Schoolgirl Sampler Club

 I got my Schoolgirl Sampler Club piece on Friday.  I don't think there has been a clinker in the group and the latest is simply breathtaking...in my opinion.  Its on my immediate radar once I do some things first.  I love everything about this piece, the fabric, colors and of course the pattern.  

Aren't these threads yummy! There is fabric for both pieces:  the sampler and the Merry Christmas pillow.  It may be a small drum.  

I think it will be a fairly quick stitch.  Like I said, a few things I want to work on before I go to this.  

One of those things is the Farmhouse Christmas from Little House.  I'm going to start over yet again.  First I was going to do them individually, then a bell pull after I saw one finished that way.  I started that on Parchment but, decided you couldn't see white thread enough.  I had more of the Parchment and not really crazy about the fabric...not Zweigert based.  I have a large piece of natural linen and that would really work but, its a full yard and I don't want to cut into that.  Lying in bed this morning, I decided I would start over and dye the fabric.  I was dying fabric at 645 this morning.  I have the two pieces next to each other.  The dyed piece looks pretty close to natural linen.  I'm stitching this for the Stitching Bee ornatment SAL.  I will go back to do the barn later.  I want to get Horsin' Around done first.  

My Japanese Maples are lovely now.  I love these trees and the gnarly trunks.  The bigger one always turns a little later.  

It has been a wonderfully sunny weekend and a high of 58-59.  We got the last of the yardwork done.  Bob is having his left rotator cuff repaired on Wednesday.  I'm sure there will be some ranting in the next few weeks.  I going to try to be good. 

That about sums it up.  The weekend really goes by too fast.  Back to work tomorrow.  To top everything off, I get to start learning a new documentation system this week.  We go totally live next Monday.  No stress here.  

Finally, going to try and vote early this week.  After the foiled attempt to kidnap Governor Whitmer, I don't want to deal with intimidation at the polling place.  They will be there.  They were in 2016.  

Hope you had a wonderful weekend.  

Masks, sanitize, social distance.  

Monica

Adventuring and A Skunk

Just trying to catch up.  

My mother in law is 91 and gradually failing.  

Bob's brother has been trying to come and see her since April but, rescheduling because of Covid.  

He and his wife decided to come now because, well, you know.  

We just got the news yesterday, the first employee has tested positive.  

It was nice to have them come.

They got to see Ann at a window and used telephones.  

Sometimes I'm not so good with birthdays I stitched a Little House Needleworks piece and finished it off as a little tuck pillow she can place in a bowl of gourds or other fallish decor.  

Steve works for Sulky and sent me a large set of the floss so I used that to stitch the piece.  

I love how it turned out.  

Since they couldn't spend a lot of time with Ann, and she doesn't really converse much, we had some free time.  We went to an apple orchard and picked up apples, cinnamon rolls and an apple pie.  I had just recently heard about a winery about 30 minutes from here.  We decided to check it out.  

What a little gem!!  Its an estate winery meaning they grow the grapes they use for their wines.  Again another cloudy weekend but, no rain.  

We tasted some reds and whites.  I generally prefer whites especially chardonnay.  But, I preferred their reds.  After the tasting I had a glass of red.  Cinnamon rolls go well with red wine. 

Smitty, the winery dog.  He is a Spinone Italiano.  He had the biggest feet and was just a lover.

They were harvesting the St. Pepin's the following day.  We did snitch a grape to try.  They were so good!  I have never tried a wine grape.  The reds had already been harvested but, there were still some on the vines so got to try one of those too.  

The trees around the vines were starting to change too, closer to Lake Michigan so the temperatures tend to be more temperate than where the trout stream is.  

Some milk weed.  Not all the acreage is growing grapes.  The winery is for sale since the owner is having health issues.  I hope someone buys it.  

Wondering what this is.  Have never seen this.  

It was warm enough to bring our wine outside, eat the cinnamon rolls and talk to Smitty.  

It was a really pleasant afternoon.  Headed home with a few bottles to drink that night. 

