Searching for.....

I have been searching all over the internet to try to locate a copy of a pattern that was issued pre-2004 for a combination Hussif and Pursif  designed by Julie Craig of Attic Heirlooms Designs.  I will finally resort to throwing it out to you to see if any of you would happen to either have a copy or know of how I could locate one.  The pattern has a lovely needle hussif that fit inside a purse (which could also be carried as a normal purse if you wished). 

The now-defunct CQMagOnline magazine had at least a couple of articles about different people creating their versions of the pattern and I would love to create one as well.  I know, before you say it, that I could come up with my own pattern, but there are elements of the original that I just love and would like to learn how to make.

Today's quote is from Dan Zadra....  "Take action on your ideas.  Procrastination is the mortal enemy of spontaneous brilliance"

Errands, errands, errands

B-O-R-I-N-G!!!

I do hate errands.  

I hate grocery shopping.

I hate hauling the groceries inside

and I hate putting them away.

Oh,

and even more,

I hate the manufacturers of toilet plungers,

who can't seem to get their heads around

the fact that we really do want

said toilet plungers to actually,

(gasp) PLUNGE!!

 Oh, the concept!!

 *
*
*
*
rant over.

And the quote for today from Marie Curie:  "Life is not easy for any of us.  But what of that?  We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves.  We must believe we are gifted for something"

Button - of the Dorset kind

Yesterday was our monthly CQTeers meeting and Irene showed us how to make Dorset buttons, something I've been intending to try doing and hadn't gotten around to it.  Here's my effort...

Definitely not perfect, but not bad for a first effort!

Today's quote is from Benjamin Franklin...  "To lengthen thy life, lessen thy meals" 

Nuttin, Nada, Zilch

Yep, that's all I have to post about. 

SO....

Photo credit is unknown.

Today the quote is, once again, from Anonymous....  "If one dream should fall and break into a thousand pieces, never be afraid to pick one of those pieces up and begin again"

Planting our garden

Yes, we do have a garden, despite living in an apartment.  Here it is...

Yep, it's a huge garden!! 

Our entire crop (we hope!) will

consist of tomatoes, lettuce (two kinds),

cherry tomatoes and herbs.  

Looking forward to having a few lettuce, peanut butter & mayo sandwiches and some tomatoes fresh off the vine.  There's nothing like a sun-warmed tomato, freshly picked.  

And yes, I can see you all now....curling up your noses and saying a resounding 'yeeewwww' to lettuce, PB, & mayo sandwiches.  All I can say is don't knock it until you try it!  

 Today's quote, from Anonymous....."  What someone thinks of you is none of your business"

A couple of announcements....

I'm still working on my not-to-be-shown-YET project, so I thought I'd send you off to visit elsewhere. 

Today's quote, from Arlee Barr.... "There is no emergency exit in life, no escape route, no tunnels laid out with a string of lights to guide, no end but the life lived in wonder, finished in love"

Lucky me!

I have to be the luckiest person in the world!  I am always so humbled when someone gives me something that I can use with my work and I am definitely blessed to have such good friends who think of me when they come across something they know I will like.

First of all, one of my friends brought me back this treasure trove of goodies (she brought me back more and this is just what was in one of the little baggies).....

The fabrics you can see are gold and silver lame (at least I think that's what it's called) and the other piece is a beautiful gold satin.  There are ribbons, and beads, and buttons, and some gorgeous trims.  She also brought me some beautiful sequins and a package of milliner's needles.  Am I blessed, or what?

And,

I was gifted with these on the weekend...

I don't know how old these things are, but they came from a lady who is nearly 90.  They could have been from her mother, so even older than that.  The apron is made from a fabric very similar to gauze...certainly one that would have been used for Sunday best.  The other piece is an envelope...perhaps used to hold hankies.


Click to embiggen the photos!

Some beautiful collars, as well as a little pouch that is crocheted using very heavy thread.  I would assume that the ring must mean that it could be hung up.  I have no idea what it would have been used for originally.  Do you know?

