My daughter's blog

 Good morning!

Many of you have been interested in my daughter's journey with her adopted children and I thought I'd share her two latest blog posts. We weren't allowed to share much personal info, names and such, while the adoption process was going on, and I've been hesitant to share much because of their privacy--it is their story to tell. But now that everything is truly finalized, I thought I'd let you have a peek into their story. We are so very proud of Kristin and Chad; they truly walk the walk!  They are raising a loving, caring family who I know will continue their giving spirit. I will leave you now before the tears start falling on my keyboard. 

I hope you have a Happy Easter and thanks for stopping by and your "twisted threads" of friendship.
Stasi


And the rest will fall into place March 19

and the rest will fall into place March 29

Back to Reality...

So as much as I enjoy myself at a stitching retreat, I am always happy to get home and sleep in my own bed and stitch in my own nest.....not as happy about the piles of laundry, bills needing paid and grocery shopping.

That being said, I had another fabulous time at Salty Yarns. We take class, we eat, we share, we shop and I even got walks in two mornings on the boardwalk. They were chilly, windy walks but helped wake me up for the day to come. The stitchers that attend are always so nice and inspirational. We have a "show and tell" and the ladies share their finishing ideas and support. 

Here is the chock full goodie bag we all received...some finishing supplies from Lady Dot, doctor's flannel, a thread holder, waxer, clips , chart minder and the bag to hold it all.

I got there Thursday afternoon and sat and stitched until my roomie arrived, then dinner and more stitching. Friday and Saturday were open days for me (I had already taken the Saturday class), so I wandered Salty Yarns picking up projects from the recent Nashville Market, chatted, went to lunch with friends and stitched. I got quite a bit accomplished:

Week 12 of the Red Band Sampler SAL

Finished the ABC de la Brodesue

More motifs on the Celtic Band Sampler

 We had a reception with the most delicious food Friday evening in Sara's home and a dessert reception followed by stitching on Saturday evening. We eat good, there is no denying it.....hence the attempts at walking in the mornings.

Sunday was my class and here is what I got accomplished. The whole piece is bordered by a row of black smyrna stitches...good thing I like to do them. Aren't the colors yummy? Catherine is a great teacher, very laid back; if you ever get the chance to take a class....DO! I showed what the finished piece will look like in my previous post.

And, of course, some shopping therapy was in order and this is what went into my bag:
 RJ..this first one has your name written all over it! :)

French Schoolgirl Sewing Case and Smalls by Needlemade Designs with banding

L-R: Small Matters by Noteworthy Needle, Letters from Mom by Jeanette Douglas, Soul Sisters by Plum Street Samplers and Oh Say Can You See by Hands on Design (I figured I had to have that one being a Baltimore girl and loving the beach)

Waxers by Stacy Nash...can you believe the detail in these?

Pins by Puntini Puntini

Thanks again Sara and Sally for a wonderful weekend--you are the hostesses with the 'mostesses' and always make us feel welcome. Thanks also to the lovely ladies who never fail to inspire and enable!!! :)

Now, onto a sewing project (sorry this is getting so long) but since I'm back to not posting every day, I have more to share at once! The girls asked me to make them dresses so Esther and I went to JoAnn's to pick out fabric for she and Cora, who couldn't go. This is what we're going to make.

  
 Esther picked the Shopkins fabric for herself and I picked the polka dots for Cora. Esther wanted to help make the dress, so she came over yesterday and we got the bodice done before she jammed up my serger. :) She really wants to do things herself and I'm encouraging that but..... I'll be finishing the dresses at this point. LOL

In closing..... a quick "grands" story......my daughter had asked me to babysit the girls and have a sleepover last Friday and, since I was going to be away, my hubby bravely stepped forward and offered to do it. All went well except for the 4:30 wake up again for Esther. He even made Cora her favorite chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast....Esther ate leftover pizza! While here, the girls were playing with their Barbies and Esther decided they were at the beach. She drew a picture of a beach and taped it to my floor. She found a couple small wooden chairs in my sewing room and sat them around the "water" for the Barbies to lounge in....if only Rich had thought to take a picture! So, the "beach" is staying for awhile as a reminder of good times in OCMD and the playful imagination of children.

