Bees and Mountains!

My EGA guild was selected to pilot Betsy Morgan's new teaching piece called Bee Contained.  It was such a privilege and obviously we were all thrilled.  Being a pilot class comes with responsibility.  As a result, I worked hard to clear some stitching from my schedule so I could devote plenty of time to stitching this project.  You know, instead of just putting the project in stash for a while to marinate.  Hopefully I'm not the only one who does that!  Being a pilot class entails giving Betsy feedback on such things as the pacing of the class, her presentation, the stitching charts and instructions as well as the quantity of threads, etc.  Betsy is an established and seasoned designer and teacher.  Everything went so well so the major item to give feedback on after class was the charting/instructions and threads.

Betsy demonstrating the blackwork path.

This is the primary piece to Bee Contained.  This is Betsy's model.  It's so cute and Betsy's kits are full of high quality materials.  This class will be offered beginning 2019. The linen color here is more true to color than the photo of my stitching.

 

Here is my finished stitching of the class pieces other than the piece we assembled in class.  As a pilot class member, we were not required to assemble the project as part of our feedback.  I'll probably end up doing that next year.  Once the main panel was stitched, it went really, really fast.  I left class confident that I could assemble the project on my own which was a real plus and not always the case!

This isn't a good photo but this is the piece we completed in class!  It's so cute.  So cute that my dog Murphy is super interested in it every time he happens to see it!  It's a good thing I'm always careful with my stitching around  him!

Longtime readers of the blog will recall that Greg and I typically vacation in the Smokies every fall. This year was no exception.  Living in Florida, we get zero fall color.  Our trees typically go straight to brown from green.   I think this is our 9th or 10th year visiting the Smokies in October or November.  The last several years we've gone with dear friends.

We love visiting the mountains (any mountainous area really).  I think with views like this it's understandable why this is our happy place!

Hoping all your stitches are happy ones!

Framed!

I've had a chance to get some projects framed.  They've been hung too after a couple of weeks of hanging out in my sewing room.  First up is this Brenda Keyes piece that was a SAL with my EGA chapter.   You can find my details on this sampler HERE.  It's called Country House sampler and I fell I love with it when Tanya from The Scarlet House posted her version on FB.  It was in a grouping of sampler pics and she graciously gave me the information.  I personalized this one with my name which is why you see the black blob.

 

This one is A Pennsylvania Alphabet by the Goode Huswife.  This is not one that Anne has reprinted as yet and is rather hard to find.  Thanks to a generous friend who lent me her copy!  You can find my details on this project HERE.  I did change the thread colors.  This project is special in that it saved my sanity when my dad fell and had surgery/was in rehab.  Every stitch was stitched at his hospital bedside or with my mom who has dementia.  It was a long and stressful 2 months but I was blessed to spend time with them and help take care of them.  Do you have any projects that take you back to a specific time in your life or to a certain event?

The close ups of the frames indicate a good dusting is needed!  If I do that and retake the pictures, this blog post would never get made.  Ever feel that way yourself?

We had a great Thanksgiving and I hope you did too!  May all your stitches be happy ones!

Heritage Sampler

I hope you're having a great summer.  It's been hot here with a LOT of rain.  No water shortage here for sure.  Fall still feels like a long way off but I'm ready for it to cool down drastically.

I've been absent from the blog but I have been stitching!  I finished up Heritage Sampler from Plum Street Samplings.  I fell in love with this when I saw Paulette's video that explained what each quadrant meant and shared insights into her design process.  I really enjoyed stitching this and learned that when the designer suggests half crosses on certain over 1 sections that it a good idea to NOT decide to do full cross!

The Heritage Sampler

By Plum Street Samplers

Called for threads

Called for Fabric - 36 count Vintage Meadow Rue

I'll be back soon with more!  I hope all your stitches are happy ones!

Some Progress

This spring and early summer I've been focusing on my WIP Challenge list projects for 2018.   My EGA guild has a challenge each year and since we have something coming up at the beginning of July that will take a few months, I decided to try and knock some of my Challenge list out.  My photos are of the projects un-ironed but figured that if I waited to post before ironing, it very well might be another month without a post from me!

First I pledged to finish the stitching only on A Lady's Worke Box (3rd project down) by With My Needle/Ellen Chester. It's such a beautiful project and once I put my mind to it, the stitching went rather quickly.  I had a small to finish up and the larger inside and outside panels left to do.  I also had to correct some border backstitching that wasn't done over the correct number of threads.  Ellen's instructions are amazing and I have no doubt I'll be able to finish this myself.  It most likely will not be this year based on what I want to accomplish.  Maybe the finishing will go on my 2019 WIP Challenge list?!

I also finished the stitching on this stocking from Blackbird Designs called Snowy Eve.  This is found in their booklet called Merry December which  has 3 stockings included.  Fun rather quick stitch!  I have the finishing to do yet for this one before it can count for my guild.  I'll probably do that in the fall.  I've done one before but I definitely want to improve on my technique.

Last up,  I finished block #3 of Autumn at Hawk Run Hollow!  This block was fairly densely stitched but also fun.  I've also started stitching the black outside border for the next block before I put it away.  I've pulled this back out to work on block #4.  It's a fun stitch.  I'm using DMC because there are about 60 thread colors for this one.  

