THE BUZZ FROM THE HIVE

Thursday, July 24, 2014

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"

Thursday, July 10, 2014

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

Friday, July 4, 2014

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