creative souls in this century or the past

where does time go
way back when... i think it was just this past October   ha ha
on my trip to California to see my lovely sisters i came across this incredible display in a store window.

people have such inventive, creative minds. i love it when i come upon something so unique
it makes me smile.

 

here is a closer look

it was made out of old pattern pieces and wooden spools.

and who ever made these cute tiny pin cushions that i saw on our trip back east was another unique creative  person.
no matter where we live or when the creativity shines thru.
i hope the things i create leave a smile on someone face.
enjoy your creative moments and know you bring happiness

A little shoe and a gift.

One of the places we planned on visiting back east while at Winterthur and Philadelphia was "Ruth Van Tassel Baumann American Antiques" What fun it was to step into a beautiful antique store with furniture and Sampler galore. Ruth and her husband were incredibly friendly and set up a beautiful table of delicious goodies for us. The best cheese i have ever had if only i could remember the name????
Her samplers are a must see if you are in the area and her prices are very fair.
unfortunately i did not have the $$ to purchase one on this trip but i did purchase a tiny little pin cushion.

i collect miniature shoes and i couldn't pass up a show pin cushion from the early 19th century.

and of course a cute little lady walked a few blocks in this shoe.

don't you get really happy when you find something you never knew you needed.

 and the other great goodie i received on this trip was a homemade gift from Becky (In the Company of Friends fame)

i love it



the inside has all of kinds of goodies and the scissors are birdy-licious.
thanks again Becky



Samplers and A Crazy Quilt

i think what i have decided to do is just share some of the incredible things i was lucky enough to see on my trip back east to Winterthur and area.

Enjoy


i love this peacock, i know i will have to try something like it soon.



another great tree and i love the sheep.

i love this crazy quilt i have always wanted to make one and someday i will. this was made in the 1880's and so amazing.

another view of the crazy quilt  the embroidery on it was perfect.

part of a beautiful blue sampler.

1794 Jane Hoope or Koope, love it.

here are just a few reasons we need to support Historical Societies they keep these incredible pieces and share when asked!

more to come...

Winterthur and Historical Societies

where has the time gone.
i have finally returned home after a month away.
spent time with 3 of my sisters in California. One flew in from England which made it extra special.
we visited Big Tree Country and i love the small town feel of Angel Camp,California.
flew in to Seattle after two weeks away just in time to leave on another trip back east with my 3 best stitching friends.
Winterthur Symposium was the main destination but oh it was not the only incredible adventure we had.

of course we saw the amazing Plimoth Jacket ( more later on this)

we started our journey early on Monday morning. Fall was in the air and the trees were so colorful.

 our first day included the James Logan House, Stenton House with the most gracious curator Laura Keim and then we moved on to Chester County Historical society, Wyck House and Germantown with Elizabeth Solomon another incredible giving woman. Historical Socities have to be one of the best kept secrets for stitched items. When you travel next time make sure you find out where these special places are in advance and take the time to visit, you won't regret it.

we saw so many beautiful samplers and stitched pieces that to name them all would be impossible.

I love this bedtable cut out perfectly for your body, i could see myself stitching all day in bed

this was one of many places we visited in Germantown. i love the stone on the old barn.

love the quilting, more ideas of motifs for stitching?

one of my favorite motifs is the tree.

just a start
it was amazing how filled each day was and all the tiny little stitches along with some of the most beautiful homes. i hope to share many of the photos with you over the next few months so please stop back by and take a look.

i am anxious to start stitching on my on projects now after all this inspiration.

Winterthur and One winner

i know it is the end of summer and allot of us are busy getting back into the routine. i won't let my feelings be hurt by the one comment for my giveaway because i am so happy that is it my dear friend Julie. i will enjoy finding or making something special for her.

I am so excited that in a little over a week i will be in Winterthur, Delaware enjoying samplers and the Plimouth jacket with 3 great friends and a great group of stitch lovers.
We plan on visiting Philadelphia and any samplers along the way.
It is beginning to be a yearly adventure and i feel so blessed that i have these woman in my life that share the same love as i do. i hope to have a ton of  pictures worth sharing and stories, so stay tuned to my blog.
I will be back the end of October.
please stop by.

in memory of sweet Willy bird 21 years old. we will miss you.

