Busy Bees...

Lunetta, deep in concentration.

Yesterday was the second and last session of the first hand embroidery class

I taught at Crazy Quilters in Venice, FL. Only three of my students were

able to make the session, but they'll still receive their second class from

me if they want it at a later date. My classes aren't finished until they are.

We had a great day. Once they learned their stitches and a few "tricks"

from me, we had a plenty of time for them to work on assembling their

projects. I especially enjoyed seeing how each student chose to 

personalize their own embroidery envelopes with beads or more stitches.

Stitching away...Andi in back and Debbie in front.

 There was even time for sharing stories, learning more about each other

and sharing ideas and requests for me to teach future classes at the shop.

Lunetta's kit

Lunetta is a girl after my own heart. She had to straighten up all her

pieces before she'd let me take a photograph of her work. Just like I would!

She added lots of French knots on her needle case. LOTS! She said she just

couldn't stop once she started. hee hee Then she added pearl beads on the front.

Debbie's kit

 Debbie used different floss colors on each of her interior pockets.

Her work was lovely, too and she made great progress on her kit.

Andi's kit

 Andi decided not to put beads under the hearts on the front of her kit, 

but she was fond of the lazy daisy stitch, so she used those to embellish

her hearts instead. She also had all her pieces stitched so she spent the

 class time assembling her pieces into a finished envelope. 

The last things I taught them were how to make crocheted button loops

and how to make cording. They were all really tickled to learn those things, 

which they'll be able to use in many other projects in the future. I couldn't 

help but smile when I saw the "light" go on and they'd learned something new.

They're also looking forward to a continuation of techniques when 

they move into my next class in hand embroidery, the "Over The River

and Through The Woods" quilt that we'll begin on February 28th.

All in all, yesterday was a thoroughly successful day and I must 

always remember to thank God for all the gifts and answered prayers.

For Mom...

This is actually the closest to the quilt's accurate colors.

 Apologies for the uneven color images. It was mostly overcast (and then, dark)

by the time I finished Mom's (Grace's) quilt, but it's completely finished now.

I haven't done any free-form machine "writing" before, but decided to 

attempt it on her quilt. It definitely doesn't look like my handwriting,

but it was fun to add a few important words to the quilt for her.

 I decided on the three words that mean the most to her...

"Mom"...

"Family"...

and

 "Love".

Nothing has been more important to her for her entire life. 

She sacrificed all her life putting them first, and

 (God Bless her), she happily took me in as one of her own.

Just so you know...

I'm just going to call her "Mom" on my blog from now on, like I do in real life.

 I liked doing the colorful medallions in the quilt intersections, too.

I hand stitched them and then machine stitched along the inside of the

shape with a little swirl in the center. I was going to add heart-shaped

buttons in the centers but decided to free-hand quilts along the outside

edges at the intersections. I thought that would be enough without the buttons.

 Last shot of the night.

Mom's finished lap quilt.

Today is my second session for Arlyn's Embroidered Envelope.

I can't wait to see how the ladies have done on their projects, and

we'll finish them all today. I'll take lots of pictures to share with you!

Have a great day, dear friends.

Slowly, But Surely...

 I've been FOCUSING a lot lately and have either finished or nearly finished

a couple more projects. There are few things as satisfying to me as meeting a

deadline or a goal, and this past month has been especially hectic for me.

That's why I'm so darn proud of myself for keeping my shoulder to the wheel

so that I can complete my backlog of UFOs in the near future. 

These jammies are my latest accomplishment. They really make me smile!

 Today I'll finish this lap quilt. I'm making it for Mom Grace and I just know

she'll love it. First, I know she'll love it because I made it, but I also know

she'll love the sewing-theme fabrics that I chose to make her quilt.

 The top is complete and I'll sandwich it with batting and backing and do

the surface quilting. The heart-shaped buttons aren't attached yet either.

I'll add those after the quilting is finished, add the binding and take one

more picture of it to show you before I pop it into a box to mail to her.

One of the things that helps me concentrate is to play music while I'm

in the studio. This song had been playing in my head yesterday, so now

you can have it playing in your head, too! It's ok. You don't have to thank me.

(This is a direct link.)

Tuesdays With Tag - About Gnomes...

 Hi, Everybody!

Today I have a literary and information post to share with you.

 I'm going to tell you about one of Mom's favorite books.

Mom told me all about it last weekend and they're pretty interesting.

 The original book is on the right and it's called "Gnomes".

The book on the left is called "The Gnomes Book of Christmas Crafts",

but I'm not going to tell you about that one this time.

