Slow Sunday Stitching Strawberries #2

 Welcome to the weekly hand stitching party! Slow stitching is good for your health, so give yourself a little boost and pick up your stitching project today!

This is one of my favourite embroidery blocks for my Life is Beautiful project and still needs to be appliqued, sandwiched and hand quilted.

I have been obsessed with strawberries lately and finished the "Sweet Strawberry" stitching this week. I found a strawberry fabric for the backing and binding.

And then I stitched down a string of plastic beads around the inside of the binding. It just adds a bit more sweetness to the sweetness! 🍓🍓🍓

Tada... here is the finished wallhanging which measures 7" square. Do I "need" another little wallhanging?

Absolutely not!

But do I love it?

I sure do!

And that's what hand stitching is all about for me! 💖

I did a fun photo shoot yesterday and put a couple of strawberry miniatures together... so so cute!

Acckkkkk... wait!

One of them is upside down!  

I'll try to redo this and make it my photo header!

I hope you are enjoying strawberry season if you live in the part of the world where they are plentiful now! And I hope you are stitching what you love!

Link up your blog post below and share your projects with us!

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Slow Sunday Stitching Strawberries

Welcome to the weekly hand stitching party! Our goal is to encourage you to pick up your project, put a few stitches in, take some deep breaths, and enjoy the happy feelings that will result (and the subsequent improved health)!

🍓 🍓 🍓 🍓 🍓 🍓 🍓 🍓 🍓 🍓 🍓 🍓 🍓 🍓 🍓 🍓

You may have noticed on instagram that there is a Strawberry Moon SAL (SAL means 'stitch along') happening this month, and I am very 'gung ho' about this theme! I have been dreaming of making a new photo for my blog header, and planning some projects to start stitching this month... way too many!

My first start was "Sweet Strawberry" which is a free pattern by Cosmic Handmade.  I am stitching it on a 25 count evenweave called "Shadow".  The top part of the design is done (wait... I see the top left strawberry is not quite finished!) and this week I will work on the bottom part. 

Also... don't you think the birds need stitched or beaded eyes?!

The second start is going to be "In the good old summer time" a pattern by Stitching with the Housewives. I am not going to stitch it on a black background because that is too hard for me to see. So I'm switching it to a grey background and will use the green "weeping willow" for the letters (instead of white).

The third start will be Pinker 'n Punkin's Mini Strawberry Sampler but first I got a wild hair to dye some background fabric with beets. Yes, beets, because I think it might make the fabric slightly pink which would make a great background for strawberries... and it might be fun! I did some internet research and it sounds possible, and once I get a creative idea in my head, I'm probably going to go ahead and try it!

I finished knitting my "Big Heart" washcloth this week. It's so cute! There are lots of wobbles, uneven edges, and some random holes, but I am ridiculously proud that I could figure out this pattern! It was a challenge for me and I am working up my confidence to knit a baby sweater next.

What are you creating with your hands this week? Are you planning any new starts for June?

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Slow Sunday Stitching

Welcome to the hand stitching party! This is where the hand stitchers gather to share the projects they are working on. When you create something with your own hands (not with a machine) it takes so much longer to finish. You learn to develop patience and perseverance while you make small bits of progress. And we are here to celebrate with you and encourage you in your efforts!

I have been working on one of my oldest WIPs (work in progress) called "Life is Beautiful". Have you been reading my blog long enough to remember this one?

I started this in February 2015 and have worked on it in spurts over the years. Sometimes it disappears for a while until my friend Sandy asks "How's your Life is Beautiful project coming along"? So I go in search of it and fall in love with it again! Sandy has already finished her blue version of this quilt, and it is my dream to get photos of the two quilts together. But that won't happen unless I get going on mine!

I figure out where I am in the project, what the next step is, and I wonder why I put it away for so long. This time I know why! I started to put the 8.5" blocks together quilt-as-you-go style, and then realized i didn't have enough of that dark sashing fabric to complete the quilt. I'll just have to do the sashings in a scrappy style, adding in other similar fabrics and be okay with that. Today I will be cutting more sashing strips and putting in some more stitches to move this project forward. 

