Lots to Catch Up On

So much has been happening and I want to update you.

First, I finished the quilt top! 

Yes, I thought it would never happen, but it only took a very short 25 years :)

 

Feel free to click on the pic for a closeup. The top is laying on my king-sized bed, so it is big!

Does it look a little pink to you?  Yes, it does to me and I love it!  So I am using pink for the backing fabric too-he, he! As soon as I get the backing sewn together, it will be off to the machine quilters. 

Seriously it was ALMOST my oldest WIP....

yes, I do have something older, but that is for another day.

Here is my May square for the 2013 SAL de Maryse.  I am still loving this project and so happy that I am keeping up!

 

The LQS was having a Mother's Day special last weekend-25% off all fabric.  So I went over to pickup some fabric and came away having signed up for 5 new classes!  And not a single piece of fabric!  Go figure.

Below is Class #1.  I have had this pattern for a while but knew I needed some incentive to get going on it.  Well, now I have it. It is wool applique which I love to do but have never tried anything this big before.  Only pincushions, needlebooks, etc.

Did I say I have never done anything large in wool applique?  Well, look below for another- -Class #2 :)  I think I will be very experienced in wool applique by the end of this year.

 Class #3-I am also doing a beginner's machine applique class (only meets twice, no pic of the project). 

Class #4-a 1 day retreat with a surprise project-looking forward to that. 

 

Class #5-is called Wednesdays with Wendy.  I can bring any project to work on and will have help to answer questions, etc.  No problems finding something for that one.

 

Guess what came in the mail yesterday?  Remember all the finish-finishing that I needed to do?  I sent some of it to Faye at Carolina Stitcher.

Here is what she sent back to me--

Good Huswife

June Morning

Made into a lovely little pillow with green, shiny ric-rac trim

Crabapple Hill

Class project

Made into another little pillow with pink ric-rac and purple backing fabric

Love it!

L'Atelier Perdu

Smell the Flowers

Needle/Thread Book

 

It is tiny!

Here is the inside.  I sent along the flower thread holders and pink polka dotted fabric.  But Faye provided the buttons and threads.

So, so cute!

Here is Blackbird Designs Summer Jubilee

Finished in 2009-yes, that says 2009

I was entirely finish-blocked about this piece.  And look at what Faye did-a table runner with just the right touch of patriotic fabrics.  Another homerun, Faye!

                                                              

Praiseworthy Stitches
Tiny Pumpkin Etui

Pincushion, needle book and scissor fob

Above is the picture from somewhere I got years ago (maybe the PS website??)

Below is my set-I love it even better.  As you can see I left off the black background on the pumpkin side of the needlebook.  And yes, I still have the orange plastic pumpkin, too.

Faye's finishing extends to beading too!  Isn't that scissor fob just wonderful??! Love this set!

 

Tree of Life Samplings

Penny America

Another smaller, tablerunner with a wonderful, spot-on selection of fabrics.

I struggle with fabric selection and would never have chosen a red stripe.  But I love it!

Thank you again, dear Faye!

 

It is shaping up to be a busy summer!

Stitching Retreat!

Just returned from a wonderful long weekend at the Pacific Ocean!

It was sunny and warm the whole time---that is a miracle!

Every year at this retreat it is usually cold, windy and raining sideways!

This year was the opposite.  I was able to walk along the ocean and admire the natural efficiency of seagulls in eating the stranded crabs and clams when the tide goes out.

Sand dollars galore and I haven't even talked about the stitching :)

 

There were 8 of us sharing this modest house (5 bedrooms).  This was taken in the early morning hours (6:30 am).  You can see a peek of the ocean behind.

Here is the view from our patio doors leading to the back yard.  The sound of the waves coming in was surprisingly loud. There were wild strawberries growing in the grass.

Here is a look at our stitching room. Unfortunately no windows looking out to the ocean so I took regular breaks to enjoy the unusually fine weather.

We were joined by 2 sisters from California and one really long distance stitcher from South Carolina.

I am proud of myself for adding very little to my stash.  Above is my little tray commemorating this weekend.  And below are the only other purchases I made.

