The Newlyweds...

Saturday was so wonderful. Handsome and I were invited to witness my great-nephew, Ethan marry his sweetheart, Brianna. They've been together long enough to have three beautiful children together and recently purchased their first home. I know. I'm old-fashioned, but I've been pulling for these kids for a long time! Ethan is my sister, Diana's grandson. His mom is my niece, Stephanie.

I'm so proud of the young man he's become, and I told him so shortly before I took this photograph of them in their receiving line after the ceremony. These smiles were just for me, and I'm honored to share them with you. I have a few more to share, too...

The officiant moved out of position as he pronounced them man and wife, so the photographers could capture their first kiss as newlyweds. By the way, isn't her gown beautiful, and doesn't he look handsome?

 

 

Their first kiss. 

 

I want you to notice the next two photos in particular. If you look at Brianna's waist, you'll see that's where she pinned her "Something Blue" brooch I created for her. She made a point of showing me she had it on when we spoke in the receiving line.

 

Ethan smiled for my picture here. They had two professional photographers, so I know there will be many more much better pictures than these, but these smiles of Ethan's were for me, and they'll forever be special.

 

I've written about time spent with him in the past on my blog. If you want to see pictures of him growing up, just go to the "Search this blog" area over there in my sidebar -----> and type in "Ethan" to see how he's grown into this handsome husband and dad. You may get an understanding of how much he means to me.

 

I wasn't at their gift opening Sunday afternoon (they didn't have a big get-together. Just his and her immediate family), but I'm sure I'll hear from them when they open their gift from us.

Their family and friends were so happy to witness these two as they begin a long, happy life together. I can't wait to see where the future takes them. All I'm sure of is that they'll be together.

Monogram Embroidery Complete...

I worked on this all day Sunday and finally completed it. There are no fewer than 24 hours of embroidery time into this monogram, and I did make adjustments along the way. (That means there was some frogging involved in the process.)

MA - I had the same issues with that green, as it did seem out of place for the rest of the colors, so I took your advice. Even though it has a larger roll in the actual bouquet, I only used the yellow/green for French knots (seen here in the curve on the lower right side) for the upper right and lower left curves.

I'm going to frame it today, and then I'll be in the kitchen baking bread. I'll share the photograph of the actual bouquet and the framed wedding monogram on Saturday (their wedding day), so I don't spill the entire surprise before their big day.

I'll be adding listings for "Something Blue" brooches to my Etsy shop this week, and I'm hoping to begin embroidery on a new goldwork piece. I've designed two different Corgi brooches, and am anxious to see if my needlework measures up to my vision.

As I said, it's baking day today, but I'll begin work on something new while Handsome is at rehearsal. Yes, it's Monday, so I know I've got that right this week. lol

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!

More Wedding Memories...

The bride, coming across the lawn escorted by her dad and stepdad

As requested, I'm sharing a few more photos from my nephew's wedding last weekend.

Most of them are photos of my family members. You'll notice lots of smiles and laughter.

I wish Dad would have physically been with us. He would have loved to see us all together again.

Rather than write a lot between the photos, I'm just going to caption them. Thanks for looking.

My niece entering with one of the groomsmen.

My youngest sister and her husband

My mum, stepfather and my eldest niece

Teaching my great-nephew how to hang a spoon. Thrilled to finally get it!

Handsome and I changed into jeans for the party

Each of my brother's sons and their wives. One brother's son couldn't attend.

Me with my youngest sister and my youngest brother.

My niece, enjoying a laugh with her son.

Eldest niece, Nephew Dan (Groom), niece-in-law, nephew, nephew and niece-in-law.
Missing other nieces and nephews who didn't attend.

The bride's sister and now future brother-in-law

The surprise of the evening. The bride tossed her bouquet to her only sister. When her sister turned around, her boyfriend dropped to one knee to propose. She said "yes", and a new celebration commenced. Congratulations to the newly engaged. 

Not all these photographs were mine, so I want to thank all the photographers who made this post possible. Spouses of some of my family members and their children were in attendance. I apologize that I couldn't find photographs of them among the myriad pictures I combed through. I want to mention them, too.

