progress and two small finishes

I have an update on the Biedermeier sampler. I started stitching the upper border, but then I got really upset with this design and put it away for a few days. It didn't take long until the bad conscience kicked in. After all it is my goal to finish the sampler by the end of January, so I stitched a few crosses here and there every now and then. 

It is not just that the border pattern is a quite difficult one, but I also found no less than four mistakes in the chart. Luckily I have a good picture of the stitched model, as well as a small picture of the original antique Sampler. So with every part I stitched I was comparing with the original and the model. Several stitches were in the wrong spot and some of the colors where also mixed up.

Usually I am not complaining about mistakes in a chart. Designers are only human and mistakes can happen. But this is a reproduction. Shouldn't the chart be double and triple checked? The chart was printed in a magazine that is now almost 20 years old, so I see no need to complain to the publisher. It is just simply annoying.

Because of being so frustrated with the sampler, I decided that I need a few quick finishes to cheer me up again. So for last night's cross stitching marathon I stitched two small freebies.

First one is "BeeKeeper" by The Drawn Thread

I love stitching bees and this is a perfect little design for me.

Next I stitched "Rain" by Prairie Schooler

This one is stitched 2 over 1 on 18ct. evenweave.

I have another small design under my needles right now, but I think tonight I will be ready continuing on the Biedermeier Sampler. There are still two weeks to go, maybe I do get it finished this month.

A little bit of this and that...

Unbelievable that is has been almost 2 weeks since my last blog entry. So many things have happen.
First of all I made a little progress on my Mary Wigham Sampler.

It is not as much as I planned to, but we had some disturbances going on last.
My beloved bicycle got stolen from my back yard. It was actually looked but the thief removed the front wheel where it was looked to, than stole another front wheel from the neighbors kid's bike, set everything back together and took off. I had the bike for 13 years and is actually a piece of crap (the tires get flat if not pumped up once a week, the gears are broken so it can only be driven in one gear, the saddle has a whole bunch of holes which can be very uncomfortable when it is raining, it is rusty every here and there and the lights are all missing) but I have to say, I loved that crappy old bike. I bought it when I was 18 from my first job ever. Took me have a year to safe enough money to effort it. I think the main thing that is disturbing me, is not that the big is gone, it is more that I cannot understand why people do such things. I have been raised with strong moral values therefore I can not understand that some people obviously don't have any morals at all. Anyhow, that is the main reason that I haven't worked on Mary Wigham since then.

But to keep myself busy with just something, I stitched up two freebies that have been on my ToDo-list for quite a while. First one is a pattern from prairie schooler called "rain" and the second one is "sweet heart cottage" from Maryse. I thing both turned out great. Especially the sweet heart cottage is most adorable.

I also would like to excuse myself if I am not updating my blog during the next 3 weeks as much as usual. My little sister and her boyfriend are coming on Thursday for a vacation. Since I am living in Finland, I do not see my family more often than once a year. So I like to give them my fully attention on this rare visits.
Happy Stitching to all of you and a beautiful summer (winter in Australia and New Zealand)