Cross Stitch Update

I got more stitching done than I expected this week. That really doesn’t mean much because I originally didn’t expect to get a lot done. I guess in the end I had a normal amount of stitching in. Before I get into all of that I want to touch on something else.

Some time ago a blog reader gifted me this chart…It’s called Coming to America: The Women of the Mayflower. All of the names of women who were on the Mayflower are listed on the chart. I loved it and immediately called my sister to see if we had relatives who were on the Mayflower. My sister didn’t think so at this time.

I want to keep the chart as someday I would still like to stitch it but it is not high on my list right now. Because of that when a blog reader asked if she could borrow the chart, I said sure. Then I had another blog reader ask as well. This chart was a limited sale and it is not available at this time. That made me feel comfortable borrowing it out.

I told the second blog reader I would borrow it to her once the first gal returned it. Well, she has, and now, of course, I can’t find the second gal’s email to get in contact with her about the chart to see if she still wants to borrow it. So…if you are that girl, please get in touch with me so I can talk with you about the chart.

If you are someone who would also like to borrow the chart, you can email me. I’ll put you on a list.

Okay…now to what I am stitching…

The 25th was yesterday so that was my day to stitch something Christmas or Winter. I do that every month on the 25th. I’m happy to say I finished my piece.

I stitched this for about five days altogether. Occasionally when I do this, I might stitch two days on the piece if I am really interested in it. All I had left to do this month was to finish that “lace” at the bottom under the words.

I love this. It’s a Lizzy Kate chart. This would only be available at 123Stitch or on the secondary market. Lizzie Kate is no longer in business. I had this from when I first started stitching and always wanted to stitch it. I finally have it done.

I stitched mine on 40-count Vintage Meadow Rue from Lakeside Linen. It was on a scrap leftover from something else. I have more of the scrap left and plan to stitch this on the linen next…

I got the linen and threads all picked out and am ready to start on it next month. I was tempted to just make this my Colorado Cross Stitcher Summer Camp piece for June. The prompt is to stitch something with a bird and this would qualify. Then I decided not to. I have so many other things I want to stitch.

I LOVE stitching on Christmas just one day a month. I typically can get about three things finished over the year that are Christmas or Winter by doing that. I never get enough time to stitch Christmas things in December. I think I’d like to pick up something and stitch it on the 14th of each month for Valentine’s. I have so many Valentine’s things that don’t get finished either…maybe patriotic on the 4th too. Ha! I’m always hatching some type of cross-stitch plan.

I stitched a tiny bit on my Blackbird Designs Birds of a Feather. I finished my Christmas piece and didn’t have the other Christmas piece kitted so rather than getting up and kitting it, instead, I stayed in my stitching chair and pulled out this instead. I only worked on the side border bringing it down and turning the corner.

It’s not much but was enough that I feel like I used my time wisely. I am hoping that next week I will get the outside border around and connected. Then I’ll get serious about really stitching this piece. It’s on tap to be my next stitching piece.

The project I did most of the work on was my Black Dog Sampler. I have it in my head to try to finish this one before the calendar flips the page to June.

Here is where I was last week…

I really went to town on this piece…here is where I am now…

I am one night away from being finished. I have one motif left. I almost didn’t stitch my Christmas piece just so I could finish this but then I decided to stitch my Christmas piece instead.

I have the motif started. It’s a big double flower that is to the left of the dog.

I am stitching mine on a 40-count Dirty Tea Cup by Needle and Flax.  I am using the called-for colors AND an extra yellow. The called-for yellow is very acid yellow and I wanted to warm the piece up a bit so I bought a darker yellow and use the two yellows.

I made an error on the chart. See the single flower in the center near the bottom? That is supposed to be a flower with three buds. Somehow I didn’t put my flowers way to the right in the correct spot so there wasn’t enough room for the original charted flower. I just modified it a bit. No big deal. If you look at the picture above the above picture you can see a flower that is two up and two in from the bottom right…that flower is too far to the left. I don’t know what happened and I’m not fretting about it. All will be fine with a modified flower…at least in my world, it is.

I am still debating about starting another project being this is finishing…and debating about stitch camp too. I really want to have fewer works in progress though so what to do is the question. It’s such a balancing act.

I do know I’ll be starting the next stitch-along charts. Liz mailed mine last week. The Itch to Stitch is my favorite…but…

I think I’ll start Snip Snip first. That leaves me the reward of the other chart.

I already had the companion piece Tomato Row. I think I might order a piece of linen to this so they are all stitched on the same linen. This one technically isn’t part of the stitch along but I was thinking I might stitch it over the summer anyway.

If you are wanting to start the stitch along with us, there is still time to order and get your supplies. We’re starting anytime after June 1st. I’m guessing we’ll pick another stitch-along to start in mid-August or so. Liz from the Stitchery Nook and I are really on top of things. We have the next TWO stitch alongs chosen. Liz even sent me the kit for the next one. Oh my! It’s so cute and I can’t wait to give it a try…but first these!!

If you need the supplies, HERE is the link. If you are new and trying to decide which piece would work better for you, I think The Itch to Stitch would be easier to count as everything is in blocks of color. The linen colors are “off” in the listing but they are all the called-for linen meaning the same the designer used on the sample.

Did you see in an earlier post this week that I finished my drum? You can read all about it HERE.

One more thing before I go…I am looking for ideas or suggestions from anyone for a New Year New Start Stitch Along. This would be a project that is ongoing for the whole year…This year it was the Black Dog Sampler. I try to pick something a little bigger but not huge. Something that is more challenging than stitching small pieces. Any ideas? I wish you would share them if you have them.

I am also taking suggestions for anything you are interested in doing as a stitch-along for next year. I have this one on my brain…I almost ordered this and picked it as my June Stitch Camp bird project. I just love it…

But then I thought I would rather stitch it will all of you next year…maybe it could be our April/May piece so we’d have it ready to display next summer. Isn’t it cute??

Leave your ideas in the comments. I’d love to hear them…

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