End of Week Review!

 We've gone from a below average temperature Spring to a now above average temperature run here in Iowa.  I heard on the news the other day we are 22 days ahead of schedule for temperatures to hit this high.  I will say my plants are thriving as evidenced by my latest picture collage.  The warmer temperatures have also brought along some great bit white puffy clouds....not to mention the occasional pop up thunderstorm out of nowhere.

I'm making progress on the Mystery Sampler by With Thy Needle and Thread.  I divided the pattern into thirds and will be starting the last and final section tonight.  I really am looking forward to a finish on this one.

For those of you interested in the pattern for the fabric box I made it is available for purchase as the FABRIC BOX KIT from the designer (thanks Aunt Nanc for getting this information).  The kit includes instruction book, patterns, cardboard and batting.  This is the exact kit I received from my Aunt Nanc who took Marie's class.  With the pattern I was then able to replicate the cardboard and batting to create as many as I wanted.  I will take pictures and share what I used to replicate materials in another post.

You can contact her as follows:

Marie Nafzgar

21895 Cherokee Rd.

Clovis, CA  93619

559-298-3398

I was pretty excited last Sunday to have won the giveaway from Purple Cats Corner.  I was given a choice of her three newest releases in print form.  I chose Serenity and think it is just lovely.  If you have time, check out her Etsy shop or Facebook page.  She offers her designs in a array of formats.  I have purchased a few of her notecards and tote bags.  I know she has offered other items in the past as well as magnets come to mind.

Sadly someone stole some of the decorations put out on my mother's grave again this year.  My younger brother put this lovely solar rose light on and it lasted about 2 days before it disappeared.  Needless to say the family was all upset about this.  You would think people would have the decency to respect someone's grave.  I'm a believer that "what goes around comes around" and this person will get what is coming at some point.

I bought myself a new Thermos brand insulated bottle.  I love these bottles and have several as they really do keep your water cold for the 12 hours they say they do.  I love that I still have ice at the end of the day and I can leave it in a hot car and come out to ice cold water.  They are readily available for purchase at local stores or online.  Oh and the pink - means the guys won't be running off with it anytime soon!

 We took the Camaro out for a drive Friday night as it was such a beautiful night out and ended up down by our State Capitol building.  Hubby couldn't resist a couple of photos.  The picture on the left is from down at the bottom of the landscaped area across the street.  The middle photo is on the road right in front of the Capitol.  The photo on the right is the Soldiers and Sailors Monument located just South of the Capitol.  

Well, it is time to go put a roast in the oven for supper.  See you soon!

The Official Start of Summer!

It is Memorial weekend a time when we visit the gravesides of our dearly loved and missed and reflect upon the memories we hold in our hearts of times spent with them.

As we finished up our visits to the last of the cemeteries in the southern part of the State, it was time to mark the official start of summer.  For me this includes a stop at Ellis Greenhouse down in southern Iowa to pick up some more flowers/herbs/veggies for planting as well as any other unique items we happen upon.

This year the unique items included 4 wrought iron trellises for our clematis vines...

and I couldn't resist this little sheep planter...

and yes there were boxes of plants, herbs and veggie plants.  There was a lot of planting going on the rest of the day.

The previously planted are growing well and so enjoy sitting out on my front porch and back deck with a good book or just for some peace and quiet away from phones and t.v.

More firsts for the summer - first ride out in the convertible.  Can you tell how much the guys are going to enjoy it by the smiles?!

First car show of the year at Crivaro Park.  Thank you Brian M. for the great family shot.

First case of car envy - I've always loved the Chevrolet Corvairs and blue is my favorite color.  Only thing that could have made this better would have been it being one of the convertible models.

Made my first set of sheer curtains for the side windows of our front door.  We had been using a frosted Plexiglas there to give us some privacy as they did not make tension rods to fit these windows and I didn't want permanent rods in there.  As my good friends know, I will do a search online 3 or 4 times a year to see if what I'm looking for is now being made.  Imagine how excited I was 3 weeks ago to find they now make tension rods in the size I needed.  I ordered immediately and then went on the hunt for sheer fabric.  I had a stroke of luck to find the exact same sheer fabric used in my living room/dining room sheers I had purchased pre-made about 10 years ago.  The texture on the sheer as well as the color are a perfect match.   Yippee!  It gets better - discontinued on clearance for $4 a yard!  It was meant to be.

As I commented in a previous post, I need an updated photo of the Mystery Sampler by With Thy Needle and Thread.  I'm actually past the halfway point and am looking forward to a finish soon - providing I can get a couple of lengthy blocks of time to work on it.

