Cross Stitch Inventory and one mystery SOLVED!

Isn't that a pretty bunch of embroidery floss? I know I bought them about ten months ago or so, but for the life of me, I couldn't figure out WHAT cross stitch sampler they went with! I did finally figure it out, but it took getting out everything I had to see if there was a sampler kit out there without its floss.

Another mystery is the whereabouts of a cross-stitch sampler kit I bought at the Washington National Cathedral about 12 years ago and thought I had stored it in my desk.  Still cannot find it.

I did a lot of cross stitching from 1985 until 1987 when I started law school, eleven years and six kids after college. I put a lot of things aside for about 15 years while getting through law school, raising kids, attendant financial struggles, and finally gaining experience in my profession and settling into the area of law I was to practice.  I honestly do not know how some of my colleagues did all that on their own with no spouse in the picture. In 2002 I picked up the two samplers from the mid-80s and bought a couple of simple projects, but my eyes were getting very far-sighted by then and close work was very difficult, so I went back to my first craft: knitting. For some reason, I was able to knit a few things during the 15-year hiatus from cross-stitching.  

Finally settling into a career that I loved, getting more organized with my time, the kids growing up, and getting a good pair of glasses put me in a place where I decided to give it a try again.  So yesterday, I organized the kits and barely begun projects  I had just to see where things stand.  If I remind myself of what I already have, I'm less apt to be tempted to buy something new.  

This baby I've posted about already.  It's the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Maryland, begun in 1986. I am determined to finish this before beginning on anything else.          

 Believe it or not, I actually bought this kit right before I started law school.  It's the crest of the University of Maryland. I got fairly well underway on this, ca. 1987.

The next two are little projects I got around 2003 or so.  One is to be a patriotic theme for July 4th - an American flag, the other is a kit for a Christmas ornament. 

My good friend, Vicki, while she was still in seminary sometime around 2005/2006 went to England. She kindly brought me back this little cross-stitch kit of Westminster Abbey.  It's really nice and I hope to finish it sometime in this lifetime.

I thought I'd make the Summer Sampler below from the book Handmade.  For the first time I had the funds and an online resource to get the all the colors I needed. Actually I found three resources: two online and one in a local shop with an inventory to die for. I'm in big trouble. I know.

 The online resources are 123stitch.com and everythingcrossstitch.com  They make it very easy for you to create a kit by listing the needed colors and company. Oh dear.  The local resource is in Catonsville, right next door to my local yarn shop.  Yep.  Right. Next. Door. It's The Stitching Post and it's been around a long time. They. Have. Everything. They also have a website and yes, you can order online at  https://www.the-stitching-post.com/
The floss above came from Everything Cross Stitch.
Two more kits from Everything Cross Stitch:


And one more is on the way - called Quilted with Love.

There is a sampler kit from The Stitching Post that I will do after I've gotten a number of projects done.  It is a rather challenging sampler of a biblical quote:

 It cracks me up that the name of the company is My Big Toe. It's on linen and I will need some serious lighting and possibly some stronger glasses to do it. It's the incentive I have to finish what I've started.

I did get a pattern but do not have the thread/floss for it yet.  It's the sort of thing I will have to save up for

a little at a time and I cannot justify the expense at this point. It's called the Kitchen Garden by Drawn Thread. That will be something special if I can do it.

Finally, there's that packet of floss at the top of this post.  I couldn't figure out what the pattern was for the life of me, then I realized it was a pattern from a Bluprint (the artist formerly known as Craftsy) class! The floss came from Everything Cross Stitch and The Stitching Post. The title is: Live Simply So That Others May Simply Live. I cannot post a picture here without violating all sorts of copyrights, but when I get started on it, I will show my own work.

Finally, I have a bunch of muslin and some heavier thread for a Colonial or French Knot one-color embroidery piece that is very old - at least from the early to mid-80s.

Well, a dozen of these is probably enough to last me the rest of my days, LOL:)! I am amazed when I see the output of some of the people I've seen on YouTube (or I think they call it Floss Tube:)?)

I put this inventory up to remind myself not to be greedy and to enjoy what I do have - and finish what I've begun!

Thanks for reading and as always, God be with you 'til we meet again:)+