Making progress on the Palace...

The Governor's Palace, Williams burg, VA., that is. It is a beautiful sampler by Homespun Samplar. Williamsburg has long been on my list of places to visit, but til that day comes, this will have to do. I'm using mostly silk fibers. Vikki Clayton's Hand Dyed Fibers to be exact. They are lovely to stitch with and reasonably priced. I have a terrible habit of becoming bored with a piece about half way through. I guess it could be the anticipation of wanting to begin something new. Either way, it happens. I wasn't overly excited about how this was looking on the plain cream 40ct. linen. I love the look of vintage linen, the more distressed the better. So in a flash I was up and setting about dying my fabric. Looking back, I guess it was crazy to do this after it was partly stitched. Tea staining doesn't add enough color for me, so I mixed small amounts of tan and yellow Ritz dye. It gave it a totally new look.

Two recent finishes

May I present "Sibley Hall" by the Goode Huswife? I stitched this piece over one thread on 30ct linen with one strand of silk. I've had this frame forever and thought this design would be perfect for it. I really enjoy stitching over one now and then. I love the way it is so compact and petite. They are hard to see, but those are dogs marching across the lawn. Birds and dogs and houses...a few of my favorite things to stitch.

Here is Maria P. Oliver by Barrick Samplers. It was a thoroughly enjoyable quick stitch. Stitched on 40ct. linen with one strand of silk over two. After it was stitched, I coffee stained it. You never know how staining your piece will come out, but I was pleased with the result.