More finishes, well, sort of.

Its been a strange summer so far. The new truck has had troubles a plenty--boo, hiss, but the hubby keeps keeping on. He's passed the frustration on to me--which is my job, to keep him as cool headed as possible--and I pass the frustration on to my stitching. I wonder how many of us do that? Deal with all the negatives in our lives by stitching? Sure does keep me a lot calmer. How about you all?

First up, GOODWILL by LHN. I stitched this one because of the lovely colors and because it was a thread pack. I didn't have to hunt down any of the threads, just a lovely piece of linen to stitch it on. And I didn't even have to make a frame up--I have two large tubs of frames I've bought over the years and I had a perfect size to use. (I actually had 4 the perfect size but wrong colors.) There was a lot of mindless stitching, stitching without having to count very often, and that made it absolutely perfect for my purposes. I was sad when I got it finished, but today, very happy that I could stick it in a frame and hang it on the wall. I'm thinking, for the time being, that the wall is finished. (I did think of doing LHN's The Rose in Morning and doing it over one, for a tiny horizontal piece.) Does it seem that I was in a hurry to get that wall done? Absolutely, hubby should be home in the next day or two.

The next piece isn't really finished. The stitching is done but not the finishing work--and I'm a bit nervous about doing this finish. It's Witch's Hat Scissor Case by Historic Stitches. It was really easy to stitch, but would have been much easier to stitch on a different color linen. Done on Black Belfast, I couldn't believe how much difficulty I had in seeing the threads. I think it took me twice as long as it would have on a lighter color. My picture turned the fabric gray but it really is black. The chart called for two pieces of Black Belfast, 11 x 11 inches--I stitched it on one piece of Belfast, 11 x 11 and still have two large squares left over to do a scissor fob or biscornu. But, I've hesitated starting the finish process as I don't think I have enough skill to do it justice. I'm going to try anyway and I'll let you all tell me what you think of it.

I spent most of the past weekend watching Harry Potter movies and stitching on Shepherd's Bush "Into the Night". Didn't really have enough done to take a picture of it. Hopefully, after getting the top part done, the specialty rows will go quickly enough so it actually looks like I stitched something. Of course, eldest son has already said it's going to be his one day--and I think I'll surprise him and give it to him when he buys his first house. (He's looking.)

It's hard to believe that summer is half over already, and the grandkids go back to school next month. What's up with that? Am I the only one who remembers going back to school right after Labor day, in September? I shudder to think of all those young people sweltering in classrooms during the hottest part of the summer.

And with all the heat, the problems with finances, truck troubles and all, we have a new member of the family. Banshee is some kind of terrier, very small, short, with these tiny short legs. We are having a terrible time getting her housebroken but she's finally getting the idea. She is Chad's puppy and he's doing most of the work with her. She really is adorable, and I'll have a picture of her next post. But, do you see a theme here with pet names? We have Boo, Spooky, Shadow and Banshee--two black pets and two gray ones. Shadow has finally taken to the new puppy but Spooky is still hissing and spitting at her. Boo has become her protector, though she's not too fond of Banshee using her tail as a toy. As you can see from the photo above, Spooky seems to spend all her time sleeping on our bed--its a high four poster and the puppy can't reach her there.

I've had a lot of fun reading everyone's posts, and I am amazed at those who can post nearly every day and show pictures too. How on earth do you do that? Debbie, if that was your first framing job, how talented you are. You did a super great job. And Terri Boog, that sampler is to die for. Coni, I love your newest LJP finish--its super spectacular! It would make a really lovely pillow with some patriotic fabrics--or a great wall decoration. Nicole, as always, I'm amazed at how much lovely stitching you do, and with three small boys to raise. Cathy, I love seeing pictures of those grandchildren just as much as seeing your stitching. Deb, busy as always but when do we get to see the pics that are hidden behind those smiley faces? Kath, been missing you and don't think my emails are getting through to you. And to anyone who has been waiting for an email from me--I probably already sent it, but our ISP has been having problems the last few weeks, and most of what I send out is not getting where it should go. Anyway, I love reading all your blogs, it's nearly like visiting in your home and stitching with you, without the drive.

Stitch on, dear friends. Can't wait to see what you stitch on next. Enjoy your summer, and Terri, watch out--that was a lovely looking and very appetizing table you set on the deck. Made me ready to jump in the car and come for a visit. For those that don't know, Terri lives in my old 'neck of the woods' and there are times that I sure do miss Michigan. Until next time. . . . . . . .

More finishes, well, sort of.

Its been a strange summer so far. The new truck has had troubles a plenty--boo, hiss, but the hubby keeps keeping on. He's passed the frustration on to me--which is my job, to keep him as cool headed as possible--and I pass the frustration on to my stitching. I wonder how many of us do that? Deal with all the negatives in our lives by stitching? Sure does keep me a lot calmer. How about you all?

