samplers & such

I finished stitching My Needle Book from the My Heart Is True booklet by Blackbird Designs. In the finishing instructions it mentions crocheting a loop closure, but I don’t crochet. I have some brainstorming to do about how I’ll resolve this.

And I have a decision to make about which fabric to use on the inside of the needle book. Here are the two pieces I’m looking to for finishing but I need to pick one ~ which one?

This BBD piece was parked on Tuesday and right when I had a project chosen for this day I finished it the very next week and have to decide again (maybe I need a bigger project- hmmm) what will take its place. Decisions, decisions, decisions…

Most of you know that Alma and Barbara (BBD creators) started a blog and have listed a freebie called Petites Lettres Rouges so admirers can stitch it and enter into their contest. I’m using DMC and stitching it on 28 ct Antique Ivory. I haven’t decided on the finishing yet; maybe a pillow for my bed. I’m definitely using my late-grandmother’s maiden name and her birth year. Here’s my progress on the piece.

I finally picked a project for Wednesday. I discovered this sampler in the Sampler & Antique Needlework quarterly magazine. It’s amazing what a person can forget about. It’s a Dutch Band Sampler by Katie Trendell.

(I don’t want to mark up the magazine so I made a color-copy.) I have no clue who Katie Trendell is, but the reproduction and design is just lovely. I love all the colors and won’t be changing them. It calls for Gloriana silks, but I don’t have any of those and cannot afford a list of 11 so I’m using DMC. I’m adjusting the fabric though and using 36 ct Flax. I started stitching it on Wednesday night and even though I didn’t get a whole lot of stitching in, frogs descended upon my linen. Ugh!!! What little progress I made has been wasted and now I have to re-start. Is this some kind of omen??? I hope not because I really really like this sampler.

Saturday is going to be a fun-filled day! I’m heading over to moms for an all-day stitching extravaganza with our stitchy gal-pals Sally and Susan (no blogs). It is going to be so much fun. Sally and Susan have not been to my mom’s house and they are going to explode when they see my mom’s room and her stash (they’ve seen a few photos). My mom has everything under the sun ~ I swear!!! It’s like a shoppe. Anyway, I cannot wait. I’m taking a scrumptious dish and I hope they like it. S&S are bringing the dessert and Diet Cokes. :o) And ALL my boys are staying home. Yay for me!!

Talk soon!