Strolling into August....511-513

Greetings fellow stitchers...I can't believe July has flown by so quickly, but here we are on the eve of August 1st. It's been a bit of a hellish month, weather wise, but we did have three days/nights where we could open windows and enjoy some temps in the upper 70's. The rest has been 90's teetering on 100. We bought some new outdoor furniture the beginning of July and  I had hoped to spend time on our screened porch stitching, but too hot/humid for me. 

So, I've been stitching up a storm inside!!! I have a few finishes and a few WIP's to share. First up is the piece I did as a gift for my hubby in honor of our 45th anniversary. It's Threads that Bind by Mosey 'n Me. It was buried in my stash but I came across it about a week before our anniversary and knew I had to get it done in time. So, all other projects got tossed aside and I concentrated solely on this. I stithed it on 40 count R&R Liberty Gathering Grey with an assortment of various ovrdyes I had on hand. I left off the basket motif and added a heart charm and gold needle in its place. I also left off the ribbon at the bottom to make my piece a square. Here is the original:

                                           

And here is mine:

I knew I needed a quick finish, so off to Hobby Lobby  where I found this fun wooden heart. I added some rick rack around the edges and glued it to the heart. The size of the stitching is 4" X 4". I just loved the saying and it was so appropriate for a stitcher...."you are the thread that runs through my life and the stitch that binds my heart". 

Next up is L.H. 1818 Quaker Sewing Pocket by The Good Huswife. This came with the pre-finshed pocket and fibers (Needlepoint silks). There was a long slit in the back for ease of stitching, which I hand sewed shut when completed. This a large pocket, approx. 15" X 10" (at its widest point). I have it hanging next to a smaller pocket I did a few years ago.

 Then another finish...if you can even call it that...a little luggage tag...just in time for our trip to Yellowstone. This was pre-made and a little needlepoint was all that was needed!

A friend of mine (thanks Paola) gave me these sweet charts quite a few years ago and I have been remiss in getting them stitched, but I was determined to this summer. Thy are both by Jardin Prive' and feature bees....what a surprise!!! The first I have completely stitched and it's waiting to get finished into a pincushion. It's called Carre' a Abeilles and was stitched on 32 count cream Irish linen with Victorian Motto Shoppe fibers (converted from DMC).

The other is called Parterre de Fleurs and is till in progress. It too will be a small pincushion.

We made a quick trip to my younger daughters to help with a few things in her new house. While hubby was installing ceiling fans and putting down vapor barriers in the crawl space, I was working on a few more A Year of Celebration by HAnds on Design. I got July, August and September done (except for the backgrounds) and started October. 

Also while we were at my daughters, I rescued a mini ironing board she was discarding. I made a new cover for it and voila...I won't have to run up and down the stairs as much when finishing....not that I can't use the steps!!!

And I watched some Marie Kondo while in NC and am trying out her tee shirt folding/storing. Have any of you seen this and been feeling the joy???

We had friends visiting this past weekend and went to dinner for our anniversaries. My daughter here had told us about a speakeasy themed restaurant in Richmond called Grandstaff and Stein that sounded fun. You have to know to get on their FB page and get the secret "password" for entry. So I was all ready with it...."jag juice".  We hadn't told our friends about this secret and thought it would be fun to surprise them. When you walk in, it's just a very small room that looks like a bookstore. We figured they'd be very confused, I'd walk on over with the password and the door would magically open. Instead the hostess made a big deal about us being in the right place and kind of spoiled the surprise! Nevertheless, we enjoyed ourselves....the waitresses were dressed in a 20's flapper theme and the food was delicious! 

We are gearing up to watch the grand kids next week so my daughter and hubby can go on a quiet vacation. My younger daughter is coming to help, so all should be good...though I'm thinking I'll be exhausted the following week. Maybe a recuperative week of stitching .... we shall see...but in the meantime....thanks for stopping by and your "twisted threads" of friendship!

Stasi