Anyhoo, I'll spare you all the gory details, and just offer up some pretty pictures instead :-)
Here is my Cape Cod Girls....
design by The Primitive Needle and stitched on 36 ct. PTP Highland with recommended threads....
and this is Westwinds, by Carriage House Samplings...
which I stitched on some unknown 32 ct. linen with recommended NPI silks. I wasn't that happy with the coverage of one strand over two, but was already halfway done when I decided that, so I just kept stitching and tried not to think about it ;-)
this birdie was my favorite part of the whole thing!
Here are my boys....
Astro, soakin' up some sunshine....
and Muttley, who is too busy worrying about what's in my hand (maybe it's FOOD!!) to pose for a cute picture....
and while we were outside, I snapped a picture of this old cross stitch that's sitting in my Fuchsia plant....
If I recall correctly, it was from a Debbie Mumm kit...these used to be one of my favorite things to stitch in the 90's....she had some Christmas ornament kits I did as well, all on plastic canvas and I can remember having to use a leather thimble on my finger while stitching, otherwise it would bleed from pushing the needle through with all that thread on it...thinking it was at least three strands...
This little chick has held up pretty well over the years, she's been chewed on, gotten wet, sunburned, dirty...but she's still here. Hmm, kinda like me, lol!