Welcome May Flowers!

Today was the first class of the Silk Ribbon Initials, and as promised, I am posting the CD album where you can order the whole alphabet.  It is $20, and called Home Arts Victorian Monograms...Patti has a website called ezhomearts.com, and her email is patti@ezhomearts.com  Check it out and order it directly from her.

If you need any more info, please do not hesitate to contact me.  All my students were totally awesome today, and we had a great time learning all the easy basic stitches.  Thanks, We, of the Needle in Brea for asking me to teach this class!!!  We have another full class on this Saturday.

I started another french knot piece, this one is by Teresa Layman and called Skipper's Roses. 2008. Finished size will be 6" x 4 1/4"....I am using silk floss, two strands.

Then I will finish my Just Nan's "Queen of the Needle" Sampler.  I have worked on it off and on, but really need to "frog" a few places, and get it back on track.
So hope you are having a great week, and happy stitching, Kathy

Another project finished!!!!

Back in Jan. I attended the "Road to California" Quilt show and bought the lap hoop set made by Morgan Quality Products.  I just love it and found it is perfect for doing my embroidery with french knots.  I bought a pattern called The Pumpkin Hill, and cannot find the designers name.  I have problems with my computer, so have not been using it as much.  The pattern was originally for wool hooking and this is what it looked like finished.  I did my thing

with french knots and loved how it came out.  Used my own colors and had a great time.  It only took me two months which is a record at my house.

My update on the Needlework show last Sat. hosted by the Seaside Stitchers.  There were over 300 entries and many many beautiful items to enjoy.  We could get up close and see every detail.  It was just wonderful and such a beautiful day near the beach.  Wish we could have taken photographs but understand the rules.  We were amazed to see the Silk Ribbon workmanship done by a lady that is now 101 years young.  I just wish we could have met her and chatted awhile.  The "boutique" was set up like a garage sale, most items being gently used or recycled.  It was fun to go thru all the boxes looking at charts, kits, floss, hoops, frames, you name it, it might have been there.  We scored lots of great buys, most being around 25 and 10 cents!!!!  Yes, it was fun....Well worth the drive there, and entry fee.
Happy Stitching, Kathy

Just a little needle and thread....

While trying to find all my missing needles, I decided to finally empty the old ragged red pincushion I have had for over forty years.  I thought I would find a few needles....but not this!!!!  Needless to say, I now have plenty!!!

  Hope you have a happy stitching day!

Kathy

April Happiness

April is always filled with fun and joy as we celebrate three birthdays in the family.  I was thrilled to also have Azzy here for her spring break.  We had a wonderful time and even baked her mother a birthday cake.  I had picked up a box mix that had food coloring in it.  Azzy really liked mixing all the colors and the mix was extra tasty.  I even managed to  finish my Stitching Retreat projects, complete a few others including Just Nan, and Lizzie*Kate.  One day I decided to empty my old worn out pincushion, and found quite a few needles inside.  I also sold my hubby's 1996 Van, and shopped for a new car.  I stitched many projects from my stash, and only spent $24.00...Here are all the photos...

 I love how the frame sets off the tiny gold stitches in the eggs.

 My nearly finished Garden Maze with more purple used than the original pinks.  Love love it.

 Mary's version of Garden Maze according to the chart by Just Nan....Love it also.

 My tiny rose wreath in progress on 40 ct.  My new glasses are so great to use with this.  I'll find the designers name as I am using a colored copy for my pattern.  The original chart is quite small for my poor eyes.

 This is Just Nan's Tiny Garden Square from 2002....I changed the edging from ecru as it just didn't show up.

 This is another Just Nan (something with Violets?) that was a birthday gift from Mary.  Love love it.

 My finished projects from the retreat in Tulsa....I loved how each one of them turned out just right.  I loved doing the little fob extra small.  It has two sides.

 Mary fell in love with"Random Stitches" by Erika Michaels and did it on larger count with two over dyed threads.  She bought two other patterns, but will do them both on larger count.  I think it is just wonderful!

I'll write more tomorrow, and let you know how the Needlework show went.  It will be my first to attend.
Should be exciting, and then more vehicle hunting....Just deciding on what color has me stumped!!!
Happy Stitching, Kathy

Tiny stitches...

