Crown Me

I got one more thistle stitched and worked my way over to the crown.  That was when I realized that the crown is all worked over one.  But hey, I like crowns so much that I don't even care!   I would like to get this band half done today but that is asking a lot.  We'll see. . .

The Traveler is so almost done.  I finished stitching the inside pocket and sewed it on.

Then I started sewing the two panels together.  It went pretty well but it is fiddly.  I'm so glad I have a handy dandy pair of pliers to help.

 But the question  remains, where do the magnets go?  I vaguely remember something about them holding the scissors in.  I think the purse needs a little help staying more or less closed.  I like the handles on the inside instead of the outside.

 I tried using the ribbon to hold the little spools but it sags a bit and I couldn't get it to go through the small hole in the side.

 I think I'll use pearl cotton and a bead instead and maybe put a ribbon bow on each side.

It is still frigid here.  Minus six this morning.  We are hoping for a 40 degree day on Tuesday.  It was fun to peruse the Attic's latest newsletter today.  I am hoping to see some posts about the Nashville market also.  I more that just a snipet of those With Thy Needle and Thread designs.
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Thistle

I got a thistle done!  It turned out pretty well.  I have two more thistles and three shamrocks for this side of the etui.  I really want to stitch the crown so I'm going to work my way over there today.  This project is going well.

I worked a bit on The Traveler.  I would really like to finish this off today.  If  I worked on it all day, I know I could get it done.  I changed my mind in the middle of stitching this.  Maybe I'll put flowers in all four corners and my initial in the middle.

I got some more done on the large motif on Friesland.

Four of the macarons disappeared yesterday and there are bites out of the other two.  They won't last long either.  It is another very cold day today, -10 when I got up.  UGH.  Three weeks until spring officially arrives - and three weeks until Betsy's class.
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A Rose is a Rose

I just realized that I misspelled "idiot" in the post title yesterday.  How ironic is that?  I'm not even going to fix it.

I stitched a rose on the Edinburgh Etui.

 It went pretty well. I'm pretty happy with it.

I have to look at it with new eyes today and see if it needs any fixing.  I'd sort of like to have some yellow french knots in the middle.
Today I want to stitch a thistle and see how that goes.

I got a good start on the large motif on Friesland.

I worked out a design for the inside pocket of  The Traveler.

 So close to being done!
We have a new grocery store in town so I had to stop by this morning to check it out.  It says it has fresh, local and organic food.  They forgot to say expensive!  But it is fun to have new and interesting things available.  They even had macarons in their bakery.

 I got one of each flavor.  We'll see how long they last.
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I'm an Idiotc, Chapter 23

I've been calling my latest project Elizabethan Etui.  That is not it's name.  I don't know why I made that mistake.  Thank you Sandra for setting me straight.  This project is actually named the Edinburgh Etui.

 I took this class at Salty Yarns (I love Salty Yarns!) last June along with the Edinburgh Reticule.  I finished the Reticule but hadn't touched the Etui until now.  I finished up the other side of the scissors fob yesterday and started the bottom band.

 It is going better (faster!) than I thought it would.  I worry about being able to do  the thistles and roses.  Betsy has kindly included charts so you can do cross stitch or embroidery for those motifs.  I really want to try the embroidery.  I need to reread her page of directions on how to do it.  I know we practised a little - last June.  I need to refresh my memory on this.

I put some parts of  The Traveler together yesterday.  I finished up stitching the second handle.  I decided that I wanted the handles to  be sewn between the front and the back panels instead of on the front.  They were supposed to have these mother of pearl rings on them.  I'll do something else with the rings.  Then I decided to sew the sides to the front. There are some magnets in the kit but I forget where they go.

 Now all that needs to be stitched is that inside pocket before I can sew the panels together and be done.  I need to get that pocket started today.

I barely started a large motif on Friesland.  I will get more done on that today too.

