Gifts For Margaret

My friend Margaret had a birthday quite some time ago.  I was very late in  sending her gifts off to her.  I don't think that I have ever had her birthday gift to her on time.  There was one time that I might have but the package decided to take a side trip and it was unaccounted for for a couple of months.  She has her gifts now.  I never took a picture of the gifts before I mailed them off.  Margaret took pictures and sent them to me today.  Now I can show you what I made.  First is a pincushion from JABC.  It came as a kit.  The directions were great and it was very easy to hand stitch together.  I enjoyed making the acorn and was very pleased with it finished.  Thank you so much Margaret for the pictures.

Next I stitched  Aunt Lucy's Button Box by Crab-apple Hill.  I used the called for Cosmo  over dyed floss.  I like the Cosmo floss very much but I find that  the sections of colors are quite long between color changes.  The floss is wonderful to work with though.

Here  is a close up of the fabric, floss and buttons.

This small cross stitch is by Olde Colonial Designs.  It was a fee pattern if you bought a small wooden oval frame.  I like the lace flower and the lady bug button.  I also liked this small black frame from Michael's.

I made gifts for another March birthday.  Again I did not take pictures.  Tomorrow is my stitching day with friends so I will take photos tomorrow and post them soon.  Margaret has one more photo to send.  Daylight got away from her today.  When she is able she will send it along and I will post it at another time.

Day one of  DST and I am exhausted already.  It is hard to believe that one hour can make so much difference to our body's schedule.  I enjoy the extra sunshine but we didn't have it today.  It is very overcast here and rain is on the way.

I have some stitching progress to show and some I can't because I am working on Christmas.  I hope that you enjoy your day tomorrow as much as I will.  I will be stitching away with friends.  Tuesday...my favorite day of the week!

Margaret, I hope that you had a wonderful birthday.  Enjoy your gifts.  Again, I am sorry that it was so late.  As soon as my order arrives I will get your HAG off to you!!!

Hugs and Stitches,

Pat

Finally Some Finishes

I can not believe that we are half way through February already.  Time is speeding by me like I am standing still.   I have been busy stitching on some birthday gifts and I have even started some  Christmas stitching.  The projects below are all gifts that I gave this past Christmas.   The first one is by Plum Street Sampler. His name is Sergei.  He was a fun stitch. I used the fabric and threads called for in the pattern and stitched him with one strand of floss over two threads. I sent him off to Utah to be framed at Jill Rensel Studio.  I had ordered frames and mats from Jill before but this was the first time I had her frame a project for me.  What a pleasure it was to work with her.  She sent me three different options to frame via e-mail.  We e-mailed back and forth and I decide on this frame.  I loved how the inside red frame matched so perfectly and the glass covered the red frame.  I would never hesitate to send a project to Jill.  I am not lucky enough to have a local framing shop in my town.  In the past I have used Michael's.  I see more of my projects flying West.

Here is a close up of the frame.

The next finish is The Journey by Shepherd's Bush.  It came as a kit.  .  I wanted the same frame and mat that was used on the picture in the kit.  I just love the decorative painting on the mats. Not only is Jill a pleasure to work with, she is a very talented lady.

Here is a close up of the frame and mat.  I apologize for the flash light in this picture.  We have not had much sun around lately.

 This last stitch is a pattern by Lizzy Kate.  Wine a bit.   I saw this pattern and  pre-made wine bag at the Celebration of Needle work in NH last year.  I knew right away that I had to stitch it and who I would stitch it for.  I loved how it turned out.

Speaking of the Celebration of Needle Work, we are already making our plans to go.  It is at the very end of April in Nashua NH.  Our room is reserved.  Soon we will be planning our snacks and "spirits".  We always have so much fun.  It is great for the girls to have a getaway. 

I hope that everyone had a great Valentine's day yesterday.  I stitched a little pillow for each of my friends.  I will be back to show you how cute they are.  Wishing you all a great weekend with plenty of time to stitch.

Hugs and Stitches,

Pat

Some Finishes

It has been quite a while since I have posted any finishes.  This small pillow is a BBD  project.  I made it for a friend for her birthday.  I think that it turned out nice.  I know that my friend liked it.

