New In My Library...

I just received two new books for my needlework library. They're both Elisabetta Sforza books, and wow! Talk about eye candy. These are the sorts of books you reach for for instruction and inspiration. They're filled with gorgeous examples of her handwork, and every single page is a treat.

Sea to Stitch is a guide to creating beautiful ocean-themed alphabet letters. There are waves and seashells of all sorts. I'm looking forward to practicing new techniques and trying to equal her impeccable skills.

A Flower Alphabet is even more wonderful than the first book of hers I own (In A Wheat Field), and I can't wait to create a few of these stunning floral alphabets. I'll definitely be attempting one soon. When I do, you know you'll be the first to know.

I'm making a special handbag for a little girl turning five this weekend. I'll be attending her Birthday party on Sunday, so today I sew. (Nothing like last minute, right? sigh) So, I guess I'd better close and get started. 

I hope you'll drop in for my Sunday Scripture tomorrow, and then I'll be back to chat on Monday. Happy Weekend!

Here's What's Next...

I see flowers in my future. Lots of flowers, for a wedding monogram I'm going to start today. If you've been to my Etsy shop, you've seen the "B" framed piece used as an example of wedding pieces that you can commission me to stitch. This is going to be similar to that. 

The flowers in this first photograph are not my work. They're from the book that I use for the monogram shapes. Aren't they pretty, though?

This is a portion of the piece I'll be doing. It's actually the letter "N", and most of the flowers on the pattern are irrelevant to me, as I'll mostly use my own flowers to coordinate with the bride's bouquet. That's a bit tricky in this case, as I have no idea what the bride intends to carry. 

When I'm not sure exactly what flowers to use, I default to the wedding invitation for an idea of the bride's taste. As this is for my great-nephew's wedding, I'm going to contact his mom today to see if she can at least advise me of what colors will be in the bouquet. Once I know that, this piece could be anything from tones of white and cream, to wintry or spring colors. 

Today I'll begin by preparing the fabric (linen), and transferring the basics of the design onto it. Once I have the conversation about colors, I'll pull silk threads for this piece, and begin stitching by lunchtime.

I enjoy doing these monograms, so I know it's going to be fun, especially since it's for a couple I know and love. I'll share more information about it tomorrow. I intend to add a few symbolic touches to this piece, too, which I'll explain later.

I guess I'd better make that phone call so I can get started on this. See you tomorrow!

Birthday Girl...

Happy Aunty Holding The Birthday Baby

This sweetheart - my great-great niece, W - turned one yesterday. There was a Birthday party with family, balloons, great food, and lots of little kids. I really enjoyed holding this baby, who only a few months ago was in her shy stage. Her big sister (in her terrible twos) still wants nothing to do with this aunty, but the Birthday baby was all smiles and cuddles for me today. squeee!

The Birthday Baby With Our Gift To Her

I chose to make a matching monogrammed pillow to the one I gave her big sister when she was a baby. This one had a slightly darker shade of pink than her sister's, and of course, the monogram letter was different. The nursery fabric was the same.

After all the hubbub died down, her mama said she was really hoping I'd make another for their second baby, as she'd loved the first pillow so much. She was really tickled to see it when they opened the package.

 

 

This is my studio photograph for my records. As I said above, I used the same nursery rhyme-themed fabric that I used for the pillow I made for her big sister. I love how it turned out, and I'm so happy that her parents love it, too. I knew I needed to make the second one when I saw a picture of their first child's bedroom with her pillow visible in a place of prominence.

 

I drove home from the party yesterday afternoon with a smile on my face. It was a sunny day for a drive, even though it was so cold. It was a perfect day to celebrate a Birthday, and spend a little time with family.

 

I have a few bookwork and housekeeping things to do in the studio today. It's supposed to get even colder tomorrow and Wednesday, so I'll make sure the Barn Girls have plenty of cold weather bedding to keep them warm out there. Tag has a few things in mind, too, so he'll tell you all about his activities tomorrow. I'll be back on Wednesday. I just heard the coffee maker, so I'm off to grab a cup!

A Woman Of Letters...

Destiny and I were busy yesterday. (No. I haven't given her a new name yet.) This was her first day embroidering with me, and she did everything I asked of her. I'm working on a new idea that required me to first create the sample embroideries.

"B" stands for Brynwood...

"D" represents me, and....

an "L" for our master bedroom.
These embroideries are large - 8" x 10", more or less - so they each took over an hour to create. By the time I completed three of them, my afternoon was over and it was time to start preparing dinner.  I decided to call it a day.   Guess what I'll be doing today?

Last Minute Prep...

 We'll be rolling out the Flying Cloud this week, and I'm busy with

last minute projects as we also pack and prep for our upcoming trip.

One of the things I'll be doing while away is attending the baptism

of our sweet, little great-nephew, Jace. His Mommy and Daddy have

planned the ceremony around the dates that we'll be able to attend.

