More fun at the beach...............

I decided to skip walking this morning and do some work. Then Paola and I were off to Berlin,Md for a little shopping and lunch. Our first stop was an antique mall where I snagged this adorable scrimshaw pin--I'm sure it will find a home on a "small" soon.

Then we went in a cute little craft shop called JJ Fish Company and I found this "helping hand" I plan to use it for a tea bag holder. The saying that came with it was very sweet and I'm sure you can read it if you enlarge the photo. 

We checked out a few more shops then it was off to lunch at The Atlantic Hotel. I had never been there before but it was quite lovely. We ate outside on a screened porch with ceiling fans and lots of other ladies! It must have been girls day out and they were all there eating at The Drummers Cafe!!! This hotel was featured in the movie The Runaway Bride with Julia Roberts and Richard Gere...a bit o trivia for you!

With a storm fast approaching, we felt it best to leave Berlin and make our way to Salisbury where Paola said I had a surprise waiting. We stopped at a framer there and I was presented with the most beautiful sampler that Paola had stitched to commemorate Rich and my 40th wedding anniversary! Needless to say I was stunned, but oh so thrilled!! It is a Moira Blackburn design and stitched on 40 count.  The stitching and the framing are perfect and this will be treasured by us both always! Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Paola!

The day ended with a birthday celebration for Sally at our favorite restaurant, The Sunset Grille, then a little evening stitching. I even made some time for some "people" watching on the boardwalk that evening. And it was quite a show being as it is Senior Week, where high school graduates come to the beach and celebrate by letting off steam!. A true challenge for law enforcement and businesses that cater to families. I won't get on my soap box about this, but I think most parents would be appalled...at least I hope they would....if they saw what went on!!! Enough said!

Tomorrow I will post my final blog about this trip--so "Y'all come back now ..ya hear"!

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

Stasi

Betsy Morgan Edinburgh Weekend at Salty Yarns

I apologize in advance for not taking many photos this time, so this is mostly essay.

My long weekend started with my drive down to Ocean City on Thursday. Thankfully it was uneventful with stops for lunch at Panera and a swing by Hobby Lobby. Met up with my roomie, Debbie, and settled in for the afternoon. Paola soon arrived, as well as other attendees and a group of us had a nice dinner together at Hook, a new restaurant to me. After an early morning  start, I was beat but managed to track down Amy and Kathy and set up a time to walk in the morning. I think I was in bed by 10:00 PM knowing I had a 6:30 AM wake up call. However, I had a call to my cell phone at 4:45AM which bolted me out of bed and then I couldn't go back to sleep --- a recorded message which I couldn't even understand. So, I got some work done and was definitely ready for my early morning walk. Amy, Paola and I did just half the boardwalk since we had to get ready for class at 9:00 but it was enough to get us up and running for the day.

Class was in Sara's place so we had beautiful views of the ocean to glimpse during breaks. Betsy started class promptly at 9:00 AM and so began our full day of working on the thimble case for The Edinburgh Etui.

Betsy is a fabulous teacher and well prepared, and most had their "crown" finished, or almost finished, by the end of the day. I still have some "tweaking" on mine but will share as soon as it's done. One of the ladies, Grace from England, suggested we put some ermine on the crown and Sara was able to find some chenille in the shop and give us all a piece to add--so very cute! Lunch was fabulous, as usual, as Sara always does such a great job with that. And what could be better than sitting on the porch watching the waves and breathing in the salt air while eating!!! After class, we all headed to Salty Yarns to shop and then off to dinner. I just walked a couple blocks down to a pizza place for dinner knowing what was to come.  There was a reception in the lobby at 7:00PM with appetizers and desserts, followed by stitching and show and tell. A great first day!!!

Saturday started with another walk on the boardwalk, this time the whole length of it--4 1/2 miles (I was sure getting in all my 10000 steps on my FitBit)! That of course meant starting earlier to fit it all in and get back in time for breakfast and a shower before class. The second day of class was the remainder for the Etui with Betsy going over all the instructions for stitching and finishing.

