I’ve been busy cross-stitching.  I’ve tried really hard to do as much as I can as I know summer and gardening season will be here soon and that will take a lot of my time cutting into my cross stitch time.  So…I’ve stitched.

I try really hard to stitch for at least one hour every night before bed but that doesn’t always happen.  I have been trying really hard for two hours a night over the last month.

You might remember I’m stitching Anniversaries of the Heart by Blackbird Designs.  I was here when I last showed you my work.  This is designed to stitch one panel each month…and designed to record people/events that important to the stitcher.  You can see I have Karl’s block first, then comes my Dad’s side of the family.  Next, I had started a bonus block.

That bonus block is actually in chart #7 of the series.

I ended up finishing that block and went on and stitched the March block.  Here’s where I am now…There is only one more block and the top row is finished which means I’d be 1/3 of the way done!!  YAHOO.

I finished the bonus block…

I did the March block.  This one is for Kelli’s family.  You can see her name, Kelli Kramer, her husband’s name Jason Hanken at the bottom.  I stitched Georgia’s “G” and will stitch in the twins’ initials after they are born and know them.  I did screw up something though.  Kelli got married in 2014, not 2015…so that has to be fixed.  It shouldn’t be a problem.

I changed up some of the colors.  I’ve had the worst time with floss colors on this entire piece.  I just keep telling myself it will all blend when it’s done.

Next up in the series is this…Pink Hill Manor.  This one will be stitched for my Mom’s family.  I have to do a little tweaking to get the names all in but that’s okay.  I’m getting better at that.

After I was done with the block for the month, I went on and started back on my Heaven and Nature sampler.  I LOVE THIS!

Here is where I was at the end of February.  I have the top stitched…

..and I had moved down to the bottom stitching the lower right corner.  The top picture is really the true colors.

This month I completed the entire border.  I had the main vine all the way around but I didn’t have it filled in from the bottom right corner all the way around to the middle left-hand border.
It was mostly all of this and a little more that I stitch in.

I stitched this basket in the bottom center.  I had intended on continuing and stitching the left lower section but…I didn’t.

I decided to start up and do the middle of the right.

Everything above the bird is new stitching.

I had planned to leave the entire house for last but then decided that I might hate myself if I do.  I don’t mind lots of fill-in stitching at all, but that is REALLY a lot of fill-in stitching.  So I decided that the red that is the color of the house is also used in many different places.  So, if I went and outlined part of the house, I would know where the red should go.  If I stitched a flower that used that red, rather than put the thread away after the flower was stitched, I could instead go to the house and stitch the rest of the piece of floss into the house.  I thought that might save me some time as I would be always loading needles with floss.

I also like to have a piece that is just fill-in stitching at the ready should I be in a situation where stitching and visiting are okay.  For example, last Friday night Karl was over and we were chatting about our week.  Karl didn’t mind at all if I stitched while we chatted.  Having the house outlined is perfect.  I can stitch away and not count or worry.

I think I am going to outline the main house next…

and then go back to stitching Anniversaries of the Heart.  Sorry, the color is all wrong in the photo above but I wanted a picture of the whole piece.  It’s the biggest piece I have ever stitched.  On 40 count it’s 14 1/4 x 18 inches.

All of me is screaming to just power through and finish this piece but I’m afraid if I don’t keep up with Anniversaries doing the monthly panel, I’ll peter out and not finish it.  I really don’t want that to happen, because I really want to stitch that too!!  Such a dilemma.

I might do the April block and then just stitch Heaven and Nature until it’s finished…we’ll see.  I really want to…really bad, but as I said, I’m afraid I won’t keep up with Anniversaries if I do.  We’ll see.

I also finished Kind Words by Notforgotten Farm.  This was quick and easy.  I need to finish it into a pillow.  Hopefully, in the next cross-stitch update, I’ll have it finished.  This is where I was last time.

Here it is finished.  Sorry, I forgot to iron it.
I’ve been loving stitching these small quick pieces.  They are perfect for using up the small leftovers from previous projects.

Here’s another one I stitched…This is Love Never Fails.  It was a freebie from The Primitive Hare.  Find it HERE.

I started this freebie also from The Primitive Hare.  Find it HERE.

They also offer this freebie that I plan to download and stitch.  I’m not a fan that it says “primitive” so I think I won’t stitch that word just the others and maybe add a couple of more snowflakes or something.

