A Bit of a Return to Normalcy....... (593-594)

  

 

Greetings.....I know it's been awhile, but time just seems to slip away...and I'm not totally sure how I feel about that.....I'd like it to move quickly so we can get past this Covid craziness, but I'd like it to slow down so I can enjoy every moment to its fullest. I am fully vaccinated and feel things are gradually getting back to normal. I attended my first retreat in well over a year..and managed another weekend at the beach to relax and chill with Rich and my brother and his family. I took on the co-chair position for programs for my Guild and my partner and I are working on some fun programs for the upcoming year. Fingers, toes and eyes are all crossed that we can start to meet in person come September.

Now on to some stitchy news.....my first retreat/ class was the second weekend in April with Jackie DuPlessis at Salty Yarns in Ocean City, Md. Jackie taught three classes, but I only took one.....ODE, a piece to honor Jane Austen. Here is a photo of the project:

It comes with a bevy of smalls and that beautiful wooden box. Mr. Miller, who made the boxes, was there and we were able to get him to sign our personal box. It was so wonderful to be with stitchers again..... though we were small in number, we were BIG with enthusiasm. Now I have to be patient until October, when my next retreat is scheduled. We made a number of mock-ups and practiced stitches in our two day class, but the real work has yet to begin.

I have a couple finishes to share...first is A Petite Royal Sewing Set by Merry Cox. This was a class with the Orange Coast Sampler Guild in California. They allow away stitchers so I was able to attend. Sadly, I wound up with this class conflicting with Jackie's and was unable to Zoom in. The good news is I've had enough classes with Merry that I could figure the finishing out. It is such a sweet, petite piece and I included the initials of my grandmother, who was very petite...weighing only 78 pounds!!! The class included the smalls, the shaker box with a lovely stitched band and a a carrier bag we made from some very cool fabric.

 My other finish was a gift for a friend.....Scrim Busk by Eventide Designs. I shortened the design from the original thinking it would be a great size to store any Scrim rulers she may collect. It's about 4" high.

Front

Back

Now my stitch finishes that are patiently waiting to be FFO'd. April Wordplay is in the bag....I think I've decided how I'm going to finish this series, but am not ready to totally commit yet...will keep you posted.
 

 

This is Honeybees and Blooms  by Honeycombs and Threads...it will eventually be made into a drum. It was purchased as a kit and has all the finishing supplies waiting for me.

 

 

I have completed all the stitching on the French Schoolgirl Sewing Bag and Smalls by Needlemade Designs. I have stitched this in honor of my granddaughter, Esther. She asked that I put the word 'Love" in place of "Amities" and I added her initials in the four corners of that section. Otherwise, stitched as suggested. 

 

 

  This is my March ornament for the SAL hosted by Carol (Stitching Dreams) on IG. I have not FFO'd it yet...it's so tiny, I'm not sure how I want to handle it, but it's awfully cute. I put my hubby, myself and my four grandkids on it. 

 I'm trying to keep up with my SAL's, but am lagging a bit. The Peppermint Purple Blackwork one is at a standstill. I'm two weeks behind on the iStitch Sampler Band, but here are the latest few bands I've done.

 

I got a ninth block done on Houses of Hawk Run Hollow, so only three more to go.....

 

And with that, I'm going to end today with some of our luscious flowering plants this spring. It has been a great year for our azaleas.....not so much for allergies.  Hope you're enjoying a slice of spring heaven...without pollen!!!

 

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

Stasi