It's Been Awhile.......773-783

 

I don't know where to begin ....it's been a long stretch since I've posted. We've had a busy 2 1/2 months between driving to MD to visit my parents and driving to NC to help our daughter out after Hurricane Helene. My Mom is doing very well. She tolerated the 28 days of chemo and radiation extremely well for her age. She is now in a holding pattern until they can do tests to see how the treatments worked. Then she will have to decide whether to undergo more chemo or let nature take its course. We will be bringing them here for 6 days at Christmas. 

My daughter thankfully didn't have any damage due to the hurricane, but they were without power for 5 days. We got there as quickly as we could...finding alternate routes... to take them our generator, food and cash. We've been back a couple times since, most recently at Thanksgiving, and things are improving, but the area has a way to go to repair/replace buildings, homes and businesses. We were very relieved she didn't have many issues, though some of her friends and students did.

Now, on to why we're all here....needlework connections!!!  I have been stitching quite a bit over the last couple months. it provides me comfort and escape. I'm going to just start posting what I worked on, in random order, knowing I may have missed something or other. So bear with me and I hope you enjoy!

I'll start with some gifts. First up is a gift I made for my friend, Sara, for her new home. It is She Has Found Her Home by The Nebby Needle. It was stitched on 36 ct. Grandma's Lace by Green Mountain with a variety of fibers. That fabric has been sitting in my stash for probably close to 20 years!!!

Next was a Halloween gift for my friend, Lisa. When Witches Go Riding by WTNT. Sticthed on 36 ct, Heritage by PTP with a variety of fibers.

And this was her gift to me.

This was a gift I did for an exchange..... Give Thanks by Primrose Cottage Stitches....stitched on 37 ct. Corn Tassel Legacy linen With CC. This was the monthly freebie chart for November by Primrose Cottage. If you haven't, you need to sign up for her newsletter as she releases a freebie chart the first Thursday of every month. You can't get the past months for free, but I think you can still buy the chart. 

These are some gifts I received from exchanges:

These were my recent birthday and Christmas gifts from my friend, Lisa.

Now, some fall stitching:

This was the October freebie from Primrose Cottage... Boos, Hisses, etc.. stitched on 40 ct. Saltbush by Fox and Rabbit with GAST and WDW. Finished on a hornbook turned sideways.

These are two designs from Romy's Creations.....Halloween Greeting and Happy Skeleton. The pumpkin was done on 30 ct. WDW Pumpkin fabric with DMC and the skeleton was stitched on 30 ct WDW Sky with DMC. The originals were totally stitched, but I opted to use colored background fabric to have less stitching and get them done in a timely manner. And yes, they were designed in two sections and attached together!

On to some Christmas sticthing..at least ones I can share at this time:

First up some FFO's .....Santa, Please Bring Me by Homespun Elegance. Stitched on a mystery linen with a variety of fibers. 

Next...Bluey...stitched on 22 ct. Antique White Hardanger with DMC. This is for my youngest grandson, who loves Bluey and friends. I found this chart on Pinterest. 

Now we have Santa's Delivery #2 by Teresa Kogut. I stitched this on 18 ct white perforated paper that I colored black with a Sharpie. He now completes the set of three flying Santa's. 

Here are some Christmas UFO's: This is getting long, so I'll tell you about them when they are FFO'd. 

I wanted to share these pins I made when in OCMD for the DVHSG retreat weekend. Aren't they cute? I made five sets.....now just need to poke them in some finished projects!

I am going to end with my nearly year long project....Live on Little by Plum Street Samplers. I fell in love with this piece when it first came out. I started at the end of last December  and got off to a slow start. But I really picked it up the end of the summer and managed to get it finished in September. I stitched it n 45 ct. Hazy Summit Legacy linen with DMC, WDW and CC. Patti Nicolosi did the framing and found the perfect frame!!!

Whew!!!! I have been putting this off because I knew it would take a while to pull it all together, but there you have it....I hope you have enjoyed my last few months of stitching and I appreciate any comments you may leave. I'll hope to be back much sooner than this last period, but if not, I wish you all the merriest of Christmas, happy holidays and a healthy, happy New Year!!!

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

Stasi

Checking In.....771-772

 

 I hate to start out with a negative vibe, but we have been dealing with the results of Helene on my daughter's family in NC. They are in a town called Brevard, a bit SE from Asheville. They have been experiencing flooding, power and cell service outages since Thursday. They finally could drive a bit and find a spot where they had reception and called us. They are fine, just very stressed due to food, ice, gas etc. shortages. A few things are open, but they only accept cash. They robbed there piggy bank and came up with $60 in quarters!!! 

