Back in Indy

Yep, back in Indy. Love spending time with this group of stitchers. Wish it wasn't so far away so we could stitch with them more often!

We had a delightful day of stitching and visiting. Went to lunch and then came back to the house for dessert...homemade ice cream and cookies!





Lots of delicious cookies!





We stitched until 5 pm. Since we knew we'd have to deal with traffic, we decided to do a little shopping in Zionsville, knowing that the commute back to our hotel would be better if we waited.

There was a stitching store...mostly needlepoint but Chris found an older pattern that she had been looking for in the sale bin!





And then look at this sale. Yowzers!





We had a nice dinner, stitched a bit back at the hotel. By midnight all stitchers were safely tucked in their bed with visions of tomorrow's stitching class dancing in their heads!


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On the Road Again....

Off for a few days of R & R....the day started early (way too early for me!)






The dashboard is empty; didn't want to deal with any back talk from that sassy Mrs. Dash. But to be completely honest, I kind of miss her.






Our first stop has kind of become a tradition. We decided to be sensible this time and have breakfast instead of pie (at 8:15am that kind of makes sense, don't you think?)





We even managed to squeeze in a needlework shop. Sadly, this one, in Champaign, IL is going out of business.






We safely made it to our destination...Greenfield, Indiana. More tomorrow!

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All Year Square

Last summer, my friends Judy, Chris, and I traveled to Indiana to take the Toy Box Etui with Betsy Morgan. I'm still working on my toy box, but I recently finished another one of Betsy's projects - the All Year Square.



The piece is smaller than I initially realized - each side is about two inches square. Much of the stitching is over one. For some reason I was severely counting challenged when I was stitching this piece, but I got it done and yesterday I had time to finish it!

Each side is a different season:

Fall:


Winter:



Spring:



Summer:



Here's the top! As you can see, there is a place to slide in your scissors on one of the sides. And a coordinating scissors fob for the scissors!



Looking forward to stitching more of Betsy Morgan's pieces. Need to get back to my toy box!


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Lousy Picture....

....but I think you can tell what I am working on!


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Handmade and Oh So Cute!

Two weekends ago, I visited the Shepherds Harvest Festival that is held every Spring at a nearby county fairgrounds. It's a feast for the eyes...lots of color and texture- wool, yarn and everything in between. I usually buy some wool for making pincushions and some roving for filling the pincushions.

This year I came across a vendor that hand the most beautiful handmade little dolls and pincushions. This little Raggedy Ann doll just made me smile. She's only about 4 inches high. Her face is hand stitched.



I could not pass up on of the little bunnies. Note the hand stitching on her dress. And she has a packet of wildflower seeds in her little bag. The detail is amazing. This little bunny is also smaller than she appears; only about five inches from the top of her ears to her toes.



Finally, had to have this little mouse. Her reminded me of the mice from the little Beatrix Potter books I used to read to my children when they were small. Love the whiskers and the bow tie!



I'm in awe of the workmanship that went into making each of these cute little figures!


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Checking In...

It's been such a long time since I last posted! And I have no stitching progress to report on. Have been traveling like crazy for work (two trips to Atlanta and one trip to Los Angeles). On the weekends I have all I can do to catch up with housework. Have no fear, I hope to have something to share soon.

We are enjoying a long weekend here in the U.S. Our weekend started with a momentous occasion. Our daughter (my baby) graduated from St. Catherine's University with a B.S. In Sports and Exercise Science. It was a beautiful day!









She will return to school in the fall for more studies.

Yesterday was a beautiful spring day. We planted our vegetable gardens and potted some flowers. We have a little bit more today. Today I washed windows and cleaned bathrooms. Just finished making some strawberry rhubarb dessert and am going to settle into my chair for the rest of the evening. Time to reflect on the holiday and give thanks to all who have served in the military.

Hope to be back soon with some stitching photos!


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Bandwagon

I'm very good at jumping on the "stitching bandwagon"....saw a couple of these on Facebook and had to make one myself.


The design is from Goode Huswife - An 18th Century Stitcher's Pinwheel. Stitched over one on misc 32 count linen from my stash with some Cinnamon colored silk.

Happy Monday!


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A Slower Pace

Happy Mother's Day!

A little bit of stitching to share with you today. The theme of our guild retreat this year is "Embrace the Pace" - a tortoise and the hare kind of thing. Some of us are quick to finish our needlework projects; sometimes it takes us a long time to get them done. It's all good though!

I used motifs from a Prairie Schooler pattern. No plan, no pattern...just stitched until it looked finished. I used a scrap of 40ct and DMC. I'll show you the finished finish later....


Once the grocery shopping and laundry are done, I hope to enjoy a slower pace today!


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The Backside

After all these years I never knew there was a backside to our guild's banner!



Check out all of these outlines of the State of Minnesota filled with beautiful stitching! Here are some of my favorites...















After our lunch we learned more about one of the founding members of our guild. Here are some of the needlework pieces she brought with for us to see.


This foot rest was made by her grandmother in the late 1800s...stitched mostly with beads...what a treasure!


It was a delightful afternoon!

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SPN Spring Luncheon

On Saturday, I attended our local EGA chapter's Spring luncheon.

The table's were dressed...



Our guild has a banner which is brought out during meetings. It's also displayed at the state fair each year. It was made about 20 years ago, and several members of the guild contributed toward creating it.

The front side displays several different types of needlework...



Hardanger...



Whitework/Pulled Thread...



Brazilian Embroidery...



Blackwork...



Cross Stitch/ Our State bird...the Loon...



Cross Stitch/ our state flower...the Pink Ladyslipper...



Cross Stitch/ the EGA emblem...



The top of the banner...


More tomorrow...


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Just Returned...

...from a delightful weekend in Indianapolis! I took very few pictures, but couldn't resist these beautiful outdoor photos in Carmel, IN where Spring has already arrived!


















Enjoyed three lovely days of stitching and took classes with Lauren Sauer. These were my first classes with her - what fun! Day One was a stitching day, Day Two we worked on the "Mistress L Sampler" and Day Three we worked on Cottage Conservatory. Both pieces are lovely and I look forward to finishing them!

Best of all though was the time spent with the friends we have made in the Indianapolis area. On Saturday night, a group of us gathered to visit, eat, stitch, and we enjoyed this delicious peach caramel pie!







Wonderful weekend....

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Fob Finished

Yes Joyce, I conquered the remaining nun's stitches and finished my fob!



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Over One...Ugh

Ask my friends, there are two things that make me whine...

1) Getting up before 7am, and
2) Stitching over one!

It wasn't so bad. My scissor fob that coordinates with the Quaker Sewing Roll is stitched and ready to finish! Stitched over one on 40 count!


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Quaker Sewing Roll Finished

I still need to stitch and finish the fob...the sewing roll turned out great!





The initials represents my Mom and three of my aunts; all talented needle women!

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Hardanger Finish...

This was a project through one of our local guilds; the design is from Carol Pederson. It was an interesting project. We manipulated the variegated threads to ensure that colors were placed strategically. I made some slight modifications...



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