Friday, May 20, 2022

Stitching Post

 I haven't talked cross stitching in too long. Mostly, because I am in a harder season of life and have had less stitching time. Less stitching time for me = Big need for stress release it provides. I simply must find a way to do more of it!

I have been stitching on two things for the past few weeks. I finished one and made some good progress on the other.

The finish was from Scattered Seed Samplers and is called "Gathering Together." It is meant to be a pinkeep. I, of course will not use it for that purpose. I haven't decided if I am going to stuff it with sawdust or fiberfil. I will sew it together this weekend and just see how I feel about that.


This is the stitch and the backing fabric.


My other stitch that I have worked on a good bit is Thirsty Hart. You may remember I am changing all the colors and wanting to personalize which as I near the end I will share more of my thoughts on that. 
I think all the color changes and flying by the seat of my pants on this has slowed me down on this one, but I know it will worth it down the road.

Thirsty Hart by Heartstring Samplery.


It is not that I don't like the pattern colors, but it is this personalization thing that is making me choose the bright colors. It has far more to do with the verse and the church I attended as a child.

I finished stitching down the left side so I know how long it is going to be. My pictures are a bit dark, but my time is limited and I just had to go with the time of day it was. Morning and a little cloudy.


I took this close up of the top to show that I am having trouble finding just the right color to do the center lines of the yellow flowers. The left is a wee bit light but the right is totally wrong. I am hoping to come up with something like I did for the blue flowers down the side.



My butterflies are all going to be very colorful. Like I said, I am stepping out on this one.
I am thinking I am going to stick with Thirsty Hart until I finish it and just do a few smalls in between. I have a Halloween stitch, a duck and a schoolhouse that are small that I really want to stitch this summer while working on Thirsty Hart. 

Now, here is where Sandy really fell off the wagon and bumped her head. I have been pretty much a monogamous stitcher for my entire stitching life. What came over me I have no clue!!!???

I have three very large projects going and had four until I finished the heron. I think I am going to stick with Thirsty Hart mixed with a small for immediate fun until I finish and then I am going to work on The Shepherd's Song.

The Shepherd's Song by Plum Street Samplers.


I love me some pink people. Everyone needs more pink in their life!


Isn't that little sheep so cute?

Motivation to get moving on Thirsty Hart so I can do this one next.

Then there is the tablecloth sampler as I have dubbed it. It is 24 inches wide and I am not sure how long it is yet.

Let Freedom Ring by Lila's Studio.


I debated even showing this one again since I haven't touched it in a while. I fear this one will be a multiyear project. Well, I know it will.


When I get the other two samplers done then I will make a plan to get back to this one and finish it. It may not come out of its project bag until 2023.

Speaking of project bags...


There are 12 there. Some you can't see in the stack and yes, they all contain something I REALLY want to stitch. 

I mean I really want to get started on some of them, but I am going to try and stick to my above plan.

I do have something to share that I stitched way back in the 1980s. It was a pillow and at Mother's house until she moved down here 7 years ago. I decided to cut it out of the pillow. Some of you may remember the hopscotch pillows. It had a very flat fiberfil pillow insert in it with lace around the ruffle and screamed 80s and better days. My initial thought was to make it a new pillow without any of the green hopscotch fabric showing, but I am thinking I may just frame it. 


I am really undecided at this point, but it is going to need some cleaning too. It is all DMC floss so that should not be an issue. I sort of think an oval mat around him would be cute. Thinking on it, but going to move on it soon.

I will hold off from showing all the bags since that would be like showing stash and until you do something with it I am not one to bother with that.
BUT, there is some mighty good stuff in them.

One might think stitching is an obsession, but it is truly just my favorite hobby and I love doing something with my hands while sitting. Couple it with a good book read to me (my only thing about that is I wish they read faster) and you have a perfect evening for me.

I am anxious to pull out all my patriotic stitches this week, but a little hesitant to put away some of my spring. There are only so many places to put my stitching. I need a room devoted to all the stitches.

