Stitching In Georgia

The Quiet Book is Finished!

2011-04-24T09:10:00.000-07:00

I was so happy to get the book finished so my neighbor could have it for Easter for her granddaughter.I hope you all will enjoy this finished totally original creation.

I wanted the back of the dolls to be as finished as the fronts. You can see the hair styles too.

The ones with braids were a challenge but fun.

This shows you most of the items that can be added and played with wherever Catie wants to. I did not include here the items in the kitchen because you can see that in the last posts.

The yellow pocket is deep enough for the dolls. The other one holds all the pieces. I used Velcro to keep the pockets closed.

Catie can use the front for daytime using the sun and clouds or she can.....

Have it be night with the moon and stars.

I did this whole book by hand and figured out how to secure it without a seam down the middle. Now on to a farm Quiet Book!

A FEW MORE PAGES

2011-04-10T15:28:00.000-07:00

This is the cover. I have to stitch the name down. Both dogs and the bone are lose. She can move them to any page. She loves dogs. I am going to make flowers she can pretend to plant and take the in and put them in a vase. Catie wants this to have a moon and stars....should I make it a cute "Man in the Moon" or a real one? What would you do?

The bedroom has been fun to make. I did the easel and you can take the painting out and there is another on that I sewed on the back. The paint palate and brush are lose and the girl can hold them. The dog can be moved also. Let's look at how to put the doll to bed.

She can Hug her plush pig (Catie's choice). I have decided to make one more doll and have a nightgown on her. The dolls are double felt also. I will post the back of one when I am finished. Catie comes to her grandma's every week and has been coming over to play with this and she also has been instructing me what to make next. That gets me in trouble because I always want to try..

I HAVE BEEN BUSY

2011-04-10T11:57:00.000-07:00

My neighbor asked me to make something for her 5 year old granddaughter. She wanted something like a busy book. I really could not find a pattern for this age and so I am making it as I go. I loved paper dolls at that age and so decided to use felt as a medium to make them. These are the ones I have completed and the beach scene. The ball, sand bucket and fisf can be stored in the beach towel. The pink purse has a snap on it and you can put a treasure in it.

I had so much fun doing this kitchen. I wanted it to be fun.The mother was fun to make too.

Here I show what can be opened to make it fun for Catie. The fridge door opens and has shelves to tuck in food. So far I made vegetables but have a milk carton cut out and a few more things. I do anything like the door in double felt and all the smaller items too. I sew each one. Under the sink I have a knife so far and want to make dish soap and a pail. On the shelf above the stove is a water pitcher. The pan on the stove has Velcro to hold it there. In the oven is a casserole with a chicken leg baking. I want to make some more too.
Any doll fits behind the table.

As soon as I take some pictures I will add this weeks work. So what do you think?

ONE MORE ORNAMENT AND PILLOW

2010-12-12T11:42:00.000-08:00

The last part of this order was for a teen boy. My friend requested a Bengal Tiger Ornament. This was a challenge....I started with their logo and built on it. It was like doing a paper snowflake when I cut the black felt. Stitching it took a steady hand. But I am well pleased with it.
The pillow was to be for the University of Alabama. I put it on a hounds tooth fabric in honor of "Bear Bryant". He usually wore a hat made from this fabric. It seemed like Roll Tide belonged on the other side......

Finished Ornaments

2010-12-07T06:42:00.000-08:00

These go to the kids I made the pillows for. On the back is their name and 2010. Again I had no pattern but used coloring pages and do my own thing.

The hand beading on this just makes it beautiful on the tree.

I mad the lizard with pipe cleaner inside and so you can pose him on a branch......

Or hang him by his tail........

You may notice the heart on my tree......my precious husband made that for me when we were first married. I simply love it!

MAKE A WREATH

2010-12-01T06:24:00.000-08:00

http://domesticali.typepad.com/domesticali/2008/11/origami-wreath-tutorial.html
Sheet music wreath for the tree. I love this idea!

http://www.skiptomylou.org/2008/12/10/how-to-make-a-candy-wreath/
Candy Wreath....I love this blog!

http://theredthreadblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/paper-christmas-wreath-tutorial.html
Paper Leaf Wreath

http://www.domestifluff.com/2009/11/how-to-make-a-ruffly-felt-rosette-wreath/
Fluffy Wreath.....made from many felt circles.

http://craftapalooza.typepad.com/crafted/2009/11/its-a-button-wreath-tutorial-but-you-didnt-really-need-me.html
Button wreaths

http://hazelruthes.blogspot.com/2009/11/christmas-ornament-wreath-tutorial.html
Ornament Wreath

http://hazelruthes.blogspot.com/2009/11/christmas-ornament-wreath-tutorial.html
Christmas Music Wreath..... you have to see this.

http://missfancypants.typepad.com/little_miss_fancy_pants/2009/09/fancy-this-christmas-wreath.html
Love this idea!

http://stonegable.blogspot.com/2010/01/winter-wreath-tutorial.html
Natural winter wreath

http://www.craftelf.com/Crochet_Wreath_Pin.htm
Make a wreath to wear if you crochet.

http://momsloveofcrochet.com/xmaswreath.html
Large crochet wreath.

http://www.ehow.com/how_5176650_make-wreath-fabric-scraps.html
Fabric scrap wreath

http://www.ehow.co.uk/how_4392353_make-dog-bone-christmas-wreath.html
Dog Bone Wreath....no picture but simple.

http://www.a-home-for-wild-birds.com/make-a-bird-seed-wreath.html
Bird seed Wreath....fun for kids.

http://www.marthastewart.com/article/pinecone-wreath
Pinecone Wreath

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5878406/inexpensive_homemade_teachers_gift.html?cat=24
Crayon Wreath

Shark Pillow

2010-12-01T06:20:00.000-08:00

This is the shark pillow.....I used a coloring page for the idea and adjusted it and added the 3-D parts. The tail and fins are lightly filled and it added a lot. Now on to the ornaments.

NEW FINISHED PROJECTS

2010-11-28T09:56:00.000-08:00

I have an order from a friend to make pillows for his 2 nephews and one niece. They visited him in Florida this summer and each theme is what they chose to remember their visit.

The one wanted a lizard and I decided to make his a pocket pillow. The dragonfly is on a snap and so the lizard can "eat" it. The lizard can be tucked into the log to go to bed with him. I decided to make the lizard colorful.
This is the lizard out completely.

The niece wanted a fish. We agreed it could be a girl fish. The tail and fins are filled lightly with batting. I added the bubbles which are crystal. I used a coloring sheet for the basis of this pillow.

I am working on the one with a shark and will post it as soon as it is completed. Than on to the Christmas ornaments in the same themes. These are fun!

Advent Calendar Tutorials

2010-11-27T11:21:00.001-08:00

I love Advent Calendars and thought I would put together the links I have marked.

http://allsorts.typepad.com/allsorts/2007/11/advent-calendar.html
I made this one for a gift several years ago.....It is felt pockets.

http://gingerbreadsnowflakes.com/node/78
Mini Pinata Advent Calendar....I love this one! Kids could help with this one.

http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/?p=863
This is using quilt pockets.

http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/advent_calendar/
This is one crom metal tins and cardstock.

http://www.purlbee.com/felt-advent-calend/
Felt and embroidery make this idea attractive.

http://shannonmakesstuff.blogspot.com/2009/11/felt-advent-calendar.html
Felt Christmas Tree and ornament idea.

http://classyandsophisticated.blogspot.com/2008/11/christmas-matchbox-advent.html
Match book Advent.....

http://bumblebird.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/12/countdown-to-christmas.html
Felt House Tutorial

http://www.skiptomylou.org/2008/11/26/little-birdie-advent-calendar/
Little Birds you add to branches.....so cute!

http://web.archive.org/web/20061107105053/http://www.imagitek.com/xmas/crafts/advmural.html
Advent Mural

http://seren-zipitydoda.blogspot.com/2009/06/summer-fun-2009-edition.html
Jean Pocket one.

http://craftastica.blogspot.com/2008/11/recycle-bin-advent-calendar.html
Re-cycle one...this is so cute!

http://sunshinescreations.vintagethreads.com/2007/11/part-1-how-to-make-yoyo-advent-calender.html
Yo-Yo One and I am working on this for next Year....

http://mayamade.blogspot.com/2008/11/countdown-calendar.html
Cardboard Tubes

http://mayamade.blogspot.com/
Paper Houses

http://joysofhome.blogspot.com/2008/12/its-advent.html
Simple Candy Kiss hanging on ribbon.

http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/origami_advent_calendars.htm
Several Origami Advent Calendars

Some fun new Links

2010-11-17T11:47:00.000-08:00

http://www.craftynest.com/2009/10/tank-top-totes-six-pockets-or-gathered/
These are really neat tank top totes.

http://northerngirlboutique.blogspot.com/2010/11/recipe-gift-giving.html
Simple casserole carriers

http://www.scrapbook-crazy.com/purse-paper-bag-album-instructions.html
Purse Paper Bag Album

http://craftystaci.com/2010/11/08/fabric-cornucopia/
Fabric Cornucopia

http://www.sillyeaglebooks.com/2010/11/handmade-turkey-hairbow.html
Turkey hair bow

http://www.vanessachristenson.com/2010/05/guest-blogger-tutorial-allison-of-cluck.html
A beautiful pillow to make.

Oh My

2010-11-17T11:23:00.001-08:00

I have been absent but I have been busy! We have made a move to Georgia to be closer to our dear friends and family.

These are my "Wee Folk". I love making them and have found them to be something I want to make more and more. I just finished making 5 "Harvest Folk" for my new neighbor lady.

I wanted to try felting a wool sweater to make his pants and jacket. I simply washed a 100% wool sweater in hot water 2 times and than was able to cut them out and they did not fray. That was fun! They come from the book by Salley Mavor. If you do not have this book I suggest you get one.....Follow her blog....you will be so inspired!
http://weefolkstudio.com/

I love working with felt and in Virginia I was selling them at a market at a friends home. The eye glass cases sold faster than I could make them. This pattern was loved. The pattern came from the web site:
http://weefolkart.com/
This is a great site!

