Words are completed

Lots more progress this weekend, and I've been thinking that I'd also like to add a few other small touches here and there, such as repeating some hearts or flowers just before and after the little bird. And I always like to stitch in a tiny bee or two somewhere, as that is my "trademark" on personal projects.

WIP report

Have made a little progress on "Home of a Needleworker" these past few nights. Stitching on the 22-count Aida has been more difficult than I had remembered and I am missing the ease of linen already, but I will admit that the finished look is very pleasing. I switched to a smaller needle pretty quickly and that has helped somewhat.

Still a ways to go – I sort of dread the boredom of the house section so I am leaving that for last. (You can see that I started it and then almost immediately moved on to a more fun section.) And I am constantly reminded that my eyes are not what they used to be!

What I spent most of last evening doing

My progress thus far on "Home of a Needleworker". Something about stitching alphabets is very soothing to me. Especially compared to stitching the border which was making me go blind! You can see I have started to use Q-snaps, which are great – thanks for the tip, Diane!

And, my very first crape myrtle blossoms of the year!

Also my changed my blog background to a new look today, courtesy of Izzie Grace Blog Backgrounds (with some small tweaking, of course).

Another WIP

Decided yesterday afternoon to start stitching the original smaller-sized version of the Little House Needleworks chart "Home of a Needleworker". I am working on 22-count Antique White Aida instead of the 16-count Natural Aida called for in the leaflet. 16-count would have worked up as a finished size of 12-1/8" x 6-1/8", and that seemed somehow far too large for the informality of the design. It's a piece meant just for myself that includes personalization, so I thought that 22-count and an 8-3/4" x 4-3/4" finished size (before framing) would be more appropriate. That way I can hang it anywhere in my small house without it seeming too overwhelming.

Lately I have been thinking about creating a "sampler wall" in my dining room. At the moment a quartet of woodcut-style prints hang in the small space I am considering using. An eclectic arrangement of samplers could fill the wall there nicely, and the old art prints would look just as well in the guest bedroom. Of course, this dream is a bit premature, as I am still working on several of the pieces that I want to eventually frame and hang! But it does give me a goal to aim for, and I like goals.

The only hindrance I see is where to get the kind of frames I want. Most of my samplers lean towards the "primitive" look, and I would like to find a source for rustic-looking frames. Cost is a big issue for me these days. I know how to use a miter box so think that I could make my own frames if I could find a place for architectural salvage or somesuch. I just need a good source for distressed moldings.

Selby Gallery

More stitching on my WIP today. Slow but steady! My camera doesn't seem to capture the beautiful color of the fabric, although this pic is a little bit better than the last one was. In person it's sort of a creamy light caramel with a slightly silky hand, which will look lovely in the distressed red/brown serving tray.

I received my invite in the mail for this upcoming Nat Krate exhibit at Ringling College of Art and Design's Selby Gallery. I may just have to head on down to my old alma mater on the 26th and check it out.

I think this may turn into my holy grail of cross stitch

Oh, I really, REALLY want to get my hands on this "Strawberry Garden" chart by Blackbird Designs, but it's OOP! *cries* It's so beautiful, too.

I've been trying to track it down on eBay.com, but the only leaflet being offered for sale is for the whole project kitted out with floss and fabric included, and at $135! That's waaay out of my ballpark, and I simply don't need a kit. I offered to buy just the chart if the kit didn't sell, but the (very nice) seller said no.

Going to keep on hunting, though. Fingers crossed!

My new cross stitch organizing binder

I recycled an old clear-cover office binder and some top-loading sheet protectors, and cobbled together some custom cover inserts from odds and ends of scrapbook pages and doodads from my crafts boxes to make this organizer. I've only had time to insert my current projects thus far, but there's plenty of room to add more pages. I'm very pleased with the result and the idea of keeping all my lovely charts in one safe place from now on.

Well begun is half done (or so I hope)

Finally made a start on my new WIP Birds of a Feather "Kindness Begets Kindness" chart. I know I'm not very far along yet, but I wanted to post a photo as proof that I had actually begun!

Our Florida summer sunshine extending into the early evening means there are more hours in which to stitch after work, but somehow these days I find myself at the laptop more than at the needle. I've also been trying to organize my charts a little better by finally placing them in a project binder, and that leads to sorting floss for upcoming projects, and before you know it it's late again and I am far too tired to stitch. But I do like this new chart and the 28 Ct. Examplar Linen I chose, so when I do find the time for stitching it is a pleasure.

I just added a link in my Favorites list to the Smithsonian American Sampler Collection. Lots of lovely examples and inspiration there!

Cà d'Zan

I haven't been down to John Ringling's Cà d'Zan Mansion on Sarasota Bay in ages, but I have always wanted to return ever since the six-year long restoration was completed and take photos of the beautiful mosaics and the Venetian Gothic architecture. I've always thought that the zodiac compass mosiac in the garden was particularly lovely. There is a fee to view the inside of the mansion and visit the Circus Museum, but the Art Museum portion of the Ringling complex is free on Mondays, and you can always walk the grounds of the estate at no charge.

Mini shopping spree

Cheap thrill: Picked up some more floss today at Michael's Crafts. They had everything I wanted but DMC 725, how odd is it that only that one bin in the whole display aisle should be empty? The nice cashier promised me they'd have some more in real soon, which is not exactly important as I doubt I'll drive all the way back there just for one 34-cent packet of thread. *laughs* But it was nice of her anyway.

It had to be the shoes

This artwork by Stephanie Harland is so beautiful! You can go her webpage to see her wonderful gallery of images.

A new WIP

I've finally decided on my next project at long last: "Kindness" Sampler by Birds of a Feather. I've been looking for something for years that would suit my fancy and also be just the right size for my 9" x 9" wooden serving tray that has an insert area for stitching, and I'm thinking that this will just fit the bill. I've never done a chart by Birds of a Feather before, although I have long wanted to, and am looking forward to working on it.

New 44-cent USA stamps

Oooohhh: I am so tickled by the design of these new USPS first-class postage stamps!

Drizzly

It's been rainy and overcast all day, which is great for the oleander in the backyard but bad for selecting conversion floss colors for the chart I wanted to start today.

Another beginning

Have been migrating my needlework blog to Blogger.com, simply because I liked the looks and flexibility of this place and several of the other blogs posted here.

Pondering

I've spent a chunk of time these last few evenings trying to decide what to stitch next. I've perused other people's blogs looking for interesting finishes – which I probably won't attempt, but which are fun to see and admire. I'm not big on doing several projects at once, as that's too much like my RL job! I prefer to concentrate on one chart at a time. Also don't have a lot of spare cash at the moment, so I am trying to select carefully.

Bzzzz...Beehive

Adding a simple green border to this quick and easy Prairie Schooler beehive was a good idea. Little projects like this are always fun to stitch.

The Prairie Schooler Book No. 23

"A Prairie Year II"
August Beehive