Star-Spangled Stitching!

Good morning all! I was overwhelmed by so many kind comments and anniversary wishes on my last post--thank you all very, very much!! Your words certainly made it easier to deal with the fact that my husband was so far away on our 35th anniversary. I'm very happy to have him home again, all safe and sound...I don't think we had ever been apart on our anniversary before. But, there was a silver lining to his being in Alaska--I had a lot of free time to stitch (along with the fact that I didn't have to cook all week!). And here is what sprang from my needle. Yes, my finishes for my July bowl are complete--and just in time since a new month begins on Wednesday! Not all of these were done this past week, of course; I've been working on them throughout the month. They're a bit late for the 4th of July, but with the Olympics going on, I've thoroughly enjoyed working with all the red, white, and blue threads and fabrics.

July patriotic finishes

So would you like to see how I finished each one of them? Well, here we go! First up, is this adorable design by Heart in Hand. I'll have to admit, the whole time I was stitching this, I kept thinking of two of my sons. No, they don't remind me of long-legged birds, but the little red and white banner draped over the bird is almost exactly like the University of Richmond crest which is where my youngest and oldest sons graduated from. Do you see the resemblance? "4th of July Bird" is stitched on 36 ct. Belfast linen with the suggested DMC and overdyed threads. I stitched the gold "Cecilia's star" (first time I've ever done that particular specialty stitch--or even heard of it!) in place of the flag charm because the colors on the flag charm just didn't coordinate well. It worked out nicely because I ended up making cording of that same gold and I think the color is a perfect accent. The blue star fabric shown behind is what I used to back the tiny pillow. I'm really pleased with how it turned out.

Prairie Schooler designs always seem to make their way into my monthly "bowls" and July is no exception. This patriotic heart (using a bright--for PS designs anyway--DMC 311 blue) is from Book No. 13: A Prairie Year. It is stitched with the suggested DMC threads on 40 ct. raw natural Newcastle linen. For the pillow, I combined two blue fabrics--a stripe and a dotted sort of blue. Topped with a burgundy button and a white star, I think the whole effect is quite classy looking. This is probably my favorite finish of the month, but it's hard to say!

The Lizzie Kate July Flip-It Stamp is my next finish... Another example of taking a very simple design and adding fabrics and trims to turn it into something special! Again, I used 40 ct. raw natural Newcastle linen (I love that stuff because the whites show up quite well on it) and whatever overdyed threads I had in my stash. I did make a few changes in this one (of course!). I changed the color of the word "July" to match that of the watermelon. I also sewed black matte Mill Hill beads on for the seeds. The original design had ants on the finish, but I decided to leave those off. The striped and solid blue fabrics are both from old shirts (go through those closets everyone--you never know what goodies you'll find!) and I finished this one off with some rope-like trim and a little yo-yo made of the blue fabric. Cute!!

This little cutie is called "Summer House" and is a Little House Needleworks design (it was an old freebie which I don't see available any longer on the internet). For this one I used 40 ct. flax Newcastle with a variety of overdyed threads. If you wonder why I use so many 40 ct. fabrics, it is so the pillows will turn out small enough to fit in the bowl. I actually think I stitch faster on 40 ct., too, because you only have to use one strand of thread and there are no worries about twisting as there are when using two strands. I chose a red and white gingham reminiscent of a summery picnic tablecloth and some red ric-rak to finish it off very simply.


Finally, I found a very cute Prairie Grove Peddler freebie available here. This was such a quick stitch--just took a day. Yep, you guessed it--another one on 40 ct. raw natural Newcastle linen!! I used the suggested DMC threads, with the exception of changing the blue to DMC 824. I wanted it to match the blue in the tri-color ribbon I had chosen for the edging. I usually use only one strand of thread when I stitch on 40 ct., but I wanted the USA to stand out a bit, so I ended up using two strands just for that portion. What do you think? A quick and easy finish in just one day!

Below are my five new finishes along with the Chessie & Me "Love Liberty" finish that I shared with you in my last post. Do you have a favorite this month?

July 2012 patriotic finishes

And here they are all snuggled into my wooden bowl along with three patriotic finishes from last year. Don't they make you just want to stand up and salute?! On to August... I have a theme in mind--can anyone guess what it might be? I'll give you a hint--it's one of my favorite summer things...