I’m stitching many of these up with the hope to make them into pillows for my dough bowl.  I wrote about the dough bowl HERE.

Market Expo was held in March. That’s when all the designers release all of their new designs.  I did good and only bought one new chart.  I got Teresa Kogut’s Come to the Garden.

Here’s a close-up picture…

I loved it BUT, I wasn’t a fan of the verse…so I didn’t buy it.  Then, I remembered the hymn, In the Garden.  The beginning words are, “I come to the garden alone while the dew is still on the roses”.  This was the hymn that was played at my mom’s, dad’s, and at my niece Jody’s funerals.

I decided that I would buy the chart as I love the flowers and the borders…I love everything about it except the verse.  I am going to rechart the words to be, “I come to the garden alone while the dew is still on the roses”.  I’ll need a different font to make it fit but I think I can do it.

Then I am going to put my mom’s, my dad’s, and Jody’s initials into the chart.  The chart is pretty full but I think I can fit them in somehow.  I like to stitch things that are meaningful to me and this would certainly be meaningful.

I had the linen and most of the floss in my stash.  I only needed five flosses so that was great!  It’s all kitted and ready to stitch if I ever can get to it.

I did spend a little other money over the last six weeks on cross stitch.  I bought the dark gray linen as there is a freebie that was done on gray and I have no gray linen.

The other linen came from The Attic.  I didn’t buy it all at once.  I asked to be put on a list and have the linen sent to me if it ever comes in.  All of that linen is Lakeside brand linen and it’s very hard to find and gets snatched up immediately when it does.  I was hoping to get a few nice pieces so I could pick what looks best when I start a new sampler.  It is hard living rural and not being able to shop as I wish I could…but I am happy I had this option.

I also got my next installment of the Sunday Stitches by Heartstring Samplery.  I am on a list and get the pattern sent to me each month.  I plan to stitch several of the hymns and add them to a sampler wall should I ever have enough pieces stitched to make one.

That’s about it for cross stitch for the month.  Oh my, I am loving stitching SO-SO MUCH.  Although I spent plenty this month on it, the cost is way cheaper than therapy and I don’t really buy fabric much anymore so it balances out.  With that, I’m off.  I have some quilting I need to get done with the goal of finishing some things up and then it will be to the couch to stitch.  Heaven and Nature is calling me to outline that big house.

I thought I would give you all a cross-stitch update.  It’s been a bit since I’ve shown you my progress.

If you read the blog last week when I showed all of my quilting UFOs and seen how hard I’ve been working to get them all caught up, you can imagine how hard I am fighting with myself not to get too many cross-stitch UFOs.

Then I was watching a floss tube video and the presenter said, what is the difference if you have something kitted up, or if you actually make a start.  That got me thinking and I believe it to be true, but still, I don’t want too many UFOs.  I’ve been fine having two projects going at once…but I already had three going at once.  So do I dare start another.

I ended up compromising.  I started this.  It’s called All Creatures Great and Small.  I’ve seen many people working on this including Lori Holt and Cynthia from Stitching in the Light.  I bought this a long time ago.  In fact, it’s the first thing I bought wondering if I dared to do a big sampler.

It’s so pretty and the picture doesn’t do it justice.

One of the reasons I started this is because I asked myself if I could only get one sampler done this year, which one would I want it to be.  My answer was this one!  The other reason I started this…I’ve been watching All Creatures Great and Small on PBS Masterpiece.

So, I made the decision to stitch on this each week for the one hour that I watch the show.  I’m not going to get a lot done that way and it’s entirely okay.

I’ve only stitched on it one night and that’s all the further I got.  Right now I am using everything that is called for.  Vintage Country Mocha linen in 40 count and Anchor threads is what I have.  I’ve heard people who stitched on this mention that they really enjoyed the Anchor threads.  To date, I haven’t used them before so I have no opinion.

The next project I worked on was this…Quarantine Project:  Stay Home and Stitch by With Thy Needle and Thread.

I like to have a small travel project.  This is the one I picked.  I started this the day I had a doctor’s appointment.  I stitched this much while I waited in the waiting room.  I haven’t touched it since.

I told you all that I was going to be stitching Anniversaries of the Heart by Blackbird Designs.  It’s a 12 part series with 2 extra bonus charts.  It’s set up to stitch one each month and that’s what I’m doing.  This was my “new year, new start”.  You can see I got month one done.