A prize for a saying

i have started to stitch again the past few days and if your can't tell I am "VERY HAPPY."
it makes me feel whole again..
it's not much and i chose to do a small word sampler for a sweet couple i know.
they had asked me this spring if i would stitch for them a saying they love and that brings great memories to them.

any ideas?

not your typical saying by any means and most of us would have never ever stitched it. i could wager that 99.9 percent of us would never stitch it, but for a dear couple whom i love and enjoy 

 i couldn't wait to create this saying into a sampler .

i know you its not your so called normal saying but give it a try .
the letter or letters in front of  "REAK" is missing.
whoever guesses it first i will find a nice little prize to send your way.
 something you might love to stitch with..
go ahead give it a try open you mind and let it flow...
 my hubby says its to easy can you prove him right.

i can sew again!

the weather has been beautiful and i can now garden a little and stitch.
i need to take it slow, no marathon nights with needle in hand but i can SEW! YEA!
i spent an hour in the garden just pulling some weeds and dead heading. this weekend i hope to work on one of my sewing projects hopefully i will have something to post next week.

i saw this in a friends tree and i love it. makes the garden just a little more festive. who says you can only decorate trees at Christmas. this looked great in  the summer sun.
enjoy your last bit of summer...

how to save your wrist from sewing pains.

i hate it that i can't  stitch at all these next few weeks. my wrist have once again acted up so i am following my acupuncturist orders, no gardening either, i guess you could say anything that i do with my wrist that i get a little compulsive about.
i have learned allot the past year with my wrist.
first- keep your activities that involve your wrist down to a half hour then take a break
second - do the finger exercise which helps the wrist, you know the one where you touch your thumb to the tips of all finger tips and then touch your thumb to the second knuckle of all your fingers.
plus make a fist, relax, stretch out all fingers, relax do this at least a handful of times.
it does help and gives the muscles a little break from the tight grip we tend to do when we stitch in hand/
third - don't stitch in hand,  i have changed to a lap frame and it has helped too.
fourth - wear a wrist guard at night i don't know about you but i tuck my wrist up by my face or body and that makes them hurt at night the wrist guard stops me from doing this and it helps.
i love acupuncture and it has helped more than the physical therapy i went thru for over a month 3 times a week. only 3 acupuncture  sessions so far and i feel the results already.
 here is a little present i made for a great stitching friend Julie's Birthday last month. i had stitched this little motif many moons ago and i loved it but wasn't sure what to do with it. found the hand charm and knew they looked good together and also knew my stitching friend would love it too. i added ribbon around it and used felt to make the book. i love when little projects come together so nicely and it is also a plus to know that when you give it away someone else will love it as much as you do.

A Needle Book

 

then it opens for the needles

and a little pocket in the back

i hope to be back at stitching in a week or so but until then i have been reading and getting ready for my trip to Winterthur Needlework conference in Delaware this October. Hope to see some of you there???

where do you stitch?

stitching is a way of life for me, if i don't stitch at least a handful of times each week i feel something is missing.
 i love the art of preparing to stitch the time it takes to find the project, then the linen and the choice of threads.
Colors are an extremely important part of each project and when i chose a project that is all white i want it to shine just as much as the ones that pop with color.
yet when i sit to stitch the place i chose to stitch is as important as the project i am working on.
At a table with a group of friends who enjoy what i love,
outside in the summer with the sun shining,
or inside with a warm cup of coffee on a stormy day,

or all alone in a comfy chair

where do you stitch?
what makes you sit down and thread your needle?

Sewing Box designed by Sherri Jones for Patrick's Woods

 finally finished or lets say 99% done.
 i have the Pin keep to finish but that is another story.
 i want to be  happy with this moment.
 i love Sherri Jones she designs such unique and beautiful items and her classes are such fun, a must take if you haven't yet.

this is her "Blue Ribbon Sewing Box" all layed out. the pin pillow to the left with the bird and year , the needle book to the right tucked in is so cute.

she has painted piano keys for this project but i chose to use my own items.

here is the pillow with my initials side up before i glued everything in place.

of course i changed the design just a little my initials has three letters as you see so i always have to play around with designs and of course i like to anyway.

the pin keep is another story it is stitched and i am working on it but oh it is so tiny and folding it all up and trying to make such tiny unseen stitches was more than i could take late last night. so for another day

the sweet little bird on the needle book.

 i love the side panels i added the buttons in the center of each flower but i love her design with the ribbon threaded thru the top of the piece. perfection.

all closed up and ready to sit  by my sewing table... a moment to enjoy...