Sunday started again with a walk on the boardwalk--you really can't beat it--with Amy and Paola. I do have a photo to share that Amy had sent me. It shows us standing in front of the "yellow dot" that you are supposed to touch at each end of the boardwalk. It reads "You're not done the journey until you've touched the spot..Now turn around and do it again". Kind of corny but we still had to touch it!!!

Sunday's class was the Edinburgh Reticule.

 We had pre-stitched the needlebook for this one and Betsy wasted no time getting us started on the finishing. I have my side together and just need to lace it all up and add the felt pages.  I like to get started in class but then tend to complete it at home where I can take my time and have everything I need at my finger tips. Again, I will post when it is finished. Sunday evening found most of the ladies leaving but luckily I was able to stay a few more days and spend some one on one time with Paola.

More to follow tomorrow but a BIG "Thank You" to Sara, Sally, Mary and the gang for the fantastic time I am always shown when attending these events. How they managed the absolutely exquisite weather is beyond me!!!! And...... it's always great catching up with old friends and meeting new ones!

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

MIA but still busy as a bee..........

I have been busy stitching this past month but, since a number of my projects were gifts, I couldn't post about them. They have now been presented to their recipients and can be posted! I also managed to squeeze a trip in to visit my younger daughter in NC and 6 days (thanks Rich) in Ocean City, MD for Betsy Morgan classes and some much needed R&R. I have a Iot I am excited to share, so this may be broken up in to a few days so I don't bore you all at once!!!

First up, here are the gifts I made for stitching friends. The mermaid piece (in a Tim Holtz pocket watch) was a birthday gift for Sally at Salty Yarns. The design is from The Quaker Ball pattern by Amaryllis Artworks; I added the mermaid charm.

I usually take a small stitched "thank you" gift to Sally and Sara for their generous hospitality. This is a small kit, Album Souvenir I purchased from Jackie du Plessis in November at The Attic. I stitched one for me and realized I had enough fabric and fibers to stitch two more. Surprisingly I found the "album" at JoAnns, another Tim Holtz product, while searching for his pocket watches, and was able to put their tiny samplers in one. This must be close to, if not, the worlds smallest band sampler!!! The funny thing is all our names start with "S"!

On this trip, I was meeting up with my friend, Paola,who had flown in from Luxembourg for Betsy's classes. We met three years ago at Salty Yarns when Paola flew over for Betsy's class, The Toy Chest. We quickly found we were "kindred spirits" at heart and developed a fast, albeit long distance, friendship. I stitched her this as a memento--it was a "thank you" design from Donna at By the Bay Needleart for taking her class at Jamboree one year. It seemed perfect for Paola since we met sitting in the lobby of The Lankford Hotel stitching in those very chairs!!!

To fit the pocket watch, I stitched this over one on 40 count linen. I'm in the green and Paola in the purple!!! :)

I have also been busy working on non-gift projects. Here are some of them:
This is the free stitch-a-long piece from Blackbird Designs. Since it was a small design I thought I'd take my first "plunge" into stitching on the 52 count linen from Lakeside. I am using a fall color palette and pulling my silk fibers from leftover threads from my Betsy Morgan classes. I can only work on this for short periods of time as my eyes, literally, start to cross!!! I do have to say, I like the look of this and the linen itself.

This was my car project on the trip to North Carolina. I got the kit through my EGA chapter. It is the Folding Ort Box by Marilyn Owen. Once put together it should "collapse" into a flat box( kind of like the old coin purses) for easy transport to classes and such. I have finished the blackwork sections since I took this photo and just need to put it together. Pretty clever don't ya think? I'll post photos when I have it completed.

Now a little something I stitched for myself. This is a freebie card from The Prairie Schooler called Queen Bee. I saw this stitched in the Tim Holtz pocket watch on the Inspired Needle's blog and have been itching to stitch it ever since--you know I love all things "bee". I stumbled across this tiny pendant at Hobby Lobby one day and that pushed me over the edge. I came right home and figured if I stitched it over one on 40 count linen, it would fit perfectly. Again, I just used leftover silk fibers from classes.

