A Little More Stitchin'

Gentle Friends, Swan Pond is coming along and here's a snap...

... the colour is way off on this snap, but you can see where I'm at with the piece.  I've finished up the house with the windows and the backstitching.  Now it's only a little bit more and then on to the next project... I've been thinking about that but haven't landed on anything yet.

That's about it for today sports fans, thanks for stopping by do stop again!

Good Thoughts! Good Words! Good Deeds!

edgar

Some Lilacs and Little Cake

Gentle Friends, after mass on Sunday we were walking down to the Castro for brunch and libations.  We passed a flower stand and there in one of the many flower buckets was my favourite spring flower... lilacs... and I couldn't resist... 

... so they came home with me and look lovely in the living room... and smell better!!

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There was a Mothers Day bake sale at church so I made ...

...  my Great Grandmothers Lemon Pound Cake... it's an old fashioned recipe, the cake is one of my favourites I've made many times!!

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There you go sports fans, thanks for stopping by do stop again!

Good Thoughts! Good Words! Good Deeds!

edgar

A Little Stitchin'

Gentle Friends, still stitching away on Swan Pond... here's a snap...

... finally got a roof on this sucker, and I really like the decorative nature of the herringbone stitch to replicate... shingles??  Looking around I finally found a floor plan for the house online.  It drives me crazy when I can't figure out - or am not 100% sure about the room placement.  So, the rooms are...  looking at the house the ground floor has a parlour/living room on the left and dining room on the right with three bedrooms above the centre room is the smallest of the three with a stair hall in the back in the middle. To the right is the kitchen wing with a bedroom above.  The central door on the second floor, I'm guessing, must have led onto a small flat-roofed porch of some sort now long gone.  That door now has a small gate in front of it to keep anyone from falling from the second floor.  I tried calling the house but couldn't get anyone to answer the phone to ask so I'll stick to my guess.

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There you go sports fans, thanks for stopping by do stop again!

Good Thoughts!  Good Words!!  Good Deeds!!

edgar

A Little Stitchin'

Gentle Friends, still stitching away on Swan Pond... and here's a snap...

... and here are some thoughts.  I decided to modify the vine border a bit to finish out the capital eyelet alphabet line... and I'm in the reworking of the house info under that in progress... I started that info line and sort of like it but not really... and so I stopped and I'm working it out on paper before I stitch any more of that.  I've finished up the fill of the first floor of the house and really like using the pinkish coloured floss,  I've still got the second floor to fill in and there's a one-story extension to the right to complete. With only those bits left on this sampler, I've started to think what's up next...

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There you sports fans, thanks again for stopping by do stop again!

Good Thoughts! Good Words! Good Deeds!

edgar

A Little Stitchin'

Gentle Friends, so, I forgot to take a photo of SP Sampler last night but got a quick shot this morning before leaving the house... so it's still "snapped" up and a little sloppy...

... I've started on the house and as I stitch I'm choosing to use the darkest parts of the overdyed floss as I go along to replicate the pink-marble stone used to build Swan Pond.  I'll probably go back and frog out the chimney cap as it looks a bit light to me. Also, after the house is completed I'll do the charted backstitching.  I do like the "limestone" quoins, stringer and headers.

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That's about it for today sports fans, thanks for stopping by do stop again!!

 Good Thoughts! Good Words! Good Deeds!

edgar

A Little Break with some Stitchin'

Gentle Friends, so... I've been away since last Thursday, just a little staycation, but it was nice and quiet.  Did some laundry, vacuuming, and some general puttering. Rico also took the time off so we went out to breakfast a few times and slept late... not that the Who-hounds would let that happen...but later than 5:30 am is sleeping in around our house!!  

I did get some stitching done and here's a shot of Swan Pond Sampler...

... it was at this point that I made my first big change.  The sampler as charted had the eyelet alphabet ending with the letter "M."  Well, that didn't sit well with me so I decided to extend the alphabet to the end.  The Sampler has/had a large medallion with information about the house in this space.  I will rework that info and use the space better, IMHO.  I've also decided to change the charted colour of the house from a sort of woody brown to a more appropriate colour to represent the pink marble and limestone house.

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That's about it for today sports fans.  Thanks again for stopping by do stop again!!

Good Words! Good Thoughts! Good Deeds!

edgar

A Little Remebering

Gentle Friends... with the tragic fire on the Ile de la Cite at Notre Dame Cathedral on Monday got me to thinking about some past visits to Paris and so I dug up some of my own photos...

... this is my favourite tea shop on the left bank where you can get...

... a pot of tea and some delicious cream filled choux... and while you enjoy this treat you can sit an look at this view...

... I took this shot of the towers of Notre Dame sitting at Odette...

... here's a shot of the front...

... from the Petit Pont (or Small Bridge)...

... here's a shot of the now lost roof and 19th-century spire taken from the Pont de l'Archeveche (the Archbishops Bridge)

... and a shot of the gardens at the back of the church... all the roof structure is gone along with the spire. There was so much loss but there was so much saved... I've been really lucky to have been able to visit Paris quite a few times and to see this wonderful structure both inside and out.

.... and a shot I lifted from the interent of the high alter amid the ruble.

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Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds!

edgar

... and yet more stitchin'

Gentle Friends, over the past week there's been an HBO watchathon and I've been binge watching GOT (Game of Thrones). If you've been reading this blog for a while you know that one of my worst traits is that I can dig my heels in and can be, as my gran would put it... "stubborn as a Georgia mule" about many things.  One of those things has been GOT.  Coming from a history background I have real issues with "history-based" dramas.... with this faux-historical stuff... they try really hard, but usually miss the mark by, like a mile!  Over the years I've avoided any bit of exposure to GOT.  I've had lots of folks in my life try and get me to watch, but I am stubborn and refused!!

So...with all the talk lately about Season 8 of GOT starting up, I thought I should give it one more chance.... and after watching about five episodes it started to click a bit and now I've gotten through 5 and 1/2 seasons and really want more show!!  With a cast of thousands, warlocks, white walkers, the children and three dragons... I am totally hooked!!

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While I was watching all this GOT sex and killing I was stitching away !!  

Here's a snap of where I left off...

... sorry about the gigantic wrinkles.  I was really happy about the border matching up and not being off!!  I think I'm going to change up the second alphabet.  You'll get to see that next week.... unless it doesn't work, then I'll rethink it, but for now and in my mind I think it will work out... so fingers crossed!

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That's about it for today sports fans.  Thanks for stopping by do stop again!

Good Thoughts! Good Words! Good Deeds!

edgar

A Little More Stitchin'

Gentle Friends, another very short weekend zoomed by!  I'm still working away on Swan Pond.... here's a snaperoo...

.. as you can see I've turned the right corner...  I miss stitched a bit so had a tiny frog moment but then got back on track!!

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There you go sports fans, thanks for stopping by do stop again!

Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds!

edgar

A Little Stitchin'

Gentle Friends, I have some good stitching evenings so I'm moving along on Swan Pond... 

here's a snaperoo...

... so I've turned the left corner and started on the alphabet.  I'm thinking about expanding the larger alphabet which occurs under the small one I just started.  I'll tighten up some of the words and shift the poem...but for now, it's all just up in my head and I'm just thinking about doing some changes...we'll see when I get to that point.

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That's about it or today sports fans thanks for stopping by do stop again!!

Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds!

edgar