Thursday, February 11, 2016

~ Progress ~


Holy Moly 
~ get out your long-janes & warm woolies!

it is C O L D here in VA this morning!
poor chickens are laying ice cubes again, and the donkeys & sheep won't even come out of the barn!
thank goodness for the sun

Last night I was able to pull a few stitches on the "Pin" project, 
as we shall refer to it ;)




I must say that I do love working on my 30ct Ironstone linen!
I like the splotching & staining and how the base linen that I use takes the staining, 
with little halo-ing.
I don't even need a hoop as it has a good 'hand', or is a stiffer linen.
I prefer a coarser linen than a floppy soft one.




I'm working this project 1 over 2
or one strand of DMC floss over two threads of linen.
and I am waxing my threads lightly.

I love the smell of pure beeswax & how sweet and smoky the scent is ~

I cannot wait until Spring this year ~
Peter & I are hoping to begin keeping a hive of honeybees again!




waxing your threads helps keep it from knotting up as you stitch ~
it also helps protect the thread color if you were to stain your finished project…
{which is really good for protecting specialty over dyed threads such as Weeks or Gentle Arts}

for whatever reason, I have always waxed my threads.
I prefer natural pure beeswax to the commercial 'stuff' on the market.
…the old ways are just best for me I guess :)

so below, you can see that I've stitched the border of the project
and have begun the wording.

the finished stitched portion will be approx. 5" x 5" 
… but the finished project will be around 6" x 6" or a hair larger.





I'll share more progress tomorrow ~
keep warm everyone!!

Hoping you all have a honey of a day!!




~ Blessings from the Farm ~
 Lori

8 comments:

Janet said...

Freezing a s sunny here this morning too.... With the wind its minus 27 C.....a great day to stay in....I wax my threads too...we are so fortunate to have a local apiary just a couple of miles from home and our local speciality tea shop carries their honey and other products..... Keep warm....Janet a blog friend from Ontario, Canada

Janet said...

Freezing a s sunny here this morning too.... With the wind its minus 27 C.....a great day to stay in....I wax my threads too...we are so fortunate to have a local apiary just a couple of miles from home and our local speciality tea shop carries their honey and other products..... Keep warm....Janet a blog friend from Ontario, Canada

Syd said...

Looks like this will be a great project!

Anonymous said...

It's going to be 68 degrees here today! But I remember that last February 28 we had snow and ice, and I cut allll my daffodils and brought them inside…we never know what the weather will do next in Winter! Perhaps I'd better get out and prune my rose shrubs while the sun shines…Lori, I love beeswax anything, especially candles as they burn so sweetly bright and pure. I've never waxed my threads, but I shall give it a go! Your Pin Design is going to bee un-bee-lievably sweet, I'm sure!

Krissy B. said...

We had -29 this morning but I'm off today and do not plan to leave the house! Punching Old Goat and hoping to get it done today. When Mark comes home there will be a roast in the oven and brownies on a plate and a happy wife to greet him. So excited to see the finish of this project. I love odd things and that pin is exactly that. Stay warm! Krissy B.

Lana Manis said...

Love your cross-stitching, Lori! I haven't done that in over 20 years... if my eyes would let me do something so tiny, I'd be tempted to try again!
Beeswax... don't you just love it? :)
Stay warm! We've had below freezing temps and zero and below wind chills here in TN lately, too!

C Reeder PhxAz said...

Can we purchase that wax from you? I have never waxed thread either but would like to try. Do you simply run the thread over the wax lightly or with pressure or what? Thanks for help!!!

acorn hollow said...

It is cold and windy here in NH we have the fireplace snapping away and we are tucked in with our pjs on.
Cathy