OMG, another beautiful day in the neighborhood.  This is my view which today only reminds me once again that I live in a wonderful neighborhood.  The sun is glistening off the Atlantic Ocean, the temperature is going to hit 60's today, no winter coats in sight and it's so nice there are people sitting on the beach.  Stitchers it just doesn't get any better than this!  Well that was suppose to post on Friday, but I got busy...pulling more supplies and forgot.

Today it's not as warm or as bright, but its still a good day in the neighborhood.  We leave tomorrow for Nashille so today we are busy today getting the shops straightened and cleaned up before we leave.  Well Sara is busy,  I'm busy pulling supplies for me to take to Nashville.  My stitching, always the first thing in the car.  I might forget my underwear (God forbid) or my toothbrush, but my stitching will be there.  Have had my suitcase in the living room since last week, sorry I didn't get around to putting anything in it until last night.  All through February I kept telling Sara I was going to have everything ready before today so I wouldn't be up all night cleaning and packing.  I had the best intentions, however the road to that is paved with "could have, would have and definitely should have.)  But this morning I started at 4:30 and finished getting all my stitching projects bagged with linen, fibers, etc. so the most important packing is finished.  Underwear and socks are in the suitcase, so I'm almost finished packing clothes.  The computer bag is packed and label maker in with it, along with the office supplies I need.  Oh, I'm feeling ever hopeful...now if I would just not sit on the sofa when I get home I may be able to get some sleep tonight.  I usually don't get on the  computer until we land in Franklin, so I'll keep you posted from there.  Can't wait.....Have a great week..

Uh, oh....I'm not having a good morning....

It has nothing to do with needlework, although I did forget to bring my fibers with me so I'm here with my Selfie Sampler by Lizzie Kate and no fibers....not that I couldn't pull new ones, but I'm trying to act like a grown up and use what I have first....just no fun at all.  But my problem this morning is with people.  I really have tried not to go one one of my rants, but honestly people....people coming in are just driving me crazy.  First woman in this shop today (I'm in Sea Trader trying to mind my own darn business) says to me as I'm holding my needlework trying to figure out where my threads are..."Oh, are you knitting."  Honestly, I was so dumbfounded I couldn't speak for a minute, but then managed to say, no, it's counted cross stitch.  I mean how could you mix the two up, not even close.  And if you  know so little about it why not just ask me what I was doing, I don't think I'd have a problem with that, but knitting.  So I said to Sara, "I'm not sure I'll make it to 4:00 if this is how the day is starting.  But I calm down, go back over to Sea Trader when a woman walks in and says, I see Thrashers is not longer opened so they not here any more?  Again, I was like deer in headlights...are you kidding me...this can not be happening is running through my mind...or am I being punked.  But no one came running in to say "we were just trying to drive you crazy."  So in the end, I pulled up my very big girl pants and said, "It's winter here so they are closed for the season, not gone for good."  I realize that today it feels like we're in the 60's but folks it is still February and that's winter for us.  So summer businesses are not open in February.  I went back over to Sara who was at the cutting table and said, that's it, I'm not sitting in there any longer and she was just laughing because she heard the woman ask me that question and knew I'd go crazy.   And just now a woman came up to me with a card from here and wanted me to read it because she loved it.  I don't need to read cards here because I put them out and believe me I've read them all.  But of course I read it and laughed and commented, but again, it's causing me to go around the bend a little bit at a time and I'm not sure if this keeps up if I will make it to noon, let alone 4.  The card woman reminded me that I finally went to our Super Walmart, which I hate so I don't go often, and I was looking at Valentine's Day cards for my grandsons when a woman walks up to me and showed me her cards, proceeded to read them to me and wanted to know which one she should buy.  I then had to hear all about her life choices before I could give her my opinion.  When she was yammering on all I was thinking was "why the hell did this woman accost me instead of all the other people who are in this store?  What is it about me that says...talk to me...ask me stupid questions because that is why I came into Walmart!"  Well it will be another 6 months before I walk into that store again.  I'll just have to walk quickly and not loiter more than a second in any one spot.  On the plus size, no one has walked by in a bathing suit today that doesn't fit them properly so at least that's one rant I won't go on.  But honestly, nothing else is safe.  I really thought I was not going to have a clothing melt down, but I just can't let this go.  A rather bottom heavy young woman walked by wearing leggings and a short shirt...so let me just advise women about leggings.  I am an expert on the look, even though I don't wear them, and I don't because I'm fat!  Putting me into a pair of leggings would just be asking too much of those leggings.  But if you are heavy and you want to wear leggings, then for God's sake put on a tunic top which covers the stomach and the butt.  But this isn't really just a heavy set girls issue.  I've seen older women, with really remarkable figures, and even they shouldn't wear them without a longer top.  Just because you can fit into something, doesn't mean you should wear it.  And that goes for us all, young or old, I don't care what the fad of the moment is...when you are out in public cover your jiggly bits for all our sakes.  And now I'm  done.  Back to stitching.

