Birds of a Feather Mystery Sampler Club

This isn't a repro sampler, but it is something that I wouldn't normally do. It's designed by Brenda Gervais of With Thy Needle & Thread.

http://www.stitcherstreasures.com/mainpages/birds_of_a_feather.htm

I took advantage of their pre-order discount. Maybe I'll keep up with this one. HA! But wish me luck.

I'm noticing a personal movement towards repros

I've bought a few reproduction charts over the decades. I've even stitched a few. But in the last week I've bought TWO reproduction sampler charts. Today I orders Lisi Sloboda 1828 by Hawkins House.

http://www.wasatchneedlecraft.com/Hawkins-House-Lisi-Sloboda-1828_p_2435.html

I love that the borders are different from each other and that there is a lobster in the motif section. How quirky is that?! The count is 319 x 257 and it uses WDW (DMC conversion).

I ordered Vol. 63 of SANQ for the cover design of a reproduction. Gorgeous!

New patterns

I went to In Stitches after seeing the exhibit at Woodlawn Plantation. A new design to me was Renouveau by a mon ami Pierre. Lots of alphabets very uniquely done. It was also peopled which was nice for a change. I'm stitching it on 32 ct Autumn Gold by Lakeside Linens. (It calls for 40 ct - an obvious typo if there ever was one! LOL) And I'm using the GAST threads instead of DMC. Does it have to be said that I came home and started this one?!

I was off yesterday and it was a beautiful day. A tiny chill in the air, but that's how I like it. It was so pretty I went and got my hair cut. I always seem to get a haircut on beautiful days. I also caught up on some episodes I'd missed on TV.

Posting January finishes and a work in progress

I finished a few items in January. Here they are:



JBW's French Country ABC's. SNC Fairy Quilt Cottage on 28 ct Ray of Light Lugana.




Ewe & Eye & Friends February





Shepherd's Bush Busy Bee (just need to sew on bee button)





Make-Do #5 by Shakespeare's Peddler. I flipped the upper right corner to make the lower left corner. I like this better!




Ewe & Eye & Friends July (a work in progress)

Tired...

I'm tired this week. I haven't done much stitching, but I did make a few more hexagons. Last night after making 2 complete hexagons I started making just the centers. I have 5 centers done. When I was working on my scarf at the beach I used this technique. It actually made things go faster since I did all my centers, then all my next rounds and then all my last rounds.

I "re-found" a WIP

My cross stitch seems to churn around. First it's on top; the next day it can't be found. Two months later it's back on top again. I don't understand it; I just accept it for what it is.

That is the story behind my 12 Days of Christmas from the issues of 2005 British Cross Stitcher magazine. These are particularly goofy for they are by Margaret Sherry. The 7 Swans a swimming has a swan wearing a 3-D flowered swim cap with an inner tube around her neck. The Lords a Leaping is a frog; the Maids a milking is a cow with an apron carrying a tray with a glass of milk on it. You get the idea.

I need to start these! I should start one this weekend and make it part of my 15 in 15 project. HA.

A couple of new starts

I started Midnight Watch (a Halloween design) by Blackbird Designs on Tuesday and Busy Bee by Shepherd's Bush yesterday. I really want to keep on stitching on either of these so I may modify my "fifteen starts in fifteen days" so that I keep my sanity!! ;)

Besides that, I pulled out about 7 SB things to work on right-this-very-minute. Most of it is small stuff or stuff I'd started once upon a time.