Greetings from Rolla, Missouri!

Hi! I am writing from an hotel in Rolla, Missouri. I have reached Missouri after traveling along the whole Illinois. I loved it, and I love Route 66!
Today I have been in St.Louis, and of course on top of Gateway Arch, it was awesome! Tomorrow plans are to arrive in Kansas and Oklahoma!

No cross stitching in those days..no time at all!

I am enjoying USA so much...I love this country!

Greetings!

Something from the past

Ok, this is what we should call an UFO...and no excuses, you can see when I started it!!



I went to my framer a couple of weeks ago,she had a frame who made for a customer, there, ready and shining. But the measures were wrong, so she told me if I wanted to buy it for a little little price (for a frame like that, with passepartout too!)
So I agreed, even because I know I will use a frame somewhere, somehow!
I took this LHN UFO in my hands and I thought about the frame...well..it's PERFECT! So..let the needle talk, I have to finish it! :)

No finishing in hose days..or, better: nothing I can post here! An exchange piece and a little present for a newborn! :)

Time flies and my departure to USA is approaching...only 5 days to go! I have to organize the last things..and then go to the airport!

Yours in stitches,
Sara

'Tis the season to be...hot!

Yesterday evening I finished the first four Prairie Schooler Santas, from 1984 to 1987!



Now I have other 20 to go, 21 if I include the upcoming 2009 Santa! :)

I love how they came out, but I will NEVER more do 4 in a row, I left red parts in the end, and I got BORED finishing them! For the next ones, I will finsh one Santa at a time! :)

Sunday morning coffee, cross stitch...and a new neighbour!

Nice sunday morning here. It's not so hot yet, and I amm enjoying a coffee and some Cross Stitch.

Those are my two finishes of the week, Prairie Schooler Santa 1984 and the first f twelve Lizzie Kate Christmas Spirit Double Flip-it.



Now I am stitching Prairie Schooler Santas 1985, 1986 and 1987, all the three together, I am leaving the easy part (red!) in the end :)



My neighbours have a new friend..not furry but so nice! A "little" turtle! This is how I see it from my kitchen window! Isn't it nice? :)



I hope you will enjoy your sunday!

Sara

Dancing in the dark!

This is a non-stitching post..but a ROCK'n'ROLL post!

Last tuesday I went to see Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band concert in Turin. It was a GREAT one! 3 hours of pure ROCK'n'ROLL music, and the Boss was astonishing! Here's some pictures:

You can't start a fire sitting 'round crying over a broken heart
This gun's for hire
Even if we're just dancing in the dark
You can't start a fire worrying about your little world falling apart
This gun's for hire
Even if we're just dancing in the dark

If you believe....

...they put a man on the moon!



"One small step for a man, a giant leap for mankind"
1969-2009

Paulette giveaway!

Paulette is having a giveaway to celebrate one year of her blog!
You just have to leave a comment here:

http://plumstreetsamplers.typepad.com/plum_street_samplers/2009/07/thank-you.html#comments

Lucky winner will have 5 charts of Plum Street Samplers! Wow!

Good Luck :)
Sara

Autumn finishes and Christmas beginning :)

I have two more finshes to share. I stitched them fast so I did not post progresses for them :)

This is an old Lizzie Kate chart. It was easy and fun to stitch



And this is a Plum Pudding Needleheart one. Oh, how I love pumpkins!



...and this is the first of twelve Lizzie Kate Christmas Spirit double flips of last year, I have started them to alternate some Autumn stitching with some Christmas stitching! I am planning to stitch also some of old Prairie Schooler Santas for this year.



Tomorrow is the 40th anniversary of the Man on the Moon. To celebrate the date, I have started sitching a chart by Tanya, with some changes...hope to finish it today to have it ready tomorrow!
The fabric is dark blue and not black as it seems :)



Have a nice sunday!
Sara

a Halloween finish :)

I finished today my Prairie Schooler "When witches go riding". Too hot for ironing :) I like how it came out. Just have to decide how to finish it..any ideas? Framing or what? I don't know if it's a good idea to frame it, because it will displayied only on Halloween time...



Just started another quick autumn project by Plum Pudding Needleart.....wish it was Autumn NOW!! :)

I got mail!

I won a drawing on "Stitcher's place" in Canada, look what I got today in the mail from Wilma!



I love this chart, I did not have it yet, and I love this sentence! :) Thank you Wilma!


And this is the situation of my "When witches go riding". It goes fast!



Still hot here. That's why i HATE Summer...waiting for Autumn! :)

Never too early!

It's hot. SO hot. And according to weather forecast, a really hot weather is coming in this week from Africa.

Autumn is my favourite season, so I started my Autumn stitching with this one of Prairie Schooler called "When witches go riding". I love it, I love the colours and the verse!

I hope to find some nice fabric for the finishing in the USA, maybe at The Silver Needle in Tulsa! I just told my BF that it will be a must-do stop! :)



Enjoy your week! I'm off to a political meeting. Nice thing with this HOT weather LOL!

Quick and relaxing, perfect for a lazy sunday!

I have booked my trip along the Historic Route 66. You can't imagine how exciting is all of this!!

This sunday has gone lazy, watching Law and order, CSI, and Murder, she wrote ( I ADORE Jessica Fletcher!)

I have also stitched Tanya's "Movie night" and enjoyed so much this stitching. I added a little blackboard, where the movie of the movie night will be written :)








Just finished my dinner, and waiting for my bf to go out for a cold ice cream!
Hope your weekend was good! :)

U.S.A, I'm coming!

