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Hi friends! I finished the antique sampler I was stitching AND I framed it over the weekend AND Brian hung it on the sampler wall!

💐Zoe Elie 1842.💐

Free pattern. Grille gratuite  You can find at  www.reflets-de-soie.fr I stitched this lovely antique sampler with VMSS threads and DMC of my own color choices, and I also used the greens suggested.

I used an antique Sajou alphabet for my own initials.

This is now up on the sampler wall in the kitchen.💗

The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing. —Zephaniah 3:17

I hope and pray you are all healthy and safe where you are. Keep vigilant my friends. We have not seen the last of this virus. Unfortunately now in our state of Wisconsin Coronavirus cases continue to rise since the Safer At Home Order was overturned a few weeks ago in our State Supreme Court. Our Children's Hospital also now has treated at least seven children for the Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome. Horrible news.

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

May Stitching

Hi friends! Let me share a few finishes with you!
This is 🌸May Blooms by Bent Creek🌸

I stitched this two over two with DMC, WDW, and Classic Colorworks on 32ct lambswool linen. I chose almost all my own colors with this one.

This is 🌸May Square Dance by Heart in Hand🌸stitched two over two with DMC and VMSS on 32ct mystery evenweave.

I changed a few flower colors to my liking. (As in more pink! I do not think there are yellow impatiens. I think these are impatiens?)

The German Heiress by Anika Scott was a great WWII read! This one really made you think about war crimes and degrees of guilt. Not just collective guilt of a whole people for what their regime does.
Clara Falkenberg, once Germany’s most eligible and lauded heiress, earned the nickname “the Iron Fräulein” during World War II for her role operating her family’s ironworks empire. It’s been nearly two years since the war ended and she’s left with nothing but a false identification card and a series of burning questions about her family’s past. With nowhere else to run to, she decides to return home and take refuge with her dear friend, Elisa. Narrowly escaping a near-disastrous interrogation by a British officer who’s hell-bent on arresting her for war crimes, she arrives home to discover the city in ruins, and Elisa missing. As Clara begins tracking down Elisa, she encounters Jakob, a charismatic young man working on the black market, who, for his own reasons, is also searching for Elisa. Clara and Jakob soon discover how they might help each other—if only they can stay ahead of the officer determined to make Clara answer for her actions during the war. Propulsive, meticulously researched, and action-fueled, The German Heiress is a mesmerizing page-turner that questions the meaning of justice and morality, deftly shining the spotlight on the often-overlooked perspective of Germans who were caught in the crossfire of the Nazi regime and had nowhere to turn.

I am now stitching an antique sampler piece. I have never done that before.

“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” Ephesians 6:11

I hope and pray you have a safe, wonderful weekend my friends!

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

Eat, Stitch, Sleep, Repeat

Hi friends! 🧵✂️Isn't this precious?!

I love the way this turned out stitched one over one on 40ct.🥰 I used 6 different colors of VMSS flosses for this. I made it this tiny so it will fit in the cubby shelf of course. The words of this pattern are from the current JCS magazine and the pattern is called Eat, Stitch, Sleep Needlebook. I omitted the flower shown and added the scissors and needle, two free motifs I have had saved for years.😊

I am now stitching another monthly pattern for the cubby shelf.

I enjoyed this book that contains stories of two women, one in modern times, and one in WWII. The stories are of mystery, history and romance.
When Caroline wakes up in a Paris hospital with no memory of her past, she’s confused to learn that for years she’s lived a sad, reclusive life in a sprawling apartment on the rue Cler. Slowly regaining vague memories of a man and a young child, she vows to piece her life back together—though she can’t help but feel she may be in danger. A budding friendship with the chef of a charming nearby restaurant takes her mind off her foggy past, as does a startling mystery from decades prior. In Nazi-occupied Paris, a young widow named Céline is trying to build a new life for her daughter while working in her father’s flower shop and hoping to find love again. Then a ruthless German officer discovers her Jewish ancestry and Céline is forced to play a dangerous game to secure the safety of her loved ones. When her worst fears come true, she must fight back in order to save the person she loves most: her daughter. When Caroline discovers Céline’s letters tucked away in a closet, she realizes that her apartment harbors dark secrets—and that she may have more in common with Céline than she could have ever imagined. All the Flowers in Paris is an emotionally captivating novel rooted in the resiliency and strength of the human spirit, the steadfastness of a mother’s love, and the many complex layers of the heart—especially its capacity to forgive.

