Ah, July in Arizona. How hot you are. How you sap the energy! We had a very busy week last week, and this week I feel like I’m almost good for nothing!

I just wanted to check in with a various projects I’m stitching on, not because it’s interesting, but so I can see where I’m at, and then compare to the end of the month to see if I made any progress.

Here is where Heirloom Nativity stands. I am not super happy with all my filling stitches and am considering if I should try to redo some of them, and how much that might mess up the work overall. It is on a pause.

In a moment of ambition, I picked up my Autumn Foliage Sampler from The Heart’s Content. This is 1 over 1 on 40 ct. silk gauze. It is hard to do. I started by doing the border but the counting was impossible. So I decided to do just the top border, and then start in on the motifs. Then I can use them to judge the border size and hopefully there will be less room for error that way. But I am struggling with the color flow of the overused silk. Does it just work out? Do I need to work it in rows back and forth or in swathes? I just don’t know and it’s so hard to see it. But I will continue! I need to do a project like this!

However, I am frustrated that the designer made the border 20 stitches from the center “thicker” part on all the sides but one, where it is 19. I had to pick it out because I thought it was all 20. Phooey. I know I couldn’t have fudged it, but I still can’t figure out the reason for this discrepancy. Still, being such a small thing I am not sure anyone could tell one way or the other.

I’ve been working on Blackbird’s Wild Garden. It is coming along much faster! This is an easy stitch.

I’ve also been working a little on the Samplers Not Forgotten project, Garden Urn Pincushion, another easy stitch.

I started something new, the Tudor Rose Berry from Erica Michaels. I loved this simple little design the minute I saw it and jumped at the chance to buy someone’s chart when she was finished with it (it was a club piece for Dying to Stitch).

I have decided just to do the center part and make it a biscornu. I am using 32 ct instead of 36 ct and I do not think a berry finish is so charming when it is huge, like big enough to fill your whole hand, especially when the motif is simple. But it will make a great biscornu. I plan to stitch it again on a larger count to make a matching, small, berry.

Is that it? Yes I think so. Check in with me in a couple weeks and we’ll see what I get done!