Ring, Ring.... It's Your Framer Calling

      It's always a pleasure when my phone rings and the Caller ID lets me know my framer is on the line. I had brought three samplers to be framed and they were ready to be picked up.
I love the moulding  I chose for all three samplers and couldn't be happier with the results.
First up is Dorothy Walpole:

Not Forgotten Sampler

 

      I rearranged a portion of my Sampler Wall in the dinning room to include the two newly framed samplers. I have a direct view of the Wall when I'm sitting in my stitching nook.

 

The Rising Harvest Sampler

I haven't selected a spot for this one yet.

      I also finished Ann Grant last night. Annie G. was such a joy to stitch. I loved the colors in this sampler and the lovely eyelet stitch alphabet. For some reason the tree in the bottom left hand corner of the sampler gave me fits. I kept loosing my place on the chart which added to the difficulty of getting all those branches stitched correctly. It's a dreary, cloudy day today and the linen color did not come out true to color on my photos.
      Here she is in all her glory:

 Ann Grant 1829

Shakespeare's Peddler

40 ct. Lakeside Sand Dune

Silks as Charted

 We've been experiencing very mild, summer like, temps for the past couple of weeks. It was wonderful seeing the first blooms of the season in my garden.

I am grateful for a mild Iowa winter and summer-like temps in March.

Where's My Mate???

       The final stitches were placed in Frederick and here he is in all his glory. Isn't he a handsome boy?  Of course he won't be content until his mate, Fredericka, is completed. Be patient my dear boy, be patient.

 Frederick

Carriage House Samplings

40 ct Lakeside Pearled Barley

Needlepoint Inc silks

        An old friend was calling my name and I spent several hours working on Ann Grant. I find the colors so appealing on these long, dreary winter days. 

 Ann Grant 1829

Shakespeare's Peddler

40 ct. Lakeside Sand Dune

Silks as Charted 

I completed the top row of eyelet stitched alphabet. I had to resist completing the second row... I want to savor those eyelet stitched letters. I spent the majority of my time working on those border flowers. As my friend Margaret says, once you have the stitch count down the repetitive border flowers stitch up quickly.

      When I received my latest issue of Sampler & Antique Needlework Quarterly I fell in love with the 1823 RHV Sampler reproduced by Christy Schmitz and Vickie Jennett. I thought it would be the perfect sampler to be stitched on 45 ct. linen.

 1823 RHV Sampler

SANQ - Spring 2012

45 ct. Lakeside Vintage Sand Dune

Variety of Silks

 I love the way the silk stitches stand up on the 45 ct. linen. The gold stitches beneath the second alphabet are horizontal queen stitches. Lots of fun to stitch and I think they look amazing.

      Emma and Owen reminded me that I failed to include any photos of them in my last post. I tried to capture them in action during one of their nightly wrestling matches, followed by a shared grooming session. Owen also found the perfect spot to rest his weary head... the carpeted doggie steps.

      My thoughts are with all of you who have been affected by the tornadoes and high winds.  

I am grateful for the roof over my head.

And The Winners Are.....

      A big thank you to all of you who participated in my triple plus giveaway. I wish you all could have been winners as a thank you for following, reading and commenting on my blog. 
Without further delay:

The winner of Jane Atkinson by The Scarlet Letter is Kelley.

 Hello Laurie! You have made so much progress on Elizabeth Smith. It took me several months to finish her. It would be so much fun to watch you stitch just to see that needle fly through the linen!! I would love to have Jane Atkinson. Thanks for the chance. Blessings from Kentucky - kelley

The winner of Mary Ann Gollins by Cross Stitch Guild of the UK is Mouse.

oooohhh well done on the stitching front and don't do them in your sleep could end up having a frog attack ..lol wonderful goodies you got and would love to be in with the chance of the birds of a feather and the Mary Gollins though number one is nice too ;) love the sleeping positions .lol
take care and have a lovely day :) love mouse xxxxx

The winner of L'arbre de Noe by Julia Line is Michelle.

Michelle said...

Elizabeth is gorgeous and I LOVE the robotic A&E!! So fun when they are different from the norm. Love it. And congrats on the giveaway you received - that little BOAF is so cute. I do think that finishing as a cabinet hanger or for a smalls bowl would be lovely. And what a generous giveaway - it's so hard to choose!!! But, I think I'm going to have to go for the book...it looks like it has some fantastic things in there.

The winner of Birds of a Feather is CJ in OK. 

