I think we'll see a variety of stitching methods during this hop - quilting, applique, embroidery, cross stitch. And there are some old friends participating...and some new! Here's the schedule for this four day hop:
Monday, March 30, 2015
Are You Ready?
Are you ready for another blog hop? This is a short one that I think you'll enjoy!
I think we'll see a variety of stitching methods during this hop - quilting, applique, embroidery, cross stitch. And there are some old friends participating...and some new! Here's the schedule for this four day hop:
I think we'll see a variety of stitching methods during this hop - quilting, applique, embroidery, cross stitch. And there are some old friends participating...and some new! Here's the schedule for this four day hop:
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Spring Thyme
Just two weeks ago everything was brown and ugly in my yard but a little time has made a huge difference! The Bradford Pear tree is in full bloom...
This one is actually in my neighbor's yard....but mine looks just like it. This one was easier to take a picture of. :)
The jonquils are in full bloom....
My herb garden isn't pretty enough to take a picture of though - the perennials are greening up and I have lots to plant. I stitched up this little Spring Thyme bag to hold my seed packets....
This asparagus fern lived in the garage all winter - didn't it winter well?
The forsythia is blooming, but the Carolina jasmine isn't ready yet.....
And it's a typical March day with the winds blowing and blowing!
I wanted a picture on this tree but the bag kept blowing so far out I couldn't see the stitching. :)
But finally I caught it in a brief moment of calm!
This one is actually in my neighbor's yard....but mine looks just like it. This one was easier to take a picture of. :)
The jonquils are in full bloom....
My herb garden isn't pretty enough to take a picture of though - the perennials are greening up and I have lots to plant. I stitched up this little Spring Thyme bag to hold my seed packets....
This asparagus fern lived in the garage all winter - didn't it winter well?
The forsythia is blooming, but the Carolina jasmine isn't ready yet.....
And it's a typical March day with the winds blowing and blowing!
I wanted a picture on this tree but the bag kept blowing so far out I couldn't see the stitching. :)
But finally I caught it in a brief moment of calm!
Thursday, March 19, 2015
It's Me...Is It You?
What a wonderful idea for meeting other stitchers from around the world! Reading and writing blogs gives me a chance to see what other stitchers are doing but I'm always anxious to meet new people from all over the world and sometimes even in my own backyard. Thanks so much Madame Samm for another fun adventure!
I love hand stitching and do all kinds. Cross stitch, wool applique and embroidery are the ones that get the most of my attention. I believe that life has seasons just like nature and now that I am in the winter of my life stitching has become even more important to me. I've been married 50+ years to the same guy, have three children and eight grandchildren. Since two of the grandchildren have married in the last couple of years I'm already thinking ahead to great-grandchildren! We live in Arkansas in the United States on a small lake, which led to the name of my blog. We spend a couple of months a year volunteering at a mission in south Louisiana but even there I have a little sewing area.
My first project is this "Holiday Lane" pillow, a wool on wool applique project done for a blog hop a couple of years ago. It was gifted to a dear friend but I made a second one for myself. The pattern came from Jill at Jillily Studio.
Harrington and Hannah - my favorite bunnies! This is wool applique on cotton and the pattern comes from Michelle at The Raspberry Rabbit. It also has a bit of embroidery on a few of the blocks.
My favorite wool applique has to be this unfinished top - all done except for the quilting! It's called A Primitive Garden and is from Primitive Gatherings. The applique is, of course, all hand stitched. Their wools are just incredibly beautiful and have such deep, rich colors!
Years ago I loved counted cross stitch and have now fallen in love again with all the beautiful new patterns. This one, by Brooke Nolan, is called Summer Vintage.
And this is Brooke's Winter Vintage draped in my mother's pearls with her picture in the background. I'm working on a third of her designs, Autumn Vintage, and will make it into a Tammy bag as well. I have two daughters and a daughter-in-law who will receive these for Christmas.
Since I love all hand stitching - well, pretty much all - I couldn't finish up without showing you a little embroidery.
Walking In A Winter Wonderland is redwork embroidery and is my favorite Christmas quilt. The pattern came from Crabapple Hill Studio. The throw pillows, Sunday's Child and Girl With Watering Can, are old enough that I don't remember where I got the patterns!
I didn't mean to be so long winded but I just couldn't limit myself to one or two photos! I've spent so much of my life stitching that they are like my babies - each piece holds a place in my heart! Have fun visiting all the participants today. I know I will!
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
It's For The Birds!
I wish I had the talent that we see on Madame Samm's blog - she has such beautiful photos of birds that I just sit in awe. But since I don't I'll just tell you that here on the lake where I live we see lots of beautiful ones. There are all the ordinary everyday ones like robins, blue jays, cardinals, sparrows, hummingbirds, wrens, blackbirds, etc. But we have a few that you might not see as often - we have a type of heron that visits regularly as well as seagulls, owls and on rare occasions, an eagle has visited us. We have lots of ducks and geese and a couple of wood ducks who raise babies here every spring.
