Jammin' at Jamboree

Greetings all!

I have been swamped with work for the business and around the house since I got back from my trip last week, but I wanted to share with you some of the fun I had last weekend at Jamboree in Ocean City, MD.

Jamboree is a fun filled weekend hosted by Sally and Sara from Salty Yarns. It is  a great venue as we all stay in their charming hotel The Lankford, the oldest hotel on the Ocean City boardwalk.We can eat, sleep, shop, stitch, socialize  and never leave "home base". Of course, we do wander off at times to see what trouble we can get in.

I arrived Thursday and met up with friends in Salty Yarns; a few of us got together for a walk on the boardwalk to work up an appetite for dinner at The Sunset Grille in West Ocean City. A little "hiccup" is I got pulled over on the way back by a State Trooper for having a headlight out. Twenty minutes later we were on our way with a "thank you Mam" and brochure about how to become a trooper. (Yea- I know it's got to be bad if they're trying to recruit almost 60-something ladies) :).

Friday, up early for another walk and then a few of us drove up to the Serendipity quilt Shop in Dagsboro, DE followed by lunch at the Cottage Cafe in Bethany Beach--one of our favorite places to eat. More shopping, visiting and stitching in the afternoon. At 5:00 PM we met in the lobby of The Lankford for a delicious lasagna dinner. The hostesses think of everyone and offer beef, turkey and vegetable lasagna. This is followed at 7:00 PM by the "official" reception , where we meet the instructors and graze through a variety of yummy appetizers and desserts.Then it's more stitching, sharing and laughing!

Saturday we had two classes with lunch and a walk "sandwiched" (sorry couldn't help myself) in between. Then a dessert reception in the evening (I guess you can tell we eat pretty good while there) and more stitching and socializing in the lobby.
Here are my classes:

Saturday AM class with Donna from By the Bay Needleart
This was an Intro to Stumpwork: Felted Wool Pocket

I've never tried Stumpwork before and was pleased to find it's not as daunting as I had thought. We got most of it done in class and I'm confident I can finish the rest later. This will make an adorable glass case!

 Donna also had a fabulous stumpwork piece that she brought to share ( you may be able to see better pics of it on her blog), but I was fascinated with this-it was incredible to see.

Stumpwork piece by Donna  Bayliss (not our class piece)

Saturday PM class with Belinda from Blue Ribbon Designs
Feathers , Flowers and Fruit framed piece, scissor fob and Snippet Receptacle

We got lots of great tips from Belinda. Her project presentation was "fantabulous"-we got a binder with 35 pages of instructions, both color and b/w charts, and even a page with a " personalization exercise" to help graph out your names and/or wording. She is also quite entertaining--a real hoot!!!

Last, but not least, was my class Sunday AM with Theresa from Shakespeares Peddlar

This was a quick, fun little project called Passport Pincushion. We made the pillows in class and Theresa supplied us with fibers, trims, charms, etc. to make our "one of a kind" remembrance. We all got a good start in class and some even finished their cushion. I wanted to "think" on it awhile and see what I might have to add at home.

I snatched this photo from Belinda on Facebook--I'm the one ( green shirt) to the left of the lady in the white chair!!!

All the classes and teachers were different with unique styles but I loved them all and enjoyed myself immensely. We each received a wonderful "goodie bag" and, of course some stash enhancement was in order, so I'll share that now and then end as I am probably starting to bore you to tears.

Our goodie bag consisted of a lovely copper kettle with a calendar, scissor/tape measure combo,bag of ground walnut shells, tin of hand lotion, JABCO pumpkin pincushion kit, and Bohin needles (my absolute favorite). We also received a $20 gift card to Salty Yarns. Of course that went towards my stash purchases which were:

That's all for now folks............ I can hear the collective "phew"!!!
Thanks for stopping by and your "twisted threads" of friendship!
Stasi

Some Cool Stitching..........

Well, this one has been a long time coming.........it's been my "car" project for the last few years, worked on only when we were traveling hither and yon...and, of course, when I was not the one driving!!!