Virginia had beautiful farms and so the tourists loved anything that reminded them of this. The mountains actually take on a purple hue at times and so I had fun with that. The color here is not
quite correct.

Another thing that sold well was a tea cozy. Again this one was much like the farms in the back roads.......I made many of these and will post some soon. I had no pattern and made these as I went. I find it is fun to use felt in this manner.

How about a Purse for needles?

2010-02-20T13:07:00.000-08:00

I have a template for a greeting card of this purse. I guess it has been several months this idea was in my head for a needle book. It took our big snow storm to help me get the thoughts from my head to my hands!

I did double felt for the purse and needle pad....but did my embroidery work before I put the together. I think I may do another one and add a beaded handle.

I used wool thread for the embroidery.

I am Back

2010-02-07T11:13:00.001-08:00

I sure have taken a long time off. Life sure has changed and it seems there is way too much to do. But I still do stitch!

I have been playing with felt and finally took the time to learn to do "Wee Folk" too. That has been something I kept longing to do and when the "Swine Flu" hit me I finally did it.
The ideas come from this book:
"Felt Wee Folks...Enchanting Projects by Salley Mavor
http://weefolkart.com/content/tea-wallet-little-birdie-0

This first photo is the inside of a needlebook. I did find this on line as something else but decided to do this so I could use it. Now I cannot find the pattern.

She was fun to make and I just made her mine. Attached is a small pin cushion

..
This is a teabag Wallet and the idea comes from here:

http://weefolkart.com/content/tea-wallet-little-birdie-0

I did the Bird one too and they make great gifts!

This is a small needle book. I decided to use some fun buttons I had on hand like the bee, lady bug and center of the flower.

This is also a pattern I found on the net but I decided to do the middle in beads. If I find the pattern I will post it.

This is another pin cushion I did with some left over felt flowers from a tea cozy project. I made this one bigger and really do like it.

These are the first two "Wee Folk" I made and used them in the Christmas tree.They are a lot of work but so much fun to do.

I love this family! I used a wool sweater I washed and than cut for his coat and pants. That was fun to try.

This is a tea cozy I finished and it is ready to be a gift..... The second one is one that was a Christmas gift for a very dear friend of mine.

MAKE FELT TOYS

2009-04-15T07:18:00.000-07:00

As you all know I love working with felt. It is a fun medium to work with.....kids can do it as well. I thought I would share with you all some toys you can make at home wtth your kids....Let their imagination run....if I were a parent with crafting kids I would purchase a rolling set of drawers.....one would have felt, one with the supplies, one drawer with scraps....with felt you never throw away scraps.....you can always use them.

We need to get back to making toys.....I remember the ones that were made for me as a child and I loved them.

http://halfpintpixie.com/2009/01/13/felt-clothed-wooden-folk-a-pirate-cave/
check out all the links on these pages.....

Remember making yarn dolls? Now dress the in felt....too cute
http://www.craftstylish.com/item/27585/how-to-make-yarn-and-felt-folks

Flower Fairies...these are fun!
http://weefolkart.com/?q=node/296

I have made these for kids that are sick in the hospital.....I make a set and put them in a school box. Kids love them.http://jas.familyfun.go.com/crafts?page=CraftDisplay&craftid=10047

Make felt food for your kids play kitchens
http://oneinchworld.com/blog/index.php/2009/01/felt-tomato-slice-tutorial/

http://oneinchworld.com/blog/index.php/2008/11/felted-ravioli-tutorial/

http://www.cherrymix.com/cupcakepattern.jpg

http://www.makeandtakes.com/felt-sugar-cookies

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fantastictoys/2971880259/

http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/delicious_felt_donut

http://www.cherrymix.com/bread.html

http://melissagoodsell.typepad.com/day_to_day/2008/07/tutorial---felt-food-egg-orange-slices.html

Make Finger puppets
(you can stuff these and make them into toys....)

http://www.billybear4kids.com/FingerPuppets/MakeEm.shtml
These are fun to make!

http://familyfun.go.com/parties/birthday/feature/dony0300blueclu/dony0300blueclu6.html

http://www.sugardoodle.net/Nursery%20Program/afp.jpg

http://www.montessoriworld.org/Handwork/puppets/puppet3.html

http://www.carewear.org/patterns/sew/images/felt_finger_puppets.pdf

http://weefolkart.com/?q=node/278

/

AND NOW THERE ARE 3

2009-02-06T07:41:00.001-08:00

That Baby Amish Girl was hard to make for me....but I did it. She too is fully jointed.

There just had a prayer covering on her and I just had to make a dress for her. Now I am making big sister.

"MRS. ATTITUDE BEAR"

2009-02-04T15:13:00.001-08:00

I sat with mom most of the afternoon. I cut this bear before I went in. I like this Victorian Bear!

Do you think she needs a husband?

I did bullion roses all around the shawl. It is fringed but you hardly see that. I think I need a hat pin in her hat....I will have to wait till I have my stash here for that.

THE TWO ARE ONE

2009-02-04T08:12:00.001-08:00

I finished the Amish husband last night. They look cute to me.

Someone has asked about the faces on them.....When I make a Amish Doll I do not put a face on them. But this is a bear...there really is no likeness to a real person. They do not want a picture of themselves. That to them is wrong...no "graven images" is how they look at it.

Here is a very good book to read about the Amish..

http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?event=AFF&p=1011693&item_no=192419

Donald Kraybill is family and is an expert on Amish. You can read a excerpt from this book here:

http://www.gotquestions.org/Amish-beliefs.html

I am now working on a Victorian Bear.....

AMISH LADY PIN CUSHION

2009-02-01T11:47:00.000-08:00

I found this pattern for 10 cents and had a lot of fun making it. I am working on the Amish man.

There is a Victorian set, a country set and this one. Each have 1 child and baby also.

The bears are jointed and so you can have fun with them.

THIS WEEKS PROJECTS

2009-01-20T18:01:00.000-08:00

I did one pin cushion and 2 needle books while sitting with mom. The strawberry one called for french knots but I wanted to use black beads. I hope you enjoy these.

STRESS MAKES ME STITCH!

2009-01-14T06:31:00.001-08:00

I have to stitch when I am sitting around. It is a habit I am thankful for. I remember Aunt Emily reminding me as a child that "Idle hands are the devils workshop".
My mom fell and broke her hip when we were moving her to Virginia. We had only been here 20 minutes and the accident happened. If you want to see the stress and the answers to prayer check out my blog called "Taking Care of Mother"
http://donnag-takingcareofmother.blogspot.com/

The photo above is a pin cushion I made. I grabbed my varrigated floss, felt, beads and what I could fit in a Trader Joe's bag when we went home to return the truck and store moms stuff. When we got back I saw I forgot any patterns.....Michaels is accross the street and with $5.00
in my pocket I went there for an idea. I looked in the dollar bins and found 4 felt coasters
for $1.00. I selected 2 patterns and hoped I would have an inspiration from them. I did and the
pic cushion turned out cute. I am making these things for mom to give her nurses. This brings her joy.

This is the second pattern I did and I am happier with this one. They take about 2 days to do one pin cushion.nI sit with her 3 hours in the afternoon and sew on them here after our evening visit.

This is the coaster before I cut some out. The felt id still but a pin can easily go through it.

This is the four I have cut out and I am getting a good idea to do with these.

I wanted to share this simple and thrifty project. I think sometimes when we stitch we go for the

patterns and kits but to me it is fun to see what I can do with simple things.

Some Great Crafts!

2008-11-23T06:45:00.000-08:00

http://www.ourveggiegarden.com/CraftsRobin.html

This one has quick but nice items to make....check out the recipes also.

http://bridgetbaxter.blogspot.com/2007/11/cupcake-purse-tutorial.html

Sew a cupcake purse

http://sewthankful.com/blog/2008/09/quick-and-easy-sew-thankful-fa.html

make a yo-yo key chain

http://primrosedesign.blogspot.com/2007/05/vintage-handkerchief-pillows.html

Vintage hankerchief pillows

http://lucykatecrafts.blogspot.com/2008/06/owl-egg-cosy-tutorial.html

Owl Egg Cozy made from felt

I love her blog!

http://lucykatecrafts.blogspot.com/

http://ccloveneighbors.blogspot.com/2007/04/angel-yo-yo-craft.html
Stacked angel yo-yo angel.....I love this!!

http://pieceofragermind.blogspot.com/2008/10/ribbon-ornament-tutortial.html

A wonderful ribbon ornament.

http://lifessweetpassions.blogspot.com/2008/08/super-saturday-homemade-baby-shoes.html

Make these recious baby shoes and embellish them... Direct link is here:

http://www.michaelmillerfabrics.com/blog/cloth_shoe.pdf

http://jas.familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts?page=CraftDisplay&craftid=10125

Make a snowman garland..I ironed fabric to cardstock and had a ball making my snowmen.

http://craftythisandthat.blogspot.com/

Make some easy coasters and enjoy her blog too.

http://www.diyalert.com/node/3893

Use your empty tea light tins to make Light covers....really cute!

Lots more from them here:

http://www.diyalert.com/howto

Good Craft Plus Blog

http://heart4myhome.blogspot.com/search/label/Crafts

CHRISTMAS CRAFTS

2008-10-21T18:43:00.000-07:00

It is time I get back to this blog. If you check out my other blog you will see I have been busy creating but not stitching.

I have been looking for some good Christmas items to make and thought I would share some of my best finds.

Go to Sunshine's Creations and check out the beautiful Yo-Yo Advent Calendar.
http://sunshinescreations.vintagethreads.com/search/label/advent%20calender

She has a beautiful "We Three Trees"
http://sunshinescreations.vintagethreads.com/2006/12/we-three-trees.html

Her tutorials are great so check her out!

