15a. Winter and 15b. Winter Row

Number 15 is a two-fer because they're small. Cricket Collection's Winter: I am stitching this on 40 count Picture This Plus in some sort of blue from my stash, using the recommended DMC.


My blue is a little lighter than the recommended fabric, which on the model photo is R&R Reproductions "Morning Fog," and I was a little concerned about the white floss showing up, but I think it's ok.


I picked up Winter Row at In Stitches based on their model, which was stitched and framed without all the buttons. (Everything pictured on the chart which is not in these four colors of floss are buttons!) It does look more sampler-y without the buttons, but I might add a few: a little red cardinal, the two black birds and the hat and mittens on the right-hand snowman. I'm stitching it on 36 count Americana blend seen here using WDW and GAST threads.


This concludes my 15 crazy January starts/re-starts! I was going to continue to number 17 but then figured I could show you those down the road. I've been spending lots of time with this project, as have the rest of our Crazy January stitching bloggers. I've enjoyed the heck out of it, but it has pointed out to me the crummy way I have my supplies organized. Things are scattered everywhere, and I had to scramble to find all the parts and pieces. Right now I'm missing a chart (so annoying, since I bought the buttons, beads and floss for it in order to start it). Oh well, it will turn up soon, and I certainly don't lack for things to do. In fact, I could show you four or five big WIPs (and will in the coming weeks) along with another project or two I'd like to start. I am pleased that I was able to purchase minimal supplies to do this challenge--a couple of charts, some fibers, and a piece or two of fabric.

Peaches: "Do you have time for us now?"


Back to regular posting on Sunday--see you then!

14. Catherine Metcalf

Hi, everyone! Catherine Metcalf, from the Scarlet Letter, is #14 on my list. While I doubt I can truly finish this sampler this year, I can certainly give it a good try. I truly enjoy working on it, and there are so many different elements, it shouldn't get too boring. I love the spotty cow, and the flock of little (sheep? lambs? four-legged birds?) on the grounds of the very nice estate. The border is even not too large, so it is not as time-consuming as some SL sampler borders.


I like that the chart is bound as a booklet, and the instructions are very clear. I'm stitching it on 40 count LL (navy bean?) using the recommended AVAS threads, although the chart gives the DMC numbers as well.


Here's the rabbit bunch, having a little snack. This food isn't terribly good for them--I expect it's rabbit junk food--but mostly they live on timothy hay and fresh greens, so a little doesn't hurt. And they love it.


See you tomorrow. Tomorrow's project is brand-new and also smallish, so I'm thinking, since I post on Sundays anyway, that I'll just continue through the week and end with #17.

13. Sous le Soleil de la Lune

Today's restarted WIP is Sous le Soleil de la Lune by Reflets de Soie. I'm stitching it on 40 count LL in maritime white, and it's working up so beautifully I can hardly believe I stopped stitching on it. I know what happened though: it is charted for Gloriana silks with AVAS and DMC as substitutions. I bought the AVAS, but I got a few of the Gloriana, which made the project come to a screeching halt, because the Gloriana colors were so much better, and really better suited to the project. (See the Glorianas on the bottom of the photo?) The problem was that I had already bought the AVAS and Gloriana fibers are about twice as expensive. What to do? While I mulled it over, I set the project aside, not wanting to stitch too much into the territory that I could cover with Gloriana silks. In the meantime, I started stitching on first one thing, then another, and before I knew it, SlSdlL was at the bottom of the project pile. Sad.


This photo doesn't do it justice. So I made a stitchy decision as I worked on the border this morning. I love the purples and the lavenders and I've already started the border and the cartouche in the middle. Those I'll leave alone, but where there are flowers with specialty stitches or large expanses of stitching (the roof of the house, the walls and the lawn), I'll add two or three of the Glorianas to my project bag. Solution!