Finish #1 for the weekend.  It is a quilt block for the Crabapple Hill Gardener's Alphabet quilt.

Finish #2.  It is the first free quilt block from the 2013 Girls Own Stitching Club by Australian designer Red Brolly.

Finish #3 is the Hornbook Needlebook by Her Own Work

Start #1- Snowed In ornament by Stacy Nash

WIP Blackbird Designs Flowers for Sarah Needlecase

 

We held an auction for a local hospice charity.  We had a sales table.  And, most importantly, we had show and tell!

For your viewing pleasure, here are some of the items shared--

What a talented bunch of stitchers.

But I am so glad to be home!

(I already paid my deposit for next years retreat :)

A New Start & 2 WIP's

Melicent Turner

Little House Needleworks

30 ct R & R Olde Towne Blende

Called for Crescent Colour threads

 

This is one of my WIP's for 2013.  This is the first time I have picked her up since January.  She will be a fast stitch if I can get serious.  But I am being pulled in several directions as you will see below. :)

Potato Chip Scarf

NORO yarn

 

A new start!  I'll bet you aren't surprised that I choose pink. This was the program last Saturday at my local EGA guild.  Since my LYS closed last year, I gave up trying to expand my knitting skills (which are very few).  But this program was proposed and with a little help from my EGA friends I am on my way.  Who would believe that something as simple as casting on had escaped my brain?  Uh, me!

 

I'd like to share a little story with you.

 

 I took a beginner's quilting class in 1988.  The above book was our project book.   I handstitched all 24 blocks and was taught to attach sashing, then batting and backing, then quilt each block separately. Finally attach the blocks to each other.  As you can imagine the backing had to be folded over and slipstitched together. 

 

After I had attached my first 2 blocks together, my mother came to visit.  Yes, my mother, the over-the-top prolific quilter!  She looked at it and said "What is this?  I told her that this was the way the teacher in my class was showing us to quilt.  After a long pause, Mom said "I've never seen anything like this before."  She wasn't being unkind, just puzzled.  Well, that was all it took for me to put this away in a box under my bed and leave it there until this last week! 

 

What caused me to finally work up enough courage to pull it out? I think it was completing my 2nd beginner's class last year.  After studying what was already finished in the box, I couldn't bear throwing away all that handwork.  So I frogged a whole lot of hand quilting to get back to separate blocks and tossed old polyester batting.

 

Then I decided that I hated the fabric used for sashing (and border fabrics too), so I frogged all the sashing off and picked out new fabric.  Finally I'm ready to start making a quilt top .  Here is a little peek of some of my blocks below.  (I forgot to take a picture before I started)

 

 Luckily I kept all the extra fabric I used in the blocks.  I might get a narrow border out of one. And some small blocks for part of the sashing out of another. 

Does anybody else have a really old project under their bed or in a cupboard?  Come on and share it !

A New Start and a Giveaway Win

Birds of a Feather

Birds and Bees Birth Sampler

28 ct LL Buttercream

Called for DMC and GAST threads

 

Here is my start on the sampler for the new grandbaby coming in September.  Since the last baby sampler was done round-robin style with my daughters, I decided to ask them to do round robin again this time.  They said yes.  As soon as the border comes together properly I will be ready to pass it on.  I'll keep you posted with the progress.

I was thrilled to find out I won the giveaway from Annette at California Stitcher!   It arrived safe and sound and Annette included some wonderful little extras along with the LHN Around the World in 80 Days and the fabric and threads to stitch it.  I kept the chocolate hidden until I got the photo taken :) Love, love, love that project bag--(Annette, you should sell these) It is fully lined and the workmanship is just lovely.  Thank you so much, Annette!

 

I noticed I am getting close to 400 followers.  A giveaway is called for when that magic number is reached.

Another 2013 Finish!

Scarlet Letter

Mary Ann Hutton

36 ct cream linen

Mix of called for DMC and Soie d'Alger threads

 

I have been stitching like crazy on this sampler.  She has been so much fun and hard to put down!  Technically there is a plain 3 color border outside the beautiful flower border.  But, in the picture on the pattern, the border is nearly invisible.   So I am happy with it "as-is"  Is that cheating?

