The 2014 Wrap-Up

   It's hard to believe that 2014 is drawing quickly to a close.  Where did this year go anyway??!  It seems to have passed in the blink of  an eye but I suppose that's all relative.  I'm sure for some it was just creeping along!
   When I last posted, I mentioned that I thought I would have a finish for IH&SW but as you might have guessed, that didn't happen.  It got too close to Christmas and I just had too much left to do to be able to spend too much time in the stitching chair.  I did manage a finish the day after Christmas though and here it is!

Beggar's Christmas by Threadwork Primitives
called for linen and threads

   I found one of those dough bowls while on the mountain trip this fall and I want to fill it with the little pin pillows like I've seen on other blogs. I love that look but most people have quite a few of them in their bowls!  Since all of my 'little pillows' are made into ornaments, I'm starting from scratch but I think this makes a mighty fine start!
  After this finish, I dithered a bit not sure what to do next.  I have several other Christmas pieces kitted and ready to go and I don't mind working on them if they are already started but I wasn't really up for a Christmas start after Christmas.
   I finally decided to put a few stitches in some things on my UFO list for EGA.  As a way to encourage us to finish our UFO's we have a little challenge going where we made a list of 9 UFO's and each month a number is drawn and we work on that number.  This month's number is Mary Wigham on my list and I got her out but didn't accomplish much. (I'm almost embarrassed to show this since it has been started for so long and so little  progress has been made.)

40 ct. Lakeside Examplar
with HDF conversion

  My most recent WIP is LHN Winter Plaid.  This is also a long languishing UFO (did I mention I have bags and bags of them!?) and is on the Challenge list to finish this year.  I am making pretty good progress on it and it should soon be my first finish of the new year!!

34 ct. Legacy Plantation Linen
w/listed threads

I think this was originally a 'stitch group' piece but the plaid part required too much attention to detail and I put it aside.  It is just a darling piece and I am really enjoying working on it now!
  That's all I have to report on the stitching front right now.  I have been tweaking my Stitching Goals List for 2015 and I can't seem to make it look any less ridiculous than it really is!  I have signed up for 11 SALs on Facebook for next year!! ( I know, I have totally lost my mind!!!)  In my defense, 3 of those are carry-overs from this year so I guess I really have a head start.  I am going to have to stitch like it's a full-time job to come even close to accomplishing what I have on that list.  But, I state quite plainly that the list is a 'goal' so we'll just have to see what happens.  I have also signed up for the Stitch From Stash Challenge again this year so all the projects I have kitted or started already should help with that!
  On the birthday front, I do have a couple more things to report.  My son and FDIL sent me these lovely flowers so I had fresh flowers in my bedroom too!  Those roses smelled wonderful!!!

Then, my friend Tommye stitched a beautiful sampler for me!  I can't seem to get the picture to download so I will have to show that on my next post.  Gives you all something to come back for!!
  On that note,  I will sign off for the last time this year.  I'm looking forward to some magnificent stitching in the new year and am glad to be sharing it with all of you.

Happy New Year to you all, Laura

And the Winner Is....

   As promised, I drew a name from the comments on my giveaway post and the winner is Karen!  I have notified her through the email address on her profile page so I hope to hear from her soon to claim her prize.  Congratulations Karen!!
   I picked up some framing the other day too.  Well, actually, I had the Hubs do it for me since he was going to be in that part of town, and I am very happy with how it came out!!

   I put a purple frame on this Blackbird piece  and just love the way it looks!  I'm giving it to my FDIL for Christmas so I hope she likes it too.  Sometimes, especially when you don't know someone well, it's hard to tell if they really like something or are just being polite.  I like this well enough that if she doesn't like it, I'm okay to keep it for myself!!

 

    I put Cinnamon Stars in what should be a familiar molding to you all now since I've  used it on several of my recent finishes. (I apologize for the wonkiness of these pictures.  They are both under glass and I was having a hard time with the glare.)  This will reside in my LNS for a while and I'm hoping it will make up for me taking One Nation back out.  They've been making noises about not wanting to lose it as a shop model, big seller and all that.  But it IS my husband's Christmas present and he wasn't very sympathetic to their cause!
  Anyway,  I did manage to work a little stitching in while doing all the Christmas prep and I have a finish!!

Scarlet's Christmas Sampler
by Chessie & Me

I'm not sure what I am going to do with it yet but it is very cute and very Christmas-y!!
   Did I mention that today is my birthday?!  LOL  I have been swaddled in fresh-cut flowers and greenery which I just love this time of year!

