First Blackbird Designs Finish For The Year!

Wow! That went super quick! I really enjoyed stitching this piece. I had a lot of fun plotting out what color was going to go where and why. I am thinking of stitching the Quaker Family Register in these colors, however, I will have to get DH's input. As this will contain both sides of the family's initials and dates, I think that is only fair. :)



Well, at any rate, here is the latest finish and the 10th finish for 2018:

Design: The Lily Of The Valley 

Designer: Blackbird Designs

Fabric Used: 32 count Belfast linen of unknown manufacturer in white.

Fibers Used: Au Ver a Soie Soie 100/3 Spun Silk in 004, 037, 124, 126, 197,  561, 603, and 705. Kreinik silk serica thread in Light Charcoal, #8073. 

Accouterments:  Mill Hill bead in #42014 Petite Black

Stitchers' Notes: Design taken from the book And Blossom As The Rose. Fabric and fibers chosen from in house stash and converted from the called for Weeks Dye Works thread and Picture This Plus fabric. Left off border. 

As of Monday, June 25, 2018:

Finished Wednesday, June 27, 2018:

Well, I had best be off. Tons to do today. I hope everyone is enjoying a good  week. Happy stitching!

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

I Spy A Blackbird

A Blackbird Design that is!

I have not stitched a Blackbird Designs piece in quite some time and I thought this latest piece would be perfect. It has a nice 'summery' feel to it and it is stitching up quite quickly. I am really liking how it is turning out so far. I just wish the frog would have stayed away! :O

As is my custom, I have changed the fabric and the colors, so that nothing would have to be purchased and I could start straight away. 

Well, at any rate, here is the latest work in the Q-Snaps:

Design: The Lily Of The Valley 

Designer: Blackbird Designs

Fabric Used: 32 count Belfast linen of unknown manufacturer in white.

Fibers Used: Au Ver a Soie Soie 100/3 Spun Silk in 004, 037, 124, 126, 165, 197, 312, 486, 561, 663, 705 and 773. Kreinik silk serica thread in Light Charcoal, #8073. 

Stitchers' Notes: Design taken from the book And Blossom As The Rose. Fabric and fibers chosen from in house stash and converted from the called for Weeks Dye Works thread and Picture This Plus fabric. 

Well, I had best be off. Tons to do today. I hope everyone is enjoying a good start to their week. Happy stitching!

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

C'est fini

Hot off the Q-Snap from just moments ago. I stitched the parts of this that I wanted to stitch, very much like Willow House that I stitched last year. This one had a lot of pinks in it, which is not generally my style, but I like how it turned out anyway. 

Design: Be Kind and True (retired)

Designer: Blackbird Designs

Fabric Used: 28  or 32 count white linen of unknown manufacturer

Fibers Used: Au Ver a Soie Soie 100/3 Spun Silk in 004, 037, 124, 126, 165, 197, 312, 486, 561, 663, 705 and 773. Kreinik silk serica thread in Light Charcoal, #8073. 

Stitcher's Notes: Stitched one strand of floss over two fabric threads. Chart on loan from Patricia G of the Blackbird Designs Lending Library Facebook Group. Replaced the cotton embroidery floss for silks. Began Monday July 17, 2017. Finished Sunday, August 6, 2017.


As of Sunday, July 30, 2017:

Finished Sunday, August 6, 2017:

I must be off. I hope everyone is having a great weekend.

Happy stitching!

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

WIPs And An Organizational Post

I've put some time into two projects and have completed some more organization. When I am too tired to stitch, I have a tendency to clean and organize things, so that when the time comes to get out another project, I know where I stand. This is predicated on the fact that I have a 25+ year stash. I have been contemplating another 'great culling' but I am not quite there yet. 

I was going to wait until the end of the year to take another inventory of the infamous Bin O'Shame, however, I bit the bullet the other day and just got on with it. I was down to 29 going into the beginning of 2017, which made me really, really happy. I started off with 70 UFOs beginning in February 24, 2015, so every bit has counted! 

