I can't believe it is August 2nd

Where oh where is the time going Ladies and Gentlemen.  I dont feel like I am getting that much done, although I am having a great time.  Stitching has been a bit scattered, new summer starts and renewed interests in past summer loves.

I have started this post thinking about what I could share with you all, because it has been over 2 weeks now since the last post.  So, I have been working on Fruit of the Spirit, which I realize now I do not have a picture of her, and I am too lazy right now to take any updated ones, so we shall wait for those.  But the good news is, I just have to fill in the grass on the bottom, and the words on the very bottom.  Sounds like a piece of cake right?  Maybe a cupcake??!!

I do have some pics on Rosina Payne for you to see.  I had wanted to get her finished this summer, but now, not knowing at this time if that is going to happen.  I have Elizabeth Mears circling, getting jealous of all the time I have been spending with Rosina.  The perils of jealousy :)  I do want to spend my fair share of time with both of them, but there is a new girl in town....   I am going to wait to tell you more about her.......although we find her very, very exciting.  She will be ready to make her debut in a few days. Along with the other girls, lets just say there is alot of fighting for the mirror.

I have been making serious progress on the border, and within 3 nights had it finished.  I am onto one of the tree motifs right now.

 Sorry the pics are a bit dark, and are not as good as I would like them to be, but bad pics are better then no pics right?

I am loving every stitch that she has-- not looking forward to the over 1 verse I have to do, but I am trying to figure out the best way to tackle that, and have heard the best answer so far..... do one thread length at a time, so that it isn't left for the end, and then I can mix it up in between motifs.  Brillant :)

So, I will get back to her tonight, I cant wait to share with you the newbie in the bunch.  Trust me, she is going to be worth the wait!!!

It is so peaceful

A few weeks back, a few of my friends and I went to a local cemetery to look at the tombstones.  We went around 7pm, which was a perfect time to go just as the sun was slowly going down.  Ordinarily, this may sound very strange to folks, about walking around a cemetery, just to look at headstones, but our fascination with subject has gotten the better of alot of us.
The interesting thing about being there, amongst tall old trees, hundreds of headstones is that it was so quiet.  There wasnt a sound but rustling trees above us.  There was about 4 others with us in this quiet place, you couldnt hear them though.
This cemetery was an older one, not as old as it could have been, but old enough to house war generals.  The variety of tombstones was beyond what I had expected to see-- and I think my friends were surprised as well.  I had a general idea of what to expect-- but being my first time 'not at a funeral' my eyes had been opened.

This headstone was one of the most bizarre ones I have ever seen.  I am sure there is a variety under the sun-- when making the selection for your loved ones marker for his or her final resting place.  There were headstones with actual pictures of the loved ones image.  A tiny bit creepy (no offense to anyone) but what we were looking for was more along the lines of these:

 

This headstone was the only one that I saw with a 3-d angel on it.   

This one has a tiny lamb on the top, looking over a small child.

There were more children then I had expected, mostly short lived-- a week old.  Others were children from 1 family-- perhaps from the plague.  What was more disturbing is the destruction of some of the headstones-- I cant believe that people can be so disrespectful to the deceased.  What a shame, can they rest in peace?  I am sure that this happens more often, but not opening my eyes until this night on this was quite the awakening. 

As the sun was setting, we walked over to one corner and I saw a black cat headed my way.  Interesting right?  If I want to read into it I can, but I know he was coming from the neighboring yard and he came right over.

 
My friends spotted a tombstone that I believe was the most interesting of the night.  They were excited to switch places with me looking at the cat, to looking at this

Can you believe this?  You wonder how close to this carved stone does this couple really look like?
"Here we lie by consent after 57 years, 2 months and 2 days"

I have some shots that I have not posted, but up close of their eyes.  Looking at those pics long enough, those folks are looking right back at you, and they are at peace.  I know these pics may be too much for some, but those are way too much, and this is a friendly blog :)

Not knowing what the evening was going to hold, I would say it was a success.  I am interested in going to another cemetery again soon, and look at the stones, wondering about these people.  What did they do in their lives, how many children did they have, where is the rest of their families, was anyone a stitcher, if so where is their handwork?  If you ever have the chance to visit a cemetery, outside of a funeral, it is not weird, it is very calming, very peaceful and I highly recommend it.

