Guild Stitch In

The Queen City Sampler Guild had their spring 'stitch-in' a few weeks ago.  It was a pleasant day of stitching and visiting with my stitchy friends.  Finished pieces are brought in to show our latest accomplishments.  It's always fun to see what others have stitched and finished.

This is one of my favorite samplers and is waiting in my stash.  Frances Eden.  The colors, the houses, the butterflies are just delightful.  This is Ellen Chester's finished sampler.

Another very colorful sampler.  I do not have the name of the samplers but Carol H. stitched this piece.  It's a beauty.

This is the ever popular Snooty Parrots sampler, stitched by Kim H.  I love the colors in this sampler also.

Someone completed the Lizzie Kate mystery sampler from last year.  I have it started but have 3 words stitched and a smidgen of the border.  When my eyes need a rest, I can stitch on this one and watch tv.

Someone completed another Quaker sampler.  Our guild had a Quaker challenge in 2014 and there were lots of Quaker's stitched.  This is a beauty.

A gorgeous Christmas Garden is now stitched and ready for display in what ever version the guild member decides to 'finish finish' their piece.  This is a Black Bird Design chart.

Carol finished the gorgeous dark linen sampler.  I forget the name of the design.  The colors really pop on the dark fabric.  It's a beauty.

I'm sorry I do not know the name of the stitcher or the design, but I really like the motifs.

Last picture of the day.  Another Quaker and I believe that is an Amy Mitten tombstone teaching piece at the bottom of the picture.  Amy Mitten is coming to our guild in May to teach TEN.  I will not be taking the class and I know it's a chance not to miss.  Just one of those things.

More quilting pictures next time.

Marsha

Finishes

This is the finish I spoke about in my last post.  I started this 'Wishes' quilt last January as a BOM.  I've posted a couple of the finished blocks.  I knew when October came I would not be able to keep up.  All the fall and Christmas stitching gets in the way.  I completed it a couple of weeks ago.  That checkerboard border goes around the whole quilt.  It was a fun quilt to piece. The Fat Quarter Shop offered this as their 2014 BOM.  Every month, Kimberly had a video for each block.  They were such a help to me since I consider myself a new quilter.

The backing has a nice band of checkerboard too.

My local quilt shop in Loveland  has a Quilt Workshop.  They have three Gammil long arm quilting machines.  The three quilts I have completed so far, have been quilted by them.  I decided I wanted to take one of their classes and learn how to use their long arms.  It should save me some money in the future and I'll learn if I like it or not.  Soooo, I made a lap size quilt for my class.

The colors are brighter and more saturated than the picture shows.

Only problem? The workshop is so booked up with people taking classes, that my first class for the lap quilt isn't until the middle of April and not 'til the middle of May for my 'Wishes' quilt.  Sigh. Something to look forward to.

After finishing the lap quilt, I decided my sewing machine needed some spa time.  A good professional cleaning and oiling.  I had some new lighting to attach once I got her back home.  Here is the before picture.  I've rigged up all kinds of lamps for night time sewing.

Here is the after!  Isn't that amazing?  It's wonderful.  Tiny LED lights adhere underneath and can be cut to fit your personal sewing machine.  They have their own switch too.  I KNOW you want a set too so, here's the link.  Sewing Machine LED lights  My one and only suggestion is to watch the You Tube video for installation. They are easy to install but the directions were lacking on how the wires plug in and which way the switch should be stuck on.  You guessed it.  I had the switch stuck on upside down and had to pry it off and reapply.  Wish I would have watched YouTube first.

This past weekend a couple of friends and I went to the Lebanon, Ohio quilt show.  A good little show with interesting vendors.  I love vintage so I indulged in a few items.

The Sun Bonnet Sue needle book reminded me of a quilt my grandmother made for me as a small child.  It was on my bed for many years.  I sure wish I still had that quilt.

This cute little hat is actually a thimble holder.

So adorable.

I love old buttons too.  The tinier the better.  I can't wait to use these.  A travesty if you think they should stay on the card.  Somebody else can keep a set on the card.

This weekend is the Queen City Sampler Guild's stitch in.  I'm sure I'll have lots of pictures to share so stay tuned.  Thanks for visiting.

Marsha

The Party's Over

Well, that was a wonderful blog party.  I got to visit and meet lots of new blogs and blogging friends. Thanks to Vicki at Two Bags Full who hosted the party and had everything neatly organized.  She will leave up this year's blog party list and I urge you to go take a look if you would like to find a blog with your interests.  Also, if you have a blog, join in next year because it really does help everyone out with visits to their blogs and yours.

