Americana

With Independence Day right around the corner, I have been inspired to stitch some patriotic pieces. I finished LK's God Bless America and the Plum Street Sampler In God We Trust freebie from Paulette that I thought was absolutely fabulous!!

This weekend I am working on American Log by Primitive Traditions. I saw this as a model in the shop that I visited last weekend and fell in love with it. There is something about primitive salt box houses combined with primitive American flags that I just love. The fact that this is a log cabin with a blackbird makes it even better. :) I hope to have this one finished soon.

I am going to finish listening to The Help (I have been listening to this forever-time to finish it already!!) and do some yard work of the stitching kind. American Log needs some grass and trees. Enjoy your weekend!!

Happy Stitching!

Kellie

Stitchy goodness

It's been awhile since I posted last. My goal is at least weekly, sometimes more, but we have been so busy this last week and a half. Summer is flying by, and I am not accomplishing everything that I had planned to do. Such is life, I guess. Last week was a whirlwind of Quest Camp at school for Jake, and working half days for me. In the evenings, Jake went to our church's VBS and I volunteered in the VBS Rome Marketplace. It was a lot of fun. :) Michael (husband) had a conference in Nashville over the weekend for our home business, so Jake and I tagged along. And I am so glad we did. It turned out to be such a fun, stitchy weekend. It started Friday night when we are hanging out in the room waiting for Michael to get finished with his meeting. He called my cell phone to tell me that there is "some kind of cross stitch conference going on in the lobby" and that they have a marketplace that is open to the public, but I need to hurry as it is going to close in 45 minutes. Okay...he is definitely getting husband of the year this year! Not only did he call to tell me about it, but he asked one of the ladies a bunch of questions to find out all this information. Turns out it was an EGA conference, and there was indeed a marketplace devoted to all types of fiber arts. I found a couple of accessories that I really liked--some mesh bags, a pair of those cute little Kelmscott Gem scissors. Fun stuff!!

Saturday morning, Jake and I drove around Nashville in search of two different cross stitch stores. Thanks to my dad's handy dandy GPS (I need one of these!), I found both and had the best afternoon. Jake was a sweetheart...very patient...while I shopped to my heart's content. Both shops were a lot of fun. Below is my stash haul...

At The Stitching Post (love the name of THAT store!! LOL!), I found a couple of goodies...

Bird in the Bower (Plum Street Sampler), Jill Oxton Cross Stitch and Beading magazine, BBD LF It's Berry Time, and Mill Hill Reindog

I was THRILLED to find this particular issue of Cross Stitch and Beading. It has a Voluptuous Mermaid design that cracks me up. I love mermaids...this is a must have for my fledgling collection.

The next stop was at Cross Stitch Corner. I absolutely loved this shop. I was the only one in there, and the owner was just a delight to talk to. She had hundreds of stitched models, and she has stitched them all. I found things that I would not have looked at twice had she not had the models there in the store. Jake really liked a model of Tall Sundae by Kappie Originals . He kept whispering to me to look at it and ask her if she had the pattern. Normally, this would not be something I would stitch. It is tall and has a ton of back stitching. But I couldn't resist when Jake asked if I would stitch it for him. I got the pattern and the opalescent fabric that she used in her model. And it will be fun... he will probably be married and have kids of his own before I finish it, but that is okay. :)

I also picked up American Log by Primitive Traditions (another one that I would not have noticed if not for the model), LK Don't Get Your Tinsel in a Tangle, two Sheepish designs (Hey Ya'll and Starburst Sampler), and Reindeer Yule by Ewe & Eye & Friends.

Another thing I really liked was that this shop owner had a great eye for color and fabric choices. I bought several fabrics to use with designs that I already have because I loved her fabric and thread choices. I am thinking about starting this one today... the fabric is PTP Crystal Legacy with Dark Forest Silk 'N Colors.

Or the sundae...I am really thinking about starting the sundae...

Also last week, I worked on This is the Day. I have run out of some threads, so I am going to have to stop and order a couple before I work on this more. I am posting a recent picture for Julie who asked to see the design. Julie, it is in JCS Jan/Feb 2009 if you are interested. It is a fun sampler to stitch.

I also wanted to thank ALL of you for your kind comments. It truly makes my day to find comments on my blog. I read all of them...usually more than once, sometimes out loud to my husband. :) I am always grateful that you took the time to leave me a comment. I appreciate all the kind comments on my basket. It was a lot of fun and not nearly as hard as it may appear. Martha Wetherbee and her husband Alan make sure that you are doing things correctly. They do not let anyone leave with a less than perfect looking basket. If I can do this, anyone can...believe me. I know Martha and Alan teach a lot of classes in New Hampshire and Florida, and apparently some in Kentucky. If you ever have the opportunity to take a class with them (or any basket class for that matter), I would highly encourage it. It is a very rewarding experience and you come home with an instant heirloom. I think they plan to be back here next year for the next basket in this series, so stay tuned...I plan to be there to weave it. :)

That's it for now. Jake has come back home from next door bringing two cousins with him who want my leftover lasagna for supper. We are planning to go out with BIL and SIL to Chili's as soon as Granna gets here to keep the kiddos. :)

Have a great week!!!

Happy Stitching,

Kellie

Run...don't walk

Head over to Deb's blog at Thread Gatherer and check out her fabulous giveaway!! :) :) :)

Summer Breezes and Baskets

I have another finish to show off. I completed Summer Breeze on Thursday. For some reason, the swan motif in the upper portion of the sampler threw me for a loop. I had to frog something different in that motif several times. But it is finished and going to be put into the "need to be finished finished" pile. I am not sure what I want to do with this one. Maybe framed for an easel on the foyer table during the summer months.

