Bethia Fenshaw ~

 

Bethia Fenshaw stitched this tiny little sampler in 1861 at the age of 8.  I've stitched it on 40 count linen ~ a first for me.  Thankfully Jennie from Over the Hill and Running shared Ott light information with me.  I have several Otts, but none with a magnifier.  I don't think I could have stitched this without it.  Stitching was very slow going as I had to continually count and recount, check and recheck that my threads were not off.  I did my fair share of frogging.  It took 3+ weeks of daily stitching and it only measure 3 1/8" x 4 1/2".  Thanks to Marly who posted this sweet sampler to her blog.

I attached it to an old spool as did the designer, Whilst Iris Naps.  You can find the pattern here.

The designer laced the back while I chose to take the easy way out and just whip stitch it.  I must give myself an attagirl for actually "finishing" it.  Maybe even a participation trophy!  I am notorious for stitching and not finishing.  Kind of like hooking a rug and not binding it 😁

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

MIA ~

St. Nicholas has gone MIA.  All my Christmas things are stored in the same room in the attic, but where is the old guy?  I have looked, looked, and looked again.  I give up.  I guess he won't be seen this year.  Perhaps he's so terrified of Covid he won't be found . . . or maybe has an issue wearing a mask . . . lol!

This is a sampler begun several decades ago and put away unfinished.  A couple years ago, I finally completed the stitching and pinned it to the back of the living room wing chair, figuring I would do something with it in a timely manner.  Fast forward to last week, and it was still there.  Oh, I would occasionally glance at it thinking something ~ anything ~ must be done. 

 

FINALLY!!!  I coffee stained it and turned back the edges and did a running stitch around the perimeter.  I hate when such a simple finish takes years 😒

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs 😊

Lauren

Last of the November Updates ~

 

I have found little time for creative endeavors, but have gotten a bit done.  With Thanksgiving and my son being home, it really cut in to my "me time".  Living alone, I should have lots of me time, but it doesn't seem to work that way.  Life can get in the way.

Here is the start of my Christmas decorating.  I wish it could all be this simple and understated 😉

I did finish Santa and Rudy 1892.  I'm so happy how this turned out and I think the X binding technique is just the perfect finish.

Stitching on 40 count linen is going slowly, but I am determined to finish it because I want to gift it before Christmas.  The sampler is just 3 3/4" wide.  She is about half done.

My tree.  What can I say?  A scrappy little piece hooked entirely with worms so far . . . and not green.  This was not on my list!  The height of the triangle is 15 1/4".  

So here are what my October and November project lists look like.

October

HOOKING

Santa & Rudy ~ pattern to linen - hook - bind - label

APPLIQUE

Rebekah Smith turkey ~ pattern to freezer paper - pieces to wool - stitch  (maybe next year)

Stack 'O Jacks ~ pattern to freezer paper - pieces to wool - stitch

CROSS STITCH

Bethia Fenshaw 1861 ~ stitch - attach to spool  

WIPs to finish

Hooked Santa ~ finish hooking - bind - label

November

HOOKING

Skinny turkey (old freebie by Robin Leuschen) ~ pattern to linen - hook - bind - label  (maybe next year)

Seasonal mat for wood box ~ design - hook - bind - label

Christmas themed mat for a stool topper ~ design - hook - bind - label

APPLIQUE

Rebekah L. Smith pumpkins ~ stitch ~ 5 done and gifted

CROSS STITCH

Little patriotic Santa ~ cross stitch - finish as ornament (?)

