Last February at Camp Stitchalot I admired a huge sampler called "The Houses of Hawk Run Hollow" (by Carriage House Samplings) that one of the other stitchers was working on. I love the early American look and find the morbid poem amusing, but the price of the chart (let alone the fabric and/or silk floss) is more than I usually spend. It's huge, too: the stitch count is 369 wide x 278 high (26.3 x 19.8 inches if stitched on 14-squares-per-inch fabric). I like the idea of stitching just some of the squares as smaller projects (which wouldn't take the rest of my life to finish!).
Here's a funny blog entry by someone who stitched the whole thing and survived with her sense of humor intact: MFB: The Truly Subversive Cross Stitch. Be sure to scroll down, look at the close-up photos, and read all the comments at the end!
UPDATE: more links to the lady at IPB Living and her current MFB project:
July 30, 2008: Stitching In Progress: Villages of Hawk Run Hollow. 1.5 squares done, with photos of the work in progress. Wow! She doesn't use a frame or scroll bar and stitches with a cat in her lap!
August 6, 2008: Stitching In Progress: Village of Hawk Run Hollow. 2 squares done.
August 13, 2008: MFBville In Progress: Week 7. 3 squares done.
I find it discouraging that she apparently stitches 3 hours each night and only gets about one square done per week. I don't have nearly that much stitching time and definitely need a smaller project!
5 comments:
I'm so glad you enjoyed the tale of how MFB became MFB! :D
Don't be discouraged by how long it takes to stitch this! It's fun! It's all about the process! It's... OK, fine, it takes forever. By the way, I only stitch three hours a night during the summer -- as soon as the hockey season starts, the progress reports on MFBville are going to be something like this: "Week 10 -- I think I put in... let's see... 1 thread! Woo-hoo!"
I think stitching the squares as individual projects is a great idea. I think that Carriage House has a smaller, less intricate piece that has the same verse; that might be fun to look into, too.
Hi Pookie,
Thanks for reading my blog! I'm really enjoying your progress reports and the photos of your beautiful needlework (and your cat).
I'm so glad you enjoyed the tale of how MFB became MFB! :D
I enjoyed it so much I sent the link to the gals at my local cross-stitch store (Stitches 'n' Things). They also loved it.
Don't be discouraged by how long it takes to stitch this! It's fun! It's all about the process!
Thanks for your encouragement. I'm still recovering from a Teresa Wentzler chart I finished in 1988. I swore I'd never do anything like that again -- but I am still tempted by "The Houses of Hawk Run Hollow." :)
I think that Carriage House has a smaller, less intricate piece that has the same verse; that might be fun to look into, too.
They do, but it's very plain compared the Houses, Village, and Shores of Hawk Run Hollow. Even with all that buff, the colors on those samplers are beautiful.
By the way, I only stitch three hours a night during the summer
That's how I like to spend my summers, too. Once the school year starts my stitching time decreases dramatically. That's why I like the idea of doing individual squares from the sampler as smaller projects.
I'm looking forward to your next update!
Well, a Teresa Wentzler probably has twice as many color changes per square inch than MFB, right? Now that is crazy! :D
Stitches 'n' Things looks like a fantastic shop! There are few sites lovelier than walls and walls of fabric and threads.
Oh noes! Just as I was drifting off to sleep last night I woke with a jolt and realized I had used the wrong sight/site in my previous comment! And on a college writing professor's blog! How embarrassing! Stupid homophones. I feel shame.
:D
Hi Pookie,
Well, a Teresa Wentzler probably has twice as many color changes per square inch than MFB, right? Now that is crazy! :D
So crazy that I've only stitched one and never started another of her designs, no matter how beautiful they are!
Stitches 'n' Things looks like a fantastic shop! There are few sites lovelier than walls and walls of fabric and threads.
They are good on-line store, too, for those who can't get there physically and the weekly e-newsletter is a hoot!
Oh noes! Just as I was drifting off to sleep last night I woke with a jolt and realized I had used the wrong sight/site in my previous comment! And on a college writing professor's blog! How embarrassing! Stupid homophones. I feel shame. :D
Don't worry: I turn off that part of my brain when I'm not grading. :)
Thanks again for your encouragement re the Carriage House Samplings designs!
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