July bowl of patriotic finishes

THANK YOU!! Through blogging, I've been lucky enough to "meet" so many wonderful people from around the world. One of my dear friends, Hilda, who lives in Austria, recently surprised me with a pair of French cross stitching magazines. Oh, I was so tickled to receive these--everything from the designs and colors all the way down to the advertisements was simply lovely. My one year of college level French helps a bit with the translation, but honestly, isn't the language of beautiful stitching universal? If you haven't visited Hilda's blog, Hildi's Good Life, please stop by--her stitching and photography are absolutely delightful! Thank you, Hilda, for your thoughtful gifts and even more, for your friendship.



MY NEW PET (well for one week!!)...
While my husband was on his Alaska bike trip, I was tasked with keeping his garden alive. That meant daily trips to check on the vegetables and watering if necessary. Luckily, we finally received many, many inches of rain last week--the first time all summer--so, I didn't have to water at all. On my very first day of "garden duty," though, just look at what greeted me! Peering through the Havahart Trap, was this little guy--a small woodchuck. Not exactly a friendly bundle of fur; he bared his large, ugly, yellow teeth (he obviously hasn't visited his dentist in quite some years!) and leaped at me when I tried to open the door of the trap to get him out.


I tried and tried, but I couldn't figure out how to release the door so he could escape. I couldn't just let the poor thing sit there all week and die, so my soft-hearted self began feeding him--from my husband's garden. Oh, he ate like a king all week--fresh tomatoes, lettuce, succulent green leaves. All under cover of some shady pine trees. When my oldest son came over for a visit on Friday, he was finally able to figure out how to get the door open. We expected the woodchuck to make a mad dash for his freedom, but what did he do? He just sat there in the cage for a while--obviously he had gotten used to the easy life and didn't really look forward to being on his own again and having to scavenge for food! Eventually, he waddled out to, hopefully, be reunited with his furry family. (Ssshhh...don't tell my husband I let the little fellow go--I don't think he would be quite inclined to have dealt with him in the same way!)


I'll leave you with something far prettier than that image of the homely little woodchuck. Isn't this a lovely photo of an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly that was perched on our orange Cosmos? Click on the photo and you can see all the colors that make his wings so special--the blues and little bits of orange along with that pale yellow and black. What a mosaic of beauty!

Thank you all for sticking with me this far--I keep telling myself to make my posts shorter, but it doesn't seem to ever work out that way for some reason! (***Special Note: For any of you who have ask me questions in your comments, the only way I can respond to you is if you leave me your email address. You may email me directly (my email address is in my profile on the sidebar) and I'll be happy to respond). I hope your week is a relaxing one... I'm looking forward to the month of August and lots of family gatherings. Because of those, I may be a bit "absent" from blogging in the coming month, but will try to visit your blogs whenever possible. Enjoy your week, my friends! Bye for now...

Catching Up With Christmas On a Very Special Day

Good morning everyone! Well, it's a special day for me, which I'll get to later in my post, but first I have some stitching finishes I'd love to share with you. Many of you have been asking about my monthly Christmas ornaments. Am I still doing them, when will I show them, etc. Well, I'm happy to say I've finally caught up--I hadn't finished a Christmas ornament since March so it was a lot of work, but I love how each and every one turned out! Below is a shot of the stitching along with some of the finishing materials I gathered. Sometimes I think finding the perfect trims, fabrics, and buttons to finish a piece is as much fun as the actual stitching!

Monthly ornaments waiting to be all finished up

My ornament for April was actually started last November and then got cast aside during the frenzy of Christmas stitching. Finding this little snow guy half-finished was like running into an old friend. How can you help but smile at that crooked grin of his? The suggested DMC colors and a mystery piece of 32 ct. linen were used. I think this finish is a perfect example of how you can take a simple design ("Let It Snow" by A Stitcher's Hands) and make it more special by adding fun fabrics and trims. The wee orange nose was called for on the chart, but I added the white pompom and jazzed him up with two fabrics, white ric rak, and a candy-cane striped hanger. The chart includes three other charming snowmen, all wrapped up in their warm scarves and knit hats, which I also hope to stitch one of these days.

