Moving along nicely....

on "A Seasonal Sampling" by Linda Meyers.  Here are my before and after pics from last night's Americana stitching:

.... and this is what it will look like one day:

hugs, 

Blogging Renaissance.....

As part of my blogging Renaissance (ie I am back on blogger after a twelve month break), I am resurrecting some of my SAL blog stitching.  I have Friday Frolicked and New Start Sundayed and, of course, Kitten Stitched, over the past week and so I thought it was time to Americana!

So, for this past Monday, I chose Saltbox Farm, part of Linda Meyer's Americana series.

 This is where I started yesterday (I had to start by doing some frogging as that pink for the rabbit was wrong - it was meant to be a pale pink).

... after a day of stitching, I now have a completed rabbit.

.... and this is what it will look like finished:

If you love Americana stitching as much as I do, please feel free to stitch along!

hugs, 

Moving along, nicely....

One Nation by Bygone Stitches is moving along very nicely - I find that I am really looking forward to each Monday so that I can pick it up again.

Before:

Monday, May 28th:

So sorry about the terrible ironing!

hugs,

                                                             

P.S. I am having ANOTHER Girl's Nest Giveaway (#6), click on the pic below if you would like to enter.  Closes TOMORROW - May 31st.

A bit of red, white and blue.....

.... stitching this week, which, of course, is as it always is on the Americana SAL blog.... lol!

So, as you know I have started on a BAP, "One Nation" by ByGone Stitches. I am loving stitching this design.

Here is where I began last Monday evening...

... and this is my progress....

... and then I couldn't stop stitching on it, so I did a bit more yesterday (Tuesday).....

Are you doing any Americana or Patriotic stitching?  I would love to know.

Until next Monday ....

hugs,

                                                             

P.S. I am having ANOTHER Girl's Nest Giveaway (#6), click on the pic below if you would like to enter.  Closes May 31st.

A Happy Dance for Happy 4th and a new Start....

Thanks to everyone for your advice on my two dilemmas - as you will see from the pics below, they have been resolved - if you click on each pic you will be taken to the relevant posts describing my dilemmas.

First up is my Happy Dance - "Happy 4th" by Threadwork Primitives, gifted to me by my dear Stitching friend, Barb, from Wicked Stitcher.

Thank you to those of you who gave me such excellent advice - I am very happy with this finish.

I also have a New Start, "One Nation" by ByBone Stitches, which will be a focus piece for the foreseeable 'Merica Mondays, although I am not discounting the possibility of being easily distracted by another Americana Small along the way!

I have one State stitched and the start of Indiana.  The states are listed on the flag in the order in which they joined the Union.  Here is a reminder of what it will look like one day....

hugs,

                                                             

P.S. I am having ANOTHER Girl's Nest Giveaway (#6), click on the pic below if you would like to enter.  Closes May 31st.

Onto the Elephant....

... the Republican Elephant, that is....

I felt that I made a lot of progress in one evening with my elephant - although he looks a bit like a table at the moment - lol!

hugs, 

P.S. I am having a Giveaway on my main blog, Kitten Stitching, click on the pic below if you would like to enter.  Closes March 31st - only three days to go!

The Donkey is Happy Dancing....

I am very happy to report that last Monday (and a little bit of Tuesday evening) saw me finish my Democratic Donkey.  Yay!  The donkey and I have been happy dancing around the house......

Democratic Donkey

Plum Street Samplers

28 ct linen

Pattern and DMC floss given to me by dear Sarah 

Thank you so much, Sarah, I have loved stitching this design.  Next Monday will see me start on the Republican Elephant.  What fun!

hugs, 

P.S. I am having a Giveaway on my main blog, Kitten Stitching, click on the pic below if you would like to enter.  Closes March 31st.

Democratic Donkey Update...

My focus Americana piece for now is the Democratic Donkey one of the Party Tarts by Plum Street Samplers, part of their Jack's Sweet Shoppe Series.

This was gifted to me by the gorgeous Sarah (from Sarah in Stitches) when we caught up on my recent stay in Dubai.  Thank you again, Sarah.

Now:

Previous post:

So, as you can see - a heap of progress has been made - this is such a lovely project to stitch.  BTW, the top pic is the truer colours of the piece - isn't it funny how much effect lighting can have on your photos?

hugs, 

P.S. I am having a Giveaway on my main blog, Kitten Stitching, click on the pic below if you would like to enter.

Okay, here we go for 2018....

I have just realised that I have not posted on this Americana SAL blog for nearly a year! The last time I posted was 27 March 2017 and here it is the 6th March 2018!!!!!!!!


... and I do  so love this SAL blog - so here goes with the first post for 2018....

My focus Americana piece for now is the Democratic Donkey one of the Party Tarts by Plum Street Samplers, part of their Jack's Sweet Shoppe Series.

