Coffee to Dye For...

I did it! I coffee dyed my "Hoppin' Along Sampler" bunny-to-be linen. (Pattern from Country Stitches/With They Needle & Thread.) After seeing Deb's finished model adorning her blog, I just had to get over the apprehension I was feeling about the coffe thing. It turned out a little darker than I anticipated but I like it. Here's the before and after pictures.


Before Coffee:

After Coffee:

I bought a sheet of clear plastic template that I found in the quilting department at JoAnn's to trace the pattern. The instructions say to use a disappearing ink pen to trace the stitching line onto the fabric, but I'm leery about that since I won't be washing the linen afterwards. Instead, I'll trace the cutting line and use the guide on my sewing machine to stitch. Anyhoo, I plan to spend some time constructing the little bunny this weekend.  

In my travels through blogland this week, I came across a couple of noteworthy giveaways. Click on the ladies names to link to their respective blogs.

Pat is giving away another of her beautiful totebags. This one is in honor of her birthday, which is today, Saturday. Her drawing is this evening at 7:30 EST. Pat is my neighbor and a good friend and she does beautiful quiltwork (is that a word?). I was the lucky recipient of one of her previous totebag giveaways and I can vouch for the quality of her work.

Terrie is having a Jenny Bean Humble Servant Sampler giveaway and she is even including the floss pack as well. Terrie owns a cross stitch shop in Georgia called The Stitch Store and from the pictures she shows on her blog, I'd LOVE to visit. She also likes cats. What's not to love? Stitching and cats, sound like my kind of place!

Better get crackin' on the usual Saturday errands and tasks. I'll be working on my bunny this weekend and deciding which project(s) to place within reaching distance of my stitchy chair. Stay tuned...

Enjoy the weekend, whether it's cold, damp and snowy like mid-Michigan today or someplace that really feels like it is "spring"!

Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the world today!

My First 2010 Finish!

I finished "The Pink Hare Sampler" which makes it my very first stitchy finish of 2010. Here's a snap of my big, er...little finish. It's only 3 1/2 square. Very delicate and the colors are just so scrumptiously soft.

  

The Pink Hare Sampler

Ewe and Eye and Friends

Stitched on 35 ct. Hand Dyed LInen (unnamed, but I'd call it Bisque).

Used recommened GA and WDW floss.

(Exception: substituted Madison Rose for the Red Pear, which I didn't have.) 

I posted a couple of weeks ago that I was having trouble deciding if the pink ribbon that I used for the roses worked. Well, I frogged one of the roses and restitched it in the darker pink. I liked it so much that there just wasn't a question about which pink to go with. So I frogged the other two roses and restitched them in the darker pink as well. Actually, I had to frog and restitch those damn ribbon roses several times trying to get them to lay right.  The rose at the top is still kind of tight but I can live with it.

I expect my next stitchy finish will be "Hoppin' Along Sampler" by With Thy Thread and Needle (Country Stitches). I am nearly done with the cross stitching. Then it's on to "antiqueing" it with instant coffee and constructing the bunny. Which means I'll need to dust off my sewing maching. I'd really like to finish this by Easter. And, yes I do mean this year. Do I hear laughing???

A big THANKS to all of you who leave me a comment every now and then. I really apprecitate it. Your comments always brighten my day! I am loving the blogging world, it's wonderful connecting with people that share the love of needlework!   

Thanks for stopping by and visiting my little corner of the world.