Acorn Sampler is Finished

Well, here it is.... finally finished...

Acorn Sampler
Betsy Stinner - Earth Threads
28 ct Prairie Harvest Vintage Cashel Linen, NPI Silk
2008 Class Teaching Project, Celebration of Needlework, Nashua, New Hampshire, May 2008

Also, I heard from Sherry today that she has received my PIF gift for her (wow, I am actually finally down to just one more PIF to stitch and send!!) - you can tell what sad anniversary has been on my mind lately, but fortunately, Sherry says this was a good choice for her - I knew it, good country girl that she is ;-)
September 11 Floss Ring Tag
The Drawn Thread
Unknown R&R Reproductions 40 ct Linen, Weeks Dye Works and DMC Floss

So... now I realize I can start thinking about what new medium sized project I can start in place of Acorn Sampler - I guess I will start with looking at what is already kitted up :-)

Stitched on today: Finished MAW Exchange, and finished Acorn Sampler **Mailed out a new Crazy Exchange today

Acorn Sampler is Back

Life is back to normal again tonight :-) Everything was just fine last night, just no good light for stitching where I also had to sit to watch baseball - no damage, no worries, just plenty of rain... followed by a beautiful late summer day here. Thanks for your thoughts :-) And... out came Acorn Sampler again tonight. I am oh so very close now, so you can keep your eyes peeled for a finish of this one quite soon now!!

Stitched on today: Stitched on MAW Exchange, and stitched on Acorn Sampler

All kinds of stuff...

I have all kinds of things to show today, so fair warning - this entry is a bit photo heavy!

First of all, I received the most amazing pocketed pinkeep from Vonna today. Isn't it a beauty? I made a wish for one - a pinkeep with a pocket on the back - over on the Make A Wish Exchange very recently, and was excited when Vonna volunteered to make one for me. She also sent me some items from my wishlist for my birthday. What a sweetie! Thank you so much Vonna - I love it all!

Some more birthday gifts have arrived... I know, I am quite spoilt!
Jill is amazing! Jill and I talk sports quite a bit. She totally respects my love of the Red Sox while she is very much a Twins fan. (Truth be told, I love the Twins too - just love the Red Sox more) - we also love Kevin Garnett of the Boston Celtics. Anyhow... looky what she made for me. How cool is this?? And it is so perfectly stitched and assembled. I love the heart shaped eyelet she used. And she also sent a marking pin that she made herself - and I needed a new one, having recently broken mine... Thank you so much Jill!
WendyJo also stitched a floss ring tag for me - these are the only two I own... she stitched one of my favorite Lizzie Kate freebies - love it, thanks so much Wendy Jo!!

A couple of gifts I put together and sent out also have arrived where they should. First is my little tiny birthday gift for Patti - most of you know already that Patti and I were born on the exact same day, and I think that is very, very cool because Patti is so incredibly cool!

Humble Daisys Floss Ring Tag
Brightneedle
28 ct Misty Green Linen, DMC Floss, Stitched one-over-one

Also, Karen has received the PIF gift that I made for her... as I recently mentioned, I am on a Brightneedle kick lately ;-)
Mama Bird Floss Ring Tag
Brightneedle
32 ct Natural Pearl Linen, GAST Floss, stitched one-over-one

And finally... coming to the end of the line here... I pulled Acorn Sampler back out tonight. All last month I kept thinking, "nope, I am not in the mood." Tonight I let myself realize why. I really don't care for the coverage of the silk on the cashel linen in several areas on the sampler. I will finish it and even frame it. It was a really fun class with Betsy. That said, if I had to do it all over again, I would have stitched this on belfast linen instead. Almost there now - one good lengthy stitching session and it will be finished!

Stitched on today: Stitched a gift, and stitched on Acorn Sampler **Mailed out SBEBB Redwork Exchange today

Exhausted

I had really hoped to get a bit done on the bottom section of Acorn Sampler today. However, I am just wiped out. We had a family BBQ for Mike's birthday (which is officially tomorrow) today. But, I did do a little. I might take a few minutes still tonight to work on my Christmas in July Exchange project... little x's might be easier right now ;-)

Lily is exhausted too. I just took this photo of her sleeping atop a chest of plastic drawers next to my stitching chair... one of her favorite places (actually, almost all of my cats nap here from time to time)...

Stitched on today: Stitched on Acorn Sampler, and stitched on Christmas in July Exchange project

Acorn Progress

I am still shooting for my goal to finish Acorn Sampler this month. I have made it to the last band - all that delicate backstitching, the quidlobets and the verse are ahead. I do think this would have been much, much nicer on 32 ct instead of 28 ct linen (this is a class kit from Celebration of Needlework last month, so I had no choice) - the silk would have covered better ;-)

Stitched on today: Finished HoE LHN Exchange, and stitched on Acorn Sampler **Mailed out a new CE Exchange today

Acorn Sampler

Acorn Sampler is back out again tonight. For a while tonight I was getting a bit skeptical that there was enough of the cream colored silk in the kit... those three bands so far took up almost a whole skein. Further inspection of the chart reveals that the fairly large group of quidlobet stitches in the bottom area is done with one strand of the silk, so I think it will actually work out OK ;-)

Stitched on today: Started a new CE exchange, stitched on SBEBB ABC Exchange, and Acorn Sampler **Mailed Spring Exchange to Myrna today

Is it really June already?

