Drought has broken at Hawk Run Hollow

It's been a loooong time since I last posted, but finally I am here.

Due mainly to a holiday in Queensland (dog sitting for my Son), I have finally finished Block 6.  I had forgotten how lovely it is to actually finish a piece.  That sense of achievement is great and even though I am only half way through this sampler, I am determined to keep up the momentum now until it is finished.

My 13 year old Grandson watched me stitching one day and asked how long it  had taken and he was pretty horrified when I showed him my little book with the hours written in it.  His older Brother saw me doing some colour blending for a card one day and asked " don't you get bored doing that?".   Since they are into Wakeboarding which is a fast and exciting sport, my hobbies must be very dull by comparison.

So here is block six:

 

 

And my progress so far:

 

Please note that I have commenced stitching on block 7 - yay!

 

 

I have just realised that I haven't posted about the finish of Aaron's birth sampler!   I finished it a couple of months ago, just after his 3rd birthday!!!!  Oh well, at least It is finished.  I got lost with this one so many times along the way.

I think the AVAS colours were just too pale for me and I did alter quite a few, but then I realised that it was going to be far too long by the time I added in the name and date, so I decided it needed a complete revamp, which required unpicking - quite a bit of unpicking actually!  

 

So now to get this one and one other to the framer.  Stay tuned !

Five down and seven to go

I think this must be the longest anyone has taken to stitch Christmas At Hawk Run Hollow.  Talk about dragging it out.  Stitching always seems to be at the end of my to do things these days.  I keep promising myself that I will stitch each night but it just doesn't happen.  Anyway, back in July I finished Block five so here it is:
    

 

and a view of progress so far:

I guess it is not going to be finished in time for this Christmas either as I have started to stitch a birth sampler for my Grandson. 

 

I chose SB The Promise and will work in his details towards the end of the sampler.  I chose to stitch it in AVAS because I had all of the threads, but it is very pale.  Not a lot to show at this stage:

 

The colour is not good here as this is 32 count Belfast Platinum, so not grey at all.

 

 

So that is about it for now.  I should be taking advantage of a free day and sitting outside in the beautiful spring sunshine instead of fiddling around on the computer.

As always, thanks for popping in,

Mary

About a boy's stocking

Wow, I am finally updating my stitching blog.

Why am I finally back to stitching?   Well, I have a beautiful new Grandson and of course he has to have a Shepherds Bush stocking to hang up with those of his Brother and Sister at Christmas.  So that was the incentive.  Out came all the stocking patterns and I narrowed the choice down to 3.  I decided to do whichever of those I already had the pack of embellishments for, but that didn't work because I had all of the button packs!!!!   However, I finally made a decision on his stocking and sent off my order for the perle threads that I didn't have.  The later SB stocking patterns use a variety of threads, including some over dyed.  Fortunately, I did have one piece of Floba so I was able to start on the stocking with the threads I had. 

 

The stocking I chose was "Brett's".  Here is my progress to date:

 

 

Finally, here is an update of CHRH - very slow progress on this one.
 

Let's just say that if it wasn't for my dear friend Margaret who keeps inviting me to her stitching nights where I put in a minimum amount of stitches once a month, then my progress would be nil.   However, I do enjoy it on the odd occasion when I pick it up and hope to get back to it earnestly soon.  This block was rather monotonous with all those white snowflakes and the changing of threads on the house, but I was determined not to start another block until this one was completed. 

Block 4 CHRH

the first 4 blocks of CHRH

only 8 to go !!

 

Well, I have to say it is lovely to have finally written this update.  I have been procrastinating for far too long and the longer you leave something the harder it is to get back to it.

Hopefully I will be back soon with the stitching all finished on the stocking (and all the buttons and trinkets sewn on too)!

 

Mary

Three firsts ???

My first post for 2012 - didn't manage to get it done in January because I was busy stitching !! lol that's my excuse.

So, what was I stitching?  well I was finishing the stitching on DT English Garden Pocket.  As to when the actual finishing of the pocket will occur - well that's another question.  I have had it hanging over the back of a chair in the hope that I may pluck up the courage to start the cutting and making process, but so far there has been no sign of that happening although I have read the instructions several times. 

