A Few Stitch Finishes and an add to the Stitch Stroll....(496)

Greetings...how are things in your neck of the woods? Weather is still crazy here...temps up and down..lots of dreary days, but the sun is shining this afternoon and feeling like spring is just around the corner.

I had a relaxing weekend with my brother and sister-in-law. They drove down from Baltimore to attend the Banff film festival with us for two nights 
(Rich and I went all three), but we mainly hung out and chatted all weekend. Nothing on the stitching front while they were here...sadly they just don't get it!!!

I do, however, have a few things to share. First up is my Stitch Stroll addition,  a gift  for the couple that hosted our Disney trip. I took the logo they had printed on our tee shirts and  made an ornament. I found an outline for Mickey Mouse ears, graphed it out and then filled in with the colored circles. Here is the tee shirt:

And here is the ornament: 

Here's a little tip I may have shared before but the cardboard coasters you get in restaurants work great for mounting ornaments!!!

Next up are some stitch finishes which will be added to the ever growing finish-finishing pile!!! I really need to set aside a day soon to get these done.

This is the band for the Blackbird Designs Merry Christmas. (see post on Feb.7 for top piece) I'm figuring I will have to add some stitching, as I go,  to make this fit around the top piece.

Here is Summer Schoolhouse #4 by WTNT ...pincushion, hornbook and strawberry.

Next is January from A Year of Celebrations by Hands on Design. Now this series has had a major overhaul. I had started by stitching March on 18 count linen, over two, and I just didn't like it. It seemed too big for the cigar box (see post on Feb.10) and I don't enjoy working on that large count linen. So, I had been chatting with Meg from Live to Stitch and she mentioned how her friends stitched on perforated paper in the car. DUH!!! Hadn't I just completed 48 calendar pieces for my Samsarah calendar....in the car....on 14 count perforated paper??? How quickly we forget!!! So, I ran and figured out the size on the paper... and I like it much better. I can still stitch it in the car, which I did to and from Nashville. I had high hopes of getting most of the 12 completed on the long drive, but managed 1 3/4! :) The downside is I have to fill in the background, but I actually think it looks pretty darn cute. What do you think? Here is the original version and the new version, side by side:

I'll be doing March over on the perforated paper.

I am all caught up on my Amethyst Sampler BAnd SAL with iStitch Designs. I chose to do this one in greens and am using Glorianna Blue Grass and Avonlea Green.

I made a little error in counting with the box on the left and added some tiny bees above the urn. That caused an issue with the box on the right, so I added the row of numbers at the bottom of the alphabet. The alphabet on the right I will worry about when it ends but will probably add a heart motif. 

Finally is my newest start, A Stitch in Time by WTNT. I love the colors in this and am using the called for fibers. I'm also using the called for fabric, 35 count Gunmetal linen by WDW (it's much more grey in person).

So that's what's happening in my neck of the woods. Hope you have a good week and thanks for stopping by and your "twisted threads" of friendship!

Stasi
 

The Nashville Experience....

Greetings friends!!! I am home from my travels to the Nashville Needlework Market  and pumped about all the new designs/designers that I saw there. I am so grateful to Sara and Sally for asking me to help out this year and making it such a special experience for me. It was such fun to reconnect with old friends and meet new designers; it's a LOT of eye candy to take in and becomes a bit of a blur after 3 days, but so inspiring!!!  There were 130+ designers/vendors exhibiting over four floors of hotel rooms.

Here is how it works for those who don't know. This is a wholesale show, open only to shop owners. It is held in an Embassy Suites because of their great set up. Their rooms all go around the perimeter of a large atrium and each designer has a suite. They usually sleep and have extra stock in the bedroom section and set up their wares/displays in the front area. Most have banners that are hung on the railings letting you know where they are located.

Sorry, the banners are so hard to read!

 There are classes on Friday for attendees then some early bird shopping Friday evening (some designers will open Friday night but not  the majority). Saturday the shopping begins in earnest with some shop owners standing in line to be the first to get new designs or limited editions. This is a sticky point for a lot of shop owners because you can't be in 10 different places at once, but it seemed there weren't a lot of these this year and if the designer ran out, you could still order and get them sent later. Sunday, shopping continues until the show closes at 4:00. I accompanied Sara on the floors, then ran the items up to Sally, in her room,  for pricing when our pull cart got full. 

I brought home a few things, but will pick most up in two weeks when I go to Salty Yarns for  Catherine Theron's weekend. Sally and Sara gifted me these as a thank you:

 I picked up a few spools of vintage seam binding from Kathy Barrick and some Glorianna silk floss, which I'm thinking may be for my next iStitch SAL. 