"Let It Snow" by A Stitcher's Hands

I honestly enjoy (gasp!) stitching on black--in fact three of my seven ornaments for 2012 are stitched on black so far! The May ornament is stitched on 32 ct. black Belfast linen with DMC threads. I love how white just pops on the black fabric and with snow and wintry themed charts, there is always a lot of white on Christmas ornaments. This cheery piece is Sue Hillis's "Candy Canes" and includes a little brass candy cane charm. The color of the red is really more of a maroon shade than is shown in the photo. I changed it from the suggested DMC reds to DMC 815 which I also used to make the red and white cording. It is backed with coordinating red and white striped fabric and topped with a little white pin. I left off the backstitching for obvious reasons. That's another good thing about stitching on black fabric--no need to backstitch!

"Candy Canes" by Sue Hillis

For my June ornament, I stitched the winsome Trilogy design called "Cheer." This is the second one of their little trees that I've done. I also stitched the Spooky Tree for my dear friend, Myra back in 2010. If any of you are familiar with the original design, you'll notice I left off the rectangular border and one of the little stars and finished it into an oval shape with a ruched ribbon and bow in slate blue. It is backed with the beige and white homespun fabric shown. Some miniature white buttons serve as snowballs just waiting for that next snowball fight between this trio of little guys. I don't know about you, but the sight of them certainly brings me "cheer!"

"Cheer" by The Trilogy

And finally, back to my all-time favorite designer, Prairie Schooler, for my July ornament! "A Visit From St. Nicholas" is from Book No. 48, "A Christmas Visit" and is the second piece I've stitched from it. The first was Sunflower Santa done back in 2010. Again, I love every single design in this booklet and I hope to complete all seven. This one is stitched on 40ct. flax Newcastle linen using the suggested DMC threads and is finished very simply with handmade cording in DMC 221. A red and white gingham bow was added to the corner to cover where the cording ends meet.

"A Visit From St. Nicholas" by Prarie Schooler

And here are all four--April through July...ready and waiting for December's Christmas tree:

April, May, June, July 2012 ornaments

I've had some lovely gifts arrive on my doorstep lately from three blogging friends around the world. First of all, Suzanne in Washington state (no blog) sent me this sweet Lizzie Kate kit as a thank you for lending her an out-of print chart. Secondly, Melody from Bookwoman Stitches blog sent me this cute "Jolly Jack" chart to thank me for lending her two out-of-print charts. She's hoping it will make the cut for my "October Bowl"--I just bet it might, Melody!! And finally, all the way from England, came these gifts from Linda. Linda doesn't have a blog, but has written to say how inspirational my finishes are and wanted to send me a little token to show her appreciation. She sent me my first (and probably only!) souvenir of the Diamond Jubilee and a wonderful bookmark with "Desiderata" on it (boy, does that take me back to my college days in the mid-'70s. I think every girl in the dorm had a poster with that lovely verse on her wall. If you would like to read the whole thing for yourself, click here ). She also included some postcards and leaflets from Sandringham. I am so touched by all of your gifts, my friends. Really, nothing is expected when I lend my charts out, but I so appreciate your friendship and generosity!

A most special day: July 23rd, 1977...My wedding day--which makes today our 35th wedding anniversary! I seem to find myself humming that old Carpenters tune We've Only Just Begun quite a bit lately. (For all of you in your fifties and sixties you'll love this old video--does that bring back memories or what?! I think I wore out multiple copies listening to the Carpenters' records over and over when I was in high school!).

"We've only just begun, to live...
White lace and promises,
A kiss for luck
And we're on our way..."

We were so young and so full of hope. Our sons can't believe we married at age 22, but that's the way it was done back then... graduate from college, get married, work for a few years, and have kids. Today the order of things has definitely changed up a bit, hasn't it? And the time-frame has certainly slowed down. But, you know what, I wouldn't change a thing about the way we did things way back when...

Wedding Day Memories

Here is a tiny snapshot from our big day along with our wedding invitation (yes, it was the palest blue color!) featuring the quote "And this... our life, our beginning." The white lace is all that remains of my wedding dress which was damaged and discolored beyond repair from decades of storage in my parents' attic. So, I removed a few pieces to save before discarding it. (Having no daughters who might want to wear it someday, made that decision a bit easier!) And how about that 13¢ butterfly stamp--that just shows you how prices have jumped over the past 35 years--today it costs 45¢ to mail a card this size! (If it looks like there are no people in the pews behind us, that is because the minister would not allow photos during the church ceremony, so this was "staged" after the actual ceremony. There were actually nearly 250 people in attendance!).

