. I think the problem is in the design. I think there is too much white space.

Keith has been keeping busy during his unplanned break from work. For the first time in years, we have a new garden. We used to have a lovely little gray picket fence around our garden, however, it did nothing to keep out the animals. I was basically left to grow a few tomatoes in pots on our deck. Not very satisfying! Unfortunately though, the new garden is only half sunny. We have some tree trimming to do in the future.

No tomatoes yet!

The poor bees are so delicate! They have not been doing well in spite of their best efforts!
We had a very small honey harvest this spring. Normally we get more than double this amount!

We have been inundated with calls about the honey. I hate to disappoint people. We only got about 21 bottles. Hopefully we will get more later on in the season.

Last but not least is my late TUSAL.

 

It is amazing how 3 strands of DMC can fill up the jar, compared to 1 strand of silk!

 

Hope everyone enjoys what is left of the spring, before the hot stickies are upon us!

Mary Hart is Finished!

This post is terribly overdue! I finished her up about 10 days ago. I just haven't had a chance to blog about it. Here she is in all her glory.



Mary Hart Sampler - The Scarlet Letter
Stitched on 32 count linen using Au ver a soie.

The photo could be better. I don't know why, but I had trouble capturing it. I love the graceful borders, as well as the funky cat!

Things here have been quite nerve-wracking lately, and I have had some trouble focusing on any one project. I have flitted about a bit.

I worked a little on American Sampler Quilt, a long standing WIP. This is a cross stitch lap quilt. The design is stamped on, so it is perfect for what I like to call, my "brain-dead" stitching! I have completed about 1-1/2 of the 4our motifs .I finished the star, and I am about halfway through with the Dresden plate motif. Here is where I left off.

Also, I found an unfinished Lee needlepoint Arts & Crafts design. I love the arts & Crafts era, and I just hate to see things go unfinished!
It was mostly completed (not by me), but needed a little bit more fill in with the cream color. Of course, the yarn was long ago lost. I set out to try to find a match. I tried all of my wool yarns, to no avail. Finally, I realized that it had a bit of a sheen to it. It was probably acrylic, and meant that I would never find a match. I decided to try to match it with a DMC color. I used all six strands.

Here is the whole design:



Art Nouveau canvas -Lee Designs

Here is one of the sections I filled in:

 The match wasn't exact, but I was lucky in that the missing areas were separated from the block (central heart-shaped) area of the cream, so I think it worked out pretty well. It is a little bit too white, and a little too thin, but otherwise, it would not have been finished at all.
Sometimes you have to cheat a little to get the job done!
I am hoping to find some dark green velveteen, and finish it as a pillow.

That's all for now. Hope all of you are well!
Will be back soon!

The Harriot Boardman Sampler is finished!

Yay!

I tried to follow the pattern of the flowers and the grass as closely as I could, but there were a few places where the hilly grass seemed to get away from me! Oh well! I am pretending the wind was blowing it!

Generally I am pleased with how she turned out.

I did have a hard time taking a photo!
Why is it, as soon as you lay something out to take a picture, this happens!

Not just one of them, but two of them had to get into the action!

Ollie scooted off, but Furry was not about to leave!

Finally!


The Harriot Boardman Sampler - The Scarlet Letter
Stitched with DMC on Green linen

I really enjoyed stitching this one, and I loved the special green/blue linen!


For my next project, I picked the Mary Hart Sampler.

 

Here is a better look:

I am a cat lover, and simply cannot resist a sampler with a cat on it!

Mary is from the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. CA.

The colors on the cat are truly weird but it is suggested that perhaps exposure to ultra violet light over the years has changed the original color of the dyes.
The verse is quite morbid, and a second verse is given for those who want to change it.
No problem for me! I love the morbid ones!

This is the verse:

This little Piece my Friends may have,

When I am dead and in my Grave

When greedy Worms shall feed on me.

My name hereunder you may see

 

Ha! Love it!

I am going to stitch it on 32 count linen in Antique White, using Au ver a soie, my favorite silk. Luckily for me, I had all the necessary colors.

 

 

(Notice the furry foot at the top of the page ? - Different day, same Furrytail foot)!

 

On the home front, Walter, our reluctant rooster has been growing like a weed! The problem is, he doesn't know he is big. He is quite a bit taller than the hens now, but still hasn't filled out. He is a little older than 3 months now, and is at that awkward adolescent stage. He is still terrified of the hens and keeps well clear of them.

 

Walter

 

We were looking to replace our hens that were killed by the hawks, and we decided to try to hatch our own.

 

We love our Gertie's blue-green eggs, so we ordered some Ameraucana eggs. We also ordered some of the dark brown, Black Copper Maran eggs.

 

 

Here they are in the incubator:

 

 

We have been told to expect 50% to hatch at best. I am hoping we will get lucky with the odds and get more hens than roosters! We also have 6 more eggs on their way. That will give us 20 eggs. If 10 hatch, hopefully we will get 5 or more hens!

Time will tell.

Our first hatch date is March 18th!

 

I will keep you posted.

My Beloved is Finished! Harriot is next!

I worked on it all last week and finally finished up on Saturday.

The part that took the longest of course was the green lawn background, which was filled in with a horizontal stem stitch.

I love the little dog and bunny on the lawn!

The white veranda is stitched in a horizontal and slanted satin stitch.
The little flowers at the bottom were added after the lawn was completed.

The whole thing measures 3-1/2" X 2-1/2".

Here is the finished sampler.



My Beloved - The Scarlet Letter 

For my next project, I decided to take on The Harriot Boardman Sampler.



The Harriot Boardman Sampler - 1804

I am using DMC, stitching on 25-count green linen. I must say I am intrigued with this linen. It is dyed with different colors in the warp and weft, as the original was. It is a unique combination of blue and green threads.

This is a WIP. Here is where I left off:

A closer look:

The sampler comes from Dover, Massachusetts.

The stitches used include cross, satin, eyelet, stem, counted thread and freehand.

This type of ground has been found on samplers made from 1788 through the 1820's, from Canada and Maine to Washington D.C., but is most  frequently found on samplers from the north shore, Essex County Massachusetts and eastern New Hampshire.

The deer, flower pot, and grass at the bottom are all freehand. That should be interesting!

Freelove Hazard, my first finish of 2013

Here she is:

Freelove Hazard 1792

She was stitched one over one, and one over two, on 25 count linen, using silk threads.

Of course, it was not without some drama. Just as I was finishing up the outer border, I realized that I had cut my cuticle, and had bled onto the linen and one of the silk flowers!
Aghh! Grr! Is there anything worse than trying to get blood out of silk and linen.
I wound up re-stitching the border of one of the flowers. I did the best I could cleaning the linen. It wasn't too bad. I finally had to stop because I was afraid I would make it worse.
There is still a tiny spot on one or two threads, but I don't think anyone would notice it.

I guess it could have been a lot worse!

My next project is My Beloved from The Scarlet Letter.

I have just started this. I will be back with an update shortly.