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...

Week Thirty-Six: Prairie Schooler September Squirrel

Happy September! The leaves are starting to slowly change color, the nights are (much!) cooler, and there is that certain autumn-like scent in the air here in Pennsylvania. I'm beginning to see more and more grey squirrels like this one scurrying around collecting their supplies of nuts to hoard for the cold winter months ahead. I stitched this little guy, from Prairie Schooler's "Spring and Fall" chart, on 32-ct. flax Belfast linen using DMC threads.


I've also stitched the May and October pieces from this leaflet and, to save money, I use the same frame for each--just popping the stitching out to replace with a new month. Do you think I'll ever finish all twelve? Anyway, here is Mr. September Squirrel in his new home with two new friends. The carved wooden squirrels were my grandmother's and I still remember them being on display in her home. One has a chipped ear--I wonder if I did that as a child? They've always brought back fond memories of her welcoming, warm home...

I suppose you could say I've been lucky to have a lot of extra stitching time lately, but it came at a price. About three weeks ago, I hurt my right foot when a piece of metal shelving fell on it at work (and you thought libraries were nice, quiet, safe places to work!). As the first week went by, it kept hurting more and more so I finally had it x-rayed. No break, just a deep bone bruise which can take months to heal. I can walk, but with pain and a slight limp, and was instructed to keep my foot elevated and iced. Not much improvement yet and I'm starting to get discouraged... But at least two of my favorite activities (stitching and reading) are perfect for someone with an injured foot!

Week Thirty-Five: Sunflowers

It is hard to believe that this is the 35th ornament I've stitched during 2009. September is right around the corner and I'm really looking forward to it. Not only is autumn my favorite season but fall pieces are my favorites to stitch (aside from Prairie Schooler Christmas ornaments!). I thought this one, stitched on 32-ct. sage Jobelan using DMC, Needle Necessities, and Weeks Dye Works fibers, was perfect for the end of summer/beginning of fall. This was actually a pattern for a beaded Mill Hill kit, but I converted it to cross stitch and added a few things such as the little bees and the grass sprouting at the bottom of the fence. The original kit had sunflower buttons so I had to chart some rather rustic looking sunflowers, also. I'm pleased with how it turned out and I think it will be a great addition to our family room.

When spring planting time rolls around, we make sure to plant sunflowers in our garden. They are such a strong, brilliant looking flower and they always brighten my day when I look out my kitchen window and see them. As you can see in the photo on the right, the bees like them, too. And, of course, the birds appreciate all of the seeds as the cooler weather arrives.

I hope you all have a great week with lots of peaceful stitching time! Until next weekend...

Week Thirty-Four: Prairie Schooler Snowman and Bunny

A snowman and his bunny--what could be cuter? This ornament, from the Prairie Schooler's "Santas & Snowmen" leaflet, was stitched on 32-ct. sage Jobelan using DMC threads. I had a tough time tracking down this pattern. Many of the shops seem to be out of it, but I finally got my hands on a used copy online and it was worth the search. There are so many charming ornaments in it, but this one is my favorite. Who knows? Maybe I'll stitch all eight...

Well, it's that time of year again for many--the annual trek back to college. For some of us, it is the oldest child who is leaving for four years of studying (and partying) and experiencing new things that don't include mom and dad. For others, like us, it is our youngest child returning for his next to the last year of college. Years ago, way before any of my sons was even thinking about college, a library friend shared with me a copy of an essay that I've never forgotten. Written by Bill Bryson in his book, I'm a Stranger Here Myself, this essay touches the heart with its reflections on the author's eldest son leaving for college. I found the essay, called On Losing a Son, posted online and thought you might like to read it yourself. Whether you have a child still in elementary school or one about to leave for college, I think you'll be glad you did.

After my youngest son left for college this week, the phrase from all of those old fairy tales kept running through my head, "And peace returned to the kingdom." There are no more stray socks peaking out from under the couch, no loud guitar chords wailing up from the basement, no damp towels left drying on the floor, no lights left burning all night. Since he left, the dishes seem to be mysteriously making their way into the dishwasher and the toilet paper holder remains curiously filled. The house has taken on a comfortable and peaceful hum. Yet, I already miss him...and I hope he has an amazing junior year.