Speaking of which, is anyone going to the l'aiguille en fete in Paris next month? During my last hiatus from work about five years ago, I went to Paris in February, not knowing that I could have gone to the show! I explored and toured and had an overall blast. I really should not be thinking about doing this, but I so badly want to go, and I've got my eye on the fares--this is a great, cheap time of year to go usually. I stay in a little inexpensive, very French hotel in the 6th, and I eat food from the grocery store (so much better than U.S. stores--my God, the yogurt, the cheese, the cold cuts) or inexpensive cafes and bakeries, and I get around on the Metro, so my expenses are minimal. So tempting to go to the show.... One should not use one's limited funds for frivolous travel, should one? On the other hand, life is short, and memory is long... [Edited to add, after researching ticket prices--nah. Not unless there are any last-minute deals. Ditto on the hotel. At the moment things are a bit pricey. So I'll wait and watch, and look at the weather and BF's own travel schedule, and we'll see. There are worse things than staying home to stitch, after all! But my two fondest memories, aside from visiting some wonderful needlework shops, eating fabulous meals and buying groceries at Bon Marche, were visiting the pet shops along the Seine, with the most amazing array of animals, including enormous pet rabbits and the open air fruit/vegetable/meat/seafood market I visited just as it began to snow huge lazy flakes.]


Elvis needs a haircut today!


See you tomorrow!

12. Dorothy's Garden

Today's project is a WIP from way back: "Dorothy's Garden," by A Stitcher's Hands. I'm stitching it on a 32 count mystery fabric--I'll have to go back and look at what it is, because it feels rich and creamy [edited to add that it's 34 count Legacy linen in cafe au lait]--using the recommended AVAS. I have enoyed working on it, but I got bored because it's almost completely symmetrical, so I set it aside once I'd completed (nearly) one side. I'd actually forgotten it completely until Michelle mentioned that I had worked on a project called Dorothy's Garden, and I claimed no knowledge of it whatsoever. Sad! My apologies for the creases--it's been folded in its project bag for quite a while, and I don't iron unless really necessary.


This is slated to be a 2011 finish; it's really nice to work on, and all those roses are just beautiful close-up.


A photo of last night's salad: I got the recipe from the huge collection of Cooking Light recipes published in book form. The salad is composed of torn greens (I used Boston and romaine lettuces) and the top portion is a mixture of apples (granny smith and pink lady), an ounce of blue cheese crumbled, 2 pieces of bacon crumbled, and a dressing of lemon juice (I used myer lemons, which are a bit sweeter), honey and a tiny bit of olive oil. The lemon juice keeps the apples from discoloring, and the honey makes the dressing adhere and keeps it from being too tart. We're going to try lots of adventurous salads--I'm guilty generally of stocking a head or bag of lettuce, cucumber, tomato and carrots and putting together the same tossed salad time after time. Who wants to eat or make that over and over. So I resolved to find new things to make, which required a visit to our local Wegmans store, which has great produce. It's where I also bought the dandelion greens for the bunnies. The dandelion greens are huge--I can only imagine how large the flowers are--and I haven't seen them in a store until yesterday when I shopped in the produce section (although I've seen them on other bunny blogs), picking among the more exotic stuff. Coming up in the salad department will be a Thai steak salad and a grapefruit-avocado-seafood salad.


I need to get out and exercise. Pink is providing me with a convenient excuse not to go out by chewing my laces. For whatever reason, he chews the end caps off all my laces. He doesn't swallow the caps--just drops them on the floor. I keep my really good running/walking shoes locked away from his little teeth.


Happy snow day to those of you who got the storm (it seems to be largely missing us), and see you tomorrow!

11. Mary Western 1820

Coming down the home stretch on the "15," and this week I'll have all large sampler projects I think. A few will be starts, and a few will be WIPs. Here's a WIP that I've enjoyed a lot: Mary Western 1820 by Samplers Revisited. I've gotten to the little striped, crested bird, although I haven't stitched his feet or crest yet. I'm stitching the sampler in the recommended NPI threads on 40 count LL in maritime white.


I love how clearly this sampler is charted, and it's a pleasure to work on the motifs.


I went grocery shopping today for salad stuff and brought back dandelion greens for the buns. They were so excited that Pink yanked the paper towel they were served on and tossed it over Elvis, who just continued calmly munching on his greens.


See you tomorrow with another large sampler--I'm off to make a salad for the humans!

