August WIPocolypse #1 update

Somewhere along the way I thought I missed a WIPocolypse post but I guess not.   I think I'm just under the wire for the first full moon of August which the cutoff is Augu 30th,  and then there's the second full moon this month so another WIPoclolypse post is due shortly for that one. The time is flying by way too fast is all I know!   I've got a few small things to share that I finished in the last week.  The clock sampler patterns have been sitting around for years and years and I finally got one of the 4 seasonal samplers done that fit in this Olde Colonial Clock.  This is "Strawberry Summer Sampler" from C Street Samplers.  (SANQ magazine Summer 2003).   This was a fun little sampler to stitch, some specialty stitches here and there that were fun.  I thought I'd encountered most all of the specialty stitches out there but this is the first time I've ever done the Upright Cross Stitch and it was fun.   You can see it used in 2 lower strawberries in the band underneath the basket, it give a nice interesting texture.  I used an old piece of R&R linen called 18th Century Stone. I just love the color it's so versatile for projects, but mine had some tiny red specks on it. I do believe I've had it for several years and I think those spots are undissolved dye as I've read about that somewhere.  My LNS doesn't stock R&R anymore, mostly Lakeside Linens, but I do miss R&R colors.  Does anyone have suggestions on a good ONS to order R&R linens from, and are you having any trouble with spots??

 

 

I actually laced my piece this time to put in the clock. I really was happy with how it turned out!  I've tried stretchng and pinning before and always struggled with it.  I would get one part done and then it would always seem like I would have to undo it and move the piece.  With the lacing, you can adjust it a bit once it's laced and I found it much easier.  I used this video that someone recently put on YouTube.   Stretching & Lacing Needlework   I plan on doing the other 3 seasonal samplers to swap in and out of the clock frame.

 

 

 

 

I haven't finished stitching my "August" ornament yet...running late this month on that but I did the "finishing" for a stocking I stitched last month -  guess I can count that for August LOL.   It's another of the BBD December stockings.   The linen package said it was 30-ct which is what is called for but this one for some reason didn't quite fit into the stocking template I made for the other 2 I did....so I made the template a bit bigger. I also added a little cuff as I had the perfect fabric to match the piece.  It's bigger than my other BBD stockings as you can see in the first photo,  but I think I like it even better this way!

 

 

BBD "Merry December" stockings leaflet

 

 

 

Here's the ornament I've been stitching this month...not quite done yet.  I decided to stitch it on some 28-ct Waterlily linen I had but it's turned out a bit big for an ornament in my opinion. (already about 4" square and not finished-finished)  I may make it into a little pillow small instead.  Although I like the color, the linen is kind of a loose weave which I'm not crazy about so I will need to find some matching green fabric to put underneath I think.  I don't like seeing through the linen or sparse thread coverage. I just took this photo this evening so it was hard to get true colors. I should finish this up soon and then I can be starting some September projects.  

 

 

 

I guess that's about all I've got to share today...it's still very hot here in our desert climate but hoping in a few more weeks we'll get some relief from summer.  I saw a few grasshoppers on the driveway today and that usually means cooler temperatures are on the way.    I want to get back to a couple samplers I'm stitching and see if I can make some progress on those soon.  I have a lot going on in September but will be grabbing any time I can for stitching of course!