I backed it with a piece of BBD fabric that I thought matched it perfectly.

I also stitched some Christmas ornaments  for friends this year.  In years past I have purchased ornaments.  This year I didn't see many new ornaments that I liked.  We have one nice gift shop here in town.  Every fall they have a Christmas Open House.  Usually I attend with the friends I buy for.  I don't think that any of us were to impressed with the ornament selection this year.  I had not stitched an ornament for several years.  It was really fun stitching them.  The first one was a free pattern from Homespun Elegance.  It was a quick stitch.  I used fabric and floss from my stash.  I added a button that reminded me of a snow flake and a tiny rusty bell.

The backing also came from my stash.  The next ornament was also a free pattern.  This one was from  Niky.  Noel was a quick stitch too.  I added a rusty bell in the top left hand corner.  The backing for this ornament also came from my stash.

Lastly, I stitched two of these cute stockings from the 1998  Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornament issue.  It is a Blackbird Design pattern.  I almost forgot to take  pictures so I caught this one on it's way out the door.  It was a fun stitch also.  It  did take a little time to put together.  It was all done by hand.

I am going to leave you with these pictures tonight while blogger and I are still speaking!!!

Our cold spell has finally broken.  It snowed here all day yesterday leaving us with several inches of the white stuff.  Tomorrow it is going to be 50 degrees and rain.  Then it is going to turn cold again.  You all know what happens when  it rains and then turns cold!  We will be covered in ICE!  I can hardly wait.  My thoughts are with the people in the South and Midwest with the weather they have forecast for them for tonight.  I hope everyone stays safe.  Have a good week.

Hugs and Stitches,

Pat

IT'S OFFICIAL....

It's official!!  I am a Prim Lady.  I joined the Ladies Prim Society when it was announced on The Dying to Stitch web site several weeks ago.   My kit arrived on Saturday.  It is a Nan Lewis original. " Wynter Peacock" sewing pouch.   Kits will arrive five times a year and feature Nan and the girls from Blackbird Designs.  I enjoy both designers and have stitched several of their patterns.

 Here are the fabrics and the floss.  They are just stunning.

I can't wait to get it started.  I need to finish some birthday gifts that I am working on that I can't show just yet.
Baby it's cold outside! I feel like a frozen Popsicle today as I now a lot of you do too.  I don't like the cold when it is this cold  for so long.  The weatherman says maybe by the end of weekend it will be warmer.  It is great weather to sit and stitch and that is what I am going to do today.  I hope that you find some time to stitch too.  Have a great weekend and stay warm.  Not sure what happened with these pictures. They flipped around and I can't flip them back!!

Hugs and Stitches,

Pat

A Fun Day!

Yesterday was a fun, fun day spent with friends.   Four of us always travel to NH at the end of April to the Celebration of Needlework Show, as a girls get away.  For the past few years there has been a big scrapbook show in the area at the same time. (not this year...sad face) Two of my friends are big into scrap booking along with cross stitching..  Of course they wanted to attend that show too.   My other friend and myself went along  to see what that show was about.   I was overwhelmed.  I loved everything I saw and spent way to much money on stuff I haven't used.  We all bought a printer's box and until yesterday it was left untouched and forgotten in our piles of things we wanted to do.  Four out of five of our hubbies are away.  So we planned to get our boxes finished on Saturday.  Each of us made a munchie and off to Karrie's house we went.

We started the day of with a toast to good friends, good times and great memories. 

Karrie's mom is an avid crocheter, she doesn't stitch or scrap, but she joined us for a while.  That hook never stopped!

Here we are all hard at work but mostly having FUN!!



Two of the girls completed their boxes and glued everything down.  Two of us were not sure of a couple of  spaces so we are waitting to glue ours down.  Here are the finished and almost finished pieces.



