The Regal Bee is done!!!!!

The Regal Bee is complete and I have enjoyed every minute of stitching it. I just find it so elegant....and to be redundant...regal!!! Stitched with just two colors of silk floss, it is a very dramatic piece. I love "bee" things and luckily had some perfect embellishments to enhance the project. I'm so happy to be able to share it with you now.

 First up is the lovely shaker box from Suffolk Shaker Shop. I fell in love with this and the beautiful grain on the lid. The bottom of the box has been painted black.

Here is the box with it's "baby" which will hold little "bee" treasures as I find them.










                                                                       Next is the inside of the box with a waxer pocket on the side. 

 Here is the waxer pocket up close and personal. Since I do collect "bee" treasures, I happened to have a scrimshaw ruler and tiny scrimshaw beehive button to add some flavor, as well as a beehive waxer. I was also lucky to have the perfect silk checked fabric for the pocket, though I did dye it to make it a little darker.

All the little smalls in a row: needle case, scissor holder and fob and pincushion.

  I put a scalloped beaded edging on the pincushion and used the antique button my    friend Debbie had given me--perfect don't ya think??? 

Scissor case and fob front. I added a brass beehive charm to the tassel.

Scissor case and fob back.  

Inside of needle case with pages for needles. I added the strips of Black ultra suede (thanks Phyllis) to each side. I had a bee needle threader and hook thingy (not sure what that's for) but it was a set and looked cute in the case.

Outside of needle case with three tiny brass bee charms in the hive.   

  
Here's the bee needle threader and hook thingy . I'm assuming it's a thread catcher but if anyone else has any ideas, leave me a comment.  


So, there it is...my Regal Bee. I want to give a "shout out" to Theresa Baird for designing such a remarkable piece and a big thanks to Paola for gifting me the chart and turning me on to the shaker box people. I can't wait to share it in person with my stitching buddies next weekend in OCMD. This is now a treasured family heirloom..are you listening Kris and Jess????  


Gotta go--we're off to see Jess in NC for the weekend and I've still got packing to do.
Happy Memorial Day!!!!                                                  

More Toys for the Toy Chest

Well, I've just finished two more toys for my Toy Chest. This was a class that I took a few years ago from Betsy Morgan of Willing Hands. Someday soon I'll post photos of the whole piece and you can drool along with me. But for now, here is the Hobby Horse and Paintbox.

The Hobby Horse is a cover for your laying tool. The one I have (which was given to me by a dear friend) is from Mike and Maggie Fraser of Sylvan Treasures. It is ebony wood and smooth as a baby's behind! Mike turns beautiful wood pieces for use by stitchers--lovely wood ort jars and such. You should check out their web site: www.sylvantreasures.com. 

The paintbox, I think, was an appropriate addition as I have always felt we "paint" with our needle and thread. Cross stitching has always reminded me of coloring when I was a child--the thrill of a new box of crayons and putting those first strokes of color on paper--has definitely equated with placing that first "cross" of color and then watching the design grow as more and more stitches are worked. There is nothing like the thrill of putting that first stitch in a piece of linen!!! I feel I'm waning philosophical here...but you know what I mean! :)

The paintbox is a needle threader case--it holds the needle threader with the adorable palette charm and also has two hidden pockets for storing needles. 

So that's it for today--keep on stitchin'!!!

"Cuppa"

Just a quick post about something fun I did yesterday. My local library had a lecture by The Tea Lady about British tea/teas. It was quite fun!!! We got to sample three different teas and learned the proper way to brew a pot along with a short history of tea in the British Isles. So, I just finished brewing my "cuppa" in a tempered pot, with rolling boiling water, steeping 3-5 minutes, sugar and cream...and I'm ready to sip and stitch!


P.S. The lecture was at 2:00 PM, so I couldn't stop singing "tea for two and two for tea"!!! :)

Dang me...Dang Me

Well, it's been a month to the day since I last posted and I have been a busy bee---. but more about that later. First I must start with a story of woe.............. I had shown, previously, the beautiful sampler I had stitched for my granddaughter, Cora. I took it down to give to my daughter  recently and she's oohing and aahing all over it, telling me how much she loves it. Then, shyly she looks at me and says" Mom--what year was Cora born"? I immediately start to freak knowing I screwed up something and lo and behold....I had stitched the wrong year!!!! Dang it!!!Our dear Cora was born the last day of November 2010, and I didn't start stitching her birth sampler until 2011. So, I inadvertently put 2011 instead of 2010!!!!!! My sweet daughter, Kristin, said "it's okay we can just leave it like that"......seeing I was beginning to go into major meltdown mode, but there is NO way I could leave it. So, I shall have to take off the back of the piece, unpin--hopefully just about 1/3 from the bottom, remove the over one stitching  ( luckily just the one number), restitch the correct number and put it all back together. Whew!!! And here's the kicker.......I did the same thing when I stitched a birth sampler for my daughter, Jess's 18th birthday--put the year I stitched it instead of her birth year.  You think I would have learned from that experience!!!! It's a wonder my backside isn't 'black and blue' from all the "kicking myself in the butt" I've been doing!!! :)