The winner of the Giveaway.......Lisa Dunn of Wyrd Needles.  Send me an email Lisa, I want to send your Margaret Cottam charts and floss tag.

Speaking of Margaret Cottam, I picked her up from the framers.  Here she is.

With the new year I started two SAL's.  A couple of my stitching buddies and I decided we really loved Speak to the Earth by Sandy Orton available at Kooler Design.  We picked our own linen and the threads we wanted to use.  I'm using the same linen I used for John Foster 36 count antique ivory with DMC one thread over two.  It's a fun stitch with pretty colors.  I can't wait to see it grow.

                         

I joined a FB SAL His Eye is on the Sparrow.  Way way behind, but that wasn't my point in starting it.  I just want to eventually finish it and enjoy the stitch along the way.  I just love all the animals. Slowly but surely, it will grow too.  I am stitching this on 40 count Dubloon with the overdyed threads called for.  Margaret of Days of a Sampler Lover was a big inspiration for this one.  It was awesome to see it grow and grow in her capable hands. It is a big sampler by Heartstring Samplery.

I had the last issue of Sampler and Antique Needlework but didn't have a chance to look at it for quite a while.  So, I did.  OOOOO  I'm in trouble now.  The Collared Stag.  Love it.  Another biggie.  32 count natural linen.  Madeira threads.  Hmmm, for sure didn't have those.  Tracked them down, got them in and started in a big way.  Now it has to take it's turn while I finish Speak to the Earth's February assignment.

I do have another 'sort of'' finish to show but I'll share that another time.  Go check out some more blogs.  I know I'm going to.

Happy Stitching!

Marsha

Harikuyo

Harikuyo, The Festival of Broken Needles, is today.  Celebrated in Japan where broken needles are honored for all their hard work.  They are taken to a shrine and pushed into soft tofu and then buried to rest from their labors.  To learn more about this festival go to Sue's blog, Plays with Needles.  She has previous blog posts that explain it better and in more detail with beautiful pictures.  She is one of my favorite bloggers.  I always learn something, her work is amazing, and photos inspiring.  One year, she had an online class to make a needle book for our needles.  She is offering it again and I encourage you to try your hand.  It was fun.  Here is my first attempt.

She guides you step by step.  I need more practice with my ribbon embroidery.  Other participants embroidered and embellished with all kinds of designs.

The back.

Inside wool pages.  Each page for a different kind of needle.  She is selling the labels in her Etsy shop.

The back of the book where broken needles and pins for the year can be stored.  My back page is a little offset.

This is where I keep most of my broken pins and needles, safe in an old medicine bottle.  One day I will bury them in some soft tofu.  Thank you for all your hard work in helping me sew quilts and bags and many other fun or necessary sewing.

At one of the International Quilt Shows I attended, a vendor was selling lots of cool fabric that would be difficult to find in Cincinnati.  I bought fabric to make another needle book in my favorite blue colors.  Sue has inspired me to try my hand once again.

These are the wool fabrics I found for the pages.

I hope you visit Susan's blog and maybe you'll make a needle book to honor your needles also.

Marsha

Grow Your Blog

Hello and welcome to my blog and my small corner of the world.  I'm in the Midwest of the USA. Loveland, Ohio to be exact.

I started blogging in July of 2008.  It does not seem that long ago.  I named my blog after our first King Charles Cavalier, Clark.  He was such a sweetheart.  People that weren't much into dogs thought he was special.  The reason I started blogging?  There was an international swap of handmade bags and I wanted to participate.  One of the requirements was that you had to have a blog.  And the rest was history.  I made that messenger bag, sent it off to Australia and in return received one from another person in OZ.  It was so exciting and fun.

I've met a lot of wonderful people through blogging.  The most exciting element for me is meeting people across the globe that enjoy much the same things that I do.  I love seeing photos of their work, their yards and gardens, friends and family and the places they like to visit.  I enjoy the differences in our worlds too.  I like to share what's happening in my sphere, what I'm working on and a little of what makes me tick.  I try to be as positive as possible since I know we all have lots to 'deal' with.

I am a Med Tech (Medical Technologist) and work part time, second shift (2:30 - 11:00) in a hospital laboratory.  I provide vital information to doctors to help them make a diagnosis or help them in the care they give to their patients.  My free time is spent in cross stitch, quilting, reading and as little housekeeping as possible.

