Whistling while I work

I like to mark certain points in life by choosing and starting a new design. Fall, winter, spring and summer. Vacations, my birthday, Fourth of July, Halloween, Christmas and the New Year. All call out for a new stitching start. Not that I don't start new projects at other times, because honestly it doesn't take much to encourage me to start something new. But the special occasions are different. I enjoy thinking about which design to choose and fabric to use. I make sure I have the threads together to start it at the right time. These starts are more deliberate and not so spontaneous as just the regular, ordinary starts.

Of course, they don't always come to life on fabric the way I imagined or planned. This was the case with my Fourth of July start, Sweet Liberty by The Marking Sampler. I liked the simplicity of this little design and thought it would be a good addition to the patriotic collection I have planned for the white plate rack in my kitchen. I chose a 32 count fabric rather than the recommended 40 count to avoid stitching the words over one on 40 count, but should have gone with the 40 count so it wouldn't seem so bulky. I'm not posting what I did stitch, but I have put the chart aside to restart on 40 count at some point. Here is the chart model:

Sweet Liberty
The Marking Sampler

For a recent trip to the beach, I chose to start a Swedish sampler from The Essamplaire, Ericka Katrina Amanson (1870):

Ericka Katrina Amanson (1870)
The Essamplaire

It is a simple, sweet design which had been on my "to stitch list" for awhile. Katrina included an anchor, a happy looking dog, a pretty pink house with a fence, and various short borders. I don't know how old Katrina was when she stitched it, but the colors have a certain innocence to them which appealed to me. It was charted for DMC, I worked up a conversion for GAST and Weeks threads. The fabric looks more pink today than it really is.

Ericka Katrina Amanson (1870), The Essamplaire
Lakeside Linen, 32 count Vintage Examplar
GAST, Weeks

I also started A Whistling Girl, Hands To Work, before I left for the beach. I like to whistle and I like the humor of the verse. I hope to prove the verse wrong, though! The girl in the sampler has her hands on her hip and has a spunky attitude. She reminds me of the woman in my Sarah Verrier (you can see her in my avatar) who also stands with hand on hip. I didn't notice at first, but there is a difference between the model picture and the actual chart. Can you find the difference?

Here's the model:

A Whistling Girl by Hands To Work

And here's my work following the design as charted:

A Whistling Girl
Hands To Work
Lakeside Linen, 36 count Examplar
1 over 2, GAST & Weeks

I've also made additions to my stash, but I will save those for another day.

Have a wonderful day!