Christmas Folk ~ cross stitch - finish

As you can see, many things did not get finished ~ or even worked on.  Oh well, there is always tomorrow.  I will not have a December list.  I put enough pressure on myself trying to get my house decorated from top to bottom.  Hopefully I will find some time to finish my WIPs 😁

Thanksgiving was extra special having my Las Vegas son home.  I had to have him at the airport at 5am (and I did not go back to bed!!!  I am beginning to fade!!!) today and thankfully his flight was on schedule and he was home by 7:30am Pacific time.  I think they are a right handsome group.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Now This is Funny ~

Or maybe it's just sad.  My mind is shot :(

Here is my wall of samplers leading from the living room to a small landing.  These are all samplers I stitched years ago with the exception of one antique.  I go up and down these stairs at least 30 times on a normal day.  They have all been hanging there for so long I could not tell you what samplers they are.

The other day, for an unknown reason, I happened to look at the wall and what did I see?  Lydia Bond framed and hanging there.  Now why did I start to stitch a second one?  I'm assuming (and we all know what happens when you assume) I planned to give to a friend.  Well, at least Lydia #2 is all stitched.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)

Lauren

Cross Stitch ~

I finished Lydia Bond.  It only took 25+ years :)  I never thought about the "mememto mori" at the bottom of the sampler until The Cranky Crow pointed it out.  My romance language background then kicked in and I roughly translated it to memories of the dead.  Here is what Robin said about it.

"It is really reminders of death and the mortality of men . . .   It became a term to generally encompass the practice (primarily popular in the Victorian era) of saving momentos from deceased loved ones (e.g., the bits of hair tucked into jewelry, the portraits made from woven hair, etc.).  It is also now a term used to refer to the Victorian portraits of deceased loved ones . . .  Often time the only photographs a family could afford (as photography was in its infancy) were those done after a loved one died.  So they would prop them up to make them "look" alive and photograph them.  Others didn't even bother trying them look lifelike and just photographed them in their coffins, etc."  

Thanks, Robin, for the fascinating information.

The sampler was done on unbleached linen which is darker than it appears in the photo.  With the aid of an Ott lite, bifocals and sometimes a magnifying glass worn around the neck, I was able to muddle through.  This part was a real bear to stitch.  Ok, for starters, I only like to do Xs, so this was a challenge for me.  Perhaps that is why I set it aside for so many years.  The flower, stem and leaves is worked in the tent stitch which is half a cross stitch.  OK, easy enough, except that is worked over one thread.  The motif above the flower is worked in the queen stitch.  ARGH.  I did not enjoy that stitch.  Thankfully the pink band that is also the queen stitch was already stitched.  I am happy to have her done.

Here are some other cross stitch pieces I have stitched in the last six or seven years.  They are just sitting in a plastic shoe box in the closet.  I really ought to consider doing something with them, don'tcha think.

My son is off on his annual motorcycle trip to Hocking Hills in southern Ohio, so I get to watch the granddog, Kali.  She moves so quickly it is hard to get a picture of her.  This was the best I could do.

Happy Mother's Day!  A little mom humor :)

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)

Lauren

Hannah Thompson ~ 1847

Last week on Early Works Mercantile I purchased this antique sampler from Pineberry Lane.  Hannah came and I love her.  She's showing her age just a bit, but that's to be expected.

I am close to finishing Lydia Bond, the reproduction sampler started 25+ years ago.  I see why a put her aside for so many years, but this time I am perservering.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)

Lauren

Off Playing ~

 

What a beautiful day we had today in northern Ohio.  Mid 60's.  Sunny.  Got some outside stuff done.  Raked the yard.  That darn maple tree of mine still hasn't lost all its leaves.  Tomorrow there is snow in the forecast.  Welcome to Ohio.

 

You may recall this little Pineberry Lane sampler I stitched a few months ago for a Christmas gift.  I finally got the edges stitched, though a little wonky. 

 

So yesterday I was off playing ~ aka hitting a few antique shops.  At the shop in Lodi I found this little box.  Not antique but vintage and a great price so I brought it home.

 

Well, it looks like the sampler was made for the box.  I will not attach the sampler but just set it on top.  My son also pointed out that it would fit on the inside of the lid should the recipient want to have the box open.

