Morning Song - Just Nan

Design: Morning Song

Designer: Just Nan

Threads: DMC as charted

Fabric: 28 count Cashel linen, flax

Here it is, finally finished! I've been stitching Morning Song as a SAL with Sally, and I completed it at the weekend.

I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I'm really pleased with how it turned out. I've made a few amendments to the charted design, namely the fabric, stitching the over one section as petit point, and omitting the butterflies from the rooster band - I have an aversion to butterflies in stitching, don't ask me why! I've just noticed I haven't stitched the sheep charm on yet, either - and actually, looking at this, I might not.

Thank you Sally, for your company and your encouragement!

SAL Progress

This should possibly be "lack of progress" as I haven't done very much at all these last couple of weeks!

However, it seems that Sally and I are at the same place with it, so that's good!

I'm really enjoying stitching this, I might have to keep going with stitching a Just Nan once a week, as I have a number in my stash!

SAL and an update

Yesterday was my usual Sunday SAL with Sally. I got quite a lot done as –despite the numerous colour changes – it’s a pretty easy stitch, not too much fiddly detail. I have one small row to do – another darning pattern “path” and then I will be at the half way point – not bad for three sessions work! If I keep this rate up, I should be finished at the end of May, but I have a lot of gift stitching to do next month, so it probably won’t work out like that.





This is the project I’ve been calling the “Sludge Monster” – it’s actually not a very fair name for it, because although the colours are muted, and mainly browns, it’s quite warm in tone. I had hoped to have this finished for the end of the month, but that won’t happen now due to my evening commitments over the next couple of days, and I will be laying this aside whilst I work on my gift stitching.





This is the first block in my rather ambitious quilting project – a sampler quilt! I’ve not stitched this in the usual American pieced way, rather the old fashioned English way, using papers, as I’m stitching it all by hand (and without a rotary cutter and stuff). This block is called Rail Fence, apparently.





And this is a work in progress – the second block, called Maple Leaf. Given the fact that my partner is Canadian, I had to work this one in! Again, it’s pieced using papers. The green cotton I’ve used to tack (baste) the papers in with was some from my late gran’s stash, which I inherited. Actually, I’m using a lot of thread from her workbasket – it’s nice to have that connection to her.

As you can see, the colours are quite warm and bright - I will be introducing a moss green at some point, too, and another accent colour. I've chosen fabrics with abstract patterns or mottles rather than (say) flowers or leaves - I want the fabric shapes to be the pattern, not the print on the fabric.

SAL Sunday

This is progress after week 2. It seemed to want to "grow" really quickly yesterday. The Cashel linen that I'm using is a joy to stitch on, the needle goes through so smoothly, and I love the texture.

I'm mostly stitching this as charted, although I have amended the over-one areas. Instead of cross stitch in one strand of floss, I'm doing tent stitch in two - which is probably why I had time to work on the next couple of bands, although I don't think I'm way ahead of Sally, my partner in this.

Ma and Dad came over yesterday morning, and Ma really likes this chart - she's an accomplished stitcher herself, but we have quite different tastes, she's much more traditional than I am, and I think she's a bit bemused at my bees and sheep obsessions - she's more of a floral type, which is so not me... I think she thought I was stitching this for my niece, because of the farm animals on it, but it's mine, all mine!

WIPs

This is how far I got, Sally, with Morning Song - it looks a little forlorn, doesn't it? :o) I've tacked the outline for the sampler, too - I forget how small Just Nan's can be, the chart always looks so big! I guess that's good though, as they are nice and clear.


This is one of my other WIPs at the moment - Sow Kind Seeds by Bent Creek. I traded for the chart years ago, and the sender included her left over perle cotton, which I've used, as well as some from my stash. At that point, I was waiting on my order for more of the border colour - ordered it Sunday afternoon, it arrived yesterday lunchtime, you can't fault Sew and So's service! I stocked up on some other DMC that I was running low on, and also the ones that I lost on the bus, so I'm ready for anything now - I think! I'm going to stitch the missing motif (a hand, as in heart in hand) in mauve, or gold as I don't have enough of the charted blue - blue isn't a colour I'm fond of anyway. I'm not sure now, looking at the picture, that the mauve I have will be dark enough to balance the composition ... hmmm, it might be a case of trial and error!

Update

My camera batteries are flat - again - so I can't show any pictures at the moment. Not that I could for one project anyway, as it's a return exchange from my last days as a member of Crazy Exchange :o) I finished it as a pinkeep, and that's the only clue I'm giving ... so that was last night's creative endeavours.

Sunday, as promised, I started a SAL with Sally. We're stitching Morning Song by Just Nan. I've chosen to do mine on a plain linen - Flax 28 count Cashel. I managed to stitch most of the right hand barn, the picket fence and the tree trunks - seems straightforward so far, although I haven't attempted the over one parts yet!

My travel project is currently Rooster Strut by Meme's Quilts (who no longer appear to do cross stitch designs, only quilting and applique). I'm stitching it on Tula, which at 10 count is quite a change from my usual stuff! It was one of the first folk style charts I traded for on Chartswappers so it's been sitting in my stash for quite a while!

Joy Ornament - Just Nan

Another project from my finishing box! Again, this was stitched as part of a SAL on Chartswappers. I stitched it about 4 years ago, so I can't remember all the changes I made - I do remember working on it during one of my early MS flare ups, and not being able to feel my fingers! It made the over one section interesting...

That little over one section was supposed to go in a charm frame - not at £7.50 it wasn't, so I carefully folded the fabric and stitched a little bag shape which then got a blanket stitch trim all the way round in gold metallic to look like a frame - I think it worked quite well.

I was planning to give this away in an ornament exchange, but I like it so much better now it's finished and made up that I'm going to keep it!