This was gifted to me by the gorgeous Sarah (from Sarah in Stitches) when we caught up on my recent stay in Dubai.  Thank you again, Sarah.

This is where I was up to before I started stitching last evening ....

... and, as you can see, quite a lot of progress was made!

I would love it if you would like to join me for some Americana stitching - it can be a WIP or UFO or a brand new project - you choose.

hugs, 

Getting On with the Down Home....

ABCs, that is!

Last post, this is where I was up to....

... and then with one more evening's stitching, I got up to here (so sorry for the unironed photo)

 and last evening, I did just a little more and managed to get myself to this point.....

So, Down Home ABCs is coming along quite nicely, I feel.

hugs, Kaye

Update on Down Home ABCs

Hi all, 

Just letting you know that I have not yet abandoned my new start Down Home ABCs to relinquish as a WIP or even a UFO.

Here I am with a Week Three stitching update....

Coming along quite nicely, really - I was hoping to get the little row of three hanging hearts under the word Quilted finished last evening but I am battling an evil cold that I caught from my Dear Sister (isn't she a sharing sister?), so it was off to bed early for me!

Hope that all of you are well, 


hugs, Kaye

Yes, Virginia, Kaye has started yet another new Americana project!

... And, NO, she has not finished all her other American WIPs yet!!!!!!!  But did that pile of WIPs and UFOs stop her starting something new?  Did it even give her pause?  NO, of course not! lol!

So, I am pleased to present to you....

Down Home ABCs 

by

Jean Farish Designs

Here are Milo and I starting the project - on some very pretty grey and white spotted 32ct fabric.

Now, I have been stitching on this for two 'Merica Mondays now, so here is Week One's progress:

Week Two progress:

I am using a mixture of Cosmo threads and specialty threads (CC, WDW and GAST) from my stash, with the possibility of some DMC thrown in at a later date.

I am very pleased with how quickly it is progressing.

So, I am looking forward to stitching on it this evening as Monday has somehow swung around again!

hugs, Kaye

Merry Christmas ....

Wishing all of my very dear bloggy/crafty/cross stitchy friends the very Merriest of Christmases and a safe and Happy New Year.

I would also like to thank you all for your friendship, support, advice, encouragement and kindnesses to me over the past year.  This Americana SAL blog,  fuels one of my many passions, and thus means a lot to me and while, posting on it has been erratic of late (as my Christmas stitching hotted up) it still gives me great pleasure to know that this blog has, just maybe, been of pleasure to you, too.

All the best for 2017 and I hope to see you all back on this SAL blog in January.

hugs, 

Double the fun....

.... as I now have two Americana projects on the go...

Last evening for FNwF and Friday Frolics, I randomly chose this UFO,  the gorgeous Thirteen Colonies by LHN.  Now, I last stitched on this way back in January, 2012!!!!!! You can read all about it on my Kitten Stitching blog here.

Now, when I picked it up last night, the stitching was like this....

and now....

Yay! I finished the little grey house - although you may notice that I am frogging the browny colour on the right - I realised that I had used the wrong floss colour, all those years ago - aagghh!

I am certain that Thirteen Colonies was a gift from dear Gracie from Needles, pins and dragonflies and she generous gifted me not only the pattern but the fabric and the floss as well - thank you, dear Gracie.  So sorry to have neglected it for so long but it is back in the rotation now - please look for another update post on this next week on Kitten Stitching for Gifted Gorgeousness and I am going to add it to my 'Merica Monday rotation for this SAL blog to make sure that it does not get forgotten again.

(You can see what everyone else was doing for FNwF by clicking this link and check out the Friday Frolickers here, if you are interested.)

... and, of course, I am still stitching on America, Land that we love by Jean Farish.  I am currently stitching "Colorado".  For some reason, I am finding this block a bit of a struggle, not quite sure why!

Not sure that I am happy with the long stitching on the teepee poles or the colour - they look like they are on fire!

I think that I am going to change them - what do you all think?

See you all next time, 

hugs, Kaye

California dreaming .....

on a Winter's Autumn's Day...

California ....

State motto: Eureka (you gotta love that as a motto!)

31st State to join the Union - September 9th, 1850.

I now have FIVE states out of FIFTY stitched - 10% of the way there - yay!

... and, of course, stitching this State makes me think of the Mamas and the Papas....

California, a western U.S. state, stretches from the Mexican border along the Pacific for nearly 900 miles. It's known for its dramatic terrain encompassing cliff-lined beaches, redwood forest, the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Central Valley farmland and the arid Mojave Desert. Its cities include sprawling Los Angeles, seat of the Hollywood entertainment industry, and hilly San Francisco, home to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Capital: Sacramento

Population: 38.8 million (2014) (which makes it the most populous state)

Another stunning State - I am so enjoying writing these posts on each state - it so makes me want to go back there on another trip.

That's all for now, 

hugs, Kaye