Tea-Dyeing, Berry Time and a Little Stash

I got up the nerve to Tea-Dye "With My Needle" yesterday.

I actually mixed in a little coffee with the tea and baked in the oven for about 20 minutes at 250. I think it turned out O.K. It wasn't difficult after I got over my initial nervousness.

After dyeing WMN I decided to try to finish up another UFO, "It's Berry Time." I haven't worked on it since July!

40 ct. Vintage Maritime White, Belle Soie silk (1 over 2).

I'm really hoping to finish it up in the next couple of days. I also got a couple more threads I was needing for Shakespeare's Peddler "Sarah Woodham 1770." I just love this design!

The fabric I'm thinking of using for it is 40 ct. Vintage Homespun. I could just stare the silks all day long. They are so pretty! I'm so glad Theresa has started doing reproductions - she has such a good eye for color! Write soon!

With My Needle Finished!

I finally finished "With My Needle" today!! I'm so glad to have it done!

The Goode Huswife "With My Needle"
Fabric: 40 ct. Light Examplar by Lakeside Linens
Threads: DMC (1 over 2)
Started: 11/16/08 - Finished: 10/17/09

I haven't tea-dyed it yet (obviously). I'm still trying to get up the nerve to do it! I don't want to mess it up! Maybe I'll try it in a couple days.

Well, now I think I'll get back to Paradise Lost. I really want to start CaHRH, but I think I'll wait a little bit. I would love to finish up a couple more things before starting another big project.

Write soon!

Works in Progress

Wow! Thank you all for your very kind comments on "My Lady's Quaker!" They really made my day! :) I decided to get out "With My Needle" yesterday. I finally finished up the bottom portion. All those swirlies were driving me nuts! I'm glad most of them are behind me now!

40 ct. Light Examplar, DMC threads (1 over 2).

I also worked on my CHS Alphabet the other day, but forgot to post a pic. I have "Goose" finished and a start on "Horse."

36 ct. Examplar, Sampler Threads (1 over 2).

Well, my oldest ds is home sick with the flu. Dh and I were going to go to Charleston. We were going to walk down King Street and go out to lunch. I was finally going to try shrimp and grits! But it looks like I'll be staying home playing nurse instead. Oh well - that's life when you're a mom! :) Write soon!

With My Needle

I ended up getting out Goode Huswife's "With My Needle." I saw that Anne, the designer of Goode Huswife, has just released this design as a chart recently. You could only get it in the book before (Vol 1). Anyway, I made a little bit of progress last night....

Here is what it looked like before....

The linen I'm using is 40 ct. Light Examplar and I'm using DMC threads (1 over 2). I think I may tea stain it when I'm finished to give it a more primitive look.

Thank you all for your very kind comments on my Kindred Spirits finish! Write soon!

Welcome to the Loony Bin!

I worked on "Ellen Birdseye" last night. I was not happy with the linen though. I didn't think it was dark enough. So I decided to over-dye it was a little tan Rit Dye. I dried it and started stitching some more. I still wasn't happy with it, so I dyed it again with some tea and coffee and threw it in the oven for ten minutes. And then I decided it's not the color, it's the linen. It's too thin. It's like stitching on tissue. I don't know why some 36 ct. linens are like that. I ended up crumpling it up and throwing it in the trash. Yes, I did! I got out a piece of 32 ct. Days Gone By linen from my "Glad Tidings" Shepherd's Bush kit and decided to start over. I did the border and the little bird in the corner and finally went to sleep around 1 am. I woke up this morning and I did not like it on the Days Gone By. At all. So I dug in the trash and amazingly my original Ellen was just fine. I rinsed it out and dried it and started stitching on it some more. I think I need to check myself into a mental hospital. How can I obsess over my stitching so much? Why can't I just pick a linen and be happy with it? Why do I do this? Anyway, here's my progress....

I was very close to setting the whole thing aside and starting something else, but I didn't. I'm determined to finish it now! I think I actually like it now! :) Write later - after I get out of the hospital!

This is the Day - Finished??

I worked on "This is the Day" all day yesterday. I was going to leave the top alphabet not filled in and then I decided to fill it in. Well after about five or six rows I decided I didn't like it. I spent the night ripping it out. I'm fairly happy with how it turned out. I hope it doesn't look too unfinished. I just thought white was a little too bright. I thought about coffee-dyeing it, but then I thought the other threads might run. And then I thought about using a different color, but then I would have to rip out the bottom too, so for now it's finished. Maybe I'll change my mind later, but I doubt it! :)

Hands to Work (Tracy Riffle) "This is the Day"
Just Cross Stitch Jan/Feb 2009
Fabric: 40 ct. Coffee and Tea-Dyed using Vonna's Method
Threads: Cresent Colours, GAST and WDW
Started: 3/20/09 - Finished: 4/17/09

After I finished TiTD - I decided to start something new. I decided to start The Goode Huswife's "Ellen Birdseye" using Melissa's conversion. I found a pretty piece of 36 ct. Vintage Navy Bean in my stash. I'm stitching it one over two.

