All done!!

After ripping out half of the sampler to make room for the year, I decided I was going to finish it and not just tuck it into my drawer.  It took me two nights.  I was on a roll, and had figured out what I would do with the stitched pieces, so I stitched the alphabet sampler as well.

A simple little throw pillow is what I had in mind.  Other than the Sulky Threads (Blendables 4016 and Solid 1198) everything else was in my stash at home.
The fabric is a fat 1/4 yard of Batik.  I can never resist these little bundles of colourful fabric pieces at tradeshows.  The button is out of my Grandmother's button box.  It probably came off of one of her old jackets.  She never discarded a button, to one day give new life to something old.

Quick Work

OMG, I can't believe we're already into the second half of July.  I'm not sure where all that time has gone.  I didn't get much stitching done over the last few weeks, at least not much I can show as the stitch I used the most over the last month was the "Rip-it".  I started stitching my Mini Quaker Sampler with  Sulky 4106 to venture outside my comfort colours.  With counting errors, I must have ripped and restitched it 3 times, before I decided the colour must be a little too far from home.  So I started again with Sulky 4016 (I only just realized as I am typing the colour numbers, that with just a flip of the digits, I felt so much better). But I still can't show a completed sampler.  I was almost done and wanting to insert the date when  I realized that "all's not well ....."  With yet another counting error, there was not enough space for the year and I had to rip out the top and the right motifs.  But I do love the colours!!!! and I am really enjoying stitching with the Sulky threads.  Even ripping them out is easy. Haha!!

Before completing the Mini Quaker Sampler,

I returned to my Swedish (Huck) weaving and finished my table runner.  Although I started this runner a little over a month ago, the entire project was only about 16 hours in total.  Not bad.  With Swedish weaving your starting and ending threads are woven in on the front and not hidden on the back as with cross stitching.  No threads are actually visible on the reverse side.  I wanted the stitches to look even from end to end, with no doubling up due to starting and ending threads, so I cut each thread length accordingly.  With the intricate weave of the center motif I needed to cut the threads 3 times the length of my table runner ( the table runner measuring 60").  I then started in the middle of the runner to avoid having to weave the entire thread length along the entire fabric.
I find Swedish weaving quite relaxing as once you have the stitch order in your head you can move along quickly.
Give it a try and see for yourself.  Visit our Swedish weaving page at www.gittas.com  to see all the new patterns we received in from Germany.