A Cushion It Shall Be...

My squirrel is finished. That tiny one thread of floss over one thread of fine count linen...the size of two quarters...is finished. The pattern calls for it to become a scissors fob. Remember? (This post might jog your memory.) I finished the stitching waaayyy back in June, but just couldn't bring myself to make a scissors fob.

I've finally decided what I want to make with it. I'm going to make a pincushion similar to this one, purchased on a recent quilt shop expedition. The fabrics in the first photograph with the embroidery are the fabrics I'm going to use. Then, I'm going to add some "squirrely" accents. Acorns, perhaps. Oh! What about topping it with a squirrel? I'm going to have to go in search of the perfect little accent for the top!

I'll show you as soon as I'm finished. Another post for another day, but I wanted you to know that I hadn't completed (or abandoned) this project. If you have any ideas, I'm all ears!

Feelin' Squirrely...

I'm feeling pretty "squirrely", but also darn proud of myself for finishing this teeny, tiny cross stitch piece. It's my friend, Maureen Appleton's design (The Heart's Content) and will become a scissors fob when I'm finished assembling it.

I wanted to photograph it next to a pair of earrings gifted me by one of my followers last fall. She asked that she remain anonymous, so I'll honor her wishes. Just know, my dear, that I wear them often and simply adore the sparkle of these pretty acorn earrings. Thank you again!
To give you a better idea of the size of this embroidery, I've photographed the squirrel next to a Canadian quarter. (It's the only shiny quarter I had in my wallet!) I never realized the Queen looks like she's scowling on the face of it. Sidetracked again. So, two quarters would pretty much hide all my hard work! You're impressed, aren't you? And it did it without a magnifier.

Well, I'm impressed with myself, and am happy to say that I don't think I'll tackle a one-over-one cross stitch piece on 26 ct. linen again any time soon. I'll make this one into my scissors fob and then just plop down and rest on my laurels for a while.

PS. While I was visiting Maureen's site, I found that she is offering the squirrel cross stitch design as a freebie. If you'd like to stitch this piece for yourself, just click here to download your own chart.

In Case You Were Wondering...

I spent a nice part of Sunday just sitting in a comfortable chair and stitching. I hadn't done this in a long, long time.

I selected a kit that I'd purchased in Williamsburg, VA the day I went shopping with Shell May. It's a Maureen Appleton (The Hearts Content) counted thread kit. If you're not familiar with Maureen or her work, I'll tell you that all of her designs are stitched with one thread of floss over one thread of linen. In this case, the linen is 26 ct. Glenshee. (That's 26 threads to the inch, if you're not a needleworker.)

Maureen is from Wisconsin, and she and I are friends. Although I haven't seen her in a long time, I am a huge fan of her stunning designs. Stitching "one over one" creates a level of detail that you really must see.
This is as far as I got on Sunday. I didn't need a magnifier, but it is easier to see what I'm doing in bright daylight. I will wait for another sunny day to progress on this piece. I do know that this sweet squirrel will make a lovely scissors fob once assembled and attached to my squirrel embroidery scissors (which came in the kit).
Additionally, the ladies (Judy and Sue) have selected their mug mats (from my Second Blog Birthday celebration), so I created or chose a few special things to go along with each of their mats and Target gift cards.
I sure hope they like what I've chosen for them! I managed to include items that fit the theme of the original mat they selected.

I haven't decided what I'll work on today. Tuesdays are busy with Soundsations rehearsals from 1-3 pm, and then getting together with the Books A Million girls in the evening. I think I'll just keep it simple...whatever I decide.

I hope you all have a creative and fun day today. See you tomorrow!

A Variation On A Theme...

Today I wanted to share a little something I purchased while shopping in Williamsburg with Shell. This is a tiny scissors fob designed by my friend, Maureen Appleton of The Hearts Content.

I first met Maureen years ago when we would travel to trade shows to sell our counted thread designs. Maureen lives in Green Bay, Wisconsin - only an hour and a half north of where I used to live. She's a wonderful, beautiful woman, and her designs are fabulous. If you aren't familiar with her designs, go to her website and have a peek. Her one-over-one samplers are simply elegant!

This scissors fob features a squirrel which will be stitched onto 29 ct. Glenshee linen - one thread of floss over one thread of linen. The result will be the most perfectly detailed design as the centerpiece of the fob.
In addition to including everything needed to stitch the fob and finish it as shown in the photograph, Maureen also included this special pair of embroidery scissors. I'm sure you've seen embroidery scissors with animals on them before. Shell gave me a beautiful pair with a rabbit on them (which I adore), and it's not unusual to find them with a stork, but look at these...
A Squirrel!!! Not acorns, but a variation on a theme, don't you think? I showed the kit to Shell. It was so perfect to find the little kit, but to discover that the squirrel scissors were also included... We decided that this kit just had to come home with me!

I'll definitely need to break out my magnifying light to stitch this, but rest assured, it's on my short-term To Do list!

PS. I found out yesterday, when Francie left a comment for me, that the acorns in the previous post are boxes. BOXES?? Who would have thought? I can't wait to stuff them and use them on our tree this Christmas! Thanks again, Francie...both for the acorns, and for letting this rube know that they open up! ;-)