UK stitching buddy, trees with sweaters and wedding sampler??

this month i was finally able to meet my UK stitching buddy Linda, we have exchanged, all kinds of goodies and emails over the years but finally a face to face meeting on Mercer Island,WA.
 i am standing with black on and Linda is standing next to me she runs The Sampler Guild in the UK and she is wonderful. Beth in light blue to my right and then Becky, and Linda's friend Denise and Julie in red. we had a great dinner and lots of laughter. How lucky can one person be to have such good friends who enjoy what you enjoy. Life is good.

we have had a very cool summer here and believe you me i am not complaining when i see what everyone else is putting up with. i love the coolness of the Pacific Northwest thank you very much.

i have been busy gardening and as always i love my garden this time of year. this is an incredible passion flower bud, looks like an insect. it is a beautiful purple flower when it totally blooms.

who doesn't love a tree with a colorful sweater?
while walking with my daughter in Seattle WA, her new hometown and we happened upon these wonderful sweater trees. it made me smile and i was so happy that there are such creative people in the world and that they love to share their creativity.

they also had these interesting white cut outs that looked like some kind of honey comb texture in the trees.
  i have finished the wedding sampler for one of my daughter's friend who is getting married in August.  i went with a very simple design that i made up and i used some beads to give a sparkle. i used Hand Dyed Fibers which i love and some Gloriana, all variegated silk threads.
 now on to the framers sometimes the hardest part for me.
should it be in a round frame, square? dark wood, black, matts or no matts... the questions are endless when it comes to framing and i am lucky i have a great framer who helps me make decisions.

homemade two tier sweet stand!

i have been wanting a dessert two tier plate stand for ages but always felt i could make my own and get exactly what i want.
the other day i was shopping with my daughter and her friend and i found this great plate.

my favorite color and the bird and leaves add something extra.
next i found a simple white one tier cake stand. you can see it in the background of second photo.

i had this clear glass candle holder which i glued to the red bird plate. first find the center and mark with a pencil. i used Beacon 527 multi use glue crystal clear put around the rim of candle base.

i added some quilting weights on top to hold tight.

i then glued it to the white single tier cake stand i put a red glass heart in the center of the candle holder, weights again on top. i glued candle holder upside down as you can see. leaves more room for goodies on plate.

ta da it is done i love it and can't wait to use it in my new kitchen!

3 Owls

OK i feel bad it has been almost a month since i posted. i have been so busy animal sitting and then the yard work. yet i still feel bad, i love my blog and hate to ignore it. I have done some light stitching but really nothing to share.
instead, some garden pictures.
these incredible creatures flew into a friends yard , 3 owls was so amazing to be so close to them.

they even stayed for awhile and eyed me, puffed up and then flew away....

my soon to be son in law Matthew and Stellina all relaxed in the hammock.

and then who doesn't love passion flowers. even the under side is beautiful.
i hope to get some stitching done this week, home for the whole month. YEA!
stay cool.

one bird and a long night.

 i am sure many of you have nights like this where you start a project and you just can't stop.
i have been working on Mary Wigham for over a year now and i really want her finished.
 i have decided that instead of her name and all the initials on the piece i will add my own family initials or maybe even a verse or two of a poem. something that will remind me of how this piece started with my great stitching friends on Guemes Island,WA., our first retreat in the big red barn, a place that no longer is available for us to rent.

this is Mary as of 12:30pm tonight

i stitched the bird motif while watching or listening to mindless TV you know the kind, reality shows, Glee Project, HGTV and a BBC show on travelers (Gypsy) weddings.

i like all the bird motifs but i did change this one a bit. sometimes i change patterns because i find that when i am stitching along at a quick pace i forget to look back at the pattern and you know the rest, who likes to pull stitches out. other times i change it because i want it to have more of me in the piece or maybe part of the pattern doesn't agree with what i want it to be.
i have learn allot stitching with white and off white silk thread. it is interesting how white lays so differently on the linen than a colored silk does. i find i have to step back to appreciate it.
each piece i stitch teaches me a little something different.
 i do love the look of the white on the dark brown linen.
enough for tonight i think i hear my pillow calling me.
sweet dreams stitching blog friends