First up, GOODWILL by LHN. I stitched this one because of the lovely colors and because it was a thread pack. I didn't have to hunt down any of the threads, just a lovely piece of linen to stitch it on. And I didn't even have to make a frame up--I have two large tubs of frames I've bought over the years and I had a perfect size to use. (I actually had 4 the perfect size but wrong colors.) There was a lot of mindless stitching, stitching without having to count very often, and that made it absolutely perfect for my purposes. I was sad when I got it finished, but today, very happy that I could stick it in a frame and hang it on the wall. I'm thinking, for the time being, that the wall is finished. (I did think of doing LHN's The Rose in Morning and doing it over one, for a tiny horizontal piece.) Does it seem that I was in a hurry to get that wall done? Absolutely, hubby should be home in the next day or two.

The next piece isn't really finished. The stitching is done but not the finishing work--and I'm a bit nervous about doing this finish. It's Witch's Hat Scissor Case by Historic Stitches. It was really easy to stitch, but would have been much easier to stitch on a different color linen. Done on Black Belfast, I couldn't believe how much difficulty I had in seeing the threads. I think it took me twice as long as it would have on a lighter color. My picture turned the fabric gray but it really is black. The chart called for two pieces of Black Belfast, 11 x 11 inches--I stitched it on one piece of Belfast, 11 x 11 and still have two large squares left over to do a scissor fob or biscornu. But, I've hesitated starting the finish process as I don't think I have enough skill to do it justice. I'm going to try anyway and I'll let you all tell me what you think of it.

I spent most of the past weekend watching Harry Potter movies and stitching on Shepherd's Bush "Into the Night". Didn't really have enough done to take a picture of it. Hopefully, after getting the top part done, the specialty rows will go quickly enough so it actually looks like I stitched something. Of course, eldest son has already said it's going to be his one day--and I think I'll surprise him and give it to him when he buys his first house. (He's looking.)

It's hard to believe that summer is half over already, and the grandkids go back to school next month. What's up with that? Am I the only one who remembers going back to school right after Labor day, in September? I shudder to think of all those young people sweltering in classrooms during the hottest part of the summer.

And with all the heat, the problems with finances, truck troubles and all, we have a new member of the family. Banshee is some kind of terrier, very small, short, with these tiny short legs. We are having a terrible time getting her housebroken but she's finally getting the idea. She is Chad's puppy and he's doing most of the work with her. She really is adorable, and I'll have a picture of her next post. But, do you see a theme here with pet names? We have Boo, Spooky, Shadow and Banshee--two black pets and two gray ones. Shadow has finally taken to the new puppy but Spooky is still hissing and spitting at her. Boo has become her protector, though she's not too fond of Banshee using her tail as a toy. As you can see from the photo above, Spooky seems to spend all her time sleeping on our bed--its a high four poster and the puppy can't reach her there.

I've had a lot of fun reading everyone's posts, and I am amazed at those who can post nearly every day and show pictures too. How on earth do you do that? Debbie, if that was your first framing job, how talented you are. You did a super great job. And Terri Boog, that sampler is to die for. Coni, I love your newest LJP finish--its super spectacular! It would make a really lovely pillow with some patriotic fabrics--or a great wall decoration. Nicole, as always, I'm amazed at how much lovely stitching you do, and with three small boys to raise. Cathy, I love seeing pictures of those grandchildren just as much as seeing your stitching. Deb, busy as always but when do we get to see the pics that are hidden behind those smiley faces? Kath, been missing you and don't think my emails are getting through to you. And to anyone who has been waiting for an email from me--I probably already sent it, but our ISP has been having problems the last few weeks, and most of what I send out is not getting where it should go. Anyway, I love reading all your blogs, it's nearly like visiting in your home and stitching with you, without the drive.

Stitch on, dear friends. Can't wait to see what you stitch on next. Enjoy your summer, and Terri, watch out--that was a lovely looking and very appetizing table you set on the deck. Made me ready to jump in the car and come for a visit. For those that don't know, Terri lives in my old 'neck of the woods' and there are times that I sure do miss Michigan. Until next time. . . . . . . .

Happy Dance times 2

Finally have something to show. With some of the hottest weather in Indiana history, for the first week of summer, I've been staying indoors with the air conditioning. Hot and humid do not work for me at all. (Not to mention the hot flashes the doc says are normal at this time in my life, lol.) I have continued to work on the wall behind our four poster bed, making it look, (I hope) a bit less feminine.

First up, Moon and Stars by LHN. Wow, I really loved stitching this one. I didn't have the recommended Crescent Colours cottons so I substituted Crescent Colours Silks, the Belle Soies. Love working with these threads. I think my color choices were a pretty good match. I had to pull the DMC for general color, and then use the picture to make better variegated matches. I used the recommended fabric color and count, but I wasn't really happy with what I had. My fabric was thin, not nice and dense how I like it.