Better Late than Never?

I'm all about recycle/reuse(Sara says I'm a hoarder),  so one day sitting in Sea Trader I came across one of the trays we used during our Troll beads days.  We use to carry the line a few years ago before it drove me over the bend dealing with it and so we stopped carrying it.  I was thrilled to carry it in the beginning because I wanted a bracelet, but after several years, and several bracelets later I had had it with customers and those darn beads and charms so I decided I didn't want to deal with it anymore.  I loved needlework far more.  But we were left with approx. 20 trollbead trays which have been sitting in the back room waiting for me to figure out what to do with them.   I used one at home as a stitching tray to hold my scissors, a pin cushion, etc.  Well I finally figured out a use.  I stitched the new Lizzie Kate "Love" from her Celebrate with Charms series.  Of course I went to Hobby Lobby and tried to find things to put in the tray, but couldn't find just the right things, so I decided to stitch "I Love 2 Stitch" by Hinzeit in red and white to add to the display and then Stasi Buhrman gave me a gift which turned out to be the Rovarias scissor fob in red with a heart shaped metal finding....perfect.   I'm so lucky to have such wonderful friends who stitch and gift me beautiful pieces.  Usually I wouldn't use them in a display like this unless it's home, but I just needed that other piece and this fit in beautifully.  Then I punched some hearts out of scrapbook paper and my tray was finished.   My tribute to Valentine's Day.  Thanks Stasi for helping me finish this, but also for this beautiful fob.  I love it.   Once I dismantle this display, my gift will return to my display cupboard at home.
                                                                                               
I think I mentioned before that I was stitching  another Block Party pin cushion, "Mend".  It's  the 4th one I've stitched and I love this series.  They are so much fun to stitch and this one was even more so and now I've declared it my favorite to stitch (I know I said that about the Snow pin cushion but I've changed my mind).  First of all, there is nothing I like to do more than add a bead, a button, perhaps a charm, or even all three.  But it must make sense to me.  I won't just throw a bead, button or charm on a piece I'm stitching, it has to fit in perfectly, in my  mind at least.  That is called, making it your own.  I love the artist's interpretation who designed it, but put my spin on it.  Mend just gave me so many opportunities I could hardly contain myself.  It bit me in the butt on finishing, as the needles, pins and threader kept catching on my t-shirt while finishing, but even so I still had a great deal of fun stitching and planning embellishments on this one.

