Sunny Monday...

 Last week was a busy, busy week, but not much time was spent in the studio. I did,

 however, manage to spend time stitching on my Sweet Stitches, "Sunny Days" kit.

I'm working on the second little bee now, and then I'll move on to stitch the rest

 of the flower stems and the picket fence. Most of this is done in stem stitch, so it's

 a simple design to work. I really liked working the centers of the sunflowers, too!

 I'll finish "Sunny Days' this week, and then I have to move to a small quilt

that I'll be teaching the end of this month at Crazy Quilters. I'll show you

the fabrics and pattern after I get going on it, but I think you'll like it.

This will be a two-session class, and I'm looking forward to teaching again. I 

have so much fun with my students, and I like seeing them learn something new.

So, I'm off to an appointment first thing today and then I'll be relaxing with

my needlework for the rest of the day. Sounds like a Sunny Monday to me!

Wishing everyone a great start to your week!

Stitching My Way Home...

 I've been working on "Sunny Days" at random moments in the Flying Cloud. I

don't start until after we've "dropped the hook" for the day and we've eaten dinner.

 I traced the pattern using my Frixion™ pen this time. (It will disappear when

I iron the back of the finished pieces.) The tracing was all finished on Tuesday

evening, and then I started stitching after that. I'm further on the piece now, but

this is to show you my progress from Tuesday evening. It really trips right along!

 I basted the fabric a little crooked onto the scroll frame, but I do put tension

against the fabric when I stitch, so the design isn't stitched "puckered". It

really will lie flat when it's off the frame. (You'll see when I'm all finished.)

You may notice that I roll my fabric onto the scroll frame with the back of 

my fabric facing out on the rollers. The needlework sits inside the frame.

There's a reason for this that I'd like to share with you. If you're a seasoned

needleworker, you probably already know this, but just in case...

When you roll your fabric onto the frame (or into a hoop) with the back of 

the fabric to the outside - you'll always be handling the back of the fabric. 

This will keep your work cleaner on the front. I never eat snacks when I'm 

stitching, but believe me, when I had my shop, I saw more than a few dirty pieces

of needlework come through the doors! This is an easy way to keep things clean.

I also wash my hands first whenever I plan to sit and stitch, and because I hoop

this way, I'm always handling the back of the needlework, rather than the front.

 If you haven't tried it before, perhaps you'll give it a go.

"Here endeth the lesson. "

(hee hee)

We'll be pulling into our yard later today, and we're ready to be back home.

Tag has had enough of riding in the car, Handsome's sick of driving, and I

can't wait to get back into my studio (after we unload the Cloud, of course)!

 I love traveling, but it's always good to be back home again.

Sunny Days...

 One more set of family photos to add to our Wisconsin travel album for this

year! I can't forget to share these sweet faces with you...my great-nephews,

Preston and Dean.

l-r: Dan's lady, Amanda, Preston, Dean and Daniel

 They're my nephew, Daniel's, two boys and they're completely adorable!

And, in typical boy fashion, they are two live wires. Just look at those faces.

We visited for a while in the Flying Cloud, and then Daddy and Amanda

took them up to the bounce pillow in our campground for a spot of jumping.

I have lots of photos of them playing to edit, but suffice it to say there was a lot

of giggling, falling down and popping up in the air whenever Daddy bounced!

 I asked Handsome to take one more photo of all of us together so that

I'd be able to add it to our travel album. I create an iBook every year 

after we return home from our travels. This year, it will hold faces of

people more than places, but I think that's the best part of our trips...

to fondly remember all the beautiful hearts we were able to see each year.

 The next project I'll be working on will also serve to remind

me of all the wonderful things about this past month...

"Sunny Days" from the Sweet Stitches collection. I'm smiling already!