Seeing the Elephant....

Or

How I spent my summer vacation.

First......the stitching:

Like many on a "road trip", I packed my

stitching bag with a new project that I knew

would be easy to stitch and finish

during our lengthy car rides.

My vacation progress.....

Not much!

Just too much great scenery to see.

LK "Snowman "10"

stitched on 28ct. khaki evenweave

w/DMC

No fear....he was stitched after I got home. 

Next....the sights:

Hubby planned a great trip that followed some

of the trails of Lewis & Clark as well as the

Santa Fe, Mormon, Oregon, & California trails. 

Hence the title of this post....

you can read more about that here. 

I became fascinated with the pioneer history and

specifically the pioneer women.  I thought I

was suffering if I had to go without my A/C

for more than 30 minutes.  I can't even imagine

what they endured as they left their families and

belongings behind for a new life out west.

I'll share a few of my favorites pics as we travelled

across Missouri, Nebraska and Colorado.

St. Louis Arch

Capturing the perfect picture of the Arch

My travel companion

Sunday dinner family style at J. Huston Tavern

Arrow Rock

On the trail of Lewis and Clark

Bend of the Missouri River

Scenic Nebraska

Making our way west

Scott's Bluff

 

South of the Border Pedro's twin in the west

Ogallala, Nebraska

Had a great time in Ft. Collins, Colorado but

this is the only picture I took that day!

Just beautiful on Trail Road

Rocky Mountain National Park

On our way up to the Alpine Visitor's Center

Rocky Mountain National Park

Lastly....Goodies:

Like most pioneer girls, I had to have my

doll to keep me company.

 

My pioneer doll

Although she is a 21st century doll, it was

love at first sight and will be a nice

memory of our trip west!

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

If you made it this far, thanks for

taking the time to visit.

Have a great stitchy week!



BBD "Tis the Season"....

Christmas in July....

After my last finish a few weeks ago, this design

was just screaming in my bag "stitch me"!

BBD "Tis the Season"

Stitched on 40ct Purely Primitive

w/ Victorian Motto threads & DMC

I was very happy to oblige and mostly enjoyed

stitching it.  I changed all of the threads to

my choice of Victorian Motto and especially

love the look of the leaves and vine.

The contrast between the white thread and

the fabric is so slight the light stitching almost

looks tone on tone.   I am happy with it, though,

and now need to figure out if I want to frame it.

This had to be my favorite part since I

stitched it twice!  Counting seemed to be a big

issue and I seemed to rip as much as I stitched.

I also made a change by eliminating the verse and

replacing it with more snowflakes.   I did like it

with the verse but decided I wanted the design to

be a little more discreet with the Christmas feel.

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

I did take a week off from stitching for a little

vacation out west with hubby.  We had a great

time and I will have to share some sights later.

As always...thanks for visiting and I hope

you are staying cool and stitching!

Sweet RAK from Charlene...

I was surprised to see a small package

in the mail today.  My first thought....
OMG I forgot to mail an exchange.

I was relieved to see it was
from a stitching pal. 
Charlene (Needle in Hand) sent me
the sweetest pin cushion with
a strawberry emery...just because.

The color palette is so friendly don't you think?

Her finishing is perfect too with the blue chenille.

Perfect spot for my needles.

The perfect finishing touch...

this little strawberry emery.

I am lucky enough to stitch with Charlene

a few times throughout the year since

she is also a Carolinian. I consider

myself very lucky to be one of

her "sister stitchers"!

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

Hope you are having a great stitching week. 

happy stitching....

Peace and Plenty....

I had another good stitchy week and

I in love with this finish.

Homespun Elegance "Land of Peace & Plenty"

stitched on 40 ct Lakeside Linen

w/ DMC

Although this was designed in 1990, it has

certainly stood the test of time. The

color palette is just so soothing...

it was a joy to stitch.

Oh to be a swan floating in a lake....

Having grown accustom to stitching simpler
designs, it was a nice change to have so
much solid stitching. The repetitive
stitching of filling in the hills and house
was so relaxing after the work day.

There is another design featuring a colonial
couple but they will have to patiently
wait a little while longer to be stitched.


~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~ 

The title of this piece definitely makes me
think how thankful I should be.   I can't
imagine what the folks in Virginia have gone
through not having power in this heat!   
My heart definitely goes out to them
and reminds me to say thanks each day.

As always...thanks for visiting
and happy stitching!

Celebrating the 4th....

