Finishes in August....

I have been plugging away on my 

#Stitch9Challenge pieces 

and added another to the finish pile.

This was a 2018 Stitchmaynia piece & I 

dated it 2018  with confidence that 

I would finish it last year....

didn't happen.

This is stitch over one on 25ct evenweave and 

I decided I didn't feel like fighting it by 

picking it out so 2018 it will stay.

Sheepish Designs "Betsy"

stitched with DMC on ivory 25ct evenweave

This one is destined to become a drum 

in the very near future.

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

I love challenges and have been participating on the #24HoursofCrossStitch over on 

Instagram.  They have had a monthly acrostic 

challenge with 10 letter tasks and you choose 

to count stitches or minutes to complete each 

task.  In order to complete the tasks, I have had 

to dig through my WIPS to find projects that fit.  

The great part is I am touching some WIPS that 

have been languishing for some time.

This sweet design is one of them.  

I pulled it out to put in a few stitches and 

then decided I was close to finishing so I did.

Blackbird Designs "Summer House Pincushion"

stitched on 40ct WDW Aztec Red with DMC

I actually finished the design into the model 

finish.  This little round pincushion was 

fiddly and deciding to use sawdust to stuff it

probably contributed to part of the problem!

It is a little lumpy but I am happy with the finish.

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

While I was busy finishing my pincushion I 

took the time to finish this sweet little freebie

from the Prim Stitchers Society Retreat

held this past May.  A dear friend, 

Karen Gutowski, provided this motif from an 

original sampler she owns.

Another sweet friend, Ann Dawes, gifted 

our stitching circle with these little brooms.  

Southern legend is you hang it by the door so 

that we "could sweep your troubles away."

The combination made the sweetest finish.

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

Well....I am still stitching on my last two 

#Stitch9Challenge pieces which happen to 

be 2 large Rosewood Manor projects.  I do have 

until the end of the year to complete so I am 

going to keep plugging away.

As always....thanks for visiting.

Happy stitching!

BBD The Winter Has Past....

June was a good month for finishing.

After finishing Quaker Family Registry 

I turned my attention to another 

Blackbird Design.

Blackbird Designs "The Winter Has Past"

stitched on Lakeside Linen 40ct V. Autumn Gold 

with recommended threads

Finished:  June 23, 2019

The photo is a little lighter than the actual piece 

and the colors do look a little more subtle.

Another PrimMaynia 2018 piece is done.

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

Thanks for visiting and happy stitching...

Little Help from my Friends....

For the past few years I have been

a member of the Silver Needle's

"A Little Help From my Friends Stitching Circle"

for the past few years and we have

received some wonderful kits.

The latest installment was this cute 

design from Little House Needleworks

called a "A Bee Study".

 Little House Needlework "A Bee Study"
stitched on 40ct WDW Confederate Grey with kit threads

Although the kit contained everything needed
for stitching and finishing, I did swap
the fabric for a smaller count.

The cute scissor fob was a gift from a friend and 

makes the perfect stitching companion.

I chose to finish as a top for this cute little trinket 

box instead of the model pillow finish.

I just love how it turned out and it makes the 

perfect home for my Hive waxer.

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

I have gotten some great kits over the years from 

this club and will have to share.

Thanks for visiting and happy stitching...

Hello Summer....

Starting fresh in an effort to keep my

blog up-to-date!

I have been stitching as usual and 

have lots to share.  Hopefully I will get it 

all blogged since I do like using my

blog as a "scrapbook".

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

My most recent finish is 

BBD's "Quaker Family Registry".  

I considered changing the initials and location 

for my family but decided to stitch it as is 

since I loved it so much with the 

"Bush River South Carolina" reference.

Blackbird Designs "Quaker Family Registry"

from And Blossom as the Rose

Stitched on 40ct V. Meadow Rue 

with recommended threads 

I love the muted colors in the sampler..... 

and the detail of the over one stitching

on the dates....

My favorite motif....

I love how the white is subtle against 

the color of the fabric but pops in contrast 

to the darker colors.

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

"Quaker Family Registry" was a finish from 

my 2018 PrimMaynia starts.  I decided not to do 

StitchMaynia this year which would 

be 15 new starts in the month of May so 

I focused on last year's projects in hopes 

of completing them this year.

I am also participating in the #Stitch9Challenge 

on Instagram and picked 9 WIPS 

at the beginning of 2019 and will stitch 

to get them finished this year.  I will 

be back to share that list and my progress 

since we are close to the 6 month mark!

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

Thanks for visiting and check me out on Instagram

@karenshandiwork

PrimMaynia 2018....

Hello.....long time no post!

Thanks for Sharon (It's Daffycat)

for nudge me to do an update.

I am back to share my plans for May and

PrimMaynia 2018.

I am again participating in StitchMaynia 2018

(Instagram hashtag #stitchmaynia2018

or the group is on

Facebook under Stitchmaynia)

where you have a new start the first 18 days

of May but many are making it their own and

planning all kinds of things to do..

So what is PrimMaynia 2018 you ask? 

Coined by Christy

( @ladygatorstitches on Instagram),

you will start 18 (or however many you want)

new primitive designs in May. 

So what is considered primitive? 

Anything I want! 

My least favorite part of stitching is gathering the

thread,  choosing a fabric, deciding where

to start and putting in the first few stitches.

By doing this for numerous designs at once,

I then have a great assortment of projects

to choose from as I stitch throughout the year.

So....this year I decided to do a new start

each day so that means I will have 15 new

starts. The thing I do love about doing this is

"shopping" in my stash and rediscovering all of

the wonderful designs I own that have been

patiently waiting their turn in the hoop. 