They're Baaack!

Super exciting---- yesterday I picked up my framed beauties!!!!  A few weeks back I decided to have 3 of my Quaker pieces done.  I chose simple frames for all three, yet each one complements each piece just beautifully and I am THRILLED with them (as usual!!)  So first up is Mary Wigham.

She was stitched on 40ct Pearled Barley Lakeside Linen with a variety of NPI silks-- close to the original colors, but different :)  I started and finished Mary in 2009.

Beatrix Potter is next stitched on 40ct Vintage Porcelain Lakeside Linen with Coffee Bean Gloriana with a hint of Quartz Belle Soie. (I started and finished her in 2009 as well). Since the fabric was so pale, a suggestion was made to use a darker liner and the color pops and the hint of quartz is exquisite. I can't be more pleased.

Last but not least, is Moulin Rouge by Long Dog Samplers.  CAN YOU EVEN????  This beauty is by far the largest piece I have ever had framed, and I will tell you now, it will be the last-- finished frame size is almost 30" x 30"!!!!!!!!!  Unbelievable right?  Stitched this gal on 35ct R & R Linen-- I forget the name along with a combo of WDW threads.  It is STUNNING.  Along with the classic look that I know I achieved with this piece, along with the frame, I am sooooo excited!! She was worth the wait-- started in 2007 and finished in 2009.

So a few things learned in this post are: that from now on-- the large pieces of course (and of course the small pieces) must be stitched on 40 or 45ct linen.  And, FYI on the blank spots on my samplers-- they are not really blank-- but names have been removed to protect the innocent :)

I look forward to hanging these gals up in the near future-- when I have the most perfect spot for them.  I did drop off a few more to be framed, so in a few more weeks, I will have more to share with all of you.  I wish all of you could see them in person!

So Much Fun (Picture Heavy)

Time is flying by.  I think this summer is going faster then last summer.  How can that be?  Too much fun I guess could be half the problem.  The other half is debatable-- there are so many options.  Last week was July 4th and I wanted to share some pics of the Rodeo my husband and I went to.  Neither one of us had been to one before, but I knew that it was going to be exciting. 

The rodeo lasts for 4 days, and we went on the last day.  It is also a carnival for the kids, and boardwalk games for both the big and small kids.  There is food and snacks, and all kinds of treats to be had.  There are vendors selling leather goods and cowboy hats-- which by the end of the night decided it would be great fun to have a pair of boots and a hat.  No, I didnt buy either-- I will need some help from my friends for that shopping trip :)  But, we arrived around 5:30pm and the show started at 7:30pm, so we had some time to walk around and look at the bulls, and do some people watching.  Wow, most everyone was dressed to the hilt in their western wear.  It was so cool to see! 

We stopped in and had a cool beverage, before the show.  Looks like it was a good idea!!!

So went into the arena around 7, to watch the Rodeo queens walk around the stadium in all their festive gear.  All 10,000 of us stood and sang the national anthem-- it was so cool to see everyone so excited to stand and pay tribute to our country-- especially on the 4th of July. 

The show began with a kick (lol) and we were off to 4 hours of great entertainment.  I was so amazed to see these bulls and broncos whip around and through off these cowboys, lasso calfs, etc. etc.  There was barrel races, pig races, it was all here. 

The night ended with a bang-- and it was soo worth it :)

The rest of the week was busy as usual, with more fun and friends and stitching.  I got some more stitched on Fruit of the Spirit- and it is really coming along nicely.

So many colors in this tiny little piece, I feel like I am changing colors more than stitching!  But, if I would discipline myself for 2 solid days, I could have it done already--  I get to busy carried away looking at all the other projects I want to stitch, or actually working, or playing Frisbee.  It will get done when it gets done right? Elizabeth Mears is really coming along nicely too-- the top zig-zag border is almost complete.  I didnt have one of the colors, and I started to panic-- as if I couldnt go on with out it.  But, my LNS had the color in stock and the rest is history.