Week Thirty-Three: Season of Growth

I am so, so excited! I just read on the Little House Needleworks: Behind the Scenes blog that a new design will be released next month called: "The Library." Most of you know that I am a librarian so I can hardly wait to see it--and I'm sure that it will be making its way into my next shopping cart at my favorite online needlework shop. I love the verse designer Diane Williams chose for it: "An open book is a window into the world"... how true. Anyway, back to this blog posting... LHN's "Season of Growth" was a joy to stitch as all of her creations are. 32-ct. Flax Belfast Linen and DMC threads were used in this little piece and I changed the border color from green to blue (just because blue is my favorite color). I also stitched the window panes and outlined the doors in the same brown color used in the roof.

It certainly has been a season of growth around our house. Pictured to the right is our vegetable garden (well, really my husband's garden because he does 99% of the work)...Everything was a bit slow coming in this year with our cooler than normal temperatures, but it is shaping up to be a lovely year for the tomatoes, beans, peas, and zucchini. The peppers and broccoli are also making appearances along with some brilliant yellow sunflowers.




I finally framed another LHN piece called Nature's Beauty (which I stitched last year) so I wanted to share that with you, too. Thank you all for visiting--I love reading your comments each week and truly appreciate the time you take to say hi (and, of course, I love visiting and being inspired by all of your blogs, too!).

Week Thirty-Two: Prairie Schooler Bird on Flower Bookmark

As with any Prairie School piece, I loved the colors in my latest finish. I believe this was a free bookmark at one time, but I ended up purchasing it from Ebay. I stitched the whimsical looking bird walking up his large flowering plant on 32-ct. natural colored linen with DMC threads. Now I'm looking for a pretty, floral fabric to use as a backing for the bookmark. When finished it will make a great gift for a friend...

I think one of the reasons I don't finish my ornaments right away, is that I have to drag the sewing machine out of the hall closet each time, set it up, thread it, etc. If I had a designated sewing area I could just keep the machine set up all the time and I would probably be much more productive in actually finishing my pieces. Hmmm...an idea is slowly forming in my mind. I turned my oldest son's old bedroom into a proper guest room when he left home, why not turn my middle son's old abode into a sewing/craft room now that he is gone? (I can just hear the groans as he reads this!) What do you think; do many of you have designated sewing/craft spaces?

Week Thirty-One: Let It Snow

More snowmen this week! This happy little trio standing under a snow-filled forest of pine trees can be found in the Winter 1994 issue of Cross Stitch Sampler magazine. "Let it Snow" was stitched on 28-ct. tea-dyed Monaco using DMC floss. A very easy stitch, but all of those smyrna-stitched snowflakes took some time. For the snowmen's eyes and buttons I used Mill Hill petite black beads.



As in most gardens across the country, our zucchini are taking over... In an attempt to use some (okay, one) of the zucchini, I discovered this delicious recipe for Zucchini-Chocolate Chip Muffins and baked some this morning. I am, in one way, just like a little girl who never grew up--I hate green vegetables. So this is my half-hearted attempt to get some into me! I did substitute 1/4 cup of the vegetable oil with 1/4 cup applesauce in an effort to make them even healthier. (Of course, the fact that I doubled the amount of mini-chocolate chips completely offset that plan!!). Anyway, here is a link to the recipe on one of my favorite recipe sites, Allrecipes.com: Zucchini-Chocolate Chip Muffins Enjoy!

Week Thirty: Scene in the Dunes

In honor of our annual vacation in North Carolina's Outer Banks I've stitched this summery looking ornament from the Wishful Thinking website. "Scene in the Dunes," stitched on 28-count Monaco using DMC threads, is a free chart available right here. Doesn't this make you feel like you're right on the beach listening to the waves and feeling the warmth of the sun on your face?

This week my husband's entire side of the family (there were 23 of us in one huge beach house) gathered to spend the week in Corolla, NC. It was our first visit to this part of the Outer Banks--we usually vacation farther south in the Nags Head area. Each area has its pros and cons, but the most important thing was we took 23 family members from Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Connecticut ranging in age from 5 to 81 and spent a laughter-filled week in (mostly) sunny North Carolina. We have some great memories to add to out previous 24 years of family get-togethers in the Outer Banks...

