and the winner is..... reprint for you"All Is Well With My Soul"

I had a request for the free chart "All Is Well With My Soul" to be posted again so I have attached it here for anyone that would like it. Click on these words > "All Is Well With My Soul" 

And the winner for the drawing is Faye from Carolina Stitcher . So happy for her and I want to thank all of you that left a message for me. I worked on some crochet flower pins that match the flowers on the chart "My Secret Garden". Just adding the leaves and I will add those to Esty and maybe have another giveaway for a set :). Well have a beautiful day and I will post more tomorrow
donna

"My Secret Garden" and a giveaway........

I just finished my new design called "My Secret Garden" 

FINISHING SUGGESTIONS

I  finished the main design as a small pillow. I then added a buttonhole stitch around the outer edge. I finished that with a crochet edge with a scallop pattern. Direction suggestions for scallop edging with a buttonhole stitch  here  , or here

You could also make small pincushions like I did by just using the flower motifs from the design.

HERE IS THE GIVEAWAY

So!!  yes I am having a giveaway . It will be this cross stitch design pattern along with a special small pincushion pillow that I made which says "secret garden". I am in love with using floral patterned fabric and embellishing it myself.  I am giving away this little one to a lucky winner. So please leave me a message and I will add your name to the hat and have the drawing on Friday.

Happy Gardening , donna

New Etsy listings. Limited supply :)

"Arbor Door"

"Americana Door"

I just listed my remainder of the "Door's" that I had available for classes. I will be having more kits available on this idea. You will have to wait and see what I have planned.  I just love the opportunity for our imaginations to grow.  But yes I have to first finish up with my cross stitching today :)

A little glimmer about the doors from the Etsy listing

I hope that you would enjoy stitching one of these piece's of art. Local Artist Kathy Carter has painted this watercolor door in collaboration. Her painting has been reprinted onto Kona cotton. So let your imagination soar and embellish with embroidery stitches. I have included in this kit the fibers I used along with general stitch diagrams, basic directions and close-up color prints. Please remember this will be you own piece of art and I have given you suggestions. Use your imagination and truly make this your own one of a kind piece of ART.
I have supplied the appropriate amount of fibers that I used, extra fibers are not available.
Design area is 4 x 6 . (Frame not included)(needles not included)

Fob beginnings....?

Are these the beginnings of scissor fobs or small pincushions. 

Not sure, what do you suggest.

They are 2 x 2 or smaller.

 I am also  putting together the remainder of the "Door Class" that I taught. I will have the printed fabric along with the fibers I used and stitch suggestions. The finished product is up to you.. Hopefully they be ready tomorrow for Etsy and I only have 4 of each available  I will not be printing them again because I am off to the next printing project. Here are the models.

Have a good day

Happy Sunday and "Messengers" on Etsy

Good day to all of you. I have so many things I am working on at the moment and have decided that I will sell my "Messengers" on Etsy as a finished product for now. I do have plans to make directions in the future but I am trying to get things finished before I move on to many more projects. So I am stitching away on Part 5 of Nantucket Village Series and I have 3 more designs in the TO-DO-PILE. Wish me luck and I hope you enjoyed the Stitch A Long. Dont forget I would love to see your finished work when you have time.

Mystery Stitch A Long Finished...

And this is my finish. So here is some inspiration for you. I have close ups and a few suggestions with stitches. But I hope you use your imagination and please share your finished work  with us because we  would love to see other ideas. (I did not have time to block it straight, sorry, but at least I finished it yeah!!)

Photo was found here

These are my directions for the Rambler Rose with photos. Hope this helps with the direction graph above. 

The center of the flower is a cluster of French Knots

I did use 6 strands of embroidery floss but suggest maybe a Perl cotton. The floss just started to separate as time went on and I had to take a few stitches to gather  the floss together again. But I still like the results it was just a little bit more work :)
Come up from the back of your fabric with your fiber and take a stitch to the right of your work by going to the back and coming back up. Like a sewing stitch method. (Yes you go through the back of the fabric)

Pull thread

Next come up again to the right again  using the sewing method by going in the back of the fabric and back up to the front with your needle  Remember to keep your working thread under your needle. 

My finished Rambler Rose. You could also make it larger and change the floss color  to resemble a real rose with the color shading going from dark to lighter or light to dark.  I made these all the way up the trellis on the right and left side of the door.

Right and left side suggestions: I use a Lazy Daisy stitch for some leaves and then added  Bullion Knots using  a lighter shade of green.

For the left and right bottom side of the door I added French Knots and then Lazy Daisy stitches for leaves that are coming out from the bunch of French Knots.

For the Robins I highlighted their breast with a Satin Stitch . The bottom section of the door you can see that I also used the Satin stitch to fill in the post areas.

Bottom Section

For the upper section of the door I made long straight stitches with 3 strands of matching floss.  For the center section I made small straight stitches like brick work.

The dark windows are filled in with a satin stitch running horizontally (3 strands of floss) , the other door sections are embellished with the same floss color to match the sections using 3 strands of floss and  straight stitches that intersect in the center.

Don't forget that all of this stitching was done after the basic cross stitching was finished. Be creative and embellish some of your other finished work you might have at home. Have fun and don't forget to share your photos. We are anxiously waiting :)
Hope you enjoy this summer project just for you
donna
And one more note-  I noticed on DMC's site they have list of  Summer Stitch A Longs. Check it out and they suggested that this may be a Fall or Halloween theme. What a GREAT idea. You could change the colors and make flowers on the trellis fall colors (maybe mums) and stitch up pumpkins for the bottom of the stairs.

This is Annette's work , thank you sharing