Bored yet?  That's enough about me.  Let's have a giveaway!

Last weekend I went to my local LNS, Keepsakes, Stitchaway.  A stitching retreat at Hueston Woods State Park.  It's only a little over an hour away.  Meeting with friends and stitching the days away.  It was cold this year but not as snowy as years past.  Here is my annual picture from my balcony.  As you can see, the lake is frozen.  There was one open patch in the ice where Canadian geese gathered to hold their own conference.  They got quite noisy sometimes.

A few days before I left I completed Margaret Cottam.  I wanted to concentrate on two SAL's that I am working on for the year so Margaret needed to be completed.  Last year, Lisa, The Inspired Stitcher, came to my rescue and stitched the roof on the house.  I stitched that roof at least 3 times and each time it was wrong.  Lisa to the rescue.  What a relief.  I didn't have another problem with her.

Margaret is stitched on 35 count WDW Confederate Grey linen with the called for Weeks threads.  The top picture is a better color representation.  She was a fun stitch and I just love that little scene.

The giveaway will include the three charts for Margaret Cottam Aged 9.

I will also include the color key floss tag that I made for the threads.  It was a fun little project that just seemed a little special.

Leave a comment and I will announce the winner on February 15.  I will need a way to contact you if you win!  Good luck!  Thanks for visiting my blog and hopefully growing it.  I'll visit you and grow your blog!

Marsha

Happy New Year 2015

As promised, I'll finish out the Christmas season with the ornaments that I completed this fall.

I had my DGS look through the 2014 JCS Ornament and pick out the ornament he would like me to stitch for him.  He was very perceptive.  As he leafed through the magazine, he judged them by how complicated the design was.  Who does that at 9 years old??  He liked the looks of this one. Primrose Needleworks. I had it stitched by October and finished in Dec.  That's a JABC button in the shape of a present that I snapped up at the Shepherds Bush retreat. It's on a pale green linen from stash with most of the over dyed threads called for.  I used Vonna's, Twisted Stitcher, felt ornament tutorial.  Thank you Vonna.

I bought this linen piece at Shepherds Retreat also.  It was marked for stitching Kringle's Coal and the model from Plum Street Samplers was really cute. (Also in JCS 2014 ornament issue) I snatched it up and it stitched up pretty quick.  I used Vonna's felt ornament tutorial once again.  I added the JABC star button.  His face was disappearing into his beard and hair.  The contrast was not enough.  Hmm. Debated restitching and then the light bulb went off.  Got a tiny makeup brush, my blush and proceeded to blush the two stitches that made his face.  Much better.  This went off to live with Diane.

This one I started last year?  I believe it's BBD  from JCS 2012 ornament issue.  I did not use the called for Belle Soie silk threads.  Too much $ for an ornament.  So this is my conversion using overdyed WDW and GAST.  And looks like PTP Dubloon linen, probably 32 ct.  Trimmed with a thin green chenille trim and a beaded hanger.

I happily finished my Threadworks Primitives Merry Christmas Fruit Basket.  The minute I saw it, I knew I had to stitch it.  Once again on Dubloon, 36 ct. with the called for threads.  I used a green button in the middle of the red star instead of one green cross stitch.  It will be a pillow with some kind of trim.

 This is a freebie from Daffycat Designs 2013, Tree Reindeer.  On a very sparkly evenweave. I love  sparkles.  I found the perfect fabric to use on the back at a Quilt show I traveled to in Seymour, IN this past fall.  I used the called for DMC and it will be a flat ornament.

Mary E. stitched this for the guild's ornament exchange a couple of years ago. I loved it.  Prairie Schooler in the 2011? issue of JCS ornament issue.  I asked her pretty please and she got me the pattern.  Love this one too.  Sparkly linen with the called for threads, DMC and the fabric I will use for the backing.  It will be a flat ornament also.

I saw this one on somebody's blog and knew I had to stitch it.  Gentle Pursuit Designs, Home for Christmas.  Used mostly DMC, with sparkle Kreinik braid, and an over dyed thread for the snow on 40 ct Maritime White linen.  It's a beaut.  It will be finished as a flat ornament, half circle with that iridescent silk fabric.  Lush.

That concludes this holiday season.  The tree will come down this weekend.  I will miss my Christmas decorations.  I love seeing them.  I've already started my 2015 SAL's.  Yes,  that's plural.  And next week!  Stitchaway 2015 at Hueston Woods State Park.  Can't wait to be with my peeps and stitch to our heart's content.

Happy Stitching!

Marsha