This weekend was a great one as well, and I will have to tell you about it next time, for all of you still trying to download these pics in this post!!  I know the next one will be similar.  Let the summer weekends continue!!!!!!!!!!

Its official

Happy July 1st!  How exciting this weekend is going to be.  The true kick off to summer.  You know what happens in summer time dont you?!  Same as what happens every summer.  Fun, friends, BBQ's, warm of the sun and of course new summer loves.  Summer loves for me are new project starts.  There have been a few kitted up already, but the one that was a must start, that I was teasing all of you earlier this week, is Elizabeth Mears from Queenstown Samplers.  I know that many of you have already been enjoying her beauty for some time, but better late then never. 

With an exquisite conversion to overdyed silks, I started Elizabeth on Vintage Pecan Butter 40ct.  What a great choice for her. 

The colors just sing on this piece and I have made some progress on Tuesday night when I started her.  I did take note yesterday that the colors chosen of course are so similar to many of my projects, I know she was meant to be started.  It is amazing the secret calls that plague you at night when these projects are dying to be stitched.....to come out into the light of day and be enjoyed for many many hours. 

Isnt she beautiful??!!!  The top shade of blue is the next shade for the zig-zag row and I can hardly wait to see it stitched.  When I started her a few nights back, I was desperate to get many colors in, but I also wanted to see the size of her, so I finished the top band after the 3rd color was placed in the bottom row.  I just love her :)

This weekend many of us are celebrating Independence Day with BBQ's, and Fireworks.  I assure you, there will also be great amounts of stitching going on.  I look forward to a long weekend, of fun and excitement, you never know what lies ahead of you.

Have a safe and happy weekend :)

Across the Finish Line

Happy Monday!  What a great week it has been.  Today hopefully will start another great one off, and end with a great picnic and some fireworks :)  I wanted to share something I finished before Bramble and the Rose a few weeks back.  This was a secret project that my friend suggested we do with some of the Fibers to Dye For that we acquired several of these fabulous silks back in November.   She came up with the great idea to stitch up a project using colors from Amy Mitten. 
I actually chose a project in my Crazy January Start to do because I had wanted to stitch this piece and then it helped in my starts as well, and now, another finish.  Yesterday we did the unveiling of the projects we chose to stitch.  She chose fabulous Jane Withers from Plum Street Samplers and I chose Threads of Gold- Mary Corey.  Both pieces turned out amazing and I am so excited to show you Mary today.

I do know is that the color I used for the letters is called Evil.  Nice right?  Other colors used were Autopsy, Morbid, Old Lace, etc., etc.,  I dont have the list in front of me now, otherwise I would list those also.  I just had a great time using these silks, and again, if you havent tried them, they are worth hunting down to add them to your stash.  I chose 45ct V. Luna for Mary and I look forward to finding a super cute little frame for her this week.  I will have to share that with you too :)

I have also put in a few more stitches into the border of Isabella Johnston

and then I remembered about the other project I was working on with another friend, Fruit of the Spirit also from Plum Street Samplers.  I dug it out and added a few more stitches to that one as well. 

This is one of 3 houses in this pattern, the furthest one right, and I added in some of the over one into the houses window and door.   There are soo many colors in this tiny little project, I am forever switching out the threads.  I have chosen a 45ct V. Lakeside for this along with most of the threads called for with a few improvements :)  I hope to get more stitched on it this week.
I am almost ready to put some stithes into Dorothy W. the colors have been chosen, and the linen selected from the stash.  She is going to be exquisite. 
With some small talk, the last few days have been spent (amongst other things!!) putting together another great project-- locating all the pieces to the puzzle, that alot of you have started, and almost finished.  I cant give you to much more details just yet, it is only a matter of days before the colors are put to bed and I show you the next beauty.
Enjoy the week :)