Calendar Poodle SAL

Monday, February 20, 2017

Valentine Rose Finish

Hi friends! We had a beautiful weekend! Sunny and warm. In the sixties! I visited my father's grave on Friday, his birthday. I brought him flowers. I also finished his sampler.
You can see my finish is different than the charted Valentine Rose. Some changes are necessary when you are stitching the entire piece one over one on 25 count linen. I fit my father's name down there, but the date would not fit directly above his name. So.....okay. I put it above the house. Which meant the birds went bye bye. But I knew, yes I KNEW with that one remaining charted bird with only one of his feet clinging to the big 'ol heart, THAT bird was NOT remaining a black bird. Not in my father's sampler. I just kept hearing my Dad's voice, telling me it should be a Polish Eagle. My father was 100% POLISH and rather proud of it! He loved the Polish Eagle. He called himself the Polish Eagle! So I created a Polish Eagle for him. Not sure it is perfect, but I made it for him and that is what counts.
Here is one more picture to share with you. I do not know how old my father is in this picture. This is my Grandpa holding him. ❤️️
I had to shorten the base of the urn to make it all fit. I changed the colors of the strawberries to 221 from 3857. They were too dark for me. I changed the color of the flowers from 3022 to 3024. They were too green for me. All the stems and leaves are 642, not 611. Not green enough.  My Polish Eagle is stitched in 4015, the pale grey to white variegated DMC.

I received this super adorable and very generous gift from our friend Karyn. Isn't it precious?! Thank you again Karyn!
I suppose I am getting to know Maisie too well. ;) I figured out where the book, A Dangerous Place was headed. Still a very good read. You truly feel Maisie's grieving in this book.
Four years after she set sail from England, leaving everything she most loved behind, Maisie Dobbs at last returns, only to find herself in a dangerous place . . .
In Jacqueline Winspear‘s  powerful story of political intrigue and personal tragedy, a brutal murder in the British garrison town of Gibraltar leads Maisie into a web of lies, deceit, and peril.
Spring 1937. In the four years since she left England, Maisie Dobbs has experienced love, contentment, stability—and the deepest tragedy a woman can endure. Now, all she wants is the peace she believes she might find by returning to India. But her sojourn in the hills of Darjeeling is cut short when her stepmother summons her home to England; her aging father Frankie Dobbs is not getting any younger.
But on a ship bound for England, Maisie realizes she isn’t ready to return. Against the wishes of the captain who warns her, “You will be alone in a most dangerous place,” she disembarks in Gibraltar. Though she is on her own, Maisie is far from alone: the British garrison town is teeming with refugees fleeing a brutal civil war across the border in Spain.
Yet the danger is very real. Days after Maisie’s arrival, a photographer and member of Gibraltar’s Sephardic Jewish community, Sebastian Babayoff, is murdered, and Maisie becomes entangled in the case, drawing the attention of the British Secret Service. Under the suspicious eye of a British agent, Maisie is pulled deeper into political intrigue on “the Rock”—arguably Britain’s most important strategic territory—and renews an uneasy acquaintance in the process. At a crossroads between her past and her future, Maisie must choose a direction, knowing that England is, for her, an equally dangerous place, but in quite a different way.
I am now stitching on Forever Be My Always by Emma Congdon.

I hope you have a super week my friends! I plan to! 🐩 Thank you for your sweet words of encouragement! I am thankful for YOU!

Stitching and praying,
Vickie


37 comments:

Maggie said...

Love how you personalized your stitching, and what a great photo to have
of your dad and granddad :-)

Manuela said...

Wonderful month.
I like your change you have made.

Justine said...

I love how you personalised your block. The Polish Eagle looks wonderful!

CalamityJr said...

Your memory block is perfect; you wanted it to represent your Dad and your changes, especially the Polish eagle, make it do just that. What a special photo!

Mii Stitch said...

Great stitching and lovely goodies

CJ said...

Lovely stitching and a great way to honor your Dad with a Polish eagle. I am enjoying the first Maisie Dobbs book. Thanks for the introduction to Maisie.

CJ

Stasi said...

Love how you're making this sampler your own!

Robin in Virginia said...

Way to go on getting this block finished and personalized in your Dad's honor and memory, Vickie! I think you did a great job on the Polish eagle. I hope the warmth and sun didn't trigger a headache. Enjoy your week!

Hilda said...

Oh Vicky! Your Valentine Rose looks stunning! I love all the color changes you made. And what a nice idea to stitch your fathers favorite bird on it. Such a heartful detail.
What a wonderful work to memory your beloved Dad!