This week I posted a 12 mintue video of the stitching projects that I worked on in May - you can watch it at Kathy's Quilts and Stitching.

In the video I showed a little finish and am thinking about how to fully finish this piece of spring stitching. This is a free downloadable pattern from Silver Creek Samplers (thank you Diane). It is stitched on 14 count aida (2 DMC threads over 1 square) and the finished size is 2.5" x 4.5". So cute!

What are you working on in June?? Are you working on old UFOs or new starts...or both!? We hope you will share your blog post below...

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Slow Sunday Stitching

Welcome to the weekly celebration of hand stitching! It's the one time a week where we make sure to set aside some special moments for playing with needles and thread/yarn. We hope you will join us!

Some good progress has been made on my new dishcloth from the pattern book called "Dishcloths From the Heart" by Evelyn Clark. I love the little pattern booklet and have made several knitted cloths using the patterns in it. This pattern is called "Big Heart" and has been a challenge since every row is different. But it is now over 50% done and it does look like the bottom of a heart!  

Yesterday I delivered three finished quilts to the community outreach committee of my local guild. The pile on the left are the quilts I returned. These quilts were pieced and machine quilted by other guild members, and I was delighted to have the honour of hand stitching the bindings, with some help from my friends Barb and Debby! I brought home 2 more quilts to bind over the summer.

And this week I started a new cross stitch project. I had wanted to make this in April for obvious reasons! Better late than never I suppose? You can find the free pattern to download over at Silver Creek Samplers. I picked a rust coloured thread for the robin's breast since the orange looked too bright for a robin. I should be able to finish this by next week if all goes well.

What are you stitching this week? Do you have any new starts? Any finishes? Please link up your blog post below and share your projects with us.

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Slow Sunday Stitching

Welcome to the weekly hand stitching party! It's time to put your feet up, relax, and put some stitches into your favourite project. Just breathe and stitch, even if just for a few moments. 

I have been enjoying the cross stitch pattern called "Bird Herd" by Amity of Hathaway Stitchers. I am very proud of myself that I have become adept at using Pattern Keeper.

I have the first (of 4) adorable little 2" bird completed and have finished the right side of the design. I am stitching 1 thread of floss over 1 stitch on a 25 count "Countess Lugana" by Forbidden Fiber Co. 

I also started knitting another dishcloth using my favourite Suds yarn. The pattern is called "large heart" and has taught me a new stitch called "SSK" which makes the lovely lacy holes in the border. 

It's the long holiday weekend here, so I will be slow stitching by the lake today. Hope you are having a relaxing weekend and that you will share your slow progress with us in the links below.

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Slow Sunday Stitching

Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms...and to the Aunties, friends, neighbours, and wonderful women who "mother" others, we say a big thank you! 💕 I hope you enjoy a wonderful day with your family and have a chance to fit in time to put some stitches into your favourite project.

This billboard in my town always makes me smile. Before there was Google, there was only your Mom and the local library to give you information and advice! LOL I love the message on the cross stitched pillow!

I have a little finish this week. This is the April Square Dance 3" cross stitch block. I loved selecting the threads to sew on the tiny buttons.

It was an easy pattern, but I made so many mistakes. The carrot top should not be hanging over the left border, but there it is! I couldn't fix the problems without a lot of ripping out of stitches, so I just finished it as best I could. You can see the January to March blocks here. And on we go to May stitching!

What are you working on this month? I do hope I have time to visit the links this week - I am woefully behind in my reading. Please link up your blog post below and share your slow progress with your fellow hand stitchers.

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Slow Sunday Stitching

Welcome to the weekly hand stitching party! It's time to get out your stitching project, make a cup of your favourite beverage, and enjoy some relaxation.

Today I want to show you 2 little embroidery projects I saw in the bathroom of a non stitching friend's house. She found them at an antique sale and doesn't know who stitched them or how old they are. Just look at the simplicity of the design and various stitches to achieve textures. Both have been beautifully framed and I just love them!

