It's a New Year!

Not only is it a new year, but it's going to be a new month if I don't get busy and finally post something! Hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday season. As for me, my winter decorations are still up from last year! Nothing like staying ahead of the game. Still, all has been well on my end, and I've had plenty of fun and travel to make up for the lack of crafting and posting.

However, I did have my rescued cross-stitched piece framed last summer, so I wanted to share the finished piece here.

Most of my framed cross stitch hangs in my dining room, so that's where this piece landed as well. I like the vintage look, the natural linen, and the black design, mat, and frame. The next picture is not the best in terms of angle, etc., but you get a better idea of what the restored piece looks like.

I think it's an improvement over the damaged original.

Here's a detail shot of the simple black frame and mat.

If my memory serves, this is the first piece of cross stitch that I've rescued. But it's not my last! I found another piece in an antique mall over the Christmas holidays. That piece has a couple of stories to tell, so I'll share pictures and those tales in another post. And, who knows, I may be on to something here. More shopping and rescuing may lead to less crafting on my end, but more pictures and postings here!

Enjoy the rest of January 2011 while it lasts!

She Squandered Millions

I took my stitched carriage couple piece apart and took it to the framers (say that 10 times fast). Here's a behind the scenes look with at least one clue to the time period.

The age around the mat is easy to see once I removed the frame.

As expected, the linen was laid flat.

I had wondered about the dark color peeking through the lace openings. There was a partial label in the center that indicated an 8"x10" opening. Looks like this came with the frame, but it's a very thin, slick piece. Not sure what this layer is made of. Not paper. About the thickness of carbon paper. Any ideas?

The best clue, though, was awaiting. I had to laugh when I got to this final layer. This colorful piece was the back piece of cardboard.

I was so impressed and surprised by how beautiful and well-preserved this final layer is. The colors are so pretty. Looks like this backing was cut from a larger movie (?) poster. Any ideas? It was certainly fun to peel back time and end with such a surprise. But more importantly...

I laughed out loud when I read the text. Was the original framer the cross stitcher? The cross stitcher's husband? Was the humor intentional? Regardless, the message certainly endures across the years!

I've Not Been Stitching, But...

I have a confession to make. I've not been stitching, but I have been shopping!

Each year, my sister and I meet in Springfield, OH for a BIG antique show and flea market. I say "big," because out of all the years we've been going, I've only made it to all the vendor areas once - and that's over a three-day period! This year, I got lucky and found an affordable cross-stitched piece that was looking for a good home.

I've seen a number of similar pieces, but none completed on a piece of linen like this with what reminds me of Battenburg lace around its edges.

This looks to have been a stamped design. The stitching is fairly well executed compared to the other pieces I've seen. But I didn't notice the faint marks of a stamped design until I imported my photos. The other stitched pieces I've seen of this nature have a similar horse and carriage theme, and they've all been completed with black floss. I did a quick Google search to see if I could locate any information on the pattern or the time period. Do you know anything about these designs? What do you think - something from the 1950s or '60s? I'd be interested in finding out more.

There is a bit of water damage on the bottom of the mat. And the frame is literally falling apart.

You can see the linen peaking out from the back edges, so I'm guessing the fabric was just laid flat in the frame.

This one will be going to the framers so that it can be properly conserved. After that, I have just the place for it!

And, "what," you may ask, "does a long day/weekend at the Springfield show look like?" Like this closing photo of course!

I certainly don't know where the days go, but here's to a fun summer and a great holiday weekend!

An Itsy Bit of Etsy

Now that I'm "caught up" on my weaving posts, I'll return to the stitching front.

Last week I noticed that Beth Twist of Heartstring Samplery had posted a new design to her Etsy shop. I fell in love with the border patterns and the sentiment. Such a perfect design for this time of the year! I love the touch of red in the hearts.
I also noticed that Kathy Barrick had also added a number of "old" patterns to her Etsy shop that I needed to add to my collection.

I ordered patterns on the same day, and they all arrived on the same day just a few days later. Fast service! I certainly have new motivation to keep stitching!

