Sunday, September 13, 2009

Week Thirty-Seven: LHN Gourmet Garden









Well, I tried something for the first time in my life with this week's piece and I think I'm hooked! I stitched "over one" on 28-ct. fabric and, once my middle-aged eyes adjusted, I just loved it... I actually began LHN's Gourmet Garden on 28-ct. African Daisy Jobelan in my traditional "over two" manner, but I didn't like how large it was turning out. So, I took a deep breath, removed all of the stitching I had already done, and started over. Now that I've seen how sharp everything appears when stitched over one, I know I'll be punishing my eyes even more often! I love everything about this piece: the tiny olive trees, golden sunflowers, fields of lavender, and the sun-bleached villa--it makes me want to visit Tuscany more than ever. Have any of you ever vacationed there? I'd love to hear your impressions... I did make a few changes to the piece. The original chart had "nutmeg" as the final ingredient on the list, but I didn't think it fit in with the herbs, so I substituted "chives." I also changed the colors in the row of flowers to be more symmetrical. Hopefully, the designer won't mind too much...

I was so happy to finally meet a fellow stitcher (whom I've gotten to know through blogging) in person. On Friday, Lee, the Lake Stitcher, drove to my house where we spent a few hours chatting and showing off our stitching. We had planned on actually doing some stitching, but ended up talking the whole time... Had lunch at a local restaurant and made a quick trip to a nearby farmer's market. A thoroughly enjoyable day... And to top it off, Lee had stitched this darling scissor fob for me: "C" for Carol (and crows!). She knows how much I love Prairie Schooler designs so it is just perfect. And believe it or not, that is the very first piece of stitching that anyone has ever given me which makes it all the more special. Anyway, I hope this was the first of many visits...

Thank you all for your "get well" wishes for my foot injury recovery. I am definitely walking better, but still unable to walk distances or use my treadmill at all. It still swells and is sore by the end of the day, but from what I've read, it can take months for a foot injury to heal. I guess I just need to be patient... Just want you to know that I truly apreciate your concern...

10 comments:

Laural said...

Great finish!

Barbi said...

Well done with the Over 1. It turned out really pretty!

Daffycat said...

How perfectly gorgeous! I love African Daisy...except it's so darn hard to photograph!

Myra said...

Wow Carol, all that and over one! Great job. I had to biggify your picture so I could get the full effect. :o)

Annie said...

That looks beautiful over 1. I find it exhausting to do that kind of fine needlework myself, but I love what it looks like when finished.

Kim said...

Gourmet Garden looks wonderful stitched over one. I love stitching over one, it always looks so dainty when done and just think you will also save money on fabric and threads :)

Sounds like you had a fun day with your stitching friend, it is so fun to actually meet other people in person that share the love of needlework.

Ranae said...

Beautiful GG and on 1/1, looks fabulous!
What a fun time to meet a fellow stitcher and the FOB is an awesome finish.

Viooltje (Violet) said...

♥♥♥ wow... you did all that 1 over 1 in 1 week! ♥♥♥
*A*M*A*Z*I*N*G*♥*J*O*B*!
:o)

Lovely fob too! ♥♥♥
:o)

Solstitches said...

Congratulations on a lovely finish. It looks so pretty stitched over one.
That is quite a challenge to stitch one piece a week!

Margaret

Siobhán said...

Lovely finish! And over one--wow! I am so impressed. :) How neat that you got to meet Lee, I love her giftie to you as well. Sounds like a fun time!