Fall is Here.....my favorite tme of year!!!! And time for some strollin'.......(568-572)

 

Greetings! Time flies when you're having fun...and even when you're not! It's been a busy few weeks...some ups and some downs...but hanging in there nonetheless! About  week after I last posted, Rich and I slipped away for a few days in OCMD.....a much needed change of scenery. It was different than usual...masks on the boardwalk...carry out for dinner and a not too crowded beach. We sat there for two days on the beach just breathing in that salt air and being lulled by the waves...which were HUGE! 

 Then we got a call that a fellow employee Rich had worked closely with, had tested positive for Covid...not the kind of call you want to get while on a mini vacay. The long and short, Rich was tested the next day (Thursday) when we got home..rapid test was negative, but doctor said to isolate until we got the final results. That didn't happen until  Monday so we had to miss my nephews wedding in Baltimore that weekend....bummer!!!! Final results were negative, so a big sigh of relief!!!

Thank goodness that didn't stop me from stitching, so I have a few finishes to be added to my Stroll. First up is Seeking Refuge by The Scarlett House...finally got it framed. Years ago, I had found a large frame in the discount section of Hobby Lobby. It was probably about 24 X 40" and for a song (must have been a boo-boo) and I figured one day I would cut it down into a couple frames as the moulding was so lovely. Enter my SIL and all his fancy tools; he cut to the size I gave him and did a great job! But....when I got home I realized I had measured wrong and the frame was about 1 inch to tall. Soooo, I added the row of diamond shapes at the top and all was well....I think I may actually like that better! :)

Next is the silk gauze piece I did for my younger daughter and son-in-laws anniversary. It is Heart and Compass by Erica Michaels. I love the colors in this and had the tiny frame on hand.

 Next is the project we were sent from Sassy Jack's September Soiree. It's a biscournu called Mountain Sunset from Sassafras Samplers. I changed the colors up a bit to darker tones, but keeping the feel of the Blue Ridge Mountains. 

 

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Here is Fallen Leaf, a freebie from La-D-Da.It's stitched on a 36 ct. mystery linen with Glorianna Topiary. I then mounted it on a wooden acorn I picked up from Target a couple years ago.

Now on to some WIPS. First up .....I'm on the names in the Coming to America piece by With Thy Needle and Thread.

I started a new piece...Reindeer Feed Sack by Carriage House Samplings. I'm stitching it on a28 ct natural/evergreen Tattersal fabric with a red Sulky thread. I've never used Sulky before and I have to say I'm loving it. It;s the same as two strands of floss and the one strand is so much easier to work with. I had bought mini collection of 'reds' and chose the more barn red shade (the one in the middle).

Last is a project for my Guild class on Thursday. It's a freebie from Lisa Cowell called Mary Smith, and will become a tiny pincushion. It too is stitched on a 36 ct mystery linen with Waterlilies Fiesta.

 

So, this past weekend I attended the Jamboree at Salty Yarns virtually. We had the option to attend in person or via Zoom; I chose Zoom because of our recent experience with Rich and my desire to err on the side of caution. There were 15 zoom attendees and I think it all went swimmingly!!! We received our class kits in time for the event and I am so tickled with all of them. The teachers all collaborated with a theme honoring the Lankford Hotel and Boardwalk. It was as close to being there, as possible, and the teachers were great dealing with both types of attendees. I'll start by sharing our "goodie" bag which was filled with lots of fun stuff....then a photo of our little gifts at each class. One, which hadn't arrived in time, is a green face mask that says "Salty Yarns".

Then, here are the class pieces all called Boardwalk Revue. My first class was with Linda of Erica Michaels and is a stitched version of the Lankford Hotel, accompanied by a strawberry, that will sit in a blue wooden box.

 

My second class was with Clara Blalock from The Stitching Parlor. It will be a needlebook and thimble and thread holders, that can also lay in the wooden box.

My final class was with Pat and Peggy from Fern Ridge and we made a peyote beaded scissor fob, which I am happy to say I finished. The Lankford is known for its white rockers, so this was perfect!!! I have sat and rocked in them many a time!!! Don't you love the bicycle charm too???

It was a great time, though I dearly missed being with my friends in person. Though there's something to be said for attending in your jammies and being able to sleep in your own bed at night! :)

In closing,here is a photo of a Bee pillow I made for my newly recycled stitching chair which, by the way, is perfectly comfortable for a weekend of stitching!!!

