Friday, June 25, 2010

Tiny finishes and big thanks

Hello all--hope you've had a great week!I had the urge to do some tiny stitching this week to offset my huge Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow piece. For my June ornament, I stitched the bottom quarter of the "O Christmas Tree" sampler from the Prairie Schooler Christmas Samplers chart (No. 63). I ended up stitching it over one to make it a better size for a Christmas ornament (and because I am an admitted "over one" addict!).









For this ornament, I used 28 ct. taupe cashel linen and DMC threads. I did end up substituting a couple of the colors--changed the cardinals to a brighter red (DMC 816) so they would more resemble the ones we see here in Pennsylvania in the winter and I changed the middle color on the trees to DMC 3363 because the charted color didn't offer enough contrast. Then I backed it with the fabric shown, topped it off with some sage green cording, attached a little bow and--voila! I'm very pleased with the final product...



My second tiny finish is from the Homespun Elegance "Miniature Samplers VI" chart. I changed many of the recommended overdyeds threads to similar colors I already owned. And because I stitched this little (it is just 1 1/4 inches x 1 3/4 inches) design "over one," too, there was no way the charted wording ("America the Beautiful") could be stitched and still be readable so I substituted it with some fireworks and added a little sheep.


Now, I am no artist--believe me, I can barely draw a stick figure, so if these don't look exactly like fireworks, try to use your imagination. (Now that I look at them, they resemble red and blue spiders!). I think that is one reason why I like cross stitching so much--because I feel artistic even though I'm not. I love the way the design appears on an empty piece of fabric almost like a painting. I stitched this tiny pin pillow on 26 ct. natural brown linen, filled it with crushed walnut shells, and added a bit of white ribbon and a red star button for accents. What do you think?




Stitchers are the nicest people and I recently received some wonderful things in the mail... Mary (no blog yet--but she's working on it!) and I became email friends when she sent me the sweetest note saying how much she enjoyed my blog. We hope to meet in person at some point because her son will be attending a nearby college in the fall. I was just so touched to receive this wonderful package of goodies from her. It contained all of my favorite designers: Prairie Schooler, Blackbird Designs, and Country Cottage Needleworks along with some floss. Most special of all, though, was the fact that Mary had read through my blog and discovered my love for black cats, especially my dear cat, Shadow, and she had picked out a special Permin kit featuring a little black cat waiting by a door. It brought tears to my eyes when I opened it... Thank you so, so much, Mary--I love everything and you are a wonderful new friend!



And from one of my very first blogging friends, Sue, I received this lovely La-D-Da Quaker Alphabet chart. Sue recently finished and framed this herself and kindly offered me the chart when she was done. It was her first Quaker and since I had never stitched one either I think she knew it would go to a good home. You know me, though, I'll have to use my favorite blues when I do stitch it. Check out Sue's blog for her amazing finish! It is perfection...Thank you so much, my friend. I will definitely pass along the chart to some other "new Quaker stitcher" when I am done!" Your gift means so much to me :)

Do you have a favorite flower? Mine, by far, are hydrangeas--I just adore them and this year, our bushes are absolutely bursting with the biggest blue blooms. In fact, they've never looked this good in the ten years we've had them planted! I'm assuming that it is due to all of the rain we've had this spring. Almost makes all of this horrid humidity bearable--almost... I don't know about you, but the older I get, the more the humidity gets to me. At this point I'm almost ready to move to San Diego where, I've heard, they have the most perfect weather. Do any of you live where there is no humidity? I just may be coming for a visit :)

I really enjoyed seeing all of your comments on my last post in regard to my question about whether or not you share your blog with others. I was very surprised to read how many of you are like me in that we tell only fellow stitchers or immediate family members about the fact that we have a blog. I just assumed the reason I didn't share it with people was because my shyness was coming through, but maybe it is just that I want to have a little corner of the world reserved for myself and others, like all of you, who share my passion for cross stitching...

Thank you all so much for taking the time to comment and email me each week. I treasure hearing from each of you and promise to catch up on my emails this weekend! Wishing you a wonderful last week in June (can you believe the year 2010 is almost half over?)...

56 comments:

Margaret said...