The last project I'll share today are the final pieces for Under the Deep Blue Sea by Sue Hillis Designs. I've been working on this off and on for a couple, maybe few, years. I can't wait to start putting this all together in the Nantucket basket--will post photos when complete.

Top of Basket

Strip for inside basket

Scissor Pocket

Threader and Needlebook

Well, that's it for now. I think I have you all caught up on my stitching. I will try to post about my recent classes in the next day or so.

Thanks for wading through this post and your "twisted threads" of friendship!

Stasi

Betcha Can't Stitch Just One!!!!

Wow, it is amazing how a new idea can spread like wildfire on the internet! I belong to a few stitching oriented groups on FaceBook and there have been some posts in the last couple weeks highlighting pieces stitched and finished in a Tim Holtz pocket watch. I first saw this on Twisted Stitcher's blog back before Christmas and tucked the idea away in the back of my brain. Now, after seeing some new posts about them...I have caught the "bug"!!! These are made for scrap booking but work wonderfully for stitching. The possibilities are endless--you just need to find really tiny designs or be willing to stitch over one on smaller count fabrics. I dove in with an old chart I had on hand of a mermaid. It was one of the Essy breast cancer fundraiser kits (Elegant Stitch) from awhile back. It was called In the Pink and was designed by Midsummer Night Designs. I had stitched the kit and given it as a gift, but it came to mind when I was thinking about small designs to put in the pocket watch. I changed things up a bit, stitching it on a 32 count blue linen over one and just using leftover threads since it doesn't use much. I added a piece of a flat seashell for her "rock" and tan beads for "sand". It's pretty darn cute if I say so myself!!!  These will make great gifts and I'm thinking about a set of the 12 days of Christmas!!!!

I stitched and finished the latest kit from the Colonial Gatherings Club from Dyeing to Stitch. It was called Strawberry House by The Scarlett House. I just loved the colors and this and we got full skeins so I have plenty left for other projects.  Here's the back story: I very happily stitched the piece only to realize I had stitched the small urn of flowers to the right of the house. I remember thinking that I really liked the asymmetry of it all.

 Well the small urn was actually to be stitched as a scissor fob separately!!! But, I really liked the way it looked so I added some old buttons up the side and across the top and made it into a small pillow. I had  some really cool flannel fabric on hand that looks like rug hooking. The bird motifs and color went perfectly with the stitched piece. I thought about adding some rick rack--I had a perfect color to match--but decided to keep it plain. Sometimes less is definitely more! I did go ahead and stitch the scissor fob and sewed it on the back of the pillow. Now I just have to stuff it! 

Well I'm off to work on my next pocket watch piece!! Thanks for stopping by and your "twisted threads" of friendship!!!

Stasi

Sherri Jones Weekend in Ocean City, MD

Going to a stitching retreat in Ocean City never fails to disappoint me. As I drive over the Route 50 bridge into town, I always feel the same sense of excitement I did as a child riding over the "singing" bridge. Memories flood back of our vacations there both as a child and adult with my own children. The salt air envelopes you, the sound of the ocean soothes...and if you're lucky enough to have a sunny weekend, as we did, all is good with the world.

I arrived Thursday afternoon, after a stop at Serendipity Quilt shop in Dagsboro, DE. I had to pick up a book on Baltimore Quilts I won in a raffle during my visit in February. This a such a fantastic quilt shop and though I am not a quilter, I indulge in their felted fool and fat quarters for my stitching. I contained my purchases to these:

Next it was on to the Lankford Hotel, my home away from home, to check/settle in. I shared an apartment with Debbie, who was already there and stitching away! 