Prairie Schooler Summer Breeze

32 ct. Lambswool

DMC threads

Started ?? 2008

Finished 6/11/09

I made a basket today. Our local homemakers extension office sponsored a basket-making workshop with Martha Wetherbee today. From what very little I know about baskets and basket weavers, apparently Martha Wetherbee is like one of the rock stars of basketry. I was certainly impressed by her knowledge and skill, and how well she was able to teach a room full of rookie basket weavers to make this sweet Lincoln Bicentennial Basket. The lid of the basket has a piece of the Boundary Oak from Lincoln's birthplace inlaid into the top of the basket with two of the first newly released Kentucky Lincoln pennies inlaid into the boundary oak (one penny is on top of the lid and one is on the inside). I won't bore you with all of the historical details I learned today about baskets, Abraham Lincoln, pennies, and indigenous wood, (although I found it fascinating!) but I will say in short, that I learned a lot and was really excited to have had the opportunity to attend this workshop. Okay, I will bore you with one little detail...the interwoven reeds on the basket are called "stitches"...just when you thought this part of the post had nothing to do with stitching! :) It was a lot of fun. I would really like to take more workshops with Martha and her husband Alan and make both Shaker baskets and Nantucket baskets.

I am not sure what I will stitch next. After a finish, I get restless for a few days and work on something different every five minutes (okay, not really, but it seems like I am switching projects every five minutes). It takes me a while to find a groove again. I have worked on CHS Molly and CEC Summer Place this week, but not enough progress to show either. I am debating between working on a WIP or pulling out something new tonight. Decisions, decisions! LOL!

Hope you are having a great weekend!

Happy Stitching,

Kellie

Setting Sail...

I finished LHN's Blessed are the Merciful late last night. This one is my favorite of the Saltbox Scripture series. I love the sailboat and the blue house. Crescent Colors' Tartan Blue is one of my all-time favorite colors of thread to stitch with. I think I will probably finish these into little pinkeeps to be displayed seasonally. I have the spring and summer one both stitched. I still have the fall and winter ones to do. 

 I think I mentioned in my last post that I had pulled out a bunch of WIPs that I haven't worked on in awhile. I decided to pick this Prairie Schooler design up and try to finish it up this week. I have a bad habit of starting projects and losing interest about halfway into them. I guess the upside is that I do usually go back to them at some point. This is Summer Breeze.

I think we are taking a road trip to Hobby Lobby this evening. I need more yarn for my blanket that I am making, and HL has it on sale this week. The closest HL to us is about 45 minutes away, so we will make a night of it with dinner out and a few more stops in the area, I am sure. One of the many things I love about summer...picking up and taking off on a weeknight to do whatever without having to worry about bed times. :)

I have been watching some really good movies lately. Last week, I watched New in Town with Renee Zellweger and Harry Connick, Jr. It was a cute movie, with several really funny parts. I also watched The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. FABULOUS! I absolutely loved this movie. I thought Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett were just wonderful in their respective roles. I am probably the last person on earth to have seen it at this point. I love movies that stay with you and make you think after they end (I like books like this too). This will be a movie that I will eventually add to my collection. And I want to read the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald that inspired the movie. I am getting ready to watch Marley and Me, which I know is very sad at the end. I want to see it, but I don't. Our pastor related part of this movie to Sunday's sermon yesterday. He said he even cried at the end. Oh boy... I plan to spend the afternoon watching it and working on Summer Breeze. 

I forgot to mention in my last post that Melissa at Words and Blooms is having a giveaway. Check it out if you haven't already. And check out her wonderful blog. I love reading her blog, seeing her stitching and her lovely garden. :)

Have a good rest of the day!

Happy Stitching,

Kellie

Stashing

I have been doing some stashing in recent weeks that I thought I would share. 

First, is Quakers and Quilts by Rosewood Manor. I have been wanting this design since it first came out. I finally ordered it and the little balls of Valdani floss that go with it. I think I am going to stitch this on one of my favorite fabrics, Silkweaver Purely Primitive.

A few other charts....Snow White Sampler by Willow Hill Samplings, The Simple Things by Blackbird Designs, and Oh Mother Dear by the Sampler Girl. 

I found this cute design in Elizabeth's Garden Etsy Shop.

It is called My Cat's Quilt.

A few other "finds"...

mesh bags from Down Sunshine Lane

(she has great prices on these if you are in need of any...), some fabric from Hobby Lobby, and a magnifying stitch thing that I am not sure I will like, but could not turn down for the low clearanced price of $4. 

And last, but not least, I am hoping to turn this into a very simple crocheted throw. I am just learning how to crochet, so I am not sure how it will turn out, but I love this soft colorful cotton yarn. :)

Not much happening on the stitching front so far this weekend as I have been doing more crocheting than cross stitching. I did start a little LHN Saltbox thread pack that I hope to finish up this weekend. I will post pictures when I have it finished as it isn't much to look at right now. I also pulled out some WIPs that haven't seen the light of day for a very long time that I would like to put a few strands in before relegating them back to the WIP pile. I will share those as I work on them too.

Hope you are having a great weekend wherever you may be. It is a sunny mild 77 degrees here today....very unusual for June in Kentucky, but I am not complaining. :) 

Happy Stitching,

Kellie