Now, on to better things. As I mentioned earlier, I have been getting some stitching done. I completed all the stitching on The Regal Bee and now have to sit down quietly and contemplate how I'm going to finish it. The designer, at this time, doesn't have finishing instructions but I loved the piece so much, I bought it anyway. I figure I can pull on all the knowledge I've gleaned from my past classes with Merry Cox, Betsy Morgan, Judy O'Dell and others to get me through it. The shaker box it goes in is just fabulous, especially the lid which highlights the grains of wood. I'll share that when I have it all done. For now, here is the needle book and pages and the scissor fob (over one).

scissor fob

needle book and pages

I've also managed to get the pre-stitching done for my Betsy Morgan class, The Elizabethan Casket Etui,  in June. . There will be buttonholes stitched at the top and it will be made into a drawstring bag for a stitching goodie.

I also (had this in my stash awhile) stitched the Hobby Horse accessory that goes in the Toy Chest by Betsy Morgan. It will fit over the top of a beautifully turned wood laying tool. I will share photos when it's finished but here is the stitched piece. (Sorry the horse head is sideways but I forgot to rotate)

I am currently working on another addition to the Toy Chest, The Paintbox Needle Threader Case. Betsy says that is the LAST piece, but she's said that before. :) 

So, to end today, I'm going to share a little story about Cora. It seems she likes to Skype with me and will sit on the floor by Kris's computer and point up at it until Kris calls me. I can't tell you how remarkable it is to answer the call and see her precious face smiling back at me. Computers can frustrate the living heck out of me, but then there is this wonderful technology that allows me to interact with my grand babies on a daily basis, while they're hours away. I can remember visiting Disney World back in the 70's and visiting the World of Tomorrow ( I think Monsanto sponsored it) and seeing the tableaus for the future where people could shop on line and talk to each other over their computer. I recall Rich and I discussing that this could NEVER happen--someone had a great imagination. And here we are....living it...and loving it!!!

Until next time.....

Stasi

Michael's Myth

Okay, I haven't "mused"  here yet, but I'm feeling  the need today!!!


I went out to get a piece of glass for the birth sampler and thought I'd start at Michaels since I had a 40% off coupon. First off, no coupons allowed for just a piece of glass. Then I got the price for an 11X15 piece...granted it was conservation glass to protect against UV rays. Bottom line, their price was $33.83!!! I decided to shop around before biting that bullet. I went to a framing shop in downtown Martinsburg, Queen Street Gallery, and inquired about the glass. Their price ...and it was for the exact type of glass... they even had the same display as Michaels... was $8.51!!! Go figure! I would have had to leave my frame at Michaels and go back to pick up the glass. At the local shop, she cut it for me right away--great customer service!


So, this has lead me to believe that Michaels jacks its prices up to accommodate the 50% coupons and the professional framers are just as competitive....if not better....and..... I'd rather give them my business. So now, I'll have to work on my "trust" issues and try the local framer.


Hope you're having the gorgeous weather we are!

Birth Sampler for Cora

I don't stitch many pieces any more that have to be framed....for various reasons. One, I am so into  smalls that they are all I really want to work on. Second, I have trust issues with new framers. I was so spoiled having such a fabulous framer in Cincinnati, Bowmans Framing, that I am apprehensive about trying someone local, even after 7 years. I have sent pieces to Ken (Bowman) to have framed but have also embarked on the adventure of framing myself. I do not enjoy the "pinning" part, as I like them to come out straight, but I try to follow the method Ken uses and that Ruth showed me in a self framing class she taught at Twisted Threads.

Here is a picture of the fruits of my labor:

This is the birth sampler I stitched for Cora and it's been sitting around for quite some time while I worked up the gumption to stretch it. I woke up this morning with a "bee in my bonnet" and decided today was THE day!!! I used an Eastside Mouldings frame in eggplant and added the purple flower buttons on the corners. Of course after I posted this I noticed a little "ziggle" on the  upper right side. Luckily, I haven't put it all together yet and can re-pin that section. I'm really happy with how it turned out and have boosted my confidence a bit more as to framing pieces on my own.


Now to get out, take a walk and enjoy this glorious day!!!

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neigborhood..........

The weather is just beautiful here today--sunny, clear and not too hot or cold--a Goldilocks kind of day! I went outside for awhile to do some pruning only to find our pruning shears are broken. That will have to wait for another day.... boo-hoo. I do believe I will head out for a walk around the neighborhood however--feeling the need for some fresh air and Vitamin D. 


I have completed the stitching required for my Merry Cox class in June. It was way less than is normally needed, but I am glad to have it off my plate, so to speak. So here is my Le Nouveau Palais Royale: 

Not sure what this is going to be....maybe lays on top inside of wooden box....we'll see

 pinkeep

pincushions

I did include Cora's name and what she calls me, Mimi, on the piece. I also put her initials and year of birth on the mirror image pincushions. Here is a picture of our sweet little Cora in an outfit I had made for her Mommy over 30 years ago.

Well, this post is a little short as I want to get outside and take advantage of the beautiful day. So happy we'll have an extra hour of daylight this evening!!!