I love your tiny finishes! Over one isn't my favorite thing to do, but I do love the look of it! I love how you put the little sheep and the fireworks in the second piece -- I could tell they were fireworks right off! And I love sheep! :D How nice that you got lovely surprises in the mail from your friends too!

Kathy A. said...

Your two ornaments are wonderful. I am always amazed at over one. It looks so wonderful. The sheep and fireworks in the second one are just perfect and yes, I knew they were fireworks. Your finish is also wonderful.
Aren't stitchy friends the best. We love to share.

Daisy said...

your beautiful work. Congratulations
regards

Danielle said...

Love the ornament! Such a nice finish.

Barbi said...

LOL! I didn't for a second think that they were spiders! They look like fireworks. Silly girl! Your finishes are fantastic!

jayne@~an eye for threads~ said...

Your ornaments are just wonderful.
Be always in stitches.

Kajsa said...

Your two finishes are so pretty! I love the fact that you one used part of # 63 to make the ornament.

Martine said...

I love your ornament ! It is so cute !!!! Congratulations Carol !!
Ohhh ! Mary is generous! you received attractive presents !!!!
Here, we have a beautiful sun and it is very pleasant !
This afternoon, twins are in vacation for 2 months !!! They are very happy !!!
Have a good week-end, Carol !
Hugs.

Lesleyanne said...

Your stitching and finishing is lovely. Your flowers are beautiful too. Lovely gift received.

Cindy's Stitching said...

Cute finishes - I am also working on a 4th of july piece, it should be done soon. Its hard to pick just one favorite flower, but if I had to pick one, is would pansies.

Katrina said...

Sweet finishes! Love them both and what nice gifts :-).

My favorite flowers are Daisies, love them.

Julie M said...

Love your finishes and your hydrangeas! Mine aren't blooming yet. My favorite flowers are purple iris.

Angela said...

Carol, there's so many wonderful things to leave a comment for today! First I love your tiny PS ornament, it's just finished perfectly! I love your pillow finish and they look like fireworks to me :) Lots of new wonderful charts for you to enjoy, stitchers are such sharing people! And thanks for the link to Sue's blog I popped over and just love her Quaker Alphabet chart finish! My favorite flowers are Tulips and Calla Lillies, I can't decide which one I love more! I also love Champagne colored roses. Humidity not only bothers me but it triggers my migraines so I have twice the reason to hate it, LOL. Your Hydrangeas are lovely.

Sweet Sue said...

Your PS ornie is festive and pin pillow is perfectly patriotic, both lovely finishes. And yes, they certainly DO look like fireworks. Fav flower~daisies and snapdragons, I guess I have 2 favs! Thx for the link. Have a wonderful weekend my friend.

xoxo

Susan @ Real Girl Designs said...

Both finishes are lovely, Carol!

KarenV said...

Wonderful finishes! I love what you did with the PS designs - the ribbon bow sets it off perfectly. The HE piece is very cute and looks great as a pillow!

Wendy said...

your finishes are so wonderfull !
and one over one, oh my, I´ve tried it once, but it´s defenitely not for me !

I love hydrangeas to, I have a few in my garden,and I love the blue ones the most !
( if they´re not blue, I help them ! )
one is a special one, I´ll try to remeber taking a picture and posting it, just for you !

Unknown said...

Love your finishes, especially like the fireworks over the sheep.

Natasha said...

Beautiful finishes. I love that PS design. I also love to stitch over 1 :)

I do not share my blog with anyone other than stitching people. My DH knows I have one and has read it once or twice.

I live in The Bay Area. Up near San Francisco we dont get humidity. We have some seasons, trees change colors in the fall and we have our rainy season in the "winter" If you live inland it can get HOT 90+ in the summer The Bay Area stays around 80-85+ in the summer but that on only the hot days and the coast is usually 65-72+ in the summer. :)

Take Care and enjoy those beautiful blooms and stay cool

valerie said...

Love your tiny finishes! So cute! I don't mind over 1 stitching...it just seems to take longer!

Your hydrangeas are beautiful! My favorite flowers are peonies...they're all round and fluffy!

