Friday, November 27, 2015

What a glorious Thanksgiving Weekend


  What you see in the 1st picture is the view from where I sit in Sea Trader.  There are people on the beach, and surfers are now getting ready to go in and  have some fun in the ocean.  There are people riding bikes on the boardwalk...a fabulous day to be alive and in Ocean City.  And the weather, OMG it simply could not be any nicer.  It's in the 60's and the sun is so bright it hurts your eyes.  People are out in t-shirts and shorts...and I have seen a flip flop of two walking by.  It's hard to believe it's the end of November with this weather going on, and last night I went to Sara's for dinner and it was so hot in her house they had the windows up.  This is definitely the perfect weekend for all the visitors in town.   The second picture is what I've been doing for some time.  Giving thanks for all my blessings, one of which was to finish Drawn Thread's, Give Thanks which I absolutely loved stitching.  Each basket or vase on the table is a different stitch and the flowers or fruits are also a different stitch.  While most stitches were familiar to me, there were a couple I had to learn, but directions are always fabulous with Drawn Thread so I was able to follow her illustrations perfectly.  I've been in full Christmas stitching mode and having so much fun with it.  In fact a little too much fun.  I've decided to keep a couple of the pieces for the shop and eventually for me,  so now I have to restitch a couple of the pieces, but they are just too much fun not to have myself. So I will be showing those to you later.  But it is the first Christmas in years where I feel I have my stitching in control.  Now the finishing...not so easy for me.  I got out the Baby Lock that Sara and Mary gave me for my birthday in June (I haven't touched it since June) and of course struggled at first since it was so different from my Bernina, but I'm learning.  Love this machine however because even though everything is a relearn, once I get what it is they are telling me to do in the instruction manual (and how I love having one of those...almost unheard of anymore)...I'm able to do it correctly.  I just have to learn to look things up first before forging ahead, like I did when I went to retread a bobbin.  After 2 missteps I finally decided perhaps I should read up on it.  Once I did that I got it right first time.  YEAH!!!!  Stasi Buhrman offered to show me how to use the automatic needle threader but I thought I had that as I thought I had actually done it just for laughs when I first got the machine.  In fact it was the only thing I did with the machine in June.    But this time I couldn't get it right so I ended up threading it by hand.  But I shall keep trying and if I don't have it by superbowl weekend I'll get Stasi involved.   Initially I had intended to get Carolyn involved with finishing (I think I mentioned this before) but she had the nerve to go on vacation (I'm sure she would have cancelled the vacation if she had known I needed her) and I won't see her before our Christmas Stitch 'n Bitch, so I have to finish everything myself.  Yikes!  Just a reminder...shop is now on winter hours, which means we are open 10-4 Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday.  And of course, everyone but Sara and I are off so we'll be here to greet you when you arrive.  So come on down! 

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Joy to Ewe and everyone else and projects are getting completed!


 After much thought I decided to turn my Shepherd's Bush "Joy to Ewe" into a pillow, and I was glad I did.  I love it.  Thank you Carolyn for turning this into such a cute pillow...fabulous.   Stitched on 18 ct. linen over 2 the pillow finished size is approx. 11" x 8" (I forgot to measure it so I'm guessing. but it's a nice size).  The design size is approx. 3.5" x 4.5" on 18 ct.    I love stitching on 18 ct. over 2 because it just goes so fast.  I don't quite understand why it seems to stitch up so much quicker...I mean it's the same amount of stitching, but anyway, a one-two day stitch at most.  If I could change anything, I would have made the "o" in "to" the same color as the rest of the lettering, but I kept telling myself to let it go it was fine...in the end I would have preferred to have it burgundy, I really have to stop listening to that inner voice.  18 ct. is also so large  you get to use pearl cottons on it.  I don't think I did on this one but normally I try to use the Weeks Dye Works and DMC.  Anyway, it's a fast stitch in case you forgot someone on your Christmas list but have a day or two to get it done.  People coming into the shop have loved it and we've sold our little embellishment kits over and over on it.  The chart is free if you purchase the linen and the fibers which come to about $15.50.   I can tell we're building up to Christmas because I don't have a minute to spare in my quest to get gifts stitched in plenty of time to then get things framed or together.  Of course I'm in my usual state of incomplete, however I've managed to get the piece that needs framing done and it's on it's way to the framer and I have another piece complete and while I muddle with thinking I should really try to finish it myself, I know Carolyn will be bringing something Sara is having done back to her so I'm racing to get a couple of pieces done in case she shows up while I'm there because I know I'll save myself a lot of stress if I let her do them.  Tick Tock people....Dec. 25th will be here before you know it.  There is just no time to spare.  In fact I've got to run because there is stitching to be done.  Have a great day!

