Ruth Bacheler Finished!

I finally have a stitching finish to share!  I started Ruth way back in 2009.  I actually started it three different times until I was happy with the colors.  I'm so glad I got back to it and got it finished!

The Scarlet Letter "Ruth Bacheler 1717"

Linen: 34 ct. Cafe au Lait Legacy Linen (coffee/tea-dyed)

Threads: DMC

Started: 5/09 - Finished 5/7/13

The DMC threads I used are actually a conversion given to me by Katrina.  She has a great eye for color and I know she won't mind if I share that conversion with you...


The called for color is on the left (next to the symbol), the color I used is on the right. The initials in the parenthesis are used for the Irish stitch points and Bargello.  
L (R) 326 – 304
X (GG) 734 – 834
O (P) 224 – Same
colored in circle (DO) 733 – 730
- (W) 746 – Same
V (G) 320 – 502
upside down V (LG) 3053 – Same
C (BP) 309 – 899
I (PG) 834 – 676
+ (LO) 734 – 733
S (blue) 809 – 3752
 (dark brown) 3371 - Same

Lots Going On!

Well, we've owned this house for a little over a month now and it's still hard to believe that it's ours.  We finally got around to painting the table and chairs black.  We were going to go through all these steps and we ended up just using spray paint and I think they turned out great (and again, when I say we, I mean Chris).  He did a great job!





Here is a slightly fuzzy picture of how the table and chairs looked before...

So much better!  They were pretty beat up!

Chris also painted the barstools to match.  These are just cheapo stools from Wal-Mart!

We just got back from Florida where we spent spring break.  We spent Easter weekend with my dad and then the week after with my mom.  The boys had so much fun in the warm weather - swimming and playing outside.  They were glad to be out of the cold and so was I.

While in Florida, I picked up a couple things at IKEA.  First, I found the cutest bed for our guest room/bonus room.

And then I found a pretty outdoor umbrella for our patio set.

I would love to get this table for our (empty) dining room, but that will have to wait a bit...

I'm having fun decorating our new house, but now I'm ready to stitch!  I have been working on Ruth Bacheler quite a bit lately.

34 ct. Cafe au Lait Legacy Linen (coffee and tea-dyed), DMC threads (2 over 2)

I also started Dutch Beauty.  I keep asking myself what I'm thinking starting something so big!  It's so pretty though, and I think it will look great over my bed one day.  I really decided to start after seeing Paulette's finish.

I'm stitching it on 40 ct. Bisque, which I coffee-dyed to make it a little more cream and I'm using DMC threads.

Hopefully, we'll start to get into a routine now and things won't be so crazy. :)

We've Been Busy!

Finally, things are getting back to normal around here. Before we moved in my husband was coming over to the house to paint after work and on the weekend. This is the kitchen before...
It wasn't bad, it was just a little dark. This is the kitchen after....
We (my husband) painted it Repose Grey by Sherwin Williams and added new stainless steel appliances. I think it brightened it up nicely.

My husband also painted the dining room. This is the before...
And this is the after...
It's also painted Repose Grey by Sherwin Williams. We're very happy with how it turned out. We just need some furniture in there now!

We also painted the bedroom. And when I say we, I mean my husband. I picked out the paint, he did all the work. I just offered moral support and food.

Bedroom before....
Bedroom after....
Chris painted it Sea Salt by Sherwin Williams. I love the color. It's so soothing! I can't wait to get my samplers hung up in there (we also need some new lamps)!

The last thing I did was get new cushions for the patio furniture. The ones they had on there were pretty old and faded.
Oreo loves hanging out on the cushions in the sun. I was able to get a couple stitches in out there too!
But then it turned cold, so I've been doing all my stitching inside. I have been working on Ruth Bacheler (pictured above) and Dororthy Walpole. Maybe I'll get them finished this year??

Thanks for letting me share my new home. I'll share more pictures soon!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Well, I said I was going to post and stitch more in the New Year and that really hasn't happened.  Things have been kinda stressful around here because we've been house hunting.  We found one that would be perfect for us - it has a great yard for the boys and lots of room inside.  We are negotiating for it right now, so my stomach is in knots!

I have been stitching a little.  I worked on Charlotte Clayton (sorry for the bad picture)...

40 ct. Vintage Sand Dune, NPI silks

I also got Ruth Bacheler by The Scarlet Letter back out...

34 ct. Cafe au Lait Legacy Linen (hand-dyed with coffee and/or tea), DMC threads

I got a new pattern in the mail today too!  It's Frances Pool by With Thy Needle & Thread. 

