"Made in France" work in progress

My mother-in-law started stitching this project many years ago. I was very excited when she handed it off to me at some point in the last year or so. 


I recently pulled this out and started working on it in the evening in front of the television -- unlike counted cross-stitch, a printed piece like this requires little concentration and is ideal when you've got four seasons of Mad Men to re-watch before the season 5 premiere on March 25! 


When finished, this will be the largest work of embroidery that I've ever done. Wish me luck plugging away at this pretty, colorful project!

Fourteen Countess turns one!

Today is my blog birthday! It's hard to believe that a whole year has passed since I wrote this. To celebrate, I'd like to share a special WIP that I'm working on.


It was Stitch in Public day on Saturday, and that motivated me to unearth a project that I've been meaning to finish forever. My mom started stitching this project over twenty years ago, and I've finally picked it back up:

When it's done, it will be the Serenity Prayer:

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;

Courage to change the things I can; and

Wisdom to know the difference.

I've been focusing more on stitching things that I designed myself in the last year, but it's kind of nice to work on something more traditional again, especially something with a message that I have found so helpful over the years. It will be even nicer to finish up a project that my mom once worked on. Is anybody else working on an especially meaningful project these days? Please feel free to leave a comment and share it with us!

Prayer Flag WIP

As I mentioned in a recent post, our amazing friends Maureen and Laura are getting married! I'm very excited about their big day, which is coming up in October. 


They have invited all their wedding guests to create/decorate a prayer flag, an idea they are borrowing from the Buddhist faith. As they explain, "A prayer flag is a rectangular cloth often found strung along mountain ridges and peaks high in the Himalayas. When the wind blows through it, it scatters blessings across the surrounding countryside." 


Isn't that a lovely idea?


The fabric for our prayer flag came in the mail recently. Here it is:

(Forgive me for the gratuitous inclusion of my tootsies. They are included for scale and to show off the pedi that I splurged on this weekend!)


Here's a close-up of the fabric:

I'm really excited about what I have in progress for this, and will reveal it here after their big day!

Goodness WIP

I was so excited to work with Steven to design a new pattern this weekend! Here is a sneak peek of what I've stitched so far:

It will be a Henry David Thoreau quote when done; I can't wait to show you the finished product in all its goodness!

WIP embroidered star

Here's a little star from a project I'm working on these days...