I enjoyed a wonderful day of catching up, laughing and stitching with my dear friend, Harriet on Wednesday.  We had a fabulous lunch at Bravo! Cucina Italiana.  The eggplant Parmesan was cooked to perfection. 

One of the topics we talked about was goal setting for our stitching.  I know some of you think this is a little early to be thinking about as most of you set your goals to begin January 1.  My stitching year runs on a different schedule.  Yes, I like to be different, unique and original.  There is a really logical reason for this as I always enter projects in the Iowa State Fair which runs early to mid-August and pieces have to be turned in the end of July for judging.  You can see where this is going as I base my goals around everything needing to be completed by July 1 to allow for framing/finishing.  True not everything I stitch gets entered in the Fair but it seems like the time I think about what I want to accomplish with my stitching for the next year.  

This year I've completed almost all of the projects I want to enter so have been contemplating where I want to go with my goals this year.  The last two years my goals have been pretty generic to stitch from my stash with some new items sprinkled in that I just had to have.  I've decided to streamline my goals a bit more this year.  I'm am going to concentrate on stitching my stash of Prairie Schooler designs and sprinkle in designs from my stash by other designers.  Once again cutting back on new designs being purchased and whittling away at my stash.

To that end when I was with Harriet the other day I started stitching Harvest Time by The Prairie Schooler.  I'm using a 28 count Jobelan called Copper Penny and the called for DMC threads.  I will admit that I'm changing out the color used on the church as it is a green-gray and it does not sit well with me.  Am going to use the grays (which range from light to dark) in the 400's to stitch the church.

Robin, thank you for your question about the fabric boxes.  I did respond to you privately but I did want to mention this was a purchased pattern.  I am in the process of seeing if she has a website/email  where it can be purchased or through the quilt shop that taught the class in California.  Will keep you posted.

I read the first pages in this book that Harriet recommended and have to say it had grabbed my interest by the end of the first chapter.  I am looking forward to reading the rest of this story.

Then it will be on to another book recommended by Harriet.  It also seems like an interesting story and can't wait to start this one.

Many people will walk in and out of your life, But only true friends will leave Footprints in your heart - Eleanor Roosevelt.

Thoughts, Happenings, Projects, Stitching, Fair, Books!

OH MY GOODNESS!  I'm surprised I didn't receive an email from someone to see if I was still alive!  I can't believe it has been so long since my last post.  So long I think I will have to figure out a way to condense the last month so as not to put you to sleep.

THOUGHTS!

I wanted to share a link regarding copyright infringement.    I'm posting a link here to Kathy Barwick's February 2013 post about copyright infringement http://addictedtoplasticcanvas.com/ezine/feb2013_issue34.html.   It is an interview with someone in the plastic canvas genre who was sued for copyright infringement.  It isn't just cross stitch designers who are dealing with this problem.   I encourage all of you to read this interview and share.  Let's help are designers protect their copyright so they can stay in business.   

I noticed lately on Pinterest there have been some copyrighted designs being pinned.  I know I'm very careful to verify any cross stitch design that I Pin truly are "free designs" provided by the designer and encourage you all to do the same.  It may take a few minutes to track down where the original came from but so worth it not to be contributing to the problem.  

HAPPENINGS!

It is Spring time here but has been an anything but normal Spring.  

We've had a lot of cloudy days with chillier than normal temps!

We've experienced a few thunderstorms when the warm days we finally get are followed through by a cold front! 

I've had a few trips to the garden center to purchase some plants - well let's be honest lots of plants.

 The mess on the left results in a lot of pots on the right with a few extra annuals to add to our perennial flowerbeds.  In the end the pots end up at the front porch to create a wonderfully relaxing place to sit and read a book or visit with neighbors as well as making the back deck our own personal relaxing retreat.

Bill has also taken the time to freshen up the bark in the shade garden out back. 

 PROJECTS!

I've been on a fabric box making mission lately.  My son was desperate for me to make one for him to store his remotes, etc. in.  I ended up making this one in navy blue for him.  He just loves it and has filled it to the brim already.

My dear friend, Harriet, returned from wintering in Arizona and I recently enjoyed a day of catching up, lunch and laughter.  I gifted her a fabric box.  I used the same interior fabric as on Keith's but changed the outside fabric and added lace to hers.  Here she is enjoying her new box!