I worked on Acorn Sampler again tonight, but I am not completely happy with it. I do not care for how the two strands of brown silk cover on the cashel linen for the acorns. Next time up, I am pulling them out and restitching with three strands...

I can't believe it is June already! Goal review time :-)

May Goals:
1. Continue to work on Serenity - yes
2. Continue to work on A Quaker Christmas - yes
3. Continue to work on Houses of Hawk Run Hollow – finish House 10 and start another block - yes, and I started House 9
4. Continue to work on Dawn, Fairy Spirit of Grace - no
5. Start Kathy’s Neighborhood Round Robin - yes, and mailed it to An
6. Stitch at least one PIF - yes, I did two – Nic and Linda have received them
7. Continue to stitch on Spring Ride SAL - no
8. Stitch one or two ornaments - yes, I stitched two
9. Stitch and mail SBEBB Feathered Friends Exchange by 5/15 - yes, and Nancy has received it
10. Stitch and mail Spring Exchange to Myrna - I am stitching two things – I finished the first
11. Stitch and send return CE Exchange to Simone - yes, finished Saturday and will mail to her on Monday, 6/2
12. Stitch and send HoE Freebie Exchange by 5/31 - yes, and Olga has received it
13. Stitch some gifts - yes, I stitched four gifts
14. Finish House Samplings/start a new small to medium project - yes – finished House Samplings and started Acorn Sampler
15. Meet the Finishing Challenge – Biscornu - yes
16. Stitch and send Glenna’s Neighborhood Round Robin to Nicole by 6/1 - yes! – mailed it to Nicole on 5/31

June Goals:
1. Continue to work on Serenity
2. Continue to work on A Quaker Christmas
3. Continue to work on Houses of Hawk Run Hollow
4. Start Michelle’s Neighborhood Round Robin
5. Continue to stitch on Spring Ride SAL
6. Stitch one or two ornaments
7. Finish and send Spring Exchange to Myrna
8. Stitch some gifts
9. Finish Acorn Sampler
10. Stitch and send ABC Exchange by 6/15
11. Stitch and send Patriotic Exchange by 6/21
12. Stitch and send HoE LHN Exchange by 6/28
13. Stitch and send scissor pocket for MAW exchange to Terry
14. Stitch ornament for Christmas in July exchange, ready to send by 7/1
15. Stitch Stitcher’s Lottery item, ready for 7/4
16. Stitch and send new Crazy Exchange

Stitched on today: Started second half of Spring exchange for Myrna, and stitched on Acorn Sampler

A bit of Acorn Sampler

Tonight I am trying to get as much as I can done on my HoE Freebie Design Exchange - my choice for this exchange is a bit of work...so I am off again to go and work on it, but I did spend a little time today working on Betsy Stinner's Acorn Sampler again. I really like this part and had to pull myself away to work on the exchange again ;-)

Thank you to all who have left such nice comments about the many fobs I have stitched lately. I don't want to be the "fob queen," but I do love using Nature's Alphabet for fobs... and nope, I have not stitched the whole alphabet yet... I have not yet stitched H, O, Q, U, X, Y or Z :-)

Stitched on today: Acorn Sampler, and HoE Freebie Design Exchange **Mailed Kathy's Neighborhood Round Robin to An today

T.G.I.F.

I am so grateful that it is Friday - this week felt extra long... I have an update of Acorn Sampler tonight. Betsy charted the florentine stitch band differently than how she stitched it on her model... I think I like the band on the model better... The satin stitching with two strands of this yellowish cream silk has been a little tedious, but I think it will be worth it in the end.

I hope I can find time to catch up on blogs this weekend. I am sorry that I have not had time with my busy work week to hit anything more than a sporadic blog here and there. I hope everyone is well!

Stitched on today: Started a PIF, and stitched on Feathered Friends Exchange and Acorn Sampler

Keeping my promise to myself...

I am keeping the promise I made to myself a few days ago, and I am continuing to work on my class project, Acorn Sampler by Betsy Stinner :-) Maybe, just maybe, after I get this one done, I can plan to pick up another class project from the pile and possibly finish it too? Who knows?!! I was glad to hear from many of you that I am not alone in having my class projects sitting in a stash drawer :-)

Stitched on today: Finished a PIF, and stitched on Acorn Sampler **Mailed off a gift today

Starting Acorn Sampler

Thank you so much to all of you that left me such lovely comments about the finishing of House Samplings. I really appreciated hearing from you.

I decided it is time to break a bad habit. It is hard to admit, but I take needlework classes every year, and when I get home the class kit gets put away in my stash. To date, I have never picked even one up to stitch on it after the class was dismissed! I decided that is the bad habit I am going to break right now, and I started Acorn Sampler, the class with Betsy Stinner of Earth Threads that I took on Friday... the photo is dark but here is my start... ;-)


Stitched on today: Finished a gift, started a gift, and started Acorn Sampler