Make some fun stars with leftover fabric...
http://www.craftideas.info/html/star_ornament.html

or some felt snowmen.
http://www.craftideas.info/html/felt_snowmen.html

Make some wonderful Fabric Ornaments....
http://www.mccallsquilting.com/curiss/wb1204_ornaments/

Make these cute themed ornaments...
http://craft.dow.com/proj/275.htm

Remember the mitten ornaments ....here they are:
http://disdressed.blogspot.com/2006/12/at-last-mitten-ornament-pattern.html

Make this beautiful Shadow Work Ornament....this is the first shadow work I tried and I love doing it!
http://www.caron-net.com/dec99files/dec99cla.html
or
A wonderful Stump work ornament....
http://www.caron-net.com/nov99files/nov99def.html

Try a Christmas Tree Penny Rug
http://www.patchpieces.com/minipennytree.pdf

A Crazy Quilt Stocking Ornament:
http://www.qorsite.com/freepatterns/stockingorn/stocking.html
or her Crazy Quilt Wreath Ornament

Make a Poinsettia Stocking
http://www.quiltersmuse.com/poinsettia_christmas_stocking.htm

Sew a apron Ornament....Too cute!
http://www.pumkinlittle.com/Aprontutorial.htm

Easy Felt Stockings
http://t2chk.org/new/archives/348

I Love Allsorts elf clogs
http://allsorts.typepad.com/allsorts/2007/11/ears-to-your-el.html
Her Advent Calendar Pockets:
http://allsorts.typepad.com/allsorts/2007/11/advent-calendar.html

Try these gingerbread hearts as ornaments:
http://madewithlovebyhannah.com/WordPress/?p=96

For Gifts try The Rice Therapy Bag:
http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/?p=280
This is one great blog to follow!

HGTV CRAZY QUILTING LESSONS

2008-08-22T09:30:00.000-07:00

Two posts in one day.....that is sure new for me. I was going through some sites a friend sent to me and was happy to see what HGTV has put up. It is extensive lessons on the art of crazy quilting and is well worth printing off. Some have a good amout of pages but still worth the ink.

http://crazyquilting.pbwiki.com/CQ+Lessons+and+Challenge+HGTV

FREE CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT PATTERNS

2008-08-22T07:20:00.000-07:00

Make a Yo-Yo Advent Tree. I am working on mine.
http://sunshinescreations.vintagethreads.com/2007/11/part-1-how-to-make-yoyo-advent-calender.html

Check out the yo-yo friends too:
http://sunshinescreations.vintagethreads.com/2006/10/how-to-make-yo-yo-friend.html
****************
Elf Clogs:
http://allsorts.typepad.com/allsorts/2007/11/ears-to-your-el.html

Advent Calendar Pockets
http://allsorts.typepad.com/allsorts/2007/11/advent-calendar.html

*******************************
Directions for folded star ornament
http://www.make-stuff.com/projects/quiltball.html
Video
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1101652/folded_fabric_ornaments/
ideas:This lady makes and sells them.
http://www.meandfoxymcgee.com/catalog.php?category=31
*********************
I also made many of these:http://whipup.net/2007/10/09/tutorial-ribbon-pinecone-ornament/
***************************
I have made at least 50 of these. Instead of ribbon for wings I bought wings at a craft store. You can add things for them to hold that really dress them up.
http://www.craftelf.com/Craft_elf_holiday_Christmas_angel_ornaments_&_pins.htm
***************************
The girls and I did these for gifts one year and they still dress up the tree
http://www.craftbits.com/viewProject.do?projectID=1963**************************
I made these one year for our Jesus Tree and friends asked for them too...http://craftsayings.com/projects/holidays/christmas/jesustears/index.shtml
***********************
All 3 of the kids and I made these. I did use some old cards but one year I bought some that would fit in the toothpick frame and than we added small itemson the bottom like small minerature trees or birds or small deer. Friends always liked these too:
http://blog.hummiesworld.com/2006/12/toothpick-and-christmas-card-ornament.html
**********************
These are beautiful and worth the work!
http://craft.dow.com/proj/woven.htm
***********************
Nicole and I made these....I bought painted wooden bead faces and they turned outso cute. http://www.geocities.com/cindi_lou_who1/CarnationAngel.html
*******************************
Look at one family makes each year
http://www.rollanet.org/~anderson/ornaments1999.html
**********************
http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/explore/crystals.htm
Ryan and I made these as a school project 8 years ago and I still hang them on the tree.
***************************

OUR TALENTS ARE OUR GIFTS TO GIVE

2008-08-14T10:58:00.000-07:00

My father passed away on August 4Th. We went to Sarasota, Florida in the middle of the night to be with mom. While we were there I took a few pictures of things I made for them. I love to do counted cross stitch and these were 3 I treasure.

The heart I did for their anniversary some years ago.
Amazing grace is a favorite song of Dad's and I loved doing this one for him.
I think this one I gave them for Christmas.
Dad treasured homemade gifts. To him it was giving our talent and time to bless others. He is right. Any form of stitching is indeed a talent. For many of us it is one that pays attention to details. We want to make sure each part of our stitching gift is as perfect as we can make it. I love to make and give to others. I often feel I was the one blessed as I see it develop.

Dad used to tell me that a talent that is not used is really a act of being ungrateful for the talent God given us. But when we use our talent we are giving praise to God for giving us that talent. I have come to believe that to be true. So this week as I reflect on Dad I am reminded he was a grateful man. He noticed the smallest things and always thanked God for putting them in his path. I too try to practice the art of being thankful for all things. I have a way to go but I thank my Dad for showing e it could be done.

Here are a few quotes he had in the notebook he gave me of what he collected over his years. Dad was 88 when he died.

Always demanding the best of oneself, living with honor, devoting one's talents and gifts to the benefits of others - these are the measures of success that endure when material things have passed away.
~Henry Ford

When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left and could say, "I used everything you gave me."~Erma Bombeck

Your talent is God's gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God.~Unknown

THAT DOTEE BUG.....

2008-07-29T13:19:00.000-07:00

Sure does bite hard! They loved these at the place I go for my massages. The owner goes to a cancer clinic to give chair massages once a week. She tries to find little fun things to take to them so you will see the ones I did for her to give. We gave some of them names and she sure will name the rest if I know her. I pinned them on the elephant I started and never finished. It sure was cute!

You may pick out "Princess", "Grandma", "Sunflower" and "Mother Earth". Which do you think they are?

This one I placed on a blue milk lid to hold her up a bit to photograph her. She was a lot of fun to make....We named her "Moonbeam". I found that fun dog in a junk bag from Goodwill. It is a vintage piece but it belonged howling at "Moonbeam".

These were fun but I need to get back to finishing several of the previous projects.

Let me tell you, make one of these and you will be hooked!

ONE PROJECT DONE, Another One Started

2008-07-21T10:11:00.000-07:00

The rose is for a wrist pincushion swap. I have made the roses before but this time there is thin batting in between the velvet to make it more like a pincushion. I have one for myself and have used it for over a year now. I hope the lady it goes to will enjoy this one.
I needed a pick up and go project and so I started this one last Monday. A Canadian Needle arts magazine called "A Needle Pulling Threads" had this pattern in the Summer 2008 Issue. It is called "The Garden Swing". The trunk has a layer of felt first and than a modified raised stem stitch is used to help it look like bark. I still have more grass to do, the swings ropes and several more layers of leaves on the tree. This one has been fun to do. I think it will make a needle book.

I made several more Dotee Dolls and forgot to take a picture. They can be addictive! I also made some progress on the crazy quilting piece. So all in all I had a good week. How about your week?

OH NO! I HAVE BEEN BITTEN.......

2008-07-15T14:11:00.000-07:00

I have wanted to try a Dotee Doll but kept putting it off. I really like them but to be honest it is outside the box for my comfort zone. I woke up this morning knowing I wanted to do something special for my massage friend, Sara. She is a free spirit and dresses often in a whimsical way that simply fits her personality. She is making head way with my knee and we both feel she has helped the muscles that were not used for the previous 2+ years. As I wondered what I could do I remembered the Dotee Doll. It was a perfect match.

I pulled out fabric I knew she would like and went from there. You will see green around one side of her face and that is because Sara is a advocate for the “Green” way of life. She loves flowers and so I added quite a few of those and just to be quirky I added several sea shells because she loves the beach. I tried to match the colors to her personality too.

I added a pin to the back and wore it when I went for my massage. Her eyes went to it right away and she touched it admiring it. She asked if I made it and I said
I sure did. Than I started taking it off as I said….”I made it for you, Sara.” She was thrilled and put it on. It will be named later.

Now I am hooked! They have sold fabric flower corsages I made and pincushions and a few small needle books. Shannon the owner takes them with her at “The Fresh Market” on Sat. morning in Piedmont Park. Now we may add these. How much do you charge for them? I have no idea.
Yes, I am about to cut a few more as soon as I put this down….

Credit needs to go to Dot's Life and Art...she has mastered these. I only wish I could do that.

http://dotslifeandart.blogspot.com/2007/02/art-doll-tutorial.html

WHAT I AM WORKING ON THIS WEEK and nice blogs to visit

2008-07-03T08:49:00.000-07:00

You will see this is the block I put together some time back. I must say again, Thanks Melissa for putting up such a good tutorial. Make sure you check her out at Honey Bee's Bliss.

http://honeybeesbliss.blogspot.com/

Here is he tutorial:

http://honeybeesbliss.blogspot.com/2008/01/how-to-create-crazy-quilt-block.html

I decided to make this more of a oriental square. For the flower tree on the bottom and the Pagoda I used the tissue paper instead of marking on the cloth and I must say I enjoyed that and I will be doing it a lot more.

I wove the basket on the top with the orange flowers. The old crochet yellow rose was from stuff I found when we moved mom and dad to Florida. Zoe helped me sew that on. She stayed with me and I would aim the needle and bring it up where it needed to go and she puled it the rest of the way. Than I would stick it down and turn it over and she would pull it again. For a 3 year old she sure stayed with it. She told her mom she made the whole block.