9 comments:

  1. So much stitch-y loveliness here, Sandy. Each of your projects is pretty and inspiring. This post makes me want to find a way to get back to doing some handwork. Must find a way that doesn't make my hands hurt worse!

    ReplyDelete
  2. You are working on a lot and wonderful stitching projects.
    Have a nice weekend, Manuela

    ReplyDelete
  3. Everything is beautiful, Sandy. You are such an inspiration! I especially love Thirsty Hart and Shepherd's Song. Now -- you mentioned wanting to find another color for the yellow flower center lines. I noticed that on Let Freedom Ring there are some similar color flowers -- just wondering if you might use whatever color was used to accent those petals. Of course that might not work at all -- just wondering if it might be worth a try.

    My Prairie Schooler February sampler is almost done. Just need to complete a little more snow. That said, we've been so busy lately that I haven't worked on it. I've crocheted several dishcloths and completed a crocheted hot mat and I'm itching to embroider some dish towels, but don't know when I'll have time to do anything beyond simple crochet projects.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! I had not even thought about the colors in Let Freedom Ring. I think you may have just been the answer to that yellow solution. I am going to go look at that right now!!!

      Delete
  4. Well one of the good things about having several things going is that when you are bored with one, you have another to pick up. When I was a monogamous stitcher it took me ages to finish anything as I got bored easily.lol All of yours look beautiful. I cant wait to see the Lila's Studio piece finished. It already looks amazing Sandy.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Love the Hopscotch piece with the dog, Sandy. I stitched a couple things on the Hopscotch fabric back in the day. Your pieces are looking good. What is the light yellow you are using for the flowers in the Thirsty Hart piece?

    ReplyDelete
  6. It is so hard when life's events make it impossible to stitch as much as we'd like. I know just what you mean, Sandy, as I NEED to stitch for stress relief, but that isn't always possible. Your Let Freedom Ring is such a timeless piece, it really won't matter if you finish this year or ten years from now. It will still be a beauty. Lovely color changes, but I do understand how changing colors slows you down. It always makes me more relaxed when I'm just stitching a piece that I'm not changing any colors and using plain old DMC--so easy! Hang in there--it will be lovely. Congratulations on your pretty finish, too! Hoping you (and your mom) have a good week ahead ♥

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hello! Your Thirsty Hart is just lovely and I am a fan of your color choices. I have always loved that hymn, and I think this is a very sweet design. I am a relatively new stitcher (my new crossover hobby from quilting) and I am trying to work up the nerve to start my first larger scale project after a few small finishes. I was trying to decide between Things Unseen and This is the Day by Plum Street Sampler. My google search for Things Unseen is what brought me to your lovely blog, where I tumbled into the rabbit hole of your lovely stitch work! Ha. My visit here has presented me with a new dilemma because I think I need to add The Shepherd's Song to my list of options. I have stitched on 28 count lugana and enjoy that very much, but have not tried higher count linens yet. I intend to do one more small project on 32 or 36 count before diving into a large piece, just to make sure I have my footing and can sustain my enthusiasm. My thinking on that was confirmed after reading your comments about not enjoying the 32 count, which is the called for fabric on Things Unseen. Good to know what you like and don't before committing to a large project. Well, this cross stitch hobby sure is a fun path...much more portable than my big quilting projects! Nice to have found a fun community of stitchers too. Don't know if you do instagram but I just started a new page to keep up with my projects...I am Storybrookestitcher. Good luck with multi-tasking your large projects this summer. I will check back in to see your progress!! :-). Sincerely, Brooke in Texas

    ReplyDelete
  8. I just LOVE GAthering Together, what a sweet stitch, I love anything Quaker looking and you know about me and birds!! Looking forward to seeing it finished. Your brighter colors in Thirsty Hart are just wonderful!!! You have quite a bit done on it too. Pretty project bags and I would love to see what you have hidden away in them!! Have a safe Memorial Day weekend.

    ReplyDelete

I am so glad you stopped by my little blog. Drop in again anytime.
Sincerely,
Sandy