Frances L. Johnson Designs Hawaiian Designs for Counted Cross Stitch - FRANCES L. JOHNSON DESIGNS HAWAIIAN DESIGNS FOR COUNTED CROSS STITCH

Aloha and Happy Spring!

3/31/2019

It's finally spring after an unusually wet winter here. Sorry yet again for not posting anything in a long time.

Please note: quantities of the Coronation Pavilion, the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, Hawaiian Carousel Horses and Stick 'em Up! are very limited. Once they are gone, they will not be reprinted so if you haven't gotten your copy, do it soon.

I am still trying to work on new designs but between a forty hour workweek, 1-2 hour commute each day and everything else one has to do on a daily basis, there just isn't much time for stitching. I dream about retiring in the not-too-distant future and being able to stitch more. One can always dream. And hope. And plan.

Hau'oli makahiki hou!

1/6/2019

I know this is a little late but Happy New Year wishes to all! I sincerely hope 2019 is a wonderful year for everyone. I am working on the final island sampler - Molokai and Lanai. Hope to have a preview soon. Happy stitching!

Maui Sampler now AVAILABLE FOR SALE ONLINE!

12/3/2018

I just added the Maui Sampler to the website store so you can now order it. I will have the charts on Wednesday (maybe even tomorrow evening but definitely by 12/5) and will begin shipping orders as soon as I get the charts.

Maui Sampler will be available this week!

12/3/2018

Just heard from my printer and the Maui Sampler will be available this week, maybe as early as Wednesday!

Mahalo to all of you for your patience. I am now working on the Hawaiian Islands redo - the entire chain of islands, and hope to have it ready for the printer maybe before Christmas? I am also designing one more island sampler which will feature Molokai and Lanai. That one won't be ready until after the first of the year.

Please let me know what charts you would like to see.

FINALLY! Maui Sampler off to the printer this week!

11/25/2018

Well, it's true! The Maui Sampler is done and off to the printer this Monday morning. I know it's been a long wait and I thank you for your patience. Now I'm ready to move on to some other projects - after I finish the Hawaiian Islands redo. Stitching is done, just have to finish the chart, proofread and send it on to the printer, also.

One more thing

11/13/2018

To those of you who have contacted me lately, I will get a reply out to you soon. I promise.

So here's what's been goin' on . . .

11/13/2018

I really did hope to get the Maui Sampler to the printer way before now. However, I continued to have numerous issues with the hearing (or lack thereof) in my right ear as well as dizziness that made navigating daily life a challenge at times. After a couple of random ear bleeds (yeah, that's right - ear bleeds?!) I finally went to the ear doctor again who said it was time for a CT scan. Well lo and behold, there was a mass eating away at my mastoid bone and a fistula in the middle ear. I had surgery last Friday (outpatient). I was doing okay (in other words, I was overdoing it, and the pain caught up with me. If you have the nerve to, read about it Check out mastoidectormy and tympanoplasty. I had lots of ear infections as a child and as a result, I had a tiny hole in my eardrum which was letting sneaky little skin cells cross over to the other side (something they should NOT do). A large part of my mastoid bone was already gone and apparently some of the structures in the middle ear gone, as well. My hearing is terrible but since my ear is really swollen, I'm hoping that will improve as time goes by. The surgeon put in prosthetics to replace the parts of the middle ear that were damaged. Hopefully, with time, most of my hearing will return. The dizziness is already markedly decreased. But the pain, oh my word! I had a kidney stone once and I thought that was bad. This pain has been off the scale for me. If I had been told just how bad the pain would be, I would have seriously reconsidered this surgery. Left unchecked, however, the mass would have eventually eaten my brain. So the surgeon said I HAD TO HAVE THE SURGERY. So I did. I keep telling myself - it will get better, it will get better. In the meantime, though, I'm pretty miserable. I'm taking two weeks off from work to (hopefully) heal. I haven't felt up to doing anything yet but I will send the Maui Sampler to the printer in the next few days. After all, ya'll have been waiting just about forever for it. I'm so grateful to you all for not ditching me. I really do have good intentions and lots of ideas for designs. I hope to get some work on new designs during my recuperation.

BTW, if you have had successful ear surgery, please let me know all about it so I don't feel so alone. If your surgery was less than optimal you don't need to share that. I've just got to stay positive right now. It's times like this that I really miss my mom! Even as an adult, when I was in pain, she would literally sit me on her lap and rock me just like I was still a little girl. And when it was my turn to care for her, I would do the same for her. I miss her so very much. (But I can also hear her whispering in my ear - Frances Louise, quit wallowing, get up and carry on. My reply? Yes, ma'am. Besides, she's the one who introduced me to cross stitching so I need to honor her with new designs ASAP. I HEAR YOU, MOM!)

Again, mahalo for your continued support of my Hawaiian designs for counted cross stitch.

A quick update . . .

10/14/2018

Maui Sampler will go to the printer next week and I should have it before the end of the month! I am proofreading the layout now hoping to catch any errors before it goes to press. I know it's been a long wait. Mahalo for your patience.

Maui Sampler

9/21/2018

Here's a quick scan of the finished Maui Sampler.
Working on the layout now.

I've finished stitching the Maui Sampler!!!

9/17/2018

I finally finished stitching the Maui Sampler while listening to the roaring winds and falling rain all weekend. We were spared any major damage - just a lot of tree limbs down everywhere. Cross stitching turned out to be just the thing to keep my mind (mostly) off the terrible weather. Now I just have to finish the layout and get it to the printer. I hope to do that before the end of the month.

Will keep you all updated and mahalo for your patience.