Back from the framers

I usually save up my money and take a bunch of things in at once to get my items framed. I think it drives my framer nuts but it always seems to work that way.

I joined a SAL a while ago for Sail Away by Shepherd's Bush. I love that piece and had great fun finishing it. Of course I was the straggler in the group, always the last to finish. I love it though and found the perfect frame to finish it.
I wanted to show you a close up of the frame for this one but it didn't come out as well as I would like. It is not brown at all but a grey that has a blue gray outer edge to it.  I may have to use this one again. (Of course that means I actually have to finish something first!)

I enjoy the designs by Blackbird Designs. I stitched this one a long time ago. I read the chart wrong and used the red for the roof instead of the orange color it called for. I didn't catch it until I was over halfway done and a friend who was also stitching it at the same time commented her thread on the roof was more orange than mine. That is when I realized I had used the wrong color. It turned out to be a happy mistake for me. I like the red better.

One of my favorites that I did  is Beneath the Sunlit sky by BBD. The colors with this one were lovely. I love the beach and this makes me smile every time I look at it. The frame is greener than it looks in the photo but no matter how many times I took a picture of it I could not get the true color of the green. I enjoyed stitching this one a lot.  I love the beach. Sigh.
I would use this frame again as well if it is still being made when I get And They Sinned completed.

I also finished a Sweetheart Tree, With This Ring for a recently married friend. I can't post the picture until I get it in the mail to her. I will show it as soon as I know she has received it.

Matchless Grace by Heartstring Samplery. This sweet little sampler was so much fun to stitch. I fell in love with this sampler over the little blue flowers that go in different directions around the edge. I kept all the mistakes as charted as well as I thought that was part of the charm of this piece.

Quaker Hornbook was done a really long time ago. I am so glad to finally get it ready for the wall. The colors are not my usual palate  but they seemed to really work with this and I love how it turned out. The frame came from Brokenwheel Wood worker not from my framer.

So much fun to be able to add some new things to my wall that I so enjoyed stitching over the last several years. I also mailed out two pieces to Jill Rensel to frame because I wanted to see what she would do with the mat for CHS Alphabets. I can't wait. I also sent her the small darning sampler I finished.
Well, off to work on the hummers yet some more. I fear they will never be finished. I am really afraid I am going to run out of thread. The design will just have about 2 inches around it I hope. Not only was the kit short of the poor quality thread it is going to be a tight fit for the fabric as well. I will be glad to have that one on the finish pile for sure.  Well off to it. Hope you have some stitchy time in your day.
Marjo

Updates

I have been busy for the last while as you can tell from my lack of posting to my blog. I have taken a new job, gone to the lower 48 for training and come back to Alaska to start the job and stitching all the time. I have been stitching on the Hummingbird design for the last several months, I am totally afraid if I put it down I will never touch it again.  This is the progress from this weekend.

I still have a good bit more to do on it but I am making progress. I am leaving the backstitching until the end so I can do it while watching TV.

I did get all my pictures back from the framer. I will post pictures of them next time.

Hope there is lots of stitchy time in your day. Marjo

Off to see the framer

I have so many finishes that have been languishing in a pile for quite some time. I am so excited to finally be able to drop them off with the hope of them gracing my walls soon.  So today I am dropping off Sail Away by Shepherd's Bush,  Wedding Sampler by The Sweetheart Tree, Beneath the Sunlight Sky by Blackbird designs,  Matchless Grace by Heartstring Samplery, Quaker Hornbook by Exemplars from the Heart (this one is just getting glass, spacers and core board as I have the frame already), Darning Sampler by Trenner Designs,  and Home is where the heart is by Blackbird designs.  I cannot tell you have excited I am to get these things framed. I have been saving for quite a while. I have a hard time getting to the framer so that makes it even harder. I want to try a couple of other framers from out of state like Jill Rensel and the framer with the Attic but I am just afraid to put the pieces in the mail. I would never get over it if one of the big pieces got lost. I am saving CHS Alphabets back until I get up the nerve to mail to Jill Rensel. I love her work.  I should probably send one of these to each of the framers and see who I like best and compare costs. I think the Attic framer is having a sale quite soon.  Maybe I will try a piece and see how it goes. It is quite expensive up here to get framing done due to the cost of ordering supplies (everything is barged in). So in reality the cost might not be so much different. Oh, I cannot wait. I enjoyed each one of these all the way through the process and cannot wait to see them completed.
I am almost at the halfway mark for the hummingbirds so I will post a picture soon.
Today is my first lace knitting class. I am looking forward to it as well. We are making a cowl. I have wanted one for a while so I couldn't be more pleased to be able to take the class. The trouble is the store that has the classes is inside a quilt store and so many of the people don't knit that work there so you can't get any help if you are shopping for yarn and not fabric. It is frustrating as I work the same hours the stores are open so my opportunity to get there is limited and then when I do they cannot help me.  I am going to try go in early to get the yarn as it is supposed to be ready to knit when we start class.  I hope someone will be there that can help me pick out the right yarn.  They were out of the needles needed as well. The store that just sells yarn does not offer very many beginning classes. The small local shop doesn't  offer summer classes. Plus I have a coupon for 15% off so I want to use it on class supplies at that store. I do get excellent service from the other two stores though. I am crocheting a scarf and a baby blanket for a co-worker so always plenty to do.

