February WIPocalypse

February was a pretty good stitching month. I didn't really think I'd done all that much but when you look back at the end of the month it's surprising the amount that you've accomplished. We've been spending a lot of time watching the Olympics and I've been stitching during that time so that was helpful.

First I managed to finish up Blackbird Designs Evergreen.

This was a sweet stitch which moved along fairly quickly. The pattern called for the trees to be stitched in the same brown as the lettering however I wanted green trees so I substituted with Gentle Art Piney Woods. I'm pleased with how it turned out.

Next up I pulled Plum Street Samplers Pomegranate Santa from out of my WIPs pile. When I first saw this design I knew I wanted to stitch it. I love Paulette's style and was really drawn to this one. However it seems that while I'm stitching it it doesn't hold my interest for long and then I'm on the hunt for something else to do. I'm hoping to persevere with this one and get it completed this year.
Here's a before pic from 2017 and a pic of where I am now. The colour of the linen in the first pic is more true to the actual colour. When I took the second photo the lighting was pretty lousy.

When I tired of Pomegranate Santa I turned to another WIP from 2017, Threadwork Primitives Quaker Friends. I was moving well on this one when I ran out of floss. I knew I had another skein but as is often the case, the dye lot was completely different. I decided I wasn't going to place an order for just one skein of floss so I put it aside until my next online order. Meanwhile I was speaking with a friend who asked what I was working on. I told her the story and she offered to send me a skein of the floss I needed. Fortunately hers was a good match and I don't think you can tell where I left off and where I started again.

It's been awhile since I worked on a quaker stitch and I'm having so much fun with this one that I'm going to have to find another one soon to take its place when I'm finished with it. Any suggestions?

Last week my hubby and I were headed into the neighbouring village when I saw a large bird with a great, white wingspan cross the road in front of us and land on a nearby telephone pole. "Snowy owl!", I cried. Sure enough it was indeed a snowy, one of the first in we've seen in three years. Unfortunately my cell phone doesn't take as great a picture as my camera which of course was at home!

The recent milder weather has brought a few visitors to the feeder which I haven't seen since the fall.
A goldfinch and a slate coloured junco made an appearance most recently.

It won't be long before the brilliant yellow is more widespread on that finch!

Now I'll leave you with a pic of three of my favourite people..... my son Jeff and granddaughters Summer and Oceanne. I miss these three and can't wait until better weather allows me to travel to see them.

February Smalls

February is coming to a close and hopefully winter won't be far behind! I've had enough of the ups and downs in temps this year which have played havoc with my sinuses. Spring can't come soon enough!
 I had hoped to stitch some Valentine pieces this month but after looking at my collection I decided that I had plenty and what I could really use was some small winter finishes. I managed to accomplish just the one but it's a cute one!
This is Merry Winter by Country Rustic Primitives.

I chose the year 1981 since that was the year of my first born's birth and it occurred in January. That was a Merry Winter indeed!

The second small I completed was a carry over from 2017. I had originally started to stitch it as a small pillow for a friend but found another design I liked better. This little stitch then fell to the side, half finished. I decided to pick it up and finish it off since it was a quick little piece. I have found a small storage box which I think will be just perfect for displaying this on. Until I get it completed I've laid the finished piece on top of the box so you get the idea. It will be a perfect fit when it's finished. This is Blackbird Designs Summer Stars, taken from their book, A Stitcher's Journey.

While visiting a friend last Sunday she pointed out the piece I had stitched for her several years ago. I knew that she had gotten it framed but I had never seen it since. It made me so happy to see it gracing her wall.
This is My Big Toe Designs Cast All Your Cares.

Today I will be sorting through my stash in search of a few new smalls to get started on in March. I always find something I'd forgotten that I had when I do this. I think I have too much stash, lol!