Finished!

I did it! I just finished this piece about 15 minutes ago! I must admit, it was almost difficult to finish it. I have enjoyed stitching this piece so much that I almost did not want to finish it. But I did and here are some pictures. I had to take them with flash since it is almost midnight, but I am going to try to get better shots and some close ups tomorrow if the brightness will be enough and if it will not be raining like it has been lately.

Little House Neighborhood by Diane Williams, Little House Needleworks
Fabric: 32ct Light Mocha Belfast
Threads: DMC, Crescent Colors and GAST

The text was changed out for a line in an Icelandic kids song. It says 'Ein ég sit og sauma, inni í litlu húsi' and that would translate to 'Alone I sit and stitch, inside a little house'. It is a song that is very dear to me and has been for as long as I can remember. I decided that I wanted to change some elements of the design and bring it a little closer to home so to speak, make it a little more Icelandic. So that is why I changed the squirrels out for a cat and a bee since we do not have squirrels here. I decided not to stitch the white star on the blue house as I thought it looked a little too American. And I decided to stitch the houses in over-dyes to get the look of painted houses, or the houses here in Iceland (especially in the city center) who have corrugated iron on them. And the final touch was the changing of the words. And since I decided not to stitch the women on the original design, but send them inside stitching, this lyric seemed perfect for my piece. I am so in love with it. Now to go to my framers and find the perfect frame for it!

I'm getting close to finishing! :) I hope to get it finished up this weekend!

Debby's Little House Neighborhood - WIP

I have been working on my Little House Neighborhood and almost have the blue house finished. This is such a fun stitch and I am loving it! This row is so cute anyway and I look forward to doing the tree with the lambs and flowers as well as the red house in this. This is being stitched on 40 ct. Light Exampler Linen from Lakeside Linens with one thread over 2

Georgie's LHN

Here's my update:

Linda's fifth update

Here it is! An updated picture of my Neighborhood!

The fourth house was stitched with GAST threads Wood Smoke and Sable. I love how it turned out.

Now I need to draw up the text I am going to use (a line from an Icelandic children song that is very dear to me) and make it fit, stitch it and finish the boarder and I will be all done!

You are all making great progress. I love seeing your pieces grow!

Nicky's Monday Update

Here is my progress for Monday

I have been working for a little over a week on this design and I am just loving it! I have never worked a design so big before. How are all you girls in summer time doing with such a large linen piece on your laps? I don't mind so much because its winter here.

I have been using the required DMC threads and stitching in hand. Sometimes the stitches don't quite sit how I want but I have resisted the urge to unpick and re-do. They aren't that bad! I think I will add to the border as I go and I will put in the wording after finishing this bottom row. Last night I added the white fence and the door to the house. This is a great project, I am loving it and can't stop working on it!

Happy stitching!

Nicky

Hi Everyone! I have finally decided what to put on top. I decided to stick with the rooster after trying two different cats. They just looked huge next to the girl. I also decided to go with bunnies instead of the squirrels. I'm working on the trees now. I hope to get them finished or close to finished today.

I got the bunny chart from my CCN Summer Garden pattern. I was so happy that they fit on the little hills. :)

Susan's Progress - August 25

Everyone is making such great progress on their "Neighborhoods"! I was hoping to have the middle section finished over the weekend, but I ran out of time.

Here's my progress as of last night:

I am back!

I just got back from a fantastic weekend away with a part of my stitching group. I worked a lot on Little House Neighborhood while there. I planned on finishing it, but didn't quite make it. The picture you can see in the post was taken on Saturday at 5pm and since then I have done loads more. I will post another updated picture tomorrow.

See my post on my blog here with the progress picture. (Blogger is not allowing me to upload a photo to this post, sorry!)

I have almost finished the grass on the top portion. I hope to get more done later today. :)

I am back!

Finally I am back home! We ended up extending our vacation of an additional week. The place was so delightful, the weather so sunny, our kids so fond of mountain life, so that we decided to stay away some additional day.
I have been missing you all, and I am so happy to see that our "SAL-Family" is increasing day by day! It is a real joy to share my "Neighborhood stitching" with so many stitchers and friends!
I have just seen that you all are doing such a great work! I am really delighted admiring all your progress!