Well, I have to add a couple of beads to the wedding sampler before it goes to the framer so I best be off. Thanks for visiting. Photos of needlework next time I promise.  This is a shot of the view from our condo from our May trip out. It was gorgeous and I would love to be back there right now.....
Hope you have stitchy time in your day.
Marjo

First knit project

Depending on where we hold our stitch night and how tired I am when I get there makes me decide what I will be working on. All of my stitching buddies knit, really well. Me, not so much. So I decided I needed to learn and took a class. So here is my first project, a hat for my husband. He is a knitter but he is left handed so he could not teach me. He is helpful when I run into problems.


I have crocheted for many years and am working on a couple of small things but got some great yarn so added a scarf to the baby blanket I had started while I was on vacation.

So much to do, so little time. Have some stitchy time on your 4 th of July! Marjo

Progress and a small finish

I have continued work on my hummingbird piece for my sister but just for fun I had to take out something small to work on and my go to piece this time was another Blackbird design stocking. Still back on February designs I finished Be mine and started February violets. I am pleased to make some progress on the large piece but satisfied with the small finish.

Hummer progress

You know it frustrates me that all the different sites that we use to communicate with each other seem to think they need to make random changes without telling the user about them. Suddenly now I have to post differently than I used to do it. Facebook, I can't find half my friends or sometimes I get the posts for the sampler groups I belong to and sometimes I don't. I do wish they, whoever they are, would just leave well enough alone.
 Enough of a rant. I have had very little time to stitch but the time I have had I have used to work on a gift for my sister. She bought this kit for me to do for her years ago and I started it and into the depths of the WIP pile it went to rarely see the light of day. When I went on vacation I decided to make this my focus piece and I spent most of my stitching time on it and have continued to keep it in the forefront. I really want to get this done and off my list. I don't stitch on Aida much anymore  and the thread is terrible (it knots all the time) but too far now to make any changes.

Vacation stitching

Progress since I got home

The fabric is not green as it looks in the second shot, it is a cream color closer to the top shot. I have made a bit more progress since then even. Lots of half stitching to it for shading that changes color a lot. It is a large piece but I am determined to get this done.

I have not stitched on anything else for a while. I have so much I want to do. Sigh. Love every stitch I get to take though. Have read a couple of books and that is always a good thing as well. 

I am contemplating a new rotation for next year. A week on each WIP in one long rotation so I can say I have worked at least some on them all. Hum......wonder if I could do that or what progress would I really make. I tend to get stuck on a piece and work until I am done or more likely make a big mistake I can't find or easily fix and just set it aside for a while.  I have less WIP's than there are weeks in a year so some would get more than one week. Hum, will have to consider that. I even enjoy planning my stitching. Well off to do some stitching while the sunlight holds. Yeah, gotta love summer in Alaska, 10 at night and still sunny. Hope you have some stitchy time in your week.

Marjo

Another little finish

I am addicted to the BBD stockings, really I think I am. I find these little things such fun to stitch. They are colorful, they are quick to stitch even for someone like me who is a really slow stitcher. Really, what is not to like. I finished another one Thursday night at stitching group. I have been stalled on stitching them for a little while just because I had picked up a couple of other things, but once I pick them up I can't put them down. As soon as I figure out what I did with the fabric for them I will work on the other 2 stockings for February. These are travel pieces for me. I take them in my work bag as I have to wait a bit for my ride home after I get off work. Not much but a few stitches at a time add up.
I have gone back to stitching on Dorothy Walpole. I just love the colors on this one. I am still just at the top on the alphabet but it is such a great pattern.  I would love to have her as a finish this year.
I am frustrated with needing supplies and not being able to get them quickly. I am stitching a gift for a friend. I was done with the stitching and washed and ironed it ready to put the beads on and take it to the framer in time for her birthday. I made it to the very last small section and there were not enough of two of the colors of beads. Reason number one why I rarely buy kits. Now I will have to order those beads and wait for them to come in the mail.  That means it won't be ready by her birthday. Sigh. I really miss being able to just drive to a LNS and get what I need. Oh well, I am lucky to have great online stores to order from that will send me even just a couple packs of beads when I need them. I can't wait to get them as I really want to get this piece framed and delivered. I won't post a picture until she gets it but I will eventually post something.

Hope you have some stitchy time in your day. I am off to work on Sally Munro.
Marjo