I was thinking of stitching it on 40 ct. Lt. Examplar.  I think it's such a pretty sampler!

Well, if everything works out with the house, we'll be closing at the end of next month!  It will be here in no time - I have to start thinking about getting everything packed again!

Fraternal Twins

I didn't mean to confuse anyone. The Ruth Bacheler that I'm working on now is actually the original one before I switched to silks. I changed a lot of the colors, so it's not exactly the same, which is why I was calling it Ruthie #3. I have been stitching on it for the past couple of days - I'm still liking it! In fact I got as much done as the silk one. Here they are together....

I'm still thinking about what I want to do with the silk one. Sell it? Save it? I don't know! :) My dh just shook his head today when I showed them to him. He thinks I'm crazy, but he also admited that he liked the new better too! Well, my ds is wanting to use the computer! Write soon!

Ruth Bacheler #3

I worked on Ruthie quite a bit this weekend. I'm so happy with how it it's looking. Really, the only major change is one of the threads is a teal green instead of a darkish-bright green and another of the threads is more yellow and gives a little more contrast in the yellow/greens. I think it makes all the difference though. Another reason I like it, is the linen is a smaller count, which makes the design about an inch smaller on the sides. I'm thinking when I coffee-dyed the first linen I washed and dried it a couple of times, whereas with the other linen I only washed and dried it once. Anyway, here are a couple of progress pics...

I have also been listening to "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett. It's so good - I can't stop listening!

Well, I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day. My kids and dh were so sweet - they brought me cards and coffee in the morning, although they could have let me sleep in just a tiny bit longer! My dh said they were too excited - they just couldn't wait! :)

Third Time's a Charm??

Welcome to the loony bin once again! I was going through my linen and getting it organized and came across my old Ruth Bacheler wip. I couldn't stop looking at it and I realized I really liked it. I was seriously thinking of picking it back up and working on it again. But wait, I started it over, on silk. Shouldn't I be happy with that?? I should, but of course - fickle me, I'm not. I really like Anne's finish over at Tempus Fugit. I love the colors on her sampler. I don't know why they are so different than mine - dye lots, lighting? Who knows, but I knew I liked it. Well, Katrina also liked Anne's sampler and she came up with a conversion of her own by looking at the colors Anne used. I once again borrowed Katrina's conversion (she so nice to share). She has a great eye for color! So I ripped some colors from my old sampler last night and put in the new colors today. I'm very happy with how it's turning out.

I also worked on Miss Lila's House, which is my sane project. I have not had any problems with this one at all. :)

Well, it's time to get the kids from the bus! Write soon! :)

More Ruthie!

I was just going to finish the border and then I couldn't stop. I stitched two more rows after that. I had to fudge the third border a little - don't look too close. :)

34 ct. Cafe Au Lait Legacy Linen, AVAS Soie d' Alger silk

Weekend Stitching

I started "Miss Lila's House" Friday night. I decided to go with R&R 40 ct. Ink Spot Black. I'm loving it so far! I stitched this while listening to "The Lace Reader." It was a really good book! I highly recommend it!

Saturday and Sunday I worked on "Ruth Bacheler." I finished the first two alphabet rows. The second row is satin stitches over three threads. I had to rip out a couple of letters trying to figure out how to get it right. It's still not exactly right, but I didn't want to rip anymore. I'm hoping my 2nd border will match up on the other end!

I plan on finishing up the second border (hoping it matches) and then maybe I'll work on "Miss Lila's House" again today after running a few errands! Write later! :)

Ruthie and Stocking Progress

I have a little bit more progress to share on the two wips I've been working on most lately. I finished all the triangles on the left side of Ruth Bacheler and started on the alphabet on top.

Today I have been working on my "Sampler Stocking." I'm still loving the linen! :)

You'll have to excuse the wrinkles. I was just too lazy to iron today! And my friend Deb says it's not good to iron your silks a lot, so I'm trying not to iron too much. Although the perfectionist in me is cringing a little! :)

I also got a few things in the mail - I know, I know, I've gone a little crazy lately, but I'm slowing down now. I definitely have enough to keep me busy, for a long, long time! I placed an order with Kathy Barrick-Dieter through her Etsy Shop. She has several out of print patterns available for sale. I couldn't resist getting a few. And now I see she's added a couple more, but I will resist!!

This is the folder she sent them in. Isn't it beautiful?? And here are the patterns...

Well, that's all for now! I'm going to try to get back to my stitching before it's time to make dinner again. I think I'm going to make Sausage and Potatoes today. An old Italian recipe passed down through the generations. Write later!