Page One is Done!

Page one of And They Sinned is finished, taking 108 hours in 10 weeks to stitch.  It is a happy day indeed.  It's a happy day for Eve as well.  Adam's nose got fixed and he no longer looks deformed.  Must be why they are naked.  "Is that a snake in your pocket Adam or are you just happy to see me?"  It's interesting how Vilma designed the snake in between them.  Can you see the snake in the tree as well?  It could stand out more but maybe the dye lot of the floss is different than it was 10 years ago when this was designed.  I beat my 12 week goal of this first page by two weeks and it's funny because my DH now realizes it is extremely possible for me to finish this by Christmas, forcing him to pay up on his bet of paying for the framing.  Suddenly he is interested in alternative methods of framing, such as my Facebook friend's display of her sampler in a china cabinet door, recovered from a scrap pile.   He said he'd pay for the framing, not what sort of framing it was.  He is getting scared.  The next page of the sampler is full of alphabets which will go quickly.  Grow..Sampler...Grow....
Below is My Favorite Things by The Drawn Thread.  It's in my dining room right now and gets shuffled around when a new project gets framed.  The framing on this was done at Wonders of Wildlife and reminds me of how it must feel to park your Mercedes in front of your mobile home.  The sampler is simple and didn't take long to stitch but the framing includes a large fillet, a scrumptious linen mat, and an overpriced frame.  I will not disclose how much I paid to have it framed but it kept the store in business for that week.  They are now closed partly because I came to my senses and had my framing done at Michael's for a while after that.

Now for the dream piece of the week, Finch Song, by Shepherd's Bush.  This is not in my stash or on my to do list because I just have too many SB pieces.  It is lovely though and reminds me a lot of Come Tarry.  Their designs are becoming a bit too predictable for me lately.  I'm dreaming of a big...long...complicated sampler to be released.

Until next Thursday, happy stitching!

At wits end with And They Sinned!

This tree seemed to NEVER end.  If it weren't for Facebook friends and this blog this project might be at the back of a closet by now.  It was worth all the work though, it looks fabulous, and ironed this week.  :) The first page is almost done!  Yippee!  Below is a picture of a previously stitched piece that some of you may have seen.  It is Family Sampler by Shepherd's Bush and is hanging in the powder room of my house.  Jill Rensel did the beautiful mats and framing.

Here is the dream piece of the week.  It is Ann Grant by Shakespeare's Peddler.  She is kitted up and ready to go and may be the next project to be started.  This one is hanging in some other lucky persons house!  Till next Thursday, happy stitching!  Oops, almost forgot.  Calamity Jr. asked in the previous blog where my restaurant is.  She lives in Peoria and I am technologically challenged and couldn't figure out how to email her.  (Hope you are reading this.)  My husband and I run Grecian Gardens in Chillicothe.  Calamity Jr., if you come out, you MUST let me know who you are so we can talk "stitch!"

Sookie Stackhouse or Stitching?

Working twelve hours at the restaurant on Mother's Day meant a slow down of progress on ATS.  Usually three or four hours of stitching is done on Sunday afternoon but here is the latest on my project.  Apologies for the wrinkles, I just hate ironing and don't plan to iron this until the very end.  After stitching so many grapes on Grape Season Sampler, I sped through the ones on top of Adam and Eve.  Isn't Eve awesome!  What a vixen with her flowing red hair!  And Adam is such a bad boy.  I kept looking at him and thinking he didn't look quite right.  After careful study I found a small knot laying on the top of the stitch that makes his nose.  He looks like he has a big zit--but hey, he deserves it right?  When the feeling comes to unstitch, it will be fixed.  For now I will leave him with his blemish.  The tree is not very fun to stitch.  Too many damn colors!  It will be worth it when it is finished though.

Here is another project that is hanging on my wall.  It was stitched when my son was a toddler.  My husband and I went to Chicago to a Bull's game (Michael Jordon was extraordinary to watch) but I insisted that we stop at a cross-stitch shop and so The Earth Gatherer's by Shepherd's Bush was on it's way to a good home.

Now it's time for the dream piece of the week.  It's in my stash, but sadly, not on my wall.  This is Marriage of the Minds by The Drawn Thread.  (Below) The framing is fabulous!

This past week the latest Sookie Stackhouse book was released.  For those of you who do not know who she is, the series True Blood on HBO is based on these books.  The novels are quite entertaining and I just can't stop myself!  Charlaine Harris has created a world of fun creatures such as vampires, werewolves, elves, witches, shapeshifters, and various other "supes" that Sookie keeps encountering.  She is always in trouble!  Last night I downloaded the book onto my iPad and a plan must be made.  Read at work, stitch at home!  Yes, that is the plan.  I hope my boss won't mind!  Until next Thursday, happy stitching ladies!

Switchin' it up a bit!

Here is this week's progress on ATS.  The tree is coming up and there are lots of color switches so I may use 2 or 3 needles at a time for that.  This is the end of 8 weeks and the total stitching time is 78 1/2 hours.  Whew!

Some excitement is needed for this blog so I am going to post a picture of a project I have completed and then a project that someone else has had the patience to stitch and would be a dream piece on my wall.

Many of you have seen this on my Facebook page and know the hell I went through stitching it.  There isn't one row or area of stitches that wasn't stitched twice.  I learned how to count in kindergarten, I just forgot while stitching this!  It is Come Tarry by Shepherd's Bush and after going to Greece and seeing the rolling hills and sheep, I knew I had to stitch this.  Then when it was finished I ironed it and had the steam on (unknowingly) and the colors bled on the bottom.  THEN I tried to blot it out with a wet towel and left watermarks on it.  Could this project get anymore nightmarish?  So I phoned Jill Rensel, the artist and framer who put this together, and we decided to watermark the whole project to give it a distressed look and then she put a watermarked mat set with it.  It is splendid and one of my favorite pieces.  Speaking of favorite pieces, check this out!

This is a sampler stitched by one of my Facebook friends, Ilana Kaye.  I really hope she doesn't mind me bragging on her art.  It is framed in a panel of a china cabinet someone had thrown out.  This could be as big as And They Sinned and is just splendid!  Only another 6 or 7 months more to go and I too shall have an amazing sampler on my wall as well.  Maybe I will go china cabinet door shopping as well!  Until next Thursday, happy stitching and happy blogging.