We used to sell these limited kits at Twisted Threads every year and had a number of avid collectors. I could never bring myself to pay the asking price and, though I loved them, would pass every year. (I did have two girls to put through college at the time) A few years ago I noticed some one selling it  on the internet and was able to purchase (I also got the 2000 LE Santa) at a very reasonable price--YIPPEE!!! The fact that it was stitched on 19 count Cork Linen, over two,  is what allowed me to be able to work on this in the car. Sadly, I can't seem to work on smaller counts while moving. :(  

He ( I guess I should name him at some point...may have the grand kids help with that) stands frostily at 16 inches high and 8 inches wide. He was stitched with Anchor floss and Gumnut wool for the scarf. It was quite puzzling, however, that only 2 skeins of floss was included for the  light colored part of the body. I wound up having to buy 12 more skeins and used all but one! I think I wound up needing extra of the star color too, but can't remember for sure. Luckily I had plenty of the wool as that would have been difficult to come by. I added the 5 ceramic stars that I found in my stash to add a little dimension. The heart that's sitting in the wire came with the kit and is made of paper. I am already having issues with it as it keeps falling off and I know is going to get bent, torn and/or mutilated . I think I'm going to come up with something else....maybe some Mill Hill snowflakes

So, without further ado...here's my guy!!!

2000 LE Snowman from Ewe and Eye and Friends

A happy smiling face

Here is a photo of the backing fabric. I bought it years ago when I was living in Cincinnati from a shop up in the Dayton area called Kindred Spirits. They did a line of fabrics at some point and this was one of them. It appears a little more "blue" than it actually is....more of an olive green..... but you can probably understand why I picked it.

I'm moving along on my Barbara Jackson class piece and will post photo of that soon. 
On the home front, it has been absolutely gorgeous here, weather-wise, the last couple of weeks. The sky is always its most brilliant blue at this time of year and never fails to make me smile!

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

Stasi

Ode to a Friend.............

Today I am saying goodbye to an old friend, a very comforting, always there for me OLD friend. They've become quite frayed around the edges, accumulated  a few irreparable boo-boos and put in over 25 years of service. 

I have never been quite so attached to a piece of clothing as I have been to this one. I think I paid $1.99 for it over 25 years ago at an outlet in Reading, PA. It is just a plain cotton knit jacket from LL Bean , but was perfect for throwing on first thing on a cool morning, layering over my jammies as I settled in to stitch in the evening or warming me when I was sick. In the beginning I actually wore it as a jacket, but as the years passed it became my "go-to" comfy, surround myself with love accouterment! But, sadly, it is time to let it go as it is literally "coming apart at the seams"!!! I had my hubby put it in the trash can this morning ( I just couldn't bring myself to do it). I'm sure my daughters will say "hallelujah" and won't have to roll their eyes every time they see me wear it. Good bye blue jacket--you have served me well!!

Now, on to a serious note. I have started stitching my Barbara Jackson class piece and have gotten the middle section of one of the bands completed. It's been tough with the silk floss but I've been lathering up my hands every night to soften them up and it's gotten better as the week went on. Here's my progress so far:

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

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.........

It's an absolutely gorgeous day--vivid blue skies with a few floating clouds, brilliant sunshine and very agreeable temps (low 70's). So what, you may ask, am I doing here on the computer instead of being outside! I am trying to bring the outside in with open doors and windows while I get some work done in the house. I have a cake in the oven and thought I'd squeak a quick post in while it finishes baking. It's an old family recipe from a friend of mines Mom--a hot milk cake. Is it any wonder it's so 'delish' when the recipe calls for 1 stick of butter, 4 eggs and 2 cups sugar? I do have to say, it is smelling heavenly right now!!! As for smelling heavenly, I found a bottle of  sauce at TJ Maxx yesterday called Harvest Apple and Maple Sauce from Rothschilds. I poured it over a some pork chops last night for dinner and boy was it yummy!!! The added benefit was it made the house smell yummy all last evening and even into this morning. But I digress...............

I did manage to get the biscornu I had stitched finished this week. It's caled Pining to Stitch  and was in the EGA publication, Needlearts, March 2012 issue. I did change colors/fibers to make use of my stash but followed all the stitches and layout. I added my initials on the front and my hubby's and year we were married on the back. I happened to have a small JABCO pine cone button that I also used on the back. This is only my second biscornu but I can see many more in my future--they are really fun to make and would make great gifts!

I also finished the pinball from my class last Saturday at the Loudoun Sampler Guild, but am holding off posting a photo as it is a gift. Again, a fun class and finish!

I've worked a bit this week on the I Am a Stitcher  piece, but had to pick up my reading as a book I was into was ready to expire on my Kindle. It was not something I would normally read but I found myself captivated. It was a true story, called Unbroken  by Laura Hillenbrand, about the 1936 Olympic runner, Louis Zamperini who was captured by the Japanese during WWII. Reading about his time as a POW was quite disturbing to me, but also uplifting that someone could survive the torture and cruelty he did and somehow manage to fight through it all, forgive his aggressors and find peace in his life. A truly amazing story!!!