So, how will we celebrate? Well, believe it or not, my husband is 3183.11miles away right now. He is on a week-long biking tour of Alaska! (This is not him in the photo, but I'm expecting some equally breathtaking shots to be taken by him this week.) I'm a bit sad, of course, but this was a once-in-a-lifetime trip and biking is to him what stitching is to me. I know we'll celebrate later, in fact we already have plans to head down to the mountains of North Carolina (Asheville vicinity) this fall. And this is where I could use your help--have any of you vacationed there who could give me advice; the best time to go to see the leaves changing, must-see sights, good restaurants, even the name of a great place to stay (I'd love to stay in a little cabin!)? Any help would be greatly appreciated...

Well, that wraps up another very lengthy post--I hope you've enjoyed your visit today! Welcome to my new followers; so glad you've joined the fun. As always, your comments and emails are very much appreciated--thank you, my friends. I'll close with the final lines from Max Ehrmann's "Desiderata." Although written in 1927, it is still so applicable to today's world...

"With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy".

May your week be a special one! Bye for now...

Small Finishes and a Big Harvest

Good morning, my stitching friends! I sure hope the worst of our heat wave is behind us and those of you who suffered the widespread power outages last week are recovering and returning to normal. What a week! We "only" reached 99° here in the Pittsburgh area and I feel very lucky when I hear of the 100°+ temperatures so many of you in the mid-west had to deal with. And my poor blogging friends in the United Kingdom seem to be faced with day after day of nothing but rain. Is there no happy medium? At least those high temperatures gave me a very good excuse to sit inside and stitch and read...

I managed to finish the first of my small pieces for my July "bowl" and I had the best time stitching it! This is "Love Liberty" by Chessie & Me and I stitched it on 32 ct. Confederate gray Belfast linen with the recommended threads. The only change I made was to use two threads for the cross stitching rather than the one suggested on the chart. One of the main reasons I enjoyed stitching this (outside of that adorable black cat--I love black cats in case you didn't know!) was the fact that it incorporated so much "over one" stitching and lots of Smyrna stitches. The entire roof, stars, leaves, and border are all made up of Smyrna stitches. Sure, they each took more time than a plain old cross stitch would have, but they give such nice dimension to the finished piece.

"Love Liberty" by Chessie & Me

And here it is all finished up! The crows, flag, cat, and heart are all stitched "over one"--don't you love how detailed they look? For the finish, I chose a burgundy fabric dotted with gold stars and applied some handmade gold cording (DMC 3045) and a burgundy colored star. I seem to have managed to get this one quite straight (compared to my poor crooked Lizzie Kate finish in the last post) so thanks to all of you who suggested pinning and lacing the finish and making sure my mat boards were perfectly square--what a help! I took your advice and I think this one is much less "wonky!"

"Love Liberty" by Chessie & Me

My dear friend, June, had a birthday last month and I wanted to stitch her something special. For those of you who are familiar with June's blog, Butterfly Wings, you'll know that in addition to her being an amazing stitcher, she is also an avid gardener. Her flower photos are an instant pick-me-up on a gloomy day. So, what better piece to stitch her than "Earth Laughs In Flowers" by Prairie Schooler? This tiny pillow is stitched with DMC threads on 40 ct. antique white Newcastle linen and surrounded by handmade cording in a yellow-gold color. I did add in more pinks to the mix to coordinate with the fabric backing. June seems to love it and I hope she'll think of me each time she looks at it--I so enjoyed every stitch!

"Earth Laughs In Flowers" by Prairie Schooler

Another stitched creation was made for my dear friend, Cathey's (also known to many of you as "Pumpkin") sweet new baby boy. I thought this marching teddy bear proudly carrying the Canadian flag would be just perfect for his very first Christmas. The chart is a freebie which can be found here. I did change the maple leaf on the flag a bit--made it larger and a bit more detailed. It is stitched on a mossy green evenweave using DMC threads and finished into a small hanging pillow with red ric-rak and a coordinating green flannel. (Cathey's son's name is stitched under the bear, but I've covered it up for privacy). I hope this happy bear makes her little guy smile for years to come!