 My BFF, Allison celebrated a birthday yesterday (HAPPY BIRTHDAY AGAIN!) and she managed to wait until her actual birthday to open her birthday box.  I actually think this is a first for her - LOL!  Inside was a fabric box I made using some of the leftover fabrics from the placemats and table runner I made her for previous gifts.  I found a lovely brown lace to edge it with!

I'm pretty proud of the "challenge" pillow that I made for Allison.  You may remember that she sent me some left over t-shirt logos as well as leftover fabric from a t-shirt quilt her dear friend made for her a couple of years ago.  My challenge was to take her leftovers and make a pillow to go with her quilt.  Just to put things in context I am not what you would consider accomplished at sewing.  I decide (or in this case Allison) what I want and then figure out some way to make it and hope for the best.  This is the finished pillow.  I decided to make it a zippered pillow so she can remove the insert and wash it as needed.  I will admit that the front piece with the t-shirt logos took three attempts to get something to look just right when trying to cover the t-shirt edges.  My seam ripper was my best friend that evening.  As always, I learned a few things while making this and IF I ever make one again it will go much more smoothly.

STITCHING!

There has not been a lot going on in the stitching department.  It seems like whenever I sit down to stitch I get about 6 stitches in and then get interrupted.  Kind of explains why I bought new nail polish 3 weeks ago and have yet to polish my nails.

I did find time to stitch up Farm Fresh Eggs by Nathalie (TheBlueAttic).  I'm trying to decide how I want to finish it as want to display in my kitchen.  I'm considering trying my first flat fold.

Currently am working on another design by Nathalie called A Good Laugh......  It will be a quick stitch.  I'm using a scrap piece of Lakeside Linen in 32 count that has more blue in it than this picture conveys.  The colors look great on the fabric.  It is my go to stitch to unwind at the end of the day!  

Just an added note that Nathalie's designs on Etsy are instant download now so no waiting once you pay!

FAIR!

I am also still plugging away on the Mystery Sampler by With Thy Needle!  Really hoping to have it done for entry into the Fair this year.  I see I need a new photo of this project as I am actually much further along than this photo.   I've finished the alphabet, bird and have made much progress on the tree.  

I have also taken the step and paid my entry fee for 10 projects in the Iowa State Fair and am awaiting my tags right now.  They added a new class this year and I happen to have something to enter into it as well.  Decided to order my discounted entry tickets at the same time.  It is so easy and they mail them as well.  Thank goodness I have until July 26 (the date they have to be delivered to the fairgrounds for judging) to finish my projects!

BOOKS!

Last Friday was my book clubs meeting to pick the 2014-2015 books for discussion as well as potluck.  I did not get a photo a the potluck spread this year.  I do have a photo of it from my friend, Harriet but have not yet asked permission to use it so just imagine lots of beautiful foods!  Quiches, salads, crackers, dips, desserts.  I will just say it was DELICIOUS!

Here is a list of the books we have picked for discussion.  You might find something of interest yourself.

2014-2015 Books

Me Before You - JoJo Moyes

The Aviator's Wife - Melanie Benjamin

Caleb's Crossing - Geraldine Brooks

Blind Your Ponies - Stanley Gordon West

Orphan Train - Christina Baker Klein

Citizens of London - Lynn Olson

5 Days at Memorial - Sherry Fink

Empty Mansions - Bill Dedman & Paul Clark Newell, Jr.

I think this catches us up for the most part.  I will not let so much time pass between posts again!

If I Waited Until I Had Time....

SPRING

If I waited until I actually had time to sit and write a post, well you would miss that Spring has finally sprung here in Iowa.  We've actually had our first few days in a row with temps above 70 degrees which has done wonders to bring the Spring bulb plants alive with color.   Unfortunately, a cold front moved through last night and we've had thunderstorms and rain non-stop with cooler temps (only in the 40's today) and some parts of the state will even have the rain turn to snow later tonight.   Yikes!  The rain has been great for the lawn, however, as it has turned from brown to a beautiful green.  Now if only we could get some leaves on the trees.

CONTEST

Isabella (Primitive Hare) decided to do a 2014 Contest and I decided to take advantage of the purchase of this lovely little design at a very reasonable cost.  You must stitch it up, finish in some fashion and send her a picture of your completed piece to be entered in the Contest.  It is worth the effort as she is offering quite nice prizes to the winner.  Good Luck to all!

I decided to change one color (changed the blue to a red) and stitched it up on a piece of OOPS 25 count overydyed fabric I had in my stash.  I had originally planned on making a pillow of this piece but when I changed fabric and thread colors from Isabella's design something completely different came to mind.  I pictured a needle book that had a place for pins and needles as well as a pocket with a flap for my scissors.  I took my finished cross stitch piece with me to the quilt store and found fabrics that matched perfectly.  It took me a few days to actually get up the nerve to start cutting fabrics and constructing my needle book.  