I was happy to arrive home yesterday and notice a box sitting on our front porch---- even happier that it was for me and not my hubby's new motorcycle jacket. It was my supplies for an on line class, The Tea Time Basket by Barbara Jackson through The Shining Needle Society. I've never had a class with Barbara before but everything looks very well organized and planned out. I know I'm going to love it as it involves two of my favorite things--tea and stitching--how could I go wrong!!!

Well, cakes out of the oven...now on to the fudge icing!

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

Stasi

I am on a Roll..............

Greetings! I have been in a "finishing" mood and have another completed piece to share. This one drew me in with the simplicity of the design, the lovely colors and the gingham fabric. I did substitute fibers from my stash, since you really don't use much of any one color except the WDW cadet for the border and cording. Funny story about the cadet blue floss---I had been working on this with some friends and "lost" a hunk of the cadet blue fiber. We looked everywhere, couldn't find it (you know how floss sometimes just gets up and walks away) and I wound up buying another skein. A few weeks later I get together with my friend again and she tells me the floss had wound up in one of her projects bags. I guess it was more attracted to her project than mine!!! :)  Anywho....., I did add a few JABCO buttons and reconfigured where the cording came through the pocket to wrap around the button. It just wasn't working for me the way Linda explained it, so I tacked it down on the back of the linen piece before I added the lining and brought it through to the front with a large eyed needle. Then I moved the button to the edge instead of in the middle. I think what it boils down to is I wanted the ABC part to be on top instead of the XYZ. So, I present to you  Botanical Sewing Pocket and Fob by Chessie & Me. Ta-da!!!

Outside

Inside

Folded Up

Notice the JABCO bee pins and bee design on the fob! Guess I'll need to put some thread on the thread rings!























Here is a little giftie I picked up at my recent visit to The Strawberry Sampler. I can't recall what I did to get it (spend a certain amount or what) but am so glad I did. Isn't it the cutest idea??? A reusable shopping bag that folds up into an adorable little strawberry!!! And so perfect for their shop--very clever!

I'm looking forward to my EGA meeting tomorrow where I am taking a biscornu finishing class. Will post photos of the finished piece afterwards. I'm also taking a class on Saturday at the Loudoun Sampler Guild on finishing a pinball----busy couple of "stitchy"days!!!

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

Stasi

I'm Baack!!!

I forgot to share a little ditty that I stitched up for a friend. It's the pocket watch from Merry Cox's Treasures of Thy Life So Dear. I stitched the names of her grandchildren on it as they are one of life's most wonderful "treasures"!

Lady Bug, Lady Bug......Fly Away Home..........

Lady Scarlet's Scissor Roll by Just Nan has lots of lady bugs and a few bumbling bees!!! I just completed finishing this little gem and think it turned out quite nicely. The stitching actually went rather quickly, though I must say, I get so tired of changing colors with Nan's designs. It gets difficult when you have just one or two stitches and no good place to anchor your threads. But, the outcome is always worth it, so I muddle through and do my best ( I hate threads showing through the linen)!!!

The pictures aren't the best but hopefully you'll get the idea:

outside of roll

inside of roll

I didn't splurge on the Dovos lady bug scissors, but found a cute red pair at Hobby Lobby. I figure, they're just going to sit there! :) It's a good thing this is a small piece as I am rapidly running out of room in my display cabinet. I think it's time to start the hunt for a second one!

Now to decide what to start on next....my pre-stitching for a Sheri Jones class next April or the cute little thimble purse from With Thy Needle and Thread. Hmmmmm!!!
I do have to finish up the stitching on a pinball piece that I'm taking a class on next Saturday at the Loudoun Sampler Guild, but there is not much left to do. I also have a biscornu finishing class this Thursday with my EGA group.It's looking to be a busy week!

That's it for now--thanks for stopping by and your "twisted threads" of friendship!
Stasi

Road Trip.....and New Finish

I have put off driving up to see the needlework exhibit at the Chester County Historical Society all summer. It seemed September 7th (when the show ends) was a looooong way off! But, it was a "now or never" moment realized on Friday--that I had to go soon or miss it. Soooo, Rich and I took a road trip yesterday of about 3 hours to West Chester, PA. WOW--was it worth the trip!!! The exhibit was fabulous with many examples of different styles of samplers, huswifes, pinballs and globes. A veritable feast for the stitchers eyes! When we first got there, we were the only visitors--in fact our movement into the rooms turned the lights on. The whole time were we there , there were only 4 other people, so we could take our time, study the pieces, read the info cards in a very leisurely fashion. I was especially taken with some beautiful examples of needle lace; it was so fine and delicate. I was also happy we took some time to walk around the rest of the museum as we came across some fabulous pinballs that were in wonderful condition with very good color.

