I'm Still Alive!!!

I'm still alive, I've just been unable to post lately. I'm on dial-up and I've needed to keep my phone lines open for my oldest son who has been traveling. He'll be home tomorrow, thank goodness, and I will be back to posting more regularly. I haven't sewn much this past week. I'm still mulling over design possibilities for the smocked top, and I just haven't been able to get enough free time with the kitchen table to get the Sew Stylish dress cut out yet. With five kids you can imagine that table sees a lot of action during the day, not to mention a lot of mess. I still need to get pictures of the muslins to share.

I have been busy, though. I've been working on this:

This is Heirloom Birth Sampler by Thea Dueck, my favorite Needlework Designer. You can check out her site here: http://www.victoriasampler.com/index.asp. I've made the larger version of this design so many times I can't even count. I've done several as birth samplers, but most, like the one I'm working on now, I've modified to be wedding samplers. I'm doing the smaller design this time, the one pictured here, in the same colors shown on the sample. The bride's favorite color is pink. I've replaced the baby's name with the bride and groom's names and the birthdate with the wedding date. Instead of "Bless this Child", I've stitched "To Have and To Hold." It looks really lovely. All I have left to do is the silk ribbon work at the top and to add all of the seed beads.

I used to do lots of needlework. When I had to go to work full time several years ago, my stitching time was severely curtailed and I'm nowhere near as prolific as I used to be. In fact, when I have time I usually sew, and I really haven't done much needlework in some time. I had forgotten how much I enjoy it. This sampler is so simple and works up so quickly. I did almost all of it while sitting in my favorite chair "watching" Law and Order SVU. I particularly enjoyed the bottom hardanger section. I had forgotten how relaxing it is to stitch kloster blocks. Those are the little satin stitch blocks that outline the open work portions. Even cutting and removing the fabric threads and weaving the bars inside was relaxing and satisfying.

I've made a committment to myself to get back to needlework. I have a small but significant stash of patterns, linens, and threads that need to be put to good use, not to mention some original designs, some complete and others still waiting to be completed. I've even been published several years ago, and I'd like to do it again sometime. That means I will have to stitch sometime.

I've had this crazy idea floating around in my head for awhile about a sampler featuring frogs...