I've Been Stitching, Finally a Post

Here is the before pic.

Can you believe it!!! I started on this WIP again last night and it felt so good to have a needle in my hand after a couple months hiatus. As you many know, I have been hooked on crocheting for the past few months and stitching has been put on the back burner. I joined Jayne's Crazy January Challenge and got no stitching done in January, but I have all year to finish up my projects so any little bit helps.
Here is the after pic. I only got a little bit done on the bottom right hand corner. This is a sampler from The Sampler Life Yahoo Group, and it is done in pages. After you finish a page you send a picture in and you get the next page. I am almost finished page 6 and will be sending my pic in for page 7 today. I know I can start on it anyway and the sampler is pretty symmetrical.

The After

My First Finish for 2011

Happy Dance!!!

Charlotte's Sampler by The Drawn Thread

Stitched with DMC Medici wool

As you can see, I began this in 2002.  It took me a long time to find Bond Street overdyed wool which was part of the problem, but thanks to the Challenge incentive it is done!
I am about halfway through another WIP that has probably been sitting around for 20 years.  My how time flies!  I love samplers and almost everything I do has the ABC's in it.  For more of my finishes visit my blog.  Is anyone interested in a giveaway of Gentle Art Sampler Threads?

Peggy H.
http://memoriesgardendesigns.blogspot.com/

Challenge Change

I had to change my whole challenge as I had forgotten the WIP's I most want to get done.  They are, in no particular order:

1. Strawberry Border Sampler by Cathy Livingston
2. Winter Hearts by Shepherd's Bush
3. The Garden Sampler by Ramsgate
4. Random Thoughts by Drawn Thread
5. Exampler by Kingsland
6. Secret Garden by Forget-Me-Nots in Stitches
7. Family Treasure III by Marilyn Leavitt-Imblum
8. 1805 Hannah Colby Sampler from Better Homes & Gardens Cross Stitch & Needlework Mag.
9. Two Friends Sampler - My Design
10. Four Seasons Sampler by Patricia Andrle
11. Miniature Whitework Sampler by The Sampler House
12. Noah's Ark from Cross Stitch & Country Crafts Magazine 1987
13. Morning Star by Kingsland
14. Sunshine and Shadow by Prairie Schooler
15. Caroline's Sampler by Serendipity Designs

As you might notice, I love samplers...That is one of the ways I could justify my love of cross-stitch and hang large groupings of them...They all sort of fit together in the end.  I have 60+ more projects that are MUST DO's most with chart, fabric and flosses already kitted, plus a box full of charts that are REALLY WOUILD LIKE TO DO's.  If you would like to see photos of my WIP's along with more of my project finishes, list of "Must Do's" and other projects please go to my blog at http://memoriesgardendesigns.blogspot.com/.  I am in the process of putting everything on my blog...Just give me a few days to finish the project.  Thanks for sharing and letting me share.

Peggy H.