Doing It Well

Do It Well
Silver Creek Samplers
28 count light sand linen
DMC

My husband's birthday is coming up and I wanted to stitch something for him, but nothing was presenting itself until I stumbled upon this design. The verse reads:

Be the labor big or small
Do it well or not at all
When the task is once begun
Do not stop until it's done

The philosophy fits my husband to a T. Now me, I have a million projects in various states of completion, but he's a sequential kind of guy. Start it, finish it, move on to the next thing. It might take him awhile to notice that the grass is up to the rooftop, but once he does, he's on it, and he doesn't stop until the grass is cut to an inch of its life, and then he starts on the next part of the yard, and the next (we are lucky we live behind a stand of trees, though, since this diligence only happens now and then!)

I didn't stitch it exactly as charted - I left out a few extraneous stitches that seemed unnecessary and I didn't fill in the background behind the year, as I wanted a simpler look. The border was tricky - it didn't always repeat the same number of stitches, but I managed to avoid too many visits from the frogs. I liked stitching this so much I've ordered another chart by this designer, found here. My son is growing a dandelion in a pot, so guess what he is getting for his birthday? I'm hoping the chart arrives before we head to the Jersey shore for vacation next week. Right now I'm stitching LHN's Singing the Blues, but it's going more quickly than the vacation will. Oh is it nice to stitch with silk!

A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That

The Secret Garden
JBW Designs
28 count Irish linen
DMC Threads

The Secret Garden (book and movie) have always meant a lot to me. I read the book over and over as a child, and occasionally still pick it up - it never loses its magic. And my now husband and I saw the movie on our sixth date - after which we agreed not to see other people. So anything having to do with the words Secret Garden gets my attention. I bought this little design on eBay some time ago, and it was the perfect "in between projects" piece to stitch. It came with three charms (two flowers and a little bird) but I haven't been able to attach them. I tried French knots as the instructions said, but they just pulled through the linen. The other suggestion was to attach them with beads but I didn't have the right kind. So it is a charming but charmless design for now.

Oiseau (Bird) freebie found here
Gazette94
Belfast linen

DMC 221

I found this little bird on a wonderful French blog - there are lots of beautiful free charts there. The bird's eye is a Smyrna stitch - I do so dislike the dead looking eye a cross stitch makes. I was hoping to turn this into my first tin topper but it is just a tad too big for an Altoids tin, so I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for something suitable.

You all know how much I love The Snowman - well, I just hit the jackpot on Amazon.com. I'd been looking for this book for ages but used copies were selling for $100 or more. Then one day I idly checked on Amazon again, and lo and behold there was a new copy that, with shipping from England, cost less than $20! I snapped it up in a heartbeat and it came today. I don't know when I'll stitch another Snowman design, but I certainly have lots to choose from now.

Meanwhile I have a new project that I'm working on for my husband's birthday in September. He pays absolutely no attention my stitching so I can work away right in front of his eyes without his having a clue!

A Present for a Friend

Laura's House in the Woods
The Sampler Girl
WDW 30 count Parchment linen
DMC Threads

My friend Laura is a long-time fan of the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder (she's named after the author), and when I saw this pattern by The Sampler Girl I had to stitch it for her as a birthday present. As you can see, I finished it as a pillow. The verse Tanya included with the chart reads: "Remember, it is not the things you have that make you happy; it is the love and kindness and helping each other and just plain being good. " I love that sentiment!

If you are a fan of Disney and/or old movies, check out Laura's blog. She has encyclopedic knowledge of both, and her blog is always informative and fun!

Snow in June

I think I may have mentioned that I have had a soft spot in my heart for Raymond Briggs' The Snowman, ever since I saw the movie with my then toddler son. From time to time the British cross stitch magazines have a chart with a Snowman design, so I've collected a few of them, and when I came upon an advertisement for some Snowman kits made by DMC in the UK, I tracked them down (no mean feat, as they had been discontinued). The kit came with blue opalescent aida, which I decided to use despite not having stitched a thing on aida since I discovered that stitching on linen actually wasn't impossible. I must say I rather enjoyed it although I won't switch back by any means. This piece looks like it was very simple but I had to keep track of some color changes with the greens and the rust/browns, so it was good practice for when I finally take on something with major color changes, something I haven't had the nerve to do yet. It was also the first time that I had to backstitch features - his eyes and nose aren't exactly right but his expression is rather sweet, so I think it passes muster well enough. I learned one thing the hard way - when you stitch with white floss, don't hold the fabric in an area where you've used it. The Snowman's right arm (left side of the design) is not nearly as white as the rest of him. I always wash my hands before I stitch but clearly white calls for a higher standard of cleanliness. Oh well, live and learn. Here's the finished product:

The Snowman and James
DMC mini cross stitch kit
14 count opalescent aida and DMC threads

Since I finished this I've been working on a small JBW Designs piece, which is going rather slowly. It has lots of little flowers that only use a few stitches worth of color, and I'm spending most of my time threading and unthreading my needle. I'm determined to finish it but I'll be glad to move on to something else!

Back again

Remember me? It's been a slow few months, with a family crisis thrown in for good measure (my mother was in a serious car accident but she has turned a corner and is now recovering). My stitching output has been minimal, but I do have a few things to show.

iStitch charts have become my "waiting for DS at swimming lessons" projects- the little motifs and alphabets are perfect for short stitching stints. I fell in love with Sew Peacock when I saw it, and GAST Peacock thread just begged to be used for it. Sew Nautical is next on the launching pad.
LHN's Pear Tree was my first foray into adding beads - there weren't many so it was a good piece to try it on. I quickly learned that my beading needles weren't big enough for floss to pass through; thanks to Staci I discovered Piecemaker size 28 needles worked like a charm. The beads are on the branches - they are kind of hard to see, but they're there!

I had a few things framed recently - I love how Primitive Wizard of Oz turned out. This is my mother's birthday present and I'm so glad I'll be able to give it to her.

I had a ready-made frame that was perfect for Have You Any Wool. There's one place where I didn't snip off the thread very well and it kind of shows through - I guess if it really bothers me I can always take it apart and have them redo it.

So that's the latest from me - I'm working on a small project which I hope to be able to post soon. Have a very happy Memorial Day weekend!

My First Pillow

After threatening to make a pillow for months, I finally did it, using Netherfield Park by The Sampler Girl. It's hard to see the fabric colors - the background is green and the flowers are gold, picking up the colors in the pattern. In the picture the linen doesn't look quite even with the fabric at the top of the pillow, but in "real life" it looks pretty straight.

Pear Tree Ornament
Little House Needleworks
Cream Belfast linen and DMC

My other March finish is this LHN ornament (I haven't put the beads on yet). Now that I know how to make a pillow that may be what it ends up as; it's rather large for an ornament. I'm working on something else but it's a gift so I can't show it yet. In the pipeline are Carol R.'s Sew Peacock and Shakespeare's Peddler's Jenny Bean's Christmas Sampler; Anita at Little Stitches had a sale on the chart and floss for Jenny Bean and I couldn't resist. It's so nice to have projects lined up! (I have no idea why the font size in this paragraph is so small - another Blogger mystery).

Pillow Help Please

I am trying to make Netherfield Park into a pillow, and right at the get-go I am in need of assistance. Should I wash the pillow fabric before I sew it to my stitched piece? I'm going to "frame" the pillow with fabric rather than using it just as backing. And any tips on cutting the fabric straight would be most appreciated. I pulled threads in the stitched piece to get a straight cutting line, but that doesn't seem to be possible with my fabric. Thank you to any more experienced soul who can point me in the right direction. I was not a seamstress in a previous life!