 

At the Seville Antique Mall (be still my heart), I found this sweet little shoo fly missing its rockers.  I'm not sure what/if I will set anything on the seat, but I just love it.  Gabriella of Tweedthistle Primitives (you can find her on Facebook) always has wonderful antiques ~ and great prices.

 

 

I'm still the crazy decorating fool but there is a light at the end of the tunnel (and it's not a freight train).  I still have the main living room tree to decorate and of course lots of odds and ends.  At the end of the week I will steal some fresh greens from my brother to put outside.  So far this is my most stress free Christmas ever.  Life is good :)

 

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Remember When?

Remember when these dolls were considered "primitive"?  My how things have changed.  This doll was gifted to me at least 30 - 35 years ago (maybe more) by dear friend Wink.  We go back to 1972 :)  We still get together once or twice a year and I am heading to southern Ohio to pay her a visit at the end of the week.  It's a very special friendship, indeed :)

 

Her apron says "Lauren, a stitcher of fine samplers".

 

 

Back in the day, I was primarily a cross stitcher ~ long before my hooking days.  This stairway leads up to my second floor.  All were stitched by me with the exception of one antique sampler.

 

 

Happy Sunday and thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Antique Finds ~

 

I did not expect to bring any antiques home from California, but found a few special treasures at prices I was willing to pay :)

 

It is so hard to get a picture without the glare of the glass.  The reflection to the bottom right is my arms and camera.  Though faded, about 80% of the sampler is in pretty good shape.  The bottom not so much, but for the price, I could not pass her up.

 

I am not wild about how it is framed, but you can see that it has been in this frame for a long time.

 

Circa 1860-1870 English toothpaste pot.  The first one in my small collection that is colored.  Quite a few chips but I am no purist.  It's sitting on a piece of French linen also purchased in California.

 

Some of you may remember my obsession with stone fruit.  You can read about it here.  I haven't added to my collection in a few years, but was so excited to find the half peach and half apple.  I never thought I'd ever own any half fruit.  I thought it was a good deal, but not as good as the deal Julie got in Arizona a couple years back.  (Almost free at a thrift store!)

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Finally a Finish ~

At last a finish to share :)  The Rejoice Sampler by Words of Praise.  Started at least 25 years ago, it is finally stitched.  I do think I will give it a light staining to tone it down a bit and then it will join the growing pile of cross stitch that is not truly "finished".  

 

Another sampler by the same company stitched in 1988, back in the heyday of my cross stitching.

 

It's hard to get a picture of the two girls together.  That's Enchilada at the top and Ernestine below.  Ernestine, who I always called the perfect pug,  has decided she hates Enchilada so they often have to be separated.  Poor Enchilada.  She is just the sweetest thing.  We are still working on a few potty issues . . . sigh . . . but she is a special furbaby.

 

How could you not fall in love with this face?

 

Happy Saturday. 

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Hooked in the Valley ~

From the ATHA biennial, I headed to the Pine Tree Barn in Wooster, Ohio,  for Hooked in the Valley.  In addition to being a hook in, there were wonderful vendors selling things other than hooking related items.  A very successful first time show put on by Kathy and Jeff Graybill.

 

Kathy is the most talented folk artist.  Here is a sampling of her work.  (She is also a hooker and sells patterns.)

 

To the left are vintage and antique rugs.

 

Friend Melissa and I were thrilled to vend there.  Our booth was huge so we had lots of room to spread out.

 

 

Some of Melissa's work.  She is so creative, using vintage buttons, lace, etc. 

 

Here are some of the vendor booths.  Sorry I do not remember the names of them all.  I believe the first picture is Two Old Crows.  I know the second is theirs.

Rebecca Erb ~ the Wool Studio

 

A great rug to use leftover worms.

 

 

Lori Ann Corelis ~

 

Cammie Bruce ~

Ali Strebel ~

 

Unknown ~

RSG Antiques ~ be still my heart!

Unknown ~

Thanks so much for stopping by. 

Pug hugs :)
Lauren