Huswif

 I made some good progress on the huswif. This is the second section which will be the back.

I like this project.  I had to frog a sawtooth satin satin stitch when I realized that I stitched it in the wrong color. But no big deal.

I really want to get the three queens band done so I can put it on the side of my double casket. But those queen stitches are driving me nuts. If I finish one side of the queen stitched flower each day I can be done this week.

I have been spending like a drunken sailor. I've ordered stuff for Santa to give me. I've ordered the grandchildren stuff. Next week I'll order the gift cards for everybody else.

A

Working on the Pear

 I've made good progress on the pear.  Here is the third section.

I decided to use an obnoxious yellow green color as the x in the middle.  Boy does that change the look.The color is perfect for a pear and not too wild. It looks totally different from the original.

I think I can finish this section today.

  I'm a little late posting because I was making cookies. A year ago today I almost died from sepsis. I'm very grateful to be here and picking out things to get my grandchildren for Christmas. (I still don't understand Pokemon?)

The frame I ordered should come today.

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Other Side

 Wow, two sides are now on a casket! that is an accomplishment. Especially for me.

Here is the second side:

This is the inside of the casket.  It has a fancy music box and mirrors on the side with a photo of a watercolor on the bottom.

This is the first side:

This is the glue I used (recommended by Rachael Kinnison).

I've had an inspiration for one of the other sides. I'll show you on another day.

Happy Friday!

A

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

An oldie but a goodie from Shepherd's Bush.

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A Small Finish

 My BFF has been wonderful to me this past year when I have been ill.  She has sent me numerous packages with many fun things to eat and do. I got a package just the other day. In it was a small kit that I had to start and finish. 

My BFF knows I love blue and white pottery so this was right up my alley. It is great to actually finish something too! Thanks BFF!

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Put Together

 I am so proud of myself for getting a side of a casket done! Finally. I glued the paper to

 the stitching and to the casket. Yesterday I glued the stitching to the casket.  I was a little nervous about cutting up the sampler but it was fine. I cut two large pieces out of the sampler. This was what was left after cutting.

Not much was  wasted really. Below is the other side.  I just glued paper to the back.

This is how the finished side looks. Oh, I love how it looks.

It's starting to snow outside. I am so NOT ready for snow!

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Next

 The next section of the huswif is started.

This part will be the back of the huswif. This is an enjoyable stitch.  

I ordered a frame for my poem/butterfly. 

I'm also ready to glue the stitching on to my casket side. The sampler actually will be big enough that I can use it on two sides. It took me forever to get to this point. I think I just needed to have enough energy.

I saw some photos of a Blackbird design. That makes me want to start one of the projects in Blackbird's book Sewing Club.

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Thread Obsession

 Hi, my name is A and I have a thread obsession. I had some money in my paypal account and so it was burning a hole in my pocket.  I was tempted by Vicki Clayton latest color offerings and I bought this month's rubbed and regular colors.

Here they are altogether:

I used Vicki Clayton silks when I was stitching the butterfly at the top of the poem and love how it turned out. 

I am gluing! I am putting paper on the back of the Strawberry sampler and on one side of a casket.  When they are dry I can put them together. It has taken me quite a while to get to this point.

Thank you Janet for the encouragement! (She has three caskets finished!!)

I signed up for Netflix as I was discouraged by days when there was nothing to watch. I've been enjoying it a lot.

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One Third Done

 I finished the second section of the pear. Well, actually I just did all the honeycomb blackwork.  Next is the gold star on the middle of each. 

This is the color of thread for the third section. It will have a different blackwork pattern on it.

I ironed the Strawberry sampler in preparation for gluing special paper to the back. I will glue paper to the casket and then I can put the stitching on the casket.  I am still waiting to be able to get more paper. (This is before ironing.)

Nice day outside. 

A

Inching Along

 I don't have a lot of progress today so I'll just show you where I am on three projects:

I'm going to go back and fill in with the gold thread.

I finished the section I was working on yesterday.

Not much more done. I hope to work on this more today. This is the oven opening.

It looks to be a nice day to walk. I am skipping chemo this week.  I needed a vacation from it anyway.

