Slow Sunday Stitching

 When I left all of you last week I was getting ready to start on the stitching  for the large quilt on my Quilting Bee cross stitch sampler. I’m quite surprised at the progress I’ve made. One of the things I love about the Victoria Sampler designs is their wonderful detailed instructions. For this section they say to work from the outside of the quilt to the middle. So I started that. All of the outer blanket stitches are done and also the stems of the vines are finished. I have to add in some lazy daisy leaves and some flowers to that particular border and then move in to the next. All of the quilt blocks in the centre are little mini samplers all on their own. I love doing this type of embroidery. Most of the designs from Victoria Samplers that I’ve purchased in the past have also come with what they used to call Acc Packs, where they provided all  the threads and beads necessary to complete the designs. Unfortunately they no longer do this, so I’m coming up with my own colours. I have lots of threads left over from previous projects, so I’m using some of those for this. I need to dig in my bin and find some silk for the leaves. I started out using DMC floss, but I think I like the silks better. They stitch up so much smoother with much less drag and tangling when doing the stitching.

I’m linking up to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching

Slow Sunday Stitching

 I’ve gotten the top section of my Quilters’ Bee Sampler completely finished. All the beads are added and the threads and needles in the quilters’ hand are done. I can now move my hoop and start in on the large quilt section under them. To give a reminder, the sampler I am doing is available at Victoria Samplers here.They have scaled back their services and no longer offer printed patterns, but all their designs are still available through PDF purchases.

I’ve made progress on my grey/blue sock too. I’m at the point of starting the heel for the second sock.

Most of the snow that was forecast to hit us over the last few days missed us, thankfully. I suspect there is about 4 inches of it out there. or at the most 6 inches. Enough to make it look pretty and clean without causing too much of a problem. Also thankfully, we have a son-in-law with a snow blower to do out the drive way which is long and on a slope, not a safe thing for old bones to be doing.

I’m linking up to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching.

Slow Sunday Stitching.

 My Quilting Bee cross stitch was in time out for a couple of weeks. I’d gotten to the 1 thread of floss over 1 thread of fabric section for the lettering and I was finding it difficult to see and I didn’t have enough patience for it. So it got put away, That seems to have passed and I’ve picked it back up again and made good progress on it. Not only is the lettering done, but so are the quilt blocks and I’ve started on the floral border of the quilt. I still have to do the threads in the quilters’ hands and some beads around the floral arbour which will finish this section. 

In the meantime I continue with knitting mindless hand occupying socks. I have more than enough bright eye catching pairs of socks, so I’ve gone over to more muted shades of grey this time. It seemed to suit my mood somehow.Once these are done I’ll likely go diving into my box of stash yarns and find some more bright ones.

I’m linking to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching

Quilty workings

 I seem to be getting my quilting mojo firmly back in place. I finished the Moda Blockheads 4 Sampler. 

It is layered and ready for quilting.

I’m continuing to work on my A Quilting life Sampler and have 8 out of 12 blocks done. It will get sashing and nine patches as corner stones when the blocks are done.

And I’ve started a new quilt, a design also from A Quilting life called Fresh Flowers. It is bright and wild and fun. It will get sashed and bordered with the same dotted fabric as the outer background squares and triangles.I’m in the never ending process of trying to use up my fabrics. Part of that process is trying to cut them up into useable sizes rather than put them back into their boxes. So as I’ve been cutting the fabrics for this quilt, I’ve been cutting the remainder into usable strips or squares. I start at 3 1/2 inches and work my way down to 2 1/2 then 2 and then finally 1 1/2 inch strips until all the fabric is cut up and gone into the appropriate size strip box. I hope to continue this process into other quilts and thus be able to use the fabrics that are currently stuffed into boxes and totes.

Slow Sunday Stitching

 We are currently in the season of the year where everything and anything goes when it comes to weather patterns. Wednesday night there was a winter storm travel advisory posted. And while we in our area didn’t get anything nasty, we did wake up to about an inch of snow on the ground. And now this weekend we have highs at about 21 celcius. It may be necessary to spend some time outside today.

I’ve been doing lots of work on my Quilters Bee cross stitch and making good progress. I’ve started on the words. After this are done I will be doing the specialty stitches to fill the quilt blocks and to do the border around the quilt that the ladies are stitching. Then I can move on down to the next area. As always with the patterns from the Victoria Sampler people this is an extremely enjoyable stitch.

I’ve also started a new pair of socks. No surprise there. Once my eyes go all wonky after doing the small cross stitching I switch over to knitting where my eyes don’t necessarily need to completely focus.

I have been working on some quilt projects too. But I’ll hopefully get a separate post written about them later this week.

I’ll link up to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching

Slow Sunday Stitching

 I’ve started a new cross stitch project. I’m enjoying it so much that I can’t seem to stop working on it so I’ve made really good progress on it. It is the Quilting Bee Sampler. How perfect is this...... quilting and cross stitch together. I love it! Wouldn’t that be a fun location for a quilting bee, outdoors under a flowering arbour. 

I will link up to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching.

Slow Sunday Stitching

 I have finished all of the stitching for the Harbour Village Sampler. All that remains to do is add in some beads and it can be called finished. WOOHOO!!!! I am planning on doing the beads this afternoon when I know I will have good light and relatively steady hands for picking up the tiny beads. After that is done I can pull out the linen for my next project and get started on putting in the grid lines. But I am determined to get this one done first. I don’t want to take the chance of putting it aside and then not finishing it.

I will link up to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching and then get right at it.