Tired of landscaping...............

Finally – time to share some progress on my Pride & Prejudice sampler! You can see on my right sidebar in my WIP photos where I was last time I posted an update on this – I had just finished stitching the house at Netherfield Park, the home of the famous Mr. Bingley. Well I have been busy over the last month doing lots of ‘landscaping’. It sure takes a lot of time even though I had made notes on what I wanted to do. I have added a formal garden from a Prairie Schooler chart, a fence from another Prairie Schooler chart, a lovely fountain from one of the cottage series by Elizabeth Designs, some grapevines inspired by a Blackbird Designs Loose Feathers pattern (had to chart my own as theirs wouldn’t fit), and finally Mr. Bingley his very self from an old Sudberry chart. So here is the finished vignette and a photo of the estate used in the 1995 movie. I hope he’s happy with what I’ve done with his estate. I have the hardest time getting the color right on my photos - it's so frustrating! I need a class on digital photography!


Here's a close up look at Mr Bingley at the entrance to Netherfield and his photo from the movie.

I’ve also added some grass here and there around the Bennett sisters’ home and a front walkway you can see below. The trouble with not working from a set pattern is you keep finding more things to add – a bird here, some flowers there, more grass here, etc. I'm still tweaking little things here and there. I am getting worried about fitting in all the rest of the things I had planned for this sampler but will just see how it goes. I’ve sized some of the objects on graph paper and been playing around with the layout but unless you really sit and chart the whole thing out (way too much work!) you aren’t totally sure what is going to work.

Here’s a photo of the whole sampler so far – I think I am close to halfway done! It measures about 19" wide by 16" tall.

The next portion I’m going to be working on the lower right corner where I’m placing Lizzy & Darcy as a couple. Last year I bought a cute pattern on eBay from a lady who has created several charts inspired by Jane Austen themes and I’ll be using Lizzy & Darcy from that chart. I believe this designer only sells her charts on eBay but if you like Jane Austen themes you may want to check them out. http://stores.ebay.com/West-Wind-Cross-Stitch-Designs

Also if are a fan of the A&E version of Pride & Prejudice I recommend this book on the making of the movie. It's not very expensive - got mine on Amazon - and it has a lot of great photos and details about the locations they used for the filming, the costumes, etc. This is my favorite photo of the modern-day actresses taking a break while filming - so unlike the ladies of the era! Note that one of them is doing needlepoint - yeah!

Wow it's August already!

Hello dear readers - can you believe how fast the time is slipping by us? I've been stitching and stitching in between entertaining houseguests and all sorts of other activities. I hope you all are enjoying your summertime. I thought I'd post an update of some of my WIP's - I've been rotating among a few different things trying to make progress.

I got in a 'bag' mood a couple weeks ago and made a whole bunch of project bags with a Mary Engelbreit theme. I love the black fabric with the cherries which I found at Joann's of all places - in fact I went and bought some very similar fabric they had that I'm going to use to make some appliance covers for my kitchen (yet another project waiting for me). I even make little matching labels on my computer - yes I'm kooky! I tried my first 'snap' bag from a pattern I bought awhile back in a quilt store. It's just a fun little bag to make and use. The top has a casing sewn into it, and in there you insert lengths cut off from a metal measuring tapes like a carpenter uses. Then you use the side tabs to pull the bag open - sort of like an old-fashioned coin purse. I had no one here when I was taking photos today to hold the bag open so I propped it open for a photo. I sent a bunch of these bags to my sister who has some Mary Engelbreit themes going in her craft room/office and I kept the rest for myself. You can never have too many bags!

I'm a little late with my monthly update on Goode Huswife's "With My Needle". Heidi and I have been doing an SAL but with no timeframes attached. We are both coming along - this is a great sampler. I'm loving it but starting to get a little dizzy going around and around all the swirls LOL.

I also started Little House Needleworks "My Needle's Work" a little while ago - it's a nice easy stitch - good for TV watching as the count is 32 on this and bigger than my other projects. I decided to give my lady a teal dress instead of drab brown.

I've also been stitching a lot on my Pride & Prejudice sampler - will post an update the end of this week on that. Right now it' s a bit too wrinkly and I don't feel like taking it off my Qsnaps to photograph it. I'm excited that I scored something on eBay this morning that I've been wanting for awhile - this is one of the little Whitman tins I've been wanting but didn't have. I have all of Jane Timmers' patterns for the little sewing smalls that go with the tins but was missing this tin and the miniature Cloisonne tin which I hope someday to find as well. There was one more of these on eBay available if anyone is looking - http://cgi.ebay.com/Mini-Tin-Container-Whitmans-Sampler-Chocolate-Empty-/300431204426?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item45f318604a

Until next time may your stitching be fast and no frogs visit you!