Thanks and Giving

Hello everyone! Hope you've had a nice November so far... For most of my fellow U.S. residents, November is all about Thanksgiving--getting together with family or friends, feasting, and giving thanks for our blessings. I know Canada has its Thanksgiving holiday in October, but do my other international friends celebrate a similar day during the year? Do you have any special foods or traditions for that day? I'd love to hear about them...

This Prairie Schooler Thanksgiving piece (from the "Harvest Time" chart: Book No. 93) was three years in the making mainly because I ran out of DMC 370 and couldn't find a shade to match anywhere. So, the poor turkey sat waiting and waiting for me to finish him. Luckily, my friend, Lee, rescued me (thanks again, Lee!!) and found enough of the old shade in her stash that blended perfectly. This piece was 2/3 of the way done when I took it to our stitching getaway last week and I worked on it the entire time I was there. I was just determined to finish it before Thanksgiving...



I am really thrilled with how this one turned out--love the richness of the colors and the symmetry of the whole design. Speaking of symmetry, for anyone planning on stitching this, beware that there are mistakes in the four half-leaves near the border--they are not charted the same at all. I had to rip out two of them and stitch them again. Oh, it probably wouldn't have been noticeable to anyone but me, but I just had to make them all the same or my eye would always have wandered to the differences... I think the fabric I used is 18 ct. cream colored Davos, but I'm not positive. All threads were the suggested DMC colors.


A very special friend, Mary, celebrated her birthday earlier this month and I sent her this tiny ornament along with some fabrics to help her celebrate. This one is called "Home For the Holidays" by LHN and can be found in the 2005 Just Cross Stitch Ornament issue. I stitched it "over one" on 32 ct. Twilight Blue linen, but changed a few of the DMC colors and added a beaded edge. I love how the personalization on the back turned out and Mary seemed to, also!


As I mentioned in my last post, I spent a wonderful three days stitching and chatting and eating, eating, eating with five fellow cross stitch addicts at a wonderful bed and breakfast near Lake Erie in the northwestern corner of Pennsylvania. The Grape Arbor Bed and Breakfast (click on the collage of photos I snapped while I was there for a closer look) couldn't have worked out any better for the retreat. Since we had booked every room in the inn we were able to simply "take over" one of the parlors--ott lights, frames, piles of charts, and stitching accessories were spread out everywhere. Luckily, the innkeeper is a stitcher, too, so she couldn't have been more accommodating.

The first thing we noticed (well, I noticed anyway!)was the big bowl of chocolates sitting there to welcome us. The inn had three resident cats and I'll tell you, having the black and white one (shown in the photo above) cuddle with us while we stitched surely tested my resolve not to get another cat (husband is very allergic). The house was so beautifully decorated it made me want to rush home and work on my own autumn decorating. We laughed and chatted and ate such scrumptious breakfasts that between them and the never-ending chocolate bowl, I ended up gaining three pounds!! I need to double my treadmill workouts for a few weeks, that's for sure. It was a thoroughly enjoyable get-together for all...



For our getaway stitching weekend, we had decided ahead of time to have a bit of an exchange. Not only were we to stitch something small, but also bring a gift representative of the part of the country that we live in. This was the first time I had stitched something for an unknown recipient and I thought it was difficult to stitch a piece that would appeal to just about anyone (we just did a simple number drawing to divvy up the exchange gifts). Anyway, I ended up stitching The Trilogy turkey called "Happy Gobble Gobble Day" and Barb ended up going home with him. I also gave her a local cookbook and a pretty Christmas ornament from Wendell August Forge which is America’s oldest and largest forge and is located right here in western Pennsylvania. The happy gobbler is stitched on 32 ct. Country French latte linen using the suggested overdyeds. I backed it in the brown/orange fabric in the background and bordered it with pumpkin colored ric-rac. I think he's so cute, I just may have to stitch another for myself!



The gift I received from our stitching getaway came from Linda (no blog yet) and I just love it. It is a floss-keeper from Blackbird designs stitched in the prettiest shade of greens and violets. I especially like the way she highlighted the first initial of each of the six of us who got together for that special weekend. (And, yes, if you look closely, you'll notice that there are two "Ls" since there were two stitchers whose names began with the letter "L." Don't you love it?! I wonder how future generations will interpret that one?) She also gifted me with a lovely tray (again from Wendell August Forge) which is embellished with fall leaves and a skein of "Grape Arbor" overdyed floss. How perfect is that?! The name of the floss is the same as that of our Bed and Breakfast: The Grape Arbor! And since Wendell August Forge is located in the same town where I went to college, it is especially meaningful. Thank you so very much, Linda--I will treasure your gifts and think of our stitching retreat often...



I received this cute summery chart by Ewe & Eye & Friends as a giveaway win from Chris at Tot Hill Farm Stitches. What a sweet little piece! I think the watermelons growing underneath the house are so cute and it looks like a perfect thing to stitch next summer. For some reason I have fewer summery stitched pieces around my house than any other season. I have so much autumn and Christmas /winter stitching, but spring and summer things are few and far between. So, thank you very much, Chris! It will really brighten up my house next summer...

I've been extremely busy shopping, cooking, baking, cleaning, and setting up for the nearly 25 of us who will sit down to give thanks at my table next week. One dish which always makes its appearance at Thanksgiving is the Strawberry Pretzel Salad, which is more of a dessert than a salad, but, hey--it does have strawberries! What dish is a "must-have" at your holiday table--that food that makes your family dinner special to you?

I doubt I'll be posting again until after Thanksgiving, so I want to wish each of you a very Happy Thanksgiving and thank you again for your friendship, inspiration, and kind words. I hope you know I count you all among my many blessings! Bye now...