I have the seams to do and a bit more on the blocks. This will be for a album again. I am going to try to sell it, I sure don't know what a fair price would be. Any ideas?

I thought I would share a few blogs today that I love.

http://prairiemouse.typepad.com/

Prairie Mouse.....lots of great eye candy

http://juststring.blogspot.com/2008/06/spiral-trellis-stitch.html

JUST STRING

Great tutorial on the spiral trellis stitch and it is new to me but I am anxious to try it!

http://susimac.blogspot.com/

Contemplating My Needle and Thread

Wonderful cross stitch! I am ready to pull mine out again.

http://marykathryn.wordpress.com/

A good mix of many sewing skills.

I HAVE BEEN TAGGED

2008-07-02T14:25:00.000-07:00

I have been tagged by Zetor
http://zetor-mogsblog.blogspot.com/

1.What were you doing 5 years ago ?
We took a job in Florida. For me it was a dream and for John a place to sharpen his photography and work close to nature. But it was not to be a good experience. We than took a job at a huge apartment complex as John being a supervisor. That is where we encountered the toxic mold and lost all our possessions and have faced some hard health issues since than. It was some hard times but we learned a lot. God never allows us to go to a place to let us go...we learned to hold on tight to His precious hand and trust Him to teach us. We learned gossip will not kill you because the truth wins out. Our Heavenly Father walked with us each step of the way!

2. What 5 things on your to-do list today?
It is evening and I am finishing our meal. I did get my items done.
I finished 2 loads of wash, went to the grocery store, made smoothies for lunch, and cleaned some of my craft room. We are having a shrimp boil and fresh hot bread for our meal. Than I exercise my knee.

3. What 5 snacks do you enjoy?
Fresh fruit
Hot Tea with a sweet
salty snacks
Kettle cooked potato chips
Fresh tomatoes

4.What 5 things would you do if you were a billionaire?
Pay college for my 4 grand kids.
Help a missionary friend that goes to Honduras way up in the mountains where he must walk. The needs are so great there.
Help some elderly people that are lonely and living without much food or being able to afford their medicine.
Open a home for unwanted foster kids. I have had 23 in my life and know so many need help.
The last one goes with the above. People give foster kids awful clothes. They need a clothes closet to go to that allows a teen to learn how to dress and with nice clothes. We did that when we ran a home for teen girls and had stores give us things that we could mend or clean. We had prom gowns for them and good shoes and with the clothes came lessons on being a lady. It was successful.

5. What 5 jobs have you done?
I am a wife, mother and grandma.
Nanny after high school.
Retail work as a teen and than when I owned my own craft store.
Owned my catering business
I was an aide to farm workers children under a Federal program and I loved it!

I will let you all know who I tagged tomorrow.

ANOTHER GIFT FINISHED

2008-06-18T17:08:00.000-07:00

The process I use to cover a notebook to make it into a photo album is simple. I have made over 20 of these for friends. I use a good quality of batting and measure it to cover the notebook. Than using a hot glue gun I hold it in place. I cut 2 cardboard pieces to fit the inside and also cover the with batting. I cover the batting in the front with velvet in this case and pull it tightly inside and hot glue it. Than I add the first trim with the glue gun. The inside pieces are covered with velvet and glued in place. Than I add a contrasting color trim because I like a finished look.
I have completed a piece of crazy quilt and hot glued it to a piece of cardboard also covered with batting and pull it tightly to the back. This piece did not look finished to me and so I hunted through my stash and decided to use this roll of Yarn for better word. It looks like ribbon to me and I use it a lot.
I took a close up picture and you can see I never cut the stuff but gathered it up as I attached it to the edge and I am really happy with the outcome. That took me 2 hours alone. I think the whole thing has about 30 hours in it from start to finish. This crazy quilt patch I put together by all hand stitching....(Thanks to Melissa I now can do them on a machine.)
Here is the finished album ready to go to the massage place called "The Art Of Touch". The are really helping me with my recovery. I have used them a year and find the Swedish Massage and deep tissue that Sara gives me has helped my pain level and has kept the second knee from getting worse. Now it is helping me bend the knee that has been stiff and straight for over 2 years.l They Take a lot of pictures and have a book club also and wished for a photo album....so this should please them. They do sell a lot of things I make.
This is the inside of the album. I kept with the colors they use in the waiting room.

VICTORIAN PIN CUSHION

2008-06-11T15:02:00.000-07:00

I decided to join a Victorian Pin Cushion swap. I have made these shoes several years ago and decided I would try one for this swap. Now my question is this.....would you like to get one of these or should I try something else? I may add a bit more lace to the shoe. Do you think I should or would it be too much? Look at all the sides and than let me know.

These are really fun and simple to do. There really is no pattern. I begin with covering the outside of the shoe using glue. This shoe was a purple velvet and so I used some dyed lace for the covering. You have to cut pieces so you can mold the fabric to the shoe. Than the fun begins as you decide what laces to add. I used a piece of antique lace that was my MIL's and some that I have picked up at second hand places. I collect all broken jewelery and had fun with the front piece. I than added fill in the shoe and fitted velvet over the top. Glued that in good and added the vintage pink velvet ribbon and trim. I glued it and than sewed it on the top. The rest was just fun. I think I will hunt a few more shoes to do and have them on hand as gifts.

ANOTHER PROJECT FINISHED

2008-06-01T11:14:00.000-07:00

Last week I worked on another creature. Maybe I will tell you all that before I went to the hospital I prepared 8 projects for me to do. I knew that if the projects were ready to do embroidery I would pick them up. I also fixed a basket with my silk ribbons, threads and beads. This sure has come in handy.

Back to this mouse...She is from "Inspirations" magazine, Issue 11. Her name is Amelia Mouse. I did not have just what they used and so I just used what I have. I think she too would make a pin cushion. She was fun to do and really did not take a lot of time.

Today I seemed to make a bit of progress in the bending of the knee It is ever so slight but my husband was pleased. I still am so very tired and that concerns me some. Keep praying I make a lot of progress tomorrow and Tuesday. I see the doctor again on Wednesday. Thanks.

BACK TO MY BLOG

2008-05-31T19:25:00.000-07:00

What I thought would be a short time away from the blog has turned into a long time. I had my total knee replacement done on the 7Th of May. There was a complication and it sure slowed me down. My surgeon nicked my Femoral Artery. That added time to the surgery and gave me a very close call. It took 4 units of blood to get me back to some energy. In this process he told my family he had never worked on such a terrible mess. I had not bent that knee for over 2 years and the damage from the Arthritis was extensive. So my recovery is slow. I am 3 weeks past it all and my range of motion is a slow process. They may have to put me back into the operating room and do a manipulation of that knee. I pray not. The therapy is both painful and tiring.

I have been both depressed and very thankful at the same time. Meds are always hard on me and I believe that is part of the depression and so I have pulled off the pain pills and I am better. I know the Lord was with me in that operating room. In recovery I kept coming to only to hear that my blood pressure was way to low and they were losing me and than I would go under again. I remember seeing my grandma but I could not get to her. To me I see this all as the Lord telling me I have work here on earth to do for him. I am thankful for this. My family really came together as they cared for me in the hospital. My oldest daughter took time off work and stayed with me 2 nights. My son came to the hospital and it was very hard on him. I saw his love for me and I am blessed. Nicole spent the first night away from her precious Zoe to stay a night and than get up and do her daughter's birthday party that day. That was indeed a sacrifice. John took the time off and was at my side cheering me on. Since I am home he has prepared the best meals and cared for me in such a loving way. I always knew he was a gift from God but I have come to appreciate his love even more. So all in all I can count my blessings and have a heart that rejoices in my Heavenly Father.

When I am on my machine to help the range of motion.... 2 hours several times a day, I have found I can stitch on small projects. So I have decided to do small felt creatures and make them pin cushions....These mice are from the"Inspiration" magazines. They were fun to make and as soon as I knew my friend was coming to see me from Florida I knew she would treasure them.
She loves to cross stitch and said these would be her new pin cushions. So they are on a journey back to their new home in Florida. I see things I would change next time but they did turn out as cute as a button.

ANOTHER PROJECT BUT......

2008-04-23T06:47:00.001-07:00

This is called "Mother Goose" and was in the "Inspirations Magazine" in issue 52. When I saw it I just knew I had to try it. I had few supplies and believe it or not I did not have felt. I found a piece of "something white" that has a look of flannel but has some stretch to it. Since I wanted to do it so bad I decided to use it. I still had not stitched enough since the mold to really say I was comfortable with the bullion roses. I had to read and check again in the beginning of this to see how to do them and so I put it all away and went back to making 3-D cards. That seemed easy. (This was a year and half ago)

When I started the blog I found this again and again I put it aside. I had my stitching abily built up and was enjoying it but did not like what I had accomplished with the project. I had the goose 3/4 of the way done and the bears ears. A week ago I decided I would finish it.

Here's why.....I have a precious friend (Lynn) that I treasure even through we have never met. She lives in Maine and she has 2 precious children. Both have health Issues. The daughter has a heart problem and it was just found. It has been hard on her and she has to change some activities and how well I understand that. I wanted to make her something with meaning. Now why would I chose this? I had a mountain I had to climb to really feel comfortable with my stitching. It is far from perfect and yet the beauty was still there. I wanted to be able to tell her that no matter what happens to you you can always find something to do and improve on. If I could conquer my problem with remembering what had come natural to me before the toxins and mold than she can learn new things that are going to add a lot to her life. She does love to create. Lynn said her daughter would love this. Last night I finished putting it all together. I see mistakes but over all it is OK.

The quarter helps you see how small the bear is and it is fully jointed. Hear "Hope The Bear" sits on a small votive cup. I named her that because life is always full of hope and especially when we have Jesus to hold on to.