 At my local store We, of the Needle, I spotted this darling miniature piece made up by Kerri.  It was love at first sight.  On 40 count silk gauze, it would take my new glasses (still being made) to do it.  Well, with a bit of another magnifying glass, I was able to do this in just four short days.  It was heavenly and I only found one mistake.  However, my frame is just a hair too big.  So I am looking into something, like trim, or ribbon, to frame inside.  I can add some stitches, but thought I'd look at something else first.  Let me know what you think.  I have many pieces of antique lace, tatting, etc.
Check out my progress.

I also did some silk ribbon embroidery of my initials just to be doing something different.  Right now they are in hoops, but my friend thinks they need something different.

I used silk ribbon, small cording, and some fancy trims from my stash.  One bunch was a hunk from the Quilt Show of various matching fibers.  Remember you can click on the photos to make them bigger.

Happy Stitching, more later, Kathy

Just a little bit of my heart

This was our box from Chessie and Me's 1776 Harbor....part of the pattern was blown up and chopped off but we also got the kit for the whole chart.  My box is mostly finished, unless I need to paper line it.  I like the idea of having it operational as a storage box.  I only have a few stars left to finish my piece, as soon as I find that last bit of thread.

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You can't really see the material part of the box, but we learned how to make them and sew them together.  Dottie and I might make the box where you can open it and store items inside.

 Here is Dottie contemplating her next move.  The lady in blue is another Cathy.  She was very friendly.

This Chessie and .Me "Queen Bee" box is filled with goodies.  I just loved it, and even got most of the insert stitched.  One lady made the fob tiny, over one thread, and I just might try it.  We painted, waxed and buffed the box and have the pieces to sew together.  I will show mine next.

My finished Lizzie*Kate Easter piece...

My progress on Rabbit Alphabet by JBW

My WIP of the Queen Bee Box.

I found the cabbage button to finish my Just Nan Running Rabbits.  

Another mini that I found and finally finished.  I painted a Scrapbook frame made by Melissa Frances.  They are perfect for those minis.

Happy Stitching, Kathy

Silver Needle retreat in Oklahoma

 Fun at the Silver Needle, Tulsa, Ok. retreat.  The weather was great until the last day.  I didn't mind the wind, nor the drizzle, but the icy cold moved in on Sunday when we were gearing up to drive back to the Tulsa Airport.  The beds were fine for me and sister.  She came down with a bad cold, but managed to hang in there with a little help from some Dayquil/Nitequil....I managed to get a toothache, but survived with lots of Advil.  The food was really good, especially the Amish home dinner.  It was awesome.  I bought some Cashew Crunch, and it was worth the effort of carrying it.  I knew hubby would love it.
The night I arrived, we just found the car, then the hotel, and crashed.  Wed. was the highlight of visiting the Silver Needle!!!
I took tons of photos, but they could never do the store justice.  It is just filled to the brim with samples, old and new, and tons, yes tons of patterns, charts and supplies.  I made three trips and did very well in staying in my budget.  Now I only have to find a few items I've already lost misplaced in my house.  I did well with the kits I packed to work on until we were given our projects for the retreat.  They were awesome!!!  I must have missed some of the instructions, as I made a few mistakes starting out.  Used the wrong thread,etc. but finally got into the hang of it.  I will post those photos in my new post.  I am still looking for one thread to finish up one project, but more of that later.

I am working on this project with the bunnies, and did most of the work on the airplane and at the airport.  It was very nice to see it all finished and framed.   As you can see there are so many samples, you can hardly take it all in at once.  Dottie found what she wanted right away.  She was going to try to stitch on linen for the first time.  I hope it goes well for her.  Here she is with our new friend Kim in the pink sweater.

 We met up with a very nice nurse from Washington state named Sonda.  She needed a ride to the state park where the retreat was held, and we gladly invited her along.  She was so helpful, and refereed kept Dottie and I sane when things got rough.  Sisters do have their stress points, if you know what I mean.

We sat with two other ladies that were new to the retreat, so called our table the Newbie table.  I wish we would have had more time to get to know more of the other ladies there.  I would take a break and walk around the look at what everyone was doing the first day.  That was before we had our project, so everyone was working on their own.  I was in awe of many of the ladies' items.     Dottie found a lovely chart of an apple tree and had just started it.  I started my little Easter from Lizzie*Kate.  It went very fast and easy  .Sonda even had an original chart ofthe Tardis from Dr. Who, as her sons are big fans.  Here she is working away on her box.  I should have gotten a photo of her Tardis finished.  Pat is seen next to her in the pink top.  Pat and Kim use to work together and live in the Tulsa area.

Happy stitching, and I'll post more tomorrow.  Glad to be back home, and well again!
Kathy