I think I'm really going to love stitching this one! Well, it's such a beautiful day today, I think I'm going to take the kids to the beach or a park. Write soon! :)

Ida Mae Crow Finished!

I got her finished up today! It was such a fun stitch! I want to get her framed right away. I just love it! :)

The Goode Huswife "Ida Mae Crow" (c)2009 (not oop!)
Fabric: 35 ct. Straw WDW Linen
Threads: Needlepoint Inc. Silks (2 over 2)

The last picture is the frame I'm thinking of ordering from American Frame. I love how you can go on their site and upload a picture to see how it looks with the different moldings. I also like how inexpensive it is. I'm thinking of ordering a few. I'd love to get started on my sampler wall! Now, I guess I should be good and get back to one of my many wips. Write soon! :)

Ida Mae Crow

I was itching to start something new yesterday, so I decided to start The Good Huswife's "Ida Mae Crow." I'm using the recommend linen and threads - 35 ct. WDW Straw and NPI silks (2 over 2).

I also decided to kit a few other things up. The first is Plantation Sampler. I loved Tanya's finish and I am copying her conversion of NPI silks and DMC. The fabric is 40 ct. Vintage Maritime White. She used 45 ct. I'm not that brave! I thought she did such a beautiful job with it.

The second is Ellen Birdseye. I'm such a copycat because I'm also copying the colors Melissa used for her recent finish. The linen I think I'm going to use is 36 ct. Vintage Navy Bean.

And last is Carriage House Samplings "Sampler Stocking." I'm joining a SAL with Annemarie and Barbara starting on the 16th. I pulled the threads and I think I'm going to be using 40 ct. Pearled Barley.

I just had to get my ds from school because he has an earache. He doesn't have a fever, so I think it's just from him being congested with a cold he's had. I put some earache drops in and gave him some Tylenol and now he's sound asleep. The poor thing. Anyway, I'm sure he'll be fine. Thank you all for your very kind comments the other day! It's so good to be back! Write soon! :)

edited to add: Ida Mae Crow is a new chart released recently by The Goode Huswife (she's designing again!).

WMN and HoHRH Progress

I decided to work on "With My Needle" yesterday during the day and then I worked on HoHRH at night. I stitched as late as possible and then finished up block three today. I was determined to get that block finished before the end of March. I had to catch up with Margie too! :) She's using NPI Silk - it's amazing how different our blocks look!

40 ct. Light Examplar by Lakeside Linens, DMC (1 over 2)




36 ct. Pearled Barley by Lakeside Linens, DMC (2 over 2)

Well, the kids are off school today, so we are just hanging out and relaxing! We may go to the grocery store later - so exciting! :) I'm trying to decide what I want to stitch tonight - maybe my nephew's sampler? I really should get back to it! Write later!

Edited to add... I almost forgot! I also worked on "This is the Day" the other night. I finished the numbers and started filling in the white around them.

A Little Bit of Stitching

I worked on "With My Needle" a little yesterday. I finished filling in the yellow on the girl's dress and got a few swirlies stitched.

Before


After

I also worked on "Earth Sampler" a little more. I actually ended up using Karen's idea of using Crescent Colours Cocoa Bean instead of GAST Sable. My Sable was a little too light. Hope you don't mind Karen!

Before


After

My six year old is sick, so I don't know how much stitching I'll get done today. He has caught a nasty cold. I hope no one else gets it, but knowing us, we will all get it! Hopefully Zicam will help! Write soon!

More With My Needle

I finished up most of the girl yesterday. I just have to fill in some yellow on her dress and I'll be done with her and then it's on to the swirlies and flowers.

Before

After - 40 ct. Lt. Examplar by Lakeside Linens, DMC threads (1 over 2).

I'm working on HoHRH today. I think I need to devote a couple days a week to it. I'm not getting my block done a month only stitching it one day a week. I'm sure it didn't help that I was sick and didn't stitch as much in Feb. I may redo my rotation some to fit it in.

I had a friend over stitch today (Hi Teresa)! We had a lot of fun - Going through stash, eating pizza, chatting and stitching some of course! Well, I'm going to try to stitch a little more before Matthew wakes up from his nap. Write later!

Stitching and Stashing!

I got back from stitching at Amy's a couple hours ago. I had a ton of fun. The time always just flies by when I'm there. I didn't get much stitching done, but I did get a ton of shopping done in her Down Sunshine Lane room. I got a few of the Nashville new releases along with some threads I was needing and a fat 1/2 of 40 ct. Antique White Newcastle linen for Mouline Rouge (scroll down). After I finish 500 other things I would love to stitch it one day!

Blackbird Designs and threads.


The Primitive Needle "ABC Hornbook" and threads.

Here's my progress pic of "With My Needle" from yesterday. Not a ton of progress, but I did get more of her dress stitched.

Before

After

Well, nothing else going on. I'm going to stitch a little bit on HoHRH! Write soon! :)