I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy

I feel like stitching patriotic/summer themes (for my separate, also imaginary, patriotic themed sampler wall) around Independence Day. It's sort of a race to see how much I can get accomplished before the end of July. I started this on Friday evening, after tearing apart my stitching room looking for this Shepherd's Bush chart, which I knew I'd purchased from Ebay sometime last year. It came with the remnants of the original stitcher's fibers (mostly Silk 'n Colors), so I was able to use the ones I liked, and substituted other SnC from my stash when I ran short. I finished it yesterday--such a feeling of satisfaction to start and finish something all in one weekend, even if it is this tiny. SB's "Tiny Flag" stitched on 32 ct Lakeside Linen in lentil, stitched over 2 and also over one in the "America" line. I'm actually going to get it framed, because I like it so much. It calls for a charm to be attached on the blue field at top left, and I thought of looking for one when I was at the LNS yesterday, but decided to let it go. The suggested charm is a little pewter colored shield with "US" on it. Doesn't do anything for the design, I think, although I thought of subbing a gold or red star button.

That done, on to other things! I've started "July" from Prairie Schooler on 40 ct Ricamo linen and DMC from my stash. I'm missing just three colors, so I'll need to pick those up somewhere. I like PS designs, but I prefer them (and LH designs also) on a high count fabric or over one. It sharpens them, somehow. I didn't need to start in the upper left-hand corner of this, but I find myself doing it more and more because, like a lot of us, I prefer stitching top-down/left-right, and if you start in the center, a certain amount is always going to be up and right-left. I also subbed brighter colors of the red, since IRL the DMC colors were a little duller than the photo.

The question is...should it hang on my imaginary beach-and-maritime sampler themed wall, or on my imaginary patriotic sampler themed wall?

When I was at the LNS yesterday, I picked up this hilariously perfect chart. I pulled the called for fibers (GAST) and then subbed AVAS for them--I thought the GAST colors were a little subdued. I'm going to stitch it on 40 ct Ricamo also. It's called "If I Can't Stitch," by The Sunflower Seed.

I spent a good bit of time on Christinia as well. I had a small disappointment when one page of the chart disappeared--page 1 (of 12), where I had about 15 lines of stitching to go, but those lines started a new part of the design that wasn't readily readable either from other pages or from the tiny photo of this sampler on the cover. I had been stitching on the bus, and realized that my stop was coming up quickly, so I stuffed everything in my bag, and it must not have made it off the bus with me. Bummer. I felt bad about it--I pictured it shouting to me in a tiny voice as I went down the aisle--"waaaaiiit....come back!" Someone at the bus company probably picked it up and threw it in the trash when they cleaned out the bus overnight. Deciding it was gone for good, I ordered the whole darned thing over again from Homespun Samplar. Fortunately, it's not an expensive chart, and it's still in stock, and I got to discover a couple of new designs that jumped into my cart when I ordered Christinia. Note to self: make a working copy, Dummy! This is page two. When the chart comes in the mail, I'll finish page one.

Here's a two-fer of dandies saying happy Father's Day, happy week ahead, and always check the seat before you get off the bus!