I have to say that I have the nicest friends on earth!  Thank you Mary Ellen and Kelly.

Today my quote is about friends, and comes from Arlo Guthrie.... "A friend isn't someone who will carry you to your destination so much as someone who will walk along with you for awhile"

Do you know?

Here's a question for you.  Do you know what a group of bears is called?  You'll have to read to the end of this post to find out!

Reason for the question is that I wanted to show you this...

These little critters, also known as 'lovies', are seemingly all the rage around the internet.  They combine an animal, in this case a bear, and a security blanket.  There are lots of free patterns on Ravelry (which is where I got this pattern) if you want to go and check them out.  They also come up under 'blankies'.  If you aren't familiar with Ravelry, you should be!  It's a marvelous resource for knitters and crocheters and you can join for free.  There are tons of free patterns available there, as well as those you can pay a nominal sum for.

I don't know if you will remember about a month ago me showing a picture of the 31-year old cradle that we were sprucing up for our soon-to-be-born grandbaby (you can go HERE to read the story behind it).  Yesterday we delivered it to our #1 son and daughter-in-love and here it is, all set up and ready for Logan to arrive....

The quote of the day, from Diane Grant.... "It's better to walk alone, than with a crowd going in the wrong direction"

Oh....and the answer to the question?  A group of teddy bears is called a 'hug'.  Fitting, don't you think?

Ta dah!

One Ted E. Bear, completed!

Here's a quote from Anonymous.... "Usually it's a lot easier to nod as if you agree with someone than it would be to explain why you don't.  

Best legs in town?

What do you think?

Started sewing Ted. E. Bear together today and these are his legs.  Poor thing....he's still lacking a body and arms...and oh....his head!   

Today's quote is from Margo Fonteyn....  "The one important thing I have learned over the years is the difference between taking one's work seriously and taking one's self seriously.  The first is imperative and the second is disastrous. 

A post of mumblings...sort of

You will have no doubt noticed a sad lack of blog postings from this neck of the woods.  

Oh.  

You didn't?

Really?

Well then,  I suppose you won't be much interested in reading my mumblings today.  Perhaps cleaning the toilet is more fun, and if that's the case, you're excused.  I promise I won't get my feelings hurt.

1.  Part of the reason for my absence was our lending assistance in the grand move of our #1 son and d-i-love from an apartment to the new house.  We managed to deliver both them and their two cats to the new abode, leaving the rest of the moving in the capable hands of the pros.  

2.  Another part of the reason is that I've been busily polishing and finishing the soon-to-be-published 'BOOK'.  Now before you go and get all excited that I'm about to be found on the best seller lists, I have to tell you that the subject matter of the 'BOOK' isn't the stuff that best sellers are made of.  Some of my long-time readers may remember that I published book #1 ('Self Doing Naught') back in 2010.  It was a transcript of the daily diaries of my 2x great grandfather and his life on the farm dating back to the 1800's.  The current book ('Did Little But the Chores') is a continuation on the same theme with the original author being my great uncle and dating to the early 1900's.  There are over 500 pages in this book.  It took awhile.  There will be over 500 pages in book #3.  It, too, will take awhile. 

3.  The pile of to-do projects is in imminent danger of topping over, so.... one teddy bear has been cut out and is ready to put together, along with four baby bibs.  Funny, the pile doesn't seem to have diminished any.

Today the quote is from Ernest Holmes...  "Life is a mirror and will reflect back to the thinker what he things into it"

Lucky me!

Just look at what has arrived at my

door!!

Thank you Winnie and Shawn!

LOVE YOU!

Today's quote is from Elizabeth Stone... "Making the decision to have a child - it's wondrous.  It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body"

Thrift store find

Yes, I'm continuing to stitch (despite speculation that I'm sitting with my tootsies up and imbibing bonbons).  Thought I would show you my latest 'find' at the thrift store...

