Well I surprised myself by all the stuff I was able to accomplish!! Not only did I get all the errands done I had to do...like renewing my license, and getting to Johns Hopkins for a fitting for a night garment, and having a dinner date with my son and his adorable girlfriend, and meeting up with a couple of friends and catching up on a couple of movies I really wanted to see (Star Trek, Sully, The Light Between Oceans) but I was able to get my Needlework Casket assembled, finish up a Halloween Ornament for an exchange, crochet TWO scarves and frame a piece I finished recently. I'm impressed with my bad self!! LOL So without further ado...let me show you what I've got for Gifted Gorgeousness.
Jo has been hosting this, and I feel awful that I missed a couple of months, but hopefully I'm back on track now! If you would like to participate you can read about the rules here. And if you'd like to see what everyone else is up to, you can check on their progress here. Thank you again, Jo, for being hostess and keeping us all in line!
Here is my Needlework Casket finished. The pattern can be found in Sampler And Antique Needlework Vol. 1 which was gifted to me by my friend, Pat. I have looked through the book so many times, and have found many other things I would love to stitch in it, so I'm pretty sure I will be posting other things in the future. Thank you again, Pat, I can't believe I actually finished it in 9 months...it's my baby, and a labor of love!! It was stitched on 40 ct over two on cream linen.
I was asked to make something for a Halloween exchange, and someone gifted this pattern to me when they found out how much I love owls. I guess this makes it a double gift! It's stitched over one on 32 ct. Dirty Linen fabric with hand dyed threads. The pattern is Spell of the Moon by Blackbird Designs.
I was able to pop this in a frame, something I stitched from a freebie I found online which is still available here. It's stitched on 40 ct. cream over two using DMC floss.
I'm not sure if these scarves count but I thought I'd throw them in.....these were made with Lion Yarn Brand Scarfie yarn and one ball of yarn will make an entire scarf. They were varigated yarn, and looked so pretty sitting on the shelf, and on sale...so I asked my friend who was with me to pick a color and I made one for her and one for myself. These are so incredibly soft, I'm ALMOST anxious for cooler weather so I can wear mine!!
I just thought I'd repost these two teacup pincushions I finished. One was for an exchange I did, the other was for a friend of mine who sadly told me she didn't have anything I had stitched. I'm glad she liked this one and that I had it with me to give her. Shame on me for not thinking of giving them to her sooner! These are both the same pattern, Mother's Day 2003 offered as freebies on Ellen Maurer-Stroh's EMS board. You can find the link for her board here. The teacups were a challenge to find, and I tripped through many a store looking for just the right color and pattern. I found two pieces that I will use later in one of the shops that was hit by flooding in Ellicott City. I found them just a few weeks before the flood....and am so glad I now have them as fond memories. Astrid and I frequented the shop looking for little goodies.
If you look back at the previous post you will see other gifted gorgeousness candidates, I'm just running out of time to post these. I hope you are all enjoying your stitching and the challenge! I know I have been!!
I will be returning to NY for a few weeks now, but I feel a wee bit better about running off now that I've got these things done that were hanging over my head. From the sounds of things I will be working on a quilt my Mom wants to make for my nephew. We will see how she feels when I get there. If so I'll post progress pictures. I'm kind of excited to be working on sewing projects with her again. We did this a lot when I was younger. She made a lot of my school clothes, and we made the bridesmaids dresses for my sisters wedding. We also made my best friends Wedding dress and my Maid of Honor dress for her wedding. Good memories, I'm thankful to be stitching with her again!
I often wondered in the past if I quit blogging, how many would notice...I guess this is my chance to find out...LOL
Before I get to the crazy part of my life, though, I guess I'll share a little about my stitching (as I've been told numerous times my blog should only be about needlework)
Where do I begin? I guess this will have to suffice for the next gifted gorgeousness post because I doubt I'll be able to post on the 15th of this month...
I finally finished the past three portions of my Needlework Casket. I'm sincerely hoping I will be able to get them stretched and inserted into the casket before I leave again, but the way things are going that remains up in the air. Here are all five of them completed, just in case you forgot what they looked like. These came from a book , "Sampler and Antique Needlework Vol. 1" that was given to me, so I consider them part of the gifted gorgeousness challenge. These have been stitched over two on 40 ct. cream.
I received a lovely gift from a St. Michaels participant who I stitched something for. She gave me a kit from Plum Street Samplers called The black Cherry Tart. I was able to finish the stitching, but need to find time to assemble the tart pan too. I'll put that on my to do list right after the needlework casket above...haha.
I participated in a pin cushion exchange with a lovely lady from Canada. I had finished the stitching and was about to assemble it when I was called away. In the past two and a half months I was finally able to find two tea cups and assembled the pin cushions. I'm so very sorry my partner had to wait so long, but thankful that I was finally able to get it to her. I gave the second away to a childhood friend of mine who has been a companion for the past two months trying to keep me sane...if that's at all possible. I don't know what I would have done without her!! They are both the same design, one stitched over one on 32 ct. white, the other stitched over one on 40 ct natural. The design is a freebie from Ellen Maher-stroh. I love her designs and you can find them here.
I tried in vane to keep up with the Snowflower Diaries SAL that is going on. I finally was able to finish June...and I just love the little bear on this piece. I have since found out a way to display my pieces, so when I'm finally home for good I'll show you what I have planned for these monthly pieces! I know I won't be able to keep on track with these, much to my dismay, but I keep saving the pieces and hope I'll get them done eventually. You can find her patterns here.http://thesnowflowerdiaries.blogspot.com/
And last but not least, is a little design I received from a friend. This is Blackbird Designs, Spell of the Moon. I'm not really into Halloween, but this little owl caught my eye. This is stitched on 32 ct. over one...isn't it cute??
In addition, I stitched this one for me! I thought I would make a band to adorn a basket. It is stitched on 32ct over one with the recommended hand-dyed threads. Home of a Needleworker is by Little House Needleworks.
Now to the reason I've been away for so long. On my Mothers Birthday in June I was talking to her on the phone from 500 miles away when she suffered a stroke. We were able to recognize the symptoms, call family members and rescue to get help to her immediately and thereby minimizing the effects of the stroke. I drove to NY the next day and spent time with her while she was in the hospital and then rehab and then went with her to her home to help her out for a few months. I just returned home this past weekend and have been on the run ever since. I still have a number of chores to do before I have to head back to NY to stay for another 3 weeks. It has been a tough road. I have had tons of advice (some of it asked for, most of it not asked for) but in the end, my Mother is an adult and can still make her own decisions. I don't agree with most of her choices, and have offered her a home here with me. I cannot force her to do anything she doesn't want to do and as long as she is still able to do most things for herself, I have to let her do as she pleases. For now that is staying in her own home. I hope I learn from this experience and can do the right thing if I reach her age. Prayers all around are appreciated! In the meanwhile I plan to go back in a week and stay for another 3 weeks, taking her to Doctor appointments and making other arrangements for help for her. This hasn't been easy on me or my family, but hopefully I'll be able to come back soon and stay.