Hugs
Hilda

Jenny said...

Good Morning Vickie...

I absolutely love your finish and the way you personalized it for your Dad! What a wonderful tribute! I know I have said this before but you have such a beautiful gift of needlework...I feel so thankful that you choose to share your gift to inspire others...like me! You touch so many lives Vickie through your blog...how blessed we all are!

I love the photos that you have shared with us...I treasure the ones I have of my family as well!

Happy Monday and I hope you have a good week!

Angela Tucker said...

Good morning, Vickie. What an amazing tribute to your dad...every single stitch was done with love. I love the story as much as the stitching LOL I grew up just knowing that my dad was the perfect father. Even at 56, I still feel that way. SMILE. Have an amazing day, friend.

Vicki said...

What a pretty finish - I think it's so cool that you personalized it for your dad.

Clare-Aimetu said...

I love your piece for your dad, the name date and eagle look perfect to me. Great photo too, old ones always provoke such feelings x

butterfly said...

Oh Vickie you are so clever , I love what you stitch for your dad,
You made me tear up , I know your father will be smiling down on you .Hugs.

Andrea said...

Love the block in memory of your father. The changes are great. Have a good week.

Julie said...

A wonderful personalised block for this beautiful memory piece, the changes you made are perfect. I love old black and white photographs.

Jo who can't think of a clever nickname said...

The block looks great and the Polish Eagle is a perfect way to honour and remember your Dad.

Linda said...

What a beautiful tribute to your dad Vickie.

Linda

Bethan said...

I love your dad's sampler; the changes you have made are lovely. I especially like the Polish Eagle and the story behind it x

marly said...

I think it's perfect. Love the colors you used and the changes to personalize. Very nice.

Penny said...

All of your changes are just beautiful, Vickie! And I love the Polish Eagle. Such a sweet picture of your father as a baby!

Barb said...

I love your changes to the block, especially the Polish Eagle!!

gracie said...

Just getting around to visit and I love your finish. Adding your dad's name is perfect.

Kay said...

Your valentine stitch is so precious, I love the way you have personalised it. x

Christina said...

What a lovely tribute to your dad. You are so creative, personalising it like that. I've no idea how you stitch over one...it would drive me crazy!

Irmeli said...

Your stitching looks beautiful and you personalized it so nicely.

Astrids dragon said...

Such a precious tribute to your Dad, I'm sure he'd be thrilled with it. And what a beautiful picture, another treasure.
What a sweet gift you received, I like all those colours.
If you told me, I can't remember, are your reading or listening to your books?

Lili said...

Your block is amazing! Love the colours! Great tribute to your father!
Hugs,
Lili

Stitchy Mc Floss said...

Oh Sweet Friend, how lovely your piece looks that you stitched for your Dad. I just know he is smiling down from Heaven right now looking at that beautiful Polish Eagle you made just for him. I just loved seeing his baby picture. So adorable. I send you ((hugs)) and have you in my thoughts during this time. :)

Can you tell me what thread color that looks blue/purple under the Eve's Leaves thread? These colors are totally awesome. She picked out lovely colors. What a sweet gift from a sweet friend. You are truly blessed. :)

Goodness, if I keep seeing all this pretty stuff I am gonna be forced to pull out all my stitchy stuff....Wait, is that Mo at the front door? Oh my!

Blessings always sweet friend. :)

Carol said...

What a special block you've created, Vickie! I love to read about your personalization--I'm sure your father would have been very proud with his very own Polish Eagle :)

Melinda Forbes said...

This is a great post. I love February. Was at my LNS on Monday and decided I am going to do this someday. You have inspired me.

Beth said...

Very pretty finish and a nice tribute to your father.

Julie - More Of Him said...

What a beautiful piece! How special that it is in honor of your father. I love all your changes and it's just gorgeous. Hope you're doing well!

Blessings - Julie

Sarah in Stitches said...

Beautiful stitching! I love all the changes you made. Enjoy your goodies! :D

Brigitte said...

Oh Vickie, this is such a wonderful tribute to your father, to his life and to his origine. All the changes you made were made for him. Such a great anniversary block.

laceystitcher said...

Woo Hoo! My library just got the Maisie Dobb's books four and five in for me. Headed to go pick them up so I can read tonight. Happy stitching and reading. Love the piece you stitched in memory of your dad.

Kaisievic said...

Lovely finish on Valentine Rose, my dear. Lovely photo of your Dad, too.