When I framed the piece, I took Diane's (LHN) idea for frame color and used white. I used a liming paint process that allowed the wood grain to show through and then polyurethaned it for a soft glow. I'm really happy at how it looks all framed up.

I finished the stitching early one evening, and had to find something else to work on. I had LHN's Thread pack of Berries so I pulled out fabric and got started on it. I got the outside borders stitched that first night, so I had the dimensions to measure for framing. Went ahead and made that frame--my first time making a frame before the project was completed--so when I was finished with it, was able to put it in the frame as soon as it was done.

I did make a few changes in this piece. I changed the door to 8 Rhodes stitches, to mimic an eight panel door, and added two chimneys to the roof. The flowers beneath the fences were done with a Smyrna stitch as were the two buds further up the flowers. Just wanted to give a bit more depth to the piece.

Next up is finishing Goodwill, another LHN Threadpack. I got that started up last night but only have the outside border and some of the green ground work done. After that is finished, I'm thinking of a Halloween scissors sheath but not sure of the designer. Or perhaps the Drawn Thread scissor pocket that's Halloweenish.

Here's what the wall looks like over our bed now. As Goodwill will frame just a tad bigger than Berries, it might look good where this tiny shelf is now. Or I can lower the tiny shelf and position the picture above it. And yes, before you ask, hubby and I used to collect Boyd's Bears plush. These bears, hares, and others reside on shelves that encircle the room high up near the ceiling.

On the non-stitching side of life, things are going a tiny bit better--if one can disregard my son's car getting vandalized for the second time in six weeks. (He thinks disgruntled old girlfriend.) Whoever it was left the driver's side of his car decorated with lots of long, deep scratches. Insurance company is NOT going to be happy. Hubby is right now stuck in Atlanta, waiting for a load that will bring him this way. Catching up on bills is going to take us longer than it ever has, thanks to the increase in fuel prices. Looks like perhaps my birthday trip to House of Stitches might have to be a lot later than next month. :(

Stitch on, dear friends, and thank you for all the lovely comments you leave. You have kept my spirits up, encouraged me to keep "keeping on".

Happy Dance times 2

Finally have something to show. With some of the hottest weather in Indiana history, for the first week of summer, I've been staying indoors with the air conditioning. Hot and humid do not work for me at all. (Not to mention the hot flashes the doc says are normal at this time in my life, lol.) I have continued to work on the wall behind our four poster bed, making it look, (I hope) a bit less feminine.

First up, Moon and Stars by LHN. Wow, I really loved stitching this one. I didn't have the recommended Crescent Colours cottons so I substituted Crescent Colours Silks, the Belle Soies. Love working with these threads. I think my color choices were a pretty good match. I had to pull the DMC for general color, and then use the picture to make better variegated matches. I used the recommended fabric color and count, but I wasn't really happy with what I had. My fabric was thin, not nice and dense how I like it.

When I framed the piece, I took Diane's (LHN) idea for frame color and used white. I used a liming paint process that allowed the wood grain to show through and then polyurethaned it for a soft glow. I'm really happy at how it looks all framed up.

I finished the stitching early one evening, and had to find something else to work on. I had LHN's Thread pack of Berries so I pulled out fabric and got started on it. I got the outside borders stitched that first night, so I had the dimensions to measure for framing. Went ahead and made that frame--my first time making a frame before the project was completed--so when I was finished with it, was able to put it in the frame as soon as it was done.

I did make a few changes in this piece. I changed the door to 8 Rhodes stitches, to mimic an eight panel door, and added two chimneys to the roof. The flowers beneath the fences were done with a Smyrna stitch as were the two buds further up the flowers. Just wanted to give a bit more depth to the piece.

Next up is finishing Goodwill, another LHN Threadpack. I got that started up last night but only have the outside border and some of the green ground work done. After that is finished, I'm thinking of a Halloween scissors sheath but not sure of the designer. Or perhaps the Drawn Thread scissor pocket that's Halloweenish.

Here's what the wall looks like over our bed now. As Goodwill will frame just a tad bigger than Berries, it might look good where this tiny shelf is now. Or I can lower the tiny shelf and position the picture above it. And yes, before you ask, hubby and I used to collect Boyd's Bears plush. These bears, hares, and others reside on shelves that encircle the room high up near the ceiling.

On the non-stitching side of life, things are going a tiny bit better--if one can disregard my son's car getting vandalized for the second time in six weeks. (He thinks disgruntled old girlfriend.) Whoever it was left the driver's side of his car decorated with lots of long, deep scratches. Insurance company is NOT going to be happy. Hubby is right now stuck in Atlanta, waiting for a load that will bring him this way. Catching up on bills is going to take us longer than it ever has, thanks to the increase in fuel prices. Looks like perhaps my birthday trip to House of Stitches might have to be a lot later than next month. :(

Stitch on, dear friends, and thank you for all the lovely comments you leave. You have kept my spirits up, encouraged me to keep "keeping on".