10. Ann Rayner

Happy Sunday! It's cold and blustery here, and I can't think of a better thing to do than sit in the sunlight streaming into my family room and stitch. Later on we have some errands to run and we may have dinner out somewhere featuring a salad while actually sitting down in a restaurant, and not in a car--although--am I the only one who enjoys eating in my car? (Not while I'm blasting through traffic, but parked in the sun, watching the various other patrons coming and going while listening to the radio.) Anyway, in order to rev up our nutrition, I'm thinking of instituting an occasional salad photo featuring interesting salads with homemade dressings. Maybe that will spur me on to make the effort in the same way that posting pictures of my needlework progress actually drives that progress. I've had random cravings lately for grapefruit and for avocados (and not just the kind that come threaded on Gentle Art cards). Maybe we should each have a 15-salad challenge (not one a day, but occasionally)?

Meet Ann Rayner, by Threads Through Time. I purchased this chart some time ago, when the TTT charts were re-released. There are others that I mean to get to someday, should I live long enough. Other stitchers have recently stitched Ann (including Tanya and Kim), and I love the variations in the colors, which depend on the threads and fabric the stitcher chooses. Ann is charted for DMC, but I did a conversion mostly out of my stash, to AVAS. I'm using 40 count LL vintage buttercream. It's hard to tell from my sunny-day photo, but the fabric is pinker and yellower than this shows, and is nicely mottled.


The photo of this sampler from the 'net shows lots of red and a warmer palette. The photo on the chart (however blurry) shows lighter/brighter shades, so I'm headed toward bluer blues, pinker pinks, while keeping the intense reds. Slightly springier, especially considering the lambs at the bottom of the design.


Elvis says he's dressed for spring.


See you tomorrow!

9. Lil Bo Peep Samplar

Hard to believe another sampler--and another day--has rolled around again. I went to In Stitches today to order a couple of charts (wait 'til you see! but I'll wait until I have the charts in hand to show you a good photo) and to kit up a large-ish project that I'll start for this challenge, so stitching time was limited. Today's sampler is Lil Bo Peep Samplar by Little by Little. I'm stitching it on a bit of mystery LL in a darkish color (Examplar maybe?) using overdyed threads. Here's the problem: I don't know which overdyeds I used exactly--my project bag seems to have disappeared, and of course, I didn't note the conversion on my chart. So I'll have to do the best I can to match them so I can start it again.



The drive-through finally yielded a bunny last night, and he's sitting with a second bunny that Patricia got for me, and a unicorn that Radonda picked up. Thank you so much, ladies, for adding to my menagerie.


The needlework shop was busy today, I suspect because stitchers are hearing the rumors about the possible 6-12" snow storm coming our way. It has gotten very cold out and I told the rabbits that anyone going out should be sure to wear a muffler.

Pink: "Peaches, a muffler is a scarf, not a bunny sitting on your face!"

See you tomorrow with the newest big sampler project maybe!

8. Whale Hunting

Afternoon, all! Obviously, this is a WIP--even though I stayed up late stitching last night (I was uneasy because I kept hearing gunfire in the woods somewhere not too far away; I hope my deer friends are all accounted for today. Really--who fires a gun in the woods at 1 a.m. in the suburbs?) I have been working on this gem for several years, and I've determined that this is going to be the year for a finish and framing. This is "Whale Hunting" by Elizabeth Talledo of Finger Work. I'm stitching it on some sort of gray linen that seems to be about 36 count--or maybe 34. [Edited to add that I looked back through the blog, and I've been working on it since the late summer of 2006, and the linen is 34 count Legacy in Puritan Gray.] If I had it to do over, I'd choose a nice Picture This linen in 40 count in a mottled gray. I'm using the recommended fibers: GAST and WDW. This was stitched back before I realized that you should really cross one stitch at a time with overdyed threads, but I think it's turning out ok, and I won't change my approach on the final sections or I think it would look weird. The colors in the photo of my stitched work are right on target.


All in all, I'm happy with it--the design is great and charted really well. My only slight complaint is that when I bought it, I had expected colors that were a bit brighter, but I'm not unhapy with the result. I put it aside only because I was a little tired of it and because something else called to me. I purchased some new threads and it feels new again to me.