Canadiana Teddy freebie


2012 Garden

Even though we've been faced with extreme temperatures, "our" garden (well, honestly, my husband deserves 99% of the credit--all I do is enjoy the fruits of his labor) has flourished with all the sunshine. Just look at this crop of goodies that he picked on Saturday! Now, all of my long-time blog readers know I'm not an eater of green vegetables (remember this post?), but I will eat lettuce, peas, and uncooked spinach. If the zucchini is disguised in breads, cookies, cakes, or muffins, it will also make its way into my mouth, too! My husband can't possibly eat every green vegetable that he grows, so much of it is given to friends, neighbors, and co-workers. Are any of the rest of you green-vegetable haters? I sometimes feel like a little girl who never grew up when it comes to eating my vegetables!

A bumper crop of vegetables from this year's garden

To use up some of the zucchini, (well, exactly one of the ten zucchini on hand!), I made this yummy Blueberry Zucchini Bread. To make it even healthier, I substituted 1/2 cup of the vegetable oil with 1/2 cup applesauce. Look closely--can you see the little bits of green? At least I consumed a teeny portion of green vegetables this weekend! Does anyone else have any tried and true zucchini recipes that I might like?

Blueberry-Zucchini Bread

And here's a little bit of garden trivia... Do any of you know what the mystery plant below is? Hint: it's something my husband uses in another of his hobbies!

Can anyone guess what plant this is?
(Answer is at the bottom of this post!)

July is a month filled with celebrations in our family. My youngest son turned 24 yesterday (yes, he's bemoaning the fact that he is "getting old!"), my husband catches up with me on Saturday and turns 57 (yes, I married a younger man--six months younger!), and my dear parents celebrate their 59th wedding anniversary tomorrow. 59 years together--quite a feat in today's world!! I'm heading up to New York tomorrow to see them for my monthly visit so I'll be able to help them celebrate.

♫♪♫ HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
and
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ♫♪♫

to my parents, dear husband, and youngest son. I love you all so very much...

Thank you for taking time to visit me today--I know it is especially hard in the summer months to read blogs, let alone comment, so I truly appreciate hearing from so many of you! I plan to be back next time with some Christmas stitching--fingers crossed! I hope the remainder of your July is filled with things for you to celebrate as well. Bye for now...


(ANSWER to the mystery plant question: it is "hops". My husband brews his own beer and uses this in the process. I'm not a beer drinker so I can't tell you how it tastes, but he certainly seems to enjoy it! Cheers!)

Stitching Strawberries

Good morning, good morning! I'm sure some of you wondered if I would ever post my June bowl of smalls, didn't you? Well, I'm happy to tell you that I just finished them up yesterday and I'm eager to share them with you. Although I didn't get as much stitching time as I would have liked (do we ever??) due to dealing with the estate sale at my childhood home, I did manage to stitch and finish four new strawberry themed pieces along with three adorable fabric strawberries. Is there anyone out there who doesn't like strawberries? I just wish the season lasted longer, but at least these little creations will stick around a while!

First up is a freebie from Cosmic Homemade called "Sweet Strawberry" which you can find by clicking here. I really love the combination of the black crows with the burgundy strawberries in this one. It is stitched on 32 ct. raw natural linen using the suggested DMC colors (although I did switch the two reds here and there). To finish it off, I made a small pillow with the black and tan gingham fabric and a bit of ivory colored trim. Simple and sweet, just like the berries!

"Sweet Strawberry" Freebie

Another freebie finish (available here) comes from the "Le Chalet des Perelles" blog. The chart can be obtained by emailing a request to Cathy, who designs so many pretty things for us (look in the right sidebar under "Contactez l'auteur" to send an email to her.) "La Maisonnette aux Fraises" (The Strawberry Cottage) is stitched over one on 28 ct. natural brown linen using the suggested DMC colors. I omitted the heart and butterflies and added an additional bird. I've used this pink dotted fabric in many of my finishes and, unfortunately, am just about out of it! I think you can tell it is among my favorites--there is just something so happy about polka dots, isn't there?

"La Maisonnette aux Fraises" freebie

Trying to find a piece that included the name of the month with some strawberries was a bit difficult so I ended up combining several Lizzie Kate charts to serve that purpose. I had this charming red and green print fabric which I wanted to use in my finish so I pulled the thread colors from that and I love the final result. I used the strawberries from Lizzie Kate's July Flip-It, the birdhouse from her June Flip-It, and the beehive from the LK chart "Plant a Little Sunshine." What do you think? Outside of the piece being a little wonky (I always have trouble getting those lines straight on flat finishes like this--does anyone have any hints on getting them straight?), I'm very pleased with the final product. It turned out a bit larger than I would have liked and if I ever stitch it again, I'll try doing it over one rather than over two on 32 ct. Jobelan.