Friday, November 6, 2015

Peep, Peep


  Renee brought this in for display and I adore it.  First of all, I'm a big Peeps fan, candy and friends, and so this is really in my wheelhouse.  Incidentally, its a needlepoint canvas, which we also sell in the store.  Renee is our needlepointer and loves to find just the right fibers to work with.  She does an amazing job of matching fibers and specialty stitches.  Anyway, I love the way she showcased this one in a display frame and added the little yellow Easter chicks under the design so there is dimension in the framing.  Fabulous stitching and finishing.  Too cute for words!

The finial finishes of Halloween..................


Too many finishes but I believe these are the final finishes before Halloween this year.  The first is the latest Shepherd's Bush bag , "Grateful Heart," which I collect.  I've done every one so far and love them. Plus the bag is already finished so when you are done stitching you are ready to use it.    Great little bags to put your scissors and needles in, or for small items in your purse.  The 2nd and 3rd pictures show the "Scaredy Pail" from Noteworthy Needle and finished around one of their Rusty Buckets.  An easy finish as they give  you a template for the wrap.  So it's simply a matter of wrapping it around the bucket and whip stitching it closed.  I also added the pom pom finishing on the top and bottom but it isn't really necessary.  The next picture is "Halloween" from Lizzie Kate.  The kit comes with the linen, fabric for backing and the front, ric rac and buttons.  Easy design to stitch and easy to finish with directions for finishing in the kit.  The last two designs were in the Jamboree goodie bags.  The shoe is actually a free design from Blackbird which we used but changed to fall colors and black shoes. Love a cute pin cushion and the final piece was another spool scissor holder, which I seem to be obsessed with.  With the fall colors and the black spool it just went really well with the shoe pin cushion.  Cute set. Hope everyone got theirs done.  Easy stitch and easy finishes.  And that, I think, is the end of my Halloween stitching.  Now back to Giving Thanks by Drawn Thread.




Wednesday, November 4, 2015



Just a few scenes from our C.A. Wells weekend.  And what a wonderful weekend it was.  Please note the monsters stitched in the last picture. This was Sara's project, which traveled with her for I swear 10 trips to Nashville.  Stitched on 10 ct. Tula I think.  It drove me crazy that it took so long and I swore every year that I was going to finish it for her.  But she finally got it done and Caroline did the finishing and it is so cute! We gathered on Saturday and the morning was spent stitching and then we had lunch and for the first time ever, we had a class after lunch.  Jackie Janovsky has asked if we would like her to teach everyone how to make a travel ort container out of fabric and of course Sara and I jumped at the idea.  So, after lunch every one picked out their fabric, (Jackie had precut fabric for everyone and warm and natural and she even had matching thread.  Sara had ordered the necessary 3" hoop that was used in the construction of the ort and off we went.  I am happy to say that everyone got their container stitched and a few of the stitchers purchased extra hoops to make one for a friend.  I actually finished mine, but at home Saturday night.  Still, I finished it and I love it.  When you twist the top you can collapse the container so it's flat.  Fabulous for travel.  Then everyone went back to eating and stitching.  Our goodie bag to the group contained the Jack O Lantern slider pin cushion from JABCO and after much discussion regarding the finishing of it, Debbie Liming actually sat there cutting and stitching and finished that.  2 finishes during Saturday is a first I think.  Anyway, around 5:00 the day ended and we all went home.  Sunday we repeated Saturday, except for me....I worked Sea Trader, when I wasn't sneaking over to the lobby for food.  But another excellent CA Wells weekend was had.  Thanks everyone for coming and for the food .... and Stacy Stinson's taco salad which I ate all weekend during the event and every evening for dinner at home.  Loved it.  We did make it somewhat of a soup and salad event, which would have been really healthy for me,  if I hadn't purchased bags of chocolate candy for dessert.  Ooops, I don't know why I do these things.  Hope your weekend was as much fun as ours.  Have a great day!