Hello One and All,
It is only 21 degrees this morning, but I'm here to tell you Spring is on the way. Fletch spotted our first crocus blooms yesterday along the edge of our driveway bed.
We were remembering years ago we used to drive a road in the Bryn Mawr area and there was a house with crocus bulbs planted in their lawn that once up and blooming spelled out SPRING. It was always such a joy to see them and I wonder if they are still there.
It's Tuesday and time for a Tiny Needle update. I have a finish and a new start! My Queen Bee has been finished - I even finished it into a pincushion!
I love how this turned out. I also love the fabric I found for backing:
The backing fabric is some upholstery remnant I picked up years ago. Upholstery remnants are what I often make my tablecloths from. I think I had a little jacket in mind for this fabric, but that never happened. I still have a lot of it, so who knows? It could end up as a tablecloth.
My new start is a surprise to me. I typically shy away from samplers or pieces stitched in only one color (unless quite small) as I tend to get bored. But, I was having a difficult time choosing a new piece to work on and this one kept grabbing my attention. So, I picked it. It is The Hunt Sampler by Homespun Samplar.
I found some 36 count linen in my stash and I am stitching it in silk threads from Vicki Clayton (one silk thread over 2 linen threads). I decided to stitch my initials in a different color. The main color is Aqua Marine and my initials will be stitched in Deep Ocean. I'm loving this so far.
I like the way the two blues look together and this is stitching up faster than I expected. Last night I did have to frog some...I had somehow completely skipped a couple of rows in the outline motif around the stag. It's a mess frogging silk thread!
There are a few things needing my attention today: grocery shopping, lining up an appointment with our tax person, bathrooms need cleaning, etc., etc. There is always something. We'll see how much of those things I get done. I'm more interested in stitching, knitting and reading. LOL
Only 8 days left now! Have a wonderful Tuesday!
Such pretty crocus and definitely a sign spring is near. Love your Queen Bee… so pretty!
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen any crocus blooms yet, but I have a feeling I will see some soon, particularly as I've already seen snowdrops and hellebores as well as some daffodils getting ready to bloom. We just need the rest of the snow to melt today!
ReplyDeleteYour Queen Bee is beautiful, and I love the backing fabric you selected. I never thought of using upholstery remnants, but that's such a great idea because those are sturdy fabrics.
Your Queen Bee was a fast and spectacular finish, especially because you already finished it into a pincushion. It would be a shame to actually stick pins in her! I also like the new sampler you picked out, and doing your initials in that lovely blue is a very good idea.
ReplyDeleteOoo! I love those crocus! Beautiful, Vera! And that bee! It is so adorable! And I love your new stitching selection! Very cute!
ReplyDeleteOMG--only *8* days! SO EXCITING.
ReplyDeleteI love your pincushion. It's perfect. And I am jealous of your crocuses (crocii? 😂). The robins are everywhere here, and the daffs have poked out about 3-4 inches, but that's about it.
Congrats on the finish! That bee is so elegant. The new sampler looks like fun.
ReplyDeleteThat Swedish sampler is from Modern Folk Embroidery. I found it on 123 Stitch in case you didn't see the reply I left on your comment.
I was just wondering how many days until your retirement. I have a local friend who is also retiring at the end of the month! And I do so love that bee. Almost makes me want to try tiny needlework - almost 😉
ReplyDeleteThe bee is perfection, Vera! What a lovely pincushion -- and the contrast fabric is ideal of the back. Your new sampler looks great -- and if you're going to stick to one color, that's a good one to be "stuck" with! XO
ReplyDeleteCongrats on Queen Bee. She is perfect.
ReplyDeleteLove those two blues on the sampler.
Really pretty blues! And I love the little bee and I'm glad you'll get some use out of it!
ReplyDeleteKudos on the finished Queen Bee. I love the idea of planting the crocus to spell “Spring” - very clever!
ReplyDeleteSo jealous of your crocuses!
ReplyDeleteYour pincushion is BEE-utiful! I really like that new sampler, too!
ReplyDeleteLove the pincushion finish!!! Beautiful. The new piece is very pretty, too!
ReplyDeleteI love how your bee turned out!!
ReplyDeleteLOVE that crocus story! Read it out to my Mr too, he liked it too. Imagine moving in and waiting to see what would appear in the garden, the first spring you lived there!
ReplyDeleteCrocus blooming. I do believe that spring is on the way around here too. It seems early but the daffodils are up. The new sampler looks like it will be beautiful. In my humble opinion, you can't go wrong with blue.
ReplyDeleteWhen we had furniture stores locally, the large fabric sample books were happily offered for free to people asking. Most were pillow sized pieces but still very usable for projects.
ReplyDelete