Fingers have been quietly working....

It has been a busy end of spring here. My husband and I took a short trip to Eastern Finland just a couple of weeks ago. It was so nice to get away and see his family. The country side is gorgeous, all cloaked in the soft greens of summer.

I did take stitching with me, but didn't get as much done as I wanted to. Spending time with my husband and family was a bit more important. I did get to visit a real needlework shop in Joensuu, and replenished some of my precious DMC floss.

I also finished 4 panels for a quilt that will be given to a 2nd grader in California this week. She's facing some surgery soon, and her wonderful teacher wanted to give her a surprise. I had posted a picture of the first panel earlier... here are all 4 that I sent.

All for are Precious Moments. These were a lot of fun. I have not seen a picture of the finished quilt yet, but I will post one when I do.

For now, it is back to work for me.. I have some more pretty magnets to do!

The Power of Backstitches

I don't always have a chance to demonstrate just how powerful backstitching can be. For one, I often backstitch as I finish an area, so getting a picture with just the cross stitching done is almost impossible. Secondly, I work on a lot of smaller projects. But sometimes, I really love to see how the design blooms.

In this first picture, I have all my cross stitches done. It really doesn't look like much other than blobs of color. You can barely tell what this is going to be ("You are the Sweetest Heart" - Gloria & Pat, PMR3). This panel will be going for a charity quilt, being presented to a special young lady.

No backstitches yet

And here we are, with all the backstitches done. This chart isn't really that huge - 40 stitches wide by 89 high. The cross stitches took me about 20 working hours, and backstitching another 8.

Amazing, isn't it?

You can get this lovely design from Patterns Online or you can get the whole booklet with 25 other sweet designs from Gloria & Pat's website as a digital download. The booklet itself is out of print, so you may well pay a bit more than the $12.50 cover price.

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I've taken a few days away from working on items for the shop to do a couple of panels for a quilt. I do have some more message magnets to go into both shops. My 10% off sale is over, but I will do another one very soon. In addition to starting on Christmas ornaments (yeah, I know.. it's only the beginning of May!), I should have some small gifts like mug mats and bread cloths ready well in time for the holiday season. Don't forget to drop by Facebook and LIKE the page. It's a great way to stay in touch of sales and product additions. 

Thanks for stopping by!!