Finishing Frenzy

Warning: Picture intensive post (the best kind of post, right?)

Just Nan...the first mouse...


Honey Bunny...


Barnabee Bee...


The whole menagerie thus far...


2012 Shepherd's Bush Fob...






Some Hardanger finishes for my friend Judy...


And lastly, you might recall my post from Nov 24. One of our stitching friends passed away earlier this year. I finished off a few of her completed pieces for the family...








It sure feels good to have made such a dent in the finishing pile!

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Did I Tell You....

...that I finished my stitching on Jackie's Attic of Dreams Sampler? I hope I will have time to do the finishing this weekend!


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Stitching From the Heart

This past summer, a stitching friend unexpectedly and suddenly passed away. Her sister contacted me a few weeks ago and asked if I would take a look at her stash. There was a Hardanger piece that was almost finished and she was hoping that I could help her get it finished. She also asked me to help ensure that the remaining stash was given to those who knew her best.

Long story short, my friend Chris and I have been working through some of the projects that were in the stash and have been trying to finish them.

Here's the before shot of the Hardanger doily....



And here is the completed doily...



Chris finished the doily. Today, I had the pleasure of returning it to the family. When the sister saw the finished piece she started to cry. It felt good to be able to do this for her!

Tonight, I am working on another piece that this stitcher had started.


This is Snapperville from Bent Creek. The border is done, the boxes just need to be filled in.

Chris finished a few other pieces which I will share with you over the next few days!

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Decorating with Tatting

My mom's church asked her to decorate a small wreath for a holiday fundraiser; the proceeds will go to the youth group that is going to be taking a mission trip next year.

Here's what we came up with...


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More Hornbooks

A couple more ladies from our needlework guild finished their hornbooks. Since we started a new project at our last meeting, I offered to do the finishing for them.

Here are Judy's, Jane's, and Sarah's hornbooks:



The Quaker Hornbooks are available from Ellen Chester as a group order (minimum of 10). Our group really enjoyed working on them!


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Halfway There

I'll let the picture do the talking....


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Progress Made!

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Home Again

What a change in temperature! It was in the 80's yesterday on Mesa. It's around 30 degrees here at home. Brrrr.

My week started in Georgia and then ended in Arizona. I am glad to be back home in Minnesota. Had a wonderful time at the Attic though and plan to go back again.

While I was there I finished stitching my Just Nan Cardinals. Another one for the finishing pile!



Tonight I am going to work on the Attic of Dreams sampler. Picture is not so good, sorry!



Have a great evening!

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The Reason I Came...

Earlier this year, when I saw the list of projects that Jackie would be teaching, I knew that I had to come. The piece that sealed the deal was this one:




It's called The Un-Played Piano and the idea came from a real piano etui that can be found in a collection of antique needlework accessories that the EGA has (more on that in another post).

My mother has played the piano and organ her entire life, so I just knew that I had to make this piece.

My pre-work for class was done, but there was more stitching to do. Jackie expertly walked us through all of the finishing instructions. Check out the inside of the piano:




In a few short weeks I hope to have my very own finished piano to share with you!

If you ever have the opportunity to take a class with Jackie - do it! She is so creative and a truly inspired designer. Love learning from her.




Leaving for the airport soon. Some of my very lucky friends will be here for two more days. Enjoy!

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Day Two in Mesa

Beautiful day here in sunny and warm Mesa, AZ. Our class with Jackie didn't start until 2pm so we went shopping! We stopped at four different quilt shops; the name of this one cracked me up...


Two of the "dudes" were there and they were very helpful and friendly!

Two o'clock finally came and it was fun to see Jackie again. She always brings her models with and it is fun to look at all of them.









Today's project was this beautiful miniature sampler called "Attic of Dreams".




It's functional too. It holds needles and fibers!




Made a good start on the front side. Heading to bed now so that I am well rested for tomorrow's class.

Thanks for stopping by!

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Greetings from Mesa

Arrived safely in Phoenix today. Met up with one of my stitching buds and we got ourselves checked in at the hotel. Since there were no classes today we did what any person crazy about stitching would do - we headed to the Attic!




Their new shop is wonderful - spacious and well lit. Of course they are well known for the numerous stitched models of samplers, one more beautiful than the next.





I made one trip around the room and then another. It took quite a bit to take it all in.





Additional stitchers continued to arrive at the shop, many of them are also here to take Jackie's classes this weekend.







In addition to their own models, they had this Scarlet Letter model on display.



After a busy afternoon of shopping, we headed for some nourishment at the nearby Texas Roadhouse. I had never visited one before - delicious!



First class with Jackie starts at 2pm tomorrow. Will try to post an update after class!

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Ready for the Attic!

Despite my busy schedule of late, I managed to get my piano pre-work done. I'm excited to have the opportunity to take this class with Jackie du Plessis at the Attic next weekend. Counting the days....




And...I'm taking a few of these with too....



These will be donated to the Attic's silent auction/fundraiser for breast cancer. These two are my favorite...




Can you see the pink ribbon pins? Thanks to my mom for tatting the pink medallions.

Have a great weekend!


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