Two Big Finishes

Drum roll please.............................5.5 skeins were used!!!  We could say 5.25 if we didn't want to count that silly part about ripping out half a tree and a tombstone, but I'm very pleased with 5.5.  I do agree with my GF Nancy and my GF Magical that many stitchers are not as "neat and tidy" as I am so maybe 11 skeins would be necessary.  

With my girls chatting with me in the Hangout on Saturday, I finished the WELCOME.  This was a big moment.

After supper I then spent the next four hours hand sewing the edges, which I thought was going to be an easy thing....my finger hurts now...oh wait...yes it still hurts.

Nifty trick for any kind of linen type material is to cut that straight line by pulling on thread out to create the "cut line".

Very excited to announce that I now have plenty of this choice fabric for AT LEAST three biscornus and possibly two large OR four small bookmarks.

This is probably the most expensive project I've ever worked on, so getting MORE out of it (so to speak) really made it worth the extra cost. 

This pattern was supposed to hang without the gap on the dowel, however I have plans for those gaps for next year.  I'm very excited but must think more on it before I do some kind of sharing of the idea.

The second wonderful finish is the Botanical Fruit Series Bell Pull!  I am very excited about this one and really would like some feed back on the end result.

It is now hanging in my kitchen so everyone who visits will be able to OOO and AAHH over it.  I'll tell you what, it took me HOURS to figure out how I wanted this to be.

I had an idea in my head of what I thought I wanted but once I was able to completely focus on making the bell pull it didn't seem like a feasible idea after all.  A little country crafty look was more to my liking and mixes better with the eclectic style that is my kitchen (well the entire house really).  I had to ask my daughter what order to put them in and she stormed into Nerd Central Command, GLARED at the three pieces and arranged them as you see them now and stomped back into her room (apparently she was busy).  She knows I value her eye for color and arrangement very much which is why she stormed and stomped instead of screeching out something incoherent that might mean she was busy or morphing into some sub-creature from the annals of hell.  I hear the morphing part is very painful and far be it for me to interrupt that special moment.

There is this wall that my kitchen table sits up against that only has four framed pictures on one side and this HUGE area that has nothing.  That is where I planned for the bell pull to be and that is where it is right now.  I'm not sure it will stay there, might move it around a bit to find the right spot.

After I clean up my mess in Nerd Central Command, do some dishes and tidy up around the house, I'm thinking some quality time with the Dr. Who Shada Scarf is in order.

There are many little projects I'd like to work on and a couple medium projects that need to be finished, but for now I need a little bit of a break before getting back to my stitching or feeble attempts at sewing.

Until next time.....