A START, A FINISH, AND ZONE 6

Greetings to all on this late January Friday when the sun actually came out for a hour or two!!

Here in southwest Ohio, we have always been in plant hardiness zone 5.  This winter has been so warm and unusual, or so I thought, until reading in yesterday's newspaper that we have been changed to Zone 6!
I don't know whether this is good news or not.  Although it means that I can now have many flowers in the garden that were previously unreliable, and the climbing roses should be magnificent without all the winter dieback, it also means that the lack of white Christmasses and beautiful snowy winter scenes will be more permanent.  I loved the snowy winters that I remember from my childhood.  One of my very favorite memories is of playing and shovelling the driveway with my Mother at 3:00 am!  We loved the cold and the snow!

This week I finished James Wilson 1828.  I changed most all of the colors, as the chart called for bright pinks (ugh) and oranges (double ugh).  I am new at changing colors, but am pleased at how it turned out.  Samplers stitched by boys fascinate me...I wonder at the story behind them., wondering why they were stitching and not doing "boy" stuff.  Young James was an accomplished stitcher, this certainly was not his first sampler.  Perhaps he was an invalid?

Another boy's sampler that I stitched several years ago is John Foster 1885.   If anyone knows of other boy's samplers available, I would love to know.

I also made up a reproduction sewing pocket using a left over Log Cabin block from the scrap quilt I made for the bedroom.  This is based on a Edyth O'Neil pattern from her book, Pockets and Rollups for My Red Cape. I used a piece of heavy brown coat wool for the back.  I've cut out another couple of these, using antique quilt blocks sewn together.

Last, but definitely not least, in fact the  most important, my stitching friend Brenda from Wisconsin and I have started Margaret Jane Leadbitter 1846, published in the winter 2011 issue of my absolute favorite magazine, Sampler and Antique Needlework Quarterly.  I have taken this magazine all the way back to issue 1, and was so upset when for several years it went out of business, before being picked up by a new company.   Brenda and I will correspond  and exchange photos of our progress.  We'll have lots of fun!!

Until next time, when I hope to share some more pictures of my sampler walls...

I would love to hear from you...please leave a comment!
Hugs,
Melinda

Tent stitch, what is this?

Greetings,
A friend recently wrote to ask me about this sampler on my sampler wall.  It is not a reproduction that I stitched.  I actually have no idea what it is and whether it is an antique or not.  It was in with a pile of antique quilt blocks and linens that I purchased at an antique store about 15 years ago.  It was not framed, measures about 8" x 12".  The linen and condition certainly looked very old, but did not really look in bad enough shape to be the genuine article.  Maybe someone can help???

The bottom is a grassy mound with a deer on the left and leopard (?) on the right, with the initials M and W and year 16    86.

As you can see, it is solidly tent stitched.  In the middle above the initials is a large bird, like a parrot, sitting on a branch or tree.

There are also stylized flowers and leaves to the right and left of the bird.

It looks like a piece of 17th century tapestry, but surely it can't be real, can it?  Can anybody shed any light on this??   Til next time,  hugs,  Melinda

A Few Finishes and a New Find

Greetings, all, I know I have been missing for several weeks.  I  guess we are all busy around the holidays.   I read another blogging post that she will try and post each and every Monday.  I think that sounds like a wonderful idea, if I can just stick to it.

I have finished putting all of the Christmas decorations away until next year.  It is usually so cold and windy when I am out in January taking down all the wreaths, but today was in the mid 40's.  Like many others, we are having a green winter.  I noticed today that the climbing roses are budding out and the magnolia tree has little green leaves!  I suppose we will have a cold spell that will kill all of the buds and ruin spring.  If not, the roses should be gorgeous this year without all the winter kill!  I just hope it doesn't wait until March for winter to actually come!

I have finished a few small little stitching things.  The first is a prim needle book by Stacy Nash.  It was a lot of fun to stitch and put together.

I have finished my very first punch needle.  It was so much fun to do.  It is a little bird pincushion designed by Brenda Gervais.  I mounted it on this old oil can that I have been wanting to do something with for a long time.

And finally, a not quite finished.  :(   These are from an old Prairie Schooler chart called The Twelve Days of Christmas.  Instead of stitching it as a sampler, I chose to do each individually, then mount them on little Christmassy wool squares with homespun backing.  The plan was to make a garland out of them that I could hang from a door, etc.  But, sadly, they are now relegated to the unfinished drawer.

Lastly, on a totally unrelated note, when I go to buy horse feed every few weeks I pass a small antique/vintage/used store, and of course usually stop in.  Look what I found!  A large (about 60" square) beautiful piece of antique/vintage wool paisley for $15!!  Woo-hoo!!!  From what I understand about antique wool paisley, that is quite the steal.  My original plan was to cut it into strips for my rug hooking, but now I am giving that second thoughts.  I have heard that if is in good condition (which it is, only 2 teensy moth holes) that you shouldn't cut it up.  What to do...what to do...

Till next time,
Hugs,
Melinda