Daily Threads - Week 6

It's done!

Well, at least the embroidery is done.  The table runner will be finished (though maybe only a week or so before Christmas. :)

Here it is, in all it's glory.

And a close-up of some of the stitching for anyone, like me, who enjoys looking at that sort of thing.

This table runner was a embroidery kit I purchased last time I was in Sweden visiting family.  It uses regular embroidery floss over an even weave fabric.  Throughout the entire runner there are only two stitches used - stem stitch and satin stitch.  The saying "God Jul" translates to Merry Christmas.

Doing one thread a day worked out wonderfully.  I started the embroidery on this in January and even though it's only April - it's done!  Now I get the fun of figuring out what the next project will be.

I hope everyone else is having a wonderful week with a chance to play with their projects too.

Linked up at Slow Stitching Sunday.

Daily Threads - Week 5

I believe that last week can be summed up best by this little phrase - "Well that didn't go as planned."

However, not only is this a new week, but it's Easter weekend to boot.  Happy Easter everyone!

And now back to Christmas....
As a refresher, this is what the tablerunner looked like last time I posted.

And this is what it looks like now.  It almost done!  I've gotten past the hump of being so close to the finish line that I'm tempted by all the new projects I could start and have moved so close to the finish line that I'm obsessed with finishing and nothing else will be worked on until this is done!

The new plan is to show you a finished embroidery next week. :)

Linked up at Slow Stitching Sunday.

Daily Threads - Week 4

Another week has passed and there is more progress to show!

This is what the table runner looked like last week.

And here it is now. 

I'm now so close to the finish line that my attention is beginning to drift towards the next project.  So far I'm staying focused on this project, but I may have a clue as to why I have so many UFOs to choose from. :)

Linked up at Slow Stitching Sunday.

Simply Pinwheels Quilt

A while ago (months ago really, but who's counting) one of the ladies in our guild kindly lead a sew along for one of the Schnibbles patterns.  This little quilt is the result.

I made it using a solid I had in my stash along with a Simply Style charm pack.

 Here's a photo of the back.  When I make quilts with charm packs, I usually end up piecing the back out of leftover squares.  This really helps keep all of those random square that I'm not sure how to use from multiplying.

Here is a close-up of the quilting.  I was stalled at this stage for a while - just couldn't figure out what to do!  Finally I realized that I liked the pinwheel feel of this quilt and wanted to emphasize that.  With that inspiration, I went to town.

Linked up at Sew Fresh Quilts - Let's Bee Social.

Daily Threads - Week 3

Have I mentioned lately just how much I'm loving these daily threads?  It has been amazing to see this project grow with just a stitch here and there any moment I can sneak one in.  (Even with a busy week like the last one.)

Here is what things looked like last week.

And now!

Merry Christmas!  (What God Jul translates to) and it's not even July. :)

Linked up at Slow Stitching Sunday.

Daily Threads - Week 2

It's funny, one thread a day doesn't seem like much.  Yet I've made more progress on this table runner in the past two weeks than I have since I started it.  It's amazing what a stitch here and there throughout the day can accomplish. 

As a refresher - this is what it looked like last week:

And here it is now!  The letters are in satin stitch, that always takes a little lot more thread than stem stitch does.  Once I get back to the stem stitch part it will probably feel like it's moving at warp speed.

Linked up at Slow Stitching Sunday.

Welcome

This table runner was finished last summer.  It says "Welcome".  It was one of several embroidery projects I've picked up when visiting family in Sweden. 

A friend of mine has the most interesting way of counting how long a project has taken to complete.  In the case of this table runner, it took 12 years and 3 months.  The 12 years is how long ago it was started and the 3 months is how long it actually took to finish when I finally picked it up again.

Here are a couple of close-ups.  

The table runner only uses two stitches - stem stitch and satin stitch.  This was my first project with satin stitch; my late grandmother was the one who sat down with me to teach me. My work is still not up to her standards, but it is improving.  (Being honest here - I'm showing you close-ups of the side I finished with and *not* the side I started with for a reason :)  

Now whenever I sit down to do embroidery, I remember that trip with the evenings spent visiting with my grandmother and learning to stitch. 

Where did you learn your crafty skills?  Was it something passed on in your family or are you the role model in your family?