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch out Your hand Against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand will save me.  Psalm 138:7

I hope you have a wonderful weekend! Stay in and stitch! Or if the weather is nice, go out, but be safe about it PLEASE!!

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

Gift for Mom

Hi friends!

💐This was one of my gifts to my Mom for Mother's Day❣️

We did visit my Mom outside since it was sunny and in the mid-fifties. We stayed apart. That was SO hard. I don't think I have ever NOT hugged and kissed my Mom on Mother's Day. "Better six feet apart, than six feet under!" Right?! This is a free #bewellandstitch pattern from Val Bordados_px. I used all my own colors, using DMC and VMSS. I stitched this on 30ct blue linen so this would fit in this little pink frame from my stash.💗 I am happy to say my my Mom loves it. She is a crazy cat lady and loves to garden❣️

Would you like to read a bizarre, creepy, short novel? This is the one for you!😬 This is the story of 3 members of the Blackwood family & their life after the murders of their father, mother, brother & their uncle’s wife. The 3 remaining Blackwoods live in their house isolated from the village with fences & padlocks & no trespassing signs. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. No swearing, no blood and gore, just psychologically intriguing.
Taking readers deep into a labyrinth of dark neurosis, We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a deliciously unsettling novel about a perverse, isolated, and possibly murderous family and the struggle that ensues when a cousin arrives at their estate.

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,  nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:38-39

I am stitching up a small piece for the cubby shelf next.

I hope that you have a good week my friends! Stay strong. Stay healthy. God bless you.

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

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Hi friends! I have some finishes to share with you.

🌸May freebie by romyfrees.blogspot.com🌸 I stitched this two over two on 28ct white Jubilee using VMSS and WDW. The fabric shown is the backing material. This little monthly pillow did not get a trim. I am working from my stash since the lockdown, and I just did not have one that worked. It seems fine plain.

💐Flowers of the Month: May & June by Praiseworthystitches 💐

 Both of these patterns are from the current issue of JCS. Since I stitched them for my cubby shelf, I stitched mine one over one on 25ct antique white linen, so I had to leave off the over one word at the bottom. I also skipped the border. I used DMC and VMSS.

📚This story is set in Depression-era Kentucky. This is not only a romance, but a fictionalised account of the Kentucky Pack Horse Librarians. It is inspired by a real group of librarians who between 1935 and 1943 delivered books to some of the most remote regions in the Appalachian Mountains. This story follows five extraordinary women and their remarkable journey through the mountains of Kentucky and beyond. I really enjoyed this book.😊
Alice Wright marries handsome American Bennett Van Cleve hoping to escape her stifling life in England. But small-town Kentucky quickly proves equally claustrophobic, especially living alongside her overbearing father-in-law. So when a call goes out for a team of women to deliver books as part of Eleanor Roosevelt’s new traveling library, Alice signs on enthusiastically. The leader, and soon Alice's greatest ally, is Margery, a smart-talking, self-sufficient woman who's never asked a man's permission for anything. They will be joined by three other singular women who become known as the Packhorse Librarians of Kentucky. What happens to them--and to the men they love--becomes an unforgettable drama of loyalty, justice, humanity and passion. These heroic women refuse to be cowed by men or by convention. And though they face all kinds of dangers in a landscape that is at times breathtakingly beautiful, at others brutal, they’re committed to their job: bringing books to people who have never had any, arming them with facts that will change their lives. Based on a true story rooted in America’s past, The Giver of Stars is unparalleled in its scope and epic in its storytelling. Funny, heartbreaking, enthralling, it is destined to become a modern classic--a richly rewarding novel of women’s friendship, of true love, and of what happens when we reach beyond our grasp for the great beyond.

“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him.”  James 1:12

I hope you have a very nice week my friends! Stay healthy and safe! God bless you.

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

Cally LOVES this Amazon box. Best cat bed EVER!