Strawberry Time

Strawberry's are in season--one of my favorite seasons and fruits!  Fresh, served in salads, pies, cakes, it is safe to say I am a little obsessed with strawberries.  This year the Blackbird girls, Barb and Alma released a new booklet called Deck the Halls with six strawberry patterns and the Erica Michaels strawberries are just over the top!

In June, I am taking a strawberry finishing class.  In preparation for the class, I stitched up a strawberry--a practice piece.  This is a 2006 Blackbird Design strawberry--it's big, an overachiever strawberry.

During a recent trip to Hobby Lobby, I found this container and thought it was a good container for my stitched strawberries.  (A new Hobby Lobby is opening soon in Providence Place--I can't wait, I have saved the date for the Grand Opening).

While tidying up my stitching space, I discovered these half square triangles.  Thought it was time to give them some attention, finish up a project and make a dent in my fabric stash.

Also found the beginnings of my flag quilt--a Quilt of Valor.  One of my 2018 goals is to finish this quilt--time to get sewing.

AppleJack and his cousins found their family cemetery!  The cemetery has been very neglected and is in need of serious attention.  This chimney was part of their family home.  

While I was stitching strawberries, sewing quilts and clearing cemeteries, Emma Lerch was on spring break--wish she had taken me with her!  

Emma's Second Basket

Here is Emma Lerch's second basket.  Emma loved her some color.  

Emma, my kind of stitching girl--just like the border the baskets may look the same--they are not.  The colors in the two baskets are just a tad different and just like the border, Emma has added and dropped a stitch here and there.  Was she bored, not paying attention, waiting for floss?  

The poor house desperately needs a roof and window treatment.  Desperately trying to finish Emma--full schedule, pollen not playing nice with eye allergies and an out of town meeting with family.  Yikes! The third and final basket may have to wait a few days longer.

Emma's basket

My stitching ambitions for the week were greater than my time.  This is one of the three baskets on Emma Lerch's sampler.  Colorful isn't it?  I wasn't sure I liked the basket but now that it is stitched I am liking it better.

A tiny start on the second basket--the colors in this basket are also very bold and I'm struggling with stitching them as charted or choosing toned down colors.

LNS (Nashville Needleworks) to the rescue!  Yes, it's a match and no excuses for not completing the stitching of the meadow.

Shopping at second hand stores is one of my favorite things to do--one never knows what treasures are waiting to be found and rescued.

This is a new to me designer--I think this will be a perfect fit for my second hand find!

The outside temperature is 34 degrees and a wintry mix of rain and snow (slush) is in the afternoon forecast.  Music City like many cities is having a very late spring.  While I am waiting for the temperatures to warm, my basil is patiently waiting inside.  No outside gardening today--more stitching on flower baskets inside where the temps are warm and toasty.

2214 Medium dark olive green

Emma Lerch 1843

Scarlet Letter

Mystery linen over dyed with walnut crystals

AVAS Fibers

Emma and I have been busy--two weeks ago at the Homespun Gathering, Emma's border was not finished, her house had no upstairs and there was no tree.

There was much more of the border which needed to be completed than I had originally thought.  As I was making photos, I noticed a missed stitch in one of the border flowers.

After completing the border and adding the upstairs to the house, I directed my stitching efforts to the tree.  Oh Emma is such a girl after my own heart.  Like the border, the leaves of the tree may appear to be symmetrical, they are not.  Once again, an extra stitch here a dropped stitch there.  Notice the way Emma has the major branches of the tree stitched but does not connect all the leaves to the tree.

Emma must have liked baskets--there are three in her samplers.  I haven't stitched any of them.  This week my stitching focus will be on Emma's baskets.

While stitching the leaves on Emma's tree, I realized I have a huge color challenge/problem.  I have run out of 2214.  The huge meadow is stitched with 2214.  When I looked through my AVAS fiber box, I thought everything was okay when I found the above skein.  Nope--there is a huge difference between 2214 and 2214 T.  Am off to Nashville Needleworks, hoping they have the matching color of the meadow grass.  I'm going to do like Emma would have done, stitchers before me would have done and Grandmother Bessie definitely would have done:  I'm going to find a way to make it work!  I may have to do some backstitching or I may have to shop at more than one store, I'm going to find a way to make it work.

It is a rainy, cool Easter Sunday here in Nashville--a great time to turn on the Netflix and start work on Emma's flower baskets.  

(Psssss. I always wanted a sampler with a big border--I think Emma has exceeded my expectations.)