What Happened to IH&SW this Month??

    I'm not sure if I am losing track of time or what exactly is going on lately.  I thought it was IH&SW last weekend but there was no mention of it on the blogs.  So I thought maybe I didn't have the date right and it was really this weekend.  But once again, no mention of it anywhere on the blogs.  So basically, I had 2 IH&SW's this month all by my self and have been carrying on like a crazy fool!!

   First, I finished out the alphabets and adjoining borders on Summer at Hollyberry Farm.

Then I added my stripe for the week to One Nation.

 Then I totally lost my mind and decided I really needed to start that piece that I borrowed from my friend so I could get it stitched and return her chart.  Lovely Scottish reproduction I've wanted to stitch for a while.

36 ct Lakeside linen w/ Au ver a soie silks
Looks huge compared to what I usually stitch on!!

Agnes Scott by With My Needle

It should look very similar to this once I get it finished.  Hopefully not too long from now!!  But she's a big girl and we'll have to see if I can keep her in the current rotation.
  Then, since I had totally lost my mind, I decided I needed to start something else off my bucket list.  Not an actual list down on paper yet but I know them when I see them, or when they keep popping up in my head!
This is Giovanni's Alphabet by Tempting Tangles.  Just a small start so far but more than I would have gotten done if I was stitching it on the recommended 28 ct over one!

I am stitching this one on 45 ct Lakeside Meadow Rue (I think), over 2, with the called for threads.  I have had it kitted for an age and figured now was just as good a time as any to start.  Love the colors!!!  It is an interesting combination of overdyed cotton and silk.

   So, I got 2 new pieces started and what did I do???  Why I went back to the one I REALLY want to be working on, of course!  This is where I am on SaHBF.  I am loving this stitch and may just work it until its done!!

      Maybe yes, maybe no.  We'll have to see what's in store for the week.  I have really been free wheeling it to keep my stitching mojo going.  I usually have a big summer stitching slump. Not sure exactly why but it happens just about every year.  I'm hoping to keep thing moving by only working on pieces I am excited about at the time and seeing where that takes me.  Should be interesting if nothing else!!!

Hope you're having as much fun with your stitching as I am,  Laura

It Could Have Wound Up in the Fireplace

   I am happy to say I can call myself fully recovered and once again stitching like a crazy fiend!  I haven't worked back into my rotation yet, choosing instead to work on whatever I feel like at the moment. My main focus has been the patriotic pieces and I have made some real progress since my last post.
  I am still loving Summer at Hollyberry Farm. I managed to get all the alphabets in last week!  My SAL pal isn't happy with the pale blue and plans to change it to something else but I like it and think I will leave it as it is.

    After getting to this point, I got the Blackbird SAL back out.  I decided the color I had chosen for the border was too bright so I ripped it out and picked another color.  I am much happier with the border now. It's not what they called for but is much closer and not nearly as garish as the Mustard Seed I had used before.  It is now Apple Cider, a nice golden-brown.

    But I am not crazy about the piece in general.  Not sure exactly what the issue is. The color of the large alphabet seems to be out of character with the rest of the piece. All the rest is bold and bright while this is dull and really adds nothing.  I looked at the picture of the original posted to the site and the linen seems much darker then what is called for. So, do I change the color of the one alphabet?? Do I start it again on a darker linen??  Do I just chuck it and move on to something else?? Since I'm not getting any younger and see no point in putting time into something just to get it done, I am going to set it aside.  I may revisit it later but I may also just abandon it forever.   Lucky it's too hot to have a fire going or this might have wound up in the fireplace!!
   So, I picked One Nation back up and put another stripe on it.  I am trying to put in a stripe a week to get it done as quickly as possible.  This will become more of a challenge once we get past the star field because the stripes will become twice as long!!

      I am also fighting really hard against a case of starteritis!  I have several patriotic pieces kitted and ready to go and I kitted another couple of Tempting Tangles pieces last night.  Then this morning, I put together a Scottish piece I borrowed from a friend a while back that I really need to get stitched so I can give her the chart back.  (Any excuse to start a new piece!!)  So far I have resisted but I don't know how long I can hold out!!
    I also wanted to thank all of you who take the time to read my blog and/or leave a comment.  I don't always get a chance to reply, it depends on how crazy life is at the time, but I read every one.  In turn, I hope you enjoy your visit here and are inspired or just plain mystified by the madness I have been up to with my needle!!
  Hope you're enjoying your stitching as much as I am,  Laura

In a Patriotic Mood

  Since my last post, I've been struggling to get back to good health.  I am pretty much back to normal with the exception of the terrible hacking cough that still lingers and a lack of energy that prevents me from doing all the things I should be doing.  So instead, I am only doing the things I absolutely have to get done and the rest of the time I am resting and of course, stitching!
   I worked for a little bit on the Blackbird SAL.  It is very cute but it was feeling sort of tedious so this is where I left off. (I didn't realize my quilt was showing through the fabric. It really isn't mottled like that!)

     I decided what I needed to be working on was something patriotic.  Since I have a patriotic piece in the WIP pile that I want to finish for my husband for Christmas this year, I dug that out and went back to work.

One Nation by Bygone Stitches
40 ct Lakeside Linen/woodsmoke
with GAST

I had the field of stars finished when I put it away last time.  When I worked on it this time, I added the 3 bands to the right.

I couldn't believe how long it took me to get these few bands in!!  It will go into the regular rotation now until I get it done.  Don't see how I will have it finished in time for Christmas if I don't.  This thing is huge!!
   Then, my friend in Atlanta sent me a picture of what she had spent the weekend working on.  When she called to chat later in the week, we decided it would be fun to have our own personal SAL.  So I have been working on this.

Stacy Nash Summer at Hollyberry Farm
40 ct Lakeside meadow rue
mostly listed threads

I absolutely adore these colors!!!  I did swap out the red she used for Weeks Lancaster Red.  It is one of my favorite reds and I thought went well with the other colors.  Also, the leaves in the vine are supposed to be stitched with Apple Cider, which is the color of the first ABC letters.  I prefer green for my leaves so I changed the border leaves to Endive.
    Then, as if that weren't enough red, white and blue, I kitted this Rosewood Manor chart I have had in the stash for a long while.  I love this piece and I don't know if it will make it to the rotation before I lose interest in patriotic stitching but I sure hope so!!

   And finally, this piece that I first saw on someone's blog last summer as a class, is now out for the rest of us to enjoy and I snagged it right away!!  Another winner, in my humble opinion, and this looks like so much fun I don't know how long I will be able to resist this start!!!

       It has been a crazy few weeks since the beach. I had back to back board meetings this week and it looks like we will be playing musical chairs in my needlework guilds again.  I am currently the treasurer in both guilds but may be moving on to newsletter in one and programs chair in the other.  Lets keep our fingers crossed that the nominating committee manages to fill all the seats without me.  I have been on both boards for 8 years now and I think its time for some new blood!!


Hope you're enjoying your stitching as much as I am,  Laura

PS- I gussied up the blog a bit, hope you like it!!