TIMELINE: August 3 – 28, 2025
August 3, 2025 – I decided to clear out the blue cross-stitch projects as part of my clearing out of the stash. I have five pillowcases and four dresser scarfs (one of which I finished and can be found under the July 29, 2025 post: Embroidery – Cross-stitch Dresser Scarf).
The pillowcases only have embroidery along one side, rather than four, so I decided to start with those first. I will be taking pictures every three days.
First picture is the cover photo. Second picture is the chart, the four inch embroidery hoop (it needs to be that small to maneuver inside the pillowcase), and a picture of the DMC thread 809 (light blue) and 798 (dark blue). The cross-stitch is worked with three threads and the additional stitches will be worked with 2 threads. Third picture is the design printed on the fabric. It is about 13 inches long and 6 inches wide. The ink will disappear if water hits it. I don’t know how these have survived all these years. I believe I picked them up at A.C. Moore (which closed in 2019).
A picture of four of the pillowcases and all the materials together.
8/5/2025 (total time spent about six hours) – Third day of project. Sewed the normal one hour on 8/3. On 8/4, I took a little extra time (about 1 and a half hours total) to complete the dark blue stitches on the first pillowcase because I had a phone meeting the next night and if I got that done I could do the embroidery during the meeting because I would not need to pay attention to the chart. 8/5 Over two hours and a half hours of phone meeting, I got a LOT of the light blue done and then I started the pillowcase’s dark blue. I got three more meetings this month, and if I get all the pillowcases prepped with the dark blue cross-stitches at night when I can pay attention to the chart, then I can knock out the light blue during the meetings. The dark blue on the second pillowcase is from one hour of work after the meeting was complete.
8/6-8/11/2025 (total time spent about six hours – 16 overall) – 8/8/2025 The first picture captures the work completed 8/6-8/8 (one hour a night, about). Yes, that is a fifth pillowcase. Guess what I found while cleaning stash? That is right another one. Makes me wonder if I got yet another one for a total of three pair, or if I just have five pillowcases. 8/11/2025 (two pictures) Just a little bit of the final pillowcase left to complete. Then I will work on the LIGHT blue leaf patterns. There are five on each pillowcase. Once that is done, all the things left to do will not need the pattern for reference – all the cross-stitch will be light blue and all the rest (stem, leaf, and satin) will be two-thread dark blue.
8/14/2025 (total time spent about three hours – 19 overall) – 8/14/2025 Three days, about an hour each, of sewing, completed the dark-blue 3-strand cross-stitching as well as the two-strand light blue stitch of leaves. The first picture is the overall shot. The second picture is just the dark blue cross-stitch and the light blue leaf stitch. Final picture is what a pillowcase looks like with the light blue cross-stitch complete. Getting close to having one done!
8/17/2025 (total time spent about three hours – 22 overall) – 8/17/2025 Three days, about an hour each, of sewing, and one of the pillowcases is complete. How I approached this to start was first get two of the pillowcases light-blue cross-stitch knocked out. Now what I am trying to do is work on the more detailed dark blue two-strand stitches (stem, leaf, and satin) in the quiet by myself at night, and work on the light blue during meetings. This upcoming week I got four meetings, so I hope to knock out the rest of the light blue cross-stitch there. First picture is all five pillowcases. Second picture is what a completed pillowcase looks like – yes! one is complete!
8/21-27/2025 (total time spent about twenty hours – 42 overall) – Meeting week. Like, lots of meetings. 8/21/2025 First Picture is a four-day mark. I had a meeting each of those four days where I worked on the project for a little over an hour each time, plus the normal evening work. Total hours is more like ten between all sources. Two of the pillowcases are now completely done. 8/24/2025 Second picture is back to the normal three-day cycle, but two very long meetings this time of about two hours each, so seven hours worked. I also did more stash clean and found a SIXTH!!! pillowcase. In the picture, on the left side is one folded and one displayed completed pillowcases. Then on the right side are two completed cases on the bottom (the original four I started with project with are now complete); I have completed the light blue on the third case and am working on the light blue on the fourth case. I believe I will finish this project this week. Just need to do the embroidery, then a wash to remove the preprinted design. 8/27/2025 Third picture. Another three-day cycle of just three hours. Five pillowcases complete, only finishing dark-blue lines on the sixth pillowcase. Almost there. It has been a month.
8/28/2025 (two hours, including hand wash – 44 hours overall) – Last of the embroidery is completed!!! First picture is a round of handwashing all six pillowcases to get rid of the pre-printed design. Second picture is what the underside looks like. Third picture is everything complete.
DONE DONE DONE – One of the pillowcases with a pillow
Blue Cross-Stitch Pieces Series
Blog 1: Cross-stitch Dresser Scarf (7/29/2025)
Blog 2: Blue Cross-Stitch Pieces Continued (8/31/2025)
Blog 3: Cross-stitch Dresser Scarfs – The Sequel (TBD)
I’m going to start with the most unusual of the quilts. Some of my A-to-Z visitors may be aware of the Victorian tradition of saving hair of loved ones. Usually the created mementos were things like hair wreaths or hair jewelry (rings, etc). In this case, Eliza Burt Walton of Chesterfield, New Hampshire attached netting holding coils of hair to the quilt. The center block is inscribed “This album is composed of tokens of remembrance from old friends, associates and school mates in Chesterfield, New Hampshire, October 1854”
All hand-stiched using green linen thread.
