TUSAL - September

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I hope everyone is having a good week so far.  It's TUSAL time again.  This month finds the seasons already starting to change in my neck of the woods.  Our maple in the back yard is already dropping leaves and the cornstalks are starting to dry up near the ground.  It's a sure sign autumn is coming soon.

 

Here's a look at the ORT pile for September.  Check out my new ORT catcher!  It's actually a ring holder.  I picked it up last weekend.  I'll tell you more about that grand adventure in another post.

The pile isn't as big as some months.  You'll notice all the brown in there.  I bet you know what that's from!  Yep, all those acorns.  Let's see what else contributed to the pile.

"Buttons A Bounty" by Jackie du Plessis class (Ready for finishing)

"John Foster" project September installment (Done!)

Gift for a girlfriend (Done!)
"Autumn" by Lindy Jane Designs (In Progress)
"G is for Goose" from the Hornbook Bestiary (In Progress)

As you all know, those acorns consumed my whole last month's stitching time and I only recently squeezed John in for some attention.  Both are looking good though if I do say so myself!  Over the long weekend, I treated myself to a new start and began "G is for Goose."  I should have both of them done soon.

I'll be able to share more about the gift soon.  I'll see her this evening.  I'm so excited.  I hope she likes it!  You guys are going to love the story that goes with it.

Well folks, that's it from here.  It's a short one this month.  Hopefully next month will be more exciting.  LOL!  Thanks for stopping by and checking in.  I do appreciate your visits on TUSAL day.

More next time,

The Inspired Stitcher

John Foster update

We are on the downhill side of the John Foster project.  Only October and November to go!  Here's where I am at this point.  Now that the right side is finished I can start on the house.

Progress as of 8/8/13

Progress as of 8/25/13

 

As you can see, it's coming along nicely.  I'm trying to work a head a bit since I know I'll be doing some comittment stitching soon.  I just loved stitching those trees.  I got into a rhythm and they stitched in so quickly.  I like "no-brainer" motifs like that.  You just get on a roll and go!

 

I know once I start the bricks I'll need to pay a bit of attention to them.  Dear little John got a little off in a couple places.  Since this is a reproduction, I'm going to stitch it just as he did.  I know this kind of thing drives some folks crazy but it doesn't bother me.  LOL!

 

I hope my US readers are having a good Labor Day holiday today.  I'm certainly going to enjoy not having to be at work.  Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit.  Have a great week!

 

Until next time,

 

The Inspired Stitcher

Finally...finished acorns!

Well folks, I'm pleased to report that after a week's worth of diligent stitching I'm finally finished with the acorns!  Can I get a woo hoo from blogland?!  Yep, I heard you all!  I'm surprised I didn't wake you up with my squeal when I put in the last stitch Friday night.

Here it was a week ago!

 

Here it is this past weekend!

 

I can honestly say that I am super confident in the making of queen stitches now after the 42 acorn caps in this piece.  I really love how they all turned out.

 

I also love the leaves and acorn nuts too.  I think this piece would have gotten pretty boring to stitch if it hadn't been for the scrumptious floss colors Jackie chose.  I really enjoyed seeing the leaves and nuts change colors.

 

So now I wait until the finishing portion of the class begins.  Jackie is out of the country teaching right now.  We'll resume when she returns.  So stay tuned, there will be more to come!

 

 

Well dear friends, thanks for hanging with me on this one.  I'm sure these acorn posts weren't the most exciting things in the world but I'm glad I could at least see progress being made.  Now it's on to some other things that have been pulling at my attention.  Have a great day!

 

Until next time,

 

The Inspired Stitcher

A Book Review & More Acorns

A week or two ago I wandered into our local Half-Price Books while running errands and ran across this little gem. For those that have never visited, this bookstore has used and overstock books.   You can easily leave with a whole bag of hardback books for less than $20.  I love to pop in and see what's there. Sometimes you get lucky and sometimes not.

This time I happened onto a gem!  This book was published in the UK in 1998 so it's not new but it sure looks like it's barely been read.  It has chapters with reproduction samplers, schoolroom samplers, celebration samplers, flora and fauna samplers, and a celebration of childhood samplers.  All with color charts!

 

There are several things in this book that caught my eye.  I especially liked the chapter on Schoolroom Samplers.  The cover sampler is from this chapter!

 

This multiplication table was one of the first things that attracted my attention.  I've collected several different versions of the table and at some point I want to do at least one...maybe more.  The book tells us that this particular sampler is similar to one found at The Edinburgh Museum of Childhood and it is thought to have roots in Scotland.

The Mary Elizabeth Nicholson sampler is one of the reproduction samplers in the book.  There are actually four different samplers in each chapter and a section at the end of the chapter showing different ideas for using the motifs in them.  I like this one for the top alphabet and the Berlin style motifs at the bottom.  The funky border is said to possibly be Welsh in origin.

This sampler was the one that cinched it for me!  My parent's will be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary this year and I've been on the hunt for an anniversary sampler to stitch for them.  This one looks like it will finish right at 8 x 10" so it shouldn't take forever to stitch.  I like that the writing is simple and the border makes it special.  Now to find the time to gather up the stuff and actually stitch it.  I've got acorns to finish first!