 

Thanks for stopping by and your "twisted threads" of friendship! Take care and bee well!!!

Stasi

Zoomin' into Fall (565-567)

There was actually a "nip" in the air this morning; I do believe fall may be on it's way. Woo-hoo!!!

On a sad note, my heart goes out to all facing these horrific wildfires and the pending hurricane in the south. I know we Americans are resilient, but how much more can we take??? It seems there is a continuous barrage of natural disasters on top of Covid and the daily news. But we will persevere and hopefully come out the other side a stronger, more united nation. Hang in there all and prayers going out for those in affected areas.

It's been a busy month around here. We drove up to Baltimore 12 days ago and brought my parents back for a 5 day visit.  We thought about it a lot and decided they could really use a change of scenery and chance to see our family here. We had a relatively quiet time... some competitive Scrabble games, a country drive to an Amish market...mainly just hanging out.

 While they were here, Rich and I tackled putting the chair I was reupholstering back together. When we were visiting my daughter and SIL, they were going to throw this cool chair out. It had been in my SIL's family beach house for many years and was a bit worse for wear. Rich and I kept looking at it and thinking "what a shame", when I saw it had a matching ottoman. Lightbulb time!!!! I have been wanting a stitching chair for my craft room. So home it came and the search began for fabric (which I scored at JoAnn's for $2.25 a yard), removing tons of staples (my lovely hubby did that for me), taking apart the old pieces and using them as templates to cut out the new, sewing cushions, pillows and arm rests and finally.....putting it all back together. I am so glad we could rescue it...I found a tag saying it was made in 1928! I sat in it pretty much the whole past weekend (more on that later) and it was very comfy!!! Here are some before and after shots!

 Before                                                              After---great light from a window!                                                            

 

 

This past weekend I had two wonderful virtual opportunities via Zoom.....Friendstitch and Sassy Jack's September Soiree.  Sassy Jack's event started Thursday at noon and went until Sunday at 2:00. There was a 24/7 stitching room available and 8  (some live and some recorded) sessions with designers. We received a package ahead of time with a lovely reproduction sampler chart from Sassafras Samplers and a kit for a biscournu. I worked on the biscournu during most of my time in the Stitching room. 

Friendstitch was a collaboration of Heart in Hand and Bent Creek. It ran Saturday from 11-6 and was a fun filled day. We received a box a couple weeks ago and were asked NOT to open it until the day of the event. We all opened them at the same time and what a bevy of fun items inside!!! I am not going to reveal or share what was included that day as I don't want to spoil the excitement for those in the next session in October. I will share the designs at a later date but for now, here is the cute box it all came in. 

The designs are adorable...all five of them!!! The kits were complete with fabric, fibers, wool, embellishments, etc. There were videos of a ....new to me.... starting stitch, how to mount your finished pieces, creative ways to display your items and the history of these two creative companies. A very enjoyable day and top notch in every way!!!

Now some finish-finished projects.....first up is Busy Bee Tuffet by Chessie n Me. I stitched this on a 32 ct. mystery blue linen with a mixture of WDW and Anchor flosses.

Next is Beehive Sampler by Threads Through Time, done on 40 ct. silk gauze, over one, with included DMC fibers. Tiny, tiny, tiny!!!!

And finally, A Harmony in Autumn, House on a Hill by Hands on Design. I stitched this on 28 ct. Wheat R&R linen with a combo of WDW, GAST and Valdani.  I am definitely trying to use fibers from stash,since I'm always in a hurry to start and don't want to wait for a delivery! I finished this as designed and stood it up in this little drawer you can find at Hobby Lobby in the floral section. Cathy had them in the drawers at Market and I thought it was so clever.

And I have more......I have finished the stitching on this, but need to frame....Heart and Compass by Erica Michaels. This was done on 40 ct. silk gauze (measures about 2X2) with a combo of GAST, WDW and DMC. I'm planning on giving this to my younger daughter as an anniversary present in October. The colors are so pretty in person, but subdued in this photo.

And last, but not least, is my start on Coming to America, the Women of the Mayflower by With Thy Needle and Thread. How many of you are sailing along on this???  I chose 40 ct. Sandstone linen for this and Victorian Motto Shoppe and GAST fibers. I have had to readjust as I go, because some dye lots aren't showing up that well  or are too lose to other shades. But, I am enjoying it tremendously and trying to stick to the 66 day schedule. Isn't that the cutest needle minder? I'm not showing the box and goodies it came in as I know they've been all over social media.

