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Sunday, August 18, 2013

Hurricane Season

Happy Sunday!  The climate in central Florida has most definitely turned tropical since the last time I posted.  We have steamy mornings, slippery pavements and regular downpours each afternoon.  Every time I catch the local weather forecast I hold my breath for news of  developing tropical storms off the coast of Africa.  Hurricane season is on its way....

In keeping with this tropical time of year, I do have a finish to show off!  Here's the finale for what originated as "Once Upon An Island", but is now referred to as "The Hemingway Sampler":


This piece wrapped up earlier this morning.  It was an easy, fun project that broke up the monotony of my more ambitious undertakings, particularly Ann Grimshaw.  I especially enjoyed the four little motifs in the corners, each for a different reason.


One of the more charming sites in Key West, is the goats that graze on the sloping sides of the bunkers at the US Naval Base.  They elimiate the need for other types of landscaping maintenance and add a certain Caribbean essence to the scenery  So do the wild chickens that roam the island.  No matter where you are in Key West - atop the lighthouse, strolling the neighborhoods or watching the sunset - you'll always hear them.


No visitor to the Hemingway home leaves without hearing the story of Ernest's love for cats, particularly those with 6 toes.  Sailors believed that 6 toed cats were good luck, so they kept them on their ships and traded for them in port. On a small isolated island, the gene pool for them increased quickly, so most cats in KeyWest now have at least 6 toes.  I had to give them a place of honor in the bottom left corner of the sampler:


It was great fun figuring this cat out because I tried my best to make him look like good old Mo.  See the resemblance?

 

The crown in the bottom right was a part of the original design.  I liked it because it gave the chance to work in a little more of the darker gold color into the border. 


All in all, it was a very fun piece, one I'm glad I took the time to play with.  Now I have 3 finished samplers in my Florida themed  collection!

Oh yes, one last item to share.  Am I the only one who finishes with a chart that looks this bad?


 You'd think a hurricane had blown right through my stitching spot, wouldn't you?  But no, this sadly tattered scrap is the result of stitching on a couch with a very affectionate and rambunctious Molly.  She just assumes that if I'm sitting down, it has to be because she 's ready for some attention. As many times as she trounced on this chart, I'm very lucky to have any of it left at all!

So with the end of August fast approaching, I guess it's time to return to other more serious stitching projects like Ann Grimshaw, Frances Eden and Hannah Pepper.  I would dearly love to have all 3 of those old ladies safely in retirement by year's end, but it will take some other act of God to make that happen.

 Anyway, thanks for stopping in and as always, I love to know what you're thinking! 

8 comments:

P.J. said...

Congrats on a wonderful finish; with a wonderful memory tied to it. Batten down the hatches....here's hoping they all blow by. :)

Margaret said...

What a great finish! I love the pop of blue between Hemingway's house and the other building. Love the story of the animals too! Great stuff! Yes, I'm holding my breath about hurricanes too. After Irene and Sandy, I'm just scared about them now.

Catherine said...

Love this finish ~ congrats!!

Deborah said...

Great finish!

Kevin said...

LOVE this sampler!! Beautiful job. May I ask where this chart can be purchased, or did you design this? South Floridian here and I'd love to stitch this one - love Key West and the Hemingway House! Kevin

Melissa said...

What a lovely piece and I love the stories behind all the interesting elements the "Hemingway" sampler! That cat does look like old Mo!

Penny said...

Your Hemingway sampler is just beautiful! Love the colors! Enjoyed hearing about the animals - our Lola is a six toed cat. :) And I think the cat in the sampler bears a striking resemblance to Mo. Here's hoping we all stay hurricane free this season.

The Inspired Stitcher said...

Congrats on a fun finish! I had to giggle when I saw your chart. Mine would look this way too if I didn't slip them into page protectors. I have a tendance to wreck paper if I'm not careful.