This intrigued me because it said that the package contained 'rice paper' which could be interesting to stitch on.  It was total happenstance that the marker actually still works.  I have NO idea if the transfer aspect of it works as the package says though.  According to the directions on the back, it's useable on fabric, canvas or wood.  You trace your design onto the rice paper using the purple end of the marker and then retrace over it to transfer onto your fabric (or whatever you choose).  Apparently the markings will remain for 2-14 days before disappearing.  If you want to hasten the disappearance act, you use the white end of the marker.  Then you can simply rinse out the rice paper and reuse it later on.  I thought it was worth $1.99 just to have a play!

Today's quote from an unknown author...."The brave may not live forever, but the cautious don't live at all. 

Mumblings

Yep, it's a mumble day...again.  Stitching is happening but since the project is hush hush, I can't show you (never fear, you WILL see it eventually). 

Sunshine!   We have sunshine!!  Still have to wear a jacket but we are happy for the return of some sun.  This year we have to be pleased with the small steps towards spring.  We walked along the river today and I, of course, forgot to take my camera.  Will try to get some pictures next time. 

Spring must be here because we have a pitcher of iced tea in the fridge!  Yum.....

Today's quote (from Sir Robert Helpmann).... "The trouble with nude dancing is that not everything stops when the music stops"

Manning the buckets...

Well, technically it isn't buckets, but it's lots of towels!  We are suffering the wind and heavy rain tail end of the storms that have gone through the US and our windows, we discover, leak.  A lot.  I was happily stitching away and suddenly heard dripping.  Thought I was certainly imagining things and it wasn't until one of the drips splashed water onto me did I realize that the dripping I was hearing was on the INSIDE.  By all reports this weather has settled in for at least two or three days so I suspect there might be a lot of towels being wrung out.

Oh well.

It could be a whole lot worse

as we're seeing more and more reports

coming in on the news.

I took a little break after finishing Secret Project #1 (sorry, still can't show you even a teeny little hint of what it is) and before starting Secret Project #2 (sorry, can't show you that one either) to create these little gifts....

Recycled denim tote bags,

in the crazy quilt style with

the stitching done with my machine.

Thrifted labels here and there for

additional interest.

Might not be a post for you tomorrow because I'm teaching again and will probably be too pooped to participate when I get home!

Today's quote (very appropriate for me I think!) is from Lady Bird Johnson.... "Become so wrapped up in something that you forget to be afraid" 

Dreaming!

This morning I checked my email and found another lovely blog post from Di van Niekerk.  If you don't know her, she is the author of many beautiful embroidery books and her posts often include absolutely stunning silk ribbon embroideries.  She also often features other artists and today she had a guest post by Marina Zherdeva who created this...

Please click to embiggen to see how incredible this is!!

I can only dream about ever being this good!

(oh yeah....and also dream about winning the 

lottery so I can afford the silk ribbon!!)

Today's quote is from Pablo Picasso... "There are painters who transform the sun to a yellow spot, but there are others who with the help of their art and their intelligence, transform a yellow spot into sun"

What a difference a day makes!

Well, guess what folks?  My computer and camera are on speaking terms - at least for the moment.  I finally resorted to taking my camera back to the default settings and lo and behold, it worked!  Who knew?  Of course now that means I have to relearn my camera again, but at least I have one problem solved (maybe!).

So, just to prove I've really not been idly sitting

around eating bon bons and sipping on

Irish cream

(which, btw, have both been banned after an ill-fated

climb onto the bathroom scales this morning!!)....

We retrieved the cradle that my dad made for our #1 son over 30 years ago and have been busily sprucing it up for use by our soon-to-be-born baby grandson.  Jack gave it several coats of Murphy's Oil Soap and we purchased a new foam mattress, which I proceeded to cover with waterproof fabric.  There was enough left over to make a change pad too....bonus!  I also made a couple of fitted sheets for it.  I know it's difficult to tell from the picture, but the pile of 'lumber' in the front is actually the legs (underpinnings?).

As a little aside - the cradle itself is made of oak.  My dad was helping out at the local auction house at the time and in the process of moving a very old organ from a house to the auction it fell off the back of the truck and shattered into pieces.  Ooops.  Dad had nothing to do with its demise, but he lucked out and got the pieces, which were turned into the cradle.