My husband usually gets me an arrangement that I can use as a centerpiece for the dining room table.

And my SIL sent me an arrangement that I put on the breakfast room table.  Also full of greenery and when those lilies open, this will be heavenly!!
   Then just a few minutes ago, I received another arrangement from my son and FDIL.  I will save that pic for my next post which will be after IH&SW (probably tomorrow!)  I am going to go upstairs now and stitch away the rest of the day.  Hope to have another finish tomorrow!!

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

The Giveaway!!

  In honor of my second Blogaversary, my birthday, and just because I am feeling it, I put a few things together for what I think is a pretty darned good giveaway!  I hope you think so too.

   For starters, I selected the latest scissor design from Sullivans.  Then, a beautiful handmade scissor fob made by my friend Tommye at TJB Designs.  Next, I included the latest needle minder from Kelmscott Designs, my favorite needles, Piecemakers, in my favorite size, 28 and a cute little heart- shaped waxer.
   Last but not least, since the end of the giveaway will be too close to Christmas to include a Christmas design, I have included a special little something in a winter theme instead.

This is a Limited Edition kit from Cherished stitches that includes everything to make the little pillow even the silk ribbon and buttons!!  Such a cutie!!
   So, not too many hoops to jump through, just be a follower and post a comment on this post indicating that you would like to be entered for the drawing.  On the 21st, in honor of my birthday, I will draw a name from the entries and someone will get a lovely package just in time for the New Year!


Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!  Laura

Crazy Christmas Stitching

    It's been crazy busy around here as I'm sure you all have been too.  I never count on having enough stitching time in December to plan a project finish but it's always fun to work some stitching in around all the Christmas prep.  I frequently have a cute Christmas sampler finish in early January because of this!
   I pulled out a few little holiday/winter projects I thought I might like to work on after I finished Cinnamon Stars.  The first one I chose was Scarlet's Christmas Sampler by Chessie &Me.  I managed to get this far before I realized I didn't have a Christmas ornament for the EGA ornament exchange!!

Stitched with the linen that came with the chart
and the GA special thread pack designed for it

   I gave serious consideration to just skipping the exchange this year.  I've done it every year since I joined EGA and one skip wouldn't hurt anyone.  Then I remembered that I had shamed one of my fellow board members into stitching one (I went so far as to provide her with a chart, threads, and the perforated paper required to make it) and after that, I really couldn't skip it!! So I decided to go big!
    I had seen the 3D ornament Nordic Needle designed for this year's JCS Ornament issue and fell in love with it!  I hadn't originally planned to stitch it and give it away but what the heck.
     Took me nearly a week to stitch it and I wasn't sure about the finishing.  Seemed kind of squirrely  to me but I took a leap of faith and it worked out in the end.  And the lady who got it today seemed very happy to have it so that is always nice too.

   I got my decorating finished yesterday so I will share a pic of my tree as well.  We got a new one this year since we were having such a problem with the lights on our last one.  My husband says he likes this one better even if we do have to string our own lights again!!

  I don't really have a theme, just a mix of handmade, Hallmark, and other ornaments I've collected over the years. I have way more ornaments than will fit on one tree and I have played with the idea of getting another one but so far haven't.
   I have been thinking about next year's stitching too.  I have joined several SALs on Facebook (which I promised myself I was going to rein in this year!!) and am now also in one I hadn't planned to join!!   I won a giveaway of the Mary Hurst Sampler by Scarlet letter (Thanks again Elaine!) so I am gathering supplies like a squirrel gathering nuts right now.  I will share more of those details in a later post when I have had more time to make a plan.
   Last but not least, today is my Blogaversary.  Add to that the fact that my birthday is the 21st and I think that calls for a giveaway!!  Yeah,  free stuff!!  I will try to get back in a couple of days with the details so stay tuned!

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

On A Roll

   I've been on a roll since my last post and I have not just one but 2 finishes to share tonight!!  I didn't finish Cinnamon Stars the same night as my last post but I did manage to get it done the following night!  It is so cute and I can't wait to get it to the framer!  Please note that the scarecrow now has a head!!

Cinnamon Stars by Plum Street
40 ct Lakeside Meadow Rue
w/mostly listed threads

   After I finished CS, I pulled out a WIP that had been languishing for way too long.  I don't know why I put this one down but it is another cutie patootie and I think I am going to give this one to my DIL for Christmas.

