Cross Stitch Update

I had a good amount of stitching time this week.  I didn’t feel the best with my cold and sinus infection.  In an effort to get through it, I bribed myself with stitching time if I sat on the couch and rested a bit.  It didn’t take a lot of convincing.

A sweet blog reader send me this wonderful chart!  I have to laugh.  In the middle of all the chaos lately, between me being sick and Gannon being sicker, I’ve not been diligent with my email.  I’ve only read and managed what truly needed to be read.  I saw that there was something from Kathy Barrick.  I figured it was just a newsletter.  It turns out a blog reader had gifted me this PDF pattern.  Isn’t it cute?  I like it and plan to stitch it.  I have it set aside hoping to get the threads collected.  It’s the perfect small project to use up a scrap of linen and I like that it doesn’t scream Christmas and can be out all Winter.

Here is where I was last week on my project We Live in Hope by Blackbird Designs.  I am stitching this on 40-count Picture this Plus linen called Legacy.  This was EXACTLY the stitching I needed to do this week.  I didn’t feel good so it was simple repetitive work.  I adore this kind of stitching!!

Check out how far I got…the border is finished!!  I am so happy with my progress on this!!  I really don’t think this is going to take a long time to stitch.  Well for me it will as I have other projects going too.  I am going to make sure I get a row or so done each week.  I am just loving this piece!!

The true colors are in the photo above.

This was such a fun and easy border to stitch.

I made the tiniest of starts on a basket of flowers in the lower right hand corner.

My plan now is to stitch the top and the main motifs on the bottom.  Then I will figure out how I am personalizing this.  I’ve debated a lot on how I want to do that.  I am dedicating this to grandparents that came to America.  I have Johnson grandparents and family that came from Sweden.  My husband had grandparents that came from Germany.  I can’t decide if I want to put them all on one piece or how I want to do that.  I talked to Kelli and she thought I should make this for my Swedish family only.  We’ll see.

I have plenty of time before I have to worry about personalization.

I continued working on my Christmas stitching project.  This is Samplers and Primitives project Primitive Christmas.  I’m not sure but I think this is a company that does PDFs only.  You can find it HERE on Etsy.

I am stitching this on… a scrap of linen that was labeled as Ale by Picture this Plus.  I am using the Belle Soie silk in the color Cranberry.  This is where I was last week.  I had made some mistakes and was improvising my way through it.

I only stitched on it one night and now I’m here…

Being I put the reindeer in the wrong place, everything shifted.  I added a few motifs at the top.  Then I started to finish the border.  Right now my plan is to put a tree in the upper right-hand corner to match the tree in the upper left-hand corner.  Then I will fill it in with do-dads and snowflakes.  It’s not at all the original but I’m totally okay with it.  No one will really know unless they bought the pattern and stitched it themselves.

Fingers crossed I’ll finish it this week.

I had a birthday start this week.  A lot of cross-stitchers start a project on their birthday.  I decided to do that as well.

This has been on my to-stitch list for the longest time.  I think this was one of the first patterns I bought hoping I might be able to one day stitch on 40-count linen.  I am sure it’s been here since 2018 and I didn’t stitch on 40-count until 2020.

For the last TWO years, I’ve had this kitted and ready to stitch.  I finally decided to just start it.  I can’t finish it if I don’t start…right??

The pattern is Heartstring Samplery Apostle’s Creed.  It’s mostly just lettering so it’s easy stitching.  If you’re new to stitching, this is something that even though it’s large, is more of a beginner project.

Here is my start.  My goal is to stitch a minimum of one row of letters a week.  You can see I did a little better than that this week.

I would have been a little further but I got tripped up on the color for the lettering.  It called for Harvest Basket by Gentle Arts.  I had stitched a few words and just didn’t like how it was showing up on the linen so I ripped it out and switched to Classic Colorworks Trail Dust.  I like this much better.  It blends nicely with the other colors yet is still dark enough to show up nicely.

I am stitching this on 40 count Thornfield by Needle and Flax.  I laid the whole piece out so you can see the mottling on the linen.  I think this is perfect for this piece.

I am on a kick to start lots of things.  It is definitely out of my typical comfort zone to start so many projects…but for some reason, I’m all about starts.  I told you last week about the wonderful blog reader who took pity on me and sent me the chart I’ve been really wanting but it’s out of print.  It’s Blackbird Designs Birds of a Feather.  I decided to start this on Christmas…and I decided to stitch it on Picture this Plus Doubloon.  It’s one of my favorite linens.  I love that it reads so warm.

I got birthday money so I decided to blow it on cross stitch.  It makes me happy and that is what presents are supposed to be about, right?

I got the new Blackbird Designs book When the Leaves Fall.  Oh, I love this!!

I’ve been taking this bed with me at night and planning for some Fall 2023 stitching.

I got this one…Tomato Row by October House Fiber Arts.  I’ll probably start this in the next couple of months too.  I could easily do a “stitch a tomato each week” type of thing.  It’s a great way to squeeze projects in.

I bought the new Rudolph & Friends by With Thy Needle and Thread.  My deer isn’t going to have a red nose and I’ll keep it out all Winter.  We live in an area where there are lots of deer so it’s totally appropriate to keep it out.  I think this might be my next start after I finish my current small pillow.

I also got this chart called Maker and Mender.  The words say, “The needle be it though so slim and slender is both a maker and a mender”.  Brenda Gervais, the designer put both her’s and her mother’s initials on the piece as a tribute to her mother for teaching her needle crafts.  I want to do the exact same.  I am SUPER excited about this.

I just know I am going to love stitching it.

The verse to me is so appropriate.  I love the upfront meaning of the verse that a needle can make or mend but I love the deeper meaning too.  For me, the needle is a creative outlet and can also mend my soul as a solace when things are tough.  Love-love-love.

Kelli and I both splurged and ordered the linen and floss for this.  We keep any money we make from publishing quilts in a special account then occasionally we treat ourselves with something using the money from that account. This was our treat.

It is another I plan to start in 2023.  I love it so much.  With no border, it will be an easy one to stitch.  I’m going to squeeze it in too.

I got all of the charts at Stitchery Nook.  They have them all in stock.  You can find their website HERE.

I had lots of cross-stitch news this week…I’m hoping I have lots of news next week too.