Sampler September Update

I have a start on Hannah Pepper.

Since I started stitching I did change a few colors.  

I dulled down the red from the first one I had picked.  

First a picture of Buster laying on my thread.  

I may have posted one last week but, the look on his face is so funny!

This isn't the best picture.  

I started with 40 count Burch Newcastle linen that I decided was too light.  

I dyed it with some tan Rit dye  

The strip is the original color and the background fabric is the new and improved fabric.  

Here is the start.  

This is closer to the color my fabric is now.  

Overall, I am now happy with the floss colors.  

I was talking to my sister on Thursday and sitting on my patio.  

I had these butterflies flitting around ny marigolds. 

Henry was stalking them.  

They look like a cross between a butterfly and moth,

I kind of has a fuzzy body.  

I did a little research and its a Painted Lady Butterfly and apparently one of the most common butterflies in the world

Painted Lady Butterfly Information.

I read they can fly 30 MPH and 100 miles.  

I have never seen them before in my garden.  

Bob and Henry went bird hunting on Saturday.  

Henry was waiting for Bob to come upstairs.

He was sitting so funny on the stairs.  

They had a good time  

Henry flushed several birds and Bob shot one.  

I got a lot done around here while they were gone.  

Hope you had a great weekend

The weather is turning cooler and more fall like.  

Have a super week!

Keep Stitching!

Monica

Mistakes Happen....Still Makes Me Angry!

I started Hannah Pepper yesterday.  

I was going to stitch it on 40 count Woodland Newcastle Linen.  

I figured out the amount I needed according to the stitch count on the pattern 313x256.

Several times I figured it out and measured twice.  

Since I did Stacy Nash's Christmas at Hollyberry Farm and the amount of fabric you needed was wrong according to the stitch count, I always double check the amount of fabric.  

I leave anywhere between 2 1/2 and 3 inches for framing.  

I like an inch or less of border when framed.  

I was almost done with one side and I was running out of fabric.

I don't have enough of the rest to cover the amount needed  

I had to go to the second choice, same type of linen in Burch color.

It is lighter but is a very nice fabric.  

I am trying to decide if I should dye it a little more to grunge it up.  

I haven't cut this piece.  

I'm going to do the vine of the border than I will cut the piece off to make handling it easier.  

I changed the threads a little to accomodate the extra I may need but, can't get.  

The Primitive Avocado is not that different from Juniper.  I will just mix it in here and there.

Gristmill is similar to Camomile, both are VMSS and will mix that in too.  

I went a little darker for one of the golds to a Dried Cinnamon that looks like DMC 433.

Just going to be working on this on the weekend and working on Christmas presents during the week.  

Took pictures in the sewing room using the back of the couch to hold up the fabric.  

Buster jumped up and laid on my floss and starting messing with them.  

Bob and I went to see Downton Abbey.  

We really enjoyed it...the story was cute and funny in parts, touching in others.  

The scenery, sets and costuming was the real star of the show!

It was a good day to go.  

Our weather has been very MEH!

It hasn't been hot but, incredibly humid...80-90+%

Got up this morning and it was 92%, the windows were fogged up on the outside.  

Its been dark and gloomy.  

It is suppose to be better, temps seasonal, humidity down and some sunshine. 

Hope you had a wonderful weekend and the weather was pleasant where you are.

Have a great week!

Keep on Stitching!

Monica

Sampler September

Kitten Stitcher -  Shakespeare's Peddler had a sale on Samplers.  

I found two I really liked and since they were older they weren't too much.  

First, the sticker on the package, one of her cats.  

I love Adam and Eve samplers!

I especially like the funky building on the lower half.  

I love all the animals and the and the litter on the bottom right.  

I got this one because I fell in love with the border and the sheep.  

I think I'm going to start Hannah Pepper from a while ago.  

It maybe one of the first reproductions samplers I wanted to do.  

I pulled the DMC colors and didn't like the colors that much.  

I prefer more subdued colors as the antique ones would look like 

Its a lovely sampler

I decided to use some VMSS overdyes .

There is a problem with that.  

I really need a lot of the green and the VMSS skeins are large

But, I need another one and another one of the yellows.

I contacted them and out of luck.  

They don't have any of the green and they thought they had the custard pudding but, had four customers come in to pick up supplies and can't what they had. 
I think I could use Weeks Juniper and I actually may have enough custard pudding. 
I may be able to fool around with some of the other colors and make it all work.
Just a little frustrating. 

