this is what happens

when I don't post for almost a month...I actually have stuff to show! So much in fact that I have more pictures than I do time...so I will post another installment in a few days with more stitching and some garden stuff.

First, I DID actually finish Maude Eloise :) Made several "alterations" to this one aside from changing the name--the windows of the house I left unstitched, had to fudge the colors of the flowers a bit as I ran out of the floss I was using and was too lazy to go to my LNS, and left out the large gaudy flowers in the basket to the left of the house which I really didn't care for. I think it turned out OK though. It may end up being a Christmas offering for my parents, unless I can produce something more festive before then...

I have been digging deep down into my stash basket for things that have been sitting neglected for eons, as part of my herculean effort to reduce said stash before it takes over the house. Olga here (by Plum Street Samplers) was one of these neglected projects. Actually I originally started her on an orangey-colored linen, with the alphabet and all, then decided that I hated the color, scrapped it and started over on this mottled brown evenweave. I left out the alphabet and finished it as a hanging pillow--this was one of DD's Easter gifts (somewhat Halloweeny but I wasn't in the mood to stitch bunnies this year--besides, it's never too early for Halloween,is it?)

I attempted to balance out the fall-themed stitching with this piece from Country Cottage Needleworks from an old cross stitch magazine, on a linen scrap much pinker than anything I would usually use :) but it seemed to work with the design. I am not much of a pink person. Thankfully DD hates it too. I don't know what I'd do if she insisted on painting her room pink.

This is my failure of sorts, Love Letters (by Brenda Gervais).
I kitted this up and was blithely stitching along on my 28 count linen when I realized that it was quite a bit larger than the 4 1/2 inches it was supposed to be--checked that the count of the linen was the correct one--and finally realized it was intended to be stitched over one. By this point I had just about completed the alphabet so I said the hell with it and finished it over 2. So it will be a very LARGE pin pillow. All that stitching over 1 would have driven me batty anyway.

I have a few more finishes & new starts to show, so come back soon!