Monday, February 7, 2011

Isabella finished

You can tell my brain is gone this morning.  Not only did I almost forget to do a blog post, but I couldn't think of a better title for this post.  Oh well.  It gets the job done.  Here's Isabella.


Isabella Johnstone
40ct vintage Pearled Barley
called for Belle Soie silks

I followed Tanya's advice and didn't bother with the "use light part of silk for this" and "use dark part of silk for that."  And when it called for two different colors of silk at the same time, I did what Tanya suggested again -- I just chose the one I liked best.  :D  (The other suggestion I've heard is to use one of the colors for the / part of the stitch and the other for the \ part of the stitch.  I've heard it works well.)


I think she came out well.  But I still don't like overdyeds and variegated threads much.

I got a lovely prize from Karen of Karen's Handiwork.  A lovely Christmas ornament!  And look at the lovely card she sent as well!


I hope you can see the lovely beaded work she did on the sides of the ornament.  Just gorgeous!  Thank you so much, Karen!  I'm so thrilled! 

I think one reason I'm so discombobulated this morning is that for the first time in more than a week, the boy child is at school and the father type is at work, all at the same time.  The weeks have been constantly filled with snow days with no school so it's hard to even keep track of what day it is.  And the father type has been working from home so much that it's rather disconcerting.  lol!  But today I have the house to myself till school is over!   So this will be short and sweet.  I need to enjoy the alone time!

Speaking of sweet, just a quick pic of the cute Mia.


She likes to sleep on my legs when I'm in bed.  She looks comfy, no?

Thanks as always for stopping by and saying hi.  I always enjoy reading your comments and visiting!  Have a great week!

65 comments:

BrendaS said...

Beautiful finish!

Nice giveaway from Karen too. The beaded edge is very pretty.

Enjoy your "alone time" today. Hope you get lots of stitching time in.

Suburban Stitcher said...

I love this sampler! The cow is surprisingly pleasing (as I don't care for cows!).

the striped rose said...

Isabella is awesome! :)

Erica said...

Isabella is gorgeous!
How cool to have a sampler with a big cow on it!
I totally agree with you about the variagated and overdyed threads. I like to use them for grass and trees, but otherwise I think they are not subtle enough and can be an unwarranted distraction.
Beautiful job!

Deborah said...

Isabella is gorgeous an so is Mia!

BeckySC said...

Oh, it is just so lovely! Congratulations on a wonderful finish, Margaret :) WOW!!

The French Bear said...

Awesome!!! What a gorgeous sampler....I don't care for the variegated threads either...this looks so beautiful.....well done!
Now what? You are so super speedy, I think there must be more up your sleeve!!!
Hello Mia, pretty kitty!!!!
Hugs,
Mags
xx

Bertie said...

Wonderful Margaret, you made another heirloom here, congratulations. I think Mia is glad too so you can give her a lot of attention now LOL.

Vonna Pfeiffer said...

Ah Margaret, your Isabella brings tears to my eyes...as does every thing that you show us each time I visit! :)
And pretty Mia...she plays her role to Oscar level...little Miss of the house!

Annie said...

Isabella looks wonderful! No point struggling with the complexities of hand-dyeds if you don't enjoy it. Stitching should be fun!

Maggie said...

Beautiful finish, and a wonderful gift too :-)

Mia look so comfy, bless, one of my catss love to lie on us when we are in bed, usually she balances on an arm if you are lay on your side, not very compfy for whoever she is sharing her favours with that night, lol.

Enjoy your alone time, i love having the house to myself too :-)

Nancy said...

Oh what a beautiful finish! This is such a pretty sampler. A picture is worth 1,000 words so you didn't even need a title for your post!

Jackie's Stitches said...

Enjoy your quiet time! I think you'll quickly get back into the groove of having time to yourself.

I really like variegated threads but sometimes the color mixes are odd. I like ones in the same colorway. Still a beautiful finish!

Giovanna said...

Congrats on the lovely finish!

Glenna said...

Isabella is wonderful, and I didn't know you didn't like working with variegated threads. In general, the advice to pick what you like is good no matter what! Karen's ornie is very sweet and definitely nice beading. Lucky you on the alone time; Tom works from home most of the time, and recently I heard from him "gee, you sure do spend a lot of time stitching..."

Annie Beez said...

Isabella looks great!! I love that you chose to do your own thing in regards to the fibers-I love sampler threads, but I agree that there are definitely places they do not work well. Personally I don't like to cut them up like that-to use the light and dark parts. I would rather just use 2 colors of good ole DMC. But I do like them on leaves and things like that. Isabella is beautiful! And you have one of the sweetest, cudly cats!