The night before they came, I let the dogs outside.  Bob had gone to the pharmacy.  I went out to move a plant under the eaves to try and keep it safe from frost that was expected.  When I got out, I could smell a skunk.  Checked out Buster and he was good.  Henry on the other hand, not so good.  And what to do.  I couldn't leave him in the backyard since I didn't know where the skunk was and I couldn't put him the garage since Bob was going to be home shortly.  I stuck him in the laundry room and got the supplies together to clean up Henry.  I don't think he took a full hit.  I think the skunk was on the otherside of the fence but, he was still really stinky.  We got him cleaned up with hydrogren peroxide and Dawn (forgot the baking powder).  Now, my right  hamstring is flared up from bending over to spray the carpets....several times....since he rubbed his head on the carpet.  Its the enzymatic cleaner for dog accidents.  Boy was this an accident.  All is good now.  Bob put up a motion detector light to hopefully scare the rascally skunks away.  

 Whew!  All caught up now.  

Keep on Stitching!

Masks, hand sanitize, and six feet or more!

Monica

Color Walk with Bob

Got Google Photo working.  The key is letting Google Photos access the photos on your camera.  DUH!

Two weeks ago, Bob and I took a ride to our property where we hope to build a little cabin someday.  Its on a trout stream.  Bob loves to flyfish.  I do not but, stitching would keep me busy.  Years ago, I did a Prairie Schooler for a cabin....can't remember the name but definately cabin art.  Maybe I'll post it.  Haven't framed them.  

The colors were spectacular.  It was too bad the sun wasn't shining but, it was a warm day.  The scent was amazing in the woods.  So, just some scenery.  Click on them to make them bigger.  All taken in Northern Wisconsin.  

Staghorn Sumac is just a scrubby tree but, turns a great red in the fall.  

The Sugar Maples are what turn red.  Some years the red is even more breathtaking.  

A beaver on our property was busy the last few days felling a tree.  I have never seen this before.  So cool!

Brule Creek through the trees.  It is a very bubbly creek.  

The water has been so high.  We've had a lot of rain the last few weeks. 

Bob keeps a path cut and had just cut the grass the day before.  We went to pick up his four wheeler.  There won't be too many days and he has his left rotator cuff repaired.  He'll go out this weekend and winterize his shed and bring home some of his stuff. 

Another path to a wildlife veiwing area.  There were no swans today.  

Fall is my favorite season.  It just never lasts long enough.  

Don't know what theres are but, they were in the path.  They look like miniture pine trees.  

The viewing area.  There is a deck out onto the lake.  It was slippery from rain and moss.  

Just a cool tree stump.  

I finished the first section of over one on Hannah Pepper.  I usually don't use a hoop but, I read it helped open the holes to see.  I think it did help.  

I really hate to put her away after  Sampler September.  I may go back to her and Mary Braizear after the holidays unless something else shiny crosses my path.  

Highly likely.  

Glad I got my pictures working with google photos.  

Hope your fall has been colorful.  

Keep on Stitching

Wear your masks, wash your hands and social distance.

Have a great Friday.

Monica

Problems With My Photos

 I don't really know whats going on with my Google Photos.  I just can't get it to go from my phone to Google photos and subsequently my blog.  Please see me on Instragram thehooplessstitcher.  
If I ever get this figured out, I'll be back.  

Stay Safe

Stay Healthy

Stay Masked

Keep Stitching

Sampler September Hannah Pepper

I have been working on my official Sampler September Sampler:  Hannah Pepper from 2002 Finelines  I started it last September and really haven't worked on it until now.  

I don't know why....wait, because I have done other projects.  

I started it on 40 count Newcastle Burch.  Wanted to use a different color that was a little darker but, I cut the piece too small.  I dipped it in some Rit Tan dye and got a pretty nice result.  I wanted it darker.  I like the more antique look.  

I'm using Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe floss and some Weeks Juniper.  Its kind of hard to get extra skeins from them.    It is very close to VMSS primitive dark avocado.  Since I started, I have changed a few colors and gone a little darker.  I made some mistakes and ripped it out and replaced it with the new and improved colors.  I'm using a combo of Prim Pumpkin and 1880 Pumpkin.  You can barely tell the difference and I need more than two skeins of floss.  I like the more muted, dark colors for this.  

I finished the Algerian eyes that border some of the verse.  

Worked on some of the leafy border below the verse too.  

This really is a lovely sampler!

Maybe after the holidays, I will alternate between this and Sarah Braizear satin stitching.  

I am done with the first page of the sampler.  

Hooray for me!

The whole shebang.

The vine does meet around the whole border.  