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

Stasi
 
 

Happy Spring.....(453-454)

......or is it??? We've got snow in the forecast for tomorrow (3-5 ") and I know some of you are gearing up for your 4th Nor'easter in a row. March is definitely going out like a lion!

I've got a couple Stroll pieces to share, one to celebrate the end of winter and the other to celebrate the beginning of spring. A Pixie for all Seasons Winter by Bent Creek is the last in a series; I showed the other three last year. I chose to do the "signs" and not the pixies and swap them out every season in the same frame.

To welcome spring, here is the final season from the chart, Holiday Seasons, by Birds of a Feather. I have them all framed together in a 2 X 2 black frame I found somewhere and was just the right size. I love all the quirky characters and bright/happy colors in these.

We had a busy last weekend with the grandkids....the girls spent the night Friday, two soccer games on Saturday and some recuperation time as the girls woke up at 4:30 Saturday morning, two baseball games on Sunday and a trip to JoAnns with Esther to pick out fabric for a dress we're going to make. Whew!!! 

 I have been getting some stitching done in the evenings....Week 11 on the Red Band Sampler SAL and I got back to working on ABC de la Brodeuse.   

I have still been working on the Samsarah calendar when traveling in the car. Here are four more of the pieces. I finished the first of November's designs, so only 7 more to go!!!! I can't wait to get this behind me....I am so tired of stitching that black/white checkerboard border (have done it 41 times so far). I need more trips where I'm not driving!!!

I'm off to Ocean City for a class with Catherine Theron this weekend,  Stitcher's Envelope.  I plan to leave Thursday morning if the weather cooperates--wish me luck! I started packing and am always amazed at the amount of stuff I NEED to take; this time is no diffferent. I may/may not post this weekend but if I don't, I'll try to touch base when I get back.
 

 

Hope you are enjoying your first day of spring or at least "springy" thoughts of what's to come. Thanks for stopping by and your "twisted threads" of friendship!

Stasi 
P.S. The grands situation has been improving, but I don't want to jinx it!!!

Strolling with Clara and Henry....(451-452)

OMG, this pair of bunnies is too stinkin' cute!!!

I couldn't wait to share them; I just finished adding their final bling. So, without further ado, let me present Clara O'Hare and Henry O'Hare, both special edition kits from Lizzie Kate, bought in 2000 and stitched in 2018---quite the time lag there!!! I'm so glad they survived my recent purge and I decided to "fit" them in. I stitched everything as called for and had some really cute backing fabric in my stash (Yes Debbie, I did). I added some tiny jelly beans to Clara's basket..they are real and hope that isn't a problem, but I couldn't wait to find something else. The bunnies are approximately 8 inches high.

 

Bad bunnies!!!

On another note, after reading Mary's recipe for Irish soda bread on Mary and RJ's blog (Stitching Friends Forever), I tackled two loaves last night. I gave one to my daughter and we'll have ours with dinner tonight. Here's our loaf:

And I haven't forgotten about St. Patrick's Day...how could I...my Mom was a McNamara and my great grand-parents came over from Ireland in the early 1900's. So here's a shot of me wearin' my green. Quick story, Codd is my maiden name and my Dad has always jokingly "lorded" over us the fact that he's English (of course that means I am too)!  Turns out Codd is also Irish, so this is my way of getting back!!! LOL

Hoping you're reveling today in your "Irish"...even if it's just a wee bit. Thanks for stopping by and your "twisted threads" of friendship!

Stasi
 

Boy Bunny......and a Stroll Addition (450)

Greetings from cold and... two days ago.... snowy Richmond. We had  an unexpected snowfall of approximately 3-4 inches on Monday. I had checked the weather report that morning and it said we were only in for some rain, possibly some sleet late afternoon. Well, after lunch, the snow started, heavy and wet, and lasted until dinner time. It was beautiful while it lasted, but was gone the next day. 

In the midst of the storm, I was working on my second bunny, a  dapper Henry O'Hare, by Lizzie Kate. He is all stitched now and waiting to be finished into a stand up with his mate, Clara. I picked some backing fabric from my stash and perle cottons to make cording. Hopefully I will be sharing them soon and officially adding to my Stroll. 

