April Happenings

 Spring is slowly starting to appear

here in Colorado.

I've also been slowly working

on projects one day at a time.

And the results are beginning to show.  

There are a few projects that have been finished

and a few ongoing ones.

****

#1

A pair of springtime bunnies.

"Spring Delivery"

Scattered Seed Samplers

5" x 7"

And.....

"Spring Gathering"

Scattered Seed Samplers

5" x 7"

I changed a few thread colors and

changed a few design elements.

The first adorable vintage frame 

was from a thrift shop in Santa Fe.

I love it.

The second one was a shiny gold colored inexpensive 

frame from another shop here in Fort Collins.

Running Man got out his air brush and toned

it all down to a reasonable shade.

****

#2

This next project is far from finished.

It's a Mystery Quilt Along through 

Primitive Gatherings.  

I'll be the first to admit that quilt mysteries

are not my favorite.

My time and fabrics are just too

valuable and expensive to be working

on something that I might or might not like.

But I was caught in a weak moment

and Lisa B reassured quilters everywhere 

that she would not let anyone down!

hahahaha

So I've started.

31 nine patch blocks, scrappy, blue and white.

We'll see where the mystery leads me.

If you're in a weak moment too,

check out and sign up for Lisa Bongean Blog, 

to get the monthly mystery patterns

for O Say....Can You See.

This part will be gone at the end of April when

the May chapter is issued.

****

#3

Sometime ago I signed up for a

 Hands Across the Sea's pattern

exclusively for Hobby House Needleworks.

I had never done one of

Nicola Parkman's vintage reproduced samplers.

This one is Rosa Ada Featherstone, 1894

Through the process of working on  a reproduced antique sampler

I came to several conclusions:

1.  Samplers done by young girls could have many errors.

If the sampler is designed to even include these flaws, 

I'm going to have to fix them.

I make enough of my own mistakes, that's for sure!  

I had to do lots of changes to make

this design work for me.

2. I like the style of many of these antique samplers,

but if I used Rose's name my family would be thoroughly 

confused as to who she was in relationship to us.

So I customized this sampler with my

maternal grandmother's name and date of birth.

3.  I decided while working on this sampler that Rose's heart wasn't

into this project or needlework as a whole 

or she had a poor teacher with limited supplies.

I changed many of the motifs because

I didn't recognize what they were.

I also changed and added more colors.

An example is that the ships 

were originally bright green.

I had to change that

 as well as a few other color choices.

Sorry, Rose.

*****

#4

I first mentioned this 

Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt

back in December,

Why Not Start Something New

Well, I'm still happily working on it.

The hand quilting is coming close 

to being finished,

A dozen more hexies to go

and then...

75" x 80"

I'll have to decide how to bind it

with the zig zag edge.

****

It hasn't been all work or stitching.

The other night we were able to go

to a live concert featuring

two of my favorite musicians,

They are on their final

US Tour as a duo.

I listen to their beautiful cello music

which includes classical, popular and rock music.

Stjepan Hauser and Luka Sulic'

They put on an incredible show

and we had fabulous seats.

The audience was a mix of young and old

and I loved every minute.

Check them out on you tube.

Until Next Time-

Kyle

What Kind of Days Are You having?

 The lazy hazy crazy days of summer continue 

here in Colorado. 

I've been the lazy one and

the usually bright blue skies 

have been hazy with smoke.

I haven't seen the foothills from my backyard

for weeks.

The crazy days of 2021 seem to keep

us guessing about what will happen next.

But with all of that in mind,

I have actually been filling my days 

with stitching, mostly,

x-stitching.

The first piece that I've finished 

earlier this summer was:

"Winter Rose Manor"

Designed by Brenda Gervais

With Thy Needle and Thread.

I learned with this piece that not all overdyed cotton

threads look like the photo.

There must be some variables in the 

dying process.

It's okay because we know that

 there aren't stitching police,

just like there aren't quilting police.

 Who says you can't change threads and 

choose a color that you find more appealing or

makes more contrast.

