June stitches and more!

Hi Everyone!

I went back and put a few more stitches into the Blackbird SAL.  The eyelets, while pretty, seem SO time consuming!  16 stitches to each one!  I debated on going backwards and trying something different but I do like the effect so onward she goes...

And, of course, I have something new too!  lol!  

I have started up with Hannah Pepper, one of my bucket list stitches!  There have been a few finished Hannahs posted on facebook recently and they finally gave me the push I needed to pull out my Fine Lines issues.  I also want to thank Mary and Ellen for their thoughts on color options.  I have figured out my palette using a combination of what is called for and some that are not.  

And so she begins too....  already I am thinking "is the red red enough??"  lol

Since moving to Connecticut I love seeing all different wildlife in my yard...  chipmunks, ducks, wild turkey, egrets, foxes, and deer, but imagine my SURPRISE when I found a BEAR outside my back door!!  Unfortunately, I was not quick enough to get a pic, but it was amazing to see.  It looked like a young adult and I think it was just as surprised to see me too!  So sorry no picture, but this pretty deer was very willing to strike a pose...

Last weekend I went to a Weissbier festival at the local German restaurant.  Weissbier is a wheat beer which makes it a bit sweeter.   Perfect and refreshing for a warm summer evening.  Prost!

So that is all for June...  it has been very exciting watching all the World Cup coverage.  GO USA!! I am glad it will continue into July, along with Wimbledon tennis!  

Have a great week!  Happy Stitching!  xxxxx

What's your favorite flavor?

Usually, being a Rolling Stones fan, my answer to that question is always Cherry Red!  With all these great options, so very hard to choose!  Such decisions!!

This time I went for Campfire- YUM!  A super refreshing treat! 

 This was at the Creamery, a great ice cream stand on a farm in Newtown CT.  

This place is certainly the hot-spot nowadays!

I am still in a state of flux with my stitching projects!  

so my WIP pile keeps growing!  

Here is a wee bit more on the Blackbird SAL.  

The eyelet stitch got started and didn't get that far...

...partly because a new pattern arrived in the mail!  

This is Eiderstedter Haubarg 1783, a new one from European Reproduction Samplers.  It is a reproduction of an antique wedding sampler.  

When I saw this sampler it reminded me so much of the buildings in Worpswede, Germany, the town where my grandmother grew up.  

Here is a pic I took of a converted barn to shop when I visited a few years back.  

So, yet another WIP!  I just don't know why I can't stay settled on one project.  

Too many things keep catching my eye.  

Happy Flag Day!!  

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!  Happy Stitching!!  xxxx

A Fun Day Out and Blackbird SALing

Hello Everyone!  I hope you are enjoying the holiday weekend.

On Saturday my friend from Long Island visited for the day.  She took the ferry to Bridgeport and we started our day early.

We went shopping at a fantastic shop in Sandy Hook CT, the Country Mill.  I read about this shop on Lori Brechlin's blog Notforgotten Farm when she was visiting CT last fall.  I was surprised it was only a few miles from my home and knew my friend and I would enjoy a visit too.  

Lots of folksy and prim decorations.  Rooms and rooms to explore!  I was happy to find Lori's new book of needlework designs too, and of course, had to take it home with me!  Lots of great projects in this one.  Even some needle punch and rug hooking which I would like to take try at sometime.  

Our next stop was to Shakespeare's Garden in Brookfield CT.  It is a beautiful nursery with greenhouses and paths to walk through. 

Everything is in full bloom and bursting with color!  A feast for the senses!

 

Their Barn Shop is chock full of unique and interesting goodies!!  So many creative ideas!

After all that shopping we decided to take some time to relax by Candlewood Lake.  Even on a cloudy day it is a beautiful view.  

We also ventured to Ridgefield for more shopping and then found a great place to stop for dinner on the way back to the ferry where we could sit outside in Newtown called Pub 25. 

                 

I totally splurged on dinner having the Lobster Mac and Cheese... YUMM-O!!  It was such a wonderful day and great to spend so much time catching up with my friend for the whole day.  

In the last few days I stitched a bit on the Blackbird SAL, all of the 4-sided stitch portion.  I tried it first with 2 strands but on the 32 ct linen it seemed too bulky that they did not look like squares.  One thread seemed to be the right direction.  I think it gives a kind of lacy look.  