This is "Hope's" backpack. The picture showed it as tan but I guess I decided to do it all in white. The other side has a pocket and the back pack is lined. I am calling this a prayer pocket and I am adding my prayer for her all folded in it. This is "Mother Goose".

This is her bottom. I guess if you hang in than you will be able to enjoy all this work.

AND THE WINNER IS......

2008-04-23T06:35:00.000-07:00

Willa.
I need your address!

Here is her blog.
http://willawags.blogspot.com/

I will get it out to you this week-end.

I know we did this a week late but there is a reason and if you have time read why I am having surgery on May 7th. I wrote about it in "Rambling In Atlanta"
http://ramblingandstitching.blogspot.com/

FINISHED NEEDLE BOOK

2008-04-14T11:04:00.000-07:00

This is the needle book I made for a swap. Again this was a fun project until I got to the sewing machine part. I have a good machine but I panic when I use it. When I was growing up as a Mennonite we made all our clothes. My mom was a perfectionist and had no patience to teach me and if the seam were not straight she would tear the whole project down and snatch it and make a remark like, “I knew I should have done it myself”.

I took Home Ec in my senior year. I was at my best cooking and made a high “A”. The decorating a house along with drawing house plans I made an “A”. Our teacher was not comfortable with teaching us to sew because she too was a perfectionist. I did great on the small things but the final mark was on a cape dress. My friend and I decided to try this beautiful pink linen. We came up with the idea of making it a drop waist. Now for you that do not know a cape was a extra piece of fabric that matched. It was like the bodice all over again without sleeves. It was belted at the waist. I hated these! I did not have to wear them at home or my home church but did at school. Making the cape a drop waist was a challenge and she made us tear out anything that as a 1/8th of an inch off. The zipper was taken out 2 times and the linen was raveling out. Than came the cape and she was conservative and decided the drop waist cape was not acceptable. She knew we planned to wear it without the cape so her way back at us was to give us a “D”. That hurt.
It seems that made me so nervous and my expectations I put on myself are so high that it drives me nuts.

I was pretty happy about the way it turned out. It is not perfect but I am gaining confidence. I plan to do some work on the inside. I have the time to do that. I really love the size of this needle book. Maybe I will have to make myself one.

"SHARON BEAR" FINISHED

2008-04-14T05:37:00.001-07:00

I worked hard this weekend to finish 2 projects. I am happy to say I did it. To be honest this project was so much fun that I hate it is finished. I love all forms of stitching but this one became alive to me. I love to work with felt and I love to do stitching and this project gave me both. I see a few flaws in it and when I do the next one you can be sure I will correct them.
The book called for this all to be done in a sage green but because it is hard for me to get out I use what I have on hand. I love pink for a project like this also and to me the dark red adds life.
Since I love to crazy quilt I think I will crazy quilt the heart for the next one and do all my fancy stitching on that. The bear than will have to be dressed in a special fabric.... my mind just keeps ticking about the next one. I think there are too many hours in this to really sell them. But they will make special gifts.

I am going to finish another project I started before Christmas that is also from "Inspirations”. It is from Issue 52 and titled "Mother Goose".
http://www.countrybumpkin.com.au/product_info.php?cPath=2_51&products_id=433931
It is a ornament that is full of stitching! The goose is made from felt as well as the bear on her back. The bear wears a backpack to put a note in and over the jointed bears arm is a miniature star and a miniature heart. I have several hours of bullion roses to do yet and that I will begin the construction.

Later today I will show you the entire needle book I finished over the weekend too.
The contest is still on for a few days and that John will pull the name.

FINISHED A PURSE

2008-04-07T05:25:00.000-07:00

This tiny purse took a long time. I decided to add my name and year inside the flap of her purse. Instead of crocheting a strap I simply braided the strap. There is a pocket inside the purse.
Here Sharon holds her purse.....looks like a bear ready to go shopping.I added bullion roses to the flap.
Several of you asked what I was giving and so here is the prize. Just let a comment and I will add your name to the drawing. So enter and pass on the blog to your friends so they can enter.

Oh, someone asked me why she has no face. It is a matter of pride...I will quote Dr. Donald Kraybill in "The Riddle of Amish Culture", notes that the Second Commandment was used to legitimize the taboo against pictures. "In the latter part of the nineteenth century, as photography was becoming popular, the Amish applied the biblical injunction against ‘likeness’ to photographs. Their aversion to photographs is a way of suppressing pride. If people see themselves displayed in a photograph, they might begin to take themselves too seriously."

Many tourists take plenty of pictures without even thinking about the beliefs of the Amish folks.
So if you decide to tour the Amish communities you may want to consider their beliefs. Also if you see books about Amish that Donald Kraybill wrote you are gettig the truth about the Amish people. Maybe I can brag just a bit...he is a second cousin of mine.

"DEAR HEART" IS FINISHED

2008-04-06T08:05:00.000-07:00

I have been working on "Dear Heart" off and on this week. I still am having serious problems with my sinus infection and it effects my eyes. This is not what you want when you love to stitch.

I have named her "Sharon". I was adopted and my parents changed my name to Donna Jean. I was almost grown when I saw my birth certificate and saw I was named "Sharon" at birth. As crazy as it sounds I often have to think am I a Sharon Ann or a Donna Jean...John thinks I am a bit of both. I have met some of my birth family and still am in contact with my brother.....Growing up I always wanted a big brother but was for most part an only child.

Back to the Bear.....It was fun to do the embroidery and than put her together. It is great to have the little pockets on her dress both front and back. I know I will use them. I seldom make myself anything and this is one I will keep. I am now working on her hand bag and hat box and the heart that she stays in when I am not using her.

I will be making another bear but not for sewing.....for Zoe my almost 3 year old granddaughter.

She fell in love with it. I will make her some clothes she can put on and take off. I am almost allergic to my sewing machine but do love making projects like these.

So what do you all think? Leave me a comment. If you do I will add have John pick the number to win my Amish Chatelaine. You can see it on a previous entry. We will do this next Sunday so make sure you add a email address so I can reach you.

I STARTED "DEAR HEART'

2008-03-25T13:23:00.000-07:00

This precious bear is from "Inspirations" by Country Bumpkin, Issue 57. She has been a joy to work on. Somehow a creature comes alive as you take a piece of felt and begin to shape it into a precious friend. This is after I made her and added her "knickers". You know a well dressed lady must have on a pair of knickers.
My next step was to make a petticoat for her. I used some lace to make it special. There is nothing like a lacy petticoat to make a real lady feel fresh.

Her petticoat serves as a place to put needles and keep them safely.

I do have a long way to go with this project but it has been fun and in my mind I have created a few more. I guess you all will have to stay tuned to see what else we add to her so she can serve a very useful purpose beside keeping me company.

FINISHED STITCHING

2008-03-22T18:06:00.001-07:00

I have been absent for a bit. If you check out Rambling in Atlanta you will see we were given some beautiful furniture and so I did the Spring Cleaning. It is also allergy season here and I got a sinus infection already so that slowed me down. Yesterday was the first I really felt like stitching and so between yesterday and today I finished this part of the project. It is for a needle book for a swap. I will share the finished piece as soon as we decide where I can set up the sewing machine. I think we are also getting a l shaped cherry wood desk and that will go into my sewing/guest room. I am anxious for that!
I have cut out a new project this evening from the new Inspirations. It is the bear on the cover:
http://www.countrybumpkin.com.au/index.php?cPath=2_72
I fell in love with her. I will be doing her in a pink dress and heart. She has all you need for a stitching project. With her by my side I will be organized and sure will not be lonely. I hope I want to make a few more for gifts.
Tomorrow is Easter and I have been inspired by this season. We have a lot to be thankful for when we really let it sink in that our Precious Lord gave His life for us so we can Live and be with Him in Heaven. I don't think I have ever felt more humbled by it and at the same time so grateful for this sacrifice. There is a hymn we used to sing in our Mennonite Church as I was growing up and I love. There was no piano or organ in the church and so it was beautiful in four-part harmony. Tonight I thought I would close with the words of this hymn. May you each have a Happy Easter!
LIFT YOUR GLAD VOICES
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/l/i/liftyour.htm
Lift your glad voices in triumph on high,
For Jesus hath risen, and man cannot die;
Vain were the terrors that gathered around Him,
And short the dominion of death and the grave;
He burst from the fetters of darkness that bound Him,
Resplendent in glory to live and to save!
Loud was the chorus of angels on high,
The Savior hath risen, and man shall not die.

Glory to God, in full anthems of joy;
The being He gave us death cannot destroy:
Sad were the life we must part with tomorrow,
If tears were our birthright, and death were our end;
But Jesus hath cheered the dark valley of sorrow,
And bade us, immortal, to Heaven ascend:
Lift then your voices in triumph on high,
For Jesus hath risen, and man shall not die.

MY NEW PROJECT

2008-03-01T06:36:00.000-08:00

I am doing a needle book swap and although it is for the 1st of May I decided to have it ready for the trip we took to Florida. I had hoped to get more done but our Jack Russell Sparky decided he wanted to ride on my lap most of the time.

I am doing this on pink Dupioni Silk. I love working with this. The scene is on front and back. What I have done is on the back. I am required to use silk ribbon embroidery and so I have used as much as I feel will work. It will be a nice size for a Needle Book and I love making these. I think this is something I would love to collect. I also decided I would love a nice collection of pincushions too. Both are fun to use.

Today I am organizing what was a guest bedroom into a sitting room with my sewing supplies and card making stuff. We took our old chest of drawers and bureau from our bedroom and put in the ones mom gave me that were my Grandma’s. They are solid mahogany and almost as old as I ma but in great condition. We also put a sofa bed in there too and a old recliner that was dads. This way Zoe (GD) and I will have more place to play and I finally will have storage. So off to work I go.

AMAZING GRACE

2008-02-28T16:17:00.000-08:00

We moved my parents to Sarasota this past weekend. We left early Sat. morning and arrived at 3:30 that same day. For 80+-year-old people they did the trip very well. I was proud of them. They are now living in a Mennonite community and they are happy. I sure will miss them but know they will be much happier where they are.