As for the little bit of stitching I've done of late, I have just one little motif, in progress, to show from the Mary Wigham sampler. It's been awhile since I've worked on white linen, so I've had to take my time on this one and rip out a few atitches along the way. That's ok. I enjoy the process as much as anything, so the slow go is fine by me.

Hope you are staying warm wherever you may be and enjoying the day!

Back at It!

Thank you for the kind words and warm wishes. I'm waiting for the "it gets easier" part to begin, but I'm doing well and thankful for every day.

The last few weekends have felt pretty "normal." I've been visiting blogs, admiring everyone's work, and I've picked up the needle again. Yeah! Remember the little kitten ornament I started during the Olympics? Well, I completed the stitching,...

and I finished the back stitching.

I'll admit that back stitching is not my favorite part of the process, but it certainly makes a difference. I'll hold off on really "finishing" this little guy until the other kittens are stitched and ready (so who knows what decade that will be). For now, though, I'm back at it!

Knitting and Stitching

Not too much going on during this cold, cold January except a little knitting and stitching. Not a bad way, though, to spend a cold, gray day.

First of all, thanks for all the kind comments on Jenny Bean's contributions to my MMIRR! As you can see, the church is framed and under roof, and the bricks and windows are going in. I'm really needing a lot of good light, however, for this linen. My DH has loaned me his desk lamp, so that has helped quite a bit. I'm thinking I may also need a stronger pair of reading glasses, though!


On the knitting front, I pulled out a scarf that I had started awhile ago; it's the "Flying V Scarf" by Iris Schreier in Exquisite Little Knits. The yarn is Moda Dea's Cache, a bulky 75% wool, 22% acrylic, and 3% polyester blend. I like the colorway and the pattern, but I'd select a softer and lighter weight yarn if I make another. I love having a project on the needles during the winter months.


Hope you are all staying warm and enjoying your January projects as well. Until next time, happy stitching and knitting!

A New Year and a New Project

Happy New Year! I must say I love having a couple of days off work!! I'm catching up with blogs, and this post will make my 3rd post in two days. Truly amazing. I guarantee all will be back to "normal" soon! In the meantime, it's been so nice to relax and focus on a few creative endeavors.

Many of you already know that New Year's eve marked the official groundbreaking for the Me, Myself, and I Neighborhood Round Robins. I've not broken ground yet - will be doing so this evening - but I spent part of yesterday finalizing my plans. I'll not repeat my initial plans I wrote about here. Instead, consider this post my first "progress" report!

I had a frame in mind that I purchased earlier this year that I thought would be perfect for my neighborhood. It has an opening of 21" x 24". However, when I sat down to place my designs and pick a starting point, it didn't take long for me to realize that I didn't have near enough room for the neighborhood I envisioned. So...I've placed the "big" project on hold, and instead I'm taking a very pragmatic approach to my neighborhood: I'll be finishing and framing each of my historical houses, so the end result will be a repositionable wall community.

Please meet the first residents: the local clergy and his dog, a female neighbor, and another neighbor's cow.

This scene is from Jenny Bean's 1794 sampler.

The pattern is from the Scarlet Letter, an excellent source of sampler reproductions and adaptations.

The floss and 29 count linen in the first picture make up the construction materials. Design size is 10" x 6". The history lessons will begin soon!

Christmas Past

Can you believe Christmas is past, and here we are looking at New Year's eve??? Unbelievable! We were fortunate enough to spend Christmas in Ohio with my family, so I'll share a few pictures of my Mom's tree (which I love) and some of the cross-stitched ornaments I've made for her in Christmases past.

Mom's tree is filled primarily with snowman and cardinal ornaments. It's always fun to search for something new for her tree.

The ornament, above, was the first cardinal ornament I made for her. My finishing skills are not very good, but the pale blue fabric and the egg shape at least related to the subject matter!


The year I made the wreath ornaments, Mom got one too. It's not one that I would have picked out for her, but I wrapped all my ornaments that year, and let folks select, at random, their gift.

My favorite, though, is the cardinal on the mailbox. This is one I'd like to have hanging on my tree as well!

Finally, I'll share a photo of a stitched piece I made for Mom and Dad back in the late 80s/early 90s.

