Just Bee-Cause.......

I received this adorable little kit on Tuesday and have it stitched and finished already!!! It is a little "bee" ditty called Just Bee by Hands On Design. I had seen it on Salty Yarns FB page and knew it had to "wing" its way to my hive. It was a partial kit that included the chart, "bakers string"(you know the kind they used to tie the boxes full of pastries in) and bee charm. You supplied the fabric and fibers. I used the DMC threads called for but changed the fabric to a buttery color. It's a scrap I had in my stash and all I know is that it's a 32 count Lakeside linen.

We had our two grandchildren for a week recently and had a blast. There was lots of "play" time and visits to fun places. I think we exhausted each other in our pursuits..but hopefully fond memories were made! Here are a few photos from the visit:

Her Mamas Fisher Price Toys

Army Museum in Carlisle, PA

 

Two pooped kids!!!!!

Luray Caverns

Thanks for stopping by and your

"twisted threads" of friendship!

Stasi 

Me and my "sweeties"

A Tisket, A Tasket, A Needleworkers Basket..............

Okay stitching friends, I swore off Longaberger baskets awhile ago as I felt I had quite a collection and..... did NOT need anymore. Then what to my wondering eyes should appear...but a boardwalk basket for a needleworker so dear! All right, I'm feeling a little giddy about this!

Here's the scoop! A friend of mine had stitched Little House Needleworks Needleworker and mounted it on a piece of felted wool that she then made into a "skirt" for her basket. Very clever and you can see it here:
http://sydsstitchingroom.blogspot.com/2014/02/first-finish-of-2014.html

I told Syd I was "stealing" her idea and began the hunt for the basket. I looked off and on for a few months and then right before Mothers Day I found one on Ebay and bought it for my husband to give me for Mothers Day--nice how that worked out!!! It happened to have the green/blue weave  and came with a liner and protector. The seller even threw in an adorable ring of embellishments you could hang from the handle as a treat--lo and behold one of the charms was a BEE!!!

So now that I had the actual basket, the stitching could begin. I changed the colors up a bit--made the berries be blueberries and did it on a darker fabric. There was a bird on the left hand side but I changed it to a beehive and added 3 Itty Bitty bee buttons from Twisted Threads. I then began trying to figure out how to make the "skirt" when a light bulb went off. Since my liner had a zippered top, why not attach the stitched piece to that??? Well, that's what I did and I love how it turned out. Saved me a lot of "figuring" and didn't cover any of the colored weave up. 

So without further ado, here's the basket!!!

I can't wait to take it to my next stitching event, which sadly won't be until October. A BIG thank you to Syd for giving me the idea and saying it was okay to borrow it. 

Thanks for stopping by and your "twisted threads" of friendship!

Stasi

52/56 Count linen....who knew?

I just finished stitching my first piece on Lakeside linens 52/56 count linen....and I'm not cross-eyed!!!Though I do have to admit to not being able to work on this for long periods of time. The design is a freebie chart offered as a SAL by Blackbird Designs. Everyone was encouraged to "do their own thing" and so, since this was a relatively small design, I chose it for my first attempt at this teenie weenie, itty bitty count linen. The design size turned out to be 4" wide and 4 1/2 " high on Vintage pecan butter. I used leftover Gloriana silk thread from a Betsy Morgan class since I knew I wouldn't need much and went with a fall color scheme...my fave! I changed the eyelet stitches to smyrnas (thanks Carol Fun) and added the current year instead of "1796". Now...a decision....to frame or make a small pillow...oh the possibilities!!!

I am currently working on Catherine Theron's Travel-sized Quaker Sewing Roll and itching to get some other projects going. 

A Happy Fourth of July to all in the States! I'm off to Antietam battlefield tomorrow afternoon for our 4th of July celebration. There will be a concert of patriotic music by the Maryland Symphony Orchestra followed by fireworks. But the best part is walking out of the battlefield around 10:30 with flashlights....a 2 mile or so hike shared with the spirits of the fallen soldiers. BOO!!!