First, I have to say thanks for all of your wonderful

comments about my recent finishes.   I especially

am glad to see many of you also appreciate a great

tomato sandwich!  I wish I could package them

up and treat the rest of you.  Maybe one day....

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

Now for the stitching.  I wanted to

share a couple of finishes I was

able to get done just in time for the

July 4th celebration!

HE "Patriotic Crow"

I wanted to do some finishing this weekend but

refused to get out the sewing machine so

anything I did had to be no sew.

I was able to put my Big Kick to work again and

used a square template to cut my stitched piece

and the scallop to cut my background.   Thanks

to my hubby for picking the fabric colors...

I think he did well!

Aury "Patriotic Heart 2011"

I finished this little box last year using

scrapbook paper in anticipation of using

it for this stitched heart.  It only took a

year to get it stitched!  So glad to add

this one to my americana collection.

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

I am also excited to show another

Crazy Challenge finish.

Goode Huswife "Three Crows"

stitched on coffee dyed 40ct linen

w/DMC

I have stitched this one off and on for 6 months

but just couldn't get into a groove with this one. 

I love this design so it was frustrating.  I decided

to pick it back up Sunday and it just fit like

an old glove!   I loved doing the satin stitch

even though it seemed to take forever. 

Unfortunately, I got off track and my border

didn't work out like the design so I had to

fudge a little on the right end.  Though my

crows aren't exactly centered, it will do!

I also had to do something about the fabric.  I

changed the called for colors to yellows and 

decided to use white linen.  Once done, it just

wasn't "right" so I gave it a nice, warm

coffee bath and that did the trick. 

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

We have a very low key celebration planned for

the 4th and I hope it includes lots of stitching!



Halloween in July....

First, I must say I just enjoyed my first

tomato sandwich of the summer.

It was the perfect tomato sandwich.

What makes it perfect?

Sunbeam Old Fashioned white bread

(yes...it has to be Sunbeam & it has to be fresh)

John's Island tomatoes

(from the SC Lowcountry...they are the best)

Duke's mayo

(yes....it has to be Dukes)

Think I will enjoy another as soon

as I finish this post!

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

Okay...back to stitching.  I have another

Crazy Challenge finish...lucky number 7!

Primitive Needle "Kindred Spirits"

stitched on 35ct. WDW parchment

w/CC & Victorian Motto

Everybody needs a little halloween in their June!

This little design was so deceiving!  I thought

I could knock it out in a day or two but it took

me over a week to get it finished. 

(Maybe too much t.v. watching and not enough stitching!)

Now I just have to figure out what to do with it....

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

My time before has been preoccupied

with this little beauty and I thought I would

share a progress pic.  

Homespun Elegance "Peace & Plenty"

stitched on 40ct mystery fabric

w/ DMC

I just love the colors in this one and can't

wait to get back to it.  I have decided to use the

same color scheme for Plum Street Samplers

Colonial Garden since I think they will

really complement each other.

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *

I have also recently acquired some new

goodies though it is bittersweet.

I was sad to learn that Counted Stitches, one

of my favorite shops, was closing the end

of June.  They were so sweet to deal with

and I will definitely miss my annual trip

for their Christmas Sale.

Hubby & I had a trip planned a few Saturdays

ago so he was persuaded to take a small detour

so that I could visit with them one last time.

Their sale started at 35% off so I couldn't resist! 

(I think I am set for life with HE brass buttons.)

My diginity will not allow me show the full

haul but here is just a glimpse.  

(I did some serious damage.)

I also got some goodies from Jill who was nice

enough to share some of her hand-dyed threads.

I just love pink & brown and I hope to put

them to good use very soon!

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

Well I won't bore you with comments on how

hot it is here in SC since you are probably just

as hot if you are in the good ol' USA.  

Perfect stitching weather, though, so I

am off to see what trouble I can find.

As always....thanks for visiting

and stay cool!

Throwback Thursday....

While going through "The Bin"

(the place unframed finishes live),

I found a couple of vintage finishes languishing

on the very bottom.  Time to bring them

back to life (at least briefly) on my blog.

My oldest.....

I still have this book but am too lazy to look for it!

Good old ivory 14ct. w/ DMC

Circa early 1980's

This was probably my first "big" project when

I started stitching.  I was definitely a teenager

when I started stitching it...maybe 15 or 16. 

My grand plans were to finish it as a wallhanging

 but it was not mean't to be. 

 

I remember the design had two colorways...

pink or yellow. I picked yellow to match

my teenage room... too bad it never

made it to the wall.