   
And, speaking of my Stroll, I was pulling out my spring/Easter pieces and found one I hadn't shown. This is Chocolate Hare, an old Ewe and Eye and Friends Black Sheep Night kit. He was re-published in a leaflet called Black Sheep Redeux. I framed him in a deep frame because I added some wool for his tail and didn't want it squished.

I'm still keeping up with the Red Sampler Band SAL and completed week 10. I so look forward to finding this in my e-mail every Friday morning.

Here's a question for you all. I was reading Mary Corbett's blog today and she was discussing the use of synthetic thread conditioner, such as Thread Heaven, and beeswax. Now I have never used either, but did happen to have some Thread Heaven on hand and have been using it on my red silk for the SAL. In the past, red silk in particular,  has left "fuzzies" on my linen causing a "pinkish" cast around the stitches (this was a problem on my Beekeeper's Cottage specifically). I thought I'd try the TH on the SAL piece and it's working nicely keeping the "fuzzies" away. So my question....what do you all think...do you use thread conditioner/beeswax and what is your experience with it?

Hope you are all warm, cozy and anticipating spring! Thanks for stopping by and your "twisted threads" of friendship!

Stasi

Girl Bunny....

I did manage a quiet day of stitching yesterday, though the show Designated Survivor doesn't really lend itself to relaxing!!! It actually had me feeling a bit anxious and I have enough of that right now in my life. Rich enjoyed his 11 mile hike though was pretty sore/stiff when he got home. He was awfully proud of his 32,000 steps though! :)

Clara's stitching was completed and she'll wait to be finished along with Henry....at that point she'll get her hat and basket added. She's pretty sweet isn't she?

I also got week 9 stitched on the Red Sampler Band SAL. I try my best to keep up with this; I think if it gets put on the back burner, it'll be tough to go back to it.

So, I have been perusing FB and shop websites for the new Nashville releases and I have a little list going. But one new design  this morning has really touched my heart! It's  Letters From Mom.  I really love the thought behind this; it will be released in 5 parts. The idea of making an "envelope" bag and putting these "letters" in it is so darling. I need MORE time!!!!  What designs have you seen that are "gotta haves"? I'm hoping to pick up my Nashville purchases the end of the month when I venture to Salty Yarns for a class with Catherine Theron.

We were asked to spend the afternoon with James today so my daughter and SIL could attend events for the other grands. He asked to go to Chuck E Cheese...and we obliged.... $30 later, he came home with a bag of cheap "prizes" but a happy heart. I won't get on my soapbox about this place but suffice it to say....not my favorite place....on multiple levels.

Now we're settling in for the evening and deciding whether to watch the Oscars or not. I think we'll start with Jimmy Kimmels opening and go from there. I'm not sure we've seen any of the nominated movies...unless Star Wars is nominated....so it's kind of moot for us.

Hope you're enjoying a relaxing evening..... thanks for stopping by and your "twisted threads" of friendship! 

Stasi

Some Spring Stitching....

I recently was doing some "organizing" of my stash and stumbled across two old Lizzie Kate bunny kits, Clara and Henry O'Hare; they were Special Edition kits from 2000.

 
 I started to add them to the "purge" pile but they are so darn cute and I don't have much in the way of spring decorations. So  instead they went to the top of my stitching "to do "list and I got cracking on Clara. Here is where I am on her:

 

The fabric and embellishments came with the kit. I am stitching with called for threads (GAST) except I subbed out Midnight for WDW Navy, since I had that on hand. I am hoping to finish her up today.

All has been quiet on the homefront for a couple days so Rich took off early this morning on an 11 mile hike and I'm planning on planting myself in front of the TV and binge watching Designated Survivor while working on Clara and Henry. The gusty winds have finally diminished and it doesn't sound like a freight train is roaring past. We were lucky and only had the wind to deal with, but I know others are coping with snow, flooding and the aftermath of the high winds. I hope you can all unwind and enjoy some stitching time this weekend. Be safe!!!

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

Stasi