Not many new stitches ...

I added a few trees in the border ... have garden gates x 4 & more trees to stitch. The next border has a portion of a poem by Andrew Marvell called The Garden. Will try to get more trees & lettering done this coming week.

Spring blooming continues

Flowering crab apple tree -- so pretty in pink : )

Pretty Weeping Peach & crabapple trees. The dwarf cherry trees are blooming, too.

Drawn Thread: The Sanctuary WIP

Finished the fourth garden from The Sanctuary. c.2001, C.A.Zittel, The Drawn Thread. It was so much fun working on all the flowers w/stitches like: rhodes, eyelet, rice,jessica, etc. I will add the date last.
Started working on the border with trees and gates. Not sure how much stitching time I'll have over the week-end (Alex performs in The School of Rock - Middle School Play).

Everybody: Have a nice week-end & stitch well : )

Congratulations : )

Congratulations SharonB! Sharon Boggon is the featured artist at stitchamaze. Sharon blogs at In a Minute Ago. I am inspired by the awesome textile information she puts out on a daily basis.

While surfing, found more interesting news from Anna. I never heard of the Needlework Show & could have stayed on-line 10 hours going thru all the links. Funness + Doorprizes. WOOT!!! She also had a post/picture about an Anniversary Ornament magazine being issued by JCS. ca-ching, ca-ching : ) LOL

About Sanctuary, Nancy in IL, or anybody, feel free to get out your DT Sanctuary project & join in. I was in a SAL last year (sponsored by the LNS). I enjoyed monthly hands-on stitching help as many of the stitches were brand new to me. I didn't keep up with the proposed stitching schedule. Most of the group (snail paced me) finished in the Fall of 2005. Right now, I have the center & most of the four gardens stitched. I didn't add the year. I plan to start stitching the outer borders within the next couple of days. If I can get this WIP moving along - I'd like to put it on exhibit this Summer. (picture soon)

Need to get stuff accomplished today ... stitch well

Another Sandra Fan

I received a private e-mail from Jennifer. Jen has a blog with some beautiful smocking. Check out the charming Easter dress -- smocking w/Easter motifs at Jen's Blog : ) Awesome. AND ... FYI, Jen put together a web page of Sandra Cozzolino Santa designs.

I admit only owning ONE Santa design; however, have three pattern leaflets (designs by Sandra Cozzolino) of the Charles Craft Huck Towel designs. I've stitched Cappuccino & Java from Coffeehouse Favorites (want to do the other four). I bought Celebrate the Seasons! & would like to stitch all eight one day (one year LOL) -- especially "spring fever" with the bee hive.

UPDATE: While surfing blogs, I see Becky Bee already has Spring Fever DONE!! Here I'm only in the planning to buy a towel stage -- and she is FINISHED.

The two huck towels I finished most recently also have smaller towel designs for terry cloth dish towels. Design Connection. They have herb motifs & if I can find the towels on discount, may stitch them for MY kitchen ... after the fair!

Put some stitching into The Sanctuary. I'm using Anchor Floss and Week's Overdye. Pattern calls for one strand over two threads; however, I'm using 2 strands of floss on the cross stitches. Picture later this week ....

Finished

Finished this towel last night.

Will put the pair on exhibit at the County Fair in July : )

Found my Drawn Thread Sanctuary -- thinking to get more stitches done. I have not touched it for a loooong time.

Progress by Nicholas / Spring!

Nicholas is working near the hemline of the skirt. Such a pretty project : )
Pic taken by DH this a.m.

Finishes : )

I think this is ready for the frame place. Mystery with a Little bit of Glitz designed by Gay Ann Rogers. Started 12/1999 & finished 04/2006. After snagging some of the Watercolours -- and restitching those parts, I cross my fingers it is done. Nice to get a WIP out of the closet & FINISHED.
I finished a towel, too -- Kitchen Angel Sampler & Towels. Designed by Sandra Cozzolino. The other towel I want to stitch says: 'Bless our family as we dine'. (This pattern has four more towel designs for the individual herbs)

Signs of Spring ...

Thankx for asking ....

J.D.: Lelia's Xanga is my book blog -- or my record of what I've been reading. My daughter opened up a Xanga account for me to use. It has limitations, so I started to put my stitching stuff on the blogger account. Xanga has a guestbook for comments -- or, you can open a xanga account to leave comments.

Was a sunny & Spring-like day ... I went to the bookstore .... spent about 2 hours roaming the aisles. Thought I was visiting heaven. Picked up Name of the Rose & Middlemarch. AND keep me out of there!!!! I own enough -- should stick to the public library for reading materials.

Mystery Sampler (update)

Pictured are Row 23 (Rice Stitch & Eyelets) & Row 24 (Italian Hemstitching) of the Mystery Sampler featured in NeedleArts Magazine. There is an online group for the mystery sampler SAL. The next part will be available in June.

The Star De-Tailor is one of my favorite needlework gadgets. I use it all the time (I own a few of them!). If you have never heard of them, check out their web site. I bought mine at the LNS for $5.00. It is esp helpful to tuck in those threads on the back of projects when the fiber is too short!!
For the mystery sampler, was helpful to weave the threads into the edges of the drawn thread rows.
I've given in to my cold. Spent a lot of time napping the past few days. Not much reading or stitching.


I did find an EASY pattern I want to work on -- it is for huck towels. I've had the pattern & towels & floss kitted up too long. It would be a nice (brainless) cross stitch piece to do until this throat thing passes.

Progress Pictures:

Here is the project Nicholas is stitching. He had to re-stitch the entire wing on the lower left side. It is Lavender & Lace: "Fairy Dreams" by Marilyn Leavitt-Imblum. He purchased the kit (from the discount bin). He ran out of a couple #8 Kreinik braids & 2 floss colors. Maybe b/c of frogging -- I told him to keep working the piece & we'd go shopping for what he needs later on. (LNS is a 35-40 min drive)

I spent a lot of time in bed yesterday ... didn't accomplish much. This head cold is turning into a sore throat & chest cold. I snagged some of the 'Amethyst' Watercolours (drat) + will re-stitch. This a.m. DH said I am sounding worse instead of better. Yeah, I know "whine, whine, whine"

The bead issue seems silly; however, it will make a difference. With the darker bead on the edge -- it sorta looks like the DARK lines in a coloring book -- don't think I want that b/c the stitches are so lite & airy looking on the (side & corner) ends. With the yellow beads, they aren't very noticeable; however, keep the sides lite. (can enlarge the picture with a click)

I don't know Lili, maybe using the darker beads around the corners & the lighter bead in the sides might work. I keep looking at it wondering. I still have another side to do + frog-n-fix the snagged Watercolour.