Through the Years - Jan Houtman - Page Three

I know I have been bad about posting on my blog.  But.....I have perfectly good excuses.  First, a few weeks ago, I was hustling down the basement steps, and thought I was closer to the bottom then I actually was.  Tried to catch myself, and ended up breaking my metatarsals on my left foot.  Supposedly this is a dancer's break, which is funny, since I barely can dance.  It took almost two weeks to get into an orthopedic doctor, so I was hobbling around with a splint and crutches.  I am evidently very uncoordinated and fell at least 3 times off the crutches.  Finally got a boot, and am ecstatic with that, because I don't feel so dependent and a lot more mobile. 

Then, my CPU was making noise, and we thought that perhaps by cleaning off the fans, it would do the trick.  Well, maybe I waited a tad bit too long, and when I went to hook the computer back up, there was Nothing!  Hubby took the CPU to Best Buy, and we were given the news that the mother board was fried/toast/kaput - Elvis has left the building.

My hubby stopped at Staples and bought me home a brand new laptop.  I am still trying to figure it all out.  I finally managed to get my photos uploaded from my computer.  Figured out to edit them.  Now this if my first attempt to update my blog, and add a picture to my update.  Keeping fingers crossed that this will work!  Otherwise, I'm going to have to send my hubby out to Barnes and Nobles to purchase Windows 8 for Idiots!

Through the Years - Page Two

Managed to finish another page.  This particular chart is set up differently from many of the sampler patterns I have used before.  Instead of starting at the top left and working across the complete top, it goes from top left, than underneath that, and underneath that, before it moves to the top again.  One nice thing, is that the designer has a legend at the bottom of each page to show where that page fits on the big sampler.  Arrow on the left side is where page one ended, and page two begins.

Like I posted in my last post,  this has turned out to be very colorful, completely different from what I thought it would be looking at the picture on the front of the chart.  Over 60 colors, and I haven't used all of them yet!

Through the Years - Page One

I finished the first page of twenty six pages for this chart.  If.....I can do a page a week, I figure it'll take me the rest of this year to finish this particular piece.  I got to admit, that the picture on the front of the chart, was more muted in color, and looked like it was done in alot of blues and purples.  As you can see, it is a lot brighter than I expected.  That's okay, I like color!

Through the Years Gone - Jan Houtman

What is it that they say about a rolling stone gathers no moss?  As soon as I finished my Needlework project, I started going through my stash.  I decided to start on Jan Houtman's - Through the Years Gone sampler.  This is the largest project I have ever undertaken.  The finished size is 17 1/2" high and 38 3/8" wide, not including additional fabric for finishing and framing.   The Sampler uses over 60 different DMC colors.

It took me awhile to pull all the threads.  Plus set up my floor stand for such a large project.  Thankfully I asked for stretcher strips and cross bar for my floor stand for Christmas, knowing that I would need them for this piece.  

I bought this pattern several years ago, and bought the fabric at the same time.  I looked, the piece of 36 ct. Edinboro Antique White fabric was $66.00.  Think this was the year, my kids give me a bunch of Visa/Master Card gift cards, and this is how I spent it.