Stash Finish #12, Framed

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Willow Tree House Sampler, designed by Catherine Theron for Kreinik. Just Cross Stitch magazine, June 1999 issue. Stitched on 30 count linen with Kreinik Silk Mori for the cross stitch and Northern Lights silk for the grass. I did change the color of the lettering and house door and shutters because I did not have the right color on hand.

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I am really pleased with how this piece was finished. I found the frame at Hobby Lobby, on clearance for $3. It doesn’t have any hanging hardware, so I will have to add some. For now, I will display it propped up on my dresser.

I used acid free foam board and silk pins to mount the stitching:

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Then I used pearl cotton to lace the back.

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I then added two more layers of foam board to fill in the extra space, and finally glued kraft paper to the back.(I didn’t take a photo of the kraft paper)

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I normally don’t take this much care with my framing. Actually, most projects I finish don’t even get framed – they end up in a box with all of the others. Now that my walls are pretty much filled up, I like the therapeutic value to stitching more than just making something to decorate the home!

XXX
Carrie


Stash Finish #12

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Finally done! I was afraid the slanted stitch on the grass would take forever, because it is over 1 thread. But it actually went a lot faster than I expected. I am really pleased with how this turned out. And just in time! We leave for Disney World in a few days and then it is back home to Michigan.

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The color is a bit off from my camera, and it is badly wrinkled. I will have to wait until I get home to wash, iron, and frame this piece.

XXX
Carrie


Nearing the End

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virtue

I finally got back to working on this project. The last bit of cross stitch (the pink flowers) went very quickly. Now the only thing that remains is the grass. And there is a LOT of it! After Labor Day the kids go back to school, so hopefully I will have more time to stitch then. All summer we have been so busy doing things, stitching has been put on hold. Today, for instance, we went to the Naval Air Museum in Pensacola, Florida and watched the Blue Angels practice. Next week we will be at Disney World. I need some stitching time!

XXX
Carrie



Slow Progress

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Progress has been slow on this willow tree sampler. I got my braces on Wednesday and so my teeth have been hurting for the last 4 days. I haven’t felt much like stitching, but here is what I have done since my last post. The roof was really difficult. I am using two strands of Silk Mori even though the directions call for one, because I am using a different count fabric (28 instead of 32). The roof is not done in cross stitch, but a slanted stitch. It turned out really well and definitely gives the look of real shingles. But it was difficult to find the holes in the fabric on all of the partial stitches. The grass is also going to be done in this stitch, but worked all the way across, not start and stop every few stitches like the roof. So that will be a lot easier. The colors on this are a bit different from what the pattern called for, but it was what I had on hand. I didn’t want to order more colors when I had some that were good enough.

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XXX
Carrie


So Little Time…

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Wow, so much has been going on lately, I feel like a chicken running around with its head cut off! My two favorite men (my hubby and father) have been replacing the roof on my store. On Tuesday they worked from 7:45 a.m. until 9:45 p.m. Hubby came home for a can of ravioli for lunch and then skipped dinner. Wednesday and Thursday they quit at dinner time, I think from sheer exhaustion. This roof was probably close to 100 years old, and had layer upon layer that had to be ripped off. I am hoping they get done today because tomorrow is probably going to be the last day without rain. Actually, while they were working it started to snow. Yes, I said SNOW.

I have been going to the orthodontist since November to try to address my major TMJ issues. In January I got a bite splint which makes me look really weird, and for the first few weeks I couldn’t talk very well. But I was amazed at the results. My headaches disappeared, as did my sinus pain. My earaches went away and I actually got the hearing back in my left hear. I could walk up and down the stairs or around the grocery store without my knees killing me. I could sleep at night. And I was finally able to eat again. I had lost about 9 pounds, which is not a good thing on an already skinny person. Now that I have had the device in 24/7 for 4 months, we decided to continue with braces. I go next Wednesday to get them on my lower teeth only, so that I can still wear the bite splint on my top teeth. So running to the orthodontist for bite splint adjustments, x rays, impressions, and consultations has really eaten up a lot of my time.

It’s just about the end of the school year, which brings about lots of excitement and stress at the same time. The kids are excited that they only have 10 full days and 2 half days left, but I am stressing about their fighting which will start up about 5 minutes after they are forced to be together on the first day of vacation. I am not sure how I will handle that all summer long. Next year they will be in separate schools, which will probably make our routine even harder than it is this year.

We have also been making plans for the summer, which include going to DISNEY WORLD! This will be my son’s 5th trip and my daughter’s 4th. It will also be our longest trip by far. Normally we do 3 or 4 days, and the last time we went we did 5 days because Disney gave us the 5th day for free when booking a 4 day trip. This time around we will be in the park for 7 days! My daughter’s birthday is the middle of August and our trip will be right after that, and we will get home just a few days before school starts up again.

I have been stitching a little bit each night, but not taking progress photos. My current project is one I kitted up last summer, so it is technically from my stash.It is worked entirely in silk, which I had not used before. But I am finding that the Kreinik Silk Mori is a dream to work with. It doesn’t knot as bad as DMC, and it glides through the fabric (I am stitching on linen). The pattern is from an old issue of Just Cross Stitch, which I found at a thrift store. After deciding to stitch it, I found that issue on my Just Cross Stitch DVD which has 10 years of issues (see my previous blog post). I was able to print the pattern out so that I could cross off my stitches as I go and not ruin my physical copy of the magazine. I LOVE these DVDs!

house1Here is my slow progress from the past couple of weeks. Maybe since it is a holiday weekend (and my birthday!) I will get some well deserved stitching time in the next few days.

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XXX
Carrie