Week Twenty-Nine: Snow Mitten

We've had an unusually cool summer so far in western Pennsylvania so this snowman might feel right at home (just kidding--it hasn't been that cold, but today's high temperature was only 67 degrees and that is the coldest mid-July day I ever remember!). I'm not complaining...the older I get the more the heat bothers me. I don't think I'll be one of those older people who retire to Florida. I think the mountains of North Carolina are more my cup of tea--at least in the spring, summer, and fall. I've never been there, but from pictures it looks so peaceful and relaxing.

This little snow mitten, stitched on 18-count hunter green Aida with DMC floss, is from The Cricket Collection's "Woolen Mittens" pattern. I also used black Mill Hill beads for his buttons, mouth, and eyes. In case you're wondering why I tend to stitch so many snowmen, it's because I have a Christmas tree devoted entirely to snowmen that I decorate for the holidays (and sometimes don't take down until February!). It is a small tree--only 4 feet tall and, to be honest, there is not much room left on it for any more snowmen, but I'll find a special place for this chubby, little guy.

Week Twenty-Eight: Summer Basket

Oh, what a busy week we've had here! I only had time to stitch this tiny, but cute, summer basket motif from Sue Hillis's "Seasonal Baskets" pattern. You all know how I dislike stitching with brown floss, but this basket came together fairly painlessly. I love how the backstitching makes the flag, the slice of watermelon, the red and white napkins, and the loaf of bread (crusty and French I presume!) really pop. I used DMC threads and 28-count Summer Khaki Lugana for this design and plan on finishing it into a little pillow. I saw the cutest basket filled with little stitched summery pillows on another blog that would be fun to put together.

My youngest son turned 21 on Thursday--like every mother I find it hard to believe the years have passed so quickly. I always say he was born with a smile on his face--he has that positive attitude and enthusiasm for life that I wish we all had more of... I still remember when he was a newborn and he had his days and nights mixed up. After one particularly exhausting night I sat there on the edge of the bed with him in my arms, desperately tired and weepy, and looked down to see the biggest toothless smile appear on his week-old face. I know, I know babies aren't supposed to be able to truly smile until they are six weeks old or so, but, honestly, he smiled at me that morning and I just knew everything was going to be all right...for him and for me.

Week Twenty-Seven: Land That I Love

HAPPY 4th of JULY! I couldn't resist stitching this Lizzie Kate design, "Land that I Love," to celebrate Independence Day. Don't you love the tiny gray sheep grazing in the field? I stitched this ornament on 32-count flax Belfast linen using Weeks Dye Works threads and a tiny star charm. The charm was originally a brass color, but I decided to paint it a pewter color to blend in better with the gray of the windows.








I also want to share another patriotic finish by Little House Needleworks called "America." I used 16 ct. Natural Heatherfield and DMC floss for this one and I would have to say that it's one of my favorite finishes. I've had this piece stitched for a while, but just got around to framing it this week. Hope you enjoy it and that you all have a happy and safe 4th of July weekend...

Week Twenty-Six: Prairie Schooler Two-by-Two: Deer

This post marks the half-way mark in my year-long ornament challenge! Hooray!!! So far, the challenge has been fun for me, although sometimes I long to have the time to stitch larger projects. But, at the same time, I am clearing out so, so many of the smaller patterns in my stash (and getting to stitch many fun ornaments at the same time!). This little Prairie Schooler design is from the 1998 JCS Christmas Ornaments issue and was stitched with DMC threads on some mystery fabric (it might be 18ct. Davos--just can't be sure).








I also want to share this photo that I took of a little fawn born two springs ago back by our pond. How cute is that tiny deer? I couldn't believe I was able to get so close to it--the mother must have been away foraging for food or something... Deer seem to love our pond--I saw one just the other day taking a long, cool drink from it on a steamy 88 degree day. Perhaps it was the same deer from my photo all grown up?