Lizzie Kate June Flip-It
(using bits of "July's Flip-It" and "Plant a Little Sunshine" charts)

Finally, I stitched this little pin pillow by Hillside Samplings which can be found in the chart called "A Berry Nice Sampler." It is stiched on 32 ct. gray touchstone linen using the suggested DMC colors. I rather like the salmon colored berries and the variety of stitches really give this finish a different look. The strawberry is made up of Diamond Stitches with Satin Stitched flowers and grass. Throw in a few Smyrna Stitches and it makes quite a lovely, little piece. (I did leave off the words "Berry Nice" that were charted--just liked it better without them). I used the darkest salmon color to make my cording and topped it with a little bow to finish it off (and hide the corner where the cording meets!).

Hillside Samplings "A Berry Nice Pillow"

I had been wanting to try making some fabric strawberries for a while, so what better time than now? Oh, I just loved making these little things and would have made dozens if the end of the month wasn't closing in on me. I followed Martha Stewart's template for the berry itself, but rather than using her template for the top of the strawberry, I simply cut one free-hand out of some olive colored felt. They are filled with fiberfill rather than the sand that Martha suggests. (Do you think she disapproves?) After gathering the top, I just glued on the "leaves" and added a pretty pin. Can you see how making these would be addicting?!

Fabric Strawberries

Below are the fabric strawberries, my four latest June finishes, and "Summer Splendor" which I showed you in my last post:

June 2012--Strawberry Stitching

And here are all five displayed in my bowl of June finishes. Wow! Half the year is over--do you think I can keep this monthly goal up for six more months? I'm afraid my Christmas ornament stitching has fallen by the wayside--sure hope I can catch up at some point!

June bowl of strawberry stitching

I want to thank all of you who emailed me asking how I was faring after the estate sale at my childhood home two weeks ago--your concern meant so much to me. An amazing amount of time and energy goes into a sale of that magnitude--from the hauling, to the sign making, to the pricing, to the organizing, to dealing with the buyers, to the cleaning up afterward. It may have been one of the most physically draining things I've ever dealt with, but even harder was the emotional toll it took. Having moved into that house when I was only five years old meant I had a 52 year relationship with it and it was ever so hard to see it emptied and all of its belongings carted away by complete strangers. Luckily, a few old neighbors and relatives bought larger pieces of furniture, so it's nice to think of some beloved things going to good homes.

In the end, very little was left so I would judge it an extremely successful sale which helped make all of our hard work worthwhile. I do plan on writing a tribute to my old home at some point, but, right now, it is just too hard to do without tears welling up in my eyes. I truly can't believe I'll never spend another moment of my life in that special house...

Thanks so much to all of you who entered the drawing for the newest traveling pattern: "Summer Splendor." The chart will be traveling far, far away--to Australia!! Yes, the winner is:

LISA from Lisa V's Lounge

Congratulations, Lisa--I know you'll enjoy stitching it as much as I did! Please send me your address and I'll get this in the mail to you next week. And for those of you who didn't win, you may want to go check out Lisa's blog--when she is done stitching this, it will be up for grabs again...

I do have a couple of stitched gifts (a birthday gift and a baby gift) that I've finished recently, but I think this post is long enough already and I'll save them for another time. I leave you with these gorgeous flowers that appeared earlier this month. Foxgloves, snapdragons, and wild roses (complete with a "Daddy Long Legs Spider"!)... their blooms have faded now, but they sure were pretty at their peak!

June flowers ~ 2012

Thank you all for your very thoughtful comments and emails--each one is so special to me, I hope you know that! Welcome to my new followers, too--it's so nice to "meet" you... I still shake my head when you tell me my finishes inspire you! My finishes have come a long way over the past three years since I began blogging, but I still find it amusing that some of you find my little creations inspirational. However, I thank you so very much--your compliments truly warm my heart... Enjoy your weekend and take some time to stitch! Bye for now...

Summer Splendor and Attic Treasure

Hello, my blogging buddies! How is June treating you so far? With the cool weather we've been having here in western Pennsylvania the past week, you would never know that summer is only two weeks away! I don't remember a June ever starting off this way... But, I've been attempting to hurry summer along--with some summery stitching, at least!

