First Snow- Complete!

Finished my first linen project, First Snow by The Drawn Thread!!

Here's a look:

I made it into a cute little pillow to hang from a doorknob or on the wall.  I love it!! 

Linen is definitely still a challenge for me, though I was getting better towards the end.  There 1 or 2 mistakes I left in there, and I did have to frog a few times....but I survived!

Daffy at It's Daffycat opened my eyes to Monaco....I went out and bought some this weekend.  I also got some Hardanger.  They're both teeny tiny, but not as straining as linen.  Thank you for the suggestion, Daffy!!  I'm thinking of trying a small Heaven and Earth Design on one of those and see how it works out!



I also got a little time in on my Japanese Maiden WIP.  Almost done with the gold stitching, then it's all back stitching that will be left.  Here's a few close up pictures of the areas with gold:



 Thought I'd be about done by now, but my side projects took me off my timeline.  Well worth it though!


I'm so anxious to get started on my Angel of Hope stitch, but I promised myself I wouldn't start anything else until the maiden was complete.


My new follower tally is at ..... SEVEN!!   I feel like I win a little mini-lottery everytime I have someone new join!  :)

Thanks so much to everyone who's taken the time to read my posts and stop and leave a comment.  I really appreciate the support!!


Hope everyone has a happy day!

-lesli

Linen - First attempt

I'm attempting my first stitching on linen!! 
I love how finished projects look when they're done on linen, but the material itself has always scared me.  I have trouble getting all the counts right using aida cloth, how could I expect to get anything done using linen?  :)  I've played around with linen before, just to see what it was like and it felt too difficult for me, so this is my first official "project" using the pretty material.


Here's my progress so far:

It feels like it took me an hour just to finish that much!!!  I've even had to frog a little, already!!!  <sigh>  But, I am loving how it's looking,  so I'm determined to see it through!!

The pattern called for 36 count, but I decided to start slow, so I'm using 28 count (it feels like 500 count!!).


The pattern is adorable, here's a look at what my finished item should look like:

The pattern design is from The Drawn Thread and you can download it for free here.


I'm starting to put together some items for a contest!  I'm excited.... I know I love getting stuff but giving away is just as satisfying!  (After this linen attempt, I may have some linen to give away!!)  :)


Happy stitching, blog-land!



-lesli