A Finish~ Quaker Diamonds

I actually finished Quaker Diamonds. My second finish this year, which for me is a big deal.  (Summer Queen was completed last spring.) I started this on May 19, 2013 and finished yesterday. I have worked on other projects during this time, and had two other finishes of old projects in 2014.

A dear friend and I actually are doing this as a stich-a-long, but she has worked on other huge projects during this time so she isn't quite finished with it yet.

If you are working on this project, be careful with your orts. I ran out of vintage green and blue/black (I used the suggested Valdani threads) and had to scrounge through my ort vase to find threads to finish the piece.  I'm glad I save them now as for years and years they all went in the trash after each stitching session.

So now I am down to only two WIPs.  They were both started over 10 years ago, and then some. I don't think I have ever had just two WIPs, but for now I will focus on getting more progress on those pieces. (Paula Vaughan's Wedding Ring Bouquet and Theresa Wentzler's Fruit Bellpull)

Quaker Diamonds~~

Thanks for stopping by today! 

Save Your Orts and Quaker Diamonds Progress

I have been enjoying myself lately by stitching A LOT more on a regular basis. I feel very lucky to have free time to do this right now, but I know it will not last forever.

While enjoying my stitch time, I realized one morning that I was running low on a particular color required for my Quaker Diamonds. This is the one I've been working on for months. What happened to the 'withered green' color? I really couldn't say, but I didn't want to order more Valdani threads as there wasn't really THAT much green left to do.   What to do? I looked at corresponding DMC colors but I didn't want to mix them into the project.

I went into my ORT vase, and lo and behold I was able to find a lot of small strands of withered green (H202)  that I was able to use. I completed all the green required, and I think I have enough tiny pieces of green to finish one small little section.  In fact, some of the ORT threads were so long that I couldn't see why they were even in the ORT vase. Live and learn!

I've also gone from using my frame with Q-snaps, to stitching in hand, to using hoops, and now back again to the stand.  It's great to have all these options. For years and years I only stitched in hand.

Here was the piece before my latest stitch sessions:

And here it is a few days ago:

I took this one today, as yesterday I was able to work about more on the motif in the bottom right corner: 

I think at this point I have completed 21/26 letters, but I still have to finish this motif, complete another small motif, and finish one more motif that is above this one. That's it, except for a few tiny stitch designs here and there.  

Keep in mind I started this in 2013. I am not one to finish things quickly, but that is fine. I did have three finishes in 2014, so for me that is a victory. 

Thanks for stopping by, and do remember to save your ORTs.  

Beautiful Stitched Pieces at the County Fair

We are thrilled that cool air has finally  hit our area.  At least for a short while, anyway.  This weekend it is supposed to be up to the 90 degree mark again.  I have always disliked the heat, and I am forever shocked to hear that some folks love it hot.

Just shy of a few weeks ago we went to the county fair.  It was a miserably HOT day, and I am amazed that I actually went on such a day.  We joined our grandchildren, our daughter, and her husband for this festive occasion.  The kids LOVED the rides. It's nice that they're now old enough to do a few little rides. For dinner we passed on fair food, and ate in air-conditioned comfort at a restaurant that has locations all around the southern California area. It was delicious, and delightful to enjoy our meal in cool comfort.

One of the things I love the most about the fair is seeing folks' lovely handmade works. I marvel at the workmanship, and creativity.  As I walked in that building, I remarked to my husband that it would be amazing to know the amount of hours of work spent by the people who created all the pieces in the building. The building includes needlework, sewed clothing, costumes, quilts, photography, scrapbook items, to name just a few of the items in the building. We took some photos of some of the pieces we saw that day.  Sadly, I do not know who stitched them except for one of the pieces.  I don't even know which ones actually won ribbons, except for the ones where one can see the ribbon, of course.  They're all winners in my book.  I am not sure of the names of a lot of these pieces, and if you do know the design names please leave a comment and let me know.  I would really appreciate it! For some reason, the fair description does not include the designer's name, nor pattern name.

 Thanks to all who stitched these pieces. Here are a few of them that we saw that day:

First of all, this is Theresa Wentzler's Peaceable Kingdom.  It is a beauty! With all the blended threads a Wentzler piece contains, you can imagine this took a long time to stitch.  This one has a third place ribbon on it.

 Here is a beautiful piece, and thanks to Ohsewcrafty leaving a comment I now know the name of this one. It is called Pleasures of Winter and it's a Dimensions Gold kit. 

This piece won a second place ribbon, it seems. Lovely, but at first I had no idea on the name of the designer or pattern.  Thanks to Ohsewcrafty's comment, I can now say it is also a Dimensions Gold kit. It is called Twilight Bridge.

How impressive! I wonder what pattern this might be? Edited: Thanks to OhSewCrafty I can now tell you that this is one of Debbie Patrick's patterns. It's the Beringer Winery in Napa.  Thanks, OhSewCrafty.

A bit of blackwork on this one, I see. How lovely!

Here is Peace Angel by Lavender and Lace.  The face was done in over one stitches. It was quite large, and very impressive to behold.

This is Lavender and Lace's Summer Angel.  Gorgeous, isn't it?

This is Butternut Road's Catching the Wind.  (Same designer as the Lavender and Lace designer, the oh-so-talented late Marilyn Leavitt-Imblum)

For those of you who like to play the game Loteria, there were some clever patterns from the game that were stitched up so festively.  This one had a great presentation along with the stitched pattern:

This was so beautiful.  I was struck by the wonderful quilts hanging above the dock.  Does anyone know the name of this pattern?