I hoped to be able to do more stitching during my holidays, but vacations with kids are rather busy! ;-) In a couple of weeks schools are re-opening in our area and then I hope to be able to have more time to stitch.
I had also an "accident" with my needlework, that slowed me up still further.
One day I left my piece on a deckchair in the sun for about a hour during lunch-time and then all the circle of fabric that was tightened in the wood-hoop faded because of the sunlight. A horrible lighter circle appeared in the middle of my piece! When I saw it, I horrified. I tried to remedy washing it, but did not improve it at all. Then I tried and coffee-dye it again. This made the fabric colour uniform again but, obviously, dyed also my stitches... Then I was tempted to restart afresh stitching on a new piece of fabric but unfortunately I had not packed up any other piece of linen before leaving and on the mountains the nearest Needlework shop was not so near... Then, there was not anything else to do but undo almost all of my stitching and stitch it again...grrr...! :-(
This is my little progress...Thanks for looking!

Rachel's update

I worked on Neighborhood today - until the frogs came to visit

There are still leaves that need to be added to the tree but I wanted to move on to the house.

Middle Section Finished!

Well, almost finished. I still have to stitch the leaves and flowers on the border. :)

I'm still loving it! I'm trying to decide if I'm going to make any changes on the top section. Look forward to seeing everyone else progress! :)

Thank you

Thank you Nicole, for inviting me to join this SAL. Last night I pulled out the pattern to kit it. I am trying to use things that are in my stash, but the original piece of fabric that I chose was going to be 2 inches too small. So I have chosen to use Stitches and Spice's 32count Tundra instead. I will be stitching it using DMC floss - just 4 colours short. I will be starting to stitch it on Sunday.

New

I am also just joining. I am hoping to have my pattern by the end of this month so that I can begin stitching on it in early September! I always enjoy seeing what you gals are doing with your SAL and look forward to sharing mine with you before long!

Just Joining

Hi!
Thanks Nicole for sending me an invite. I am eager to join this SAL. I just ordered the pattern yesterday from 123 stitch, not sure how long it will take to receive. I was hoping I could still get in on the SAL. Is anyone stitching it on fabric other than the pearled barley? Also, is there a listing anywhere of the floss requirements. I would like to see if I can kit it up with existing fabric and floss if not, I'd like to go out and buy it so I have it for when I get the pattern.
Thanks again for letting me join

Cherry - Check-in is first

My kind friends, I welcome everybody with affection and I say thank you for the opportunity that I may work together with you.

The substance my choice 32 ct Zweigart, Belfast platinum fell, with the granted threads, possibly here and there with a little variation. Just that I started it, I show a photo later then in this manner.

Happy Stitching!

Susan's progress...

I'm afraid that I've been a little lax in adding a progress picture - with round robins and exchange commitments, I haven't had much chance to work on my own pieces, but I managed to find time over the weekend to work on this. I've promised myself that I'm not going to sign up for any more exchanges this year, because I want to get this one finished!

Meredith's 2nd Update - Start Over...

Hello! Hope everyone has had a nice weekend. I was hoping to be further along on my start over before posting an update...but since we're at the start of another busy week I figured I'd just go ahead with what I've done up until now. I love my new fabric choice - it is 32 Count Light Exampler from Lakeside Linens. I really like the coloration of it and the feel of it (it is much softer than the orginal fabric I started with.) I have found that I like using a hoop with it though (I seem to be mis-counting too much without it...) I know a lot of you use Q-snaps...I've never heard of these before. Are they better for the fabric then a hoop? I am enjoying this project a lot - can't wait to finish this first house and get to do some trees, flowers, people and animals! I have been visiting a lot of your blogs when my eyes are too tired to stitch but I'm not quite ready for bed yet! You all do such beautiful and diverse work!!! And, so fast too!!! Glad to have found this group! Happy stitching! Mere

Blue House is Finished!