We were hoping to drive down today to take them needed supplies and cash, but they said they heard there was no way to get to them. We are going to try again tomorrow; Rich has mapped out a different route than normal, that appears to be clear. we shall see. Cross your fingers we make it!!! They know nothing about what's going on, except what they hear from groups of people gathering at the local Ingles store parking lot. The storm appears to have devastated the area; there are a number of rivers and reached historic highs and flooded out many roads, businesses, etc. it will be sad to see what we find; it is a lovely area. If any of you reading this are in the WNC area, please know our thoughts are with you and be safe!

On a happier note, my Mom is tolerating her treatments well so far. We keep waiting for the "other" shoe to drop,  but so far so good. She has, however, developed an addiction to Amazon!!! LOL

On to stitching.....This is a piece I started the end of August and wanted done in time for Halloween. I had the frame in my stash (purchased at a vintage shop) and it worked perfectly. This was reebie chart from JABCO if purchased with the button pack.

The Boys are Back in Town by JABCO...stitched on 30 ct. WDW Gunmetal with WDW and GAST.

Isn't this a cute group of monsters???

I forgot to take a picture o the gift I made for my friends, Lisa's birthday back in August. She kindly sent me a copy:

Life's Sweetest Flower by Threadwork Primitives......stitched on 40 ct. Dirty Newcastle linen with Glorianna silk, Falcon Brown

 My latest start is Halloween Greeting by Romy's Creations....stitching on 30 ct. WDW Pumpkin with DMC and anchor 403. I am not stitching all the orange for the pumpkin; instead I'm letting the fabric show.  The larger piece has a lot of pumpkin stitching, and I didn't want to spend all that time on a seasonal piece. I think it's looking okay...how about you?

To close, my daughter called recently and said she wanted to make a Halloween costume for Jax. He loves the book Dinosaurs Love Tacos.  She said she could handle the dinosaur and I was tasked with making a taco treat or treat bag. Tell me what you think....I pretty happy with it.....made with felt and glue except for the bag seams.

Stay safe everyone...I know another storm is forming! Thanks for stopping by and your "twisted threads" of friendship!

Stasi

My Needlework, a Soothing Balm for the Soul......762-770

 Where to begin....it has been awhile and a nasty aspect of life has worked its way into our world. As I mentioned in my last post...almost 2 months ago....my Mom had fallen and broken her hip. She has reovered very well, especially for a woman of 92 years. Sadly, while in the hospital then, it was discovered that she has cancer. So, the last 2 months have involved many trios to Baltimore and back for doctors appointments, staying with my Dad while Mom was in rehab and just being there for support. My Mom is scheduled to start 5 weeks of chemo and radiation on Monday. She spent time between deciding to do nothing and moving forward with treatment. The doctors said it was treatable and she'd eventually be in a lot of pain if she did nothing. We are very concerned about all this at her age, but are supporting her decision and hoping for the best. It's weird, but I have not broken down and cried throughout all of this, but I am now.... I guess putting it out there on paper , so to speak, has made it all real. We have been blessed to have her....and my Dad for so long! Prayers and positive thoughts will be appreciated. 

Tears wiped, nose blown.....now on to my saving grace...my needlework. I have been amazed at how much I've accomplished through all this, but I may have left housework and chores slide to keep my sanity! LOL I'll share these in no special order and am not taking the time to say what I used to stitch them. If you have a question about a certain project, just shoot me a comment and I'll respond. 

First up is Santa's Delivery #2 by Teresa Kogut. Stitched on 18 perforated paper that I colored with a black Sharpie. The one on the right is the latest one.

Mary Briggs by Erica Michaels...finished on a hornbook. I did this on 45 count, over one, to make it fit. I love this saying and enjoy stitching alphabets..so win-win!!! This was my September Sampler Stitch!

Avery's Ornament 2017 by Homespun Elegance. This was my September #12in24ornamentstitchalong.

Trick or Treat  and Pumpkin Brew, both from Jack O'Lanterns Jubilee by With Thy Needle and Thread. I sewed these back to back and put them in a cute little Halloween jar I found at Marshalls, on a bed of green beads.

Sampler Bag by Shepherd's Bush. 

'Tis Christmastime by Merry Cox...this was an exclusive offer from The Attic a few years ago.

Christmas Pudding by Tangled Threads and Things....this was in the 2023 JCS Ornament magazine. I'm going to gift it to the lady that has been bringing me my 'scone of the month' gift. My friend , Lisa, had given me the tiny cloche.....perfect for it!