Sadly, there is no plan for a catalogue as a reference tool. I did take some pictures before my camera battery died on me, but am not allowed to post on my blog without permission. I'm figuring others have gotten that permission and posted them, so hopefully they are just a google search away.

Then, a walk up the street to find a plethora of restaurants- a veritable feast for the stitchers tummies!!!! We chose an Irish pub since they had available seating outside. Oh...and did I mention it was an absolutely beautiful day--temps in the low 80's and NO humidity!!!

Rich at lunch

A quick visit to The Strawberry Sampler where I bought a shop model that was perfectly fitting for the day...don't ya think? Heck, I couldn't buy the frame for the price of the whole stitched piece, so I'm extremely happy!!!

Now on to the finishing front!!! I completed one of my Merry cox classes  from June, Le Nouveau Palais Royale. I stitched this for my granddaughter, Cora. It has her initials, her name, as well as mine and the name she calls me...Mimi. The only change I made was to sew beading around the pin keep instead of using silk ribbon.  The pieces all fit inside the box stacked on top of each other and then the box slides into the silk bag. I'll have to start my hunt for treasures to put inside. I'd really like to come up with something special as a  scissor fob instead of the ribbon.
 I just love the colors...they are as sweet and lovely as my little Cora! I've been whispering in Cora's ear since she was born( she's almost 21 months old)  that I was going to teach her to stitch...that she'll be my little stitching buddy one day. I am starting to refer to myself as the "stitch whisperer" where she is concerned. My hope is she'll become interested in some type of needlework so we can keep the art going.

The whole shebang

Pinkeep and pincushions (bottom layer)

middle layer with scrims

top layer

presentation bag

That's all for now--thanks for stopping by and your "twisted threads" of friendship!

Back in the Saddle Again.............

I survived my week with the grandkiddies and am back to my usual routine of work, trying to squeeze in a walk and stitching in the evenings. We had a blast with Asher and Cora, some fun times at the pool, Chuck E Cheese, Monkey Joe's, etc.. Hubby and I were definitely worn out at the end of the week, but so thrilled they are comfortable enough to spend a week with us. It definitely showed me I need to work HARDER to get in shape. It's pretty tough trying to sing an adorable,sweet thing to sleep every night with a  20+ pound weight on your chest. Cora loves to lay her head on your shoulder and have you rock and sing her to sleep..... and I wanted to savor every minute because by next time she may not want to cuddle. So, out came Puff the Magic Dragon, Hush Little baby, My Favorite Things, All Most Heaven West Virginia and her favorite Row, Row, Row Your Boat. Asher is in perpetual motion, but likes to unwind watching some videos on our bed and then goes quietly into his good night. All in all, a memory filled week for us and hopefully for them too!

Now on to the stitching front.  I finished stitching Just Nan's Lady Scarlet's Scissor Roll --will show finished photos after I've put it all together. The fabric is a beautiful soft green 32 count Limestone Belfast, which isn't showing well in the photo. I stitched it with the called for DMC colors but changer the Gentle Art Tea Rose to Victorian Pink (since i had that in my stash) for the border. I'll be on the hunt for a cute pair of red scissors to stick in the roll when I'm done. I'm thinking I've seen some "ladybug" scissors somewhere along the way that may be perfect!

All kinds of cute little critters--bunny, squirrel, turtle, grasshopper and birds--even a lurker under the pumpkin patch



I'm also currently working on a biscornu for a class I'm taking at my local EGA chapter in September. I chose a piece from the EGA publication Needlearts called Pining to Stitch: The Biscornu. This was part of a seminar held by the Southern Maine chapter for the New England Region that included many more pieces, but luckily--for me, they published the biscornu one. I stitched mine with Valdani  overdyed threads and enjoyed all the different stitches. My favorite is the buttonhole bar that was used for the pine cones--makes them very 3-dimensional!! Again, I am on the hunt for some smallish pine cone button for the center. I have a pair of lovely pine cone buttons but they are too big for that purpose. I still have to stitch the back but that is mainly the pine branches and my initials.

Pining to Stitch: The Biscornu

Hers's a close up of a pine cone with the buttonhole bar stitch: 

I've also managed a little stash enhancement from The Attic. I love reading their newsletter and recently succumbed to placing a mail order for the following:

If only there were more hours in the day!!!! I know we all wish that!!!

