Rosewood Manor - American Quilt Sampler Update 8

Alas I haven't had much time to cross stitch as we are still in the thick of bathroom renovation.  It looks like it will be completed by this weekend.  Everything that I could do for the renovation has been done.  As of this writing, I am making the faux Roman Shades for the bathroom windows.  I will be glad when those are done, because that type of sewing is not my favorite.  I can do it, but I would much rather being doing something else! 

I am officially at the halfway mark for my piece. It is slow going, as there is so much detail, but at least I can jump around from place to place.  Otherwise, I would go crazy with all the Algerian Eye Stitches.  I wonder if it will be done by Christmas.  Although my family, from Florida arrives at Thanksgiving.  My brother and his wife will be visiting for 3 weeks, and my mom will stay till the end of January.  So, I'm not sure if'll I get alot of stitching time.

Rosewood Manor - American Quilt Sampler - Update 7

Well, after wasting most of the day fooling around with Blogger, I finally figured out that the only way I can update my Blog is to sign on through Google.  Go figure?!  I have been really busy, and although not too busy to cross stitch, just too busy to post.  We decided to renovate our master bathroom, and it has been a project that started it August.  After many problems, with getting a contractor, and problems too many to even list, with The Tile Shop, we finally got the project started.  I acted as the General Contractor, picking out the tile, the cabinets, the granite, the hardware, the lights, faucets, sinks.  I even found the sub-contractor to do the tile, which is the only thing we are not doing ourselves.  But....with that on my plate, I just haven't had the time to post on my blog.  Sorry for the few that follow me, I have been a bad, bad girl!!

Meanwhile here are some of the states, that I have managed to complete since my last post.

                     

Rosewood Manor -American Quilt Sampler update 6

Not enough stitching time as I would have liked.  Busy, busy week!  Starting out with a soccer tournament in Richmond, of which my youngest son played in the early game.  My oldest son and his girlfriend came up form Norfolk to spend the weekend with us. School started on Tuesday.  It hen on Thursday, hubbie and I drove to Chesapeake for dinner with some Navy friends, a change of command ceremony on Fri. Jump back in the car for the return trip to Manassas, because we had company and my step daughter coming for a visit as well.  Plus two more soccer games, one Sat. And another Sun. Plus still in search of contractor for our bathroom renovation.  Needless to say, I only managed to complete two states this week.  Oklahoma and Nebraska.   Hope next week is a bit less busy! 

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.