Rosewood Manor - American Quilt Sampler - update 5

Well have managed to complete three more states. Utah, Rhode Island and Florida.  Worked on a lot of the wording and the background for the wording.  Slow going!  But, at least each state is like working on a mini sampler each time, so maybe just maybe, I won't come to the "I can't wait to get this finished stage."   The stage you come to when you are ready to mentally move onto another project.

I don't know why the last pic is so blurry.  You will note there is one state I am having some difficulty with completing.  I just haven't liked the way it looked, so I sort of skipped over it and get back to it!

Rosewood Manor - update 4

Making progress!  It may not seem that way, when I look at how much I have completed and how much I have to go.  The pattern is printed on a very large piece of paper, and I'm only on the front side.   I do skip around a bit, between the top part and bottom of the pattern. Especially since there are so many Algerian Eye Stitches.  Lots of additional back stitching of different colors within each square of each state.  Plus, each state is outlined via back stitch in brown.  So proud  of myself when I get a state finished!

Cross stitch Outer Banks style

Just returned from our yearly family vacation in Southern Shores, NC.  We rent a house that is within walking distance of the beach, which the kids and their friends take advantage of.  In the three years we have rented the same house, I have never been to the beach.  I prefer the pool. Granted I only got to use the pool the first couple of days.  By Wednesday, the temperature had dropped to 70 degrees, the skies were gray and it was either raining or drizzling.  

But...as long as I have a few romance novels and cross stitch projects, I'm a happy camper wherever I am and no matter what the weather is.         

I did have a visitor/supervisor of my work.  Normally I dislike bugs, spiders, snakes, amphibians and all other manor of reptiles.  But this was sort of cute, because it was clearly a baby.

                     

Rosewood Manor - American Quilt Sampler Update 3

Surprise!! I have managed to finish 3 more state squares.  My own home state of Michigan, the W. Virginia, and also Maryland.  Pretty proud of myself, although at least this time I was not so arrogant with my stitching abilities, that I figured I could knock a state out every day.  Not so much on Alphabet blocks,  took me 3 days to finish each square.

 

Rosewood Manor - update 2

It's amazing that I found any time whatsoever to cross stitch.  I have been so busy with things to do.  I have had to resort to making lists for things I need to do, including cleaning out my refrigerator. (Ugg!) make doctor and dentist appointments,  for not only myself and the kids, but the dogs too.  I did manage to finish one pending project today.  These are night stands that I purchased in 1984 at an unfinished furniture going out of business auction.  I don't remember how much I paid for them, but when my oldest son was in grade school he has them. And they were stained wood color.  My daughter came along, 14 years later, then they were white with pink drawers.  Then two years later my youngest son came along.  He used them too.  They were white, with a red, blue and yellow drawer fronts.  Coat of paint, new knobs and they were recycled.  I am now using them to store sewing supplies.  I certainly have gotten my money out of them.

I managed to finish two more states.  North Carolina and Idaho.  I sort of skip around on the piece because there is a lot of fill in stitching.  Especially since the last several pieces I have worked on have over their fair share of the Algerian eye stitch.  Speaking of which, several months ago I was searching the web, and came upon The Scarlett Quince website.  They have a lot of helpful hints, but what I found was directions for what they call a "pinhead" stitch.  They have illustrations how to use the stitch on both linen and Aida.  It has been a real lifesaver for those charts that have that one pesky random stitch.