They said that they think it's only fitting that the person who made the  Christening gown be in the chapel as another child is baptized in it. I'm honored that they are making it possible for us to attend, because  I'd love to be there as they bring their child to a life in the church.
Their baby will be wearing the same gown that I made for his older brother thirteen years ago, and I found out yesterday that the gown has been carefully stored in plastic. I think it's better for the gown to be stored in a protective fabric garment bag, so I made one for it. Beautiful, monogrammed, soft, white cotton will work perfectly.
Miss Ellie (my Babylock Ellisimo) embroidered their family monogram  onto the outside of the garment bag, and now it will protect the gown  when it hangs in storage. I think Jace's parents will like this better, too.    I only have to add a small pocket to hold a card that will list the names  of all the past and future children who wear it...a small heirloom touch.
I'll be going back and forth to The Cloud as we dodge the daily rain showers. Tag will be here tomorrow to tell you how he's preparing. We'll be ready in no time at all. This is going to be fun!

My Productive Monday...

Monday began with me deciding to make the heirloom
garment bag to protect Liam's christening ensemble.

I began with the pocket detail on the back of the garment bag.
It will be used to hold the photo and information about
me, Liam, and all the future babies to wear this ensemble.

This is the front of the garment bag.
I've added a special acorn charm to the zipper pull...

and, the pocket is on the back of the finished piece.

The only thing left is to write my letter to Liam
and my descendants to place in the pocket.
I need to put some thought to that, and if
you'd like, I'll share it with you when it's written.

Then, the entire ensemble will be ready to travel
with me to Wisconsin this month.

But that wasn't all I did on Monday.
I also sewed this project...

On Wednesday, I'm going to Sarasota to meet my friend, Marion.

She and I met online through Ravelry a couple of years ago and
really hit it off because we have a lot in common.

She's a lover of all things outdoors; hunts and fishes like me;
and this gal also has her own motorcycle! She's another
creative soul, making the most beautiful glass beads, too!

She's in Sarasota for her niece's graduation now, and we're
going to spend the day together on Wednesday. We've spent
time getting acquainted online and on the telephone, and now
I'm so tickled that we will finally meet one another face-to-face.

Because I don't want to meet her empty-handed,
I decided to make one of my Sweet Treat bags for her.
These make up quickly and are so useful.
It could come in handy for her knitting,
sewing or jewelry projects-in-progress.

I chose a fabric that I hope will remind her of her trip to FL (she
lives in Michigan, so we have the Midwest in common, too),
and I'll be tucking a few surprises inside the bag to fill it out.
I had such fun choosing the sweet, little fish button to adorn it.
Think she'll like it?

Last, but not least, I want to show you the fabrics for my next project.
It's time to make the Williamsburg Consort fund raiser quilt to take
to Virginia in September. I need to finish it with plenty of time for
the long-arm quilt artist to do her magic after I do all the piecing.

Hope you'll follow along on this project, too.
Handsome is going to be in Pennsylvania for ten days
(he was invited to attend Allegheny College School of Adult Music),
so my plan is to make up this quilt and have it ready for the
long-arm by the time he returns. Think I can do it?

"D" For Donna...

The duppioni fabric for the bonnet didn't arrive in the mail yesterday,

so I decided to tackle another project that I've been contemplating.

I recently purchased this rolling office chair for the studio.
I decided it's much easier to roll from machine to machine,
rather than get up, scooch my bentwood chair into position, and
then sit down again (although I admit, it's probably
better exercise!). But, really...isn't this an u.g.l.y. chair?

You know I'm preparing for the Where Bloggers Create II Party?
I needed to do something to make it "Brynwood-worthy".

Miss Ellie and I started by embroidering the letter "D" in a soft green
thread on some of my favorite fabric, which I'm sure you'll recognize.

Then, after careful measurements, marking with pins, cutting and
re-pinning, then sewing, I assembled the new slipcover for the chair back
and a separate cover for the seat. My thinking was to finish off the chair
with a short ruffle, but those legs look out of place, don't you think?
Me, too.
So, I got out the ruffler attachment for Miss Ellie and made
a long skirt for the chair, pinned and sewed it to the seat cover, and...

VOILA!
A chair more suited to a studio/sewing room/creative space
for
Brynwood Needleworks.
A day well-spent.
How was your day today?

Busy, Busy & A Heads-Up...

While I had to be away from home yesterday, I still managed to get a couple of things accomplished before I left. So, here's today's update...
I finished my embroideries for the wedding hankies, and they're now in Adele's capable hands for the creation of the crocheted lace. The monogram is the groom's initial on the left, bride's initial on the right and their new shared last initial in the center. As they're marrying in January, the bride asked for a snowflake or two, so that's where the snowflakes come in. Do you like it?
Here's the heads-up...
I'm working on these for my Followers Only Birthday Giveaway tomorrow. Any guesses? HA! I'm not telling! You'll have to wait until the giveaway to find out...but I'll tell you one teeny, tiny secret. There will be FIVE winners for this giveaway, so if you're not already publicly following my blog, you might want to sign up now. You'll need to leave a comment tomorrow - and be a follower to be eligible for the drawing. If I can't see you're following me, you won't count. This will be a one day giveaway. My birthday ends at midnight December 3rd, and so does this giveaway. I'll choose the winners with a Random Number Generator (Handsome can't stand the pressure anymore!) and I'll announce the winners on Friday, December 4th.

Gotta get back to work now, so I'll see you tomorrow!

Happy Birthday today, dear Larry. I know you're really proud of your kids and grandkids and you're watching over them. They're all honorable and loving people...and it's obvious they're from you and Eli. I love and miss you. Dee