A while back, my generous friend Kathy, over at "Kathy's Sit and Stitch" blog offered to send me the adorable LHN Summer Splendor chart after she had finished it. I can't remember the last time I enjoyed stitching a piece this much. Every little motif is just so summery--the chirping birds, the tiny cottage with its white picket fence, the luscious-looking strawberry patch. And how about the weeping willow tree--doesn't it looks like the perfect place under which to sit and delve into an intriguing new book? This will be my very first addition to my June bowl of smalls with the theme of...drum-roll please--strawberries!!



"Summer Splendor" is stitched on 40 ct. raw natural Newcastle linen with the suggested overdyed threads. I kept the finish quite simple due to all the little motifs and just applied thin strips of white lace and attached some square shell buttons in each corner. The little pillow is backed with the floral fabric shown in the background.


In keeping with the spirit of giving and generosity that is so common in our stitching community, I want to offer this "Summer Splendor" design to a fellow blogger. Please leave a note specifically stating that you are interested in the drawing for this chart in your comments. The only requirements are:

1. Please have an active blog
2. Please agree to stitch it promptly
3. Please pass it along to a fellow
stitcher via a drawing on your blog
4. Please post your finish and the history of
where the chart has traveled (with a link to the post of each stitcher's finish) like this:

1. Kathy at "Kathy's Sit and Stitch"
2. Carol at "Stitching Dreams"

My other finish is a little pillow sent as a RAK to my friend, Brenda. This freebie from 123 Citrouille is available by clicking here. I stitched this one over one on 28 ct. cream evenweave with overdyed threads so it is quite small. Instead of ric-rac, I stitched a little zig-zag between the fabric and the design with a bit of the brown thread used in the basket. I've never tried that before, but like the look of it. I included a Chessie & Me chart and a pretty skein of patriotic floss along with the pillow and Brenda seems very happy with her surprise...


Kindness begets kindness and my sweet friend, Elia, sent me this beautiful heart all the way from Spain. Elia won one of my giveaways last month and we have become friends despite the ocean that separates us! I just love the design (from Blackbird Designs "For My Friend" booklet) and she also included a sweet scissor fob with the word "Amor" on it. And look at the miniature scissor charm she tied on to the ribbon--adorable! ¡Me encantan tus regalos, Elia, mi amiga! Muchisimas gracias por ellos y por tu amistad preciosa! (I love your gifts, Elia, my friend. Many thanks for them and for your precious friendship). If you aren't familiar with Elia's blog--please stop by and say "hola"...


Most of my regular readers know that my childhood home has been sold and my siblings, husband, middle son, and I headed up to New York a few weeks ago to clean out the attic and basement (most of the living space had been tackled over previous months)...It was probably the hottest weekend of the year so far--closing in on 90 degrees! And, yes, I ended up on attic duty. Now this is a huge attic on top of a five-bedroom 1906 era house. They sure don't build them like that anymore! What a workout; I must have made 100 trips up and down two flights of stairs throughout the day. I have never felt sweat pouring down my face like that in my life. But, the attic is now emptied, as is the basement, and things are set up in my parents' barn for an estate sale next weekend.

I wanted to share some of the goodies that came home with me from that cleaning weekend. I chose the sentimental things--nothing of much value except for the memories they invoke. I asked my mom if I could take Grandma's vintage Singer sewing machine--and she said yes! I just love the pretty Bentwood dome case it came in, complete with its own little key to open it up. The cord is pretty frayed so I'm afraid to try it out...perhaps I should get a new cord made. Does anyone have any experience with cleaning and refurbishing these old machines?

Grandma's old Singer

Vintage Singer "Model 99" sewing machine from 1929!

Look at the engraving on the silver endpiece!
They sure don't make them like that any longer.

We aren't sure where this old print came from--it may have belonged to my great-uncle. Anyway, I thought the chubby babies crying for world peace were so charming. I did a bit of research on this old drawing and found it was from the talented hands of Charles H. Twelvetrees (1888-1948). He was famous in the early 20th century for his drawings and postcards of chubby cheeked children. This particular work is dated 1915...

Charles Twelvetrees print circa 1915
Unfortunately, the peace that these babies
cried for almost a century ago still eludes us...

