Stitchville Retreat - Part Two

One of the best parts of a retreat like this is getting to see all of the designer's projects on display.  The stitchers were invited to bring along any of the Chessie and Me pieces they had stitched; the shop had it's shop models on display, and Linda brought her trunk show along; particularly her newer pieces that had just been released at Nashville.  Nothing compares to seeing these designs in person!  I tried to take a lot of pictures so that you could experience the "show" too...

This is one of my favorite pieces of all; sorry, the photo is a bit blurry!

The patterns and supplies for these next two designs came home with me!  Love the sheep!

I've had this next one in my stash since it came out. Why don't I have it stitched yet?

Another one that has been in my stash for quite awhile....

Love the finishing on this design - wow!

These two pieces were my contributions to the show!

Of course, while I am running around taking pictures and visiting with others at the retreat, my tablemates are busy stitching!  Some things never change....

And, just in case I haven't shared enough eye candy with you, take a look at these finished pieces.

These are from Primitive Traditions - the Abigail Colby Workbasket and accompanying smalls.  We all like to bring our finished pieces to show and share with our friends!  These were done by a lovely stitcher who had come to the Stitchville retreat for the very first time.

Another prolific stitcher was in attendance and I regret not taking any pictures of her finishes, but you can hop on over to her blog anytime to see them.  The infamous Amy from Thread in Hand was there; it was good to see you again Amy!

(Amy - left, me - right)

Three of my tablemates (the other two were missing in action, a late night of stitching perhaps?)  Don't we all look happy after a weekend of stitching bliss?

My annual "photo with the designer" for my collection!

And last but not least, our hostesses, Deb C and Deb S, with Linda from Chessie and Me. These are the ladies that made this wonderful weekend possible!

Another Stitchville retreat is over.  What a fun weekend it was.  Let the countdown begin for next year's retreat!

Stitchville Retreat - Part One

Just returned from a delightful weekend of stitching.  The end of the weekend is always bittersweet.  We go home happy with wonderful goodies and beautiful projects (both finished and yet-to-be finished) and also sad, because our weekend of fun is over.  Now the countdown begins for next year's retreat.

This was the fourth Stitchville retreat...each year we have the opportunity to meet one of the needlework industry's top designers.  This year's guest of honor was Linda from Chessie and Me.

Over the years, I have enjoyed stitching a number of Linda's designs; I've collected even more of them (I'm sure you can relate.)  Linda designed some wonderful pieces for our weekend retreat.

Do you remember the project that was released by Chessie and Me last fall?  It was a "Fall-ish" design that was mounted on a paper mache box...well, we were treated to the "Spring" version of this design.  We received the design and stitching supplies a few weeks ago so that we could focus on finishing our boxes.  Here's a picture of the finished box - outside top:

And a picture of the inside cover:

But our boxes didn't look like this to begin with; they were sort of a "pepto bismal" pink.  I should have taken a picture of that stage -- sorry, I forgot.  We waxed the areas of the box that we wanted to look worn and then painted our boxes black.  Here's the black box "cemetery"...

After the boxes were dry, we roughed them up a bit with some sandpaper and then sprayed them with some polyurethane and they were ready to be finished!  After securing our stitched pieces to some wool, we glued them to our boxes.  Mine turned out pretty good, don't you think?

See that cute little strawberry?  It was a gift from Linda!  I love my box, it turned out great.

Deb from Stitchville and the other Deb (aka "the Debs") did a wonderful job with the retreat as they always do.  They look after every detail.  There's always a little welcome gift in our rooms... (It looks like one of my caramels is missing.  How did that happen?)

The tables in our stitching room are always beautifully decorated...

All of those wonderful goodies came home with us!  And in addition there was a project bag filled with some additional goodies...

Details, details...those two are so good at taking care of all the details!

Our second project of the weekend was this wonderful sampler...

Love the colors and the verse at the bottom...

"In the Springtime of your Youth
Be sure the seed you sow
That in the Harvest of old age
The good there of you will know."

Of course there was more to the weekend - lots of time for visiting with old and new friends, many Chessie and Me models and stitcher finishes to "ooh and aah" over and some of the attendees brought some of their recently finished projects along.  Tune back in tomorrow for more of the fun!