We had some great munchies. I forgot to take pictures.  Believe me they were delish.    I think that our printer boxes turned out great.   We were all  quite happy when we headed home.  Thanks Karrie for having us in your beautiful scrapbooking room for the day,  We all had a great time.  Wish you all could have joined us.   Tonight it is back to cross stitching for me.  Sunday night is my favorite night for TV.  I am off to settle in with a new cross stitch project .  I will show you soon. 

Hugs and Stitches,

Pat

Another Christmas..

Another Christmas has come and gone.  Where does the time go.  Here we are almost in the middle of January with Valentines Day just around the corner.  I have been away from blogging for awhile but I have been busy stitching.  Most of my stitching has been for friends for gifts but I have managed to stitch  a bit for me too.   Here is a tray that I made as a gift.  The pattern is from a BBD book.  I made one of these trays for myself and I love it.  My friend did too and asked for one for Christmas.  As you can see this is not the tray but a close up picture of the handle.  I have no idea what happened to the picture.  It was right here when I started this post. 

IS IT ME OR IS BLOGGER STILL HAVING PROBLEMS???  PLEASE HELP!!

This is a pattern by Little by Little.  Quaker Blackbird is the name.  I stitched two of these and changed the colors up a bit. The horn book was ordered from Country Stitches

I have several more pictures of gifts I have stitched to show but I  am about to pull my hair out tonight with blogger.  Pictures are moving where they want to, sometimes right off the page.  Print is doing the same.  Oh my!  I am not sure that I like the new and improved blogger at all!!  I sure hope that someone can help!!

Hugs and Stitches,

Pat

FITTING!!!

Some days Blogger  behaves like a spoiled child.  It has been  throwing fits for a couple of days now.  I will be back as soon as it calms down!  Enjoy your day.

Hugs and Stitches,

Pat

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!  I wish you great health and Joy in 2013.  May we find Peace in the World and in ourselves.
I have been away for awhile but I have been busy.  I will be back soon with pictures of what I have been working on.    Have a safe Holiday.

Hugs and Stitches,

Pat

Merry Christmas

This year certainly flew by. It is hard to believe that it has been so long since my last post. My son was married in early October to a lovely young women that we all love dearly. Working with them on their wedding plans we saw how much they loved each other. Their wedding was and always will be one of the highlights of my life. My mom, 89 years old, was so excited for them too. She lived the last five years with me. She attended the wedding and the reception staying longer than I thought she would. She was so proud of her "Will". His name is Bill but she always called him Will.

Shortly after the wedding mom wasn't her spunky self, lost her appetite and wanted to sleep more. She passed away in November the Monday before Thanksgiving. She was so loved and is missed every minute of the day. Our holidays this year will be so different.

From our family to yours we are wishing you a very Merry Christmas.


Hugs and Stitches,

Pat

Happy Memorial Day and Some Gifts

First I would like to wish you  a Happy Memorial Day.  I hope that you are having a warm, dry and safe Holiday weekend.  Please remember all of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, along with all the men and woman who are defending this great country of ours today and everyday. God bless you all and  keep you out of harm's way.


A few weeks ago I had another birthday. The older I get the faster they seem to come around. I received some lovely gifts from my friends.  One of those gifts came from Margaret in Spain.
 


Inside the package I found several wrapped goodies and a card that looked good enough to eat.  I don't know if blogger is having a bad day or is just having a little tantrum!!  Or heaven forbid is it me?? This is my first post since all the changes have made to improve blogger.  So far I am not impressed.  My pictures downloaded much faster but I am not sure what happened to all of them.  They are among the missing.  Anyway, I will try to continue.  Is anyone else having these problems.  Pictures and words just go where ever they want to!!  I have lost control here too!!!

 Below is a Couch Companion that Margaret made  using French General fabric.  Here it is closed.

                                           

And opened.

The outside.

 

Inside there are several little pockets to keep my treasures.

On the other end there  are bigger pockets to slide your floss or ruler in.

There is a pincushion in the center.  My family will really enjoy not getting stuck by needles that are left in the arms of chairs when I am stitching.  They thank you Margaret!

Next is The Fancy Brown Sewing Pouch by Stacy Nash.  I love this.  I had the pattern and the supplies to make this one for myself.  Isn't it lovely?  Thank you so much Margaret.  Here is the front.

