October FFO Gallery

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Date12 Oct 2020
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Comments11

We were on fall break this past week* so I didn’t have a lot of time to finish things up, so I tried to get most of it done before we left. I also didn’t have too much recently stitched to FFO anyway. I made the Pensee Sauvage by Samplers Not Forgotten into a pillow per the kit instructions.

Oh my goodness, I am glad this was a heavily patterned fabric. I cut one of the sides an inch too short and had to sew the pieces together and recut! You can hardly tell-the patched together side is on the back. I’m not sweating it. It came out really cute.

I also put together the Stacy Nash Summer Garden needlebook. The instructions were really good. This was not too hard to accomplish. I learned a new thing too-how to finish a small on both sides of a cardboard shape when only using 1 piece of cardboard. That will come in handy for ornaments and such.

Finally, I finished Chubby Bird from Jeannette Douglas into the example tart pan finish:

I followed Vonna’s tutorial. But I did A LOT of lacing of the back after gathering it with a drawstring. Lacing really is the KEY to getting a round shape with no lumps. It is totally worth the extra effort!

Thank you Rachel for hosting us for this SAL! Head back to Ten Hour Stitcher to see more FFOS!

*Where did we go on Fall Break? Well, we’ve been cooped up since March due to Covid of course. It was time to get out and do something. We headed up to Sedona and Flagstaff to see some fall color, then to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, and Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks. I love our amazing scenery out here in the Southwest US!

Sedona, AZ and Oak Creek Canyon
Aspen Grove near Snowbowl in Flagstaff, AZ
doesn’t it look like Narnia??
North Rim of the Grand Canyon-the morning light and haze from the CA wildfires and other pollution was not too good for pictures
Zion National Park from Canyon Overlook
View from near Sunrise Point, Bryce Canyon
“Queen’s Garden” so named because one of the rock formations looks like a famous statue of Queen Victoria. We took the kids on the 3 mile hike down to the floor of the Bryce Ampitheater and back up. It was a long way down and a longer way up. About a 4.5 hour hike for little legs!
View from Sunset Point, the structure on the right (casting the small shadow that looks a little like a person with a square head) is the Hammer of Thor

And we’re off!

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Date02 Oct 2020
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Comments4

I’m loving my October stitches so far! Here’s the first few days’ work on Autumn Quakers. I’ve completed 2 more of the bigger motifs, started some others, and added several smaller ones. I’ve made it to the right edge. Woo hoo!

And I got the stitching done on Chubby Bird.

I think I’ll leave off the words. This gets finished in one of those little tart pans and Acorns and Threads sent me one with the kit. I will follow Vonna’s tutorial which, like all her tutorials, is very good for a successful tart pan finish-I have used it before. I’ll aim to have it ready to show next week for the FFO gallery. Have a good one!

Sampler September wraps up and I pull out my October Stitching

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Date30 Sep 2020
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Comments7

I have stitched on I Bathya from Hands Across the Sea about 24 days this month. Here is how much I got finished:

Not too bad! I’m pleased with the result from that many days. She’s a very slow stitch due to having to learn stitches and techniques to get it as good as possible and not mess it up too badly! You can see I’m still working on the whitework band, but I also got some of the alphabet in. It is good to have a variety of things to work on depending on my energy level and how much concentration each part takes. (My stitching time is usually from 9:30-11pm and I’m not always up for something complicated!) I finished the equivalent of 2 pages (of 20ish!) so that’s alright! I have enjoyed devoting a month to her. But, after working on such a complicated, intense sampler, I am ready to pick up something easier!

I have 3 stitches planned for October. First is a return to Autumn Quakers by Rosewood Manor. I have missed working on it!

Second is Oakley Owlet from Just Nan. I stitched Mr. Nutley Owl a couple years ago and it’s time for him to have a friend!

Third is a little start I made on Chubby Bird from Jeannette Douglas.

It was a kit made for Acorns and Threads and is exclusive to them (I will say, what a nice shop to deal with! I sent them an email and the next business day they called to get my payment info. I had my kit within the week! Do not be dissuaded by them not having an e-commerce site. Their email ordering system seems to be very efficient!). When I saw it I just loved that fat bird so ordered it right away. You can see it is a quick stitch. I will do my best to finish these 2 smalls, and Autumn Quaker, while it won’t be all the way done, should be nearing completion. It is much easier and faster going than Bathya!

And…I may work here and there on some other things but if I make good progress on these I will be really happy.

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Welcome to Mary’s Thread!

I started this blog in 2016 to chronicle my stitching life. My Grandma M. taught me to cross stitch when I was 7 and I’ve had a project (or many!) going since then. I am mostly a cross stitcher who makes forays into other types of embroidery. A lifetime ago I studied French and art history but now I fit my stitching around a busy life raising 5 young kids with my wonderful husband. Thank you for spending some time at my blog!

2020 Stitch-A-Longs

2020 Stitch-A-Longs

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