Hawk Run School House Finished

It’s finished! This sampler will be retired for awhile now. I want to work on either things!

Almost, Not Quite

Just a little more stitching to go and this block will be finished! Anyone who has stitched a Hawk Run Hollow piece knows how stitching intense these blocks are!

Stay warm this week!

Happy New Year 2022

Here we go. I think that the New Year holiday is my favorite because it’s all about new beginnings. Had great hope for 2021 but it turned out to be not such a great year. I lost many dear friends and other acquaintances. I think we all were hopeful that we would see the end of COVID and yet it continues to march on. So, 2022, we’re counting on you. Please don’t let us down!

The last three months of 2021 were busy. I didn’t stitch very much and when I did, I stuck with the same project. I was digging through my stash one day and this project jumped out at me. I’ve had it forever, it’s stitched on Lakeside Linen Vintage Sand Dune and it’s stitched with Belle Soie silks! It’s the perfect combination! The color palette is quite scrumptious too. I’ve made great progress on it, but there’s still quite a lot of stitching left in the border!

Sorry for the wrinkles. If I had to get the iron out then I wouldn’t have been posting right now. The color of the linen in the second photo is more accurate.

Little House Needleworks - The Elizabeth Hancock Sampler

After Christmas, I wanted to work on something different and I decided that I really want to try and finish this piece in 2022. When I started it, years ago, I had big plans to do a block a month and quickly figured out that there is a lot of stitching in those blocks! I’ve spent three or four nights on the school house block and have lots of stitching to go. When this block is complete, I will still have five more to go.

Carriage House Samplings - Village of Hawk Run Hollow

Before Christmas, we did some painting to freshen up our walls. Our wall that spans between our dining and living room used to be red; we reverted back to a neutral palette and it’s a cream color now. We had a hard time putting nails in the wall again! Over the weekend, we put up these picture ledges. I’ll be able to switch out stitching pictures without putting so many nail holes in the wall!

Finally, I’m cleaning through a closet today and found two picture frames with some stitching in them. These pictures used to hang in my daughter’s bedroom when she was a baby. I pulled the stitching out - oh boy - look at the taped edges! Let me tell you, that tape is really dry. I can also see the hoop marks in the aida (at that time, I didn’t know that you should remove your hoop at the end of the day.) I’m going to cut off the tape and soak these pieces in some sudsy water and then make them into some little pillows. They bring back good memories.

That’s it. Hope the new year is good to you. I’ll leave you with a picture of our little Lizzie from New Year’s Eve.

Advent Calendar

When Kitten Stitcher announced that she would be offering a stitcher’s Advent Calendar, I knew that I would have to have one. It has been so much fun and something to look forward to every morning! The gifts have been wonderful, such a fun idea! 

Below are pictures of the gifts for the first 12 days of December.

Nine and ten might be my favorites so far, but I love them all!

I have so many things to do before Christmas. Two weeks left to get it all done. Hope you have a wonderful holiday season!

Acquisitions

It’s been a long time since I last posted. I really haven’t had much to post about! Sometimes life (and work) gets so busy that I don’t have any energy left to stitch at the end of the day. I anticipate that this trend will continue through the end of the year. There are always so many end of year deadlines for work, and there are also so many expectations tied to the holidays. I always look forward to the New Year and a fresh start!

I have stitched some though and will be able to rustle up an update for you, but today’s post is going to be dedicated to two antique samplers I acquired this summer. I happened upon them at a thrift sale that I went to in August. Both are beautiful and in excellent condition. I don’t know much about the history of either of them, but perhaps someday I will have time to research. They are currently in the frames I acquired them in. I’d like to have them reframed to ensure they are well preserved for many years to come.

Here is the first one (and my most favorite). Please note, I could not photograph them straight on; did the best I could to eliminate as much glare as possible.

The name on the sampler is “Eliza Guy” and it was stitched (finished?) in August 1845 when she was 10 years old. The verse reads:

Tis Religion that can give Sweetest Pleasures

While we live tis Religion must Supply Solid

Comfort when we Die After Death it’s Joys

Will be Lasting as Eternity be the Living God

My Friend then my Bless shall never End.

The second one is very pretty too. It has some small holes in it, but the stitching is all intact. This sampler was stitched by Mary Ann Simmons. She finished the sampler on March 14, 1848.

The verse reads:

Loose me the Mighty Angel Cried

Why didst thou grasp Me so

Until thou bless me he replies

I will not let the go…

We just gave our walls a fresh coat of paint and I decided to hang these in a place where I can see them from my stitching chair. As I stitch, I will think about the young girls that stitched these samplers.

Here’s a Lizzie photo for you; she brings so much joy to our lives!

Retreat Exchange

There was an exchange at the retreat last weekend. I didn’t participate this time, but I sure had fun watching the process and admiring all the lovely finishes. There were some really talented stitchers at this retreat!

Hope you enjoyed seeing all of these lovely finishes!

Amana in the Fall

I love Amana, especially in the fall. Lawns were decorated with pumpkins and hay bales and corn stalks. The weather over the weekend was beautiful, so it was easy to explore the various shops on foot.

One morning, I even visited the cemetery in Amana; the simplicity of the headstones drew me in.

Love the brick buildings …

I hope to have the opportunity to visit again!