I'm going to be taking a little break to work on "Chocolate Box." I'll be looking forward to all of your progress pics this week! :)

Nicky's Fabrics and Threads

My chart arrived from the USA late last week. I ordered the fabric with it, 28ct Pearled Barley. Its a lovely colour. I have just picked out the required DMC threads so far but I might change as I go along.

I am looking forward to starting this week. I normally start from the centre of a design but I noticed many of you started from other places. Can any-body please give me an idea on an accurate way to start from the top or bottom of a design and still keep enough fabric around the design? Thanks so much,

Nicky

Hi Everyone! I got the tree in the middle finished and most of the blue house!

Debby's Little House Neighborhood

I finally got the top stitched today. I love the little lady with the chicken as I would like to think that is me. We live in the country woods and we have 6 little chickens! We also have squirrels here too. I love this project! Now on to the next row.

Stitched on 40 ct Lt. Exampler linen, one thread over 2.

Linda's Third Update!

I am really getting a lot done on this piece! I love love love how it is turning out. Here is a picture of the whole thing as of today. The picture is a little dark even though I took it outside. It is overcast here today and has been raining on and off.

Brown house stitched with CC - Bramble Bush
Red house stitched with CC - Wild Berries
Blue house stitched with CC - Milady's Teal

I finally decided what I wanted to change around in the top panel and here are some snapshots.

I changed the woman and basket out for a birdhouse, the one that is on the chart of 'Reading' from the Little Woman series. I had to change it a little, but I think it turned out cute. And instead of the squirrel I stitched a little cat.

I changed the squirrel out for a bumble bee and moved the rooster closer to the tree and didn't stitch the woman.

Now I need to take a short break from stitching this (it is going to be hard, it keeps calling my name! I even dream that I am stitching it! LOL!) as I have some exchange stitching to do!

Meredith's First Update

Good morning! Here is my start...I decided to start with the top middle house. I have really been enjoying stitching it. I am not loving my fabric however. I went with the recommended 28 count linen but did not go with a dyed fabric (I was nervous to work on it because I never have.) However, after scrolling through the blog some more I have been loving all the beautiful died fabric and have decided to order new fabric in 32 count and re-start later this week. (I think I'll also like a smaller weave as well...) So, I will post my re-start then. In the meantime, I'm working on Garden Girl by CCN and loving that as well! All of your work is beautiful and you are all inspiring me to stitch at least a little every day!!! Thanks!

I stitched a little bit more on my neighborhood yesterday. I decided to stitch the sheep. I love those sheepies! :)

Now, on to the tree! :)

It's taken me all week to get the roof on my house (it's been a crazy week). Here is my current picture.

I'll be setting this aside for tomorrow and Monday to put some time in on Shores of Hawk Run Hollow. I've been very neglectful of it lately!! Then I'll be back to my Neighborhood!

Suz

I finally finished the bottom! Well, I still have to add my initials and the year, but I'll wait until I finish the whole thing to do that. And I'm still deciding what, if anything, I'm going to put next to the words.

I love seeing everyone's progress! You all have made this such a fun SAL!!

Getting ready to start...any helpful hints?

Hello! My name is Meredith and I am so excited to be joining this SAL! I just received my LHN supplies in the mail yesterday and plan on starting the project this weekend. All of your work is so beautiful so I was wondering if anyone had any helpful hints or anything they wished they'd known before they got started? Thanks so much! Can't wait to be able to post some progress in a few days! Meredith

Linda's Second Update!

The only thing I have been stitching on lately is my Little House Neighborood. I just love working on it and it is such a joy to stitch. I have made some nice progress too!

Here is a close up of the first house I finished, stitched with Crescent Colors 'Bramble Bush'.

I really like how it turned out with that floss. I stitched it up and down and really like the effect that makes. Makes the house look more 'wood' to me.
And I started the red house. I decided to go with Crescent Colors 'Wild Berries' for that one and am very happy with that color as a substitute. I am also stitching this one up and down.



Have a great stitching weekend everyone! I love to look at everyones progress! We are going to have some great pieces once this one is all over!