Blog Parade!

Confetti all around! Oh my gosh, this is very exciting for me. My neo-counter just rolled over to 10,000! I know you are probably chuckling now, so in an effort to try not to sound like a Sally Field Oscar acceptance speech, here's what I'm thinking. Ahem...1-2-3 testing...

Blog readers rock! Whether you stumbled into here or came willingly, thank you! Thank you readers and bloggers alike. Kudos and loads of credit go to my blogmeister friends whom have huge followings of their own and to the curious nature of many fellow stitchers; well whatever it is I am proud you're here visiting and will do my best to earn the time you give to me. Who knew I was this closet writer? My first opportunity to be "read" and BAM! You can't silence me. Well not for very long anyhow. I thought I'd peter out on this endeavor long ago, NOT! Instead I have been inspired to stitch more than ever, finish more than ever, learn more than ever and all thanks to you guys! Thanks for coming back! Madonna

Dangerous Business!

This is the first of several finished needlepoint canvas' I recently found. I love to scour antique malls for nicely stitched pieces that I think have potential, with a little TLC and imagination, to be transformed into a personal treasure. Let the metamorphosis begin!

Once I find a piece I like, the first thing I check for is any sign of damage, fading, and/or odors; stitch quality is also a determining factor. Oh, and did I mention it has to be inexpensive, say up to $20 depending upon size. I also have to like the design or at least see it's potential to add color to a room. Pillows are what I usually have in mind, but some designs just don't lend themselves to pillows. The jury is still out on what I will do with the Chagall Window above (I think it is anyway); it's one of four stained glass window type canvas' I now have. Two were found in different States and the other is a pair found together.

Obviously all of these have been framed making the recycling process a very dangerous business indeed. Using various techniques, I find what they all have in common is adhesive and staples. Good grief, disassembling the framing is perilous....tetanus waiting to happen so to speak. So you have to be really careful.

Take it from me, do not attempt this process late at night when light and energy sources are low. Lest one might end up with a nasty gouge on one's leg from a protruding nail or staple. Ouch!

This final piece is actually my favorite, for one thing it is pictured just as I found it except it was tacked to stretchers. Total cost $8.00, clean and charming, my kind of treasure! This is the Eva Brent canvas I mentioned in a previous post. I have cleaned and reblocked it and am now debating if I want to embellish the flowers with beads. I may be a little too anxious to get this made into a pillow to delay the process with beading..or bleeding as I call it. All the stitching was done in basketweave and is even and uniform. This will definitely be a pillow and will probably be the first piece I finish. In my next post I will show you the progress I've made on this and all the other wonderful treasures that made their way into my car recently! Thanks for stopping by, see you soon.

Herringbone

eyeglass case #2. The new header photo is my next colorway for the quick stitching eyeglass case. I'm still at about 12 hours stitching time on these, just under 1.5 hours per row. I've changed it up a bit this time by combining non-mirrored and mirrored patterns. Using a total of 9 rows, the top five are stitched in the non-mirrored herringbone pattern. The next three are in the mirrored, then the last row back to non-mirrored. This is such a great project for using your stash. The perle coton I used on the original case has worn very well; I use it everyday and it rests in an outer pocket of my handbag. No pilling or fraying or signs of wear at all. Will keep you posted on how long this lasts.

Threads used include 1 skein each of #5 Perle Cotton (bright rust and medium aqua); 1 skein of Watercolors (row 4 is Watercolors only); and just over 1 reel of Kreinik Braid in copper. This makes a rather large eyeglass case which is especially great for larger sun glasses, though you can reduce the number of rows making a more narrow case for readers. This is a fun and simple project that is easily adjusted to accommodate the size and colorway you desire. There's information on finishing the case archived under eyeglass case. Thanks for visiting today, it's been a busy summer as evidenced by my lack of entries lately. See you soon and thanks again for staying with me.

Hi All!

I am so happy to be home from our wonderful 1800 mile road trip. I'm not adjusting back into my routines very easily it would seem; but just to return to my blog is food for the soul and I'm sure before long everything else will fall into place. I've not only missed my own blog but all of those that I follow and read religiously, I've missed you. I can't believe how much I have to catch up on, but I won't omit one post of inspiration.

I've been working on a few things, one is a Christmas in July ornament exchange. I've had fun doing this Liz Morrow design and will post a photo once it is received by it's recipient. I think these national/international exchanges are a lot of fun. You never know what you're going to get or whom it will be from, and the potential for making a new friend is the best part. If you haven't tried this yet, take a chance.

In my last post I mentioned I purchased a stitched canvas from an antique mall. It's a piece I believe is from the '70's and designed by Eva Brent, author of several books about needlepoint. Maybe some of you are familiar with her work? This canvas has been nicely stitched in basketweave, so I am trying my hand at cleaning and blocking it and then turning it into a pillow. I will be taking you through the steps of this adventure which will be a first for me (the cleaning and blocking part). Most likely this was a kit and it looks like Persian wool was used.

I shared some of my stash enhancements gathered on the trip, but I failed to mention that my DD went behind my back and surprised me with all the colors of the Mandarin Bamboo Floss. The colors are all so soft and beautiful. Mischievous but generous oh daughter-of-mine!

So for now I guess I'll leave you with a few shots of some of the friends we made on the trip. Nothing like sharing gifts of food to make and keep friends. I noticed a family resemblance right away. :)