Week Twenty Five: Prairie Schooler Boy With His Snowman

Okay, okay, I know what you're thinking--another Prairie Schooler design?! What can I say--I guess I'm an official Prairie Schooler addict. Looking back over the past 25 finishes that I've stitched so far this year, one quarter of them are Prairie Schoolers! This little boy carefully applying the finishing touches to his color coordinated snowman is from the "Button Up" leaflet and was stitched on 32-count Lambswool Jobelan. I finished another of the designs from that leaflet in Week Six--the little boy ice skating. I hope to someday stitch all 8 and finish them as tiny ornaments for our Christmas tree. But, knowing me, I'll give them away as gifts. Is it just me, or do you find yourself giving away much of your cross stitching?

When my sons were little, I used to stitch a small Prairie Schooler Santa for each of their teachers and frame it for them as a Christmas gift. I can't tell you how many of those Santas I stitched, but multiply three boys by who knows how many teachers and you get the picture. I still remember one of the boys saying to me, "Mom, you've made so many for the teachers, but you've never even kept one for yourself!" So, I guess maybe it is finally time to stitch some things just for me...

Week Twenty-Four: Prairie Schooler Santa with Cardinal

By now I'm sure you've gathered that Prairie Schooler designs are among my favorites! This is the second Santa I have stitched from the booklet: "Kris Kringle." This blue-robed Santa carrying his red and white mittens was stitched on 32-count sage jobelan with DMC threads. I love the tiny details on his outfit; the two snowmen holding brooms and wearing hats, with charcoal buttons, carrot noses, and red scarves wrapped warmly around their necks. So cute...If you look closely you'll notice that the Santa is carrying a small red cardinal with a holly branch in its mouth.

Speaking of cardinals...several weeks ago I noticed a lot of rustling and squawking in the lilac bush outside of our familyroom window. Upon further inspection, I spied a brand new cardinal's nest holding one lone egg. I had never seen a cardinal's egg before and after a week or so the brown-speckled egg hatched into this alien-looking little cardinal chick! Just yesterday I checked and what do you know, the little cardinal had grown feathers (not yet red) and was ready to fly away...

A lone cardinal egg...

The newly hatched cardinal... Poor little thing--he looks so frail with his translucent skin and huge bug-like eyes. Hard to believe that someday he'll be one of the bright red birds we enjoy watching in our yard all year long.

And here is the baby cardinal finally leaving the nest...I suppose his feathers will begin to turn red as he gets older. Good luck little one...

Week Twenty-Three: Cat at the Window

As soon as I saw this darling "Cat at the Window" pattern, I knew I had to stitch it in memory of our dear all-black kitty, Shadow. This was a simple and quick stitch using white monaco fabric and DMC threads using a free pattern from Kreuzstich-kreativ which can be found right here.

It was two years ago this week that our dear cat of fourteen years passed away. Taking him to the vet that warm June evening in 2007 was probably one of the hardest things we ever had to do as a family. But his intestinal tumor had returned a year after an operation to remove it... and there was nothing left to be done for him. He was just the best kitty ever--a stray who wandered into our yard in 1993 and made his home with us for the next fourteen years. Shadow was a cat who thought he was a dog--very sociable and loving. He grew up with my sons, watching three little boys become young men. He loved rubber bands and chasing moths, laying his head against his "girlfriend" (my husband's leather briefcase), pouncing on newspapers and exploring paper bags, having his head rubbed with a shoehorn, "talking" to the birds outside the window, rolling in catnip and lolling in the sun, sitting on a kitchen stool next to us while we ate our meals, and sleeping in our laps. Shadow...we miss you daily and we will never forget you.

Shadow on the windowseat in our family room...

and waiting patiently by the door...

Week Twenty-Two: Tulip Sampler

Did you ever have a piece that you just loved to stitch--that just flowed so beautifully and there were no missed stitches and no need to fix your mistakes? For me, this mini "Tulip Sampler" by Karen Kluba was one of them. It was offered as a freebie on the Rosewood Manor site last year, but doesn't seem to be available anymore (online anyway). Currently, there is another cute reindeer freebie on the site, though, so you may want to check that out...