Wishing You a Nice Weekend...

Hopefully I will be back next week with some stitchy pictures.  I have been working on stitching the pieces for Ellen Chester's "A Lady's Worke Box".  I just have the front of the needlebook and the front box panel left to stitch and then it will be ready to assemble.

This weekend is Stitchville's annual Spring Fling retreat.  Always good to reconnect with old friends and meet new ones.  The designer at the retreat this year is Linda from Chessie and Me -- I'm looking forward to meeting her!

Have a great weekend!

If You...

...could only stitch one more sampler in your lifetime, which one would you stitch?  It's so difficult to choose, but I think this is the one I would stitch:

And They Sinned

Examplar Dames

How about you?

A Masterpiece Completed!

I just received these pictures from Mrs. Szigethy's daughter; the altar cloth is completed!  It took her two months from start to finish to re-create this beautiful piece done in Hövej embroidery.  Mrs. Szigethy stitched the original many, many years ago for the church in Agyagosszergény.  She borrowed it from them so that she could copy her design and stitch it again.  This finished reproduction is now on display at her exhibit in the village of Hövej.

Here are some pictures of her completed work!

When I visited last November, there was another altar cloth in its place; I will have to ask what will happen with that one.  Perhaps they are going to use it on the other side.  There's another room in the building that they are currently re-doing and will have more of Mrs' Szigethy's embroidery on display.

Thank you for following along with me as we watched her progress on this piece of needlework.  She's an amazing and very talented needleworker!

Previous Posts:
Altar Cloth Progress #3
Altar Cloth Progress #2
Altar Cloth Progress #1
Altar Cloth - Original Post

Wishing you all a Blessed Easter!

A Labor of Love

Very appropriate title for this finish; you see, it took me nearly the entire day yesterday to do the finishing on this project.  Granted, I had others things going on too -- cleaning bathrooms, doing laundry, etc. (the normal things that always have to be done on the weekend ---but much of my time was dedicated to this beautiful little project.

This was a class offered through the Shining Needle Society.  I have only done one or two other classes with them; I really should do more.  It's an economical way to complete projects with great designers without the travel and lodging costs.  And, you can work at your own pace.  I do admit though, it's a lot of fun meeting them in person!

The project is called Rhapsody in Blue and it was designed by Jackie du Plessis.  I met Jackie last summer at the Needlework Guild of Minnesota retreat.  She is a special lady and a very talented needleworker and finisher.  The design ideas she comes up with are amazing.

Without further ado...

It's a sewing pouch or purse made from beautiful midnight blue silk.  The top is stitched.  That little tab on the front helps to keep the lid closed (there's a magnet inside.  There are two handles on either side made from twisted cord.

Here's a better shot of the top; the linen color is a little more accurate in this photo.

Many of Jackie's projects are stitched over one; to my delight, much of this project was stitched over two!

Both sides of the lid flip up to reveal a little needle page made from doctor's flannel.  Can you see it?  I must remember to add a needle to it today!

And here's the inside of the pouch.  Not completely finished though.  I need to tack the lid to the pouch in the back center...I have some questions about how to do that, so will complete that later.  There is a small Hedebo covered ring that also gets attached in this spot.

Tomorrow we will receive the finishing instructions for the smalls that complete this set.  I can hardly wait!

Thank you for stopping by!

Check It Out

Okay, nothing new from me today, but I had to share this with you.  If you have time today, check out this new to me blog:

I'd Rather Be Stitching

Be sure to check out yesterday's post and look at how she stitched the grass.  Brilliant.  Then scroll down further to see her Margret Gatis Sampler from the Scarlet Letter...Amazing!

Happy Friday!

Dear to My Heart

I have many things to share with you today, all of them very dear to my heart!

In addition to counted cross stitch, I love to do a little Hardanger now and then.  This is the second installment in Nordic Needle's Hardanger Stitching Accessories club this year...it is a little pocket for safe keeping of my scissors!  Here's the front...

Here's the back...

And just in case you didn't see it the first time, here's the box:

Also dear to my heart is my mother's tatting.  She came over today to test out my lights and magnifiers.  She showed me all of the crosses and hearts that she has been working on and then asked, "Well, aren't you going to take a picture for your blog?"