Here are my few starts......

~ ~ ~  May 1st  ~ ~ ~

Goode Huswife

Ellen Birdseye

Linen = PTP 40ct Wren

Thread = recommended DMC

~ ~ ~  May 3rd  ~ ~ ~

Carriage Housing Samplings

Katy Horn

Linen = PTP 40ct Sand

Thread = recommended DMC

~ ~ ~  May 5th  ~ ~ ~
Summer House Stitche Workes

Simple Abundance

Linen = PTP 40ct Doubloon

Thread = Victorian Motto & Gentle Arts

~ ~ ~  May 7th  ~ ~ ~
Blackbird Designs

1861 Antique Sampler

from 
In Friendship's Way

Linen = PTP 40ct Doubloon

Thread = Victorian Motto threads

~ ~ ~  May 9th  ~ ~ ~

Blackbird Designs

Darling Buds of May

from

Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day?

Linen = PTP 40ct Sand

Thread = Gentle Arts

~ ~ ~  May 11th  ~ ~ ~

Blackbird Designs

Feliz Navidad

Linen = PTP 40ct Wren

Thread = Weeks Dye Works

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

I have been stitching the last 8 months and have

lots to show.  As per my usual, I will catch my

blog up over the next month

so I can look back and see all that I have done.

Thanks for visiting and hope you have a great

stitching week.....

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

You can find me almost daily on Instagram

@karenshandiwork

Prairie Schooler Alphabet Update.......

Seems like I was just here yesterday....

Summer has been passing by slowly but surely
and I can sense fall isn't too far in the distance.
I am ready for it....it is my favorite
time of the year.

Summer hasn't been too terribly busy and
I have a few finishes to share.
Today I will focus on my Prairie Schooler.

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

I realized in May that I am closer to the end of
my PS Alphabet project than I am to the
beginning and I could start to imagine
a finish this year.   Stitching one a month,
I was slated to finish the 27th design March
2018 but thought it would be nice to
finish by December.  After a little bit
of figuring, I worked out a schedule that
will allow me to finish in October.
I usually can't stick to a schedule when
it comes to stitching but I am amazed that
I have made it two months stitching
one of the letters every other week.

So.....here is what we have so far.

PS "H is for Honey"

PS "I is for Indian Corn"

PS "V is for Vineyard"

PS "W is for Welcome"

PS "X is for Cross Stitch"

  

Here is my progress as of 8-5-2017.....

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

 It takes me about a week per letter and
I have been alternating weeks since May.
I will be back soon to share some of my
other stitching and finishing!

Thanks for visiting and
happy stitching....

Stitchmaynia 2017....

I decided to participate again in Stitchmaynia,
where you have 15 new starts in the
first 15 days of May.  I decided
to tweak it to better suit my schedule

and have a new start every other day. 
I was able to get a really good start on my
projects and still have time for other stitching.

To make it even easier I decided to us the
club kits I have been accumulating the
last 3 years as my new starts.

All of the projects are small and this
will give a good variety to pick up
and go over the next year.

The clubs kits were included the
Colonial Gatherings Club, which I
have been a member of for 3 years. 
The designers are Plum Street Samplers and
Scarlett House so you know these will be good.

The third club is Silver Needle's
A Little Help from our Friends Stitching Circle. 
Each year has featured 5 different designers
so I have a good variety with this club.

I did have to swap out some of the fabrics
because of color or texture but I know I will
have some finishes I will treasure.

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

Plum Street Samplers

Thistle Pocket

Cricket Collection

Autumn Blooms

Scarlett House

On Redware Road

Lizzie Kate

Stitch With Me

Plum Street Samplers

Fraktur Friends

Scarlett House

Nice to Meet Ewe

La D Da

My Friend

Shepherd's Bush

Heart of My Heart

Scarlett House

Strawberry House

Plum Street Samplers

Colonial Candle Pocket

The Drawn Thread

Threads That Bind

Scarlett House

Button Posies

Plum Street Sampler

Autumn Cottage

Scarlett House

On Stoneware Street

Blackbird Designs

Patchwork Pinkeep

Plum Street Samplers

Hurt Not the Earth

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

I hope to finish many of these this year. 
Some of these were hard to put down
so I will definitely visiting with them this month.
It will be nice to have a basket of smalls to
sprinkle within my bigger projects

I hope you are finding time to put needle
and thread to fabric.
Thanks for visiting my little space
on the stitching universe!

April progress....

April was a good stitchy month and  I

finished the next installment of my

Prairie Schooler ABC's sampler.

Prairie Schooler "G is for Gardern"

This was great stitch for April as the gardens

were so appropriate for the month. 

I only have 11 left to stitch and would love

to finish this one this year.   I just have to

double up a few months...easy peasy!

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

I was also able to finish two more on my

BBD Garden Series.  These stitch up

very quickly and I hope to finish this one

up by year end.   

BBD "The Gardener"

stitched with recommended thread

on Silkweaver 40ct Clay Pebble

 BBD "Lily in the Garden"

stitched with recommended thread

on Silkweaver 40ct Clay Pebble

Progress thus far....

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

I am taking part in Stitchmaynia 2017

and have decided to finally start all the

club kits I have been accumulating the

last 3 years.  All of the fabric and threads

are ready to go so it is easy to pick one

up and go.  Since they are all "smalls" I

am also going to challenge myself to fully

finish these so I can enjoy each day.

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

I am excited to be attending the

Primitive Stitcher's Society retreat this

weekend in Columbus Ohio.  I am so looking

forward to spending great stitching time

with both old and new friends.   I am off to pack

and hopefully get a few stitches in.

Happy stitching....