During the recount, I decided to separate the small to medium projects from the huge BAPs and long term projects. I wanted to separate the projects that I could complete in a reasonable amount of time, from the projects that will take many, many months to complete. After completing this task, I am now sitting on 23 projects in the infamous Bin O'Shame, however, I do have six long term projects that need to be dealt with. I have three projects that I am undecided as to whether or not I plan on finishing the stitching on them. One of them is the Forget Me Not Sampler  by With Thy Needle and Thread. The fact of the matter is, I cannot stand the color of the fabric. It is so dull and washed out. I understand it is a 'primitive' type design but the Lakeside Linens 40 count in Navy Bean just leaves me cold. I am not that far into it, so I may just finish of the central motif and restart it in a nicer color fabric. Or I may just finish the central motif and be done with it. Did I mention that I really do hate this fabric? :P

Well, at any rate, here are the two projects that I have worked on since completing the Strawberries and Cream sampler from Casey Buonaugurio: 

WIP #1:

Design: Be Kind and True (retired)

Designer: Blackbird Designs

Fabric Used: 28  or 32 count white linen of unknown manufacturer

Fibers Used: Au Ver a Soie Soie 100/3 Spun Silk in 004, 037, 124, 126, 165, 197, 312, 486, 561, 663, 705 and 773. Kreinik silk serica thread in Light Charcoal, #8073. 

Stitcher's Notes: Stitched one strand of floss over two fabric threads. Chart on loan from Patricia G of the Blackbird Designs Lending Library Facebook Group. Replaced the cotton embroidery floss for silks. Began Monday July 17, 2017. 

I also managed to put in a bit of time on my 'Every Now And Again' project. 

WIP #2:

Design: Pretty Little San Francisco

Designer: Jody Rice of Satsuma Street

Fabric: 28 count Cashel linen in Fog by Picture This Plus

Fibers Used: DMC Embroidery Floss Art. 117 as called for in the chart

Stitchers' Notes: Began Friday, March 17, 2017. Project to be stitched 'every now and again' with no set time frame for completion.

As of Saturday, March 18, 2017:

As of Tuesday July 25, 2017:

Time for me to bolt for the door. I hope everyone is having a great weekend. 

Happy stitching!

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

It's Been Awhile

Happy Saturday to you all! I know it's been a while, almost a month and a half since I last posted. I haven't felt really up to stitching a whole lot. I do not know if it is a combination of stress, fatigue, or just stitching burnout, the end result is the same. I suppose it does not matter a great deal, as I have stitched a grand total of 111 pieces the last two years. That is a great deal of stitching! I have made my unofficial yearly goal of 12 projects, so I am just coasting at this point. Then again too, the weather where we are has been unseasonably chilly. It's quite difficult to get 'into' stitching mermaids and other summer themed projects when the low is almost in the 30's at night in the middle of May! :O

I have tried off and on to stitch, but nothing has 'clicked'. It just felt like going through the motions. I remembered that I had this project that I purchased on the secondary market some time ago. I have seen quite a number of recent finishes of this piece and it looked like it did not take too long to stitch, so I thought I would give it a try. The color combination used is the same one that I used in the Summer In Bloom taken from the book Maria Selby Humphrey - 1831 piece that I finished up a couple of years ago. I really do love the way the colors harmonize together. The funny thing is, I purchased the silks on clearance and only purchased them because I loved the colors and the feel of the silk! :)

At any rate, here is my latest finish. I need to find some nice buttons for the upper right hand corner, but otherwise, it is completed. 

Design: Buttons and Blooms

Designer: Blackbird Designs

Fabric Used: 28 count white linen of unknown manufacturer

Fibers Used: Au Ver a Soie Soie 100/3 Spun Silk in 124, 126, 197, 312, 663, and 705. Kreinik silk serica thread in Light Charcoal, #8073. 

Stitchers' Notes: Substituted called for GAST and WDW threads for in house Au Ver a Soie Soie 100/3 Spun Silk and Kreinik silk serica thread. Shop chart exclusive for Elegant Stitch. Began Friday, May 12, 2017. Finished Saturday, May 13, 2017. Please note that the chart is not for sale/trade. 

