Patriotic Biscornu

This is the first one I have made. It was a lot of fun but more time consuming than I had imagined. I will definitely be making more in the future. 

Here is another shot.

Deconstructing a Nod and a Wink

These two designs are my homage to period dramas. I’ve always been a fan of period dramas. The simpler times when a bolt of fabric would be cause for celebration and time was taken each day for a cup of tea. I dreamed of how it would be to live during the times of the March family; reading and writing by candlelight. Days were spent working hard, living each of them to it’s fullest and enjoying the company of others.

These period dramas were a huge inspiration in the construction of this town: Lark Rise to Candleford, Downton Abbey, Cranford and Little Women.

I hope you enjoy stitching these as much as I enjoyed designing them.

Bonsai

I love working with Bonsai. Unfortunately, it's an art that takes a lifetime to do properly. I shouldn't really admit to this but, last year I spent the whole summer pruning and taking care of a small tree. It was beautiful. Then winter came, the bonsai was left in the greenhouse, and I forgot to water it. Needless to say...it's a dead bonsai now. Yeah, I really didn't need to share that information with you. You could've just thought I was a master at bonsai but we all make mistakes. What does this have to do with needlework? Needlework is all about smalls. We stitch worlds onto fabric in miniature. Needlework is delicate and time consuming just like working with bonsais. The finished result is beautiful and interesting.

 

This is my new bonsai. It is a small juniper bush. I spent the day pruning it's roots and branches then covering it's base with moss. Since the container is small you really need something like moss to keep the moisture in. Don't ever let it dry out. A small world needs just as much, if not more, care as a big one. The results are well worth it.

 

Utah Stitchers Group

A new yahoo group for stitchers in Utah who want to get together and stitch or just want to talk about it.

This is not my group, it is a friends. I think it will be fun though.


JOIN HERE!

A Nod and a Wink

'Dance of the Bees' is doing well. The model is now at the Shepherd's Bush shop for all of you who are close by. Go check it out!  Two new designs are now finished and shipped to my distributor. They were suppose to be out a couple of weeks ago but due to some minor problems they took longer. The first design is called 'A Nod and a Glance'. I shared it with you all a month or so ago. 

The second design is a companion piece to this one and it's called 'A Wink and a Smile'. You can stitch the designs separately or together. They fit together perfectly. I chose to put them both in the same frame in separate mats but you may do as you wish. Here they both are framed.

Two Cents- Michaels Craft Stores

I visited Michaels today and noticed the cross-stitch isle was pretty much gone. In its place was yarn. This is what I think has happened to our craft and why I think these stores are shooting their selves in the foot. First, When the recession hit I think almost all crafts were affected. I think many people turned to knitting/crocheting/quilting because it gave them something to do and they had a useable finished product. "Useable" as in not just something to look at and enjoy. They made blankets, clothes etc. I think these craft stores saw a drop in sales for floss etc. and an increase in sales for yarn. Well, how long do they expect that to continue? People will stop going there for stitching supplies (because they don't carry them) and eventually get tired of knitting and crocheting and stop buying yarn. Personally, I can only crochet for a couple of months before I have to switch to something else. Embroidery is not a dying art. Every time I get an email, from a fan, I know this to be true. I see the excitement in their words and when I see people in the stitch shops I hear the excitement in their voices and see it in their eyes. Those who haven't picked up a needle and thread don't know the feeling. Those who haven't felt the linen and oohed and awed at the variety of colors don't know the history behind it. Michaels....you're killing yourself and when you're dead and gone you will have no one to blame but yourself.

Dancing and Planting

My newest design 'Dance of the Bees' was released yesterday. Yesterday was also my 9 month anniversary. I was telling Tina (from Shepherd's Bush) today that my first patterns were released on a Friday the 13th so it must be a lucky day. I met Sharon Crescent today she is in Utah for the quilt market in Salt Lake. Unfortunately I couldn't sleep well last night and took a sleeping pill which is still affecting me today. I'm sure the impression I left was of some slurred speech, tired eye drunk. haha.

I hope everyone is enjoying the weekend. I've been picking weeds and mowing the lawn. Lots of work but the yard really looks nice now.

Wendy's Owl

I made this for my friend Wendy. She has been stitching a lot of birds lately and asked when I was going to make one. This is a freebie on my website.Ship's Manor

If you like this pattern please thank Wendy, at her blog, for getting me to make this.

http://craftybasenji.blogspot.com/

The Apple Picker

Now available in the May issue of The Gift of Stitching. I am excited to share this pattern with all of my friends, and maybe soon-to-be friends, in this magazine. I hope, while you stitch it, you think of hot summer days, lemonade, and of crisp apples picked from the tree. I remember when I was a kid and how in our back yard we had all kinds of fruit trees. I don't think there is anything better than sitting up in a tree eating it's fruit.

http://www.thegiftofstitching.com/latestissue.php