A Prairie Spring

Hello everyone! Spring has burst into full bloom here in Pennsylvania and it also made its way into my stitching this week. I just finished this spring sampler from Book No. 50: "Prairie Seasons". It is stitched on 32 ct. flax Belfast linen with the suggested DMC threads. I got a start on this when I was in Florida last month and am so pleased with the way it turned out. I'll have to tell you though, I don't ever remember doing this much back-stitching in a Prairie Schooler design. Look at the window panes, the water spraying from the fountain and all of those stems and leaves--I thought I would never finish "sowing" this garden! The only change I made was to the robins' legs--the chart showed them as cross stitches, but after trying that, the poor things looked like grannies wearing thick, gray support hose, so I switched to a simple straight stitch and think they look much more delicate and bird-like.

I've included a collage of close-ups below so you can get a better look at all of the details in this finish: the wheelbarrow, the fountain, the watering can...And don't you love that blue door?

One of my favorite parts of this sampler is the little patch of orange carrots poking through the ground (shown in the lower right part of the collage photo). Speaking of carrots, I made a delicious carrot cake for Easter. Myra had posted her carrot cake recipe on her blog a few weeks ago and so I gave it a try... It was so tasty, Myra; thank you again for sharing it with us! I cut the recipe in half and it made a cake just the right size for the four of us (with just enough left over for my older sons to take back to their apartment). Unfortunately, my youngest son wasn't able to get home from college for Easter and it felt like a "piece of the puzzle" was missing from our family that day. With two giant papers due in mid-April and final exams looming, he thought it better to remain in Virginia and get some work done...

This wasn't the first Prairie Schooler spring sampler that I've stitched. I also stitched this one from PS Book No. 123, "Country Seasons" back in 2008. I'm not sure which one I like better. Both are very different, but I think I have a soft spot for the fluffy lambs grazing in the field in this one. How about you?

We've been fortunate enough to have a string of record-breaking warm and sunny days in April. I honestly think we're being rewarded for enduring the four feet of snow we got clobbered with in February! Just wanted to share some of those gorgeous spring blooms that have popped up in our backyard over the past week: daffodils, violas, hyacinth, periwinkle, and those lovely ferns. Have any of you planted your gardens yet? Yesterday, I went to the garden center and bought tons of flower and vegetable seeds and bulbs that will keep us busy planting over the weekend. Oh, wait a minute, did I say "us?" I have to work on Saturday--hope my dear husband doesn't mind getting started on the digging without me :)





I will be announcing the three participants in my PIF next weekend. Since there were more than three entries, I'll just do a random pick. If anyone else would like a chance to participate, you can sign up on my post from March 27th...

Thank you all so much for taking the time to visit my little corner of the world today... And a special thank you to all of my readers and friends who take the time to leave a comment. I know your lives are as busy as mine, but I truly love to hear from each and every one of you. Wishing you all a week filled with perfectly crossed stitches...