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.

Rose Hill Manor - American Quilt Sampler

Back to working on this Sampler!  Not gotten as far done as I would like, but sometimes other things in life just take a priority.  I did manage to complete my spare bedroom, which I had planned to do before my company from Michigan arrived.  But...due to my trip to Daytona Beach with my oldest son, everything was postponed, because he needed me for love, support, etc.  It was more important for me to be with him, then doing anything else. So I returned, started catching up on laundry, and painting the Guest bedroom.

 

 

 

I like the way it turned out, still a little tweaking to be done!  I have to put the blinds back up, and new valances (color of the accent wall.) My husband is going with me on Fri., to go to Front Royal, Va. where they have an architectural selvage place, and we are hoping to purchase something interesting to hang above the bed. I would like an old window frame, I think my husband is thinking more stained glass.  My alphabet blocks sampler is on the right, and the colors blend with the bedding and wall colors.  We also have purchased a ceiling fan for this room, and need to get the electrician into wire it for us.  Plus eventually run cable in this room as well so that we can put a TV in for guests.

 

 

Which brings me to the progress on Rose Hill Manor - American Quilt Sampler.  The latest block finished is the State of Washington.  I found what I thought to be a missing symbol on my chart.  I ended up, checking out the Rose Hill Manor site and found a bunch of corrections, which I am glad that I found.  But...it didn't reflect the symbol that was showing up that seemed to be lacking in the legend directions.  I contacted Karen Kubla of Rose Hill Manor, and she was so nice and helpful.  Come to find out, this particular pattern won an award at the Rosewood Manor Plantation Embroidery show in Alexandria, Va.  Ms. Kubla asked me to send her a picture of my work when I finished.  Won't be anytime soon I can guarantee that!

Favorite cross stitch tools

I am always in search of the best things to use when I cross stitch, whatever it may be.  Today, I decided to show you my all time favorite snips/scissors to use when I cross stitch.  These two pairs are never farther than arms reach, on my floor stand.  The purple pair, Stork/Pelican I purchased at "In Stitches."  I liked them so much, that I purchased another pair and sent them to my sister in Illinois.  They come in really handy when you have to rip out some long row of stitches because you made a major booboo.  That long beak comes in handy in getting under the top stitch, and snipping.  The other pair, I purchased at Michael's.  They were sorta pricey, but I think they were on clearance.  They are super sharp. 

Secondly, I found these wonderful needles in JoAnn's!  They are called self threading needles, and come with a magnet.  I don't stitch with these needles, but they come in super duper handy when you have a pesky tail, either starting or finishing, that you didn't quite get buried under the stitches.  You can slide the needle under previous stitches, and then yank the thread at the end part of the needle, til it catches, and then pull the thread under the stitches.  A lot easier than trying to get that little piece of thread through the eye of a cross stitch needle.  Plus the magnet comes in really handy for holding all the random needles. 

Time and Season Finish!!!!

Sometimes you just don't know what is waiting around the bend.  On Tuesday, the 9th, after coming home from dinner with a an high school classmate and his wife, who were in DC, I started receiving messages from some of my ex-husband's family.  They were trying to get ahold of my oldest son.  My son, who is in the Navy, had left on Monday, to go out to sea, for a short period of time.  The message sounded important enough, that I actually called my ex brother in law after 12:00 a.m..  Calls that are made at that time, are never good news.  My ex husband had passed away, sometime Sun., and it wasn't discovered until Mon.  I managed, to get a message to my son, and he called me within a half an hour.  I had to break the news to him, that his father has passed away.  My son was flown off the ship the next day, and I drove from Manassas to Norfolk, to make the trip with him to Daytona Beach.  We came home last Thur.  We spent the rest of the time, making funeral arrangements, trying to figure out his father's financial affairs, and cleaning out the family home of my ex husband's personal possessions.  It was a tough week for my son, and I am so proud of him!  He gave the eulogy at his father's service, and it was full of dignity, grace, humor and kindness.  I bawled through the whole speech.  Even at my age, it was a learning experience.  Life is short and fragile.  I came home and have plans to look at my house through new eyes.  If something happens to me and my husband, I don't want my kids trying to figure out what is important, and not.  We are going to update our wills, write out our burial wishes, make sure all our financial paper work is in order and let our kids know where exactly all these things can be found.  Password, credit card #'s, memberships, anything that might need to be cancelled.  I know my son was grieving, and he was overwhelmed.  I don't want my three kids to be in that position, when my time comes.  Hopefully not for a long time!  But, I also learned how important it was to tell my loved ones every day, and sometimes several times a day, how much I love them.

Needless to say, there was no time to cross stitch, and I took WIP with me to Daytona.  But, I am home now, and catching up on all the laundry that had accumulated in the week I was gone.  I was able to put the final touches on Time and Season.

Time and Season 9 - Coming around the bend

I don't know bout anyone else, but when I know I am so close to finishing a project, I get so excited.  Especially when my project is within a few days of being a done deal.  That is why I appropriately named this post coming around the bend.  I am down to completing the small alphabet, numbers and putting initials on it.  In place of my initials I will be using the initials of the charity.  I also have to add the yellow flowers to the pot.  Hopefully while I am catching up on my laundry, I will be able to work on this tomorrow!

Time and Season 7 or 8

Yesterday I made a lot of progress on this sampler.  I managed to finish the vine on the left.  Plus completed the roll that goes across the bottom.  I started on the motifs that belong in the middle where the blank spot is, plus plus worked on the four separate single lines that are 4 different colors to make the turn for the bottom.  After that, there are little letters and numbers to still complete.  So excited the end is near, where I can move on to another project.

Time and Seasin

Well I have been working away on this sampler trying to get it finished.  I made a slight booboo on the tree on the left side. I was one row off with two stitches, so instead of the treetop being two rows down from the rows above it, it's three.  Too much of the tree done for me to be willing to rip it out and fix it.  I keep looking at this, and realizing at some point I want to do this sampler again for me. But think I'll switch it up a bit.  I like the Aida it's done on, and may finish it on Aida again.  Depends when I make a trek to "In Stitches." But...decided when I sew one for myself that I am going to use hand dyed thread.  I love the variation that the hand dyed threads give you.  Plus I am hoping that maybe with slightly different fabric and different thread and of course a break of several projects in between that it will be like doing it the first time (again)