Here is the back.  There is a button on each side attaching the strap.

Below are some little pillows and pincushions that Margaret also made.  The first one is for my birth month. I love Lily of the Valley.  Now I have lost the the picture of the backside of the May pillow.  OMGoodness I am not happy.  I will get a picture of the back because I love the fabric that Margaret choose to finish it with .

  

This next on is by Shepherds Bush.  I love SB!!!

The back side.  It is as cute as the front.  Now who could stick a pin in that little cutie?

Last but not least is the cutest little bunny.  He is just the sweetest.  I had also purchased this pattern and had the supplies ready for this project.  I guess that Margaret really knows me well.  I have told her that I believe we were friends in another life or maybe we were even related!

I have all my little cushions displayed in a  small, old wooden drawer with a doily. I have them sitting right by my stitching cha

Thank you so much Margaret. I just love everything that you made and will treasure them always.

I have been spending way to much time on Pintrest of late.  I find it so inspiring.  Too inspiring maybe. If that is possible.  Below are two projects that I found there and had to make.  The first is a tall canning jar with a doily glued on the front of it.   I added a couple of decorative things that I had on hand and some ribbon to dress it up a bit.  I have a battery  operated candle inside that lights up every nigh for five hours and then shuts off.  I love it at night.  I will have to take a picture of  it this evening.

This next project I fell in love with. It is a photo holder. I saw it made  in a silver creamer.  I was unable to find a creamer but I did find this little old metal container.  Now I just have to get new pictures of my two grandchildren and it will be finished.  Cute isn't it?

Hubby has the grill fired up and the family is here so I should be off to put the finishing touches on our dinner.  Take care.  I will be back soon with some new purchases.

Hugs and Stitches,

Pat

A Gift For Margaret

I finish this stitching project from the BBD book Christmas Garden. I have had the Tea and Toast Set for quite some time. I couldn't seem to find a pattern that really caught my eye to stitch for it. When I got this book and saw the little Gift Box pattern on the cover I just had to stitch it for my set. It was a fun and quick stitch. As I was stitching it my friend Margaret came to mind. I was way behind in sending her birthday gift. Last week I mailed a package off to Spain. Margaret received her package yesterday. It arrived all in one piece. I was a little worried about sending something so fragile in the mail. The USPS did a great job in getting it there in short order and intact.





I found the decorative pins on an ETSY shop. I thought that they matched so well I just had to purchase them.

I have started another project. I will be back soon with some progress. I hope everyone is having a great week.

Hugs and Stitches,

Pat

A Gift and Some Finishes

Recently I ordered some pin books from a very sweet lady in the UK. I was introduced to Angela through a mutual online friend. Angela had so many wonderful patterns to choose from that I couldn't make up my mind which ones I wanted. I left it up to her to select some for me. What a job she did. They are all beautiful. Angela made all four of them a gift to me. I don't want to give any of them away now. If you are ever in need of a beautiful little handmade pinbook please check out Angela's selection of pin books here. http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/view/24032668 . Thank you so much Angela. I will treasure mine always.

Next I have a couple of small finishes to show . The first is a Homespun Elegance pattern Snippet's and Stitches I. I purchased this pattern last year. It came with a lovely piece of vintage lace. I put my lace in a very safe place so I wouldn't loose it. Well guess what? When the time came to sew in on I could not find it. So I used a piece of lace I had on hand. After I had it framed I found the lace. I put it in a small Ziploc bag and now it is among the missing again. Why didn't i just leave it with the pattern to begin with? Sometimes I do the most foolish things!! Anyway, I love the way it turned out. I love the little frame too. It's from Michael's.

Last but not least is a BBD pattern Woodland Berries. It is from their Loose Feathers Mystery Sampler Summer from last year.

Below is a close up of the frame.

It was a fun stitch. I love this frame too.

It is almost dinner time and tonight is Idol. What talent they have this year. So I am off so I will not miss a minute of tonight's show. Who are you voting for?

Hugs and Stitches,

Pat