Checking In......

 

Greetings! Thanks for all the well wishes about my parent's move. We have been home since Tuesday but head back to MD this afternoon for a couple days. My parents are moved and settling in. So far, so good! My niece's brother and Dad moved all the large/heavy furniture and took items to the dump. We made trips to Goodwill, the dump and their new place. Thank goodness for my one brother and his wife; we are a good team. Sadly, my other two siblings haven't been able to help much! :(

I have been tired and recuperating this week and have managed to get some stitching done. First up is my 1997 PS Santa. I love his little blocks spelling out 'Christmas".

Next I worked on Samplings No.1  by With Thy Needle and Thread. I felt like something 'Easter-y', since I didn't have much of an Easter with the move. I'll be ready for next year!
 

 

Lastly, I started  Be a Friend  by Needlework Press. I'm doing it over one on 29 ct. Glenshee linen with Vikki Clayton silks. I love Glenshee linen and am sad it isn't available anymore. This 29 ct. is perfect for over one!!!

 I follow Scrap RVA on FB and IG and they showed a bunch of cigar boxes on Friday. I've been thinking about one for the Linda Vinson project

 

  and drove up to check them out. Here is what I got for me and a few friends:

I think I'm picking the green one with the buffalo for me.

 I love their new sticker and have to find a spot for it!

I will end with my boon from my parents move....their old china cabinet....perfect for a smalls expansion!!! I've been waiting a while for this!!!

My old cabinet with a little space relief.

My new cabinet pretty much filled to the gills!!!

 Thanks for stopping by and your "twisted threads" of friendship! Have a great week!

Stasi

 

A Little More Santa Stitching.....

 My next Santa is moving right along....he's only about 3 X 4inches.

 

I did go ahead and add my grandmothers initials to my Grandma's Heart piece.....looking forward to the finishing class the end of the month.

 

 

Quick post...getting ready for my parents big move this weekend...wish us luck!

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

Stasi

 

Springtime......

I thought I'd open with a shot of my phlox bed....I love when this appears every year. The photo does not do them justice; they are much more vibrant!!! 

 I received a sweet gift from my friend, Lisa, today. Don't you just love this cute bunny and carrot sporting their adorable counting pins? Stitchy friends are the best!!!

I worked on my second PS Santa last night..this is the 1997 one.

Carol had asked me how I was choosing my Santas. Well, I have the whole collection of them, which I went through a few times. I wanted two front facing, two left facing and two right facing to go in my box. I tried to pick ones that had some meaning to me or I especially liked the subject matter. This one I chose because of the alphabet, which will magically appear as I move forward. :) The first one (1995) I chose because of the earth held in Santa's hands. The other themes are ice skating (2009) ......I did a lot of that as a youth), the stitching Santa (2004), Santa with a snowman (2018)...gotta get my snow somehow and Santa with woodland creatures (2021). 

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

Stasi

 

A Little Grandma Love.......

 

I had a relatively lazy day yesterday...this cold is dragging me down....but I squeezed in a nap AND some stitching. I finished up the pre-stitching for my class, Grandma's Heart, a zoom class the end of this month with Beth Seal. Of course, I had a light bulb moment this morning about adding my grandmother's initials, so I'll have to work on that.

I was named after my two grandmothers.....Mary and Anastasia. The funny thing is my grandmother named Anastasia (the one on the left) didn't care for her given name and legally changed her name to Estelle. So glad my parents stuck with the original!!! Here are photos of my grandparents:

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

Stasi

A Quiet Day to Blog.........701

 So, it is April.....March is a blur....I slept away from home more nights than I slept in my own bed. I've been missing my routine.....I really am a homebody! But I'm here today to share what's been going on and some stitching. It may be a long post; feel free to depart at any time....you won't hurt my feelings! :)

When last I posted we were off to my parents for a few days of packing/organizing. I got home, had one day to turn around and was off to OCMD for a class with Catherine Theron. Catherine lives in Williamsburg and called to ask if I would drive her up and back, so I had the pleasure of her company on the drive. We stopped in Berlin for a delicious lunch at the Atlantic Hotel and I took a shot of the front porch. Each rocker had a heated blanked sitting on it. We did not avail ourselves of this since it was a warm day...actually the warmest we were there. 

 

We stopped by Salty Yarns, then I dropped Catherine at her hotel and headed to the Airbnb I was sharing with two friends. What a cute little house we found!!! It was perfect for our weekend....we had a living room, full kitchen, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, a screened in porch and a fireplace, which we used at night to take the chill off. Sorry, I didn't take any photos....maybe next time.

My class wasn't until Sunday so, I hung out at Salty Yarns on Friday and stitched with friends on Saturday. I worked on an upcoming class piece, Grandma's Heart by Summer House Stitchworkes. The class is the end of April but involves a bit of pre-stitching.
 

 

My class with Catherine was the Wee Sampler Motif Book. 

 Here is my stash enhancement..most Nashville orders. I won't be going back for awhile, so I needed to stock up. Yea right!!!! I just HAD to have them!!!

Monday we headed home. Sadly Catherine didn't feel well and wound up testing positive for Covid on Tuesday. I've been having cold/allergy symptoms since Wednesday but have tested negative 3 times for Covid. Because of the negative results, we went back up to my parents this past Thursday for more packing and arranging for items to be picked up by interested family members. They will be moving next Saturday...yes the day before Easter, so we will be returning the end of the week for a few days. I am tired but it is crunch time!!!!

 On the way home I met up with the lovely Patti Nicolosi and picked up my framed   We Live in Hope by Blackbird Designs. So, here's the poop scoop on this piece: My family tree on my paternal grandmother's side can be traced back to one of the first settlers of Maryland. My ancestor, Richard Duke, came over from England on the Ark and landed in Maryland in 1634; I knew they would have sailed up the Chesapeake Bay. Legend has it he was the assistant to Father Andrew White, who supposedly said the first Catholic Mass in the colonies. The Ark was the larger of two ships and carried the passengers. The Dove was a smaller ship and carried supplies. They named the place where they settled St. Mary's City. And there you have it!!!

This has been my saving grace on the trips to Baltimore and back...our usual 3 hour trip has been running 4- 4 1/2 hours each way DC traffic is a b***h!!!

Spirit of Stitching Santa by Brookes Books

 

I've been working on my ornament for the #12in23 ornament SAL hosted by Carol of Stitching Dreams blog fame. It won't be hanging on my tree but will reside with 5 other Prairie Schooler Santas in this green box I found at Target. He is the 1995 Santa and was worked on 40 ct Dirty Newcastle linen with one strand of a combo of Anchor and Sulky flosses.

Thanks for sticking with me if you made it this far; I apologize if I'm a little discombobulated. I hardly know what day it is!!! :) I'm going to close with a shot of my March calendar from my Book of Days from Needlework Press.

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

Stasi