My first hornbook

This is my first hornbook finished. I used a chart of Berthi Smith-Sanders and I used the "lovely" fabric which is less than 40 count(the same that I am using for Mary Wigham).I must admit that the result is worth the difficulties of stitching in such a small fabric. And I am improving in using it each time I start a new work on that fabric!







Tonight I am off to say "farewell" to 2 dear friends of mine that are leaving saturday, destination U.S.A.! They will do the coast to coast from Vancouver to LA, then one of my friends will remain in the U.S.A. until late August, he will work in Norman, Oklahoma, at the University. I'll tell them to say hello to U.S.A. from me! :)

Mary Wigham - week 2

I'm slowly going on on Mary...not to much this week because of 4th of July stitching, but I will be better next week! Anyway, I simply LOVE this chart! :)

I deserve a Green Card! :D

I have spent my 4th of July stitching American themed charts... I enjoyed SO MUCH!
As you can see not all are finished, and actually I made the two finished a few days ago. Th others I will finish in time for next year, and I think I will make an USA basket or someting like that!







...don't you think i deserve a Green Card? :D

Mary Wigham - week 1

I loved this project from the first moment I saw it. Not only because it's pretty cute, but also because it's an historical one. And, going on, wehave been told about some nice ways to personalize it, for example writing a biography of us to put behind the frame when finished, to give our posterity something about us.

You can find Mary here: http://needleprint.blogspot.com/

For all these reasons, I decided to use an old fabric to stitch Mary, it's less than 40 count, I am stitching 1 over 2, it's not easy but hey, this is a challenge! And also, it is my first quaker project. I'm so excited about it!

This is the first picture. Will post weekly update of my works. Proud Mary keeps on burnin'!! ;)

My new floss storage system!

I recently found this wonderful chest of drawers in the weekly market in my town. It was from an olde threads shoppe, and it was supposed to contain threads of an italian brand.
It was a really big deal, for 20 euros,about 15 dollars, I bought this and other old stuff!!
I decided in the end to locate it in my room!

Inside, each drawer is divided in 28 small compartments. I put 5 of DMC thread in each compartment, in order of numbers. It is a nice rainbow I see each time I open a drawer!

This is the front. I am thinking of stitching a part of "Thread Gathering Special Edition" By Little House Needleworks and put it on the second drawer which is a little ruined.

I need something like that but smaller for the special threads!

Hand dying and then stitching!

Hi all! :) I'm back...

it's really HOT here in Italy, it'sdifficult even to stitch but I don't give up! :=)

I tried to hand dye threads...it was so funny, and had good results!

And after dying, of course, time to stitch with my new threads!
A Blackbird Desigs free...

And Lizzie*Kate "Let freedom ring"!

Do you like the results? I do, of course! :)

Yours in stitches,

Sara

Good night, my scissors!

Lovely freebie from Tanya.... http://atthehoneysuckletree.blogspot.com/
I used embroidery fabric, buttons and ribbons from Fleur De Lin et Bouton D'Or which I bought at the exhibition...
Those are the scissors i will keep in the bag :)

Compared with one cent...you can see how small is the fabric!

Off to Ireland tomorrow. Will land at Shannon airport,then Galway and a tour of Dingle Peninsula.

Have a nice weekend! :)

Sara

My treasure!

Last Saturday I went to an exhibition called "Italia Invita: International forum of lace and embroidery". I found so many beautiful stitching things and met my favourite designers!
This is me with Renato Parolin :)

I also attended a class of lace. I am proud to show you my first Irish Rose! :)

This is the second one, smaller, and made at home. It is quite simple to do and in my opinion that is so nice to see!

This is where I learned this nice lace work :) Teachers came from Umbria, in the center of Italy.

Shopping time: I found this beautiful French stand. http://www.fleurdelinetboutondor.com/

This woman, Claude, buys and sells ancient embroidery stuff. You can't imagine how many treasures I saw! This is some of them. Buttns, ribbons, and old mouliné from XX century 20's! I don't think I will use it.... :)

Hornbook is not ancient, bought it in another stand, butI just think it was nice in this picture :)

...and this is wonderful ancient fabric! The red-striped one is cotton with linen, the other one is pure linen. Don't know the count of it, but it is surely smaller than 40 count one...so difficult,but what a satisfaction!

Other treasures from Fleur de Lin et Bouton d'Or...

Meeting new friends! Two nice ladies from the United States! The one onthe right is from New Orleans, Louisiana, and the one on the left is from Ohio! I met them waiting in front of an ATM, started talking and then later helped them with some tanslations! Very nice ladies

Another designer that I love. Mrs. Giulia Manfredini of Giulia Punti Antichi http://www.puntiantichi.com/

Aren't her works such a cutie?

I bought chart and instructions to mak this wonderful kit...Mrs. Manfredini encouraged me so kindly to try new kind of finishes..the Stitcher's Evening Bag...I bought also hornbooks...

...but pins and waxer were a kind gift of Mrs.Manfredini!

Particular of the kit I will try to do :)

This was a present from DMC...the new product "Retors d'Alsace"..it seems nice, especially the thin one...I love the colur 932 and its family! Will surely try it soon

It was such a nice day...I love spending time in places like that, where I can take inspiration and admire other crafters stuff!

I hope you liked this little virtual tour! :)

Sara