I don't think I could live in a humid or cold area. It's foggy here but hardly ever humid. San Diego gets pretty warm...but then it's warm year round compared to other states.

Deb said...

I think that your tiny finishes are just perfect. And you received some wonderful stash! I think that blogger have to be some of the most generous people.

I love hydrangeas too - I have quite a few of them. They certainly need a lot of water though. Although this year we've been getting rain every two days or so, and they're doing very well with minimal watering on my part.

I wish I lived where there was no humidity. We get terrible humidity sometimes!!

Lainey said...

Carol both your ornie finishes are just adorable.
Beautiful touching gifts you have received from your friend Mary and a lovely chart from Sue.
Hope you have a lovely week-end. Hugs.

Theresa said...

I love your finishes!!!! They are so adorable~~~~~~

You are one lucky lady to have such wonderful friends!!!! And I do agree, blogger friends are the nicest!!

Kim B said...

I love these over one finishes Carol! Stunning! And those definitely look like fireworks too. What lovely things to receive from stitchy friends. And hydrangeas are a favorite of mine as well!

Melanie said...

Those are wonderful finishes!! I espeically like the ornament - the colors and finishing are divine.

I love hydrangeas too, though, here in northeastern CT, they still aren't blooming yet. (Little green blooms are growing but no color as yet.) And daisies. They're so happy looking, how can you resist?

Catherine said...

All your stitching looks great!!

Enjoy all the new goodies and your flowers, they are beautiful!!

BrendaS said...

I love your little PS ornament. It looks so gorgeous over one! The little patriotic pillow is just perfect and just in time for the 4th of July.

I love hydrangeas too, although my favorite flowers are tulips. I love all the colors in the spring!

Have a great weekend!

Myra said...

I adore both of your finishes Carol. You were very creative with the PS piece. My hydrangeas bloomed for the first time this year and they are gorgeous. Mine are purple. That was a wonderful RAK your received, enjoy stitching each and every one of them. Enjoy your weekend and stay cool my friend.

Unknown said...

Your itty-bitty finishes are great! I was very impressed by your fireworks. I grew up in Western PA (Robinson Township) and we used to attend a fireworks display that were set off in a valley where you could ~FEEL~ the concussion as they exploded. I miss those displays. I can't get close enough to them at Disneyland to get the reverberation.

I'll take the humidity! People complain about how bad it is here when it's at 30%. Call me crazy, but I love 100 degree, 100% humidity weather. My skin is so much clearer and my hair is so much softer (if frizzier) in those conditions. Here, my skin, hair, and nails are always dry even though I drink what seems like my bodyweight in water every day!

mainely stitching said...

Your over-one stitching is absolutely wonderful!! :D

My favorite flower would probably be lilacs on the shrub. :D

Meadows08 said...

I love your little ornaments. Your finishing is immaculate and very beautiful. I could tell right away that you meant to stitch fireworks. I would never have guessed that they weren't on the chart.

Lois said...

I love your finishes Carol! Over one stitching? I'm a little ambivalent about it. Well, I don't mind it until I have to frog it and then I really dislike it!!!! Love the little pillow you made, the fabric is perfect for this one and yes, they do look like fireworks. The PS ornament is lovely and I really like how you finished it.

What a lovely package of goodies to receive in the mail. Stitchers are definitely the nicest people!

We don't have the humidity you would have, we can think it is humid but, compared to what you would get it really isn't very much at all.

I love this La D Da chart. It's one I keep telling myself I need to stitch.

Have a good weekend!

Shari said...

I love both finishes, but especially the ornament & how you finished it. Gorgeous!!!
Love the hydrangea as well! Mine is finally doing something this year, after several years. I finally moved it & I think that helped a bunch!

Anonymous said...

I love your ornament! The cording is gorgeous, and I love the design. Isn't it funny how cardinals are different colors? The ones here in Texas are more pink than red.
I think your fireworks and sheep are darling! Awesome substitutions!

Sally said...

Both your finishes are lovely Carol. I love how you've made them both up:)

Wonderful gifts too!

Shirley said...