Friday morning, I was up bright and early for a walk on the "boards". I walked the whole length--4 1/2 miles at a pretty brisk pace (boy was I sore the next day). But I knew it would be tough to get a walk in before class on Saturday. I was hoping that since I walked so far I could treat myself to a Fractured Prune doughnut, but alas, they weren't open yet.  Here is a picture of the sunrise that morning:

Then it was hanging out in Salty Yarns, visiting with friends and stitching. Friday evening Sara put out all kinds of fabulous appetizers and desserts and we socialized and stitched our hearts away in the lobby. Here's some of the items I added to my stash:

The Shepherds Fold kit

I couldn't resist this since I heard it was named for Mrs. Hughes from Downton Abbey

I  fell in love with this series from Jeanette Douglas but only bought two at this point

I also bought two fat quarters of Legacy linen in Devonshire Cream and Cafe au Lait. I just love the "hand" of this fabric and they had virgin pieces, so I couldn't resist!

Saturday was the Tulip Tray class with Sherri. She is a fabulous teacher with a good sense of humor. Some ladies got their trays assembled but I like to wait until I get home and can really concentrate. 

Sunday I woke up early and managed to get another walk in--this time just 1/2 the boardwalk.

 Then onto the class The Mermaids Two Tales. We worked on the needle book since the finishing would be the same as the purse. Sherri gave a little history of the mermaid which was very interesting and informative. All these years and I never noticed that the Starbucks "lady" is actually a mermaid with two tales!!! You learn something new every class!!! I'll post pictures of my finished projects once I have them completed.

After class Sunday, it was home to a new adventure--my daughter and her family visiting for a few days!

Many thanks, as usual, to Sally, Sara, Mary, Vernon, Brian and Michael for a wonderful, relaxing weekend. See you in June for Betsy Morgan!!!

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

Stasi

Happy Easter!!!

A beautiful Easter Day it is here in sunny West Virginia. Hope you are enjoying a glorious day wherever you are!

It has taken me a while to post about my weekend in Ocean City with Sherri Jones, but my daughter and her family came to visit for a few days and all my attention was focused on the grand kids (could it be any other way) and getting caught up with work. And, it is going to be a little bit longer, as hubby and I have some yard work planned for today, so I don't have much time.

But, I did want to share some "blasts from the past". I'm going to call these "vintage" as I stitched them in 1983 and the pattern actually was dated 1978!!! They are from a series of Easter eggs put out by The Berry Patch. Maybe some of you recall them!!! You stitched the design on 22 count hardanger and then "glued" them on a styrofoam egg shape. White lace covered where you had to cut your fabric to "shape" around the egg.  One of the eggs was a foray into making my own design. My hubby was an avid scuba diver back then and I designed his with a scuba diver "diving" for eggs. I was pretty proud of myself back then for thinking "outside of the box". So here you go:

They are pretty fun--aren't they??

So, when I was pulling these out to decorate, I remembered I still had a few more kits in my stash. So, I dug them out and made two for Sally and Sara at Salty Yarns as a thank you for a great weekend. Here they are:

Again, Happy Easter to all and more to follow in the next few days about my stitching weekend!

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

Stasi

We All Live in a Yellow Submarine..................

I am so tickled with my new shoes!!! A friend had posted on FB about a new line of Vans featuring the Beatles and Yellow Submarine. I just had to have a pair and this seemed a great way to commemorate a group that was a very important part of my teenage years. These definitely make me feel like doing a "happy dance"! Enough said---here they are!!!!

Even the box they came in is cute!!!!

I have been stitching, working on a mermaid piece by Sue Hillis. I'm almost done with the stitching, just two more of the smalls. This has been a fun piece--lots of bright, happy colors, but quite a bit of over one and LOTS of color changes. I also finished a couple of gifts and will post those after they are gifted.

Spring is definitely here and that means baseball. Here's a pic of my grandson ready to play ball!!!!

I leave Thursday for Ocean City and have already started packing my stitching supplies and show and tell. It feels good to have all the pre-stitching done, although I don't always work on the finishing in class. I need quiet and calm so I can really pay attention to what I'm doing, not feel rushed and avoid mistakes. But I'll be ready whatever I choose to do! 

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

Stasi