The colors will be pretty and just what one of the girls would have done.  

Bob got sawdust in his eye while putting some panelling up in his shed. 

He stopped at the emergency room on the way home but has a miserable coroneal abrasion and his eye is swollen shut.  

He might not be able to work tomorrow.  

Hope you had a wonderful weekend.  

Keep on Stitching

Monica

The Fugitive

Our Hero.....Henry Ford.

After the 10:43 pm snack, the boys went outside before bed.

Henry just went crazy.

I figured Buster was on the wrong side of the fence.

He had gotten out earlier last night and we thought we had found his hole....WRONG!

We had to go out and look for him, in the dark. 

Fortunately, he was just across the alley.

Back on the jug....an empty plastic milk jug tied with six feet of rope to a carobine hooked to his collar.  He can escape but the jug stops him.

Bob came up with that...genius!

After the capture last night.  

The milk jug at the point of escape.  

The nail in the fence board was gone and he could push it aside and escape. 

Caught on the other side.  He can't get to the alley so he can't get run over.  

I would be incredibly upset and heartbroken if something happened to this criminal!

No more escapes.....for now!

And now an update on Sarah Braizear.

Sorry about the winkles.  

I was going to iron it but, just ran out of time.  

I was going to post yesterday but, my photos didn't make it Google until today.  

 I am putting it away for the time to work on Christmas presents.  

 The verse was a bugger and took me several days.  

It is not easy to stitch over one on 40 count!

I thought I would just do a tent stitch but did a full cross.  

I'm glad I made it.  

 That deer has crazy eyes  

I made a shopping expedition to Green Bay.  

I needed underwear.  

Of course no trip can go by without a stop at the Stitching Bee.

I had a copy of Plum Street Samplers Autumn Saltboxes...missed the picture of that.  

Black Bird Designs is re-releasing some out of print patterns  

They will be releasing Easter Parade again.  

So I picked up these.  

Love Pumpkin Farm and should be working on it now.  

 Love the sampler motifs on this one.  

 This would be good as a springtime stitch  

 Chessie and Me Rose and Crown Sampler.  

 There is an exchange planned for the retreat.  

It has to be under four inches.  

I picked this up for that purpose.  

I have some quilt fabric to finish it into a pinkeep.  

Thinking about a Sampler for Sampler September.  

Working on narrowing it down.  

Hope you had a great weekend.  

I got a lot done but, never enough time to stitch.  

Have a wonderful week!

Keep on Stitching!

Monica

Working on Finishes and Organization

I took Tuesday off last week to work on some projects and a day off just sounded like a good idea.

I loaded up  Vonna Pfeiffer the Twisted Stitcher Floss tube episode Finishing a Pin Drum.

I had tried last summer to finish one and wasn't satisfied with the results.  

I took it apart and started it over.  

I am a lot happier with it but, think I may put some little something:  crochet lace, homespun, buttons to jazz up the top a little more.  

It did take me a lot longer than what Vonna said....first time.  

Also finished the Black Bird Design Christmas Drum.  

I made it a little deeper than what the pattern showed, mostly because I wanted the weight.  

I may put something around the top of this too, just not sure.  

I started re-organized some of my cross stitch stuff.  

I wanted to file my patterns....at least some of them.  

I will probably continue to keep the Christmas patterns seperate.  

I decided to organize by designer.  

I have done this before but, I have a lot more charts than I did 15-20 years ago.  

I don't know that it will be as much fun rifling through but, it is organized. 

While digging through the file folders and cleaning out some of the old stuff, I found this.

Katy drew this in 1998, she was 4 or 5.  

Its called Katy and Her Angel.  

It is so darn cute, it stayed in the file.  

I love the big pink bow in Katy's hair and how they are holding hands.  

I've been working on the verse on Sarah Braizear and let me tell you it has been a bugger.  

I'm working on 40 count and the verse is over one.  

It is incrediably slow going.  

After I finish that, I think I'm going to work on Autumn at Hawk Run and finish that.  

I'm a seasonal stitcher, so I like stitching the for the season.  

While working on these projects, I've been listing to a podcast.

Its been my first podcast, The Black Tapes, supernatural horror genre.

I finished it today.  

I have more podcasts queued up to listen too.

Great thing to do while doing all the hand sewing. 

Hope you had a great weekend.

I love three day weekends...still went to fast!

Have a great week.  

Keep on Stitching

Monica