My mother was the bird lover in our family. She must have kept a dozen bird feeders at her house and even in her last days when she was very ill she reminded us to keep food in the bird feeders. Sometimes a bird will land on my window and I always think of mother!
For my first project I embroidered "Mother's Favorites" and the names of some of her favorite birds on a Kona cotton and then alternated them with birds cut from one of the panels from this fabric line. I just couldn't let this fabric go by without acknowledging her love for birds. The first border is a simple black, and the second is also part of this fabric line. I made the binding from one of the tree panels.
For my second project I fussy cut my favorite birdhouses from a second panel, bordered them in black, and did some simple free motion quilting around them.
The sun kept going in and out of the clouds the day I was taking this photo, making for some interesting shadows.
The day I was taking these photos that little bit of green was all the green I had in my yard!
When I finished these two projects I still had a bit of fabric left so I made a market style bag to put them in - I plan to gift these to a special someone for her birthday. The market bag makes a wonderful gift bag!
I used this adorable print for the outside and left it simple because I didn't want to cover up any of the birdhouses.
I used a tree panel for the lining, and added a ring for keys as well as....
two fussy cut birdhouses for the pockets.
Don't you love this one with his little tail feathers sticking out the door! :)
This was great fabric and I loved working with it. But greater than the fabric was working with Lana from It Seams To Be Sew! Lana was so organized and always timely with reminders and lists - exactly what I needed. So thanks to her and to Madame Samm for always encouraging us to do more, be more than we thought we could.
Be sure and visit the other bloggers today and for the next two days!
Thursday, March 19
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Friday, March 20
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Monday, March 23
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Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Happy St. Patricks Day!
In the town where I live we have a St. Patricks Day Parade - the shortest one in the world, only one block long!
I don't have any St. Patricks Day decorations so I decided I should make one.
Not only that but my two shamrocks look absolutely awful here at the end of winter.
This little Lizzie Kate pattern was a fun one to stitch. I followed the color key with one exception - I changed one of the greens to something lighter than it called for.
We're continuing to see some beautiful things in the Tree Bird Blog Hop - here is the schedule you will want to follow to join with us.
I don't have any St. Patricks Day decorations so I decided I should make one.
Not only that but my two shamrocks look absolutely awful here at the end of winter.
This little Lizzie Kate pattern was a fun one to stitch. I followed the color key with one exception - I changed one of the greens to something lighter than it called for.
We're continuing to see some beautiful things in the Tree Bird Blog Hop - here is the schedule you will want to follow to join with us.
Tuesday, March 17
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Wednesday, March 18
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Thursday, March 19
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Friday, March 20
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Saturday, March 14, 2015
Scissors and Birds!
When I finished my Scissors cross stitch piece I was convinced I would put it on a basket. And I did. And I hated it. So I took it all apart and thought about it a few days. I really wanted it to be something I used and saw often. When I thought about it that way I knew a zipper bag would be just the thing....one big enough to hold my newest patterns, things I really wanted to stitch soon.
It's big enough that it can hold magazines plus my 11" q snap frame as well as several patterns.
The fabric I chose is one a friend brought to me from Africa. She was there for a mission trip and I got this beautiful fabric!
The colors in the fabric are black, burgundy and a deep gold. I think it goes beautifully with my Scissors.
This piece of lace I used on the bottom is so beautiful and dainty....I just love it.
I've been doing some quilting too but my day on the Tree Bird Blog Hop is not until the 19th so I'll wait until then to show it. Meanwhile check out these bloggers who are going to be showing you some fun stuff in the next few days!
It's big enough that it can hold magazines plus my 11" q snap frame as well as several patterns.
The fabric I chose is one a friend brought to me from Africa. She was there for a mission trip and I got this beautiful fabric!
The colors in the fabric are black, burgundy and a deep gold. I think it goes beautifully with my Scissors.
This piece of lace I used on the bottom is so beautiful and dainty....I just love it.
I've been doing some quilting too but my day on the Tree Bird Blog Hop is not until the 19th so I'll wait until then to show it. Meanwhile check out these bloggers who are going to be showing you some fun stuff in the next few days!
Monday, March 16
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Tuesday, March 17
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Wednesday, March 18
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Thursday, March 12, 2015
It's Spring - There Must Be Birds!
Yes, there will be birds....starting tomorrow!
Here's the schedule you will want to follow!
Here's the schedule you will want to follow!
Friday, March 13
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Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Progress Everywhere!
I'm making great progress on my current cross stitch project...
This is the first of two patterns in the current Just CrossStitch magazine. There will be two more in the next issue. I think I'm going to do all four and frame them for my kitchen.
Meanwhile, I've finished my project for the Tree Bird hop....I'll be posting on March 19th, and I'm almost finished with my project for the Latte hop and I'm working on Tea for Two! I'm so ahead I'm amazing myself. :)
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