The last thing I stitched, but this was a bit ago, was an exchange piece.....Milady's Acorn Box by Milady's Needle.

Finally, these are things I received from other stitchers. The first two are from an exchange and the next two are from my Secret Stitchers with the DVHSG.

This was in the wrapped package above...all I cold say was WOW!!!

Final gift from DVHSG Secret Stitcher '23-'24

DVHSG gift from new Secret Stitcher '24-25

Thanks for sticking with me, if you made it this far. I'm closing with a photo of my family....they bring joy always!!!

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

Stasi

Taking It One Day at a Time........762

 Not much stitching has been accomplished over the last 10 days...life has gotten in the way. My Mom fell on 7/11 and broke her hip. It was replaced and she was in the hospital for 6 days, then moved to a rehab facility. My Dad is pretty helpless, pretty much due to my Mom waiting on him all his life. So, my two brothers, Rich and I are taking turns staying with him. It's a small apartment and we slept five nights on an air mattress...more to come! :) We're doing long stretches since it's a 3 1/2-4 hour drive for us, one way. 

My Mom is in good spirits most days, but is anxious to get on the move and go home. She's a tough cookie!!!

Stitching there is not ideal, but I took my very old Visual Mate and was able to work on a gift for a friend and Santa's Delivery #2. I can't share the gift, but here is Santa:

He's stitched on white 18 ct. perforated paper that I colored black with a sharpie.

Since I've been home, I've been working on a piece or an exchange I'm in with a fall theme. This is by Milady's Needle.

I also was able to take my Zoom class this past Saturday with Beth Seal of Summer House Stitche Workes. This was a fun class and we made the paper flower topper and wax holder in class. I had my pre-stitching done, so was able to finish all the pieces on Sunday. This is the The Golden Apiary .

Not sure what the next few weeks few weeks will hold, but counting on my needlework to get me through. Thanks for stopping by and your "twisted threads" of friendship!

Stasi 

Surviving the Heat Wave.......759-761

 It has been a HOT summer!!! We finally had some rain on the 4th, but it didn't last long. We've been watering plants daily and it's getting old. On the upside, lots of stitching and finishing has been going on. We went to NC to visit Rich's brothers, one lives in Wilmington and one was flying in form TX. Sadly, the TX brother and his wife arrived with Covid and wound up spending their time in a hotel room for three days. We only spent a short time with them, while they confirmed with a test, but my other SIL and BIL wound up getting it. Somehow, we miraculously didn't!!! We still managed to enjoy our time there. A cousin of mine took us out on her boat for a ride up the Intercoastal and we did make it to the beach one day where we met up with my younger daughter and family, who were vacationing in the area. We had  a blast with Jax playing in the waves. Here is a shot of him in his swim wear!!!

Now on to some needlework. My friend, Lisa, gave me one of the SB mini bags and chart. Can you guess which one???

You got it...Buzz!!! A quick and fun stitch, that is pre-finished, so when you're done, you're done. And speaking of bees, check out this pair of boxes I found in the clearance section at Home Goods!

I finished the 1889 Alphabets,  by Needlework Press, piece on a spool...another quick and easy finish! I did this on a 28 ct. banding with Vikki Clayton silks. I decided to coffee stain the piece after I stitched it to make it look more vintage. I changed the last name to my grandmothers since this was a Czech sampler and my maternal great grandparents were from Czechoslovakia. I could leave the initials as my grandmothers were AM; I also changed the date to the year my grandmother was born. 

 

I also finished Fauna, The Fairy Witch, by Brookes Books. I did leave off her hat though, since I liked the white hair. This is my July ornament for the #12in24ornamentsal. I just love her!!!

Now, some WIPs.... I finished the stitching for an upcoming Zoom class with Beth from Summer House Stitche Workes. This will be a drum and a pincushion. 

A friend loaned me this chart from Scarlet House; it was a retreat piece and hopefully will be available to shops at some point. 

I put some time in on these two:

Live on Little by Plum Street

Bristol Green by Dutch Treat Designs

And, finally, I made 7 pillowcases for the charity, Beds for Sleepyheads, from Stitch Con and mailed them off to Keepsakes.

 

Now it is off to JoAnn's and Costco before it gets too hot. I hope you are staying cool, if you're experiencing this heat wave, and enjoying nicer weather if you are not. Thankfully we can stitch in climate controlled environments. How did we ever do it before A/C???

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

Stasi