Merry Christmas by Blackbird Designs
40 ct Weeks Cocoa
w/listed threads

   The colors on this are so bright! I couldn't get a good picture that would show it well but I just love this one and I hope she does too.  I see it framed in that favorite molding of mine, the primitive looking red toned one with the gold inner edge, the same one I framed  One Nation with.  We'll have to see what my framer comes up with.  She can be very creative!!

   So now I am back to having to choose something else to work on.  Not sure if it will be a new start or back to work on a UFO.  But I'm pretty sure 3 finishes in one month is a record for me and I'm going to relish that for a while!  

   Well, that's about all for me for now.  Wishing all of you a Happy Thanksgiving and hope you find some time for yourselves for a little stitching this weekend.  

Laura

A Very Late IH&SW Report

   I did manage to get some stitching in this past weekend which was IH&SW.  We had a surprise visit from son #1 and I did some online Christmas shopping which used up some of my time but I stitched as much a possible.
  Most of my time was spent on Cinnamon Stars.  It seems like I have been working on it for a long time but I guess not really.  Since I have pretty much abandoned the rotation and have been working on one piece at a time lately, all of them seem to drag on.  I guess I need to get that rotation going again!!  So, here is where I am with CS:

Cinnamon Stars by Plum Street

40 ct Lakeside Meadow Rue 

w/ listed threads

Yes, I know my scarecrow is headless, which is kind of creepy, and I need to add the corn to the stalks.  I am planning to go upstairs as soon as I post this and hopefully finish this piece tonight!

    There are so many cute, new things coming out and Christmas stitching is calling my name.  I added several new holiday/winter pieces  to the stash recently but I think my next start will have to be the new Little House Lantern Lane.  I just love that one, you know, the big red house, the holly! 

   So that's about it for now.  I hope to have a new finish and a new start soon.  I'll keep you posted!!

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

A Trip to the Mountains

  The ladies in my weekly stitch group decided we needed a little stitching retreat.  Nothing too involved, just a few days to get together and stitch on whatever we had going without the stress of classes and ugly things like cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc.  We went west, to the mountains of Virginia, and spent a lovely long weekend at Wintergreen.

The view from our condo taken by CH

   It was cold and very windy the first night we were there but we had  beautiful weather the rest of the weekend although it did remain chilly the whole time we were there.  We chose our weekend well.   It was the Christmas Open House for the local craft store, Country Connections, and we hit that  2 days in a row! We cruised by on Friday to check out the regular stuff  (And we had a little adventure with the car keys that required the assistance of AAA but that's all I'll say about that!!) and then went back on Saturday for the Christmas part.
   Tons of people were in attendance, apparently they come from far and wide for this event, and additional vendors were outside selling food and other crafts.  I was able to get the apples my husband wanted as well as Apple Butter, bread and a Blackberry Pie.  One of my friends bought Brunswick Stew from another vendor and we had the stew and bread for dinner that evening and the pie for dessert.  Nothing could be better!!
   We also hit the Open House for the local needlework shop and had a great time there as well.  Who doesn't love a sale on needlework??!!  And I learned just this morning that one of the ladies in our group won a door prize, a $50 gift certificate!!  If it can't be me, at least it was her!!  What fun!!
  We did manage to get some stitching done too.  I finished up Butternut Tavern, finally!!

Stacy Nash Butternut Tavern Sampler Pinkeep

Sorry for the wrinkles.  It will go into the box until I figure out what to do with it and I saw no point in ironing it.  Then, I got out Cinnamon Stars and put a few stitches in it too before we had to come home.

I have just a meager start on the house but it should come along quickly.  So cute!!  I just love it!!
   So, since I hadn't taken a single picture the whole time we were away, the ladies indulged me and stopped a few times on the way out so I could show you all how beautiful it was there.  It was past the peak of color and we lost a lot of leaves to the wind  but the trees were still lovely.

  So, that's about all I have for now.  I have been playing in my stash since I got home yesterday, in amongst catching up all the housework that needs to be done, and I may have a new start or 2 to show you next time!  In the meantime, I hope you're enjoying your stitching as much as I am!!    Laura