Welp, it's time for me to bolt for the door. I hope everyone has a great weekend! :)

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

Spring For Rabbits

My latest finish is a break from my current WIP of the 1855 I Auguste Heidemrieg sampler. I wanted to stitch something Spring related and remembered that I had this freebie in my stash. It is one of those LNS freebies that I managed to pick up from somewhere. This stitched up in no time at all, and I really like the way that it turned out. This piece, like so many others that I have stitched, will likely be a mere bagatelle. I seem to be one of those people who enjoy the process of stitching more than stitching and 'finishing' anything. :)

At any rate, here is my latest finish:

Design: Spring For Rabbits

Designer: The Gentle Art Sampler Threads

Fabric Used: 36 count Edinburgh linen in Antique White

Fibers Used: Au Ver a Soie Soie 100/3 Spun Silk in 124, 197, 312, 561, and 705.

Stitchers' Notes: Substituted called for GAST threads for in house Au Ver a Soie Soie 100/3 Spun Silk. Freebie from LNS purchase. Began Friday, February 10, 2017. Finished Sunday, February 12, 2017. 

Well, I must be off. Tons to do today. I hope everyone is having a fabulous weekend! 

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

The Last Finish For July 2016

This tiny little finish is courtesy of the Blackbird Designs Lending Library. It arrived in the mail the other day, and I was anxious to get to it. Although we have up to eight weeks to finish a project, I get antsy after about a week or so. I don't want anyone thinking I've made off with their chart, ya know? :)

As is my custom, the main design was nice, but the smaller project attached to it appealed to me more. I have some fabrics that I can pair with this to make it an actual pincushion. I am toying with the idea of hand dying my own rickrack trim for this project, but if I manage to find something that looks better than the picture in my head, I will certainly use that instead. :)

At any rate, here is my latest effort:

Design: Patchwork Pinkeep

Designer: Blackbird Designs

Fabric Used: 36 count linen by Hand Dyed Fibers in Earth Stars-5211 (equivalent to DMC 822)

Fibers Used: Au Ver a Soie Soie 100/3 Spun Silk in 004, 124, 126, 197, 312, and 705.

Stitcher's Notes: Stitched one strand of floss over two fabric threads. Design created exclusively for the Silver Needle Stitching Club. Chart on loan from Patricia G of the Blackbird Designs Lending Library Facebook Group. Replaced the cotton embroidery floss for silks. Substituted cross stitch for satin stitch on the inside of the leaves. 

I had best be off. I hope everyone had a great weekend and I wish everyone an awesome week!

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

Muffins In Yerba

Me being me, I could not leave well enough alone. For any long time readers out there, this should come as no particular surprise. I had decided to remove the row of numbers that were stitched in the Motifs Abécédaire 30 that I was working on with a Latin inscription that I found on internet walkabout many, many moons ago. My husband and I have a firm and fast rule in our house where one may have any opinion that one chooses, however, one must be able to back up one's opinion with readily available facts, and not based on an emotional thinking. My husband and I prefer to learn and question what we have learned on a continual basis. Additionally, I have a personal dislike of becoming so entrenched in a way of thinking, it becomes virtual dogma. 


My husband is a funny man. When I showed him my latest finish, after he read the inscription he said to me in all seriousness, 'Muffins in Yerba?!'. I laughed at that and told him that no, it was not Muffins in Yerba, but in fact it was in fact 'Nullius In Verba', the motto of the Royal Society. I think it makes the piece more interesting than just a row of numbers. It also makes it different from most samplers in that the verse is not religious based, as was the custom for a great many samplers that our ancestors produced. 

Still in all, I am happy with the way that it turned out. I am even happier that I am through with all of the Au Ver a Soie Soie 100/3 Spun Silk in 663 is finally over! :)

Design: Motifs Abécédaire 30

Designer: Boutique DMC France

Fabric Used: 36 count Edinburgh linen in White

Fibers Used: Au Ver a Soie Soie 100/3 Spun Silk in 124, 126, 303 and 663

Stitcher's Notes: Began Friday, March 4, 2016. Finished Saturday, April 9, 2016. Motto taken from the Royal Society. The verse in Latin means "On the word of no one'. Verse replaced row of numbers. 

