The new charts

Greetings folks.  Haven't done much in stitching or painting.  Still not over the head pounding.  Received my order today except for one chart on backorder, and thought I would show you half .  These are all from RandR Reproductions (Dyeing to Stitch) and mostly marking samplers.   Some have specialty stitches which I may choose not to do depending on the count, several are primitive. I love their samplers but have to admit that the color photo on the chart is not the best.

Oh heck.  I might as well show all of them.

I included a Primitive Betty design in this order that I've loved for quite a while.   Mary Ann, George, and Lydia are my favorites.  Not sure why I purchased Eliza Showman since I was going for small and quick marking samplers.

It may be a few days before I have a finished floss box or any stitching to show.  Putting a pocket on the inside lid of the box was a plan, but I don't know if I'll have room so I need to fool around with that too.

Hope you're having a great start to the week.

Stay safe - stay healthy.

I truly appreciate and want to welcome new followers!

Thank you so much for visiting.

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Box progress

Good day!  Two things to show in another quick post. 

First off, Mary Jo was kind enough to email a photo of her Sophia Waters.  After seeing hers, I realized I was mistaken in thinking that a darker linen background would be more primitive.  Her lighter linen shows off the details perfectly, and I was wrong about framing too!  This rustic textured choice works well so I have an option if I change my mind.

Now for the floss box that turned into a chest.  Because of its 24" x 14" size, I thought it may look like a piece of luggage without a little design element, so I added legs. 

This is the inside and I can get all my floss bags in with a little room to spare.

The hinges and lid support will be put on last, after I choose the paint color and the base color that will show through here and there after sanding.  Painting it black, crackled, and lightly stenciled with colonial motifs was a plan, until I remembered that I just finished ridding the cupboard of my paints!  It may still be a black crackle. 

This gorgeous cardboard box is the system I've used for many years.  I found a very heavy and large box, cut it to a 4" height, and used the removed pieces to make dividers which I glued and taped .  It has served me well and slid into the bottom of my hutch, but my neck problems made it difficult to continue bending and peering into the bottom shelf.

Mark will be finishing the lid today and I should be painting tomorrow.  It's big!  It will sit on top of the small 4 drawer chest where the linen is kept.  My spool cabinet is not large enough to hold it.  No sense making the floss storage to fit a piece of furniture and not be large enough for its intended purpose.

That's it folks!

Enjoy your Sunday, stay safe, thank you for visiting.

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Sneak peek

Hope you're all set up for a great weekend!  Just a very quick post of a preview of what I've been doing.  Other than blowing my nose, coughing, and judging cat races.

Susannah's first chart page is completed and I can now see her size.  Very similar in errors to Sophia and I'm liking these two very primitive reproductions. Susannah French is also an R&R from Dyeing to Stitch.

And here's progress on my floss box.  It's really difficult to design a wood piece without a prototype.  We're correcting dimensions as we go along and this morning I'm finally deciding on a final plan.  Then it will be - do I crackle, just age edges, or stencil and sand?   One thing at a time!

Enjoy your weekend!

Thanks for visiting!

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Oh Susannah! What a cat race!

Hello people.  In response to emails about not being able to locate Sophia Waters, you can contact  RandR's website Dyeing To Stitch here.  The gracious Ann informed me that the chart is still available, just scroll down and click "contact us".  You may want to hold off until you see my new dazzling dozen.  They are all marking samplers without a lot of fuss and that seems to be what many readers prefer.   

The photo I took with all her wrinkles wasn't great, so I pressed and here she is a little more youthful,  posing with Susannah French.  Very similar in errors and misalignment, pretty darn primitive. I hesitated on Sue many times and thought she was a very small piece based on the chart's photo.

To my surprise, she works out to around 14" x 8" on 26/28 linen which is what I'm using.  Another coarse and heavy weave that will be left unframed.   Neither of these has specialty stitches, just cross, and incomplete or misplaced cross.  Menocross.

Today was a long day of riding along with my husband to my sister's appointment outside of Pittsburgh.  I am white knuckled and avoid as much time on the road as possible, but thought I would tag along since he was nice enough to take her.  Our doctor offices here obviously don't do their jobs or research, as she did not qualify for the treatment they sent her to.  Wasted trip.  But we came home to garlic sausage and tortellini/olive/pepper salad which certainly would bring anyone's taste buds back to life.  I kept trying to do that with cake, and although a pleasant exercise, didn't work as well.  My cough sounds like a goose stuck in a fog horn, but I'm starting to feel better.

