Archive for the ‘Quaker’ Category
Remember me?
Filed under: Drawn Thread, Finishes, La-D-Da, Ornament, Over one, Prairie Schooler, Quaker |
Comments (17) Shall I give you a lame-o excuse about why I’ve been MIA, as chosen from the following list:
- working too many hours
- nonstop personal commitments
- negligible stitching progress
- a kaput-and-now-replaced computer
- photo editing software inoperable with new system and not yet replaced
- blah
- blah
- blah
Or shall I just cut to the chase and show you stitching pictures?
WAIT! WAIT! I know the answer to this one, so here goes . . .
(DANGER, Will Robinson! Bad photography ahead! Proceed at your own risk!)
Designer: Prairie Schooler
Pattern: Book 115, Pins and Needles, “My Thread Is Cut” Scissors Case
(Stitched on 32-count white linen of some sort using the recommended DMC threads)
Yes, it’s rather wonky. What do you expect? I finished it somewhere around 4 a.m. on Christmas Eve. (Yes, I know I said in my post from that night that I was headed to bed at 2 a.m., but I was so sleep-deprived that I forgot to go and stayed up to finish this instead.)
Bad Photography Excuse #1: It was 4 a.m. on Christmas Eve morning. By the time the sun came up, this was wrapped and nearly delivered.
Designer: Drawn Thread
Pattern: Thanksgiving Sampler
(Stitched with 1 strand over two threads on R&R 40-count Crème Brûlée linen using floss on hand)
Borrowed a pattern to do this quick little finish. Made for a very dear friend. It brought tears to her eyes, so I kind of think she liked it.
Bad Photography Excuse #2: Late-night finish. No sun. No sleep. (Are you seeing a trend here?)
Designer: La-D-Da
Pattern: Quaker Alphabet
(Stitched with 2 strands over 2 threads on 32-count Zweigart overdyed linen of some sort; changed from the specified blues to a green colorway, using WDW Kudzu for the Quaker motifs and WDW Bark for the alphabet)
This was HUGE! I’ve been working on 4o-count for so long that working 2 over 2 on 32-count seemed GINORMOUS! Chose the larger size so I could work on it in the car . . . then only worked on it in stationary buildings. Go figure. Finished size is 7×9, so it isn’t so ginormous.
Note to self: If you want to have a car project kitted up and at the ready, then you simply must set aside said project when you are not in the car. Otherwise, said project gets finished and you are once again left with no car project.
Bad Photography Excuse #3: DH took digital camera to Thailand. (Honest!) This blurry, shaky, sorry-excuse-for-a-photo was the best I could do with DS’s camera phone in the interim.
Designer: Drawn Thread
Pattern: Random Thoughts
(This is a kit, so I’m stitching it as kitted, using 1 strand of Needlepoint Silk over 2 threads on 32-count Belfast Summer Khaki linen)
Pulled from the depths of this pile (second one from the left) in honor of the current Winter Olympics games. Started during the 2000 Summer Olympics held in Sydney, Australia. Intended for a finish during this Olympics, but that would mean that I’d actually have to find time to watch some (any??) of the current Olympics. [sigh] Ah well, maybe I’ll have this finished by the 2012 Olympics in London.
Bad Photography Excuse #4: See “Bad Photography Excuse #3.”
* * * * * * *
P.S. Thanks to those of you who e-mailed or left a comment to say that you missed my posts. Honestly, I’ve started to wonder why I even keep a blog anymore (and yes, I’m defining what it means to “keep” a blog very loosely). I simply couldn’t believe that I hadn’t posted since Christmas. Feels like maybe a week has gone by since then. To quote Calvin and Hobbes, “The days are just packed.”
By way of explanation, I started my blog when I was a self-employed freelance editor, working part-time from home and setting my own hours. Nearly three years later, I’m working more than 40 hours weekly and putting in time on far too many evenings and weekends as well, including the past three weekends and, by tomorrow, this one as well. Don’t get me wrong, though. Not only am I very grateful to have a job in this economy, but also I am extremely thankful to have a job that I like working with people who are simply wonderful.
So for now my stitching is getting neglected and so, by default, is my blog. But thanks to all of you faithful bloggers out there who have allowed me to live vicariously through your awe-inspiring stitching progress pictures and inspirational finishes.
The Sampler Game Answer Key
Filed under: Bent Creek, Birds of a Feather, Blackbird Designs, Brightneedle, Cricket Collection, Drawn Thread, Finishes, Hands to Work, La-D-Da, Little House Needleworks, Prairie Schooler, Quaker, Sheepish Designs, The Examplarery, With My Needle |
Comments (7) It’s time to reveal the answer key for my Sampler Game. One last time, here’s the pic:
. . . and the list below has the answers (numbering samplers from left to right). If I’ve already posted about the finish, I’ve added a link to the entry. If not, well, I guess I have some fodder for future posts!
NOTE: Some of my older posts have tiny pictures. To see a larger image, simply click the photos.
1. Prairie Schooler, “Johnny Appleseed”
Recognized by Karen; most recently mentioned here.
2. Drawn Thread, “Random Thoughts”
Recognized by Karen; no blog entry yet.
Actually, this one is a finish wannabe. It should have been in the WIP pile.
3. Prairie Schooler, “Autumn Sampler”
Recognized by Glenna; post found here.
4. Blackbird Designs, “Live Each Season”
Recognized by Brigitte; no blog entry yet.
5. Hands to Work, “Patience 1898”
Featured here.
6. Birds of a Feather, “Alphabet Sampler”
Featured here.
7. Birds of a Feather, “Sarah Spencer Sampler”
Featured in my very first post, found here.
