I've been stitching a bit on Paula Vaughan's Wedding Ring Bouquet.  Someday soon I will share a project picture. All I have left is a bit more white for the curtain, and some backstiching and 'shading' provided by half stitches.  I will be so happy to finish this one!

Last week I picked up three pieces from the framer's shop. What a delight it is to have these pieces up in our home. 

First, here is Summer Queen.  I started it in 2003 and finished the piece in 2015.  

I'm very happy with how it turned out. and for now the piece is in our family room. Eventually Summer Queen will probably be moved to our bedroom. It is very large, and it makes me happy to see this piece in our home. 

I also picked up Mary Ann Blackburn. I stitched it this year in the course of six to eight weeks, off and on.  Instead of the called for wording I used our wedding date.  I chose a rustic looking frame for this one.  The sampler is hanging in the living room right now, but I am not sure where I will move it to next.

Finally, I am glad to have Rosewood Manor's Quaker Diamonds framed. I started this in the summer of 2013 and finished it in 2015.  I hung it in the living room, next to our fireplace. It is also above our antique spinning wheel that came over from Norway in 1888 or so. I had to move my great- great grandma's antique 1839 sampler (stitched in Switzerland, from the other side of the family) to hang it there, but for now I enjoy looking at Quaker Diamonds by the spinning wheel and hearth.  I moved my great- great grandma's sampler to a different spot in the living room for the time being.  I am honored to have my ancestors' love for all things needle.  I have never tried spinning, and I doubt the spinning wheel works still, but it is a joy to have this family heirloom.

And now, Quaker Diamonds: 

My two WIPs are now Paula Vaughan's Wedding Ring Bouquet and Teresa Wentzler's Fruit Bellpull.  

Last week I also bought fabric for another WIP that will be started soon.  More news on that another time! I can't wait to get that one going. 

Thanks for stopping by today. 

Finished! Mary Ann Blackburn

I am so pleased to have finished Mary Ann Blackburn by Blackbird Designs..  Believe it or not, the piece is already at the framer's shop. I finished it on Tuesday evening and had it at the framer's LNS by the next day.

I used our wedding date at the bottom instead of using my grandma's name or Mary Ann's name. It was just something I decided to do.

Here it is:

I am now back at Paula Vaughan's Wedding Ring Bouquet. I started this in 2002 or so, so I think it's high time I finish it.  It's done on 22 count hardanger with one thread over one. 

I don't have that much left, really. Just a bit of backstitching and the white curtain (ugh, so much white to do) on the left side of the piece.  

Lately I have been using my hoop a bit. I bought the hoop back in 1974, and it's still as good as new.  It's plastic though, and is  not one of the much talked about Queen wooden hoops. When I started crosstitching I was told to NEVER use a hoop. I don't know why I was told that, and I don't know why I listened for so long.  For years I stitched in hand, and then I went to Q-snaps, and finally I added a lap stand.   

Do you use a hoop, Q-snaps, scroll rod, some other stitch accessory, or do you stitch in hand?  I would love to hear how you prefer to do your stitching. 

I ended up finishing off my Mary Ann Blackburn piece with stitching in hand, with the occasional use of a hoop. I  just got tired of the lap stand--all that cumbersome stuff gets to me. 

Thanks for stopping by today! 

More Mary Ann Blackburn WIP

It was wonderfully cool and brisk here a few weeks ago, and we found that to be very enjoyable. Now that has changed completely. Today it got up to ninety degrees.

I am still working on Mary Ann Blackburn.  I'm enjoying this one, and it will be done in a relatively short time compared to my pieces that are over a decade old.

Here it is now:

I think I am actually past the halfway done point on this one!

We did get a nice crop of lemons and avocados on Sunday.  These trees in our backyard are quite wonderful, and have been there for years and years.  There are still dozens of lemons on the tree, so I'll be picking more tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by today. 

Mary Ann Blackburn Update

Springtime in our Yard- 2013

Looking forward to spring as it's been truly cool lately in our area.  I hope the yard blooms as it did a few years ago, as shown above. Flowers in our yard make my heart soar!

We are not accustomed to temperatures that approach freezing around here. (overnight, not during the day, of course)  I am not used to even wearing long sleeves, much less sweaters in the house. Crop pants are my cup of tea, in fact. 

 On a stitchy note, I've been working happily along on Mary Ann Blackburn. Yesterday I got to stitch along nicely while watching Jane Austen's Persuasion on YouTube.  

The colors of this piece are turning out so nicely, and I must drag out the finer camera to take a better photo for my next update.   Sharing my progress today as taken on my 'simpler' camera:

Thanks for stopping by today!

New WIP- At Last! Mary Ann Blackburn by Blackbird Designs

I truly have not started a new project since 2012.  Can that be true? I think so.  I am not overly fond of gathering up items for a project.  I know that is unusual as many have said they LOVE to kit up new projects. Anyway. since I only had two WIPs, (that are super old) I decided to start something new. I was happy to get this book:

This is the first pattern I am stitching by Blackbird Designs.  I so love their patterns!

Here is my fabric with the threads I'll be using.  A few of the threads are substitutions as my local store did not carry all the 'called for' colors. We found nice colors to take their place.  The store I shop at is great, and they're very helpful with this sort of thing.  I also chose a 28 count fabric, and I think the color is mocha, or light mocha perhaps. I felt many different linens, but I chose this one as it was softer than many of the others.

Here is the design I'm stitching.

It's going really well, and here are some progress pictures: 

I see now that the colors on my project look nothing like the leaflet, but that is perhaps a photo thing. Either way, I am pleased with these colors.

Thanks for stopping by today, and happy stitching!