Candy and Flowers (59)

Today's post is a little freebie from Charland Designs. It's a little late for Valentine's Day but I thought I'd sneak it in to end my February stroll. When I worked at Twisted Threads, we had an ornament of the month club and I would take freebie charts and change them up. We would then make up a kit with my changes and make it available to our customers. This is one of those; sadly I don't have many but managed to get a few when we closed.

Candy Hearts by Charland Designs

 Now, I have some flowers to share from The Beekeeper's Cottage Etui. I finished stitching the Sunflower pinkeep, front and back. I did change the bee on the back to a more "realistic" one.

I also got The Pansy Needlebook stitched. It says "think of me" up the spine.

Growing up in Baltimore, Shrove Tuesday was always Pancake Tuesday and we have continued the tradition wherever we lived. So, we're having the grandkids over tonight and pancakes are definitely on the menu! It's interesting how different areas enjoy different traditional pastries this day. When we lived in Bethelehem, PA everyone feasted on fastnachts, a type of doughnut.  

 When we lived in Cincinnati, the locals devoured Paczki the day before Lent.
 
Me, I'm good with any and all pastries at any time, but my hips don't appreciate all that flour, sugar and fat!!! 

I hope you will be enjoying your traditional pre-lenten treat today and would enjoy hearing if you have one different than the ones I cited.

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

Stasi

February Chalk (58)

It's so hard to believe we are at the end of February. I realized I forgot to post the January A Year in Chalk series piece, but did remember in time to squeeze in this months. I did the whole series last year for my daughter's birthday. It's stitched on the called for WDW 30 count gunmetal linen but I used fibers I had in my stash. Look for others as we progress through the year.

A Year in Chalk  February  Hands on Design

Gotta run--have a dentist appointment.

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

Stasi

Z is for.............

I can't believe it's time to post the last of the Shepherd's Fold series pillows. But "Z" is here and just in time for a cold snap. Yes, it's actually going to be in the 50's instead of the 70's on February 26th!

Z is for.........

 I thought I'd show how I store the tiny pillows. They are 4" X 4" and fit perfectly in my 1992 Mother's Day Longaberger basket. I usually pull one or two out to display at a time as befits the time of year or special holiday.

I used to have a long antique blackboard at my old house that these fit perfectly along the chalk ledge, but gave it to a neighbor when we moved. I didn't think I had a place for it at the new house, but I do and am kicking myself for letting it go.Oh well, s they say, "what's done is done"!

Enjoy your day and thanks for stopping by and your "twisted threads" of friendship!
Stasi

Y is for...... (56)

Wow, only one more of these little buggers to go, then I'll get back to a variety of my finished projects. This has been an easy month; it will be a little more challenging gathering, identifying and photographing the rest o the stroll. But, as Tim Gunn would say, I'll "make it work"! (Boy, do I love Tim and Project Runway)!!!

Y is for........

 I got another piece in the Beekeeper's Cottage Etui set stitched--the sunflower pinkeep. I still have to do the reverse side, but I think I may search for a different bee.

 I wanted to share this little purse my Mom found for me; its' a Fossil and perfect for outings like the Quilt Show the other day and........it has bees!

 Speaking of the quilt show, I found it sad that there were not more young people there. I would say the overwhelming majority of the attendees were 55+, myself included.  (I told my husband I hadn't seen so much gray hair in my life)!!! Now that could be due to the fact I went on a Thursday when younger people are involved with work and/or families. I worry that the next and future  generations will not appreciate handwork and they will miss out on the satisfaction of making something with their own hands. I am thankful my grand daughter shows an interest in crafting and I want to encourage it as much as possible. Okay, I'll get off my soapbox now! :)

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

Stasi

X is for....... (55)

The quilt show yesterday in Hampton Roads was great--much larger than I anticipated. I spent over 4 hours wandering the aisles. The quilts on exhibit were fabulous, but one really stood out. This will be hard to describe but I'll do my best. It was three pictures in one of art masterpieces. Looking from the left you saw Monet's Starry Night, looking straight on you saw the famous "hands" from the Sistine Chapel and looking from the left you saw The Scream from Munch.  It was amazing!!!! The "frame" around the piece was also fabric and quilted. I'd love to show a photo but I didn't get the quilters name and hate to not give them credit.

There was a vendor there selling  hand cream called Hawaiian Moon made with medical grade aloe. I tried a sample but was put off by the price..$60 for a 9 oz. jar!!! But, I have to admit, it lasted a long time (as touted), even after washing my hands several times. Has anyone out there tried it?