 Mom has had "Gnomes" since 1979...waaaayyy before I was born.

It's like realllyyy ancient!

It was written by Wil Huygen and Rien Poortvliet made all the pictures.

 It says in this book that man gnomes weigh about 300 grams. 

Mom said that's just over 10 ounces. That's not very much.

Heck. I weigh 32 pounds!

Lady gnomes weigh a little less.

 Mom told me that all gnomes love and care for animals. They help 

injured creatures, and even feed and care for abandoned babies.

I bet they'd let me help!

I know I'm a fairy dog, but gnomes are kind and sturdy

 like me, so I'm just positive that we'd be good friends, too!

 Most gnomes live in Sweden, but this map has red areas to show where you 

can find gnomes in North America. Apparently, they don't like tropical areas, 

because I don't see a single red spot in Florida, but there are lots of spots up north! 

Mom said it's not uncommon to have one cross your path if you're hiking in 

the woods or taking a walk in a wide open field! Just follow the animal tracks.

 The book tells about other magical creatures, too, because sometimes

gnomes are confused with other magical beings. There are pictures of elves 

(which remind me of fairies), but there are also goblins, dwarfs, and more!

 Elves are not mean, but they can be mischevious and are highly intelligent.
I wonder if they'd get along with my fairy friends or if they ever have parties together?

Goblins are mean and everyone should avoid them. I know that gnomes sure do!

 Then, there are uldras and trolls. Thankfully, uldras are few 'cuz they're

the worst! Trolls, on the other hand are much more abundant.

This is what the book said about them:

"Stupid, primitive, distrustful and unbelievably ugly creatures...

They often keep boxes full of stolen money and jewels, with which

they play for hours, running their fingers through them."

The book says most of them live across the ocean in Russia, Norway and

a few other Scandinavian countries, but Mom swears that she's also 

seen them outside their natural habitat, in Wisconsin and Minnesota.

She promised to make sure that we never cross paths with nasty trolls!

Mom also read parts of the book to me that told about what gnomes like to

do for recreation. They like to make pottery, weave baskets and make

cloth. They weave their own blankets, sew clothes, build their own houses
and rely on each other to create just about everything they need to live!

They're kind and enterprising little people. I'd love to make friends with some.

I know Mom said they don't live in Florida, but I'm gonna keep on the lookout

 for them, just in case. Maybe a couple will come from Sweden to Florida to visit?

You can just figure I'll sniff around every little tree stump to see if I can find any

 sign of them at all. and when we go to Wisconsin, I bet Mom will be able to find

 a couple and introduce me to them. I want the gnomes to know that they have

 a friend in one of the fairy kind...me! So, I'll be on the alert to find one or two.

'til then...

"More Waggin' and Less Barkin'!"

A Vintage Chic...

Art Journal Page from A Vintage Chic blog

 Thanks to Pinterest, I found Julie and her beautiful artwork.

Her blog is A Vintage Chic...

She creates art journal pages, with each page prettier than the last.

I also likes the messages she chooses for each of her illustrations.

They really speak to me.

Another Page from A Vintage Chic blog

 I'm especially taken with her lettering skills and art choices.

These are two of my favorite pages.

If you're interested in visiting Julie's blog or learning about

her "Nostalgic Musings" journaling e-course, here's her link.

It's always fun to visit someone new.

One more thing before I go today...
I think it's about time for another giveaway.
As always, it will be open to all my blog followers (friends) because
you are always my biggest supporters. Gratitude time later this week!

Sunday Scripture - Friendship...

Web image from Weheartit.com

I Remain Affectionately Yours...

 While cleaning my studio, I realized that I have assembled a

"tin container collection". I didn't even know I was collecting them!

You know how it happens. One here. Another there. Before you know it,

you find that you've established a little flock of something you treasure.

How many of something actually constitutes a collection?

Three? More? How many more?

This tin is one of my favorites...Mary Engelbreit's artwork with an

adorable little girl writing a note to a friend. Don't you just love it?

I frequently use this one to store floss bobbins for embroideries-in-progress.

I'll share more of my newly-recognized collection in future posts.

I wouldn't want to overload you all at once, after all.

 

 Handsome is back home, so all is right in my world again.

I hope you have something great planned for your weekend.

I'll see you later, but know that, always,

"I remain affectionately yours."

Studio Bliss...

After

Thanks to my dear friend, Sherry at Createology, I have a name for

my studio "after" shots..."Studio Bliss". Perfect!! Thanks, girlfriend!!

 I actually find myself with clear "walking around" space! I moved

 the pattern cabinet out of my work space and moved in a little,

 rustic armoire that I used to use for display in my needlework shop.

