Tis the Season

...to be Joyous because I have finished this sweet design.

 Tis the Season 

from the Joyeux Noel book

by Blackbird Designs 

I made small changes. The original design has "Tis the season to be jolly". Now the word "jolly" conjures up a Santa Claus with a great big jiggly belly. As much as I love Santa, I thought the word "joyous" more appropriate to this elegant design. I also added those 3 little diamonds at the end. I tweaked a few small things but generally the design stays true to the original. I used the recommended Belle Soie silks on Pear linen by Lakeside. I did substitute "Butterscotch" for "Scarecrow" in the silk as the latter wasn't showing up very well against the linen. 

I am happy I have one thing done with a Christmas theme!

Next up is this - any guess? 

 

You can see a beautiful framed piece on Tanya's post. When I saw it, I knew I had to stitch it. This is 1854 Isabella Johnstone sampler, in the Summer 2010 issue of the Sampler and Antique Needlework (SANQ) magazine. I am using the recommended Belle Soie silks, some of which are leftovers from Tis the Season project above, on 35 ct WDW Parchment linen. I am really enjoying stitching this piece but will probably have to put it aside soon as I wait for the full order of silks to arrive in the post. 

I am always inspired by what Tanya is stitching. Therefore, I am really excited that she has reproduced Jane Tindall 1864, which you can see on her post here.   A photo of Jane appeared  in the same SANQ issue as Isabelle above, in an article talking about cows in needlework! Even back then I had loved this sampler so I was so happy that I get to stitch it now!


Thank you so much for your compliments about my blog.  You were all so gracious!  They really made my day and encourage me to keep on going!


A reminder that the blogoversary giveaway ends tonight, so please go to this post if you have not already done so.  I have a busy week with work deadlines coming up so you may not hear from me till next weekend about who won the giveaway. 


In the meantime, I hope you have a wonderful week ahead.  Happy Stitching!

This Baby is Two!

OK, my darlinkskis, let's make this short and sweet...

Two years ago today, I started this blog and it's become an amazing treasure in my life. I've met wonderful people and the experience has also supported my stitching tremendously.  So, in return, a Blogoversary Giveaway of course! 


Rules:

1. Please leave a comment on this post only.
2. Please tell me what you'd like to see on this blog in the future (e.g. stay the same? more/less of something). No promise of any changes but I am just curious to see what you think.
3. Entries close as of end of day Sunday, Sept 26. 

Here's the giveaway.

The Polly Whitmarsh Sampler KIT. You get the whole works, even a needle!

 

There may be other prizes but I haven't figured that out yet. It's late and my little brain is fried. 

In closing, I'll leave you with a hilarious cross stitch my friend, who is in art school, sent me this week. She designed it! What do you think? Cool, huh? Does this classify as 'subversive' cross stitch?

 

Back to another nutty day at the office tomorrow! ;-) Perfect for Fall (which began today), don't you think? Fall - Squirrels - Nuts, get it? *groan* Yup, it's time for Bed!  


Till next time, happy stitching!

Next Up - a Red Bird

Last time I finished a cat (Olga) so then I thought I would follow the animal theme and stitch a bird - a red one. 

 

Many of you will recognize this as "Tis the Season" from the Joyeux Noel book by those talented ladies of Blackbird Designs!  This was the first project I've had using Belle Soie silks. Oh, stop me, but I'm getting so spoiled stitching with silks! It's like once you start, it's hard to go back to cottons!

Thank you for all your comments on my last post, especially letting me know that Paulette has a companion to Olga, and that's Boris! I Love Boris and he will be definitely on my to-stitch list.  

I don't have much to say in this post. It's been rainy buckets. I think the seasonal blues may be hitting me already! So, I just stitch-and-show! 

Thank you again for visiting, your comments and your uplifting words! Have a great week and please come again!

You Talkin' to Me?!!

I don't know why but this face grabbed me from the moment I first saw this design. 

She reminds me of the look my cat Daisy sometimes has -  the "I am not listening to you" look!  The design has lots of lovely colours, like this tulip.

Altogether I am astonished that I finished this piece in a week!