You accomplished so much, the sampler is amazing and the Adam and Eve are great. Love that little Birds of a Feather design too, and it's just my size. If no one else has claimed it, I would love to have that chart to stitch with the leftover silks. The other giveaways are wonderful but probably a little to much for me. Thanks, CJ in OK ;-) 

Congratulations ladies. Please send me an e-mail with your mailing address. My e-mail address can be found in my profile.

As soon as the sun returns I'll be taking photos of my finish, Frederick, and my other stitching projects. Be back soon.... I hope.

I am grateful for snow/rain/sleet days... because it gives me so much more time to stitch!

Progress Report, Some Giveaways and Sleeping Dogs

      It's time for a progress report. I decided to stick with Elizabeth Smith and here's where she's at as of today. I just have the border left to complete. I should be able to stitch those repetitive flowers in my sleep... although they are not all exactly the same. I'll do a few close-up photos of the flowers when the sampler is completed.
      I love they way Elizabeth stitched her Adam and Eve. I've been referring to them as the robotic A&E's. Either by choice or because of limitations, Elizabeth created her rather large sampler using only twelve colors. I'm very impressed with her skill at creating her sampler with a limited color palette. Her name is stitched in rice stitch.

 Elizabeth Smith 1811

The Scarlet Letter

40 ct. Lakeside Vintage Light Examplar

DMC

      I received a lovely package in the mail from BrendaS.  I was the lucky winner of her giveaway. 

  I got all excited when I saw that the Birds of a Feather chart came as a kit. The linen and strands of Belle Soie and Gloriana silks were included along with the chart.  It's stitched on 36 ct. Lakeside Vintage Luna linen. I haven't decided how I want to finish this piece. I was thinking of a needlebook or perhaps a fob. Any suggestions?
      I think there is enough leftover silks to stitch this design again. I'd love to pass the chart and silks along to someone who would like to stitch the design. Just leave a note in the Comments section if you'd like it. If more than one person wants the chart I'll put the names in a hat and select a winner.
      I have been the recipient of many giveaways and it's time for me to have a few giveaways of my own. I couldn't make up my mind what chart I wanted to giveaway... so I decided if one giveaway was good... then three giveaways would be even better.
      I would like to gift three of my readers with their choice of one of the following:

1) Jane Atkinson - The Scarlet Letter with some additional goodies.
2) Mary Ann Gollins Sampler - Cross Stitch Guild of the UK with some additional goodies.
3) L'arbre de Noe - Julia Line (US readers only)

If you would like to receive one of these giveaway items please leave a Comment and indicate which gift you would like to receive if you should be the winner. I have to restrict the Julia Line book to US readers only due to the weight of the book and the high cost of international postage. Both the charts and the book are brand new items. If you prefer not to leave a Comment you can send me an e-mail. The only Rule... you must tell me which gift you would like.... don't leave it up to me to decide! If no choice is given you won't be included in the drawing.


Emma will be selecting the winner of the Jane Atkinson chart plus extras. Owen will select the winner of the Mary Ann Gollins chart plus extras and I will select the winner of the Julia Line book. All names will be placed in a bowl and the first name drawn by either paw or hand will be the winner.

The giveaway ends at 11:59 p.m. February 29, 2012 Central Time. I'll post the winners on March 1st. 


Emma mentioned to me that she is willing to accept bribes! I'll have a long talk with her about her willingness to cheat. Owen can not be bribed... he takes his duties very seriously. 


      Nicola is having a fun competition. She's asked us to post photos of the funniest sleeping positions of our pets or our people. Emma and Owen want to be included in the competition.

Emma on the chair... Owen on ottoman

Emma

Owen... my very serious boy!

Final Sunday January Challenge and Stitching Plans for 2012 and Beyond

      I'm late with my blog post but many events conspired to keep me away from my blogging duties. The most pressing problem is that my computer no longer recognizes my digital camera. Please pardon the less than ideal photos of my latest sampler start. I had to resort to using my scanner, which is not my first choice, but it's better than nothing.
      I chose another 'Smith' sampler as my final Challenge project. It's Elizabeth Smith and here's my start.

 Elizabeth Smith 1811

The Scarlet Letter

40 ct. Lakeside Vintage Light Examplar

DMC

      I struggled with the DMC  and had problems with the thread knotting. It was getting exasperated, but finally, with just a little twist of the needle after every few stitches, I seem to have resolved most of the knotting problems. I love the color palette of this sampler. Little Elizabeth only used twelve colors in stitching her masterpiece.

