August Stitch From Stash

Summer continues to fly by as we come to the close of August. Really? It seems like summer hardly got started let alone is near it's finish! Already I feel the need to stitch some pieces for fall as the cooler days and shorter nights move in. Actually, now that I think about it, all my pieces that I've worked on this month have a fall theme or feel to them.

I mentioned to you last month that I had got started on a new piece from my stash, Pumpkin Hill by Carriage House Samplings. This piece is being stitched for a friend who chose it from my stash as a thank you for all her help in finishing off some of my cross stitch pieces. Here is my progress up until now.

 

Lots of fall colours and motifs in this one! I've also spent some quality time on This Is The Day by Hands To Work Designs. This one is a little slower going since I'm not used to stitching on 36 ct fabric. This designs also has a lot of fall colours in it. I originally started this piece in September 2013 so it's about time I put some stitches in on it.

 

I deliberately left the year of the date of completion unfinished on this one because I really don't know whether I'll finish it up this year or next.

I always like to have a small project to take with me on the road. My recent start is from the November 2013 issue of Cross-Stitch & Needlework. It's called Primitive Welcome and is from one of my favourite designers, Nan Lewis of Threadwork Primitives.

I haven't got too far on this one yet. Another stitch which I completed this month was Halloween Chant by Teresa Murgida and it can be seen here. Most of my stitching took place earlier in the month and all of it was from stash. However.....

 

As you can see from the pics above, I did add some to that stash this month. I ordered a Halloween e-pattern from Etsy @ $7.00 as well as a few of Brenda Gervais' new releases @ $32.00 and BBD Honeybee Hill @ $10.16 for a grand total of $49.16. Mel, this total is before the $25 market exemption for the month. So with my market exemption and my $25 monthly exemption I just squeaked in under budget. 

I thought the Honeybee Hill pattern would be perfect to stitch for one of those shaker boxes I purchases at the antique shop last month. Now to find the time to stitch on it. 

Hope you have all had a good month and that several of you were much better at resisting temptation than I have!

August Smalls SAL

This is a fly by post since I have just returned from a family holiday and have very little time for posting at the moment. August started off very slowly but picked up speed as the days progressed and finally passed by in a blur. There was very little time for stitching but I finished this piece off early in the month because I knew there would be no time later.

Our cooler weather got me into the mood for some fall stitching. This design is by Teresa Murgida and is called Halloween Chant. I loved it from the very first time I spotted it because it was a little different from all my other Halloween charts. It will be finished off as a pinkeep or a pillow using either the background fabric pictured above or the one below.

So which one do you prefer?
Gotta run, see you next month!

August Supermoon WIPocalypse

It's a beautiful evening here as I sit and watch another supermoon rise.The days are growing shorter and I find it difficult to stitch in the outdoor gazebo beyond 8:00 pm. So most of my stitching time occurs in the morning, quite often the early morning. I love this time of day when the neighbourhood is so quiet (with the exception of the birds) and the temperatures are delightfully cool. Quite often I'm out there stitching in my PJs with coffee beside me, taking it all in before the day gets hot and busy.

This month I've been concentrating on two larger pieces. The first is one that I'm stitching for a friend who has helped me with some quilting on my cross stitch finishes. I gave her a number of my charts to browse through and her choice was Carriage House Samplings Pumpkin Farm.

The remainder of my time I've been trying to get caught up on Hands To Work This is the Day.  I started this piece in Sept. 2013 and it tends to get put aside quite often. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's the fact that it's being stitched on 36 ct which is not a favourite of mine but I'm determined to get moving on this.

Here's my previous progress:

Where I am at the full moon:

This is actually a truer photo of the colour of the fabric. It's a Silkweaver Solo which I had for several years just waiting for that perfect piece. In the following photo you can see the close up of the boxed in area which was my first attempt at stitching over one on 36 ct.

As you can see I've left the last digit off of the year because I'm not sure if this piece will be finished this year or next. There is still a lot of stitching remaining and I know that it won't be long before I'm caught up in fall, Halloween and Christmas stitching. Once more this beauty will probably take a back seat. I do know that when it is finally finished I will be extremely proud that I managed to tackle and complete it. I know it will look beautiful gracing my wall!

Not much else going on at the moment. My stitching thoughts are turning to fall and I'm currently looking for a small stitch to complete for this month's Smalls SAL. I can't believe summer is coming to a close already!