Cross Stitch Update

I was a busy girl this week.  I’ve had two things here that are stitched that I’ve been wanting to finish.  I got one done and I’ll be sharing that with you next week as I don’t have the photos taken of it yet.

The other one is sadly on hold.  I screwed up.  The worst part is that I LOVED this frame.  I have something else here but I don’t love it as much…alas.  Let me show the rookie mistake I made when I was cutting down the frame.

This is my Floral Motif Sampler from The Scarlett House.  I have tape on the frame.  I marked my cutting lines.

Look closely at my lines in the picture below.  Can you see what I’m about to do??…

That’s exactly what I did.  BLAH!  I made the cut in the wrong direction.  I was pretty frustrated.

I wanted to frame this tightly so there was no extra room for a recut.  So the frame is scrapped for now.  It’s a great frame and I know I’ll end up using it on something else…but I don’t have a frame I love right now.  So, I guess I’m going to have to hunt the thrift store for another frame.  I love an excuse to go… to the thrift store but just wish this wasn’t the excuse.

I did get a little stitching done.  I mostly worked on All Creatures Great and Small by Barbara Ana.  I’m doing this on the 40 Count Vintage Country Mocha with the called-for Anchor floss except for the red.  That’s Anchor 20.

Here is where I was last week.
I was really trying to pound away on that giant hill at the bottom.  I also needed to finish up the lower right section where there was a tree and a man in a fishing boat.

I worked on it really hard and here is how far I am.

I got quite a lot done considering it was mostly full coverage and that’s always slow.

I have to stitch my initials in…

I have to complete the tombstones.

I have to finish the hill and put the fisherman and boat in.

I plan to stitch this like crazy over the next week. I really love the piece and am so anxious to have a finish!!  I’m still not sure I’ll have a finish though.  The “Fall project list” is calling and I want to tackle things before the cold sets in so…Who knows if I’ll finish it this week?  If not this week, likely next week.

I’ve been stitching on and off with this over the last 8 months…sometimes I wasn’t stitching on it at all, other times it was my focus piece.

Another piece I worked on was my Red Bird Sampler.  Here is where I was last week.

I really had no intention of stitching this over this week but…life had different plans.  On Tuesday night after the whole computer fiasco, (Read about that HERE if you missed it) I ended up working late into the evening.  I had the kitchen to clean after making yard sauce.  I had supper dishes to do after having Karl and our family friend Ethan over for supper.  I had the house to tidy after the grandkids and childcare kids were here.  By the time I finally got done for the night it was 10:05.  Typically I got to bed at 10:45-11:00 pm-ish.  I thought about going straight to bed.  I was ready for the day to be done but I didn’t want to end on a low note so told myself, just stitch for a half hour or so and relax.

I thought to keep going on my All Creatures Great and Small but decided not to.  I have a tendency of getting hooked and stitch much longer than I should.  So I pulled out Red Bird Sampler thinking I could start one of the vases and that would be enough to fill a half hour of stitching time without getting sucked in.  So that’s what I did.

I got this little basket stitched and then went to bed.

As I said I really didn’t intend on working on this but ended up happy that I did.

Over the next month, I plan on stitching the center row with the two flower vases and the berry basket.  Little by little, I’ll get it done.  I was thinking the frame I miscut might be perfect for this piece.  I’ll have to audition it when this gets closer to a finish.

The other piece I started was Christmas Garden by Blackbird Designs.  I told you about that in THIS blog post.

I just did a small tiny start stitching on it only one night.  I ended up starting it on Flannel Flower from Fox and Rabbit.  That wasn’t the most popular choice when I told you all about it.

Again I had another night that I only had about a half hour to stitch so I threw in enough stitches to say I started it.  I’m loving this already!!

My hope is to get it finished by the next time I meet up again with the retreaters I retreated with over the summer.  A couple of others are stitching too.  I’m happy to be stitching this one!!  Feel free to join in.

There were new charts that came out at The Needlework Expo that was held at the end of August.  What happens is cross stitch designers come out with new patterns, show them off, and shops order.  It is all done virtually.

I did pretty good and didn’t pre-order too much.

I’ve been wanting to make a drum so when I saw this one by Brenda Gervais of With They Needle and Thread, I wanted it.  The problem, I don’t do witches and much Halloween.  I’m a Fall decorator.  BLAH.

Then looking at it I decided that I was going to buy the chart anyway.  The pumpkins will lose most of their faces.  The pumpkin she’s holding will probably become a basket.  I’ll make her dress a brown color and have her lose the witch hat.  I can do that…then she just becomes a Fall girl.

I’m pretty sure this design is going to become a series.  I saw that Brenda Gervais was a designer at a Country Sampler retreat over the summer.  She gave participants a similar style drum pattern that was more summer-related.  That makes me wonder if there will be one for each season.  I have my fingers crossed that it will be because this is so cute!!

The other pattern I bought was this one…Another seasonal…another from Brenda Gervais of With Thy Needle and Thread.  There is a Fall one too which I already have.  I’m hoping there are more for Spring and Summer.   I love this as it’s not Christmas and can be left out all year.

That’s what I’m up to in my cross-stitch life.  What are you up to in yours?