For my friends from OCMD/Salty Yarns......look closely at one of the seagulls on the left....I added a little something..can you guess what it is???

On a final note, I want to thank all of you who follow my blog and, especially those who take the time to comment.  Please be sure you are not set up as a 'no reply blogger' as I have no way to respond to you. Keep your spirits up...be safe....and thanks for stopping by and your "twisted threads" of friendship!  Oops..I almost typed Friendstitch!!!

Stasi

 

And the Beat Goes On.....as well as a Little Strolling (561-564)

 

 And the heat goes on.....we had 25 straight days in the 90's with high humidity...I'm meeeeelting....and are catching a bit of a break now...only in the mid 80's!!! Whew!!!

I'm sure you get tired of me complaining about the heat, and I'm not a big complainer, so I will move on to what you probably come here for...stitching!

I'll start with the finishes for my Stitch Stroll...it's amazing what you can get done when there aren't too many options to do/go anywhere. Oops...am I complaining again??? Sorry!

First up is the Burgandy Sampler Band SAL from iStitch designs. I did mine on 27 count natural banding using Glorianna silks....Bellagio (overdyed) and Elizabethan Green, Rosewood (solids) as well as NPI 324 and a mystery gold. I attached it to a vintage spool, the same as my other four.

 

Then I started getting in a holiday mood ..that explains the next three.

Dressed for Dinner is by Erica Michaels...a stand up turkey to go with my Lizzie Kate pilgrims. This didn't turn out as I hoped...I wanted to use some Rainbow Gallery Tweedie fibers to add some texture, but they only worked on a larger count fabric. So this bird is a 25 pounder....stitched on 7 ct. Klostern with Tweedie and #5 perle cottons. 

 

Then I moved on to Christmas with Christmas Markings by Heart in Hand. I too attached this to a vintage spool...stitched on the same 27 count banding as my SAL with an assortment of overdyed fibers. I can just roll it up to store year to year.

 

My final finish is a sweet little piece from Threadwork Primitives, Let it Snow...and boy do I wish it would! Oops again!!! I did this over one on a 28 ct. mystery linen with GAST Country Redwood, then added a tiny bow and snowflake charm. 

A few non stitching finishes were the Coming to America project bag by Brenda Gervais. This is a pre-printed panel and you cut and sew. I'll be using it to house her Mayflower project when it comes out. I used an "s" charm as the zipper pull in honor of my friend's ancestor who was on the Mayflower....Susan (nice it's my initial too). I also added the wording that was on the printed panel to the back of the bag....and no one will ever notice I sewed it on upside down...right???

 

I was happy to spend a day sewing with my grand daughters and we made them each an outfit. Same pattern...different versions.

 

 

What do you think of these buffs/gators with Woodstock on them? I thought we could use in place of masks sometimes, though I just heard they aren't as effective.

 

 

 I also made a few with the Marauders map from Harry Potter.

 

Now to some stitching that hasn't yet been finished or is in progress.

 

Busy Bee Tuffet by Chessie "n Me...worked on a 32 ct. mystery blue linen with Anchor, WDW and GAST flosses. I was going to start this on the 15th as a SAL with Donna Rae of Flannel Jammies for National Honey Bee Day, but I couldn't wait!!! (I will have to pick another bee project for that---darn!!! This will be a biscournu and scissor fob. 

I have Token of Love by With Thy Needle and Thread stitched and am waiting on the box to come in to finish. I did this on a 28 ct mystery linen ( I really have been trying to use what I have in my stash) with WDW's and one Classic Colorworks fiber. I have not added the initials because I am debating whether to give this as a wedding gift..or not. I'm not totally sure it would be appreciated so I am waffling. If I don't, it will be Rich and my initials added. I just loved the colors in this!!!

 

I've been so missing my trips to OCMD that I set up a beach themed display.

 

It helped... but not as much as the real thing!!! Soooo, we did manage a few days to visit my younger daughter (who we hadn't seen since Thanksgiving) on Oak Island, NC. That .....and making it to the beach one day did wonders for my soul!!!

 

 

 Thanks for hanging with me during this lengthy post. I keep thinking I should post more often, so it isn't as long, but time seems to get away. I really miss being with other stitchers and have zoomed a couple times with groups. I'm going to try that more often as it was so very, very nice! I signed up for Sassy Jacks virtual Soiree in September and a Guild I belong to, long distance, may try virtual meetings for a bit. My stitching/sewing is what's keeping me sane and I am thankful for it, and you my friends, every day!!!