I decided to check out Karen Vincent's finishing service, but her website has not been updated and her Picasa albums have disappeared, so do hope all is well with her. 

Enough waffle - here is the piece in question:

First Finish for 2012

I used Needlepoint silks on 32 Belfast cream but I changed the colour of the house as I thought it was a bit too blue.

I had promised myself that I would actually make up some of the pieces I have stitched, but that wasn't about to happen and I really wanted to get on with some proper stitching.  Boris and Olga were calling to me so I pulled them out only to find I didn't have any of the required threads (ok, I could have done them in dmc but  .... ).   Christmas At Hawk Run Hollow was next on the pile ... ahh  NPI, that's better.... but guess what - of the 59 shades required I only had 16 in my collection.  Buying 43 NPI didn't fit in with my "use whatever you have in the stash" resolution, so I bit the bullet and started it with what I had.  For the first block I only had two of the NPI so went all the way with DMC.  I will assess each block as I get to it.  The very good news was that I had the perfect piece of linen - 40ct Zweigart - which had been a gift from Sandra, and the colour seemed to be a good substitute for the recommended Lakeside Linens Examplar.  After hours of deliberation/procrastination I put the first stitches in on the 21st January. 

I have given myself a personal challenge to get one block done each month and should I finish a block before the end of the month, then - woo hoo, I can start on Boris.

I am really proud to say that I finished Block one on 14th February and bearing in mind that I only started on 21st January that is some kind of record for me.

First Block of CHRH finished

Block two is on the way, but there is a lot of stitching in it so I will need to keep threading those needles if I am to stay on target.

By the way, I have found a great use for the IPad I received for Christmas - I can zoom into Nicole's finished CAHRH and see exactly which colour I should be using and whether the dmc is a good match or  not - Thank you Nicole!

Happy stitching

Mary

TA DAAAAAA

Well here is my Blessings - all finished.  My first finish for 2010. 

I have been looking at it for the last couple of days to make sure I hadn't missed out any more bits of it.  I stitched my initials and the year on it last night and finally removed it from the frame and got to see the whole of it for the first time, and I love it, and I am happy with the choices I made - glad I only did half the blackwork panel as well. 

It is large - the actual stitching measures 21" X 7.5" (53 X 18.5cm).  I don't have anywhere to hang this one but I would like to get it framed and maybe I will just lean it against the wall somewhere.

I started this on 19 November as a SAL with Chrissie but I got left behind in December when I had visitors staying with me, and I knew that if I got too far behind I would lose heart and it would never get finished, so I just concentrated on this to the exclusion of everything else (even my cards took a back seat).  This is the largest sampler I have ever stitched and I have done it in 4 months - that is a record for me - I would never have done it on my own, so Thank You Chrissie - I don't know how you have managed to do two SALs at the same time.

There are lots of firsts in this sampler - first SAL; first time I have altered nearly all the colours on a sampler; first time I have altered the pattern; first time using a frame, and of course the biggest first was starting this blog so I could record my progress, so all in all a real learning curve.

The blog itself has been great - 'meeting' other stitchers and seeing their beautiful work and of course, wanting to stitch so many of the pieces they have done - many of which I had never seen before as I had mostly stayed with my favourite designers, Shepherds Bush and Drawn Thread, and I certainly hadn't ventured into the world of antique samplers and such. 

I still have two SB WIPs (and maybe a few others tucked away) and although I have put in a few stitches on the needleroll I really need to START SOMETHING NEW.  I have a small one in mind for today.

I have ordered the beautiful Elizabeth Savilles and I can't wait to start that one.  I didn't order the Olde Willow threads specified for it because I have so many different ones already that I don't want to start another collection.  I looked at the colours on their site and I am hoping I can match them with the Gloriana ones I have.

Have also ordered some Blackbird patterns, but decided against the new Honeysuckle Manor and I am already regretting that decision but I can order it later I guess. 

My foray into large pieces has led me to believe that maybe I could manage to do Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow - I loved it when I first saw it but ruled it out as too big and also specifically Christmas, but now I am feeling a little more confident, and having read the pattern through I think I will aim for one block a month like a lot of the girls did, so it is in the line after Elizabeth.

If you are still here after this monologue - I thank you - I am sure you can tell I am well and truly doing the happy dance here.

Mary