I'd Never Make it as a Roadie

   It has been forever since my last post but October has been so busy my husband commented that it was like I have a full time job!!  Add to that several trips I have taken this month and that explains the level of crazy currently existing at my house!!  I will be home for the next couple of weeks so things should settle down some, if I can keep my calendar to a dull roar.
   I started the month with a trip to Northern Va for the EGA Region meeting.  I had the good fortune to catch my son at a time when his schedule had a few free minutes and we had a lovely dinner together my first night there.  The next day was a class which was out of my comfort zone but not so much so that I gave it up.  I met some lovely ladies that I hope to stay in touch with and I will eventually get back to that class, eventually.
   My second trip was a tag along some of my stitching friends and I did with the Loudon Sampler Guild to the New Jersey schoolgirl sampler exhibit at  Morven Gardens.  A lovely recounting can be seen here on the Black Branch blog.  Needless to say, it was a fantastic trip, we all had a great time, and there was talk of going again before the exhibit closes.
   I confess that we went up the day before the bus trip and did some scandalous money dropping at In Stitches.  I was instructed to 'be good' as I was going out the door Friday morning but I wasn't too clear about what exactly that applied to so I used my good judgement and applied it to Amy Finkle's.  A person could get into serious trouble in that place!!
  After that trip, I had a few hours turn around to do a few chores and wash some clothes and it was off to the beach with me.  My husband and our Son#1 had gone on Saturday and I was behind the curve here.  But, I did enjoy a little quiet time to catch my breath and still my mind before rushing on to the next big thing.  It was a nice week, with just the 3 of us, and a good time was had by all.  Let me just add that the fishing (according to those who would know) was better than it has been for years and my husband was ecstatic!!
  So, on to what we're here for, stitching!!!  I haven't had the time I usually do for stitching this month but I have been at it every chance I could.  First,  I got back some framing.

As you can see, I am in love with this molding and I have used it for my last 3 pieces.  It works with them all though so it's not weird!
   Most of my stitching time was spent on this, stitched for my friend the Finishing Fairie for her birthday.  Hope she likes it!

Blackbird Designs
First Cocks Crow from Sisters book
40 ct. WDW Cocoa w/listed threads

 Then I came across this lovely that I think I started last year and stitched on for just a short while and then put away.  I would like to get this finished this fall.

40 ct. Lakeside Meadow Rue
w/limited edition GA thread pack

   This sweet sampler, technically a pinkeep, is being worked on currently.  I have finished the top section and have moved to the house and hope to have this one finished in a few days.

   I didn't really need a new start but I did need something small to work on during the NJ trip so I started this one.  I've had it kitted for quite some time and have really wanted to start it so, there you go!

40 ct. Lakeside Meadow Rue
w/mostly called for threads

Here is the pic, just in case you don't recognize it from the lovely fence and sunflowers I have stitched!!  I've changed some of the colors so they will show up on my linen.  I have the linen that it calls for but I don't like it so I changed it to Lakeside.

 Just for fun, I had to show this beautiful scissor fob my friend Tommye made for me.  I love red and this is just gorgeous!!!

You can find her one-of-a-kind designs here on Etsy.  Love her stuff!!
  Well, I think that just about catches me up. I'm sure there are some things I'm forgetting but they will just have to wait until next time.  I have a full afternoon of stitching ahead of me and I am so looking forward to that!!

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

Framed!!

   I had been holding off taking Summer at Hollyberry Farm to the framer in eager anticipation of picking up the framing I had previously dropped off.  I called on Friday and she was just putting the backs on them so I went over first thing Saturday morning to pick them up.  I am so pleased with how both pieces turned out!!!

Close-up of the frame
Love this moulding!!

Harriette Coe is in the same frame, just a redder tone.  Both of these will be residing at my LNS for a while.  I will be picking up One Nation in December since it is for The Hubs for Christmas but leaving it at the shop until then ensures he won't see it until he's supposed to!!  He likes to peek!
  Well, I don't know why IH&SWeekend never seems to go like I plan but this one was certainly true to form.  At the time I signed up, I didn't have a thing on my calendar but by the time it rolled around I was up to my eyeballs in other things I needed to do.  I didn't get to stitch as much as I would have liked but that seems to be a recurring theme so I won't dwell on it.
   I managed to get that last line of verse in on Ann Bowers.  Yeah!!!!!  This is the last 4 lines of this section and I think you can read it pretty well.  I was a little worried about the method I was using to stitch it but if you're not looking at it with a magnifier, I think it's okay.
  

So, this is where I am now and the end is in sight!  I do have 2 more rows of over one verse to stitch but after what I just finished, it should be a piece of cake!!  And after the over one, that 45 ct over 2 is looking like burlap!!  Not really but it is a lot easier to work on than I remember.

   So, for the IH&SW report, I stitched the last row of over one verse above and I started one of those fall pieces that had been calling my name.  Not much to look at yet but I promise, you're going to love it next time.  I confess to taking liberties with the colors, again!!