That's it until next time. Thanks for visiting and your "twisted threads" of friendship!

Stasi

The Mugwumps are coming....The Mugwumps are coming....

I am so excited...my grandkids are coming tomorrow to stay with us for a week while their parents go on a cruise. I have been busy getting everything ready for them--childproofing, setting up sleeping arrangements, buying their favorite foods etc.. I think I'm ready...I just hope I can keep up with them!!! 


I hopefully have some fun things planned...Monkey Joes, the Hagerstown Childrens Museum, Chuck E Cheese ( a request from Asher) and a local pool. We're going to celebrate Christmas in July on Wednesday: I'm going to sneak a small tree up Tuesday after they've gone to bed and have a couple presents under it. We'll make Christmas cookies, sing Christmas carols and have a jolly old time. :)

 I was so tickled the other day when Rich and I were scouting some antique/collectible store. Kris has been teaching Cora the song "I'm bringing home a baby bumblebee" and lo and behold, there sat an Anne Geddes baby doll dressed like a bumblebee. I swooped it up and it's going under the tree for Cora.


I also completed a quick project that I've wanted to do for some time. I had a pile of Golden books from when my girls were little that I wanted to make available to Asher and Cora. I had found some adorable "Golden Book" fabric awhile back and thought it would make a wonderful bag to hold the books in. Voila...here is the finished bag complete with Pokey the Puppy!!!

Well, Rich and are going out to dinner tonight to celebrate our 38th anniversary (can that really be?) which is tomorrow. We're heading to a great little restaurant in Hagerstown called The Blackeyed Susan. They're having a seafood fest that we thought sounded  yummy! So, I'm off to get my walking in, then shower, then get all gussied up!!! Yea--right!!!


Thanks for visiting!
Stasi

HOT...HOT....HOT

No...not Toyota..but our perfectly miserable weather. It has been hot and steamy for weeks now with no real break. The house is closed up tighter than an oyster shell and the A/C is running non- stop.We had been doing so well with being able to leave the windows open and enjoy the fresh air...then June 18th hit...and the electric meter has been spinning like a top ever since. The positive in all this is it's been a perfect time for stitching (funny though, I still need an afghan on my legs no matter what the weather) and I have managed to get a bit accomplished.


I've completed the stitching on the This One's for Betty  piece. I've already posted pics of some of the stitched pieces in my 6/19/blog but here are the rest: 

Etui Side Panel

I think this is my favorite section--I just love the colors, especially the little berries

Etui side panel

The whitework in this section almost did me in. The little "squiggles" are twisted buttonhole stitches. I thought "that'll be easy, my hedebos always twist whether I want them to or not". But, not the case here! I couldn't get these little buggers to twist no matter what! So, I pulled out a bunch of my stitch guides and finally found a diagram with explanation that I "got"!!!  In the end, it was such an easy thing, I think I just had a case of "tunnel vision". They have such interest and texture--I love them! (By the way, motif on left is all queen stitches!)

Etui bottom panel

Final piece I stitched, kind of sad to see it end.But, now it's on to the finishing. I just have to get myself in the mood as I'm in "stitching" mode right now. And why is that you might ask.......because I've discovered Brothers and Sisters on Netflix and I'm hooked. Only 109 episodes to watch and I'm on #15. I am absolutely in love with this family!!!

Last Sunday our power went out for about 3 hours and I was trying to keep busy. Lucky for me, my sewing room has a huge window in the front and I could see in there. So, I pulled out this adorable little kit from JABCO and the result was Betty Bee.  Isn't she cute??? And so easy. She sits on a large black button as her base and has a tiny "stinger" on the back. 

Not sure how much stitching will be getting done after this week. The grandkids are coming for a week on Friday while their Mommy and Daddy get a much deserved break. However, I do have stitching cards ready for them....in case!!! Have lots planned--Monkey Joes, swimming, and Christmas in July!!! Should be loads of fun!!!


Thanks for visiting and your "twisted threads' of friendship!
Stasi

Out of the Mouths of Babes.............

Okay, here is one of my Grandblessing anecdotes:


Today Asher was at the library with his Mama and she said that since he was "4" he could get 4 DVD's. He responded....does that mean that when I'm as old as Grandad (my father) we'll have to find a bigger library???? What a hoot!!!

And yes I am stitching--just have one more piece to stitch for the This Ones's for Betty Etui, then I'm not sure what's next--possibly some finishing. However, I do have to be "in the mood" for finishing, so I'll work on that. :)


Keep cool!!!