Our Heart is hurt today...........

So many of you know and love Renee as much as I do, so I felt compelled to reach out to ask you to keep her in your hearts and your prayers.  She has suffered a devastating loss.  Her husband of over 50 years died suddenly in his sleep yesterday leaving a massive hole in her heart and the hearts of his two daughters and his granddaughters.  He will be missed by us all.  But right now Renee needs your prayers.  As many of you are aware she is not in the best of health and I am afraid for her.  While Renee is one of the strongest and bravest women I know, who has faced disabling illness since she was in her 20's valiantly and unwaveringly, I'm afraid this is one more blow than she can take.  So we must all work together to show her life will still be worth living if she can just give it some time.  Thank you for your prayers.

Suns shining and spring is on the way...

With the sun shining and temperatures rising, spring isn't too far behind so my thoughts and stitching are now fully focused on spring and Easter.  Since I showed you my first Easter finish last week, this week I'm showing my first spring finish.  This is from a series called "Festive Little Fobs" from Heartstring Samplery.   And just as it says in the title there are a variety of small designs for fobs, needlebooks, etc.  When I first opened the first chart, I saw a sampler as Beth didn't separate the designs individually but shows them all together.  I loved how the chart looked so much that's how I've shown them ever since.  I usually finish these as a pincushion done over 1 on 32 ct., and add a scissor fob, with the design I like the most so it matches, and in the end, I have a small set.  Others I finish to hang on a hornbook as I did with the latest, This is "Springtime Edition"

I finished using Lady Dot's mini pom pom trim in a deep green.  But no matter how you do it, this makes a wonderful addition to any spring display you are making.  And now the fun begins again with a totally new project and I have already started a cute bunny for Easter.  UPDATE: last night I was stitching on my bunny and that little voice kept telling me something was wrong, but I ignored it and kept stitching and when I was almost to the halfway point I finally realized that little warning voice may have had a valid point.  So I studied the pictures on the package (in other words I just looked at them) realized the 2 pieces of perforated paper enclosed were two different sizes and I was stitching the wrong bunny for the size I had.  YIKES!  My bunny will never fit on the size I'm working on...the cut is too short.  No way I'll ripping all this out so this mornings project is to graft extra perforated paper on this piece I'm working on.  Have never done it before but since the entire piece is stitched I can't figure out why this won't work.  So I'm going forward and I'll let you know how this works.  I hate when stitching goes wrong, but I sure do have it happen more often that I like.  Hope your day goes forward with no ripping.  At least the sun's out and it's scheduled to be in the high 50's.  Life can be fabulous.  Hope you get a little stitching in today.  Have a great day....

Getting ready for Spring...

 Spring brings many images to mind, flowers blooming, sunshine days which are becoming warmer and warmer, Easter, and for us Jackie DuPlessis classes and Spring Retreat.  But also for stitchers, it brings new projects featuring all those things.  I started already with a cute little ornament for the Easter tree.  It's called Jelly Bean Delivery from Brenda Gervais' latest booklet, "Jelly Bean Jubilee."  The book is fabulous and has 7 Easter-related designs.  All shown using DMC colors.  Linen colors aren't specified so pick your favorite linen and have fun.  I stitched on 28 ct. linen which happened to be a mint shade of Colorscapes collection from Wichelt.  I stitched using the recommended fibers, however, I did use a couple of specialty stitches.  The satin stitch for the jelly beans and the chick's wing, a Smyrna stitch for the chick's cheek, and straight stitches on the wheel.  I used rick rack in the finishing.  The overall finished size of the ornament is 3 1/2" x 2 1/2".  Fun to stitch!  

Now I'm working on Heartstring Samplery's, Springtime Edition Festive Little Fobs, which I stitch as one design instead of 9 different smalls.  I've done several of these Fob editions and just love stitching them.  It's usually fast and easy, but apparently, I've has been distracted and I've had to rip out several sections.  UGH!  But I've decided to leave one section in which I used the wrong color and call it done.  I'll post it tomorrow after putting the date and initials on.  Then I get to pick out a new project and tht's always a good thing, even though there are so many to choose from.  I'm also getting really excited about the upcoming online needlework show.  I miss the Nashville market terribly and all the people I usually get to see there this online show will help ease that pain.  So I'll post again soon, and hope that you have time to put your needle to work and enjoy the stitch.  

Don't we all do this at timesx...

Continuing with my "all things green" needed for March, I was going through charts and ran across this by, who else, Brenda Gervais.  It's really a chart I'd already told Sara I wouldn't be stitching, although I do fudge a lot, but it's a green frog so was put into rotation.  To keep it completely green I changed the lettering from black to WDW Juniper, which is a black-green.   I stitched over 1 on 28 ct. Antique White linen, just to make it cuter...everything done over 1 on any count makes it smaller and cuter don't you think?  Anyway, definitely a one-day stitch, easy and fast..now that is my motto.  I used a real needle under the frog, although the needle is charted for you.  I used the called for threads, WDW Scuppernong, and GA Cornhusk for the frog and the crown which is charted for you I replaced with a crown shank button I had (didn't even remove the shank just make a hole big enough to shove it through).  The needle I didn't attach but slide it under 1 thread on the left and one thread on the right.  Then called Sara and after making a few snide remarks regarding my statement of not ever stitching it,  she had a frame made to the correct measurements and it's done and will be in the shop tomorrow.  Now I'm done with St. Patrick's Day stitching (unless something else pops up), because I have several pieces already done in the shop.  

Moving on to Spring and Easter, can't believe Easter is less than 30 days away.  I need to get busy!  Have a wonderful week.  Hope you find some time to stitch.