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!

Introducing the Mary Baker Sampler, and my TUSAL

For some time now, I have been into genealogy, exploring my family history.
My great grandmother was Mary Jane Baker, born in Liverpool, England in 1870, of Irish parents.
She came to New York with her parents and brothers when she was 3 years old.

When I saw The Mary Baker Sampler, I knew I had to stitch it! Of course, this Mary Baker is not a relative of mine, but I thought it would be fun to have her name on my wall.

Mary Baker Sampler - The Scarlet Letter

Here is the photo I took of my progress the other day:

I am using DMC on 30 count linen. The piece of linen didn't seem to be that big, so I chose to start in the center and work my way up.
Most of the sampler is stitched in green and red, with a touch of pink. The verse is stitched in black.

This seems to be a very quick stitch. I have already made more progress. I will be back in a few days with another photo.


I almost forgot the TUSAL! This month went so very quickly!

All the red and green on the top is from Mary Baker.