The first cross-stitch sampler I’ve done in years is finished. I’m amazed at how quick it was to stitch. It was a wonderful little sampler to work. Now to decide how to frame it.
Smudge helping me as I was working on the squirrel in the bottom right.
Lester was sleeping with one of their favourite toys.
I had high hopes Tuesday evening that I could finish the Quaker a 6 Mains sampler. Thanks to a bit of unstitching necessitated by my need for remedial counting classes — well, okay, a lot more — I still have 2 motifs to finish. This has been a lot of fun to stitch. Now I’m trying to decide what to do next. The choice is between the Beatrix Potter sampler and the Mary Wigham one. I seem to have a fascination with the Quaker samplers.
This rotation of projects seems to be working well for me. I think later today I’ll work on another Harpsichord block. Thanks to Mr. Quilt Obsession who, as he had appointments in the general area, went to the LQS, I have a new black and white music print to add to the mix as well as a new tube of my favourite needles for hand piecing.
Lester in his normal spot on the windowsill on Tuesday.
And Smudge stretched out with a stuffed toy. It always amuses me how much he seems to like having a little soft toy nearby.
The sampler is progressing rather rapidly at this point. I keep playing with the idea of making a pieced border and turning this into a quilt/sampler wall-hanging when it’s finished.
The bat and the first of a number of peacocks that are in this sampler were fun to do — I couldn’t help laughing at Bertie Bat.
There’s definitely a feel that fall is on the way. The light is different and the temperature is dropping quite a bit overnight. Although we’ll have a hot afternoon today, that fall feel is creeping in.
I recently found that someone had lifted a photo from my blog without asking first if it was okay to do so. I know that by blogging and posting photos, one takes that chance but it still bothers me a bit that someone would do that without at least asking if it was okay.
Lester enjoying the windowsill.
Smudge, when he waiting for his evening treat of a bit of yogourt.
This sampler will be one of the projects that will be in the rotation I’m trying to set up for the various things I have in progress.
So far, I have selected the sampler, the Harpsichord Quilt, the Patchwork of the Crosses and the Snow Crystal blocks for the line-up. I’ve even gone so far as to pick out what I think will work for the sashing of the Snow Crystal blocks. The question I’m trying to sort out is whether I should leave it at 4 projects. That may be the best idea for me as if I have too rigid a schedule I know I won’t follow it.
My hands have been aching a bit again, which I think has a lot to do with the weather. Mr. Quilt Obsession may step in for me a day this week. We’ll see.
Lester, stretched out on the couch. He is a very long cat. You can’t quite tell from this picture, but stretched out like this he entirely covers the width of the middle seat of the sofa and then some!
Smudge curled up in a chair.
Yesterday, I received 6 or 7 comments on various posts from the same person who seems to be someone who’s using comments on blogs to try to advertise some money-lending offer. I deleted the comments, and have left comments unmoderated for now. If there are more from this person, I will turn on comment moderation for a few days. Hopefully, it doesn’t come to that.
So what has Ms. Quilt Obsession been doing while I’ve been pinch-hitting, you might ask? Well, not only has she pressed me into service but Smudge got roped in too! Here he is trying to read the chart for the sampler she’s been working on!
And her progress on said sampler. I’m sure glad she can do this still with no pain — otherwise, who knows what other chores she’d find for us!
For example … she hostessed another one of the Inklingo swaps and, from that swap and from some of her own fabric she’d printed, has all these sheets of fabric that are printed with the bits for stars. There were rumblings about “perhaps you could cut those out?” but I wasn’t biting!
16 shapes on the back of each piece of fabric to be cut out?? A guy’s gotta draw the line somewhere, right? I mean, I’ll take a load of fabric and wash and dry it, cut some fabric and freezer paper for her, even try out ironing but …
The requisite kitty pictures, of course. Smudge is tuckered out from all the activity around here.
While Lester finds the windowsill enticing, even after the sun sets.
Ms. Quilt Obsession’s hands are feeling much better and, barring anything unexpected, will be back in full cry Monday.
Thanks for all the neat comments.
MR. Quilt Obsession for …
The Quaker a 6 Mains sampler is coming along. I had a large part of one of the motifs in the centre partially done but had to take those stitches out as I was off by a thread. I suppose I could have done a work-around, but that would have driven me mad and it would have stood out like a sore thumb to me.
Were it not for this, I don’t know what I’d be doing right now. Yes, I have lots of pieces printed and cut for various quilts but the only one I want to work on is my Lucy Boston lap quilt and, in order to do that, I need to print and cut more of the cream hexagons. My hands/wrists are still not great. I’m firmly convinced it’s partially, at least, weather related. Hopefully, we’ll get some dry weather after Wednesday (they say more rain today and Wednesday) and maybe, just maybe, that will make the difference.
I may have to get Mr. Quilt Obsession ironing and cutting fabric if this doesn’t clear up soon!
I’m really noticing that the pictures I take are fuzzy. I cannot, no matter how hard I try, hold a camera still when my hands are like this. This picture of Smudge is an example — it’s just not quite crisp enough.
Lester was quite intently watching something out on the roof garden.
The samplers I’ve seen on various blogs have fascinated me, particularly the Quaker samplers. I found a pretty one here called Quaker a 6 Mains. For this I’m working with 28-count Quaker Cloth, 2 over 2.
Tuesday I stayed away from the computer for the most part and avoided doing anything that would stress my hands/wrists any further. I think the Omega 3 capsules are starting to work already. Maybe I’ll have learned my lesson this time and will remember to take them every day. Depending how it feels after I finish working today, I may finally be able to get back to the Patchwork of the Crosses blocks and do some more cutting and printing and stitching. It hasn’t been that long, but I am so anxious to work on them that it feels like weeks.
Smudge has an odd look on his face in this one.
Lester looking out the window:
Quilt Obsession 