      I've enjoyed my Sunday January Challenge and have plans to do another Challenge in January 2013. I hope some of you will join me in 2013. I hope that I'll also continue to post blog updates on a weekly basis. I'm going to try... give me a nudge if you too much time passes before my next update.

      For those of you who would like a review of the projects I've started... I'll begin with my Christmas start, Emma Miles, followed by Rebecca Cullin, Frederick, Ann Smith 1767 and the Sampler Stocking.

I plan to continue working on all these projects this year, but I also want to return to some works-in-progress from 2011.

Starting at the  top left: Jane Atikinson, Ann Grant, Elizabeth Sheffield and Brown Egg Farm. Oh, I can't forget Garden Glade.

Of course I have a half dozen more samplers waiting to be started... so much stitching to do and only so many hours in the day. These days it's my eyes that grow weary way too soon.

      I'm looking forward to my stitching journey in 2012 and I'm looking forward to seeing where your stitching journey will be taking you this year.

Emma and Owen don't seem too interested in stitching journeys but they sure know how to nap.

I am grateful for my scanner.

A January Sunday Challenge Detour

      OK... I have a confession to make... I'm not very good at sticking to stitching plans. It probably comes from my desire for my stitching to be fun rather than another chore. I know I was supposed to start my Fourth January Sunday Challenge last Sunday, but I didn't. Instead I stitched this lovely, sweet, small sampler that was included in the Blackbird Designs Winter Loose Feathers chart. I will probably finish this piece as a small cupboard pillow stuffed with either vanilla bean mulch or wool roving with lavender buds.

  Selura Simon

Blackbird Designs

40 ct. Lakeside Examplar

Hand-Dyed Cottons

      I did start a new project for the Challenge... just not on Sunday... it was more of a Tuesday start. This was the second time I started Sampler Stocking. My first start was shortly after the chart was released back in 2004. It was my first attempt at stitching on 40 ct. linen and I chose a piece of linen that was very tightly woven. I hated the linen, the project got put aside and when I realized I was never going to finish that stocking I finished off part of the design as a cupboard pillow.

I thought it was time to give Sampler Stocking another go. I chose my linen more wisely this time around. 

 Sampler Stocking

Carriage House Samplings

40 ct. Lakeside Lentil

Needlepoint Inc Silks

      I have fallen in love with alphabets done in eyelet stitch. I had a wonderful time stitching the alphabet on Sampler Stocking. I can't believe I was once intimidated by stitching eyelet alphabets... I love planning a stitching route to complete each letter without crossing over the center hole of the eyelet.

      The postman brought me a lovely package from Faye this week. I was the lucky winner of one of Faye's beautiful pouches. I decided to store my tapestry needles in the pouch. It's so much nicer than storing them in a plastic zip-lock baggie. Thank you Faye.

      I hope you'll stop by next week to see what I chose to start for my final January Sunday Challenge project. I'll also be chatting about my plans for February stitching and the rest of 2012... and perhaps what's in the works for 2013. 

      Enjoy your week!

I am grateful for handmade gifts.

Annie and a Snow Day

      We got our first major snowfall of 2012 last Friday and the pups and I made the most of it. Of course... I made them trudge through the deep stuff to make a path for me to walk.

 I had two very worn out pups by the time we got back to the house.
      Two more stitchers have joined Katrina and me for the January Sunday Challenge. Check out Kim's and Elizabeth's blogs to see what they've chosen for their Sunday starts.
      I know you can hardly wait to see what I started for the third Sunday of January project. Here she is in all her glory.

Ann Smith 1767

The Scarlet Letter

36 ct Lakeside Light Examplar

AVAS

       My friend Margaret stitched Annie last year and I fell in love with her the minute I laid eyes on her. I always blame Margaret for getting me into trouble with my needlework budget... everything she stitches I want to stitch. She's such a bad influence on me. Thanks Margaret! :-) LOL

      One of my giveaway prizes arrived in the mail this past week. It's Minick and Simpson's latest quilt book, Victory Girls.  It's a wonderful book that includes patriotic quilt patterns and rug hook patterns in honor of all the "brave women who kept the home fires burning during WW II."  Check out this book the next time you're in your local quilt shop.

 

       We all love our pets... but are there parts of your pets that you find irresistible?

The spotlight seems to fall on my Emma more often than my sweet boy Owen. But that's probably because Owen gets the most unpleasant look on his face when he sees me with the camera in my hands. 

      I wanted to share one of Owen's parts with you today... his whiskers. Owen has black whiskers on the right side and white on the left. I find his whiskers irresistible.

I am grateful for snow days with my pups.