July down, August started, September & October to go ...

... I am talking about the Bride's Tree SAL ornaments, of course. I had fallen way behind. At the beginning of this month only January through April had been completely stitched and assembled. Since then I have stitched the back for May, both sides of June and July and assembled them and have started on August which ought to be a relatively quick stitch. The July ornament is, of course, the Fish, representing Christ's Blessings. Unable to find a fish charted in the Quaker style, I designed one of my own. I stitched it in Belle Soie silks Foo Foo Flamingo, Old Black Crow and Fern Frond. The August ornament is a Rose, representing Affection. I am using a Workbasket complimentary chart, Quaker Flower, and am stitching it in Belle Soie silks Tortoise Shell and Sister Scarlet. With luck, I shall have the August ornament done by Friday leaving me free to work on the September and October ornaments over the weekend. I may just catch up entirely by the end of the month. I have a teapot chart from which I will appropriate the outline only which I will then decorate with a large Quaker motif from the Workbasket Quaker Sampler. I haven't a clue as yet about how I shall stitch October's Pine Cone. The only chart I have that even remotely resembles the Quaker style is in an old Gift of Stitching issue. I am still looking for a better option.

Once I catch up with the Bride's Tree SAL, I shall be free to concentrate on my Halloween and Thanksgiving ornament goals. I have one Halloween ornament WIP and two more ornaments nearly kitted up ... just waiting for a few overdyed flosses I ordered from Stitchery Row. I'd like to have at least one of these done in time to add it to this year's Halloween Tree. I am four ornaments behind in my Thanksgiving ornament goal but I'll worry about that in November. I currently have 8 Thanksgiving ornaments, stitched either this year or last year. A decent enough showing, although four more would make it an even dozen ... ever so much better!