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

Stasi

 

 

 

I'm Going Off the Rails of the Crazy Train....... (558-560)

I can't seem to get that verse out of my head after listening to it play on my car radio. I didn't even know who sang it so I googled it....Ozzy Osbourne. I thought I'd read some of the lyrics and here is the first verse:

"Crazy, but that's how it goes
Millions of people living as foes
Maybe it's not too late
To learn how to love and forget how to hate. "
 Yikes, I so wasn't expecting that, but it rang true for today's issues. If only........
It has so saddened me lately how fellow stitchers are attacking each other on social media to push their agendas and not showing respect for others whose opinions/beliefs may differ. Yes, we are ALL brutally aware of what is happening in the world today and want to see things change. But there is a place and a respectful way for expressing said views without trying to ram them down peoples throats. I tend to find I get my ire up when I see others being bullied and jump to defend them even if I don't agree with their views. Sometimes being "mean/nasty" can be counter productive...just my humble opinion...enough said!

I have continued to be a crazy woman stitching and it's time to share. First up are my FFO's. I showed this last post, but not FFO'd. Here is Fourth of July Sampler  by The Humble Stitcher.  stitched it on 40 ct. Iced Cappucinno, over two, with VMSS fibers.   I wanted it plain and simple..no frills! This was my first time using sawdust as a filler and I love it. You can get it very firm and it holds shape well. I have a big tub of it from my SIL, and will definitely use again.

Next up is Project Quarantine  by With Thy Needle and Thread. I stitched this on a 40 ct mystery linen, over two, with a combo of DMC, WDW, GAST and VMSS (trying hard to stitch from stash). I had a frame I'd bought a couple years ago from Wal-Mart that was the perfect red. Now it had a wooden cow, mounted on chicken wire, in the middle, but I removed the cow and glued fabric covered mat board over the wire. Added some pretty red rick-rack (thanks again, Robin) and voila!

This last FFO was a major save!!! I had stitched this in 2013, as a box, and  finally started to FFO it last week. I accidentally tore the perforated paper and that would have meant for a very messy joined corner. So, I had gotten a cute little hornbook at Hobby Lobby the week before and inspiration hit! I Mod Podged the stitching....yea I know, but  otherwise I couldn't cut without all the stitching unraveling....and glued it to the painted hornbook. I think I like this much better than the box! WIN!!!!

Now my SAL status:

FB Peppermint Purple Blackwork SAL

iStitch Designs Burgandy Sampler Band SAL (only 1 week and bonus chart left)

Learning Stitches by Jeanette Douglas via Sassy Jacks

 A couple new starts: 


Token of Love by WTNT.....stitching, over one, on a 28 ct. mystery linen with WDW and CC. I chose a darker blue, Teal Frost, since I had in my stash and subbed Putty for Sandcastle for the same reason. It seems Oscar is a tad hard to come by so I sent out a plea on FB and a stitchy friend came to the rescue...thanks Nancy!I love these colors!!!

Then I finally decided on a piece to do in honor of my second granddaughter, Esther. She likes ballet, flowers and the color red...and this really seemed to fit the bill. This is French Schoolgirl Sewing Bag and Smalls by Needlemade Designs. The original design for the bag front said "Amities" and you would put initials of friends and/or family there. But Esther asked if I could put the wod "love", so I obliged her. I found four different large alphabets and stitched each letter in a different style. I may go back and add some initials but am going to wait until the end. It's stitched over one on 27 ct. Natural/red ticking banding with GAST Soot and CC Cupid. This ones going to take awhile!!!

Then, in the midst of it all, I stitched up this dapper turkey......Dressed for Dinner by Erica Michaels. I did him on 7 ct. Klostern with #5 perle cottons and Rainbow Gallery Tweedie. I wanted him  to look like the turkey we all made in school with the brightly colored feathers. He's a bit out of proportion to go with my LK pilgrims, but that's okay, he'll hold his own.

A couple things to end with...look at this cute little fan you hook into your phone!!! Hopefully it will help me when I'm hot outside!!!

And, Rich and I had a hankering for some steamed crabs over the weekend so, yesterday, we took a little drive (about 2 hours) to Billy's Crab House just over the line into Maryland.  The crabs, shrimp and hush puppies were delish and you can see we ate it all!!! A nice respite from the "crazy train"!!!

I hope you are enjoying your summer so far and continue to do so. Thanks for stopping by and your "twisted threads" of friendship!

Stasi