Needleminder

I forgot to add the needleminder to my haul list from last week. I bought it at Expressions in Needlework.

It makes me laugh ;)

A couple of WIPs

After picking up my daughter last week from college it's just been nuts here. I had to make up the chores I missed while away and take on some of my husband's responsibilities around the house because he hurt his knee while playing softball and is on crutches. Add to that my son's end of school year projects and his high school spring concert we've been busy. And, of course, it's spring here and I've been busy in my home garden and the community garden. So....not a lot of stitching is getting done.

I love working on Herbularius, but I took a little break from it to work on some simple stitching during this hectic time.

Here's my progress on Window Garden by Tiny Modernist. 

Window Garden by Tiny Modernist

I had started this on 16 count Aida but wasn't loving it so I restarted it on 28 count evenweave and I'm much happier with it.

I recently completed Kitchen Gadgets by Tiny Modernist and I have Gnome Sweet Gnome in my stash.

I also worked on Blue Jeans and Daisies by Blue Ribbon Designs. The linen is a little fiddly; it's a very loose weave. 

Blue Jeans and Daisies by Blue Ribbon Designs

Road Trip

College pick up - Road Trip!!

I had to pick up my daughter and all her belongings from college this past week. She goes to Rochester Institute of Technology and it's a looooooong drive from our home on the east end of Long Island. It's 7 hours without traffic - and there's always traffic getting around New York City plus stops along the way and I'm looking at 8-9 hours of travel just to turn around and do it in reverse the next day. It's exhausting. So this time I decided to arrive a day early and spend an additional night at the hotel so I could get a little rest between the trips. And that extra day gave me the perfect opportunity to visit some cross stitch shops!

I put a call out on two of my favorite facebook groups, Stitch Maynia and Cross Stitch and Discuss., for recommended cross stitch stores along my route. The groups came up with four shops depending on my route.

Three hours into my trip I stopped at Deer Hill Farm Cross Stitching. At first, it seems like a little shop, but then Pat, the proprietor, started turning lights on in 3 side rooms and a foyer filled with patterns. Plus there's another room with shelves against all the walss filled with fabric! They have an amazing selection of patterns and fabric and it was totally worth the small detour I had to take.

(BTW, Deer Hill Farm Cross Stitching's correct address is 1225 State Route 9G, Hyde Park, NY. Google maps has the incorrect building number as of 5/17/16)

I was there for at least an hour and a half and Pat was patient, helpful and charming. I am looking forward to going back when I return my daughter to college in the fall.

While there I purchased some antique white jobelan for the rather large piece"Inspiration" by Rosewood Manor.

"Inspiration" by Rosewood Manor

I purchased Ink Circles' Damask Square and kitted it with 32 count Milk Chocolate linen (a little darker than the mushroom that pattern called for) and DMC Variations #4150 called for in the pattern.

Damask Square by Ink Circles

I also purchased Keslyn's Autumn Dew and kitted it with 28 count antique white jobelan, Weeks Dye Works Peach, and The Gentle Art's Pine threads. Autumn Dew is stitched "one over one" so that should be an adventure.

Autumn Dew by Keslyn's

The next morning I was able to head out early to Golden Thread Needlearts in East Rochester. That store is amazing. They have needlepoint, cross stitch and framing. I saw some customer's finished framed pieces and the framing is excellent! The store is quite large and I was a little overwhelmed but eventually left with "Simple Gifts" by Told in A Garden designer Marilyn Leavitt-Imblum. I'm planning to do this one as a gift for a friend.

Simple Gifts by Told In A Garden, Marilyn Leavitt-Imblum

I still had some time before I had to be at my daughter's college so I made a trip to Expressions in Needlework in Canandaigua. As instructed I said  "Hi" to Lori, the proprietor. Lori is charming and her shop is welcoming. She carries yarn, needlepoint canvas, and cross stitch patterns. There I found Flower Power by Ink circles and kitted it with 32 count Belfast Linen, ColorScapes Hand-dyed fabric in "Regency" by Picture This Plus, and Weeks Dye Works "Grasshopper" thread.

Flower Power by Ink Circles

I wish the color came out better in this photo. The fabric is a mottled, pale spring green and I think the grasshopper will show up beautifully. I'll try to get a better photo on a sunny day.


And the samples at each shop! It was so enlightening to see samples in real life compared to just the pattern booklets. It was well worth the effort to visit each one.

There was one shop, A Stitcher's Garden in Fayetteville, NY that I wasn't able to visit due to time restrictions, but I'll be sure to stop there on our return in August.

Herbularius, Part 1

Herbularius, Part 1 is complete! Well, except for the beads which I'll do at the end.

Off to start Part 2.

My Primary WIP

I finished the cross stitches and specialty stitches for part 1 of Chatelaine's Herbularius Garden Mandala. Next I'll work on the backstitches for this part.

It's really coming together and I'm loving stitching it.

The beginning of the pattern was a little fiddly. I have trouble with tension at the beginning of every piece I start. You would think I'd learn to do some practice stitches on a scrap piece of linen. But it also started with 1/4 and 3/4 stitches which I hadn't had a lot of experience with and while I got better at them throughout the piece I'm hoping the beads in the center hide the first partial stitches.

Here's a closeup of some Diamond Eyelets.

It's been a joy to stitch this pattern.

I stitched in my late teens-early twenties a little but then college, marriage, kids and an interest in knitting distracted me from it. I now have two nearly grown children, a daughter in college and a son in high school. 

In August 2015 I started cross stitching again with the pattern "Be Joyful"; a kit I purchased on Amazon.com. I started it during our vacation to Canada. I think that I finished it in December 2015.

It's a sweet pattern and I'm thrilled with the way it turned out. I did not add all of the black beads the pattern called for because it was getting to be a bit much and a distraction from the loveliness of the piece. 

During this time I discovered several Facebook groups dedicated to cross stitch. Everyone generously shared images of their work and it's a great place for inspiration.

I have two finishes so far this year:

Kitchen Gadgets by Tiny Modernist; started November 25, 2015 and finished on April 14, 2015.

Mini Mandala Gardens 1A by Chatelaine; started December 29, 2015 for the Chatelaine Shenanigans SAL with Stitch Maynia on Facebook. Completed March 2, 2016.

This was so much fun to work on. I learned how to do Algerian Eye stitches! And beading, lot and lots of beading.