Archive for the ‘Freebie’ Category

Multiple WIPs

Lots of stitching progress to report this week, which is great after several weeks running of little or no progress. I managed to put a few stitches into the HS “Stitching Chair Necessaire.” I added two letters:

hs-necessaire-1.jpg

I’ve decided not to rush through that piece, so I’m just adding a letter or two to the sampler as I take breaks from other projects. That way, I’ll still make progress, but I won’t spoil it by rushing through it.

My main project this week was this one:

wmn-quaker-i.jpg

Designer: With My Needle
Pattern: Quaker Samplings I

Stitched one over two on 40-count Summer Khaki linen using GA Sarsaparilla floss

I’ve really been drawn to stitch monochrome designs lately, and am I ever enjoying this one!! It’s my first Quaker piece, but I’m pretty sure it won’t be my last. I really like the variation of completing a small motif quickly then working on a larger, more time-consuming motif.

This one had been at the top of my list for a while, but I had to wait till I could get to a needlework store to browse for my thread. I ended up choosing one that ranges from a little light brown to quite a bit of reddish brown. I really love the way this is shaping up, so much so that I could barely put it down since I started it on Wednesday (right after visiting the cross stitch store).

I was very fortunate this week to have a mini-vacation, so I’ve stitched quite a bit, to be sure. This represents about five days’ worth of stitching. Now that I’m back to my regular routine, it will be very hard NOT being able to stitch so much, but surely I can still sneak in a small motif here or there . . .

I also started this small project about ten days ago:

samsarah-simple-heart.jpg
Designer: SamSarah
Pattern: My Simple Heart for You (freebie)

Stitched two over two on 25-count floba using (mostly) recommended GA & Weeks overdyed floss

I decided that I needed a travel project. It was right after I started my necessaire, and I wanted something smaller and more mindless for carrying around. I specifically chose a project where there would be a fair amount of fill-in. First, I completed the checkerboard in the center, then I stitched the outlines of the red and green hearts so that only the fill-in remained. I didn’t have the Weeks Oak floss that was called for, so I substituted GA Parchment for the light color of the checkboard pattern. Also, I was afraid I’d run out of GA Old Red Paint (I was trying to use up what I had), so I mixed in some Weeks Red Pear, which was a perfect match. I finished the Red Pear and still ran out of the Old Red Paint, so I ended up buying more anyway.

I’m not a fan of larger counts—in fact, for me it’s usually the smaller the linen count, the better—but I stitched this on 26-count linen to (1) use it up and (2) to make it more versatile for traveling. Also, this design had some specially designed buttons, and if I changed the specified 28-count size too much, then I couldn’t use the buttons. I must say that I’m glad I am using the larger size. This project went with me on a five-hour trip yesterday, and I was able to keep stitching in the car since the linen was easy to see. I managed to finish the top half of the red heart, and now I’ll put it away until I’m on the move again.