When I think that it's almost July 4, I think, "What? Seriously?" I've been reading about and admiring your patriotic stitching, and I think about starting some of my own. But then I realize... the Fourth of July is like... two weeks away?! Ummm... maybe I'll get on to my patriotic stitching next year. I got an email that my Colour & Cotton Stars & Stripes Mini Mystery Box has been shipped, so I'm super excited about its impending arrival, but it's a big, fat goose egg on the patriotic-stitching front here.
I have working on about eight different projects lately, using a decision-roulette app on my iPad to help me decide what to stitch on each day. But for now, here's what I have ready to show you.
Halloween at Hawk Run Hollow
I finished block 8 of Halloween at HRH a few weeks ago:
Don't you love it? The colors are so bright, and I love the realistic look of the straight-stitched straw in the scarecrow. He obviously isn't very scary to those crows landing all over him, but I think he's pretty scary.
I have to tell you, this project is pretty cool-looking in the product photo, but it's one of those rare projects that just POP in person. It has been delightfully fun to stitch.
I do have a love/hate relationship with some of the solid-color areas. On the negative side, stitching a large area in one solid DMC color can be dreadfully boring, but on the positive side, if you're watching TV when you stitch (as I do), you don't have to concentrate so hard when stitching these areas.
Now I'm working on block 9, and it seems like I've been on block 9 foreeeeeverrrrr. I took a brief vacation from Halloween at HRH to work on other things, and getting back to it has been hard. I'm almost done, though, and definitely still on track to finish block 9 by the end of June.
Do you love my new needle minder? Creepy! It's from Mad for Minders on Etsy:
Perfect for Halloween stitching. I love Dracula's fangs...
...and I love Frankenstein's monster's mustache. I'm not sure if it is supposed to be a mustache, but it looks like one to me.
Reminds me of a vintage photo, like this poor man's head became Frankenstein's monster's head.
Summer Schoolhouse SAL Update
I've been plugging away on the Summer Schoolhouse Stitch-a-long I've been doing with RJ and Mary of Stitching Friends Forever.
I finished part 2.1, titled "Pretty Miss Polly," in 16.5 hours:
And here is part 2.2, "Little Master Tommy," all finished up:
I think the colors are divine. The bees' wings are hard to see, even in person. They're almost the same color as the fabric.
After tracking 10 hours of stitching time on part 2.2, I decided that I REALLY don't like tracking time. Several of you have mentioned that you don't like doing stitch-a-longs because of either tracking time or feeling like you can't keep up. OK, so I agree! When I have the timer going, I'm super self-conscious about how much I'm getting done and whether or not I'm ahead of or behind RJ and Mary. So, I decided to heck with keeping track of time! I'm putting in what time I have, when I have it.
I think the important thing is knowing that my friends across the country are working on the same thing I am. I know we are at wildly different places in our stitching right now, and that's OK. I'll finish when I finish.
I have started part 3, but I haven't gotten very far yet. Just the windows and part of the door:
Since there is going to be an American flag on the left side of the house when I finish it, I will say, yeah, I'm working on some patriotic stitching, too!
Be well, dear friends, and thanks for stopping by. I read and enjoy every comment, so thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedules to say hello!