Michelle said...

Gorgeous!!! I am so in love with Isabella. I may have to start her sooner rather than later. Glad you are getting some alone time. I am actually glad to be back at the office today - working from home last week was the pits - but I'm glad I didn't have to drive on the ice. Othello likes to lay on my legs like that too - so sweet!

Leneslines said...

I can't believe how fast you are! It looks lovely, and I like having a cow on a sampler:) And Mia, as always, is just gorgeous.

Natasha said...

I love the way she turned out, I love the cow the best :)

Karen does really do amazing work. Her cards are really awesome too. She talented and super sweet too :)

Have a wonderfully quiet Monday today :)

Jan said...

YAY, Isabella IS finished! Sorry, couldn't resist...have to try to be funny on Mondays, right? She is very pretty, Margaret!!

A sweet ornament too, but nothing sweeter then that Mia girl and yes she does look comfy!

Love to Stitch said...

Yea! Your Isabella is fabulous!!! How great you did what you like-- (there are no cross stitch police!!) Peace and quiet in the house-- what are you going to do!!????

Sylvia said...

Isabella is a beauty!! I love the way she turned out and you are correct - it looks just fine without bothering with "light this" and "dark that".

Thanks for getting back to me on my question. Enjoy your alone time!!

Loraine said...

Your sampler is wonderful! I think the advice of "Do what you like best" is so appropriate. I have to laugh at some in our stitch group that get all out of sorts when they can't have something turn out just like the picture. It's best to just be flexible in these things!
I enjoy these snow days too, but it's starting to feel a little like spring, and I can't wait to get outside!
Hugs.

Isabelle said...

What a beautiful Sampler : many congratulaitons to you on such a lovely finish :-)
Have a nice day,
Isabelle

Cathy Lloyd said...

Oh I so know what you mean about having the house to yourself! Heehee...I love Mondays! Not only is it my day off, but I have the house to myself! When we were on vacation together for 10 days, I got a little 'snippy' the night before we came home. Heehee...I just probably needed some down time! Love your Isabella! As always, another fabulous project finished! Enjoy your day Margaret!

valerie said...

Congrats on your finish! Isabella looks great! What's next?

Love the ornie from Karen. Hope you enjoy your alone time!

Susan said...

Congrats on the finish! Lovely!

What are you going to stitch on next?

Happy Stitching!

Chocolates4Breakfast (Terri Malinovich) said...

Isabella is gorgeous! I did find a copy of the magazine so I am now the proud owner of the pattern as well. Don't know when I'll stitch it but someday... Yours turned out so pretty, Margaret!

Mia is a doll - enjoy your quiet day!

marylin said...

Déjà fini ? Mais tu as une aiguille turbo ! ce sampler est adorable !
bravo ma belle
je t'envoie plein de bisous de France
marylin

Deb said...

It looks great Margaret. Seems like you finished that speedy quick!

Mia is a sweetie, and I hope that you enjoy your peace and quiet. I've been going through the same thing around here - between sicknesses, snow, etc. It's nice to hear peace and quiet!

Siobhán said...

Congratulations on the finish!! I SO want to start this but am trying to be good and get a few things done first.

Nice giveaway from Karen! I love the pic of Mia--she looks mighty comfy!

barbara said...

Oh my gosh, didn't you just start this a few days ago? It's a gorgeous finish!! :D

Mia cracks me up!

Laurie in Iowa said...

Congrats on finishing the lovely Isabella. What is it that you dislike about the hand-dyed silks?
Nice ornament win.
Your Mia looks so very comfy. I think she knows what a wonderful life she has with you and the family.

Unknown said...

lovely blog and sampler. hugs to Mia.

Liz said...

Isabella is beautiful and a lovely gift too. Hope you enjoyed the 'me' day, they're precious after the house has been full..
Lizzie
xxx

samplerlover said...

Hi Margaret, isn't it lovely when you have the house to yourself. I love it. I hope this week is a better week for you than last week.
Isabella looks really lovely and will look lovely with Jane. Karen piece is lovely and the beaded edge makes makes it more special - Sandra.

woolwoman said...

I think that is the look of one spoiled little girly LOL ! so darling - and Miss Isabella is really beautiful - I love overdyes but there are times solids are best. So what's next Ms Margaret? can't wait to see - have a good week and hopefully you will have the days and the house to yourself. Enjoy! Mel

Catherine said...

Stunning finish!

