All creatures great and small framed!

All creatures great and small. Stitched by me 2 threads over 2 on 32 count vintage country mocha linen. Thrifted frame - $7 Custom cut foam core at Hobby Lobby - $6 Custom in stock color cut mat for frame - $20 Total cost for pinned and laced framing by myself........ $33!! I am so happy with the outcome of this stitched piece. I need to start keeping my eyes out for more unique frames in thrift shops. Going to work on framing Consider the Lilies next! 😊

A needlework Finish

A finish! All Creatures Great and Small by Barbara Ana Designs. Stitched with called for DMC threads on 36 count Vintage Country Mocha Edinburgh Linen, one thread over two. I started this piece last year, and it's taken me about a year on and off to stitch. It's helped me get through some difficult times. Although I was happy to finish this piece, I felt a bit of sadness to end it. I so enjoyed stitching it. Now to find the perfect frame! 😃

Another Year gone!

What a year it has been! In 2020 I had frozen shoulder, was bit by a tick and had gotten very sick with rocky mountain spotted fever, then I had vitreous detachment of both eyes!...and thats not all...last year was a very very bad year... All this craziness with this virus, and my husband and I wound up with it at Christmas time. It was dreadful! I had it worse than him, and I have to say, I was never that sick in my entire life. I actually felt like I was going to die. I wound up going to the hospital and getting a covid "cocktail". (Regeneron) I wasn't afraid of getting it...as our President Trump had gotten it. If its good enough for him, its good enough for me! :P I wound up with covid induced pneumonia, and it was absolutely miserable. My poor husband being sick at the same time, we were both helpless, not being able to help each other. I lost my sense of taste and smell..which I still don't have, this will be going onto the 5th month! Now to top it all off..I am losing all my hair on my head. Talk about misery. I am not quite sure why I am going through these trials,I know God is with me, and I will perservere. I am still here, and thats a blessing! I cut my hair super short for now to try and ease the pain of it all falling out. Now onto other things! I decided to freshen up my blog a bit! A new layout with new colors. Ive decided its time to go lighter and brighter! I have been working on some things, and have some finishes to show you..so I shall get to that right now. There won't be any particular order of things, as I am tryiing to navigate a new layout. My sweet husband surprised me a little while back with a beautiful new Juki TL-18Qvp sewing machine! It sews like a dream!!! I highly recommend Juki. It is an amazing quilting machine! I decorated mine with stickers I found at Hobby Lobby :)

A sweet kit Ive ordered for myself, and hope to start in the near future! I cannot locate where I put it at the moment, when I do, I will update with details.

I finished stitching "Needleworker" by Little House Needleworks

A Friend Loveth by Plum Street Samplers. Stitched for a very dear friend of mine. This was stitched on 32 count desert sand linen using sulky threads

A granny rectangle blanket I crocheted for my sweet daughter in the colors of her pet bird "Andy"

Some new pillowcases I sewed using the burrito method. Love those french seams inside! Love the fresh new look for our bedroom.

My husband and I recently celebrated our 35th wedding anniversary! Here's to us! I stitched Forever Love by Silver Creek Samplers on 32 count linen from Hobby Lobby using called for overdyed threads.

A small piece I stitched for us...because we do make a perfect pair! :)

Ive been working on All Creatures Great and Small by Barbara Ana Designs. Im stitching this on 36 count vintage country mocha linen with one DMC thread over two.

My days are full of joy with my chickens,Harriet and Clarice and our wonderful cattle dog Ginger. We have recently added a sweet little Khaki Campbell baby duckling!

What a blessing to have a pair of bluebirds make a nest in our new bluebird house! It was so much fun watching the babies hatch and fledge right in our own backyard. Bluebirds bring happiness :)

My sweet husband put up a new clothesline for me! How blessed I am.

Thank you for stopping by, Last year was hard, but this year will be better, I just feel it! Grow old along with me, The best is yet to be, Louise xx

Love Never Fails

I am so excited to finally have our anniversary piece finished! This is a very special piece and I have been working on it since February of this year.

This is titled "Love Never Fails" by Barbara Ana Designs. Stitched on 32 count antique Ivory linen with DMC threads. I have changed the design up a bit to make it more personal for us.