Tuesday night was our last night with them and mom and I were hanging her pictures I had such fond memories of doing the 3 cross-stitch pieces I did for her. After they went to bed I was taking pictures and was draw to this piece. I am sure many of us have sung this precious hymn. I love the song and it’s message. If you want to read about the hymn writer go to this site.
http://www.anointedlinks.com/amazing_grace.html

Wednesday was my parent’s 65th wedding anniversary. Can you imagine that? Most people are in awe of it but for mom and dad it is a blessing and as Mennonites working out any problems in your marriage was the only option. If I were to ask dad about the reasons he might joke and say you always have to let mother be right or something like that but if he were serious he would say it is because of God’s Amazing Grace. I can remember him singing this hymn in his tenor voice many times and with the look on his face that He fully knew and understood God’s Grace. Dad and mom live what they believe and I have never known them to waver a bit in their faith. This is why I did this hymn for them.

Tonight I just want to honor them by saying :I love you mom and dad and I thank you for teaching me by your walk with God. I too understand how much God loves me.” Happy Anniversary!

MY FIRST SQUISHY CAME

2008-02-20T06:33:00.000-08:00

WOW!
I see so many projects when I look at this stash! I opened and felt each piece of fabric. The colors are so rich and have so many possibilities. I want to make a tea cozy and these might just end up in one…. we will see. The laces are so pretty and sure will dress up seams and add texture and I love beads and charms. I am one happy lady looking at all of this.

A special lady named Jill sent this to me and now I will pass one on to another lady waiting for her squishy.

I was thinking today about life and sharing. I was happy to sign up to do this exchange. It is fun to find fabrics and things to embellish our creations. It is part of the art of Crazy Quilting. Sharing our finds is also a huge part of our groups and swaps. But how are we at sharing all we have.

When I was a child growing up in a Mennonite Community I was taught to give the best we had to those who were in need. If we could not wear an article of clothing because it was worn out we did not give that to these folks but the best we had. The same with toys or food we were asked to share. It was a lesson I really learned. Look at it this way…someone is down and out and maybe living in a shelter and they receive some clothes and hope they will be clothes that may help them dress for a job interview. They open the bag and find a sweater with small holes in it or something that was out of style for years…. how does this make them feel. I know how it feels. You feel worse and lower than you did before you opened it. But if you open your gift and see new or gently used articles you gain some confidence and are ready to look like the job you are applying for. Why do we think folks are to be thankful for whatever they get? Shame on us.

I was working a food pantry some years ago and was looking at all the cans we had to wonder about because they were out of date and some by several years. Or strange foods that one would have to be a creative chef to even begin to use. I watched the people coming in and I knew they were grateful for what they were receiving but how does one cook a meal with a can of cranberry relish, pumpkin pie filling, and a pack of jello? They need flour, milk, eggs, fresh vegetables or at least some good canned vegetables, juice (not sugar water), here in the South cornmeal and rice. What I mentioned like the cranberry is useful as a side but not as a meal. I hate to use boxed junk and eat all they have added to make it instant so why would I think the poor need that when they really need wholesome food? I do not use out dated stuff so why think someone else must just because they are in need.

What I am trying to say here is we need to always pick out the best we have and share it….the lady that sent these things to me did that and I feel so blessed. I want to make sure I carry this to all areas of my life as I get the chance to share food, clothing, my time and talents. The Lord asks we share the best we have. This is a mandate not a suggestion.
Thanks Jill!

ANOTHER CQ BLOCK

2008-02-16T11:26:00.000-08:00

You know how it goes...the machine is out, the fabrics are out and ironed and they just call you to do one more.... so last night I gave in to that call and made one more. I had the middle fabric for a long time and thought I would build around that. It is kind of hard to see but there are reds, blues, green and a copper tone. So I tried to match those.

My stash is very limited because we lost all we owned 3 years ago and when we had to get the necessary things to live there was little thought for a hobby. I will be honest too and tell you for 2 years my creative side was dead. I made cards to help generate money to eat but very little stitching went on. That was a dry time for me and I felt stagnant and dry inside. I still enjoyed nature but had no urge to apply it to fabric. The second Christmas I felt some coming back and I did a few needle books. Than I found the pattern for a vest needle book on line in the CQ Magazine and it triggered me again. I had a bunch of men’s ties someone sent to John and they were not used. So I took them apart and began to use them for fabric for little CQ projects. I found threads here and there at carport sales, Goodwill and some was given to me. I hunted buttons and now have a few to spare. It is taking time but I am getting there with the stash I so want to have.

Back to the square...I had trouble with one block.... the right hand side at the top.... it is fabric from a sari that a young lady gave me here at the apartments. I metallic silver on it is hard to get to lay flat but I finally got it to do OK. That seam I will have to make sure and embellish. I have one light color at the top on the left hand side. I did that on purpose and hope to do some oriental motifs and use that block as light or the sun and go from there to darkness...I may not be able to pull this off. Only time will tell if I do this or change my mind.

The size of the 2 blocks is 13 by 13. That is a funny size but I use these to cover photograph albums with for gifts for friends. I have made over 30 to give away and would you believe not one is at my house? That is the way it goes. I really want to do a special one for us but as soon as I have it almost finished I decide I need to bless someone else. I think my favorites were 2 I did in all white, cream and off white. I added some pale colors to the one with the flowers and the other just had a few bits of gold.

I need to get off to the grocery store for my parents so catch you all later.

NEW CQ BLOCK, using Spring Challenge

2008-02-15T09:55:00.000-08:00

I want this one to be a flower garden theme and so decided to use some bigger blocks. I wanted to use colors that would show off the colors of flowers.

Thanks Melissa for the wonderful tutorial for making a CQ block. I always have hand sewed them because I had trouble getting them right on the machine. Melissa's blog is here:

http://honeybeesbliss.blogspot.com/

She sure has a lot of good tips and tutorials for us but how I love the "Eye Candy". So much to look at!

This afternoon I want to spend time deciding what I want to use in this block and get it in the basket I keep with me when I am working on a project.

I was thinking today about all the colors in a flower garden, all of the textures and all of the differences We as friends and acquaintances are like a flower garden. Some of us are colorful and have a personality that draws others to them. Some of us are a more subtle but so warm and inviting when you get closer, some of us are tall and stately, some are closer to the ground and draw our attention to the earth. Some have a wonderful smell and oh how we love to take a deep breath and fill our being with that smell. Than there are the very fragile flowers that will bruise so easily and we handle them in a very delicate way. But all of our differences make a beautiful garden. I have been to master gardens such as Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pa or Callaway Gardens here in Georgia. They are so perfect but each time you go it seems they draw you in and you see new things. That is how I feel about friends. I meet someone and their sparkling personality draws me to them and I am in for a lively time. At another time I meet someone for the second time and I begin to feel the warmth of a loving and caring heart. I know this person is trustworthy and will be a loyal friend. Along the way I have met people that draw me to the beauty of nature and to me they are the jewels of the earth. Than we meet a new friend that is in a fragile season of life and we want to nurture them with care and hope they blossom and grow.

Yes, I love a garden and a garden to me is God’s gift to all of us on earth. We just till the ground, plant the seed, water it and nurture it and keep the weeds away from it and than smile. A garden should always draw us to the Creator and we need to take time to thank Him for all he gives us to enjoy.

REDWORK ONCE AGAIN

2008-02-12T08:14:00.000-08:00

I found out I had a few more extra days until the swap needed to be mailed out. I took this time to make the hostess of the swap a block too. I wanted to find a pattern that reminded me of her. She loves to work with yarns and really crochets a lot but this was a good one for her. I liked the idea of the lamb also. She is the one of the sweetest ladies I know. Her love for the Lord shines. She and her husband have 6 children and one on the way. Not too long ago they lost their home to a fire and so it has been a hard time. But I see the strength she met this challenge with and I admire her a lot. Heather is a real woman of faith! So hats off to her!

Now off to begin a new crazy quilt block with the other challenge piece I did......

SPRING CHALLENGE FINISHED

2008-02-10T08:45:00.000-08:00

Mom was over the other day and loved the Blue Birds. I have been very busy in the days trying to help them pack and get ready for their big move back to Florida. Dad will soon be 88 and mom soon be 85 and on the 26th of this month they wll be married 65 years. Alone that is quite an accomplishment. As I am out and about with them and they tell someone how long they have been married I see by the reactions that fe people have met someone that has been married that long. Mom and dad have been like a fish out of water in Atlanta. They are Mennonite and so being away from "like minded" people has been hard for them. I know they have been talking to each other for some time about moving back to a Mennonite Community. About a month ago they told me they needed to make this move and the 2 options were Virginia where they had gone to retire or to Sarasota where they had been very active for 20 years+. It seemed to fall in place for them to go back to Florida and they will be moving onto a mobil home in a retirement community. Mom has a brother there and they know quite a few more people there too. The church they were active in is next door. So the 23rd of this month we will be moving them.

Mom loves blue and so I decided to bring out the blue. I beaded the edge with a nice plue glass bead in 2 sizes and also but a pretty blue backing on it. I think I will take it along down and just before we leave to come home I will set it in her bed room as a surprise for her. I really did have fun finishing this and knowing mom will treasure it is a wonderful feeling for me.

FELT PIN CUSHION

2008-02-07T06:42:00.000-08:00

I had just read a book about Russia and thought I need to make a pin cushion that reminds me of this country. As I was looking for ideas I found a site called "PaperCraft Inspirations". Since I love to make cards also I was having fun looking at all the templates they offer free. My mind goes to thinking "can I use that in my stitching or making felt boards for children that are very sick" does it have to be paper? ......and than I came to this template and I knew what I wanted to do.......Page 3 of the download.

http://www.papercraftinspirationsmagazine.co.uk/resources/papercraft/PIN30.templates.pdf

I had to play with it a bit but this is what I came up with and it is a cheerful pincushion to have by my side. I also made one of the hearts beside it but gave it away before I took a picture. I want to make several more of both for gifts.

