Lots of WIPs!

We have had several busy months and there hasn't been much time for stitching.  It is all great though, precious time with family and friends is always the best! 

I have worked a bit on The Night Before Christmas and also Yvonne Le Clerq 1905. Here are some progress pictures of those pieces:

The Night Before Christmas

Yvonne LeClerq 1905 (above and below)

I recently finshed 2024's Year of Stitches. It is slow going for me. I am not doing a stitch icon for each day, but rather one for every several days of each month.  This is a project I decided to do for fun, but for me it has not been much of a blast! I definitely will not do this again, but I am glad I was able to complete the year 2024. 

I  have also been working on some stamped pillowcases. I find this fun to do when I do not wish to look at a chart. Here are a few views: 

Finally, I have been able to work a bit on Winter Quakers by Rosewood Manor. (Karen Kluba) I love how this one is looking. 

Thanks for stopping by today! 

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. 

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.  

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!