We'll all remember this celebration for a long time to come, and wish the newlyweds a long and happy marriage.

A Beautiful Day To Say

…I do!

I promised photographs, and I always try to keep my word.

Here are just a few to whet your appetite. 

I have loads of them, and will be happy to show you more of the splendid day we shared.

Uncle Handsome and I stopped to greet the groom pre-ceremony to try to calm his nerves.

He was so darn cute, and couldn't wait to marry his love.

 

The ceremony began with my nephew, Dan walking his mama - my sister, Di - down to her seat.

Her husband is right behind her on the walk. 

The ceremony was held on the deck of this lovely farm estate.

I missed a photo of their sons before the ceremony, but each of them wore badges that said

"Ring Security"

In addition to their badges, they also wore mock Secret Service-type ear buds. 

They went all-in on the assignment. Elder carried his dad's ring, and Younger carried the bride's.

The ceremony was quite touching, and I have lots of photos before and after this moment…

The moment they sealed their vows with a kiss.

So much going on, but the bride asked me if I could "install" the bustle after the ceremony.

The old workhorse quickly answered the bell. 

With my prepared kit, I set to adding a bustle fastener to her gown.

I placed circles of stabilizer in front of and under the gown where I'd determined it should go.

My thinking was that if someone stepped on her gown, the stabilizer would protect the gown.

One circle - for the outside - had the seam binding machine sewn to it.

My process was to hold one circle under the gown, and then sew the top circle 

and ribbon would be sewn together. I did that step by hand.

The dress train was quite heavy and cumbersome. Another man named Andy, who 

came to my rescue offered to hold onto the gown while I made the installation. 

He's a good friend of Dan's, and he was so chivalrous. 

Once the sewing was complete, I brought the seam binding up to tie behind the antique brooch.

The bustle did its job until someone stepped on the back of her gown. By that, I mean that it 

didn't tear the gown. The ribbon stayed attached to the brooch, breaking away from the 

stabilizer and keeping the gown from being torn. I'm so happy my concept actually worked!

The cupcakes were delicious, by the way.

I have lots more photos of this perfect day. I snapped away during the ceremony, 

and reception. So many smiling faces! If you'd like me to share more photos, 

just leave a comment below. I wish you could have been all around me.

Remember to let me know if you'd like to see more photos.

Sunday Scripture…

 

Love each other with genuine affection, 

And take delight in honoring each other.

- Romans 12:10

Today's The Day...

By mid-afternoon, they'll be happily married. 

Together for over five years, with a beautiful, blended family.

Those of us who love them both think it's about time!

His boys said they'll call her "Mom" after her last name changes.

All the kids will be in their wedding ceremony, as they exchange their vows in 

front of family and friends. The day will end with a party to celebrate the happy couple.

I'll be back with photographs on Monday.

First Guests Arrive...

Our first guests arrived yesterday, much to the delight of the furry residents of Hickory Hill Farm. Tag and The Girls are always glad to see my sister, but her husband and best friend were new to them. They were both received with raucous enthusiasm.

Brenda is my sister's best friend, so I was so happy to finally meet her. Tag, Bella and Carly were glad to meet her, too. Just look at Tag. What a suck-up. He's so bloody fickle! He was all over this poor woman - although I admit, she seemed to enjoy their attention.

The kitchen will be a bustling hub of activity all day, and all the delicious creations will be dinner for the wedding party this evening, following the rehearsal. We'll help Di as we're able, to try to make things easier for her. It's definitely going to be a long, strenuous day for her, and we're sure she'll be happy when it's over. She's a great cook, so there's no worry that her food will be a huge success.

My niece and her children arrive later today. Then we'll be to full capacity around here. We can't wait! So, I'd better get busy helping. Much to do before this day is over. More updates tomorrow.

Feather Dancing...

Here's my progress so far. I've been working on the wing, but not as much as I'd hoped. This week is "Wedding Week" for our dear nephew, Dan and his fiance' Alexandria. Our house will be full, as my sister Di, her husband, and her BFF, Brenda will be staying here. My eldest niece/goddaughter and two of her three children will also be staying with us. We can't wait!

