Diligence

It's been a while, so Happy New Year and Happy Ground Hog's Day as well.

My large sampler project has been finished for a while, so I thought it was about time that I showed it here.

The saying at the bottom of the project

(which I love)

is the rather long name of this piece

by Needle Work Press.

The size is 406 by 95 stitches!

My awesome framer finished it

in record time.

It's hard to tell from the photo,

but the frame is a dark blue,

which matches the DMC 939

that probably looks like black in this photo.

I'm extremely happy with the

way this piece was finished!

Here are some close-ups...

The gold used for the three leaves in the dark blue bars

and also the filling in the bottom "chain"

was recommended for many of the motifs.

As you can see, it wouldn't have shown up,

so I substituted some of the brighter colors instead.

I have some smaller finishes, too...

The Prairie Schooler start that I showed

at the end of last year.

A freebie from Bent Creek.

Last but not least,

another Prairie Schooler design

from the Stars and Stripes leaflet.

Well, I'm all caught up on finishes.

Next time, we'll take a look at

what I've got going for WIPs.

Thanks, as always, for stopping by.

Even More Exciting News...

...Ladybug and Daisy, my blackwork project, is finished...

...and framed...

Here are a couple of close-ups...

The cross-hatching on the petals drove me bonkers.

It was "random" but charted, so I kept having

to look back and forth from the chart to the piece.

I would have gladly paid someone to do it for me,

if I could have found any takers.

I'm elated that this is done!

Here is another framed finish...

Kathy Barrick's Good Intentions

I seem to go a while without any finishes,

then I have a bunch all at once.

Let's get to the pillow parade...

A monthly from Heart in Hand's Square Dance

Bent Creek's Flag of Stars

The trim is not cording, but a braid.

Lizzie-Kate's Buzz from their Spring Smalls leaftlet.

I stitched this a couple of months ago,

and just got around to finishing it.

Here's what I'm working on now...

This is the July monthly from the

Little Dove's Year chart.

This chubby fellow is from Bothy Threads.

The chart is called Jolly Robin.

Here is my start.

It's going to look like a blob for a while.

This is my ANG challenge piece,

due next Saturday.  😄

I got quite a bit done
since the last time I posted.

My revised goal is to at least get

the panel on the right completed.
As I was stitching it,

I discovered that this piece

is not quite as easy as it looks.

But I probably could have completed it

if I had picked it up before last month.

I had all year to do it.

When you're as old as I am
you should stitch what calls out to you,
which is what I've been doing.
Hence, the DNF on my challenge piece.

Well, that's it from here.

Hope your June is going splendidly.

Thanks for dropping by.

Seasonal Smalls

Hey Blog Buddies,

I'd like to start off by saying thank you all so much for the love you gave to Crabby All Year.  I savor each comment in much the same way that I do White Chocolate Truffles.  (Now you know one of my guilty pleasures...)

There's nothing wrong with a little stockpiling, is there?

I wouldn't want to run out...

 

Ahem.  On to the stitching:

 

Here is my May ornament for the

Halloween Ornament SAL 2013.

May's theme was ghosts.

This is Bent Creek's District 13 - Jacks in the Box

stitched on 40-count linen with the recommended DMC.

I know the jacks outnumber the ghost 3 to 1,

but they had such personality, I couldn't resist.

And there is a ghost in the box, too!

 

I have my June tombstone design picked out

and once I stitch and finish that,

I'll be all caught up!

 

And now, just in time for Father's Day...

June from Prairie Schooler's Summer and Winter leaflet,

stitched on 36-count Natural linen

with the called-for DMC.

Yes, folks, that is a male red-wing blackbird feeding the kids.

(The females are brown and white.)

The only color that's technically "wrong" on him is his beak.

(They have black beaks.)

I looked it up in my "Birds of Illinois" book

after I had stitched the beak

(it was charted as gold)

and wasn't inclined to rip it out.

And yes, the males do take their turn in feeding the babies.

This was a fun stitch, and I loved the colors.

 

I am thinking of finishing this one a little differently,

and am torn between what I would like to do

and what I'm able to do.

Hope it gets finish-finished before the end of the month!

 

There are lots of cute designs in this leaflet,

so look for "August" coming in about a month.

 

That's it for now.

Hope you have the time to get some stitching in today.

Thanks as always for visiting!