First Post of 2025....and We've Got Snow!!!! 784-788

  Greetings my friends!!! I hope those who may have been in the path of Winter Storm Cora are keeping warm with a cuppa your favorite warm beverage and a needle in your hand. For anyone affected by the LA fires, I pray you are safe! It's hard to know what else to say when you see the devastation and loss. But many across the country are holding you in their prayers!!!

So, here is a photo of my backyard this morning. For my regular followers, you know I love snow and was happy to get it twice this past week. It looks so pretty...and yes, I don't HAVE to go out in it, so I can enjoy at my leisure. 

I have some Christmas gifts, received and given, I want to share now that they have been received. I am so blessed to have such generous and kind stitchy friends. Some I have never met in person, but we share a passion for our needlework that binds us together in a way non-stitchers don't always understand.

These were my birthday and Christmas gifts from Robin in VA. Such a kind hearted lady!

These were from a few of my blogging friends. From L to R....Believe from Vickie N, Joy from Sue H. and the black bear from Marilyn F. Such lovely and thoughtful gifts. 

This was from an exchange I participated in. My partner was Rebecca B and she gifted me this lovely pin pillow along with some beautiful pins that she custom made for me. You can find her pins on IG under myrecycledrelatives_stitches.

My exchange gift to Rebecca was Merry Stitches from Samplerbird Stitchery:

I call this a "tacky" Christmas sewing box.

These are the ornaments I made for my four older grandchildren. They were Chantelle's mystery Christmas box. We got 5 charts from different designers and five wooden pieces to finish them on. I did 4 0f the 5, as you can see. They were from l to r as follows: Peaceful Snowman by Annie Beez, Frosty Bulb by Teresa Kogut, A Home for the Holiday by Hands on Design and Snow Kissed Mittens by Robin Pickens. I did switch some of the finishes boards around. 

Something I've been working on in the car but forgot to post is Amy Mitten's Advent Calendar. I was able to buy this from the estate sale of a fellow blogger after she passed. I think of her every time I work on it. It's stitched on 25 ct. Dublin linen with a red yarn. There will be 24 mittens in all.... six so far complete. These are large 5 1/2 X 

3 3/4. 

Another ongoing project, but much tinier than the mittens is Mrs. Claus's Cookbook by Living on a Rainbow. I showed the cover in my last blog post. Here is the first recipe page...isn't it the cutest?

Now on to my 2025 starts.....I decided to do a Blessing Sampler and chose Winter Is Past by Blackbird Designs. I am not usually a "blue" person, but I really loved the colorway of this one. I'm stitching on 36 count PTP Wren with the called for WDW colors. It's like working with a worn pair of blue jeans!!!

The other new start is Outnumber the Shamrocks by Stitchy Prose. I found this at Nashville Market last year and thought it would be a perfect 50th anniversary sampler, especially since we went to Ireland as our gift to each other. The original is very bright colors, so I have muted them down and am stitching on 36 ct. Parchment by Fiber on a Whim. I'm also doing it in silks...mostly Belle Soie with one Gloriana and one Vikki Clayton. I will be stitching the verse as shown up top, but adding our personal info at the bottom. 

I'm going to close with a series of photos with our Jax!!! I made him the same placemat for Santa that I made my older grands. It is by JBW Designs. you put it out on Christmas Eve with cookies, milk and a note for Santa, as well as a carrot for the reindeer. 

Here is our little "dear" eating what was left of the carrot on Christmas morning!!! Sadly they were not with us, but at their other grandparents. However, they drove to visit us the day after Christmas for 3 days!!!

I'd say that just about covers everything!!! My daughter's family leaves Wednesday for a "heritage" visit to  Sierra Leone. It will be the first time James and Esther have gone back to Africa  since they got here in December 2017. They are very excited and can't wait to eat their native foods. My hubby is going with them! I can't say I'm not a bit apprehensive about this, but know it will be a once in a lifetime experience for them. I plan to drive to OCMD, while they're gone, to help out at Salty Yarns. Camp Wannastitch is a Mid-Atlantic EGA sponsored retreat held in OCMD every Martin Luther King weekend. There can be as many as 175 ladies that come and they all like to come and shop at Salty Yarns. So, I've been going now for quite a few years to help out cutting fabric. It's always  a lot of fun!

As always....thanks for stopping by and your "twisted threads" of friendship!

Stasi

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