Butternut Tavern Sampler Pinkeep
by Stacy Nash
40 ct Lakeside Maritime white
with GASTs

Well,  that's all I have for now.  Hope you're enjoying your stitching as much as I am,  Laura

Long Time, Little Stitching

  I find it hard to believe that it has been so long since I last posted given how little stitching I seem to have gotten done.  When I looked at my calendar, I was surprised that it has been almost 2 weeks since my last post and that we are already past the middle of September!  I would say time flies when you're having fun but I'm not too sure that has been the case.  In fact, I'm not sure exactly what I have been doing for the last 2 weeks!!
  I have been working slowly but surely on the verse on Ann Bowers.  It is such slow going that I can spend an entire baseball game and only manage to get in one line of verse!! I had bemoaned the idea that it would take me a whole week to get that first section completed  if I could only stitch a line a day but there have been some days I couldn't get to it at all so it still isn't finished.  But, even though it is tedious as all hell,  I think it's beautiful!

Ann Bowers by The Examplarery
45 ct. Italian Linen
DMC threads

One more line of verse here and then I can roll it to the next section!!  That makes me smile but under that large band you see at the bottom of this picture, 2 more lines of over one verse awaits!!!
   This past weekend we put on a workshop at my local sampler guild, Tidewater Sampler Guild.  We hosted a relatively new designer who is, like Betsy Morgan, out of the Loudon Samper Guild in northern Virginia. This is my second time in one of her workshops and we had a wonderful time!!!!
   I took both of the classes she taught as well as the Sunday project, which was our regular meeting, and each was more challenging than the next!!  The first was a lovely Quaker design stitched on a piece of joined linen.  The joining was, of course, the objective of the class and although the technique is pretty simple, the act is very tedious and challenging.  Needless to say, my linen is not yet joined but it is such a pretty sampler I hope to get it done soon!!

Red and Gold Sampler
by Pamela Darney of Guildhouse Samplers
32 ct. Weeks linen w/Gloriana threads

  The 2nd class was a PA German sampler.  We were given a black and white photo of her model and were to select our own colors and linen for our own project.  Seventeen colors, I think, and all to be used somewhere in the piece!!  Talk about a challenge!!!

 I have  started with someones color palette and made changes to suit myself before but having to come up with all the colors on my own was a little daunting to say the least!  But she had brought hanks of different colors that we had a big throw down with on our selected linen and it was such a blast!!!  Totally worth it just for that part, even if I never manage to finish the sampler.  Which I better since we are supposed to meet in a year so we can see what we all did!
   The Sunday project was like the class above but one step farther.  It was called Variation on a Quaker Diamond and it was all wide open!  Choose your linen, number of diamonds in your piece, motifs in the diamonds, colors of motifs,  my head is still spinning!!!  My plan is to do them in the order that I took them, learning each lesson and adding to it as I move to the next.  Hopefully, it will feel less overwhelming by the time I reach the last one.  Which assumes  brain doesn't explode before I get to the last project!!!
   I have also managed to get a start on the last birthday piece I need to stitch for this year but I can't show it yet since the recipient reads my blog.  I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise!!
   It is IH&SW this weekend and I have really been looking forward to that!  Gives me an excuse to stitch all weekend and not feel guilty about it!!  My calendar has become crazy lately and I could use some guilt free stitching time.  I am also feeling the tug of Fall stitching so I think I may have to give in to that urge this weekend.  I have some things kitted and ready to go that I never got around  to last year and it would be very easy to get those underway.  And since they are small, I could, in theory, have some finishes in short order. Fingers crossed!!

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

The Happy Dance Continues

    After throwing the rotation out the window and much 'nose to the grindstone' stitching on just this one piece, I finished Summer at Hollyberry Farm on Monday!!! Yeah!!!  There were many color changes and adjustments made but I am very happy with the outcome and I will be getting it to the framer asap!!!

I've  been working on Randje per Week a little too, not up to the 10 rows I usually do before posting an update but getting there!  

   I know I said I was going to go back to Dorothy after finishing SaHF but Ann Bowers has been calling loudly from her perch on the bookcase and I just had to get back to her.  The over 1 verse on 45 ct. is going VERY slowly but it won't go any faster by not working on it at all!!