Mom had moved the location of this P. Buckley Moss design for the first time, and I was able to get close enough to take a shot. The photo is not so hot, but this is still one of my favorite finishes. When I purchased the pattern, my plans were to make one for my parents, and one for me. After hours and hours of working with white floss on white 36 count linen, and ripping out an entire lower section of the snow because I had messed up, I decided that this finish was going to be my one and only for this particular design. I love P. Buckley Moss's work, though, and have several other cross stitch patterns of her prints that may get worked up if I live to be an old, old woman!

One last look...
and a wish to all of you checking in for a healthy, happy, and peaceful New Year!

'Tis the Season

I love the holiday season, the decorations, and all the handmade ornaments. Please enjoy a few pictures from my holiday cross stitch projects from Christmas past.

Remember these? These are the first four Prairie Schooler Santa cards, stitched and framed in the 80s. They were my first laced and framed projects, so I was pretty pleased with the results. I still love them! Here's a closer look.

And two more....

One Christmas past, I stitched and finished wreath ornaments for others and saved one for my tree....


And finally, one Christmas trip from the past I spent stitching the mini ornaments, below, that still hang on a small table tree....

Mrs. Claus, her animal friends...



Two of my favorites...


And Santa himself....

Happy holidays...from me...to you!

All Roads Lead To...

...a new craft project! At least that's been the case for me this fall. It's hard to believe that September and October are behind us, but I was able to spend most of my favorite season on the go. My husband and I vacationed in West Virginia and Virginia, and I spent several weekends in Ohio with my sister for two major events: the Country Living Fair in Columbus, and the Springfield Antique Show Extravaganza. Talk about two fun-filled weekends and a week's worth of beautiful mountain scenery! I could go on and on about our travels, but I'll stick to the crafty bits that followed me home.

Now that the projects can be seen in one place at one time, it doesn't look as bad as I had imagined. Lord knows I don't need another project, but I'm not one to resist temptation when it comes to the fun stuff! One of the booths at the Country Living Fair showcased finished quilts and punchneedle designs, so I bought my first punchneedle kit: the two Christmas sheep in the center of the photo above. Prior to this kit, I had admired the small designs, but I just hadn't found one that I liked well enough to buy. This one definitely caught my attention as did two others.

As for the latch hook kits, it has been many years since I've worked one of those, but these two already hold sentimental value. My niece made me a latch hooked kitty pillow when she was 9 (she's now 19) that looked like the cat I had at that time: a little black and white tuxedo cat. We now have two cats we adopted almost two years ago: another little tuxedo and a big yellow fellow. Now how could I resist?

Finally, I'm still stitching away on the kitty ornament. I'm almost ready to begin the backstitching! This little cross stitch project has seen a lot of miles this fall, but not once did I find time to stitch on any of my fall romps.


Now that it's darker earlier, perhaps there will be more time for all these projects. And, yes, there's a Christmas project (not saying for what year) in the project photo above thanks to one of my sister's not-so-subtle hints. It definitely pays to hang out together during this time of the year! What new projects have caught your eye this fall? Hope you are all having fun with whatever you are working on!

Me Too

I know I'm not alone when I say I joined the Me, Myself, and I Round Robin that Vonna has opened. Not like I need another project, but this one was too enticing to resist! Like a lot of others who are participating, I've spent the past week thinking A LOT about my neighborhood. Last weekend I went through all of my cross stitch patterns thinking about the possibilities. Thank goodness it was a long holiday weekend! I finally decided to use design elements from reproductions of historical samplers.

Last night I sat down and started pulling out the houses to see what my options are and how large of a building lot I might need. I'm already concerned about size, but that's another issue altogether. So far, I have five house options out of the charts I pulled.

I'm so glad we have time to plan this project. Putting all the ideas together will be a challenge. I'm looking for a few specific elements from historical samplers that I don't have, such as a church, so I get to continue my research and see what else I can find. Seriously, this planning part is just downright fun!


On the stitching front, my "Olympic kitty" is still in training. I'll blame my early bedtime and too much Olympic event watching for my lack of stitching progress! My husband just asked me this morning if I was going to finish this cat before I start my next project. He always makes me smile. Bless his heart!