Hello! Hello! And how are my
blogging buddies doing on this fine morning? I hope this last week in April
finds your part of the world greening up and beginning to bloom with those lovely
pastel colors that can only mean spring has arrived. Spring has
definitely "sprung" here in western Pennsylvania even though the
temperatures have been quite temperamental. Last week it was 71° on
Friday morning and then a mere 24 hours later it was almost 40° cooler!
Crazy...
I've
only managed a bit of new stitching lately because my husband and I
spent some time in southern Florida earlier this month (more on that in a
bit). But, I was so relieved to get the April Word Play finally
finished up. Yes, "relieved" is the correct word...as much as I love the
finish and as adorable as this design is, I just didn't enjoy stitching
it any more than I enjoyed stitching the January Word Play. I don't
know what my problem is because as an avid reader and librarian, I love
words. I persevered, however, and ended up with, what I think, is a very cute finish.
April Word Play
I
stitched the April Word Play "over one" on a very pretty 25 ct. sage
green evenweave of some sort. I thought it was a 28 ct., but it turned
out larger than my January Word Play finish so it must be a 25 ct. Most
of the suggested overdyeds were used, but I had to change the colors of
the leaves and the birds' feet and beaks because they just weren't
showing up well on the green. To finish it off, I used the
same tiny white ric rac that I used for the January Word Play and backed
it with the darker green cotton fabric (from a cloth napkin I bought at
Kohl's). I wish the color difference showed up better--the backing
fabric is quite a bit darker than the evenweave. I do love this finish!
Finished April Word Play
I
also had to change the way the word "Seeds" was stitched on the little
wagon since this was stitched over one. Stitching it the way the design
was charted made it too crowded looking so I simplified the letters a
bit. And, taking the advice from several of you who already stitched
this, I gave the bunny a cute and fluffy white tail made entirely of
French knots (or my version of them--I am NOT the best French knot maker
in the world)!
April Word Play
So, will I stitch more of these Word Play designs? Probably--I did buy all twelve
charts after all!! (And don't we all always stitch each and every chart we purchase--ha ha!) But, I will have to stitch them sparingly--just now
and then, not one month after another. I'll be skipping May and June,
but might pick up July during the summer. Here is a photo that will give
you a better idea of the size of the little pillow next to some freshly
picked daffodils from our back yard...
April Word Play
Now, on the flip side--a design I loved stitching
was this Little House Needleworks piece. It will eventually be a
scissor fob--just didn't have time to finish it for this post. It is
from the chart "Wool Needlebook & Fob." And yes, I also hope to
stitch the needlebook, too, at some point. Don't you love the sheep? And
the colors--the purple just makes this design! This is stitched over
one on 28 ct. dirty linen with the suggested DMC threads. I'll show you
the finished fob next time--it will be my first fob finish, believe it or not!
LHN Scissors
(From "Wool Needlebook & Fob")
FLORIDA VISIT:
As I mentioned earlier, I was in sunny southern Florida (Naples to be
exact) recently. As much as I complained about our endless winter and longed for warmer weather, I wasn't quite
ready for the extremely hot (85°+) and humid days we had our entire
visit. I'm not sure what happened, but my hot flashes were out of
control the entire time I was in Florida... Having dealt with them for
15 years (yes, you're reading correctly), I'm no stranger to them, but,
oh--I felt like I was absolutely melting the whole visit. I'm assuming
it was the heat that triggered them to be so outrageous because now that
I've come back to cooler weather I'm back to "normal."
Despite
the uncomfortable temperatures it was so nice to see the tropical
plants and trees that we don't have up north. Thought you might enjoy seeing a
few of the prettiest botanical beauties. Many of these photos were
taken at the Naples Botanical Garden which, if you ever find yourself in that southwest corner of Florida, I strongly urge you to visit.
Shaving Brush Tree
Common Screwpine
Silk Floss Tree
(No, that's not where stitching floss comes from!)
Banana Plant
A tiny skink
(notice how well he blends in with the wood)
Asian Garden at Naples Botanical Garden
Spanish moss draped tree
Naples is a wonderful city to take long walks in--so many beautiful houses and interesting things to see. Here are some of the sights we saw on our long walks...
A boy reading a book mailbox--how sweet!!
Flowers blooming in every color
Tropical trees in all shapes and sizes
So many lovely houses and estates...
I'll take that pink one!!
Our last night was spent strolling the beach
near the Naples Pier.
THANKS TO... It's
always good to get away, but, for me, there is nothing like returning
home! I love my house and yard and being surrounded by my stitching and
books and other simple things that make me the happiest. When I got home
I found a lovely surprise waiting for me from Manka.
Just look at all of these beautiful goodies that arrived in a recent
giveaway win all the way from Hungary. I wish I could show you
just how perfectly stitched the heart shaped bookmark and the biscornu
are. The ribbon roses are lovely and the delicate specialty stitches add so much
to these pieces. The talented Manka offers some lovely free designs on
her her blog,
so if you haven't visited, please stop by. Thank you again, my sweet
friend from Hungary--I love each and every thing you sent my way!
Giveaway beauties from Manka!
And arriving like a burst of Carolina sunshine came what Faye
called a "belated, belated birthday gift!" I was so surprised and
thrilled to open her package and find one of her beautifully
stitched project pouches. She chose the colors especially for me in the
prettiest shades of yellow and blue...And look at the tiny scissors
charm attached to the zipper--adorable! Why, she even monogrammed it for
me... I know most you are familiar with Faye's Carolina Stitcher blog,
but if you aren't, please pay her a visit. You'll be inspired by her
beautiful stitching as well as her finishing of many of our fellow
stitchers' projects. Thank you again, Faye, so very much, for your
special birthday surprise and for your friendship. I know I'll think of you
each time I use your lovely gift...
Blue and yellow stitching pouch from Faye!
I
think I'll wind up this way-too-long post now, even though I have more
to share with you. It will just have to wait until next time! I'll leave
you with two photos of what makes spring time in the north so
special...
April in Pennsylvania
Is there anything prettier than a bouquet
of freshly picked spring flowers?
Enjoy
this last week of April, my friends, and thank you all for dropping by
today! It's always so nice to visit with you and I sincerely appreciate
each and every comment and email. I'll be in New York visiting with my mom and dad for the rest of the week so I may be a bit quiet on the "commenting front," but will definitely catch up with your blogs when I return. Bye for now...