Cross Stitch Update

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.