I will be the first to admit it is not perfect and I had a couple of hiccups along the way - like sewing my flaps into the side seams.  Overall I am pleased with the results.  I ended up being able to make the pocket actually 2 pockets.  I put scissors in the smaller one and the larger one is the perfect size my my 3" stitch starter.  I did get to use the piece of overdyed lace in my stash as the overdyed ric rac I had intended on using was not a match.  The coolest thing about this piece - I ran out of brown thread when I was 2/3 of the way completed and did not have another spool - or so I thought.  I spotted my Great Aunt Martha's sewing machine which I inherited and decided to go and check the drawers.  I was so delighted to find a spool of brown thread and I think it is pretty cool to have used the thread that my Great Aunt Martha used in my piece.

I think I will stitch this piece a second time using the called for colors and construct another needle book.  I know what I would do different next time and know it will look much more polished.  I will take pictures and post a tutorial on how to construct when I do my second one.  

FABRIC BOX

This is the fabric box that my Aunt Nanc gifted me with the kit.  I've had the fabric cut out since mid-March but again finding the nerve to actually start constructing took a bit of time for me.  Luckily when she gifted me the kit she also wanted to set up a Skype chat to show me little "tips" to make it easier.  I can't tell you how helpful it was as she had the box in various stages of construction and was able to really show me how it all went together.  I plucked up my courage this past Monday and got started.  It really was very easy to put together and am already thinking about how I can apply the principle of construction to make in a square to finish some of my cross stitch pieces.

SEWING

I've also started putting together the pillow for my friend, Allison, who had a few t-shirt logos and fabric leftover from a t-shirt quilt that she had made.  There is another t-shirt logo large enough in navy blue that will become the back of the pillow.

I also made another quilt as you go table runner for my sister-in-law for her birthday.  Alas, it still has not been delivered but don't think she reads the blog so it shouldn't ruin the surprise.

WIP

 As mentioned previously, I was making pretty good progress on the Birds of a Feather Mystery Sampler by With Thy Needle and Thread....or at least I was until I opened my big mouth and said how  much progress I was making.  That very evening I ended up ripping out the entire upper right corner of the piece as I was 2 threads (1 stitch) off.  I thought about just leaving it but then I would be trying to make adjustments for the remainder of the design and ripping out seemed the lesser of 2 evils.  The picture on the left gives a better representation of the fabric color while the photo on the right shows you how much work has been completed.  

As mentioned, here are the fabrics and threads I am using on this design.  The fabric ended up being a 36 count fabric but I have absolutely no idea the color (other than it has a bluish color to it).  I wish I had more information on it but I am stumped on this one.  The appearance and texture of it make me think it is Edinborough by Zweigart.  I usually keep the tag with it but it seems to have disappeared.

As mentioned, I did change the majority of the thread colors which was necessitated by my choice of fabric color.

Called for Color                                                           Lorrie's Color

Weeks Light Khaki                                                       DMC 739

Weeks Straw                                                                 DMC 738

Weeks Dove                                                                  Weeks Dove

Weeks Confederate Gray                                              DMC 3023

Weeks Guacamole                                                         DMC 734

Weeks Cappuccino                                                        Weeks Cappuccino

Weeks Sage                                                                   DMC 612

Weeks Caper                                                                 DMC 3781

Weeks Bark                                                                   DMC 3031

Weeks Brick                                                                  DMC 3858

Weeks Kentucky Bluegrass                                           Weeks Kentucky Bluegrass

Weeks Kudzu                                                                DMC 640

Weeks Cinnabar                                                            DMC 3064

Weeks Indian Summer                                                  DMC 3857

Weeks Olive                                                                  Weeks Olive

BOOKS

Last Friday was my monthly book club meeting and we discussed Far from the Tree by Andrew Solomon.  I didn't even come close to finishing this book before the meeting but I was not alone.  It is some 700+ pages long and is more academic reading.  In fact I think the only one who actually finished the book was the discussion leader.  It was nice of her to admit that it took awhile for her as well.  Surprisingly it was a pretty good discussion as the book is broken down into several different topics and everyone had chosen different topics to read.  I can only imagine how long we would have talked if we each had read the entire book.

I also recently finished reading The Witch's Daughter by Paula Brackston.  I enjoyed the book and unknowingly had put another one of her books on my wish list to read so anticipate reading something from this author again soon.  