Di and her group will arrive later this morning. My niece will be here on Friday. I'll be having so much fun. There's nothing quite as wonderful to me as having loved ones close. The kitchen will be the hub of activity, as Di is making all the food for her son's rehearsal dinner. Of course, Brenda and I will be available to help.

Handsome, Brenda and I will hang out here while Di and her husband head to the rehearsal dinner on Friday. Then, late Friday night, my niece and her kiddos will roll in from Minnesota. She's working, so they won't even start driving until after she finishes for the weekend. So, I'll have lots of fun photos to share, but probably no cardinal updates until after everyone heads back home.

Anyway, I think my wing is working out the way I wanted it to. You can see I still have some felt to cover, but I'm busy trying to make the wing look feathery. My overstitching on top of the grey thread worked out well, too. Just enough showing through, but adding padding with the layers.

I'll probably get back to this on Sunday, but I'll be sharing wedding and family photos - not embroidery - for the next few days. I hope you won't mind. I'd better get busy. I still have things to do before our guests arrive.

Crossed The Finish Line...

 

 

Completed Wedding Embroidery

 

I finished with time to spare! I learned that my body doesn't appreciate marathon needlework anymore. That said, I'm so happy with the final piece, and I'm really happy with the frame.

 

I need to remind myself to photograph my work before I frame it (or however I'm going to finish it), because when I had it all done and looked at this image, I could see things I could have added. Perhaps more blossoms on the right side of the bottom stems? Too late now. Another leaf here or there? Too late now. Aren't we always our own worst critics? I need to stop doing that.

 

Embroidery Detail - Names

I love how the bride and groom's names turned out. I think I did a pretty good job of replicating the typeface from their invitation. I'm happy to share how I did it, if anyone is interested. Just let me know in the comments.

 

So, today all I have to do is box and wrap this gift to take to the reception. Wedding at 1 pm, and dinner-dance at 6. I can relax and enjoy. Thanks for following my progress. I'll be gearing up for craft show production in the next week or so. I'm not going to think about that anymore today.

One more important thing...Happy Birthday to my dear BFF, Lee.

 

Dancing In The Dark...

Work In Progress

I'm still stitching. This was my progress as of midnight last night. (Apologies for the artificial lighting.) I'll be back at it today, with the goal of completing it. Remember, the wedding is tomorrow! Nothing like waiting until the last minute. You'd think I'd learn. sigh But, you know me. I thrive under pressure. I'll share the finish tomorrow.

Late Night Needle Dancing...

Slowly, But Surely

 

I'm just popping in for a quick "hello" today. I'm busy working on the wedding embroidery, and it's going slowly. Even so, I'm thoroughly enjoying the project. I began working again this morning...

 

Progress and Inspiration

and got all the way to here by the time I turned out the lights for the night...at midnight. Guess what I'll be doing today? Yep. You'll find me right here again. I'll be loading another needle with beautiful threads as soon as I'm finished with my coffee. See you tomorrow.

 

Inspiration and A Find...

Inspiration For My Color Palette

 

I thought I'd share a few photographs before getting back to my embroidery. I'm not ready to share a picture of that quite yet.

 

The cards below all the embroidery floss are the invitations to the bridal shower, and to the wedding. The flowers and colors are my inspiration for the embroidery I'm doing for the newlyweds. I love the fall color palette!

This Will Make A Perfect Frame

When I went to Hobby Lobby, I went in search of a nice-sized oval frame. I didn't see a single one in the framing department, or among the myriad shelves of ready mades, so I started just roaming the store in search of inspiration.

I rounded the corner in the mirror section and boom! There it was! The perfect oval mirror with just the frame I needed. I thought, "Why not?" I couldn't think of a single reason, especially since it was also 50% off, so it wasn't any more expensive that the larger frames I'd considered.

So, as soon as my needlework is finished, I'll mount the piece on a nice piece of fome core, and then insert it into the frame. I'll find another use for the mirror. This is definitely more important.

Hoping I can show you my progress tomorrow. I'm going to be stitching today.