It is still very cold here but we are getting used to it.  What a glorious day it will be when we hit 50 degrees!  But that won't happen this month.  I was dismayed to realize that Daylight Savings Time starts March 8th.  UGH.
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Top Band

Good mail yesterday.  I ordered Amy Mitten's Fifty Shades of  Not Grey a week ago.  I didn't pay for fast mail.  I can't believe I got it yesterday.  What a nice surprise!

There is another set coming out March 23 of darker colors.  It is nice silk thread.

 I love thread.  I love having lots of choices around when I want to change colors.  It is cool to have them all in a little book all sorted and labeled.

 Especially when I have such a mess of threads everywhere.

I finished to top band of the Elizabethan Etui.  I'm officially on a roll.

 Now to start the lower band today.  I started the scissors fob as it looked very quick and easy.

I put my initial on Friesland.  One more large motif and I am done with another page of the chart.  That's my goal for today too.

I didn't work on The Traveler's second handle.  I will put in a few more yellow flowers today.
Lots to do!
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Monday

The bathrooms are clean.  The walking is done.  It is colder than @#$%&.  Again.  I can hardly believe we are nearing the end of another month.  But the sooner we get some warmer weather the better.
I got almost one whole side of the second handle for The Traveler done.  Yeah!  I think I can finish this soon.

Then I got two thirds of the top band of the Elizabethan Etui done.

 It is going well.  I think I can finish this band soon.  The lower band has some interesting elements to it.  You embroider over pieces of felt (or is it over pieces of muslin, maybe both).  Is that stumpwork?  I guess it might be.  There is a crown on the bottom band.  I love crowns - and it is a big one.
This is an exciting week in the cross stitch world with the Nashville Market starting later this week.  Many new designs and products.  It is fun to see the previews on various websites.  Like I need anything new to stitch.
I confess I turned over from the Oscars last night to watch Downton Abbey.  I thought it was going to be the season finale.  But at the end of the show they said next week is the finale.  Whatever.  So I'll have to go trawling around the web and see who won.  I think it is the usual suspects.
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Inching

I'm inching toward a finish on The Traveler.  I got the lines in the second handle.

 Now for the flowers.  There are approximately 54 flowers to do.  UGH.  I'm working on number one.  I'm going to pace myself a little.  I'm going to put in one thread which is 5 flowers and then I'm going to do something else.  Then later I'll come back and put in another thread.  We'll see how that goes.

I was happy with my progress on the Elizabethan Etui.  I tried doing the trellis stitch for the top of the tassel like thing ( I think I called it a thistle yesterday).

It sort of is an upside down thistle shape.  Anyway, it went well!  I got a third of the top edge done.

I finished the motif on Friesland.

 If I put in my initial next to it, I will have finshed a whole chart page.  There are many pages however.  I bet I am half done with the main piece.  Not too shabby.
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Saturday

I got little bits done yesterday.  I put the little pocket on the back of  The Traveler.

I finished up whipping together a handle.  I don't like how it bends but I'm not sure how to fix it.

I started stitching the second handle.  The one thing I haven't started yet is the stitched inside pocket.  I'll have to see about attaching the sides on too.

I finished up the top of the lid to the Elizabethan Etui.

I started the band that goes around the lid.  You have your choice whether to do a trellis stitch or a Rhodes on the thistle.  I think I can do a trellis.  There is a sheet of directions for it in the pattern. Amy Mitten's projects have walked me through a trellis stitch before.  I'll try one and see if it looks nice.

I really like the combination of threads that Betsy chose for this project.  The band has three sections over two sheets of charts.  This is just the first section but it is going pretty fast.  There are some smalls to this project also.  I'm tempted to start the scissors fob.

I finished up a motif on Friesland and started another.

We are having a heat wave today - we may get up to thirty degrees.  That's a big change from yesterday's minus ten.  The walking track at the Y was interesting today.  There were preschool kids trying to play basketball and Army Reservists doing some training.  The big and the little.
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One Handle

I finished stitching one of the two handles.

I am in the middle of stitching it together.  I got bored.  So I went looking for the Elizabethan Etui.  It was in the pile that I thought it was.