Olga

by Plum Street Sampler

on 36 count Vintage Tarnished Silver using CC floss (all recommended)

This was such a fun stitch. What helped was listening to this audio book - Bloodroot, by Amy Greene.   While the story was depressing, it was engaging and the book was read / performed by a wonderful cast. Having an absorbing story really helps my stitching. After finishing this book, I  tried listening to three others which all got tossed into "another day" pile before I settled on The Unbearable Lightness of Scones, by Alexander McCall Smith. I am currently listening to The Wild Things, by Dave Eggers.

In my last post I showed photos of a group of unframed samplers but I neglected to name each piece, so I am here to remedy the situation. 

 From top to bottom:

1. Love of Myn, by the very talented Barbara of Mainely Stitching
2. A Very Fine Sampler, by Birds of a Feather
3. Mary's Best Handworke, by With Thy Needle and Thread
4. Be Kind & Be True, by With Thy Needle and Thread
5. Birds of a Feather, by Blackbird Designs
6. Salina Dunwoody, by Sheepish Designs
7. Hannah Lovina Joslin, from HoneySuckle Manor booklet, by Blackbird Designs
8. My Needle's Work, by Little House Needleworks
9. Winter, from Prairie Seasons (I'm just guessing as I can't find the chart!) by Prairie Schooler

I don't know when I will get these babies framed since I'm not working much. Instead, as you can tell, I am on a stitching binge. (Happy Happy Joy Joy!) 

It's been raining incessantly, or so it seems, since the middle of the night. It's a very good excuse to stitch some more! 

Thank you for visiting me. I especially appreciate the comments on my last post. It's fun to hear how each of you thinks of September. Some laments the loss of summer weather, some loves September as the 'real' start of the year,, some looks forward to Spring!  I loved hearing it all! 

Now...what shall I stitch next? Come back next week and find out!

Have a wonderful week ahead! Happy Stitching!

Please welcome - Betsy and the Wooley Girls

...and one bad boy black sheep

As you can see, I did make some changes with Betsy but she's ever so pretty! Here's what the other side looks like.

And the entire piece dancing ever so happily together.

Betsy by Sheepish Designs

Stitched on 36 ct R&R Straw, using HDF silk conversions

While I am very happy with the finished piece, the stitching experience was not so good. I have used HDF silks before and R&R linen before but never together. Somehow, the two do not seem to mix well together. The silks seem to snag on the linen a lot and I had far more knots than I ever remembered when I stitched these silks on Lakeside linens last year. I will just have to remember that in the future.

I have had the last week off work so it was great to finally have some time to sleep in and also get my home life more organized! I think we never really realize the mess until we dive in and put things right, and in my case it was baa-aaa-d (as the sheepies above would say!).  But never mind, a few days of chaotic reorganizing and all feels much calmer! I also got the time to do something I've been meaning to do for awhile - take a photo of all my unframed work. 

That was fun! I've seen other stitchers do this with their unframed work and I've wanted it to do the same for awhile. 

It is a rainy Labour Day Monday here. The weather has been lovely up until last night when the rains started. Tomorrow, back to school for the kiddies, and back to work for me.  I am feeling more rested, which is always a good thing, and this almost feels like a new year starting! 

Later this month will be my second blogoversary so watch this space. I'm also looking forward to seeing what new goodies will come out from Market this month. More fun.  

As some of you have noticed and mentioned, my stitching mojo seemed to have returned. Yes, true! There is a direct correlation between my capacity to stitch and my workload at my job, but I've noticed that I seem to stitch more too when the weather is cooler! ( We don't need a scientific study to tell us why, do we?)

I used to loathe September when our son was in school, only because of the chaos of school schedule and activities schedules AND the fact that my DH coached a soccer team so there was coordination to do and the phone ringing a lot at our house.  Now, many years later and with none of that to contend with, I like September a lot. Is it a sign of getting older, mellowing out?  It feels like a sign to "batten down the hatches" so to speak and snuggle inside and do cozy things like stitch and read!

Tell me, what does September mean to you? 

Well, time to go and get more done for my last day of "rest".  Thanks for stopping by and thanks for all the lovely comments! Have a wonderful week!