January Stitch From Stash Report

    It's almost the end of January and I am happy to report that I have been a good girl this month!!  Here is my report:

Budget:  $25.00
Spent:    $00.00

No finishes but I did have one new start, all things from my stash, even the chart!!!
    I finally got started on one of the Scarlet Letter SALs I signed up for on Facebook, Elizabeth Shepard.  I pulled linen from my vast pool of 40 ct. and did a conversion to Needlepoint silk. I know this looks black but it is really a very dark green.

40 ct. Italian linen
w/Needlepoint silk

It has been fun so far but I still haven't started Mary Hurst and that one is starting to call loudly!!  I have a couple of small pieces I would like to finish before I jump into that big girl but we will have to  see how it goes.
   Speaking of small pieces,  I also made some good progress on Pink Sparrow this week and this is where it is now.  It's probably a little over 1/3 finished.  Hard to put aside but the rotation is large and I still have a couple that are not started yet!

  So, that is all for now.  I have almost all of my chores done and my stitching chair is calling!

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

You Know What They Say About the Road to Hell...

    I had good intentions for IH&SW, I really did.  My younger son and the FDIL were coming for the weekend to attend the Beer Fest with The Hubs.  Not being a beer drinker myself, I was going to be the duty driver, drop off and pick up was supposed to be the extent of my involvement and I was going to have the entire day to stitch and catch up on my shows.
   Things being what they always seem to be when you make a plan, that plan changed in a hurry!  The son and the FDIL had a big fight the night before and she decided to forgo our company, sticking us with her $50 ticket in the process.  Being the tight-fisted fiscal conservative that I am, I said no way we are wasting a ticket, and the others involved were only too happy to use my beer tickets!!
   We had a great time!!  The weather was nice, the event was in a tent so we were warm, the beer drinkers had lots of brewers and different brews to chose from. There was music, New Orleans themed food, and of course, the people watching was unmatched by anywhere I have ever been, including New Orleans down on Bourbon Street!!
   So, not much stitching was done over that weekend.  I did manage to get SOME done though.  I made a good start on Serenity Harbor.  I have the first part finished now but for the weekend report, I only managed the left side within the allotted time.  I have enjoyed this stitch so much and if you haven't joined this SAL, I highly recommend it!

40 ct. Lakeside Pecan Butter
w/called for DMC except sun

I really like the colors the designer chose for this one and so far I have stuck to the DMC with the exception of the sun.  I stitched the sun in an over-dyed floss but I'm  not too crazy about the color.  I will probably change it later but for now, it will stay until I figure out what I want to do there.  Also don't have the arching outline in yet.  I'm going to wait until I need to roll the scroll frame before I put it in.
   Once I got that finished, I pulled out an oldie but goodie and in going back through my posts, I don't think I have worked on this since last August.  I am currently referring to this as the Headless Bird Sampler.  lol

Pink Sparrow Sampler by WTN&T
40 ct. Weeks Parchment
w/called for colors

It's small but 'fiddly' as my mother would say.  Lots of small motifs and lots of color changes.  I am hoping to finish the top section today. (I may be overestimating the time factor here, as usual, but we will see!)
   I still haven't started either of the Scarlet Letter SALs I have signed up for yet so I need to get moving on those asap. Can't linger for too long on one piece!!  I also haven't touched the 3 pieces I carried over from last year yet.  As you can tell, I don't have the rotation worked out yet, just taking it as the mood strikes.  But, I'm not bored yet either and I feel like I'm making progress. That's a good thing!!
  So that's it for me for today.  Thank you all for stopping  by and I want to welcome my new readers.  It's nice to know I'm not out here in cyberspace alone!!

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

Ready for IH&SW

    I've spent this past week working more of a normal schedule.  I've had meetings to prep for and the usual chores to do but a lot more free time for stitching!!! And I have used my stitching time well!
Good progress has been make on The Red House Sampler.  It is going much more quickly than I thought it would for a large sampler and I am now feeling pretty good about getting this one finished this year.

The Red House Sampler by Brenda Keyes

   I got a good start on Strawberry Fields Forever this week too.  Such a cute piece and so delicate looking on the 40 ct. linen. I have made some changes to the thread colors, no surprise there, but just for dye lot issues really.

Strawberry Fields Forever by Blackbird Designs
40 ct. Weeks Confederate gray

   Both of these will now go back in their respective pouches  and something new will move into the rotation.  I haven't started several of the SALs I've signed up for yet so I think it needs to be one of those,   I want to start the Serenity Harbor piece and then maybe work on the Pink Sparrow Sampler which is my selection for the WTN&T SAL.  Other than that, who knows??!!  I don't really have a set schedule worked out,  just working on the general list as the mood strikes.   Hoping the 'no real plan' strategy will keep things fresh and moving along!
  So that's all I have for now.  I'll be trying really hard to hermit this weekend and get tons of stitching done!