I think that as creative people we can look at template for all mediums and come up with a way to use them in felt or fabric. That is the fun of creating. Look though this site and you will find lots of fun templates to use for cards, or scrabooking or textiles. We have to learn to think outside the box.

The next Russian Doll I do I think I will make from fabric and do some silk ribbon embroidery on her. I would have to do some applique work also I think.

CHRISTMAS BEAR SHADOW WORK

2008-02-06T11:07:00.000-08:00

This is a pattern I did for my MIL (Nana) one year. I ended up making her 10 for ladies in her Sunday School Class. Last week mom brought over some fabric I had given her from Nana and this fell out.......just the pattern on Irish Linen. Yesterday I did it. Linen is a good fabric to do it on because you get a good shadow. The picture under this is the back of the fabric. The closer you make the stitches the better the shadow. The head is about as wide as you want to do the shadow work.
I made this pin pillow with it with some edging I had around here and I used some very narrow ribbon to insert into the edging. There is enough room on each side of the bear to actually put a brooch on each side. She would buy a brooch for each lady and add a note on the other side of the bear. This was on the plate of each lady when they came to her home for a Christmas Tea. I remember we had Victorian bears in the middle of the table with beautiful red roses. This was the last tea she gave before she had to come and live with us. It is a beautiful memory and making this bear was a pleasure and I did it in memory of Nana. Enjoy it.

ANOTHER CHALLENGE PIECE

2008-02-03T16:57:00.000-08:00

I decided this weekend to work on one of the other designs. I know I need to practice my stitches. I have had a long dry period in creating. I had "spurts" and would make a gift for friends or the holiday gifts but than would just not pick up anything.
I mentioned we were exposed to high levels of mycotoxins and mold. If you want to read about what these can do you can read here:
http://www.mold-help.org/

My eyes were affected and what came easy for me and what I always did by memory was a long time coming back. I still have to look up a lot of stitches in order to do them. I can pick them up again with time. I think the other part of my problem was I lost all my stash and all my books (along with 90% of all our stuff) and I had such a wonderful stash than made those creative juices flowing....you know a special piece of lace and i inspires you or a piece of fabric with just the right colors or buttons and beads.......So I guess I mourned the loss way too long and now I am working with what I have.

I decided to use the shadow work just a bit and the bow seemed right for that. I wanted to see what a variegated thread would do. I used DMC 4210, which is a Mouline Color Variation. If you were to look at it close you can see it. I have Brazilian thread and wanted to use it. So I pulled out a book I got at Goodwill by Dover called "Brazilian Three-Dimensional Embroidery" by Rosie Montague. About 6 years ago I had made several projects that were mostly Brazilian embroidery. I decided I would do the "Crossed needle stitch" for the big flowers. It is an easy one and the thread I had suited it. I used beads for the center because I did not have a good yellow thread for the middle and I used smaller beads for the little flowers. I can sure see where I need to improve but I think this one will also end up as a pin pillow. I may try to put one together tomorrow. It all depends on if I have my almost 3 grandchild Zoe. She wants to "help" and her and the machine will not mix if you know what I mean.

Now back to finishing projects I had started way back when.......

Award I have been given

2008-02-02T16:21:00.000-08:00

I have a most precious friend (more like a long lost sister I always wanted) from Australia.

Jenny has been on a list with me for a long time. I admire first her love for the Lord and how she flows in His love. I love the way she works with fabrics and thread and the end result is a beautiful creation fille with love. Than that love of creating has passed on to her precious daughter Elizabeth who is a artist also. This young lady sews, quilts, does needle arts, takes wonderful pictures and sure can write! I think of them as about the best Mother/Daughter team around!

So Jenny I thank you. I feel like you have honored me.

Please look at her blogs:

He Knows My Name

http://mariumregnumfamiliae.blogspot.com/

A Thread In Time

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/AThreadInTime/

Pass The Pesto Please

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/PassThePestoPlease

Purple Flower Patch In Oz

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CentralianJen

The Rules:
By accepting this award I must now share with you 10 blogs that I also deem 'excellent'. If you are one of my 10 you then choose 10 blogs that you feel have an excellent quality about them. You can give it to as many people as you want-even those that have received it already, but please award at least 10 people.
My ten are these:

1. Honey Bee's Bliss...I have spent hours at this blog!

http://honeybeesbliss.blogspot.com/2008/01/cream-on-cream-rr-tea-cozy.html

2. The Broken Needle....love her work!

http://brokenneedle.typepad.com/

3. Gatherings....Pat Winter is one of the most creative people! Great Eye-Candy!
http://gatherings100.blogspot.com/

4.Coffee Tea Book and Me...a real inspiration to me.
http://coffeeteabooksandme.blogspot.com/

5. Posie Gets Cozy...Just delightful!
http://rosylittlethings.typepad.com/

6. Kimberlys Cup.....inspiration for me.....
http://www.kimberlys-cup.blogspot.com/

7. Plainsong....she is so organized and I have found ways to improve here.
http://plainsongschool.typepad.com/plain_song_school/

8.Sandra Sews...does beautiful work!
http://sandrasews.blogspot.com/

9. Sunshine's Creations...so many ideas, so little time!
http://sunshinescreations.vintagethreads.com/

10. The Floss Box...love her free patterns!
http://blog.theflossbox.com/

I finished the spring challenge!

2008-01-31T13:27:00.000-08:00

I did the birds leaves and flowers in shadow work. Than I turned it around and did cast on needle stitches and filled the center with beads. I wanted a 3D picture. I am going to do one with stumpwork flowers. By the way I did add feet after I saw I missed them. I see a few things I would change because I had not done shadow work for several years. I did the work on Swiss Batiste and if you could see a bit better you would see the blue come through really nice. I think I will make a pin pillow from this.

TWO PROJECTS FINISHED

2008-01-29T06:27:00.000-08:00

Over the week-end I decided to check out my sweater sized of unfinished projects. I saw these two things that needed to be finished and decided I would finish them by Wednesday and they were finished yesterday.

The teapot was started when I was in a group and we were doing swaps but I got another idea and just put this aside. I am thankful that I have a habit that puts the project in a plastic bag with the silk ribbons and whatever else I am used in the bag. So I finished it....I think.

The cross stitch I started when Nana was with us. We lived in the basement and she was upstairs. Nana and Uncle Joe lived upstairs. I spent a good part of the day up with them. When she was really slipping away I decided to have a project upstairs and one downstairs so when I was up all night with her I could do something. I put this aside when she died. All I needed to do was finish the birdhouse and than sew the beads in place. This was a kit from Mill Hill. It was in the series called "Spring Weathervanes" and this on is called "Bluebird Inn".

It was so good to finish them. I have a few more to do and I will not start anything else until I have completed these.....maybe. You all know how this is.....anyway I have good intentions.

I have no ideas what I will do with these 2. I finished 2 others in the series and made one a bookmark for a friend and the other a wall hanging. I have thought about using this one in a crazy quilt project. The same with the teapot.....what would you all do with these.....give me your ideas on the comments.

What projects do you all have laying around that you need to finish?

IN MEMORY OF NANA

2008-01-28T08:34:00.000-08:00

About 5 years before the dementia really set in Nana was called by a company that bought an estate in her home town here in Georgia. They were told she loved old laces and wondered if she would like to come and see some they had. This Estate was quite a big one as the same family had lived in this home before the Civil War and had thrown little away. She bought a trunk full of laces that were mostly before the Civil War. She never did tell us how much it cost but she was like a kid in a candy store and we lovingly went through each piece and salvaged what we could. She used quite a bit of it in Christening gowns and I got some to use for my crazy quilting. I treasured each piece and share some with folks that also loved to use laces in crazy quilting. About 3 years ago we lost all we owned due to toxic mold in our apartment and so my stash is gone. (it sure is hard to build it up again)

After her death I tried to make something for each of her 6 siblings that would be a heirloom to them and their family. This black lace was so very delicate and I had to mend a few places and so I played with it and as I was folding it I saw it could be a shawl. So I tacked it to a piece of fabric and began to embellish it. The black beads I used as fringe were from that stash too. They are wonderful fragile glass beads. The gold beads that are close to the neck were off of a sweater that was her Mil's and the sweater was full of holes and I cut the beads off of them. She loved when I made flowers with beads and so that is why the bouquet is mainly beaded. The crystals are red because this lady loved to wear bright colors and red was one she had a lot of. Her sister now has it framed in a shadow box with a picture of Nana in it also. It will be passed on to her daughter and she says her 4 daughters are fighting over who gets it next.

It is a wonderful thing to pass on special pieces to family that will treasure it and the work you did.

QUILT BLOCK FOR A SWAP

2008-01-28T08:31:00.000-08:00

I did this several years ago. I had no pattern but played with both the high top boot and designing it. I decided to do needlelace flowers and used a very fine crochet cotton crochet thread for them. I have no idea the size because it was in a box of threads I bought at a yard sale and it had the paper torn off of it. I used a dupioni fabric for the top of the boot and a black velvet for the bottom. I love to work with beads and that trim was fun.

I pulled out the photo because I think I would like to do a smaller one for a crazy quilt and today started working on a pattern. I thought maybe you all would like to see this one and when I get a smaller one made I will be glad to share that one too.

It was a joy to make.

ANOTHER TYPE OF A CHATELAINE

2008-01-23T12:11:00.000-08:00

I made this about 6 years ago and I love using it. It fits around my neck and I can fold it over the chair arm and secure it with a pin. The pattern comes from "Sew Creative Gifts for under $10." and it is a House of White Birches book and you can buy it at Amazon. The one they show uses geometric shapes and paisley shapes. I wanted to use some laces and buttons that were gifts to me. Each feature is a pocket and where the colors change is a deep pocket. I keep my needle book in one, my scissors fob goes around my neck but fits in a pocket when I put it down. I have a thimble, threads, small ruler,and making pencil in pockets and threaded needles can be simply put in the felt and you do not have to change threads so often. I also keep small pieces of lace to work in crazy quilts and that saves me hunting and that means more time to stitch.