Look at those swans! The stitching is pure perfection and those french knots are so tiny and beautiful - such a treat for my eyes! I wanted to steal them, but showed great self restraint in just admiring and photographing them. 

What have I been stitching this week?

I sewed another binding on a guild quilt and started the hand stitching on the back. This is a guild quilt - quilt top made by one person, machine quilted by another, and hand bound by a third person. We all do what we love and are able to finish many quilts each year using this tag team approach.

I am also enjoying my Gathering Acorns project by Luminous Fiber Arts. The pattern was given to me by my Stitch North friend Danielle. Instead of using 1 thread, I am using 7 colours of thread. More colours = more fun! This is stitched on 32 count speculaas linen which is so beautiful and soft that I can hardly stand it! My stitches don't look uniform  because I find linen a bit more challenging to stitch than other fabrics (like aida or evenweave).  But from far away, the stitches look fabulous! 

That's what is going on in my stitchy world this week. What are you hand stitching? Do you have any slow progress to share today? Link up your blog post below and let us cheer you on!

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Slow Sunday Stitching

It's time for the weekly hand stitching party!

Everyone is most welcome to join our gang! All you have to do is prepare your favourite beverage, grab your stitching project, and enjoy the relaxation that hand stitching offers. Hopefully we never get out of control like the stitchers in the photo!

But I attended Stitch North in Brampton, Ontario Canada last weekend, and let me tell you, there were some pretty rowdy tables of eager and very funny stitchers!

 And when Cheryl of Tiny Modernist set up her vendor booth, there was a rush of stitchers pressing forward in a purchasing frenzy and wild with excitement. Just look at these amazing Tiny Modernist biscornu pillows. That is the PhD level of 3D construction right there!

I can't adequately describe the energy in the stitching room of over 200+ stitchers, all meeting new people, seeing extraordinarily gorgeous projects, and talking about their love of stitching designers, flosstubers, beads, threads, colours, patterns, and finishing methods. I learned so much from talented hand stitchers from around the world. What a thrill!

I did make a bit of progress on a few little things but also made so many errors requiring unstitching. If you want to see the things I actually worked on, hop over to youtube and watch my Stitch North 2024 video recap.

Look at this beautiful mason jar lid made by Barb my table mate! Isn't that amazing?!? The stitching was sooo tiny! I want to quit my job and make a hundred of them! No wait... how would I pay for the supplies?? 

I guess I should keep my job so I can pay for the VISA bill for all my new projects. Total swoon! Some new gorgeous Roxy floss and speculaas linen to stitch on, and a pattern gifted to me by table mate Danielle.

Look at this photo...

I met Caroline of Evertote and Kerri of Roxy Floss, and was a total speechless dork! Luckily they helped me chose supplies while I answered "I don't know" to every question they asked! LOL

So this weekend I am hanging out with some quilting friends and hope to finish 3 quilts and 1 quilt top. What are you doing this weekend? What are your hand stitching projects?

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Slow Sunday Stitching

It's Sunday, which means it is time to slow down and do some hand stitching. It has been such a whirlwind week that I still haven't even had time to visit all the hand stitching links from last week.

Today I am stitching in Brampton, Ontario at Stitch North! It's the last day of my first cross stitch retreat and it has been a wee bit overwhelming! I made a youtube video of some recent finishes and the projects I brought to Stitch North that I intended to work on. But I didn't actually. I have spent a lot of time visiting and shopping the vendors mall!

However, this past week I did finish this lovely Modern Folk Embroidery project (stitched 1 strand of thread over 1) using a variegated DMC floss on 25 count Lugana. I love this chart (and it's free - click here to get it) and put aside all my other projects to finish it. I just couldn't put it down until it was finished. In my video you can see I put it in a frame that I thought I would like, but it's much too dark. I will think of another finishing option for this special design. Thank you to designer Jacob for sharing this lovely chart with us!