On to the cat race.

Gentlemen, take your places.

It's Nitzy on the far side....

and Bud's closing in.

Hold everything!

An off track skirmish develops.

Bud!  Go to the time out area!

Nitzy!  Hold your position!

At the finish, it looks like Nitzy wins by a tree!  Sorry Bud, you're nosing out from behind the tree but didn't make the finish line.

  

Poor old man Bud.  I think the loser deserves an indoor massage.

Next race - Thursday afternoon, weather permitting.

No advance ticket sales since cats can't be trusted and are never on time.

The boys thank you for your interest in the cat track.  Tomorrow I hope to get busy on the floss box and I have injections lined up for Friday so I may be back Saturday with progress.

Thanks for visiting!

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Sophia Waters

  First ~ I want to express my gratitude to all of you that have emailed, commented, visited, and shared your stitching with me this past year.  I continue to be inspired by your work, from the smallest fob to the largest sampler, and how you've welcomed me into the blogging world.  I thank you sincerely.

Second ~ I should not have delayed my flu shot.  Yoi.  The final plan for the floss box is in place and I can't imagine a saw running or hammer pounding right now.  I won't be attending my sister's little get together today but I did get mom's shaved chocolate chiffon cake baked and it's ready to go. 

But here's how I really feel - big deal!!   Regardless of how poorly I feel, someone is suffering and won't recover as I will.  The end.

So here's Sophia Waters.

That little bit of blue is the only color and you can see how primitive this design is which is why I left it wrinkled.  I have her hanging (for now) on the side of the cupboard with one of my favorite unframed pieces, Mary Oldfield. 

Susannah French, the other R&R primitive design is being worked on now and I will feature her next time.  She's also mostly brown with incomplete stitches and errors. I can't wait to get the 12 new charts.   

While trying to recover some older photos from an old computer, I found several from prior years.  My laptop is acting the same as it did before the crash and I fear it will be crashing again.

Well, the season is officially over. And the last of my paint is spilled out onto the cardboard and drying for disposal. But every time I see this guy, I want to paint him again.

 

Time to put away the decorations and liquor up on cough syrup.

Thank you again for your friendship and encouragement this past year.
Stay safe ~ stitch happy!

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BOAF Gold Santa

Greetings!  I had quite a few emails about obtaining the Gold Santa chart - this guy - and I wanted to post that there is a listing on EBay for 6 of them. http://www.ebay.com/itm/BIRDS-OF-A-FEATHER-GOLD-SANTA-CROSS-STITCH-PATTERN-OOP-/121039681905?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c2e86f971  Please excuse the blatant URL show ~ I have a cold and pounding head so I don't feel like doing the HTML.  Several have come up recently and most sold for around $10.  This is a Buy it Now (6 available - 1 sold) for $14.99 but she is accepting offers too.

 I finished Sophia but haven't uploaded the photo yet so I will show you what I found at the antique mall instead.  It's a vegetable slicer.

The label on the back is the Home Vegetable Slicer Pat. Feb 22, 1898.

Neat huh?

 Homespun Samplar is having a 20% off chart sale so naturally I loaded up on R&R Reproductions' fabulous marking samplers for dirt cheap.  I bought a dozen!  Most of them must have been the last one since I don't see many of them still listed.  I have another very primitive R & R to start - Susannah French - until I decide on a larger piece.  Sophia is hanging on the side of my cupboard with Mary Oldfield.  Today anyway.

And of course, I have to mention the snow.   You can see the trails in the yard.  They're paths made with the snow blower so the cats can run around since the snow is too high for them.  They chase each other like it's a race track.  You can also see their condos.  And what's left of the buried wheelbarrow and greens.

That's all I have.  Just wanted to let you know about Gold Santa.  My head is pounding on my teeth and I may get snarky if I continue.

We wouldn't want that.  I got a shorter hair cut and once again my wild wire looks like a poisonous mushroom.  Making snarky faces right now just adds to the look.

 STAY SAFE - Best wishes for 2013.

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