I made a few small purchases; I was even chastised (jokingly) by a lady, as I was leaving, that my bag wasn't big enough!!! I bought two patterns and some buttons and pins. I was able to bypass a lot of booths because there were a ton of long arm machine vendors there and I am NOT in the market for one of those. Here's what I bought:

 The pins were from L'Atelier d'Isabelle from France; I know I can find a use for them.

On to today's stitch stroll piece.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

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

W is for....... (54)

Just a little reminder that I posted "V" on Valentine's Day, so I'm jumping to "W" today.

Spent the day yesterday painting our living room and it was exhausting!!! All I did was the taping and "cutting in" with a brush; hubby did all the rolling...and I was still pooped. But a good nights sleep and I'm feeling good as new....well maybe not that new but still able to carry on. And carry on I will...to the Mid Atlantic Quilt Show in Hampton Roads. The show starts today and I am hoping it will be less crowded since it's a weekday--we shall see. I'm looking forward to browsing the vendors and checking out some finished quilts--a quiet day to myself. Will let you know if I find anything wonderful!

I did get another part of the Beekeeper's Cottage Etui stitched, the measuring tape cover. Isn't it pretty? 

 I had to share this photo of my grand daughter. To celebrate their 100th day of school, they were asked to dress as a 100 year old person. Here is her version, a mini-me of my Mom. My Mom loaned her the wig and cane, so quite authentic!!! :)

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

Stasi 

U is for......... (53)

Looking back, this series really was a lot of fun with fairly immediate gratification. The kits were truly all inclusive, including the tuck-a way pillows. It was just a monthly matter to stitch, add embellishment, trim, slide into pillow and sew on the four corner buttons......easy-peasy! Today I'm sharing my favorite of the bunch!

U is for.....

 I completed stitching the roof pieces for the Beekeper's Cottage etui....a little bit of Zen stitching. Once you got the blackwork pattern down, it was so nice to not have to keep referring to a chart.

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

Stasi 

T is for (52) and a little finish

I'm strolling on down to the end of this Shepherd's Bush Fold series.....only 6 more to go! Then, I'll restart posting  other projects from over the years. Isn't that turkey adorable--wouldn't want to eat him/her. And there's a sweet little teapot too!

T is for..........

I completed the stitching on a little piece from Hands on Design, Winter Thyme. I stitched it on two mystery linens and substituted fiber colors with ones I had on hand. That's always easy to do when there isn't a lot of fiber usage. I think I have the Autumn one in this series and will have to check if spring and summer are available. I'll be making this into a small vertical pillow, hopefully have a fabric in my stash to fit the bill.

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

Stitch Stroll S is for...... (51)

I would love to be saying that today's little pillow is indicative of our current weather, but sadly, that is not the case. With temps in the 60's and 70's this past week, it is difficult to believe it is February!!! As Anna sings to Elsa in Frozen...."Would you like to build a snowman"? Yes, I think I would!

S is for.......

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

Stasi

Q is for........ (49) and R is for...... (50)

Sorry I missed yesterday but we had an early start to take my parents home to Baltimore and a commitment in the afternoon. It was a long day and we made the trip up and back in one day. But after an energizing walk this morning in Pocahontas State Park, I'm ready to get moving and combining two posts today. 

Up first is Q is for.......

Q is for......

I had a short foray into quilting back in the late 1980's. There was a lady in Bethlehem, PA that taught quilting at her house. My first class was a pillow, all hand pieced and quilted.

My next, and final class, was a Star of Bethlehem quilt (quite appropriate as I was living in Bethlehem at the time). This is a 42" square and, again, hand pieced and quilted.

I am always so tempted by quilting, but have fought the urge for years. I have too much stitching to accomplish and, even though I do have a nice stash of fat quarters, I don't want to start "collecting" fabric. I get most of my quilt enjoyment from a friend's blog, The Polka Dot Chicken. Carol makes crazy, wild, jubilant quilts that always put a smile on my face.

Now on to R is for.....

R is for......

We had a nice day on Friday with my parents in Deltaville, VA. They had an oyster museum which was very nice; they even gave us goodie bags with tee shirts! We followed that with lunch at The Table ( a great little find) where hubby had an oyster po-boy. Me, I stuck with egg salad...not a fan of oysters!

 Enjoy your Sunday and holiday tomorrow.

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

Stasi