Your ornaments are wonderful. Your Christmas ones always make me want to do more, if only I had the time. Thanks for your comments on my blog, Airdale Terriers can be very big, Archie is the same size as Sidney who is a Labrador/Great Dane X! Have a lovely weekend and happy stitching. kind regards, Shirley

Andrea said...

Love the PS ornament and of course the other fine finishes.

Lisa Clarke said...

Your finishes are wonderful!! How fun to get a great package like that - stitchers are the most wonderful people, aren't they! I so enjoy reading your blog!!!
My Best,
Lisa C.

Jackie's Stitches said...

Beautiful finishes and wonderful gifts. I like your fireworks!

Pumpkin said...

Amazing! Completely amazing! Your stitching is perfect as well as your finishing :o) I do see fireworks so I'd say you did well!

That was so sweet of those stitchers but then again, stitchers are some of the nicest people ;o)

Your hydrangeas are gorgeous. I wish I could photograph them :o)

I'm with you, humidity does not agree with me either. I would have to say that it's 90% better here in NS than it was in NB.

Viooltje (Violet) said...

Carol your stitching, finishing and photographic skills are *g*r*e*a*t* (as always).
:o)
♥♥♥

Oh YES, I love "Hortensia's" too.
(haha, google thát word...?)
;o)

We had a long cold Spring this year (lovely weather for stitching), but now it is SUMMER with kapitals (yuck, yuck, yuck).
:o)

FIONA said...

I'm glad I have discovered your blog Carol - your finished pieces are beautiful. Thanks for sharing your love of creativity with us all. I am always inspired by others superb finished items! Thankyou. x

El Panal de la Abejita said...

HOLA AMIGA!! PRECIOSOS TODAS TUS LABORES. VINE A SEGUIRTE DESDE VENEZUELA. TE INVITO A VISITARME.. BESITOS! MARISELA:)

Carolyn NC said...

Lovely finishes and stitching!

Edit said...

What a lovely ornament again! And I like the other stitching&finish too :)And your flowers... they are beautiful again :)

Kellie said...

Hi Carol,
Your ornaments are adorable as always. I love that you took the bottom of that sampler and stitched it over one into an ornament. Very nice. :) I think I have that chart, so I may have to make myself one. :) Congrats on all your goodies. Stitchers are the nicest people. As for favorite flowers, I love stargazer lillies. I carried them in my wedding bouquet years ago. My husband (the green thumb of the family) has planted them in several areas of our yard and I so enjoy them in the summer. They should be blooming soon. I will have to take some pictures and post them on my blog. :)

Michelle said...

Great finishes!

Anita said...

I love blogs and just discover your blog by following other stitchers' blog. Wow, I am very impressed with all the ornaments finishes. I can tell you love Prairie schooler designs.

Siobhán said...

What sweet finishes, Carol! Your finishing is fantastic, too. Lucky you on the package that you received, and the chart!

Solstitches said...

I love how your Prairie Schooler ornament turned out. Beautiful stitching and finishing!

Margaret

Dani - tkdchick said...

Those tiny finishes are spectacular!

I spent a day and a half in San Diego and the weather was perfect! Perfect temp and humidity! Its a city I definitely want to go back to!

Mylene said...

I so LOVE your ornament finish. It is perfectly finished. Well done! And WOW! such lovely goodies received. Enjoy!

natalysneedle said...

Carol, Love your over one stitching. I enjoy over 1 but don't get to do enough of it. I am new to blogging and have posted a lizzie Kate fob I did over 1. Would love for you to check it out. natalysneedle.blogspot.com

Vinniey said...

Wow!! I love your ornaments! Well done, Carol! Thanks for sharing your favorite flowers, so beautiful! :) Sorry that I couldn't comment on all your posts lately, I was overwhelmed with jobs and party, I was behind on blog reading and I haven't had time to read and comment too much. I hope to catch up soon. :)

Heather said...

I love your finishes, the over one ornament is beautiful.

I have a hydrangea in my garden, but it's not in bloom yet. Mine never seems to bloom until August or later.

Unknown said...

Your cross stitching & patience in doing it are so admirable.
In the spring pansies are my favorite, summer roses & glads and fall mums. Lately , lemon lilies rate high on my list as they require no care and just bloom & bloom.
Mom