Stitching With Friends, Part One

Hello, friends!  I'm so ashamed to see that it's been 15 + months since my last post. So much has happened within my family during that time. And, for much of the time, my stitching mojo all but vanished. I will do another post with all the personal stuff. Today, I wanted to talk about stitching.
I guess my personal life settled down enough last fall to where I was feeling a strong need to to get back to doing the things that make me happy, namely stitching, knitting, sewing, reading, etc.

I have SO many projects literally screaming for attention. I am kind of back into my old rotation of a different project for each day of the week. I always refer to it as my stitching attention deficit disorder. I've tried working exclusively on one project at a time, but then I'm always wanting to work on something else, so this satisfies my need for variety. It's not the perfect solution, I have lots of days where I am just too tired to pick up a needle, or even turn the pages of a book. But, most days, I try to do a little something, which is better than nothing at all. Even a few new stitches is progress, right?
The title of this post seemed appropriate. It seems like a common "thread"...no pun intended...with my different projects is that I've either started them with a group of friends, or am stitching along with a friend. I have so many stitching friends that I've made through the years...many online friends that I've never even met, friends in my guild, friends through the local needlework shop. I am currently working on projects within each of these groups.
I currently have probably 12 projects that I'm actually working on. I won't drag out this post with all of them, just a picture and blurb about the ones that I'm doing with friends. I will share the others in a future post.
Without further ado, I will devote today's post to projects I'm working on with my online friends.
My first little project is a very sweet little mystery sampler that was presented in nine parts last fall by Paulette Stewart of Plum Street Samplers, called Mary's Sampler. To be exact, I am doing Mary's Sampler II, which was stitched on black fabric.  Because I had so much going on last fall, I kitted and started Mary, but never quite got going on her. So, she went on my 2014 "to be stitched" list. I work on her on Sundays, in the early afternoon , when the light is good. Stitching on the black can be quite tricky. Today is Sunday, so Mary and I will be getting together this afternoon, and I plan to finish parts 7&8, which will leave me two Sundays in March, and I plan to have her finished!  An actual finish...it's been a long time since I've had one. My good friend Sherri Berkman of Total Framing framed Paulette's Mary, and Sherri will be framing mine. I used the called for Lakeside Linens "Black  Forest", and all of the called for threads.
Here is Mary's Sampler:

Next up is Blackbird Designs' "Anniversaries of the Heart". I started this three or four years ago, I've lost track. I need to figure that out, it's going to bother me...

It is beautiful, beautiful, and broken into small, monthly blocks that should have been easily finished long ago. I think I get bogged down with it because it's one of those designs that you have to really pay attention to, with all the vines, and color changes, etc.  Not much mindless fill in while you watch tv on this one. My friend Vonna, The Twisted Stitcher, has started working on her Anniversaries again, as have I, so, I hope seeing her progress will keep me going. 

Here are several photos of my progress:

Entire piece so far.

January block

February block

Bonus block

March block

April block

May block

June block

July block, in progress

October block

Please excuse all the wrinkles and terrible photography!  And, some of the blocks have threads still hanging where I haven't done the personalizations. In this sampler, each block has spaces to add initials of loved ones, and important dates.  I'm going back and doing all of that at the end, I just wanted to get the "bones" in first. 

As if I really needed to get involved with another large project...some people in a Facebook stitching group started talking in late 2013 about starting a new sampler on January 1, 2014. As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to join the fun!  The sampler is Barbara Ana's "Two Snooty Parrots". The group has, I think, 300 or more members, around the world!  Members have made scissor fobs from parrot charms found at Hobby Lobby. Barbara Ana even designed two small free charts exclusively for group members, and a printed fabric we can purchase for making things like sewing bags. 

I have just about completed one of the free designs, which I will either make into a needle case, or an ornament to commemorate this fun time.

Here is my progress on the freebie:

Oh, and my scissor fob is in the picture.

Our group leader, Terri, who is very organized, divided the chart into monthly sections, to give us guidelines and goals for finishing within the year.  My childhood issue of coloring within the lines surfaced, and I decided I would have to complete the border first, just to make sure it matched when I got around to the other side.  Then, fill in the monthly sections later.  As you can see, I haven't gotten very far with my border.

The fabric I'm using is a beautiful linen by Picture This Plus, called Legacy. 36 count.

The last project I'm stitching with an online friend is Blackbird Designs' 2011 Loose Feathers  series, Summer, Autumn, and Winter, all stitched on one piece of linen...I think I used the called for R& R 30 count Irish Creme.  It's been a long time since I bought it....I am using all of the called for threads. I have been working on this since the charts came out, fairly regularly. I recently saw where my good friend Lois, of Needles, Pins and Stitching Things, had begun working on her sampler again after a hiatus.  So, we have decided to stitch along for moral support.

Here is mine:

And that, dear friends, is all I will share with you today. I will post my other projects, and family news in upcoming posts, and I promise it will be soon. 

Have a Happy Saint Patrick's Day, and for those who are expecting snow, as we are tonight, just remember the first day of Spring is just a few days away!

Until next time...