Each block gets personalized.  This block is Karl’s block.  You can see it says, “Kramer”, “Karl” and “205”.  The 205 is the house number for Karl’s new house.
I started on the next block but I am not too far.  This is the February block.  This will be for my Johnson Grandparents.  I figured out how I can do a few things to fit in what I want here.  I’ll be stitching this one in February.

My next project is my real focus project that I am pouring mountains of time into.  This is how far I am.

I have across the top done.  I worked on the right border.  I was going to start the house but I stitch with a hoop.  I didn’t want the hoop to be on on the house while I stitched the bottom…so I decided to start stitching the bottom.  That red bird, I almost had it finished stitching but I realized that I was over two stitches.  I had attached one of the legs to the wrong antler.  I screwed up the spacing too much to fudge so I spent one night ripping it out and restitching this.

I adore this piece and I plan to have it finished this year and up on a wall by Christmas.  At one point I thought I would put it away after Christmas, but I won’t.  I am going to keep stitching on it.

I did purchase a couple of things…Everything kind of snowballed.  I bought some floss for Kelli.  She’s stitching Pandemic which is a Long Dog Sampler pattern.  She needed more Merlot color.  Well, being I ordered and was paying for shipping, I bought something else…and something else.

Being I have a couple of projects going and not just the two I previously had, I bought more needles.  Then I’ve been loving stitching the one block a month that I thought I’d like to do that again next year.  Blackbird Designs has another series called the Garden Club.  Blackbird Designs patterns go out of print so I decided that I would gradually start buying them.

I also have heard many good things about Lakeside Linen.  So many people who stitch samplers use Lakeside Linens…so I got a piece of it to try out.  The color I got was Maple Sugar.  Of course, any other color can’t be found.  There is a huge wait log on getting linen.

I’ve had this chart on my want list for some time.  It’s a Blackbird Designs chart.  I saw Connie from Country Threads finished hers.  It’s so pretty.  I want to stitch it someday.  I checked to try to find linen for it and amazingly, 123 Stitch had what I wanted…so I ordered it…and a couple of the floss that I didn’t have.

My goal down the road is to have a sampler wall.  I want to have samplers of different shapes and sizes.  I was THRILLED when I learned that Beth Twist was coming out with a new series called Sunday Stitches.  There will be 12 charts all will have a church hymn inspiration.  The first is from Amazing Grace.  I just love this.

I am so tempted to start this and stitch it on Sundays.  UGH.  I can’t start another project but seriously, this one wouldn’t take long, right??  Oh my.

STOP YOURSELF JO…or you’re going to have lots of cross stitch UFOs!!!

My wants are obviously bigger than my hand can stitch.  Oh, I love so many of them though.  I do want to say that even though I haven’t stitched all of these, I am very much enjoying taking the charts to bed at night and studying the design, observing the layout of the pattern, seeing the colors used.  I get enjoyment out of the charts before I even stitch them.

A kind blog reader, Linda, sent this to me.  She said she purchased it but is having trouble seeing to stitch.  I’ll happily give it all a home.  I really like it.  I might not get to it right away but I have already taken the chart to get with me and studied it…As I said, I’m getting enjoyment out of it already.

It was so sweet of Linda to think of me with her cross-stitch goodies.  I really appreciate it.

I am still thinking about doing a little stitch along…I’m trying to figure out how to best do that.  I’ve been playing with videoing my stitching so I can do a tutorial of sorts.  Don’t worry, I didn’t forget about it.

I was telling you all that there are many free charts out there.  I don’t think I mentioned in a previous post that Hands on Designs has several.  You can scroll through her blog and see them.  HERE is the link.

Hello from Liz Matthews also recently put out a new freebie design, but you have to sign up to her newsletter to get that one.  HERE is the link for that.

I am still loving that I am back into cross-stitch.  I’m sad on the nights I don’t get time to stitch.  It really brings me joy!!

Before I go, I did want to tell you that I filmed a floss tube video…here it is.  Here is the link if you want to see it on the big screen.

I talked some about stitching in hand or stitching in a hoop in the video and explained what I do.

I’ve been having lots of fun putting the video together.  A huge shout out to Kalissa for helping me edit it.

That’s what’s new in my cross-stitch world.  I’d love to hear if any of you are cross stitching and what you’re working on.