Ortilda, The Spectacular Finish

I have spent so much time on the couch nursing this cough, that my first three day rotation produced results! May I present Ortilda the Witch?

That's a dye mark, not a wrinkle, bisecting the fabric. I think she's terrific!

Details: 

Twisted Threads kit (from 1998!)
Sampler Threads for stitching

Thread Gatherer "Wild Hairs" for her orange perm
R&R reproductions linen 30 count Over the Hill Purple
Based on original art by Emerson Quillen Designs

April Showers

This small was not so small. Only about 75x30 but, as you can see, it is wall to wall stitches. This is a Bent Creek kit called Showers and Flowers. This kit is from 2000. I used the fabric and the flosses (DMC and Weeks) that came in the kit.

I changed the flowers to rice stitches because I like rice stitches and I think they give more of a floral feeling.

I am linking up to Heather's Smalls SAL--and just under the wire too. You should check out all the lovely smalls the stitchers have stitched up. (Looking at the photo, I realize that the bee charm flipped over. It actually fits nicely into that green spot between the flowers.)

Off to work on a special gift that I should be able to show you in about two weeks. And then back to the rotation.

Smalls Wrap Up

Checking in for only the seventh (possibly sixth) time this year, I present my last Smalls SAL of 2015. This is Ewe & Eye & Friends Button Basket from the April 1999 edition of Cross Stitch and Needlework. I started this in January as part of Debbie's Ultimate Crazy January Challenge. You can see what it looked like when I picked it up again here. (That's right--untouched for eleven months!)

I used unbleached linen and the called-for Anchor floss. (I always get the Anchor floss for the Ewe & Eye designs; there's something different in the quality of the floss that I like for their designs.) Happily, I found all the buttons in my button jar. No idea where they came from or how old they might be but I am pleased with how they look.

I will be back soon with a review of my (pathetic) 2015 stitching and thoughts about stitching in 2016. Until then!

Finish: Scissor Keep

I am miles behind on answering your tremendously supportive and greatly appreciated comments, nevermind reading and commenting on blogs. I will be back among you some day.

We have a tendency to think that certain projects have to be finished a certain way. Although this project was made to be a scissor keep, the pattern I used is Quaker Virtues from ByGone Stitches. Of course, it's kind of a no-brainer to stitch Quaker motifs on smalls. But sometimes when we see big framed pieces we only think of doing them as big framed pieces and framing them. But there's lots options out there.

Anyway, one year at camp, April 2008 to be precise, we stitched a little sewing set. I didn't finish stitching the scissor keep until a week or so later. And the companion pieces--a fob and biscornu--got finished that same month. Poor scissor keep. I tried to reunite the set for a photoshoot but my scissor fob is on a pair of scissors hanging out in a project bag somewhere.

They didn't give us directions for finsihing but either the store owner or someone with an early iPhone found Linda's directions for us. Those are the best directions for a cross stitched scissor keep out there. (And were I to do this one again, I'd clip my excess fabric closer, especially at the corners.)

But if you're better at origami than I am, you might be able to figure out how to use these options with your stitching:
Vicki's Fabric Creations
My Cotton Creations
Popular Patchwork