The summer is already beyond hot here, even with all the rain.  Is it terrible that I'm looking forward to fall already?!

Wishing you all happy stitches!

Classes with Betsy Morgan

Since my last post, I've had the pleasure of taking two classes from Betsy Morgan.  My EGA guild was so fortunate to have her teach as she has announced her retirement 1/1/2020.  I've never taken one of Betsy's classes and I'm so glad I had the opportunity.

One of the classes was Swan Bower - this is her newest teaching piece as of the date of this post.  She will have a new design coming out the end of the year/early next year.   Here is Betsy holding Swan Bower.  This is the same class she taught at The Attic in January.

Our class project was to finish the stitching on this floss card and to assemble it.  It's really cute and not as quick as it would appear at first glance.  Or at least it wasn't for me.  Am I the only one that grossly under estimates how long something will take when it comes to stitching?

The other side has our initials and the year.  This was really fun!

We also had Maria Katarin's Stitching Reticule - this project is full of bright happy colors.  This class was also taught at The Attic in January.  I've not seen any photos that do this project justice. 

We assembled this accessory during our class.  I was able to get it all done during class except for making the tassel and attaching it.  I did that the weekend after class.

If you've never taken a class from Betsy, I would highly suggest it.  She has a great teaching style and has something for every level of stitcher - to include her own joining method.  

After the classes were over and after stitching a bit more on The Heritage Sampler, I was ready to stitch something else.  I thought of A Lady's Worke Box which is a class project from a class I took from Ellen Chester of With My Needle.  At the time, the assembly of the box was a little overwhelming.  I so love this project!  I realized that now it is well within my ability to assemble.  Since I'd put the stitching piece of this project on my guild Challenge List and because the project was calling to me, I've pulled it out and finished up the pin cushion and finished the stitching on the inside panel.  Here is a pic of the inside panel:

I'm not saying I'll assemble this during this year but it is definitely my plan to stitch it all this year!  I'm trying to get a few things stitched on my challenge list to make time for something that is going on mid-year.  We also have a couple of members who are teaching a flat fold finish and I need to stitch something for that.  

Wishing you all.a great week and may all your stitches be happy ones!

Focus!

I picked up Scottish Sampler from the framer and thought I'd share it with you.  This was definitely not one of my favorite stitches due to a linen issue but it certainly is a pretty sampler now that it is done.  I don't have it on the wall yet so I threw it on a stand to take the picture.

Close up of the frame.

I've been meaning to share this Chessie and Me book box now that it is fully finished.  She has designed a series of them and they're all so cute.  This one is called Tudor Rose Stitch book.  The cardboard book box was painted with acrylic paint from Michaels (it's about $2) bottle and then the placed where I didn't need to place glue were waxed.  

This simple pin cushion is filled with graduated sizes of cotton quilt batting.  I was concerned it would not lay flat but placing something on top while it dried solved that problem.  It's still nicely glued down.

Inside there is a pair of scissors with a scissor fob.

On the other side of the fob I stitched my initials and the name of our EGA guild.  The finishing of this box was taught by our EGA member Linda F.  She did a great job of explaining each step!  As far as finishing stitching goes, this was a simple finish.

My New Years start was the Heritage Sampler by Paulette Stewart.  I saw her FlossTube video prior to the release of the chart and I was hooked.  It was wonderful having the background on the design.  I have been SUPER focused on this project and I have the outside border completed.  The bottom inside section is entirely over 1 and that took a lot of time.  I'm stitching this on 36 count Vintage Meadow Rue (called for linen) and the called for over - dyed cotton floss.

What are you focusing on this month?  Hoping you have a great week and a Happy Valentines Day!

Meeting a Stitching Idol

Last weekend I had the good fortune to visit Sassy Jacks Stitchery in Weaverville, NC to hear a lecture from a stitching idol - Nicola Parkman of Hands Across the Sea Samplers.  It was absolutely awesome to hear Nicola speak about the samplers in her collection and about the samplers that she has reproduced through Hands Across the Sea Samplers.  Nicola was just as I imagined.  Gorgeous, smart, funny, and an absolute treasure trove of information.  Her joy at learning more about the girls who stitched the samplers is so obvious.  This was a chance of a lifetime!

I'm on the left in the photo below and Teresa (Girl With Needles) is in the middle.  Teresa and I  are longtime friends and traveled together.  To the right is Chris of Tot Hill Farm Stitches blog is to the right.  This was my first time to meet her but she too was so very sweet!  

Nicola  brought with her several original samplers that HATS has reproduced.  When Thou Art Rich is below.  There is a glare in the photo that really does not enable the true beauty of this sampler to show.  I have this one ready to go and have been seriously thinking of starting it soon.

Jane Vaughan 1724 is on the left.  The sampler on the right is one Nicola is working on now that is being stitched reversibly.  She even had to carefully check to ensure she was showing the front.  

 

Nicola and I

We also got to see what is being released at Market.  Our class project is inspired by one of the new releases (shown below) and for that one, we were able to purchase the chart early.   The project was designed around the freehand stitching in this sampler.

Our day ended with tea.  Truly a delightful day!  

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