As of Wednesday, April 6, 2016:

Finished as of Saturday, April 9, 2016:

Well, I need to bolt for the door. I hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend! 

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

WIP Wednesday For Wednesday, April 6, 2016

This seems to be another one of those projects I am going to have to post a lot of pictures in order to see if there is any progress. This particular design is a lot bigger than I gave it credit for. I am also getting burned out on all of the darker brown. There is a lot of it on the bottom three rows. The last two rows are exclusively the darker brown! This is one of those occasions that one must just knuckle under and just get on with the thing. I know it is going to be really, really pretty once completed, but all of that brown is a bit dispiriting. 

Well, at any rate, here is my progress on Motifs Abécédaire 30 so far:

WIP#1:

Design: Motifs Abécédaire 30

Designer: Boutique DMC France

Fabric Used: 36 count Edinburgh linen in White

Fibers Used: Au Ver a Soie Soie 100/3 Spun Silk in 124, 126, 303 and 663

Stitcher's Notes: Began Friday, March 4, 2016. 

As of Wednesday, March 16, 2016:

As of Wednesday, April 6, 2016:

I am toying with the idea of leaving the numbers off and stitching something else instead. I have a few ideas, but I want to finish more of the Au Ver a Soie Soie 100/3 Spun Silk in 663 first before I decide.

Well, I had best be off. Tons to do this morning. I hope everyone is having a great week!

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Respectfully submitted,

C. 

WIPs Wednesday For Wednesday, March 16, 2016

This past weekend was my birthday weekend, which meant a three day weekend for me. I always thought that people should have the day off with pay on their birthday. Even if you don't do anything, it's better than being at work.

This meant that I had plenty of time to stitch. I worked on three projects this past weekend; Motifs Abécédaire 30 , Ocean Daughter, and Lady Of The Flag. I did not get too far with  Lady of the Flag, but I am hoping to get some time in on her again this upcoming weekend. There is not enough to show at this particular point in time, but hopefully soon. 

I did get quite a bit of time in on Motifs Abécédaire 30, but I think I am getting burned out on it. It's a bit larger than I had anticipated, but I am plugging through as I do not want this to end up in the infamous Bin O'Shame. 

WIP#1:

Design: Motifs Abécédaire 30

Designer: Boutique DMC France

Fabric Used: 36 count Edinburgh linen in White

Fibers Used: Au Ver a Soie Soie 100/3 Spun Silk in 124, 126, 303 and 663

Stitcher's Notes: Began Friday, March 4, 2016. 

As of Wednesday, March 9, 2016:

As of Wednesday, March 16, 2016:

I also picked up more than my fair share of birthday stash. This next new start is one of the ones that I managed to snag here recently. I have wanted to stitch this for a very long time. I was able to purchase the chart at a reasonable price and could not wait to get started. This one will be a nice break from other projects as it is a single color design. 

WIP#2:

Design: Ocean Daughter (retired)

Designer: Who Knew?! (Retired as of 2012. Formerly distributed by Picture This Plus)

Fabric Used: 28 count Caribbean Blue jobelan by Wichelt Imports

Fibers Used: Au Ver À Soie  Soie d'Alger in #205 (Paon)

Stitcher's Notes: Began Monday, March 14, 2016. Chart picked up as part of birthday bash. Substituted the fabric ( Crystal Lagoon 32 count Belfast) and the Crescent Colours Belle Soie silk (Bejeweled).  Who Knew?! used Alison Tanner’s Mermaid and Garden Fairy stencils which were available at the time from Stensource International (which is now part of Quilting Creations). Stitched with one strand of silk over two fabric threads. 

Time for me to go. I hope everyone is recovering from Daylight Savings Time and is having a great week. :)

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Respectfully submitted,

C.