I Made It Monday...and Posted on Tuesday

I finished the Thistle Sampler this weekend! This felt like such a throwback to work on, but it is certainly appropriate to celebrate my Scottish MIL's birthday (belatedly).

You will notice however that I have not posted this on Monday. Yesterday was busy as all get-out. First, I am slammed with work with two big reports due in the next two months. Second, the silent auction is Saturday (and I'm still getting items! So much to do!). And yesterday was cookbook club. I made winter squash soup from Ina Garten's Barefoot in Paris. It was easy and delicious, and I made it between getting home and leaving for the meeting. (In case you're keeping track, the dude made mango sorbet.)


Sunday was no better. I finished up the stitching, ironed it, photographed it. Then had to rush out the door to pick up my mother at the airport and bring her to my sister's. My mother is making good on her promise of visiting monthly to help out. And there was the matter of my birthday celebration; there were presents and key lime pie and gassy babies. Now I am boringly old on a Tuesday. Phhht. (However, a big round number birthday is coming and it will be on Friday!)

Back to the sampler which is what you come here for. I love the texture in this with the different flosses and stitches. The ecru and lavender knot may be my favorite. Or is it the small thistles (below)? (Just don't look too closely at the pulled work.)

I felt so good to have finished something this year that wasn't a small! Of course it wasn't that big, either. But done is good, and this is quite lovely. Charland Designs, Thistle Sampler, 1997.

Work in Progress Wednesday: Thistle

It's still very much Wednesday here in Seattle (I'm at a conference for work). This is the thistle project that I had hoped to give to my MIL in August. As you can see, I'm still working on this one. There's always Christmas!

The last time I showed it to you (but not the last time I worked on it) was April.

This project is so 90s, at least it feels that way to me with all the careful rows of specialty stitches. Was this sort of sampler bigger back then, or is it just my imagination?

Long day of sitting in presentation after presentation. And jet lag. I think I'm in need of a lie down...

Want to link up to others posting their progress on Wednesdays? Check out Sharon B's Work in Progress Wednesdays at Pintangle.

Catching Up

Dear friends, many thanks for your enthusiasm about that soap dispenser. In addition to making the man crafts, I have been trying to keep up with two threads a night on that giant list of stitching projects. I did miss one out because I had to finish a book (American Wasteland: How America Throws Away Nearly Half of Its Food*) for book group.

On Tuesday, I put two threads into Blackbird's Friendship Sampler. This is how it looked last time I stitched it (scroll down). The basket is starting to come together, and while I stitched I've already been thinking about which friends I might document on this piece.

On Wednesday, I put a number of threads into Emerald Mermaid. She is probably etched into your memory, but in case, here's where we left her. I stitched a bit on her at stitching group, where people are so used to seeing her they don't even ooh and ahh anymore. I guess I'd better get a move on!

On Thursday, I finished the first band of the Thistle Sampler for my MIL's birthday and started the over one lettering. (Before, middle photo.) I was wondering if this should end up in the stack of over one stitching for summer, but then I realized the birthday IS this summer. I must press on.

On Saturday I put a couple of flowers and swirls in the Green Snowman's hill. (Last time I worked on it, here.) We're getting a little better on catching the green of this fabric. At least this time you can tell it is green! (That shadow is me, I took this in my office with a horrible overhead light and there was no escaping it.)

And on Sunday I did a little work on the Great Pumpkin Conspiracy. (Previously, on Stitch Bitch.) (Horrible photo but it's is pouring here.)

Back to the grindstone for me! Thanks for stopping by.

*Please read this book. It's not an easy read or terribly well-put-together, but it is so important for us to understand our food waste and work to change it, especially when we have such a high number of people who aren't getting enough to eat in our country. And we're not talking about that head of broccoli you bought to make yourself feel virtuous, and then never used because (ugh!) broccoli. (Not that I know anything about that.) But the millions of tons of food that never get harvested, don't make it past inspection (seriously, I would eat a curved cucumber; wouldn't you?), and get thrown away by grocers because it's too much of a hassle to mark down blemished food. Yeah that. Please.

Weekend Warrior

Y'all have to pop over to Christine's blog, The Alchymyst's Study, because by Sunday she had already posted things she had made with the denim links I posted on Saturday. People, this post took me three days to write! I hope more of you will find good new uses for your worn and outgrown denim. Don't forget to let me know if you make something. Also, check out the comments because there's already one thing I missed, pot holders. Made by Christine, of course. (Don't you hate overachievers.) {wink}

On Friday night, I pulled the flosses for St. Basils (Dimple Designs). Slooooow progress has been made on this one since I started it in 19dickety2. (Sometime before 2006.) This time around, I stuck it on the Q-snaps, xeroxed the page I was working on, and took out the highlighter. Things went a lot faster. Of course, I am still not happy with the stitches in the middle that were done with some Krienik. Though I did realize it calls for blending filament and I've been using cord. D'oh! So I'll be restitching that middle bit, but we'll all be a lot happier. (Stitched with DMC on the prescribed fabric.)

On Saturday night, I started an old (1997) pattern from Charland Designs. Of all the floss and fabric I ordered to kit up my new projects, this is the only one that had all the materials! (And it uses DMC flower thread which was discontinued in 2003.) (I am still waiting for three! orders.) (No wonder the industry is a shambles.) This will be a gift for my mother-in-law's significant birthday coming up in August. As I was stitching it, it reminded me of all the patterns from the late 90s that I stitched, especially at Spirit of Cross Stitch Festivals--all those interesting stitches and floss experiments. (Stitched on the prescribed fabric with the called-for flosses.)

On Sunday, I got back to Teresa Layman's Leave a Light on. When I started this as one of my Crazy January starts in 2012, I managed to only stitch that bit of navy blue frame, which you can see in this photo (surprisingly because you can hardly see it in real life). I started the secondary frame so there would be a bit more color. This is being stitched on a navy fabric probably 28-count over one. Another crazy over one piece! Ack.

I think I might dedicate this summer--when we have loads of natural light for stitching--to getting the over one pieces finished before my eyes age out.