Since some of you were interested in what caught my eye there, here are the items I ordered from Sara:

 

 

Little Cabin in the Pines by Thistles

 

Autumn Acorns by The Blue Flower

Harvest Hymn by The Blue Flower

The Color of Winter by The Blue Flower (I love this saying)

  So, I guess you can tell I was taken with a new designer, The Blue Flower. I really liked her pieces and hope to see more of them in the future.  

I did forget to mention the excitement we had Wednesday evening. I had just fallen asleep, and it must have been a deep sleep, because I nearly jumped out of my bed when I heard an alarm going off. At first I thought it was my phone waking me up but started to hear a voice saying "this is an emergency, please leave your room and evacuate the building immediately.  So, I had the sense to put on my shoes, grab my coat and purse and head out in the hall. Sara was already there and trying to reach the front desk  to alert them we had Sally in a wheelchair and couldn't get her down the steps ( we were on the 7th floor). So we, as well as many others, were hanging over the railings trying to see what the heck was going on!!!   Sally, with her usual wit, stated she couldn't go anywhere and would go down with the ship!!! Luckily, an all clear quickly came and we could return to our rooms. I'll admit to having a racing heart at that point and a bit of trouble falling back to sleep. Turns out an employee had accidentally set the alarm of; we heard the fire department was not too happy! 

Hope you're all checking websites to see all the new goodies from Market. It takes a lot of work , both pre, during and after market, for these designers to get their work to us. We need to support them, and the shops, as much as possible so we can continue to reap the benefits of their talent.

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

Stasi

Nashville Market

My official badge...I even still had my badge holder from years ago

Dropping by with a quick post from Nashville...actually we are in Franklin, TN. Sally and Sara picked me up Tuesday afternoon and we drove a few hours then stopped for the night. We arrived at out hotel in Nashville Wednesday afternoon and settled in...just a few designers at that point. Thursday the designers and shop owners started rolling in throughout the day. Sara and I went out to lunch at a cute little place called the Puffy Muffin, where I had the most delicious ginger iced tea. Then we went to a spice shop in Franklin, but mostly we've been sitting and stitching.
Today The designers will continue to set up their rooms and we can do some early bird shopping tonight. Tomorrow is when the REAL shopping commences. Here are some photos I've taken so far:

My room at the Embassy Suites

Nice little stitching area

Designer banners hanging from the balconies in the atrium

The show bible ( this has all the pertinent info as to what floors/rooms designers are in)

Well, that's it for now. Thanks for stopping by and your "twisted threads" of friendship!

Stasi

OMG..I'm heading to Nashville!!!!

Yes it's true, I got a call last week from Sara at Salty Yarns that her Mom, Sally, had fallen and broken her ankle...could I go at the last minute and help out??? You betcha!!!  Luckily, I had nothing on the schedule for the week and could pull it together to go. I'm so excited to see old friends and acquaintances, but sad for the reason it has come about. I'll be running the halls with Sara making the purchases and getting them back to Sally in her room for pricing. In the past when I went to Market,  we always had two of us from Twisted Threads go to help Ruth out....I would be "cash" since I was writing the checks and the other girl would be "carry" since she lugged the merchandise. This year I'll be "carry" and darn happy to do it!!! I will report on the excitement when I return, but if I have time will try to post something there...just can't guarantee that!
I am anxiously waiting to get picked up....all packed and ready to roll...need to sit and stitch until they get here rather than keep walking in circles around my house! :)

This is the hotel where all the action is..Embassy Suites in Franklin, TN

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

Stasi

Happy Valentines Day!

Wishing you all some 💖 today with, perhaps, a little chocolate on the side. 

I had seen that Krispy Kreme was making conversation heart doughnuts for Valentines Day.  I had also read there wouldn't be any conversation heart candies this year due to a company sale and manufacturing issues. So, I found me a KK store and bought a dozen doughnuts to share with my daughter's family. I was a little disappointed as they only had one color( four were shown in the ad) with the "messages" on them and the others just had squiggles. But hopefully, the grands will enjoy them and appreciate the thought.

I don't have a lot of Valentine stitching, but here are a few:

Thanks for stopping by and your "twisted threads" of friendship! And remember....all you need is love.....and a needle and thread!

Hugs,
Stasi

A Start and a Finish......(495)

Happy Stitchy Sunday!!! I am home after a quick trip to Baltimore Thursday for a funeral for my SIL's Mom. I'm happy to be home for the next..almost...two weeks and hope to get caught up on things around the house....both home related and stitching!

Let's start with my latest finish...just sewed on the spool this morning. This is my third SAL with iStitch Designs, the Black Sampler Band. I chose to do mine in two colors, both variegated  Valdani threads, called  Chocolate Brownies and Terra Cotta Twist. I stitched it on a 28 count natural linen banding over one and attached it to an antique wooden spool. I did change the letters at the bottom to my initials rather than A-B-C. This will officially be added to my Stitch Stroll as #495.