The grand kids will be coming for a week long visit next Saturday so I'm gearing up for them...gathering projects, checking out activities etc.. It's always a FUN time!!!
I always try to come up with something special for them--one year we celebrated Christmas in July. Last year I had the "magic" treasure chest and every day there'd be a little special something for them. Well, that was such a BIG hit, they are already inquiring if it will be here again this year! So, I've been building a stash of little "goodies" to put in every day and hoping they will like them. Last year, I had put a book about the first day of kindergarten in the chest for Asher; he found it, looked it over and quietly put it back in. He wanted nothing to do with anything about kindergarten at that point! It was a little tricky trying to explain how/why the magic treasure chest couldn't swap it out for something else!!! I guess at this point I'm just hoping he'll still believe in the magic!!!

Thanks for stopping by and your "twisted threads" of friendship!
Stasi

Finished my "tweaking" ....no not "twerking"........

This will be short and sweet! I finally got a chance to sit down and finish the two pre-stitch pieces from Betsy Morgan's classes. Here they are:

Thimble Keep from Edinburgh Etui

The bottom opens up and you can store a thimble inside. You can see the "ermine" at the base of the purple top. At least that's where I liked it best...to be accurate it would be at the bottom of the crown.

Needlebook from Edinburgh Reticule

These colors are not accurate--the green is showing brighter than it really is (pics above are on the mark) and the lavender is much brighter than photographed

So that's all folks!!! Thanks for stopping by and your "twisted threads" of friendship!

Stasi

 

Final Day in Ocean City

Tuesday started with a brisk walk on the boardwalk, this time with Sara and Paola. Then Paola and I were off to Serendipity Quilt Shop in Dagsboro, DE. This is a wonderful shop and even though I don't quilt, I always find some fun fabric. They carry LOTS and also have a large selection of hand-dyed wool and some knitting yarn. Here is a link to their web site and if you ever get a chance to stop by...DO!!!  http://www.serendipityquiltshop.com/index.htm.
 Here is what I bought there:

The "word" fabric has all kinds of sewing/stitching related phrases like " I run with scissors", "stitch happy", "threads that bind", etc..  The tree fabric features bands of the four seasonal trees. I'm a sucker for 4 seasons things!!! The book has a number of really cute ideas in it and timing was great because they had just gotten it in.

Lunch was on the way back at Kool Bean in Bethany Beach. I had a breakfast style Monte Cristo sandwich that was d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s! It was on french toast with ham and swiss, then scrambled eggs on top. I can't wait to try it at home!

That evening was my first ever Stitch and Bitch with the group from Salty Yarns. I feel like I was a bit of a "sad sack" because by that time I was just plain pooped. I still enjoyed getting some stitching done and hearing abut the others projects.

Now onto the stash I bought at Salty Yarns--I did control my urges but am very happy with what I got. Here goes:

I also bought some charms, fibers and some black gold needles...but can you tell I'm running out of steam...I didn't photograph them to add--sorry! That's because I wanted to share the gifts I received from my buds!

Debbie hand painted this adorable box and glued the shells on top. Inside was set of lovely counting pins. To go along with the "beach" theme was a bag of shell shaped chocolate candy--how sweet!!! Thanks Deb!

Sara gave me this pair of sewing tools/gadgets...and I love gadgets!!! It's a pincushion you wear on your finger and a waxer! How clever! Thanks Sara!

And one last gift from Paola who knows I love my tea--straight from England! Thanks again, Paola!

Well so comes an end to Stasi's version of an "excellent adventure". I had a wonderful time as usual and hated to go. But it was an early start, 7:00 AM, for me the next morning and I had planned stops at Anthonys for pit beef and Fishermans Wharf for crab cakes and soup--my little treats for hubby! It was back to reality time!!!!

Thanks for allowing me to share and your "twisted threads" of friendship! Hopefully I'll see you back soon with some more finishes.

Stasi

More fun at the beach...............

I decided to skip walking this morning and do some work. Then Paola and I were off to Berlin,Md for a little shopping and lunch. Our first stop was an antique mall where I snagged this adorable scrimshaw pin--I'm sure it will find a home on a "small" soon.

Then we went in a cute little craft shop called JJ Fish Company and I found this "helping hand" I plan to use it for a tea bag holder. The saying that came with it was very sweet and I'm sure you can read it if you enlarge the photo. 

We checked out a few more shops then it was off to lunch at The Atlantic Hotel. I had never been there before but it was quite lovely. We ate outside on a screened porch with ceiling fans and lots of other ladies! It must have been girls day out and they were all there eating at The Drummers Cafe!!! This hotel was featured in the movie The Runaway Bride with Julia Roberts and Richard Gere...a bit o trivia for you!