I have made several of these for friends and some for mom's friends that quilt and they love them. It is just a neat way to keep it all together and we "stitchers" need that!

Redwork for a Swap

2008-01-22T08:02:00.000-08:00

I am on a small group that is a very important group of Christian ladies. One of the ladies wanted to do a quilt block swap and the theme was Valentine Day. I found this pattern"Sentimental Stitches".

http://sentimentalstitches.net/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/janes-redwork-119.pdf

she has quite a few free patterns here: So enjoy...

http://sentimentalstitches.net/free-stuff/janes-redwork-embroidery/

We each did 2 and it is the first redwork I have done for years and I think I will be doing more. There are so many wonderful free patterns on the net for us all to use. I have added some on the side under links.

So here is to 2 blocks being done before they were late!

Stumpwork

2008-01-21T08:47:00.000-08:00

About 3 years ago I decided I wanted to tackle stumpwork. I love to make 3-D cards and so it made sense to me to try stumpwork. I had a magazine I found at a Goodwill called "Embroidery and Cross Stitch" magazine. It is volume 3 number 5 and in it was Fairy Wrens in My Garden" by Jean Fletcher. It was a lot of fun and a real challenge....especially the needlelace petals but I got it finished . I had it framed but they did not stretch it properly and so I am going to have it done again. This is one of the few pieces I have kept for us.

I have also done a piece called "Winged Desire" and is a sweet pea and bee. It was in in " Inspirations" volume 17 and I did "Rustle of Winter" and is a thistle and is in volume 37.
I enjoyed that so much I did another thistle one that had a wonderful Monarch Butterfly and that is in volume 42. I did a Christmas one from Caron and you will find it in the side under free patterns stumpwork along with some more good ones.

I find that I am wanting to branch out and try to add stumpwork to many projects. I love that it is not flat work......maybe that is why I like Brazilian work too. Check out the free patterns on the net at the side and be brave and try stumpwork.......Happy Stitching.

My Sewing Basket

2008-01-20T09:04:00.000-08:00

This project was inspired by 2 things....I had a picnic basket from Nana that was special to her and the magazine "Inspirations" Issue 21 had a round sewing basket they did......maybe I had better say it was inspired by 2 things because I have always wanted a English Cottage and flower garden.

A year after Nana passed away I decided to just get it done. We had moved to a new apartment complex and John was in the middle of making a nature trail for them along the most beautiful
Chattahoochee River that flowed at the edge of the property. Going out with him and being in nature kept me inspired and so the project really was completed in short order. I had to add things because of the shape but that really makes it mine. It was a year after 9/11 and so that inspired me to add the flag and the Robin in the nest was because outside our window I watched as the mother Robin cared for her babies and than watched the babies take their first flights. The shell button that holds the flowers on the other side was from memories of the fun days I spent with my kids while they were growing up on Florida's beaches.

I have enjoyed keeping my scissors and things I need for stitching inside the lid. The pin cushion has Velcro to hold in in place when I am not stitching and I have found the Velcro has helped it stick to my chair arm when I am stitching.

I have a dear friend that has blessed me with several things she has made and soon this basket will take a journey to "Down Under" for her to enjoy. After all what we create needs to be shared with those we love.......

Needle Books

2008-01-18T17:18:00.001-08:00

I mentioned I like to work with felt. I find it a easy medium to work with and I simple relax when I use it. It is easy to stitch on with all mediums also
I simply love to do needle book or cases. I believe every lady should have several. I keep one in my purse, one in my stitching bag and several by my chair where I usually sew. I like to keep them on hand for gifts and the are so easy to put in an envelope. I have received some neat ones in swaps a few years ago. They are fun to swap.

This is the first small needle book I made. It has a pocket in the front and back on the inside and has 3 pages for needles.

I really do not remember how I got this pattern. I think I may have used a coloring page. The inside is like a petticoat and has lace at the edge. I use all kinds of threads to do these and add beads for fun.

This Needle case cottage is from Pattern Bee. I just decided I wanted to add the window boxes so I could do more flowers. I use wool yarn, floss and silk ribbon and beads on these. This patterns handles 2 pages inside for needles.

This one makes up quickly and I can do one in an evening. I have a folder with the pattern and several cut out and ready to go at all times. The centers come out cute with beads in them.

The heart pattern comes from Pattern Bee:

http://www.patternbee.com/FREEV2.html

This one is done with felt but I have made many with wool. I like to but that here:

http://www.fabric.com/creativity-headquarters-craft-fabrics-notions-marcus-brother-39-s-wool-bundles.aspx

The colors are great, the service is great and I find prices for patterns and fabric to be good.

Maybe these will spark your creative ability.

My Amish Lady Chatelaine

2008-01-18T05:23:00.001-08:00

It is a beautiful day in Atlanta. They say we may have some snow again in the morning...we shall see.

I love to work with felt. I have used the pattern for this Amish lady many times and have always made the Chatelaine in fabric. Several weeks ago I decided to make one out of felt. I like the way it turned out.

If you lift up the apron you will find a piece of felt for needles. Actually with this one out of felt you can use any on it as a pin cushion. It is so easy to secure your scissors in the other side and I also have a needle book that fits in it. The heart in the front will hold a thimble. I like to have this on hand when I take a project with me.

This came out of a cross stitch magazine many years ago. The publication is out of business. I wonder if I can share it.....any of you know these rules?

The Amish lady takes me back to Pa. Grandma had many family member that still were Amish and as a young girl we would go to their homes for a family reunion. How I loved going on hay rides and eating the wonderful food! The Amish are such gentle people and so full of love for family and God. I love the quilts they make. If you want to plan a trip consider Intercourse, Pa and go to the Old Country Store.

http://www.theoldcountrystore.com/the-old-country-store-home.php

I went to school with Phyllis Pellman Good. We both graduated from Lancaster Mennonite School in 1966. She has written many good books on quilts and cook books. The Quilt Museum

is a wonderful place! Amish women are known for their very small stitches......Maybe I will share with you all a picture of the quilt mom and I did.....

I think I would love to collect chatelaines. It would be fun to do a swap with these.....

2008-01-17T06:25:00.000-08:00

I mentioned my Mother-In- Law in the last post. She was a wonderful heirloom seamstress. She had a real love for what she called "sweet embroidery" but she never seemed to master it. So she begged me to learn all the stitches and so I did. We were a good pair.

When Nana came started to have a hard time sewing on her beloved Bernina sewing machine we knew she was in trouble. We were told it was dementia and so we moved her and the brother she was keeping into our home. By that time she could no longer sew and when she sat down at her machine she was blank. But she still loved what I would create. So create I did.

When she could no longer talk to us I tried to stimulate her and show her the beautiful dresses she made and she would smile. One day I was looking at her old "Sew Beautiful" magazine by Martha Pullen and saw each one had in paper dolls and Nana had made many of these outfits and so I cut them all out and she ad I played "paper dolls". She loved it. After 2 and 1/2 tears with us she went to meet the Lord on September 5, 2001.
Link to Sew Beautiful:
http://www.sewbeautifulmag.com/

The last gift she had given me was a tapestry piece and she challenged me to make it "mine". It took me months to begin doing that and I finally started while she could still watch. But after her death it was far too painful to work on it and I set it aside. I even gave it to my mom to keep. She handed it back to me a year ago and again I picked it up. I have made some head way but still have a long way to go. I decided today I would show you what I am doing and maybe you all can keep me on task.

Today I start.....

2008-01-15T07:26:00.000-08:00

I have thought about doing a blog for a long time. My husband gave me a camera for Christmas and so now I have no more excuses!

I love to stitch. This love was instilled in me at a early age. My grandma had a crazy quilt that her mother had made and it was my favorite. She would tell me about the patches and who wore a dress from the fabric. I loved all the stitches and that is where my journey started.

Grandma taught me the basic stitches. I made several things for my Hope Chest and than put it aside for a season. As a young mother I learned to do crewel embroidery and cross stitch. Than came the counted cross stitch craze and I was hooked! I had a small craft store and gave lessons
Macrame was big than also. I sure did my share.

I soon learned I could do counted cross stitch and add silk ribbon embroidery and make a design personal. Than I added crazy quilting to bring all mediums together. I was hooked!

I love to make a crazy quilt piece and embellish it and turn it into a photo album. I think I have mad at least 30 of them for gifts. It is my "love" given to friends. I also find that when I make one for a friend that I use my stitching time to pray for that person and their family. So that makes each gift special.

I also love to work with felt. I have arthritis and sometimes I need a easier medium to work with and felt is very easy. So I make needle books and pincushions for gifts too.

I have self taught myself to use many forms of stitches.....I love stump work, Brazilian, shadow work and anything I can learn. I must add that I learned many stitches due to my precious "Mother-in-Love". She was a heirloom seamstress and made portrait clothing. She went to many Martha Pullen classes. I did all the handwork for her. My favorite was to do the Christening Dresses and she taught me to make bullion roses. Nana, as we called her, passed away after suffering from dementia. We had the privilege of caring for her the last 2-1/2 years of her life.
She was an inspiration to me.

Speaking of Inspiration.......that is my favorite magazine. Inspirations by Country Bumpkin.
If you have never bought one make sure you do. They are like gold to me! When I lost my past issues several years ago I cried. I hope to get the back issues. One of my projects right now is a ornament called "Mother Goose". It is from the issue no. 52. It is a challenge.
http://www.countrybumpkin.com.au/index.php?cPath=2&osCsid=mpk7sb5huofi3k0gmcpe8a9s14

I hope you will all enjoy taking this journey with me. I will introduce you more to the ladies that are an inspiration to me.

Love,
Donna G in Midtown Atlanta.