Boom! It's July!

 Hi friends! Here we are in July! I hope my American friends had a nice 4th.

I wanted to let you know I received the results from our Wisconsin State Fair on my two entries. I have received 1st place in the Punch Needle category for Bowl of Pansies.

I received a third place ribbon in the counted cross stitch pictures of this size category for God Bless America by Artful Offerings.

🖤💜Viola/Signs of Spring💜🖤 

This little viola is a combination pattern. I took the free body from October House Fiber Arts free Signs of Spring pattern, with my own choice of DMC greens, and placed the Viola pattern on top from Wildflowergarden Cross Stitch by Kazuko Aoki. I chose her dark blue/black colorway. I just LOVE it!!

🤩 I stitched the viola in the called for DMC colors. It is stitched one over two on 45 ct mystery hand-dyed lavender linen. I made cording so this little beauty can hang from my corner shelf. The pansy fabric for the backing is from my stash. 

Pansies and violas are my favorite flowers!😁

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⭐Stars and Stripes⭐ a free pattern by Sapphire Mountain Handcrafts It is the perfect July addition to the cubby shelf. 🇺🇸 I stitched this over one on 32ct white even weave with my own choice of DMC.

💖🤍💙July Cubby Shelf💖🤍💙Almost every one of these are stitched over one. How do you like my new Annalee dolls? Brian surprised me❣️ I said I was not going to buy anymore. Well I did not! HA! 🐭🐭🐭

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📚This Wisconsin Memoir by Beuna Coburn Carlson was a true joy to read. Wholesome reading. She wrote this book at the age of 94. Her strong farm family survived the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl.

📚🎧I finished this, the latest in the Maisie Dobbs series, and friends, I have to admit, I do believe it is my favorite of all eighteen books in this series. It is such a heartwarming conclusion to a beloved series. Yes. You read that right. I did NOT know that when I listened to this, but I definitely figured that out pretty quick. 😭😭😭 Oh how I will miss Maisie so very much. You see her stitched in my cubby shelf every month with a hat kind of like this one on this final book cover!

All I can say is, if you have not read this series, do it! It is fantastic historical fiction.

I am stitching a special piece for my brother Jonathan. His birthday is August 21st. I am giving it to him for his birthday. I follow daily cross stitch on Instagram. They give one free cross stitch pattern daily. A few years ago they had a dancing chicken (rooster) pattern. I printed it off. I knew I would stitch it for Jon. He dresses up as the "Chicken Man" in the Bluegrass world at events. Don't ask me. It is a thing. It is very, very, very weird. He is, ahem. very overweight. And to see a HUGE man dressed up in a yellow shaggy chicken outfit is WEIRD! But he does it for years now. So I modified the pattern and drew Jon's face into it and am starting to stitch it. I also printed chicken wire onto lugana fabric for the background.

Here is a picture of Jon. He is with Del McCoury here. I will show you my progress soon. I have only just begun.

“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love."  John 15:9

Have a wonderful weekend my friends! Nothing but more rain here. So much rain. Makes my migraines so bad. Boo! Take care now. Till next time! 😘

Stitching and praying,

Vickie

I have taught Flossie to jump through my arms in the shape of a hoop! She is afraid of the hula hoop!