Anniversaries of the Heart Progress

I don't think I ever shared a picture of my finished "Valentine Rose".  I haven't personalized this one yet, except for the letter "S" on the door, for my mom.  My mom, Suzanne aka Suzie, was born February 3, so I will have her name and birthdate.  My husband was born February 2, so I will toss his initials in there somewhere-I need to figure out where they'll fit.  As usual, my photography doesn't do this justice...but I have to say, I absolutely LOVE the little chain stitched edging on the flowers, it just adds the perfect vintage touch.

Here is my finished "A Wish for You".  I dedicated this block to my great aunt Hazel, who was also my surrogate grandmother after my own grandmother (her sister Gladys) died suddenly at a fairly young age.  Hazel was born on March 14.  The "M" on the door is for Hazel's last name, which is Matthews, and for my dad's only sister, and therefore my only paternal aunt, Martha,  who was born on March 12.

And, here is Bonus Block One.  I liked that I didn't have to do any decision making as to whom I should dedicate this block to!

And, here is how it looks so far!

I'm really excited about the Loose Feathers 2011 series!  I am registered on automatic at one of my favorite online shops, and can't wait to receive my first shipment.  The shop owner recommended going with the linen used for the model, which is 30 count Irish Cream, so I went with that.  I've been stitching on nothing larger than 36 count in recent years, and using one strand of thread, so this will likely take some getting used to on my part!

I also managed to find a copy of the July issue of Cross Stitch and Needlework magazine(at KMart, of all places!), which features an article about Barb and Alma, along with a wonderful patriotic chart, "Land of the Free".  I ordered the "Days Gone By" linen for this, in 40 count, and am hoping to put in the first stitches in honor of Independence Day.

And, in reply to Ruth's comment RE: my Aunt Martha....Ruth, you said Martha must have been pretty nifty, well, she was, and still is, she's only 74 years old, and drop-dead gorgeous, she doesn't looks a day over 50!  And, we're from the south, so to pronounce her name like my grandmother did, it's Maahwtha.  Here is her picture:

Hope you're staying cool, wherever you are!   And, have a safe and fun-filled Fourth of July!