I have a very soft spot in my heart for a special place in Hungary...I had stitched up the Minnesota Heart some time ago and recently stitched the Hungary Heart.  Both are from Victoria Sampler...

And last but not least, allow me to share with you this beautiful example of Hövej embroidery.  I think this is from the altar cloth that Mrs. Szigethy is working on.  The picture was on her Facebook page; I know she won't mind if I share it with you.  Every hole is filled with a different pattern; ten different designs!

Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

Is it Saturday Yet?

Hope you are having a good week - happy hump day!  Thank goodness we're on the downhill slide to the weekend.

Hopefully I will have some of my own stitching to share with you soon, but in the meantime, I thought I would show you some needlework from two of my other favorite stitchers!

Another Hardanger box?  I didn't stitch two of them; this one belongs to my friend Judy.  I mounted it in the box lid for her.  I will be seeing her on Saturday and will be able to return the box to her then.  This is the first part of a five part club offered through the Nordic Needle this year.

And then I thought I would share some tatting with you; my mother has been busy,  I like the spring-like colors she is tatting with!

And this sweet tatted heart...

Of course, you recognize the needlework in the background, yes?  Enjoy the rest of your week!

Altar Cloth Progress Report #3

I just received these photos from Mrs. Szigethy's daughter; you will see that Mrs. Szigethy is making good progress!   When I last posted on February 25, she had just reached the middle of the piece.  She is now working her way down the right side..

These are some of the motifs leading up to the chalice in the middle...

This photo shows where she is at right now.  Can you see the design drawn on the fabric to the right of what has already been stitched?

Here's a look at nearly the entire piece so far.  An amazing piece of needlework...

I think I may have told you this already...this altar cloth is going to be added to Mrs. Szigethy's exhibit in Hövej.  The room next door was empty and they are working on it.  I imagine it will open sometime this summer.  I'm sure we will get to see a picture of the finished piece once it is displayed in this new room of the exhibit!

Hope you had a wonderful weekend.

Stitching...

Just thought I'd pop in here and show you the project I've been working on.  Last summer, I fell in love with Jackie du Plessis (remember Briar Rose?)  When the Shining Needle Society announced that Jackie would be doing an online class with them, I had to sign up.  The project is called Rhapsody in Blue.  The finished project is a little stitching bag with matching smalls.  My stitching is done.

The finishing instructions will be provided to us on March 18.  I can hardly wait!

Nashville...

Any market must haves?  I'm in love with this Blackbird Designs release...

And I am intrigued by the shape of this pincushion...

And I think I might need to stitch this considering that my maternal grandparents both came through Ellis Island...

I guess I'm kind of predictable, huh?  What has caught your eye?

Ready for Spring

After waking up to this...

and this...

I'm ready for Spring.  

And you know what else I am ready for?

Spring Fling!

Stitchville Spring Fling

April 5 -7

Featuring Chessie & Me

I love the colors; so bright and cheery!

The smyrna stitches were relaxing; they give the piece dimension.

Even a little bit of over one -- I don't mind over one anymore.

Looking forward to the retreat.

I heard there are still a couple of spaces if you want to join us.

Hopefully Spring will have arrived and the snow melted.

It is Minnesota though...crazier things have happened...

Stitching with Friends

Yes, another edition of "Stitching with Friends" -- a group of us gathered yesterday at our favorite stitching spot...Rosebud's in White Bear Lake.  I took pictures, and I guess I thought I took more pictures than I actually did!  I tried very hard to do less visiting and more stitching; that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

A couple ladies were working on some beautiful Hardanger.  I only have pictures of two of the projects...

One of my friends brought in some of her recent finishes, including this beauty in all of her framed glory!

Many of us working on our pre-stitching for next month's Stitchville retreat.  The designer at this retreat will be Linda from Chessie and Me.  This stitching is just for the Friday night project, we have another project for Saturday which we will be a surprise until we arrive at retreat.

There were about eight of us there yesterday that are going to the retreat; not all were working on their Chessie and Me project.  It was completed in various stages, from this:

To this....

To this....this lucky gal has her pre-work finished!

I'm excited to see how these pieces will be finished.  Gotta run...toodle loo!