With a storm fast approaching, we felt it best to leave Berlin and make our way to Salisbury where Paola said I had a surprise waiting. We stopped at a framer there and I was presented with the most beautiful sampler that Paola had stitched to commemorate Rich and my 40th wedding anniversary! Needless to say I was stunned, but oh so thrilled!! It is a Moira Blackburn design and stitched on 40 count.  The stitching and the framing are perfect and this will be treasured by us both always! Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Paola!

The day ended with a birthday celebration for Sally at our favorite restaurant, The Sunset Grille, then a little evening stitching. I even made some time for some "people" watching on the boardwalk that evening. And it was quite a show being as it is Senior Week, where high school graduates come to the beach and celebrate by letting off steam!. A true challenge for law enforcement and businesses that cater to families. I won't get on my soap box about this, but I think most parents would be appalled...at least I hope they would....if they saw what went on!!! Enough said!

Tomorrow I will post my final blog about this trip--so "Y'all come back now ..ya hear"!

Thanks for stopping by and your "twisted threads" of friendship!

Stasi

Betsy Morgan Edinburgh Weekend at Salty Yarns

I apologize in advance for not taking many photos this time, so this is mostly essay.

My long weekend started with my drive down to Ocean City on Thursday. Thankfully it was uneventful with stops for lunch at Panera and a swing by Hobby Lobby. Met up with my roomie, Debbie, and settled in for the afternoon. Paola soon arrived, as well as other attendees and a group of us had a nice dinner together at Hook, a new restaurant to me. After an early morning  start, I was beat but managed to track down Amy and Kathy and set up a time to walk in the morning. I think I was in bed by 10:00 PM knowing I had a 6:30 AM wake up call. However, I had a call to my cell phone at 4:45AM which bolted me out of bed and then I couldn't go back to sleep --- a recorded message which I couldn't even understand. So, I got some work done and was definitely ready for my early morning walk. Amy, Paola and I did just half the boardwalk since we had to get ready for class at 9:00 but it was enough to get us up and running for the day.

Class was in Sara's place so we had beautiful views of the ocean to glimpse during breaks. Betsy started class promptly at 9:00 AM and so began our full day of working on the thimble case for The Edinburgh Etui.

Betsy is a fabulous teacher and well prepared, and most had their "crown" finished, or almost finished, by the end of the day. I still have some "tweaking" on mine but will share as soon as it's done. One of the ladies, Grace from England, suggested we put some ermine on the crown and Sara was able to find some chenille in the shop and give us all a piece to add--so very cute! Lunch was fabulous, as usual, as Sara always does such a great job with that. And what could be better than sitting on the porch watching the waves and breathing in the salt air while eating!!! After class, we all headed to Salty Yarns to shop and then off to dinner. I just walked a couple blocks down to a pizza place for dinner knowing what was to come.  There was a reception in the lobby at 7:00PM with appetizers and desserts, followed by stitching and show and tell. A great first day!!!

Saturday started with another walk on the boardwalk, this time the whole length of it--4 1/2 miles (I was sure getting in all my 10000 steps on my FitBit)! That of course meant starting earlier to fit it all in and get back in time for breakfast and a shower before class. The second day of class was the remainder for the Etui with Betsy going over all the instructions for stitching and finishing.

Sunday started again with a walk on the boardwalk--you really can't beat it--with Amy and Paola. I do have a photo to share that Amy had sent me. It shows us standing in front of the "yellow dot" that you are supposed to touch at each end of the boardwalk. It reads "You're not done the journey until you've touched the spot..Now turn around and do it again". Kind of corny but we still had to touch it!!!

Sunday's class was the Edinburgh Reticule.

 We had pre-stitched the needlebook for this one and Betsy wasted no time getting us started on the finishing. I have my side together and just need to lace it all up and add the felt pages.  I like to get started in class but then tend to complete it at home where I can take my time and have everything I need at my finger tips. Again, I will post when it is finished. Sunday evening found most of the ladies leaving but luckily I was able to stay a few more days and spend some one on one time with Paola.

More to follow tomorrow but a BIG "Thank You" to Sara, Sally, Mary and the gang for the fantastic time I am always shown when attending these events. How they managed the absolutely exquisite weather is beyond me!!!! And...... it's always great catching up with old friends and meeting new ones!

Thanks for stopping by and your "twisted threads" of friendship!