Two More Prairie Schooler Blocks Finished

Blocks E and F have been added to D!

D*E*F by The Prairie Schooler

25ct Fairy Dust evenweave

DMC cotton floss

E is for Embroidery

I had fun with this block and added a little dimension with the spools of thread.

F is for Friends

I had more fun with this block by adding a padded satin heart . . .

and french knot flowers . . .

Here are the changes I made to these blocks:



E Block:
Tapestry: background 938; flowers & leaves: 3362 to 3363, 3011 to 3013, 3857 to 3722, 422 to 677, 3828 to 422; Letter E: 3363; Leaves: next to face 3012; Lady: hair 938, face & hands 754; Hoop stand: 938, linen 712, embroidered initials & year; Cat: added whiskers; Spools: 3857 to 3858, used padded satin stitch (1 strand) on both with blue thread going thru needle & red thread hanging loose.



F Block:
Tree Trunk: 434; Doors: 3829; Window: flowers French Knot 1 strand, stems 3013; Girls: hair 838, dresses 3768 & 3363; Cup: BS 3858: Heart in hand: padded satin stitch 2 strands; Key: 3013.

Hop on over to the Prairie Schooler ABC Stitching Bee here and check out all the fun!

Here's my total progress so far . . .

Blocks D, E, F, & M, N, O. Where to go next????

Winter Heart

Another quirky humbug

Winter Hearts by Just Nan

28ct White Opal Cashel Linen

DMC & GAST

beads

This could have been finished as an ornament or fob by adding a hanger. Instead I added weight to the bottom to give it stability for use as a pin cushion.

D is for Drum

Letter D from The Prairie Schooler D*E*F (Book No. 99)

25ct Fairy Dust Lugana

DMC cotton floss

Another letter completed in The Prairie Schooler alphabet. Just a few changes:

Drumsticks: 680

Drum: blue 311, red 3858, green, 3012

Letter D: 372

Acorns: 680
Eagle: wish I had stitched the body in a lighter color - 3371 is so stark making this eagle look 'headless' instead of just bald - all you see is body.

teresa w asked if I complete each x stitch before going on to the next. In this design, because there are large areas of one color, I will do the bottom leg of the cross stitch all the way across a row and then complete the top part of the stitch on the way back. In smaller areas I will complete each stitch individually being careful not to lose the floss behind the threads of the linen.

I seem to be doing a lot of ripping out (feel like I'm stitching this twice). As I'm going along I'm choosing lighter shades. The ripping out is creating a great deal of frustration but I am determined to complete this entire alphabet. The design is just wonderful. I can't wait to move on to "E is for Embroidery". I'm already thinking of ideas for those spools of thread.

Snowy Delight

For all my snowbound friends out there . . .

Winter Wonderland by Little House Needleworks (Chart No. 32)

28ct Natural Raw Linen

DMC cotton floss and Crescent Colours

We haven't experienced any snow here but lots and lots of rain .

Stay warm, my friends - feathered and otherwise!

Alphabet

Our holidays were wonderful - hope yours were, too. Lots of family, food & friends!

I did find time to start a new project before the year ended (oh no, not another one!!!) I just couldn't resist. When Vonna (The Twisted Stitcher) posted a flickr picture on her blog showing this completed design I new I had to do it. Just had to! SOOOOOOO

I finished 2009 and started 2010 stitching on this project:

M*N*O by The Prairie Schooler

25ct (over 1) Fairy Dust evenweave

DMC cotton floss

This alphabet is a series of 9 leaflets with 3 letters charted in each. For inspiration and encouragement I joined the Prairie Schooler ABC Stitching Bee blog here. I hope to stitch at least 1 block a month. It's rather slow going, I must admit, but I'm determined to finish it.

M is for Mermaid

N is for Nest

O is for Owl

Ornaments

Snowflake Ornament

I gave this snowflake ornament to my mother last year. She especially liked the shine of the beads and the metallics.

Small Octagon Snowflake by xstitchhappy
32 ct white linen (over 2)
DMC rayon, cotton, metallic floss
Beads

Since she liked it so much I decided to stitch a companion piece and she LOVED it! (Yes, I gave it to her a couple of weeks ago.)

Let It Snow by Olenka’s Stitches Designs
14ct light blue Aida
DMC cotton and metallic floss
Beads

I prefer working on linen but since I needed to get this stitched and delivered in a hurry, I had to work with fabric that I had. In this case, it was Aida 14 – the only blue fabric in my stash. I’m not crazy about Aida and I had to adapt stitches for this fabric. I also added beads & metallics (Mom loves glitz). HMMM – is that where I get that from?? Anyhow, I stitched seed beads across the top, dangled seed bead ‘icicles’ across the bottom, and knotted larger beads randomly in the fringe. I was going for an ‘icy’ look. Metallic snowflakes are scattered in the background.

I finished this as a hanging ornament. You can find this and other beautiful designs on Olenka’s blog. There you will see her beautiful “Let It Snow” stitched on linen and completed as a pinkeep.

And for my knitting friend . . .

2007 Santa by Prairie Schooler
14ct natural Aida
DMC cotton floss

I'll be away for awhile - back after the holidays.

Hope yours are WONDERFUL, meRrY and BriGHt!!

I don’t seem to be a very good blogger. Of all of life’s 'things to do', blogging is the first thing to get relegated to the back seat to be done ‘whenever’ I can get around to it. I do apologize.

Thanksgiving was a wonderful time but with a note of sadness. My father passed away 3 years ago on Thanksgiving Day. He is in my thoughts constantly this time of year. (He loved my turkey sandwiches and I loved making them for him.)

On an up note - it was all you can eat at my house - and they did!

All You Can Eat by The Prairie Schooler (Book No. 97)

36ct Irish Linen Tea (over 2)

DMC cotton floss

Before I forget, the crockpot dressing turned out pretty tasty. I did, however, transfer it to a casserole dish and stick it in the oven to brown the top toward the end. Not sure if I’ll prepare it that way again. I missed piling all that stuffing into the turkey.

The leaves are just starting to turn here (go figure, it's winter now). Some gorgeous fall colors are rolled up into this little humbug .

Who's lookin' at ya'????

Hootzi Humbug by Just Nan
28ct golden sand cashel linen by Zweigart
Gentle Art Sampler Threads & DMC cotton floss
Beads


I’ve been busy stitching gifts.

Thanks for your wonderful comments!