This piece won "Best Of show" in its division.  Simply beautiful! I do not know this pattern's name, either. I do see the stitcher's name on this piece. Excellently done, Ms. Nunn!

I  had to take a photo of this costume that was featured in the same general area as the needlework.  Isn't it amazing?

These photos are of displays found in the House and Garden building.  The theme was "Mardi Gras" this year. I adore the rich colors and designs.

I love the bright, garish colors of the fair.  I think it's a throwback to childhood, when our great aunt and uncle used to bring us here, along with our parents. It was simply enchanting then to see all the colors of the fair. 

And what would fair photos be without a photo of one of the fried food fair stands?  I've never tried any of this deep fried sweet stuff at the fair.  I guess they must be tasty, looking at the constant lines in front of them. 

After spending about 7 hours at the fair, we happily left for our home in the neighboring county.  Until next year, farewell fun fair.

More Progress on Quaker Diamonds

I put my stitching aside for a few weeks, and my lack of progress attests to this needle-free time.  I have plenty of time to stitch right now, but it has been so hot that it is difficult to tackle.  Finally I stitched a bit yesterday, so I am sharing my progress...at long last.

Here is how it looked more or less the last time I posted:

I have now started working on the motif below the letter "M".  There are lots of color changes on this motif, so my progress is slow.  I usually watch television as I stitch so this hampers fast stitching as I often times stop to watch the show.

Here are the latest photos:

I still just have three WIPs, and this is the 'newest' one at three years from start date. (I think?) My other two WIPs were started in 2002 and 2003 or so.  I am a slow sticher, there's no doubt.  I think about starting something new, but am determined to finish at least one of these older projects before acquiring more of them.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Quaker Diamonds Update

Summer is slowly drawing to a close, although the weather here has been extremely hot lately. I enjoy each and every season, but I will be somewhat relieved when I feel the crispness in the air that only lovely autumn seems to bring to us.

I have stitched a bit, so I wanted to share that progress today.  I presently only have three WIPs, and truly I have only worked on Quaker Diamonds for quite some time now.  I just don't feel like working on anything else.

In June this is more or less what the project looked like:

I have finished the interior of the large section under the R S, although my recent photos don't quite show that progress in much detail.  Here are the latest progress pictures:

To the right of the M in the photo above is a bit of the large diamond that's under the R S section. 

I took this photo after my last bit of stitching:

Slowly, slowly, stitch by stitch....it is getting completed. I stitched some in hand as well as using my Q-snaps and lap stand for other parts.  Up until a few years ago I exclusively stitched in hand, and I rather enjoyed returning to that again.

I hope your day is lovely, and thanks for stopping by today!

Finally, Some Stitching

It has been a busy almost two months. Between work, non-stitching fun stuff,  and home responsibilities I haven't had much time to enjoy any stitching. Finally, that has changed as I have a break from work for awhile. I've found a bit of time to stitch, and I want to share the updates today.

I've been working on Rosewood Manor's Quaker Diamonds.  The designer's name is Karen Kluba. I'm using Valdani threads for this one. I started this one two years ago, but I have had a few other projects going at the same time.

I switched some initials so that my husband's and my initials could appear here, together: 

After finishing one portion I noted a mistake I made in a stitch's placement. I am leaving it as is, to add to the "character" of the piece. 

Thanks for stopping by today!  

Quaker Diamonds and Jacarandas

So I finally got to stitch just a tiny bit.  I was happy to sit and work on Quaker Diamonds, and  here it is:

Life has been exceedingly busy and full of challenges. I wish I had more time to relax and work on my beloved hobby, but that is how it goes.

A few weeks ago I took a slight detour on the way home from work so I could check the progress of the yearly splendor on the branches. Yes, it's time for the jacarandas to bloom again.  I love to see their purple bursts of color all around the area.  Here's a photo I took that one evening. (I wasn't driving!) This street isn't far from where I live, but it's one I travel down often just to enjoy the gorgeous trees.

Thanks for stopping by today!

A Bit of Stitching!

Today I went to a local stitchers' gathering and enjoyed some great time visiting with three other stitchers. I even got to stitch a bit on my PV Wedding Ring Bouquet.  The lighting in our location was a tad hard on my eyes so I didn't get that much needlework accomplished,  but it was wonderful just the same. 

I am happy to be on Spring Break for a short time. Looking forward to more time relaxing, reading, spending time with friends/family, and hopefully... stitching. 

Thanks for coming by today. 

Stitching Plans

Wedding Ring Bouquet

Fruit Bellpull

I can't believe I am down to only three WIPs. This is a first for me. My three WIPs are Teresa Wentzler's Fruit Bellpull, Rosewood Manor's Quaker Diamonds, and finally Paula Vaughan's Wedding Ring Bouquet. In the last year I have finished Summer Queen,  Granny's Attic afghan, and the  MN Sampler by Oberlin Samplers. Hurrah!

I feel determined to finish one of these before I add another piece to the mix. What about you, do you stitch one at a time, or do you have many WIPs. I bet I know the answer to that!

Thanks for stopping by today.

Quaker Diamonds

Summer Queen- Finished!

Greetings! I can't believe I've finally finished this piece. I started it in 2003, and so much of my life has changed since then that it seems like so very  long ago.  I won't bore you with the changes in our lives, but I am sure you can well imagine how many it would be with twelve years worth of time gone away.

Here she is, Mirabilia's Summer Queen. I so love her! She will be framed when our framer returns from the Nashville Show.

Please forgive the text I added to my photos on this post. My blog, along with many others' blogs, has had posts and photos copied onto another stitching blog, so I felt at this point I had to do this on my photos.

Thanks for stopping by today!