The next step will be the eyelet alphabet in Toasted Barley.  I have enjoyed seeing everyone's variations of color and style, all so pretty!!  

I wish you a wonderful week full of happy stitching! xxxx

Saturday Stitching and Sunshine

Happy Weekend!

I have started the Blackbird Designs SAL, her sampler.   Loving it so far!  Has anyone else started yet?

Blackbird Designs her sampler SAL
32 ct R&R french vanilla with sampler threads

I decided to pull materials from my stash so I have switched out a few colors.  I am using Toasted Barley, Grecian Gold, and Brethren Blue as charted, but switched in Raspberry Parfait, Hyacinth and Red Grape for the copper, purple and pink.

I also got a bit further on my Scarlet Letter American Quaker Band Sampler.  

American Quaker Band Sampler
36 ct Examplar Lakeside Linen with dmc thread

I recently finished the book Luncheon of the Boating Party by Susan Vreeland and absolutely LOVED it!!  Definitely in my top list of favorites now.  Next up is The Lady and the Unicorn by Tracy Chevalier and it has grabbed me right from the go.  Love it when that happens!

It was an absolutely GORGEOUS day here in Connecticut!  Here is a pic I snapped this afternoon.....

Seems apropos since today was the Preakness Stakes!  I was jumping for joy for California Chrome!  

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!!  Happy stitching!  xxxxx

Wabbit Winner!

Howdy All!  I know I am late on the draw for this one.  So sorry!!

But, we do have a Wabbit Winner of the Sheepish Designs Easter Wabbit... I asked my co-worker to pick a number from 1 to 11 and she picked #5.  The 5th comment was from Jo!!

A BIG CONGRATS to Jo who can't think of a clever nickname from Serendipitous Stitching!  Your Easter Wabbit will be hopping your way!!  =)

Stitching, Peeps, and Rabbits!

Happy Easter Everybody!

Got a bit of my itch to stitch back this weekend and continued on my American Quaker Band.  I love the bright turquoise!!   Feels good to be stitching again!

Today I picked up some purple Peeps!  My favorite Easter sweet!

I have been de-stashing lately and found this really sweet OOP Easter Wabbit!  I thought it would be just perfect for a giveaway!  I will pick a name on Saturday the 26th from those who comment on this post. 

And there is an 'Our Scarlet Letter Years' rabbit hunt here.  There are bunnies hidden in the Scarlet Letter gallery in 22 samplers!  If you find them there is a special discount for those samplers.  All the details are in the link.  Happy Hunting!

Wishing you all a wonderful holiday!!

Happy Stitching!  xxxx

Feelin' Fickle!

Hi Everyone!  It has been a while!

After finishing SDW I have been very fickle with not knowing what to work on next.  I keep starting new projects but have not been that jazzed about stitching.  Maybe it is Spring fever?

I started on Scarlet Letter's Ellenor Wykcs with a small SAL group.  All the double running stitch seemed so foreign to me.

Then I worked a bit on N. Hinde from the Scarlet Letter.  This one seemed small and I thought "well, I should be able to finish that in a couple days"... NOT!  Working this one with some cherry Wildflowers silk.  

Next up, I went back to Gigi R's Saxony ATS.  I started this one also as a SAL back in October and have not gotten so far with it.  The colors are beautiful though....

Then, I came across another SAL on fb called Randje per week, a group from the Netherlands.  Looked like so much fun so I jumped right in!

And now I have jumped onto the American Quaker Band Sampler from the Scarlet Letter.  A small start but I am enjoying this one so far!

So what does it all mean??  Lots of WIPs!  

I also wanted to share with you the 'finished' finish of the moose parade.  My friend loved the stitching and decided instead of having it framed she wanted a pillow.  So I recommended, of course, our friend Carolina Stitcher Faye!   What a fantastic job she did!!  

And in an effort to do some Spring cleaning, I have started going through my stash to post up on Ebay.  I have posted up about 40 charts already which can be found here if you are interested in taking a look-see.  I have some very old charts from about 15 years ago, including some OOP.  I am amazed at how much I have... even duplicates!  Guess I liked some so much I got them twice!  lol!  

Thanks for visiting!   Enjoy the weekend and Happy Stitching!  xxxx