Pink, getting a little exercise. Like a lot of bunny owners, I'd love to catch him on "film" doing a binky, but it hasn't happened yet. Of course, as he tore by me, he binkied 360 degrees and I missed capturing it. (For those who are not bunny owners, binkies are when a rabbit expresses joy? playfulness? pent-up energy? by jumping and twisting in the air for no particular reason. There are some cute examples on Youtube.)



I'm paying a little visit to my friends at In Stitches tomorrow; who knows what trouble I may get into. Stay tuned!

7. Shepard Care Sampler

Today's restart is "Shepard Care Sampler" by Little by Little. I'm stitching it on 40 count Lakeside in Autumn Gold. I had started it on 36 count Picture This, but the sheep weren't showing up and the coverage wasn't ideal, so this is a restart, even though I like the PTP fabric. No matter, I can use it for something else. It is charted for DMC, but I did a conversion to NPI. It will be nice to move it out of my work basket--I like the design and especially the sheep.


"Shepherd" is spelled wrong, and I thought about correcting it, but it kind of tickled me to leave "Shepard" in; I have spent many hours Shepardizing legal cases.


There is no drive-through pet today; BF is off at a meeting out of town, and there may be some snow on the way back, so we switched cars. I don't drive his car if I don't have to, though--cue the music from "Feris Bueller's Day Off"--I'm rusty at driving a stick shift and the car is special to him, so it will stay parked safely in the garage and I will happily occupy myself with movies and stitching. Oh yeah, and housework and schoolwork.

Pink is worried today about Gus, who is going to the vet for possible stasis treatment. Get well soon, Gus!


See you tomorrow!

6. Charlotte Clayton Sampler

This is Charlotte Clayton, which I purchased several years ago and started on a darker 32 count linen. I later regretted that, because I felt that the fibers (NPI) didn't give good enough coverage over one. I had gotten far enough--a few major motifs--to feel too discouraged to start it again right away. It seems I need a cooling-off period. Now I'm stitching it on 40 count navy bean LL. Even though it's a restart, it feels new; I started it in a new place on the chart, and the color and count of the linen are very different.


Here's what the original sampler looked like, although the designer doesn't show you the stitched reproduction. I wish the designers would show us both versions of a sampler repro. For a really nice completed Charlotte, see Margaret's.


Today's drive-through critter is "Papa Elephant." Still no bunnies where I live, although I am hearing reports of them in other towns in Virginia (Patricia at In Stitches called to report she got one today in Alexandria) and in other parts of the country.


"I'm a little concerned about the toy bunny situation here."


See you tomorrow with another new start!

5. Phebe Edwards,1818

Today's start is Phebe Edwards, 1818, by Forget-Me-Nots In Stitches, which I picked up a few days ago when I last visited In Stitches. This is a reasonably priced little project (well, not that little, since it's 215 x 226 stitches) because the chart itself is fairly inexpensive, and the fibers called for--with the exception of one spool of silk--are all Sampler Threads. I am stitching it in the recommended fibers on 40 count LL in navy bean. The yellow flowers are daffodils, and the border will also be daffodils. When I stitched the top two daffodils in the recommended color, gold leaf, I thought they weren't bright enough--not yellow enough--so I subbed another color. Those are the two side by side. I'm wondering now if they aren't TOO yellow. Thoughts? I laid the various yellow overdyeds in my stash on top of the q-snap to get a feel: my favorite name is "sally sunshine," by WDW.


The copy of the photo on the package does not do it justice, of course. Whichever yellow I go with, it will be a nice bright stitch for the dark days of winter.


Here's today's drive-through critter. The tag says simply "Bear." I think he's a cutie, but he's still not the elusive bunny, although a dear reader, Deborah, has very kindly offered to send a bunny to me.


I have successfully launched my exercise program and dutifully trudged around my neighborhood, nose running in the cold. It's a start though.

These ladies run in a pack of five. I see them frequently crossing the road when I drive somewhere at dusk. They are very handsome and were grazing in my back yard this morning. They are large and pretty hefty--perhaps because they fattened up on my hostas this summer. One thing we know they won't eat: daffodils!


"Who are you calling fat? We HEARD you huffing and puffing up the hill!"


See you tomorrow with another project!

