Thanksgiving greetings! It's hard
to believe turkey day is almost here, isn't it? If you're wondering
where I've been for the past three weeks, it's a good bet I've been
doing something Thanksgiving related. Either prepping for the 21 folks
that will be feasting here on Thursday or stitching some little pillows
for my November bowl. What else could the theme be for November other
than "thankfulness." And I am thankful...for so very many things that
I've been blessed with throughout my life...
One
of the things I've most enjoyed about stitching things for my monthly
bowl is looking through my old freebies and books and stumbling upon a
long-overlooked design that just fits the theme perfectly. For November,
these five designs cried out the loudest and I'm so happy I finally
stitched and finished them.
November 2012 Thanksgiving Finishes
I'm
sure many of you recognize and have stitched this first one
yourselves...This is Primitive Betty's "Thankful" freebie which you can
find right here.
This one stitched up very quickly with a bit of Crescent Colours "Roasted Chestnut" on 40 ct. flax Newcastle. To finish it off, I attached a
trio of brown buttons in various shapes and sizes and used a couple of
brown patterned fabrics to turn it into a little pillow.
Primitive Betty's Thankful freebie
Do
you keep all of your old stitching books and magazines from years past?
I do, and I'm so glad, because you never know what will appeal to you
on down the road. Pieces I would never have stitched 20 years ago are
now calling my name! This next finish is a perfect example... "Harvest
Sampler" is from a very old (1998!) Leisure Arts hardcover book called Holiday Reverie.
I left out the alphabet and a couple of the bands because I wanted this
to be small enough to fit into my bowl. This was stitched on 28 ct.
tea-dyed Monaco over one with a skein of Crescent Colours "Tennessee Red
Clay" and finished into a simple pillow with some clay colored fabric and
a bit of lace trim.
"Harvest Sampler" (from the book Holiday Reverie)
After
stitching "Halloween Spots" last month and being so pleased with how it
turned out, I decided to stitch "Thanksgiving Spots" for November. For
this piece I used a variety of overdyed and DMC threads and stitched it
over one on 28 ct. almond lugana. It is SO tiny--not even two inches
square!! Even after I added the fabrics on the sides, it measures just 3
1/2 inches... Did I ever mention how much I love tiny things--I guess you've figured that out after all the smalls I've done this year :o)
"Thanksgiving Spots" by The Trilogy
And
those long-legged birds make another appearance in my monthly bowl,
too! I don't know what it is about them, but they always manage to make
me smile. This "Thanksgiving Bird" dressed as a Pilgrim is particularly
cute, isn't he? The chart, by Heart In Hand, called for a pumpkin button
which I didn't have, so I improvised and stitched a cute pumpkin in its
place. It is stitched on 40 ct. flax Newcastle with a variety of
overdyeds and DMC fibers. The fabric shown behind is what I backed it
with and a handmade cording of DMC 729 finished it off quite simply. I
actually made two of these this month--one flew off to the other side of
Pennsylvania as a birthday gift for my sweet friend, Mary.
"Thanksgiving Bird" by Heart In Hand
Last,
but not least (in fact, this is my husband's favorite finish for the
month), is another freebie from Beth Twist at "My Heartstring" blog which you
can download right here.
Obviously, this one is stitched on black and I just love how the colors
pop... I stitched it over one on 32 ct. black Belfast linen and, at
times, I wondered why I was torturing myself! I love over one stitching,
but NOT on linen, and NOT on anything higher than 28 ct. But, somehow I
found myself using a 32 ct. linen--in black, no less!! Just call me
crazy... But, isn't it sweet? If you would like a list of the threads I
used (all overdyeds), please feel free to email me. The backing fabric
is just a bit of fabric from a gold colored cloth napkin. I then
accented it with some orange ribbon that matched the pumpkins...
"Give Thanks" freebie from My Heartstring blog
So,
which one is your favorite this month? I love them all, but I'd say I
have to agree with my husband and pick the "Give Thanks" freebie
stitched on black...
2012 Thanksgiving Finishes
And
here are all five in my wooden bowl along with one of my favorite older
finishes, the framed Prairie Schooler turkey (which, in my opinion, is
the most handsome cross stitched turkey out there!). I can't believe I'm
down to one last month of filling my bowl. I so appreciate all of your
supportive comments along the way this past eleven months--you've really
kept me going!
November 2012 bowl of finishes
Here is a close-up shot for you...
And one more...
 | ||
| The poor dazed and confused raccoon |
I'll
bet you're wondering about the title of my post... What do skunks and
raccoons have to do with Thanksgiving? Well, in truth, nothing, but we
are hoping and praying that our resident skunk--yes, skunk, doesn't make
an unwanted appearance on Thursday as our Thanksgiving guests arrive.
My husband discovered, a few days ago, that a skunk has taken up
residence under our front porch so he arranged for a "critter control"
specialist to set up traps to remove it. Well, after a bill of $203.29
(oh, when I think about the stash I could have bought with that
money!!), all we've managed to catch so far is a frightened red cardinal and an
ancient gray raccoon. Both were set free and went on their way
(although, it took the dazed raccoon a while to amble off). So, where is
Mr. Pepe le Pew?
I sure hope he isn't biding his time waiting to spray our guests on
Thanksgiving as they walk up the front sidewalk. I think we'll be kind
and warn them to use the back door!
How
will you be spending your Thanksgiving? My husband's family will be
coming here and this year we have a small gathering of only 21--yes,
that is small for us! I've hostessed Thanksgiving 11 out of the past 15
years, so by now, I've got it down to a science. I have shopping lists
and spreadsheets with meal timing and such on my computer. I have
amassed all the various dishes, glasses, silverware, tablecloths, and
serving bowls. I've baked and frozen a tasty assortment of cookies and
pies, breads and muffins ahead of time. I've assigned my guests a dish
(or two!) to bring. But one thing eludes me--I CAN'T MAKE GRAVY!!
In fact, I am a complete and total flop at making gravy. My
mother-in-law has to rescue mine each and every year. Last time, it was
so thin, she spent nearly an hour stirring and stirring... adding
cornstarch, etc. to make it thicken. I can't ask this poor 84-year-old
woman to do that again this year. So, you know what--I'm cheating! I'm
buying my gravy at Whole Foods this year!! (But, if any of you have any hints at all about making a good, simple turkey gravy, I'd love to hear them...)
HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!
Well,
I think that is more than enough of my blathering for today! I want to
wish each of you who celebrate Thanksgiving a lovely day with your
family and friends. I am so thankful for the presence of each of you in
my life--your comments and emails, support and inspiration, really mean a
lot to me. Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog and leave a
comment--I know how busy you all are at this time of year, so it means
all the more! Bye for now...