In place of the cats, I put bunnies, for my love of rabbits. A pair of scissors and a needle for my love of needlework.

For my husband, an anchor, as he had served in the U.S. Navy. Another anchor for him, because he is just that, the anchor of our family.

The years at the top represent the year we got married and the present year.

In the bottom boxes, our birth years.

Small hearts with first initials for our Son, his wife (our daughter), and our daughter.

Two small crosses represent the babies we did not get to meet here on earth but will one day in heaven!

A compass to remind us that whatever lies ahead of us, our love will always guide us...

I am completely thrilled with this piece! I have plans to frame it in an oak frame and it will be hung in a special place in our home...

Thinking on what to stitch next!

In the meantime.... I have also completed another donated blanket for veterans through our church ministry.

Love the red, white, and blue!

May the recipient feel all the love, prayers, and warmth out into each stitch as I made it for them ❤️

Our crepe myrtle tree has finally blossomed in front of our porch. It is so beautiful to look at, along with watching the hummingbirds, while I sit with my tea and projects.

I have pulled out some charts I would like to start soon...

One is this one, called "Land of the Free" by Willow Hill Samplings

The other design I would love to start is called "Time and Season Sampler" by Moira Blackburn

What to do... What to do..!!!!

Perhaps I shall start both at once! I know, that's possibly a bit too much overwhelming perhaps.. I don't know?

I am just so excited with the possibilities of new starts!

I suppose I have come down with startitis! Heehee :P

Well, besides all this good stuff, there is laundry to do, food to be made, housework to get done... Oh my...

Never seems to be enough hours in the day... Or nights. Why do we need sleep anyways?! There is stitching and crafting to be done!

Happy Saturday all!

Blessings❤️

Louise xx

Hello!

Another quick post as I'm out and about today.

I've finished another donation blanket for a veteran through our church ministry. Yay! I hope the recipient can feel all the love and prayers that are intertwined with each stitch as this blanket was made. I think it came out nicely :)

In the meantime, now that that one is finished.... I have started another!

This new one is a granny rectangle...

I have been stitching a bit more on "love never fails" by Barbara Ana Designs. 

Her dress will be quite detailed, and I can see already I am dragging along to get my stitches in! This is for our 30th wedding anniversary which was in April. I never did finish our 25th piece I started. lol! I truly hope this too doesn't fall by the wayside. I don't think so though,

I just love this one way too much! The folk art style is so charming! It will get done... One stitch at a time!

I think we planted our garden too late in the season... This is all I have harvested so far....

Our wildflowers from seed seem to be growing well! They are very pretty too :)

I have been learning some new things about my sewing machine and I hope to learn more with these new additions I recently picked up..

I have been watching YouTube videos and hoping to become more knowledgeable about my machine.

I recently sewed some American flags. They were so much fun! No pattern, just did my own thing.

I even made some as topper curtains! :)

Since putting our pond in, the frogs are running ramped here. We are being over run by them, and that's ok! We love the sound at night when they are croaking. They are all so happy! 

We have been seeing a lot of tree frogs too. Some blend right in to their surroundings  as you can see by this picture I took of one of them on a rock in our backyard.

I laughed when I saw one on the glass by our front door one evening :)

This isn't a clear picture, but momma wren made another nest on our back porch and we have babies for the second time this season! She has the babies in a potted plant :)

I couldn't get a good picture as I didn't want to upset momma bird. 

Well I think that's my updates for now. I hope you all had a nice 4th of July.

Have a great week ahead!

Louise xx

Love Never Fails Update

I've stitched a little bit more on our anniversary sampler and thought I should post a picture for an update.

Love Never Fails by Barbara Ana Designs, stitched on 32 count antique Ivory linen with DMC threads.

As you can see I have added the flowers and stems to each side. I have now begun stitching the man on one side, which shall represent my dear husband! :)

Wishing you all a nice rest of the weekend,

Louise xx

Updates on my stitching

Our anniversary piece is coming along!

Here is how far I have come :) 

Such a pretty design! I am enjoying every stitch along the way.

I have made progress on some crochet squares for my church group too. We are making blankets for veterans. :)

I'm looking forward to getting together with the group this week. Lots of laughs!

Today I shall bake some. But errands call me first.

Have a nice day everyone, and a fantastic weekend!

Louise xx