Wishing you all the same,   Laura

First Finish of 2015

    Things usually calm down the week after Christmas and I have lots of time to stitch.  This year was not like that.  I spent most of my time getting the books ready to turn over for my 2 jobs in our EGA chapter and getting things set up to start my new job.  Add to that, my son came back to visit the middle of that week and you can see how stitching time might be hard to come by!
  I did manage to finish up a long lingering UFO though and I can proudly say that Winter Plaid by LHN is now completed!! (Please excuse the wrinkles.  I don't iron until I finish-finish!)

Winter Plaid by LHN
34 ct Legacy Plantation Linen
w/mostly called for threads

It was such a fun stitch and once the 'plaid' was in, the rest went very quickly!
   I also need to show the picture of my birthday gift from Tommye.  The pic I took before wouldn't download for some reason so here is that one too.

Hillside Samplings

Gorgeous! Georgeous!  I love that border!!!  And anything with a red house is always appealing to me.  She always picks the prettiest samplers to stitch for me!!
    I like to make a New Year's Day start and this year I chose Hannah Pepper.  I had planned for her to be my new start for quite a long time and I started getting the supplies together for her in the summer. I waited patiently for the 1st of January and even though I had more than one SAL starting that day, she was my pick.   I only worked on her for one session since I wanted to be Winter Plaid finished so it doesn't look like much right now, just a brown vine,  but here she is.

Hannah Pepper
40 ct Lakeside Linen Pecan Butter
w/ silks listed

I don't usually go all the way around to the other side like that when I start but I had some concern about the direction of the linen (the measurements are close but not the same) and I wanted to make sure it would really fit.  It is a large sampler and this linen just didn't look big enough!!
   After my Winter Plaid finish, I got out one of my other SAL pieces.   I started this one during our spring beach trip this year and it is one of my Bucket List pieces.  When a Brenda Keyes SAL came up on Facebook for this year, I couldn't resist jumping in with this!

Red House Sampler by The Sampler Co.
40 ct. Flax w/listed DMC

  
  I was asked what the SALs were that I had joined this year.  Almost all of them are within Facebook groups.  See how that darned computer continues to get me in trouble!!!
Here is the list if you are interested:

1)  Mary Hurst by Scarlet Letter
        This is in the Scarlet Letter group on Facebook.  I wasn't going to do this one but then I won the         chart, what was I supposed to do??
2)  Elizabeth Sheppard by Scarlet Letter
        Also in the Scarlet Letter group.  One of the 'small' sampler selections for this year.  In the stash         so why not??
3)  The Red House Sampler by The Sampler Co.
        In the Brenda Keyes group on Facebook where you could pick any Sampler Co. piece you                   wanted.  Quite a few people are doing The Bird Sampler, which I have, but this one was already         started.
4)  Strawberry Fields Forever by Blackbird Designs
        Loved it, bought it as soon as it came out.  An SAL seemed like a good reason to start it!!
5)  Serenity Harbor by By the Bay
         Also loved this as soon as I saw it.  A block a month seemed manageable.
6)  Hannah Pepper from the Fine Lines Magazine
         Had this one planned as my New Year's start.  Conveniently, someone started a Facebook SAL            for this one too!
7)  Snooty Parrots by Barbara Ana
        Carry over from last year.  Got bogged down in other things so I haven't worked on this since             April.  Luckily, I wasn't the only one who did finish so the group continues!
8)  Dorothy Walpole by Scarlet Letter
        Same as #7.
9)  Ann Bowers by The Exemplarery
        Technically, a SAL through The Attic.  I don't know if anyone else is still working this one but I         am so close to being finished that is must be done!! Plus, I got Ann Almy, the companion piece           to her, for Christmas this year and she wants her turn!
10)  Pink Sparrow by WTN&T
        I started this one pretty shortly after it came out, love the springy colors!  There is a Facebook            SAL for WTN&T this year too so I jumped on this one as well. I would love to finish this up!
11)  Patti Dovecoat a freebie chart by Barrick Samplers
        I don't remember which Facebook group I saw this one in but it is small and has to be finished             by March 15th.  Since I was already in so many other SALs, I figured why not.
12)  The Sampler Life SAL
         I almost forgot this one.  Joined last night and although I have no idea what it will look like, there are quite a few designers contributing to this one and it looked too interesting to pass up!

    I know, I've totally lost my mind!! Keeping in mind that this is not the only stitching I have planned for this year, the SALs alone would be daunting.  But I also have birthdays to stitch for and other stitching planned.  Like, my son is getting married in April and I would like to make them a wedding sampler.  We'll just have to see how far I get with this list and the other stuff.  I probably won't get it all done (LOL!!!) but it should be a lot of fun trying!!
    So, that's all I have to report for now.  I need to get my newsletter (my new EGA job) out today so I will be able to sit and stitch all day tomorrow with no other obligations!!  It will be the first time I've had a day totally to myself in months and I'm really looking forward to it!!!

Thanks so much for stopping by,  Laura