I've also read a couple of the J D Robb mystery books.  I really do enjoy a good mystery.

I am currently reading 4 books right now.  I'm still working on 2 from book club which are Far from the Tree and The Secrets of Mary Bowser by Lois Leveen as well as The End of Night by Paul Bogard and Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan.

MOVIES

Hubby and I've had a couple of date nights since last post.  We saw the movie Divergent and I felt they did a pretty good job of putting book to screen.  We also saw Capt. America:  The Winter Soldier.  I can't help it I just love those Marvel movies.

BAKING

Received the Amish Friendship Bread starter from my friend Launa and today was baking day.  I'm thinking a slice of this will be my dessert for tonight.

Where Did My Afternoon Go!

I had plans to get this post done hours ago but my time this afternoon has just zoomed away.  Thankfully it is going to be a night of leftovers for supper so I have a few minutes to post a quick update.

I realized it had been awhile since my last post as I've picked up two completed pieces from the framer.  Funny how you have good intentions and then the next thing you know a couple of weeks have gone by.

I thought we were going to make it through the entire Winter season this year without my son getting sick but alas it was not to be.  He has been home off and on over the past 2 weeks nursing a cold/cough.  I think the worst symptom has actually been the cough.  It really seems to get going at bedtime and then we miss hours of sleep trying to get him settled.  

This is Hip Hop Easter by Nathalie (TheBlueAttic).  I stitched it to be a small design as I had in mind using a large width frame to showcase it.  The frame I chose has various shades of the same thread colors I used and it turned out just as I had envisioned.  Imagine that!  The finished size including the frame is 8 1/2" wide x 9" high.    This was a start to finish stitch in one afternoon.

I also completed La Pensee' Positive by Les Marottes de Nathalie.  I actually thought this design would take me much longer to stitch than it did.  I usually take a photo after each session I stitch on a project to see it evolve and so I have a visual of progress made and was surprised to realize it only took 9 stitching sessions to complete.  I did try several different frames for this piece but the frame I used on Sampler aux Bouquets where I used the same fabric and many of the same threads was still the one that showcased it best.  I did change several of the called for colors so I could use the same threads but kept the colors charted for the words.  I also chose to completely stitch the tablecloth rather than just outlining it.  The finished size including the frame is 7 1/2" wide by 14" high.

I'm still knitting away on my afghan using the washable wool yarn.  I don't get as much time in on this project as I like stitching so much more.  However,  I'm about to move onto a new color so progress is happening.

I have picked up the Mystery Sampler by With Thy Needle again.  I started this over a year ago but detest working with colored patterns so put it down never to see the light of day again for a VERY VERY long time.  It came to mind again as this was about the time I put it away last year and decided to have a go at it again.  I'm pleased to say I'm dealing with the colored pattern better this year - mostly because I'm cutting it in small sections to work from.  I know I still hear the gasps of horror.  I just figured I paid for it I can do what I want to it.  I've made significantly more progress than the picture shows but I've just not had time to snap another photo.  The fabric is much more blue than this picture shows and will try to get a more accurate read of the blue in the next photo.  I believe it is a 30 count Quaker Cloth but I won't commit to that just yet.  I changed most of the colors as well so they would be more compatible with the fabric color.  I promise next post I will give better details of fabric and threads used.

I did manage to attend my Compass Club book group a week ago although I did not finish the book.  Many of the longtime members were in attendance so it was fun to catch up with everyone.  Next month's selection is Far From the Tree and is 700 pages long - gulp!  Other members are already talking about just reading the sections that they feel pertain more to their circumstances rather than the entire book.  

I also attended the Compass Club needlework group this past Tuesday.  It was my first time attending this group as it meets in the afternoon and I don't have much time to participate as I've my son's bus to meet.  I did manage a very relaxing and enjoyable hour with the ladies and am thinking I might just work this into my schedule as it only meets 1x per month.

I don't know if anyone else saw the Lizzie Kate Contest for suggestions for favorite quote for her to design next.  I did enter the contest but did not get my quote picked for voting.  However, it has inspired me to pick up my graph paper and pencil to create a design for my favorite quote.  It is not one I anticipate any designer will do anytime soon so I figure I am going to have to design this one myself.  I will now be on the hunt for a good alphabet and some motifs to put on it and maybe a border.  I'm thinking I want it to have the feel of the Positive Quote I finished (you know Victorian Lady, maybe flowers, teapot/cups).

MY FAVORITE QUOTE:

   A woman is like a tea bag - you never now how strong she is until she gets into hot water - Eleanor Roosevelt.