I Can Stitch...When Traveling @ 70 MPH

I had pretty much given up trying to stitch while riding in the car. Then about a year and a half ago, I came across a little Bent Creek zipper kit in my stash and decided to take it along while my DH and I took a drive. And I discovered stitching with #5 Pearl Cotton on 18 ct Cork linen is Michigan roads friendly! What a relief, no more "pin the tail on the donkey" type stitching (that's where you struggle for about five minutes trying to get the needle in the right hole). I can now actually stitch and enjoy the drive, too.

Here's a pic of a couple of my first Cork projects: "Made in the USA" kit, Bent Creek (center), in the lower right corner, Trail Creek Farm's "USA" freebie. On the left is "Land That I Love" from Lizzie Kate which is stitched on 32 ct raw Belfast.



We haven't been traveling much over the last year but I have managed to stitch or finish stitching the little grouping below:

Trail Creek Farm "Summer" freebie, Birds of a Feather "Halloween Costume" freebie, and The Gift Of Stitching, "Cupcake Doily" motifs with added buttons.

So now I have a little travel case packed and ready to go with some #5 pearl cottons, 3 or 4 smaller cuts of Cork linen, a few smaller, Cork appropriate patterns, a package of #22 needles, and a pair of travel scissors that I clip to my seat belt.

And then this past weekend, I made another discovery. We took a little camping trip and on the way, I pulled out an exchange piece that I am stitching on a piece of mystery 28 ct linen and found it surprising easy to work on. That is until we hit a nasty, bumpy stretch of highway and then it was back to the Cork. So now I have another travel option. Let's see, what do I want to stitch on 28? I really wish I could share a picture of my stitchy progress on the exchange piece but I don't want to spoil the surprise. I'll just say that it is very cute and such a clever idea from one of my new to me favorite designers. I just wish I had enough of the linen left to make one for me too!

I'm ready for a road trip, how about you?

Happy stitching! Thanks for stopping by my little neck in the woods.

Glory, Glory, Halleluiah!

I finally have a few finishes to share. I haven't had much time to stitch over the last several months. I won't go into it all now, but it involves a job, extreme stress, long hours, and finally a decision to move on. So last week, DH and I went camping, that is, we took our travel trailer and camped in a lovely KOA campground  near Petoskey Michigan. We relaxed and I tried to regain my sanity. (Note: I'm still working on it.) In the meantime, I stitched.

On the left is "Spring Glory" from Sisters & Best Friends. Stitched in honor of one of my favorite flowers. I stitched it on a piece of pale pink 32 ct linen that I had on my stash and used DMC and overdyes. I changed some of the recommended colors and stitched the letters randomly with a few coordinating overdyes. I must say I am pleased with the changes I made. 

On the right is a sweet little pattern from a new to me designer, Jardin Prive. It is called "Ronde de Fluers Pinkeep". I stitched in on 36 ct white linen with DMC. I just love it and I plan to make it into a pinkeep using  purple head pins (like the one in the picture).

Check out the object in the upper middle. Yes it is a little flower frog. It's about 3 1/2" wide. A few weeks ago my sister and I went on one of our sister's getaways and along the way we stopped at a few antique/second hand stores and I found not one, not two, but three flower frogs. Unfortunately, they are all small and only my tiny scissors fit in them. I did see a few of the larger ones but opted for the small ones as I didn't take into regard that scissors actually have to fit in the holes. Duh! Oh well, live and learn. Next time, I'll be on the look out for one of the larger versions. 

I tried to upload a few more pictures but Blogger is being obstinate and is giving me a "failed" message so I will take that as a hint to say goodnight.

Thanks for stopping by my little blog.