Erica's Stitches

It's almost the end of June and the penstemons are fading.  Most of them have now gone to seed. However, I was finally able to stitch a penstemon! One of my drawings was easily turned into a cross-stich chart with only cross-stitches - no half stitches or outlines.  But, for the word "penstemon" I had to use both cross-stitches and backstitches - otherwise the word would not have fit. The design was sized to fit in a specific frame .  But, if the word "penstemon" is left off, it will fit in a standard 4 x 6 frame.  The color of the word "penstemon" was also determined by the  frame.  Why not try to coordinate?  The other colors were harder to choose because penstemons come in so many colors. I finally used purples - the same color as the penstemons in my yard.  However, penstemons come in many other colors:  white, yellow, orange, pink and red, to name a few. I used 3 different purples for the flower an...

A few months ago I was given a box of frames which I'm ashamed to admit that I've ignored.  Not anymore!  I've dusted off the spiderwebs and have inspected them all. Some are purchased and made of plastic or unfinished wood and are of a standard size.  However, many of them are handmade in strange sizes. Here are some of my favorites.  Now instead of designing something and then deciding on how to finish or frame it I can now turn the process upside-down and try to design something for the frames. But first, I went to the drawer where I keep stitched items that have been completed but not framed or finished.  Some of these I've been meaning to finish for years.  The bad news is that none of the frames fit the two older, bigger samplers I did the longest time ago.  The good news is that I know what sized frames to search for in the future.  One frame does suit a piece I completed a few years ago.  It was pur...