The Other Side

I plan to take my finished Gigi R's Belles-Lettres D to the framers on Thursday, but before I do, I thought I'd share a picture of the other side.  This is my back, which will be covered when framed.  It's probably my neatest ever.

Gigi R's Belles-Lettres D - Back

Happy Dancing Tonight!

I am very excited to announce that Gigi R's Belles-Lettres D was finished tonight.  This was stitched as our 40th Anniversary Sampler.  Our anniversary was actually February 12th, but I figured it would be fine if I finished it this year.  That goal was accomplished, and now I can look forward to some other projects for the New Year.  Since I've been stitching all day, I haven't taken time to iron, but here's the finished piece hot off the frame.

Gigi R's Belles-Lettres D Completed!

Merry Christmas!

Just a quick note to say Merry Christmas!  I've been stitching daily, and it looks like Gigi R's Belles-Lettres D will definitely be finished by December 31st.  Once that happens, I'll post pictures.  Right now, I'd rather keep stitching to meet my goal.

A Brief Update On My Sampler

I had to re-position my Q-Snaps again, so here's an updated picture of my anniversary sampler, Gigi R's Belles-Lettres D.  On Sunday I had taken time to go through a bunch of Sajou alphabets to find one that would fit our surname in a section at the top of the piece.  As you can see, I have stitched the DIBLA and will next stitch the NCA to complete that.  With 11 days left in 2012, I'm really going to try to get this done before the year ends.  It will help that the 11 days includes 2 weekends, the holiday, and a shortened work week.

Gigi R's Belles-Lettres D

Time to Finish My Anniversary Sampler

I've been trying to finalize my stitching plans for 2013, which have changed several times as things pop up and draw my interest.  Most recently, my thrift store find of And They Sinned led to my joining a SAL for that piece starting in February.  I've decided that before starting that one, I really need to finish Gigi R's Belles-Lettres D, being stitched as our 40th anniversary sampler.  That anniversary was actually February 12, 2012, but I was stitching it on that date and if I get it done before February 13, 2013, it will be finished in our 40th year of marriage. 

So I picked up that piece this week and will be stitching it daily until Christmas Eve, when I've committed to starting Wisteria by The Silver Lining.  I also have new starts on New Year's Eve and January 4th, but Gigi's sampler is going to be my focus piece until completed.

I just took it out of the Q-snaps to be re-positioned, so I took a picture to post here.  Pardon the wrinkles, but it's tough to keep fabric smooth when you're stuffing a piece of fabric 36" x 31" into 11" x 11" Q-snaps! 

Gigi R's Belles-Lettres D

I intend to stitch as much as possible this weekend, which is also International Hibernate & Stitch Weekend, so let's see how much I can get done!

Thrift Store Finds!

Today I met some friends for brunch in Canyon Lake, a small town north of San Antonio, where we had a lovely brunch and watched a delightful small town Christmas parade.  While there, I also visited the local thrift store and was excited with some awesome finds in their cross stitch bin!

The most exciting find was an unopened copy of And They Sinned by Examplar Dames Design Co.  This is a huge Adam and Eve sampler with a stitch count of 809 x 169.  Though it currently retails for far more, I got this for only $1.  You can get a closer look at the design and see a picture of a woman by the finished piece at:  http://www.wyndhamneedleworks.com/Examplar_Dames/and_they_sinned.htm  I'm not sure when I'll work this into my stitching rotation, but for now I'm just delighted to have this in my stash!

And They Sinned by Exampler Dames Design Co.

A second find was a small Silken Wings Kit titled Sitting Chickadee by Crossed Wing Collection.  The kit has the chart, matted 40ct silk gauze, and Au Ver A Soie d'Alger silk threads.  Someone did start to stitch a tiny section, but I believe I can remove those stitches without mich difficulty.  I've never stitched on silk gauze before and wanted to get some for Baby Roses by The Silver Lining, a chart of rose bud miniatures I was gifted recently.  I'll either stitch the chickadee for practice or use the silk gauze for one of the roses.  Either way, this was another great $1 find!

Sitting Chickadee by Crossed Wing Collection

Next was a Janlynn Pillow Top Kit of a Hen.  This would be lovely for someone who collects things featuring roosters and hens.  The kit is unopened, and contains 14ct black Aida plus all the threads.  While I doubt I will stitch this myself, I thought it might be a good one to donate as a contest prize in one of the online stitching groups I belong to.  This one, too, was only $1.

Janlynn Hen Pillow Top Kit

My final thrift shop find for the day was a Shepherd's Bush kit, Queen Bee Sampler.  This kit has the chart, 32ct. Belfast linen, and all the silk floss, beads, and charms required to complete the band sampler.  Though the kit had been opened, all the contents are there unused.  Like the pillow top kit, this will probably be donated as a contest prize.  Once again, the price was only $1.

Queen Bee Sampler by The Shepherd's Bush