I am working the verse in a combination of tent and cross over one, to try to avoid overcrowding but to also get adequate coverage.  It seems to working out okay so far.
  I have Ann on the list to finish this year so I think I am going to work on her until she is finished now.  There are six rows of verse in this section and when I roll it, there are is another whole section of verse (not sure how many rows, don't want to look!!) to be done before the grand finale. It is too close to put away again though so I will push through if I can.
  Dorothy is also on the list to finish this year too and I intend to get her done.  I have one last October birthday gift to stitch but I don't think that will keep me from getting Dorothy wrapped up within my deadline. That floral area is half of the sampler but it's mostly cross stitch so should go quickly once I get back to her.
    I am very happy with how closely I have managed to adhere to my list this year! When I did stray, I still found a way to work things off my list too!  Some of my friends have laughed at me for making that list every year but it keeps me focused and seems to get a good number of those UFOs onto the other list I keep of finishes for the year.  My list is growing and since it is only September, I hope to add a few more finishes to the list by the end of the year!

Hope you are enjoying your stitching as much as I am,  Laura

Let the Happy Dancing Commence!!

   As you may know, I have been giving the 'formal' rotation a break this summer and just stitching what appeals to me at the time in an effort to keep the summer slump at bay.  I feel like it has been working!  I am ahead of my gift stitching for the fall/holiday season and I have been barreling full speed ahead with some of my other projects too.
  I've spent the time since my last post mainly working on One Nation.  With only 2 stripes left to go for a finish, I really felt the need to throw the 'one stripe a week' plan out the window and just  push it through to the end.  Last Sunday, during an afternoon baseball game, I put the wraps on that big project and when my husband saw it his response was, "Man, that's a lot of baseball!"  Indeed!!

One Nation
by Bygone Stitches
40 ct. Lakeside linen in Woodsmoke
w/called for threads except
blue changed to Weeks Americana

Since this finish, I have relegated the Randje per Week piece to my group project.  It is easy to work on a group setting and doesn't require tons of frogging afterward!  I will show my progress on this piece next time.

  Now, I am working like crazy to get Summer at Hollyberry Farm finished.  I am more than half way done now and should have some real progress to show next time.  When SHF is finished, I would like to finish Dorothy Walpole.  A couple of weeks of solid work should finish her off too!!

   But...I got my package containing my Market order this afternoon and I can't predict how strong my willpower will remain at this point!  Maybe if I keep my head down and just stitch like crazy, I can stick to the plan.  We'll see!!

Thanks for stopping by and hope you're enjoying your stitching as much as I am!! Laura

IH&SW Report and Other Stuff

   I wanted  to get an update posted but when I tried to take the pictures, the camera said the battery needed to be charged.  So, in the interest of expediency, and since I had planned to be in my stitching chair by 4 pm and it is now after 4 pm, I thought I would go ahead and write the post while the battery charged.  Not so dumb after all!!  I'm hoping it doesn't take too long to get up to speed!
   Things have been pretty busy since my last post and although I have stitched as much as possible it doesn't seem like I've gotten much accomplished.  I finished the 2 stripes I was trying to get done on One Nation which now leaves me with the last 2 and it will be finished. I am going to try to get this one wrapped up this week.   I haven't worked on Summer at Hollyberry Farm at all.  I added a couple of rows to the Randje per Week piece but not enough to show.
    I heard Dorothy calling to me from deep in the stitching bag so I go her out and did a little work on her.  This is what she looked like last time she saw the light of day.  I can't believe I haven't work on this since April!!

And this is the small amount I have added this past week.

I want to keep her in the rotation and she will get more time once One Nation is finished.
   I have to admit that I have been feeling the need for a finish. I have been working on mostly large projects all year and it seems like it's been a really long time since I've done a little happy dance so I decided I would stitch a few patriotic smalls in honor of the last gasp of summer.  I kitted a couple of small Blackbird designs and this little cutie by Heartstring Samplery.  It took me all weekend to get it finished, small though it is, but I think it is just the cutest thing!! It will go in the 'finished' box now but will soon be winging its way to the Finishing Fairie to be made into a cute little pillow.

I admit to changing some of the colors, the red is GA Ruby Slippers and the white I changed to GA Oatmeal to make it show up better on my linen (Lakeside Pecan Butter).
  So, for my Hermit report, I stitched the yellow flower on Dorothy Walpole and the small piece by Heartstring.  I must confess that some of my stitching time this past IH&S weekend was taken up with the frequent need to monitor what was being released at the St. Charles market.  I saw a ton of new stuff that I liked, some that I just HAD to have and some that I had to have right now!!  I can't wait to get it in my hot little hands!!  A report will be in order as soon as it comes in!

Thanks for stopping by and hope you're enjoying your stitching as much as I am,  Laura