A Gentleman's Samplings

Let me start by wishing all you a very joyous New Year. Secondly I would like to thank you for all your kind comments, thoughts, words of encouragement, and prayers during the last several months as I fight colon cancer. I have reached the halfway point of the chemotherapy treatments (6 treatments down - 6 to go).  So far I have been handling them fairly well.  Mainly nauseousness but it last for only a couple of days after the treatment. As I have mentioned before the biggest part of the battle is mental but I have a great support group of family and friends that I can talk to to help me keep a positive attitude. I have not really got much stitching done over the last couple of months.  I did manage to finish 1798 Quaker Sampler by The Goode Huswife. Stitched on 40-ct Mystery Linen using the recommended NPI A couple of years ago a fellow member of my local guild stitched a project as a part of Advent.  She marked off her chart into 24 sections an...

I would like to thank all of you for your kind comments, thoughts and prayers regarding my health issue. A brief update is provided at the end of the post. In my last post I had not yet decided whether to start something new or to finish something in my WIP pile.   It has been very hot here in North Texas so doing a couple of holiday pieces seemed to be in order. Jane Pattison 1806 by Shakespeare's Peddler I have had this chart in my stash since it first became available.   This piece really looks very looks and feels like a Christmas sampler with the border of green garland and candles.   I stitched this on 40-ct Lakeside linen using the recommended Gentle Arts Sampler Threads instead of the recommended wool threads. I did substitute the Harvest Basket with Gold Leaf since the Harvest Basket was very close in color to Cidermill Brown and I wanted to add a little bit of gold to the piece like in the picture on the pattern. I also stitch two bands...

I finally finished Shakespeares Peddler's Sarah Woodham. The colors in this are really nice. I got a little tired of the border but it is one of those things that you can stitch and not really have to reference the pattern all the time.  Next up on my list of items to finish is Samplers and Such's Rhoda Hastings 1863 .  I am a little over half way done with this sampler.  I really like all of the little motifs and the saying: "Go Like your heavenly father feed the poor  carry comfort to the sick mans door pity the widow be the orphans friend and if you cannot give then freely lend".     This sampler was started last year on 40-ct Lakeside Linen Pearled Barley using HDF threads.

A number of visitor's to the blog wanted to see a progress picture of my latest project -- Shakespeare's Peddler Sarah Woodham. So without further delay, here is my progress using the recommended threads on 40-ct light exampler.  I started the project in early December after completing the Jenny Bean Halloween Sampler. The picture looks a little dark.  Once finished I will take a picture using better lighting.  Still trying to get use to taking pictures of my projects. I was able to get the honeysuckle (at least that is what I think the flowers are) vine completed last night.  So now just need to work on the flowers themselves.  That should go fairly quickly since they are not full flowers and only two colors. Need to force myself to do some more of the verse.  I am doing in with half crosses (or tent) since it is over one.  On the 40-ct fabric they looked a little bulky. I also changed the color of the large trees on the left and r...