I was given a pair of pillowcases that, unfortunately, had been stored for many years in a plastic bag.  Not a good idea!   The fabric is now covered with little brown-ish spots (if you embiggen the picture, hopefully you can see what I mean).  Now my dilemma is how to remove them without losing the wonderful stamped cross stitch pattern.  Bleach is obviously not an option.    The lesson here?  Do not, under any circumstances, store your valued linens in any form of plastic!!

The quote today is from Ralph Waldo Emerson...  "Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we will not find it"

Mutter,mutter, mumble,---oh, and maybe even swear a little!

I know I've been missing on the blog for a few days - no excuse, really.  I've been busily stitching away on the great secret project so can't show you anything about that anyway.  So, I just now scurried around and took a few pictures of things I CAN show you and, wouldn't you know it, now my camera is refusing to speak to my computer.  Or maybe it's the computer refusing to speak to the camera.  Either way, they aren't communicating and I have no earthly clue as to why. 

Yes, I've been doing things - we got the new piece of foam for a mattress for the cradle my dad made over 31 years ago for my kids, and I covered it with waterproof fabric.  I made a matching change pad because there was some excess fabric.  I made two fitted sheets for said cradle.  I was given some very interesting pieces of stamped embroidery that I would like to show you.  Alas, the pictures remain on my camera.

So....

instead, I will show you this cute

picture I found on the internet...

Now, doesn't that make you feel good?

Today's quote is from C.S. Lewis.... "The future comes at sixty minutes an hour"

The mailman brought this too...

I'm doing my post a little early this morning because I have a busy day ahead of me.  I'll also tell you that it's doubtful there will be a post tomorrow because I'm teaching another workshop on the crazy quilt hussif.  Part one of the two-day class is tomorrow.

Do any of you remember making things like placemats and doilies using a wooden loom...probably back in the early 70's?  My dad made me a loom and that Christmas every person I had on my gift list got a set of placemats...great fun!  This past Christmas Pam Kellogg's beautiful mother Adria sent me one of her handmade doilies and I realized that she had used one of those looms.  Mine, of course, is long gone.  Well, after I wrote to thank her and told her the story about my experience with the loom, she told her wonderful husband who then proceeded to make one for me!!  Not only did I get a loom, but Adria also made me another doily AND pre-threaded the loom and gave me instructions on how to do it (good thing, because I had totally forgotten!).

Here's the loom and what it makes...

 

Thank you SO much Adria and your wonderful woodworking husband!!



oh - and just as a sidenote - woke up to a heavy coat of snow this morning!!!!!!!!!!



Today's quote is from Anonymous....  "Reach for the stars, even if you have to stand on a cactus"

 

 

Look at what the mailman brought!!

Sometimes I really think my mailman is wonderful, especially when he brings treasures such as these from my friend Lyn in England!  Lyn and I have been exchanging stitching magazines and sometimes there's something else that seems to get tucked into the envie.  Well, I must say Lyn outdid herself with what tumbled out of the latest envelope!

Just have a look at these!

This piece measures approx. 10x14".  If you look closely you can see that the embroider has attached a clump of the threads she used ready to continue stitching.  

Here's a closeup....

The larger flowers appear to be made using some sort of soft nylon ribbon.

The envie also had this...

This appears to be done with machine

and measures approx. 6x10".

And THEN, out tumbled THIS....

Oh wow!

A partially completed piece of special embroidery!

You can see the wonderfully done shadow work and the partially done flowers with the lovely blue transfer remaining on the close.  It's just as if the embroider was called away and is coming right back to continue stitching.

This piece measures 11" square.

You can click to embiggen all the pictures.

THANK YOU LYN!!!!!!!!!!!

The quote from today is from Judith Viorst - "Strength is the capacity to break a chocolate bar into four pieces with your bare hands - and then eat just one of the pieces"

Stay tuned tomorrow to see something else the mailman brought!