I loved the colors in this tiny (2 3/4" X 3 1/2") sampler; the way they all blended together along with the whimsical alphabet resulted in a lovely finish. For "Tulip Sampler," I used white 28-count linen and DMC threads. I changed the border color from the designer's suggested green to the darkest blue color so it would work nicely in my (mostly) blue family room.

It felt so good to get much of our gardening off to a good start this past weekend. Thanks to help from two of our sons, we planted, pruned, weeded, moved rocks, dug up plants, moved plants, mulched, and got the yard looking pretty spiffy--just in time for the rain which we've had every day since Monday! Oh well, at least we didn't have to water our new plantings. One thing you won't see growing in our yard is tulips--we have such a problem with deer mowing them right down, that we don't even bother planting them anymore. Guess I'll have to be satisfied with the tulips in my stitching!

Week Twenty-One: Gingerbread Birdhouse

Well, this week I'm back to stitching Christmas ornaments. Even though the temperatures are finally warming up (we're having a string of lovely 80 degree, sun-filled days for the Memorial Day weekend), I'm thinking ahead to Christmas. This would make a perfect gift for a friend whom I give an ornament to every year. After all, who doesn't like gingerbread houses? This pattern is from an old issue of Stitcher's World magazine and was stitched on 28-count black Monaco with DMC threads. Lots of backstitching in this one! But I think the finished piece resulted in a house any bird would be happy to call home...

Wishing everyone a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend!

Week Twenty: Violets

Just a quick finish for a very busy week. My youngest son will be leaving for Spain on Tuesday, so I've spent much of my free time getting him organized and packed up for his six week trip. He'll be taking two classes at a Seville university, living with a host family, and doing some traveling throughout Spain--we're all jealous!

This week I tackled stitching on black with this piece simply called "Violets Flower." It is a freebie from A.B.C. Cross-Stitch which you can find right here. Don't you love the colors in violets? The subtle shades of violets and lavenders create such a delicate looking flower. It was stitched on 16-count Aida using DMC threads. I have always loved the way black fabric makes a design just "pop," but with these middle-aged eyes, stitching on black is just, well, let's say, a bit difficult. I think this would make a lovely sachet pouch someday, or perhaps a pretty covering for a small wooden box...

Week Nineteen: Summer Scene

I guess the title of my latest finish, "Summer Scene", is just wishful thinking! After the wet and cold week we've had here in western Pennsylvania, summer seems a l-o-n-g way off...This piece, although small, was a challenge for me because it used not only cross stitching, but some specialized stitches that were new to me as well: Hungarian stitches on the roof; leviathan stitches on the front door; Smyrna stitches for the flowers; woven leaf stitches for the tree leaves; reversed cushion stitch on the sidewalk; and everyone's favorite--the French knot for the flower centers. I love the different textures that all of these stitches give the finished piece. This primitive folk-artsy "Summer Scene" designed by Cynthia Zittel of The Drawn Thread was stitched on 32-count Twilight Blue linen with DMC threads. Isn't that oversized cat sitting in the front yard so funny!

Wishing all of you who are mothers a Happy Mother's Day tomorrow--it is often a thankless, tiring, and messy job (especially when your kids are young), but I can't imagine life without my three sons! Oh, and thanks mom--I love you dearly...

Week Eighteen: Prairie Schooler Spring Robin

It's May! It is hard to believe that I have stitched 18 pieces and that my 2009 "Ornament a Week" challenge is one third over--so far, so good. Now I'm just wondering when I will ever have the time to finish them all into ornaments... I stitched this Prairie Schooler robin (from the Spring and Fall leaflet) on 32-count flax Belfast linen using DMC threads. This spring we have our very own robin who sits patiently day after day on her nest filled with three blue eggs. I think the blue of the robin's egg has to be one of the prettiest colors in the world and I took a photo to show you the tiny eggs in their protected nest in the holly bush located just outside the bay window in our den. The mother robin was harder to photograph--very skittish and upset that a human would invade "her" territory, but I did manage to catch her in the photograph below. I look forward to seeing the babies hatch in the coming weeks...


Three lovely sky-blue robin's eggs...

The mother robin guarding her nest...