Busy Butterfly

"The English Whitework Sampler" by The Needle's Prayse
Fabric: "Creme" @Newcastle
Fibers: DMC Perle Coton #12 & Dentelle #80 "ECRU"

After some frustrations with Row 1 of The English Whitework Sampler, I've quickly made a dicidion and started stitching the first a couple of the alphabets with Algerian-Eye Stitch on Row 2. Now a smile is back on my face as I'm stitching with my regular way - "SW Corner" method! I managed to modified the chart a little so that I don't have to deal with that craziness. No more "Ughhhhh!" and hustles, I suppose...


Shhhh!! My baby's asleep!


"Salome Kriebel circa 1834-1840" Reproduction by The Essamplaire
Fabric: 40 ct Zweigart - a kit
Fiber: AVAS - a kit
Stitch count: 162 x 198

Then back to Ms. Salome. She is doing just fine. She is such an easy going girl. Now I'm tempted to add a few birds around the flower pots.



-- Posted from my iPhone

Some challenges & decision

"The English Whitework Sampler" by The Needle's Prayse
Fabric: "Creme" @Newcastle
Fibers: DMC Perle Coton #12 & Dentelle #80 "ECRU"

I finished DB1, Row 1 and DB2 last night.

Ok, I hardly ever complaint about what I'm doing, but here I go today!


Ms. Limo: Are you all ready?

There was a little challenge/frustration of the way to begin each stitch as most of the stitches are began from "SE Corner", not my regular "SW Corner"! That drives me totally crazy!! I even get lost sometime in the middle of the stitches as the way the stitches laying on the linen look a little different from how I'm used to see... I'm so used to begin my stitches from "SW Corner" of the woven linen threads, almost without no exception for the regular cross stitch, specialty stitches and even for Hardangers.

BTW, for those of you who don't know what I'm talking about by "SW Corner, here is how you can find it. To get your "SW Corner", find the intersection on your linen where the vertical thread runs on the top of the horizontal thread then you will see where the SW corner is at the bottom left hole of there. I learned this at my LNS at the very beginning of my stitching career, and found myself very clever to use this way for any of my projects ;)

But this is not the end of the world as I had THE worst experience last year which I could not proceed that particular project at all because it requires to stitch over three threads, not one or two! I was really annoyed by that and had to decide to put it asleep till I become an intermidiate or expert stitcher someday... I found that some of the fine reproduction samplers have a lot of those though. So obviousely, I was not ready for that at all with my current skill. Poor thing!!

Anyhow, now I'm moving onto the next band Row 2 and force, but here comes another decision making time.


Well, according to the instructions, it says "Row 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 are for alphabet or words of your choice." My choice? Oh, no! I like YOUR choice as your works are exquisite, without any doubt!! I don't want to ruin this beautiful sampler to be with my shilly choice.


What shall I do now Ms. Limo? Shall I start flipping the pages of the antique sampler books to find a suitable verse?

Ms. Limo: Mama, I think you need a cup of tea or something to be relaxed...



Ok kiddo, I'll do that then...


-- Posted from my iPhone

Weekend stitches

"The English Whitework Sampler" by The Needle's Prayse
Fabric: "Creme" @Newcastle
Fibers: DMC Perle Coton #12 & Dentelle #80 "ECRU"

Working with the specialty stitches on the 40 ct linen is not easy, especially for someone like me who haven't stitched those for awhile.


While I still remember what to do for those stitches, shall I keep going to the right to finish Row #1, or move onto the next band???

Making a decision is always a tough part, yet should be fun!

-- Posted from my iPhone

Temptation for Whitework

"The English Whitework Sampler" by The Needle's Prayse
Fabric: "Creme" @Newcastle
Fibers: DMC Perle Coton #12 & Dentelle #80 "ECRU"

I was going to just get the fabric for this project while having fun at Saturday Stitch-In at LNS, The Attic Needlework today, then look what happened?


I could not resist not to put a few stitches in...

Since I got the revised edition of "The Proper Stitch" book by Darlene O'Steen a couple of years ago, haven't really close looked at it, it'll be a good opportunity for me to follow her instructions in the book along with her chart.

Leaving for the neighborhood wine bar for dinner.

-- Posted from my iPhone