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Yep, I'm still working on my homework and making acorns and little leaves. I actually "should" have been done already according to the class schedule.  I'm about half way there now.  Oops!

I'm really enjoying this one and in a way I'm going to be sad when I'm done. I really do need to focus on this one only and get it finished. Ideally, I'd like to get this one done in the next couple weeks. I've got a bunch of things I want to do soon so maybe I'll use that as my motivator.

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I hope everyone has a great weekend.  I'm going to kick mine off with a night out with the Tiara Club girls.  Hopefully I'll get some more acorns made tonight...that is if I don't socialize too much!  I know, imagine that.  LOL!  Thanks for stopping by.

Until next time,

The Inspired Stitcher

Little bits of progress...bees, acorns and John Foster

Steady progress is being made on several projects lately.  Some more noticeable than others.  I hinted at one of them in my post last week.  Here it is!

Design: Bee Happy

Designer: Homespun Elegance

Fabric: 28 ct. mystery blue

Floss: as charted

Started:  7/26/13

Finished:  8/3/13

Completed: TBD (to be decided)

  

I picked up this little cutie back in June at the annual Stitcher's Getaway in Russellville.  It just so happened my dear friend Annette over at California Stitcher recently picked it up too.  We struck upon an idea of doing a mini stitch-along just the two of us.

 

I still need to attach the butterfly charm and ornamentify it.  I don't have any of the called for chenille to do the finishing so I'm percolating on what else I might do with it.  We'll see...

 

Annette is such a sweetie, she waited for me to catch up with her since I've been working on my class piece.  Thank you, Annette for a fun stitch along! It was so neat knowing you were stitching with me across the miles!  Be sure to pop over to Annette's in the next day or so to see her finished piece too. 

 

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Speaking of my class piece, here's my second bit of progress!  I finished my first cluster of acorns last week.  The acorn caps are time consuming but they sure look great when they are done.  The lower half of the acorn is worked using a brick stitch.  It was a first for me and really like how it showcased the over dyed floss!  It was a breeze to stitch too.

Here this same section with some leaves added.  I love the effects of the over dyed floss on the leaves too.  It really makes each one an individual just like real leaves!

I'm enjoying this project and wish I could just stitch on this all day.  Oh well, gotta work to pay for this addiction passion of mine!  Slow and steady is my mantra. This is going to be a stunning piece when I finish it!

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My final bit of progress is my August installment on the John Foster SAL.  This month we were to stitch the birds on either side, the chimneys, the bees between the chimneys, and the roof.  I finished up the roof and birds on Friday night at the LNS stitch-in.
 

 

I decided to work ahead a tiny bit since we will be adding the bricks to John's house the same month I'll be doing the finishing on the acorn piece.  Plus, I can already foresee a busy fall in my world...gotta plan ahead dontcha know!

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Welcome to my new followers.  I hope you find something interesting in my little corner of blogland.  I know we are all busy people and I appreciate you taking the time to let me know you are here. Thanks for stopping by today!


Until next time,

The Inspired Stitcher

TUSAL - August

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Well folks, here we are in August already!  Summer is winding down and the start of school is just around the corner!  Now, just where did the time go again?!  I'm so not ready for fall yet.

 

 

Here's a look at the pile o'ORTs for this month!  Not too shabby, I guess.  There's a bunch of brown fuzz in there from the frog's visit to my beehive.  Darn frog!

The tiny bowl in the picture is a gift from a dear friend of mine.  She got it in Turkey when she visited her parents last and brought it back for me.  I love the colors!  Just had to share that in case you were wondering.

Okay, back to the ORT report...this month's contributors were:
 

"F is for Fox" on the Hornbook Bestiary (Done!)

"Painted Lady" by Just Nan (Done!)

"Buttons A Bounty" by Jackie du Plessis class (In progress...)

"John Foster" project August installment (Done!)

"Bee Happy" by Homespun Elegance (Done, needs ornamentifying)

 

I'm finding that doing the ORT report is keeping me accountable this year.  It really has helped me keep track of my progress on all my ongoing projects.  I have a few more than I'm comfortable with right now so I know I need to get crackin' and finish some things up!

 

Thanks for stopping by.  I know the ORT report isn't all that interesting so I really appreciate that you take the time to visit on TUSAL day.

 

Until next time,

 

The Inspired Stitcher

Hornbook Bestiary Progress

I was looking back through last month's posts and it occurred to me I didn't post my finish of the "F is for Fox" block.  I'm trying really hard to remember to do regular updates as I complete a block on this one.

Progress as of 7/5/13

 Progress as of 7/13/13

I'm still keeping with my practice of doing all the background fill as I go.  I know myself well enough that if I didn't I'd procrastinate it and it would never get done.  This way each new block is its own reward.  LOL!

It still amazes me how the addition of each new block changes the overall look of this sampler.  It really compels me to keep going on it.  I'm going to start "G is for Goose" next.  I can't wait to see how it turns out.


I hope everyone had a splendid weekend. Thank you taking the time to drop by for a visit with me today.

More next time,

The Inspired Stitcher