What a sweet finish from Karen.

My days are thrown off as well. Here's to getting back on track!

Mia looks so comfy!

Melanie said...

Congrats on finishing!!! It looks fantastic!! :)

Carol said...

Congratulations on a beautiful finish, Margaret! And what a nice ornament from Karen--she does such lovely finishing, doesn't she?

Hope that snow leaves you alone for a while--you've had more than your share this winter...

Hazel said...

Fantastoc finish and I still can't believe how fast you have finished it! Cute kitty. I must take some of mine. x

Karen said...

Love your Isabella -- she's beautiful! (and what a cutie Miss Mia is; love the look on her face)

Karen said...

Your finish is beautiful! Hope you enjoyed your "day" of aloneness... looks like Mia was certainly enjoying it!

Can't wait to see what you stitch next!

Nancy in WI said...

It's great Margaret! Don't you know that you are very motivating?

Laura said...

Exciting!!!!!! Gorgeous finish! I was enjoying working on mine; but then I went another direction and started something else. Someday my WIPs will be done; until then I just love running from project to project!

Mia looks CUTE!!!

Laura said...

Exciting!!!!!! Gorgeous finish! I was enjoying working on mine; but then I went another direction and started something else. Someday my WIPs will be done; until then I just love running from project to project!

Mia looks CUTE!!!

Melissa said...

Congratulations on Isabella - she is gorgeous! And Mia is looking very sweet perched like that!

Sandy said...

Isabella is GORGEOUS!! Your fiber choices worked out very well.

Cute ornament and card from Karen, too!

Shhh ... don't disturb Mia. She's napping.

purple24 said...

Absolutely Beautiful! You do such beautiful work. :) (My youngest daughter is named Izabel)

BTW... Mia looks so comfy. :)

Cathy B said...

Congratulations! Isabella is gorgeous!

Natalia said...

Margaret, I am so behind on my reader that I am just seeing this post today !! I hope you had a wonderful and quiet day all to yourself yesterday :-) I absolutely love Isabella !! I like the colors very much in spite of the variegated effect... I am still impressed by how fast you stitch !! I am so very slow. LOL!!
Oh Mia, I can see that she has just taken hold of your heart completely. I can read it in every one of your posts. She is so very cute...

Sue said...

Margaret- I love your finish and cute a sweet ornament you received.

Joy said...

Margaret...Isabella is beautiful! How do you stitch so quickly!? Mia is such a sweetie...hope the two of you enjoyed the alone day.

Conny said...

Congrats on your beautiful finish. Isabella looks great to me.
Lucky you to get the lovely pincushion from Karen. Enjoy!

Sherry said...

Isabella is just beautiful! I think I will have to buy some extra stitching hands to catch up with all you fast stitchers!

Mia is adorable as always.

Lois said...

And how gorgeous is Isabella! Congrats on the finish!What a nice giveaway win. Enjoy having a few hours to yourself!

Nicole said...

Congrats on the very beautiful finish Margaret!! I love it! I love Mia too - she's just them sweetest!!

Cari said...

I must have been sleeping when I read your blog on Monday because I just noticed that I didn't comment. zzzzzzzz I love your Isabella...she is just beautiful and one of my favorites. Love Mia too! Hugs

Karoline said...

Isabella is gorgeous, congratulations

Brigitte said...

Margaret, the title of this post is absolutely appropriate, lol. I can't believe that you already finished this sampler - so shortly after finishing Jane. You have my admiration. Congratulations on two wonderful pieces.
Karen's ornament looks so lovely. Lucky you!

Donna said...

Isabella is beautiful. And Mia is adorable. Our cat sleeps between our legs the same way. Sooo stretched out and then you cant move.

Susan said...

I'm way behind on blog reading! Isabella is beautiful! I'm glad the weather is improving and we're all back on schedule.

Alisa said...

Your Isabella sampler is wonderful! Congrats on the lovely finish. :)

Michelle said...

I love the cow!

Jennifer H said...

Margaret,

What a beautiful finish! Sorry I didn't get to comment sooner. RL has a way of hindering the best laid plans. :(

But I have news, I got the SANQ issue that has Isabella in it! Whoo hooo! :)

I also got the latest issue #62 and the Susan Rambo sampler is to die for!

Now I have to ask, when you get your issue of SANQ and decide to stitch a pattern, do you mark the magazine or do you make a working copy? Does the copy come out alright? AND When do you decide to do it in DMC and not the silks that the pattern called for originally? Decisions, decisions...

Hugs and Love,
Jen