4. Sarah Hatton McPhail--1826

I figured that a brand new start each day would tax both my budget and my sanity--and I have a tenuous enough grip on that as it is--no sense nudging it over with a dozen new big historic reproduction samplers (although I will be starting two or three of those), so I'm including some re-starts and some WIPs in my bunch to balance the intensity. Here's one I've trotted out before, with some new stitching on it. This is one of four large samplers I'm working on which I actually have a hope of finishing this year--another one is Sampler #1--Christinia Cathcart. I am stitching Sarah on 40 count maritime white by Lakeside Linens. This came as a kit, with AVAS, but I swapped out the ruddier, lower count Lakeside for my fabric. It's from The Essamplaire.


Here's a photo of the finished sampler--or some of it. I'm working on the boat/water section now.


Today I went through the drive-through and got a Happy Meal with a pink "Mama Unicorn" in it.


Pink!


Best wishes and see you tomorrow with a new start!

3. Winter at Beacon House

Today I started "Winter at Beacon House," by Praiseworthy Stitches, partly because Rabbits' Guy requested a sampler with a lighthouse, ship and rabbits. This sampler has all of those and more, including little fish with eyes, a sampler alphabet, deer, dogs (to my sister: the one on the sled looks like yours), a beautiful bay, and various sizes of snowflakes, all smyrna crosses over 2, 4 or 6. I am using the exact shade of LL called for by the design. It's rainy and gray here today, so it was hard to capture the color, but Winter Sky linen is a lavender-blue shade. I am not using the recommended fibers at all, though. I'm using silks from my stash, including a lot of overdyeds--Silk n Colors from the Thread Gatherer. It pleases me that I had both the fabric (although mine is 40 count, not the 32 count called for by the design) and fibers in my stash that I could use, so I only had to lay out $5.99 for the magazine. Where I'm missing a color, I just sub NPI or AVAS from my stash. I had originally planned to use NPI and AVAS solely, but I decided that parts of the design, especially the beach, the bay and the house, really needed the variegated floss.


Here's the photo of the project in Just Cross Stitch Magazine, which a lot of us ran out to buy this month:


We have no new Happy Meals pets to show since yesterday's expedition, a Happy Meal for each of us for lunch, yielded another giraffe and a second tiger. I was going to dicker with them about getting something different, but as my closest McDonalds is off the interstate and it was full of tourists complaining about mustard on their sandwiches, I gave them a break. We had a good, heavy home-made breakfast this morning, so we'll have Happy Meals for dinner tonight--BF is almost as intrigued with the hunt as I am. I'm going to try a different McDonalds also.

Peaches is glancing at a well-chewed Cooking Light Magazine here; she recommends slimming down by eating the cooking magazine or cookbook instead of making a meal.


See you tomorrow!

2. The Gingham Dog and the Calico Cat

Project # 2 of the 15-day Crazy January Challenge is "The Gingham Dog & the Calico Cat" by Carriage House Samplings. It's not the large project I imagined starting today, because I'm still gathering the parts and pieces. That's okay, though; I've sprinkled smaller projects through the Challenge so that I'm not completely overwhelmed.

I'm stitching it in the charted NPI colors on a small piece of Lakeside from my stash in 40 count maritime white, I think. It's a fun stitch, and the colors are more true to this photo than the photo of the CHS cover art. [Edited to add: I have made a mistake in the border, but I am not a perfectionist when a mistake can be concealed or worked around. Because I don't think it detracts, I'm leaving it as is. If you look at the cover art and my "model," you'll see what I mean. Fortunately, such things don't drive me nuts. I'll call it customization.]

My updated Crazy 15 list:

1. Christinia Cathcart, The Samplar Workes, 32 count mystery fabric, AVAS silks
2. The Gingham Dog & the Calico Cat, Carriage House Samplings, 40 ct LL, NPI silks


I got this Happy Meal animal yesterday. You can indeed get apple slices instead of fries--they're called apple dippers, and they're delicious--crisp and cold, served with a little container of caramel sauce.

Here are some of my stitching buddies, cheering me on (well, snoring me on, maybe). You can see some of my stitching bags spread out on the sofa.

Off to do some cleaning and a little more stitching. Happy evening and see you tomorrow with Project #3!