More Toys for the Toy Chest

Well, I've just finished two more toys for my Toy Chest. This was a class that I took a few years ago from Betsy Morgan of Willing Hands. Someday soon I'll post photos of the whole piece and you can drool along with me. But for now, here is the Hobby Horse and Paintbox.

The Hobby Horse is a cover for your laying tool. The one I have (which was given to me by a dear friend) is from Mike and Maggie Fraser of Sylvan Treasures. It is ebony wood and smooth as a baby's behind! Mike turns beautiful wood pieces for use by stitchers--lovely wood ort jars and such. You should check out their web site: www.sylvantreasures.com. 

The paintbox, I think, was an appropriate addition as I have always felt we "paint" with our needle and thread. Cross stitching has always reminded me of coloring when I was a child--the thrill of a new box of crayons and putting those first strokes of color on paper--has definitely equated with placing that first "cross" of color and then watching the design grow as more and more stitches are worked. There is nothing like the thrill of putting that first stitch in a piece of linen!!! I feel I'm waning philosophical here...but you know what I mean! :)

The paintbox is a needle threader case--it holds the needle threader with the adorable palette charm and also has two hidden pockets for storing needles. 

So that's it for today--keep on stitchin'!!!

"Cuppa"

Just a quick post about something fun I did yesterday. My local library had a lecture by The Tea Lady about British tea/teas. It was quite fun!!! We got to sample three different teas and learned the proper way to brew a pot along with a short history of tea in the British Isles. So, I just finished brewing my "cuppa" in a tempered pot, with rolling boiling water, steeping 3-5 minutes, sugar and cream...and I'm ready to sip and stitch!


P.S. The lecture was at 2:00 PM, so I couldn't stop singing "tea for two and two for tea"!!! :)

Dang me...Dang Me

Well, it's been a month to the day since I last posted and I have been a busy bee---. but more about that later. First I must start with a story of woe.............. I had shown, previously, the beautiful sampler I had stitched for my granddaughter, Cora. I took it down to give to my daughter  recently and she's oohing and aahing all over it, telling me how much she loves it. Then, shyly she looks at me and says" Mom--what year was Cora born"? I immediately start to freak knowing I screwed up something and lo and behold....I had stitched the wrong year!!!! Dang it!!!Our dear Cora was born the last day of November 2010, and I didn't start stitching her birth sampler until 2011. So, I inadvertently put 2011 instead of 2010!!!!!! My sweet daughter, Kristin, said "it's okay we can just leave it like that"......seeing I was beginning to go into major meltdown mode, but there is NO way I could leave it. So, I shall have to take off the back of the piece, unpin--hopefully just about 1/3 from the bottom, remove the over one stitching  ( luckily just the one number), restitch the correct number and put it all back together. Whew!!! And here's the kicker.......I did the same thing when I stitched a birth sampler for my daughter, Jess's 18th birthday--put the year I stitched it instead of her birth year.  You think I would have learned from that experience!!!! It's a wonder my backside isn't 'black and blue' from all the "kicking myself in the butt" I've been doing!!! :)


Now, on to better things. As I mentioned earlier, I have been getting some stitching done. I completed all the stitching on The Regal Bee and now have to sit down quietly and contemplate how I'm going to finish it. The designer, at this time, doesn't have finishing instructions but I loved the piece so much, I bought it anyway. I figure I can pull on all the knowledge I've gleaned from my past classes with Merry Cox, Betsy Morgan, Judy O'Dell and others to get me through it. The shaker box it goes in is just fabulous, especially the lid which highlights the grains of wood. I'll share that when I have it all done. For now, here is the needle book and pages and the scissor fob (over one).

scissor fob

needle book and pages

I've also managed to get the pre-stitching done for my Betsy Morgan class, The Elizabethan Casket Etui,  in June. . There will be buttonholes stitched at the top and it will be made into a drawstring bag for a stitching goodie.

I also (had this in my stash awhile) stitched the Hobby Horse accessory that goes in the Toy Chest by Betsy Morgan. It will fit over the top of a beautifully turned wood laying tool. I will share photos when it's finished but here is the stitched piece. (Sorry the horse head is sideways but I forgot to rotate)

I am currently working on another addition to the Toy Chest, The Paintbox Needle Threader Case. Betsy says that is the LAST piece, but she's said that before. :) 

So, to end today, I'm going to share a little story about Cora. It seems she likes to Skype with me and will sit on the floor by Kris's computer and point up at it until Kris calls me. I can't tell you how remarkable it is to answer the call and see her precious face smiling back at me. Computers can frustrate the living heck out of me, but then there is this wonderful technology that allows me to interact with my grand babies on a daily basis, while they're hours away. I can remember visiting Disney World back in the 70's and visiting the World of Tomorrow ( I think Monsanto sponsored it) and seeing the tableaus for the future where people could shop on line and talk to each other over their computer. I recall Rich and I discussing that this could NEVER happen--someone had a great imagination. And here we are....living it...and loving it!!!

Until next time.....

Stasi