I had to do that so the cardinals showed up better.

****

This small piece is 

"Hello Summer" 

Designed by Paulette Stewart

Plum Street Samplers

I've been enjoying stitching some

of these smaller pieces just to get something finished 

Although, I've found nothing is really

too quick.

Adding some trim around the edges gives 

this a nice finished look.

What I don't like to do is to stitch the

small opening closed after it's stuffed.

Here's what I've been doing.

Stitching completely around all 4 sides

and then making a small slit in the back in 

order to turn the piece inside out.

We've all done that, but what I have been doing

is fusing a piece of fabric and  matching up the 

design elements of the fabric. 

I challenge myself to see how close

I can make it.

Not too bad.

****

The 3rd piece just finished is:

Come Into My Garden

Designed by Blackbird Designs

I learned that if the border actually meets 

it can be a miracle.  

The question then becomes 

do you fudge or frog it (rip it, rip it)

In my case, I like fudge more than frogs!

Hopefully, no one will see what I had to do.

And if they do, well, that's the way it goes.  

I'm sure my recipient will love it anyway.

Well, my days are still some what lazy,

the sky is still hazy,

and from not going too crazy

I keep putting in more stitches, one at a time.

Until Next Time-

Kyle

Spring Time can be Allusive

 The calendar says that it's May
and springtime, 

but the weather seems

to still have Winter on it's agenda.

Luckily, the trees survived another snowstorm.

To feel the presence of spring,

I have found it in some stitching.

How about some tulips

not covered in snow.

"Tulip Festival"

A pattern designed by Brenda Gervais

Or a bunny not shivering from the cold, but 

instead leaping happily over the tulips,

not snow piles.

"Spring Delivery"

designed by Brenda Gervais

Springtime should not covered  with snowflakes

"Basketful of Spring Time"

Design by Brenda Gervais

How about a springtime scrap quilt.

"Pastel Checkerboard"

40" x 50"

The squares had been lingering on my cutting table. 

A quick sew.

Leftovers from the previous 

charity quilts I had finished.

Of course, my "go to" flange binding

for a quick, easy machine finish.

In an ideal and perfect sewing world,

the stitching would line up with the

crease between the backing and the binding.

This is perfect in my world.

I put a flannel on the back.

A necessity for springtime in the Rockies.

Well, the good news is 

spring weather will be back by tomorrow with

warm summer temperatures following

closely behind. 

Until Next Time-

Kyle

Crossing Over - One Over Two

It wasn't until recently

 that I discovered what a comeback

 cross stitching has made.

There are all kinds of wonderful

designs and designers,

antique sampler repros,

smalls,  folk art,

and contemporary.

I did do some cross stitching 

back in the day, but not for many years.

It was in the late spring that

I caught wind of a Mayflower and

Pilgrim 400 year commemoration design 

by Brenda Garvais.

It was only last year that

I discovered my ancestral link to

Francis Cooke, 

my 12th great Grandfather,

a member of the Separatist 

group from Leiden, Netherlands, 

that boarded the Mayflower and set sail 

from England heading to the New World.

                                                                                      2009

After 66 grueling days at sea

this small group of 102 along with about 30 crew

dropped anchor near the tip of Cape Cod on

November 11, 1620.

Francis and his oldest son, John (13)

came on the Mayflower in 1620 leaving behind his wife, Hester

and their other 4 children.  After the Colony was better

established he sent for them

and they came to Plymouth in 1623 onboard the ship, Anne.

I can't even imagine.

****

Brenda Garvais's cross stitch design

honors the Women of the Mayflower.

Of the 18 married women that

came, only 5 survived the first winter and

only 4 were still living for the first

Thanksgiving the autumn of 1621.

For the next 66 days

I will be stitching on this cross stitch design

on a 40 count linen, one over two.

I imagine I might be as slow as 

the original trip, but

I'm looking forward to this journey

to commemorate these brave women who

courageously boarded that ship crossing 

over that expansive ocean

looking to a new future.

Until Next Time-

Kyle