Stitching progress

I have been working on trying to whittle down my huge WIP list for quite a while. I get side tracked by new designs and then the list just gets longer. I needed something small to stitch for a break and then decided to pull out some smaller designs and stitch for a bit. Since they were small I was able to get some finishes. I will take a finish as a finish no matter what size as most of my projects are huge. After I finished the Mystery Sampler (see post from a couple ago) I pulled out an old class piece from Just Nan. This is a long languishing piece that I really enjoyed stitching. I had to order the Kreinik thread to finish it so it is done except for some backstitching with the Kreinik. This was quite a fun stitch.

Heart of Gold by Just Nan

a better view of Heart of Gold

Once I got that one completed I decided I had to finish my monthly Sheep Virtue by LHN. This is the arrangement by Shepherd's Bush. They changed the fabric and a few of the colors. It was a lot of fun as well. I have many more to go but I count each one as a finish.

LHN Sheep Virtues Hope

I had such a good time with the first Just Nan that I pulled from the WIP pile that I decided I would pull  another out. This one is Be Scary by Just Nan. I love the pumpkins. I have made a bit of progress on it. Another I am having fun with. This will be my Thursday night stitch group project until it is done. I have to wait for Kreinik for it as well. As much Kreinik as I have I never seem to have the right one. It is on order so won't be long.... at least I hope not.

Just Nan Be Scary as it was left in the WIP pile

Just Nan Be Scary after  a couple of days of watching the Tour de France

Well, progress has been made. I need to move back to my larger designs from the rotation if I am ever going to have a finish there. It was a great productive break for me. I have a lot of little designs begging to be done. So much to stitch and so little time to get it all done.  Hope you have some stitchy time in your day.
Marjo

Meanderings (picture heavy, no stitchy pics)

I absolutely love Alaska in the Summer. This summer we have been blessed with mostly sunny days and warm temps to go with it. (No, it is not always warm with the sun shining here. Just step into the shade and you need a jacket). This is the summer we have missed the last several years so I am loving it. This weekend we were out a bit running errands and so this is non stitchy pics of flowers and places we found as we meandered....

This is from the ADN (local paper) sent in by a local. Even the moose are having to find ways to deal with all that sun. 

unexpected view of Cook Inlet as we walked

Resolution Park, we had never seen it before

Anchorage is well known for the lovely flowers that are everywhere this time of year

Another view of Cook Inlet from Resolution Park

Snow City Cafe a fun place to eat

Hope you enjoyed a taste of Alaska on a wonderful Summer day. The clouds cleared off completely, the sun is shining and will be for several more hours YES!!! and I am off to stitch. Hope you are having a great day and have at least a little time to stitch. 

Marjo

Ta and Da another finish

I am so excited to get this one done. It is a lovely piece that has taken me far too long to complete.  This is a class piece from EGA of monthly stitches. Should have been eminently doable but I didn't keep up. But now I am done and I am going to iron it and hang it as a bell pull soon. Even though it is a yard long I have the perfect place for it.

little tiny eyelet alphabets

The darning section was a lot of fun

EGA Mystery Sampler complete. 

Finally it is completed. I need to clean out the tin and get it packed again for the next project for my Thursday night stitching group time. I have a Crewel Confidence class and Drawn Thread Random Thoughts that only needs the hemstitching completed on it waiting in the wings to be done. 

As always I hope you have some stitchy time in your day. Marjo

Frogs that even a stitcher can love

Many birthdays ago I stitched a biscournu for a friend. I forgot to take a picture of it before I gave it away. My friend most graciously agreed to lend it back so I could get a picture of it. I promptly put it somewhere safe and for quite some time could not find it in my stitching room. Determined this year to give it back on her birthday I found it where it had fallen in it's protective bag behind my storage trunk in my stitching room. Photos taken and biscournu returned. Whew! Should not have been that hard. It was a freebie and a lot of fun to stitch. My friend collects frogs. Not always a good thing when you are a stitcher.

Hope you have some stitchy time in your day. 

Marjo

It's a mystery....