I started to finish this when I realized it might be better to show it before I finished it.  This shows the band and what embellishments I used.  I have to admit I did change two colors on the tomato, I used Gentle Arts Buckeye Scarlett for the darker red and Weeks Bluecoat Red for the lighter color.  I also used GA Forest Green for the top instead of Green Pasture.  The first part of the band on the left shows one of my favorite changes.  The button card which was suppose to have stitched buttons, I turned into a real button card by using red buttons that matched beautifully from my stash and they were just the right size.  Next to the buttons is a pin card.  It was too small for regular pins, but Debbie Liming had given me a package of quilting pins that were short with white tops.  I just spray painted the tops black and stuck them in...perfect.  The next tomato section didn't have any areas that jumped out for embellishment so I just stitched that section, but the third section had the needle book with a threader.  I put gold petite needles in there and I happened to have a Puffin micro threader thich had lost it's top so I had it sitting on a magnet until I found it and attached it back on the threader.  It was the perfect size but  I couldn't find my top so I checked at the shop and the tops on those were a little bit to big so I decided to use a heart charm,  that I had taken home for the Valentine's Day tray and never used, and it was the perfect size.  So I attached that next to the needles.  The the spools were suppose to have needles stitched in them and I did a satin stitch over the cross stitch for thread and just stuck a regular gold needle through the stitches.  At the right end I just put a few beads on the top of the dress for buttons because it looked bare after the other embellishments.  That is why this became my favorite Block Party pin cushion.  It was just so much fun to play with.  For the stitcher who just wants to stitch, that's O.K. too because this is a fun piece no matter how you decide to do it.  This series has been so much fun I do believe I will be stitching all of them....the Bee is next.

The top of Mend.  I was suppose to put a stitch into each button as you would if you were sewing them on a piece of clothing, but after stitching one section, I decided I really liked the buttons without that so I left them alone.  I also used Moss Weeks Wool for the top.  I think the original was done with Weeks Wool in Capuccino.

All in all a great week of stitching and now I get to finish stitching something I started before Valentines Day or something Irish...uh, oh, another tray is starting to form in my mind.  I'll make Sara eat those "You're a hoarder" words.  Have a great stitching weekend.

Tiny Stitching.....

While it has been a couple of weeks past the time I should have mentioned it....our Superbowl sale was a big success and we want to thank everyone who took part.  It was a real boost for us and we appreciate seeing you and having your support.  We especially want to say thank you to our Pennsylvania retreaters, our Baltimore and Ocean City retreaters and our Delaware retreaters who were staying on the property for a long weekend.  They were coming in and out for three days and it was joyful to have so much activity at this time of year.  Stitchers on the property always provide us with a fun weekend.  Stasi Buhrman brought her show and tell for the stitchers and I know many of you have seen the piece on her blog but honestly you can not imagine the finished size unless you really see it in person.  She stitched it over one on what turned out to be 58 ct. linen.  It is stunning.  The pattern is called Sew Scissors by I Stitch.  I would like this pattern, in fact it's in a tote somewhere,  on 28 ct. linen, but taking it to over 1 on 58 well, fabulous.  Thanks Stasi for  letting me take a picture and then putting it on the blog and inspiring me to do better.  

And then she pulled out the finished class piece from Jamboree 2016 held here.  While she wasn't able to come to Jamboree in 2016 due to her daughter's wedding, she found the kit on ebay and snatched it up.  It was so nice to see it finished....although we saw it when the class was offered here, I love to see our stitchers finish their class pieces.  So kudos Stasi...good job.   She has better pictures of this on her blog if you would like to take a look...www.bemusedandbestitching.blogspot.com.

I'm sorry I didn't get pictures of other's show and tell, Jayne alwas does over one and she brought many pieces, but I was not in blog mode so never even though about it.  It wasn't until Monday when everyone was gone except Debbie and Stasi when I my brain started clicking again and my thoughts turned to blog and pictures.  So I apologize to Jayne for not getting her over one's on the blog alson with many others beautiful models shown to me over the weekend.  I will do better next time (hopefully).  Again thanks to all who were here and supported us during the Superbowl weekend.  

More Nashville.........

More coming in Nashville....

