Aren't stitching friends the best?

A lovely, thoughtful gift awaited me on my last visit to Salty Yarns!

 One of the perks of being able to attend stitching events, is meeting others who share your love for needlework. I'm not sure this term best describes what we do, because it isn't work...it is joy, passion, fulfillment! But I diverse........I have met many lovely ladies from all over the country and oceans, friendships are formed and we all look forward to seeing each other at various retreats and seminars. For me, this is so important since I live in a rural area, without a needlework shop close by, and  am given the opportunity to share with other like minded souls. We literally "feed" off each others projects, ideas, suggestions, sources etc.. How did you do that stitch? Where did you get that button?  What is your source for that dupioni silk? And so on and so on. Of course, these very same reasons apply to social media and the friends I've made through my blog and stitch related groups on Facebook. There are ladies I've met on line and had the opportunity to then meet in person at an event; there are others I look forward to meeting one day face to face. Bottom line, stitchers are kind, creative and interesting people!

Now back to my gift! It's no secret I like "bee" related items and am always on the prowl for them. So, what a wonderful surprise to find an adorable bee needle rest waiting for me on my recent trip to Ocean City. It is covered in "bling" and therefore, very "queenly" and has found a home in My Regal Bee box.Turns out it has been waiting for me for quite some time--I hadn't been down to Salty Yarns in months. A BIG thank you to Ginny---I love it and appreciate your thinking of me!!!  Hope to see you soon!

Then, there was another surprise waiting for me!!! My friend, Syd (who also knows I love bee stuff) had messaged me to see if I was interested in a bee themed kit she had gotten from one of the prim stitching clubs. Needless to say I was! In fact, I had seen this design and fallen in love with it, only to find it was limited to club members. So, thanks to another thoughtful stitch buddy, I now have this in my possession. Isn't it great when we all look out for each other? Thank you Syd--can't wait to start this!!! And, thanks to Sara at Salty Yarns for being the 'go between' for my treasures! I am a lucky girl!!!!

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

My Mermaid Finishing Weekend

Since hubby was away for a few days, I took the opportunity for a weekend of binge TV (Salem and 6 Feet Under) and project finishing. I only managed to get one project finished however. There was a lot of hand sewing involved and my "push" finger got so sore, I had to take breaks. I don't know how many times the eye of the needle poked its way in!!! Waa-Waa!!! I find thimbles way to clumsy and the needle I like to use is very thin...I think it's a beading needle. It works for me since it "bends" for the whip stitching, and I can't seem to master a curved needle. But I persevered and here are the results of my labor!

The Mermaid's Two Tales

by Sherri Jones of Patrick's Woods

Tempest Mermaid side of purse
The purse has magnets at the top to hold closed

Calming Mermaid side of purse

Bottom

Inside of purse
There is a set of 3 fish thread bobbins under the flap
Note the pearl--came with the kit--such a cute idea!

Scissor fob, pynn pillow and needle compact (front)

Scissor fob, pynn pillow and needle compact (back)

Inside of needle compact
There is a fish from "mermaid tears" and a tiny vial of Ocean city sand

That's it for now!

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

Stasi

Catching Up

A lot has happened since my last post; this is always a busy time of year. Let me start with my sewing machine saga. After visiting three different repair places, it was unanimous they couldn't get the parts to repair the Viking. At least the last person ordered what he thought was the part needed in for me, but alas, it didn't do the job. So, I had to break down and get a new one!! I chose a Baby Lock Melody and so far, so good. I don't do a lot of sewing anymore, so I didn't need all the bells and whistles that are out there today, just a machine to fit my basic needs. The best feature, by far, on the new machine is a self threader--I don't have to fumble, even with my glasses, to thread the needle. Yippee!! Then I can choose not to use the foot pedal and just push a button to start and stop! It is very user friendly with clear guidelines how to thread the needle and bobbin. I'm still mourning my Viking 990--- sadly the feet and bobbins don't fit the Baby Lock but I hate to get rid of them. I do have a glimpse of hope but am trying not to get too excited. My daughter, in Richmond, just had to have her machine repaired and the guy told her "there isn't a machine I can't fix"! Maybe, just maybe, we'll see if he can fix mine!!!
Here is a photo of my first project on the new machine- a Frozen pillow case for a dear friends granddaughter and my new "Baby".

So amidst all the comparison shopping, I managed a long weekend at Salty Yarns. It was Halloween weekend, better known as the CA weekend. The back story is that CA Wells cancelled out on a class weekend about 6-7 years ago, but the ladies still got together to stitch and have a "wake" in CA's absence. They continue to do this every year and since I was signed up for those original classes, I try to go when I can. This was a go to year!!!!

I drove down the Thursday before Halloween and upon my arrival found our apartment had been decorated, to the hilt, by my roomie Deb. Halloween is her favorite time of year so we had lights, haunted house displays with sound and movement..... Halloween towels! Here are some photos of what awaited me:

What fun--thanks Debbie for making this a special treat...and no tricks!!!!

We stitched and gabbed and stitched and ate and stitched and shopped and stitched and even slept!!! The lobby of the Lankford was also decked out in Halloween finery and everyone had little special treats they brought for each other. (I forgot to take a picture of what I brought but it was a "bottle cap" that had a Halloween design in the center. I added cording and a magnet to make it a combo scissor/needle holder). My treats ranged from candy to an adorable tote bag to a "gianormous" candy apple to a hand painted votive candle holder and more. It was a "spooktacular" time!!! (sorry couldn't help myself) Here are a couple shots of the lobby, which don't do it justice.

I have been stitching!!! While in OCean City we celebrated Deb's birthday. Here is gift I made her. It is a design by Marie Suarez called My Dear Bobbin. I was lucky to have found a bunch of these bobbins at a craft show a few years back and snatched them up. They work perfectly for this design!!! The scissors are a pair of Sullivans that I thought fit well with the piece.  

I also made a few "koozie" covers and beaded spiders as gifts. The covers are from a pattern called Charm Pack Koozie Covers  by Buttons and Bees. The spiders are from a you tube video I stumbled across. I also made one for me to stick in Scraps the Mummy's ( see a couple posts back) casket--pretty cute huh???

That's more catching up to do, but that will have to be it for now. Hubby was away a few days this past week and I hope to have some finishing to share soon.

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

Stasi