Let Freedom Ring - August Update

I started working on this on Thursday, August 27th and put it away today.  Here is where it was before I started:

And here it is now:

I finished the top half of the chart and started the bottom half on the left.  I figured out why I set it aside also; there are quite a few mistakes in it and I did a lot of frogging and/or fudging.  I still plan to finish it though.

July, Stars and Stripes and July

Hi Kaye.  I'm excited about this SAL.  Until about 15 years ago I only had heard of and bought kits. (Lots of them. lol)  When I started discovering just charts is when I really fell in love with the Americana stitching.  I am now the proud owner of several dozen charts and am looking forward to having an excuse to stitch them.  The 4th of July has always been one of my favorite holidays.

The first 2 were started a few years ago.

I just started this one the the SAL.

Linda

Stars and Stripes

One of my favorite designers is Ursula Michael; I love all of her quilt designs. I'm not very good at traditional sewing, so I don't know if I'll ever learn to quilt. For now, I'll content myself with stitching them! This is Stars and Stripes by Ursula Michael:

I've only just started on the border of the middle quilt, but I'm hoping for more progress by next month.

Happy Stitching!

Kate

American Santa...

... here is my Americana offering for August, American Santa.  This is a freebie from I don't know where stitched on what I think is 32 ct white linen using a variety of speciality threads, colours chosen by me.

I am quite pleased with him - he is going to make a cute ornie.

I am so thrilled that you are all enjoying this SAL - some beautiful stitching and designs have been posted so far.  Thank you for wanting to play with me, lovely stitchers.

hugs, 

Victorian Houses so far!-August15

Unfortunately I didn't work at all on this one. First I had gall bladder surgery. I also had other things to stitch on.
Then I realised I had to have a magnified photocopy of my pattern otherwise I cannot see what I stitch.
Another problem is that the kit says I should stitch with three threads which is strange as the fabric is small count. I stitched only the central line to see where I will be starting and I decided I won't continue with three threads but will go to two.

New to This Blog

   This is my first post to this blog and I want to thank Kaye for letting me join in the fun.  I have been stitching Americana for as long as I have been stitching and it is wonderful to be able to give it a place of its own.
  My 2 favorite pieces are ones I stitched for my husband for Christmas, thankfully not in the same year!  I stitched 272 Words by Primrose Needleworks one year,

and the following year I gave him One Nation by Bygone Stitches.

They are both now hanging together in our dining room.

   I currently have two pieces in my rotation that can be called Americana. This is my meager start on Old Glory by Rosewood Manor.

It has moved into the 'stitch group piece' spot since I've finished the piece that was in that spot and only gets worked on a couple of times a week. It won't be finished this year but maybe next.  The other piece I am working on is Liberty Inn by Plum Street Designs.

Again, still early days so not a lot to show.
  So there you have it.  Hope to have some good progress to show sometime soon!!

Laura
llknbillburg.blogspot.com

Good morning and a first hello.

It's great to be here. When I read about this new SAL blog first I didn't consider joining because I thought I had nothing to contribute to the theme. But then, suddenly, I remembered one of my oldest UFOs - Jean Farish's America Sampler. I can't even remember when I stitched on it the last time, I have to look it up in my stitching diary. Anyway, here is where I am.

The last state I stitched was Montana, and the next will be Nebraska.

And then I saw Ariadne's post with the Victorian houses. And I immediately thought of one of my projects for my Year of BAPs. It's the Gingerbread Mansion that you can find in Ferndale, California, and which is a design by Nancy Spruance.

I bought that chart many years ago and I think it qualifies for this SAL as well. I can't wait to start it.
Thank you, Kaye.

My first Americana project

I have several projects that qualify in my stash, but the first one I've chosen is a UFO that hasn't seen any attention for several years, but was in my pile of items to work on this year. 

It's Let Freedom Ring from Sunset.  This is the completed project.

And this is where I am now.  I'm almost finished with the top half, just a little more flag and the rest of the eagle.

Cathy
http://stitchinggrandmacathy@blogspot.com

Hello! (Edited)

I'm Shelly. I thought I would show what my first patriotic start is going to be. However, because I use an ipad, I can't post any pictures here. But! I have fixed the problem! I am able to post pics here through Picasa Web Albums. I have to take an extra step to do it but it's fast.

This is designed by Marly of Samplers and Santas and is called Sweet Liberty. All I have are the two top lines so not worth it to put up a picture just yet. Time goes by so fast that when the 4th of July comes around, I'm caught unaware with no patriotic stitching! Here's my chance to stitch up a lot! Thanks Kaye!

Victorian Houses

Hello everyone!
I am Ariadne from Greece!
I am so glad I am taking part in this SAL.
Thank you Kaye for organizing this!
My friend Marabeth from the States sends me cross stitch kits she finds in garage sales and thrift stores as we don't have any here because most craft stores have closed.
When she sent me this Bucilla one I was so happy although it looked rather complicated for me so I left it aside.
Since hubby and I visited the States last year I really wanted to stitch this one because we loved all those houses we saw in Connecticut and New England in general. And hope you consider it Americana.See the flag?
So this SAL is giving me the chance to try and stitch it.
This is the kit and I have so far washed the fabric and put the threads in a thread organiser!

Good luck to everyone!See you in the end of August when I will post my first stitched piece photo.

Welcome!

Welcome, welcome, welcome to what I hope will be a fabulous new blog.

The header says it all - join us each month for some Americana or Patriotic stitching - stitch as little or as much as you want.  Post progress pics and finishes as you go along. If you can't post one month - there is always next month!  This is a stress free SAL!

Please feel free to add our Badge to your blog, don't forget to add the link back to this blog.

Now, I promised you quizzes, competitions and giveaways.  So, I will kick it off with a little giveaway (not sure what yet, but it will be an Americana cross stitch design).  However, you have to work for it a little - just a little.

To be eligible to win the prize, you need to POST, sometime this month, showing a little bit of Americana and telling us a little bit about WHY  you love stitching Americana or Patriotic designs.  Easy, hey?

I will kick it off:

I love what I call Americana stitching or what is sometimes called by U.S. stitchers Patriotic stitching.  We just do not seem to have that same sort of genre of designs here in Australia.  I think my love of Americana began when I studied American history in Year 11, I still remember my textbook was called "From sea to shining sea".  Let's see, that would be forty years ago now - lol!  I learnt about the seven colonies, then the thirteen colonies and on it went - fascinating.

So, I found that I am drawn to stitching American designs, like Liberty Lane below:

Why do you love this type of stitching so much?

hugs,