I have enjoyed having a set project for Thursday night for the time I get to stitch with my friends. I am still working on the EGA mystery sampler. It is narrow but it long. Even though I have been working on it steadily I still have 2 lessons left to stitch on it. I did just finish the second darning pattern on it and that was fun. I love doing darning patterns. They go quickly but leave a delicate pattern behind.
This project was a Mystery Sampler in the EGA Magazine Needle Arts.  I am enjoying each section. I will leave the Hardanger section until the end so I can cut while I am at home. I hate cutting fabric that I am stitching on much less when I am listening to what my friends are talking about.
I decided Thursday will be the night to finish up class projects that were started and then relegated to the WIP pile. Next up will be a small crewel design that I have a lot left to stitch but I will love having as a pillow in my stitching chair when it is done or it may turn into a gift for someone else. Won't know till I finish it.  I have several, one just needs the finishing, the stitching is done and some just have a bit started. I hope to make a dent in that part of my WIP pile. I enjoy putting a finished date beside them as I go.
I was working in my stitching room again today and found a long stitched item that just needs the hemstitching to be completed. I may add that to the Thursday night roster just so I can get it finished. The piece is Drawn Thread's Random Thoughts. I love the piece. I finished stitching it a long time ago but need to do the outer hem stitching and attach the charms. I am going to have it framed when I get done. It was one of the first pieces I did that had so many specialty stitches that made me fall in love with doing more than crossing my threads.
Hope you have some stitchy time in your day. Marjo

Spring in Alaska

NeWell, we are well on our way in Summer but during what passes for Spring here my husband and I took a trip to Seward, Alaska, a few hours south of where we live. Just a note, the pictures I add are not black and white, they were just taken at a time when the colors had not come back to the land so it seems very shades of gray. Which it is for part of the year.
We went whale watching and were surrounded by Humpback whales. It was truly awesome. We drove around the area but were unable to do some of the hikes we had planned because the roads were closed due to ice. Will have to go back for those hikes.
We hit the shops up in the town, there is a sewing store, a knitting store and a book store. We had a good time checking them all out....well my husband liked the knitting and book store (he knits but doesn't quilt or sew). This year I am going to venture out of my comfort zone and do the Alaska Quilt Shop hop quilt. I am not much of a quilter but I love this one and have to give it a try. I love all the berries and blossoms of Alaska and that is what this is all about. It is gorgeous in my opinion. We will see what I can come up with. I started collecting the blocks with the block from the Seward shop.

Alaska Shop Hop Quilt

Seward Shop pattern

We drove around and found many areas where the water was overtaking the ice and starting to flow again. This picture doesn't do it justice.  The weather had been snowing as we drove down but the sun came up by the time we went out on the water.  We had supper after we got off the boat and had a lovely view from the restaurant. Overall a great weekend get away.

waterfall by the side of the road

view from our table at dinner

Next time I will have more stitching to share. Hope you have some stitchy time in your day. 

Marjo

June, really?

I am having a hard time keeping up with this year. It seems to be flying by no matter how I drag my heels. Since last I posted I have been on vacation and otherwise just worked a lot and stitched a little. I continue to pile up charts that I really want to stitch but am slow on the discipline to sit down and spend time stitching. I got completely off schedule with my rotation over the week I was on vacation. I met my best friend in Park City, Utah. We had so much fun. We read and stitched and hiked a good bit. It was so warm, it was wonderful. I took some of my rotation but not all of it, the big samplers do not tend to make the trips with me. I did get some progress made mostly on my travel piece.
While we were in Utah we visited 3 different cross stitch stores. We had a great time. I managed to pick up a few things from Shepherd's Bush which is just a lovely store. The ladies were very helpful to us as my friend needed help with finding just the right color floss for a project she was working on. I bought a couple of charts and scored one of their T-shirts...I am a huge fan of their T-shirts over the years and was excited to find a new one to add to the collection. Next time I will have to post a pic of my stitchy stash.

Lizzie Kate Fat Men

Lizzie Kate
This has been such a fun stitch. I am really enjoying it.

Dorothy Walpole by Scarlett Letter

Once I got back I started back trying to work on my rotation. This is Dorothy Walpole after taking a bit out that I was counting challenged over and restitched. I love this sampler. I hope to get some work done on it this weekend and make some more noticeable progress. Photo is washed out color wise for some reason, sorry about that. I will try to do better the next time. 

I am almost done with my Thursday night stitch project. I should be done with it by the end of the month. Finally some progress on something. I took advantage of the Stoney Creek Sale to get the bell pull hardware to finish it with. Next for our stitching group will be the Crewel Work class piece.

I hope you find some stitchy time in you day. 

Marjo