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!!!
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
What a great idea and a wonderful use for this basket! And thank you for sharing the link to Syd's blog as well!
ReplyDeleteRobin in Virginia
Love, love, love it! Great job, Stasi!
ReplyDeleteLove this idea, Stasi and Syd! I even have a Longaberger boardwalk basket. Stay tuned for my "interpretation" :)
ReplyDeleteCan't wait--be sure to let us know!
ReplyDeleteWonderful....love it!
ReplyDeleteWell...now ain't you somethin'?! That's pretty cool! Love it! You go girl!
ReplyDeleteWOW Absolutely stunning!!! Love all your changes with the chart!!!
ReplyDeletelove Annette
Thanks Annette--it was fun to stitch!
DeleteDear Stasi I just love the way you made this your "personal " basket. Can't wait to see it!
ReplyDeleteWas this a medium or large boardwalk basket? Really love it and your changes.
ReplyDeleteBarb, It was a large basket! Thanks!
DeleteStasi....what size linen did you use? The opening on the large was 18" long I thought and your piece fits so nicely.
ReplyDeleteThanks.
Barb, I used a 32 count linen. I had thought it was 36 count( was marked that by the store where I bought it) so had a moment of panic when I realized it was the larger count. Luckily it fit!!! It was one of the old BOAF linens and the color was just perfect with the basket colors.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your info.....love the bee hive and the wool(as I work with wool a lot). Where did you get your bee hive from, if you don't mind sharing.
ReplyDeleteBarb, I didn't use any wool--just attached my linen to the top of the liner that came with the basket. As for the beehive, I did it myself alternating rows of cross stitch and smyrnas. Hope that helps!
ReplyDeleteGot it....it is rick rack and I thought you mounted it on wool. Your creativity is really neat. Thank you for sharing so much.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea, your basket is gorgeous
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful project! I love what you and Syd both created. Of course, I had to go order the pattern since I only have "Home of Needleworker". Now to keep an eye out for the perfect basket on ebay. Just love this idea and it will let everyone know I am proud to be a Needleworker!
ReplyDeleteThanks once again for a great idea and adding another WIP to my basket!