Evidence

 Good Morning, all! I thought I would ease back into blogging with some evidence that I have actually been stitching this summer!

My mom had a few pieces framed for me, and I hung one on an existing hanger in our front room. I told Louisiana Man it needed to be hung a bit lower. Louisiana Man hates making nail holes in the wall - or rather, he hates me making nail holes in the wall. He tends to mutter something about it "compromising the structural integrity of the house." o.O

 I have great plans every year to stitch Prairie Schooler designs every month. I finished two March designs I have been working on and off for a year or two.

I also finished the 'Dutch Alphabet' design by Sheepish Designs that I searched high and low for. It's long. Long and skinny. It will definitely break up a grouping of upright rectangle frames!


Yesterday, I was out of sorts. I really think it is just the beginning of this season's seasonal allergies. I self-medicated by starting a new sampler: 'Mary Tillinghast' by Sheepish Antiques (Sheepish Designs).
The peach colors in this sampler looked a bit washed out to my eye, so I bumped the colors up: instead of 950 (dark) and 543 (light), I used 407/3773 (dark) and 950 (light). I am happy with the change so far. Today I will be searching for new yellows. The yellow flowers seem so bright and happy; 3045 and 3046 are not going to cut it.



I shopped Tanya the Sampler Girl's fabulous stash sale, and acquired this gem: Prairie Schooler 12 Days of Christmas! I was so excited to find the non-Santa version. I'm not a big Santa person - I know, that is heresy in the cross stitch world. I might as well come clean and say I am not a snowman person either - do I have any readers left? Santas and snowmen have a bit of the clown-scare-factor to my taste. Don't hate me! lol I have this brilliant plan wherein I stitch two complete sets of the 12 Days - one with blond people and one with brunettes. Then I can lovingly present the appropriate set to my daughters. I may be on a 10-year plan here!

Homeschool is all systems go here - can't you tell? ;)

Stitching Progress

I made a bit of stitching progress this week, stitching in the car while my children had dance and music lessons.

First up is a finish from the CHS 'Mr. and Mrs. Abbot' chart.

 Then there was some work done on 'The Cottage Girl.'

And finally a new start: 'Dutch Alphabet' by Sheepish Designs.

This is a design I looked for FOR YEARS! I searched and searched until it finally came up on e$ay at a reasonable price. Have you ever noticed on e$ay that you search for years for a hard to find chart (usually a Sheepish Designs, Birds of a Feather, or Goode Huswife ) and then suddenly e$ay is inundated with the designer's charts? I wonder how often the people selling a chart for $99 actually make a sale?

I am toying with the idea of spending the day alternating between completing an alphabet/crown motif and doing a chore around the house. I'll keep considering my options while I finish my coffee. ;)

Wednesday the tornado sirens were going off, and today big, fluffy flakes are falling from the sky! That means it is almost spring in North Georgia! I may dig out Tanya the Sampler Girl's "Snow Day" chart for some afternoon stitching. I actually finished this Mary Beale piece this morning while listening to Mansfield Park on librivox.org.  

 I have been listening to it for several days, so it is no surprise that I chose 'Mr. and Mrs. Abbott and Daughters' by Carriage House Samplings as my reward for a finish. This looks like a perfect addition to any Jane Austen-themed stitching collection.  

 I am really enjoying Mansfield more this time than any other time I have read it. Jerry and I also have been watching an old 'Barchester Towers' mini-series. All my frustration with the two novels The Warden and Barchester Towers is coming back! Jane Austen novels are about the only ones I can read and not get frustrated. The good guys are lovable, and the and guys are too ridiculous to get upset about! I am still working away on 'Pennsylvania Bird.'




This morning I sketched in my initials, and now I need to work on a 2013. Then it will just be "filling in." Buttercup and Hektor are anxious to get out into the snow! I was only tempted out to take a 10-second video, and will be parking myself in my stitching corner with a coffee for the foreseeable future!