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Wednesday, September 28, 2011

What I Have Been Up To This Month!

Time sure has flown by...One day it's the beginning of September and now here we are at the end!  It's officially autumn even though the temperature outside today still thinks it's summer.  But as they say "stick around and the weather will change again."  We have had a lot of rain and a lot of cloudy days these last few weeks, so I am not going to complain to much about today's weather because the sun is shining and the skies are a beautiful blue. 

I went to the Outer Banks with a friend earlier this month.  It was a wonderful, gorgeous week!  We had rain the first day and it rained the last day but in between the weather was perfect!  It was so relaxing to just roam the beach each day looking for shells. We had so much fun shopping at all the outlet stores and little shops in the area and trying out the restaurants.  It was a good week!

Kitty Hawk Beach, NC

I took several stitchy projects with me to the beach.  Decided it would be a good time to finish a UFO or two.  There was not much time for stitching but I did manage to finish one project and get about halfway on another.  Here is my finish...

PS Autumn stitched on 14 ct. Fiddlers Cloth with DMC Threads
The above project was 3/4 finished and did not take much time to complete. 

And here is the progress on my second UFO...

PS February stitched on Lambswool 14 ct. Aida with DMC threads
 This one is about 2/3 finished now.  I'm not loving this one but am determined to finish it. 

These projects were perfect for the beach because the lighting was not the best in our room and stitching on aida cloth enabled me to be able to see my stitches without bringing along my stitching lamp.

Next up is my progress on two more of my Crazy January Challenge pieces.

BBD Their Song stitched on 28 ct Irish Linen with recommended WDW thread
LHN Little House Neighborhood stitched on linen 32 ct with DMC Threads
They are projects #10 and #11. 

I have not been stitching on these much because my turn came to work on The Traveling Pattern!  Yes, the pattern and scrapbook arrived in my mailbox last Friday afternoon!  Thanks to Myra for sending these along to me and thanks to Jennifer for organizing this project.  Peggy Lee provided the pattern and Jennifer added the scrapbook.  Peggy Lee, I have to tell you, you will just love looking at the scrapbook and seeing all of the finished samplers!!

Here's my take on the sampler....

La D Da "A B C D" stitched on 32 ct Stony Point linen using DMC #924, #4210 & #310
I just love the varigated thread for the alphabet. My initials were stitched with #310.  I decided that the leaf design should be stitched with a lovely blue/green with just a hint of gray.  You can't tell by the picture but the linen is a lovely shade of gray/green.  The colors look so nice together.  Can you tell I am pleased with the effect?  I chose not to stitch the border around the design but would like your comments on whether you think that the border would add to the finish.  I am still on the fence a little about adding the border. This pattern will be on its way to Cat at Bramblewood Stitches by the first of next week.  I need to add to the scrapbook before I send it on its way.

A special welcome to my new followers!  I hope you all are enjoying visiting with me and I really look forward to any comments you might be inclined to leave.  It's so much fun making new friends!

Thought I would leave you with a picture of the mate to the cardinal in my header.  She has been hard to capture by the camera but one day she seemed to want her picture taken and posed a little for me.



She was looking at me like "Are you happy now?  Take the picture and don't bother me anymore!"  LOL I love it when the pair are in the tree next to the feeder chirping back and forth to each other.  Their calls are so distinct, I can always tell when they are outside the window.

Wishing you all a Blessed Autumn season!

22 comments:

Margaret said...

Glad you had a good time at the Outer Banks -- I'd love to go to the ocean for a while. Love your PS finish! Your WIPs look great too!

Anonymous said...

Love your picture of the female cardinal! Your WIPs look awesome and congratulations to you on your PS finish!

Robin in Virginia

Patty C. said...

I'm glad you enjoyed the beach
Great progress on your LHN
I see you finished your La-D-Da - It's moving right along isn't it !!!

diamondc said...

Your PS is wonderful as are all your other projects.
Thank-you for sharing.
Catherine
diamondc

Myra said...

You have been busy! I just love your finishes. I was starting to worry you might not have received ABCD. You did a great job with it - wasn't it fun looking at the journal?

Catherine said...

Great projects!! I am glad to have the head's up about being next to receive the pattern - I need to start thinking about colors!!

Lesleyanne said...

Glad you had a great time at the beach. Your finish is lovely. Your wips are coming along great. A gorgeous picture of the cardinal.

Mouse said...

ooo well done on your finish and your progresses too :) glad you had nice time at the beach and way to go on the La D Da it looks lovely ... I can't wait to get it now .... depends on what you want to do with it at the end whether you put the border on or not I think :) hope that helps ?? love mouse xxxxx
ps love the caption for your cardinal photo :)

pam said...

Jealous of any beach time right now. We have not been since April-UGH! Finished are great- add the border

Carol said...

I'll bet that was a great time of year to visit the Outer Banks, Nancy! We usually go in July when it is way too hot and crowded...

Love your PS finish and WIP--and your version of the Traveling Pattern looks wonderful...

Vonna Pfeiffer said...

How darling all of your stitcheries are Nancy! You've been knocking them out! :)
Your trip sounds and looks like a wonderful good time!

Sherry :o) said...

Really nice progress on all of your stitches...love the ABCD pattern - one more closer to me now! I am sooo excited to get this and participate!

priscilla said...

They all look great !love the prairie schooler Autumn !

cucki said...

hello dear, i am your new friend from south africa..your stitching is very lovely..all of them are so cute..
i am also going to titch on traveling pattern..cant wait to stitch it..yours is looking so sweet..well done dear.
hugs xx

Peggy Lee said...

Oh Nancy I love how you've stitched the traveling pattern! I think it looks lovely without the border. Will you frame it?
It has been such fun seeing all the ways it's been stitched. I'm so thankful Jennifer started this rolling along.

Lynn said...

Stitching at the Outer Banks sounds lovely! Your PS finish is fabulous! This is one of my favourite designers. I love all of your WIP too. I recently finished Their Song and it was one of my favourite stitches this year.
I know you'll love yours!
Great cardinal pic! I have been trying to get one of the female at our feeder for weeks now. She's just so skittish!

Siobhán said...

Ah, stitching at the Outer Banks--it sounds heavenly!! Your PS finish is gorgeous. I pulled that out at the beginning of August, planning to stitch it, and it got as far as sitting in a pile. I love your new PS! Love all the other WIPs, too, especially Their Song. It's one of my favorite BBDs.

Gorgeous pic of the cardinal!

Cari said...

Stitching on the Outer Banks...sounds FABULOUS !! I'm so glad our weather here in Florida has started to change. I love stitching outside. What could be better than needle and thread, the flora and fauna and the birds?? Love the pics of your Cardinals. I have a couple of pairs in my yard too. I love them so much! Thanks for sharing your wonderful wips, finishes and birds!!

Kathy Ellen said...

You must have loved every minute of your trip to the Outer Banks. If I close my eyes, I can almost hear the waves crashing on the beach.

PS "Autumn" is just beautiful! You have made so much progress on so many other wonderful designs too!

Charlene ♥ NC said...

Ah, the coast. Nothing like stitching at the beach! Your finish is lovely, and your WIPs are coming along nicely. I like the way you've done the Traveling Pattern. One of these days you'll catch the 'happy couple' together -- well maybe!

Lynn B said...

Your works in progress look wonderful! I have nearly finished Little House Neighbourhood, it is a lovely pattern to stitch.

Michele said...

Congrats on your finish! I love it :) Your wips look good too. What a fun getaway you had!