I had painted it, decoupaged Cheri Blum calendar image elements to 

the doors and then added a pair of custom-made acorns I had comissioned.

I won't show you my paint job up close. I wouldn't exactly call it "shabby".

The pattern cabinet occupied 32" in width and more than that in depth of floor 

space, which really cut into my room, and made it nearly impossible to get into

 my last set of closet shelves (not pictured). The armoire is 27" wide and only 14"

  deep, so I have more space in front of it, and opening my shelf doors to the left of it

 is no problem at all now! The pattern cabinet held an insane amount of stuff, so

 I had to sort through everything. Thankfully, most things are still in my room.

Inside my armoire are boxes containing teaching projects, patterns and

fabric. All of my Sulky #12 spools, instructional DVDs and fabric (I

know. I said that twice.), cording, ATCs and a little more fabric. There

is also a drawer below the shelves and all of my needlework scroll frames

and kits are in that drawer, so I can quickly locate them. Sweet!

 Shelves tidy, counters and sewing tables cleaned, and chaos tamed.

 I can find things again, and I'm ready to get back to finishing a few

things that I've started. The sun is shining and I can see clearly now.

(Are ya humming, Shell? hee hee)

 Next on my cutting mat...this fabric will become a sweet pair of pj 

bottoms today. Don't you just adore the cheerful fabric? I couldn't resist!

No, they're not for me, but after they're finished, I might just have to

run out and get enough fabric to make another pair. They're super simple

and crazy easy to make thanks to my trusty serger, Evvie. I'll show you

what they look like tomorrow. I bet you're gonna love 'em, too! 

I'm so anxious to get back to creating thanks to my blissfully tidy studio!!

Later, girlfriends...

Keepin' It Real...

Before...

 I don't know about anyone else, but when I'm up to my you-know-what in "To Do" 

lists, I get busy...cleaning! It helps me FOCUS my thoughts, so when I've finished

 I can get right back to work - without distractions. Clean it up, then get busy!!

I have an area in the studio that's really been buggin' me so I decided that I'd deal 

with it yesterday. It involved emptying a piece of over-stuffed furniture, moving it 

to another part of the house (garage) to serve a new purpose, and moving a piece 

from another room into the studio. Handsome is up north this week, so I can do a 

bit of tearing up without messing up his life, too. I know he'll appreciate that.

Unfortunately, that means all the proverbial heavy lifting is done alone - with the

aid of those fabulous slider pads that you put under furniture to make moving easier.

As soon as I was finished with the emptying, I moved out one piece of furniture

and moved in the other. Right after that, I took two Aleve and made a cup of tea!

So, I'm calling the photograph you're looking at "Utter Chaos". (giggle)

Tomorrow, I'll show you my rearranged, organized, ready-to-roll studio...

as soon as I find a place for everything that's in my face right now.

(Right after I have another cup of tea.)

Michelle's Little Birds...

 Look what arrived in my mailbox over the weekend!

A whole flock of sweet, little cardinals are nesting in my studio.

Thanks to the artistic talents of my friend, Michelle Palmer, I have

all kinds of ideas skipping around in the creative side of my brain.

The framed piece is teeny, tiny, postage-stamp small. I love it!

 This time of year, many cardinals have actually migrated to south Florida.

I imagine the ice-box temperatures up north are as difficult for them as it

would be for those of us who have grown accustomed to warmer weather.

Each morning, we awaken to their songs and I enjoy watching them hop

from branch to branch among the palmettos and pines...flashes of red to

bring a smile to my face. Now, I'll be able to create a few beautiful things

to remind me of our colorful, feathered friends. I'm imagining all sorts 

of new projects to showcase Michelle's beautiful artwork.

You can find more of Michelle's creations in her Etsy shop.

You'll love it all!

Tuesdays With Tag - My Latest Trick...

 Hi Everybody!

I'm so excited to see you again today.

I've learned a new trick (rather quickly, I might add), 

and I can't wait to show you what I can do now.

Mom took a short video to show you, so let's get to it, shall we?
(Turn on your sound if ya wanna hear Mom chirp at me.)

(Link: http://youtu.be/ae-ve77Rcb4)

I know you're impressed, aren't you?

So, I have my collar on, I'm ready to ride shotgun

and it's time to hit the road (so to speak). 

Did someone say "speak"?

I can do that, too!

Well, what the heck are ya waitin' for, Mom?

Places to go. People to see. We're burnin' daylight!

Gotta run now.

'til next week...

"More Waggin' and Less Barkin'!"