 It's linen was not in the bag!  So I went looking for that and found it nearby.  Whew!  So I figured out where I was and decided to try and finish the top of the lid.  I got pretty close.

 I still have to fill in two roses but that won't take long.
That's all that got done yesterday.  I read a bit in The Girl on the Train but I kept nodding off.
I'm off to the Post Office. It's so cold here that school was cancelled.  One month from today I have a class!  Yeah!
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Extra Cold

We started out below zero this morning.  But I should be grateful since I was able to get to the Y and walk.  This summer I will really appreciate when all the crap on the roads is gone.
I made some progress on The Traveler but it doesn't look like much.  Just deciding what to do on the handles is big progress.  This is what I came up with:

I'm lazy.  I am stitching the two sides of the handle together so that it saves me having to whip stitch them together on one side.  I was going to vary the color of the flowers but I really like the yellow flowers and they go with the sides of the bag. Do I put a little brown french knot in the middle?  Right now, I don't think so.   As I was working on one of the handles it came to me that I should do a variation of the handle design on the inside pocket.  So that's the plan. I sewed in the fabric pockets on the inside:

There is still a linen pocket that goes on top of the plain pocket.
I have a little pocket all done to put on the back.

 With luck, this could be done in a couple of days.

I started a new motif on Friesland.

I found the kit I was looking for but it is over one.  Still not in the mood for slow stitching.  I have a Just Nan mouse that would be a quick stitch - except that you have to change colors a million times.  I sound kind of grouchy, don't I?
I am toying with the idea of working on the Elizabethan Etui by Betsy Morgan.  I'll see Betsy in a month and if I have questions, I can ask her.  But as usual, I have to find the kit first.  I think I know which pile it is in.  Famous last words.
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Sometimes

Sometimes I don't like where I live.  The weather is just awful.  We are getting more lake-effect snow.  I was able to get to the Y this morning to walk so I can stay home now.

Sometimes I don't like what I am working on.  I got some of the finishing done on The Traveler.  I got the medallion put on the front.

It needed something around the edge so I added some twisted cording.  Why green cording?  I'm lazy.  I had a piece of green cording on the table next to me and it didn't look too bad so I used it.  I like the bow with it.  It still need to be sewn on.
I got the sides put together.  I changed the design from over one yellow flowers to larger pin stitch flowers.

 This is the inside.  It will have a pocket on each side.

I still have to stitch the handles.  Each handle has two sides and it is a lot of busy work.  So I have worked out an easier pattern.

There is also a pocket that goes on top of an inside pocket.  I still have to figure out what I want to do.  No yellow flowers over one.  I refuse!  I'm not in the mood!  I want this to be done!

I put in a small motif on Friesland.  It's not done yet.  I love the Potion Green color.

  Sometimes I just want to start something new.  Sometimes I can't find that something in my stash.  Sometimes I have to just keep looking.

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The Traveler

I worked mainly on The Traveler yesterday.

 I got the sides done and started one of the pockets.
The front oval is supposed to have an edging stitched on it.  I didn't like the edging so I took it out.  I think twisted cording will look better.  I am thinking of ways to change the handles.  They are densely stitched but it just seems like busywork to me.  I want something pretty.  I want to put long arm cross stitch on the edges but I'm not sure how to round the corners.  I may just fidde with it and see what it looks like.  Then I would like to stitch a flower design down the middle of the handle.  I intend to read the directions today (really!) and see if I can start bringing this design together.

It uses quilt template plastic.  Since the sides are stitched I think I can whip them together with no trouble.  There are several more pockets to stitch.

It feels good to concentrate on one design for a while and just see how far I can get.
It is snowing again.  UGH.
I am almost done with the second corner of Friesland.

 I stitched it while watching Better Call Saul so that what I think of when I see it.  Crazy show.
I want to start reading a book.  I have at least a dozen on my IPad.  The one I want to start is The Girl on the Train.
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