8. La-D-Da, “Bless This House”
Featured here.
9. Cricket Collection, “A Walk in the Woods”
Recognized by Barb and Janice; featured here.
10. Birds of a Feather, “Happy Hearts Sampler”
Recognized by Karen; featured here.
11. Brightneedle, “Lo, How a Rose”
Recognized by Karen; featured here.
12. Sheepish Designs, “Those Blooming Flowers”
Featured here.
13. With My Needle, “Quaker Samplings I”
Recognized by Karen; featured here.
14. Prairie Schooler, Book 76, “Farmer’s Alphabet”
Featured here.
15. Little House Needleworks, “Moon and Stars”
Featured here.
16. Bent Creek, “Flag 1998”
No blog entry yet.
17. (folded) The Examplarery, “Tudor Rose”
No blog entry yet.
Thanks to everyone who played along. And thanks, too, for motivating me to do some finishing. I promise to keep chipping away at these until they’re all done!!
You guessed ’er, Chester!
It’s time to reveal the name of my Mystery Project—partly because I’m almost done and partly because I don’t want to make Annemarie to get up. 🙂
But mostly because [insert trumpet fanfare here]: KarenV has guessed correctly!!
Good eye, KarenV! You sure do know your Quaker patterns, but then with this wonderful finish on your own blog, that’s obvious!!
My Mystery Project is:
Designer: Little by Little
Pattern: Quaker Blackbird
(Stitched on R&R 40-count Crème Brûlée linen using recommended DMC floss)
Last night’s progress (Woo-hoo! Stitching time during the week! Who knew?) included the blue motif at the lower left and another row of letters.
I’ve started the next motif, but I’ll include it next time. Not much left to go on this little beauty, so I hope to share a finish soon!
Thanks for all who played my little guessing game.
Have I kept you guessing long enough?
No?
Well, then it’s time for a few more clues on my mystery project. Actually, make that a LOT more clues. I managed a fair amount of stitching time this weekend because Harmien and Kathy A. insisted that I stitch, so what else could I do?
(Psst, Thanks for the encouragement, Ladies!! I needed a stitching day!!)
For those of you who joined this game in progress, this first photo shows where I started a few days ago. Sandra and Cindy F.—who is a fairly new blogger; go say “Hi”—both thought this project had the feel of a Blackbird Designs pattern, and while I have plenty of those in my stash, this isn’t one of those. Good guesses, though.
Mystery Project—Photo #1
Mystery Project—Photo #2
It wouldn’t be a sampler without some strawberries and a bird, right?
Mystery Project—Photo #3
OK, not much more to go on here, but I decided to document my progress each time I completed a motif.
Mystery Project—Photo #4
Uh-oh, could that be a Quaker motif sneaking in . . . ?
Mystery Project—Photo #5
Why, yes, I do believe it is a Quaker motif. (Psst, that might be a big hint.)
Mystery Project—Photo #6
OK, you get two new motifs in this photo. They were small.
(By the way, this photo is closest to the true colors. My lighting is unpredictable.)
Mystery Project—Photo #7
When I said “sampler,” you knew there’d be some numbers somewhere, didn’t you?
Mystery Project—Photo #8
And where there are numbers, can letters be far behind?
Mystery Project—Photo #9
And this is as far as I got today . . .
OK, so now that I’ve given you so many great hints, can anyone tell me the name of this design?
Checking it off my list!
Had a finish this weekend. And here it is:
Designer: With My Needle
Pattern: Quaker Samplings I
Stitched 1/2 on 40-count Zweigart Summer Khaki linen using GA Sarsaparilla overdyed floss
This was my first Quaker, and I’m thinkin’ it won’t be my last. I’ve really been on a monochrome kick lately, so this was a particularly enjoyable stitch.
I struggled with choosing the color, but this was exactly what I envisioned: a warm brown with faded sections. I wanted to buy three skeins of the same color, but although I found three skeins at a LNS, only two appeared to be from the same dye lot, with the third skein being noticeably darker. Hmmmm. No matter, I thought, thinking I’d only need the two “matching” skeins anyway.
Thank goodness I bought the dark skein. I really liked the variation that it added, since it had more reddish brown tones. I decided to add it in throughout the piece. I liked the effect so well that I ended up buying two more dark skeins at a different store to add as well. And I’ve decided that I would happily mix up the shades on the next monochrome project that I do.
I ended up adding a couple more motifs to the lower right of the center design. I decided to add the date at the lower left, and after I did, it didn’t seem balanced.
By the way, I intentionally chose not to do the alphabet border. While I love that element of the design, I have a specific finish in mind, and right now, this size is perfect. More on that later.
A Productive Weekend
Spent the weekend relaxing in a beautiful cabin this weekend with family. In addition to having a chance to get away from it all and catch up with everyone, I had a lot of stitching time, so I put it to good use.
Finished (nearly) my travel project:
All that’s left is to add the buttons for embellishment, if I decide to. I may finish this one plain and save the buttons to add to a second one (yes, I’m already thinking of stitching this one again, because I might use one for a present). In the meantime, look for a finish-finish on this project in the near future (she says, with very good intentions but uncertain time constraints!).
Also, I made LOTS of progress on With My Needle’s “Quaker Samplings I.”
All that remains is to finish some flowers on the center motif and the fill-in work on the motif at the lower right. Then I’ll decide if I’m going to include the alphabet border or not.
After relaxing and stitching whenever I felt like it this weekend, it’s hard getting back to reality, especially when work and house responsibilities are calling to me. Ah well, it was nice while it lasted!!
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:
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:
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:
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.