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

Another oldie...

D Morgan "Home Again"

Stitched on 14ct w/ DMC

Circa early 1990's

I stitched this one in the early 1990's during

my lunch hour watching the Young & Restless. 

I just knew this would hang in my house

someday.   Not sure why I liked this one so much,

but needless to say, it has never seen my house!

My favorite memory of this one involves the

original chart, which I still have.   I used to

drink Slim-Fast for lunch

(back in the good days when it was a powder and you had to mix it in the blender).  

I left my container in my car one day and the

southern heat caused pressure to blow the top off

and spitting my remnants all over my chart,

which was laying on the seat.  

Thank goodness my stitching was spared!

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

And even older....

P Buckley Moss "Sisters"

Stitched on 18ct aida w/DMC

Circa mid 1980's

I know I stitched this one in my teenage years and

only remember it seemed to take forever to

finish.  Pretty sure it was all of the half stitches

on18ct aida as well as the backstitching.

This was to be the first of many P Buckley Moss

designs I planned to stitch. I love her style. 

Unfortunately, it was the only one.

I still like this one.

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

And lastly...

I still have this book too but am too lazy to look for it.

Stitched on 14ct aida w/DMC

1990

It is easy to see this one was stitch in 1990.  

Yes...it the proverbial "country" design that I

know we all have in our stash as well as finishes.

I do still like it, though, with the bright red

and greens of the melons

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

Psst....I have a confession!

I used masking tape on my edges when I first

started stitching.  I can only imagine that I read

that somewhere because I can't imagine I

would think to do that at 15.

Yes....it has been stored that way all of these years

and I just tooked it off.   Sigh...I know.

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

Well....how many of these have you stitched???

Thanks for visiting and happy stitching!

My busy needle....

My needle has been busy this past
week stitching smalls.

Aury "Patriotic Heart 2011"

stitched on 40ct khaki w/

WDW & Victorian Motto

Finally got around to stitching this freebie and

hope to finish into a box top.

Threadwork Primitives "Happy 4th"

stitched on 32ct LL Navy Bean

w/Victorian Motto and WDW

Another great design from Nan.  I did 

make a little change in the berries.

Homespun Elegance "Crow Patriotic"

stitched on 32ct LL Navy Bean

w/WDW

Just love the crow and flag!

Homespun Elegance "Summer Fun"

stitched on 32ct LL Navy Bean

w/ WDW

I love this little sheep... so much fun to stitch.

Homespun Elegance "Summer Patches #4"

stitched on 32ct LL Navy Bean

w/ WDW

Just had to stitch this one for my little buddy!

Homespun Elegance "Summer Patch #3"

stitched on 32ct LL Navy Bean

w/WDW

Nothing says summer like sunflowers and watermelon.

HIH "Summer Bird"

stitched on 32ct LL Navy Bean

w/WDW & Sampler Threads

I still need to sew the little bee button on but

love this little birdie too!

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

Now I just have to figure out the

finishing on some of these

... hmmm...

think I will stew on it a little longer.

I think I have had my fill of smalls for now. 

Off to see what I can get my needle into next.

Thanks for visiting! 

Pretty little things....

I decided Mother's Day weekend to take a

break from my Nantucket Sampler....

actually the dang border.  

I plummaged through my stash and came up

with some smalls to take my mind off the other.

First up a little Blackbird Designs......

BBD "Remember Me"

stitched on 35ct WDW Straw

w/ Victorian Motto hand-dyed thread

I recently ordered a lavender thread pack from

Nancy and just loved this soft toned thread.  I

think it makes the perfect complement to

the golden linen.   This one makes the 

perfect pin pillow.

 ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

La D Da was next up on the hoop....

La D Da "Count Your Blessings"

stitched on 30ct WDW Mocha

w/recommended DMC

I saw this one being stitched in action at Pals this

past October and it looked so much better

in person.  Not sure why it took so long to stitch

this one but am happy I finally got around to it.

Another little pillow to remind me each

day of this wonderful sentiment.

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

While looking for some Americana designs

to stitch last week, I came across this

one and decided I just had to stitch it next. 

BBD "Morning Star"

Stitched on mystery 40ct linen

w/DMC

This is the sweetest design.  I love the colors

in this one and almost hated to see it end.

 

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

My little helper....Pork Chop

I'm so lucky to have help when staging my photos.

For those you enjoying the Memorial Day
weekend, I hope it is a good one.

Thanks for visiting and I hope you

have a great stitchy week!