I'm dreaming of things l'd like to eat on Thanksgiving. 

A

New Start

 I started something new!  Who can resist a new kit? 

Here is the scissors fob.

This is the first section of the hufwif.

Nice colors, Easy stitch.

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Procrastination

 When it comes to queen stitches I am very good at procrastinating. But Amy Mitten showed me how to do queen stitches in a different way. So this time around I am doing the queens in an easier way. Since I did the last flower I learned to start in the middle so I don't get lost. So far, so good.

First flower:

Second flower:

If I do half a dozen a day, maybe it won't seem like I have millions of them to do!

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One of Six

 I finished the first section of the pear in A Passion For Needlework. You might think this would be boring to stitch but it wasn't.  After stitching the motif several times I had it memorized so that I could just pick it up and stitch without having to look at the chart. 

Now I'm starting the second section with a different thread and different blackwork pattern.

I'm stitching the middle of the design with some gold thread. You can't really see it very well but it sparkles. This is going faster than the first section. I'm using some variegated Oliver Twist thread that is about the thickness of #12 pearl cotton and the gold that came in the kit.

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Finishing Something

 I've been finishing up a project from a year ago.  I always wanted to put a butterfly above this poem.  I even bought a pattern off of Etsy. 

But it was embroidered and I never got around to it. When I got the new book this week it spurred me to see if I could use one of the charts.

I have a real butterfly in an acrylic box and I wanted to use the colors from the real butterfly.

So far:

Almost done.  I will either make this into a pillow or frame it. Thanks to Polly Panosh for the inspiration.

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New Start

 This is my new start.  it is all in brown, one over one on 32 count Belfast linen. What is it, you ask. It is Amy Mitten's The Bread Storage Bag.

 It is going well. I have to be careful not to get lost so I'm using highlighter tape. I've stitched about half of the first page of charts.  There are nine pages total.

Amy Mitten is one of the most talented people ever and I am lucky to have taken many of her classes - online and in person.

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New Book

 I saw this book on the French Needle website.  I had seen this book a long time ago and was interested in getting it but it was all in French and I couldn't find where to buy it. I had an Amazon gift certificate so I went to see if it was available there.  It was! It was more expensive but since I had a gift certificate, I didn't care. 

The designs come from some watercolor paintings. There are insects, butterflies, moths and birds.

In the back of the book are prints of the watercolors.

I like this bird. 

I have a verse that I stitched a long time ago (last year?). I wanted to stitch a butterfly above the verse and then it would be done.  So I'm wondering if I can use one of the butterflies.  We'll see . . . 

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Music Box

 I have a very nice music/jewelry box with a place for stitching in the top.

I went looking for stitching that was around 4 x 6 inches to fit the top.  I found something I stitched a while back and was almost done. All I had to do was finish stitching the little dots. It's a Lauren Sauer design.

I'm going to give this to my granddaughter for Christmas.

I took a photo of all my Bee-lieve pieces. Cool.

It's another warm and balmy day!

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Some Finishing

 I got some finishing done.  The Theresa Baird free project Bee-lieve is gradually getting done.

The pin cushion and scissors fob are done. 

Here what the backs look like.

I used some William Morris fabric for the inside of the needlebook.

The pin cushion is too fat to fit nicely inside the needlebook.  But that's okay. I like to stuff my projects firmly.

I still have to nun stitch the needle pages and stitch the bee scissors pocket. I only have the main larger pin cushion after I finish the needlebook. I should take a photo of all the pieces so far. Maybe tomorrow.

It is supposed to get to 77 degrees today.  Wow, who would guess that it is November!

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I Blame Pinterest

 I saw a photo on Pinterest of embroidered pansies that I really liked.

I went looking for a Japanese embroidery book that might have this pattern i it.  I looked on Amazon and I found it!

I ordered it even knowing I wouldn't be able to read a single word. There are lots of bouquets of flowers that are very sweet.

This is my favorite.

I have a music box that has a top where you can put a photo or an embroidery.  I want to give it to my granddaughter for Christmas. This design would be very nice for the top. So sweet.

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