 

I got a package in the mail on Saturday-

It was from Clare in New Zealand.  She is Craftylady in Kiwiland.  She was so kind to help me out with a magazine pattern I have been looking for with no luck.  And look what else--a surprise!

Clare made me a project roll and a small project bag.  Miss Trenner's Needlework Academy pieces fit right into this roll and the threads & misc will fit perfectly in the bag!  And the workmanship is just beautiful!  Thanks so much, Clare!

Another Finish, SAL Update & Progress

Sarah Seifer

The Goode Huswife

28 ct mystery linen

Called for DMC threads

Another one that was too fun to stop stitching on!  I did change the border slightly. It is not framed, just laid under the frame I have chosen.

I had 3 Sarah's that I wanted to stitch. Last year I stitched Sarah Salter.  Next year Sarah Esch will be the final one on the Sarah list.

2013 SAL de Maryse

Chocolate/cherry mystery linen

Gloriana Fresh Snow silk thread

The April segment is done.  Slightly crooked because I have it stretched crooked on stretcher bars.  The color is much darker than the washed-out look is showing.

 

 Lorrie over at A Stitcher's Snippets, sent me this wonderful sampler to stitch for the new grandbaby coming this fall.  Thank you, Lorrie!  I am already pulling together the linen and threads.

 

 

 

But with the long list of projects I wanted to finish this year, one of them had to go.  Bye, bye, Happy Couple

 

My Millenium scroll frame has arrived!  Typically I don't care for scroll rods.  I don't like  basting the linen onto the tabs.  I don't like the loosy-goosy side edges of the fabric.  
But I saw Nicola's video on the Scarlet Letter blogs and it convinced me to give the Millenium scrolls a try.  I even ordered 2 extra lengths of rods-the 16" and the 27"

Here is Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow on the standard 20" rods that come with the 8-10" stretchers. It took a little bit of fiddling and pausing to re-watch the video when I went to use it for the first time. The fabric was loosened when I finished stitching on it, so it's not taut in this photo.  But, so far, so good--it is a keeper.

Without the stand I have to lay one corner of the rods against the edge of my Lowery stand in order to stitch. But the stand is on order and should be here sometime soon.

 

Finished and Framed!

I am delighted to announced a new finish!!

Mary's Best Handework

With Thy Needle & Thread

32 ct Lakeside Linen Light Exemplar

DMC threads

This was another design that I just couldn't put down once I started working on it again. Plus I was determined to have a finish in March . For a sampler it was a pretty quick stitch.

 

Here is L'Atelier Perdu's Patches of Life Sampler all framed!  Believe it or not, I have had this antique frame for ages.  Bought it years ago and could never find just the right thing to put in it.  I love the way this turned out! (I even managed to stage the photo :)

 

Except one small thing-despite repeated ironings the hoop marks just would not completely come out along the margins of the fabric  :(

Hopefully my new Milennium scroll frame will make it unnecessary in the future to put large projects in hoops.

 

I am having trouble with Google in general. I can't see the letters/numbers to leave comments on some blogs.  I can't bring up Reader or Picasa Web Albums.  Since my computer is old,  I normally blame it on that, but I don't really know.

DD#1 Has Been Stitching

DD#1 sent some pictures of her recent finishes.  I think this is a Country Cottage pattern.

 

I think this one is a freebie.  Don't know the name.

She finished it as a flatfold.

 

 

Footprints-a kit I think maybe Dimensions?? Really lovely. Framed by Michaels.

Not sure of the designer for this one.  Maybe Just Nan??

 

Next are my updates-

2012 SAL Sopresa 2 Before-

 

 

2012 SAL Sopresa 2 Now-

Laura Perin

Holiday Ornaments #1

 

This is my latest finish.  I am ahead on getting ready for this years ornament exchanges.

 

After finish-finishing 6 items in my pile, I sent off 9 more items to others.  Including DD#1 -she does a beautiful job on her flatfold finishes.  Now I can reach my Merry Cox items!