Halloween Finish

Happy Halloween!

Today I finished the Little Sparrow Sewing Box; a sweet little stitch from Stacy Nash.

Here are some of my Halloween stitches from the past:

Mary Garry, Hands on Design, and La D Da:

Shakespeare’s Peddler:

On to November!

Friday & Saturday Stitching

Lots of stitching this weekend. 

I finished the over one on the C, D, E, and F blocks for the Sampler Book from Erica Michaels.

I started and finished this perforated paper project from Hands on Design.

I also spent some quality time with Catherine’s Big Heart from La D Da. I still have to complete the over one on this one (maybe next weekend).

We have been eating well. We had Chicken Parmesan last night.

We’re staying until Monday so another full day of stitching left!

Stitching Retreat

First day at retreat and I’ve finished four pieces!

1. Stacy Nash - House on Pumpkin Hill - I just needed to finish filling in the large white pumpkin at the bottom. Done!

2. Stacy Nash - Little Sparrow Sewing Box - the bird and the spool of thread needed to be stitched. Done!

3. Erica Michaels - Sampler Book, Letter A - needed to stitch the over one label at the bottom. Done!

4. Erica Michaels - Sampler Book, Letter B - needed to stitch the over one label at the bottom. Done!

I hope that the next three days are equally productive!

Birds & Bees Sewing Roll

I had one more finish this past weekend. This is the Birds & Bees Sewing Roll, Biscornu, and Fob from Stacy Nash. The stitching is finished and the real finishing will come later.

I was working on this when the Queen died so I added a crown at the top of the needle roll.

This project was an exclusive on Facebook.

Knocking these finishes out! It feels good!

Snooty Parrot Sampler

This finish has been eight years in the making! This is the Snooty Parrot Sampler stitched on 40ct Lakeside Vintage Examplar with a silk conversion from the Attic. Don’t study too close - I eliminated a couple of over one motifs. Just needed to be done!

So happy to have this WIP finished!

Road Trip - Day Five

Last day of the retreat. I have been a huge fan of Blackbird Designs since my first retreat with them in 2007. It was so good to see Alma again. She tells the best stories. Her display of various Blackbird projects did not disappoint. 

The project she brought for all of us to stitch was fabulous as always. It was packaged so beautifully.

Can’t get enough of Alma and Blackbird Designs!

Teresa Kogut was our last teacher of the weekend. She designed a stunning project for us, all packaged nicely in a beautiful box. I have a picture of the sampler but need to do some editing and will post it later.

Snapshot of all the teachers, including Rita from Quilter’s Station.

Of course, the best part of the weekend was meeting up with old friends and making new friends.

I’ll have to do a wrap up post in a day or two with the additional pictures I have to share.

Have a great week my friends!

Road Trip - Day Four

Today we had a full day of classes and projects from outstanding designers. Our day started with Kathy Barrick. My first class ever with Kathy was back in 2007 at a retreat that I attended in Strasburg,VA. It was fun to take another class with her, 15 years later! Her project was titled “I Give You My Hand” and it incorporated cross stitch, wool applique and paper crafting. Fun, fun!

Liz Matthews was the afternoon teacher. Her project incorporated motifs from an antique “vanity” sampler that she had acquired. Why is it called a vanity sampler you might ask? Look closely at the picture of the sampler. The stitcher cut out her name and any evidence of her age! We received the chart for the sampler. For the project, we stitched small motifs and supplies to make a small pillow!

Bonus! There was a late afternoon surprise. Lois from Lady Dot flew in to meet with us. After years of working with her trims on velveteen, and years before that, purchasing her breast cancer fundraiser kits, it was so nice to finally meet her. What a hoot! Not only was she a surprise guest but she brought a surprise kit for us - the supplies to make a black velveteen pumpkin! We enjoyed our Q&A with her.

We rounded out the day with dinner, stitching, and lots of laughter with needlework friends. One more day of fun ahead.

Road Trip - Day Three

We started out the morning with a trip to C.C. and Company, a needlework shop in Blue Springs, MO. 

After making a few purchases there, we headed to Quilter’s Station.

The highlight of the day was the afternoon when Linda of Chessie and Me kicked off the retreat with a lovely fall-themed Huswife.