Finally!

I got some mail late this week. WOO HOO! Not my model stuff, but I did get word that the fabric was holding up the order and it would be on it's way soon.

I did however, get my Belle Soie. OMG. Seriously. These are fantastic!!!!!!! I love these colours. If you love samplers, these threads are perfect. I LOVE the greens. On my next day off (Thursday) I will be diving into my threads and picking colours for the flower samplers. :)

And I got my kit for Alpine Garden. Okay, I know I said I wasn't starting it right away, at least until I finishing either Alhambra or Rose Garden, but I couldn't resist. I needed a pick me up yesterday, so I indulged. I ended up choosing a fabric from HDF, BeDrabbed I think it's called, in 35ct. So far it looks lovely, though I've only put in about a hundred stitches. I have to make a couple of comments though. I have several of the Chatelaine charts, and I love the way they stitch up, but I have to say, they're horrible to read. There are no numbers on the grid, I had to write them in. The backstitching isn't very well defined. And finally, the symbols are dreadful - the printout size is good and easy enough to see, but some of them are so similar it's hard to tell which one is which. I do prefer buying the printed charts to the pdf versions, I figure by the time I enlarge the pdf charts to a readable size and print them it's cost me not only my valuable time but a lot of printer ink getting them right, and the pdf versions are expensive to begin with. I'll keep stitching them up cause I do love how they look, just a few warnings to any Chatelaine noobs out there. I just hate having to wait for them to come out in print! lol

I finished Romy's Austrian Spot Sampler. YAY! It's stitched 1x2 on 45 ct white Florence, using a limited edition thread from HDF, called Double Dusty Rose. Unfortunately, it's from the old dye line, the closest colour to it now is a little more purplish. Thankfully, I've still got 2 1/2 spools of it. :D I'm very happy with how it turned out! Excuse the wrinkles, I haven't ironed it yet. :) This piece stitched up surprisingly quickly - I was able to do a couple motifs a day on my lunch at work, and finished the rest at home over the past week or so. I'm now dragging Sampler Cove's Enya back and forth to work with me, it's coming along rather quickly as well - over 1/4 done already. Of course I forgot it in my locker at work, so I'll have to take pics another day.

And after a very long and tiring day at work, I'm gonna go shower and stitch!!