  
I've been looking for a long term car project and came up with a fun idea. These have to be on a large count linen or perforated paper in order to work in the car. I love monthly series and when Cathy Haberman came out with the set she had designed for a cross stitch magazine, I had to have them. Then I came across an old cigar box while I was organizing my sewing room and the proverbial light bulb went off!!! What if I stitched A Year in Celebration over two on an 18 count fabric??? Yep, it would fit on the top and I could change them out every month....bonus in that the box was fairly deep and possibly I could "store" the individual pieces in the box (not sure that will actually work once they are mounted but we will see)!!! So I started the first one, March, on the trip to Baltimore and actually finished the stitching while at my parents. Now, I will admit, this is NOT my favorite type of stitching (big count) but it serves the purpose of keeping me from just sitting and staring out the window while traveling. The others will not follow as quickly...reserved for the car... and I'm taking my time to decide on the finish-finishing.

I think that's it for today, thanks for stopping by and your "twisted threads" of friendship!

Stasi

 

Okay...is it winter..or spring...I'm confused!!!

And so are my daffodils that are popping up!!! This past weekend in OCMD we experienced snow...the last few days have hit 70 here in the Richmond area....please Mother Nature MAKE UP YOUR MIND!!!! I guess we're never happy with the weather and since we have no control over it, I'm moving on!

There were approximately 16 ladies who traveled to Salty Yarns for their annual Super Bowl sale.   As I mentioned, we had about 2 inches of snow in Ocean City, which lead to an unusual site...a snowman on the beach!!! Happily, we were all tucked warm and toasty in the shop and/or our apartments stitching.

 

I had a lovely time, as usual, and enjoyed experiencing some beautiful show and tell and seeing  everyone's current projects....lots of eye candy and inspiration!!! Here's a quick run down of the weekend:
I drove up Thursday and arrived around 2:00pm.  Friday a group of us went out to lunch and I had the best grilled cheese sandwich....it was called an "adult" grilled cheese and was brie with bacon, topped with an onion/garlic jam--yummy!!! This is when the snow started!!! The owner, Sara, had a reception Friday evening for us die- hards with an array of delicious appetizers. Saturday was spent in the shop ( I did jump in and help to cut fabric), visiting the ladies in their apartments and stitching. Saturday evening, a group of us got together for a pot luck dinner and I made my Cincinnati style chili. All the food was delish and the camaraderie abundant. Sunday was spent in the shop again and stitching. Early Monday I left for home and back to reality!!! Always a wonderful time and can't wait to go back the end of March for two Catherine Theron classes.

I did stitch every night and managed to get the Black Sampler Band SAL piece completed. I did change the letters at the bottom to reflect my initials rather than the charted ABC. I love that last alphabet..so pretty! Now to attach to my spool!

After that, I got back to work on Merry Christmas by Blackbird Designs and got  the top of the drum all stitched. I had to figure out the '9' on the fly..how did I do? Next up is the band that goes around the drum. I just joined a FB SAL page for this piece and hope to get hints for the finishing.

Of course I did some stash enhancement....hard not to with the great sale. So RJ, here is what I succumbed to.
I thought the mermaid bag would be a nice companion for the Siren's Tart. I had seen the Nebby Needle chart on FB and thought it would make an adorable Christmas ornament/gift. The Hands on Design, Oh Say Can You Sea was a last minute addition. One of the ladies had gifted her small group this chart and supplies to work on for the weekend. A number of the ladies finished the stitching on theirs but one lady had stitched the drum over one!!!!  I've had my eyes on this chart for awhile since I'm from Baltimore and love the beach...perfect combination for the saying! It was so tiny and precious; I couldn't resist and want to give it a try (sure wish I'd taken a photo!!!).

Another lady there had stitched a Merry Cox piece from an old JCS magazine and attached it to a pre-made pouch. As luck would have it, there was one in the shop and I snagged it since I have that magazine in my stash--surprise, surprise!!! I bought the rings for my ever growing fiber collection and what I would call the world's smallest hornbook.

My hubby and I just joined Planet Fitness and I thought this would be a great water bottle....and, since the Lankford is for sale, a nice remembrance.

And then I bought this chart and the supplies to make it... stitched on 35 count WDW Gunmetal with an assortment of GAST, WDW and CC fibers. I must have really liked it because I already had the chart!!! So be on the lookout in the future as I will have a giveaway of the duplicate chart. 

 
Whew, I hope I haven't bored you to tears!!! In closing I would like to say that I am so blessed to have the opportunity to attend wonderful classes and retreats and wish that for all of you. I always learn something new from fellow stitchers... be it a new designer, a good read or a yummy recipe. There are FB  pages with lists of stitch retreats, your local or national EGA/Sampler groups and LNS classes. Check them out and see if one is doable...you won't regret it!

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

My fellow Hogwarts devotee