We have progress!! I kept thinking and thinking about what I wanted for my header image. One night as I tossed and turned it came to me. I wanted to use the last needlepoint picture my grandmother ever completed. We now have this out of the frame for photos, but also so that we can take it to the framer in June to have it redone.

This is really a very typical Finnish-Swedish theme, with the small village with its church on the hill overlooking the river. I have had this hanging on my wall for over 30 years. It was with me in California, then Colorado, then Texas and now here in Finland. This was also the first piece where she trusted me to help her. I did some of the dark brown on the birch trees. I remember so well stitching carefully in her small apartment in Los Angeles. So very many years ago, and it brings back such memories. I used parts of this piece for my new headers. The great facelift has begun!!

It’s been an interesting week here. I did not get as much stitching done as I would have liked. But then, how many stitchers can say that they accomplished everything they set out to do? As long as I make progress, I try not to get too grumpy about it.

My geese only got about 8 hours of love total. Not really so much when you think about it. The tough parts are actually done now. I really don’t like counting the blank fabric like I did with the darker wing. It is just too easy to mis-count and then everything has to come out. This is also on 18 count fabric which is a bit harder to count. Why so fine? This will be part of a quilt and the squares have to have a certain size so that they all blend together. Too large and they get cut off, too small and they disappear. Each group specifies what size the fabric must be cut and the minimum/maximum dimensions. It is up to the stitcher to make the design work from there.

We also went visiting one day this week. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am never without a project in my bag to work on. I try to keep it something simple that I can do with distractions and minimal counting as well as something that can be done in poor light. I do have a little mini-light that I can clip onto my hoop but I find it awkward to work with for long periods and frankly, it is quite tiring. The 8 point star fits the bill as I have the outline done and don’t need the reference the chart. Here’s this week’s work:

It doesn’t show very well, but most of the white on the upper right point is done. There is just something so unsatisfying about stitching with white floss on white fabric. You can stitch for hours and have it look like you did nothing!

Now that I have the new header images for the shops done, I will begin to relist the items in the Boutique (Etsy shop). They are all still listed in the other shops hint hint. I just have not updated pictures or descriptions.. or prices.