A Handful of Strawberry Blossoms...

Brynwood Needleworks - Strawberry Blossom Sachet

This will go in the mail to its new home on Monday. 

Brynwood Needleworks - Strawberry Blossom Sachet

  I'll enjoy it until then.

Brynwood Needleworks - Strawberry Blossom Sachet

Strawberry blossoms...

Brynwood Needleworks - Strawberry Blossom Sachet

Ribbon Roses and Ruffles...

Brynwood Needleworks - Strawberry Blossom Sachet

filled with crushed walnut shells and lavender buds. A sweet-smelling finish for Saturday.

Another Day...

It was fun to work on a crewel piece for a change. I haven't really done any

wool embroidery for a number of years (like 20!!), so it was fun to dip my

toes back in it again. When I was finished with this, I remembered wool

drapes that used to hang in my childhood home. They were completely

embroidered just like this small piece! I realized that I could now do my

own set if I ever chose to have anything like that hanging in our own home.

I really had fun working the different stitches, too. There were areas of long 

and short, satin, French knots, twisted buttonhole, trellis couching, stem, chain, 

closed fly and fishbone (my new favorite!) stitches. I liked the challenge of 

remembering how to execute some of them, and some were completely new to me.

I was so proud to be finished...and I really thought I was. Then, while

editing my photographs, I saw this. sigh I missed two stems. I've been

so excited about the way the leaves turned out that I never noticed that

I'd hadn't stitched the stems. So, rather than share a finished piece, I'm

sharing a "mostly finished piece". When it's completely finished, I've

decided that I shall have a small frame made for it. I never did tell you

the size of this one, did I? It's a petite 3" x 3". All that stitching in such

a small area. Perhaps I'll do this again, but on a larger scale - another day.

Busy Hands, Happy Heart...

 When I packed a few projects for this trip, I added this crewel kit that I'd purchased a
while ago when I met Shell May (of Raspberry Rabbits fame) in Williamsburg.
It's just a small piece when stitched, but it's perfect to work on while traveling.

 I don't want to make a mistake with the kit name (like I did with my last

project), so I'm showing you a photograph of the cover sheet. It's "Newbury

Small" by Tristan Brooks Designs. It's a beautiful, little Jacobean wool piece.

I hooped the fabrics (linen with a muslin backer) into my treasured, antique

hoop which once belonged to my mother-in-law, Evelyn. I was stitching in

no time at all. I actually made more progress before I quit for the day, but I

wanted to be able to show you some of the work I'd done on it before I lost

the good natural light that we bloggers crave when photographing for our posts.

Today, I'll be spending the day with my aunt and one of my "sisters by choice".

Tag will be with me while Handsome does a little instrument shopping. I'll also

see one of my beautiful nieces and her son for dinner, which will be the perfect

end to a fine day. I'm going to take this kit along to work on because it lends

itself well to tea, time with friends and loved ones and can be stitched without

much intense concentration or effort. I haven't done crewel embroidery in years,

but it reminds me of many hours spent with Mom Grace (who I'll see soon).

Happy times with happy pursuits and loved ones.

I'm very blessed.

My Poor Shrinking Violets...

In cleaning out one of the drawers in my studio this past week, I came across my very first piece of crewel embroidery. (I think I stitched it in 1973 or 74) Oh, my! Those poor shrinking violets! I've learned so much since then.

First of all, never, never use a piece of cardboard to mount your finished work! I promptly removed these sad-looking violets from the cardboard (which had been stitched onto it in the most shoddy fashion). Then I moved into the laundry room where I filled a basin with Vintage Textile Soak (which I told you about here) and cool water. I let the piece soak overnight and when I took it out in the morning, all the age had been cleaned off it. Now, you know that when I say age, I mean the years of dust and soil that had collected on it.

The frame in the photo is the original, plastic, yukky frame that came with the kit. I now know that, if I'm going to take the time to stitch it, it deserves a better frame. (This one does simply because of its history.) So I've carefully pressed the needlework (Always iron the back of your piece. It actually makes your stitches stand out on the front.), mounted it with stainless steel t-pins onto a piece of acid-free fome core and it is now installed into a more appropriate frame.

Even though it's still my "primitive" beginner piece, I think it looks much happier now. Don't you?

Thank you to everyone who has responded so lovingly to my 200th Post Giveaway. You gals are awesome! If you haven't yet responded to the original post, you still can (see how many chances you can earn by reading my original message here), and you can earn additional chances by leaving a comment on each post between now and Thanksgiving!