In preparation for this wonderful retreat, I purchased a bunch of DMC floss (which I haven't yet touched) and thought it looked like a pretty bouquet of colours! I have learned so much about hand stitching this weekend, and I am in awe of the creativity and beauty that I have witnessed. But sadly... I didn't stitch what I brought to work on!

Apparently I have purchased a lot of new items and projects! Here is a new project called Gathering Acorns that my table mate Danielle gave me the chart for. Then I bought the 32 count Speculaas fabric and 7 Roxy hand dyed threads I purchased for it... OMG all of it is so gorgeous! I may or may not stitch on it today... stay tuned.

So what are you stitching today? Please link up your blog post below and share your progress with us!

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Slow Sunday Stitching

Welcome to the weekly hand stitching party!  Take a few moments to set aside your machines, your devices and screens, and just take a deep breath... ahhh... so much better. Now pick up your needles and fibres, and put a few stitches into your project. You will feel better in no time!

I have a finish to share today, which is always very exciting! This is the "Life In Full Bloom" mystery from the Fat Quarter Shop. The mystery started May 2023 and is stitched 2 over 2 on 28 count Lugana. The design measures 6.5" square and it is in a Wood Side frame (which interestingly sometimes looks blue and sometimes looks green).

This is the first time that I framed a cross stitch piece myself and I was pleased with how it turned out. Next time I will use a thinner foam core board which will allow me to put a piece of thin batting behind the stitchery. I didn't put the glass in - do you think I will regret that choice?

This was such a fun project for me. It was my first mystery cross stitch, and although I was not able to keep up with the steps as they were posted, I enjoyed learning about what I enjoy to stitch (flowers!) and what I do not enjoy (large blocks of same colour thread to fill it!)

 

Progress continues on my version of Modern Folk Embroidery's "Light a Single Candle". I am stitching it 1 strand over 1 square with a variegated floss on 25 count Lugana, which is very tiny and delicate.  It is hard on my eyes, and I use my cheater glasses, and my magnifier, but I LOVE it so much! 

I am very excited to be attending Stitch North next weekend in Markham, Ontario. Is anyone else out there in blog land attending this event? It promises to be a hand stitching extravaganza and I can't wait for all of the inspiration that awaits! 

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Slow Sunday Stitching

Welcome to the weekly celebration of the art of slowly stitching by hand! We encourage you to slow down, breathe deeply, take a few stitches, and enjoy seeing the slowly created projects of hand stitching gurus from around the world. 

I came across a lovely quote this week: 

"Focus is how you knit the hours of the day together. With focus, the day becomes a beautiful tapestry. Without focus, you end up holding a bundle of loose string." (James Clear)

My days have been bundles of loose string lately due to caretaking responsibilities. It is my privilege to be in this role, and I do it without regret, however it does sometimes become overwhelming when demands exceed capacity.

I was so happy to finish a cross stitch project for my Mom's birthday gift. The pdf pattern was purchased on an Etsy shop and was easy to follow. (You can watch the designer Sarah's flosstube video here). I used DMC variegated thread 4240 and it is stitched on 32 count Belfast linen.

I finished it into a pillow filled with poly pellets. It has a nice weight to it and I really like it. 

I recently joined a book club with a flosstuber named Katie (whose channel is The Novel Stitcher). She picked a book for everyone to read, which is called "A Single Thread" by Jennifer Chevalier. And when we start the book, we start a new stitching project of our own chosing. I am starting the Modern Folk Embroidery's free design called "Light a Single Candle". I am stitching it 1 strand over 1 square with a variegated floss on 25 count Lugana.

It is so sweet and so tiny, and also very challenging. The top border is stitched and it is just over 3" wide! I am also really enjoying reading the book and stitching the design I have chosen to work on while I read. Obviously I'm not doing the reading and stitching at the same time! LOL 

I feel very connected to Violet who is the main character of the book - she is learning to embroider on Cathedral kneelers in 1932. She did a lot of ripping out of stitches, and so am I! If you would like to learn more about the "stitches and pages" book club, click here. Feel free to join us!

What are you hand stitching this week? Please link up your blog post below and share your projects with us - we love to see your slow progress!

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