A Sweeter Love update

Here is an update on A Sweeter Love. Thanks for all the comments about my missing letter "P". The coolest thing happened. Paulette from Plum Street Samplers left a comment on my blog. That made my day!! I don't know how she found my blog and I feel honored she left a comment. Thank you Paulette!

The entire verse is over one so it will take me a while to get that done. I'm really enjoying this piece.

I've been working a lot lately so haven't had much time for stitching. Hopefully I'll be able to get some time in on SPWN and post a pic soon.

"Cease to inquire whatever the future has in store, and take as a gift whatever the day brings forth."

A Sweeter Love

Here's my update on A Sweeter Love. I love working on this piece. I'm learning more about the missing letters in the alphabet. As I've said in the past, the letters J and V are missing. I realized also the letter Q is missing, probably because it's so similar to O. I noticed that P is missing also, but that's not because of the alphabet being used as a teaching tool in the 1800's, it's because THE STITCHER CAN'T READ A CHART!! The top alphabet is missing P because I missed it on the chart. What a dope. Now I have to decide if I'm going to frog the latter part of the alphabet and put the P in or leave it the way it is. I've had enough frogs at my house, I would really like them to leave.

A really good friend of mine suggested I wait until I'm done with the piece to decide if I'm going to frog that alphabet or leave it as is. What great advice!! I love this friend. Not only is she sensible, she's one of the most encouraging and straight forward people I know. I could add that she's also extremely kind. I am truly blessed to have her as a friend.

"No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him."

The plague of the frogs :(

The frogs have hit like the plague. I already had trepidations about starting up St. Petersburg White Nights again and once I got started I REMEMBERED the counting error I had made before I put this away about 4 months ago. In my counting I was off by one stitch, which doesn't sound too bad, but the fallout is collosal (did I spell that right?). On a piece like this where everything builds on what you've already stitched you can't be off by even one stitch (which actually threw an entire row off). I am now paying dearly for this mistake. I am good at compensating but this is really draining my brain to figure out how to stitch this upper right corner around this error. Not only am I trying to figure this out but I'm ripping out as much as I'm stitching. I am trying to stay positive though, I was able to finish the lower right corner before the frogs hit.

I am done working on this for this week and I'm glad to put it away. Hopefully I'll be better prepared for the challenge next week when it comes up in my rotation again.

"Originality is not doing something no one else has ever done, but doing what has been done countless times with new life, new breath."

Update on A Sweeter Love

This is where I've gotten on A Sweeter Love. That chain band you see under the alphabet took me almost 6 hours to stitch! Do you believe that? It was such an intricate band. I consider myself someone who stitches at a moderate speed but this took much longer than I think it would have someone else.

I want to thank Kathy for letting me know why the "J" was missing from the 2 alphabets in this sampler. She said samplers used to be used as teaching tools and since "J" is similar to a "T" they often left the "J" out of the alphabet. She also said they sometimes did the same thing with "U" and "V", and guess what? There isn't a "V" in this sampler either. So, thank you Kathy for educating me.

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend and thanks for all the great comments. They are appreciated ;)

"They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."

My New Start

Here is my first new start for 2008. It's titled "A Sweeter Love" and is by Plum Street Samplers, which is one of my favorite designers. The full picture is in my sidebar. I'm stitching it on 32ct Lakeside Linen "Maple Sugar" (scrummy) and I'm using NPI silks. This will be an anniversary gift for my husband, teehee, I get to stitch this, get the anniversary gift out of the way AND the gift stays in my home. Boy, it doesn't get much better than that :)

There are two alphabets in this pattern and both of them are missing the letter "J". Odd, but I think it makes the piece more interesting.

Someone asked if I was keeping VoHRH or giving it away as a gift. Oh no, that baby is staying with me.

I'm working on my stitching rotation, I have a couple of "secret stitches" going on, which I'll be glad when they are finished. Getting back into a rotation means I have to get back to St. Petersburg White Nights. I found the piece somewhat overwhelming before, I hope I'm up for it.

"Each of us has something different to contribute, and no matter how small or insignificant it may seem, it can be for the benefit of all."

More pics :)

Well, my camera battery is recharged so I couldn't wait to put some better pics and some close up pics of my Village on my blog.

This is the upper left hand corner :)

This is the upper right hand corner :)

This is the lower left hand corner :)

This is the lower right hand corner :)

It will probably be a long time before I do another piece this big (famous last words, lol).

Thanks for sticking with me through all these pics ;)

Finally a pic of VoHRH finished!!

Well, here it is. Not a very good picture, but when I went to take another pic, the battery on my camera died :(. It will take the rest of the day to recharge that battery and I didn't want to wait until tonight to post. I may post another pic of this on another day when I have a functional recharged camera :). I already have the frame for this and it will get to my framer's next week.

Village of Hawk Run Hollow

Carriage House Samplings

NPI Silks

36 ct Lakeside Linens "Sand Dune"

Stitch Count 278 x 371

Started ~ 9-2-06

Finished 12-25-07

I will be starting a new project today, woohoo!! It's been so long since I've started anything new. You'll have to wait until I have something reasonable stitched before I post a pic and divulge what it is.

"Each one of us is God's special work of art...a painting like no other in all of time."

The Ark That Noah Built is framed

Thank you EVERYONE for the lovely comments you left about my coming back to the blogging world. They mean so much to me, and it makes me so glad I decided to come back.

Here is a picture of The Ark That Noah Built framed. I dropped this off at my framer's back in August, and only picked it up earlier this month. Didn't my framer do a beautiful job?

The Ark That Noah Built

Carriage House Samplings

36 ct Lakeside Linen Vintage Light Examplar

Soie d'Alger Silks

Started ~ 6-14-07

Finished ~ 7-27-07

I don't have much to post since I haven't been stitching. Although I did finish Village of Hawk Run Hollow on Christmas day. So my next post will be of that. And I guess I'd better get my needle going.

"Guard well your spare moments. They are like uncut diamonds. Discard them and their value will never be known. Improve them and they will become the brightest gems in a useful life."

2008, a better year?

I want to thank everyone who have left comments on my blog and have sent me emails regarding my last post, which was back in September!! I just got another comment 5 minutes ago, you are all so sweet. So many of you have checked in often and it has meant a lot to me. Little windows of encouragement that I've needed.

The end of 2007 was so painful and unfortunately that pain is continuuing into 2008. But I've learned so much from this experience and I've changed so much (for the better) because of it. I've learned ~ time is precious, people are precious, family is precious, our children are so incredibly precious and God is in control. Even though I sit here with a heart still broken, I know that God knew what was going to happen and he knows what will happen in the future. And I am most definitely being refined through this.

I literally gave up stitching until just after Thanksgiving when I was able to muster enough strength to pick up a needle and finish Miss New Year's Fairy which was a Christmas present for my daughter. Isn't she pretty?

Miss New Year's Fairy

Miribilia

32ct "Fairy Dust" Belfast

Crescent Colours and Kreinik Braid

Started ~ 7-27-07

Finished ~ 11-26-07

Since then I have been forcing myself to stitch. It used to be such good therapy for me. Most of the time I can only stitch for about 15 or 20 minutes and then I get too antsy to sit.

I have been loosely following your blogs and hope to get back into blogging and leaving comments. I've been fiddling with my blog for the past week because I'd forgotten how to post pictures etc. DH had to help me get going with my blog this afternoon.

"Each day brings us a chance to do better and to make good. It is as though our slate has had the smudges of yesterday wiped out."