These four glass bottles were found in a cupboard in the basement so I brought them home to add to my collection. The smaller two on the left were filled with alcohol--a long-forgotten Christmas gift from days gone by. They are shaped like a pear and a strawberry--so cute! (No, I didn't drink the questionable looking alcohol--down the sink it went!). They'll be perfect for displaying summer blooms in the coming months...

Pretty glass bottles

OK--this poor Santa is "slightly" ragged looking--even a bit scary. He definitely looks like he's seen better days, but, oh, does he bring back memories. As grown-ups, my brother and I would always get into playful arguments about who he actually belonged to. When I discovered Santa in an box of old Christmas decorations, I gleefully announced to my brother: "Ha ha--he's mine now!!" He laughed good-naturedly and Santa was carefully placed in my car to travel to his new home in Pennsylvania.

A much-loved Santa

Earlier this year, my mom had passed on some of my grandmother's sewing things to me since I am the only stitcher in the family. When I first told her what us stitchers use flower frogs for (displaying our collection of scissors for you non-stitching readers!), she was a bit horrified, but after realizing that it would actually be used and not just end up sitting in a cupboard collecting dust, she relented and gave me the most beautiful amber-colored glass flower frog. I think it is one of the prettiest I've seen!

Grandma's amber flower frog

...and filled with scissors.
I'm not a scissor collector like many
of you, but I've received a few fobs and
pretty scissors from stitching friends.

When mom asked if I would like Grandma's sewing basket and thimble, I was especially touched. I can still remember the basket sitting in Grandma's home. She was an expert seamstress who could whip up a dress in no time. But, her expertise was in smocking. What I wouldn't give to have one of those precious smocked dresses she made for me when I was a child...When I was a little girl, I always thought this was a Native American basket, but it turns out to be Chinese-made. The little brass decorations on the top have Chinese characters on them along with some pretty glass beads. I'll bet some of you own similar sewing baskets, don't you?

Grandma's double-decker sewing basket

...filled with a rainbow of threads!

My dear grandmother's gold thimble etched with grapevines.
Isn't it beautiful? On the back are her initials.

So, that's it for my "treasures." Oh, but wait just a second--hold on! I do have one final thing to show you... Tucked over in a corner of the nearly emptied attic, way back under the eaves, I spotted a nondescript-looking cardboard box. Scribbled in black marker on the side of the box, I saw the word "BONE." I thought to myself, "Wouldn't it be nice if some pretty bone china was inside?"

"But, look, Carol," said my cousin who was there helping, "on the other side of the masking tape is an "S." B-O-N-E-S? Bones? What on earth could be in this box???? Holding my breath, I very carefully removed the tape, pulled back the lid, and lifted a layer of newspaper. What should be staring back at me but...

this

friendly

looking

fellow.

Are you ready?

(Don't peak if you are easily scared...)

BOO!

A skeleton in the attic!

Yes, a grinning skull with an entire box full of bones. It was a full skeleton! Now, you've all heard of the expression "Skeletons in your closet," haven't you? How about skeletons in your attic? Yikes!! In all the time I had played in that attic on rainy days and the hours my sons had spent there while visiting their grandparents, not one of us had ever come across this box. Why was it there, you ask? Well, my dad was a doctor--a surgeon, in fact, and the skeleton was something he had used in medical school when studying anatomy. The yellowed 1950s-era newspaper it was wrapped in was from Buffalo, NY where he was studying to be a doctor. So, what do you do with a full skeleton? Why, you send it home with your little brother who is also a doctor! I wonder if he'll put it together and display it in his office? He was delighted with the find and he so enjoyed tormenting me by waving the skeleton's foot in my face. Some things never change... It was certainly "the find" of the weekend!

I want to welcome my new followers--so glad to have you here! Thank you so much for your wonderful comments--I truly look forward to hearing from each of you. If you ask me a question and want a response, though, please make sure you include your email address. If you post anonymously I have no way to answer you--and I really do try to get back to each of you when at all possible. There are still so many of you who have "no-reply comment" issues. Please, please check your profile and make sure you don't fall in this category. You can learn how to change your settings in this previous post which you can read by clicking here.

I hope you enjoyed your visit today--may your day brings many smiles and laughs along the way. Don't forget to let me know in your comments if you would like to be included in the drawing for "Summer Splendor!" Bye for now...