I just have to finish the leaves but, kind of doing that as I got

                                                                           

Buster was groomed this week and was sleeping so cute on the pillow, I just had to take a snap.  

Put a sweater on my little grandpa dog. 

I am sadden by Ruth Bader Ginsberg's passing.  

What a giant of a human!

Wish we had more!!

We had a beautiful weekend, sunny and in the 60's but still getting some smoke from the Western fires.  

Our Covid numbers are climbing but, still not like the big cities.  

Remember, the population of Dickinson County is 25,000

Stay safe, wear a mask!

Have a wonderful week!

Keep Stitching

Monica

 

Some Finishes

I posted this a while ago Carriage House Samplings Adam & Eve Revisited. 

This was a super fun stitch and had seen someone else doing it on Instagram and was able to order it as a PDF.  I did during the height of the the quarantine.  This is done on 40 ct fabric.  

The Stitching Bee was having a frame sale.  When I called, Kendra had a red frame that was the right size.  It was pretty much an apple red but, I knew I could tone it down with a little Briwax.  I have used that on a lot of things.  It was stain and bee's wax.  I smear it on, let it sit a few hours....longer for darker and then buff it off with a cloth.  It shines up quite nice! I got it mounted on a piece of cardboard and laced up today.  

I finished Samplers Rememberd Sampler Roll and ironed it up while I was ironing the other pieces again today.  I plan on finishing this into a needle drum rather than a needle roll.  I think I would like it much better as a drum.  It will make a rather nice drum!

I finished the Love Bird Pinkeep from the Blackbird Designs Book Vintage Inspiration using the fall colored 100/3 silks from this months Silk club offering.  I did it on the Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe linen club from July which was kind of a peachy hue that some people had over dyed.  I used the original color and it turned our really lovely.  The picture really doesn't show the true color. I tried.  

I wanted to be able to fit the piece into a small frame from Homespun Elegance that I have a few little pieces I swap out of it.  When  I saw the color of the floss, I knew I needed to find a little something to stitch and put into the frame.  Other than the color, the only thing I changed in the pattern was the small border around it.  I thought it might end up too big and wouldn't fit in the frame.  I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out.   If I had done border, I would have altered that too to make sure it fit.   

I had done the first two in the nine part Farmhouse Christmas series from Little House Needleworks.  When I had seen it finished as a bell pull, I slammed on the brakes and now have started it over on one piece of linen.  Its a Weeks not on Zweigert in a Parchment I think, don't quote me on that.  I'm going to use this as my September Christmas piece.  

It rained all day yesterday but, today was a perfect day, sunny and 67.  I got a lot done!

Hope your weekend was wonderful.  Have a great week!

Keep on Stitching

Monica

Oh Oh! Look Out Bob!

I'm making good progress on The Sampler Roll by Samplers Remembered.  I have made some mistakes.  I used the wrong sed Garrison Green and I used Palomino.  I decided to leave the alphabet but, ripped out and corrected the color in the bottom border.  I know I will be happier with that. Nobody won't know the alphabet is wrong.  

There is something so sweet about this piece.  I just love it.  I will finish it most likely as a pin drum.  I just don't feel the way it was finished into a needle roll.  

I have been on an organization roll today. I read an article on organization this morning with links to Amazon.  Went a little crazy with that:  some drawer organizers for the junk draw in the kitchen, organizer for tea bags, a shelf for under the kitchen sink and a thing to hand mops and brooms.  

I decided I need more organization in my sewing room.  I don't really use my sewing machine a lot but, ws want it accessible. The sewing desk takes up a lot of room and doesn't offer much storage.   I could use a lot more storage because I have stuff.  I have some of my paper crafts hanging out because some days its just fun!.  I wasn't able to take the cruise and my money was refunded.    I don't think I will try booking that again.  I think it may be a long time I get on an airplane and who really knows about a cruise ship.  So maybe I will get a  IDream box and that will really aid to organization.  I'm going to think about it for a little while.  The sewing room is big enough for one.  I have a sleeper sofa in there that is double bed but, would like to able to get a little chair to stitch in.  The couch just isn't big enough for me and the two dogs.  

It was a fairly nice weekend.  Today was really nice.  I got a lot done.  Hope your weekend was good.  

Thanks for stopping.  Stay healthy and safe.  

 Keep on Stitching

Monica