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