Cross Stitch Update and a Reader Question

I thought I would give you all a cross-stitch update.  It’s been about three weeks since I updated you so I thought I’ve made enough progress that it might be time to show you where I am at.

I’m working on my Anniversaries of the Heart.  I’m so happy. I have the February block done and I’ve started on the bonus block.
Here’s more of a close-up picture.  This is more of the real colors.

The pattern does leave spots that are designed to put initials in.  I am…adding more history than “normal” so I am eliminating a few little motifs to make more room.  The pattern also is designed more for people wanting to put in initials more than whole names.  I’m totally making it work though and it’s not hard.  I just have to think about it.

For example, where I put in “Iver”, my grandpa’s name in, there was actually another bird that was supposed to be there.  Where I put the initials of my aunts and uncles, H, B, E, and A, there was no “designated” spot there but I just put them in.  Here’s the original pattern so you can see the difference.

 

After I had all the names and initials in place, I noticed it seemed blank after my Grandma’s name so I added in a heart.  The same heart that the birds at the top of the house have.

You can see I tweak it a little bit you can also see that the chart makes that easy to do.

I started on the bonus block.   It’s the alphabet you see in the picture below.  The whole piece consists of 12 charts and there are two bonus charts.  One is in chart #7 and one in chart #12.

I am trying to do just enough of it so I can figure out the spacing and placement of block #3 which I’ll start in March.  Then I’ll work on this block a night or two each of the following months until it is finished.  It shouldn’t take too long.

This is the next chart I’ll be doing for March.  This one will be for Kelli’s family.  Kelli’s last name is Hanken.  I can easily change the “Hayden” that is already on the piece to Hanken.

Speaking of this project I had a question from a blog reader.

Carla asked:
“Jo, I went back to see if you ever mention from whom you bought your Anniversaries patterns but I’m not finding it. It’s it available as a kit? Is that how you got the bonus patterns? Please direct me to the correct post cuz I’m sure you talked about that all lol”

I don’t think I actually did talk about it.

As far as where I got the charts…I got most from 123 Stitch.  They had all but two of them.  I bought the other charts from other places.  I did a google search typing in “Anniversaries of the Heart Blackbird Designs”.

I am stitching mine on 40 count Vintage Country Mocha.  I highly recommend checking out THIS SITE LINK if you are thinking about stitching this.  They tell you much more about the project.  I also recommend watching Pumpkin Hollow Quilts Flosstube episodes from last year as she stitched on this in 2020 and regularly talked about it in her floss tube episodes.  She inspired me to start.

I have been so intently stitching on things that are bigger, I was craving to have something finished.  I ended up pulling out my traveling project and just stitched on it until it was finished.  It only took a few nights.

This is from With Thy Needle and Thread and is called Project Quarantine Stay Home & Stitch.  I did mine on a piece of leftover Vintage Country Mocha.  It was just a narrow piece but big enough for this.  I did mine on 40 count.  There is a satin stitch for the thread on the spools and some one floss thread over one linen thread stitching in the “O” of “HOME”.  Not a lot and totally doable.

I need to fully finish this but it’s not happening now because I started something else that I also plan on making into a pillow.  I’m going to wait and finish them both at the same time.

This is what I started.  It’s another quicky.  This is Kind Words by Notforgotten Farm.  I was watching floss tube and saw both Lori Holt and Brenda and the Serial Starter feature this.  I loved it.

Lori Holt said that she likes to have a project that she puts one length of thread into every day.  She’s doing a big red sampler for her project.  I thought I’d do that with this…so far this was three threads worth of stitching.  I think I might need one or two more lengths of thread to finish it.

I am also working on my Heaven and Nature project by Teresa Kogut.

I love this project.  When I last showed it…I was HERE.

I don’t have a lot more done…just the tree and started on the pot on the center bottom.  Stitching the tree was my ideal kind of stitching.  I love something repetitive that I don’t always need to watch the chart to do!!

The sample is so big, it’s hard to get it all in one picture.  This is the top of it.
I’m saving the big house in the middle for last.  I hope I don’t regret that.  I figure if I get really bored with stitching that area, I can stitch the one length of thread each night that I mentioned earlier.  I wish you all could see it in person.  It’s wonderful.

I haven’t gotten a lot more done as I was stitching on everything else.  I am not putting this away.  I’m going to keep stitching, even if it’s one motif at a time.  It’s such a struggle to want to stitch on so many different things.

Speaking of stitching on other things…I was watching Nicky Noodles on floss tube.  She showed some previously finished pieces and showed this.  It’s a chart I already had.  I already have all of the floss.

It’s stitched on 32 count but I think I’ll be stitching it on 40 count.  I heard someone used a different black…I saw someone change the colors of the cats to match their family cats.  Hmm.  I wonder if I could change them to dogs.  Anyway, this moved up on my radar.  No idea if it will stay there.

I was watching Nicole’s Needlework and she inspired this purchase.  I love this.  I someday want a wall of cross stitch samplers.  I want them of different sizes and shapes so being this was long and narrow, I liked the idea of stitching this.  Plus, I love the saying, colors, and well…everything.

I also love a sampler like this because the border doesn’t match so no pressure when stitching the borders…this can easily be fudged.

When I was watching Lori Holt’s video she showed this chart.  I loved it…I already owned it.  I haven’t stitched it though.  That had me pulling it out and looking at it.  Maybe I’d stitch it while she did…Well, that isn’t going to happen.  The project uses NPI silk.  Silk is more expensive to stitch with and on a little piece like this, in my opinion, it’s an unnecessary expense.  There is no DMC conversion or fancy floss conversion so…I think I’m going to wait and see what Lori Holt does.  She typically doesn’t stitch with silt and she’s awesome with sharing her conversion…so I’ll be watching her finish hers and then I’ll likely start this as my small project.  I’m betting I have a scrap around here that will work for it.

Oh, I forgot to tell you the verse on the piece, “Inch by Inch, Row by Row, X’s make my sampler grow”.  So cute!!

While I wait on those pieces, I think this might become my new smaller stitched piece.  It looks bigger than it is.  This is the verse from Amazing Grace.  LOVE!

As long as I had it all out to write a blog post about, I thought I might as well do a floss tube video of my own.  You can watch it HERE.

Rosie decided to join in on the fun.  When I started filming I was nervous that she was going to be a problem but by the time I was finished…she was sleeping just like this…She REALLY is getting to be a better dog.  I’m so happy.

That’s all I have for you from my cross stitch world.  Oh…one more thing.  I did send two of my stitched pieces out for framing.  I was contacted about picking out frames so I’m THRILLED they are getting a little closer to finished.  YAHOO!!  I can’t wait to see them framed.