And Down the Stretch

I got the corner bit all done and am now doing the last of the three areas of this quarter. It should go quickly, if I work on it this week. It's my last full week in France and I'm really busy. I've also been working on the calendar round robin to finish it off and mail it before leaving here. Next week's busy too, and I'll have jet lag. I'll at least stitch on the plane.

French Flowers

I can't help taking pictures of flowers. I always say I'm going to use them for design one day. That day's getting close as I feel the urge to design bubbling up in me. All these pictures were taken here in France. The topiary swan, petunia, fuchsias and gallardia were taking at the Argentan lace musem. Very pretty grounds.

These sunflowers were taken at a florist's stall in Alencon.

These little blue flowers were sitting on the edge of the cliff in Etretat. You can see one of the cliffs and the sea behind them. The wild geranium was also taken there.

These daisies were growing in the herbal garden outside the Normandy Museum.

I had never seen this flower before and the French name didn't give me a clue. It's comfrey, which I'd heard of before. Anyway, I think it's pretty. It was growing in the herbal garden at Crevecoeur.

Stash, Part 2

A lot of this stuff was on sale, since it was bought at the shop going out of business. There are another Bleu de Chine heart, three Il Etats des Fois charts (one of which is a really big sampler), a Mouton Rouge kit of a red sheep, an Isa Vautier chart, and a kit for making lace. I still have a few more pictures of stash to post ... anyway, I'm very thrilled with my buys.

Midi Part Two Done

I've been working on Part two of this for at least eight months now, probably longer. This week, I finished it. Big accomplishment for me. The other parts are all smaller, so it should go more quickly from now on. I'm happy with the way it's looking, although I think I chose too dark a background for it. No going back now, though.

A New Start - Lady of the Flag

I just started Mirabilia's Lady of the Flag as a charity project. When I get it done, it will be framed by my husband and then raffled off by the Lehigh Valley Blue Star Mothers. The money will be used to support military personnel and veterans. I'll post how to buy raffle tickets when they're sold next year. Anyway, I think it's a fitting thing to do.

Stash, Part 1

As I told you, I went on a stash buying spree last week. Here's part one. The threads are all hand dyed cotton from French dyers. I hadn't seen them before. There are three heart charts from Bleu de Chine in this picture and a sampler tree from them too. I didn't buy a single thing I could get in the States. It seemed pointless to. There are two Bleu de Soie sampler type charts and two from Lili Soleil. The red one and the blue background one are from the same designer. This was bought at two shops - Broderie Passion in Houlme, outside Rouen, and Travaux d'Aiguille in Rouen, which closed on Saturday.

Bird on the Wing

I got a bit more done on one bird this week. Maybe I'll just push through this week and get it done so it's off my plate. It has to be mailed by the tenth, anyway. I think I'll do that. This and my other round robin project remind me why I dislike working on Aida. On top of the near impossible quarter stitches, the hand is so stiff and uninviting. The hedgehog's still cute, though.