Baskets

Rosewood Manor

Chart:$15.00

 Valdani Thread Pack:  $50.00

Merlin's Tulips

Rosewood Manor

Chart:15.00

Ten page booklet includes full instructions for the specialty stitches, a mini sampler, 3 borders, a personalized scissor fob, mix and match needlebook covers and scissor fobs and a mini Welcome.

Jingle All The Way

Blackberry Lane Design

Price: ?

Naughty or Nice

Blackberry Lane Design

$16.50

Dragons of Sumatra

Ink Circles

$18.50

Celebrate with Charm-Easter

Lizzie Kate

$7.00

Chick Party!

Lizzie Kate

$13.00

She Believed She Could

Lizzie Kate

$10.50

Spring Time

Needlework Press

$8.50

Lucy V. Moore

Needlework Press

Price:?

Needle Nannies & Needle Threaders

Puffin & Company

December Snow

Praiseworthy Stitches

$14.50

Sale at the Bubbling Cauldron

Praiseworthy Stitches

$12.50

Hooray for the Red White & Blue

Praiseworthy Stitches

$12.50

Coverlet Christmas

The Scarlett House

$16.50

On Redware Road

The Scarlett House

$16.50

Smith Sampler

The Scarlett House

$27.50

American Homestead Sewing Set

The Scarlett House

$16.50

Let the Games Begin,

The games here started Thursday as the retreat stitchers began to flow in.  So Friday they were ready to shop, shop, shop.  We were ready and I got some new models in for them...The first is an Olde Colonial Nashville 2016 piece.  Comes as a kit with everything including the thread stick which also has a magnetic strip attached.  Fast, one night stitch, an hour to assemble and done.  Love this type of project ... instant gratification.  

ABC Spool by Needlework Press

This must look familiar since I stitched it once before....but since I gave it to Renee, she loved it so,  I had to stitch it again because Sara also loved it and we needed it sampled in the store.  This was also a fast stitch...I started out doing 4 letters a day but after 3 days just sat down and finished it.  Also an easy finish since it's glued on.  I did add the pin cushion to the top just because I always like to add, add, add to make it my own version of spool.  

And then my favorite stitch this week, Block Party - Snow...

I loved the colors, I loved the fabric...there was just nothing about this I didn't like.  I did make one small, o.k. maybe just 2 small changes...I used beads for the eyes and the buttons on the snowman (it just called to me to do that) and I changed the Holly Berry color to Bucket Scarlet by Gentle Arts.  There was nothing wrong with the Holly Berry, but I personally wanted the pop of red to be a bit brighter.  But Holly Berry was also pretty.  Oh, I did make a 3rd change and again this was a personal choice.  I changed the wool out for a Lancaster Red wool patch for the top of the pin cushion.  Oops, I did make one small 4th change.  Instead of the orange color in the banner at the bottom I used the bucket scarlet.  The fabric was PTP Dwarf (I think) only because we didn't have what was called for but I think it worked out beautifully.  Loved the whole project.  It may look like each side is the same, but if you look closely you will see that the bird on the snowman's arm is different on each side.  So cute, fun to stitch and the assembly is so simple.  On the last 2 Block Party pin cushions,  I used stuffing and did a hard bottom.  But this time I decided to cute squares of Warm and Natural and pile them until they filled it and there was no need for the hard bottom.  It worked out beautifully.  I'll be sorry to see this series end because I have all but one in my todo tote, and have finished 3 now and can't wait to start mend.  The project took me less than a week start to finish so winner winner, and of course I also now have the JABCO set of pins sticking in my pin cushion that says "SNOW plus a 5th snowman pin."  Cute

 

Well got to get to work, the stitchers are back over playing in the shop so I want to go play too.  Hope your weekend was as much fun as ours.  Hope you were also able to take advantage of all the super bowl sales going on.  It's a great time to pick up some of the more expensive wooden pieces you might be interested in.  Anyway, have fun watching superbowl if that's your bag and enjoy a day of stitching.