Pictures a plenty.

I have framing and stitching progress!  I rarely snap a photo of a project in the works but for my HEAD there really does need to be progress photos as it's a project that will take a couple years.

First, the framing.  I am so excited to have this long neglected WIP done-done-done.

Glendon Place's Murky Manor sat in a box neglected for 5+  years.  I hauled it to Florida last winter and worked diligently.  I put it aside for a while and reluctantly got busy and finally finished it this spring.

The frame is a lovely rustic purple that matches the fabric.  The fabric that was TORTURE to work on!  I have a whole bunch left.  I am having trouble imagining what I might stitch on it.  It's 36 count, a bit small for me, and linen with no...what would you call it?...body?  So flimsy and floppy.

The next piece is Jenny Bean's Garden Sampler by Shakespeare's Peddler.

This was another piece that was not enjoyable to work on.  Not so much the stitching or the fabric...more the pattern.  There were missing symbols on the key and it was printed (copied?) onto cheap copy paper so it was a mess by the time I was done.

I chose another rustic frame...this one is really green, not the blue pictured, and matches the fabric nicely.

Finally, Up on the Rooftop by Drawn Thread.

This is one of those patterns that you knock out the alphabet in no time and then are surprised by how long the rest takes.

Another rustic frame but isn't that red just perfect?  I need to get a nap brush for Santa's beard.  It's on my shopping list for when I make another trip to my somewhat LNS.


I finally managed to pull out my HEAD.  Vibrant Vista's is my first Heaven and Earth Design.  I have long admired HEAD patterns and knew I'd start one someday.  I purchased this pattern along with a Christmas one.  I forget the title...Town Square maybe.  It's not available anymore but I hope I get through this one so I can do that one, too.

Below is my progress so far.  Page 1 and page 2.

 It doesn't look like much does it?  A funny thing happened between page 1 and page 2.  I discovered the Goodreader app on my ipad.  It was love at first use.  So, when Heaven and Earth had a sale I purchased Vibrant Vista's as a pdf.  The strange thing is that my paper version is large print so I bought the large print pdf version but the pages are spaced differently.  I thought I'd complete the full page 2 to match the paper version size but flipping from page to page on the app was a pain. (Really, just flipping from page 2 to page 9 to get the bottom of the design.)  Also, my paper page 2 divided the tree while the app's page 3 encompassed the whole tree top so I thought I'd just leave the tree until page 3.  Make sense?  Anyhow, that's why my page 2 block looks shorter than my page 1 block.  I am also trying out 'parking'.  When I get to the tree there are lots of odds and ends of stitches.  So far, I'm finding the stray threads a pain.  So, we'll see.

I am using the Magic Grid fabric available from the Heaven and Earth shop.  The blocks are 20 by 20.  I don't feel the need to only work within a block.  I can work across each color like a regular pattern but I do stop near the edge of the page...or just a few stitches into the next page.  I am trying to avoid the lines that form when you stop stitching in a straight line.

Finally, I have also been stitching away on my Jeanette Douglas Florida Sampler.

I think this section is the last of the complicated rows and also marks the half way point.  I have just started the two 1 over 1 parrots sitting in the trees.

My very cute little needle threader is hiding my initials.  Do I even need to write about those?  You guessed it.  Stylized letters and NO ALPHABET GRAPH in the pattern.  OMG.  Why is that optional when the initials are part of the pattern????????

So, to help with that I purchased this book by Leisure Arts.

I found letters that were sized correctly and worked with the overall look of the pattern.

The book is full of all sorts of alphabets from simple to fancy.  There are cute ones, serious ones, bold, and fine lettered ones.  I know I will get plenty of use from this book for years to come.

Hard to believe September is almost over.  Fall might actually be in the air this weekend in Western NY.  It's been a long hot summer, that's for sure.  Some fall weather would be very welcome in these dry parched parts of NY.

Happy Stitching.

Pam